Built To Move

Built To Move Richie Kiely | Personal Trainer & Coach
Helping people move better, get stronger, and bounce back from injury.

Biomechanics nerd, rehab specialist, and your biggest supporter when it comes to smashing goals—one smart session at a time.

OVERRATED vs UNDERRATED CORE EXERCISESWhen most people think about core training, they think about creating movement.The...
17/06/2026

OVERRATED vs UNDERRATED CORE EXERCISES

When most people think about core training, they think about creating movement.

The problem is, one of the primary roles of the core is actually to resist movement and transfer force between the upper and lower body.

With that in mind, here are a few exercises I think are overrated and a few that deserve more attention.

Overrated: Crunches
There’s nothing inherently wrong with crunches, but repeatedly flexing the spine isn’t how the core spends most of its time functioning. More reps don’t necessarily translate to better performance or resilience.

Underrated: Dead Bugs
Dead bugs challenge your ability to maintain lumbo-pelvic position while the arms and legs move independently. This improves coordination and teaches the trunk to provide a stable base for movement.

Overrated: Side Bends
Chasing the burn with high-rep side bends isn’t the most effective way to train the obliques.

Underrated: Suitcase Carries
These create an anti-lateral flexion demand, forcing the trunk musculature to resist unwanted movement. They also have excellent carryover to everyday activities and athletic performance.

Overrated: High-Rep Sit-Ups
Sit-ups predominantly train trunk flexion and hip flexor endurance. More isn’t always better, particularly if you’re trying to develop a robust and efficient core.

Underrated: Pallof Presses
The Pallof press is an excellent anti-rotation exercise. It teaches the trunk to resist rotational forces and improve force transmission through the kinetic chain.

Overrated: Marathon Planks
Holding a plank for several minutes eventually becomes more of an endurance challenge than a strength stimulus.

Underrated: Ab Wheel Rollouts
Rollouts place a significant anti-extension demand on the anterior core, requiring the trunk to resist excessive lumbar extension while generating high levels of muscular tension.

Core training should be to develop the ability to resist movement, maintain position, and efficiently transfer force.

That’s what ultimately improves performance, enhances movement quality, and reduces the risk of injury.

Interestingly, this is one of the reasons you’ll find Pilates incorporated into the programmes of England Rugby, Premier League football clubs and elite boxers.

Not because they’re trying to “tone their abs”, but because Pilates develops segmental control, trunk stiffness, breathing mechanics and the ability to transfer force efficiently through the kinetic chain.

At the elite level, performance isn’t just about producing force it’s about controlling it.

Agree or disagree? Let me know which exercise you think gets too much hype.

14/06/2026

I saw this post the other day about the original Gatorade recipe, and it got me thinking.

Back in the day, Gatorade was simply:

water, sugar, salt (sodium), potassium chloride, cream of tartar, and lemon juice.

Which made me wonder, mate… why do we add all this extra junk to our food and drinks nowadays?

I’m not saying every ingredient is bad, but you look at some labels today and it’s like reading a chemistry exam. Colours, preservatives, flavourings, emulsifiers… half the stuff I can’t even pronounce.

Surely the original idea behind food and drink was to nourish us, not to see how many ingredients we could squeeze into a bottle.

Maybe I’m missing something, but have we genuinely improved things, or have we just made them more complicated?

Here’s the post that got me thinking:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1JRM4DGc9w/?mibextid=wwXIfr

THE MINDSET TRAPWhy do smart people make bad decisions?Why do we put things off, even when we know they would probably h...
13/06/2026

THE MINDSET TRAP

Why do smart people make bad decisions?

Why do we put things off, even when we know they would probably help us?

Why do we sometimes stay stuck in habits we know aren’t serving us?

Most people assume it’s a motivation problem.

Or a discipline problem.

Or that they just need to be mentally tougher.

But what if that’s not it?

What if we spend so much time trying to change our behaviour that we never stop to ask why the behaviour is there in the first place?

Our physiology influences everything.

The nervous system is constantly taking in information and deciding what feels safe, stressful or uncertain.

And maybe some of the things we call laziness, lack of willpower or self-sabotage are just outputs from that system.

Not flaws.

Not weaknesses.

Just responses.

Why do some situations energise one person and drain another?

Why do we all react differently to the same challenge?

How much of what we do is actually conscious?

And how much happens before we’ve even had time to think about it?

Maybe before asking ourselves how to become more motivated…

A better question is:

Do we actually understand why we do the things we do?

I’ve been told by my doctor that it’s my SI joint.”That’s something I hear quite regularly, and while the sacroiliac (SI...
12/06/2026

I’ve been told by my doctor that it’s my SI joint.”

