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Welcome to The Dr. JJ Thomas Podcast! Here I'll be talking all things physical therapy, raw and unplugged, giving you the unfiltered insights you've been searching for in your cash-based physical therapy business. If you're caught in the grind of the traditional model, swamped with paperwork, or feeling like you're not reaching your full potential as a physical therapist, this podcast was created just for you.
In game, I don't feel anything. I moved completely fine.
Dr JJ Thomas:Right.
Tim Guers:And everything was normal, but afterwards, I was like, I I don't know how long this can be sustained. Yeah. Welcome to the doctor JJ Thomas podcast.
Dr JJ Thomas:Hey, everybody. Welcome to the doctor JJ Thomas podcast. I'm JJ Thomas. I'm here today with a friend, patient, colleague, everything, Tim Geers. Welcome, Tim.
Tim Guers:Yeah. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here today.
Dr JJ Thomas:We, I wanna introduce Tim a little bit to you guys, and then you can fill in the gaps for me, Tim. But, Tim, I wanted to have Tim on here, honestly, partly because he's a stud athlete, and I think, a real leader in the world of of sports and performance. I have a lot of respect for how Tim approaches his training and his recovery and all of these things. So we're gonna get into that in a little bit. But just so you know a little bit more about Tim, Tim and I first met, I think it was around 2019.
Dr JJ Thomas:Tim was, working with one of our friends, Jim Farris, a a strength and conditioning coach and trainer, at my facility which was a different facility then. But, again, Tim just impressed me right off the bat watching the way he worked with Jim, during his strength and conditioning sessions, the dedication he had, the commitment to focus, all the all the things. And as it turns out, Tim is an accomplished basketball player. He's a professional player. He, went to
Tim Guers:Saint Anselm.
Dr JJ Thomas:Saint Anselm. I'm always afraid I'm gonna say it wrong because it's spelled differently. He went to Saint Anselm, graduated in 2019, and has played professionally in Australia, Iceland, and Japan recently. Right?
Tim Guers:Yes. Correct.
Dr JJ Thomas:Alright. Cool. So, so welcome again.
Tim Guers:Yeah. Thank you for having me. It means a lot for you to say those things. I know you've seen a lot of athletes work and kinda been around the industry for a long time. So, for me, it's been cool because got to know you in 2019, and then you've moved locations.
Tim Guers:It's only down the street, but I've been bouncing around the world, and we've always somehow stayed in touch a little bit. And, it's cool to kinda this summer, it's, like, full circle where it's like, alright. I was a 23 year old kid Yeah. Just kinda getting into the professional career. And now 4 or 5 years later, the miles of my body is a little different, and it's so much easier now to come back around and be like, alright.
Tim Guers:JJ, I need this, this, this, and
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Tim Guers:Yeah. I know, I was looking forward to it all year coming back. I knew I was gonna be home for a little while this summer, so I was looking forward to kinda getting back in touch with you and, had full confidence that we'd be able to, like, tackle the the things that my body needed to touch up on.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah. Yeah. It's been fun. I think that actually as you were talking, it reminded me how early on when I talk about how you impressed me just watching you, part of the reason just watching him was impressive is because even I think we worked together, like, once or twice for a little hip tightness way back then. But even then, Tim, we we did we did 1 or 2 sessions, and then you took it and ran with it.
Dr JJ Thomas:Like, it's just it's so cool when athletes you know, it's obviously that drive was there, and and it's obviously paid out for you. So and then as you said, fast forward, now you've got more miles. I think you've probably ramped up some of your training. But For sure. And being overseas, I'm sure.
Dr JJ Thomas:I'd love to hear about that. Like, the challenges the sort of let's actually start there. The the the pros and the cons to to, working overseas.
Tim Guers:Right. I would say I I would say the biggest con from year to year is your, facilities are changing. Your sports med, is changing. Your access
Dr JJ Thomas:staff. Like Do your
Tim Guers:staff, the access. So, you know, I was in Iceland for 2 years and kinda built a rapport with our trainer there, and we started being able to, like, address some things. And then, 4 months later, I go to Japan Yeah. And we need a translator. And, so and then it's like, you don't know really where to start.
