Testing Debrief FAQ

(horizontal push)

Primary Muscles used

Pec major and minor, anterior deltoids, serratus anterior, triceps, lats, middle and lower trapezius, rhomboids major and minor

What does this do for me?

Being able to do pushups - the right way- means so much more than just bragging rights. While you might see videos or social posts of "influencers”doing lots of pushups and looking "fit", most likely they're recruiting the wrong muscles, leading to gaps in strength and opportunities for injury. If they happen to be doing those push ups well or right, no matter what they may be promoting, we guarantee those folks did not get there with push ups alone. We want our Spears Strongers to recruit the right muscles and succeed with pushups in a way that not only feels great to achieve but also translates to better living. The strength required for push ups is the same strength that will help us maneuver in our pursuit of the dust bunnies under the couch, in getting up and down off the floor playing with our dog, kids or grandkids, in pushing and dragging a trowel through the dirt, following through in our forehand swing on the tennis court, hanging decorations on the wall, or transitioning between certain movements in a Spears Strong workout. While the primary muscles in charge of this movement are in the shoulders, chest and upper back, the stabilizing muscles are in the abdomen and middle and lower back. Being able to hold our torso in alignment with our hips and shoulders, support our back and maneuver up and down in a push up indicates that we have the strength and the range of motion to perform well in our day to day activities and sport of choice with little to no fear of injury to our shoulders or neck.

Why Is this So Hard?

Many of us are stuck with shoulders rounded forward to varying degrees, with shortened/continuously contracted pec muscles. This is coupled with “stuck” shoulder blades. To put it simply, a limited range of motion and/or a reduction in the nervous system communicating with this area of our body reduces our ability to fully access the strength of the muscles listed above. Over time this can lead to muscle atrophy and compensating patterns.

Additionally, this movement requires many joints to move together. Your shoulders have to flex and extend, your shoulder blades have to retract (pull together) and protract (pull forward), your elbows have to flex and extend, and you have to stabilize your spine. All at just the right times! While we are designed for complex movements like this, having so many joints and muscles groups coordinating means that every limitation in strength or range at the shoulders, shoulder blades, spine, ribcage, neck, wrist, or elbows will make this movement more difficult.

How do I get better at this?

Improving strength and range in your shoulders and upper back, you’ll find that your strength improves greatly before you see any visible increase in muscle mass simply due to the increased nervous system activity! Movements you regularly see in your workouts that are making push ups easier include elbow curls, clappers, pullovers, wall glides, hand leg opposites, cats and dogs, active letters, tricep bridges, inchworms, downward dogs, dog rockers, and many, many others.

Other movements that will feel easier as your push ups improve include downward dog squats, arm circles, holding your arms behind your head, playing tug of war with your dog, and carrying all the groceries in from the car in one load.

(vertical pull)

Primary Muscles used

Lats, teres major, deltoids, trapezius (upper, middle and lower), levator scapula, rhomboids major and minor, rotator cuff muscles, biceps and triceps.

What does this do for me?

Wall glides are a fantastic way to strengthen the shoulders and back, and open up chest and shoulder muscles that are holding us in a forward-shoulder position and restricting the upper and middle back. When upper and middle back are restricted we can begin to develop a hunched position that is often a major contributor to low back pain, that can restrict our hip movements, such as when squatting, and over time will shift our center of gravity forward, increasing our fall risk.

Strengthening these areas of the shoulders and back and being able to perform this movement well will make it easier to throw a ball, a disc or a spear, to swing a racket or a golf club, to get things on and off a top shelf, hang curtains, shelves or Christmas lights, to dig in the garden, to squat, to pick up a kiddo or a bag of groceries, to cross the monkey bars at the park, or to put your suitcase in the overhead bin on an airplane.

Why is this So Hard?

This movement will be more difficult the more stuck you are in forward-shoulder position, as is often the case for desk jockeys (whether sitting or standing), cyclists, drivers, and more. The more we have to fight tight, restricted muscles, the more energy it will take to perform a movement. For many of us, this movement requires a lot of fight because it requires reaching back and up at the same time, which are both directions we don’t often reach in our modern life and society.

How do I get better at this?

Work on your shoulder and back range of motion. Movements you regularly see in your workouts that are making wall glides easier include elbow curls, pullovers, upper spinal floor twist, active letters, cats and dogs, arm circles, dog or cobra push ups, and many more.

Other movements that you may see improve as your wall glides improve include pull ups, push ups, inchworms, downward dog squats, bear crawls, squats, lateral hand hops, handstands and cartwheels.

