Today’s podcast is with Ian Markow. Ian is a personal trainer and movement educator based in Delray Beach, Florida, and founder of Markow Training Systems. Ian utilizes methods and philosophies from Functional Range Conditioning, the Postural Restoration Institute, and more as he works with clients from the general population to professional athletes. Ian is an internationally recognized expert in fitness, mobility, and human performance and has a number of educational programs, courses, and workshops.

With the vast amount of information on corrective exercise, movement, and mobility training, knowing where to start and how to view the human moment equation can be challenging. As helpful as movement training can be, it can also easily create a training narrative that an athlete is dysfunctional, and promote a “nocebo” effect of movement limitations, as well as create an environment of high pressure on the part of the trainer to elicit particular movement and range of motion outcomes.

On today’s podcast, Ian discusses taking a practical perspective that centers on what an athlete can do rather than what they cannot and the simple gateways he manages to engage with the individual's breathing, mobility, and alignment. He also gets into ideas on managing more superficial movement abilities versus more deep-seated structural elements, gives his take on assessments, and much more.

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View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage.

Timestamps and Main Points

6:17- Empowering Mobility Training with Individualized Care

14:33- Dynamic Shoulder Mobility Through Break Dancing

18:10- Breath Work and Alternative Strength Movements

27:41- Engaging and Effective Dynamic Warm-ups

33:44- Prioritizing Simple Solutions for Tangible Improvements

42:17- Enhancing Performance Through Stride-Based Breathing

47:15- Balancing Intensity and Mobility for Overweight Clients

57:18- Wall-Based Assessments

1:01:20- The Impact of Rib Cage Structure

1:17:47- Yielding and Expanding for Optimal Breathing

1:23:39- Isometric Training with Horse Stance

1:28:42- Ian Markow's Training Methods and Workshops

Ian Markow Quotes

"But there's corners and things that you're hitting in your CARs that will maintain that joint over time, that simply, I just haven't found anything that gets there." - Ian Markow

"I think you can generally get stronger. So let's strength train and keep you fit while we work around some of your limitations, but also specifically for your elbow. When you go to play tennis or paddle, why don't you go ahead and do these elbow CARs? Let's do a few more of these every day and just keep the thing moving." - Ian Markow

"I could care less what her hip rotation is because we're obviously crushing it. She feels great. She's more confident. You know what I mean? So those are the outcomes that matter, and it all comes down to the goal." - Ian Markow

"In another way of putting it, I'm kind of thinking about stumbling, thinking about what the right phrase is, but just keeping the training vibe. It's keeping the training vibe and is the main thing feeling better and not getting bogged down with other little minutiae." - Joel Smith

"I think most people are so crushed in their lower back ribs that when I teach them how to round them and then how to breathe into them and get separation between those ribs, that can be absolutely a game changer." - Ian Markow

"I think effortless efficiency is a big, kind of, like, catchphrase that I've been really loving for the past few years. The idea that you use as much tension as you need, but no more than that, because that's what efficiency is." - Ian Markow

"And just like the cold plunge is like this huge phenomenon right now, it's the same thing. You're in the bottom of a split squat and your leg is violently shaking. You need to learn how to get through that wall." - Ian Markow

About Ian Markow

Ian Markow, a dedicated personal trainer and educator from Miami, FL, began his fitness journey at Crunch Gyms, and eventually Goldman Sachs, in New York City. Ian is the founder of Markow Training Systems (MTS), and has a number of courses, training programs, and is a regular workshop presenter. Ian is well versed in the Functional Range Conditioning system, and is a sought-after expert in the realms of mobility, fitness and human movement.