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How to Transition to Trail Running (Without Getting Injured)

Taylor Aglio — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 01:32:03 +0000

How to Transition to Trail Running (Without Getting Injured)

With spring around the corner and longer days ahead, many runners are ready to trade the treadmill for the trails.

But one question comes up every year:
“How do I safely transition from road running to trail running?”

At Physio Room, we hear it all the time — and for good reason.

Trail running is an incredible way to build strength, improve endurance, and enjoy the outdoors… but it also places very different demands on your body compared to road running.

Before you hit the trails, here’s what you need to understand — and how to prepare your body the right way.

The Biggest Differences Between Road and Trail Running

1. Increased Range of Motion

Trail running requires more movement at your:

Hips
Knees
Ankles

Uneven terrain, elevation changes, and variable foot placement force your body to adapt constantly.

If you don’t have the mobility to handle it, your body will compensate — and that’s where injuries start.

What to do:
Focus on strengthening through full ranges of motion, not just partial movements.

A great place to start: Bulgarian Split Squats

Builds strength through deeper hip and knee angles
Improves control in positions you’ll actually use on trails

2. Single-Leg Stability Matters More

On the road, your foot usually lands on a predictable, flat surface.

On the trail? Almost never.

Every step is slightly different — which means your ankle, knee, and hip must constantly stabilize.

If your ankle can’t adapt, the stress often shifts upward to the knee or hip.

What to do:
Train single-leg balance and control, especially at the ankle.

Try: Star Balance Drill

Improves ankle stability
Builds control in multiple directions
Mimics real trail demands

3. You Have to Rethink Pacing

On the road, pacing is straightforward.
On the trail, it’s not.

Elevation, terrain, and footing make pace a poor measure of effort.

If you try to hold your normal pace, you’ll likely:

Overwork on climbs
Fatigue too quickly
Increase injury risk

What to do:
Shift your focus from pace → effort.

Better ways to gauge effort:

Heart rate zones
Breath control

Simple rule:
If you can’t maintain nasal breathing during an easy run, slow down or power hike until you can.

4. Track Volume Differently

Most runners track mileage to manage training load.

But on trails, distance doesn’t tell the full story.

Five trail miles with elevation can be significantly more demanding than five flat road miles.

What to do:
Track volume by time on feet, not just distance.

This helps you:

Avoid sudden spikes in load
Progress more gradually
Reduce injury risk

The Bottom Line

Trail running isn’t just road running on dirt — it’s a different stimulus entirely.

If you want to:

Stay injury-free
Build real strength
Enjoy the transition

You need to prepare your body for:

Greater range of motion
Increased stability demands
Variable pacing
Smarter volume management

Ready to Hit the Trails?

With the right preparation, trail running can be one of the most rewarding ways to train.

Take the time to build the foundation now — and your body will thank you later.

We’ll see you out on the trails.

Written by By Dr. Drew Short, PT, DPT, CMFA| Physio Room

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222. Hope is Not a Strategy

Andrew Fix — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:00:18 +0000

Hope is a beautiful liar when it convinces you that tomorrow will change what you refused to change today.

Dr. Andrew Fix offers a clear challenge to anyone who has been leaning a little too hard on hope. This episode asks what happens when hope feels good but preparation never follows and action never comes. Whether the issue is your health, your habits, your pain, or your relationships, how long can you expect change without doing something that supports it?

Across the conversation, he brings the focus back to personal responsibility in a way that feels honest and practical. What are you trusting time to fix? What outcome do you say you want, and what are you doing right now to make it more likely? The message is simple, but it lands: hope has value, yet real progress asks for preparation and action.

There is also a grounded reminder here about how life actually works. No one is perfectly balanced in every season, and some areas will get more attention than others. Still, the parts of life we neglect rarely improve on their own. This episode is a strong invitation to take a closer look at what you have been wishing would change and to consider what your next step could be.

Quotes

“Hope is not a strategy.” (02:24 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“To make the strategy, what plans are you putting into place? What preparation are you doing? What action steps are you taking in order to make sure that this works out better than it did before, rather than just hoping.” (02:40 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“Hoping for an outcome of a race is not a strategy. What are you actually doing about it? Like what preparation are you putting into place?” (03:18 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“Ask yourself, what am I actually doing so that I can rely on something other than hope? What am I actually doing that’s going to make that outcome more likely?” (05:56 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“What can you start doing today rather than just hoping? So you can make that thing a reality.” (06:19 | Dr. Andrew Fix)

Links

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221. Your Mind Is Either Your Advantage or Your Limitation | Krista Juerling

Andrew Fix — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:00:29 +0000

For athletes and high performers, the toughest opponent is often the voice in your own head.

