The Tib Bar Review

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The Tib Trainer manufactures an easy to use Tib Bar for working out your tibialis anterior muscles. Compared to conventional tibialis-machines, it comes at a very reasonable price. This Tib Bar is very solid and sturdy built, made from metal! It is super lightweight (about 2,5 kg), portable and easy to store, even in the smallest home gym! In this article you will learn why tibialis anterior training is of utmost importance, in regards of concepts called “Structural Balance”, “Anatomy Trains”, for your ankle joints, knees and overall sports performance by using a Tib Bar by “ The Tib Trainer”.

Tibialis anterior – what it is and what it does

Before we can realize why the tibialis anterior needs special recognition for structural balance we have to look at where it is localized in the body and what it does.

“The tibialis anterior muscle is a muscle in humans that originates along the upper two-thirds of the lateral (outside) surface of the tibia and inserts into the medial cuneiform and first metatarsal bones of the foot. It acts to dorsiflex and invert the foot. This muscle is mostly located near the shin. It is situated on the lateral side of the tibia; it is thick and fleshy above, tendinous below. The tibialis anterior overlaps the anterior tibial vessels and deep peroneal nerve in the upper part of the leg.” (Wikipedia, 2021).

Because medical terms tend to be sometimes a bit confusing, I’d like to explain what you can find in the quote above, that’s not already explained.

The word tibia derives from Latin, meaning pipe, flute or shin (Becher et al., 1995). The term cuneiform is Latin as well, and translates into “having the shape of a wedge”, due to cuneus = wedge (Becher et al., 1995).

Meta/tarsal is made up of two terms, the Greek prefix meta = after(wards), subsequent, between; and Greek tarsus = “braided device for dehydration and drying” and “a designation for various flat structures” (Becher et al., 1995). Therefore Meta/tarsus = the “middle foot”.

Tibialis anterior, source: Wikipedia.

Functional anatomy is always important to see the bigger picture (structural balance) and why it is important to train a certain muscle, rather than just doing something without knowing why.

Moreover, you should not look at the world “through a straw”. So to speak, you cannot look at the tibialis anterior isolated but you’ll have to develop an understanding of how it interacts with other muscles in the lower leg.

According to Tom Myers, the inventor of “Anatomy Trains”, the tibialis anterior is part of, what he calls, the “spiral line”, respectively the “jump rope” of the leg.

Myers writes:

“There is a long fascial loop that connects the front of the pelvis to the back of the pelvis via the arch of the foot. This line start out from the anterior superior iliac spine with the tensor fasciae latae, which feeds into iliotibial tract, which is connected fascially and very strongly to the tibialis anterior. The tibialis runs down to the weakest point of the arch – the first metatarsal-cuneiform joint, where it is always shown attaching. However, we were able to dissect a clear and strong attachement to the peroneus longus tendon that comes at the joint from the lateral side. Thus this “jump rope”continues its connection upt the outside of the calf to the fibular head, and right on into the lateral hamstring, the biceps femoris. Again, this is a strong and distinct connection; nothing wimpy about it. This of course, brings us to back of the pelvis at the ischial tuberosity.” (Myers, 2012).

You can have a look at this “jump rope” by looking at “Anatomy Trains – Early Dissective Evidence”.

Content is nothing without context! According to that, understanding the importance of the tibialis anterior we must also think according to the concept of “structural balance”.

Structural Balance is a concept/term that was coined by my strength coach mentor, Charles R. Poliquin (R.I.P.), aka “Strength Sensei”, back in the early 1990s.

Charles figured out, that when the muscles are all in proper balance with each other, his athletes made much faster progress in the weight room and were less likely prone to injuries.

In a nutshell: Charles approach was first to identify the “weakest link in the chain”, then strengthening it, to achieve optimal developed/strengthened muscles for optimal sport specific performance.

Please keep in mind that this is a simplified summary of what structural balance is attended to be.  Of course, you have to take further variables into this “equation”, like things that prevent muscles from working properly.

It’s not always only a lack of strength but rather a combination of improper strength, adhesions, trigger points, scars,  and many other things, like “Emotional Anatomy” (embodied feelings, a term coined by Stanley Keleman).

