FAQ | Tone and Tighten

First Trimester Pregnancy Workout

February 5, 2020

An effective first trimester pregnancy workout to target key muscles for pregnancy. 6 great exercises to strengthen your hips, back, butt, and core to ensure a strong, healthy, and happy pregnancy.

First Trimester Pregnancy Workout

Plie Squats
Push ups
Side Plank
Star Lunges
Bent Over Dumbbell Rows
Bridges

Keep reading for a step-by-step guide with pictures, videos, and descriptions of each of these exercises for a great workout during your pregnancy.

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First and foremost, CONGRATULATIONS!

I assume if you’re reading this post there will be a pretty significant life change for you in the next 6–9 months.

Truth be told, someone near and dear to us just announced that she was pregnant (NOT my wife) and was asking about some workouts that would be safe for her to do.

I told her that I would come up with something for her and voila – here we are.

In all honesty, pregnant patients are among my favorite to work with. Strengthening key muscles in your back and hips can result in a much healthier (dare I say happier) pregnancy.

Today I wanted to share a simple workout that you can do throughout your first trimester (as you feel up to it) to stay strong and healthy and carry your baby safely….

Tone and Tighten’s 8-Week Workout Guide for Beginners

January 24, 2020

Want to get in shape, but don’t know where to start? Check out Tone and Tighten’s 8-Week Beginners Workout Guide to get you exercising. Don’t feel comfortable at the gym yet? This complete at-home plan will help you reach your fitness goals. It’s the perfect 8-Week exercise guide to educate, motivate, and Tone and Tighten.

8 Week At-Home Workout Plan for Beginners

This e-book contains everything you need to start a workout plan and get stronger, tougher, and in better shape. Including:

50+ workouts
15 healthy recipes
Fitness tips
Motivational quotes
and more

only $7.99!

The one that so many of you have been waiting for . . .

Since I started Tone-and-Tighten.com about a year and a half ago, the one question that I am most-commonly asked goes something like this:

“I am new to working out. I know that I need to take better care of myself and get in shape, but I just don’t know where to start. Can you help me?”

I’ve heard the question – today you get the answer… and so much more. I am beyond excited to introduce you to my newest e-book:

“Tone and Tighten’s 8-Week Workout Plan For Beginners“

Keep reading for more details of what is included in this amazing workout plan.

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How To Fix IT Band Knee Pain FAST

October 3, 2019

The best stretches and exercises to help fix your IT band knee pain fast! These are the same exercises I recommend to my physical therapy patients to give them relief from their lateral knee pain. How to treat IT band syndrome naturally and effectively right at home with the right stretches and exercises.

Iliotibial band syndrome, or “IT band pain“, is a common knee pain condition characterized by pain sharp pain on the outside of the knee joint. It is a very typical overuse injury that is common in an active population (runners, weightlifters, etc.).

While this pain can be very sharp, severe, and debilitating at times, fortunately there is a lot that conservative care including the right stretches and exercises can do to mitigate this problem. Today I wanted to share with you eight of my favorite stretches and exercises to help decrease your IT band pain symptoms.

WHAT IS THE IT BAND?

Your IT band is actually a thick, broad tendon that runs down the outside of your upper thigh. It is primarily a tendon for one of your hip flexor muscles, but there are also other muscles that do attach to it and influence its function.

WHAT ARE THE MUSCLES THAT ATTACH TO THE IT BAND?

There are four main muscles that directly influence IT band function. In order to alleviate IT band pain, each of these muscles must be given special attention. Most often, pain is due to increased activity/tension in the anterior muscles and decreased activation of the posterior muscles.

The muscles that influence the IT band include:

Tensor Fasciae Latae – a small hip flexor in the front of your hip that mainly connects into the top of the IT band.

Gluteus Maximus: large hip extensor in the back that often gets weak and fails to control the IT band under dynamic conditions.

Vastus Lateralis: one of the quad muscles that runs down the outside front of your leg.

Biceps Femoris: one of your hamstring muscles that affects the IT band tendon on the outside and back part of the knee joint.

WHY DOES MY IT BAND HURT?

Most of the time, it’s due to faulty mechanics of the IT band including increased tension in the muscles and decreased strength. When your knee is straight, the IT band is in front of the knee joint axis. When you bend your knee, the IT band crosses the outside of your knee joint and ends up behind the axis. If there’s increased tension in your IT band the result is a rubbing or “friction” that occurs on the outside of your knee. This is the common cause of pain.