Dr. Andrew Fix sits down with Krista Juerling of Speakstone Counseling for a thoughtful conversation about mental performance, identity, and the pressure that can come with chasing excellence. What happens when the habits that fuel success also leave you depleted? Who are you when an injury, career shift, or major life change forces you to rethink the role that once defined you?

Krista brings a clear and compassionate perspective to the way high performers relate to themselves. She unpacks why self-criticism can feel useful even when it chips away at confidence, and why support can feel risky for people who have built their lives around staying sharp, staying strong, and staying ahead. The conversation also explores the difference between treating symptoms and getting honest about the deeper patterns underneath them.

This is a grounded look at the mental side of performance and the very human side of ambition. You will hear about identity beyond the job title or sport, the tension between the inner critic and the inner coach, and the kind of self-awareness that can make growth more sustainable. Where does your edge really come from? And what could change if you stopped treating pressure like proof that you are doing everything right?

Quotes

“I think that it is important to expand your identity versus just like one thing, because I see that a lot in my clients actually.” (27:25 | Krista Juerling)
“If the inner critic shows up, it’s usually there to try to protect you from something.” (40:12 | Krista Juerling)
“Your inner critic is a teacher. It’s just there to show you what you really need.” (42:28 | Krista Juerling)
“We feel like if we don’t say that to ourselves, then we won’t push ourselves. But that’s actually not true. The research shows us that the criticism is hurting your performance.” (43:03 | Krista Juerling)
“You always have to go deeper than the symptom for sure.” (54:26 | Krista Juerling)

Links

Connect with Krista Juerling:

www.speakstonecc.com

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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29112055/

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220. You Can Never Go Wrong Getting Strong

Andrew Fix — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:00:47 +0000

A lot of workouts leave you exhausted, but the real question is whether they actually make you stronger.

Dr. Andrew Fix takes aim at one of the easiest traps in strength training: mistaking effort for progress. Feeling wiped out after a session can be satisfying, but that does not always mean your training is building useful strength. He makes the case for more intentional lifting by choosing loads that fit the reps, taking enough rest, and paying attention to whether you are truly challenging yourself.

The conversation also gets at a bigger idea about capacity. How different does life feel when your body is prepared for real physical demands? What shifts when being strong has less to do with appearance and more to do with resilience, confidence, and durability? It is a grounded reminder that strength training can shape far more than what happens in the gym.

Quotes

“You can never go wrong getting strong.”(01:40 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“If they were training for strength, you need to be picking a rep range or a volume, like the weight that you’re using and the number of sets and reps that you’re doing that is actually challenging you.” (03:48 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“I’m talking about lifting challenging weights, using rest time in between so that you can actually push yourself so that you’re getting a different stimulus to the tissue, to the nervous system.” (05:52 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“Injuries occurring from a weight training perspective are so much lower than in many of the other things that we do in life.” (08:52 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“If your goal is to get stronger, you’re not really giving your body, physiologically, the best opportunity to do that if your training and if your load is not challenging enough for you at that given point in time.” (10:06 | Dr. Andrew Fix)

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Stronger Shoulders for CrossFit: Build Stability for Better Lifts

Taylor Aglio — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 01:37:10 +0000

Stronger Shoulders for CrossFit: Build Stability for Better Lifts

The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint, designed for movement in multiple directions. This gives it incredible mobility — the ability to move freely through a full range of motion.

But that mobility comes with a trade-off.

While it allows for high-level athletic performance, it also makes the shoulder one of the most vulnerable joints in the body.

Why CrossFit Athletes Need to Prioritize Shoulder Health

CrossFit places high demands on the shoulders through movements like:

Olympic lifts
Overhead pressing
Gymnastics
Kipping movements

These are fast, powerful, and often repetitive — requiring more than just strength.

They demand:

Joint control
Stability
Coordination

Without proper preparation, the shoulders become more susceptible to:

Pain
Irritation
Decreased performance
Long-term injury

To lift heavier, move better, and stay healthy, athletes must prioritize stability before intensity.

Build Stability Before the WOD

One of the simplest ways to protect your shoulders and improve performance is by adding a short activation routine before training.

