The Prehab Guys

The Prehab Guys Clinician HEP platform with structured exercise progressions
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Normally when you think of the term “physical therapy”, what comes to mind? The standard physical therapy model normally entails rehabilitation after injury. Now, could those same injuries have been prevented? Could that surgery have been avoided? What if you could optimize your human movement system to perform at its peak all the time? We, The Prehab Guys, want to instill new meaning into the term physical therapy. Physical therapy is the key to preventative rehabilitation, or “Prehab” for short. Physical therapists are human movement consultants. In order to take care of our bodies, we humans seek dentists for oral hygiene, physicians for internal medicine, and eye doctors to preserve our vision. Movement is just another pillar in which care must be given as well. We are The Prehab Guys, a group of Physical Therapists who you can follow and communicate with regarding your movement system. Our mission is to provide accurate information to help you move better to prevent injuries before they occur. A few topics we will address include: identifying movement dysfunction, corrective exercise, common compensatory patterns, lifting tips and tricks, strength and conditioning, stretching techniques, debunking common myths, & the carryover of exercises to specific sports. Follow us, we’ll keep you moving.

02/20/2026

Should you avoid deadlifting for back pain? The short answer: no, but we want to be intentional about how we reintroduce them.

The fear of injury is valid, but injuries with deadlifts have far more to do with poor training methodology than the movement itself. Do you need to deadlift 500 lbs? For most people, no. But the deadlift mirrors how we lift objects in everyday life, and the ability to hip hinge is CRUCIAL for longevity.

As you get older, a hip hinge strategy may literally be the difference between staying upright and hitting the floor. No matter who you are or what your injury history looks like, it is safe to deadlift.

This video walks you through some of our favorite progressions to get there, but the physical work starts with a perspective shift. Injuries don’t come from one movement or one exercise, they’re far more complex than that. The human spine (and body as a whole) is incredibly resilient and WILL adapt to the forces placed on it. Variation, graded exposure, and permission to move are the keys to getting there.

For Clinicians: get access to our full content library, including thousands of exercises with micro progressions and variations you can send directly to your patients. Try our HEP builder free for 7 days via our bio

The pistol squat is a complex movement that involves appropriate single-leg strength, motor control of the lower extremi...
02/18/2026

The pistol squat is a complex movement that involves appropriate single-leg strength, motor control of the lower extremity and core, and range of motion, particularly at the ankle and hip joint.

Progressing towards optimal mobility and strength needed to tackle a pistol squat is necessary. This post will break down how to build the proper balance of strength, motor control, and mobility needed to perform this challenging movement. Without the properly progressed recipe, you may find yourself falling time after time.

Clinicians! Need more exercise options like this for your patients? We have an HEP platform with all of our tutorial style videos. Try it free for 7 days: https://library.theprehabguys.com/prehab-exercise-library/?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=evergreen&utm_medium=social

02/14/2026

Can you perform 20 single leg heel raises through full range with good control? If not, that may point to reduced calf strength and endurance, which is commonly associated with calf strains, Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, and ongoing foot or ankle discomfort.

The good news: calf capacity responds really well to progressive, well targeted loading.

Exercises shown in this video:
👉 Double-leg heel raises → build baseline plantarflexion strength
👉 Bent-knee heel raises → bias the soleus
👉 Eccentric single-leg heel raises → improve force control during lengthening (stairs, landing, deceleration)
👉 Single-leg heel raises off a step → train deeper range + load the Achilles
👉 Loaded progressions + dynamic movement prep (pivoting, cutting)

Your calves play a major role in force absorption, propulsion, and lower extremity load management. Building real capacity here matters for both performance and injury resilience.

👋Clinicians: Want structured exercise progressions with scalable loading and movement-specific variations you can apply immediately? You’ll find them inside the Prehab Exercise Library - try it free for 7 days at the link in bio

Clinicians! Check out https://library.theprehabguys.com/prehab-exercise-library/ for 7 day free access to the Prehab Exe...
02/10/2026

Clinicians! Check out https://library.theprehabguys.com/prehab-exercise-library/ for 7 day free access to the Prehab Exercise Library.

The above exercises have been identified to have the most MVIC% (maximum isometric voluntary contraction) of each of the three glute muscles. Meaning that, the higher the MVIC%, the more work that particular glute muscle is doing.

If you’ve been doing just clam variations, it’s time to add in glute exercises we know are going to lead to a rounder 🍑. Clams can play a role but there are some very targeted exercises you should be doing to get the most burn out of that b***y workout. Try the above exercises and let us know which one you like the most in the comments below!

References:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19574661/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7039033/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7039033/.

02/05/2026

💪 The No Hands Burpee Challenge 💪
Think you’ve got the control and mobility to pull this off? Try it, tag us, and show us your best rep!
Perfect for testing total-body coordination, power, and movement control. And there’s no equipment needed.

02/03/2026

Mike’s morning LOW BACK MOBILITY routine to get his low back feeling good.

💯When dealing with low back pain or stiffness, one of the best things you can do move early and often. As you begin and continue to move, it’s important to move through ranges that are pain-free and to meet your body where you are at each day. Try some of these exercises and work within what feels comfortable for you and your body.