(hip flexion/extension/rotation strength integrity)

Primary Muscles used

Quads, hamstrings, adductors (inner thigh), glutes, lateral hip rotators

What does this do for me?

Lunges cover all directions of hip and knee movement, plus require a fair amount of foot and ankle movement, and a lot of stabilization through both lower and upper body. Therefore, while a lot of the work is in the lower body, our core needs to be really active with these too! Being able to do lunges well means you are going to be more stable on your feet, are more likely to be able to handle ballistic movements like running or jumping, are going to be stronger when moving side to side (lateral movement), and are less prone to knee or back injury.

Strong lunges will make it easier to put pants or socks on without sitting down, to hop across some rocks or a log to cross a stream, to tackle longer hikes with more elevation, to move quickly in any direction across a tennis, racquetball, pickle ball or basketball court, to carry laundry up and down the stairs, to clean out the back of the car, or to walk on the beach with your family.

Why is this So Hard?

Lunges require both big movements and a lot of stabilization, at the same time, while our feet are split wide so our points of contact and balance are spread way out.. We are supporting our weight and bending at the toes, the ankle, the knee and the hip, all while trying not to fall over and to keep our upper body stable and upright. There’s a lot for our nervous system to be doing with these! They can be restricted by both tight and/or weak hips, legs, back and abs. If your hip flexors are not able to lengthen enough, it will pull your torso over your front leg, making it tougher to balance and creating more work (and therefore fatigue) for your front quads and hamstrings. As you lower into a lunge, the quads of your back leg are being stretched out quite a bit. This can create a strong pull through the knee (where our quadriceps attach) which can feel painful or scary.

How do I get better at this?

Improving hip range of motion and glute strength is often the best first step to improving lunges. Movements you regularly see in your workouts that will help improve your lunges include shoulder bridge, tricep bridge, root kicks, kneeling groin, spreadfoot glides, pendulum steps, all variations of storks, all variations of squat, hero leans, downward dog, lateral leg lifts and many more.

Other movements that will start to feel easier as your lunges improve include squats, inchworms, downward dogs, bear crawl, stepping up (onto a box or other high surface), stepping over something in your path, running, walking, skipping and dancing!

(hip flexion/extension/rotation strength integrity)

Primary Muscles used

Quads, hamstrings, adductors (inner thigh), glutes, lateral hip rotators

What does this do for me?

Stork step ups cover all directions of hip and knee movement. They also require a lot of stabilization through your lower leg and throughout both lower and upper body. Being able to do Stork Step-Ups well means you are going to be more stable on your feet, are going to be stronger when moving side to side (lateral movement), and are less prone to knee or back injury.

Strong stork step ups will make it easier to put pants or socks on without sitting down, to hop across some rocks or a log to cross a stream, to tackle longer hikes with more elevation, to move more quickly in any direction across a tennis, racquetball, pickle ball or basketball court, to carry laundry up and down the stairs, to clean out the back of the car, or to walk on the beach with your family.

Why is this So Hard?

Stork step ups require both big movements and a lot of stabilization, at the same time. We are supporting our weight and bending at the ankle, the knee and the hip, all while pulling ourselves up and keeping our upper body stable and upright. They can be restricted by both tight and weak hips, legs, back and abs. When stepping up, our glutes will engage to pull the hip straight and quads will straighten the knee out to pull you to the top of the box. Hamstrings will help control the descent. Throughout, all hip rotation and core muscles will be working to stabilize. Throughout this movement, you are lifting and lowering your entire body weight with one leg! That’s a lot of strength and stability required.

How do I get better at this?

Improving hip range of motion and glute strength is often the best first step to improving stork step ups. Movements you regularly see in your workouts that will help improve your your stork step ups include shoulder bridge, tricep bridge, root kicks, kneeling groin, spreadfoot glides, pendulum steps, all variations of storks, all variations of squat, hero leans, downward dog, airbench and many more.

Other movements that will start to feel easier as your stork step ups improve include squats, inchworms, downward dogs, bear crawl, stepping over something in your path, running, walking, skipping and dancing!

(vertical push)

Primary Muscles used

Lats, teres major, pecs major and minor, rotator cuff, serratus anterior, triceps, biceps, quads, hamstrings, trapezius, deltoids.

What does this do for me?