This helps:

Engage stabilizing muscles
Improve coordination
Prepare the joint for high-intensity work

Use this sequence as part of your warm-up before any upper-body or overhead session.

Shoulder Activation Routine

1. Row + Shoulder External Rotation at 90°

10–12 reps

Strengthens the upper back and rotator cuff
Improves shoulder control and posture

2. Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Shoulder Press

10 slow, controlled reps

Builds shoulder stability and grip strength
Reinforces proper joint alignment

3. Scapular Push-Ups

10 reps

Activates the serratus anterior
Improves shoulder blade control for pressing and pull-ups

4. Banded “T” Raises

10 reps (with a pause)

Strengthens the rear delts and upper back
Promotes healthy shoulder positioning

The Bottom Line

Strong shoulders aren’t just built through heavy lifts — they’re built through control, stability, and consistency.

If you want to:

Lift more weight
Move more efficiently
Stay pain-free

Start by preparing your shoulders before the workout — not reacting after something starts to hurt.

Because better prep leads to better performance.

Written by By Dr. Karissa Deptula, PT, DPT, Cert. DN| Physio Room

The post Stronger Shoulders for CrossFit: Build Stability for Better Lifts appeared first on Physio Room.

219. Getting Back Up is the Only Backup Plan You Need

Andrew Fix — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:00:32 +0000

The hardest part of growth is not finding the next big move; it is staying loyal to the basics when your ego wants a shortcut.

Backup plans can become excuses. Change creates pressure. Discomfort has a way of showing you whether you are serious about growth or just interested in the idea of it.

Dr. Andrew Fix reflects on a recent conference and brings the lesson home in a clear way: most progress comes from doing the basic things well and doing them long enough to matter. He also digs into a harder question. Who are you around, and are those people pushing you to raise your standard? This conversation is a reminder that real growth usually feels uncomfortable before it feels rewarding, and the people who move forward are the ones who keep getting back up.

Quotes

“There is no magic formula. There’s no magic bullet. There’s no Harry Potter magic wand that is gonna help you get from point A to point B or accomplish whatever it is that you’re trying to accomplish, you need to master the fundamentals. You need to master the basics.” (03:20 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“If you are always the smartest person in the room, if you’re always the fittest person in the room, it is going to take a ton of effort and intention to continue to challenge yourself.” (05:02 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“It’s easier to just stay the same, but it’s so much worse, right?” (07:33 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“Change is very, very hard. It’s hard mentally, it can be hard physically, it can be very stressful.” (08:15 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“Getting back up is the only backup plan you need.” (10:58 | Dr. Andrew Fix)

Links

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Convergence: The Art of Being Everything (Apple)

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Listen to Your Body — Don’t Fear the Feedback

Taylor Aglio — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 02:31:03 +0000

Listen to Your Body — Don’t Fear the Feedback

Most people grow up hearing:
“If it hurts, stop.”

Sometimes that’s appropriate.
But often, discomfort in movement isn’t a stop sign — it’s feedback.

The difference between getting stuck and getting stronger usually comes down to how that feedback is interpreted. That’s where a fitness-forward physical therapy team makes a huge difference.

Discomfort vs. Danger

Not all pain means the same thing.

There’s a clear difference between:

Signals That Need Protection

Sharp, escalating pain
Instability or “giving way”
Swelling
Sudden loss of strength

Signals That Often Need Exposure

Mild soreness
Stretch discomfort
Fatigue in a deconditioned area
A familiar ache that settles quickly

The first category needs assessment and protection.
The second often needs progressive exposure.

A fitness-forward physical therapy team helps you understand which is which — so you’re not overreacting to normal adaptation or ignoring something that truly needs attention.

Bridging Rehab and Training

Traditional rehab often stops at pain reduction.
Fitness-forward rehab focuses on restoring capacity.

At Physio Room, that means:

Rebuilding strength — not just range of motion
Progressing load strategically — not avoiding it
Using gym-based movements to retrain confidence
Speaking the language of training — not just treatment

Instead of saying, “Don’t squat,” we ask:

How can we squat safely?
What variation works right now?
What dose builds tolerance?

That mindset keeps people moving forward.

Example: Low Back Pain

Someone with recurring back pain often avoids bending or lifting.

That avoidance leads to:

Reduced strength
Increased sensitivity
More fear

A fitness-forward approach might include:

Reintroducing hip hinges with tempo control
Using partial range deadlifts
Gradually increasing load week to week
Tracking symptom response after sessions

The message becomes:
“Your back isn’t fragile. It needs graded exposure.”

