Core strength

Oct 01 2020

To Reach Your Goal, You’ll Have to Try New Things Why Change Matters in Your Exercise Program

Why Change is Necessary for Progress

“Change yourself if you want to change your outcome.” Einstein famously said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” In fitness—and life—this principle is crucial. If you want to reach new goals or break through your current plateau, you need to try new strategies and approaches, especially in your exercise program.

Custom-Built Programs

The Science of Program Variation

The body is designed to adapt. When you repeat the same exercise stimulus for too long, you become efficient, and growth slows—this is called a plateau. Scientific studies show that switching up your routine revives progress, activates dormant muscle groups, and keeps your mind engaged. Small changes in load, rep range, exercise selection, tempo, or even workout order can create new challenges for your body, pushing you closer to your goals.

Adaptation and Plateaus

Adaptive resistance is a double-edged sword: consistency helps build a habit, but lack of variety stalls improvement. Coaches recommend changing some element of your workout every 4–6 weeks to optimize continual progress and avoid stagnation. The discomfort that comes with learning a new exercise or routine is actually the sign that your body (and mind) are growing.

Case Study: Sally’s Stalled Progress

Meet Sally—a typical, well-intentioned exerciser. She goes to the gym, takes classes, hikes, does yoga, and occasionally “gets serious” for bursts of time. Yet her results never seem to stick, and progress feels just out of reach. Sally feels disappointed because she thinks effort alone should guarantee results—but she’s stuck in a cycle of repetition, never addressing weak links or switching up her approach.

Now, instead of blaming herself for not working hard enough, Sally tries something new: she chooses unfamiliar exercises, adapts her mindset, and constructs a program tailored for her unique needs. The first few weeks feel awkward and foreign, but soon she discovers new strength, flexibility, and confidence. Sally breaks her plateau—and her own limiting beliefs.

How to Embrace Change and Succeed

Accept the discomfort of trying new exercises—it’s where true progress happens.
Stay curious and open-minded, seeking advice from professionals when you’re uncertain.
Reframe frustration as a sign your body is being challenged in new, valuable ways.
Mix up exercise selection, intensity, and recovery methods every month or two.

Success isn’t about sticking with what’s safe and familiar. It’s about learning, refining, and bravely pushing into new territory step by step.

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Sep 25 2020

If You Don’t Want to Keep Tripping Over Your Shoelaces, Try Tying Them Another Way How to Break Out of Fitness Plateaus

“If you don’t want to keep tripping over your shoelaces, try tying them another way.” The phrase might seem simple, but it’s a powerful metaphor for breaking out of old habits and approaching fitness plateaus with fresh solutions.

Just like in life, everyone stumbles sometimes and the first instinct is to simply redo what’s familiar, hoping for different results. But science and experience both say that repeating the same actions without change keeps you locked in the same outcome. In fitness, this means plateauing in progress, getting stuck, and feeling frustrated as gains stall and injuries creep in.

It’s normal to feel uncomfortable when you try something new, whether it’s a new workout style, a revised schedule, or a technique you haven’t mastered yet. You may worry that you’re doing it wrong or feel out of your comfort zone. But this discomfort is exactly the space where growth happens—where the body adapts, the brain rewires, and new breakthroughs occur.

If you’re dealing with persistent setbacks, know that variety and new approaches are proven tools for busting plateaus. Solutions include switching up exercise intensity and format, discovering weak links, adding recovery, and seeking expert input. Making conscious adjustments in your plan—rather than repeating what hasn’t worked is how you avoid repeating the same mistakes and finally make progress.

That means being open, embracing discomfort, and accepting that initial changes may not feel “natural.” It’s okay. The willingness to reassess and try again, even when awkward, is what reveals new opportunities and results.

You don’t have to keep tying your shoelaces the same way (literally or figuratively) and you don’t have to keep tripping over the same old problems. In fitness and life, adaptive change is the path to success.

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Sep 25 2020

Spinal Strengthening For Your Core It’s About Health, Not Vanity (Part 1)

Spinal strengthening core exercises demonstration

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Why Spinal Strengthening Is About Health, Not Vanity

Building a strong core isn’t just about abs—it’s about long-term health, resilience, and a symptom-free spine. The true core includes everything between the neck and pelvis: deep spinal stabilizers, diaphragm, abdominal wall, latissimus dorsi, pectorals, and the muscles of the shoulder girdle. For sustained wellness, these muscles must work as an integrated system, not in isolated movements.

Rethinking Common Core Exercises

Most people encounter the same generic ab and core exercises, but the science shows that effective spinal strengthening requires a thoughtful, holistic, and progressive approach. Routines focused solely on planks, crunches, or static holds miss the essential function of interdependent muscle chains. For real results in spinal health and posture, all directions and layers of your core muscles must be engaged, both globally and segmentally.

