441: Katie St. Clair on Feet, Hips, and Connective Tissue Principles in Movement Performance

Today’s podcast features Katie St. Clair. Katie St. Clair is a seasoned strength coach, educator, and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the fitness industry. She is the founder of Empowered Performance, a program and academy designed to elevate the standards of coaching through an in-depth understanding of biomechanics, anatomy, respiration, and creative thinking. Katie's work focuses on empowering other coaches and movement professionals to create transformative experiences for their clients by fostering a love of movement. The human body is a highly intricate system, with countless ways to approach its training—whether focusing on mechanics, mental aspects, muscles, or connective tissues. Every part is interconnected, with systems and joints working harmoniously to create movement. In today’s episode, Katie delves into training patterns centered around the feet and hips, as well as the exploratory process she uses to deepen her understanding of movement and training strategies. She highlights the significance of understanding connective tissue behavior and its foundational role in performance programs. Additionally, Katie discusses the importance of incorporating ballistic and athletic movements into programming for all types of individuals, alongside other key principles of human performance. Today’s episode is brought to you by TeamBuildr’s Gym Studio and Athletic Development Games. Use the code “LILAJUSTFLY10” for 10% off any Lila Exogen wearable resistance training, including the popular Exogen Calf Sleeves. For this offer, head to: Lilateam.com TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers. Use the code “JUSTFLY” for a free 30-day trial of the TeamBuildr software. For a Gym Studio 14-day free trial, head to gymstudio.com View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Main Points 3:31- A Connective Tissue-Centered Dynamic Exercise Training Approach 13:40- Optimizing Performance Through Corrective Movement Integration 22:42- The Nature of Repetitive Movements in Performance Training 27:26- Single-Leg Hinging Progression for Movement Optimization 31:13- Optimizing Glute Activation Through Hinging Techniques 44:10- Enhancing Range of Motion Through Ballistic Exercises 46:31- Reconnect with Joy Through Dynamic Movements 1:01:52- Optimizing Glute Activation with Foot Pronation 1:05:08- Enhancing Exercise Performance through Foot Coordination 1:14:53- Optimal Foot Mechanics for Exercise Performance Quotes (8:40) “What am I trying to do with the joint? How is that impacting the connective tissue? So what's my speed and tempo looking like when I'm doing this? How stiff is it making someone or how compliant?” (17:40) “Today I did a squat and a bench press six sets of five reps. I mean I was done with that pretty quickly, so then the rest of the hour I can spend playing around with accessory work where I'm just exploring different concepts. I just like to have fun with my body.” (24:00) “It's actually being creative, which is the one thing that is missing from learning, in my opinion, and that's on all scales, like children.” (35:35) “You're not feeling your posterior chain and you're not feeling your glutes, and you're feeling your back or your SI joint. Something's going on. Yeah, you need some sort of constraint. You could be hiking your hip or arching too much through the low back, you could be too far back on your heels. Maybe you need to push into your forefoot to get things to really kick on, depending on how your center of mass is organized. So I always love getting in somebody into a hinge position that struggled with it for a long time.” (45:11) "The ability to allow people to self organize and have that dynamic propulsive experience and yielding experience. And that's what creates a lot of change." (1:05:31) “Sometimes if have somebody in a hinge, I might put a wedge under their first met head just to allow basically to decrease that windless mechanism and allow the arch to drop a little bit more. Not everybody needs that, but. And have them focused on that inside heel and then hold the hinge, and all of a sudden their glutes really kick on and do what they're supposed to.” (1:14:47) "You could break that exercise in half and say, who needs this side of the point and who needs this side of the coin?" About Katie St. Clair Katie St. Clair is a seasoned strength coach, educator, and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the fitness industry. She is the founder of Empowered Performance, a program and academy designed to elevate the standards of coaching through an in-depth understanding of biomechanics, anatomy, respiration, and creative thinking. Katie's work focuses on empowering other coaches and movement professionals to create transformative experiences for their clients by fostering a love of movement. As a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and certified personal trainer (CPT), Katie combines her passion for movement with her commitment to education. She has developed workshops and courses that emphasize the connection between breathing mechanics, thoracic and shoulder function, and overall movement efficiency. Her innovative approach to biomechanics aims to optimize performance and reduce compensatory patterns in both athletes and everyday movers