Tim Guers:You tell them, hey. I have some knee soreness. And Yeah. You know, they just decide to, like, put tape all around it. And it's like, you say thank you and everything like that, but, you know you're not really addressing, like, the the root problem to it.
Tim Guers:So I would say, the biggest challenge is just change of scenery. You have to get used to your new trainers. You have to put your trust and faith in them. So I would say that's one of, like, the cons to it. But then also the pros to it, it's like I'm also being exposed to all different kinds of things.
Tim Guers:Like, I remember we were doing, like obviously, me and you, we work with, like, dry needling, and that helps tremendously. But, like, in Japan, getting acupuncture, doing all kinds of different remedies, I guess. So, you kinda find out what works, what doesn't work, what might make it worse. Yeah. So, like, so, like, you just kinda gather all that information the best you can
Dr JJ Thomas:and Yeah.
Tim Guers:Kinda go from there.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah. That's awesome. So what, yeah, were there any other so you said acupuncture. Actually, that's that's kind of an interesting thing. Maybe we should I always this is a touch can be a touchy subject because everyone wants to know the differences.
Dr JJ Thomas:But but it would be cool to hear your perspective of, like, being treated with needles out in Japan versus the needling treatment you had with me.
Tim Guers:Yeah. I I've had like, we had done dry needling back in 2019 for my hip tightness, so I had some experience with that before. But in Japan, I it was the first time I was doing any kinda acupuncture. And luckily, I had a few teammates of mine, Americans who had been in Japan before, had the trainers there and everything. So I was like, alright.
Tim Guers:Hey. Is this like, we're gonna be alright? And, like, yeah. It's fine. Like like, yeah, it helps a little bit.
Tim Guers:Like, people aren't like my guys weren't swearing by it, but it's like, hey. Like, it's if you feel like you need something, I I would say for me, it, like, kinda just relaxed things and maybe helped with some inflammation. I don't know if it's more placebo or not. You're just No.
Dr JJ Thomas:I think it I think it's helpful. Yeah. I think that's but it's it is interesting how even just the feeling of what what's happening when you're receiving an acupuncture treatment versus
Tim Guers:Right. A a
Dr JJ Thomas:typical dry needling treatment. I think most of our patients say it's different. So I just thought I'd sort of take that opportunity to see, how you felt.
Tim Guers:Yeah. There's definitely there's definitely I find the biggest difference with dry needling is, and, like, we talk about it, and it's, like, the not anxiety around it, but, like, your body's mental prep for it. Yeah. Your whole body, I don't like, starts sweating right before you're gonna do it, but that's, like, a positive, like, physiological, aspect to it. Exactly.
Tim Guers:You explain that to me every time because I'm always apologizing and sliding all over the bench.
Dr JJ Thomas:Well, you don't move. You take it so well. And that and I'm like, why are you apologizing? You're like, because I'm sweating everywhere. But, you're right.
Dr JJ Thomas:It is a strong physiological response. We we we always say, like, we're tapping into the central nervous system. And truthfully, with acupuncture, they are too. It's just a different level. You know?
Dr JJ Thomas:It's just different different approaches. So, yeah, not knocking acupuncture at all. There's a lot of benefits, and and I'm glad they're doing it for you out there or they had been doing it for you, out in Japan. So so tell me about the schedule. I mean, how about that?
Dr JJ Thomas:How about yeah. Actually, I'd love to hear the year perspective of when you when you, work overseas.
Tim Guers:Yeah. So I would say the year in Japan was, it was by far the longest year I had over there. I went I think I arrived August 2nd and didn't get home till Memorial Day.
Dr JJ Thomas:Wow.
Tim Guers:Yeah. And we ended up playing from October to early May about 60 games. So our schedule would be we'd be off on Mondays, and then it'd be Tuesday, Thursday, Friday practice, Saturday, Sunday games. From the start of October, we don't miss a weekend all the way to May. Wow.