The Importance of Spinal Stabilizers

Your deepest core muscles—closest to the spine—are the real MVPs. The brain recruits these stabilizers first, sending signals down the spine before engaging bigger muscle groups for complex movement. Only with strong, responsive deep stabilizers can the entire core coordinate properly for posture, dynamic strength, and injury prevention.

ELDOA: The Ultimate Spine And Joint Exercises

How to Activate Your Deep Core Muscles

The Transverse Abdominis (TVA) Breathing Drill

Imagine the TVA as an internal girdle wrapping your waist. To train it, perform diaphragmatic breathing to fill the abdominal cavity with pressure, contract your pelvic floor, and cinch the TVA tightly. Breathe deeply, maintain pressure, and resist movement at your shoulders or chest. Aim for up to five reps per set, increasing duration as you master the technique.

The Diaphragm Drill

The diaphragm links directly with the TVA and spine. Practice abdominal breathing—keep shoulders relaxed—and then add light weight on your belly button, lifting with your breath for three sets of twenty reps, progressing the resistance over time. Pascal’s Law proves that internal pressure supports the entire core uniformly.

Articulation and Roll-Ups for Spinal Function

The Roll Down/Roll Up Sequence

Healthy spines need segmental movement. Practice rolling down and up slowly using only your abs and spinal muscles, articulating each vertebra in sequence. If you can’t reach the ground, perform partial reps—aim for three sets of fifty, progressing to one hundred as capacity improves.

[H2] Putting It All Together for Spinal Health

Every element here deep muscle activation, breathing technique, segmental movement, targeted stretching should be programmed and progressed according to your individual needs. Never rely on just one or two exercises for full spine health.

Ready for sustainable spinal strength and true core function? Explore our advanced ELDOA programs and resources for a holistic, progressive path to a resilient spine.

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Sep 25 2020

Spinal Strengthening For Your Core It’s About Health, Not Vanity (Part 2)

Spinal strengthening back muscles exercise

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Building Real Spinal Strength: Moving Beyond Abs

If you want a truly strong core, you need more than ab exercises—you must also strengthen the muscles of your back and spine itself. True core stability comes from balanced contraction and coordination of the transversospinalis, longissimus, and iliocostalis muscle groups, which support, rotate, and stabilize your whole trunk.

Key Muscles for Spinal Strengthening

Your primary focus is on three key muscle groups running from the center out:

Transversospinalis
Longissimus
Iliocostalis
Training these means working both your upper and lower spinal segments, and integrating global (whole-body) and segmental (isolated) movement for stability.

Effective Spinal Strengthening Exercises

Upper Longissimus: Torso Raising

Lie face-down on a firm surface (bench, table, mat), feet securely anchored. Lower your torso with arms by your sides, engage your core by tucking your pelvis, push your chest out, and lift your upper body toward parallel with the floor. Never lose your pelvic tuck—control is key. Repeat, building up to three sets of 50–100 reps for stability and strength.

Lower Longissimus: Leg Raising

Flip your body around so your legs hang off and your upper body is anchored. Keep your torso stable, pelvis tucked, and legs straight, and lift your legs up toward the ceiling, stopping if the back arches. Repeat, focusing on spinal alignment for safe strengthening.

Fine-Tuning for Shoulder Girdle & Upper Back

Prone Butterfly for Rhomboids

To integrate your shoulder girdle, perform the butterfly drill. Lie face down with arms slightly wide and straight. Keeping chest and pelvis down, lift arms up and lower them, progressing to rapid “flaps” at higher reps (3 sets of 100). This targets the rhomboids and postural stabilizers between the shoulder blades.

ELDOA: The Ultimate Spine And Joint Exercises

The Big Picture: Sequencing for Optimal Spinal Health

Proper spinal strengthening isn’t just about muscle activation—it’s about sequencing exercises, starting with foundational movements and progressing to advanced drills. Segmental training, posture control, and consistent repetition safeguard against pain and injury and help you unlock true functional performance.

Ready to break past your roadblocks? Download or sign up for our advanced video series to progress further and optimize strength for lifelong spinal health.

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Sep 04 2020

Just Moving With an Unbalanced Body Is Bad For Your Health The Science and Solutions

The Danger of Moving With an Unbalanced Body

Staying active is great but movement performed with a body that’s out of balance can actually accelerate dysfunction and increase injury risk. When key stabilizers like the gluteus medius are weak, every step amplifies stress on the joints and tissues least equipped to handle it. The result: instability, compensatory pain, and the slow march toward chronic issues.

