VALMENTAJA-magazine

LIIKKUVUUDEN LIIKEKEHITTELYITÄ, osa 2

Lonkan koukistajat ja etureidet
(Hip Extension/mobility progression)

Thanks!

Tommi

Suomen Valmentajat -lehti

Liikkuvuuden liikekehittelyitä, osa 2

Moi valmentajat!

Lonkankoukistajien ja etureiden kireyden videodemo päivitetään tässä blogiin 13.12. mennessä.

Kotimaan seminaarimatkan pitkittyminen ja Valmentaja-lehden aikainen ilmestyminen aiheutti kahden päivän myöhästymisen videon päivittämisessä.

Tule takaisin blogiin 13. päivä, kiitos kärsivällisyydestä.

Tommi Paavola
Discover Movement

Everyone is an athlete!

Now here is a question of the day...

Who is an athlete?


Is it only those whose physical abilities by genetics and by training exceed everyone else's?

Is it someone who engages in competitive sports regularly?

Do you have to practice a certain number of hours per week to be an athlete?

Do you have to be young and strong to be an athlete?

Do you have to be athletic to be an athlete?

I have met people that are not athletes but they are more athletic than any athlete I have met?

I have met a LOT OF athletes that are not athletic judged by their movement skills.

----------------------------------

In my opinion, training for athleticism = training for function = training for life

What is athleticism?

I think athleticism has a lot to do with movement skills such as flexibility, balance, speed, power, strength, stability and coordination.

Doesn't everyone need these elements to perform their tasks in life safely and effectively?

Competitive athletes require more of lot of these elements in order to be successful than an ordinary joe but he should still "train" all these areas as well.

I think every person no matter what age, should incorporate power, coordination and balance in their exercise regimen.

My favorite exercise for an 80-year old woman that I used to train, was a medicine ball throw. (...and NO, that is not the reason she is not working with me anymore..haha)

POWER!

Yep, a little less intensity and resistance than an olympic hammer thrower would use but the same concept.

You know what? The engine is the same for all of us - the same principles and movement concepts apply to all of us - just the parts might be different.

My everyday non-athlete clients have taught me more about athletic conditioning and performance enhancement than I ever would have thought.

One more question to wrap up:

Is this true or false? An athlete = a healthy mind in a healthy body

Tommi

PS: America believes in education: the average professor earns more money in a year than a professional athlete earns in a whole week. Evan Esar

Are your feet stupid?

This is an article that was published last year in our Outdoor Blog. I think this time of the year is perfect for a reprint.

SO, Are Your Feet Stupid?

On the way to your work, how many times will your foot step on something soft, uneven or otherwise challenging?


Not too often, right? R2D2 from Star Wars could navigate around with his tiny wheels without a problem.


We live in a world of flat and even surfaces where proprioceptive and sophisticated movements do not exist.


According to the S.A.I.D. principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand), the body adapts to whatever stimulus it is exposed to.


So if your ground connection is completely urbanized , the outcome is a physiologically illiterate foot and ankle that is not functioning at its full capacity. As a result, your only direct contact with the earth happens through a moronic bodypart, who can’t translate the laws of human movement for the rest of the body.


In other words, unchallenging stimulation has turned off the high tech features of the ankle complex and as a result, the rest of the body will suffer.


When your foot hits the ground, your whole body responds. If the function of the ankle is limited, the function of the rest of the body is limited.


When the foot hits the ground, there is a chain reaction that occurs throughout the rest of the body. When the foot and ankle complex are functioning at is best, this reaction is smooth and efficient.


If the foot and ankle are performing at a sub-par level, it is like you feet are speaking another language to the rest of your body.


So now, when your “office feet” are thrown into the proprioceptive jungle of an exciting hiking trail, they will feel like the first time on ice skates. Their coordination, balance, reaction speed and overall performance just can not keep up to the demands of the elements..


Uneven terrain, such as trails, grass, or sand will provide the physiological nourishment that your movement machinery craves. Such environments will restore the optimal capability to your foot and ankle, and thus, to the rest of your body.


Your foot is designed to operate on various surfaces and will be the happiest when it can fulfill its purpose.


So think about your daily life and ask yourself this question: what is your daily step ratio on flat surface versus uneven terrain?


Tommi


PS: And stop wearing shoes in your own house, what is the matter with you? Provide your feet the free movement and activation whenever you can. Barefoot is better!


PS2: A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over. Benjamin Franklin

3D Workouts

3D as in three dimensional....

What is a 3D workout?

3D workout will challenge you in all three planes of movement - an indication of true function specific to life.

But all three movement dimensions is not all to a 3D workout.

3D workout will touch you in a lot of other ways as well. It will not only challenge your body but it will also charge you with energy, stimulate your mind, cause you joy or lift up your spirit.

What?

That is right, how else can you elicit a true lifestyle change through movement if it does not touch you in all different levels.

Why is personal training such a huge industry?

Because it is PERSONAL, it is just as much about the relationship than it is about the exercise. People want and need relationships, some one to talk to, some one to laugh with and some one to help and care about them.

Wouldn't you?

Hey, I am passionate about science and exercise and physiology and all the other good science stuff.

But if I don't get the whole idea of 3D, I will not be able to deliver, neither the information, nor the transformation.

How do I create an atmosphere where TRUE transformation can take place?

If you want to widen your perspective, please check out what Gary Gray and David Tiberio are doing at Gray Institute.

Now talk about intelligent fellows...

Tommi

PS: First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination. Napoleon Hill

Ankle Mobility (nilkan liikkuvuus)

Hip Mobility (lonkan liikkuvuus - sisakierto)

Thoracic Spine Mobility (rintaranka)

More hanging, less hanging out!

I have heard it, I have read about it, I have even understood it....but when you truly witness it with your own eyes, it just makes you feel so helpless and even frustrated..

Oh, what is this thing that wrecks me like that?

Well, I tell you in the next blog in about a week from now.....hahaha

No really, I make my youth athletes hang (from a pull up bar) and I time their result.

It is amazing how weak the upper extremities including the grip is with kids today. Last week I had a 12 year old hang for time and he made it to 6 seconds......6 SECONDS! What is that?

Do we even realize how important the grip is as a part of the kinetic chain and as a part of activating the whole chain? Do we really understand how much it is in connection to the shoulder and the function of the rotator cuff not to speak of the thousand other correlations it has?

I feel upset trying to condition a young baseball player when they have never even climbed a tree or crawled under a fence and jumped over a rock etc....

I'm not upset with the kid or even the parent...I am just not OK with the way things are going. You can't have a healthy life without having some basic movement abilities, not to speak of becoming an athlete.

I will not train a single young athlete until I have told them and their parents that athletes are not made in the sport facilities and personal training studios. They are made in the backyards, in the woods and in recreational, spontaneous game and play situations where the movement is inspired by imagination, freedom and whatever elements happen to be around at the time.

Tommi

PS: If your parents never had children, chances are you won't, either. Dick Cavett.

Are you training strengths or weaknesses?

If you would have to prioritize when you are training movement...What is more important, building on the strengths of the person or trying to weed out the weaknesses?

Well, it depends...right?

But what if there was a general philosophy of focusing on one or the other?

We could look at the field of corrective exercise training and pretty much make an assumption that it aims at getting rid of weaknesses.