Nevertheless, to keep a long and rather complicated anatomically story short, the tibialis anterior is one of the most neglected muscles, not only among professional athletes.

The Tib Trainer – How to use the Tib Bar

OK, now that you have a little background of why it is important to properly train your tibialis anterior, let’s go into practice and see how it’s done, using the Tib Bar by “The Tib Trainer”.

Tib Bar in action, source: own picture.

Using a the TibBar is easy as A, B, C.

It is made in the UK, using locally sourced, laser cut, steel. After welding the bars are enameled to finish. Weighing just 2.5kg, it is perfect for any home- or commercial-gym.

It provides a specialty, custom made, 48mm collar (with rubber coating inside) to ensure the weights fit perfectly secure without the use of pins or shims. Due to that, the attached weight plates won’t chatter during training, which would be super annoying.

So, you simply attach the weight of your desire and secure it with the aforementioned collar. Now, you’re ready to go. For a comfortable training I’d recommend to place the heels of a regular gym bench. This will allow free range of motion for your feet, respectively in the ankle joint.

If the bench isn’t soft enough and you feel your Achilles tendon to be compressed too much, you might want to place a towel between your lower legs and the bench to increase comfort.

Of course you can play around with various angles of the bench and/or your knees, keeping them bent or straight. To narrow it down, changes of doing something wrong in this exercise are almost zero. Except you don’t do this exercise at all!

Basically, tibialis anterior training is a simple curling movement, so don’t overthink it.

Tib Bar against shin splints and Co.?

Speaking from my expertise as Strength-Coach and “Heilpraktiker” (Complementary and Alternative Medicine Practitioner) I often see professional and hobby-athletes in my practice complaining about shin splints.

For those of you who are not familiar with this issue here’s a brief explanation:

“A shin splint, also known as medial tibial hematoma, is pain along the inside edge of the shinbone (tibia) due to inflammation of tissue in the area. Generally this is between the middle of the lower leg and the ankle. The pain may be dull or sharp, and is generally brought on by high-impact exercise that overloads the tibia. It generally resolves during periods of rest. Complications may include stress fractures.” (Wikipedia, 2021).

End of free preview. If you want to read the whole article (2500 words in total), you can do so at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/berndstoesslein/the-tib-trainer-review If you like my article you can support my work by becoming a supporter: www.buymeacoffee.com(berndstoesslein or a member. This helps me a lot, for creating future quality content. Thank you in advance. I wish you an energetic day!
Best,
Bernd Stoesslein

Tib Bar in action, combined with a Power Plate, source: own picture.

If you like to book an online consulting with me to learn more about strength and conditioning, nutrition, brain coaching, supplements etc. please feel free to send me an E-Mail to:

info@bernd-stoesslein.de

© HP Bernd Stößlein, Master of Business Administration in Sportmanagement.

If you liked this article please share it with your friends, subscribe to the newsletter and the blog.

If you like to book a professional treatment as a patient of my “Heilpraktiker” (Complementary and alternative medicine practitioner) patient in Germany, please contact me:

info@heilpraktiker-stoesslein.de

Pictures:

Tibialis anterior muscle, modified by Uwe Gille – Gray437.png, source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musculus_tibialis_anterior#/media/Datei:Tibialis_anterior_2.png, access from 21.9.21.

Literature

Tibialis anterior muscle, source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibialis_anterior_muscle, access from 8.9.21.

Lateinisch-griechischer Wortschatz in der Medizin, S. 64.

Lateinisch-griechischer Wortschatz in der Medizin, S. 135.

Lateinisch-griechischer Wortschatz in der Medizin, S. 220.

Lateinisch-griechischer Wortschatz in der Medizin, S. 227.

Anatomy Trains – Early  Dissective Evidence, source: https://www.anatomytrains.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/dissection.pdf, access from 8.9.21.

Shin splints, source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin_splints, access from 8.9.21.

Tip: Tibialis Anterior Raise, source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-tibialis-anterior-raise/, access: 8.9.21.

