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Knee pain

Why Your Knee Pain Is Probably NOT a Strength Problem

Your knee may not be fragile — it may be overloaded.

Knee pain is commonly interpreted as a sign of weakness. But in many cases, the issue is not insufficient strength — it is a mismatch between load and capacity.

Excess body weight, for example, significantly increases mechanical stress on the knee joint. Research suggests that obesity can double or even triple the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis. Approximately 25% of knee pain in older adults is associated with a high BMI (Silverwood et al., 2015).

Previous knee injuries, age-related changes, and sex-specific factors may also increase the likelihood of knee pain (Kim, 2024).

Yet even with these known risk factors, strength alone rarely tells the full story.

The Common Belief

The standard assumption is straightforward:

If the knee hurts, it must be weak.

This belief often leads to predictable advice:

✔ Strengthen the glutes
✔ Strengthen the quadriceps
✔ Perform corrective exercises

Sometimes this works.
But pain is far more complex than the traditional “pain equals weakness” narrative.

But many individuals diligently perform strengthening exercises and continue to experience pain.

Why?

Because weakness is often not the primary driver.

What Actually Might Be Happening

In many cases, knee pain is better understood through three interacting mechanisms:

✔ Load tolerance
✔ Tissue sensitivity
✔ Capacity vs demand

Load Tolerance: The Missing Variable

Load tolerance describes the amount and pattern of mechanical stress that a joint can handle before tissues become irritated.

Knee pain frequently emerges when:

👉 Joint loading chronically exceeds tissue capacity
👉 Loading is insufficient to maintain tissue health

Yes — both overloading AND underloading can be problematic.

Cartilage, tendons, and connective tissues require moderate, cyclic loading to maintain homeostasis (Jahn et al., 2024). There is a physiological “Goldilocks zone” of loading — not too much, not too little.

Crucially, this zone is dynamic.

A load that is harmless for a trained individual may overwhelm someone who is deconditioned.

Obesity further complicates this picture by increasing:

✔ Muscle forces
✔ Ligament stress
✔ Cartilage contact stress

All of which push tissues closer to their mechanical limits (Adouni et al., 2024; Chen et al., 2020).

Well-dosed exercise does not simply “strengthen muscles.” It increases tissue capacity, allowing the same loads to become more tolerable (Logerstedt et al., 2021).

Tissue Sensitivity & Nervous System Involvement

Pain is not purely a structural phenomenon.
Modern pain science increasingly highlights the role of nervous system sensitivity.

Repeated nociceptive input can amplify processing within the nervous system. This means sensations that were once tolerated may become painful, even without progressive tissue damage.

Research suggests that approximately 20–30% of individuals with knee osteoarthritis exhibit features of pain sensitization (Arendt-Nielsen et al., 2010; Fingleton et al., 2015).

In this state:

✔ Smaller load spikes can trigger pain
✔ Movement patterns may change
✔ Activity avoidance may increase

Ironically, excessive protection can further reduce capacity, reinforcing the pain cycle.

This is where graded loading, education, and — when appropriate — interdisciplinary management become critical.

Capacity vs Demand

Strong individuals develop knee pain.

Elite athletes develop knee pain.

Pain does not automatically equal weakness or failure.

Instead, pain often reflects a temporary imbalance between capacity and demand.

Strength training remains important — but not as a magical cure.
When applied correctly, strength training becomes a powerful capacity-building tool

Strength is:

✔ A capacity builder
✔ A load buffer
✔ A resilience enhancer

Not a universal explanation.

Why Strength Alone Often Fails

If load tolerance and tissue sensitivity are primary drivers…

Then isolated exercises like clamshells or band work rarely solve the problem in isolation.

Strength must exist inside a broader framework of:

✔ Load management
✔ Progressive adaptation
✔ Movement variability
✔ Nervous system considerations

Practical Examples

Runner A vs Runner B

Runner A drastically increases training volume with minimal preparation. Pain emerges. Sensitivity rises. Reinjury cycles begin.

Runner B progresses load methodically. Capacity builds. Symptoms remain controlled.

The difference is not discipline — it is dosage.

Sedentary Individual A vs Individual B

Individual A abruptly introduces high training frequency and intensity.

Individual B introduces gradual loading, reduced volume, and staged progression.

Again, the difference is load management — not motivation.

Rest-Only Strategy vs Progressive Strategy

Rest often reduces symptoms temporarily.

But without capacity rebuilding, pain frequently returns upon resumption of activity.

Final Reframe (Knee Pain)

Knee pain is often a capacity conversation, not a strength diagnosis.

Your knee is rarely “weak” in isolation.

More often, it is:

👉 Underprepared
👉 Underloaded
👉 Overloaded
👉 Sensitized
👉 Mismanaged

Strength training is a powerful tool.
But selecting the right training approach matters more than most people realize.

But it is a tool — not the explanation.

Disclaimer

This article is intended for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Individual conditions vary, and persistent or worsening symptoms should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional. Always consult your physician before making changes to exercise or rehabilitation programs.

