This is an awesome and a monstrous question. But let me do my best here in a short period of time. Let's look at this from two perspectives. So let's look at the coach therapist perspective first and then we'll look at the client. So we all have our circle of competence where we are effective, confident and useful. And I don't think it's necessary that we try to go beyond that because when we do it increases the risk of failure and you can also potentially put a client at risk as well as your reputation, which we have to have some measure of to be successful as a professional. The thing that we need to understand is that we also don't want to be satisfied with our current circle of competence. So the way that we start to work within this level of complexity is through our mentorship and apprenticeship models. And that's a safe place for younger trainers to be exposed to this level of complexity. For instance, I've been doing this for 30 years. And so when I'm faced with something like this, I think I'm a little bit more competent and a little bit more comfortable in working with this level of complexity where somebody with only 30 days of experience may not. So again, I think we stay in our wheelhouse as to where we feel most effective or where we've demonstrated our effectiveness. And so again, when we talk about competence, let's try to stay within that. Just don't be satisfied and keep working to expand your knowledge, your understanding, and then your competence will obviously grow. So now let's look at this from the client perspective. I think most clients probably recognize to a certain degree based on the information available that their behaviors are not necessarily ideal, but what they're having trouble with is the behavioral change that's associated with that. Because I don't think there's a smoker alive that doesn't know that they've increased their risk of cancer by smoking. So again, information is not the decision-making factor here. What is the decision making factor is their beliefs and their emotions. So people will make decisions based on those beliefs and emotions and then they will superimpose the logic or information on top of that that would support that. Well, this is why I do this because I can't or whatever. So their belief system becomes a limiting factor. So how do we alter those beliefs? Well, number one, if we can integrate them into our culture. So we look at our behaviors and we're fit, we exercise, we eat well, and we didn't make those changes all in a day so we can't expect our clients to do the same. And so we integrate them into our culture with our gym culture or the environment to provide them with the social proof that, yes, this is possible. So now we're starting to impact some beliefs in that because they see other people that we associate them with. And so people become like the people that they associate with. And so that's a very important part of this whole process is to provide them with the social proof. So it's not just showing people testimonials and things. It's literally integrating them into the culture so they start to associate. Secondly, if we want to look at behavioral change, people only have so much energy and so many resources to contribute towards a change of behavior because it is uncomfortable. It does take energy. And so what we want to look at is where can we make the smallest change with the least amount of effort. They start to recognize that they can change and so they can alter their identity. One of the easiest ways for, say, a smoker to quit smoking is to recognize the fact that I am no longer a smoker. I am a non-smoker. How does a non-smoker believe? Non-smokers don't buy cigarettes. They don't carry a lighter. They don't associate with other smokers, etc. And that's an extreme example. But what we want to start to look at is, okay, so what's the smallest change that you can make that takes the least amount of effort, which might be, hey, just show up to the gym twice a week. All I need you to do is get here. Right? Start with that. Just show up. Maybe just put on your workout clothes at home and change into those, right? Maybe that's the smallest adjustment that you make. And again, that's sort of like an extreme example, but that is also a potential reality. It's like, what is the least that you could do that is different and doesn't take much effort and is not painful and allows you to recognize that change is possible. We can go as far as asking people certain questions. So what would happen to you if you did make this favorable change? How do you perceive your life to be? And then they start to recognize themselves that, hey, if I make this favorable change, then I'm more likely to be happy, healthy, and successful. We can also reverse gears and we can ask a much more painful question. So if you decide not to make this change, how do you foresee your life to move forward? And again, it's a little bit more painful, but it does provide them a recognition of how their beliefs and their behaviors do influence an outcome. So I think we try to integrate them into a process. Everybody wants to create this lofty goal or these extreme behaviors or make these massive changes. And I think we have to do this incrementally. And so we look saying, where can I make the impact first and foremost on any level? The simplest change to allow them to recognize and change the beliefs that are actually limiting them and promoting the behaviors that are interfering with their progress. So I hope this initiates at least an element of this. I think it's a fabulous question. I think it's one of the biggest issues that we deal with. It's beyond programming. It's beyond the execution of the interaction in the gym. This is actually probably the biggest issue for everyone that's trying to make a favorable change in their behavior. So Charlie, I appreciate you asking it. I hope there's questions that come off of this because it is it is the the elephant in the room so to speak. It's one of the biggest issues that we deal with. So I hope this gets it started. Work to increase your circle of competence. For those of you out there who are coaches and trainers, and then, again, looking for small victories and a change in beliefs, we have to reach people on an emotional level versus, you know, pummeling them with information because it's not the information that's going to make the impact. Have a great Wednesday.