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FingerWeights Therapy Pro Mobile Kit Review

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FingerWeights, as the name suggests, are little weights, especially designed for improving one’s finger extension (with 10g up to 90g/finger). Speaking from my expertise as a Strength-Coach and “Heilpraktiker” (Complementary and Alternative Medicine Practitioner) I claim that finger extension is by far one of the most neglected movements in the world of health and sports performance! Nevertheless, in regard of structural balance and overall performance, the training of the finger extensors is of uttermost importance! In this article I’ll show the benevolent reader how and when to integrate FingerWeights in regard of structural balance and more.

—> With Code “ENERGY” you can safe 10% on everything you purchase on Fingerweights.com 

FingerWeights – What are these?

Obviously, FingerWeights are little weights for your fingers! But what makes them unique?

In this article I’m focusing on the Therapy Pro Mobile Kit, that comes with 10 so called “Flex Finger Weights” (see picture).

Therapy Pro Mobile Kit, source: © FingerWeights.

This kit is designed for therapists/coaches/medical professionals who know about structural balance and the importance of not only flexing your finger/hand/forearm, but also to properly extend it!

The Flex Finger Weights are designed to fit any size finger, each unit’s resistance is adjustable in 10-gram increments up to 90 grams per finger with the addition of three “Tungsten resistance rods”.

The kit comes with:

  • 10 Flex FingerWeights
  • 30 Stainless Steel Resistance Rods (10g each)
  • 3 Tungsten Resistance Rods (30g each)
  • A light weight transport case that stores the FingerWeights shock proof
  • A rod removal tool
  • A QR-code for exercise instructions

Extrinsic extensor muscles of the hand

Let’s have a brief anatomical excurse about the extrinsic extensor muscles of the hand.

These “(…)are located in the back of the forearm and have long tendons connecting them to bones in the hand, where they exert their action. Extrinsic denotes their location outside the hand. Extensor denotes their action which is to extend, or open flat, joints in the hand. They include the extensor carpi radialis longus (ECRL), extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB), extensor digitorum (ED), extensor digiti minimi (EDM), extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU), abductor pollicis longus (APL), extensor pollicis brevis (EPB), extensor pollicis longus (EPL), and extensor indicis (EI).” (Wikipedia, 2021).

The most important are:

  • Extensor carpi radialis longus: extends, abducts wrist
  • Extensor carpi radialis brevis: extends, abducts wrist
  • Extensor digitorum: extends fingers, wrist
  • Extensor digiti minimi: extends little finger at all joints
  • Extensor carpi ulnaris: extends, adducts wrist
  • Abductor pollicis longus:  abducts, extends thumb
  • Extensor pollicis brevis: extends thumb at Metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint
  • Extensor pollicis longus: extends thumb at MCP and interphalangeal (IP) joint
  • Extensor indicis: extends index finger, wrist

FingerWeights for Structural Balance?

The term “structural balance” was coined by my strength-coach mentor Charles R. Poliquin (aka the “Strength Sensei”). It describes an optimal interaction of muscles involved in movement in general (like an economical gait) or while performing a specific task (like grapping, pulling, pushing etc.).

Just to give you an idea, here are some numbers that are considered to be “optimal” when it comes to compared lifts:

  • Front Squat: 85% of back squat
  • Preacher Curls: 40% of flat bench press
  • Military Press (standing, strict): 45% of back squat
  • Power Clean: 68 % of back squat

Unfortunately, to my knowledge, there are no numbers  (yet) for structural balance that show an “optimal” ratio between forearm/finger flexion and extension.

So, what’s the point of structural balance, considering forearm/finger strength?

Well, in general, grip strength is already a neglected and overlooked aspect in strength training.

Training the finger EXTENSORS, however, is maybe something you have never observed in a commercial studio, or elsewhere.

To be honest, chances of seeing someone training his finger extensors might be higher than seeing Big Foot!

Even Strength Coaches on an elite level hardly take finger-extensor training into consideration.

Why? I cannot answer this question. Maybe, because nowadays people tend to rather consume information than producing it.  You learn some stuff from a coach and pass it on, without critically questioning these information.

