Progressive Rehab & Strength

Since the world of strength sports has entered the online sphere, more and more coaches are providing services remotely. This shift is incredible, but it leads us to question what a "cue" really is and highlights a huge misconception of what constitutes cueing for barbell athletes.    And for those who are still coaching in person, cueing can be a bit overwhelming for you and your athletes. Consta...

Many barbell athletes experience aches and pains during their training even when they feel like they're doing everything right. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts or adherence to a specific template program or movement model, they can be left feeling less than ideal and struggling to push through discomfort or pain.    Whether you are a barbell or powerlifting coach working with athletes, a...

Many barbell athletes experience aches, pains, and injuries. Whether a specific incident happens during or outside of lifting, these injuries can impact training and leave you confused about how to best manage continuing to train in pursuit of your strength goals.   The last thing you want to do or tell someone is to " stop lifting ."    Here at PRS, we want to ensure athletes stay lifting and wor...

In clinical rehabilitation there is often a separation between therapeutic exercises and strength training. Clinicians take a "bottom-up" approach to treatment, starting as simple and gentle as possible, often prolonging the rehab experience or even leaving it incomplete.   Our philosophy at PRS is that strength training should be the foundation of physical therapy utilizing a "top-down" approach,...

Chin ups and pull ups are essential exercises for all strength based sports, including powerlifting. At the same time, they are the hardest exercises to progress and it often takes months to years for people to get their first pull up and add more reps to their pull up and chin up bank.    In this episode of the PRS Podcast we discuss:   How to choose the right assisted version based on your goals...

There is a lot of fear surrounding the spine and weight training. When it comes to scoliosis and resistance training with barbells, there is even more fear and warnings from doctors, personal trainers and family members that lifting heavy with barbells will worsen the scoliotic curve.    We brought in scoliosis and spine expert, Dr. Beth Terranova, physical therapist, scoliosis specialist, barbell...

The standing barbell overhead press or military press is an essential exercise to include in all powerlifting programs and strength, conditioning programs for sport athletes, and rehabilitation of the upper extremity. So in this episode, we're going to share how to overhead press optimally and without pain.    The overhead press is often misunderstood by strength coaches, physical therapists, and...

In this episode of the PRS Podcast, our special guest is Dr. Jenna Nitowski, chiropractor, barbell strength and running coach, in-person and remote clinical coaching business owner, and a graduate of our courses here at PRS.    Jenna discusses her journey to creating a chiropractic practice that bridges the gap between traditional chiropractic care and exercise rehabilitation.   Dr. Jenna shares h...

At PRS we believe that the sumo deadlift and conventional deadlift are actually extremely similar and should be executed exactly the same.  We've identified only three differences between the conventional deadlift and in this podcast episode we dive into them! Stance - how we set our feet relative to our knees &  why we don't recommend going too wide Toe Position - dictated relative to the hip pos...

If you're a physical therapist, chiropractor, or personal trainer struggling to know when and how to choose multi joint exercises, like the main barbell lifts, over single joint isolation therex, this episode is for you.   In this episode we discuss the benefits of starting at the top with our exercise selection (the main barbell lifts) instead of the bottom and why we feel therapists and coaches...

Of all the powerlifts, the deadlift is usually the heaviest for most people and it's performed last in competition. Because of the absolute load and relative fatigue of the deadlift, it's important to optimize your mechanics to lift the most amount of weight possible while reducing your injury risk.   However, like many of the other barbell lifts, there is a lack of consensus on the best way to pe...

If you're here, you're likely a barbell athlete who is interested in becoming a coach or a physical therapist or chiropractor interested in taking a more progressive approach to rehab but something is holding you back.   In today's episode we discuss and provide strategies for the five most common things that hold people back from pursuing a career as a barbell coach or clinical barbell rehab coac...

While the bench press is one of the easiest barbell exercises to learn, performing it optimally takes knowledge and precision. In this episode of the PRS podcast we discuss all the important components of the bench press and how to optimize them.  We cover: How to position yourself on the bench relative to the bar and where your feet should go. Where to set your grip and how to figure that out bas...