Further Reading / Evidence Sources

Silverwood, V., Blagojevic-Bucknall, M., Jinks, C., Jordan, J., Protheroe, J., & Jordan, K. (2015). Current evidence on risk factors for knee osteoarthritis in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 23(4), 507–515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2014.11.019

Kim, T. (2024). Factors associated with predicting knee pain using knee X-ray and personal factors: A multivariate logistic regression and XGBoost model analysis from the Nationwide Korean Database (KNHANES). PLOS ONE, 19. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314789

Jahn, J., Ehlen, Q., & Huang, C. (2024). Finding the Goldilocks Zone of Mechanical Loading: A Comprehensive Review of Mechanical Loading in the Prevention and Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis. Bioengineering, 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering11020110

Chen, L., Zheng, J., Li, G., et al. (2020). Pathogenesis and clinical management of obesity-related knee osteoarthritis: Impact of mechanical loading. Journal of Orthopaedic Translation, 24, 66–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jot.2020.05.001

Adouni, M., Aydelik, H., Faisal, T., & Hajji, R. (2024). The effect of body weight on the knee joint biomechanics based on subject-specific finite element-musculoskeletal approach. Scientific Reports, 14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-63745-x

Logerstedt, D., Ebert, J., MacLeod, T., Heiderscheit, B., Gabbett, T., & Eckenrode, B. (2021). Effects of and Response to Mechanical Loading on the Knee. Sports Medicine, 52, 201–235. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01579-7

Arendt-Nielsen, L., Nie, H., Laursen, M. B., et al. (2010). Sensitization in patients with painful knee osteoarthritis. Pain, 149(3), 573–581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2010.04.003

Fingleton, C., Smart, K., Moloney, N., Fullen, B., & Doody, C. (2015). Pain sensitization in people with knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 23(7), 1043–1056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2015.02.163

Deadlifts in Charlotte at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

Which Deadlift is for YOU?

Deadlifts, many people do them, many variations exist, and many people get hurt. It is a great exercise, and many people call it the king of exercises because of its functionality and how many muscle groups it activates.

The deadlifts we utilize at the gym

Kettlebell Deadlift

The kettlebell deadlift is done…drumroll…with a kettlebell or two. I know, this came as a big surprise. The advantage of the kettlebell deadlift is that it can help teach a great hip hinge (the thing where your rear shoots out to the back like you are trying to touch the wall behind you) because of the kettlebell placement.
The disadvantage of the kettlebell deadlift is the limited weight. Most gyms don’t have heavy kettlebells (>80 lbs), and you may hit your limit. The kettlebell deadlift is to some extent similar to the sumo deadlift.

Trap Bar Deadlift

This is a great tool for our clients and people like myself that physiologically do not have the range of motion to perform a deadlift well with a barbell off the ground. The trap bar deadlift can also be an excellent tool for taller people who struggle with a barbell for the same reason. You can have more of a squatting movement with the trap bar set low, or choose more of a hip hinge movement with the bar set higher.
The hand positioning and the shape of the bar make the movement easier. The results are similar to a regular deadlift, and it seems that back pain is less prevalent with a trap bar and since we don’t prep people for powerlifting competition who gives a hoot about which bar I use as long as the results are the same?

Regular Deadlift

The original, best, and the movement some “meatheads” will tell you that if you don’t do twice your body-weight you are not a man. I wonder where they came up with that arbitrary number, but I digress; let’s go back from “real men” to regular people with smaller egos who want to feel healthy and fit. The deadlift is a great exercise but caters to people with relatively short legs and torso compared to arm-length.
Hey, it is simple biomechanics, longer arms and shorter legs mean you don’t have to pick it up as high. That fact puts people like me who are lanky, have long legs, regular wingspan and long torso at a disadvantage, add in a hip position that does not allow me to squat low in a narrow stance, and I am screwed.
For this reason, I have Troy, one of my personal trainers, demonstrate the movement since it works well for him.
Make sure to figure out if this is for you. The form is everything. Videotape yourself from the side, or have a friend do it. Do it without a shirt if possible, or tight-fitting clothes. It will make all the difference to see.

Sumo Deadlift

I guess people connected the dots and realized that the way up is longer with your stance more narrow and the hand outside of your legs like in the regular deadlift. Taller people often like this deadlift much more than the regular one, because the hand position is inside of the legs, the legs are further apart, and the feet are more rotated externally, which also increases the use of adductors during the movement.

Single Leg Deadlift

The single leg deadlift is a phenomenal tool to balance out leg strength, and for overcoming the bilateral deficit. Huh? What does that mean? The bilateral deficit means that doing an exercise with two legs is less efficient than doing it with one leg. An example would be you performing a deadlift at let’s say 250 lbs but being able to do it single legged with 145 lbs. You can see that the difference is significant – if you added the weight lifted unilaterally, together you would be doing 290 lb deadlifts. Training unilaterally can help you tax individual muscle groups more and reduce the impact on other parts of your body like the back, etc. You can do the single leg deadlift with a landmine attachment, kettlebells, dumbbells, cables, chains, medicine balls, barbells and who knows what else. Some of those tools have an impact on how forces work on your body. A cable, for example, moves the weight more forward on your foot, which will force your quads to work more.