Tim Guers:That was I would say the game schedule was definitely
Dr JJ Thomas:Intense.
Tim Guers:Super intense. Yeah. But you have to you know, I think our coach did a great job and, like, talking with the trainer staff, and he actually hired a strength and conditioning coach from Spain to come over and help manage kind of the loads, workload. And we had a good flow of communication of how is everyone feeling.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Tim Guers:And that kinda dictate the intensity of the practices. So, that but, like, so that was manageable. I I I remember going into it knowing the schedule that they play in Japan. I was a bit nervous about it. Yeah.
Tim Guers:Because I was coming from Iceland, and we played about 25 games a year.
Dr JJ Thomas:Wow. So more than double.
Tim Guers:Yeah. But we would practice really hard
Dr JJ Thomas:in this.
Tim Guers:Like everyone, all, like, overseas guys always like, oh, like those European practices. Like, it's all kinda, like, common knowledge that you get your your butt whooped a little bit.
Dr JJ Thomas:That's great. Uh-huh. So so
Tim Guers:it's it was a different you know, I found myself more tired in Iceland
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Tim Guers:Because you're practicing. You're you're on your 4th tough practice of the week, and you don't play for another 7 days. Also, like, mentally, it's a little tough because it's a revolving door of a schedule where Japan is, like, alright. It's Wednesday. I have one more hard practice, then Friday's a prep practice Yeah.
Tim Guers:And a travel day, and then play Saturday, Sunday. And also because we were playing back to back games, everyone's minutes had to be a little bit more restricted because you can't go all out every game.
Dr JJ Thomas:It sounds like it was real it was nicely structured and planned out. And I can say from having now, yes, you had a lot of miles with 60 games, and and you had it the reason you came back here to this office is because you had a couple things we'll talk about. Right? Really just one thing. But but even that, I mean, that says a lot about how how, nicely the the coaches, the team, the medical staff did at managing that heavy schedule.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah. It's really cool.
Tim Guers:It was handled very professionally, and, and it it worked out. By the end of the year, we were one of the more healthy teams. We were fresh even though we're on game 58, 59. Like, we're still moving like it was the 2nd weekend. So they did a great job.
Dr JJ Thomas:Now before we get into why you, the the the ish the things that we worked in together, when you got here, what about recovery? How did since I I have such respect for how they manage your schedule, did they direct types like, certain types of recovery, like cold plunges or or or did you direct all your own recovery? And
Tim Guers:I mean, we had we had, like, a good, like I said, open communication with our strength and conditioning coach. He handled a lot of that. If you really had something specific that, you know, you respond to or something like that. But a lot of times, it was like, hey. Like, if you don't have anything specific that you need to Yeah.
Tim Guers:Direct your focus towards, it was
Dr JJ Thomas:No worries.
Tim Guers:It was, you know, take the day off
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Tim Guers:Like but get out. Like, go for a walk. Or Yeah. Like, I always like to still go into the gym on that day because you know my relationships with my hips. Like, I have to move them every day.
Dr JJ Thomas:Or I like the way you said that. Yeah. I like relationship with my hips.
Tim Guers:Anyone who's ever worked with me always says I've
Dr JJ Thomas:been tight in this.
Tim Guers:So, I'm just trying to survive. So for me, it was just move a little bit, maybe sweat a little bit, but, and the one thing, like, the one benefit of being in, Japan is they have, like, cold plunges and hot springs everywhere. So
Dr JJ Thomas:That's right.
Tim Guers:So you can go they call them, like, an onsen. So you go there and relax and it's it's nice. Yeah.
Dr JJ Thomas:I will say that I think, an underrated recovery method is just what you said, just, like, listening to your body. Mhmm. Like and I've seen you do that through working with you. You know, you're like, you know what? I had a hard practice yesterday.
Dr JJ Thomas:My body's feeling it a little bit. I'm just gonna I'm gonna be I have an active recovery day, like, not sit on my butt all day, but but keep it nice chill.