On the other hand if we look at performance training, we often end up training the strengths. What I mean is "if you are fast, you end up training speed more than the slow person, who probably wants to work on strength or endurance more preferably".

Athletic conditioning is of course much different based on its objectives than general fitness training or physical therapy...and the ratio between training strengths and weaknesses, if you will, is probably different.

We pretty much know that Youth Training should focus on building on strengths and not focus on weaker areas too much. We know that kids need to feel successful and build their confidence through positive experiences. We also know that children go through sensitive ages in their development and it is crucial to recognize those windows of opportunity and train the areas they absorb the best.

But from the physiological point of view, if the goal is to enhance performance in a given sport and pain/injury/contraindication is not an issue, should we focus more on the strengths of an athlete or the weak links in the chain?

It is a given that if an athlete has no core strength but but he is flexible, we shouldn't just focus on improving his flexibility. That makes no sense.

But if the athlete has a lot of power but not a lot of endurance, should we not train power anymore and just focus on aerobic capacity. Well of course not but I am just trying to bring myself to ask the right questions...

We can only affect the baseline we are given through genetics that much and we should probably be careful how much we mess with those areas. Is it better to be excellent in one area of physical movement than about average in all of them?

There has to be a balance in everything I think. It also depends on the goals you are using your skills for. A basketball player might need more versatile qualitites than a shot put athlete...or not...?

What if we would only try the improve the weaknesses that limit the growth of out strengths and only focus on them to the point where the limitation in the strength is removed?

What if the ultimate goal was always the strength? What if we had a movement analysis tool that would tell us exactly how much the weakness should be improved in order to "release the strengths and use them more optimally?"

Even so, even as training to weed out weaknesses we need to make the client feel successful in that area. I think it is very important to train a weakness in such way that the client sees his/her progression and feels constant improvement and success in that area. More important than bringing their focus on the weakness is to focus on the improvement. You obviously need to bring all the findings up with your client at the evaluation, but post-evaluation we should focus on moving forward physically and mentally in that area.

In that sense, it is like training children. You need to train success in order to become "good at success." Concentrate on putting your clients in situations where they feel successful.

This week I will try to map out 3 specific strengths that my clients have and see if I can find weaknesses that still limit the strengths. After that I need a plan...a big plan.

Yes, it is just like a basic evaluation but just from another point of view I guess.

Always expect success!

Tommi

PS: A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities. Willam Arthur Ward

Smart dude!

Watch the video. Great information to ponder for the day.

http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/002915.html

Click the video link on this page.

Tommi

PS: None of us is as smart as all of us. Phil Condit

Just thinking...

No answers, just 10+ questions:

1. What if there was no word 'balance'?
What if it was called 'total body stabilizing strength' or 'sequential muscle coordination'?

2. What if there was no 'agility'?
Would it be called 'speed of coordination' or 'isolated power within integrated stability'?

3. Could we live without the term 'power'?
We could call it 'work divided by time'? Could power be just another form of 'dynamic flexibility'? - 'rapid dynamic flexibility of connective tissue'? Or maybe total body stretch-shortening speed?

4. What if 'flexibility' was just 'stable mobility'? Could mobility be 'isolated flexibility'?

5. Could speed be 'isolated fast energy systems'? Would combining 'aerobic' and 'anaerobic' training be called "integrated energy system training'?

6. Can I train 'strength' solely with no effects on 'flexibility', 'mobility' or 'stability'?
Can I train 'flexibility without an effect on strength? Does 'stability' equal 'strength'?

7. Is 'power' more of an ability to stretch and contract a muscle rapidly or an ability to stabilize your center and produce force against a bigger mass? Is it none of them or both of them?

8. Is 'endurance' training developing one energy system in isolation or all of them in integration? If so, in what ratios?

9. Is 'anaerobic' without oxygen? Is aerobic solely on oxygen? Can you improve 'aerobic' by only training 'anaerobic'? Vice versa?

10. Is isolated not 'functional'? Is 'functional' always integrated? What is 'integrated isolation'? What about 'isolated integration'?

At least I got a headache now, I don't know about anything else...

Tommi

PS: The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible. David M. Ogilvy

Formal exercise, solution to obesity?

With the current rate of fat gain in America and other western countries, formal exercise does not seem to be the effective enough of an answer in the fight against obesity...that is just my personal opinion.

I believe that in addition to weight management through nutrition we really have to take a look at our culture and society from the perspective of general physical activity in day-to-day living.

Look at the development of our technology. The main objective for most of the devices we have in our house, on our yard and in the garage, is to make life easier. Garage door openers, remote controls, cell phones, computers have been created with the intent to make our life PHYSICALLY easier....(or financially more productive)

Even the new exercise machines are easier and more comfortable and less inconvenient. Well, its all good as long as we realize that the equation of all that is simple and straight forward:

EASY, COMFORTABLE, CONVENIENT = LESS ENERGY USED = LESS CALORIES BURNT

So, now that we have created a world where everything is so remote-controlled and easy that we have to go to the gym to participate in artificially arranged "physical work"(,which we still effectively avoid), we are wondering how to deal with the consequences.

The physical work that we used to have to do every day has now become a hobby that we still have to do or we get health problems that we really did not have when we did physical work.

So, how do you rewind the situation? How do you re-establish some of those good daily physical tasks? I know... that is pretty hard, mentally and physically.

Just think about it, getting up from the chair to add some wood in the stove or even just to change the TV channel does not seem like much. But count how many times you would do that during your lifetime and how many calories would be burnt altogether.

What about that garage door opener? Lifting the door several times adds up adds up little by little. Snow blowers? Now we have abandoned an opportunity to shovel snow too.

Not a big deal you might say....I say those little every day movements together formed the foundation for weight management through physical activity. Then we were able to compliment that with some additional exercise at the gym or on the court if we still had extra energy.

When physical activity as a form of recreation was introduced it was mostly for fun, not for health reasons. The health benefits were known but they were not the main reason for movement. Now we have forgotten about the fun and the work we did in the yards, woods, fields and in the homes has become an obligatory moment of convenient boredom on an elliptical "going-no-where-machine".

Maybe we could start by building roads for pedestarians, bikers and rollerbladers instead of for motorized vehicles.....sounds like utopia at least in New Jersey.

Take the stairs today!

Tommi

Interesting OBESITY-article if you are interested.

PS: So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do. Benjamin Franklin.

Optimal Training Adaptation

Anyone can create a training stimulation. Not everyone can create a training adaptation, especially the desire one.

How do I facilitate the training environment and the training variables in such way that my client actually gets the desired adaptation?

Isn't that a key question to any training? Well, yes it is, but I do not think it is always that simple. Otherwise every client would reach their goals much more efficiently, I think.

I do not think knowing the client's goal means I will always get them there. Sometimes it is my fault, sometimes it is theirs and sometimes it is no one's fault....

I think the desired training adaptation requires an Optimal Adaptation Environment.

There are a lot of variables in creating O.A.E., for example:

1. Physiological variables

- the training stimulation itself

- the state of the neuro-muscular system pre- and post-training

(pains, fatigue, lack of sleep, recovery, nutrition, other movement needs etc.)

2. Mental/Emotional variables

- state of mind (work stress, family stress etc..)

