Your iliotibial (IT) Band is NOT a muscle. It's NOT a ligament. It's a bundle of fascia whose sole purpose is to stabilize the relationship between the knee and the hip. 

It has a role in both knee flexion (bending your knee) and extension (straightening your knee). That means it's CONSTANTLY being used. 

A lot of people, especially runners, think they have IT band issues when really they have HIP STABILITY ISSUES. 

If your hip capsule is weak, unstable or imbalanced it is going to put an incredible amount of pressure on the IT band.

To fix this you are better off doing band work like banded hip thrusts, band abduction and clam shells than you are foam rolling your IT band. 

Single leg work will also go a long way towards fixing an IT band that is bothering you.

Most of the time pain is just a symptom of a bigger movement problem. Don't spend a lot of money on massages or therapy without exploring your basic movement patterns.

Here's how to fix your hip so you never have IT band issues again.

I bet I know a few things about you.

I bet you want abs.

I bet you want better posture.

I bet you want to get rid of lower back pain.

Nailed it. Now what if I told you there was one exercise that could check all of those boxes? An exercise that would greatly challenge your abs, while simultaneously improving the relationship between your pelvis and ribcage and improving the muscles responsible for easy, healthy posture.

It’s called the Deadbug and it looks kind of stupid but it works fantastically.

Most mistakes you make in the gym will not be physical.

They will be mental.

From a lack of intensity, to a lack of focus your mental game is an important as your physical game if you are truly trying to change your body for the better.

A HUGE mental mistake every lifter/ person in the gym makes is a lack of focus.

Or rather, placing their focus in the wrong area.

This has probably happened to you. You’ve been training for a while and you know you are stronger, so you’re ready to lift a heavier weight.

You start your first set with that heavier weight and it’s going great.

Your first couple of reps feel smooth as butter. But after those first few reps you lose the lift and have to cut it short.

Learn why that is and how to fix it right here:

When people hurt their shoulder they make a giant mistake.

They avoid using it.

You cannot avoid functions of your joints if you want to beat pain. In fact avoiding certain motions not only prolongs pain but it sends neurological signals to your brain that there is a serious injury. This, again, will only prolong the injury.

Now, this is not to say that you shouldn’t take some time off from Pressing movements when you need it, you absolutely should for a short period of time.

However, it’s most likely that your shoulder pain is caused by bad technique. In this video I’ll show you the bad technique, and tell you how to fix it. Bad technique puts your joints in bad positions. Combine that with a weighted barbell and it’s a recipe for disaster.

You can avoid future shoulder pain by changing the pressing exercises you do. I’ll show you two amazing variations of the bench press we use here at Jacksonville Fitness Academy.

Both variations will hammer the chest, while keeping your shoulder in the safest position possible. That means they will build muscle while beating pain. You really can’t ask for much more than that in a movement.

This video will detail everything you need to know.

Your upper back is the foundation for strong shoulders. A weak upper back causes poor posture, poor shoulder positioning and a bunch of other physical problems that will lead to injury.

Learn a couple drills to strengthen your upper back.

The Kettlebell swing is a fantastic way to build glute strength and size. The problem is that no one executes it correctly.


Learn the 3 cornerstones of a perfect kettlebell swing.

Your shoulder is an incredibely versatile and complicated joint.

That's why close to 60% of people report shoulder pain at some point in their life.

In the first video in this series I'll tell you why the surrounding musculature is more important than the deltoids themselves to achieve a full, healthy level of function with your shoulder.

Your lats and your pec minor are two muscle groups that take a beating in your daily life. If you sit at a desk all day they are more than likely tight and limited. That will cause shoulder pain and disfunction.

This video will show you how to restore them to their proper length so you can have a healthy shoulder again.

Check it out and share it with your friends in pain.

EVERYONE and their mother wants to do a pull up.

But no one knows how to get started.

You can either "figure it out" by hanging from a bar like a dead fish, or you can properly implement regressions and drills that will teach you how to to build the TECHNIQUE and STRENGTH needed to do your first pull up.

In this video I'll show you a foolproof plan to build a kick ass pull up in as little as 4-6 weeks guaranteed.

Give it a watch, share it with your weak friends and happy pulling.

A lot of people have a hard time controlling their body as they lunge.

It’s tempting to think that you have a problem with your knees, hips or even your lower back.

You don’t.

You have a problem with your foot. You have an anchoring problem. Your foot is not making ideal contact with the ground, so it is sending the wrong signals to both your hips and knees.

Here is how to fix your lunge.