Exploring Peak Human Performance

Enhancing Performance Through Movement

Latest Articles

Internal Rotation Peak Force Thoughts: What is the Lats Contribution?

Over the past year, my mentor and I have gone back and forth on the same problem more times than I can count: why is internal rotation (IR) peak force so hard to improve in certain overhead athletes? It's not a niche concern. IR torque at the shoulder is one of the clearest markers of a high-performing shoulder – the benchmark sits around 2.1N/kg against just 1.26N/kg for the external rotators (Cools et al., 2016). That's not a small gap, and it's by design: overhead throwing

Mobility in Sport: Beyond Flexibility and Into Function (Part 4: The Joint-By-Joint Approach, Length-Tension Relationship Change, Application & Stretching “Tightness”)

This final part of this 4-part blog series will conclude by shifting the discussion from theory into practice, exploring how concepts of mobility, stability, force production, and adaptation can be applied. The section aims to bridge the gap between understanding why mobility changes occur and how we can meaningfully develop mobility that transfers to performance, resilience, and long-term joint health. The Stability vs Mobility Conundrum It is well documented in the litera

Mobility in Sport: Beyond Flexibility and Into Function (Part 3: Static Stretching, Sarcomeres, Fascicles & Robustness)

Within this section of the blog, I want to (try!) explain the physical, architectural underpinnings of what enables a muscle-tendon unit (MTU) to be able to move through larger ranges, potentially resulting in larger joint ranges of motion in individuals. In doing so, I will critically examine some of the more commonly prescribed “mobility” interventions and unpack what they are actually changing—if anything! Before delving deeper into this section, you are probably wonderin

PIECES OF THE PUZZLE 🧩

The last few months have felt slow. Slow in the sense of feeling stuck and unsure if some of my physical symptoms and feelings may ever go, asking myself the question - will my body ever feel like it once used to?
My training has looked, well…more different than it ever has, which at the beginning was a daunting and scary. But as Einstein rightly stated - “Insanity: is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.” Different was what I needed and at the end of the day training is a spectrum, so anything goes! However, the hardest part lies in what we don’t know.

Recently, I had the great privilege of spending another two days in Shropshire with the truly extraordinary and amazing mind that is @helenhallpfm Over the two days, we really tapped into what it was my body didn’t have and how to resolve it. What was clear was that my spine was pretty comfy sitting in a left lateral flexion with one long kyphotic curve and NO lordotic curve (i.e zilch extension!).

Now, I’m no spinal expert, but a spine that can’t extend nor bend to the right isn’t ideal when you want to bowl, throw, or put your arm overhead at high velocities over and over again. The body intelligently will always find a way to get the job done, but at what cost? For me: multiple repeated fractured vertebrae and a left shoulder that began to disintegrate. Not exactly a kind and well thought out strategy!!

Most of my time in the gym these days is spent exploring and experimenting - finding new and unexplored shapes, patterns and positions giving my spine what it needs, not what it already has. Isn’t that what movement is really about? Climbing a tree as a child isn’t about ensuring your pelvis was at the right degree of anterior tilt, or making sure you segmentally extended your spine in order reach your hand in a supinated state to a branch above. With no thought, you just do it. Instinctively and fluidly.

Every challenge is another hurdle to overcome and with each day comes opportunity. Opportunity to challenge, explore, reflect and learn.

New spine inbound!

#rehab #movement #injury #movementexploration #movementmechanics #spinalengine

“NOTHING WORTH HAVING COMES EASY” - THEODORE ROOSEVELT

In a conversation with a physio in 2019 I said “wouldn’t it be great to have to have a scanner that could map your spinal and pelvic movements and everything inbetween whilst you moved”.

6 years later, here I am getting analysed on the most high tech gait analysis machine in the world by one of the most interesting and knowledgeable minds out there @helenhallpfm The level of detail is like nothing else out there and what’s even more ground breaking is if you give the body, and brain more importantly what it wants, changes, albeit small can happen instantaneously.

The main headline was my spine (no surprises there!) more specifically lumbar spine functions in a “stuck” FLEXED (more kyphotic) position, not in a more optimal extended (lordotic) position. This is having quite large ramifications on other parts of my body. But the huge positive is that for many years, myself and others thought the total opposite! In other words, the work I have been doing was further exacerbating and reinforcing an overused movement strategy.

Movement strategies continually utilising one “stuck” pattern time and time again is recipe for an overuse injury. And as Helen would say, “the difference between muscle strain and muscle strength is sequencing”
🧠

A fascinating 2 days not only opened my eyes personally, but also to the endless possibilities, lenses and approaches to solve complex movement problems for humans. There is no one size fits all, cookie cutter approach to solving pain and poor movement strategies, just the constant pursuit for better. So it’s time to put some things right!

#movementmechanics #movementexploration #spinalengine #rehab

“MAKE A MASSIVE TOOL BOX” - BEN ROSENBLATT 🧰

Reading this paper the other day posed some interesting thoughts in my mind of the relevance and purpose of S&C.

The paper looked at how an 8-week strength training programme could increase ball release speed for fast bowlers in cricket. Results showed that the programme DID improve bio-motor capacities, however DID NOT result in any increase in ball release speed. The paper shines light upon two principles, firstly dynamic correspondence (Siff & Verkoshansky, 2003), described as a set of criterion to appropriately choose exercises to have maximal transfer over into a sporting skill. And secondly, the principle of specificity.