Downward dog squats require us to support our own weight upside down and hinging at the shoulders and hips. It requires upper body and lower body strength simultaneously, but also good spine, shoulder and hamstring range of motion. Being able to do good downward dog squats means you’ll likely have an easier time pulling laundry out of the washer, crawling on the floor with your kids or grandkids, pushing yourself up and down off the ground, pulling weeds, digging in the garden or pushing the lawn mower, following through on your backhand swing on the tennis or raquetball court, shooting a basketball, spiking a volleyball, or bending down to pick something up.

Why is this So Hard?

Downward dog squats are usually restricted by tightness in the spine, shoulders, hips and hamstrings. Every time you lift and lower yourself you have to fight that tightness, making each one take extra effort. You may also end up overworking the chest and front of the shoulders because the work never leaves those areas, due to being too restricted to get into the upper back and back of the shoulders. This can lead to faster fatigue. It also can be restricted by weakness in the same areas. In this case, fatigue will be the primary limiting factor.

How do I get better at this?

Improving shoulder and back range of motion and strength and hip range of motion and strength. Movements you regularly see in your workouts that are making downward dog squats easier include airbench, wall glides, cats and dogs, dog rockers, spreadfoot glides, shoulder bridge, dog or cobra push ups, all variations of leg lifts and pullovers, elbow curls, and many more.

Other movements that will start to feel easier as your downward dog squats improve include bear crawl, lunges, pull ups, all variations of squats, walking, walking up stairs, stepping up backwards, ice skating, inchworms, and more.

(core,quad,hamstring strength integrity)

Primary Muscles used

Hamstrings, glutes, quads, abdominals, iliopsoas, spinal erectors

What does this do for me?

Airbench requires all of the muscles of our hips and legs to be working at the same time. Because of this, it's a great movement for restoring even pull of all your hip muscles on your pelvis and thigh bone, restoring alignment in your pelvis and low back. Pressing your back into the wall will require both your spinal erectors (long muscles that run the full length of your spine) and your abs to be working, making this a core movement as well as a lower body one. Being able to perform an airbench well and working to increase the amount of time you spend in an airbench will make it easier for you to squat down to pick something up. It will also minimize back pain, make you more stable on your feet, improve muscle endurance so you can walk, run or just be on your feet longer, and increase your comfort with discomfort.

Why is this So Hard?

Airbench is a tough movement that requires a lot of muscular effort and endurance. Tightness, weakness and decreases in nervous system activity to core, hips, back and legs can make it tough for our body to recruit muscle fibers, causing early fatigue. Particularly, restriction in the middle and upper back and tightness through the front of the torso can make it difficult to brace the back into the wall, requiring extra effort to stay upright against the wall. Most people rely heavily on their quads when first doing airbenches, and quads are definitely a dominant muscle group in this movement. Working to get hamstrings active as well (by pressing heels into the floor) can distribute the work a little more evenly. Also, the airbench is such a great movement for turning these muscle groups back on and increasing that strength and endurance that many find that their airbench is one of the first and fastest movements to improve.

How do I get better at this?

Improving hamstring and glute activation, hip and leg strength, and back range of motion will help your airbenches become easier. Movements you regularly see in your workouts that are making your airbench easier include shoulder bridge, all variations of squats, hero leans, downward dog squats, root kicks, all variations of leg lifts, crunches, hand leg opposites, elbow curls, pullovers, all variations of storks, and many more.

Movements that you might find easier as your airbenches get easier are walking, squats, inchworms, downward dog squats, flutter kicks, roll ups, supers, bear crawl, and lunges.

(hip/back rotational strength integrity)

Primary Muscles Used

Abdominal muscles (rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, internal and external obliques), iliopsoas, glutes, TFL, quads, hamstrings, adductors, piriformis and other external hip rotators, quadratus lumborum, spinal erectors and more.

What does this do for me?

Having good hip rotation means you are more likely to be very stable on your feet. It also decreases the likelihood of your low back being restricted and tense or painful. As you find dive throughs getting easier you’ll likely also find it easier to ski, snowshoe, skate or wakeboard, get up and down off the ground while gardening or playing with your kids, move laterally across the pickleball court, follow through on your golf swing, navigate obstacles on the trail, and move wet laundry from the washer to the dryer.

Why is this so hard?

Dive Throughs require strength and a lot of hip range of motion while holding a deep squat — add to that the stability to hold yourself on one leg while swinging the other one through the bar. This movement challenges all of the commonly restricted areas of our body, including back, hips and hamstrings. Putting yourself into that deep squat means your hips are in deep flexion, and you have much less space to perform your hip rotation than you would if you were standing. Now you have to rely on hip extension and abduction (leg extending back and out to the side, respectively) in order to move your leg through the bar. These are both commonly very restricted movements for anyone living in our modern society. Add to that the limited space between the bars, and this becomes a very challenging movement!