That’s something I hear quite regularly, and while the sacroiliac (SI) joint can certainly be a source of pain, it’s important not to assume that the location of the pain tells us exactly where the problem is coming from.

One area I always consider is the Quadratus Lumborum (QL) muscle.

When the QL becomes overworked, it can create symptoms that closely resemble SI joint pain. Clients often describe:

• Pain on one side of the lower back or around the pelvis.
• Discomfort into the buttock or hip region.
• Pain when standing for long periods, walking, or turning over in bed.
• A feeling that the pelvis is “out of place” or unstable.
• Symptoms that come and go despite previous treatment.

This matters because the treatment approach can be very different.

If the SI joint itself is the issue, we may focus on improving load transfer and stability around the pelvis. However, if the QL is doing more work than it should, repeatedly treating the SI joint may only provide temporary relief.

Instead, we need to understand why the QL is overworking in the first place and address the factors contributing to it, whether that’s movement patterns, trunk control, hip function, or breathing mechanics.

The key point is this:

Pain location does not always equal pain source.

A proper assessment is essential because what appears to be SI joint pain may, in some cases, be an overworked QL muscle presenting with very similar symptoms.

Treat the cause, not just the label.

What causes bunions, and can anything be done about them?It’s a question I get asked quite a lot.The old thinking was th...
11/06/2026

What causes bunions, and can anything be done about them?

It’s a question I get asked quite a lot.

The old thinking was that bunions were mainly caused by footwear or even tight fascia, but the latest research doesn’t really support that.

What we’re finding is that bunions are more likely the result of a combination of genetics, joint instability and changes in the way the muscles of the foot function.

In particular, the small muscles within the foot, especially the abductor hallucis, seem to become weaker and less effective at controlling the position of the big toe. Over time, the first metatarsal drifts inwards, the big toe drifts outwards, and the body adapts to that new position.

Interestingly, studies have shown very little difference in the plantar fascia between people with and without bunions, which suggests that fascial changes are probably a consequence of the problem rather than the cause.

So, if you’ve been told that your bunion is caused by fascia, I’d say the evidence at the moment points much more strongly towards instability and muscle dysfunction.

Can they be improved?

Yes, although not every bunion can be reversed without surgery.

Current research supports improving the strength and function of the foot rather than simply trying to force the toe back into position.

That means working on:

• Strength of the intrinsic foot muscles.
• Control of the big toe.
• Balance and proprioception.
• Ankle mobility and overall lower limb mechanics.
• Footwear that allows the toes enough room to spread naturally.

Some simple exercises I commonly prescribe include:

• Short foot exercise – gently lifting the arch without curling the toes to improve activation of the intrinsic foot muscles.

• Toe yoga – lifting the big toe while keeping the smaller toes down, then reversing the movement. This helps improve motor control and toe independence.

• Toe spreading exercises – actively spreading the toes apart to encourage better function of the muscles around the big toe.

• Single-leg balance work – progressing from stable ground to more challenging positions to improve proprioception and foot stability.

• Heel raises with pressure through the big toe – helping to restore the role of the first ray during gait.

The aim isn’t necessarily to make the bunion disappear. It’s to improve the function of the foot, reduce symptoms and potentially slow the progression of the deformity.

As always, understanding why something has happened is far more important than simply treating what you can see.

Fear of movement is a funny thing.I’ve worked with loads of people who have pain and one of the biggest things holding t...
06/06/2026

Fear of movement is a funny thing.

I’ve worked with loads of people who have pain and one of the biggest things holding them back isn’t always the injury itself, it’s the fear of making it worse.

When something hurts for a while, your brain starts to become more protective. You stop bending, lifting, running or doing the things you used to do because your worried it’ll flare up.

The problem is the less we move, the more our body starts to decondition. Muscles get weaker, confidence drops and movement starts feeling even harder.

Lorimer Moseley’s research has shown that pain doesn’t always mean damage. Sometimes the body has healed but the alarm system is still turned up a bit to high.

That’s why education is such a big part of rehab. When people understand what’s going on, they stop seeing movement as the enemy.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying ignore pain and just push through it.

What I am saying is that movement is often part of the solution, not the problem.

Start small.
Build confidence.
Keep moving.

You might be suprised what your body can actually do.

It’s a bit bloody hot today.Just a quick reminder if you’re training in this weather — be sensible with it. You do not g...
26/05/2026

It’s a bit bloody hot today.

Just a quick reminder if you’re training in this weather — be sensible with it. You do not get extra points for cooking yourself on a run or trying to smash PBs at midday.