To me, the sole purpose of S&C is to purely to enhance sporting performance. With this in mind, we have to fully understand what bio-motor capacities or qualities are going to underpin an individuals ability to improve their performance of a given sport skill. However, this is highly individualistic!

An article written by Goodwin & Cleather (2015) in the book Strength and Conditioning for Sports Performance introduces us to 3 levels of transfer that training tasks can have on sport skills.

Referring to this classification by Goodwin & Cleather (2015) and relating it back to the paper, @steffanjones105 makes the point that “performing a push press at a strength-speed band will NOT directly help bowling. But it will help incline bench press which does have a DIRECT TRANSFER to weighted ball bowling which has a DIRECT TRANSFER to ball velocity”.

Therefore, understanding what exactly is needed to directly impact and improve the performance outcomes of any sport skill for any individual is imperative for a coach, and ultimately boils down to whether or not you have enough tools at your disposal to achieve this. Clearly it is not as simple as improving the physical bio-motor qualities for an individual and seeing fast, direct transfer to enhancing their sporting skill performance outcomes.

As @tomtombleson said “you can’t fit your players to your tools, you have to fit your tools to your players”

So time to start building a warehouse of tools!

#movement #strengthandconditioning

💥Client Testimonial

Julian came to me over a year ago simply wanting to get out of pain in one of his hips to lead a more comfortable and healthy life. With no resistance training experience under his belt and a full hip operation scheduled for 6 months later, we got to work to get the hip and his body as best prepared for the surgery as possible.

Our approach began conservatively using each session to build a very clear picture of exactly where Julian’s movement limitations lay. With a long history of a large amount of horse riding, these limitations were obvious.

With a clear plan in place looking to improve overall hip function and build competence in specific movement patterns with progressive overload, Julian was out of pain for the first time in a very very long time a month and half out from his operation. The decision was made to postpone the operation as our work began to really pay off.

Julian’s determination during this past year has meant he has remained out of pain with his goals shifting away from getting out of pain and over to a return to running. This is testament to his consistency and hard work and I am very proud that he has been able to achieve what he set out to achieve, so long may it continue! 💪🏻

@mantoflottisham

#hipsurgery #hardworkpaysoffs #strengthtraining #strength #strengthandconditioning #movement #prehab

REWIRING MOVEMENT PATTERNS 🧠

One aspect of my recovery which has been the most frustrating to wrap my head around has been continually seeing what I, and many others believe to be, harmful movement patterns.

More specifically during hip extension activities on both limbs my body cannot seem to stay away from initiating these patterns in sub-optimal ways. I use the term “sub-optimal” because there is no such thing as perfect movement. I’d actually argue that professional athletes are exactly that because they compensate better than everyone else. However, issues arise when these patterns could be correlating to painful and damaging symptoms. It’s fair to say for me, that’s probably the case!

In the field of S&C, stable attractor states in human movement can be described as common movement patterns we call upon when given certain movement tasks (Bosch, 2015). In this example, during the javelin throw universal attractors would be optimal hip extension mechanics with glutes being the primary driver, along with segmental spinal extension/rotation.

However, it is clear, the process of learning and sustaining a new strategy, skill or technique to achieve a movement outcome differently for a task can be challenging. Ultimately, learning and developing the skills to achieve this as a coach I believe is crucial and definitely dives into the narrative that strength isn’t everything, if the pattern you are trying to change isn’t changing. Unfortunately, thinking and hoping alone won’t get you there!

SPOILER: the slow mo videos are heavily exaggerating these poor movement patterns for demonstration purposes.

#movement #patterns #neurology #strengthandconditioning #injury #rehab #fransbosch

NEW CHAPTER 📖

This weekend marked the start of an exciting new phase of my life. I completed my induction for a Masters in Strength and Conditioning at the St Mary’s University.

In my unfortunate circumstances over the last few years, I have fortunately found a huge and exponentially growing passion for sports performance and everything this entails ie. not just getting people stronger and saying your job is done.

St Mary’s is one of the international leaders in S&C education so it was a no brainer that this was the place I wanted to be. The ability to surround yourself with like minded individuals, to share and challenge ideas, philosophies, methods and principles only leads to developing a tool box big enough to solve all problems thrown your way. However, this is only the start!

#strengthandconditioning #university #upskilling #education #personaldevelopment

“WITH EVERY DOOR THAT CLOSES, ANOTHER OPENS”

The last few weeks / years have been incredibly hard on all fronts! Long story short my body is not where I want / need it to be nor do I feel I am becoming any clearer on any answers that could be holding the key to seeing and feeling any progress.

After some conversations during the last few weeks, I decided that obtaining an MRI scan on my full spine was the right decision moving forward to give us a clean slate to work from. Now with any scan this MAY give some answers and reasons behind my symptoms, but we will have to wait and see. Naturally, I have had mixed feelings about the results, but will try remain positive and cross any bridges if and when I am faced with them, rather than thinking too far ahead.

Physically of course this process has and continues to present its challenges, but nothing comes close to the daily mental struggle I find myself having to overcome. Ultimately, I have wanted to achieve something from as far back as I can remember with that being my absolute everything. With every single action, thought and minute spent in and outside the gym all to achieve that one thing. And when results, answers or whatever is it you are chasing do not come your way after almost half a decade of tying, it quickly starts to become incredibly draining.

