PerformancEDU Training Facility

Why is our BOOTIE (glutes) important?

PerformancEDU — Thu, 16 May 2013 00:12:49 +0000

When coming into PerformancEDU Training Facility, one of the first things we breakdown is glute activation (which means, how do we get our bootie on fire). After studying McGill and Clark, they put this in perspective through simple questions and an easy answer: Are the glutes weak because the psoas is tight, or is the psoas tight because the glutes are weak? It may be a classic interdependent, chicken-and-egg scenario. Either way, proper strengthening of the glutes will be the best cure.Boyle, Michael (2011-12-05). Advances in Functional Training (Kindle Locations 2024-2026). On Target Publications. Kindle Edition.

Being able to remedy non firing glute function, the client first needs to activate the core. This can be done in a quadruped position so we are not able to fire the hamstrings down to the calves. Great description said by Shirley Sahrmann: Sahrmann describes the biomechanical explanation by citing the lower insertion point of the hamstrings on the femur. If the hamstrings are consistently called upon to be the primary hip extensor, the result will be anterior hip pain in addition to hamstring strains. The anterior hip pain is a result of the poor angle of pull of the hamstrings when used as a hip extensor. Boyle, Michael (2011-12-05). Advances in Functional Training (Kindle Locations 2031-2034). On Target Publications. Kindle Edition.

We see more and more injuries due to the inability to fire the glutes, which will lead to these types of injuries:

• Low back pain relates to poor glute max activation, with poor glute function causing excessive lumbar compensation.

• Hamstring strains relate to poor glute max activation.

• Anterior hip pain relates to poor glute max activation. This relates to the poor biomechanics of hamstrings as hip extensors.

• Anterior knee pain relates to poor glute medius strength or activation.

At PerformancEDU Training Facility we perform glute activation at the beginning of every session to develop awareness of the glutes, but more importantly turn them on for the upcoming training session.

Marc Digesti USAW | Director of Performance at PerformancEDU

PerformancEDU loves loading AIR: Great article on Keiser EQ!

PerformancEDU — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:15:41 +0000

IRON VS. AIR: WHY PNEUMATIC RESISTANCE MIGHT BE THE NEXT BIG THING

Fitness

Posted by

Jordan Shakeshaft

May 14, 2013

272

Photos by Jason Kirby

Over thirty years ago in a small factory in Frenso, a pair of brothers set out to make pumping iron passé. The product that emerged had no weights, pins, or pulleys; the resistance came entirely from compressed air, or pneumatics. By 1978, the Keiser brothers were peddling the world’s first air-powered variable resistance machines.

To no surprise, the technology’s earliest adopters included Olympic and professional sports teams, along with some of the country’s leading performance training facilities. Today, Athletes’ Performance, Peak Performance, Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning, and LA Fitness are just a few of the big name facilities buying into the air-powered equipment. The U.S. Armed Forces (Navy SEALs and Special Forces included), physical therapy facilities, and nursing homes are also incorporating pneumatic resistance into their training routines — with no real competitors in sight. According to Keiser reps, sales of Keiser’s pneumatic cable pulley systems and racks have increased by 68 percent over the last three years.

THE AIR ADVANTAGE

So why swap traditional stacked weights for the unseen? “Pneumatic machines are the closest you’ll get to true isotonic exercise,” (or moving a fixed amount of resistance through a specific range of motion), says Andrea Hudy, strength and conditioning coach at the University of Kansas.

Of course, moving a barbell or a stack of weights might appear to accomplish the same thing, but there’s actually a whole lot more at play. Inertia, acceleration, and other factors (like friction from cams and pulleys) can cause the amount of force on the body to change at various points throughout the movement. For a barbell bench press, for example, if you push the weight fast for the first half of the move, the barbell will become lighter, perhaps even weightless, during the second half of the motion due to momentum. By comparison, with pneumatic resistance, no matter how fast you move, the resistance stays the same.

Equipped with a 2 ½-inch wide cylinder of compressed air, each pneumatic machine can produce up to 500 pounds of force with only three pounds of actual moving weight. The result: a more consistent and controlled resistance compared to free weights or weight machines [1] [2].

As for the mechanics at play, it’s surprisingly simple: When you depress the right thumb button (+), air flows from the compressor to the cylinder. The longer you hold the button down, the more air flows into the cylinder, increasing the force it produces.

