The Best Exercise You Aren’t Doing, SERIOUSLY!

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that the most powerful exercises aren’t always the most complicated or the most intense.

They’re the ones that teach people how to connect their body.

That’s exactly why silk reeling has become such a valuable tool in how we coach movement. And honestly, a lot of that has been deepened through conversations and shared ideas with Cory Cripe of Fitness Lying Down. Cory has done an incredible job of helping people understand that movement isn’t just about muscles, it’s about integration.

Silk reeling embodies that idea better than almost anything we do.

It Starts From the Ground Up

One of the biggest mistakes we see in training is that people try to create force from the wrong place.

They muscle through movements with their arms or isolate muscles instead of understanding that real strength and real power comes from the ground.

Silk reeling forces you to slow down and feel that connection.

• You root through the feet
• You organize the hips
• You transfer force through the trunk
• You express it through the upper body

That’s not just philosophy, that’s how human movement is supposed to work.

In DVRT, we talk all the time about “ground reaction forces”, but if people can’t feel how to use the ground, it doesn’t matter how many cues you give them.

Silk reeling gives them that experience.

Diagonal Patterns Change Everything

Another reason silk reeling is so powerful is that it lives in diagonal, rotational patterns.

This is where it lines up beautifully with what we know from PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation).

PNF has shown us for decades that:

• The body doesn’t move in straight lines
• Strength, mobility, and stability are all enhanced through diagonal patterns
• These patterns reflect real-life movement

When we use silk reeling, we’re not just “moving”, we’re training:

• Cross-body coordination
• Rotational strength
• Deceleration and control

This is huge for both performance and pain.

Because here’s the reality…

Most injuries and chronic pain issues don’t happen because someone can’t do a perfect squat.

They happen because the body can’t control rotation and transfer force efficiently.

Silk reeling teaches exactly that.

Movement Efficiency = Functional Strength

We throw around the term “functional strength” a lot, but what does it really mean?

To me, one of the best ways to think about functional training is: Using the least amount of effort to produce the greatest amount of force

That’s efficiency.

And efficiency is what most people are missing.

People aren’t weak because they lack strength. They’re “weak” because they leak energy:

• Poor timing
• Lack of coordination
• Overuse of certain muscles
• Underuse of others

Silk reeling cleans that up.

Because it’s slow, intentional, and continuous, it forces people to:

• Stay connected
• Sequence movement correctly
• Eliminate unnecessary tension

That’s where real strength starts to show up.

 

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A post shared by Cory M. Cripe (@corymcripe)

This Matters for Chronic Pain

This is where things get really interesting and really important.

When we look at chronic pain, especially something like low back pain, we often see:

• Guarded movement
• Poor coordination
• Over-bracing or under-bracing
• Fear of movement

Silk reeling gives us a way to address all of that without forcing it.

It creates:

• Safe, controlled motion
• Gradual exposure to rotation
• Improved body awareness
• Meditative movement
• Decrease body inflammation through nervous system regulation.

And most importantly, it builds confidence.

Because when people feel like they can move well again, pain often starts to decrease.

Not because we “fixed” a tissue…

But because we improved how the system works.

Breath Work Changes the Game

One of the most overlooked aspects of silk reeling is the role of breath.

When done correctly, breath isn’t an afterthought it’s integrated into the movement.

This has two huge benefits:

Core Stability

Breathing helps regulate intra-abdominal pressure, which is critical for:

• Spinal stability
• Force transfer
• Efficient movement

Instead of over-bracing or holding tension, we get a system that can:  Stabilize and move at the same time.

Nervous System Regulation

Breath also plays a massive role in calming the nervous system.

For many clients, especially those dealing with pain, their system is already in a heightened state.

Silk reeling, combined with intentional breathing:

• Reduces threat
• Decreases tension
• Improves movement quality

Now we’re not just training the body…We’re influencing the entire system.

At the end of the day, silk reeling isn’t just an exercise.

It’s a teaching tool, It teaches people:

• How to connect to the ground
• How to move through diagonal patterns
• How to create efficient, coordinated movement
• How to breathe and stabilize naturally

And when you put all of that together…You don’t just get better workouts.

You get better movement, better performance, and often, less pain.

We don’t need more complicated exercises.

We need better ways to teach people how to use their bodies.

Silk reeling is one of those tools that, when applied correctly, can bridge the gap between:

• Rehab and performance
• Strength and movement
• Effort and efficiency

And that’s where real change happens.

Find out MORE of the impact of our Myofacial Integrated Movement concepts with 30% off ALL programs with code “virtual” HERE