The longer this journey goes on, the clearer it has become that my WHY needs to change. Like with any goal and dream, I feel everyone has limit of how much they can tolerate before one’s mental state begins to suffer and you start to lose yourself in that process. Accepting that my WHY needs to change has been incredibly tough battle to overcome but fortunately I have found huge amounts of happiness and peace surrounding myself with those who are closest to me during this time and exploring other opportunities.

My WHY will shift towards rebuilding my physical and mental body and mind with no other goal in mind. But this too is part of a process for me that will take time adjusting to new norms and this new chapter. My pursuit, desire, belief and determination to find resolve continues to be a fight that I refuse to give up on.

#trusttheprocess

KINETIC ⛓️

The Kinetic Chain “refers to interrelated parts of the body and how they work together to perform movement”. In other words, the idea of our body working together as a unit to perform certain tasks.

The kinetic chain allows for optimal force transfer from the lower limbs, through the trunk and out through our upper extremities (arms). Therefore, if we have a kink in this chain this will directly impact our ability to produce high forces at fast rates, as well as possibly increasing our chances of injury.

To help us understand the involvement of the kinetic chain, ask yourself the question of - why can you throw a ball so much further when allowing involvement from your entire body versus just using your wrist? This may seem utterly obvious, but this is this idea of transferal of force from the ground up.

They all create STABILITY and BALANCE across the body, especially when it comes to rotational activities. More specifically the spiral line “participates in creating, compensating for, and maintaining twists, rotations and lateral shifts in the body” ie. creating balance and equilibrium in the body from a musculoskeletal lens.

The most commonly spoken about fascial lines are the posterior oblique sling and the anterior oblique sling. The posterior oblique sling mainly aids in providing stability to the lumbo-pelvic region and consists of the glute max and contralateral lat through the thoraculoumbar fascia, seen in activities such as gait. Wheres, the anterior oblique sling consists of the internal & external obliques and the contralateral adductors to provide stability and support through the anterior chain.

Strengthening and training the fascial system will improve an individuals ability to generate, transfer and control force through movements. We are all rotational beings at the end of the day to different degrees, so would ALL benefit from some style of sling work in our training.

Far too much of general training sits in the sagittal plane. We need to start exploring and preparing individuals in ways which enter the frontal and transverse planes.

#movement #fascia #fascialtraining #stability #mobility #force #strengthtraining

Having spent a considerable amount of time trying to get to the bottom of my lower back pain, it is unfortunately not quite in the right place yet. Recently, we have continued to delve even deeper into understanding every possible angle which could be having an impact on anything relating to the lower back.

Although these times are incredibly frustrating (an understatement!) and you really begin to wonder if you EVER will get to the bottom of the pain. It is important to remind yourself that I owe it to myself to resolve things once and for all considering how far I have come.

Most training sessions are mentally tough! The majority of the time I certainly do not find myself skipping into the gym with a beaming smile excited to train. For the most part the work is monotonous. But it’s this type of work that is hopefully layering down the foundations to allow me get back to being pain free for the first time in years.

The come back is always greater than the setback!

#injury #training #gym #strengthtraining #strengthandconditioning #movement #physio #rehab #backpain #isometrics #force

🚶🏻🌳

This is a quote I picked up from @ed_haynes_coach years ago which has really stuck with me, especially during the last few years.

For context, I have been injured on and off for the last 6 years from numerous stress fractures in my lumbar spine, multiple bouts of muscular back issues, severe medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) in both shins, to a fractured fibula in my ankle and osteolysis in my left shoulder.

Fortunately or unfortunately, there would be periods of time where I was able to do the things I enjoyed pain free and with no repercussions, however this never lasted more than a couple of months. These boom bust cycles are what have been going on for all these years. Simply my body could only tolerate a certain amount of load before it would break down again and again.

From the time of my initial first stress fracture in 2017 due to poor guidance and advice when I needed it most started a downward spiral of problems that followed. But why and how did this important point in my life create so many problems many years later?

I believe the crux lies in this idea of LAYERING LOAD ON TOP OF DYSFUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT PATTERNS. Effectively for 5-6 years I have been compounding and engraining poor movement patterns with training which I believed at the time was all the right things that I needed to be doing, but was actually doing more HARM than good. Without knowing I was walking myself “10 miles into the woods!”

We live in a world that is obsessed with numbers, stats, quick fixes, “magic exercises”, pills and f**k knows what else to get fast results. For some reason in our society if we can walk ourselves 10 miles into the woods, we can simply take a quick pill or do one fancy exercise for a couple a weeks and be healed, or in the context of this metaphor walk 1 mile back out the woods. This could not be further from the truth! However, knowing and understanding the work that needs to be done can be a hard, bitter pill to swallow at times and really take a toll on ones mental, physical and emotional state.

The moral of the story is, if we walk ourselves 10 miles into the woods, we have to be prepared to walk ourselves 10 miles out!

EXECUTION OVER PRESCRIPTION BUT WHY? 🤔

The strategy an individual uses to accomplish a certain task is something that I believe can give away a lot about how that individual orchestrates certain movements, which can feed into other aspects outside the gym (eg. sport).

Through my own learnings (which of course lends itself to biases due to my own personal injuries) along with the help of my physio, I have started to piece together how the position of the pelvis can heavily influence spinal mechanics and consequently how the shoulders function.