- motivation

- focus

3. Environmental variables

- temperature (heat, wind, rain..)

- equipment/facility

- other people

But let me stay on the physiological adaptation environment and say hello to Mark, our case study for today.

Ok, so Mark needs to improve his Vertical Jump. Now we know the goal.

Now I need to ask, Which training adaptation will take Mark to the desired goal?

Then I need to know, Which training stimulation will take Mark to the training adaptation that will lead to the desired outcome? .....huh?

Anyway, the goal is the Vertical Jump. After the evaluation we decide that Marks's internal hip rotators are in such a bad shape that he can't load his hip musculature and produce force properly.

So, we determine that the desired training adaptation would be first mobility/flexibility in the hip and then strength of the same area.

Now we decide to use prone posterior hip stretch passively and actively as a training stimulation to get some range of motion in the area.

Then we make Mark do some 3-dimensional lunges without additional resistance.

Finally we get to do some single leg and double leg strength followed by some vertical jumps.

OK, so we figured out a path that should lead from training stimulation to adaptation to performance.

What if that was not the right path? What if we created an adaptation that was not the desired one? I think that happens a lot.

What if we had Mark do back squats without creating a mobility adaptation first in the hip rotators? Could the vertical jump still have improved? I guess it could have. Is the desired training adaptation and the desired movement goal always the same thing? I believe you can improve someone's vertical jump by just jumping under some heavy weight and repeating the desired movement pattern under resistance....so the answer would be NO then.

The question still remains though ...which adaptations did this training create and are all of them "good" adaptations? He might have improved his vertical jump and at the same time decrease his ability to change direction laterally in high velocities. Well, that is not a good thing for a basketball player. But we won't even worry about it because we have no idea that we had created such "secondary" adaptation. Oh oh!

Creating an environment where the optimal adaptations occurs, requires that I know quite a bit about how the body responds to given stimulations. The challenge is in knowing all the possible adaptations that an exercise can have on the movement system.

This might have been pretty confusing, I recognize that, but I guess my point is that a trainer or a strength coach should not facilitate only training stimulations but more so, training adaptations.

Thanks for reading!

Tommi

PS: Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected. Steve Jobs

Olympic Style Weight Lifting

Here is an excerpt of Vern Gambetta's book on Olympic Weight Lifting. Wonderful points and true wisdom, please read the whole excerpt at Vern's blog.

In the athlete development process the role of Olympic style weight training has occupied a large role. This has good and bad implications. Olympic style weight lifting is a training method that is excellent for developing power. Olympic lifting consists of two movements, the clean and jerk and the snatch. The derivatives of those movements are what make up the majority of the training exercises. There is no question of the inherent value of these exercises as a tool to raise explosive power, but once again the method must be kept in context and reconciled with the overall goal of the strength training program.

In order to achieve optimum return there are several key points that must be considered: the first point is that Olympic lifting is a sport. That sport consists of lifting as much weight as possible in the clean and jerk and the snatch. Those lifts have a high technical demand, but the skill is a closed skill that occurs in a narrow range of movement. The Olympic lifting movements do produce tremendous power production because of the distance the weight must travel, the weight and the speed requirements. This power production is highly dependent on the technical proficiency of the individual lifter. Essentially, the training of the weight lifter consists of the actual Olympic lifts and some derivative and assistance exercises. There is no running, jumping or other demands on their system. The sole focus is on lifting as much weight as possible.

Tommi

PS: The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Franklin D. Roosevelt

What is your SYSTEM of training?

systej Someone said,"Even a bad plan is better than no plan."

I have to agree to some extent that sometimes we get results even with a bad plan or a system. But without either, we are doomed to running in circles.

What is common to all the excellent coaches and trainers you know?

Mark Verstegen, Mike Boyle, Al Vermeil, Eric Cressey, JC Santana, Gary Gray, Gray Cook, Vern Gambetta, Lee Taft all have a SYSTEM. They might use different vehicles to get to their destination, but they all know HOW to get there.

If I want my client to reach his/her goal, I need to have a system. Maybe I should just order one from a catalog.... Does Perform Better carry training systems?

I guess my point is that I have to create a SYSTEM myself, based on my passions, abilities and the needs of the client. Someone else's system can also be part of my own system, such as Functional Movement Screen by Gray Cook, as long as I know the system inside and out.

What is a SYSTEM anyway?
- training program on paper?
- assessment protocol?
- periodization plan?

SYSTEM according to Webster's Online Dictionary:

1. 'something made up of many interdependent or related parts'

2. 'a method worked out in advance for achieving some objective'

3. 'the means or procedure for doing something '

I think you have a system when you are able to explain all the steps of the journey from the evaluation of a client all the way to reaching the goal. In other words, you have a clear plan. We know that many times plans change, but at least you have a map and a compass.

Maybe more importantly, can you take yourself out of the equation? Can someone else produce results by using your system? Do they understand it and can they put it into practice?

In other words, does your system require you? If it does, it might just be too complicated...

I am in the process of updating and hopefully upgrading my SYSTEMS for training. It is actually very inspiring....

Check, check, check!

Tommi

PS: A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that works. John Gaule

Change of Direction Speed

7-0 to CARBS!

I am not an expert in the science of sport nutrition, but sometimes I need to point people in the direction that I believe is beneficial for them. It is actually hard to find information that does not have some sort of weird twist to it.

I like the sound of these 7 bullet points...

Sports Performance Bulletin nutritional expert, Charles Remington, explains the health problems you may experience with a low carbohydrate diet. (http://www.pponline.co.uk)

1. Poor exercise performance and recovery

Carbohydrates are the primary fuel for your muscles and brain. Eating a low carbohydrate diet prevents proper maintenance of muscle and liver glycogen (storage form of carbohydrate and water), thus decreasing muscle performance and increasing muscle fatigue. ATP is the main source of energy for all muscle contractions. When a muscle is used, a chemical reaction breaks down ATP to produce energy. There is only enough ATP stored in the muscle for a few contractions. More ATP is needed. There are three enzyme systems that can create more ATP. The three sources of ATP for muscle contractions are carbohydrates, fatty acids and amino acid proteins. Carbohydrates metabolize efficiently and are therefore used first. If carbohydrates are not available, your muscles metabolize fatty acids and amino acids as secondary sources of ATP. These secondary sources are not efficient, which consequently cause your strength and endurance to drop drastically. It needs to be customized to your amount of muscle and exercise schedule. High-fibre, low-glycemic (turn into blood sugar slowly) carbohydrates can provide up to 50% of your calories, which will lead to increases in strength and muscle endurance.

2. Gout

Gout is a form of arthritis that occurs when excessive uric acid levels start to crystallize in joints, leading to pain and inflammation. Uric acid is a waste product in the liver's metabolism of protein. Excessive amounts of protein may lead to an inability to eliminate uric acid. I would recommend you should not exceed 1 to 1.25 grams of protein per lean pound of body weight.

3. Kidney stones

Kidney stones are hard masses that form in the kidneys when uric acid or calcium oxalate crystallize and over time form stones. Insoluble fibre, found only in carbohydrates reduces the absorption of calcium, which cause urinary calcium levels to drop thereby preventing the formation of kidney stone. I would recommend the consumption of 30 or more grams of fibre daily. This is not attainable on low carbohydrate diets.