Tim Guers:Well, I think that's that's definitely the the challenge and, like, the the thing that I've probably learned most as growing up through my, like, athletic career is, like, of course, like, everyone wants to like, when you're, like, a go getter, you wanna wake up and go right to it. And some days, like, you might not sleep well. You're on your 3rd day in a row, and
Dr JJ Thomas:it's
Tim Guers:like, alright. Like, I need to cool it down today so I can have a great day tomorrow. Like, doesn't mean I'm not productive. It's just production in a different way.
Dr JJ Thomas:100%. That's such a perfect I love that. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.
Dr JJ Thomas:Let's talk about the the the little knee thing that you had when you came back.
Tim Guers:Yeah.
Dr JJ Thomas:Maybe just share with me your perspective on on what you're feeling, and and we'll talk about how we worked through it together.
Tim Guers:Yeah. So it's like, no. I know you know your background with
Dr JJ Thomas:me.
Tim Guers:Yeah. Give these guys.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah. Yeah.
Tim Guers:Yeah. Back in 2019, in my senior year of, college, I partially tore my ACL and, had the MRI, everything done. And it was kind of a toss-up whether I should keep playing or not, but it was my senior year, and it was going into, like, the conference tournament.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Tim Guers:So I was like, I I'm gonna put a brace on it, and whatever happens, happens.
Dr JJ Thomas:Like like in Japan, just put a bunch of tape on it.
Tim Guers:Just tape it up, and let's
Dr JJ Thomas:just let's
Tim Guers:do this thing.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah. Like,
Tim Guers:and then everything went well. And after the swelling went down, everything felt pretty normal. I just had the brace on it. So as soon as the season ended, I want to start working out without the brace since I could control kind of the intensity of it. And everything, like, felt fine, and I didn't have an issue for, I guess, until last so about 4 years, I didn't have an issue.
Tim Guers:And then training last summer just moved a certain way and felt like kind of a hyperextension. And since then, it's been not touch and go, but it feels different. Like, I don't know. Structurally, if it changed or if it tore a little bit more, but it almost feel felt sticky kind of. And, so all year, that was a worry of mine going to Japan.
Tim Guers:Like, I could get through a workout, but at night, you know, my my knees, like, kinda pissed off
Dr JJ Thomas:at me. I remember using the word fatigue. Like, that first time you came, you were like, look. I'm play like, I'm playing well. I'm doing what I need to do, but I I can I have to intentionally focus on my knee towards the end?
Tim Guers:Right.
Dr JJ Thomas:Like, I'm feeling fatigued.
Tim Guers:For sure. And, and even working with my strength and conditioning coach, in Japan, we had a good, relationship about how to survive through the season, how can we make it stronger without in season is really tough because you don't wanna fatigue it anymore, but you need to kinda manage it.
Dr JJ Thomas:And I just realized I should clarify for those in the audience not either, in professional sports or or clinicians, so just other patients. When we say fatigue, we meant actually the knee itself. Like, Tim's cardiovascular wasn't fatigued. Right? It was just he was, you know, feeling like his knee was a little fatigued towards the end.
Tim Guers:Right. So just working through that and, I remember towards the end of the year just, you know, I'm I'm like, I'm gonna get in touch with JJ, but is that really gonna work? Like, I've been feeling this kinda achy, stickiness. And really when I was warming up would be, like, the toughest.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Tim Guers:But then I'd go play, and in game, I don't feel anything. I moved completely fine
Dr JJ Thomas:Right.
Tim Guers:And everything was normal. But afterwards, I was like, I I don't know how long this can be sustainable.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah. I left that beginning part out. I'm glad you went back to that because that was as soon as we had that conversation before I even put my hands on you, I remember thinking that's a very typical, like, recruitment issue. Like, that to me, when someone says, I feel there's this bell curve of performance. Right?
Dr JJ Thomas:Like, I I don't feel great when I'm first starting out, then I warm up and I feel better, and then I start to maybe fatigue towards the end. That tells me that the muscles aren't recruiting to their best capacity. There's something inefficiently happening through your body. And so, so for the clinicians out there, tune in to that. That's that's an important piece of of, like, the the conversation you're having during the evaluation.