HOW TO STRETCH YOUR IT BAND

Here’s the thing – your IT band is a tendon. It’s sole purpose is to NOT stretch, but rather to be pulled on by muscles to influence joints. You cannot stretch your IT band, but there’s certainly a lot you can do to affect all the muscles that attach to it.

BEST EXERCISES FOR IT BAND PAIN

The best exercises for IT band pain are going to be those that target the deficits that cause IT band syndrome – namely stretching the muscles that tend to get tight and strengthening the muscles that tend to get weak. The combination of these two primary treatments will help you see the progress and improvement you’re after with your knee pain.

EQUIPMENT DEMONSTRATED IN THIS VIDEO

FOAM ROLLER: https://amzn.to/2ogrSpf

STRETCH OUT STRAP: https://amzn.to/2oZA8dR

RESISTANCE BAND/LOOP: https://amzn.to/2o9Qikq

1. Lateral Hip and Thigh Stretch – probably my favorite stretch for those muscles that tighten up your IT band. Make sure you pull back to extend and push down to adduct the leg.

2. Lateral Hamstring Stretch – don’t just bring the leg straight up, but pull it across the center of your body for a whole new stretch.

3. Lateral Hamstring Standing – great option for when it’s not convenient to lay down and stretch.

4. Standing Lateral Hip Stretch – effective for stretching out the entire lateral side of the hip and torso.

5. Single Leg Bridge – my go-to to build glute strength at home.

6. Side-lying Abduction – the majority of knee pain I see in my clinic could be avoided and even eliminated if people paid more attention to this one simple exercise.

7. Hip Hikes – kick the lateral hip and leg stabilizers into overdrive with this effective bodyweight exercise. Also great for balance and stability.

8. Lateral Band Walks – these are brutal! There are few exercises that get all the muscles I’ve mentioned in this video as effectively as band walks. Make sure there’s tension in the bands at all times for a more effective workout.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I DO THESE IT BAND EXERCISES?

I recommend that you perform these exercises daily to help decrease the knee pain you’re experiencing. The stretches (numbers 1-4) can be performed twice a day and the strength training exercises (5-8) can be done once a day.

If you found this video helpful do my a huge favor and leave me a thumbs up up above!

Also – if you haven’t done so already I would love for you to subscribe to Tone and Tighten right here on YouTube so you never miss a new video from us!

Finally if you have any questions or comments about any of the material I covered in this video please leave those in a comment below and I’ll get to it just as soon as I can.

HOW TO FOAM ROLL YOUR IT BAND:

Best Exercises For Shoulder Pain

June 6, 2019

6 of the best physical therapy exercises to eliminate shoulder pain. Shoulder impingement is one of the most-common causes of shoulder pain that I encounter in my physical therapy clinic. These are some of the most effective stretches and rotator cuff exercises to stop shoulder pain and help you to feel better.

Your shoulder is the most mobile joint in your body.

Really when you think about everything your shoulder can do with as little support as it has it’s pretty incredible!

That being said, however there’s also a lot of room for error. Things can, and do, go wrong and we often find ourselves with shoulder pain.

Today I wanted to share with you some of my favorite exercises to help alleviate pain due to the most common shoulder condition that I treat – impingement. We’ll talk about what it is, why you get it, and then share about 10 of my favorite stretches and exercises to help you feel better.

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Thoracic Spine Pain | Upper Back Exercises From A Physical Therapist

May 17, 2019

Six of the best stretches and exercises to decrease pain and tension in your upper back. Thoracic self-mobilization techniques and strength training exercises to help eliminate your back pain and help you feel better. Tips and advice from a doctor of physical therapy.

WHAT CAUSES UPPER BACK PAIN?

There are many potential sources of upper back pain. In my professional experience, the three most-common causes of thoracic spine are joint inflammation, rib dysfunction, and muscle strain/knots. Again – there are many more potential causes than this, but these are the three that I encounter the most often in my physical therapy clinic. Fortunately, there’s a lot that the right stretches and strengthening exercises can do to alleviate your pain and symptoms in this area.

DOES POOR POSTURE CAUSE UPPER BACK PAIN?

Absolutely! In fact I would say postural issues are the #1 cause behind the majority of the back and neck pain issues that I treat in my clinic. In normal posture, your head sits squarely on top of your shoulders. Gravity keeps it there with very minimal effort required from your muscles. However – as soon as your head starts to come forward and your shoulders round forward (poor posture), now your muscles have to be active in order to keep your head from flopping straight down.

It’s this constant muscle activation from muscles that normally aren’t supposed to be active that causes fatigue, muscle tightness, and even pain in your neck and shoulders.

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