HoldsUp

Jeff Cavaliere

Jeff Cavaliere, MSPT, CSCS, is a physical therapist and certified strength and conditioning specialist. His work focuses on resistance training to build muscle size and strength, injury avoidance and rehabilitation, and improving posture and biomechanics.

19 claims checked on air: 2 context 1 contradicted 16 supported

What they said on air

0:05:00supportedhighBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

A major portion of lower back pain is non-structural/muscular in origin rather than requiring surgical intervention.

"we talk about a major cause of back pain not being structural back pain, right? A lot of the times, the back pain that we suffer from in our lives is not surgical. It doesn't need surgical treatment. It just needs the right addressing of the muscles that contribute to that, or how we allow muscles to get tight that that shouldn't get tight if we did full range of motion on certain exercises." (said at 0:05:00)

A broad medical consensus and high-quality international reviews confirm that the overwhelming majority of lower back pain cases are classified as non-specific (non-structural / mechanical / muscular in origin), where no definitive pathoanatomical structural cause or surgical indication is identified. Only a small fraction of low back pain cases (typically under 5-10%) are attributed to identifiable serious structural or pathological conditions requiring surgical evaluation (such as fractures, malignancies, infections, or severe progressive neurological compromise). Major clinical practice guidelines strongly advise against routine surgical intervention or imaging, emphasizing non-pharmacological, active conservative management.

0:05:35contradictedhighBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

The gluteus medius controls hip and pelvic position, which directly affects lumbar spine alignment and kinematics via its connection at the sacrum.

"And the gluteus medius is is a muscle that is going to control hip position, hip movement. So, if it's controlling the position of our hips, that means it's controlling our pelvis. And if our pelvis is tilted or twisted or forward or backward, obviously the spine is literally adapting to the position of the pelvis beneath it, cuz it's connected through the sacrum. So, all these muscles that connect to the pelvis that change its position are inadvertently going to change the position of the low back directly to the lumbar spine that is going to likely cause dysfunction down the road if you don't address that." (said at 0:05:35)

The claim is contradicted regarding anatomical attachment, but overstated/partially accurate regarding functional biomechanics. The gluteus medius originates from the outer surface of the ilium (between the anterior and posterior gluteal lines) and inserts into the lateral surface of the greater trochanter of the femur—it does not attach to or connect at the sacrum (sacral attachments belong to muscles like the gluteus maximus or piriformis). Functionally, while the gluteus medius plays a crucial role in frontal plane pelvic stabilization and hip kinematics, its influence on lumbar alignment occurs indirectly via kinetic chain mechanics and lumbopelvic rhythm through the ilium and sacroiliac joint, rather than through direct sacral anatomical attachment.

0:09:20supportedhighBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

During single-leg stance, inadequate control or weakness of the gluteus medius causes contralateral pelvic drop, known as Trendelenburg gait.

"every time you lift a foot off the ground to walk, you're getting a pelvis that drops side to side, right? Every time you go on single leg stance, the pelvis is going to drop a little bit. The people that have less control of that have more of what they call a Trendelenburg gait where the pelvis rocks side to side as they walk." (said at 0:09:20)

The statement accurately reflects standard clinical biomechanics: during single-leg stance or the stance phase of gait, the gluteus medius acts as the primary hip abductor to keep the pelvis level; weakness or dysfunction of this muscle leads to contralateral pelvic drop, known clinically as the Trendelenburg sign or Trendelenburg gait.

0:11:50supportedmoderateBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

Chronic weakness in the gluteal muscles frequently transfers mechanical load to the lumbar spine, leading to lower back pain symptoms.

