PhysioKinetix Training

10/22/2026

In the first weeks of a new training block, a client can lift more or jump higher before the tendons carrying that force have caught up. Muscle gains strength quickly and under many kinds of training. Tendon remodels more slowly and responds mainly to how much strain it experiences, which is why heavy, sustained loading in longer positions gives it the clearest signal.

So we let speed and impact progress only as fast as the tendon keeps up. Hands-on work and active movement help a client reach comfortable ankle and knee range, slow heavy holds build tendon capacity, and hopping, landing, and faster work return gradually. Within the four progressive levels of Mobility, Stability, Power, and Performance, tendon timelines are one reason a client may stay longer at a level, and in the PKT architecture this work sits mainly in the Load and Integrate stages.

Because tendon changes take weeks to months, PKT Self-Care keeps those sustained holds consistent between sessions.

Knowing how to dose load for tissues that change at different rates is part of what we teach in our workshops, so progressions build lasting capacity rather than short-term strength. See upcoming workshops: templehp.com/workshops
Our Membership gives you ongoing discussion and technique to keep refining how you progress clients: templehp.com/memberships

Read the full article: https://www.templehp.com/strength-before-stiffness-muscle-tendon-adaptation-physiokinetix/

10/21/2026

10/20/2026

When the arm rises, the shoulder blade glides on the rib cage and the thoracic spine moves with it. In one study, simply sitting slouched instead of tall reduced arm elevation by more than 20 degrees and lowered shoulder strength, with nothing changed at the shoulder itself. The upper back is part of every reach and every head turn.

So when the shoulder or neck is the concern, we look at the thoracic spine too. We watch how the rib cage moves under a rising arm, how far the trunk rotates, and whether the neck is doing most of the turning. On the table, the hands-on work stays gentle and graded, which fits the research better than forceful techniques. Then the client puts that movement straight into active reaching, rotating, and rowing against a light band like the PKT X-Lite.

This is the kind of relationship PKT education explores through the 5 Key Links and Spinal Kinematics: a nearby region shaping how another moves, and the spine working as a coordinated system rather than a stack of segments. Across Mobility, Stability, Power, and Performance, which progress without being a rigid protocol, upper back movement becomes something the shoulders can use under load. PKT Self-Care keeps it practiced between sessions.

Knowing when to look away from where a client feels it, and how to turn a hands-on change into active movement, is a core part of what we teach in our workshops. See upcoming workshops: templehp.com/workshops
Our Membership keeps building that whole-chain reasoning each month, with discussion and technique: templehp.com/memberships

Read the full article: https://www.templehp.com/thoracic-mobility-shoulder-neck-physiokinetix/

10/19/2026

A great weekend in the Smokies! 🍂 We started with a hike to Rainbow Falls before diving into Pain, Posture & Performance and exploring new ways to connect movement science with hands-on practice.

A big thank-you to everyone who joined us for the weekend!

Missed this one? Keep an eye out for our upcoming workshop schedule at https://templehp.com/workshops/

10/17/2026

The foot has to soften to meet the ground, then stiffen into a lever to push off, all within one step. Much of that shift happens at the arch, and the small muscles that sit entirely within the foot help tune its shape and stiffness moment to moment. Their activity rises as load and balance demand rise, which is why training them works best on your feet, not only seated.

In our sessions, we look at toe and midfoot mobility, how the arch behaves as weight moves onto one leg, and whether the client can lift the big toe separately from the others. Hands-on work on the sole, toes, and calf helps the foot move more freely and sense the ground more clearly. Then we ask for activity right away: doming the arch, spreading the toes, or light resisted toe work with a band like the PKT Neuro, before progressing to standing, single-leg, and heel-raise work.

The research is clearest for arch control, foot strength, and balance, and the strongest programs pair foot work with the hip and the rest of the leg. That matches how we look at the body through the 5 Key Links in PKT education: a region near the ground both influences and is influenced by what's above it. Across Mobility, Stability, Power, and Performance, the foot is trained as part of the chain, and PKT Self-Care keeps that practice going between sessions.

Learning to see how the foot, knee, and hip organize around each other changes what you assess and where you put your hands, and that chain reasoning is a big part of what we teach in our workshops. See upcoming workshops: templehp.com/workshops
Our Membership keeps building that eye each month, with discussion and technique on regions like the foot: templehp.com/memberships

Read the full article: https://www.templehp.com/the-foot-core-training-the-small-muscles-under-the-arch-in-physiokinetix/

10/15/2026

Holding a cup at arm's length or easing through the middle of a stair step takes a small, steady force, not a big one. Force steadiness is how evenly someone can hold that light effort without it wobbling. It's a different quality from strength, and research consistently finds it reduced in people living with musculoskeletal pain, most clearly at low efforts.

So we assess the quality of a light hold, not just its size. A gentle press of the head into a hand or a shallow squat at a fixed depth shows us tremor, drift, breath holding, or bracing elsewhere. Right after table work, we use low-force isometric holds around the same region, while the new sensory input is fresh. Then we vary joint angle, hold time, and direction, and give simple outside targets, like keeping a light band at the same length.