And so when I'm faced with something like this, I think I'm a little bit more competent and a little bit more comfortable in working with this level of complexity. Where somebody with only 30 days of experience may not. And so again, I think that we stay in our wheelhouse as to where we feel most effective or where we've demonstrated our effectiveness. And so again, when we talk about competence, let's try to stay within that. Just don't be satisfied and keep working to expand your knowledge, your understanding, and then your competence will obviously grow. So now let's look at this from the client perspective. I think most clients probably recognize to a certain degree based on the information available that their behaviors are not necessarily ideal, but what they're having trouble with is the behavioral change that's associated with that. Because I don't think there's a smoker alive that doesn't know that they've increased their risk of cancer by smoking. So again, information is not the decision-making factor here. What is the decision making factor is their beliefs and their emotions. So people will make decisions based on those beliefs and emotions and then they will superimpose the logic or information on top of that that would support that. Well, this is why I do this because I can't or whatever. So their belief system becomes a limiting factor. So how do we alter those beliefs? Well, number one, if we can integrate them into our culture. So we look at our behaviors and we're fit, we exercise, we eat well, and we didn't make those changes all in a day so we can't expect our clients to do the same. And so we integrate them into our culture with our gym culture or the environment to provide them with the social proof that, yes, this is possible. So now we're starting to impact some beliefs in that because they see other people that we associate them with. And so people become like the people that they associate with. And so that's a very important part of this whole process is to provide them with the social proof. So it's not just showing people testimonials and things. It's literally integrating them into the culture so they start to associate. Secondly, if we want to look at behavioral change, people only have so much energy and so many resources to contribute towards a change of behavior because it is uncomfortable. It does take energy. And so what we want to look at is where can we make the smallest change with the least amount of effort. They start to recognize that they can change and so they can alter their identity. One of the easiest ways for, say, a smoker to quit smoking is to recognize the fact that I am no longer a smoker. I am a non-smoker. How does a non-smoker believe? Non-smokers don't buy cigarettes. They don't carry a lighter. They don't associate with other smokers, etc. And that's an extreme example. But what we want to start to look at is, okay, so what's the smallest change that you can make that takes the least amount of effort, which might be, hey, just show up to the gym twice a week. All I need you to do is get here. Right? Start with that. Just show up. Maybe just put on your workout clothes at home and change into those, right? Maybe that's the smallest adjustment that you make. And again, that's sort of like an extreme example, but that is also a potential reality. It's like, what is the least that you could do that is different and doesn't take much effort and is not painful and allows you to recognize that change is possible. We can go as far as asking people certain questions. So what would happen to you if you did make this favorable change? How do you perceive your life to be? And then they start to recognize themselves that, hey, if I make this favorable change, then I'm more likely to be happy, healthy, and successful. We can also reverse gears and we can ask a much more painful question. So if you decide not to make this change, how do you foresee your life to move forward? And again, it's a little bit more painful, but it does provide them a recognition of how their beliefs and their behaviors do influence an outcome. So I think we try to integrate them into a process. Everybody wants to create this lofty goal or these extreme behaviors or make these massive changes. And I think we have to do this incrementally. And so we look saying, where can I make the impact first and foremost on any level? The simplest change to allow them to recognize and change the beliefs that are actually limiting them and promoting the behaviors that are interfering with their progress.

They don't associate with other smokers, etc. And that's an extreme example. But what we want to start to look at is, okay, so what's the smallest change that you can make that takes the least amount of effort, which might be, hey, just show up to the gym twice a week. All I need you to do is get here. Right? Start with that. Just show up. Maybe just put on your workout clothes at home and change into those, right? Maybe that's the smallest adjustment that you make. And again, that's sort of like an extreme example, but that is also a potential reality. It's like, what is the least that you could do that is different and doesn't take much effort and is not painful and allows you to recognize that change is possible. We can go as far as asking people certain questions. So what would happen to you if you did make this favorable change? How do you perceive your life to be? And then they start to recognize themselves that, hey, if I make this favorable change, then I'm more likely to be happy, healthy, and successful. We can also reverse gears and we can ask a much more painful question. So if you decide not to make this change, how do you foresee your life to move forward? And again, it's a little bit more painful, but it does provide them a recognition of how their beliefs and their behaviors do influence an outcome. So I think we try to integrate them into a process. Everybody wants to create this lofty goal or these extreme behaviors or make these massive changes. And I think we have to do this incrementally. And so we look saying, where can I make the impact first and foremost on any level? The simplest change to allow them to recognize and change the beliefs that are actually limiting them and promoting the behaviors that are interfering with their progress.