 

So after reviewing all these basic variations on a deadlift briefly, the question is: Which one to do?

I teach with the kettlebell deadlift at first and then progress to the trap bar deadlift. Unless there is a competition reason, I rarely teach the regular one. The sumo deadlift I add in later. The single leg deadlift, being relatively difficult due to the balancing act, I add in as quickly as possible as a basic movement un-weighted before incorporating it into the training program. It’s a powerful movement that reduces any impact on the spine, and I love it for my clients. Aesthetically speaking, it helps develop nice glutes and can balance out asymmetries.

Live a healthy life, run every day with your friends

The Truth About Weight Loss

The truth about weight loss by one of the most successful personal trainers in Charlotte

I recently read an article on NPR that said that the average American male is 5’9″ tall weighs 195.5 lbs, and has a waist circumference of 39.7″.
Women don’t do much better; the average woman is 5’4″, weighs 166.2 lbs and has a waist of 37.5″.
Being overweight is the new normal. The average woman’s BMI is 28.5; the average man sits comfortably at 28.9, to put that into perspective, the healthy BMI range is considered 18.5-24.9. We are considered overweight between 25 and 29.9 and obese above that. I am mentioning these facts, not to shame anyone, quite the opposite, we need to be aware of this situation to act.
Going back to our statistic, we quickly realize that we are not far away from being obese on average, as a country. The increased risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, mental illness, arthritis, etc. grows exponentially.Family watching TV and eating pizza
Now, if you are savvy, you will tell me that BMI does not distinguish between body fat and lean muscle mass. You are correct about that. It does not matter, though. The reason for that is simple. Only 20% of Americans get the minimal dose of exercise needed, and those who do are between the age of 18 and 24. While the other 80% are busy busting their butt at work, their family, sitting on the couch or stuffing their face.

How can I be so flippant and insulting? I do not intend to be; it shows a simple reality in life. Once life hits, meaning family, work, grad school, etc. all of the energy available goes towards making a living, raising a family and making ends meet. By the end of the day, the long hours without break take their toll. We break down. We sit on the couch, watching Netflix or Sports, living vicariously through some drama blaring out of the Zombie Box (TV), our phone, tablet, etc. All the while we eat sugary, fatty delights created by the food industry to light up our brain like a Christmas tree and give us the well-deserved Dopamine release we craved for all day and did not get. We are trying to drown our stress, emotional discomfort, and sorrows with food-porn and TV.

Weight Loss is not easy

Against all the propaganda that Fitness Magazines or the whole Fitness Industry spout, losing weight is not easy and not for the reasons that you think.

sport, fitness, healthy lifestyle and people concept - close up of man in fitness bracelet with jar and bottle preparing protein shake

The Job

Very few of my clients work only eight hours a day; they work more like 10-12 hours a day, take work home with them and might even put work in on the weekends. Due to the fear of not being good enough, we are often incapable of saying no to colleagues, projects, and requests. We load ourselves up with more and more tasks or let other people do it for us. Research shows that slaving away is not adding to productivity, but rather takes away from it.
After a particular time, we are just less productive, for some that happens after 40 hours, for others after 50.
– find out what your peak hours of productivity are and do your most important tasks then
– schedule your time in 45-90 min increments
– Cut down on interruptions. Tell co-workers not to bother you at certain times.

The Family

A family is one of the most beautiful things in the world. I love my kids, my wife. I love spending time with them, playing, or simply having a conversation with Jessie, the wife mentioned above. Nevertheless, they can be exhausting, not just physically but emotionally as well. My wife might have a bad day at work, my child trouble at pre-school and I, well, I have a whole host of issues…. On top of it, I am an introvert working in a field suited best for extroverts. I need to re-charge my energy at some point, preferably alone.
You might have a similar experience in your life, or it might be slightly different. The point is, as much as a family can add value, joy, fulfillment and happiness to our life, it can also be hard, draining, and exhausting at times.
It is important to admit to yourself your needs and feelings and find a good way to communicate with the rest of the family those needs. I am a food addict. I don’t look like it but trust me, when I say that my relationship with food is not the healthiest at times.
In my work as a personal trainer and coach, working online and in person with clients, I have noticed that many of my clients never talk to their partner, family, or friends about their goals, needs, and wishes.
Ergo, they do not have the support at home that they could have, if they were to open up.

The Distractions

Google defines distractions as “a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else.”
I think that pretty much defines us as a society by now. While driving home, I see people reading books, eating, drinking, being on Facebook, on the phone…and they all sit in the car and drive while doing that. Clearly, I have never pursued any of those activities, yeah, right! We are always distracted nowadays. The inability to concentrate on one thing lets us be less productive at work. The estimate in 2014 was that workers spend about 25% of their work-time on social media.
It might come as a surprise to you, but you could work less with a dedicated time each day to check social media, email, etc. Focus on what is crucial and then dial in on goals like weight loss.

