The ISA isn’t the answer. It’s the question.

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💡 Most people measuring ISAs are looking for a fixed answer. But in the UHPC Model, the infrasternal angle (ISA) isn’t a number — it’s a behavior. And if you’re basing your entire intervention strategy off “wide vs narrow,” you’re likely missing the point.

In this episode of the UHPC Podcast, we break down what the ISA really tells you (and what it doesn’t).

You’ll learn:

🔸 Why the ISA is a proxy measure.

🔸 The most common errors people make when assessing rib cage shape.

🔸 How compression, compensatory strategy, and behavior blur structural bias.

🔸 When your “narrow” isn’t really narrow — and how to know.

🔸 Why trusting the process matters more than getting the angle right.

🧠 The ISA doesn’t predict outcomes. The response to intervention does. Learn how to measure, sense, and course-correct inside the only coherent movement model that connects structure, behavior, and constraint.

🚀 Join the UHP Network FREE

🎓 Take the Free Model 101 Course, Assessment 101 Course, & Decision-Making Course

📂 Access free Q&A calls, case studies, and movement articles

🧑‍💻 Learn directly from Bill Hartman

👉 https://www.uhp.network

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 — Why the ISA conversation keeps coming back

How the YouTube algorithm loves ISA content — but it often draws people in through the wrong lens.

1:50 — What the ISA actually is

It’s a proxy for rib cage behavior during breathing — and it requires context, structure, and experience to interpret properly.

4:36 — Experience matters more than accuracy

The difference between making a wrong call and letting the response reveal your answer.

10:52 — What not to do when measuring ISA

Bill explains why using a goniometer or basing your entire intervention off of ISA alone will lead you down the wrong path.

13:44 — Archetypes, compensation, and behavior

How structure becomes more apparent after compensation is resolved and why this trips people up.

19:36 — Why behavior reveals more than structure

ISA “types” can look the same under compression.

22:36 — Measurement is a beginning, not a conclusion

This wraps with how to let the system show you where to go — even if your initial measurement was off — by using process, and KPIs.

📅 New episodes every other Tuesday @ 12 PM ET

🎧 Subscribe for direct-from-the-source education on the UHPC Model.

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#UHPC #ISA #InfrasternalAngle #BillHartman #CompressionExpansion #UHPCModel #MovementAssessment #Coaching #Biomechanics

Stretching ≠ solving hamstring tightness.

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💡 Feeling “tight hamstrings” doesn’t mean your hamstrings are short and need to be stretched. It means your system is expressing a strategy under load.

In this episode of the UHPC Podcast, Bill Hartman and Chris Wicus walk through why stretching often makes hamstring tightness worse — and what actually drives lasting change.

You’ll learn:

🔸 Why hamstring “tightness” is usually a protective output, not a length problem.

🔸 How anterior orientation and forward projection create false tension.

🔸 Why toe-touching improves on a ramp (and what that really tells you).

🔸 How to use shape change and pressure management to restore movement.

🔸 A 3-step sequence to reduce tension without pulling on tissue.

⚠️ This isn’t about flexibility. It’s about energy management and the ability to yield.

🧠 If this clicks, it’s because you’re finally hearing it from a system that sees the whole.

🚀 Join the UHP Network FREE

🎓 Take the Free Model 101 Course, Decision-Making Course, & Anatomy 101 Course

📂 Access free case studies & performance articles

🧑‍💻 Learn directly from Bill Hartman

👉 https://www.uhp.network

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 — Understanding Hamstring Tightness

Bill and Chris break down why “tight hamstrings” aren’t about length but sensation — and how tension emerges from system strategy, not isolated muscle behavior.

5:53 — The Mechanics of Stretching

They dig into why stretching feels good temporarily but often reinforces compensatory patterns — and how to test whether you’re actually changing anything.

11:41 — Gravity Management and Body Positioning

Here’s where the real insight hits: how your relationship to the ground, orientation, and forward projection drive the sensation of tightness — and how tools like ramps help clarify position.

17:48 — Practical Strategies for Hamstring Relief

A three-step progression using foam rolling, positional breathing, and ramp toe-touches to resolve tension through shape change and delayed propulsion.

📅 New episodes every other Tuesday @ 12 PM ET

🎧 Subscribe for clarity-driven reasoning and direct-from-the-source education on the UHPC Model.

🔔 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BillHartmanPT

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#UHPC #HamstringTightness #StopStretching #BillHartman #RECONprogram #Coaching #Performance #Biomechanics

Stop guessing with assessments. Start learning from the source.

Free courses and the new Assessment 101 are waiting for you: http://UHP.network

Think you know how to assess a squat? Think again.

