Barbell Rehab

We teach physical therapists, coaches, and trainers how to manage pain in the gym.

Evidence-based continuing education centered on barbell training, load management, and real-world coaching.

09/02/2026

If “proper lifting technique” prevented injuries, we’d have a lot fewer workplace injuries by now.

Yet nearly 80% of employers surveyed still reported using “how to lift” training as part of their injury prevention efforts.

And honestly, we understand why.

Oakman et al. found that many employers believed this training was necessary for workplace safety compliance. Others described it as standard industry practice or expressed concerns about liability and litigation if an injury occurred and they hadn't provided lifting training.

So this isn’t about blaming employers or the people teaching it.

The problem starts with the idea that there’s a “proper” way to lift that prevents injury in the first place. Injury risk is far more complex than that.

That doesn’t mean lifting technique is irrelevant. Coach technique to improve performance, efficiency, comfort, or accomplish a specific task.

Just don’t confuse it with injury prevention.

Oakman J, Lambert KA, Rogerson S, Bell A. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. 2024.

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09/01/2026

20 live courses. 3 certifications. One busy fall ahead.

After a few months of summer break, our team is recharged and ready to get back out there and teach.

Swipe through to see where BRM, BRW, and BRS are headed this fall.

See you on the road.

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08/31/2026

Exercise deserves to be taken seriously as a mental health intervention.

Munro et al. (2026) pooled 63 systematic reviews, 81 meta-analyses, and nearly 80,000 people, finding that exercise reduced symptoms of both depression and anxiety.

For fitness and rehab professionals, that doesn't mean treating mental health conditions outside our scope.

It means the exercise we're already helping people engage in may have meaningful benefits beyond strength, fitness, pain, and function.

And no, we're not suggesting you can simply "out-exercise depression."

Many people benefit tremendously from SSRIs, psychotherapy, and other treatments.

Exercise may be used alongside them, and what works best will differ from person to person.

This isn't exercise versus medication or therapy...

It's a case for treating exercise as another legitimate, evidence-based option in mental health care.

Reference: Munro et al. (2026). British Journal of Sports Medicine.

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08/24/2026

Your cues can change more than movement.

Coaches and clinicians often use technique cues with good intentions:

Improve performance, make an exercise more comfortable, or help someone find a movement strategy that works better for them.

The problem isn't cueing... it's the story we attach to the cue.

Telling someone their back is in a "dangerous" position or that a certain technique will damage their joints may create a nocebo effect, where negative expectations can influence pain, increase fear and avoidance, and ultimately affect behavior and outcomes.

That doesn't mean we need to avoid correcting technique or pretend every movement strategy is equally useful.

It means we can explain why another option might work better without convincing someone that the way they're currently moving is harmful.

Change the movement when there's a reason to change it.

Just don't create fear in the process.

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08/23/2026

Low back pain loves a simple explanation.

Your glutes. Your core. Your SI joint. Your posture. Your technique.

The problem is that low back pain is rarely that simple.

Pain is influenced by a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors.

Blaming pain on a single muscle, joint, or movement "fault" can create unnecessary fear and lead people to chase problems that may not need fixing.

For most people, the goal isn't to identify one broken structure.

It's to find tolerable ways to keep moving, gradually build strength and capacity, and help them get back to the things they want to do.

Stop searching for the one thing that's "wrong." Start building what you can do.

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08/20/2026

The guidelines are a target, not a prerequisite.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends strength training at least 2 days per week, along with 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week.

We still stand behind those recommendations.
..but they shouldn't become an all-or-nothing barrier to getting started.

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the greatest reduction in all-cause mortality risk was observed around 60 minutes of resistance training per week.

That doesn't mean 60 minutes is "optimal."

Strength, muscle mass, performance, and other outcomes are separate questions.

It means something is a whole lot better than nothing.

Meet people where they are. Help them build something sustainable. Then progress from there.

Source: Shailendra P, Baldock KL, Li LSK, Bennie JA, Boyle T. Am J Prev Med. 2022;63(2):277-285.

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08/17/2026

Early ACL rehab deserves more attention.

In soccer players, 83% return to play after ACL reconstruction, but only 60% return to their preinjury level.

The first few weeks aren't just the “basic” phase before the important work begins.

They're when you're building the foundation for later-stage rehab.

Restoring motion, managing symptoms, rebuilding strength, addressing movement deficits, and maintaining fitness all matter.

And early deficits can provide meaningful information about how an athlete may perform months later.

This doesn't mean the first 4-6 weeks determine the outcome. It means we shouldn't wait until late-stage testing to start assessing what matters.

Assess early. Train what you find. Keep progressing.

Sources:
Buckthorpe M, Gokeler A, Herrington L, et al. *Sports Med.* 2024.
Liu W, Tan Z, Li W, et al. *Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc.* 2026.

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08/15/2026

If you work with people in pain, this one’s for you.

Chronic pain affects more than 1 in 5 U.S. adults, and its impact reaches far beyond pain itself.

It affects healthcare utilization, the ability to work, missed workdays, quality of life, and ultimately, our entire healthcare system.

There is no single profession or intervention that's going to solve a problem this complex.

But those of us working in fitness and rehab have an important role to play.

Helping someone in pain isn't always about "fixing" them.

It's helping them get stronger.

Helping them move again.

Helping them rebuild confidence in their body.

And helping them get back to the things that make their life meaningful.

Never underestimate the impact of that work.

Study: Guy GP Jr, Miller GF, Legha JK, et al. Economic Costs of Chronic Pain, United States, 2021. Medical Care. 2025;63(9):679–685.

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08/11/2026

Strength has no age limit.

Marzuca-Nassr et al. set out to compare how adults 85+ respond to resistance training compared to adults nearly 20 years younger.

After 12 weeks of progressive resistance training, both groups improved muscle size, strength, and physical performance, with no meaningful differences in how they adapted.

The takeaway? Advanced age doesn't eliminate the ability to adapt to resistance training.

We shouldn't let someone's birth year dictate our expectations for what they're capable of.

Reference: Marzuca-Nassr GN, et al. Muscle Mass and Strength Gains Following Resistance Exercise Training in Older Adults 65–75 Years and Older Adults Above 85 Years. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2024;34(1):11–19.

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08/05/2026

Passing isn't the same as being ready.

Hop tests are valuable.

They give us objective information about performance and limb symmetry, and they absolutely deserve a place in return-to-sport testing.

But they also have limitations.

An athlete can achieve the same hop distance while using a completely different movement strategy.

They may unload the knee, rely more on the hip, or avoid positions they don't yet trust. The score looks great, but the movement tells a different story.

That's why we encourage clinicians to look beyond the final number.

✔ How did they land?
✔ Where are they absorbing force?
✔ Does the movement look confident and repeatable?

Return-to-sport decisions shouldn't rely on a single test, and they shouldn't rely on a single number.

A hop distance tells you how far they jumped. Watching the landing tells you how they got there. Both pieces of information matter.

Have you ever had an athlete "pass" a test but still not look ready?

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Wilkinsburg, PA

Website

https://barbellrehab.com/

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