Emotional Issues, Stress, Etc.

Yes, I am touching a “touchy” subject. See a therapist, yes, you, me and the rest of the world. As an alternative, you might find a group that has similar interests, a friend, a church group, or group therapy. We all have our struggles in life, and it seems that the “Lone Wolf” attitude is quite pervasive in our society. We have the need to make it alone, not to talk about issues, voicing them. I am not sure, how often I have heard that therapy did not work, that they could not find a good therapist. I agree, it is not easy, just like with any other profession, just going to school does not make someone inherently good at something. Book knowledge is not everything and especially in regards to all things of the mind; we cannot connect to everyone. It takes work.
Many people coming to personal trainers struggle with identity issues, happiness, feeling fulfilled. They often feel like they don’t contribute to society and their symptom is food. To make a difference in your life, consider talking to someone.

Grocery Stores

Grocery stores are created by evil little minions employed by the food industry to sell you junk. As much as I have to giggle (yes, I can giggle) at that thought, there is some truth to that. Have you every noticed the layout of a grocery store? All the junk is on the inside, well, most of it, while produce, meats, etc. are on the outside. That has changed over the past couple of years, and you can find all sorts of “specials” on the outside just waiting to catch your eye and, more importantly, the memory of your taste buds indulging in hyper-palatable foods created by the food industry. Should you have been able to navigate the grocery, you will have to approach the cash register. You dread it because you see more offers of terrible crap food on the end of the aisles, as well as the little “goodies,” left and right while you are waiting patiently for your turn to pay up, in health and money.
Grocery stores are designed to sell, to make a maximum amount of profit. There is nothing wrong with that. We just need to be aware of the strategies behind food placement in stores.

Conclusion

Without having written much about food, we can see already that there are numerous reasons for us to fail in our endeavor for a healthier life, a life without surplus amounts of body fat. When clients of mine fail to accomplish their goals, it is usually because of these issues.
Our nutrition coaching program is set up for a year. You might think it too long. You might believe that success can be accomplished in a short period. You are correct, it can, for a short while. In 2010 a study showed that 35% of people were able to maintain a weight loss of 5% body weight for about one year, 17.5% were able to sustain a weight loss of 10%, 8.3% lost 15% and 4.4% maintained a weight loss of 20%.
What does that mean in reality:
Let’s pick a male 195 lbs:
A 5% weight loss = down to 185.25 lbs
10% weight loss= 175.5 lbs
15% weight loss 165.75lbs

If we look at our average female 166.2 lbs, the numbers would be:
5% weight loss = 157.89 lbs
10% weight loss = 149.58 lbs
15% weight loss = 141.27 lbs

Those numbers don’t look that terrible and would be a real improvement if the problem was not that they are talking about maintenance of weight loss for one year.
The goal is to keep the weight off for the rest of your life. That is only possible by establishing healthy habits, looking at your motivations, the obstacles, and challenges that you have every life and dealing with them.

Action Steps

I want to give you three action steps that are underrated but necessary to be successful.
For satiation to set in, we have to take time eating. Anything you eat within 20 min, almost regardless the amount won’t let you feel full and satisfied. That process needs about 20-25 min. So, going forward put the fork down in between bites, chew your food longer, take your time. You will find that you eat less, by eating more slowly.
The next step is awareness, make a point of actually enjoying your food. Sit down and turn off the Zombie box and enjoy your food, instead of shoving food mindlessly into your mouth.
The third step asks you to eat when you are hungry. Try to rate your hunger on a scale of 1-10. Eat when you are around 7, just don’t go grocery shopping at that point. You would be surprised what finds its way into your basket.
The fourth step is eating until you are 80% full. Eat when you are hungry, not at a given time. Eat until your 80% limit then stop, regardless what is left on the plate.

If you want to learn more about our nutrition coaching, please contact us at michael@charlottepersonaltrainer.org

Have an awesome day,

Michael

Brain working out on treadmill. Education concept

How Training Can Boost Your Brain Power

I don’t fit the niche of fitness professionals very well, I don’t fit into the bikini or bodybuilding sector. I don’t do crossfit. I am not an elite endurance athlete turned fitness guru.

Instead of that I do martial arts, lift, run, rock climb, & archery. I do all of this at least 3 days a week each. Sometimes just for 20 min at a time but I do it regularly. I like to challenge my body in many different ways. I am not an elite at anything, but I am pretty decent at any of those things (well rock climbing is new, so still learning).

What does this all have to do with training and brain power?

Most of us are not aiming to become fitness models (nothing wrong with that), elite endurance athletes or even do crazy things like Spartan Races. It is not necessary.

 

But moving your body vigorously is not optional; not just because you want to be thinner, or stronger, or fitter, or etc. but because if you want to age gracefully, or perform better at your job, have more fun or be more active in your personal life, exercise is a crucial component that will help you to keep your marbles together. We will bring discuss this more later. First though the reasons why people don’t exercise.