Dr JJ Thomas:So, yeah. So then we took a look at you, and I think one of the first things we did was that step down.
Tim Guers:Yeah. That was always our, like, baseline measurement. The Mhmm. Just one leg assisted step down and, you could watch my left leg do it and it's just smooth Easy. Buttery.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah. And
Tim Guers:the right side just wants to wants it at about 20 degrees trying to get to 90, it just not locks up, but just doesn't wanna go any further.
Dr JJ Thomas:I always describe it like the, trying to get the car on the car wash track. You know, you're just sort of like, where's that tire going?
Tim Guers:Think of the tin man without the oil. It's like you could hear the creaking.
Dr JJ Thomas:We all have our analogies. Yeah. But, yeah, I mean, you could even see that. And when we say step down, we'll do some movements later, and we'll show you guys exactly what we mean. But, for our reproducible sign, which we sign, which we like to do often in our office because we wanna make sure we're testing, retesting, and making sure we're making a difference in these patients.
Dr JJ Thomas:And so our reproducible sign was the step down test where, he's, you know, descending the stair and we're watching that knee gets over toe and it's in good alignment, but that he's also getting a good hip hinge pattern and not, like, being quad, quad dominant either. So, yeah. And then we but then we to step back, and we always look at whole body movement assessment.
Tim Guers:Yeah. And that's that's where I think for both of us, I think you were ecstatic. I was relieved but also amazed when, we really because we addressed the ankle. We were trying to, like, tune in with different things. Like, what how what's gonna be the biggest difference?
Tim Guers:Yeah. We're doing the dry needling. Like, we kinda address it. It's a glute inhibition situation. Exactly.
Tim Guers:And, from there, then once we start incorporating the whole the whole chain with the shoulders is when it was like a light bulb moment in my head, but also I could I could feel it immediately. It was like it was it's still hard to describe.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah. So I think yeah. If if you don't mind, I'll recap for the audience. Yeah. Like, I think the first two sessions you know, when I'm teaching, like, primal foundations, primal integrations, teaching other therapists how to decide what to prioritize treatment wise, I'll use a couple themes.
Dr JJ Thomas:1 is, like, what's the big rock? Like, what's the big thing that stands out at you? And you can't look at Tim's hips and ankles without feeling like or at least the one ankle, feel like they're a very significant piece of the puzzle. So I think I think the first two treatments we did more of that. And you felt better, but the symptoms kinda came back.
Dr JJ Thomas:Like, I think you felt better for, I don't remember, maybe maybe 4 days and then a week. And then by the 3rd time I saw you, I was like, okay. Let's go back and look at the full body movement assessment. And the shoulders really stood out as a, an important piece of the of the kinetic chain puzzle that they're regional interdependent. And so, specifically, the posterior chain of the shoulders.
Dr JJ Thomas:So I think we saw a difference in your squat with the band. Yep. Right? And, and then when I put them prone and we did shoulder movement assessments, there was a motor control deficit on, I think both shoulders.
Tim Guers:Yeah.
Dr JJ Thomas:So we treated that. And that was where it was. We were both. I was at because it it was his deficit, but it was a subtle deficit. Like, the motor control deficit of his shoulders was very subtle, but it was there.
Dr JJ Thomas:And so I was like, let's just treat it and test retest him, and we did. Yeah. And I think immediately the step down was very different.
Tim Guers:It was, like, even even from the times where we would needle and go step down, it would, like it would feel 80%, like, definitely a lot better in
Dr JJ Thomas:the way. Needling the hips. Right?
Tim Guers:Yes.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Tim Guers:And then it, would feel a lot better, but it was, like, there's still a little something there, like but this is definitely a huge improvement. Yeah. And then as soon as we incorporated the shoulders and full body, it was it felt exactly like my strong side.
Dr JJ Thomas:And Yeah.
Tim Guers:Like, basically, since the since that day, it was probably 6 weeks ago now, maybe a little less.