4. Constipation and poor intestinal health

To maintain good intestinal health our bodies require 30 or more grams of fibre daily. Fibre is divided into two types, soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fibre is vital in formation of stools and decreases the time process of waste elimination. Low carbohydrate diets are too low in insoluble fibre and increase risk of constipation. Poor transit time of waste material increases risk of certain colon cancers. Insoluble fibres prevent the build-up of mucus on intestinal walls which lead to poor absorption of nutrients into the body. Low carbohydrate diets are inadequate to maintain good intestinal wall health. I would recommend you use whole grains, oats, beans, fruits and vegetable which are rich in soluble and insoluble fibre. This lowers the risk for constipation, hemorrhoids, irritable bowel, diverticulitis, Crohn's disease, and colon cancers.

5. Rise in cholesterol levels and an increased risk of heart disease

The risk of heart disease increases on low carbohydrate, low fibre diets. These diets promote excessive amounts of animal protein, cholesterol and saturated fat. Exuberant amounts of protein increase homocysteine, which is a by-product of the amino acid methionine. Many experts believe that high homocysteine levels have many toxic effects which lead to increase risk of heart disease and hardening of the arteries. Low carbohydrate, low fibre diets reduce the absorption and elimination of digestive bile in the intestines. Digestive bile is produced in the liver from cholesterol. A decrease in digestive bile production raises blood serum cholesterol levels which increases the risk of heart disease. Unlike low carbohydrate diets I would promote a nutritional balance providing 30% protein, 50% high fibre carbohydrates and 20% fat.

6. Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is the reduction of bone density, due to the loss of calcium over long periods of time. Several dietary factors increase the risk of osteoporosis. When dietary protein reaches excessive levels, so does the loss of calcium in the urine. Most studies show that a life-long high protein diet results in an increase of obsteoporosis. Poor intestinal health due to low fibre diets cause inadequate absorption of calcium in intestines contributing to poor bone formation. This would suggest that no low carbohydrate diets can become a life long lifestyle of eating. This is only one of many reasons why low carbohydrate diets provide poor long term weight control. Interestingly, a diet too low in protein can also increase risk of osteoporosis. There is no one size fits all when managing our weight so it has to be customized to the individual, providing the right balance of protein, carbohydrate and fat.

7. Loss of muscle and reduction of metabolism

Any diet that applies the restriction of calories less than the body's daily requirements over long periods of time will result in the loss of lean muscle tissue and a decrease in the metabolism. All low carbohydrate diets are focused solely on weight loss. The loss of fat comes at a high cost, which is the loss of lean muscle. The loss of muscle reduces the resting metabolic rate, which is the major cause for rebound weight gain. Research shows 95% of all dieters will regain that weight . We do not fail at diets - diets fail us! The secret is not to try to lose fat every day as this will result in losing muscle and reducing metabolism.

What do you think? Doesn't sound like low-carb diets have much benefit?!

Tommi

PS: Food is an important part of a balanced diet.
Fran Lebowitz

Plantarfascia issues?

A reasonably great number of people suffer from problems with their plantarfascia. I have seen them a lot even when working side by side with a physical therapist. Actually, I wish more of those people would get treatment from a qualified therapist or ART-specialist before taking the route of injections, surgeries and so on...

But I am not a doctor...so I am just speculating of course!

ART (active release technique) seems to work very well, but even before that one can do a lot, especially in the prevention of issues with their plantarfascia.

Plantarfascia is a part of the posterior chain. In the same chain, you will find for example the soleus and gastrochnemius muscles of the calf complex. A lot of problems in the bottom of the foot could be prevented by proper flexibility exercises for the calf ; Self-myofascial release, static stretches and dynamic stretches can all be done to prevent problems lower down in the chain. That is just my experience - there is probably more to it.

2 Ways of keeping the lower leg healthier:

1. Foam Roll the calves!

Great instruction for the use of a foam roller -Click here!

2. Tennis ball the bottom of the foot!

Shoes off. While standing, put one foot on a tennis ball. Slowly and gently "massage" the bottom of the foot with the tennis ball. We like to do about 30-60 seconds per foot.

This one is great tool I learned years ago from Mike Boyle. Thanks Mike!

Tommi

PS: Prepare yourself for the world, as the athletes used to do for their exercise; oil your mind and your manners, to give them the necessary suppleness and flexibility; strength alone will not do. Earl of Chesterfield

Stretching equals Activation in Warm-up?

Static flexibility has been traditionally "the way" to prepare the muscles for work. Jogging and static stretches...the recipe for most of the athletes as a warm-up....before dynamic warm-ups came about.

As we know, dynamic flexibility made its way into training programs and for a lot us, it became a component of a dynamic warm-up or movement preparation. Just like any other new thing, it is finding the right variables and formats of usage and how it all fits into conditioning.

Here are some of the findings I have based on the own experiences, movement evaluations and client feedback.

One goal of a dynamic movement preparation is OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE in the chosen activity. Stretching, whether dynamic or static, might or might not be the the best way to optimize perfomance. I have noticed that sometimes flexibility is not the component that is required for a specific individual and his/her specific sport movement.

For example, when I use walking lunge variations to prepare my client for activity, I often think how the lunge will stretch the hip flexors and abdominal wall dynamically and so on and so on..
What if the stretch is only a part of the acute adaptation the lunge creates? What if the the MAIN role of the lunge in movement preparation is STABILITY and not flexibility?

So what? What is the difference anyway? Flexibility, stability, mobility...all good things, right?

I have noticed that the exact knowledge of the goal changes the way I instruct, tweak and adjust the exercises. For example, the range of motion in an exercise changes based on the goal; a flexibility goal often drives me to further ranges of motion whereas with a stability goal I might be more interested about BASE OF SUPPORT and PROPRIOCEPTIVE DEMANDS of the exercise.
I know, why try to extract the things from each other that work together anyway? Just as Gary Gray says: "Mobility + stability = Mostability = Most Ability!

I feel that focusing on extreme ranges through dynamic flexibility during movement preparation can potentially bring us to the same point we are trying to avoid in the first place (by leaving out the extended static stretches from the warm-up). An excessive stretch in an isolated body part can "throw off" the function of the whole chain and leave the body in a vulnerable position.

ACTIVATION should result in a well-prepared movement system that has a greater potential for performance and lower risk for injury. How do we accomplish both goals?

Isn't the movement preparation routine just as individual as the rest of the program? Some people require more hip mobility in order to perform better. Others might have too much laxity in their joints and might need 'stiffening' of the joint....Possible?

Let's assume we can access the SETTINGS of our movement machinery. Let's also assume that we have "default settings" in our system that enable us to function most optimally. In order to get to those "high-performance default settings" we need to CALIBRATE the system.

Sometimes I think that the goal of movement preparation is the calibration of the movement system to its programmed high-performance settings -- whatever they are for a given individual.

Finding out what neural and soft-tissue adaptation/stimulation is required for the best possible performance environment is my task and a challenge as a coach.

Some gaps in this theory as well, but at least it activated my mind.

How about you?

Tommi

PS: That which is static and repetitive is boring. That which is dynamic and random is confusing. In between lies art. John A. Locke.

Functional Overtraining?

I have made a lot of mistakes in my training career. It would be a big fat lie to say that all of my movement programs and workouts have been without flaw.

