Tom Pfeiffer Fitness Blog

If you're here it's likely because you've recently hurt your back. What are the first steps for recovery? Visit a doctor if you’ve had a traumatic event like a fall and to rule out serious forms of pain like cancer, tumors, or disease. Doctors don't help with chronic conditions, but it's important to make sure your pain is chronic and not a sign of a more serious cause of pain. Visit BackFitPro.com  to find a qualified clinician that can help you diagnose your back pain. 85%

Hip mobility plays a crucial role in everyday movements and athletic performance. Limited hip flexibility can lead to discomfort, poor posture, and increased injury risk. The Thomas Test is a simple yet effective way to assess hip mobility and identify tightness in specific muscles around the hip. This post explains how to perform the Thomas Test, what to look for, and how to interpret the results to better understand your hip health. What Is the Thomas Test? The Thomas Test

Losing fat can feel overwhelming, but the fastest and easiest path to fat loss is not about complicated routines or extreme measures. It’s about following a clear, practical protocol that fits your lifestyle and delivers steady progress. This post breaks down a simple, effective fat loss protocol anyone can follow to see fast results with the least amount of effort. Nutrition for Fat Loss Eat unprocessed foods and be a little hungry. This is an easy and effective fat loss nut

Here is an exact strategy you can use to increase almost any chronic pain. Step 1: Sit 12+ hours per day Sitting for most of your day is the perfect strategy to increase muscle tension and decrease joint flexibility. Our unnatural sitting posture that is ubiquitous in our environment ensures your hip mobility will be limited and your low back will be strained. It's the perfect strategy for increasing pain. By not moving throughout the day, your body has less circulation, your

These supplements are chosen because they have a significant positive impact on health, they are commonly deficient in most people, and they're safe to take. This list is supplementary to a healthy diet of red meat, eggs, milk, fatty fish, and oysters, for example. Everyone is different, so if you practice a restrictive diet like veganism, it's likely you have many more deficiencies. I'm not a doctor and I can't provide specific medical recommendations, but doctors study sick

Before learning these 2 things walking would cause me pain. In this post I share the simplest strategy for improving your walk. Step 1: Foot Strike Walk with straight and narrow feet directly under your hips. Spread the toes as much as possible and place your weight into the outer part of your foot and the toe pads. The outer part of the foot (lateral column) sits below the inner part of the foot (medial column), so we want to land with the outer part of the foot first when w

Here are the 4 steps to improving your nutrition and achieving your fitness goals. Step 1: The Simple Way to Eat Healthy Watch this video  to better understand the foundation of healthy nutrition. Read this article to learn how you can eat healthy in a simple way without following a meal plan. For some people this is the best option, especially if you already have a good nutrition routine. Step 2: Get Clarity Watch this video  and complete this calorie calculator to identif

Training like a bodybuilder will make your muscles look good, but it won’t make you move better. Isolating body parts is great for inflating those muscles, but it creates inefficiency and prevents fascia from gliding smoothly, potentially leading to injury. The goal is not more muscle, but more useful muscle. Train the Body as One Our entire body is connected through our fascia and in order to train athletically we must use our entire body during exercise. Most guys do the sa

A natural athlete moves from his hips, never from his back or knees. The following tests will assess your ability to move at your hips in an athletic way. Breathe If your breathing habits are faulty, you're much more likely to suffer from chronic pain because shallow breathing reduces blood flow to the spine and increases tension and stress. The primary breathing muscle is the diaphragm - connecting the bottom of your lungs to your spine. You can visualize and feel your diaph

If your chronic pain is greatest upon waking up, one likely cause is your sleeping posture. Finding the right sleeping position can ease discomfort and improve sleep quality. Among various options, side-lying and back-lying positions stand out as the most supportive for those dealing with persistent pain. This post explores why these positions work best and how to adjust them for maximum comfort. Choosing the Right Pillows and Mattress The right bedding can make a significant

If you’ve recently experienced back pain, read this article to take the first steps to recovery. Back pain can make even the simplest tasks become difficult. Bending over to tie your shoes or picking up an item from the ground can feel daunting. Thankfully, there are effective strategies you can adopt to protect your spine and maintain your daily activities. The following four techniques—hinge, lunge, squat, and golfer’s lift—can keep you mobile and help you move safely, all

A limit in strength can be a major contributing factor to your back pain. If you lack strength in areas like your core, hips, and thoracic spine, then your low back will have to work harder than it should and this additional stress can cause chronic pain over time. Core Strength Perform the Deadbug by extending the opposite arm and leg, hovering over the ground for 5 seconds, and then returning and repeating on the other side. Complete 10 reps. Perform the plank with a should

Have you ever wondered if a lack of mobility is contributing to your back pain? In order to function and perform well, certain areas of the body need mobility, while others require stability. A common cause of chronic back pain is a hypermobile lower back with tight hips and thoracic spine. The following tests are used to analyze your mobility to identify potential weak links that can be contributing to your chronic back pain. Lower Limb Mobility The feet and ankles form the

Chronic pain is associated with elevated levels of stress and an overactive nervous system. Breathing can fix this. This article explains how to breathe well and introduces 4 breathing tools you can use to improve your life and reduce stress by controlling your nervous system. Breathing and the Nervous System Our nervous system includes the part we control (somatic) and the subconscious part (autonomic) that regulates the body's involuntary actions. This subconscious, or auto

If your posture is off, you're gonna have a bad time. Review your posture to identify potential causes of your pain and opportunities for...

Identify functional causes of your back pain. These intolerance tests will help us identify patterns of your back pain. For some people, these tests won't show much, but for other people these tests will tell us a lot. All you need is a chair and a small weight of 10-20lb. We're testing flexion, extension, load, rotation intolerance, and sciatica. There are 8 tests, let's get started. Flexion Intolerance With flexion intolerance, your back rounds habitually and you move at yo

Trigger points are painful bundles of contracted muscle fibers commonly caused by poor posture and movement habits that distort your...

We're not meant to sit for long times. Better positions like half-kneeling, standing with wide feet, or various ground sitting positions...

Staying hydrated is essential for your health and fitness goals because if you're dehydrated life kind of sucks. Headaches, stomachaches, muscle soreness, low energy, and a million other negative symptoms are likely if you don't have enough water, BUT, it's not just water that we need. We also need electrolytes so our body can absorb the water into our cells and transport it efficiently. This article will explain everything you need to stay hydrated including water and electr

Sleep is essential for you to live a happy and healthy life. Here are the top strategies I've learned to improve sleep. Before Bed: Sleep...

Many different things can impact digestion and in this article I explain 9 different things to consider if you have digestion issues...

The cholesterol narrative has been oversimplified and exploited for profit, not health. In this article we review the science behind...

We've all been there: after a day filled with balanced meals, a sudden urge for snacks hits as night falls. But why does this happen?...

Posture is how you hold your body against gravity. Better posture balances bones, while worse posture uses muscles and ligaments to hold you up. Try this: Place one hand on your low back and the other at the back of your neck and then round forward. You’ll feel these muscles activate. Now, lean back until you feel these muscles relax. Repeat this to feel how active your muscles are when your bones are not balanced. This article is going to help anyone dealing with back pain r