Enjoy your neural coffee, as I will mine. And we'll see you later. Good morning. Happy Thursday. Or as we call it here, chips and salsa day because this is the typical day where we have our little intermittent fasting family dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant, which is currently closed. So we're going to figure something out. For those of you that live in my area, if you have any ideas as to where I can get some really good Mexican carryout, I would really appreciate it because I've been going to the same restaurant for eight years and I really don't like to change but looks like I'm gonna have to do it. So let me know on that if you guys like to know me know where I live kind of a thing. I have my neuro coffee in hand as usual and it is perfect. I got a question from Vikram and Vikram had a question about the squat video that I posted about six days ago. I believe it was March 19th. where we're talking about the transition from inhalation to exhalation to inhalation during the heel's elevated squat pattern to reduce the anterior posterior compressive strategy. And so he has some really good questions about this and I'm sure everybody has a similar question. So I thought I would go through these because he broke it down into three pieces for me here. He says, number one, is the reason for pushing through the medial heel on the ascent to promote pronation and exhalation strategy? Absolutely. So remember when you're at the bottom of the squat, and I'm going to grab my pelvis here so we can sort of simulate this. So when you're at the bottom of the squat, we are actually in a position of inhalation in ER. So we've got counter-nutation of the sacrum. We've got ER of the ilium. We have a descent of the pelvic diaphragm because we are in this early propulsive position. Therefore, it is biased towards inhalation. So we need to exhale to push the pelvic diaphragm upward as we push through the sticking point to get above the sticking point. So yes, we definitely want to push on the medial heel and exhale at the same time. And that actually helps us restore a normal exhalation strategy without compensatory strategies being superimposed. So that's kind of a big deal. During the ascent, would there be any benefit to reversing the exact sequence as in the descent of the squat? So what he's referring to here. So remember, we're biasing ourselves towards inhalation. At the top of the squat, we exhale to the sticking point and then we inhale again to full descent. And what we're trying to do there with that sequence is to, again, restore a normal inhalation to exhalation behavior without the compensatory strategies. So we go from inhalation, exhalation to the sticking point, which is normal, and then to inhalation again to get to the full descent. As we reverse gears and push up, it is unnecessary to reverse the sequence because it's going to happen naturally. We're starting from a bias of inhalation. We push through the sticking point, which are our concentric pelvic diaphragm. So the pelvic diaphragm is descended at the bottom. We exhale through the sticking point, it pushes up, and then you're just gonna take a normal inhale at the top and reestablish your anterior posterior expansion at that point. So it is unnecessary to intentionally reproduce the same strategy that we use on the descent, but that's a really good question. Finally, he says, what superficial compressive strategy would be reinforcing by taking the breath that you took at the top and held it through the middle propulsive phase? Doesn't really matter. Point being is that you will use a superficial compression strategy and chances are you will use everything that's available to you under those circumstances to some degree because all the superficial compressive strategies are superimposed at the same time just to varying degrees. So the whole point of performing the heels elevated squat in the sequence as I demonstrate on the March 19th video. So the whole premise behind that is one is to reduce the superficial compressive strategies that happen from an anterior posterior aspect. Okay? So we're biasing ourselves towards the ability to inhale without compensation, exhale without compensatory strategy, and then to re-inhale in the depth of the squat, and then restore the normal pattern on the ascent as well. So this is a really good question, Vikram. I'm glad you asked it. I'm sure you've helped someone else today by asking this question. Have a fabulous Thursday. I am going to find some Mexican carryout no matter what it takes today. I'm going to enjoy the rest of my neuro coffee this morning and I will see you guys later. Good morning. Happy Friday. I have neuro coffee in hand and I have been killing it this week. This is perfect. Alright, I got a question from Josh. Josh made some reference to an Instagram video that I posted. We were talking about flywheel training and so Josh asked on the Instagram live you mentioned flywheel training having the potential to help certain people and not others. Can you be more specific about why someone would use or avoid exercises on a flywheel? So this just goes toward looking at any training tool or modality as just being broad scope application and it's okay for everybody because it's hard work. When the reality is, I think we can be very, very specific if we understand who it is that we're working with and what their actual capabilities are. So rather than just blindly applying certain methods or blindly programming and just