The reasons not to exercise

I often get to hear the following statements when I mention that working out is important:

  1. I am fine, I don’t feel anything negative: Actions do not always have an immediate, tangible impact. They might compound over time. Who knows, you not being active now might lead to an earlier onset of dementia, an earlier heart attack, etc., you having high blood pressure.
  2. I don’t have time / I am too busy: The fact of life is, that we are all busy. The mother with kids, the business person, the employee. We all have busy lives. They won’t get any less busy. Something usually takes its place. The “I do it later” never comes. In the meantime: You have 10 min before work, at lunch, in between whatever to do something every day. If you did only 10 min a day you sure won’t become a fitness model but you will be healthier and out of about 119 waking hours in a week that would be only 0.9% of your waking time. I guess being too busy is an excuse after all.
  3. I know it is important but xyz hurts: We all have pain and aches. Yes, yours might be a little bit worse than most of ours because you had: an accident, bad arthritis, were born with it, etc. Regardless, there is something you can do. Adjust your workouts to work around your limitations. If Paraplegics can play basketball, if wounded veterans with only 1 functioning limb can conquer a marathon, you can find a way to work around your limitation.  
  4. There is nothing I can do about it, it is hereditary: This is my most favorite one. Throwing up your hands and surrendering is not an option, not unless you DO want to die early or have a miserable life.  It is a choice after all. Just because you might be predisposed to having an issue, does not mean you have to actively make it worse by sitting on your butt. My family is riddled with cancer, I am not going to say: F*** it, I cannot do anything about it, and not do anything to live healthier, make better choices and at least have a better quality of life should cancer strike me down, which is not for certain anyway. I will make an effort, I will struggle and fail many times, but I will give it a shot.

Back on Track

I digressed. This blog post is about the brain and the effect exercise can have on it. These are the effects that exercise has on the brain:

  • Cardiovascular exercise longer than 20-30 min can significantly improve cognitive abilities in people with mental impairments.
  • In healthy, younger adults short high intensity bouts and longer bouts of lower intensity exercise seem to lead to an increased release of BDNF (a factor that stimulates the formation of new brain cells.
  • Regular exercise improves the circulation to the brain and reduces the risk of loss of brain function caused by cerebrovascular atherosclerosis (clogged arteries)
  • Strength training effects on brain health are currently not conclusive enough yet to make a clear statement but it looks positive
  • Positive effects can also be gained from more mundane tasks like driveway basketball, raking leaves, snow shoveling, yard work, etc.
  • Physically fit seniors do significantly better in cognitive tasks than unfit seniors.
  • Regular exercise reduces the loss in gray matter upstairs 🙂 and improves the mental fitness of older adults
  • Stretching and “Toning” exercises by themselves do not have the same positive effect as cardiovascular exercise on the brain
  • Adults who engaged in physical sports, exercise and fitness during their midlife phase suffered significantly less from dementia later on.
  • Exercise might reduce inflammatory processes that interrupt growth stimulation in the brain

The list of research goes on and on and on. It is time to act today. If you want to have an increased chance of aging gracefully, enjoy a full life as a senior it is time to make a decision when you are young or middle aged.

Don’t forget, I am only talking about the effects on the brain at the moment. There is so much more evidence on positive outcomes in other areas.

 

So what can you do?

Well, the best course of action is having a mixture of cardiovascular activity, balance, challenging coordination exercises etc.  When you are done with that, decide to have a social life. Being socially active seems to increase brain power as well 🙂

 

  • 3-4 days a week cardiovascular activities: pick up basketball, tennis, running, walking, hiking, nordic hiking, swimming, elliptical, rowing, martial arts, etc.
  • 2-3 days a week of coordinative challenging activities: tennis, basketball, tai chi, martial arts, etc.
  • 1-3 days of active housework: repairs, yard work, etc.
  • Get a social life

Those lists are by no means complete but they give you an idea of the things you can do. It is clearly not just done by doing one thing one time a week.

Now, if you are not able to do all of these things, don’t despair. Some action is better than no action. I am a person that has a tendency to be all or nothing. That has shown to be detrimental as I was growing my business. I had to learn that sometimes a little is still good. Just do as much as you can. Start with less instead of packing your plate full. Do 10 min every day and work yourself up from there.

 

The message is clear:

 

Conclusion

Be active, do some cardiovascular activity regularly every week and challenge your coordinative system to have a good chance at aging gracefully and have the opportunity to not just perform better when young but have an improved quality of life when older.

Have an awesome day,

 

Michael

 

Resources:

http://jap.physiology.org/content/111/5/1505.short

http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(11)65219-1/fulltext?refuid=S1064-7481(13)00165-6&refissn=1064-7481

http://www.prevention.com/mind-body/brain-power-workout

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nicole_Berchtold/publication/6075740_Exercise_Builds_Brain_Health_Key_Roles_of_Growth_Factor_Cascades_and_Inflammation/links/0fcfd50ef33d16a46f000000.pdf

good athletic form during deadlifts at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

Knee Pain from a Different Angle

Knee pain is a very general term and can have many causes. One cause would be trauma. For many of us engaged in physical activities and sports that may be the cause. For the majority of people knee issues seem to creep up especially in their late 30s, 40s and 50s. Often it is associated with someone becoming more active again and picking up a sport, or fitness training to improve their body composition. All of the sudden the knee starts hurting.