Dr JJ Thomas:You've needed very less like, very little interventions.
Tim Guers:Very very little interventions. Like, we said, hey. Let's, let's stay in touch, and if you need to come back in and Mhmm. I've stayed on top of all the movements, and, like, every day, they feel great. And if I feel, like, a little bit of, achiness or it's getting tight on me, like, I'll take it a little bit easier that day, but I'll still go through those movements.
Tim Guers:So it's making a huge difference. Thank you. I'm
Dr JJ Thomas:so happy to hear that. And thank you for sharing this with people because
Tim Guers:these
Dr JJ Thomas:are the kind this is what prompted this. Right? You and I were talking, and and Tim actually came to me after that. So we saw the difference immediately on the step down. Mhmm.
Dr JJ Thomas:And then we had already had a scheduled visit
Tim Guers:Right.
Dr JJ Thomas:Upcoming in, like, a week or 2. And when you came back, you're like, JJ, this is the best I've felt. Like
Tim Guers:Yeah.
Dr JJ Thomas:As soon as we started those shoulder those treating the shoulder and doing the exercises that incorporated, posterior chain shoulder activation with the hips and knee, you were like, that has been a game changer.
Tim Guers:Yeah. Absolutely. And like I I mentioned earlier when we were just catching up before before we started the Yeah. Filming, I had mentioned that now that the knee feels like it's moving to almost full capacity, Me and Jim, who you mentioned earlier
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Tim Guers:Been able to load it a lot more on that single side and also, like, triggering that glute as well. And now it's now we're not for me, it's so gratifying because we're not only, like, sustaining
Dr JJ Thomas:We're not maintaining. We're actually performing better.
Tim Guers:Like my Yeah. And you know how Jim does all this stuff. Everything's numbers and measured. So I can look at where I was in early July compared to now. It's, you know, a 25% strength increase.
Tim Guers:So that's just huge. Then I'm on the court, and once I'm warmed up, I have so much more confidence in my movement, and it's almost completely out of my head, which for me, if you asked me 3 months ago, 4 months ago when I was in season, I was like Yeah. I mean, I thought this is gonna be something I was dealing with.
Dr JJ Thomas:Always. Always. I know. Because and that's I'm so glad you said that because so many of our athletes, especially because you had the history of the knee injury a while ago Right. There's this, like, lurking feeling that, wow.
Dr JJ Thomas:Maybe I'm never gonna be normal because that injury is just always gonna be there. Right. But, you know, tissues heal. Mhmm. And so, really, our job as physical therapists is to pull out the mechanical deficit that is gonna support wherever your issue is.
Dr JJ Thomas:And there's there's usually a way. There's usually a way. So and but but therapists often have a hard time believing me when I say, like, you know, it really is the shoulder. Treat the shoulders. I'm not saying it's always the shoulders, but I'm saying you gotta step outside the box if we if we really wanna encourage a 100% performance in people.
Tim Guers:Definitely made definitely made me a believer in, like, now that we kinda have this system in place and I kinda have this routine that we kinda structured out, like, there's I don't know why I would ever go away from it.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah. Exactly. Sense to it. It's awesome. I'm so excited.
Dr JJ Thomas:Thank you. Yeah. I would love to, I wanna so we're probably gonna move to the gym in a minute. Yeah. It's And we'll go through we'll show the, listeners and and, viewers some of those exercises.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah. And but is there anything else you wanna, I don't know. Anything else on your mind that you wanna share with No. Tim? I do.
Dr JJ Thomas:I wanna you noticed Tim's sweatshirt. He's got some gear coming out. He has a super humble, in case you didn't notice. Super humble guys. So, you know, it might take him a little while to to launch it, but keep your eye out.
Dr JJ Thomas:It's a it's a sweet looking sweatshirt, and I'm gonna have you'll save one for me. Right?
Tim Guers:Of course. Yeah. So just trying to branch into different things and, you know, like, you've like, as an overseas athlete, you have so much time on your hands that, you feel like you just should take advantage
Dr JJ Thomas:and Yeah.