Unfortunately, the strategy of how individuals coordinate movement is much harder to measure and objectify compared to peak force (strength) and speed (RFD). This is why I believe to be the main reason why so many people focus too heavily on those two parameters, over strategy and coordination.

A coach can easily pat themselves on the back if their client has added 5kg to their back squat over the duration of a 12 week Russian Squat cycle. Not to mention that client will probably also feel really good for improving their strength. All good things! HOWEVER, I do think there needs to be added emphasis on how individuals move and accomplish tasks.

Now I am by no means saying that every movement in the gym needs to look textbook ALL the time. Placing high stress on the body will most likely result in poorer movement patterns which is good to do - sometimes! I just believe the health and fitness industry focuses far too much on one end of the spectrum. This in turn is creating fragile individuals, as all the focus is on improving strength numbers and NOT preparing athletes for the demands of their sport, or good moving individuals for life.

#strength #strengthandconditioning #movementmatters #strategy #coordination #injury #sportsinjuries

PESKY LATS 🪽

For as long as I can remember, I have had extremely limited extensibility/mobility through my lats, with my left (no surprises!) being worse than my right. It has very much felt like running into a block as I raise my arm overhead and when I force my arm into passive ranges, this is where I am experiencing my “mini subluxations”/instability.

The lat is one of the biggest internal rotators of the shoulder due to its attachment on the humerus (upper arm bone). This is an issue because we also know that shoulder flexion is coupled with external rotation. So if the lat does not have enough extensibility to allow the shoulder to get into external rotation as we go overhead, we run into problems.

Unfortunately OR fortunately the brain is clever, if you give it a task (go overhead) it will get you there but sometimes not in the most optimal way and perhaps at the detriment of certain structures over time - which in my case COULD very much well be my clavicle.

When it comes to understanding the shoulder, we need to grasp this idea of overpull (from the internal rotators like the lats & teres major & pecs) versus underpull (from the posterior cuff). This balancing act needs to function relatively well in order to ensure good congruency between ball and socket. If those internal rotators are doing too much of the work and our posterior cuff is not working hard enough, at some point its most likely we will lose good congruency of the ball on the socket (aka instability).

Not to mention the lats proximal attatchment onto the iliac crest (pelvis) which COULD be heavily influencing what is going on through my lower back, but who knows!

Also I am by no means demonising the lat and placing ALL blame for all my problems on one muscle. We know the body has multiple systems that work together to coordinate movement so it would be ridiculous to criticise simply one muscle.

This journey continues to be a mystery but I will find resolve by continuing to explore and work closely with those around me. Remember it doesn’t matter how hard you’re working if what you’re doing is the wrong thing.

#rehab #sport #training #movementmechanics #gym

🚨 INJURY UPDATE 🚨

It’s safe to say the last few months have been incredibly frustrating and tough on all fronts. Long story short, my shoulders continue to give me grief and a fair amount of pain, much like they did back in April.

So what exactly is the problem with my shoulders (to my knowledge):
- Genetically speaking, my shoulders are highly dysplastic (shallow sockets), in other words the golf tee (glenoid) my shoulder sits on is a lot shallower than a normal shoulder.
- Additionally, I have very lax (loose) shoulder capsules.
But what does all this mean?
- Simply put, my body has a harder time stabilising the ball on the socket and I am more susceptible to instability in my shoulders POSSIBLY causing my problems.

However, with any diagnosis I have begun to understand that a diagnosis is only an opinion based off of what an individual sees at that current point in time from scans, clinical testing etc. Unfortunately, the problem arises when we get given diagnoses and prescribed exercises to address the diagnosis, but yet your symptoms do not improve. This deeply frustrating cycle is where things currently sit with my shoulders.

One of my main learnings over the last 6 years (but more so in the last 6 months), is that there are NO guarantees. Simply no guarantees that all the countless hours of monotonous rehab you put in will be rewarded with the outcome you want. This has been a bitter pill to swallow to say the least!

Up until this point my rehab has taken a more “traditional” S&C approach purely focusing on increasing force outputs with various movements, however this has not cut the mustard. We are now at a point where I am trialing EMS (electro muscle-stimulation) from a more neural approach to again see if this is the missing piece to the puzzle - only time will tell!

Another call with the surgeon and my physio tomorrow will hopefully outline possible plans of action and positive steps in the right direction. However, regardless of tomorrow I will continue to keep throwing the kitchen sink at getting to the bottom of what’s going and won’t stop until I’m satisfied.

#rehab #injury #sport #mentalhealth #gym #training #strengthtraining

“HIPS DON’T LIE”

Historically, the majority of our training in the gym is performed in a sagittal plane (front to back) through bilateral (two footed) squatting, jumping or hinging patterns. Where we can often see individuals fall is their inability to stabilise the hips effectively and efficiently (glute dysfunction) in order to create optimal movement mechanics further up and down the chain.

Introducing some work in the frontal plane (side to side) through the hips could be the missing piece to the puzzle for some. When moving laterally the glute med, glute min, piriformis etc. help stabilise the pelvis and hips with their main function helping decelerate and control valgus forces at the knee (ie. knee caving in).

With the hips being such a cornerstone to overall movement mechanics - it is important they function optimally otherwise compensatory patterns can start to develop leading to further dysfunction elsewhere.