"people who don't have the strength in their glutes cuz it really is a glute weakness issue not necessarily a low back issue. It a lot of times it's weakness in the glutes that's transferring the load to the low back that can't handle it. And people get the symptoms in the back but it's the weakness somewhere else that's causing that." (said at 0:11:50)

Biomechanical and observational evidence supports an association between gluteal muscle weakness/dysfunction and chronic low back pain (LBP). A 2024 systematic review of 54 biomechanical studies found that individuals with LBP consistently demonstrate weakness of the hip abductors (such as the gluteus medius) and hip extensors (gluteus maximus), along with altered kinematic and muscle activation strategies. Similarly, cross-sectional investigations show that gluteus medius weakness and positive Trendelenburg signs are significantly more prevalent in chronic LBP patients compared to healthy controls and independently predict LBP status.

0:12:10needs contextlowBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

Heavy compound lower-body lifts such as squats and lunges do not sufficiently develop the rotational strength of the hip musculature.

"And again, if you test even big time athletes, we would test their rotational strength of their hips. Some of the strongest athletes, some of the biggest squatters, some of the best lungers, right? They're lunging over 200 lb. They you put them in position, you try to bend their their their hip into internal or external rotation of their of their bent knee, they can't resist it at all. So they it just goes to show you that all the squatting, all the big lifts aren't enough to counteract the smaller muscles, right? They're different functions." (said at 0:12:10)

Heavy compound lower-body exercises (e.g., squats, deadlifts, and lunges) are predominantly sagittal-plane movements that challenge hip flexion and extension. While biomechanical analyses demonstrate that barbell squats do elicit hip lateral rotator net joint moments to stabilize the femur in the transverse plane, these exercises primarily recruit the hip musculature isometrically in the transverse plane rather than loading dynamic hip internal or external rotation through a full range of motion. Consequently, strength and conditioning literature notes that traditional compound lifts alone provide limited transverse-plane stimulus and may not comprehensively develop rotational hip strength.

0:26:30supportedmoderateBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

Joint range of motion progressively declines as humans age.

"And we also lose range of motion as we get older. So, if we're not focusing on actually trying to maintain that, it just starts to pile up." (said at 0:26:30)

A wide body of observational and longitudinal research confirms that joint range of motion and flexibility decline progressively with advancing age. Longitudinal and cross-sectional studies across the adult lifespan demonstrate significant age-related declines in spinal range of motion and peripheral joint flexibility (such as ankle flexibility), largely driven by changes in soft tissues, connective tissue stiffness, and degenerative joint changes.

0:36:40supportedmoderateBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

Upper body throwing strength and torque generation in throwing motions rely heavily on core stability rather than arm strength alone.

"A lot of upper body throwing strength has nothing to do with your arm; it has to do with the stability of your core. So if you're getting much stronger in your core, you can have more torque generation to throw the ball further without having to do anything to your arm." (said at 0:36:40)

Biomechanical and sports medicine literature strongly supports the principle that throwing force, torque, and terminal velocity are generated through a coordinated kinetic chain. Rather than relying on upper-limb strength alone, the lower extremities, pelvis, and core musculature provide the foundational force and rotational torque, which are transferred sequentially through the torso, shoulder, arm, and hand.

0:38:55supportedhighBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

Tommy John surgery involves replacing or repairing the elbow's ulnar collateral ligament after a tear.

"Their ulnar collateral ligament basically being replaced, or it tears in their elbow, and they're out for an entire season." (said at 0:38:55)

Tommy John surgery (traditionally ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction) refers to surgical intervention on the elbow's ulnar collateral ligament following injury or tear. The medical literature documents both traditional reconstruction (replacing the ligament with a tendon autograft) and modern primary repair techniques (often with internal brace augmentation) as standard surgical management approaches.

0:43:50supportedmoderateBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

A reverse lunge reduces stress on the anterior knee compared to a forward lunge.

"When you lunge and do my favorite, a reverse lunge, which takes a little bit of stress off the anterior knee—" (said at 0:43:50)

Biomechanical laboratory studies directly comparing the forward lunge and reverse (backward) lunge show that the forward lunge generates significantly higher quadriceps forces, patellofemoral joint (PFJ) reaction forces, PFJ stress, loading rates, and knee joint moments than the reverse lunge. Consequently, backward/reverse lunges impose less anterior knee loading.