In Physiokinetix, this sits mainly in Stability, the control side of our four levels: Mobility, Stability, Power, and Performance. They progress from one to the next without being a fixed protocol, and steady control at low force gives Power a better foundation to build on. PKT Self-Care keeps that practice going between sessions, often with our lightest option, the PKT Neuro resistance band.

Grading a light effort and knowing when control is ready for more load are skills you build with your hands and eyes, and that's exactly what we practice together in our workshops. See upcoming workshops: templehp.com/workshops
Our Membership keeps sharpening that judgment each month, with discussion and technique on topics like this: templehp.com/memberships

Read the full article: https://www.templehp.com/holding-force-steady-force-control-and-musculoskeletal-pain-in-physiokinetix/

10/14/2026

When we think about jaw tension, it’s easy to focus only on the jaw itself, but the surrounding structures of the head and neck deserve attention, too.

The sphenoid sits at the base of the skull and has important anatomical relationships with this region. In manual therapy, understanding these relationships helps inform how we assess and approach the broader head and neck region.

A sphenoid release is one manual therapy technique practitioners may explore with appropriate training when working with this region, keeping individual assessment and client response at the center of clinical decision-making.

At Physiokinetix, we focus on the reasoning behind each technique, connecting anatomy, neuroscience, and movement science to inform clinical decision-making. Want to deepen your understanding of manual therapy and its practical application?

Explore our workshops and upcoming classes at https://www.templehp.com/workshops/

10/13/2026

A heel slides on wet tile or a toe catches a rug, and the body has a fraction of a second to recover. That's reactive balance, and it's different from the steady, deliberate balance most people picture. Fast recovery steps and reaches are shaped largely by spinal and brainstem circuits, so they improve through practice with real disturbance, not by being talked into place.

In our sessions, we add this once a client has the range and control to use it. We check ankle and hip mobility, single-leg control, and how quickly and how far the client steps in different directions. Then we introduce small, announced pushes or lean-and-release drills, and gradually vary direction, size, and warning. A hand stays ready, and we back off when fatigue or anxiety starts to blunt the response.

In Physiokinetix, this is part of what we call Rescue Strategies. Rather than building a plan around avoiding every disruption, we prepare the body to respond when one arrives. It draws on all four levels, Mobility, Stability, Power, and Performance, which progress from one to the next but aren't a rigid sequence. PKT Self-Care keeps steady balance and control developing at home, while the larger perturbations stay supervised.

Table Neuro Training, our flagship workshop, was built to complement the Mobility and Stability levels of PKT Self-Care. It's where you learn to prepare the ankle, hip, and trunk on the table so that a client's recovery steps have real options to work with once they're standing. See upcoming workshops: templehp.com/workshops
Grading perturbations well takes judgment about size, direction, and when to back off, and our Membership builds that judgment each month through discussion and technique: templehp.com/memberships

Read the full article: https://www.templehp.com/catching-a-stumble-reactive-balance-and-perturbation-training-in-physiokinetix/

10/12/2026

It was an honor to serve as one of the keynote speakers at the 2026 Pankey Symposium hosted at the Ga***rd Rockies in Denver. I was contributing to an important conversation about how aging science can inform our professional practice and change our personal lives.

Opportunities like this allow me to bring together decades of hands-on experience with what we continue to learn about movement, neuromuscular function, and long-term human performance.

My presentation focused on NARK (Neuro Articular Regenerative Kinetics) and how our understanding of aging, movement, joint function, and neuromuscular coordination can help us approach long-term health and performance more thoughtfully.

These principles extend beyond our professional work, offering practical insight into how we care for our own bodies and maintain function throughout our lives.

A special thank you to Lee Brady, Jackie Robinson, and the entire Pankey Institute team for inviting me to be part of the 2026 Pankey Symposium. I’m especially grateful for their kindness and generosity, and for creating an environment where professionals can come together to share ideas and make meaningful connections.

I left feeling grateful for the experience and the opportunity to contribute to a community committed to continued learning, professional growth, and helping others perform at their best.

10/10/2026

Rising from a low chair or catching a stumble gives the muscles only a fraction of a second to produce force. Maximal strength does not capture that demand. Rate of force development is how quickly force rises at the start of a contraction. Power is force times velocity. Both can be trained, and neither is the same as getting stronger slowly.

In our sessions we watch how fast a client moves, not only how far or how hard. Hesitation at the start of a rise, or a slow push-off, tells us something different from a strength test. Fast efforts belong after mobility and stability have given the client usable range and control. We place them early while the client is fresh, keep sets short, and ask for a clear intent to move quickly, because a slow movement without that intent trains very little. Between sessions, PKT Self-Care can carry the same idea with a resistance band or a quick sit-to-stand from a chair.

The Power level of Physiokinetix is where greater force production and progressive loading enter. Performance then applies those capacities to sport, work, daily activity, and healthy aging. The levels build on one another without a fixed order, so a client may start fast, low-load work at one joint while still developing range somewhere else.

Table Neuro Training, our flagship workshop, was built to complement the Mobility and Stability levels of PKT Self-Care. It's where you learn to set up the range and control that make Power-level work safe and useful, so clients can carry that progression into what they practice on their own. See upcoming workshops: templehp.com/workshops
Our Membership goes deeper on dosing fast intent, short sets, and when to introduce power, with discussion and technique each month: templehp.com/memberships