That shift alone can change outcomes.

Example: Shoulder Irritation

After shoulder pain, overhead work can feel threatening.

Rather than eliminating pressing completely, we might:

Use landmine presses
Adjust grip width
Build scapular strength
Gradually return to strict overhead work

The shoulder doesn’t improve through avoidance — it improves when load is reintroduced intelligently.

Reducing Fear, Increasing Control

Pain isn’t just physical — it’s influenced by the nervous system.

If every uncomfortable sensation leads to stopping, the brain learns:
“This movement is unsafe.”

A fitness-forward physical therapy team helps you safely challenge that belief through:

Movement assessment under load
Clear symptom guidelines
Education around pain science
Structured progression

We replace fear with informed confidence.

Why This Matters

The biggest long-term limiter usually isn’t tissue damage — it’s fear and underloading.

When people believe:

“My knee can’t handle running”
“My back is weak”
“My shoulder is permanently damaged”

They shrink their world.

But when they understand:

What’s safe
What’s adaptable
What can be progressed

They expand it.

The Bottom Line

Discomfort isn’t something to blindly push through —
and it’s not something to automatically avoid.

It’s information.

A fitness-forward physical therapy team helps you interpret that information, apply it strategically, and build real-world capacity — so you don’t just feel better…

You move better.
You perform better.

That’s how rehab turns into resilience.

Written by By Jack Butler, PTA, Strength Coach| Physio Room

The post Listen to Your Body — Don’t Fear the Feedback appeared first on Physio Room.

218. From Setbacks to Comebacks | Alex Kaminsky

Andrew Fix — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:00:14 +0000

One back injury turns into a stark reckoning with pain, recovery, and the life you stop postponing when your body forces you to pay attention.

Alex Kaminsky joins Dr. Andrew Fix for a conversation about what happens when a sudden setback makes everything feel immediate. Her story begins with a serious back injury and emergency surgery, but the heart of this episode is the comeback that followed. What do you notice when pain finally lifts? What becomes clear when your body will no longer let you push past the warning signs? Alex reflects on how quickly ordinary things can take on new meaning when movement, comfort, and independence no longer feel guaranteed.

They also get honest about recovery in a way that feels useful and real. Surgery brought relief, but it did not remove the work. Healing asks for patience, discipline, and a willingness to face the weak spots you may have ignored before. This conversation lands on something bigger than rehab alone: gratitude that feels grounded, a sharper respect for quality of life, and a reminder that every setback holds the possibility of a more intentional comeback. What would change if you treated today like something worth fully being in?

Quotes

“Just understanding that where you’re at today is truly a miracle is the biggest mindset shift.” (38:50 | Alex Kaminsky)
“Getting through something really hard proves to myself that I can get through really hard things.” (50:14 | Alex Kaminsky)
“Do all the things. Because all those things, whether they succeed or fail, are what is going to morph you into the person that you are becoming. And becoming is a constant thing.” (50:51 | Alex Kaminsky)
“I am who I am today because of those things. And this can be said for anything. If your level of hard that you’ve had to go through is maybe like a level one on the level of hard, still a hard thing, right? And it still is making you a better person.” (52:39 | Alex Kaminsky)
“You have to understand why you’re becoming a better person or why you got through something hard. Otherwise you can’t replicate it or you can’t take that into the next phase of your life.” (54:05 | Alex Kaminsky)

Connect with Alex Kaminsky:

Convergence: The Art of Being Everything (Spotify)

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In-Season Low Back Pain in Gymnasts

Taylor Aglio — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:25:05 +0000

In-Season Low Back Pain in Gymnasts

When your back isn’t injured… but it isn’t okay either

It Starts Subtle

You don’t notice it during warm-ups.

You notice it on the first back handspring—when you arch and think:
That felt tighter than usual.

So you stretch your hip flexors.
Do another turn.
It goes away.

You move on.

Then the Season Gets Real

Now routines count.

You know the score you need.
>You’re tracking start lists.
>You’re traveling on weekends.
>You’re doing homework in the car after practice.

And somewhere in all of that… your back keeps talking.

Not screaming—just showing up in specific moments:

Beam series feels jammed
Floor landings feel heavier
Bars tap swings take more effort
You need longer to warm up
The car ride home aches
The next day feels mostly fine again

So you tell yourself:
“It’s just tight.”

