If you work out in a gym you've probably seen someone doing an exercise with short quick movements, perhaps with too much weight. This is a common mistake that can limit your range of motion and lead to injury. Range of motion (ROM) is the amount of movement around a joint. Our bodies are constantly adjusting to our activities, so if you do an exercise like a squat or bicep curl but are not moving through the full range of motion of your hips, knees or elbows you are shorteni

If you've spent enough time at a gym, you've probably seen a weightlifter use the item pictured above. Its a wrist strap which some people use to aid in doing pullups because their grip isn't strong enough. You might have also seen people use a weightlifting belt that providers lower back support or stacking tons of weight on a machine that only moves in one dimension. All are good examples of what not to do. If a certain body part is the weak link in your kinetic chain then

Cycling is a great form of cardio as it gets your heart pumping but is easy on the joints. If you are a regular cyclist you should be aware of which body parts are working, which aren't, and which you need to strengthen and stretch to improve performance. Regardless of whether you clip in or not, the bike stroke utilizes most of the muscles in your lower body, from your hips through your thighs down to your calves. But depending on your bike, seating position and riding style

Pattern overload is the overuse of certain muscles by performing the same motion repetitively, usually in a manner that isolates some body parts while neglecting others. Its common among athletes who perform the same movements often (like a pitcher throwing a baseball) but also workers performing some sort of manual labor. Soft tissue like muscles and tendons that are overused begin to breakdown, causing inflammation and pain. To compensate your body starts recruiting other s

Last week we discussed the importance for marathoners to also do strength training for their legs. This advice applies to everyone, as our lower body, often neglected in the gym when we mistake looking strong for being strong, is an important source of strength in many activities. One of the most important lower body exercises you can do is your basic squat. Squats make up a key component of our Fitness For Life philosophy as they hit many major muscles and can be combined wi

A good friend of mine, the person who first taught me about proper weight lifting technique, was recently telling me about a new injury. Since he's always been into heavy Olympic-style lifting I asked whether the injury happened while he was doing deadlifts or something similar. No he told me, it probably happened while he was renovating his house. While redoing his bathroom, he had to move a heavy cast-iron bathtub. Although at the gym he always pays close attention to prope