Why Is Mobility Important?

First time gym goers will often learn new movements and experiment with others that they see the people around them doing. When implementing new activities into a routine, whether its lifting weights or doing cardio on the stair stepper, it’s important to have decent mobility not only to decrease the risk of injury, but to function properly during everyday activities. Mobility, not to be confused with flexibility, is the ability of the two bones that connect at a joint to move uninhibited by surrounding tissue. Unfortunately, this side of physical fitness usually goes unaddressed because people do not take the time to do a meaningful warm-up. This article will help you differentiate mobility from flexibility, and review why it is important to recognize mobility as a unique facet of overall fitness.

Most people will get to the gym, do a quick warm-up that consists of talking to friends and checking their phones (maybe a little flexing in the mirror), and then jump right into sets of heavy compound movements. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this is a recipe to get hurt, but you’d be surprised to find out how many people do just that. Stretching and mobility work isn’t glamorous. Putting up big weights will get the heads in the gym to turn, so you often see kids throw plates upon plates on the bar without doing even one set with the unloaded bar. If they don’t even do a proper warm up, you can almost guarantee they aren’t doing any mobility work to make sure their joints are healthy. Not doing this will put you in a vulnerable position for an injury that could set your progress back months, if not years. 

We all know the guys that show off to their friends saying: “My chest is so big I can’t touch my elbows together!” or “My arms are too big to touch my shoulders with my fingertips!” Many of us have been that guy at some point. Everyone “oohs” and “ahhs” at your parlor trick, but unless you’re 250+ pounds, you should not have these issues. That is a result of poor mobility, not massive, gloat-worthy muscles.

The important thing to remember about mobility is that it differs from flexibility (a subset of mobility), which is the ability to stretch a muscle in a static environment. Mobility means being able to move a joint through a full range of motion in a dynamic environment. This means that your ligaments, muscles, and nervous system capabilities are all factored in to determine whether or not a particular joint is immobile. For example, someone who is flexible might be able to do a full split on the ground and stretch from side to side, touching their nose to the ground. But mobility determines whether they can summon these skills to do a split jump in the air. A martial artist who can kick his opponent’s head would be considered mobile because he is strong in that split position and can bring force down on his opponent. Someone might be flexible enough to get in that position on the ground, but in a dynamic environment, their nervous system will not allow it if they are immobile.

Having poor mobility WILL eventually lead to injuries. Just because you haven’t had any serious problems yet doesn’t mean it won’t come back to bite you in the future. Most of the time, mobility problems lead to more muscle tears and strains than lifting with poor technique will. So take at least 15 minutes before every workout to foam roll muscles to break up scar tissue and then STRETCH! Don’t mess around and BS it. Really make the stretch uncomfortable, and it will pay off in the long run. As you slowly improve, you will find it easier to fix form, get stronger, and feel less tension overall in your joints. Implementing mobility work in your routine will not only reap performance benefit, it will improve overall wellness and flexibility.

Savannah Steamer

5 ways to help your trainer maximize your experience

  The client/trainer relationship should never be a difficult relationship.  Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case.  Sometimes, trainers can be hard to deal with; other times, so can clients. Here is a list of things that will help you maximize the time you have with your trainer, so that you can get the results that you are paying for:

1. Communication - This is the most vital and important aspect of this, and any other relationships.  I’m not talking about calling each other to see how your day is going, but you rather, letting your trainer know how things are going.  Trainers are very good at identifying certain ailments and understanding problems, but we do not have x-ray vision, and we can’t always tell if you are struggling.  If something hurts, you’re not feeling well, or you just plain don’t understand, let your trainer know.  It’s better to be open and upfront with your trainer so that they can make the adjustments necessary to accommodate you.
2. Understanding expectations - One of the trainer’s main jobs when having an initial assessment appointment with a client is to manage expectations. This is where the trainer helps a client set realistic goals. Sometimes, however, the reality of a goal conflicts with the desired goal. A client should understand that a lot of small goals will add up to a large goal quickly. I think I’m a pretty good trainer, but I can’t give an untrained individual a 6 pack in 4 weeks. This is where that communication comes into play, so that all parties are aware of expected outcomes.
3. Understanding your trainer’s scope of practice - As a trainer, we have a pretty vast knowledge about the human body. We understand biomechanics, how muscles work, anatomy, imbalances, etc. However, most of us are not doctors. We can’t diagnose the stomach issues you have been having, and unfortunately, we don’t have x-ray vision. The biggest thing we can do is guess, based off of assessments, as to what is ailing you, and hopefully, use the tools we have access to to help you. And, if we can’t help you, a great trainer should be referring you to someone that can.
4. Stick with the plan - We do an assessment and write out a plan for a reason.  One of the biggest pet peeves I have personally is the client that does “extra” work that I have not given them. I am absolutely thrilled that they are so motivated, but that extra work can impede the process that your trainer has planned out for you. This also applies to any sort of diet your trainer may have you on.  We have a finite amount of time with our clients. We can only control so much. What you do on your own time will determine whether or not you get the results you want.
5. Be on time - When you train at an elite level training facility like The Spot Athletics, the trainers and coaches have very specific plans for how they are going to train you during your appointment. There are things that we plan that take time, but are very important for the development of our clients, and when the time we have is cut short, we have to start stripping things away to get the most out of the sessions as possible. Consistently showing up late only detracts from garnering the results that you desire. Also, we may have several clients booked, back to back, and it is not fair for us to take time away from their training sessions to make up for a late client.