But every practice, you think about it a little more.

And that’s the part athletes hate—
not the pain… the uncertainty.

The Mental Load Is Real

You start doing quiet math in your head:

If I say something, will I get pulled?
State is in a few weeks
I just got this skill consistent
What if this turns into something bigger?

So instead, you manage it:

Stretch more
Arch faster through skills
Land a little stiffer
Hope tomorrow feels better

Now you’re not just doing routines—
you’re negotiating with your body every turn.

That’s exhausting.

What Parents Usually Notice

They don’t hear, “I’m hurt.”

They notice:

Heating pads at night
More frustration after practice
Avoiding certain events
Ice packs during homework
Quiet car rides home

It doesn’t look like an injury.

Because most of the time… it isn’t one yet.

What’s Actually Happening (Simple Version)

During the busiest part of the season, training shifts:

More repetition
More pressure
More landings
Less recovery

Your body stops adapting—and starts protecting.

Here’s what that looks like:

Hips and core fatigue
Your back takes on more load
It tightens to stabilize you

So the tightness isn’t random—
it’s your body trying to keep you performing.

That’s why:

It warms up
It comes back after practice
Certain events bother it more
Rest helps—but doesn’t fix it

This stage matters.

Nothing is seriously damaged yet—
but your workload is drifting past what your body can comfortably support.

The Window Most Athletes Miss

There are usually two endpoints:

Wait too long → forced rest
Address it early → stay competing

There’s a big middle zone where small changes prevent big problems.

That’s the goal.

Not shutting gymnastics down.
Not pushing through blindly.

Guiding it.

What Coming to Physio Room Actually Means

It does not automatically mean:

You’re out
You’re weak
You’re losing skills

It usually means:

Adjust a few variables instead of missing meets
Improve how your body handles load
Reduce stress on your back while keeping events
Leave practice feeling more confident

We’re not removing you from the sport.

We’re helping you stay in it—
during the most demanding stretch of the year.

When to Say Something

If you notice:

Back tightness during arching skills
Heavier landings
Pain after practice (but not in the morning)
Longer warm-ups needed
Thinking about your back during routines

That’s the time.

Not when you can’t tumble.
Not when you’re scratched.

Early conversations protect seasons.

We’re In Your Corner

This part of the year is exciting—and stressful.

Your body feels that just as much as your mind.

Our job isn’t to pull athletes.
It’s to guide them through the weeks that matter most.

If something feels off, let’s look at it early.

A quick check-in can be the difference between:

Managing a sensation
Managing an injury

You don’t have to wait until it stops you.

Reach out, talk to your coach, or schedule a visit—
we’re here to help you feel ready, confident, and able to step onto the floor trusting your body again.

Written by By Dr. Ally Nelson, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, CIDN| Physio Room

The post In-Season Low Back Pain in Gymnasts appeared first on Physio Room.

217. Reflect on Your Journey

Andrew Fix — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:00:44 +0000

What feels inconvenient, awkward, or disruptive today may be the exact pressure that pushes your life into its next shape.

As Dr. Andrew Fix prepares to leave the home where this chapter of The Code began, he uses the moment to reflect on how quickly life changes and what growth actually asks of us. A move, an early workout, a packed house, a full calendar. None of it feels especially polished. Yet that is exactly where the message lands. Progress often shows up in ordinary moments that ask for more than comfort can give.

This conversation circles around a simple question: what becomes possible when you do the thing you almost talked yourself out of? Dr. Fix shares how small choices to show up can lead to unexpected connections, fresh perspective, and the kind of momentum that does not come from staying where life feels easy. He also makes space for something many people skip. Reflection. How often do you stop long enough to notice how far you have come? How often do you give yourself credit for the quiet wins that never make the highlight reel?

The result is a grounded reminder that discomfort is often temporary, but the growth that comes from it can last. This episode speaks to anyone in the middle of change who needs a steadier way to look at challenge, transition, and the next step ahead.

Quotes

“The people who are willing to do things that most people won’t do are the ones who are going to wind up with opportunities that most people don’t get.” (03:12 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“It’s just crazy how you put yourself in scenarios that sometimes you don’t want to do.” (04:01 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” (04:47 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
Take a moment to reflect on the places that you’ve been, reflect on the things that you’ve accomplished.” (07:53 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“Sometimes it is hard to notice the little things when you’re just so focused on the next step or the big picture.” (08:26 | Dr. Andrew Fix)

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