No knee pain? You might still be failing rehab.

In Episode 22 of Past Your Prime, Craig and Alex break down the most common mistake in knee recovery: assuming that once the pain is gone, you’re ready to get back to life. Spoiler—your knee disagrees.

Using Alex’s recent flare-up as a case study, Craig explains why true recovery depends on more than just how your knee feels. You’ll learn the four metrics every athlete and active adult needs to pass before getting cleared: full extension, no swelling, full flexion, and quad strength.

They also dig into the real reason cortisone shots create long-term problems, how swelling shuts down your quad, and why glute training isn’t the fix everyone thinks it is.

Whether you're recovering from injury or just want knees that last, this one’s a must-listen.

We cover:– Why "pain-free" doesn’t mean "problem-free"– The 4 clinical signs you need to clear before resuming activity– How to test your own knee extension– What joint swelling does to your quad (and how to reverse it)– Why cortisone can feel like a miracle—and still ruin your joint– How to create a positive rehab loop (instead of a doom loop spiral)– The real role of glutes in knee recovery– When to use heel lifts, ideal knees, and quad primers

Resources:👉 Check out pastyourprime.com for knee tools, training programs, and recovery content.

Past Your Prime is the podcast for active adults balancing training, rehab, family, and real life.
Hosts Craig Smith (PT & coach) and Alex Keicher (pro athlete & busy dad) unpack real-world strategies to overcome injuries, stay strong, and keep moving—even when life gets chaotic.
💡 Join the community: pastyourprime.com

Follow us on Instagram:📲 Alex – @spikerkeicher📲 Craig – @craigsmithPT

Cramping mid-game? Here’s why it happens—and how to actually fix it.

In Episode 21 of Past Your Prime, Craig and Alex tackle one of the most frustrating problems in sports: calf and hamstring cramps. Alex shares a real-time story from a recent volleyball match where he finally overcame a calf cramp mid-game using a neural flossing technique—and why it worked for the first time in his life.

Craig breaks down the science behind muscle cramping, including the real role of the nervous system, why stretching often makes things worse, and how fatigue, inhibition, and movement patterns all contribute to recurring cramps. They also discuss hamstring pulls, glute shutdown, and how to rewire your body to stop overusing the same muscles.

Whether you’re an athlete, weekend warrior, or just tired of waking up with leg cramps, this episode gives you the tools to take control.

We cover:

– Why your cramps aren’t caused by hydration or electrolytes

– How to tell if your cramps are coming from your back

– Why glute inhibition leads to hamstring overload

– Real-time cramp solutions: neural flossing, traction, and activation

– When your training style becomes your injury risk

– The #1 mistake people make when treating cramps (stretching!)

– How to identify and treat double crush syndrome

– How to stop night cramps before they start

Resources: Are You Past Your Prime?

Past Your Prime is the podcast for active adults balancing training, rehab, family, and real life.

Hosts Craig Smith (PT & coach) and Alex Keicher (pro athlete & busy dad) unpack real-world strategies to overcome injuries, stay strong, and keep moving—even when life gets chaotic.

💡 Join the community: pastyourprime.com

Follow us on Instagram:

📲 Alex – ⁠@spikerkeicher⁠ 📲 Craig – ⁠@craigsmithPT

Feeling motivated but still can’t make progress? In Episode 20 of Past Your Prime, Craig and Alex break down why motivation alone isn’t enough—and what to do instead.

Using Alex’s recent string of injuries and volleyball training as a case study, they reveal a four-step system designed to eliminate failure points, build foundational skills, use feedback loops, and continuously upgrade your plan.

Whether you're a busy adult trying to stay fit or an athlete balancing real life with training goals, this episode gives you the tools to build a body that can actually handle your life.

We cover: – Why motivation fails—even when you're fired up – How to find and eliminate the real failure points in your routine – The five barriers that stop people from working out consistently – Foundational physical and life skills you need to succeed – How to use tight feedback loops to avoid setbacks and tweak your plan – Why refining your training system matters more than just “working harder”

Resources:

Are you past your prime?

How to Start a Workout Routine

Motivation Myth

Past Your Prime is the podcast for active adults balancing training, rehab, family, and real life. Hosts Craig Smith (PT & coach) and Alex Keicher (pro athlete & busy dad) unpack real-world strategies to overcome injuries, stay strong, and keep moving—even when life gets chaotic. 💡 Join the community: pastyourprime.com

Most people think motivation is what keeps them going.
But what if relying on motivation is actually what’s holding you back?

