• Problem #1: Site Navigation. Let’s be honest, there is A LOT of information on the site. The body map was a great start in terms of organizing all of it by region, but it still made for large amounts of clicking around to find stuff. Despite my attempts to organize and reorganize, I never really could find a good fix for this until now. The new site is truly an educational site, complete with “courses”. These courses allow me to not only deliver the content in a streamlined way, they allow me to keep everything all in one place, on one screen. The new site is essentially an “app”. It’s simple and incredibly easy to use.
• Problem #2: Information Overload. The new course setup allows me to keep things short and to the point. Even the videos have a whole new look. There are little timers built in and directions so that you can literally watch and let the video do the rest. Each treatment will take you less than 10 minutes from start to finish.
• Problem #3: Not mobile device friendly. The new site is more mobile friendly than it is desktop friendly. Why? Because I want you to be able to pull this stuff up on your phone or tablet while you’re on your family room floor using the treatment techniques.

Here’s a video to show you how it all works:

So what does all of that mean for you as the user??

To access the courses, you will need to create an account and sign up for a membership plan. 🙂

Here’s what you can expect with your membership:

• Access to all of the courses. As of today, there are 18 courses currently on the site. This number is only going to grow over the next few weeks as I start loading up the injury specific courses. Once those are done, you can expect 1-2 courses per month on average. My plan is to have three types of courses per region:
  • Basic- these courses are region specific and focus on how to use the different self treatment techniques on that area only.
  • Intermediate- these courses are more in depth and take a more total body approach by working on areas above and below the symptom area.
  • Advanced - these are injury specific courses. Like the intermediate courses, these are more in depth and designed to not only cure your symptoms, but also help you identify the cause behind them.
• Access to monthly webinars and Q&A’s. These will be announced on the blog and also through member emails. Each will be recorded so if you miss one? No problem. You will be able to download it when you have the time.
• Access to me for questions, feed back etc. As things get rolling I will be posting “office hours” for you to reach me on skype.

In addition to individual plans, the new site layout also gives me the ability to create custom courses for teams and groups. Coaches? Need an offseason maintenance plan for your athletes or a post workout recovery routine? This is the option for you. Simply use the contact page to tell me what you are looking for!

Sounds pretty good doesn’t it?

Hi everyone! Sorry for the massive m.i.a but it has been a tough few weeks in the Boyle household between an epic battle with the flu and more recently 50 fire ant bites on my hands. Lesson learned the hard way on that one! 🙂 Anyhow..

This week we dive back into the treatment portion of our shoulder series. To recap: in part one we really focused on the large stabilizer muscles to build some slack down into arm, as well as, up into the trunk muscles. In part two, we then added in some more aggressive mobilization techniques to target the busy intersections in the front and back of the shoulder where the biceps and triceps attach.

This week we’re shifting to the other side of the biceps and triceps into the elbow, forearm, and hand. While that may seem far away from where you’re symptoms are, remember- there are four fascial chains of muscles in the arm. The two deep/stabilizing lines run from the biceps and triceps all the way to our hands. On top of them, the superficial lines connect the power muscles of the chest and back to the ones in our forearms. Whichever way you look at it, restrictions here will impact your shoulders ability to function normally. If you’ve been battling shoulder symptoms for any length of time, you can also guarantee that your elbows and wrists have been doing a hefty amount of the compensating.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Roller: forearm + hand (1 minute each of flexors, extensors, drinking muscles, thumb and pinky finger)
• Stretches: 30 seconds x 1 of each (flexors, extensors, thumb + hand)

• Total time = 6-8 minutes

Forearm and wrist massage from Athletes Treating Athletes on Vimeo.

Hi everyone! This week we continue to dive into the treatment portion of our shoulder series. In part one, we used the foam roller to target the large musculature below the shoulder. When tight and immobile those muscles (aka the lats, the pecs, the serratus…) can act like weights that pull down on your shoulder joint. Not only does this force the arm to work harder to get overhead, it also keeps the shoulder joint unstable and out of position. In that treatment post we also worked on the neck muscles that attach to the top of our shoulder blade (aka the levator and upper trap).