An inability to access/load the lateral hip optimally could lead to compensatory patterns such as:
- Rotation of the pelvis leading to possible EXCESSIVE stress through the lumbar spine.
- EXCESSIVE over-pronation at the foot placing sheer force through the foot/ankle complex.
- UNCONTROLLED valgus occurring at the knee which can place sheer forces through the MCL.

Building correct efficient, movement mechanics will lay larger foundations enabling an individual to express larger feats of force/strength in time. Now clearly progressively overloading a counterbalance lateral lunge to gain sufficient strength adaptations is severely limited due to the isometric front raise position (shoulder). However, variations such as a landmine lateral lunge gives us the opportunity to load heavy after said correct patterns are neurally embedded.

Finally, it is crucial to understand the individuality of prescribing movements and exercises in programmes. We cannot simply have a one size fits all approach! The lateral lunge example I give, is one that I have been exploring with MY body and might not apply to everyone.

#biomechanics #glutes #hips #gym #training #strengthtraining #movementmechanics

BETTER HINGES 🚪

Single leg RDL’s are a fantastic tool to develop so many qualities useful for not only high level athletes but in general population clientele too. One of the most talked about qualities is hip internal rotation (IR).

Improving hip IR is crucial in both populations as it mainly allows for more efficient absorption and correct dissipation of force through the legs. Limited hip IR could result in sheer load exceeding the capacity of structures and tissues that are NOT designed to deal with 3 times your bodyweight (running), or up to 7 times your bodyweight (cricket fast bowler). This is where problems such as shin splints or patellar tendinopathies can rear their ugly heads for example.

Through a more optimal execution of a single leg hinge we can improve this quality as well as a few others. Understanding that we can achieve hip IR through two main ways is important when it comes to a more optimal repetition of an RDL. Firstly, we can achieve hip IR through strict femoral rotation using the internal rotators of the hip. However, we can also create hip IR through the positioning of the pelvis around a fixed femur. 🔑

In general, we more often than not see individuals stuck in a more externally rotated position at the hips. Therefore, a common fault seen in single leg RDL’s is the opening up of the pelvis further biasing external rotation of the hip. This does not allow for full recruitment of the glutes and posterior hip muscles resulting in a sub-optimal rep.

To fully lengthen and load the glutes and posterior hip muscles of the targeted side we can firstly use a kickstand setup. This not only allows for greater awareness around the pelvis, but also another point of contact with the floor which allows for greater stability leading to more force produced (I.e. more load lifted). Additionally, a contralateral load (i.e. having load in the opposite hand to leg working) helps rotate the pelvis into the stance leg again further promoting a fully lengthened glutes and recruitment of the posterior hip muscles.

#movementmechanics #strengthtraining #gym #athletic #sport

“INSANITY: DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS”

One issue I see far too much of and have been guilty of in the past, especially with my shoulder rehab is the intensity at which my rehab was challenging me. I attempted every banded exercise under the sun with no avail for many years. However, with more knowledge between my ears, looking back, doing 100s of banded internal rotations with the same orange band for months on end expecting any change is nothing short of dumb!

I use the example of shoulders, not only because it very much strikes a chord with me but because for some reason many professionals seem to completely disregard one of the most important elements of training, PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD. Progressive overload is simply increasing the difficulty and intensity of exercise through various means (tempo, volume, load etc.).

Now for context, any individual, especially those who have participated in any overhead or throwing activities to really any level throughout their life would have developed some level of strength and capacity within their shoulders. With this in mind, how and why do we expect that rubber band to provide a stimulus great enough to challenge and give us any form of adaptation within the muscle?! It ain’t happening!

Additionally, it must be noted that when it comes to rehab there is a fine line between providing enough of a stimulus without entering certain levels of pain. Loading too heavy, too quickly can very much have adverse effects which is not what we want!

On the flip side, I do think banded shoulder work CAN have a place in training. However, I would mainly like to see this in the form of activation work prior to overhead and throwing activities (e.g. pre-match warm-up). DO NOT expect any long lasting changes in strength from smashing out banded rotations thinking they will solve your shoulder problems.

Try to bear in mind the exercises you choose during your rehab or your regular training should be easily progressively overloaded, as well as being executed at a challenging enough intensity to promote adaptation within muscle fibres.

#strengthtraining #shoulderinjury #rehab

SPEED-STRENGTH CONTINUUM 📐

One of the biggest realisations for me when it came to my rehab was understanding that I was still training. Albeit my training was looking very different and far away from where I wanted it to be, I was still training just at one end of the continuum.

This was key from a mental view point as rehab for large periods of time can feel incredibly monotonous and sometimes you may even feel like your progress is going nowhere or even backwards. Therefore, I personally found creating a disassociation between injury and rehab crucial.

Creating this disassociation I found imperative to ensure the reasons why I train, are at the forefront of my mind (i.e. goals). I have personally found when I fall into a rut of thinking I am rehabbing because I am injured, you easily fall into a very negative cycle which tends to lead to a loss in motivation and consequently discipline to carry out your rehab as often and meticulously as you need to be.

Furthermore, one does not have to JUST do rehabilitation based exercises during a comeback from an injury, but those types of exercises can actually be used within a programme, especially if programmed effectively to develop robustness and certain physiological qualities.

On the whole rehab based exercises & drills tend to be relatively low in load and intensity, mainly focusing on ironing out movement dysfunction and building strength in very isolated settings. Therefore could be very much viewed as the “foundational” work prior to layering on more global and regional movements whilst increasing contractile forces, volumes and intensities.