In Episode 19 of Past Your Prime, Craig and Alex break down why motivation can be a trap—especially when it comes to staying consistent with injury rehab, strength training, or life as a busy parent.

From late-night gym sessions to stacking injuries from overdoing it, this episode tackles how meaning, identity, and habit systems matter more than motivation ever will.

🔑 In this episode:

• Why motivation often disappears when you need it most

• The difference between meaning and motivation (and why it matters)

• How to build systems that work even when you’re exhausted

• The clinical danger of “over-motivation” in rehab and training

• Why exercise relapse is real—and how to avoid it

• What tissue capacity vs. exercise capacity looks like in real life

  
  

📲 Follow us:Alex – @spikerkeicherCraig – @craigsmithpt

📺 Watch on YouTube

PAST YOUR PRIME

Past Your Prime is the podcast for active adults balancing training, rehab, family, and real life.
Hosts Craig Smith (PT & coach) and Alex Keicher (pro athlete & busy dad) unpack real-world strategies to overcome injuries, stay strong, and keep moving—even when life gets chaotic.
💡 Join the community: pastyourprime.com

Welcome to Past Your Prime – the podcast for active adults balancing training, rehab, family, and real life.

In each episode, hosts Craig Smith and Alex Keicher dive into real-world strategies for overcoming injuries, staying strong, and living pain-free — even when life gets chaotic.

💡 Learn more, access resources, and join our community: 👉 ⁠pastyourprime.com⁠

Follow us on Instagram:

📲 Alex – ⁠@spikerkeicher⁠

📲 Craig – ⁠@craigsmithPT

Episode Summary

In Episode 18 of Past Your Prime, Craig and Alex unpack why muscle cramps are often misunderstood—and why telling people to hydrate more misses the real problem.

Craig lays out his clinical model of the cramping threshold, arguing that multiple systems—not just hydration—alter a muscle’s ability to tolerate load and electrical input. If that threshold is lowered by injury, pain, or nerve dysfunction, cramping becomes way more likely.

They cover:

• Why nerve irritation, even at the spine, can change muscle activation in the foot or calf

• The role of double crush syndrome in lowering the firing threshold

• How reciprocal inhibition and synergist failure make specific muscles more vulnerable

• The surprising truth about electrolytes and dehydration research

• How to build a clinical framework for understanding, diagnosing, and treating cramping

This episode redefines what muscle cramping is—and why managing it means thinking beyond fluid intake.

📣 Quote from the Episode:

“It’s not a hydration problem. It’s a nervous system problem. The muscle is doing what it’s told—it's just getting the wrong message.”📍 Visit ⁠PastYourPrime.com⁠ for the full blog post

Welcome to Past Your Prime – the podcast for active adults balancing training, rehab, family, and real life.

In each episode, hosts Craig Smith and Alex Keicher dive into real-world strategies for overcoming injuries, staying strong, and living pain-free — even when life gets chaotic.

💡 Learn more, access resources, and join our community: 👉 pastyourprime.com

Follow us on Instagram:

📲 Alex – @spikerkeicher

📲 Craig – @craigsmithPT

Episode SummaryIn Episode 17 of the Past Your Prime Podcast, Craig and Alex tackle the follow-up to last week’s deep dive on heel pain misdiagnosis. This time, it’s all about treatment—and how to fix stubborn heel pain that hasn’t responded to classic plantar fasciitis protocols.

The culprit?

In many cases, it’s not your plantar fascia at all—it’s the flexor digitorum brevis (FDB), a deep foot muscle that’s often overloaded, underdiagnosed, and completely mistreated.

Craig walks through the full clinical breakdown of how to test, confirm, and treat FDB-related heel pain using the Four Diagnostic Pillars and a blend of home strategies, rehab techniques, and intelligent load management.

They cover:

• 🔎 How to know if it’s not plantar fasciitis

• 📊 The 4 Diagnostic Pillars: Structural, Functional, Treatment Response, Trigger Management

• 🦶 The “FDB Compression Test” and other in-clinic diagnosis tools

• 🎯 Why balance training is more important than arch support

• 🩹 How and when to use Modified Low-Dye taping (with video guide)

• 👣 Foot as a spring: What it means for rehab and performance

• 🏋️‍♂️ Specific exercises to rebuild your foot’s core: toe yoga, toe taps, and more

• 🧠 How compensation patterns (like toe-digging) silently ruin recovery

• 👟 Why your shoes, floor, and even sleeping position might be setting you back

• 🚨 What not to do: Golf balls, massage guns, and over-taping

If your foot still hurts and nothing is working, this episode lays out exactly what to test and how to treat it—even if you’ve been told it’s “just plantar fasciitis.”