The CSCS is considered one of the most prestigious strength and conditioning certifications but interestingly, many people who obtain this certification continue to struggle with exercise prescription and barbell coaching. In this episode of the Progressive Rehab & Strength Podcast Dr. John Petrizzo, PT, CSCS, SSC, PRSCC and professor in Exercise Science at Adelphi University joins us to discuss s...

Having a framework for teaching and a baseline movement model for the low bar squat can help you easily lift more weight and reduce the risk for wrist pain, elbow shoulder pain, knee, hip and lower back pain with the low bar squat. It will also help you develop the technical intricacies of the squat that are unique to each individual. In this episode of the Progressive Rehab & Strength Podcast we'...

If you're a rehab clinician who wants to combine physical therapy and strength training, or you're looking to become a barbell coach or powerlifting coach but you don't know where to start or fear is holding you back, we want to share our journey with you.    We were once in your shoes. We were the new grad physical therapists who also happened to train with barbells in the gym. We knew there was...

Wrist pain while squatting is not uncommon but it's not something you need to experience forever. There are many reasons your wrists hurt while squatting but it's really an easy fix!   If you have wrist pain with the low bar squat it could be due to: Bar Placement Bar Rolling Grip Width Elbow Position Excessive Wrist Extension  Grip Type In this episode of the Progressive Rehab & Strength Podcast...

The powerlifting bug. We all get it eventually. When we get under the barbell and train consistently we start to wonder "when should I do a powerlifting meet?" The problem is that doubt starts to creep in and you think:   "I'm not strong enough." "I don't want to lose." "I'm not ready yet."   But the truth of the matter is, it doesn't matter.   If you're thinking about doing a powerlifting meet it...

Low back pain in powerlifting and barbell training is a common complaint injured lifters report. However, low back pain in the bench press does not have to stop you from continuing to train through the athlete recovery process.    In this episode of the PRS Podcast we answer: -Why your back hurts from bench pressing -If it safe to bench press with an arch -What to do if you have back pain with the...

One of the most common misconceptions of barbell training for various "populations" is that it needs to be different, particularly when it comes to barbell training for the Masters Lifter. In this episode of the PRS Podcast, Dr. Rori Alter and Dr. Alyssa Haveson uncover the misconception that barbell training and powerlifting programming needs to be different from the general, younger population....

If you lift consistently enough and for long enough, you'll need a powerlifting belt eventually. In this 10 Minute Tip podcast episode, Dr. Rori Alter and Dr. Alyssa Haveson give you the quick and dirty rundown of how to know what weightlifting belt is right for you. They cover the key components of lifting belts including: Belt thickness  Belt width Belt circumference Material & stiffness Buckle...

Wondering why you pee when you lift weights? Or are you working with a powerlifter who may be experiencing incontinence when they're training? Powerlifting Urinary Incontinence is a specific type of athletic incontinence experienced by women (or men!) only when they are barbell training.    In this episode of the PRS Podcast, Dr. Rori Alter, PT, and Dr. Alyssa Haveson, PT, discuss the specific con...

In our inaugural live audience recording of the PRS Podcast, hosts Drs. Alyssa Haveson and Rori Alter present the history behind the coaching delivery system they custom built for the PRS Sustainable Training Method.  The PRS Sustainable Training Builder was created to integrate barbell strength and powerlifting programming with the important data analysis needed to meet the 4 Core Goals of PRS an...

Barbell training injuries will happen no matter what because, as discussed in prior podcast episodes and articles, injury prevention is not a thing. So when barbell training injuries do happen, what is the athlete recovery process like? And how can we continue to train through the athlete recovery process?   In this episode of the PRS Podcast, Drs Rori Alter and Alyssa Haveson wrap up the barbell...

In Part 2 of the pain & injury series, Drs. Rori Alter and Alyssa Haveson explore the three components involved in the experience of pain, the biopsychosocial model of pain, and why people experience pain differently.    Pain is a complex physical and emotional response, that sometimes -- but not always! -- occurs in response to injury or physical trauma.    It's tempting to trace pain and injury...