It is crucial to note that nothing in the gym will ever replicate the demands of a sport, however, the work we do in the gym can develop the qualities needed for a given sport. For example, developing a rotator cuff with large amounts of rotational strength and capacity does not mean you will become Roger Federer tomorrow BUT develops a physiological quality required to have greater success and longevity.

Bridging the gap between one end of continuum to the other is key for overall health, longevity and performance in individuals.

#gym #rehab #training

MOBILITY VS FLEXIBILITY

Mobility and flexibility are highly discussed and contested topics within the fitness industry at the moment.

Mobility can be defined as “a joints active range of motion we can control through the contraction of muscles creating tension”

Flexibility on the other hand can be defined as “a joints passive range of motion with no control or tension (ie. having a practitioner move a joint through range)”

Mobility as a method of training is something I’ve learnt through my own exploration as well as through injury working with numerous physios and coaches. The relevance and importance of mobility will vary from coach to coach and individual to individual. For me, due to most activities demanding large ranges of motion it is paramount that we have CONTROL and TENSION within certain ranges of motion. Many problems arise when the an individual repeatedly enters ranges of motions within joints they do not have control of. Mobility training can be seen as bridging the gap between passive ranges of motion (flexibility) to active ranges of motion (mobility). 🏏🎾🏋🏼‍♀️

Whether you’re striving for performance within your training or looking to become a healthier version of yourself, having good mobility is crucial.

Like many things, there are a multiple ways to skin a cat and mobility training is no different. It can also be a very individualistic and dependent on a few factors from training age or biological structural make-up so will require some exploration with an individual to see what works.

Concepts from Functional Range Conditioning (FRC) such as PAILs/RAILs, end range isometrics, Controlled Articular Rotations (C.A.Rs) as well as more well known tools such as myofascial release and passive stretching to name a few are all ways one can improve mobility.

Snippet to Improve Knee Flexion:

A1. Banded Couch Stretch; 2mins each side
A2. Split Kneel Wall Push + Knee Flexion; 1x6 each side - 10sec iso hold
*be aware of cramp in hamstrings

#mobilitytraining #mobility #movement #functionalrangeconditioning #injury #prehab #rehab

EVERY INJURY IS AN OPPORTUNITY

From the age of 17 not a year has passed where I haven’t suffered an injury that’s taken me away from sport. Along the way I have learnt some invaluable lessons which I believe aren’t just useful for dealing with injury in the future (which is inevitable) but life as a whole. These lessons include:

- Never ignore the warning signs from your body. Pain is your bodies easiest indicator telling you to stop whatever it is you’re doing. So listen to it!
- Being able to cope with injury is 80% mental and 20% physical. For me the easiest part has been listening and understanding the experts and simply doing. The hardest part is by far what is going on up top 🧠
- Feelings of aloneness. You are never alone! Thousands of individuals have gone through/are currently dealing with injury. It is 🔑 to ensure you surround yourself with a good support network (friends, family, physios, coaches etc.) who you are able to be open with.
- Each and everyone’s injury experiences are completely PERSONAL and UNIQUE to that individual. Comparison is one of the worst things you can do during times of injury. The same injury in another person could have drastically different outcomes. Therefore, spending time comparing your injury experience is wasted energy that could be better used in the actual recovery process itself.
- Your injuries will not just fix by doing the bare minimum. It takes huge amounts of patience, time and money invested into researching to become more educated and knowledgeable around YOUR body and injuries.
- Progress is NEVER linear 📈 There will be plenty of ups and downs along with way but if you’re mentally prepared for that to be the case, it’ll be less of a shock to the system. However, sometimes these feelings cannot be avoid and are totally valid. Use your support network to have open conversations to ensure emotions and feelings are properly dealt with. Your mental recovery is just as important, if not more important than the physical one.

Finally, never give up! Nothing ever lasts forever, and the same applies to injuries.

DMs are always open to anyone who is struggling with injury or not.

#injury #trusttheprocess

DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL 🔎

When dealing with lower back issues in sport or generally, it is vital we try target the lowest hanging fruit. Piggy backing off my last post discussing hip mobility it is crucial to understand that many problems and injuries at the lower back usually stem from dysfunction at the hip.

A commonly discussed topic in the fitness industry is the relationship between pelvis and rib cage. For optimal function in and around the lower back and hip region, the pelvis and rib cage need to work simultaneously. However, muscular imbalances can cause what is known as an anterior pelvic tilt. This is where shortened, weak hip flexors along with elongated posterior hip muscles pull the pelvis forward creating hyperlordosis (excessive curve) of the lumbar spine. This is what creates this loss of tension through the midline and misalignment of the pelvis and rib cage.

As a result, we not only lose the ability to fully extend through the hips and utilise the glutes but also place sheer amounts of unwanted force through the lower back through various activities.

In order for a cricket fast bowler to remain as upright and as stacked as possible at the crease for maximal output, the hip flexors must be allowed to fully lengthen so the hips can fully extend. If not, this extension will come primarily through lumbar extension, leading to those excessive force going through the lumbar spine.

A frequently performed hip extension exercise executed incorrectly in the gym is the Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat (RFESS). We can rectify the execution of the exercise by lowering the elevation of back foot to ensure we keep a pelvic tuck (posterior pelvic tilt) bringing out a stretch through the front side of the quad/hip flexor.