Follow these 5 simple guidelines, and you will see the results that you’re paying for.  The coaches and trainers here at The Spot Athletics do this because helping people is our passion. We want to make sure all of our clients are happy, and that they walk away from each training session knowing that they got the very best training out there. These 5 steps will definitely help ensure that!

Top 10 articles of the week for 3/12/2014

Just accept it…strength is hard. It’s supposed to be hard.
http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/its-supposed-to-be-hard/

How to get more vegetables in your diet.
http://www.ericcressey.com/7-strategies-to-get-more-vegetables-in-your-diet

Here are 6 ways to get more protein in your diet.
http://www.ericcressey.com/6-ways-to-get-more-protein-in-your-diet

Are you ready to stop the excuses?
http://articles.elitefts.com/features/iron-brothers/you-make-the-decision-right/

The conundrum of doing what you love for a living.
http://zenhabits.net/love-conquers/

Find out how cardio will make you fat.
http://www.t-nation.com/training/regular-cardio-will-make-you-fat

Most of us love coffee.  Healthy or not healthy?
http://reach-yourpeak.com/2014/02/06/coffee-healthy-or-not/

So you just wanna “look big and strong” instead of being strong??
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/big_without_strong_is_nothing

Simple things to do for a healthier life.
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-12755/11-simple-things-anyone-can-do-to-live-a-healthier-life.html

Do you need help getting things done? Maybe you should think about outsourcing.
http://lessdoing.com/2014/02/23/just-dont-do-it-why-you-should-outsource-more-of-your-life/

Top 10 articles of the week 2/5/2014

Ever considered doing a powerlifting meet?  Here is why you might really want to consider one….and The Spot could help get you ready for one.
http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/powerlifting-articles/powerlifting-101-why-you-need-to-competenow/

For the ladies - Lift something heavy!
http://www.tonygentilcore.com/blog/hey-ladies-lift-something-heavy/

So - you wanna increase your squat?
http://bretcontreras.com/how-to-increase-your-squat/

Come on teens… Smoking… Really?
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/02/04/271117790/wanna-smoke-it-could-cost-you-a-tooth-the-fda-warns-teens

What is the deal with procrastination?
http://zenhabits.net/read-now

Great stretches coming up.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/stretching-for-strength-5-flexibility-standards/#axzz2sMpa7XKU

6 tips to help you relax.
http://www.drfranklipman.com

How to defeat unhappiness.
http://www.dailycupofyoga.com/2014/01/15/defeating-unhappiness/

What does it mean to see “natural” on the side of food labels?
http://www.foodpolitics.com/2013/12/yes-one-more-post-on-the-meaning-of-natural/

Like Shakira would say “the hips have it”.
http://breakingmuscle.com/mobility-recovery/its-all-in-the-hip-5-steps-to-fixing-movement-dysfunction

Sleep Is Overrated

There are 168 hours in a week. Lets say you train 4 times a week at 1.5 hours a session. That equates into 6 hours of training. Of those 6 hours you really don't even train 90 minutes. You warm up, you talk, you roll around on a foam roller, you check your phone and you occasionally lift some weights. So subtract 6 from 168 we get 162 hours left in your week. While training hard and being consistent is important in your quest to reaching your potential you need to optimize how you use the rest of your time outside the gym. That needs to be with what you eat and one over looked factor is sleep.