I think the people who have the ability to evaluate their own actions (both successes and losses) and turn them into new learning opportunities, are the ones who eventually become great experts in their fields.

I hope to develop this quality in myself.

I have learned a lot through my own experiences with functional training and it's effects on my clients and myself. Step by step I feel like I understand more about it.

"FUNCTIONAL OVERTRAINING"

Every once in a while I hear a comment that functional training leads to overtraining easier than other types of training.

It would be pretty simple to just ignore these comments and move forward...

However, what if it was true? What if functional training will cause you to overtrain faster than for example... traditional training methods?

Before anything else, here are a few definitions of overtraining:

1. Overtraining, also described as chronic fatigue, burnout and staleness has been defined as an imbalance between training/competition, versus recovery. Alternatively stated, it is too much training or competition combined with tool little time for regeneration. (Overtraining - Proposition for a debate. Angela Peterson.)

2. Budgett (1998) defines the overtraining syndrome as a condition of fatigue and underperformance, often associated with frequent infections and depression that occurs following hard training and competition. The symptoms do not resolve despite two weeks of adequate rest, and there is no other identifiable medical cause. (Budgett R (1998)
Fatigue and underperformance in athletes: the overtraining syndrome. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 32:107-10.)

As you notice, the definitions of overtraining reveal the severity of the state and in most cases, the overtraining is confused with overreaching, that is a milder form of overtraining. Nevertheless, the performance is impaired due to these states.

The experts have concluded that overtraining or overreaching is often a result of frequent high-intensity training with not enough recovery in between.

SO, does functional training cause overtraining easier than other types of training?

"Functional training" typically involves compound, total body movements and often in a form of a circuit.

Everyone knows that a functional training circuit can combine the effects of resistance-, movement- and cardiovascular training.

I think the big benefit of a functional training circuit is the combination of different modalities, “more bang for your buck”-effect, but at the same time I believe that the same effect is also the biggest RISK in functional circuit training, if not harnessed properly.

What if combining cardiovascular and resistance training requires a compound recovery time as well? If you train both modalities at once, should you then also rest for the both of them before doing the next workout?

Functional training, especially in a circuit format, causes a moderate-to-high heart rate response and a metabolic effect that involves a hormonal response and elevated post-exercise oxygen consumption. These factors can lead to overtraining if not properly progressed and followed with recovery and regeneration.

This is a weekly training regimen, that I have used lately as a system in order to gain long-term success and to avoid overtraining:

DAY 1: Functional Circuit – Metabolic /high-to-moderate heart rate/ Total Body

DAY 2: Traditional Strength moves/ 2 min recovery between sets

DAY 3: Functional Movement Training/ 2-3 min recovery between sets

DAY 4: Regenerative Day/ Preferred 2+ hour hike, bike ride etc./Fun

I believe that functional training methods are still looking for their places in the overall regimen for training athletes. Without a plan even a good idea is unable to produce results. If training leads into decrease in performance, it becomes dysfunctional.

I think monitoring the heart rate and learning more about the need for recovery is crucial in order to reap all the potential benefits of functional training.

I certainly have made a mistake of looking at Functional Training only as a type of training "style" and not as an approach and mindset or a strategy, if you will. Anything can be functional in its proper place and nothing is functional if it is misplaced.

Challenging stuff for me…a lot to learn!

Tommi

PS: Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming.

Software upgrade: Movement Skill 2.0

Hardware vs. software (Downhill Skiing as an example)

Here is an analogy that we have entertained our little minds with.

Think of your skiing equipment, skis, boots, poles, bindings etc as the hardware, just like in the world of computers. Hardware is the machinery that makes the operations possible, but it is useless without software. Think of your skiing technique as the software that enables the machinery to function and optimize its capacity.

Sometimes we upload a little bit too much technical information in our brains and the actual skiing movement easily becomes slightly awkward, slow or just unnatural, just like with our computers. More programs in the system is not always a guarantee of performance, speed and function.

Maybe more often we have the latest hardware, the equipment, but we are unable to utilize them due to gaps in our technique. More advanced skis require often require more from the software. Correct me if I am wrong.

I feel like our bodies are the same way. We have got the hardware; muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments etc. This is what we are often interested in improving – stronger (bigger?) muscles and more durable connective tissue. This is an important goal and exercise can certainly improve this area. When strong and durable hardware carries functional software, we have a combination that produces athletic and efficient movement.

A lot of the traditional weight lifting, bodybuilding and fitness training have been heavily based on building the hardware of the movement machinery. So then how do I upgrade my software to compliment my high performance hardware?

We think of functional movements as programs that you can upload into your physiology in order to make physical activity more efficient and safe. This has to do a lot with the neurological components of the movement machinery. When the software in the brain and in the neurological system is communicating well with the hardware, the movement reaches its optimal potential.

“Traditional” training methods, Functional training, Motor skill enhancement, Movement skill training etc. can help the body to produce combination where the best possible performance can occur with the least amount of damage to the body.

Just random thoughts….Have a victorious day!

Tommi

PS: Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done. Andy Rooney.

What FILLS your tank Coach?

This is what happens when I, as a coach, get stressed and overloaded.

- My creativity in program design is decreased.

- My sensitivity for an athlete's situation is compromised.

- My ability to inspire and motivate others is not as great.

In other words my influence in athletes' lives is not as positive as it could be, and they definitely will not get the best Tommi to work with them.

In order to help others, for one way or another, I have to be in a position where I am able to help them. No one wants a stressed Tommi to help them, because a stressed Tommi does not have much to give.

I have to ask myself these questions frequently.

Is my own tank full enough that I can give someone else a drink? Or am I dry and thirsty myself?

What fills my tank and what empties it?

Where do I go, What do I do, Who do I see - to keep my tank filled.

We know that there are plenty of things that drain you... but what fills you back up? What makes you laugh? What relaxes you?

Hey, am I just being little silly now? I think not.

I am responsible for each session, each hour, each training program and each piece of advice that I give.

The last couple of weeks I have been stressed, to the point where my daily output has not been what it should be. Tight schedules, finances, family stuff - we all have stressors in our lives.

I had no inspiration to write anything for a while and that was a little bit alarming because I truly enjoy it.

Well, I am back! My tank is full. Thank you!

Tommi

PS: "Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Matthew 4:14

What is up with "CARDIO"?

Just these past few weeks, I have tried to answer some questions that my clients have presented to me. Many of them (especially with the beach season upon us) have been about "cardio" workouts. These questions got my wheels turning as I am trying to figure out this "cardio"-phenomenon myself.


What is cardio?

"I'm going to do 45 minutes of cardio." What does that mean?

A lot of people are saying that "cardio" will burn the most fat. Is this true?

Some new researches and experts think "cardio" is pretty much useless. While other give a specific recipe for the perfect cardio program with all kinds of promises.

Alright, what is this mysterious "cardio?" What kind of exercise are you thinking of when someone tells you that they did 45 minutes of "cardio" this morning?

Here is what it sounds like to me: a low to moderate intensity, aerobic activity performed typically on elliptical machine or treadmill, at a constant steady state pace. I know, that is a brutal generalization of what it really could mean but I do not think it is far from the truth.

Ok, is there something wrong with that then?