like once again, just relying on hard work trying to be the solution to a problem. We can be very, very specific. So essentially what we're talking about with flywheel training is this ability to overload the eccentric element. So we can turn this into a broad scope discussion of just eccentric overload methods. So we could say, oh, maybe you're using weight releasers to emphasize the eccentric element. And we'll get a similar effect here. But what we want to consider is do we want to amplify the current strategy that our patient client or athlete is using or do we want to dampen that strategy and try to recapture some element of adaptability that they don't have. And so that's the first thing that we have to decide based on what they're presenting with. So let me give you a, for instance, let me grab my pelvis real quick. So if I have somebody that is concentrically oriented in the pelvic diaphragm, so somebody that is reliant on high force outputs, and so they've trained themselves to maintain some measure of concentric orientation in the pelvic diaphragm, so they would have the nutated sacrum, they emphasize exhalation strategies And again, there are just so many that produces high-force. So power left are an offensive lineman, somebody that has to spend a lot of time producing prolonged efforts at high-force output. So what we could do is we could say, well, I want to continue to emphasize this. I want to magnify it to the nth degree. And so I'm going to use my flywheel strategy. So I'm going to use a very, very heavy resistance. So a very, very strong eccentric load. And I'm going to have them try to resist that because I want to magnify the exhalation strategy. I'm going to magnify the concentric orientation. I do not want descent of that diaphragm under any circumstances because in the situation of a power lifter squatting a very, very heavy load, the minute that they become too eccentrically oriented, they accelerate towards the earth, which is what they don't want to do. And so they want to continue to try to produce as much force output throughout. And so once again, so this will train them to magnify the current strategy, which actually may enhance performance. However, If my goal is to make someone more explosive, have them move quickly, then these circumstances may not be a benefit. Because again, to move quickly, I have to move into an eccentric orientation to a concentric orientation very quickly. If the strategy does not allow them to capture the eccentric orientation to begin with, Then while they can still produce high levels of force, they can't do so within a time constraint. So again, they can't be quick. They can't be explosive. And so under those circumstances, this eccentric overload strategy really isn't a benefit. Let's say that I have, I'll pick on female volleyball players. Let's just say I have a female volleyball player. She presents with a narrow and frontal plane angle and she's eccentrically oriented pelvic diaphragm. And we're trying to teach her to elevate. We're trying to teach her to get off the ground. And so what she has difficulty with is actually capturing this concentric orientation of the pelvic diaphragm to allow her to produce upward force. And so in this case, then we can again apply this flywheel strategy where we're going to increase the eccentric overload because what it's going to do, it's going to force her to capture this concentric orientation sooner in her descent. And so under these circumstances, maybe we can actually teach her to capture this position more effectively. And then our next strategy would be is if she can capture this concentric strategy, then we can teach her to do it quickly. So what we'll end up doing is we'll put her on high resistance eccentric overload to capture this capability. And then we'll put her on a more reduced eccentric overload to teach her how to do this quickly. And so she can actually get off the ground. And so then we do teach explosiveness. But so in one circumstance, we don't want to release the strategy. In the other circumstance, we're trying to capture that strategy. And so again, it just depends on what type of an athlete that we're presenting with as to when we would use this. If I am trying to take someone that is trying to be more explosive, they are very concentrically oriented, they use a very strong exhalation strategy, I do not want to emphasize this high force eccentric overload strategy. And so if I wanted to use the flywheel, I probably still could, but I'm going to have to use it on very, very light resistance. And I'm going to have to emphasize velocity in their performance. So again, it's just a matter of knowing when to use a certain tool, how to implement it into programming based on the individual in question and based on the context at which we're trying to apply it. So again, there's certain times where it's going to be better, more beneficial. There are certain times where it's going to be detrimental to performance. So again, if I'm trying to make somebody fast and explosive and I'm using a very strong eccentric overload, probably a bad strategy because all I'm doing is amplifying the current strategy and I won't see the changes that I'm looking for. So Josh, I hope that that gives you a little bit of direction as to what we were talking about with the flywheel strategies or just plain old eccentric emphasis overload training. If you have any other questions, please let me know. I hope you guys have an outstanding Friday.

