I love a good full body, no-muscle-left-untouched kinda exercise.

I came up with this one for a client who loves her some TRX.  And who has worked with me for a LONG time- so I know it's appropriate for where she's at today.

But if you look at this and wonder what's even happening?  Think of it in terms of each part and break it down.

An exercise will only meet your needs if you're able to perform it without compensating.

So start with the first piece- which is a hip mobility exercise- the kneeling hip hinge.  From there, it's a get up.  Then it's a TRX plank, then it's a Tricep Extension.  

Work where you're at, and only add on when you feel confident and strong in the pieces you're confident in.

When was the last time you picked up an evenly weighted box? Or needed to grab something that wasn't directly in front of you?  Or had to reach to get something in your backseat?

Life isn't perfectly aligned like that.  

So when we talk about 'functional training', we've got to consider how we move outside of the gym, not just inside.

Deadlifts are one of my most favorite exercises.  

But to make the most out of them- and give your body a change to experience hinging and picking things up at weird angles just like you do in life- you've got to mix it up.

Directionally AND positionally.

Here is one example of taking an exercise and changing the direction.

Did you know feet have over 100 tendons, muscles and ligaments, and over 7,000 nerves?

Most sneakers out there have a bunch of padding, a heel lift, arch support, or all three. When we wear them all day every day, our body realizes that it doesn’t need the muscles that strengthen the arch, so they begin to atrophy. Even a tiny lift in our shoes can decrease the ability of the ankle to raise the foot towards the shin (dorsiflexion). And having so much cushion takes away from your body’s awareness in space, your sense of balance.

Any imbalances in your feet climb right up the kinetic chain, affecting all the ways you move. You know that saying ‘you’re only as strong as your link?’

Thinking about making the switch to either barefoot or minimalist shoes? Here’s some ways...

1. TRANSITION SLOWLY- like 6+ months. Start with your current shoe, and then look for one with a thinner sole, a wider toe box and a sole you can easily...

I have always looked at animal movements as the cornerstone of just moving better.

Crawling, rolling, reaching in all the ways and directions makes for a strong body. And not just strong in the traditional sense- like being able to squat 300lbs- but building the kind of strength that prevents you from hurting yourself when you squat that 300 (or 30 ‍).

The kind of strong that allows you to stay away from sprains and twists when you fall. Or pick up something at an angle. Or reach behind you to get something heavy. You know, the kind of strong we need in everyday life.

Animal Flow (AF) is a system of putting moves together that I’ve used with clients my whole career, but in a more streamlined way (here's a more in depth post breaking down all the components of Animal Flow).

I became an AF instructor to learn their system of this type of movement- and then I integrated what I found most useful into my own programs.

When I'm working with clients one on one, we use AF move that are...