Alex Effer: Breaking Down Movement & Building a Business
Feb 21, 2024
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Alex Effer, Founder of Resilient Training and Rehabilitation, discusses movement assessment, corrective exercises, and the neurological impact of shoulder blade squeezing. The podcast delves into foot function in athletics, infrasternal angles, and the evolution of social media content creation, emphasizing the importance of sharing knowledge and guiding movement improvements.
Observing knee alignment in split squats reveals hip mobility issues.
Toe touch assessments detect hip limitations and suggest corrective foot positioning.
Programs for restricted movements should accommodate current range while aiming for improvement.
Progressing from lower angle to overhead presses enhances shoulder flexion.
Structural differences influence exercise selection and performance characteristics.
Deep dives
Assessing Movement and Mobility Through Split Squats
When evaluating individuals through split squats, the focus is on observing knee alignment in relation to ankle and hip mobility. Excessive knee cave-in or outward rotation indicates limited hip extension or internal rotation. Addressing this could involve exercises like front foot elevated split squats, focusing on engaging the back foot's medial head to promote center of gravity shift and hip extension.
Toe Touch Assessment and Implications
Assessing toe touch involves checking hip alignment and pelvis position during the movement. Signs of hip hike or excessive rotation suggest possible hip and hip flexion limitations. Observing toe touch from various angles helps determine issues like rib cage tenting, arm position, and shoulder flexibility. Corrections may involve foot positioning adjustments and enhancing scapular and rib cage relationship.
Program Design for Addressing Movement Restrictions
Creating programs for individuals with movement restrictions involves accommodating their current range of motion while working towards improvement. For instance, starting with modified pressing exercises below 90 degrees can help gradually enhance shoulder flexion. Utilizing cable exercises to pull individuals into correct positioning aids in addressing restrictions and promoting proper movement patterns.
Utilizing Progressive Exercises for Improved Shoulder Flexion
To enhance shoulder flexion, a progression from lower angle presses to overhead pressing can be beneficial. Starting with incline or decline presses below 90 degrees and gradually increasing the angle encourages shoulder mobility development. Additionally, variations like landmine presses can assist in promoting scapular and rib cage motion for improved shoulder flexion.
Enhancing Movement Quality Through Movement Corrections
Implementing movement corrections involves using targeted exercises to address specific restrictions and movement patterns. By focusing on maintaining proper foot, hip, and scapular positioning during exercises like cable presses or modified press variations, individuals can improve their movement quality and range of motion over time.
Importance of Understanding Infrasternal Angles in Programming
The Infrasternal Angle, identifying the rib cage structure, plays a crucial role in an individual's base support and ability to produce force. A wider Infrasternal Angle allows for greater force production due to a wider base support, making exercises like trap bar deadlifts effective. Conversely, individuals with a narrower rib cage excel in speed movements as their base support is smaller. Understanding Infrasternal Angles helps categorize individuals based on their qualities and impacts joint orientation for tailored programming.
Evaluating Structural Differences in Movement Abilities
Individuals with wider structures exhibit greater force generation capabilities due to an expanded base support, ideal for activities like weightlifting. However, they struggle with rotational movements due to the difficulty in narrowing their rib cage for rotation. In contrast, those with narrower structures excel in quick rotational movements and agility but face challenges in force production. Structural differences in rib cage and pelvic widths influence exercise selection and performance characteristics.
Implications of Joint Orientation on Exercise Effectiveness
Wide infrasternal angles contribute to a more significant internal rotation orientation in the joints, impacting movements like overhead presses. In contrast, narrow angles favor external rotation, crucial for explosive movements. Understanding joint orientations based on rib cage structures helps tailor exercise selection, with wide angles excelling in force-dominant activities while narrow angles thrive in rotational and agile movements.
Integrating Structural Assessments into Personalized Programming
Structural variations, such as infrasternal angles and pelvic widths, dictate movement capabilities and exercise responses. Individuals with wider shoulders and bases excel in vertical force production, while those with narrower structures are agile and rotational. Tailoring programming based on these structural assessments optimizes exercise effectiveness, with considerations for individualized joint orientations and movement abilities.
Alex Effer - Founder of Resilient Training and Rehabilitation - joins us for the 34th episode of MTN. We go deep in this episode (our longest to date) on all things movement. Alex helps us to reshape how traditional training and performance views training exercises and categorization. There is no way to do justice to the information that Alex communicates through this podcast but he truly touches on it all.
Be sure to follow Alex on social media @alex.effer on Instagram and @alex_effer_ on Twitter
Follow us on Social Media @mtn_perform and check back each Wednesday for a new episode
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