So we go from inhalation, exhalation to the sticking point, which is normal, and then to inhalation again to get to the full descent. As we reverse gears and push up, it is unnecessary to reverse the sequence because it's going to happen naturally. We're starting from a bias of inhalation. We push through the sticking point, which are our concentric public diaphragm. So the public diaphragm is decented at the bottom. We exhale through the sticking point, it pushes up, and then you're just gonna take a normal inhale at the top and reestablish your anterior posterior expansion at that point. So it is unnecessary to intentionally reproduce the same strategy that we use on the descent, but that's a really good question. Finally, he says, what superficial compressive strategy would be reinforcing by taking the breath that you took at the top and held it through the middle propulsive phase? Doesn't really matter. Point being is that you will use a superficial compression strategy and chances are you will use everything that's available to you under those circumstances to some degree because all the superficial compressive strategies are superimposed at the same time just to varying degrees. So the whole point of performing the heels elevated squat in the sequence as I demonstrate on the March 19th video. So the whole premise behind that is one is to reduce the superficial compressive strategies that happen from an anterior post-ear aspect. We're biasing ourselves towards the ability to inhale without compensation, exhale without compensatory strategy, and then to re-inhale in the depth of the squat, and then restore the normal pattern on the ascent as well.

And so rather than just blindly applying certain methods or blindly programming and just like once again just relying on hard work trying to be the solution to a problem. We can be very, very specific. So essentially what we're talking about with flywheel training is this ability to overload the eccentric element. So we can turn this into a broad scope discussion of just eccentric overload methods. So we could say, oh maybe you're using weight releasers to emphasize the eccentric element and we'll get a similar effect here. But what we want to consider is do we want to amplify the current strategy that our patient, client or athlete is using or do we want to dampen that strategy and try to recapture some element of adaptability that they don't have. And so that's the first thing that we have to decide based on what they're presenting with. So let me give you a for instance, let me grab my pelvis real quick. So if I have somebody that is concentrically oriented in the pelvic diaphragm, so somebody that is reliant on high force outputs, and so they've trained themselves to maintain some measure of concentric orientation in the pelvic diaphragm, so they would have the nutated sacrum, they emphasize exhalation strategies And again, there are just so many that produces high-force. So power lifters or an offensive lineman, somebody that has to spend a lot of time producing prolonged efforts at high-force output. So what we could do is we could say, well, I want to continue to emphasize this. I want to magnify it to the nth degree. And so I'm going to use my flywheel strategy. So I'm going to use a very, very heavy resistance. So a very, very strong eccentric load. And I'm going to have them try to resist that because I want to magnify the exhalation strategy. I'm going to magnify the concentric orientation. I do not want descent of that diaphragm under any circumstances because in the situation of a power lifter squatting a very, very heavy load, the minute that they become too eccentrically oriented, they accelerate towards the earth, which is what they don't want to do. And so they want to continue to try to produce as much force output throughout. And so once again, so this will train them to magnify the current strategy, which actually may enhance performance. However, if my goal is to make someone more explosive, have them move quickly, then these circumstances may not be a benefit. Because again, to move quickly, I have to move into an eccentric orientation to a concentric orientation very quickly. If the strategy does not allow them to capture the eccentric orientation to begin with, then while they can still produce high levels of force, they can't do so within a time constraint. So again, they can't be quick. They can't be explosive. And so under those circumstances, this eccentric overload strategy really isn't a benefit.

Let's say that I have a female volleyball player who presents with a narrow infrasternal angle and is eccentrically oriented in her pelvic diaphragm. We're trying to teach her to elevate, or get off the ground. She has difficulty capturing the concentric orientation of the pelvic diaphragm to produce upward force. In this case, we can apply a flywheel strategy by increasing the concentric overload. This forces her to capture the concentric orientation sooner in her descent. Our next strategy is to teach her to capture this concentric strategy quickly after she's learned to achieve it. So we'll use high resistance eccentric overload to build that capability, then reduce the eccentric overload to teach her to perform the movement quickly. This allows her to get off the ground and develop explosiveness. In contrast, if I'm working with someone who is concentrically oriented and uses a strong exhalation strategy, and my goal is to make them more explosive, I would not use a high force eccentric overload strategy. I might still use a flywheel but with very light resistance and emphasize velocity. The key is knowing when to use a tool based on the individual and the context. There are times when eccentric overload is beneficial and times when it's detrimental to performance. For example, if the goal is to make someone fast and explosive, using a strong eccentric overload is counterproductive because it just amplifies their current strategy and prevents the desired changes.

I'm going to go finish my neural copy and then I'm going to go grab a workout and it's going to be a great weekend. If you have any other questions, make sure you post them on Instagram and I'll see you guys. I've got a question from Drew and Drew says, "I've been thinking about your shoulder flexion video and your comments about how it's common for individuals to use internal rotation to finish shoulder flexion. To improve shoulder flexion without this compensation, what are your thoughts on landmine or Viking pressing?" So he brings up a couple of variations also on that theme of using a Viking or a landmine press. Drew, what I would say is the thing that we want to want to be sure of is that we have an understanding of why we actually have this limitation and short reflection in the first place. And that's going to help us determine what strategies we're going to use to help restore it. So let me turn Alfred around so we can actually see what the limitation is on this overhead reach. When we get a compressive strategy on the posterior aspect of the thorax, the higher up the posterior compression, the greater the limitation in overhead reach. So many people will actually be limited below the level of the scapula, and they're not gonna be able to perform any form of pressing without a compensatory strategy above shoulder level. As we get up into the upper thorax, this is where we're really looking at the overhead reach limitations. So if we were to use, say, a Viking press or a landmine press in an attempt to restore the ability to reach overhead without a compensatory strategy that would represent a full external rotation of the shoulder overhead, one of the limitations of this exercise is the amount of load that we're going to use. If I was to use an excessive load that would require me to perform an acceleration strategy to complete the press, I'm defeating my purpose of trying to get my arm overhead without compensation. An increased load demands that I use an acceleration strategy to complete the activity. That's going to cause compression in the upper thorax and immediately limit my capacity to externally rotate the shoulder with my arm in an overhead position. That doesn't mean that I can't use these activities to enhance my ability to shift airflow from side to side. If I perform these activities in a unilateral manner, with the appropriate loads, I can actually improve my capacity to reach overhead. So Drew, let's head out into the gym and we'll go over a couple of nuances using the landmine press to show you what I mean. So Drew, here's an example of how we would use landmine pressing to help maintain or gain left shoulder flexion. So I'm set up in left half kneeling here, and what I'm gonna do is create a propulsive strategy on the right side by pushing the right hip ahead of the left. In doing so, I create a posterior compressive strategy on the right, which will allow my left posterior to expand. It's the expansion in the dorsal-rosport area that allows me to maintain or recapture overhead reach on the left side. As I press upward, I'm going to maintain my posterior expansion by reaching forward but not allowing my thorax to drift forward. If I was to reach forward and turn into the press, I would create a posterior compressive strategy on the left side, which would defeat the purpose of creating the expansion for overhead reach. Since my goal is to emphasize left shoulder flexion, as I'm pressing with the right arm, I can create a posterior compressive strategy on the right that will also help me maintain my expansion on the left. So what I'm going to do here on my setup is shift my left hip posteriorly, which again turns my pelvis to the left. This helps me emphasize the posterior expansion as I press on the right side. As I press on the right, I'm going to create the posterior compression, the propulsive strategy on the right side, which will help me maintain left side expansion. So Drew, it's not one particular exercise that's so important. What's important is that you respect the goal. If the goal is to maintain or improve shoulder flexion, then any activity of choice has to maintain the posterior expansion in the dorsal rostral thorax. So don't forget to take load into consideration. If my goal is to increase force production, I am always going to superimpose an exhalation strategy as this is required for high force. Just remember that this higher force production is going to require the exhalation strategy that may compromise your ability to reach overhead.

