Tater turned 13 🐶 + the muscle you’re forgetting to train
Last week Tater turned 13!Tater is my first baby. As I have learned through our time together, he's definitely my soul dog 💛 Anthony and I rescued him when he was just 6 months old, and he’s been by my side ever since. He came to work with me in the city as a puppy, was in our wedding, sensed I was pregnant IMMEDIATELY, and was by my side through both of my pregnancies and the loss of my sister. The world's most patient dog, the food sniper, the humper, the "in the middle of the night bed digger". The one who speaks a million words through his eyes. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!! Enjoy a few throwbacks of this handsome stud. He’s the heart of our family, and I know so many of you understand—dogs are never just pets. Let’s talk about the importance of your hamstrings!Inside Week 4 of Strong AF Foundation, we explored different ways to access our proximal hamstrings. The proximal hamstrings play a huge role in pelvic stability: The hamstrings attach to the ischial tuberosities (aka your sit bones) and extend down to the lower leg. The portion closest to the pelvis helps control pelvic tilt and stability, working alongside the glutes and deep core muscles.
Theses mighty muscles create stability needed to keep the pelvis in check during squats, deadlifts, lunges and hip thrusts! They provide a posterior pull on the pelvis, counteracting the anterior pull from muscles like the hip flexors and quads. If your proximal hamstrings aren’t doing their job, other muscles—like your lower back or hip flexors—have to pick up the slack, which can lead to tightness, discomfort, and even pain. The proximal hamstrings also help with force absorption and transfer. They absorb forces during activities like sprinting, jumping, and heavy lifting. If they’re weak or not firing properly the pelvis becomes unstable, leading to compensations elsewhere (hello, low back pain and hip tightness!). Learning how to YIELD will allow your body to feel more athletic again! These muscles play a big role in breathing & core function because the hamstrings interact with the pelvic floor, diaphragm, and deep core, they affect your ability to breathe efficiently and create intra-abdominal pressure. Incorporating hamstrings into your strength warm-ups is ALWAYS a good idea and the options are endless! Weak proximal hamstrings can lead to poor pelvic positioning, which in turn affects your breathing mechanics and core engagement. Here is one of my favorite more advanced ways to tap into this connection: Bottom Line? If you want a strong, stable pelvis (and less back/hip pain), don’t sleep on proximal hamstring strength! Connecting to them, then training them with isometrics, eccentrics, and positional breathing drills can make a huge difference in posture, movement efficiency, and strength gains. 🎉 Move Your Body turned 6!SIX. WHOLE. YEARS. Last week good ole Facebook sent me a reminder that 6 years ago I set out to create a community online, similar to the community we had created in Southie. I wouldn't have been able to do it without Justine Jordan (who helps me organize my brain and make my visions come to life) and the dozens of women who have supported me time and time again along the way. It’s wild to think how far this membership has come—and even more amazing to see the results, confidence, and strength our community has built together over time 💛 If you’ve been curious about Move Your Body (MYB), now’s a great time to check it out. We've been working through April’s Level 1 and Level 2 programming, and it’s packed with smart, sustainable strength workouts and real-time coaching to help you eliminate pain, feel strong AF, and actually enjoy the process.
XOXO, 💥 P.S. Want in on the next round of Strong AF Foundation? |
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