The Science of Hip Instability

A weak gluteus medius causes Trendelenburg gait (hip dropping to one side when walking), magnifying the force absorbed by the body—up to thousands of tons over the course of daily steps. Wherever your body’s “weakest link” is, that’s where forces will accumulate, resulting in pain and tissue breakdown.

Why Exercise Alone Is Not Enough

Simply “moving more” doesn’t resolve imbalances—it can compound them. Runners and walkers often end up with knee pain, back pain, or hip degeneration if their stabilizing muscles aren’t specifically strengthened. Solutions require targeted corrective work, not just generic activity.

Segmental Strengthening: A Proven Solution

Segmental strengthening is the evidence-based approach to restoring balanced movement. By training muscles like the gluteus medius in all fiber directions—and addressing the myofascial chain—you promote proper force distribution, stability, and resilience. This maximizes injury prevention and long-term mobility.

Segmental Muscle Strengthening Approach

The Science of Corrective Training

Segmental strengthening incorporates biomechanics, fascial science, and muscle mapping rules to ensure every fiber and chain is recruited for function. Principles like Hill’s Muscle Model, Borelli’s Law, and biotensegrity guide exercise technique for sustainable progress.

Applying Science for Longevity

Strengthening weak links and regularly assessing movement patterns empowers sustainable activity at any age. A healthy mix of enjoyable movement and segmented strengthening yields well-aligned posture, less pain, and greater independence.

Key Takeaways for Lifelong Health

Weak gluteus medius and imbalances magnify daily stresses on joints.
Generic movement without correction increases pain and risk.
Segmental strengthening restores balance, function, and long-term mobility.
Use targeted, science-backed programs for life-long health.

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Aug 28 2020

Spinal Health And Wellness The Best Way To Strengthen It Properly

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Why True Spinal Health Starts on the Inside

When most people search for spinal wellness, they see advice for planks or one-size-fits-all core exercises. But your spine is a complex system, not a simple column—it relies on layers of small stabilizer muscles, ligaments, fascia, and the interplay between the diaphragm and abdominal wall to manage forces and protect structure.

Thinking of your spine as a “dynamic bridge,” every segment needs to distribute forces—much like support beams sending weight through a bridge’s arch. If you only train surface-level muscles, the bridge weakens, but if you start deep—activating small motors at each segment—you send signals to your brain that enable better movement control and stability at every step.

The Biomechanics of Spinal Progression

Why Starting Deep Matters

Biomechanics explains that compressive forces from gravity, body weight, and movement are magnified through the spine, especially if stabilizing muscles have a tiny moment arm (distance from the joint). Small deep muscles substantially increase compressive load-resistance and prevent buckling, instability, and pain even with everyday activities the spine withstands hundreds of pounds of pressure.

Imagine trying to stand tall on a flexible tower: without tightly coordinated “cables” inside, it would collapse under even mild stress. Your spine’s deep muscle system acts as internal cables, holding shape and resisting collapse under daily life loads.

Muscle Activation and Intelligent Strength

Research shows the brain recruits small, deep stabilizers first, before letting larger muscles move your torso or limbs. When deep stabilizers are “intelligent” (well-activated and aware), you get stronger feedback about posture, coordination, and load-sharing. This prevents overuse at one spot and helps every joint, disc, and ligament function optimally throughout each movement.

Segmental Strengthening and ELDOA: A Targeted Starting Point

Protocols like ELDOA (Elongation Longitudinal avec Decoaptation Osteo-Articulaire) focus on segmental strengthening by opening specific spinal levels, enhancing proprioception, and distributing loads in the most natural way. Every segment becomes a “mini shock absorber,” spreading out the forces that, without attention, could degrade tissues or increase nerve pressure.

ELDOA: The Ultimate Spine And Joint Exercises

How to Progress Safely for Sustainable Spinal Health

Begin where you are: strengthening inside-out, not just on the surface.
Progress from deep activation (e.g. segmental/ELDOA) to broader core and postural training when ready.
Focus on alignment, breath control, and listening to body feedback for the safest path forward.

Making the Science Relatable

Spinal biomechanics may sound technical, but the takeaway is simple: build your program like you’d reinforce a bridge, starting with hidden supports, then adding broader beams as the structure allows. Educate your body so it can “feel” and adapt to force, rather than simply powering through on autopilot.

Key Takeaways

Respect the science and let your body grow from the inside out for optimal spine wellness.

Spinal health is about layered progression and intelligent muscle activation, not just surface moves.

Segmental and ELDOA-type training gives your spine the hidden strength and feedback needed for longevity and pain-free living.