In this episode, Bill Hartman and Chris dismantle the myth of “squat as pattern” and show you how to actually use squats as diagnostic behavior. The focus is on propulsion, internal rotation, and how the system expresses its real strategy.

You’ll never look at a butt wink, heel lift, or shift the same way again.

What You’ll Learn

Why squats are not universal patterns. They are outputs of constraint

How to read internal rotation within a squat

Why “fixing form” can remove the evidence you're looking for

How propulsion phases show up during descent and return

Why ramps, heel lifts, and load are strategic resistance

The difference between limitation and protective behavior

How to connect squat behavior with table test findings

Why “stance” language confuses what is actually happening

Episode Timestamps

00:00 – Squatting Isn’t a Pattern

01:26 – Strategy Over Shape: Reading the Squat

03:48 – Stop Over-Coaching: Let Behavior Speak

06:13 – Observation over Correction: How to Set It Up

09:05 – Shifts, Reach, and Posterior Orientation

11:44 – Complex Movements Mirror the Table Tests

14:19 – Squatting as Phases of Propulsion

17:34 – Manipulating Propulsion with Constraints

20:34 – Strategic Resistance: Ramps, Heels, and Load

25:35 – Goblet vs Plate Reach: IR Strategies in Action

Assessment 101 is coming soon to http://UHP.network

Sign up now to get early access, plus these free resources:

Model 101 Course

Decision-Making Course

Propulsive Anatomy Intro

Weekly Q&A calls and content archive with UHP+ membership

Start learning the UHPC Model from the source and make sense of your assessments.

Stay Connected

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🔖 Hashtags

#SquatAssessment #PropulsionPhases #StrategicResistance #UHPCModel #Biomechanics #InternalRotationMatters #AssessDontCorrect #MovementStrategy #StrengthCoach #HumanMovement

It is so much more than biomechanics…

→ Join http://UHP.network FREE to start learning.

Not a pattern. Not a form. A strategy. This episode redefines everything you thought you knew about squatting — through the lens of the Unified Health & Performance Continuum (UHPC) Model.

00:00 – Intro: Squat ≠ Pattern

01:38 – Strategic Resistance Explained

05:01 – Why Movement Patterns Fail

07:06 – No Ideal, Just Strategy

10:05 – Olympic Lifts & Deep Squat Variability

13:29 – Squatting Through the Lens of Propulsion

15:43 – Developmental Alignment: Babies & Broad Jumps

17:14 – Forward Motion is the Only Motion

20:17 – Containment vs. Reversal

21:38 – Losing Early Propulsion = Rigid Squats

22:48 – Wide Archetypes & Foot Position

23:59 – Episode Wrap-Up: Not a Pattern

24:13 – Bonus Question: What Are You Watching?

Subscribe for more episodes that redefine movement through the UHPC Model.

#Squat #UHPCModel #BillHartman #StrategicResistance #ShapeChange #ForwardMotion #MovementIsBehavior #CoachingBetter

LEARN MORE

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Podcast audio:

https://open.spotify.com/show/7cJM6v5S38RLroac6BQjrd?si=eca3b211dafc4202

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reconsider-with-bill-hartman/id1662268221

or download with YT Premium

"You’re Not Measuring What You Think: Movement Screens, Compensations, and Energetic Behavior"

→ Join http://UHP.network FREE to start learning.

Episode Overview

Bill and Chris explore how complex movements—like squats, toe touches, and turns—serve as energetic assessments within the UHPC Model. Gravity, pressure, and shape govern what you see. The episode walks through real examples, including a breakdown of the Apley Scratch Test, showing how misinterpreted motions can still offer useful information if understood through shape and phase.

Key Topics & Chapter Highlights

00:00 – Complex Movements vs Traditional Screens

01:30 – The Value of Table Tests in Interpreting Behavior

03:45 – How Gravity Uncovers Hidden Constraints

06:00 – The Scratch Test Misconception

08:30 – Movement Is Always Strategy

10:30 – Squats and Toe Touches as Energetic Windows

12:45 – When and Why People Can’t Access Motion

15:00 – Rotation Tests and Propulsion Phases

20:00 – Real-World Application and the Problem with Labels

30:00 – Final Thoughts and Coffee Orders

Key Takeaways

Movement screens don’t test joints—they reveal strategies.

Clean table measures don’t guarantee upright performance.

The Apley Scratch Test shows IR on both sides, not ER vs IR.

Compensation is not dysfunction—it’s a strategy.

Squats, toe touches, and turns are behavioral probes, not mobility checks.

Labels like “IR-deficient” often miss the deeper systemic constraint.