📍 Visit PastYourPrime.com for the full blog post, exercise videos, and Craig’s taping tutorial.

🧠 Heads up: We get into the weeds on biomechanics, rehab load progression, and how not to wreck your foot while trying to heal it.

Welcome to Past Your Prime – the podcast for active adults balancing training, rehab, family, and real life.

In each episode, hosts Craig Smith (@craigsmithPT) and Alex Keicher (@spikerkeicher) dive into real-world strategies for overcoming injuries, staying strong, and living pain-free — even when life gets chaotic.

💡 Learn more, access resources, and join our community: 👉 pastyourprime.com

Follow us on Instagram: 📲 Alex – @spikerkeicher 📲 Craig – @craigsmithPT

Shownotes

In Episode 16 of the Past Your Prime Podcast, Craig and Alex dig into one of the most misdiagnosed injuries in the world of foot pain—plantar fasciitis. Or is it? Craig lays out his clinical argument for why heel pain is often incorrectly blamed on the plantar fascia and instead caused by a different culprit: the flexor digitorum brevis (FDB) muscle.

They cover:

• Why cramping is a big red flag

• The seven key signs it’s the FDB and not the plantar fascia

• Common missteps in treatment (looking at you, marble pickups and Strasburg socks)

• What makes athletes more vulnerable to FDB issues

• Craig’s take on imaging, orthotics, and the shoe industry

• Why plantar fascia is over blamed—and what to do about it

If you’ve been dealing with heel pain and aren’t getting better with typical plantar fasciitis treatments, this episode is for you.

👣 Stay tuned for the next episode where they break down treatment strategies for FDB-related heel pain and how to stop the cycle of recurring foot issues.

📍Check out the blog version at PastYourPrime.com

🧠 Heads up: Craig nerds out hard on biomechanics. You’ve been warned.

Welcome to Past Your Prime – the podcast for active adults balancing training, rehab, family, and real life.

In each episode, hosts Craig Smith (@craigsmithPT) and Alex Keicher (@spikerkeicher) dive into real-world strategies for overcoming injuries, staying strong, and living pain-free — even when life gets chaotic.

💡 Learn more, access resources, and join our community: 👉 pastyourprime.com

Follow us on Instagram: 📲 Alex – @spikerkeicher 📲 Craig – @craigsmithPT

🔑 What We Cover Today

This episode is a deep dive into how to stay consistent with training when life is trying to crush your soul. Craig and Alex break down real-world strategies to keep moving forward — even if you’ve got a full-time job, two kids, chronic injuries, and limited time.

Highlights:

• How Alex structures his daily schedule to prioritize late-night training

• Why morning workouts suck (for him) — and how to find the best time for you

• Managing injuries without losing momentum (rehab standard vs. performance standard)

• Building a simple, sustainable nutrition routine with Costco staples, teriyaki meats, and white rice

• Supplement stack breakdown (collagen, creatine, magnesium, multivitamins, electrolytes)

• Why intensity matters — and how to match it with smart recovery

• The “stretchy pants” trick that gets Alex out of bed and into the gym

• Using sport vs. lifting for motivation — and planning around in-season vs. off-season

• The mental health benefits of consistent training, even when sleep sucks

• What Craig calls the 5 Barriers to Staying Active

🧠 Craig’s 5 Barriers to Staying Consistent with Training

1. Accountability – Do you show up when you say you will?

2. Comfort Level – Do you feel safe and confident where you train?

3. Coaching Need – Are you stuck because you don’t know how to train correctly?

4. Rehab Standard – Is an injury limiting what your body can actually handle?

5. Physical Barriers – Do time, location, or life logistics get in the way?
   

🧩 Key TakeawaysAlex breaks down how he overcame all five — even if he didn’t realize it at the time.

• Simple wins – Alex eats the same meals Monday–Thursday, saving energy and staying consistent.

• Stack skills slowly – Don’t try to fix everything at once. Build habits over time.

• Marry the gym and your life – Training has to fit, or it won’t last.

• Stretchy pants are for fun – Nacho Libre knows what’s up.

💬 Join the ConversationStruggling with one of the five barriers? Drop us a comment or DM — we might cover your situation in a future episode.

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