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Aug 21 2020

Spinal Health And Wellness For Sustainability And Pain Relief

spinal health and wellness pain relief science

The Science of Spinal Health: More Than Just a Column

Most people are taught to think of the spine as a rigid column, but in reality, it’s a flexible, dynamic structure. Spinal health depends on preserving three key curves (cervical, thoracic, lumbar). When any curve flattens or over-accentuates, the spine’s strength drops—as shown by the Delmas Index—and forces concentrate in weak spots, amplifying pain and degenerative risk.

Analogy: The Bridge Supported By Arches

Imagine your spine like a bridge supported by multiple arches. If one arch (spine curve) weakens or collapses, the bridge loses half its strength and starts to buckle under loads—just like your own spine when a curve is lost from poor posture, injury, or muscular imbalance.

Why Spinal Muscle Teams Matter for Pain Relief

Everyday actions require a coordinated team: back muscles, abs, girdle stabilizers, and connective tissues. When muscles don’t support the spine’s curves, compensatory motion leads to excess wear, poor movement, and pain. This is why pain-relief protocols focus on restoring balanced stability and functional alignment rather than just masking symptoms.

Sustainable Health: Progressive, Holistic Support

Sustainability means working with your body’s current state and improving bit-by-bit—a progressive, individualized process instead of quick fixes or one-size approaches. Holistic programs incorporate not only strength and movement, but also posture, lifestyle adjustments, sleep, and anti-inflammatory nutrition.

Assessment and Awareness: The Cornerstones

True pain relief and lasting spinal health begin with regular assessment: Are your curves in healthy ranges? Can you maintain neutral posture against a wall? Becoming aware of these metrics allows for informed changes—like adjusting ergonomics, seeking expert help, or starting tailored mobility routines.

The Why Behind Curves, Alignment & Load

Research in biomechanics reveals the importance of good spinal curves for evenly distributing stress throughout each movement. Loss of even one curve transmits much greater force to the discs and nerves like a bridge collapsing at the point of a missing support. Over time, unchecked misalignment leads to chronic pain, joint degeneration, and higher surgery risk.

Understanding Pain Relief With Science

Motor control stabilization exercises and posture restoration have been shown in systematic reviews to bring sustainable improvement in pain and disability for chronic low back pain sufferers. The body adapts both acutely (via endorphins and nerve changes) and chronically (via increased function and motor pattern correction through proper guidance and support).

Key Takeaways

Maintaining spinal curves and balanced muscle support is essential to prevent pain and sustain wellness.
Think of your spine like a bridge—follow structure and science to keep the arches strong.
Pain relief and long-term function require regular assessment and gradual, individualized improvement.

ELDOA: The Ultimate Spine And Joint Exercises

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Aug 14 2020

ELDOA Stretching? Why ELDOA Is NOT a Stretch, But an Exercise

ELDOA stretching vs strengthening science

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ELDOA: Strengthening, Not Stretching Here’s the Science

Many associate ELDOA with flexibility or yoga-like stretching, but ELDOA is fundamentally different. Instead of creating passive length, it uses an extreme end-range muscular contraction—an intense, sustained effort to separate joint surfaces and strengthen the tissues surrounding them.

Biomechanics: Borelli’s Law and Extreme Range

ELDOA is based on a biomechanical rule described by Borelli: every muscle operates through five ranges (total, middle, internal, external, extreme). ELDOA targets the “extreme range,” where maximum tension pulls actin and myosin fibers far apart and all motor units are recruited. This builds endurance, resilience, and deep stability rather than relaxation or pampering.

Why ELDOA Is Different From Yoga or Passive Stretching

Yoga, stretching, and ELDOA may appear similar visually, but the neuromyofascial, biomechanical, and effort profiles are worlds apart. In yoga or typical stretches, relaxation and temporary lengthening occur. ELDOA demands deliberate, total muscular engagement—building global tension throughout the body and targeting specific joints for decompression and alignment.

Analogy: Building Space Under Pressure

Imagine trying to “build space” at a joint by push-pulling from opposite ends—abs, chest, neck pushing up; hips and legs pressing down. This feels like effort, not ease, similar to pulling a stuck drawer apart. With ELDOA, you consciously recruit every fiber, hold tension, and “educate” the tissues to handle force and maintain spacing even under stress.

The Anatomy of ELDOA for Spinal Health

In practice, ELDOA is most famous for its application to spinal segments. Through precise body positioning, joint decoaptation, and maximal tension, it decompresses vertebrae, hydrates discs, and aligns posture. The benefit comes not just from “lengthening” but from teaching the spine to organize, bear load, and resist compression in daily life.

