Functional Strength Training

08/06/2026

This is a quick video that looks at how you can use some unique training tools that focus on providing strength to weakened muscles like the serratus anterior via the use of vibration and oscillation! These tools are very useful in treating elbow injuries but can also be great in the rehabilitation of shoulder injuries.

In Vladimir Janda's book Assessment and Treatment of Muscle Imbalance he goes into great detail about the use of the flex bar and in his research he found that the activation of phasic muscles like serratus anterior was much higher than the tonic muscles like pec minor when oscillation training was used.

He noted that this technique may be very useful and have great potential for correcting muscle imbalance with people who had shoulder and scapula instability.

I myself have used these tools for a long time and many people used to think I was sucked into some crazy fitness craze, when in reality I had read a lot of research indicating the use of vibration tools can be a great way to improve strength in people with injury with minimal risk to joints.
The best part of these tools if you have never used them before is just how tiring they can be to your stabilizers and your core.

The exercises do not look difficult when you watch someone doing them but when you try it yourself you realize they are very hard.

While they are a great tool to use, on their own they will do little. You still need to learn how to move correctly and improve function of multiple areas as well. This just can be a nice tool to complement your other methods and exercises.

07/06/2026

Most of the treatments for elbow pain focus on treating the area in pain with massage, anti-inflammatory medication, cortisone injections, and lastly surgery. Many people are instructed to wear a strap on the forearm, and it is tightened enough so that when the person contracts their wrist extensor muscles, he or she does not fully contract the muscles. This reduces the muscles from over-working and helps to manage the problem. Notice how I said, “it helps to manage the problem”, it does not solve the problem.

Once again we see most of the treatments for this injury more concerned with trying to remove pain, instead of treating the source of the pain. Instead of asking how to get rid of the pain, I find it is better to ask.

Why is the pain there in the first place?
Why are the forearm muscles over-working?
If there is tightness, there is always a weakness, so where is it?

Weak grip is always a factor but the most problematic is scapula dysfunction which is something that is usually missed or neglected.

Scapula dysfunction is a massive problem for the elbow for when the scapula does not sit or move as it is designed to, the arm bone has little chance of being in the right position to move. If the arm bone rotates inward the forearm will have problems.

These problems have to do with how well the forearm rotates into a hand-down position known as pronation and the hand-up position known as supination. We use these actions all the time in daily life and most people think that these movements are only performed by the forearm itself. Little do they know, that it is the scapula that is driving this compensatory movement.

Read this article to see more about how to use exercises to restore function and stability to the shoulder and elbow

https://noregretspt.com.au/getting-rid-of-elbow-pain-is-all-about-scapula-stability/

06/06/2026

In the early stages of treatment people are often told they have a weak vastus medialis muscle (VMO) that needs to be strengthened and it will make their pain go away.

Unfortunately, it is not as simple as that as there are many factors you need to consider with correcting knee pain. While it is true that the VMO plays a massive role in stabilizing the knee, the methods you use to strengthen this muscle is the secret to finding the solution to your knee pain.

This video gives you some great tips to address the weak VMO at the source of the problem

This is the first video in a series of videos I decided to put toge...

05/06/2026

The neck is one of the most difficult areas to work with as there is so many things that contribute to the onset of pain. Even your thoughts can affect the muscles and create a ton of trigger points and pain!

When you consider it is a part of the complex shoulder region you can begin to see why so many people never find an answer to their problems. One of the biggest saboteurs is our instincts to constantly find ways to relieve the pain, instead of finding out WHY the pain is there in the first place.

It makes perfect sense as to wanting to find a way to relieve the tension immediately by stretching the area that feels tight, however, when you understand how the neck is reacting to problems elsewhere, you can begin to see how our instincts are betraying us and setting our body up for much bigger problems.

In this article, I will explain what the key causes of neck pain are and why stretching the tight neck muscles is not the solution to long term pain

One of the first things we do with neck pain is stretch the neck to get some temporary relief but it is often the worst thing you can do!

05/06/2026

All versions of the squat are great and can build some serious strength in the legs and core muscles if completed correctly.

Of the two versions with a barbell the front squat is superior in terms of core activation for several reasons.

The thoracic spine needs to be able to provide extension and be strong enough to stay like that which for most people is the most difficult part of this exercise.

If you are doing this with a clean grip, you will also need great mobility at the wrists and fingers to properly rest the bar. You can use tools like the stingray to assist you in this stage which we do use with a lot of people when first trying this exercise.