This week we’ll be moving closer to the shoulder to start restoring balance between the front and back of the shoulder. To that you’ll need a massage ball or tennis ball!

Here’s the breakdown:

• Muscle mobilizations: 3 reps nice and easy of the pecs (3 arm positions) and 3 reps nice and easy of the back of the shoulder (two rotations and across the chest)
• Stretches: 30 seconds x 2 of each (bicep and tricep)
• Total time = 8 minutes

Hi everyone! This week we are back to dive into the treatment portion of our shoulder series. Over the past month, we’ve talked about how the shoulder functions, what joints are responsible for moving it, and last but not least how the different layers of muscles are connected. The big take away should have been that the shoulder is the least stable joint of the body and that there are actually four joints responsible for moving are arm. What does that mean to you as an athlete?? That we need to keep those stabilizers healthy and mobile.

In this video we are going to be using the foam roller on those stabilizers (lats, serratus, pecs, triceps, and the big intersection that is our armpit). From there we’re going to shift to stretching out our neck. Yes, you read that right! In particular we want to loosen up the upper traps and levator.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Foam roller: 1 minute of each (armpit, tricep, pecs)
• Stretches: 30 seconds x 2 of each (levator, upper trap)
• Total time = 5 minutes

shoulder massage pt 1 from Athletes Treating Athletes on Vimeo.

In our previous three posts, we talked about the two deeper muscle lines in the arms, as well as, the superficial chain in the front of the body. This week we’re going to introduce the last muscle/fascial chain- the superficial back arm. If you think of the deep lines as our stabilizers, the superficial lines are the real power behind reaching overhead, reaching out to the side, and pushing/pulling. It’s important to realize that these muscle chains/lines all work together. If the deeper lines are restricted/stuck, they will compromise the more superficial muscles and vice versa.

In terms of function, this muscle chain is responsible for controlling the movement of our arm behind us, as well as, out to the side. To do that we need larger muscles which we get in the Trapezius and Deltoid. Both of these muscles feature multiple functional parts capable of moving the arm in multiple directions. This makes them powerful abductors. From the Deltoid, this arm line travels down the lateral septum (which separates the muscles in the front of the arm from the back of the arm). It then connects to the common extensor group (purple in the picture above). The extensor group originates on the lateral epicondyle and travels down the back of the forearm and hand to our fingertips.

Here’s a video to walk you through the muscles in this chain and to show you how to stretch them:

In our previous two posts, we talked about the deep arm lines. These muscle chains both included smaller muscles that were designed to help position our elbow and orient our hand. This week we’re going to build on those muscles by looking at the larger more superficial muscles that lay on top of them. If you think of the deep lines as our stabilizers, the superficial lines are the real power behind reaching overhead, pushing, and pulling.

The Superficial Front Arm Line

In terms of function, this muscle chain is responsible for controlling the movement of our arm out in front of us as well as to the side. To do that we need larger muscles which we get in the Pectoralis Major and the Latissimus Dorsi. While one muscle is found on the front of the body and the other on the back, both share a common attachment point on the inside front of the humerus. This makes them powerful adductors and internal rotators as they pull the arm back to our side. From that common connection on the humerus, this muscle chain then follows the intermuscular septum (green in picture above) down to the medial epicondyle where it attaches to the forearm flexors (aka the muscles responsible for flexing our wrists and fingers).

Here’s a video to walk you through the muscles in this chain and to show you how to stretch them:

In last week’s post we started digging into the functional arm chains by looking at the deep front line. This week we’re going to build on that by looking at it’s partner in the crime- the deep back line. An easy way to visualize the difference between the two is to lift your arm out to the side as show in the picture below. You want to make sure your hand is point down to the floor and that your elbow is pointing backwards. In this position, the deep front line is on the front and the deep back line is on the back.

The Deep Back Line

In terms of function, this muscle chain works in two ways. When the arm is moving freely out away from your body, it works to position the scapula and rotate the humerus while also working with the front line to determine how much elbow flexion/extension is needed.  In weight bearing (push up/plank) position, it provides stability from side to side. In total there are 8 individual muscles in this chain. Here’s a video to walk you through each and what they do. You will also find ways to stretch each one of them.