First of all, I don't think there really are a lot of bad exercises or movements. I DO think there is a great amount of poor exercise applications and inadequate movement assessments in use.

Just like any other form of exercise, cardiovascular exercise needs to be prescribed with a specific goal and adaptation in mind. This is where most of the "cardio" workouts are taking the wrong direction, I think.

Juan Carlos Santana brought up a great point a while ago, when he questioned the need of steady state cardiovascular workouts for combat athletes. You know, the running/jogging sessions at 6am down the streets...

Everyone agrees that a boxer needs to be in great cardiovascular shape to perform his/her sport. But should he/she be training like a runner? Could there be a smarter way of training for those specific demands?

On the other hand, for some reason the whole world thinks that the best way to lose fat is to do "cardio" as often as possible, for a specific amount of time, at a certain intensity, on a specific piece of equipment, etc. Well, it might be a PART of it as long as the tools are used correctly. There probably is a place for steady state low intensity cardio of some kind in everyone's training program, but it certainly should not be the main ingredient for most of us.

Both recretional exercisers as well as professional athletes are still utilizing too much vague and inaccurate goal setting when choosing activities that involve cardiovascular stimulation.

I know, I feel great after a nice run or a bike ride too,....endorphins are flowing and I am drenched in sweat.... and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. I utilize this type of cardiovascular training, just not every time I workout.

What I think is very important is to find out the reason and the goal behind each minute and hour of training. What is the outcome and goal of this specific training stimulation? What kind of adaptation do I need for my sport? Is this training more important than something else?

Thanks for reading and hopefully your wheels are turning too, whether you agree or not. Comments are always welcome!

Tommi

PS:In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it. Robert Heinlein

Vertical Jump Test, Performance & Recovery

I have noticed, by accident of course, that a simple vertical jump test could be used for a quick evaluation of the athlete's state of recovery and as a predictor of sprinting performance. It only takes 2 minutes and the correlation between sprint performance and the height of the jump seems pretty reliable.

I am currently working with a young 400m runner. As you might know, high school track athletes have quite a few meets during the season. Spring track just started and there is a track meet pretty much every week. At some of the meets, she is running other distances as well as even high jumping and long jumping. All in all, the season can be very demanding and the challenge is obviously to peak at the right time for the important meets in the end of May.

So, by the end of winter track, she seemed a little bit fatigued, so I started measuring the vertical twice a week just do some field research. I was surprised to notice that her bilateral counter movement vertical jump had decreased to 17 inches on average, which was on average 4 inches lower than normally.

After a scheduled recovery and less meets the vertical jump went back up to 21+ inches.

The vertical jump result seemed to be a predictor of how well the next meet (the same week) will go and what kind of times she could expect. The higher and more consistent the jump, the better the time.

Now, it seems that tasks that require rapid and total recruitment of the muscle can give information whether the state of performance is optimal or not. Strength measurement does not seem to give a clear enough of an indication in her case, especially since she is not working on 1RM.

The value in this discovery is when she comes in on Monday or Wednesday to train with me, I can make educated choices for exercises, modalities and variables based on how she does on the vertical jump.

So why choose vertical jump as a tool?

1. Easy and fast (f.ex. with vertical jump mat).

2. Gives combined data on different movement systems of the body

(neurological, muscular, mental...)

3. Can be used both bilaterally and unilaterally based on the specific needs.

Single leg jump on the mat gives a little different feedback than the bilateral jump. Sometimes the lower leg is more fatigued compared to the rest of the body and single leg jump result drops even the if the bilateral jump shows no difference.

For a different purpose, the vertical jump can be performed continuously as well. By testing how many times she can jump above 21 inches in a row, can give more information on the qualities required for a 400m sprint.

To sum it up, the vertical jump test can serve for many purposes. In addition to testing power, it could be used to monitor the athlete's state of recovery and preparedness for optimal performance. I am unaware of any scientific evidence on this but the results of my subjective and small test group encourages me to keep playing around with it.

Tap yourself on the back if you read the whole thing!

Tommi

PS: Thoughts, like fleas, jump from man to man, but they don't bite everybody. Stanislaw J. Lec

Volcano -theory

I have this geeky Volcano -theory. I have found this pattern within myself and within most of my clients.

When the pressure builds up inside, it will start looking for an exit to be released. The pressure can be physical, emotional, social or all of them together. The body really doesn't know the difference too well....everything affects everything, right?

I think at least two things can happen when the pressure builds up; either we find a way to decrease the internal pressure (by resting, by better nutrition, by talking to a friend, by massage etc) or the pressure will keep growing and it starts indicating itself outwardly (by nagging pains, by teeth grinding, by lower performance or by fighting with the spouse, etc).

Let's talk about the physical side of the volcano -theory. When the pressure build up, which part will go first? The weakest, right? We all have those parts of our movement system that are our little "weak spots." Mine have been traditionally the right shoulder, L4-L5 in the lumbar spine and the wrists.
Often, especially when my training volume was high, I would start getting the symptoms in those weak areas first.

Anyway, I think there are specific indicators that we can learn from and thus, improve the training adaptation. For some people, the indicators are more emotional than physical. This knowledge helps us often in regulating the training intensity correctly and obviously helps in preventing unintentional overtraining/overreaching.

It is important to IDENTIFY these weak spots, detect the risk and make some adjustments in training, resting, eating or in all of them. For a lot of people nowadays, the pressure builds up greatly due to problems in family life and relatioships. A good quality training stimulation is immediately compromised by too many emotional/social pressure builders.

Most of my clients are very open with sharing their pains, discomforts and other issues. In fact, I try to encourage athletes to tell me everything that is going on with their bodies and also with their minds and emotional state.

A lot of people do not want to complain. The "no pain...no gain" mentality is pretty typical and some of the issues never surface in conversations. In these cases, only after observing the person for a while can I potentially determine that maybe the person is hurting or the mental focus is somewhere else.

The key is to find a way to decrease the pressure before the eruption occurs in one form or another. The concept is clearly not a new one but I have found that it is a another way of explaining it to the client.

Stay cool!

Tommi

PS: A volcano is an opening (or rupture) in the Earth's surface or crust, which allows hot, molten rock, ash and gases to escape from deep below the surface. Volcanic activity involving the extrusion of rock tends to form mountains or features like mountains over a period of time. Wikipedia

3D Adaptation

This topic came up again when we were designing a program for an athlete who needs change of direction -speed and agility as well as a good cardiovascular base for her sport.

Now what could this sport be? Pretty much anything, right? It could be boxing or badminton, or it may be lacrosse or basketball. A lot of sports require those qualities.

We know that by doing quick feet drills, speed ladder, plyometrics etc, we are able to improve the foot speed, deceleration strength and agility and so on. On the other hand, we also know how the get someone's cardiovascular fitness to a higher level. For example, a steady state run could classify as a means to the second goal.

I think the problem occurs when the adaptations from the training are looked at within one dimension only. It is true that 30-60 min running improves your cardiovascular fitness but what does it do to your foot speed and adaptations from the agility training?

Our movement system is not aware that we might have a primary goal for the exercise in mind. It does not know that we would like to gain cardiovascular fitness from the running but exclude the slower foot contacts of distance running.

In order to choose the right exercise for a given goal, we need to analyze ALL the adaptations that the activity will cause in our bodies. We can't underestimate our ability to adapt to a given stimulation.