02/03/2026

Don't be part of that 70% 🤯

It's simple, you can't walk off an ankle sprain. Appropriate rehab is crucial for recovery and return to sports and performance.

Several studies have shown the value of early management of pain, foot and ankle mobilization, strengthening, and balance work with a tailored progression to plyometrics and hopping-related tasks. In fact, a systematic review performed in 2016 found exactly this. It's a necessity to prioritize this type of care and rehab following an ankle sprain.

A few of our favorites in our Ankle Sprain Rehab program on the Prehab app include strengthening the supporting musculature of the foot and ankle in various ranges of eversion and inversion, the introduction of balance and proprioception training, followed by plyometrics to improve the tendons and muscles' capacity to perform.

Exercises include:
✅Ankle dorsiflexion
✅Ankle eversion (band)
✅Ankle inversion
✅Ankle dorsiflexion stretch
✅Single Leg Heel raise (eversion bias)
✅Single leg heel raise (inversion)
✅Single leg balance on toes - band
✅Single-leg RDL - ball toss
✅Drop jump
✅Lateral bound
✅Single leg hop

In fact, by the time you are done reading this, you could have taken the necessary steps to stay out of that 70%. Get started on your ankle sprain rehab today.

References: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/2/113

Waking up in the middle of the night with your ring/pinky fingers numb or feeling them buzzing while using your phone is...
01/23/2026

Waking up in the middle of the night with your ring/pinky fingers numb or feeling them buzzing while using your phone is the worst. We see this all the time, especially in people who’ve recently increased their upper body training volume and haven’t been stretching as much. These movements consistently work like a charm and here’s why👇

What is likely going on is your ulnar nerve and maybe even some vascular structures are being compressed. There are a ton of theoretical compression sites from your neck and collarbone region all the way down to your elbow that could be contributing. Extended exposure to nerve compression or tension can lead to nerve irritation, and an irritated nerve is really not fun to deal with as it gets very sensitive.

Address this with ulnar nerve glides, triceps and pec minor flexibility and addressing thoracic spine mobility. The Monopoly Guy / Ace Ventura ulnar nerve glide is so good. When we teach patients this, we call it the money stretch because it works so well.

It’s normal to feel tension and a pulling sensation into your ring and pinky fingers. There’s no expectation of perfection when you first try this, just do what you can and do it often. It will improve, and you’ll be surprised how quickly it becomes easier to get into the starting position (hand/fingers on face) with consistency.⁣

We’re realistic, not absolutists. This may not work for everyone, but be patient and give it time. If your symptoms worsen or you notice frequent dropping, weakness, or difficulty holding onto things, it may be in your best interest to get it checked out.⁣

01/21/2026

One of our favorite exercises recently to improve hip mobility + hip flexor and work on squat depth 🏋️

01/21/2026

One of our favorite drills recently to improve hip mobility, hip flexion and work on squat depth 🏋️

01/21/2026

KNEES OVER TOES - Your knees go over your toes all the time in everyday life. The question isn’t whether they should, but whether they’re prepared to handle the demand.

Standing up from a chair, going up or down stairs, tying your shoes, getting off the floor, all of these require forward knee translation to keep your center of mass over your foot.

The issue isn’t the position itself, but how much load and volume the knee is prepared to tolerate. As the knees move further forward, knee extensor torque increases, placing greater demand on the patellofemoral joint and quad/patellar tendon. That load isn’t inherently bad, it just needs to match the individual’s current capacity.

When knees over toes positions aren’t tolerated, it’s often a volume or exposure mismatch, not a reason to permanently avoid the movement. In fact, long-term avoidance tends to limit function, making everyday tasks like stairs, squats, and lunges more difficult.

The solution is progressive exposure. Modifying depth, load, or exercise selection allows you to keep training while gradually increasing tolerance over time.

2016 was the year we started this page.We were 2nd year PT students at USC, spending most of our time in a school baseme...
01/20/2026

2016 was the year we started this page.

We were 2nd year PT students at USC, spending most of our time in a school basement studying, practicing, and realizing how much of what we saw online about health and fitness was inaccurate.

At the same time, we were stepping into clinical rotations and seeing people show up in pain, confused, and overwhelmed by the traditional healthcare system. It didn’t feel empowering, it felt reactive.

So we had an idea: what if we could change the way people perceive physical therapy?

We wanted to show people how to exercise & teach them a thing or two about their body. We wanted to educate people on the proactive steps they can take to prevent injuries and ideally avoid unnecessary surgeries and overprescribed medication.

That’s where the word “Prehab” came from.
Preventative rehab. Taking care of your body before it breaks down.

Then boom: was born in Jan 2016.

That year we posted every single day.
We reached 30k followers.
We built our first logo.
We launched our first website.

And we started sharing the kind of content we wished existed. Looking back, we had no idea what this would become.

What started as three classmates sharing what we were learning has grown into a full digital platform we never could have dreamed of, and a new way for both patients and clinicians to approach rehab and performance.

And it’s all because of the community we’ve built. THANK YOU. We are so grateful for everyone who has here supporting us over the course of the past 10 years. We hope our content has helped you move a little better and feel more in control of your health.

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Culver City, CA

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