0:49:55needs contextlowBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

The deep forearm flexor tendons inserting into the fourth and fifth fingers (ring and pinky) are the weakest and most prone to strain from fingertip overload during gripping exercises.

"the flexors, the deep flexors of the forearm that run down into the fingers is is actually the the ring and fifth finger, so the fourth and fifth finger, that tend to be the the weakest and least resilient to that kind of stress." (said at 0:49:55)

Biomechanical and clinical evidence confirms that the deep flexor apparatus (flexor digitorum profundus [FDP]) involving the ring and little fingers is particularly susceptible to strain and avulsion injuries during gripping overload (such as during sport climbing or jersey-finger mechanisms). However, this susceptibility is primarily driven by anatomical interconnectedness, shared muscle bellies, and differential glide (the quadriga effect and lumbrical shear stress) rather than intrinsic material weakness of the tendon tissue itself.

0:56:35supportedmoderateBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

Eccentric contraction of the shoulder external rotators decelerates and controls the rapid internal rotation that occurs during throwing.

"The eccentric control from the external rotators is what actually controls the internal rotation. ... because as we're lengthening the external rotators, we're controlling if we have good control the eccentric control of that, then we're slowing down the internal rotation or at least controlling it at a certain pace. That's extremely important when it comes to pitching." (said at 0:56:35)

Biomechanical and electromyographic (EMG) studies consistently show that during the deceleration and follow-through phases of overhead throwing, the shoulder external rotator musculature (primarily the infraspinatus and teres minor) contracts eccentrically to decelerate rapid internal rotation and resist large glenohumeral distractive forces.

0:58:35supportedmoderateBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

Elevating the arm while the shoulder is in internal rotation reduces subacromial space, predisposing the supraspinatus tendon and bursa to impingement, inflammation, and tears.

"there's a little bony bump on the top of your humerus that's actually getting stuck on the upper portion of your shoulder joint there. ... every time with there being less space in there, there's more likelihood to pinch on a supraspinatus tendon, there's more likelihood to be pinched on a bursa, there's more any and every time we pinch, we potentially inflame and cause more swelling inside that joint which causes less joint space, right? So you're inflaming those tissues more more compression in that joint and then more pain ultimately and then that winds up causing down the road things like partial thickness tears and tears of the of the rotator cuff that we don't want." (said at 0:58:35)

Biomechanical, kinematic, and MRI studies confirm that elevating the arm while internally rotated (such as during the 'empty-can' exercise or clinical Hawkins impingement maneuver) reduces subacromial space and supraspinatus outlet volume. This mechanical narrowing brings the greater tuberosity, supraspinatus tendon, and subacromial bursa into closer proximity with the coracoacromial arch, increasing mechanical compression and predisposing these structures to subacromial impingement.

0:59:45supportedmoderateBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

The primary functional role of the rotator cuff muscles is to counter the superior pull of the deltoid and keep the humeral head centered within the glenoid fossa during arm elevation.

"really what its main job is to actually keep that ball centered in the middle of the socket. ... As you're raising your shoulder up, the deltoid is pulling that humerus up and the internal rotation of the other muscles that are already too tight chronically tight or just keeping it in the front side anyway, so you're lifting your arm up and you're getting very little space. What the external rotators will do is they'll keep it centered so that as you raise, instead of it migrating up it's countering the force of the deltoid." (said at 0:59:45)

Biomechanical and clinical studies confirm that the rotator cuff muscles act in a force-couple relationship with the deltoid. During arm elevation, the deltoid exerts a powerful superior shearing force on the humerus, which is countered by the rotator cuff musculature (particularly the subscapularis, infraspinatus, and teres minor) via concavity-compression and inferior/depressing forces to keep the humeral head centered within the glenoid fossa.

1:17:22supportedhighBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

Moving a joint bathes the joint surfaces in synovial fluid and supplies nutrition to the joint.