So, where is this getting at?

My unscientific feeling about this is, that basically if your goal is to be fast in the feet - make as big percentage of foot contacts as possible, FAST. We might be contradicting our goals if we think that the slow steady state run will not affect our foot speed. By running a 3-mile run, the athlete might making more foot contacts than in an actual speed training workout and all of them are slower than desired in the match/game-situation.

Solution suggestions:

What if I chose to analyze all the adaptations of a given training modality before prescribing an exercise program?

Some of the systems related to movement and performance:

1. Cardiovascular system
2. Neuro-muscular system
3. Psycho-Emotional systems (is that a word?)

IF we look at for example the heart rate curve of an intense resistance training circuit, we will notice that it could classify as an high-intensity interval workout. Or we can look at an uphill hiking as a method to create adaptations in the mobility/stability and dynamic flexibility of the ankle complex and "forget" about the heart rate adaptations.

So, just to wrap up, we decided to have the athlete perform speed and agility drills for faster foot contacts and steady state and perform interval bike rides for cardiovascular base. We could choose to use the fast foot drills to create cardiovascular adaptations by changing the recovery time as well but we decided to separate the two goals from each other as much as possible and combine them closer to the competition season.

Anyway, adaptation has different levels and dimensions - 3D Adaptation, if you will.

You are what you eat - Feed the machine!

Tommi

PS: "We are what we love, not what loves us." Charlie Kaufman

A Trainer is a Leader.

This past week I had a priviledge to participate in a great conversation. One of the topics we shared thoughts on was "leadership" and how it applies in our field.

Leadership skills are evidently needed by those are in a position to manage others in one way or another. Rarely do we think that a job or a position of a "trainer" would be a leadership position. But could be it one? And if yes, how important would those skills would be in the field of fitness training?

True leadership is often defined by one word; "influence". How much influence do I, as a trainer, have in my clients' lives and particularly within their health and fitness?

Can I convey my message so well that my clients' actions towards their goals will CHANGE--also when they are not with me?

Our culture and society is confused about the difference between "leading people" and "managing people." The truth is that a leader might not always have a position of a manager and a manager might not always have the influence of a leader.

I think one of the most important practical tasks of a leader is in creating an environment where people can get to their goals the most optimal, effective way. In a corporate or team atmosphere the goal is often common and everyone will benefit from each team member functioning optimally.

A trainer needs to create an environment where the client reaches his/her TRUE POTENTIAL. True leadership is required especially when clear changes in lifestyle are needed in order to get to the goal. Leaders are able to guide people into a process of change that they try to avoid by nature. And bossing someone around rarely is very effective.

Personal Trainer might not have a true position of a leader but potentially much more than that, a great amount of influence in the lives of the clients.

Thank you for making my head spin guys!

Tommi

PS: "Leadership is based on inspiration, not domination; on cooperation, not intimidation." William Arthur Wood.

Don't tell me you have shoulder pain, too!

So many people develop problems with the shoulder joint. I have had my share of shoulder pain myself a few years ago. I know the shoulder is a multidimensional joint and very delicate in many ways, but it should not be THE reason for so many injuries.

Is it just me or are the shoulder issues more and more prevalent nowadays? And if yes, why is that?

I have a few wild guesses that I listed below:

1. Sitting! Sitting in the office, sitting in the car, sitting on the couch, sitting and eating. Honestly, how many hours did you sit today?

When we sit, we tend to slump forward and the whole body rounds into the "human shrimp" posture including the shoulder girdle and neck. As a result, the shoulder joint "learns" to sit anteriorly pulled by the tight muscles in the front of the body, such as pectoralis major and minor.

Now when we ask the shoulder to perform a function, it is not at its optimal position and friction occurs. That could lead into all kind of issues in the shoulder. So, join the revolution against the sitting position!

2. Poor movement nourishment. Heavy weight does not cause shoulder problems, push-ups do not cause shoulder problems, golf does not cause shoulder problems!

The lack of multidirectional movement causes shoulder problems!

Shoulder joint is a pretty mobile joint. In fact it moves pretty much any direction. When we utilize only 2 degrees on its capacity (by only doing chest press and incline chest press) we are underestimating the movement ability of our bodies.

Do you believe that sometimes exercise can actually be harmful? Poorly designed resistance programs might cause some long-term issues and imbalances.

For example, if I decide to perform bench press in different forms several days a week without balancing it out with other joint angles, directions, resistance etc, I could end up doing more harm than good to my body in a very short time. Same goes obviously for any other exercise when it is used in excess on the expense of other movements.

3. Stress!

Really?

Do you ever feel your neck and shoulders tighten up when your schedule gets tight and pressure builds up? I do.

Have you noticed what happens when you embark on a nice vacation somewhere warm? As your stress leaves you, the shoulders automatically relax and the Hunchback of Notre Dame is gone for a while.

A tight neck and upper back can cause your shoulder joint to be more vulnerable for impingements and itis-ending situations.

SOLUTION:

1. Quit your job!

2. Go on a vacation tomorrow.

3. Play every kind of sport and never do the the same exercise routine twice.

Well, you get the idea. Sometimes it is more of a mindset than an actual realistic plan.

;-)

Tommi

PS: "Help others get ahead. You will always stand taller with someone else on your shoulders. Bob Moawad.

Training wisdom from Chris "Mazz" Mazzella

I have had a wonderful opportunity to witness fast and true results in movement quality with some specific clients of mine. The common nominator for quite a few clients with great results is that they happen to take a same class at their gym.

It is almost strange to see movement and mobility improve that fast. The secret of success is dynamic mobility training class that Chris "Mazz" is teaching. A full hour dedicated to dynamic isolated and integrated mobility training seems to make a huge difference in movement.

So, what is so great about getting more mobility in specific joints and areas in the body?

Well, for example improved rotation of the hip can change how well the glutes work and the results can be seen improved function and even aesthetics. The better you move the more optimally your body will adapt to training. If your body's level of adaptation could be enhanced, you would get faster and better results, no matter what your goals were.

I can not wait to post some videos here that "Mazz" is shooting as we speak.

Dynamic mobility training, or whatever we decide to call it, is fantastic!

Stay active!

Tommi

PS: "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." Sir Richard Steele

Foot and ankle complex

I started with a new client today. He is a 15 year old wrestler and cross country runner.

The range of motion in his ankle was pretty bad. He couldn't squat, walk or run properly because his shin did not want to move anteriorly very far. Due to some poor mobility training and several ankle sprains, his calf and shin muscles were not very functional.

Long story short, just by doing some simple soft tissue techiques on his tibialis anterior his range of motion improved tremendously. So what did I learn?

I learned that it is great to work next to a physical therapist and ART-specialist who can show you how to do simple things that can help your client a lot. When you do not need those skills for a while, you forget that they exist.

It is great to start with new clients, assess them and design a program together with someone who can help you with your weaker area. By training the "old" clients a lot, you do not remember those important things that you often need to start a new client with.

So, after 5 minutes of soft tissue work on the tibialis anterior, movement improved and single leg multidirectional reaches were so much better.

I think a lot of runners could use true functional mobility in their ankle complex and really be able to get that spring in the stride that everybody wants. Not to speak of injury prevention, of course.