To understand better the complexity of the knee we need to understand more about its anatomy.

Knee Anatomy

The knee joint is one of the most complex joints in our body. It consists of

  1. The patellofemoral joint (knee cap to distal part of the femur)
  2. the tibial-femoral joint (the femur interacting with the tibia (shin bone))
  3. It has meniscii functioning as increasing the joint surface and working as shock absorbers. They are C-shaped.
  4. The ligaments attached to the femur, tibia, & fibula lending it stability and guiding movements.
    1. Patella Tendon attaching on the bottom of the patella and allowing the force of the anterior femoral muscles to lead to knee extension by being attached to the tibia
    2. The cruciate ligaments stabilizing the knee in a sagittal plane
    3. The collateral ligaments stabilizing the knee against folding open sideways (coronal plane)
  5. Bursae are little sacks filled with fluid to protect tendons going over bones, etc.)
  6. There is a multitude of muscles working on the knee: flexing, extending, rotation etc.

What does the hip and the foot have to do with my knee?

Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting form training
Bad form jumping, like demonstrated can lead to injury

In addition of myriad muscles going over the knee, the hip and the muscles pulling on the hip or the foot position play a major role in your knees function. Inactive gluteal muscles can lead to changes on how the quadriceps pulls on the patella and its tendon. This can have a significant impact on patella positioning, cartilage damage, etc.

A similar situation happens when a foot is not properly supported by its arch and ankle. If your ankle collapses inwards you will have an increased risk of knee injuries due to “overuse” or rather “biomechanics”.

Basically in addition to being sensitive to traumatic injuries (i.e. in soccer, football, tennis etc) the knee is the slave to hip mechanics and foot mechanics.

How can I improve the situation if it is caused by weak hip stabilizers?

There are plenty of things you can do for the hip ranging from functional movements like deadlifts, single leg deadlifts, bridges, single leg bridges to small movements like side to side walk w/ mini-bands, bridge walks, hip hikes. 

Trap bar deadlifts are great because they work hamstrings, glutes, adductors, etc. The single leg version really helps with stabilization and is the functional progression.

I would definitely recommend you supplementing these exercises with movements like loaded bridges, clamshells, etc.

Bridges are absolutely fantastic to activate the glutes in a more isolated fashion than squats and deadlifts. With bridges make sure that the back stays straight. Don’t push the weight over the toes but rather keep the weight on the whole foot or slightly more oriented towards the heel. You have various options to set up the bridge. You can either lay down on the floor, the feet even with the floor, elevate the feet or elevate the back. Elevating the back or feet increases the range of motion and is definitely preferred. If you struggle to use a bench for your back, you can set it up on a 10” box a well. Again, I would recommend to progress to single leg bridges down the road. Make sure to use adequate padding for the bar. The bar should be sitting between pubic bone and ASIS (anterior superior iliac spine)

Clamshells on the other hand are a great isolation exercise that can support the work that you are doing with the compound movements. They are just one of many exercises that can be used for this purpose: quadruped donkey kicks, quadruped fire hydrants, cable kickbacks, back extensions, etc. can all be used to supplement the big movements. 

What You can do for your feet

Short foot exercises like the one in the video are a great tool to work on foot position and strengthening up intrinsic foot muscles. In addition to the isolated exercise make sure to integrate the short foot into squats, deadlifts, etc. 

Conclusion

Knee pain at least due to postural issues and weakness don’t have to be necessarily accepted as part of life. Working on fixing muscle activation & technique training can help clean up your form, improve joint positioning and potentially enable you to be a lifelong healthy athlete.

The sooner someone starts to address these issues the better. Depending on your age and activity level, exercises and foam rolling might not be all that is needed. You might need the synergistic efforts from massage therapists, chiropractors, trainers and your own diligence to get back “on your feet”.

Do not expect immediate and permanent results.You might have had the problems for years and progress might be really slow. If you can reduce pain and increase performance, I consider the effort well worth it.

What if it is not working

Exercises are great but training can only bring you so far. As mentioned above it might take a village to get you back on track. Massages, manual therapy, chiropractic, as well as physical therapists might be necessary to get you started.

 

References:

http://teachmeanatomy.info/lower-limb/joints/the-knee-joint/
http://www.physio-pedia.com/’Q’_Angle
Schuenke et al.  (2006). Atlas of Anatomy – General Anatomy and Musculoskeletal System. Thieme.

 

back health at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

4 Drills for Thoracic Spine & Shoulder Mobility

Due to an increasingly sedentary work environment for most people that involves sitting at a computer for ours typing away or staring at numbers etc. We see more and more people in a posture like the one at the end of the caricature.

evolution-man-computer

 

 

 

 

 

The shoulders are slumped forward and people are constantly hunched. Here are 5 drills you can do to improve thoracic spine mobility, scapula movement, and chest flexibility.