How do I get better at this?

Movements you regularly see in your workouts that are making dive throughs easier include all variations on active frog, wide and sumo squats, rotational storks, lunges, kneeling groin, active twist, pelvic tilts, roller coasters, downward dog squats, counter stretch, lateral throughs and spread foot glides.

(horizontal pull)

Primary Muscles used

Triceps, lats, teres major, rotator cuff, rhomboids, trapezius, glutes, hamstrings.

What does this do for me?

Active tricep bridges strengthen the back of the body, including back, back of the shoulders, glutes and hamstrings, while stretching out the chest, front of the shoulders and arms, hip flexors and quads. As your tricep bridges improve you might find it easier to stand and sit with better posture, throw a ball or hit a ball with a racquet, to start the lawnmower, to pick up something heavy, to put your carry on in the overhead bin while traveling, to vacuum and mop, shoot a basketball or throw a frisbee, and more.

You may also find that chronic neck and shoulder pain or tension are diminished, that you can run, walk or hike longer without neck or shoulder pain and without getting a stitch in your side, and you may have an easier time maintaining smooth, relaxed breathing during all activities.

Why is this So Hard?

Active tricep bridges challenge many commonly restricted areas of the body, such as the chest, front of the shoulders, biceps, back and hips. Fighting these restrictions makes it much tougher to perform this movement, and it is often accompanied by weakness or reduced nervous system activity to the glutes, back and triceps or back of the shoulders, making it tough to access strength in the muscles performing this movement. Many folks struggle with moving their shoulder blades at all or through full range of motion, and being able to contract shoulder blades puts this movement not only in the arms and shoulders but also the upper back, distributing the work throughout more muscles.

How do I get better at this?

Improving shoulder and upper back range of motion will help you recruit more muscles to better perform this movement. Movements you regularly see in your workouts that are making active tricep bridges easier include all variations of pullover but especially reverse pullovers, elbow curls, shoulder blade contractions, cats and dogs, downward dog squats, shoulder bridges, hand leg opposites, active cobra, active twist, pelvic tilts, lateral leg lifts, spreadfoot glides, active letters, arm circles, and more.

Other movements that may feel easier as your tricep bridges improve include push ups, lunges, pull ups, rows, a swimming breaststroke and backstroke, static run, walking, running, inchworms and more.

(total body strength integrity)

What does this do for me?

Getting ourselves up and down off the ground is crucial to maintaining good strength and function throughout our life. It requires full body strength and coordination. Burpees test our ability to do that at speed, adding in a test of our muscular and cardiovascular endurance. The more burpees you can do, the more ease you will find in getting up and down to play with your kids or grandkids, in tackling challenging trails in the gorge, in spending long days gardening or tending to your property, in taking on tougher opponents on the court or the golf course, in following a herd of elk through the woods, or any other challenge you may want to take on.

Why is this So Hard?

Because burpees are a full body movement, any and every area of tightness or weakness will contribute to how challenging these are. Plus, using all of your muscles and working to do them as fast as you can will get your heart rate up, adding a feeling of breathlessness to the challenge. Because this requires a lot of core strength and coordination, restrictions in back range of motion are going to restrict your burpees the most, as restrictions in the back correlate strongly with restrictions and weakness in the core.

How do I get better at this?

Know where you are restricted and weak and work on improving that. Full body movements like this will be affected by any and every gap in our strength and range. Movements you regularly see in your workouts that are making burpees easier include cobra or dog push ups, reverse pullovers, arm circles, elbow curls, inchworms, downward dog squats, all variations of squat, tricep bridges, abdominal presses or crunches, shoulder bridges, lateral throughs and dive throughs, and more.

Some movements that might feel easier as your burpees improve include running, walking, squats, flutter kicks, skipping and inchworms.

(total body w/ ballistic strength integrity)

Primary Muscles Used

All of them.

What does this do for me?

The hurdle run is testing your ability to stabilize (upper body holding the ball and lower body stepping/hopping over and landing on the other side of the hurdle) while performing a ballistic movement (running and jumping over the hurdle). Getting better at your hurdle run will make it easier to run, walk or hike longer distances, especially on more technical terrain. As your hurdle run improves you’ll also find it easier to carry laundry or children up and down stairs, step over logs or other obstacles on your hike or around your property, climb and stand on a ladder, ride a bike, ski, surf or skate.

