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.