Thoracic Spine Extension

Being in a bent over position for most of the day can wreak havoc on your posture . This drill is great if you have a strong rounding of your back and work in a hunched position

Thoracic Spine Rotational Mobility

If you are lacking rotational mobility this drill is for you. Make sure to keep the back straight, you can support your head with a pillow. Make sure to pinch the foam roller tight and reach towards the ceiling and diagonally out.

Prayer Stretch

This stretch hits thoracic spine extension, scapula movement, triceps stretch & lat stretch. Make sure to keep the head in alignment with your spine, don’t drop it. Keep the back straight, don’t arch your back. If you have a tendency to arch the lower back to avoid the stretch, scoot closer with your knees. This rounds your back more and prevents you to arch.

Pec major & minor Stretch

If you are really tight in your chest use a half foam roller. It puts you into a better position. Press the arms and elbows on the floor and slowly reach beyond your head and pull back. Hold the stretch in a 90 /135 and 180 degree angle for 10-15s.

Have an awesome day,

Michael

Prep for outdoor activities at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

Workout Alternatives For The Summer In Charlotte

Working out does not always need to be in a boring gym environment. Sometimes you need to change it up, especially if you want to do something with friends and family. Charlotte has a lot of things to offer. Maybe it is time to apply the fitness you have gained with your personal trainer or a friend to some other activities. Here are some of my favorites, well some I stole from clients :-).

  1. The Whitewater Center is a great place for hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing (artificial wall), flatwater kayaking, whitewater kayaking, zip lining, canopy tours, etc. There are a host of things to do.
  2. You can kayak or paddleboard on Lake Norman
  3. Inner Peaks is a great place if you love to rock climb or would like to learn how to. This indoor facility is great not only when it rains.
  4. Various parks in Charlotte. The greenway system has been built out quite a bit. Walking, running or even hiking through some of the parks is a ton of fun but they offer much more like tennis courts, basketball courts, playgrounds, baseball, etc.
  5. Crowder’s Mountain is a great a place to hike and get a good workout if you don’t mind driving 30-45 min depending on where you live in Charlotte.
  6. Defy Gravity or Sky High are great places if you enjoy a trampoline. There is one up near University area but I am sure there are similar places in town.
  7. Theme Races are more and more up and coming. May it be the Color Run, Spartan Races or Tough Mudder, or more you can always find something that is fun and low pressure.
  8. There are also flag football leagues, soccer leagues, etc. all over town.

There are a ton of things to do in Charlotte and the surrounding area. This is just a small number of the things you can do here in Charlotte.

Now go out there and play 🙂

Michael

Proper Nutrition during Heat at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

Running, Biking, Exercising in the Heat

It is getting hot in Charlotte. 85-91° F in mid-May. It is absolutely amazing. As usual people, complain about the weather, like we always do. It is too hot, too cold, too humid, too dry, it rains, it storms. Despite of all the complaining we usually still go out and about and work out….well at least nuts like me.

Since I have claimed nuthood (opposed to knighthood), I also have firsthand experience with the drawbacks that come with that. As much as I like to say that weather is just weather, there are certain rules that should be observed to accomplish the following things:

  1. Staying safe should always be number one
  2. Having fun should always be number two, let’s be honest most of us don’t get paid for working out and even if we did, heck who does not like to have fun?

The rules you need to pay attention to in the heat

  1. Work out early mornings or late at night. If the sun is directly blazing on your head and the asphalt is reflecting it back on you…not a good thing
  2. If you absolutely have to work out outside in the middle of the day:
    1. Wear head protection, preferably with cooling effects (check running stores)
    2. Keep the workouts at lower intensities
    3. Keep the workouts shorter < 30 min
    4. Make sure to hydrate appropriately (not wine 🙂  )
  3. If the asphalt or concrete is too hot for you to be on it barefoot it is too hot for your dog to be on it. Pay attention to that. You don’t want to get your best friend hurt. .
  4. Use sunscreen. I know you like the tan but do you really like the skin cancer 20 years later just as much?
  5. Hydrate and you may have to add some electrolytes to your drink when exercising in the heat due to heavy sweating. A carbohydrate / electrolyte mix seems to help with recovery after your workout.
  6. Wear appropriate clothing: dress as if it was about 20 degrees warmer than the thermostat reading.
  7. Wear sunglasses if you are running while the sun is glaring to protect your eyes.
  8. Listen to your body. At the first sign of not feeling so good just quit your workout. A single workout is not worth it. Symptoms are:
    1. Headache
    2. Nausea
    3. Fatigue
    4. Excessive Thirst
    5. Cramps and muscle pain
    6. Drenching sweat then clammy cold feeling skin

I have had the questionable pleasure to make plenty of mistakes while working out in the heat. It usually throws you back much further than an early end to a workout would.

Be safe when working out!