I'm set up in a left half-kneeling position and will create a propulsive strategy on the right side by pushing the right hip ahead of the left. Doing so creates a posterior compressive strategy on the right, which allows my left posterior to expand. This expansion in the dorsal-rostrothoracic area enables me to maintain or recapture overhead reach on the left side. As I press upward, I will maintain my posterior expansion by reaching forward without allowing my thorax to drift forward. If I were to reach forward and turn into the press, I would create a posterior compressive strategy on the left side, defeating the purpose of creating expansion for overhead reach. Since my goal is to emphasize left shoulder flexion, pressing with the right arm creates a posterior compressive strategy on the right that helps maintain left side expansion. In my setup, I shift my left hip posteriorly, turning my pelvis to the left to emphasize posterior expansion as I press on the right side. Pressing on the right creates a propulsive strategy that helps maintain left side expansion. It is not one particular exercise that is so important; what matters is respecting the goal. If the goal is to maintain or improve shoulder flexion, any chosen activity must maintain posterior expansion in the dorsal-rostral thorax. Take load into consideration: if my goal is to increase force production, I will superimpose an exhalation strategy because higher force production requires it. Remember that this high force production requires an exhalation strategy that may compromise your ability to reach overhead.

It seems that if they change from here to here, they surely change when we get into the deeper element of the squat. The thing you must understand about the deeper part of the squat is that we are reliant on the movement of the ilia relative to the sacrum in that deep squat. We're looking at that type of motion at the deepest portion of the squat, which means that I need to create a yielding strategy with the glute max and piriformis in this deeper portion of the squat. We have to understand that at their distal attachment on the femur, because of the orientation of the pelvis relative to the femur, they're still going to be maintaining some internal rotation moment. What you'll see, especially in Olympic weightlifters in the deepest part of, say, a snatch, is that you'll actually be able to see this femoral internal rotation in the deepest part of the squat. The reason they have to maintain some internal rotation in the deepest portion of the squat is because they have to maintain an element of a concentric orientation pelvic diaphragm; otherwise, they bottom out and then they can't reverse gears and come up out of the deep squat. But to get to the deep squat and to get the amount of hip motion, I have to have this relative motion here. So yes, the musculature above the trochanter is maintaining its internal rotation capabilities, but it will yield posteriorly.

So putting the ball between the knees and a band around the knees just increases the complexity of the activity and it may be totally unnecessary. Now, if your goal was to increase concentric orientation of the pelvic diaphragm through that middle range of the squat, there are definitely better solutions than using a heel's elevated version, which is biased towards the inhalation. So what I would do then under those circumstances would probably use some sort of box squat variation that would create the constraint of stopping the squat at a certain point so I don't get too much eccentric orientation of the pelvic diaphragm. I can use a much stronger exhalation strategy and create that upward movement off the box with the impulse of a concentrically oriented pelvic diaphragm. So I like the way you're thinking on that. I just don't think you need to add that kind of a complexity to the squat pattern. I think there's enough things that we try to think about and we tend to create a lot of complexity in a lot of these exercises anyway. But like I said, I do appreciate your thinking.