As content is nothing without context, I’d like to explain why I think finger extensor training is as important  as any other extensor muscle training in your body.

Grip strength is super important, in pretty much any sport performance. But with gripping power (finger/forearm flexion) you should also develop proper forearm extension strength!

Otherwise your forearms/fingers will eventually suffer from structural disbalance. You might be able to close your hand properly but opening it and especially extending all fingers might cause problems.

This one-sided movement pattern might not only result in structural disbalance, but also cause “issue in the tissue”, i.e. trigger points in the tendons, adhesions in the fascia and much more.

Then the “downward spiral” starts, as the mentioned issues above might cause even more movement restriction, pain, inflammation etc.

So, in a nutshell, not training one’s finger/forearm extensors is like not training your tibialis anterior (a muscle of your shin, that is commonly neglected in training). It is, as we say in German, “only half of the rent”. Therefore, not good for anything!

If you want to learn how to train your tibialis anterior, you can do so in my article about the Tib Bar (coming soon).

A matter of strength curves

The company writes:
“FingerWeights apply the basic principles of progressive resistance training as a means to increase gentle range of motion, endurance, flexibility, dexterity, precision, and overall strength. The Flex Model provides proprioceptive and kinesthetic input so the person can better sense the position of their fingers and the movement of their fingers. Along with the more obvious health and wellness aspects, athletes looking for that edge will also benefit from utilizing FingerWeights (Flex). Whether it’s better ball control in baseball, or improved handles and shooting in basketball, FingerWeights hone in on the fine motor muscles in the fingers and hands to help maximize overall performance” (FingerWeigths, 2021).

FingerWeights do come in different options: As the “Original” and the “Flex” version. Of course you do not always have to buy a complete kit, but can purchase single ones, too.

But, in this article, I’m going to focus on the “Therapy Pro Mobile Kit”.                                                                                                             

The bands are designed to fit any size finger, each unit’s resistance is adjustable in 10-gram increments up to 90 grams per finger with the addition of the 3 Tungsten resistance rods.

Insert pic with FW on hand

So what makes these little weights unique? Well, I’ll tell you what. If you’re looking for a ways to train your finger/forearm extensors, you probably stumbled upon this article.

Probably you also have done some research on the topic and found conventional methods of training finger extensors, with rubber band devices, like the “Handmaster Plus” (see picture below).

Handmaster Plus (affiliate link) “Your All-in-One Hand Strength Solution, source: own picture.

Don’t get me wrong, these bands are not bad. But, considering “strength curves”, they work entirely different than FingerWeights, which are like super small dumbbells.

To explain the difference, we’ll have to look at something that is called “strength-“ or “resistance curves”.

By the way, this will teach you thinking in principles, as these strength curves apply generally to the whole body, and not only to working out your fingers/forearm extensors.

When you use a band, the force you need to apply will increase exponentially, as the resistance will increase (exponentially) the more you pull the band.

If you use FingerWeights, on the contrary, their strength curve applies to the laws of gravity. The strength vector will always point perpendicular to the floor, even if you lift the finger, due to gravity.

This has the advantage that you can decide whether and how much force you want to apply on each individual finger, whereas with a band you’ll have to extend harder and harder, the more you extend a finger!

Strength curve, using a “Handmaster Pro“, source: own picture.

Using FingerWeights (as shown in the picture/exercise below), the strength-curve would be more “bell-shaped”, with the greatest resistance at a 90° angle, when the finger is parallel to the floor/table.

If you continue to ascend your finger, the resistance curve descends, as the strength you’ll have to use (to lift the finger up) will decrease.

Strength curve, using a “FingerWeight”, source: own picture.

Always keep in mind, that, by using a dumbbell (in this case the FingerWeight), the force of gravity will always point perpendicular to the ground, due to gravity (see picture)!

Direction of gravity, using a “FingerWeight”, source: own picture.

FingerWeights and Esports

So, maybe you have heard about the multi-million/-billion dollar industry of professional gaming, called “Esports”. If not, you will find plenty of info about it on the internet.