Why is this So Hard?

The hurdle run requires your whole body! As with our other full body movements, any and every restriction or weakness you have will show up for this one to make it tougher. Adding in the medicine ball requires extra stabilization, which will cause us to work harder and fatigue faster. Additionally, the stopping and starting action that occurs when we land on one side of the hurdle and have to immediately turn around to pop back over it again also requires a lot of stabilization, so our whole body is working the whole time! This requires strength, stability, and muscular endurance, and all of our muscles working all at once while we try to move as quickly as we can will get our heart rate up immediately.

How do I get better at this?

Movements you regularly see in your workouts that are making your hurdle run easier include box step ups and step overs, burpees, inchworms, downward dog squats, climbing stairs, lateral throughs and dive throughs, lateral hand hops, crawling, and more.

(upper/lower body strength integrity)

Primary Muscles used

Abdominal muscles: rectus abdominis, transverse abdominus, internal and external obliques, pecs, biceps and triceps, deltoids, trapezius, serratus, anterior, lats, quads, hamstrings, glutes, iliopsoas, erector spinae group

What does this do for me?

The bear crawl block challenge is one of core strength, as well as upper and lower body strength and coordination. It’s all working together! Core is stabilizing as you crawl, but hips, legs and shoulders are doing the primary movement. Being able to bear crawl smoothly enough to keep a block on your back means you’ll likely have an easier time climbing stairs while carrying something heavy, hiking, walking or running through more technical terrain and navigating obstacles both on the ground and hanging from above, giving your kids or grandkids a piggy back ride, helping your friend or spouse move furniture, chopping wood, riding a bike, swimming faster, or wheeling a wheelbarrow.

Why is this So Hard?

Bear crawl is a full body movement that can be affected by restriction or weakness in shoulders, back, hips or legs. However, it is fairly easy to unknowingly work around and compensate for those restrictions in a regular bear crawl. Adding the block adds a greater stability requirement, which means your hips can’t sway side to side and you must use greater core strength to stabilize. It also forces you to slow down, leaving you holding a plank while removing points of contact in order to crawl forward. Any gap in strength integrity in your shoulders, back or hips will make this more challenging.

How do I get better at this?

Movements you regularly see in your workouts that will contribute to improving your bear crawl challenge include push ups, crunches, flutter kicks, inchworms, downward dog squats, airbench, active letters, arm circles, hand leg opposites, and lateral extension.

(upper/lower body strength integrity)

Primary Muscles used

Abdominal muscles: rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus, internal and external obliques, pecs, biceps and triceps, deltoids, trapezius, serratus, anterior, lats, quads, hamstrings, glutes, iliopsoas, erector spinae group.

What does this do for me?

Crawling is our first mode of locomotion as infants. It's a fundamental movement that builds basic strength in our arms, legs and core and it teaches your nervous system how to use them all together. As we get older we tend to stop crawling, and as adults in our modern world we tend to lose the strength and mobility that allows for a smooth crawl. This crawl challenges upper and lower body strength and core strength. Core is stabilizing as you crawl, but hips, legs and shoulders are doing the primary movement. Being able to crawl smoothly enough to keep a block on your back means you’ll likely have an easier time climbing stairs while carrying something heavy, hiking, walking or running through more technical terrain and navigating obstacles both on the ground and hanging from above, giving your kids or grandkids a piggy back ride, helping your friend or spouse move furniture, chopping wood, riding a bike, swimming faster, or wheeling a wheelbarrow.

Why is this so hard?

Crawling is a full body movement that can be affected by restriction or weakness in shoulders, back, hips or legs. Adding the block adds a greater stability requirement, which means you must slow down and use greater core strength to stabilize. Any gap in strength integrity in your shoulders, back or hips will make this more challenging. Additionally, restriction in the abdomen, back, hips or shoulders will increase the energy requirements for reaching your arm out in front of you and extending through your hip flexors as you move forward, causing quicker fatigue.

How do I get better at this?

Improving mobility in your spine, shoulders and hips will make crawling easier and increase muscle activation, and therefore your access to your strength, in the abdomen, back hips and shoulders. Movements you regularly see in your workouts that will improve your crawl challenge include dog or cobra push ups, crunches, downward dog squats, airbench, elbow curls, active letters, arm circles, hand leg opposites, kneeling groin, shoulder bridges, and more.