So as I am descending in the squat and it passed this 90 degree range, this is where I'm going to achieve a concentric pelvic diaphragm. I'm moving from an inhalation to an exhalation. And then as I increase the depth of the squat, I'm going to move back towards a more inhaled position, relatively speaking, inside the pelvis. So again, I'm going to get diaphragm dissension. So basically what I'm looking at from parallel to the deep squat is I'm looking at the pelvic diaphragm dissension as a representation of how much hip range of motion I have. The advantage of the box is that it creates a constraint. So it's actually going to help me control this descent of the pelvic diaphragm because if I limit the descent, I can actually learn how to reduce the descent of the pelvic diaphragm so I can actually reduce its eccentric orientation. It is this concentric orientation of the pelvic diaphragm that allows me to be strong and explosive. But I can also manipulate the pelvic diaphragm in situations where I may have too much concentric activity and I need eccentric orientation to allow me to capture ranges of motion. So this is one of the reasons why I truly love the box squat because it is so versatile. So let's look at a number of variations and how we may utilize those in certain situations. So let's get a general representation of the box squat. So we're sitting down to a box and we're using that as a constraint to allow us to manipulate how the pelvic diaphragm is going to behave. So as soon as I sit onto the box, the pelvic diaphragm no longer moves. So if I have too much eccentric orientation, I can reduce that dissension. If I have too much concentric orientation, I can actually get that muscle to yield as I sit down to the box if I de-load my body weight onto the box. Now one of the things that a lot of people don't recognize is the fact that there's also a spring-loaded mechanism internally that's associated with the behavior of the pelvic diaphragm. So if you use a trampoline as a representation, you've got the material of the trampoline itself and then you've got the springs that attach to the frame. We can manipulate the stiffness of the material and we can manipulate the stiffness of the springs and this is why we need a number of variations of the box squat because what we're gonna do is we're gonna manipulate those factors of how the trampoline behaves and how the springs behave relative to one another to solve problems. What is I sit down to the box and I de-load my body weight onto the box, the trampoline is actually going to resist that force. The springs are going to absorb that force, absorb that energy, and that's what's going to allow me to propel myself upward off the box.

The springs are going to absorb that force, absorb that energy, and that's what's going to allow me to propel myself upward off the box. Now, depending on how fast I sit down to the box and how fast I get off the box, I can actually manipulate where I emphasize the load and the stress and the adaptation. So if I want to make the trampoline stiffer, what I need to do is de-load my body weight to the box and allow some of the elastic energy to actually dissipate from the spring element. Then I'm dependent on a concentric orientation and an overcoming action of the pelvic diaphragm to allow me to stand back up. So if I want to emphasize the spring mechanism, which includes the connective tissues and the skeleton itself, I want to shorten the amount of time that I'm spending on the box. So in this case, I may want to use a touch and go, which will create a stronger emphasis on the spring recoil that allows me to go off the box.

One of the things we have to recognize about the Box Squat is that as we sit down to the box, there's a slight delay in the way that the guts fall towards the pelvic diaphragm. So the body moves downward, the guts actually move up, and then come downward. So there's a downward acceleration of the guts. If I'm already too eccentrically oriented and I can't capture that concentric orientation of the pelvic diaphragm, one of the ways that I can reduce that downward force is to use the reverse band box squat. So by reducing the systemic load with the reverse band tension, I can actually reduce the internal forces associated with the downward acceleration of the guts. This makes it easier for me to capture concentric orientation and the overcoming action of the pelvic diaphragm. This would be like making the material of the trampoline stiffer. If you've ever had an athlete that's been described as having heavy feet or they're having trouble increasing their vertical jump with traditional means and methods, this reverse band tension allows them to learn to manage the internal forces more effectively. So rather than getting pushed into the ground with higher forces, they're actually able to reverse the internal forces and improve their upward, propulsive capabilities. So much like adding weight to the bar under normal circumstances, what you're gonna do over time is actually just reduce the amount of band tension. Another unique variation that's useful for those people that are having trouble getting off the ground is the rebound box squat. By hanging the weights from the band resistance as you propel yourself up off the box, the weights create a delay much like the guts pressing down on the pelvic diaphragm. This is like loading the springs of the trampoline and allows them to propel themselves up off the box rather quickly. A word to the wise as you set this up, make sure that you dissipate all the swing on the weights before you try to get up off the box. This activity makes a great transition to our final representation, which is the banded box squat. Now instead of deloading the internal forces, what we're going to do is we're going to magnify those forces with the downward pull of the band resistance. So we're accelerating the entire system towards the box, which is going to increase the amount of force directly into the pelvic diaphragm. Under these circumstances, I'm increasing the stiffness of the trampoline and the springs. So I'm trying to maximize the force production as I propel myself off the box.