If you don’t understand what you’re seeing, you can’t intervene effectively.

LEARN MORE

JOIN the UHP Network to learn directly from Bill through articles, videos and courses.

http://UHP.network

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IG: https://www.instagram.com/bill_hartman_pt/

TRAIN WITH BILL

Interested in the only training program based on Bill Hartman’s Model?

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Podcast audio:

https://open.spotify.com/show/7cJM6v5S38RLroac6BQjrd?si=eca3b211dafc4202

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reconsider-with-bill-hartman/id1662268221

or download with YT Premium

Episode Overview

Bill and Chris unpack the philosophy and implementation of assessment within the UHPC Model, showing how testing reveals energetic behavior—not just structural position. Rather than focusing on static joint angles, they illustrate how relative motion, systemic organization, and phase-based strategies tell the real story of what a system can or cannot do. The discussion critiques isolative and reductionist interpretations and offers a coherent, propulsion-informed approach to understanding and intervening effectively.

Key Topics & Chapter Highlights

00:00 – What Assessment Is For

02:30 – You’re Probably Not Measuring What You Think You Are

06:40 – What ER and IR Measures Actually Tell You

09:10 – Relative Motion vs Orientation

12:00 – Local Symptoms Are Global Behavior Problems

14:00 – ER = Space | IR = Pressure

16:30 – Table Tests Aren’t Neutral

20:00 – Propulsion Phases Reveal the Strategy

24:00 – The Tests Reveal Potential, Not Performance

27:30 – Even If You Don’t Do Table Tests...

Key Takeaways

Assessment reveals system behavior, not joint capacity.

You’re always measuring shape, not parts.

Table tests show potential, not upright readiness—but they’re foundational for interpreting strategy.

Relative motion is key. Orientation without opposition means compression and less adaptability.

IR = pressure. ER = space. Both are phase-dependent, not just joint-specific.

Complex movements reflect strategy. Know what you’re seeing.

No movement is neutral. Every behavior reflects an energetic solution—or a compensation.

LEARN MORE

JOIN the UHP Network to learn directly from Bill through articles, videos and courses.

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FOLLOW Bill on IG to stay up to date on when his courses are coming out:

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TRAIN WITH BILL

Interested in the only training program based on Bill Hartman’s Model?

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FREE EBOOK by Bill about the guiding principles of training when you fill out your sign-up form.

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Podcast audio:

https://open.spotify.com/show/7cJM6v5S38RLroac6BQjrd?si=eca3b211dafc4202

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reconsider-with-bill-hartman/id1662268221

or download with YT Premium

Free articles and courses about movement from Bill Hartman at http://uhp.network

Episode Overview

Bill and Chris delve into the detailed behavior of muscles as dynamic, context-sensitive tissues. They emphasize that muscles don’t simply contract or produce force but modulate tension, stiffness, and elasticity to support movement and structural integrity. #fitness #movement #muscle #health #physicaltherapy #strengthtraining

Key Topics & Chapter Highlights

00:00 – Muscles as Adaptive Tissues

02:50 – Tension and Stiffness Modulation

06:10 – Phase-Specific Muscle Roles

09:45 – Impact of Habitual Muscle Patterns

13:20 – Elasticity’s Role in Movement Efficiency

17:00 – Coordinating Breath and Muscle Tone

20:00 – Muscle Behavior as Shape Change

22:30 – Strategies to Restore Muscle Responsiveness

Key Takeaways

Muscle behavior is adaptive and context-dependent, not merely force production.

Tension and stiffness are modulated to balance stability and mobility.

Movement phases dictate differing muscle roles and timing.

Habitual patterns reduce flexibility and movement options.

Elasticity and breath coordination are essential for efficient muscle function.

LEARN MORE

JOIN the UHP Network to learn directly from Bill through articles, videos and courses.

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TRAIN WITH BILL

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Podcast audio:

https://open.spotify.com/show/7cJM6v5S38RLroac6BQjrd?si=eca3b211dafc4202

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reconsider-with-bill-hartman/id1662268221

or download with YT Premium

Learn the truth about health and performance from Bill Hartman at http://uhp.network

Episode Overview

Bill and Chris unpack the widespread misuse of “core training” — especially crunches — as a solution for back pain or a shortcut to aesthetics. They challenge the isolative logic behind ab-focused exercises, arguing that these strategies often reinforce compression, reduce movement options, and degrade systemic adaptability. Drawing from UHPC principles, they reframe the core not as a region to be strengthened, but as a dynamic interface for managing pressure, guiding shape change, and enabling forward propulsion. Crunches may feel productive, but they often compromise what the system truly needs: coherence. #coreworkout #fitness #physicaltherapy #movement #absworkout