ELDOA: The Ultimate Spine And Joint Exercise

Key Takeaways: Why ELDOA Changes Movement, Pain, and Posture

ELDOA is strength-focused, not relaxation-focused; it teaches the body to sustain effort in end-range.
The intense tension recruits all muscle fibers, remodels fascia, and creates space in the joints.
Benefits include pain relief, improved posture, hydration, and lifelong spinal resilience when used with a holistic program and proper mindset.

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Jul 17 2020

ELDOA Method Exercise Benefits—With Example

Four Science-Backed Benefits of ELDOA Method Exercise

The ELDOA method, developed by Guy Voyer, provides targeted exercises that support the spine and overall health well beyond conventional stretching. Research and clinical observations show ELDOA offers multidimensional benefits for pain reduction, posture, functional movement, and spinal integrity.

1. Spinal Pain Relief

A main benefit of ELDOA exercises is spinal pain relief. ELDOA uses “axial extension” (pulling head and hips away from each other) to create space between vertebrae, thereby reducing disc and nerve compression, and normalizing movement. Studies show ELDOA can reduce pain after consistent practice, especially in the back and neck.

2. Improved Core Strength and Postural Support

ELDOA training builds real, functional core strength by challenging the body to maintain tall posture and tension at targeted segments. This strengthening effect improves spinal integrity and teaches the body to support optimal alignment through dynamic activity.

3. Enhanced Posture and Coordination

Segmental activation in ELDOA “wakes up” the ligamentous system and improves proprioception. By holding precise postures, you train co-contraction and joint awareness, leading to better upright movement patterns and overall balance.

4. Specific Segmental Effects for Functional Change

Each ELDOA exercise targets a specific spinal segment and can provide local improvements, such as increased circulation and nerve function at key areas. For instance, ELDOA for T12-L1 (which impacts adrenal health and mid-back function) can help normalize regional movement and posture.

Practical Example: ELDOA for T12-L1

Apply ELDOA for the T12-L1 segment:

Sit upright with head, shoulders, and hips stacked.
Use axial extension: butt down, ribs/chest up, head upward.
Stabilize with leg positioning (right knee bent, left leg angled outward; adjust for body size).
Activate tension by flexing toes, rotating legs, and moving arms as described.
Hold for one minute, then repeat for both sides, always maintaining spine alignment.

ELDOA: The Ultimate Spine And Joint Exercises

ELDOA Research-Driven Outcomes

Ongoing research demonstrates ELDOA exercises:

Reduce spinal pain and improve comfort
Build core strength and reinforce healthy posture
Enhance segmental mobility and functional movement

Key Takeaways

ELDOA supports spinal health through axial extension, segmental strengthening, and postural improvement.
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Jul 06 2020

ELDOA Method Answers For Maximum Benefit

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The Origins of ELDOA: A Science-Driven Solution to Back Pain

The ELDOA method was developed by Guy Voyer, DO, in France during the 1970s in response to widespread back pain issues. Voyer, drawing on osteopathic principles, biomechanical science, and years of hands-on research, created a structured system of exercises focused on improving spinal space, reducing pain, and supporting whole-body function.

ELDOA Explained: The Scientific Acronym

ELDOA stands for “Étirements Longitudinaux avec Decoaptation Ostéo-Articulaire” (“longitudinal osteo-articular decoaptation stretching”). The key goal is to create tallness and space (axial extension and decoaptation) at precise joints and spinal segments using focused posture, limb vectors, and sustained tension—leading to decompression and improved movement.

How ELDOA Exercises Deliver Results

Each exercise involves setting up for maximum axial extension and aligning the body so tension targets the desired spine segment. This posture creates space between vertebrae, relieves compressed discs, and improves posture, proprioception, and functional strength. Clinical results and post-exercise scans show improvements in both pain and vertebral spacing.

Why ELDOA Is Effective for Prevention, Not Just Rehab

ELDOA isn’t only useful for symptom relief—it’s an evidence-based protocol for preventing pain, improving awareness, and building lifelong spinal strength. Practicing ELDOA regularly helps keep muscles, ligaments, and joints hydrated, mobile, and coordinated for everyday movement quality and resilience.

Maximum Benefit: Science-Backed Reasons to Use ELDOA

Spinal pain reduction through decoaptation and joint hydration
Enhanced upright posture, proprioception, and awareness
Improved overall function, sleep, and energy by relieving nerve compression
Proactive self-care—be your own best therapist by preventing breakdown before it starts

ELDOA: The Ultimate Spine And Joint Exercises

Key Takeaways

ELDOA is a scientific, progressive exercise system rooted in osteopathic principles—not just stretching.
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