MY NAME IS THEA FRANCESCONI AND I AM SO GLAD YOU ARE HERE!!

I CREATED THIS BLOG WITH THE PURPOSE OF SHARING MY KNOWLEDGE AS A CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER AND FITNESS NUTRITION SPECIALIST TO HELP OTHERS FIND HARMONY IN THEIR OVERALL HEALTH! YOU WILL BE ABLE TO FIND INFORMATION ON FLEXIBILITY, FITNESS TRAINING, ALIGNMENT TIPS, AND OTHER COOL HEALTH TIPS! BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE SO THAT YOU DON’T MISS A BEAT:)


March 8, 2019/By theadance/0/Alignment, Health and Harmony

LOW LUNGE ALIGNMENT

Low Lunge is a great pose to stretch out tight quadriceps, hamstrings, groin, and hips, and encourages a full range of motion in the lower body. Which makes this pose the perfect stretch for athletes, gym goers, or even those who sit at desks all day. Below we will go over a few tips to make sure you are getting the most out of your low lunge stretch.

Once in the low lunge position, shift your weight so that your knee is stacked over the ankle and hips are pushing forward. Then walk your hands back so that your shoulders are in line with your hips and core is engaged. If you have trouble reaching the floor for balance in this position, simply use blocks under each hand.

Common mistakes to avoid are allowing the head to fall forward, causing the spine to round. Allowing the chest to fall forward which puts negative pressure on the knee. Lastly, allowing the front knee to fall past toes.

These are just a few of the common mistakes and tips to improve them. Be sure to subscribe to our blog for future post:) You may also like our post on SL Romanian Deadlift or FWD Lunge Alignment.

February 22, 2019/By theadance/0/Alignment, Health and Harmony

SINGLE LEG ROMANIAN DEADLIFT ALIGNMENT

SL Romanian Deadlift is a great compound exercise, which means it forces you to use multiple muscle groups at once. Making it a great exercise for a more efficient workout session. You can also do this exercise with added weights to help build those strong large muscle groups. However, if done incorrectly this exercise can cause injury and problems with your lower back. Once you have mastered proper form then it is safe to add weights.

HERE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE BENEFITS OF SL  ROMANIAN  DEADLIFTS .

-Challenge your strength through the entire posterior chain.

-Ankle, knee, and hip stability. This exercise will challenge your proprioception and increase your bodies ability to remain stable through movements.

-Build Core Strength. When you’re pulling something from the ground, you have to create tension in your core to be able to do it and also to protect your back.

-Stronger glutes  means  rounder glutes and I know we are all okay with that:)

-Increase mobility in the hips due to a straighter leg position.

-Improves dynamic flexibility, especially in your hamstrings and low back.

Start by standing with your left leg extended behind you and weight transferred into right leg. Spine is straight, core tight, and vision is straight ahead. If you are using a weight, you will be holding the weight in your left hand.

Left Lateral View: While keeping a slight bend in your right knee, raise your right leg straight behind your body, hinge at the hips to bring your torso parallel to the floor, and lower the weight toward the floor.

Right Lateral View: Make sure your spine stays straight and core tight. The bend is coming from your hips, not spine.

Left Lateral View: For many of you it may feel natural to round in the spine and allow the chest to fall forward. This is a common mistake that many people use and unfortunately, it puts a lot of strain on the lower back. Another common mistake is to lock out the knee. Which will inhibit you from targeting the correct muscles and put a strain on the ligaments and muscles protecting the knee.

Be sure to repeat this exercise on the other side.

I HOPE THESE POINTERS HELP YOU WITH YOUR NEXT EXERCISE ROUTINE. THANKS FOR READING!

 

December 18, 2018/By theadance/0 Comments/0/Alignment, Health and Harmony

HANDSTAND ALIGNMENT

Handstands are a great way to build strength and increase balance. However, if done incorrectly this can cause unnecessary stress on your joints and lower back. In this post, we will discover just a few basic do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when performing a handstand. Keep in mind you can always use a wall to help with balance until you are ready for a free standing handstand.

DO’S:

  • Arms straight and engaged. Not allowing elbows to lock out.

  • Arms Shoulder width apart. Keeping hands directly in line with shoulders. 

  • Lifting through shoulders. Think of pushing the floor away

  • Ribcage drawing in pulling bellybutton to spine.

  • Straight back with a posterior hip tilt.

  • Legs tight and engaged. Think of pulling in and up through the ceiling.

DON’TS

  • Don’t relax in the arms and bend elbows.

  • Arms wider than shoulder width apart and hands not in lign with shoulders.

  • Arching in back allowing ribcage to open.

  • Core not pulling in and up.

Thank you for reading! Be sure to leave a comment below with suggestions for future post:)

 

July 22, 2018/By theadance/0 Comments/0/Alignment, Health and Harmony

SQUAT ALIGNMENT

Squat Alignment is crucial!! Especially if you have had knee or back injuries in the past or don’t want to have them in the future. Which should be all of us. #amiright

Now, don’t just take my word for these suggestions! These guidelines were conceived from extensive research by the National Academy of Sports Medicine and there are plenty of studies for you to dig into! So the next time someone tells you to “squat in the position that feels normal”, Use that selective hearing ya momma gave you and Do Not Listen!

Here’s why! Majority of the population has muscle imbalances caused by repetitive movements, poor posture and or previous injuries. This means that you will have some muscles that have become shortened and overactive while others have become lengthened and underactive over time. Because our bodies have the tendency to take the path of “least resistance” during functional movement patterns, we will often times end up performing exercises with improper form. Which will put unnecessary strain and tension on our joints and muscles causing unwanted injury if not fixed overtime. Which brings me to the pointers above! These are just a few of the very common form mistakes that are oftentimes due to muscle imbalances, but don’t worry! There are ways to improve your form safely while working to gain neuromuscular efficiency and restoring the length-tension relationship of your skeletal muscles.  One of the most common adjustments needed is for those who turn out their feet. This compensation is normally due to lack of range of motion(ROM) in ankle Dorsiflexion(flexing your foot so that the toes are closer to your knee). If this is you, try performing your squats with your heels on a raised surface such as a weight or any 1-2 inch raised surface. If you are able to perform the squat with correct form using this modification then you will know that the Range of Motion(ROM) in your ankles is what needs work.:)) Now I could talk about this forever, but we don’t want that  lol! So feel free to ask any questions you may have below!

 

July 22, 2018/By theadance/0 Comments/0/Alignment

SIDE PLANK

A little Side Plank advice for ya today! If you are like me and ate 12 pieces of King Cake for Mardi Gras, you may be living in this pose a little more than usual. Below I have listed the muscles involved in side plank.

  • Primary: transversus abdominis muscle, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus muscles (abductors), the adductor muscles of the hip, and the external, and internal obliques.

  • Secondary: gluteus maximus (glutes), quadriceps (quads), and hamstrings.


July 21, 2018/By theadance/0 Comments/0/Alignment

FWD LUNGE

Forward lunges are great for working the lower body and can be done with added weight or simply using the bodyweight. However, if done incorrectly they can cause many back, knee, and ankle issues.

To avoid injuries, always make sure to keep the hips square and step out far enough so that your knee does not pass the toes. Also, you will want to keep your shoulders stacked over the hips as much as possible and try to keep the spine parallel to the tibia.

See pictures for just a few common mistakes that are made when performing the FWD lunge:)

 


July 20, 2018/By theadance/0 Comments/0/Alignment

SUNBIRD POSE

Sunbird pose has many benefits when done correctly. It helps strengthen the posterior chain muscles as well as the core. Try implementing these corrections for an even more successful workout seshhh!