But once you understand the principles of how we're applying this to the internal forces, the versatility of the box squat is only limited by your imagination. If you have any questions about the box squat or any other exercise for that matter, please send them to askbillhartman@gmail.com or follow up with me on Instagram or in the comments below. Now, I have a couple of questions that I wanted to go through today for today's Q&A. Both kind of interesting in different ways. First one comes from Jason. And Jason says, I recently saw a client with a 90 degree ISA that did not move at all. Additionally, he had limited shoulder and hip internal and external rotation, limited shoulder and hip flexion, no hip extension, and a lordotic posture. Given these measures, I found it difficult to decide whether I should treat him as someone compressed or expanded as these measures seem conflicting. First and foremost, let's clarify something about this 90 degree ISA thingy. There is no normal. Everybody has their own idiosyncratic infrasternal angle. Some people are really biased towards an exhalation axial skeleton with a compensatory inhalation strategy and some people are more biased towards an inhalation axial skeleton with an exhalation strategy, and that's what makes these wise narrows. It is a guide to direct you towards a strategy of influence to make favorable changes in their adaptability. So when you're presented with something with a 90 degree ISA that does not move, the goal is to create a dynamic ISA. If you have manual skills that are allowable in this situation, that's where you would want to go first. You want to try to get this thing to move. I would compress one side and try to expand the other and then vice versa. If you don't have manual skills, what you can do is take advantage of a glute ham raise pad, have people assume different positions over top of the pad which creates a compressive strategy and then promote expansion on the other side using breathing. In the remainder of those strategies, you're going to focus on expansion in the dorsal rostral area. And then you want to do some form of reciprocal activities where you're pushing or reaching with one side at a time. So any activities like supine arm bars, one arm at a time would be useful. Anything that's in an offset position will be useful. So anything in a split stance, anything where one arm is moving forward, the other arm is moving back. You want to start to think about those types of activities where you're promoting the ability to turn. But again, everything that you need to be focused on is driving expansion. In most cases, you're going to want to make sure you get that dorsal rostrum because that's what's going to allow you to achieve your flexions. The second question is from Matt and Matt asks, I'm wondering what your thought process would be for recapturing normal conditions for someone with a pelvis that is anteriorly tipped on one side only with a wide ISA presentation. The right ilium seems to be pulled forward by the iliacus and the lower rib cage on the same side looks to have an oblique that is not pulling the rib cage down fully during exhalation. What you actually have here is somebody that's got a pelvis that's tilted on an oblique axis. So the right side is not necessarily forward as you believe. The pelvis is anteriorly oriented, but it's anteriorly oriented on an oblique axis. The pelvis is turning to the right. You need to utilize exercises that are going to bring the iliac tuberosity down in the opposing oblique axis. So you're going to do a right supine arm bar. You're going to do a mountain climber with the body inclined at a 60 degree angle with the left knee to chest. You want to do right shoulder rolls. You're going to do backwards crawling. You could use a Jefferson variation on a left front foot elevated split squat. You could use a right leg forward rear foot elevated split squat with the left hand holding a low cable. You could do a high to low cable press and a stagger stance with the left foot back. You could do a right to left cable lift. The idea is you have to push backwards to the left on an oblique angle.

So what you need to do at this point is you've got to get the infrastructure angle to move. So if you have manual skills that are allowable in this situation, that's where you would want to go first. You want to try to get this thing to move. And so what I would do is I would compress one side and try to expand the other and then vice versa. If you don't have manual skills, what you can do is take advantage of a glute ham raise pad. Have people assume different positions over the pad which creates a compressive strategy and then promote expansion on the other side using breathing. So those would be the early strategies I would use because the first thing you've got to do here is get the ISA moving. If I don't have a diaphragm that is capable of changing its shape as you breathe, it makes it very difficult to capture anything else. In the remainder of those strategies, you're going to focus on expansion in the dorsal rostral area. So there's a seated dorsal rostral activity you'll probably find very useful again on YouTube. And then you want to do some form of reciprocal activities where you're pushing or reaching with one side at a time. So any activities like supine arm bars, one arm at a time would be useful. Anything in an offset position will be useful. So anything in a split stance, anything where one arm is moving forward, the other arm is moving back. You want to start to think about those types of activities where you're promoting the ability to turn. So you've got to recapture the turns here. But again, everything you need to be focused on is driving expansion. And in most cases, you're going to want to make sure you get that dorsal rostrum because that's what's going to allow you to achieve your flexions. So your overhead reach and your need to chest.

When we talk about an anterior orientation, that'll be representative of movement in this direction. So now I'm going to show you this from the front. But what you have here, Matt, is someone that's anteriorly oriented, but they're anteriorly oriented on an oblique axis. So it's going this way. So what it looks like is that this side is actually more forward when the reality is it's just turning to the right. And again, you're just orienting the pelvis on this oblique axis. Now I'm going to turn this around so you can actually see this. If you pay attention to the ischial tuberosity, what's going to happen is you're going to see that ischial tuberosity move up in that direction there as the pelvis tilts forward on this oblique axis. And so what we need to do is we need to utilize exercises that are going to bring this ischial tuberosity down in the opposing oblique axis. And so let me give you a list of activities that you might want to consider using. So you're going to do a right supine arm bar. You're going to do a mountain climber with the body inclined at a 60 degree angle with the left knee to chest. You want to do right shoulder rolls. You're going to do backwards crawling. You could use a Jefferson variation on a left front foot elevated split squat. You could use a right leg forward rear foot elevated split squat with the left hand holding a low cable. You could do a high to low cable press and a stagger stance with the left foot back. You could do a right to left cable lift, which will also help you achieve these same positions. The idea is you have to push backwards to the left on an oblique angle. So that's your exercise selection for this type of an orientation. Because again what you're looking at is this tilt on the oblique axis versus a true anterior posterior axis.