Hydrate properly before and after training, add electrolytes, ease the intensity back if needed, and if you can, train earlier or later when it’s cooler.

Also pay attention to how you feel. If your heart rate’s through the roof, you feel dizzy, sick, or unusually fatigued, stop being stubborn and take a break.

And ironically, the coolest place in the building today is probably the gym… so for once cardio might just be worth it for the air conditioning alone.

Nutrition for Muscle Fat Loss and EnduranceI get asked this all the time what should I eat to build muscle lose fat impr...
25/05/2026

Nutrition for Muscle Fat Loss and Endurance

I get asked this all the time what should I eat to build muscle lose fat improve endurance

And honestly most people are overcomplicating it

The basics don’t change The goal just shifts how you apply them

1. Building muscle

If you are not growing it is usually one of two things
you are not eating enough or you are not recovering properly

Simple as that

You need a small calorie surplus Not a binge Just enough to support training

If your body weight is not slowly going up over weeks you are not in a surplus End of story

Protein wise
You need enough Not some not when you remember

Rough target
around 1.6 to 2.2g per kg of bodyweight

And don’t overthink timing too much but spacing it out across the day helps Most people do better with 3 to 5 proper meals than one huge hit at night

Carbs
Don’t fear them

If you are lifting hard carbs are basically your training fuel Low carbs usually just means worse sessions not better fat loss

Fats just need to be there in the background You don’t need to drown food in them or avoid them

2. Losing fat

This one is actually simple but people don’t like the answer

You need to eat slightly less than you burn

Not extreme Not starving yourself

Think a small daily deficit

If you are crashing bingeing or your training is falling apart you have gone too far

Protein goes up here not down

Why
Because it helps you keep muscle while you lose fat and keeps you fuller

Most people should be closer to
2.0 to 2.4g per kg

Carbs again not the enemy

Just adjust them around your activity
more on training days
less on rest days if needed

But don’t remove them just because you think that is what cutting means

The boring truth is fat loss comes down to
being in a calorie deficit
hitting protein
keeping training consistent
moving more in your day

That is it

3. Endurance training

This is where people get it completely wrong

They try to eat light and end up training like they have got no engine

If you are doing serious endurance work carbs are not optional

They are literally what you are using to perform

For longer sessions
If you are going past an hour you should be thinking about fueling during it

Something like carbs per hour depending on intensity

Because once glycogen drops everything feels harder than it should

Protein still matters here too it is not just for bodybuilders
You still need it for recovery and injury prevention

And honestly the biggest issue I see

People under eating for weeks then wondering why they feel flat slow and cannot recover

That is not discipline That is just under fuelling

Bottom line

No matter the goal

calories control bodyweight
protein controls muscle
carbs control performance
consistency controls everything

If you are not progressing it is almost never because you need something fancy

It is usually because one of those four things is off

Fear of movement is real.And for a lot of people in pain, its the thing that keeps them stuck.When your body hurts, your...
24/05/2026

Fear of movement is real.
And for a lot of people in pain, its the thing that keeps them stuck.

When your body hurts, your brain does its job and tries to protect you.
You stop bending.
Stop lifting.
Stop running.
Stop trusting what your body can do.

But pain doesnt always mean damage.

Sometimes the body has already healed, but the nervous system is still firing alarms that arent needed anymore.

The longer we avoid movement, the more sensitive things can become. Strength drops. Confidence drops. Fear builds.

The aim isnt to push through pain for the sake of it.
The aim is to rebuild trust in movement again.

Small wins. Gradual exposure. Smart loading. Consistency.

And sometimes the movement that feels like it hurts, is actually the exact movement you need to be reintroducing again.

Not all at once.
Not recklessly.
But slowly, progressively, and with control.

Movement isnt the enemy. In most cases its part of the solution.

The body is far more adaptable than people give it credit for.
You just have to give it the right reason to trust again.

I was asked recently if I use AI to help write my posts.The answer is yes I do.But here’s the important part: the ideas,...
22/05/2026

I was asked recently if I use AI to help write my posts.

The answer is yes I do.

But here’s the important part: the ideas, opinions, experiences, and information are mine. AI simply helps me organise my thoughts and polish the wording so the message is clearer and easier for people to read and understand.

Not everyone finds writing easy, especially when you have a lot to say and want to communicate it properly. I’d rather focus my energy on sharing valuable information than worrying about grammar, structure, or whether I’ve worded something perfectly.

So no, AI doesn’t replace my voice it helps me communicate it better.

At the end of the day, if the message helps someone, educates someone, or makes someone think differently, then that’s what matters most to me.

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