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.

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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.