There's no such thing as "perfect"... Depending on your goals there are constraints we can put on movements and certain points of performance that we aim to achieve, but there is no such thing as a universally "perfect" squat. Using other tools and variations is fine, but there’s absolutely nothing inherently dangerous putting a bar on someone's back and having them squat above parallel. Ideally individuals will train through the majority of their available range of motion in a wide variety of movement patterns, but they don't have to train through the full range of motion right away. While an empty bar may not be an appropriate starting point for some people depending on their current fitness level, it's a perfectly fine starting point for most. • • #squat #squatting #fitnesstips #legday

I respect different perspectives on warm-ups, but we still have to recognize that individual experiences vary greatly and cannot be generalized for everyone. While mobility exercises can be beneficial, it's crucial to acknowledge that their impact on injury risk reduction is not well supported. Regarding elite powerlifters, it's worth noting that there is no one-size-fits-all approach among them. While some incorporate these warm-ups, others follow different routines and still perform exceptionally well. It's about finding what works best for each individual. When it comes to reducing risk of injury, focusing on training load, quality sleep, and managing external stressors have shown to be more reliable factors (Maupin et al., 2020; Ivarsson et al., 2017). It's essential to understand that not all aspects of warm-ups have a significant impact on injury prevention. Let's continue to have an open dialogue and respect diverse opinions in the pursuit of safe, effective, and efficient training 💪 • • • #fitnessroutine #fitnesstips #warmups #warmuproutines

In case it was too fast to read the first clip says "Me watching people have to ditch their old shoes after switching to barefoot shoes & using toe spacerrs because all normal shoes now feel like casts on their feet." This is an example of creating problems and unecessary anxiety around health/fitness. Imagine going about your life only giving the occasional thought to your footwear. Then one day, you see a physical therapist talk about how bad "normal shoes" are and how much better it feels to use barefoot shoes and toe spacers. Since physical therapists are supposed to be subject matter experts on musculoskeletal care, your start to pay more attention to your shoes and how they feel on your feet, until eventually you can't wear your "normal" shoes anymore. Most harmful beliefs about exercise come from healthcare providers, whether it's your GP or a physical therapist on social media. Unfortunately bold, opinion-based claims about footwear such as this one tend to cause much more harm than good. There are costs to this, such as the financial burden of purchasing new shoes and toe-spacers as well as the new stress and anxiety as a result of worrying about footwear. As coaches and clinicians, let's do better to stop nocebo-ing people 🙂 • • #footwear #squatuniversity #fitnesstips

"Functional" is probably one of the most meaningless buzzwords thrown around in the fitness industry. While exercises like biceps curls and triceps extensions might not be functional in the sense that they help you carry all the groceries in (they likely will, just not to the same extent as say, a farmer's walk), that doesn't mean these exercises are useless. One of the biggest mistakes I made early in my training was neglecting direct arm work because I thought that they would grow just from doing compound movements. You'll likely see SOME increase in strength and size from the involvement, but these movements are limited in that they often do not take the muscles of the upper arms through their full ROM, other muscles become the limiting factor, and they carry a much higher fatigue cost. TLDR: if you want bigger arms, directly train your arms 😊 • • • • #armsworkout #armtraining #bicepsworkout #functionaltraining

It's frustrating doing less than you know you're capable of, but here's the thing... Getting stronger is going to take time. It can be tempting to add 5-10 pounds from the previous week just to prove to yourself that you're making progress, but that doesn't always mean you SHOULD. You do not need to test your limits every training session. There will be times when you do, but the overwhelming majority of the time you will not, and accepting that is one of the keys to long-term training success. As cliché as it sounds, you really do need to check your ego at the door when you enter the gym, and if you don't you're only hurting your future self. Agree or disagree? 👇 • • • • • #fitnesstips #strengthcoaching #strengthcoach