"You're getting some movement through the joint itself, which we know bathes the joint surfaces and helps to provide nutrition to the joint." (said at 1:17:22)

Articular cartilage is an avascular tissue that relies entirely on synovial fluid for its supply of nutrients and oxygen, as well as for the clearance of metabolic waste. Joint movement and dynamic mechanical loading circulate synovial fluid across the joint surfaces and prevent the formation of static boundary layers that impede solute diffusion, thereby facilitating nutrient delivery to chondrocytes.

1:26:48supportedlowBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

Performing burpees continuously burns approximately 13 to 15 calories per minute.

"That can burn around um I believe it was 13 to 15 calories per minute if you did them non-stop for a minute." (said at 1:26:48)

Metabolic studies evaluating body-weight calisthenics show that burpees elicit substantial cardiovascular and metabolic demand. In exercise physiology trials measuring acute oxygen consumption (e.g., Ratamess et al., 2015), burpees demonstrated an average VO2 of approximately 22.9 ml/kg/min even when averaged across work and 2-minute rest intervals. During continuous or high-intensity active bouts, the metabolic equivalent (MET) and oxygen uptake correspond to approximately 10 to 15 kcal/min for an average-weight adult, aligning with the stated range of 13 to 15 calories per minute (though individual expenditure varies with body mass, intensity, and pace).

1:30:40supportedhighBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

Dietary fats are more calorically dense than carbohydrates and proteins.

"fats are more calorically dense than carbohydrates and proteins." (said at 1:30:40)

Dietary fat is well established as the most calorically (energy) dense macronutrient. Standard nutritional science (including standard Atwater factors and net metabolisable energy models) establishes that fat provides approximately 9 kcal/g (37 kJ/g), compared to approximately 4 kcal/g (13-17 kJ/g) for carbohydrates and proteins.

1:32:23supportedlowBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

Strengthening intrinsic foot muscles can help restore fallen foot arches by improving resting muscle tone and tibial alignment.

"You can improve the muscle muscular strength of your feet. And when you do, you can I think you can start to restore some of the natural arch that you've lost to the foot." (said at 1:32:23)

Systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials show that strengthening intrinsic foot muscles (most commonly via short-foot exercises) can improve the medial longitudinal arch height and reduce navicular drop in individuals with flexible flatfoot, particularly in interventions lasting at least 5 to 6 weeks. However, the overall certainty of evidence is low due to small sample sizes, heterogeneity in exercise protocols, and risk of bias across available trials.

1:32:56supportedmoderateBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

Collapse of the foot arch creates rotational torque between the tibia and foot, transmitting abnormal ground reaction forces up through the knee, hip, and back.

"If the if the foot collapses, the tibia is now torqued essentially in the in its relationship to the foot. And so, now every time you step, whatever forces are are being incurred on the ground are being sent up through the ankle into the knee, into the hip, into the back." (said at 1:32:56)

Biomechanical studies and kinematic reviews support the concept of dynamic closed kinetic chain coupling, where collapse of the medial longitudinal arch (foot pronation) induces tibial internal rotation and rotational torque, altering load distribution and force transmission proximally through the knee, hip, and lumbo-pelvic complex.

1:58:56supportedhighBuild Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Ca

Exercise performed with very low absolute loads can stimulate muscle hypertrophy if performed with high volume to create a metabolic stress effect.

"There's a metabolic effect they're getting to, which we know is another stimulus for growth. But at the right amount of volume, even low levels of of of absolute load can create growth." (said at 1:58:56)

A substantial body of randomized controlled trials and meta-analytic evidence confirms that low-load resistance training (e.g., ≤60% 1RM, often performed with high repetitions/volume to muscular failure or fatigue) stimulates skeletal muscle hypertrophy to a degree comparable to high-load training. The underlying physiology involves fatigue-induced motor unit recruitment and metabolic stress (such as metabolite accumulation).

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