Finally, as with all the other squats, exceptional ankle mobility is paramount and allows you to keep your feet flat, and along with perfect core stabilization and breathing to prevent your lower back from rounding you will need a lot of practice to get all these moving parts in sync with each other.

You can read more about the different versions of squats and what the technique for each is in this article

https://noregretspt.com.au/7-best-squats-to-build-strong-legs-bulletproof-knees/

05/06/2026

This is a quick video that discusses the difficulty with working with injury and rehabilitation and why it is so important to have a set of "relief" exercises in your toolbox for when things go wrong.

There are endless mistakes made in the process of restoring movements and injured joints back to normal and it it is usually a very bumpy journey for most people.

This bumpy journey is a normal process and if you are not making mistakes then it is safe to say you are not going to change much either.

Often the movement that sets off your pain is the same one you have to figure out how to change but there can be many things that get in the way of doing this.

During this process of trial and error and endless mistakes it is VITAL you know what to do when things go wrong

This is a quick video that discusses the difficulty with working wi...

04/06/2026

Push-ups are a great exercise and there are many different variations you can use to challenge the body. However, I have never been a fan of the diamond push-up for while it does give the body a challenge, in particular the triceps it can lead to some shoulder problems if over-used or if there is an existing problem.

If you are someone with great strength and can easily knock out 20-25 regular push-ups you may be fine but if you are someone starting out or your technique is not great to begin with the diamond push-up is something to avoid.

There are many other ways to challenge this exercise that do not have the potential to create harm which you can see in this article

https://noregretspt.com.au/10-different-ways-to-do-the-push-up-to-challenge-your-core-stability-strength/

04/06/2026

This is a video that takes a look at a common myth surrounding strength training that you need a specific exercise for every muscle to get stronger.

In this video I look at several key movement patterns to show you just how many muscles are used within an integrated movement. We look at the deadlift, push-ups, woodchop, chin-ups, single leg stance and the walking lunge. Each one of these exercises are part of the key movement patterns used in daily living.

This is a video that takes a look at a common myth surrounding stre...

03/06/2026

The piriformis is a muscle that lies deep within the buttocks, covered by the massive gluteal muscles ( your butt).

It’s job is to externally rotate the hip when it is extended, and abduct the hip when it is flexed. Just about every ballet dancer or dancer of any kind for that matter has heard of the Piriformis muscle, as it is the muscle that rotates the thigh, giving the ballet dancer the ability to turn their feet outwards to opposite walls. This can only be done with maximum contraction of the piriformis.

If you have trouble stabilizing your leg in a single leg stance there is likelihood that the Piriformis muscle will become overworked, short and tight. Now we all know it is not good to have short tight muscles, this muscle is particularly bad due to it’s location.

It is located right near the sciatic nerve, which comes from the spinal cord and is the largest nerve in the body.

When the Piriformis overworks it begins to thicken and shorten, developing trigger points but even worse it may compress the large sciatic nerve. The compression feels like a deep aching pain in the butt or a radiating sharp nerve pain that extends along the middle of the rear thigh.

Occasionally numbness and tingling can continue to the calf and toes. These symptoms can be accompanied by low back pain and worsen after prolonged sitting.

The exercises you need to use to correct this vary from person to person but they all have a focus on restoring hip mobility and gluteal strength. The most difficult part is that the best exercises to do this can be the most problematic

This article we look at how to do this

Piriformis syndrome is an irritation of the sciatic nerve caused by an inflammation of the piriformis muscle. This often feels like a deep aching pain in the buttock, or a radiating sharp nerve pain that extends along the middle of the hamstring muscle in your leg. Some people even feel numbness and...

03/06/2026

Returning to sport after an ACL injury is always a risk if you have not completed a thorough strengthening program that encompasses HOW YOU MOVE and stabilize effectively at high speeds.

This video shows you some very simple tests you MUST be able to complete effectively if you want to be certain your knee is safe to return the sporting arena.

Many people devote a lot of time to strengthening but really miss the bigger picture of learning how to move and stabilize correctly. This only leads to injury or pain elsewhere or even worse rupturing the ACL again!

There is four common tests we show you and you need to compare the results of the non injured leg to the injured side with your goal being to make them the same.

The tests include:
1. Single leg hop for distance
2. Triple hop for distance
3. Crossover hop for distance
4. 6-meter timed hop

This is great for injury prevention as both an assessment and as a training drill. For rehabilitation following an ACL tear or surgery this is great to use after all the strength phases have been completed.

Returning to sport after an ACL injury is always a risk if you have...