Dad Bod To Rad Bod Decoded

6 core exercises to add to your arsenal. Give these a try on your next workout. 👊

Thanks for checking out this post, my goal is to provide some value for you.

I want to talk today about shoulder health and hanging slash scapular retractions.

But first, a little back story.

Back in my high school and university football days (many moons ago), I managed to dislocate my shoulder, twice. Being able to touch your knee cap standing up is quite the party trick.

Anyway, I ended up having surgery my 2nd year in uni and had many months of rehab after that. Long story short, my mobility in my left shoulder was noticeably compromised.

It took a few years, but I was able to rehab and strengthen it to a point to where now I have zero problems with that shoulder.

Hanging and scapular retractions are two fantastic exercises to help keep your shoulders strong and mobile.

In my opinion, not hanging as an adult is one of the main reason people have so many elbow, shoulder, neck, and upper back issues.

If you can't hang full bodyweight without pain (or the strength isn't there), put a bench or stool under you to do assisted hangs. Spend 2-3 minutes in the hang position.

Scapular retractions are the next progression from a dead hang and the beginning of a pullup or lat pull down.

Activate the Scapula by squeezing them together and down as you keep your arms straight.

This is both a fantastic mobility exercise on its own and great warm up before performing pullups.

Do 15-20 reps for 2 to 3 sets before an upper body day.

Keep pumpin' 💪

One of the things I've noticed in both myself and many of my clients over the years is that mobility is one of the 2 things we lose as we age, the other being strength.

I personally have been able to improve both in my early 40's compared to my strength and mobility in my early 30's.

10 years ago, I very much took for granted the fact that I was young, could eat like s**t, party, and get away with it. My habits didn't reflect my goals and where I wanted to be.

I started to notice I was getting tight, sore, and experienced low back pain all the time, not to mention I was becoming skinny fat, I was losing muscle and gaining fat at the same time.

The human body is an amazing machine and I've come to realize that improvement in these areas can happen at any age. You don't have to be 'in your prime' to see amazing results. If fact, you can get into the best shape of your life, improve your mobility, and become pain free even if your over 40.



And it ALL starts in your feet. Lieutenant Dan (you Forest Gump fans will get the reference) was right. His #1 rule for his men was to "Look after your feet!" So they did!

Modern feet are weak, inflexible, and prone to injury. Shoes are the root cause of this beacuse they insulate and cushion the feet from moving freely and working the way they're supposed to. (This would be like wearing a weight belt all day around your core). This in turn affects everything up the chain and our ability to squat, lunge, bend, and twist are compromised, which can lead to injury.

Spending 5 minutes a day rolling out our feet with a golf ball can help alleviate years of scar tissue build up because it brings blood flow to the area and helps break up adhesions that may have been there for years.

This will allow better movement patterns, help reduce injuries, and improve results.

Try this for 5 minutes before your next workout.

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Turkish gets ups build strength, co-ordination, and can be extremely metabolic. The goal is to have your body move under the weight with your arm pointed up through the whole rep.

Give this workout a go....

Pull ups x 10 (3s down, 1s up)
Prone Grip BB Row x 10 (3s down, 1s up)
Supine Grip BB Row x 10 (3s down, 1s up)
Rest 2 min x 4 sets

Then:

Dips x 10 (3s down, 1s up)
Narrow Push Ups x 10 (3s down, 1s up)
Gorilla Tricep Extentions x 10 (3s down, 1s up)
Rest 2 min x 4 sets

Then:

Seated Row x 12 (2s in, 1s pause, 3s out)
Rest 90s
Tricep Pressdown x 12 (2s down, 1s pause, 3s up)
Rest 90
X 3 sets

Then:

Low Back Extention Hold: To Failure (max 30s)
Reverse Hyper Hold: To Failure (max 30s)
Low Back Extentions x 10-15
Rest 90s
X 3 sets

Rings are a fantastic tool to build functional strength, improve mobility, and can travel with you anywhere. Give these chest exercises a go on your next workout.

No weights? No problem. Rings and bands provide hundreds of exercises you can do with your bodyweight. Attack that back with these 4 movements. Progressive overload applies.

Past the age of 40, men lose 8-10% of their muscle mass per decade, unless something is done about it. Compound exercises like Romanian Deadlifts help slow or even reverse that process. Form over weight, always.

A common mistake is to do partial reps while doing calf raises. Make sure to get a full stretch at the bottom of the movement and come right up to the tip toes at the top. Make 'em burn!

Overhead pressing in a variety of angles is important to improve shoulder health, strength, and mobility. Give these variations a go on your next workout. 💪

Give these mobility drills a go to get the muscles and joints warmed up throughout your entire body. 10 minutes will be sufficient.

If you have a tight low back, this post is for you. Spend 10 minutes before a workout if you're feeling sore and tight in the back, especially if you've been sitting all day.

Unilateral training can be a great way to correct strength and mobility imbalances between your dominant and non dominant sides. If you have low back issues, thsy can be easier on it than squats and deadlifts. Give 'em a go!

Give these wrist/forearm stretches a try especially if you have elbow/shoulder issues. Do the boring work.

Seated rows develop a strong back and help with posture, especially if you sit all day. Keep your shoulders relaxed and row to your belly.

4 pull up variations to hit different angles in the back. Get a stretch at the bottom and set the shoulder blades before you pull up. 💪

Try these various shoulder openers to help get more mobile in these very important joints.

10 minute finishers, 3 times a week are a great way to quickly improve a specific body part. Pick a weight you can do for at least 1 minute straight. Your challenge should you choose to accept it.

Bulgarian split squats are an extremely challenging exercise that develops the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. Keep your front foot closer to the bench to focus more on the quads and jump the foot out farther away to focus on the glutes. Let's get after it today!

The "butt wink" where the low back rounds and the pelvis tucks under is a common flaw in the squat that could be caused by multiple things. Tight hip flexors, ankles, and low back could be contributing to the problem. A quick fix is to elevate the heels, which helps keep the back more straight and pelvis neutral.

If you're ready to get back into the best shape of your life, check out the Dad Bod To Rad Bod Program today.