Should You Get Certified? How to Choose the Right Education for You

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💡 Not all certifications are created equal. And more letters after your name won’t guarantee better outcomes.

In this episode of the UHPC Podcast, Bill Hartman and Chris Wicus discuss what it really means to become a skilled practitioner — and why many educational paths lead to confusion instead of clarity. This episode introduces the new UHPC Practitioner Certification Pathway, but it’s more than an announcement. It’s a guide to rethinking your development as a professional.

Whether you’re early in your career or trying to untangle years of accumulated techniques, this conversation will help you reflect on what kind of learning process actually produces skill — and how to assess whether your current education model is serving you.

You’ll learn:

🔸 The difference between being tool-rich vs. skill-poor

🔸 Why a decision-making framework matters more than memorizing techniques

🔸 How the UHPC Curriculum builds practitioner-level reasoning across health and performance

🔸 What certification should actually prove — and why that includes in-person assessment

🔸 Why the “fragment problem” makes learning harder, not easier

🔸 How to build depth, coherence, and repeatability in your client outcomes

🧠 This isn’t about collecting more acronyms. It’s about becoming someone who knows what to do, when, and why — across any client presentation.

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📂 Access free articles, Q&A calls, and training content

🧑‍💻 Learn directly from Bill Hartman

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⏱️ Chapters

0:00 — Certifications, Tools, and What Actually Makes You Better

1:00 — Why Decision-Making Is the Real Foundation

4:35 — The UHPC Certification Pathway Overview

6:45 — From Novice to Practitioner: What the Curriculum Builds

9:25 — Structuring the Learning Path for Depth, Not Just Info

12:33 — The Role of Community and Support in Learning

18:38 — What Makes Certification Hard — and Why That Matters

📅 New episodes every other Tuesday at 12 PM ET

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Balanced training isn’t about push vs pull. It’s about pressure, shape, and strategy.

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💡 Most training imbalances aren’t muscle problems. They’re compressive strategies that limit movement options.

In this episode of the UHPC Podcast, Bill Hartman and Chris Wicus challenge the traditional idea of “balanced training” and explain why pushing and pulling are not opposites at all. They explore how all loaded exercise increases compression, how force production shapes the body, and why chasing symmetry in the gym often creates the very problems people are trying to fix.

You’ll learn:

🔸 Why push and pull exercises create similar compressive outcomes

🔸 How anterior to posterior thorax compression drives common posture myths

🔸 Why rows, presses, squats, and deadlifts all bias internal rotation under load

🔸 The real difference between training for health vs training for aesthetics

🔸 What “balance” actually means if your goal is to feel good and move well

🔸 How to reduce compression without giving up strength or performance

⚠️ Doing more pulling to “fix” pushing doesn’t restore movement. It often increases the same pressure in a different way.

🧠 If this reframes how you think about exercise balance, it’s because you’re hearing it from the source of the UHPC Model.

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🎓 Take the Free Model 101 Course and Decision-Making Course

📂 Access free articles and case studies on health and performance

🧑‍💻 Learn directly from Bill Hartman

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⏱️ Chapters

0:00 — What Is Balanced Training, Really?

Bill and Chris break down why push vs pull is a false dichotomy and where the idea came from.

10:50 — Compression Is the Common Denominator

All loaded exercise increases pressure. The stronger you get, the more compression you can create.

16:57 — Health Goals vs Aesthetic Goals

Why looking strong often reflects a highly compressed strategy that does not always feel good long term.

25:30 — What Balance Actually Means

True balance is the ability to access movement options and reduce compression when needed.

33:00 — Longevity, Consistency, and Feeling Good

Why restoring relative movement matters more than chasing symmetry or volume.

📅 New episodes every other Tuesday at 12 PM ET

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Shoulder pain isn't a mystery. It's a strategy.

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💡 Shoulder impingement isn't caused by a faulty shoulder. It's a shape problem.

In this episode of the UHPC Podcast, Bill Hartman and Chris Wicus break down the three common types of shoulder impingement (and one bonus type). They focus on constraint, space access, and thorax behavior instead of outdated diagnoses.

You’ll learn:

🔸 Why impingement isn't about the rotator cuff, and what to look at instead

🔸 How thorax compression creates the illusion of local shoulder dysfunction

🔸 What painful arc, Hawkins-Kennedy, and overhead symptoms really mean

🔸 How anterior, lateral, and superior pain patterns reflect specific compressive strategies

🔸 Practical approaches to restore internal rotation and reclaim shoulder space

⚠️ Diagnoses like "biceps tendonitis" or "rotator cuff syndrome" only make sense when the thorax is ignored.

🧠 If this clicks for you, it's because you're hearing it from the source of coherence.

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🎓 Take the Free Model 101 Course, Assessment 101 Course, and Anatomy 101 Course

📂 Access free case studies and articles on health and performance

🧑‍💻 Learn directly from Bill Hartman

👉 https://www.uhp.network

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 — What Is Shoulder Impingement, Really?

Bill and Chris lay the foundation. Shoulder pain is a space problem, not a tissue failure.

4:05 — Three Types of Impingement

They explain the mechanics behind Hawkins-Kennedy, painful arc, and Neer’s sign. Each tells a different story about compression and constraint.

12:39 — The Real Root Cause

Most shoulder pain starts in the thorax. Local symptoms are just the last stop in a long chain of shape loss.

17:49 — Compression Patterns and Shoulder Behavior

They explore how dorsal rostral and anterior thorax compression drive compensatory strategies in the shoulder.

25:36 — Practical Fixes That Actually Work

This segment gives listeners concrete tools for reclaiming internal rotation and reducing shoulder pressure without chasing the pain.

📅 New episodes every other Tuesday at 12 PM ET

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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.

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🎓 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

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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.

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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.

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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

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Podcast audio:

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

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

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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.

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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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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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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.

http://UHP.network

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

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

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YT: https://www.youtube.com/@BillHartmanPT

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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