Have a great day,

Michael

 

Get ready for the summer w/ Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

Beginner’s Summer Fitness Challenge 2015

Summer is approaching quickly and with it the sought after goal to look great in a bathing suit or bikini. Maybe you just want to be healthier than you are now. This Summer’s Fitness Challenge is designed to gradually increase your workout regimen and improve on your eating habits. It is a gradual approach and not a quick fix. By the end of summer you should see huge improvements in your overall fitness levels.

Beginner to Fitness

Each week we will add a a little bit to your routine. Keep doing what you have been doing and substitute or replace as required by the weekly suggestion. The video demonstrates all the exercises of this Summer Fitness Challenge:

Week 1

  • Every day: Walk 10 min a day at a brisk pace
  • Every day: Include veggies with lunch & dinner
  • Every two days: 2×10 bodyweight squats, 2×10 (modified) push ups, 2×15 band rows (attach to stair rail, etc. )

Week 2 

  • Increase your daily walk to 15 min a day
  • Start including proteins into your three major meals: pork, fish, beef, poultry, eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, etc.
  • Add 2×20 jumping jacks (or modified jumping jacks) +2x30s plank on knees or balls of feet

Week 3

  • Download a HIIT timer (high intensity intervals) to your phone. Set it to 30s on and 60s rest. Increase your speed for the 30s and walk as before during the rest phase. Stay with 15 min total. Do this every 2nd day while walking your regular 15 min every other day.
  • Decrease one of your vices (soda, diet soda, alcoholic beverages) by adding 16-20 oz of water in between drinks
  • Increase all of your sets by one (doing 3 instead of 2) for two of your strength training routines during the week

Week 4

  • Increase your pace during the intervals. If you cannot do that because of joint issues, take some hand weights with your or use nordic walking sticks.
  • Eat only until you are 80% full. Good gauge: after 1 hour of eating = not hungry, after 2 hours of eating = could eat some, after 3 hours of eating = hungry, after 4 hours of eating = starving.
  • Add 3x30s of dead bug (ab exercise) to your strength regimen

Week 5 

  • Increase your walking duration on non interval days by 5 min
  • If you sleep less than 6.5 hours, schedule a nap or go to bed 15-30 min earlier
  • Add one more set to all of your strength exercises.

This is a 5 week program. within 5 weeks you will make huge changes in your lifestyle without thinking that it is not accomplishable. You will notice an increased energy level, decreased body fat and you will definitely be overall fitter.

If you prefer a customized fitness transformation please contact us at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

Have a fit & healthy day,

Michael

A man and woman doing a heavy weight lifting routine at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

How to Get Back Into Exercise After A Long Break

We all have had longer breaks from exercise. Sometimes we just got too busy at work, with our family, other times it might have been an injury. If you have been out of training for longer than 3 weeks you should follow a couple of simple rules to get back into it.

The Short about what you need to know about getting back into working out

  •  Slow down after a longer break
  • Work with your body, don’t see it as the enemy
  • Frustration is a normal part of the process
  • Shorter, more frequent workouts might be better for you
  • Listen to the cues your body is giving you!
  • Listen to a professional at the beginning

Slow is the new fast

If you are like me then you might want to jump right back into where you stopped at. Same weights lifted, same mileage run, same hours put in. This is a sure way of setting yourself up for failure, injury and frustration.

  • If your break was shorter than 1 month but longer than 2 weeks reduce your volume by 25%.
  • If your break was longer than 1 month but shorter than 3 month reduce your volume by 50% and increase it by 10-15% per week.
  • Anything longer than 3 months of no exercise start at around 35% of what you have been doing and increase your load by 5-10%/week.

 

Your body is not the enemy

Sometimes we treat our body like the enemy when it does not perform on the level that we are looking for. We push through pain, force workouts and keep setting ourselves back. We also diminish our joy of working out. Listen to your body and work out accordingly. You will have more fun and success in the long run!

Frustration is normal

If you have a history of working out regularly and you were sidelined because of injury, frustration can be one of the biggest problems you can have. You will get impatient, you might feel like it will never get better.

It will get better, just not necessarily on the timeline that you were looking for. Our bodies have an amazing capacity to heal. Supporting it with soft tissue work like foam rolling & massages, stretching and corrective exercise can do wonders. Advancing too fast will get you injured quickly!

Go for less more often instead of going big one time

You might feel that working out for 10 min is not nearly enough, that it is not worth the effort. But research shows that it is better to do something for 10 min six times a week than exercising for 60 mins one time in a week. Most likely you are hitting it too hard during your one big workout in the week anyway.

Trust your body

Nobody else feels what you feels. If you work with a healthcare professional or a personal trainer make sure to explain to them what you are feeling as acurately as you can. They are better at interpreting where it might come from but they will need your feedback to make the best decision in regards to your training and health. If you have the feeling that your advisors are not listening, get new ones!

 Get help

I get it, we all think we can do it ourselves, and you can. With a lot of reading up, thorough research and commitment you will be able to put something together for you that might work. On the other hand you can always ask a professional in your field (cycling coach, personal trainer, running coach, etc), to help you with the basic setup. This person will be able to put a training routine together based on your current fitness level, observe your movements and make adjustments.

If you are interested in finding out more about our program,

visit our main page

 

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