Tim Guers:Should take advantage and break into other other things. So, actually, I'm kinda inspired by my teammate in Japan. He's he's launched his, like not I wouldn't even call it, like, a brand. His is a brand.
Dr JJ Thomas:It's a brand.
Tim Guers:But, yeah, his is a brand for sure. But, mine just, like, gonna try to, like, dip into it and just something cool to have. And,
Dr JJ Thomas:like,
Tim Guers:I think I'll launch it. We'll see.
Dr JJ Thomas:You have to launch
Tim Guers:it. Yeah.
Dr JJ Thomas:It is honestly because because exactly for the reasons that I said earlier in the podcast of why I wanted you to come on is is not just because you have a cool story with how your knee rehabbed. It's more than that. It's it's it's who you who you embody as a person, and you're a great influence on the rest of the world. So I do.
Tim Guers:A lot.
Dr JJ Thomas:Thank you. Yeah. You really need to you need to you need to put that brand out there because the world needs more of you.
Tim Guers:Alright. I appreciate that, Jamie. Yeah. It's a lot.
Dr JJ Thomas:Welcome back. We are in the gym area. We're gonna show you some of the work we did together for Tim's knee. Yep. And we're gonna start with that reproducible side here we're talking about.
Dr JJ Thomas:So so day 1, I was like, hey, Tim. Let's really highlight the knee. Let's see what's going on. So we did this, who knows how to do it now because we did it so many times. But so the involved side is on the step, and then I cue them to just barely touch down with the opposite leg, try to get their knee over the toe.
Dr JJ Thomas:That's literally the few 3 cues I give to them, and what I'm looking at is how's their hip hinge pattern. Are they able to get the knee over the toe without their whole body shifting forward? Are they getting that hip hinge angle that we, that we're looking for for efficient actually, just before this I recorded a kettlebell swing video looking at hip hinging with the kettlebell swing and how that relates to jumping and running efficiency, and this is kind of a similar thing. We're looking at that same hip angle for efficiency in in what you need to do in basketball. So, so that was the reproducible sign.
Dr JJ Thomas:I just wanted to show you guys. Yeah. And we're gonna show you 2 of both of our favorite exercises for, for helping Tim through this, giving him the independence to work through it on his own after our, few sessions together. These are overhead good mornings. I'm gonna stand on the other side here.
Dr JJ Thomas:So incorporating, as we said, for Tim, a lot of it what we realized is the reason his glutes weren't firing yet. I don't know yet. The reason his glutes weren't firing is because, kinetic chain wise, the posterior chain, including the posterior chain at the shoulders, which if you're incorporating posterior chain at the shoulders, it actually will recruit spinal erectors all the way to the head from head to tailbone. So that's part of that mechanical link to the glutes and the pelvis. So what this exercise is gonna do is activate this posterior chain at through the shoulders, link it to the pelvis, help stabilize the pelvis, which then will allow the glutes to activate the way they need to.
Dr JJ Thomas:So let's show it, Tim. So I cue this, arms nice and wide, palms will be facing front. Tim already knows this. I'm saying is for you guys. Palms will be facing front, and I'm gonna cue them that's it.
Dr JJ Thomas:To have their arms up by their ears. Okay? Eyes are up at the, up at the pulley where it's coming out of, and then soft bend in the knees, and then he's gonna hip hinge while keep maintaining that position of the arms, and then come to a stand just like a kettlebell swing really. Only arms are overhead, so that we're now forcing the spinal erectors through the shoulder activation to stabilize the entire spine. So really working him from the reverse.
Dr JJ Thomas:So instead of just focusing on the knee and lower extremity, really getting the whole body working into it. And, Tim, like with everything, has pretty perfect form because he's because he's that way. Just can't
Tim Guers:go very far.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah. That's right. But that's but but kudos to you for, like, for listening to that. Yeah. Because, you know, I demo this and I have really great flexibility in my hips.