From a general population standpoint we cannot help the increase in sedentary lifestyles that we are living, therefore it is imperative that we gain the most out of exercises like this in the gym to reverse the effects of prolonged periods of sitting. Passive stretching alone will not get you there!

#hipdysfunction #anteriorpelvictilt #hipsdontlie #movement #biomechanics #movementtraining #correctiveexercise

“USE IT, OR LOSE IT” 🦵🏻

With my inability of late to do much in the way of loading due to a couple of injuries. I have delved into improving my overall hip mobility and really exploring movement within that joint.

With right arm dominant athletes we generally tend to see a decrease in hip rotation, more specifically hip internal rotation in the same side hip. In short, this is due to the overall repetitive nature of unilateral sports where the body begins to adapt to what we are doing more frequently. Therefore, we lose access to ranges within the joint we do not use.

When we lack rotation in the hips we lose the ability to absorb and produce force efficiently leading to other structures having to take up the slack, usually the lumbar spine or lower limb (shins).

For that reason, it is important that within our training we not only maintain the rotational capacity in the hip joint to allow for maximum movement options, but to strive for as much symmetry from hip to hip as possible. Ideally we would aim for at least 30° but nearer 40-45° would be the gold standard in athletes.

So much of what we do in the gym works in a sagittal plane (flexion and extension) which is fine for some individuals. However, others may require a deeper understanding of what it is they need to be successful in their given sport or profession. For example, a CrossFit athlete predominantly trains and competes within that sagittal plane (flexion and extension) with movements such squatting, Olympic lifting and deadlifting. However, a tennis player will predominantly train and work through a frontal (side to side) and transverse plane (rotational). Its crucial training programmes mirror the needs of specific individuals rather than prescribing the same for all! 📝

#movement #gym #training #movementdysfunction #hips #hipmobility #rotationalathlete

💥Client Testimonial

Will was my first client a few years ago and he put his trust in me to try resolve a few things that were going on with his body. Having played cricket with Will for a few years, a lot of our conversations always seemed to revolve around his knee that he had been having issues with. This knee pain caused problems with running, jumping, bowling and most activities in general.

I emphasised heavily with Will hearing about how many S&C coaches and physical therapists he had tried to try rectify the problem with no avail, so offered my help. It was clear that we needed to address the body holistically and not just look at the symptom area. We created a programme that did exactly that which was catered to his needs and time constraints whilst being at university. I can now safely say that Will is back fully fit and confident in his knees and body as a whole.

@willmetcalfe_

#movementmechanics #movement #movementtraining #cricket #kneepain #training

💥Client Testimonial

David Ford put his faith and trust in me with his training back in September 2022. It has been a pleasure working with David throughout this time. His dedication and eagerness to not only exercise execution but to understanding the why and how behind his training is a testament to his character.

David came to me after numerous conversations at cricket over the summers about how taxing bowling in cricket is on the body and how best to reduce the aches and pains of the sport. It was clear what his goals were at that point.

We are now entering his in-season training phase where priorities and focuses have shifted towards restoring some key mobility dysfunctions, whilst still pushing some absolute strength numbers on compound lifts to keep him as fresh as we can throughout a long summer. Cricket is dynamic and ballistic in nature, therefore we can afford to focus our attention on slower strength adaptations and not only look to maintain but possibly increase absolute strength.

@dg_ford

#cricket #crickettraining #movementmechanics #strengthtraining

HOLISTIC APPROACH TO MOVEMENT ⛓️

For a while now I have been experiencing some issues at my shoulders, preventing me from progressing with a few things in the gym and reaching my potential athletically in my sport. These problems have not caused any pain or damage but possibly could lead to bigger issues further down the line if not addressed, especially with increased loading and stress on the joint.

You can clearly see there are some rotational deficiencies at my shoulders. However, it may not be as simple as prescribing banded external and internal rotations to resolve this problem (which believe me I have done A LOT of), the issue could be more global. I feel coaches should be questioning the injury history of athletes and clients, along with having an eye for picking up compensations and movement discrepancies during movement evaluations or screenings.

My previous stress fracture in my lower back as demonstrated above could be having a clear impact on what is happening further up the chain. At the end of the day, the rib cage and thoracic spine is built on top of the lumbar portion of the spine. Therefore, would it not make sense that if something was occurring at the lumbar spine, this could be affecting the thoracic spine and consequently the shoulders? Possibly! I am no expert, nor to I know the answers around why I avoid loading the left side of my spine. But I will continue to work and pursue the knowledge to answer these questions in time.

In the mean time, I recommend filming as much of your lifts as possible to see how you move in the gym. Sometimes your perception of how you move might not be actually how you are moving. Finally, understand that not all dysfunctions may hurt or be painful but some might be worth attempting to resolve.

Be your own student!

#training #movement #prehab #prehab #gym #strengthtraining #functionaltraining

LATERAL FLEXION IN CRICKETERS 🏏

There seems to be this idea with some S&C coaches I have worked with in the past that gives lateral flexion a very bad wrap with cricketers! I believe this opinion stems from outcome based perspective where as a bowler the less lateral flexion occurring upon ball release, will result in greater amounts of linear force directed at the target AND reduced chances for injury, which is true (to a certain extent)!

People must understand that bowling in particular is not a very natural action to ask the body to do. Not to mention it happens at high force and high repetition under various levels of fatigue. With this understanding, one should accept that injuries will occur and be apart of the sport. However, that does not mean the frequency and severity of certain injuries cannot be reduced!

