Justin G. Walls, Certified Personal Athletic Trainer

Another Washington DC Snow Storm Have You At Home? Get in a fast leg workout before shoveling snow! You can try to do four rounds of the following: 5 Reverse Sliding Lunge on each Leg This video has them using a towel to slide the leg backwards, but you can order a set of Gliders for carpet or hardwood for about $15. 5 Pistol Squats on each Leg Starting from :45 is the tutorial on how to stand up on one leg from a chair, but feel free to go through as many p[progressions as you feel comfortable. 10 Box Squats or Squat to BOSU Dome  The box squat can be done on a bench, couch, or whatever you can find around the house. The Squat to BOSU Dome is an excellent progression that really works your abs and hip flexors more than the the box squat. You can learn more about the BOSU Balance Trainer here   Stay Warm and Stay Active! Spring Is Just around the Corner...

I usually take a "bottom-up" approach to assessment, which means that we look at the full kinetic chain from your foot's contact with the floor and then work up to the top. Today, we are just considering a painful spot that can develop on the outside of either leg near the knee. There is a tendon that runs along the outside of our legs, starting at the hip near the hip flexor muscles and runs down along the thigh right next to the knee and close to your hamstring muscle. This tendon is called Illiotobial band or IT Band for short. The IT Band is a tendon, not a muscle, so its job is to stabilize the knee either when extended or flexed, depending on trunk position. Basically understood, it keeps you stable while walking, jogging or running. theragrid.com A common source of discomfort related to inflammation of the IT Band is felt either at the hip or on the outside of the knee. One thing I have learned from professionals about IT Band rehabilitation is that there rea...

It's Not Just For Your Home Here's a few simple changes you can make starting tomorrow Thanks to the wonderful snowstorm today, I've had the opportunity to make over my blog to better serve you guys. So it got me thinking: what are a few things I could do better for you, and, more globally, what are things we could do better for ourselves as spring hopefully approaches (swiftly!) Firstly: I've added a page where you can go look at all of these products I mention on this blog. You can check it out here . This way, when I add a new workout for a BOSU or recommend a foam rolling position, you can just go look at one and then order it if you'd like. Secondly, I've simplified the layout so it's easier to find my older posts Finally, I've added an easy way to sign up via email. It was impossible to locate before. We will lose the sleek and dynamic layout in favor of functionality for now. And now- on to a few quick tips to get read...