Many think that they can get away with 4-5 hours of sleep or that there is to much to do during the day that they can sacrifice sleeping. Well new science is showing that Improving your sleep is an extremely important aspect that can have powerful implications in your performance as an athlete. Life is stressful with training, work, school, relationships and everything else that falls in-between these, they all place stress on the nervous system. The body is designed to experience stress but if there is no time in-between where the body gets some relief from this stress the body begins to breakdown and we see adverse reactions to stress. Therefore you need to have strategies in place to help promote recovery and maintaining a balance within the body.

Sleep often falls to the side as a recovery tool. We all do mobility and eat right but sleep gets a back seat. Well sleep is your most essential component to recovery. It's even more important if you are injured, traveling or in the competition phases of your training. If you are depriving yourself of sleep you will be unable to perform in the gym, on the field/court or even with normal everyday tasks. Poor sleep during max effort training, where you are continuously beating your body down will lead to under recovery and early signs of overtraining.

Tips to help you sleep

You need 7-9 hours of sleep per day

Stop consuming caffeine in the afternoon.

De-stress for 20 minutes. Just relax and unwind. No phones, computers or outside distractions.

Turn all electronics off an hour before bed

Have bedroom temperature 67-70 degrees F

Take naps daily around 30 minutes in length but avoid them in the late afternoon/evening

Plan tomorrow before dinner. So make your to-do list so you don't lay in bed thinking about all the things you have to do tomorrow as they will be on your list waiting for you when you get up.

If you can't sleep within 15 min try reading. The book super training will put you right to sleep.

When you lay down close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Focus on letting go of all muscular tension. Begin at the top and work your way down.

 

Improve your sleep. Improve your performance. It's science.

 

Coach B

 

Make time now, or be forced to later

When it comes to training the biggest excuse that we get is "I don't have time".  While this seems to be valid in some people's minds, it is not valid to us.  You have time for what you make time for.  When you are saying I don't have time, what you are really saying is that you don't value your health.  Sure you can put off working out and maybe nothing will happen for a while, but eventually it catches up.  With athletes that we see that think that they are too busy to train for their sport we eventually see one of two things happen to them.  One: they end up hurt and at the orthopedic surgeons, or two: they can't compete with the other players and quit the sport.  With adults the results are much the same but to a different degree.  Either one: they end up with injuries, and end up at a surgeon or two: they  don't have a good quality of life and can't do the activities that they really wish they could.  In both circumstances, whether you are a young athlete or an adult long removed from competition, if you don't make time for training now, you will be forced to make time for the doctor later.

I really enjoy working out and know that it will keep me healthy and doing the things I want to long term.  While some don't share my love of fitness, everyone hates surgery.  We see this scenario all too often because athletes and adults alike come to us after they have been to the surgeon.  They are now being forced to do the thing that if they had just done in the first, place then they would not of had to have the surgery.  It's ironic when you think about it.  You either start training before you have a problem or your problems will force you to start training.  I know that I would much rather be training healthy than recovering from an injury, and I hope you would too.

People in our society seem to be more interested in spending 20hrs/week watching the housewives of whatever or the football games than they do caring for their bodies.  This really perplexes me because once you have ruined your body you don't get a new one.  The top priority for any person should be to keep their health because if you don't have that, then you don't have anything.  So next time you hear someone say "I don't have time to work out" ask them what could be more important than their health?

5 tips for endurance athletes

by Matt Barnauskus

Top 5 ways to stay healthy as an an endurance athlete.

 

The chronic repetitive motion of endurance sports lead to many debilitating overuse injuries such as runners knee, plantar fasciitis, and IT band syndrome; These injuries are written off as just part of the sport and aren’t appropriately addressed until its too late, causing the athlete to stop training. Here are some tips to keep you healthy and moving.

 

1. Stay Adequately Hydrated - You have heard this a million times but it is worth repeating. Drinking enough water is crucial to sport performance. Water is used to eliminate toxins from the body and even helps lubricate your joints. The average person is 1 - 2% dehydrated. If you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. To avoid this aim to drink 1 gallon of water throughout the day.

2. Getting enough fat in your diet - Every cell in your body is made up of fat. Suffice it to say it is important that you are getting enough from the foods you eat. If you have achy joints try taking a fatty acid supplement.

3. Learn Proper Form for your sport - If you are going to continually pound your joints  for miles on end it would be beneficial for you to learn how to actually use good technique. Not only is this detrimental to your joints and soft tissues but you are also limiting how well you will be able to perform in your sport. Have someone video tape you running, swimming, or biking so you can see where your form is lacking.

