I'm crazy excited to share this interview with you! Sarah E. Duvall is an ortho-physical therapist located in Boston who helps women take charge of their health so they can live pain free and without worries about their pelvic floor. She is also the founder of Core Exercise Solutions, where she offers online programs and advice to women seeking optimal health and wellness.

She is passionate about her work and this passion shines through in our discussion. I learned a ton from Sarah and felt a spark of excitement as we got going in this conversation.

We dig deep into talks about pelvic floor health, including pelvic prolaspe and overactive pelvic floor muscles. We also discuss the ins and outs of diastasis recti, who has it, why they get it, and more. Plus, other fun topics like proper breathing and bracing during pregnancy and lifting in general.

Sarah is one of the few physcial therapists out there who offers an online program to help you get to know your pelvic floor better...

It may be cold outside, but it's hot in here with this glute/core slider workout. Grab your favorite pair of sliders for this heart-revving routine. If you don't have sliders you can use towels, thick socks, paper plates, or furniture movers. Anything that allows your feet to glide on the floor.
(I am using Valslide brand here)

Sliders Glutes/Core Workout

1a. Glute Bridge: 4x10

1b. Sliding Leg Curls: 4x10

1c. Prone Sliding Abduction: 4x10

1d. Sliding Bear Crunch: 4x10

Perform 1 set of each exercise consecutively without rest. Rest 1 min and repeat for all four rounds.
Can you make all four rounds? This one is tough. Let me know how you like it.

A bit rushed today? Try this quickie dumbbell push/pull workout with me and you'll feel better in no time!

With this workout you can use the same pair of dumbbells for all exercises, which makes it great for a busy day or holiday travel.

Do 1 set of each exercise consecutively without rest. Yes, that's 40 total uninterrupted reps before a break. After each set, rest 1 minute and repeat for all four rounds. 

Dumbbell Quick Push/Pull Workout

1a.DB front squat: 4x10

1b.DB bent over row: 4x10

1c.DB alternating shoulder press: 4x5 each

1d. DB RDL: 4x10

This workout is sure to get you warmed up for these cold winter days. Have fun and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you.

Ready to workout with me? Today's workout is all about the bench, but not the bench press. This one you can take outside at the park or head to a quiet corner in your gym or home. All you need is some energy and a sturdy platform to get this one going.

10-Minute Bodyweight Workout with Bench

Incline push-up: 4x10

Up and overs: 4x10

Reverse hyper: 4x10

Seated tuck: 4x10

Did you like this one? Share your thoughts and let us know how it went. We love hearing from you.

There's no better way to get over that weekly hump than a quick and intense workout. This week we are bringing back the medicine ball for a full-body routine sure to get every muscle fired up. I know my shoulders were feeling this one. 

You won't need much space for this workout, so grab your medicine ball and let's get to it!

Quick Medicine Ball Full-Body Workout

Like this workout? Drop us an email and let us know what you think. If you want more great content, add your email to the subscribe button on the sidebar and we will send you great workout tips and ideas to your inbox. 

The reverse hyper is a great exercise to have in your arsenal as it teaches you to stabilize the body while moving the hips independently. This transfers well to hip hinges movements such as the deadlift, squats, and Russian kettlebell swing (among many others).

Also known as the reverse back extension, this movement brings the pelvis and femurs into alignment with the torso stationary. Think of it as the opposite of a crunch, which is a back flexion exercise. When done properly, the movement should be performed with all hip extension and no lumbar spine extension—meaning your hips should do the work, not your low back.

The best way to do this is learn how to fire the glutes and stabilize the core to move the hips rather than relying on the low back to the take the brunt of the load. This is a queue that takes many people a long time to figure out simply because we inherently have weak glutes due to lifestyle factors.

If you have a training partner it may help to have her...

It’s no secret that I love resistance bands. I began toting a few around in my gym bag years ago when I went to commercial gyms. They are a good investment and far more reliable than what you may find hanging around your gym’s weight room.

Since building my home gym I am always thinking of new ways to add resistance bands to my workout routine. They can substitute for cable exercises, add some extra pump to your glutes routine, and help with your warm-up, mobility, and stretching exercises.

It’s easy to think of resistance bands are beginner or remedial exercise tools. Many view them as what you use in physical therapy to recovery from an injury. However, adding them to your routine may be the ticket to improve your overall strength because they allow you to tap into muscles in a whole different way.

If you aren’t quite sold on using resistance bands, here are 5 convincing reasons to love them.

1. Get primed during your warm-up. Adding band exercises...

Hey, it's coach Kellie Davis with another quick at-home workout. This one targets your butt and core in a short, intense circuit routine.  Break up your day with this 10 minute quickie workout that targets your glutes and abs like no other. You won't need much space, but may want to grab a yoga mat along with your favorite mini band.

This workout targets your hips in extension, abduction, and flexion-- you know, because I love hitting you from multiple angles. I think it's an all around great workout for your core and hope you love it as much as I do.

Mini Band Butt and Core Circuit

You are going to do 4 rounds in this circuit with 1 rest between rounds.

1a. Quadruped hip extension: 4x15 each side

1b. Fire hydrant: 4x15 each side

1c. Supine psoas march: 4x10 each side

1d. Scissor kicks: 4x15

This week's Workout Wednesday will have your shoulders rounded like boulders by the time you finish. Grab your favorite resistance band with handles and get ready to pump up.

I recommend using a single resistance band with handles-- preferably one that is lighter in weight. The shoulders are a quick-recovery muscle group, so you can get a good burn out session with this routine and feel good tomorrow. 

Grab a water bottle, find some space, and let's go! The video below does a quick walk through of each exercise. Remember to protect the shoulder joints by keeping everything nice and controlled throughout the duration of the exercise. There is no need to rush through this. The more you slow it down and control the concentric and eccentric portion of the movement, the better you will feel. 

It's never too late to get bendy. Today's Fit Friday session goes over two of my favorite flexibility moves to help work on middle splits. Even if you aren't keen on mastering your splits, these are both great tools to add to your cool down after a good gym session. 

The first is a ramped up version of the butterfly or goalie stretch. Here you will go through a 2-minute series that begins with the goalie stretch and moves into straight leg versions of the same move. 

Take your time with each segment, rocking back into the your hips to open up the hip flexors more. Be your best judge with how long you spend in each position, with the of spending 2 minutes total in this stretch. Take a 2 minute rest and repeat the process. 

The second flexibility movement involves PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) stretching. This occurs when you work through a period of passive stretching followed by a period of active contractions. In this particular stretch I...