Key Topics & Chapter Highlights

00:00 – Crunches Reinforce the Problem

01:20 – Segmental Training Misses the System

04:00 – Compression Restricts Access

06:00 – Creating Space vs. Forcing Downforce

10:00 – What the “Core” Actually Does

13:00 – Pressure ≠ Strength

16:00 – Breath and Base Before Load

20:00 – Trade-offs of Aesthetic Focus

27:00 – A Coherent Core Sequence

Key Takeaways

Crunches constrain, they don’t liberate

Core muscles organize pressure, not aesthetics

True training integrates breath, position, and propulsion

Movement freedom is the ultimate measure of “core strength”

LEARN MORE

JOIN the UHP Network to learn directly from Bill through articles, videos and courses.

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TRAIN WITH BILL

Interested in the only training program based on Bill Hartman’s Model?

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FREE EBOOK by Bill about the guiding principles of training when you fill out your sign-up form.

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Podcast audio:

https://open.spotify.com/show/7cJM6v5S38RLroac6BQjrd?si=eca3b211dafc4202

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reconsider-with-bill-hartman/id1662268221

or download with YT Premium

Live Q&A Calls with Bill Hartman at http://uhp.network

Episode Overview

In this episode, Chris and Bill scrutinize the “Four Stages of Competence” model — a familiar framework in coaching and skill acquisition that assumes learners progress linearly from ignorance to mastery. This discussion reframes learning as a dynamic reorganization of behavior in response to constraint, not a climb up a competence ladder.

Key Topics & Chapter Highlights

00:00 – Why We’re Talking About “Learning”

04:00 – The “Four Stages” Origin Story

07:00 – Linearity vs. Complexity

10:00 – “Incompetence” Isn’t Incompetent

14:00 – Coaching Without Context Fails

18:00 – Behavioral Recognition Over Labels

23:00 – You’re Not Coaching a Blank Slate

28:00 – The Limits of Cueing

32:00 – Adaptive Behavior, Not Error

36:00 – Evolving the Model (Again)

41:00 – Interventions as Design, Not Correction

45:00 – Wrapping Up: The System Solves Itself

Key Takeaways

Movement — even if awkward or compensatory — reflects the best available solution to the system’s current constraints. That’s competence, just not your preferred version.

Adaptation doesn’t follow steps. It unfolds in response to pressure, structure, and context. That process is inherently non-linear.

Labels like “incompetent” blind us to what's actually happening. Watch what people do. Understand what it's solving for.

Models Should Breathe

Even the quadrant model evolved through testing. If your model isn’t helping you see clearly, evolve it — or discard it.

LEARN MORE

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TRAIN WITH BILL

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Podcast audio:

https://open.spotify.com/show/7cJM6v5S38RLroac6BQjrd?si=eca3b211dafc4202

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reconsider-with-bill-hartman/id1662268221

or download with YT Premium

Free articles and courses about movement from Bill Hartman at http://uhp.network

Episode Overview

In this episode, Chris and Bill take aim at the overused and under-defined concept of "core training." They unpack how the term has been inflated into a one-size-fits-all solution for pain, posture, and performance — without coherence or clarity.

Key Topics & Chapter Highlights

00:00 – Core as a Catch-All

02:45 – The Problem with “Core Weakness”

05:10 – What Does the Core Even Mean?

08:00 – The Myth of Bracing

11:25 – Structure Shapes Strategy

14:50 – Breathing vs. Bracing

17:30 – Positional Relevance

20:20 – Rehab Defaults and Lazy Logic

23:00 – A Better Question: What Is This Shape Solving For?

26:15 – Core Emerges, It’s Not Targeted

Key Takeaways

“The Core” Lacks Coherence

The term is too vague to be useful. It’s become a placeholder for problems we haven’t fully diagnosed.

Bracing is Not the Answer

Most core training uses bracing as a fix — but that often compresses options and distorts the system's ability to move.

Breath Drives Support

Coherent systems don’t stabilize through tension — they use pressure gradients, breath, and timing to support action.

Structure Shapes Need

Different archetypes demand different strategies. Core work that ignores structure will likely create conflict.

Emergence Over Isolation

Core integrity isn’t trained — it emerges when the system organizes itself well under load, direction, and breath.

LEARN MORE

JOIN the UHP Network to learn directly from Bill through articles, videos and courses.

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TRAIN WITH BILL

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Podcast audio:

https://open.spotify.com/show/7cJM6v5S38RLroac6BQjrd?si=eca3b211dafc4202

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reconsider-with-bill-hartman/id1662268221

or download with YT Premium