Unfortunately, many programmes in the cricket sphere especially focus heavily on anti-lateral flexion trunk exercises. Referring to the point above that we want as little lateral flexion occurring as possible as we deliver the ball. However, I feel this to be a dangerous way of training as you are not preparing and exposing your body to the ranges and movement patterns your body will undergo during your sport, let alone at the speed of which these movements occur. It would be near enough impossible to create an exercise in the gym that replicates the ballistic-ness of bowling so we have to make do by exploring other possible exercises and movement patterns that place ourselves and strengthen in the similar sorts of positions we will experience, albeit at a severely reduced velocity.

Overall, it is important to train the body in ranges we are actually going to use in whatever sports we choose to play! Lateral isometric trunk exercises such side planks, pallof presses/holds, and suitcase holds do have their place in programmes but I do not think that simply training your trunk and spine not to move is enough in a sport like cricket.

#training #strengthtraining #rehab #prehab #strengthtraining #cricket #injury #gym

CALF RAISES & SHIN SPLINTS

Prior to my stress fracture in my fibula (lateral shin bone), I was suffering with what was diagnosed as Medial Tibial Shin Splints (MTSS). MTSS is a pain predominantly found in the bottom 1/3 of the medial/inner shin bone whilst carrying out moderate to high impact activities such as running and jumping, therefore very common in athletes especially during pre-season where sudden running loads are increased.

Due to a weakness in my peroneals (a couple of muscles on the medial/inside of your tibial shin bone) my foot was dumping into excessive amounts of pronation (flat footed-ness) at high force repeatedly. These repetitive compressive forces on the lateral side of my ankle resulted in the stress fracture to my fibula.

So instead of solely looking at the problem area, we understand that a peroneal weakness was the cause of the fracture. Therefore, strengthening the peroneals will be key in order to avoid my foot excessively dumping into pronation during high force activities.

Carrying out a calf raise correctly to maximise its benefits helped me resolve my MTSS whilst taking load away from lateral ankle. Although banded eversion and inversion exercises exist to target similar muscle groups, I feel calf raises have more bang for your buck being far easier to load and progressively overload.

So next time you do your calf raises, really focus on the heel bone fully externally rotating, lengthening the lateral tissues whilst strengthening up the medial muscles.
You wouldn’t complete a squat without squeezing your glutes at the top of a rep, so why would you not rotate your heels to complete a calf raise? Just leaving gains on the table!

#movement #injury #rehab #strengthtraining #gym #calf #shinsplints

2022 RE-CAP

At a trial towards the back end of 2021 I suffered a stress fracture of my fibula which forced me to take a prolonged break away from the game. Yet again I felt frustrated as my body had let me down all over again. However, with every injury comes an opportunity!

The step back allowed me to turn my focus to possible movement dysfunctions that were occurring within my body. Referring back to 2017 when I suffered my initial stress fracture in L4 of my lower back, it was clear certain dysfunctional movement patterns were very much still engrained despite the years that have gone by since the injury.

Injuries leave residue in the brain! The brain simply tells the body not to move in certain movement and loading patterns due to previous associations with pain doing that certain movement. This is when compensations and imbalances come into the picture. We as humans all compensate. However, the human body is biologically asymmetrical, therefore it’s imperative to teach our bodies to compensate effectively and safely to ensure movement dysfunctions do not become habit leading to injury.

Simply ignoring movement red flags will only lead to detrimental problems further up and down the chain. In my case, rotational aspects through my spine causing issues not only at my shoulders but hips and ankles too. Therefore, it is important to re-teach the brain how to move through correct firing sequences, ensuring the right muscles are doing their job and picking up the slack.

Throughout the year of 2022 my fascination into movement dysfunction and how to clear movement dysfunction deepened. Working with numerous physios and specialist S&C coaches allowed me to understand the biomechanics of the body more. However, this is just the beginning! Knowing the consequences, learning, watching and assessing individuals move should be at the forefront of coaching and programming to work out any possible micro movements and compensations. My many learnings from 2022 have led to changes in how I go about coaching and programming for my clients.

Feel free to DM me any questions regarding movement, programming or coaching 🏋🏻‍♂️

Nordics and more T2B work.

@thehomegymguys

#crossfit #kipping #t2b #hwpo #gym #fitness #workout #fit #motivation #bodybuilding #fitnessmotivation #training #gymlife #gymmotivation #lifestyle #health #muscle #love #sport #healthy #instagood

Some accessory bits & getting to grips with some kipping work.

@kneesovertoesguy
@slantboardguy

#crossfit #kipping #t2b #hwpo #gym #fitness #workout #fit #motivation #bodybuilding #fitnessmotivation #training #gymlife #gymmotivation #lifestyle #health #muscle #love #sport #healthy #instagood

STRENGTH 💪🏻

A few clips from this mornings strength portion of my session!

Snatch
5 x 3

Front Squat
4 x 4

4 Sets
10/10 OH Walking Lunges
6 DB Jump Squat

@beyond.programming

#crossfit #olympicweightlifting #clean #hspu #hwpo #gym #fitness #workout #fit #motivation #bodybuilding #fitnessmotivation #training #gymlife #gymmotivation #lifestyle #fitfam #health #muscle #love #sport #healthy #instagood #personaltrainer

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@hugomorganfitness