Thank you Evan Chait at EAPI (Elite Athletic Performance Institute) for expanding my tool box and giving me great advice!

Tommi Paavola

PS: "A teacher will appear when the student is ready."

Horizontal Loading in Sports

I read a great article by a smart man called Tony Reynolds. It is amazing how some people are able to put into words what you have been trying formulate into something rational in your brain for a while.

Well, my latest revelation in the field of athletic performance enhancement happened as I was reading Tony's article on horizontal loading. I have been trying to figure out ways to explain and argue the reasons why we should focus so much more on loading and resistance that challenges the movement system horizontally.

Now when you really start analyzing which directions force is being produced, you can not get around the fact that a lot of loading happens horizontally. For example, a tennis player coils his/her body in rotation during forehand or backhand and then releases a powerful movement when hitting the ball. How does the force production vector look like here? Which direction is force being produced?

How often does the tennis player need to produce force vertically as in a vertical jump?

Even a quick change of direction on the field produces a diagonal force production vector, not vertical. But would it also mean that the faster the change of direction is, the more horizontal the plane of the vector would be?

So, if horizontal loading is such an important part of athletic movement, why are most of the training movements performed only in a vertical vector?

I have been amazed how well athletes respond to cable or resistance band exercises that challenge them in different ways than squats, presses or other movements that are heavily based on gravity and thus mostly vertically loaded.

The teaching of this for me was basically that the direction of resistance specific to sport, the vector of loading, is another important thing to analyze before starting a movement conditioning program.

It is so nice to learn new things. I just got a million new exercise ideas just by clarifying that concept in my own head. Poor clients!

Enjoy the weekend!

Tommi

PS:"The least of learning is done in the classrooms." Thomas Merton

Balance, coordination, agility, weight loss!

I had a great discussion with my client on Monday on how we often narrow and limit our training approach unconsciuously when we have a specific goal in mind. We talked how focusing on the goals is essential but without a balanced plan we might drift away from an optimal approach.

Example 1: Mrs. Smith has a goal of getting rid extra fat around the mid section. She has really decided to focus on that. So, she decides to do 95 crunches every day, walk on the treadmill and stop eating mashed potatoes and bread.

Example 2: Mr. Jones wants to lose weight. He is feeling unhealthy and is already overweight. He decides to weigh himself every morning and make decisions about eating and exercise throughout the day based on the number on the scale. When he is frustrated with the non-changing weight, he either does not eat the whole day or stops caring and eats anything. He might also go to the gym and exercise impulsively and aggressively until he is sure he burned at least the amount of fat he was expecting to lose.

Well, Mrs. Smith has a good start but she will not get to her goals because of her narrow and ineffective choices of exercise. She most likely does not burn enough calories with the chosen exercises to really make a difference. She also chose crunches with hopes of burning fat around the mid-section. However, the crunch will not do anything for the fat around the mid-section but it can also contribute to unhealthy imbalances in posture. Mrs. Smith should at least have a strength component and functional exercise component in her routine to make it more well rounded.

Mr. Jones has created a situation where his emotions are in control over his daily decisions and the scale determines how good he feels about himself. The scale has become too important and causes him to get off track emotionally and physically. He needs a long-term plan and a system that will progress him gradually with his weight. He needs to look weeks and months ahead and stick to the routine. He should probably not get on the scale more than maybe once in two weeks.

Here is the thing I have found more and more as I train my clients. By making the training too narrowly focused, I might not help them reaching the goal at all. Optimal health including healthy weight loss, is always an outcome of balanced approach. The body requires multidimensional stimulations to function at its best. If the goal is weight loss, components such as balance, coordination, power, flexibility or aerobic power can still be very important parts of the program and they might just provide the breakthrough in getting to the goal.

Anyway, I feel that no matter what the goal, a multidimensional approach will always be the most effective. Of course the ratio of different components should change to compliment the goal but we often remove those elements entirely that don't SEEM to have anything to do with the goal.

Good job if you read the whole thing! Have a great day!

Tommi

PS:"Our dream, when pursued, is the most likely predictor of our future." John Maxwell.

A story on serious commitment...and serious results.

The Disaster

I have to share this story as it inspired me greatly this Friday. My 11am client came in 10 minutes late for the session. She told me that at 9 o'clock she went to her basement and found the finished basement covered in water. Heavy rain fall from the night before had flooded the basement and the carpets were floating in 2 inches of ice cold water.

Well, the damage was obviously substantial. However, after calling the plumber and after starting three pumps downstairs she proceeded to come to workout for an hour. If it was me, the workout would have been the last thing in my mind. Anyway, she came in and had a focused workout and then left to take care of the rest of the mess. Now that is some commitment. I would have given up long time ago.

The Results

For the last 3 months she has probably been my fastest progressing client and I bet the level of commitment has something to do with it. And by the way, last weekend she decided to start her outdoor walks again as they had given her the daily dose of brisk movement before. Well, she didn't just start walking but actually hiked 21 miles during the weekend, the mileage she normally would walk in a week. I was so impressed.

The big difference she has noticed as a result of functional movement training, in addition to weight loss, is her improved foot work and more controlled hitting on the tennis court.

When she started she had some issues with balance (one leg and staggered stance) and she couldn't perform a stationary lunge without support. Now she is doing walking lunges with a balance hold carrying two 15 lb dumbbells. The speed of progression has been a positive surprise to me.

The Training Tools

Here is the order of sagital plane lunge progression that has made a biggest difference in balance, lower body strength and tennis movement. Each stage has probably lasted for about a week.

I have to say that lunge variations are only becoming more and more close to my heart. Different lunges are such an effective way of creating environment where the most of the elements of athletic or functional movement come into play at the same time...balance, coordination, strength...I love lunges!

So, the following progression took about two months.

1. Stationary lunge with one arm support

2. Stationary lunge without support

3. Stationary lunge with 2-arm dumbbell curl

4. Stationary lunge with contralateral 1-arm row with a cable

5. Walking cheerleader lunges (lunge with arms overhead, see picture)

6. Walking rotational lunges (lunge with arms rotating)

7. Walking lunges with medicine ball (cheerleader or rotation)

8. Walking lunges with dumbells

Her commitment and results are a source of motivation for myself and also a confirmation that the tools we are using are working well for this specific purpose.

Great work! Thank you.

Tommi

PS: "Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right!" Henry Ford

My journey in the world of movement

This blog is a space of personal reflections on the journey in human movement. I would be honored to see your comments in this blog and learn from your experiences and thoughts. Please, participate as you feel your mind tickled by something.

Human being moving

The complexity of human movement and its connection with the multidimensional systems of physiology, anatomy, mind and even spirituality humbles me as a student over and over again.

New revelations and discoveries in understanding movement feed my hungry mind constantly and inspire me into diving deeper into the world of functional anatomy, performance enhancement and different training systems.

The awesome design of the human being in movement invites me into a fascinating expedition in learning about myself. The journey into movement also teaches me as a trainer how to help others in enjoying life, movement or sports performance.

This blog is dedicated to the people that have made the journey of learning movement exciting and rewarding: all the co-workers and wise sages in the field but most of all my clients who I truly have learned the most from.

My plan is to record my observations, revelations, struggles and questions on the journey in this blog....it is kind of a diary, I guess.

Tommi

PS: Quote of the day!

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13