Dr JJ Thomas:And sometimes, you know, I wanna show them to really hinge, and people see that and they try to do that. But try to sit. Yeah. But you know. You're like, no.
Dr JJ Thomas:No. This is she wants that hinge, and you stop at wherever you Yep. Your limits are, which is awesome. So let's go to the next one, which we call sunrises. You'll see why in a second.
Dr JJ Thomas:So, again, this one, before you get into it, I'll just talk you'll what you'll see actually, go ahead and do it. You just might have to do a couple of reps.
Tim Guers:Okay.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah. So, there's a lot of details to this one. I'm gonna kinda come behind you here. Okay. Yeah.
Dr JJ Thomas:So feet are straight here, and then what we're gonna do is Tim's gonna start with the weight on the op either side.
Tim Guers:On the side.
Dr JJ Thomas:Either side. Yeah. Yeah. And the the trick with this one, so the opposite leg will pivot. We're getting rotational stability and mobility here.
Dr JJ Thomas:And then he's gonna drive that bell well, dumbbell all the way out as he comes up. Eyes follow as he looks at the top, and then he rotates, plants the opposite foot, and then pivots the, the opposing side. Driving out. When you try this on your own, you'll see that drive is really where it's at. Yeah.
Dr JJ Thomas:I mean, Tim and I worked on this a good bit the first time to help him get the form because it really is easy to want to compensate on this one. But the real so driving that and that's only £15. Tim's a strong guy, but I've you know, I usually under a lot of times, I tell people do heavy enough load, but with this one, 15 is even for a strong guy like Tim is good because the levers just do one more set and then take a break. Yep. The levers that he's causing by driving that dumbbell way out are again incorporating spinal erectors from head to tailbone through that push your chain in the shoulders, but the beauty of this one, the element that this adds that the good mornings don't add is that rotational component.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah. And rotational control is so key in your sport, in in a lot of sports, really. So that's the other one.
Tim Guers:Yeah.
Dr JJ Thomas:Yeah? Anything anything else, what did you find when you first started doing these in terms of is there anything that you felt particularly sticky in terms of form to to to get through? Or
Tim Guers:I think, I kinda grew up confidence after doing it, but, like, just the thought of, like, being able to have the confidence to sit into this side. Yeah. And also, like, so important to keep your, like, foot forward Mhmm. At, like, 90 degree angles so you don't, like, compensate and lose what you're actually trying
Dr JJ Thomas:to I'm so much. Yeah.
Tim Guers:Go after. So, like, for me it's just gaining confidence in this position knowing that I'm strong here because I'm strong here, I'm into my glute Yeah. And can power back off from there.
Dr JJ Thomas:Go into that position again because I'm glad he did spend a lot of time the first time I
Tim Guers:trained it. Yeah. Because I wasn't really Yeah. Swinging into it.
Dr JJ Thomas:And the reason that's so important is because now we're building mobility in that up. So his right hip, by keeping that foot straight, he's forcing himself to tap into the mobility pattern there as well. Whereas if we let him ever and actually rotate out, then he's not training mobility and stability together. So that's awesome that you remember we we spent some time Yeah.
Tim Guers:That was definitely, like, the thing that I felt the most when we first introduced it. Yeah. When we first introduced it, and that's now it's like, it feels I do it almost every day. It's just normal to do it. Like, by the confidence and I don't think I would have been able to move like that when when we first met each other this summer.
Dr JJ Thomas:So Yeah. That's awesome. Yeah. Awesome. You're the best.
Dr JJ Thomas:Thank you so much.
Tim Guers:Thanks. Thanks, JJ.
Dr JJ Thomas:You guys, thanks for joining again. This has been a great, session as expected with Tim. If you have any questions on the exercises, if you have any questions on any of the content that we, that we brought up, please leave a message, in the notes, or reach out to me directly. Check out Tim. He's a he's a humble and quiet guy, but he's a total stud in all areas of life, including, just being a good example for the rest of us.
Dr JJ Thomas:So, find him on Instagram or reach out, and I can get in touch too. Perfect. We appreciate it. Thank you, sir.