For all of you who already know about the topic but want to learn more about it, I’d recommend my article: “Strength and Conditioning Training for Esports”.

In this article I’ll explain why grip- and neck-strength, as well as “electromechanical delay” are important for increasing an Esport-Athlete’s performance!

While I explain in detail how to improve this performance in the linked article I’d like to add here, that training your finger extension will boost your Esport performance even more.

This makes sense, as a movement in the finger does not only acquire someone to hit a key on a keyboard (which is finger-flexion) but also to lift one’s fingers (which is finger-extension) to reach another key, or to hit a key again.

Therefore, not only training your finger flexion, but also focusing on your finger-extension is super important to increase your “typing-“, respectively “key-hitting” speed.

In my opinion FingerWeights have the advantage of micro-adjusting weights, from 10-90g/finger. This will give an Esport Athlete the possibility to increase the weight for finger extension, without messing up his “movement pattern”.

As I already wrote in 2020:

“Being a pro esport gamer requires you being able to process information as fast as possible to make the winning move! That means that it is not only some typing on a keyboard and scrolling around with the cursor of your mouse. It is about the speed of information ßàreaction time! How fast can you absorb, realize, interpret your esport related environment (game) AND how fast you can take action!” (Stößlein, 2020).

When would I integrate them in a training program?

Ok, now it’s time to answer the question: “How do you integrate FingerWeights” into a strength-training workout.

It’s not always easy to answer a question in a general manner. But, I’d recommend the following:

If it is structural balance you’re aiming for, you could simply integrate finger extensor training into your grip-training session.

For example as an agonist-antagonist training.

Let’s say as a D1 and D2 exercise, performed immediately after each other.

D1: Gripedo Grip Training (click on the link, to read my article)

D2: FingerWeights Finger extension

Both could be performed either on a separate “grip-strength-day” or at the end of any other workout.

If you don’t have time at the end of a workout you can even integrate your finger extensor training in the evening, while watching TV or at the office, during a little break.

Simply grab a Lacrosse ball (can be bought for under 6 EUR/$). With this you can perform grip strength (finger/forearm flexion) and finger extension with your FingerWeights at once, respectively in a “superset”.

Just grab and squeeze the Lacrosse ball as hard as you can, then extend each finger individually without lifting the other fingers from the ball.

You will be surprised how hard it is, i.e. to only lift your ring finger without extending other fingers as well!

Using a “FingerWeight” in combination with a Lacrosse ball (affiliate link), source: own picture.

FingerWeights Therapy Pro Mobile Kit Conclusion

In a nutshell, FingerWeights are an easy to use and affordable method to reach structural balance in your forearms. Training finger extensors is a very rare thing to do, even amongst professional athletes.

But that should not scar you from implementing finger extensor training into your routine. From my expertise, I’ll state that this – if done correctly – will only improve your output.

No matter if you like to improve sport specific tasks, your daily routine or to improve your rehabilitation.

Having an instrument like a hand (which is a super complicated “tool”) is something we should be thankful for. Why then only train one half of it with grapping?! Take your life to the fullest and learn how to properly extend every single finger.

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If you like to book an online consulting with me to learn more about strength and conditioning, nutrition, brain coaching, supplements etc. for (e)sports please feel free to send me an E-Mail to:

info@bernd-stoesslein.de

© HP Bernd Stößlein, Master of Business Administration in Sportmanagement.

If you liked this article please share it with your friends, subscribe to the newsletter and the blog.

If you like to book a professional treatment as a patient of my “Heilpraktiker” (Complementary and alternative medicine practitioner) patient in Germany, please contact me:

info@heilpraktiker-stoesslein.de

Literature

Extrinsic extensor muscles of the hand, source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrinsic_extensor_muscles_of_the_hand, access, 31.8.21.

FingerWeights, Athletics, source: https://fingerweights.com/pages/athletics, access from: 1.9.21.

Stößlein, 2020, Strength and Conditioning Training for Esports, source: https://www.bernd-stoesslein.de/2020/08/28/strength-and-conditioning-training-for-esports/, access from 1.9.21.

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