4. Maintenance is key - #1 and 2 go along with this point. With all of the miles you are putting in it is wise to take time to take care of your body. Along with proper hydration and nutrition taking time to take care of your soft tissues will go along way to keeping you healthy. Take 10-15 minutes a day to foam roll and do some stretching/mobility work and you will be surprised how much better you will feel.

5. Strength Training - This ties in with #3 and it is the biggest thing lacking in endurance training. If you aren’t strength training as an endurance athlete you are missing a huge piece of the puzzle. Perhaps your form is terrible and no matter what you do you can’t correct it. Chances are you have muscle weaknesses/imbalances that are preventing you from getting into proper positions. The force of impact when you run is up to 4 - 5x your own body weight. Now compound this with the repetitive nature of endurance sports and you can begin to see why it is important to be strong enough to withstand this impact. When I say strength training I don’t mean doing db curls for 1000 reps, I mean actually picking heavy things up. With proper periodized training not only will you get stronger and feel better but believe it or not you will also get in better cardiovascular shape.

 

Try adding these five things into your lifestyle and you will start to notice the everyday aches and pains of endurance training will begin to diminish.

 

Comments and questions are welcomed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Start The Day Off Right

Everyday I hear people complain about how they hate getting up and that they rather sleep all day and stay in bed. They hate the sound of their alarm clock, all they can think about is how they don’t want to do whatever it is that they have to do today and then head out the door to do the things they don’t want to do. These are the same people that complain about the things they don’t have and how life isn’t fair and nothing ever falls their way. Once these people drag themselves out of bed and are already mad at the world they take a quick miserable shower hating the world, throw on some clothes, make a few bad eating decisions then proceed to go on their miserable life and be a plague to everybody around them. I am going to touch on a few ways to start your day off right and not be that plague that ruins everybody’s day. And it all starts the night before.

 

 

- Get into a routine of going to bed at the same time every night and getting 7-8 hours of sleep. There is plenty of time during the day to get things done its all about prioritizing. 

- An hour before bed make your to-do list for the next day. That way you can clear your mind and will not have to worry about what you have to get accomplished. Its written down and will be there waiting for you when you wake up. 

- Once your alarm goes off get out of bed. Do not look at your phone for texts or emails. They will be there later. This is your time to focus on you and nobody else. Your blackberry or iphone or whatever can wait. Get up and get going. Life waits for nobody and staying in bed is just allowing life to pass you by. Remember life has something to offer everybody so staying in bed is not the answer to getting the most out of life.

- Once you’re out of bed decide what type of day you will have. When you wake up you need to decide right then and there that it will be a bad ass day that will lead you closer to accomplishing your goals.

- Head outside. Trust me you will wake up. If it’s to cold I understand but throw on some sweats and once outside take a few deep breaths. In through your nose and out through your mouth. Take a minute to really take in your surroundings and appreciate what’s in front of you. And what is in front of you is a new day, a new start, a new chapter.

- Drink a glass of water 16-20oz and if you’re a coffee or tea drinker start the water or the brewing

- Stretch. Go to a quit area in your house and do a quick stretching routine from head to toe hitting the major joints and muscles. It takes 5 minutes. There are 1440 minutes in a day you can spare 5 to stretch and start it out right.   

- Pour yourself your morning caffeine and sit down for a minute and take the first sip. Enjoy the first sip and take a few seconds to thoroughly enjoy it. As the saying goes it’s the little things in life. Learn this skill, the skill of being able to focus all your energy into something and thoroughly enjoy it. Not a lot of people can do this so learn how to and watch how much happier you become by being able to enjoy the little things in life.   

- Eat breakfast. This bugs me when people say “I hate breakfast” or “I can’t get up and eat” or “I don’t have time to cook”. Whatever it’s an excuse and your just making it. Everybody seems to have time though to eat a bowl of cereal or eat a pop tart or some other garbage his or her body doesn’t need. Crack some eggs cut up some veggies and cook. Depending on your diet have some oatmeal or Ezekiel bread to get your carbs in. Or if you are backloading have your coffee and heavy cream or if you are IF don't eat. It’s simple and easy. If you don’t know how to cook eggs youtube it. And don’t throw away the yolk that’s where all the nutrients are.

- Eat breakfast, finish your cup of caffeine then go check your phone and start to hit the list you made the night before.

- This takes anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.  Your health depends on it. So stop making excuses you owe it to yourself and your body.

 

What’s your current morning ritual? What’s your excuse for not starting the day off right? Do you have any tips you could add to this? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

 

 

NB