Remember! Don’t push through pain with the stretches. Just go until you feel a pull. If you’re bringing a lot of tightness in terms of posture, expect to feel these in a few different places! 🙂 20 to 30 second hold of each.

In total, there are four distinct chains of muscles in the arm. What I mean by “chains” is that the muscles in each chain are linked together fascially. While standard anatomy lessons can lead you to think of the body as standalone muscles with specific origins, insertions and movements, the truth is that every muscle and organ in our body is wrapped in a fibrous web known as fascia. This web connecting our muscles is what allows us to function and move the way we do. Take lifting the arm overhead for example. It would be easy to think only in terms of the muscles we know: deltoids, biceps, triceps, pecs. The truth is that before you even move that arm you muscles along the trunk positioning and stabilizing the shoulder blade. Then as you lift the arm, your elbow and forearm are working to position the hand in the direction that you want. It’s a total arm effort!

With that concept in mind, we’re going to start going through the arm chains. Like I said above, there are four separate functional chains. Two of these chains are along the front of the body and two are along the back. In this post, we’re going to be talking about one of the front chains. More specifically, we’re going to start with the deeper layer of muscles.

The Deep Front Line

In terms of function, this muscle chain works in two ways. When the arm is moving freely out away from your body, it works to orient the hand. Meaning it determines how straight the elbow is and how much the forearm is rotated. In weight bearing (push up/plank) position, it provides stability from side to side. In total there are 10 individual muscles in this chain. Here’s a video to walk you through each and what they do. You will also find ways to stretch each one of them.

Remember! Don’t push through pain with the stretches. Just go until you feel a pull. If you’re bringing a lot of tightness in terms of posture, expect to feel these in a few different places! 🙂 20 to 30 second hold of each.

In our last post, we dove into the stabilizing muscles of the scapulothoracic joint (aka the joint that holds the shoulder blade against the ribcage). These four muscles (pictured above) play a huge role in setting up the scapula to be in position regardless of whether the arm is pushing, pulling, lifting, etc. However, just like every other muscle in the body, these muscles are only one part of the chain. In this post we’re going to be moving downstream a bit to talk about the muscles that influence the spine and it’s stability.

The legs are built for stability and our shoulders are built for mobility.

I know what you’re thinking… isn’t this series about the shoulders!? It is! 🙂 Hear me out though. True trunk mobility/stability is what sets you up for good posture and healthy shoulders. Remember, the shoulder is the least stable joint in the body. That means it requires muscular support and control to set up the thoracic spine, rib cage and shoulder blade so that everything is in position before you even move that arm. Ever think about the impact of a change to your lumbar spine on all of that? My guess is no…

Here’s a visual:

Think of everything in this picture as an anchor that can pull your lumbar spine and pelvis out of position. This area is smack in the middle of your upper and lower body. Problems here will not only impact what’s going on upstream in your shoulders, arms and neck, but it will also impact how your hips and legs function as well. Remember all of those “S” curves in the spine? They are there to balance your upper body on your lower body and to help hold you upright. When you start changing those curves, bad things happen.

Starting to see why this is important? Even if you aren’t stuck behind a desk or in the car for hours each day, you know you’re already bringing tired legs to the table as an endurance athlete. Keeping this middle section healthy and mobile is the key to success for us. That’s why I wanted to take a minute to go over some strategies for loosening up those hips and backs, before moving onto the rib cage and arm itself.

In the video you’ll find the following stretches:

• Hip flexor (progression is 1/2 kneeling/lunge, 1/2 kneeling with side bend, standing lunge with foot twisted out, standing lunge with foot twisted in, standing lunge with foot up on chair/couch/etc).
• Adductors (progression is side lunge, side lunge with elbow to push knee out). Be sure to get both sides.
• From this side lunge position you can also switch to a front lunge to better target the front of the hip.
• External rotators (start with something slightly taller than knee height and build in height; ** remember to stand up straight and don’t let your hips drop. press knee down!)
• Just like all of our stretches: hold for 20 seconds and repeat for reps versus longer holds. Frequency will always give you faster results, not pushing into pain. 🙂