Don’t expect an easy-breezy workout, though. Because pneumatic resistance is uniform, key stabilizers can’t go to sleep as the weight begins to accelerate, says Tristan Rice, Performance Manager at Athletes’ Performance San Diego. “Those muscles have to remain active and engaged throughout the entire range of motion, throughout a range of velocities.” In the long-term, Rice says, “that can set you up for a reduced incidence of injury,” (though, because all training involves a certain amount of stress on the body, no form of training is entirely injury-proof, of course).

But perhaps the biggest benefit of air training is speed.

“Athletes can suddenly train [closer to] the speed they would perform at,” says Dan Taylor, Director of Global Communications at Keiser Corporation. With pneumatic resistance, explosive movements can be replicated at game-speed, conditioning the muscles to fire faster. “Train slow, be slow,” as the saying goes.

So while a golfer might try to strengthen their stroke with a woodchopper exercise, moving a traditional stack of weights up the cable column can only happen so quickly. Pneumatic resistance, on the other hand, would allow that same athlete to reach speeds closer to what they’d hit on the fairway. Air adds up when it’s time for NFL Combine training, too. At Athletes’ Performance, everything from air-resistance squats to air-powered cycling has helped the bottom line — faster 40s and higher verticals included, Rice says.

Measurable feedback is also a plus. Instead of speculating how fast a movementlooks, Keiser machines display a power output corresponding to each rep, allowing athletes and trainers to quantify — and track — power in real time. Once those starting points are accurately measured and accessed, then the true work can commence.

Of course, power isn’t the only advantage to working with air. Resistance on pneumatic machines is selected by the push of button, instead of by loading heavy plates or reaching down to adjust a pin in a weight stack (less ideal for older or injured trainees). Resistance is also available in more precise increments, down to the ounce.

Keiser has some safety benefits, too, such as being able to hit the ( – ) button mid-rep if the load feels too heavy. The uniform resistance also helps eliminate higher impact loads experienced on the connective tissues and joints while starting and stopping a traditional weighted movement. Still, it’s important to note that impact isn’t necessarily a bad thing: “It’s crucial to our survival, health, and optimal bone mass,” says Peak Performance trainer Jonathan Angelilli. The tricky part is making sure impact is increased properly, Angelilli says.

RESISTING AIR RESISTANCE

Still, pneumatic training isn’t for everyone. Though 29 MLB teams and about two-thirds of NBA, NHL, and NFL teams train with Keiser products, according to Taylor, many high-level programs aren’t in a rush to change things up. The Kansas Jawhawks, for example, are sticking to Hudy’s ground-based weight training program.

“It’s not necessarily that these newer forms of training aren’t valuable to our guys,” Hudy says. “We have an evolving program, but the foundations of the exercises — the clean, jerk, Olympic snatch, squat, front squat — those never change.” Of the handful of Keiser machines in the KU weight room, athletes use them for rotational exercises — and not much else, she says.

By the same token, it’s unlikely powerlifters, Olympic lifters, and CrossFit athletes would gravitate toward a program that abandoned iron altogether. At the end of the day, competitive lifters will always need to be comfortable moving traditional weights. That’s not to say that pneumatic resistance couldn’t be beneficial as a supplemental form of training. With potentially less high-shock impact than traditional forms of weight training, working in some airtime might not be a bad thing. “If people are looking for variety or variability in a program, pneumatic is great,” Hudy says.

As for big box gyms, cost may be the biggest limitation. While LA Fitness and a number of boutique fitness studios across the U.S. have begun stocking spin rooms with Keiser’s $1,695 M3 Indoor Cycle, an air-powered spin bike, it’s hard to say if other chains will follow suit. Keiser Vice President Darrin Pelkey credits an increase in sales of the company’s second best-selling model, the Functional Trainer, to a recent influx of fitness studios. The multi-functional cable machine starts at $2,955.

Budgets aside, whether or not a facility will invest in pneumatic training comes down to education, Rice says. “As training theory and knowledge becomes disseminated across a much wider field, you’re going to see better availability in more gyms and more places,” Rice says. “That is, ultimately, where the big box gyms are going to go.”

COMING UP FOR AIR — THE TAKEAWAY

Until then, is compressed air worth seeking out? If there’s a machine within reach, pneumatic resistance is definitely worth a try (provided you’re healthy, injury-free, and have an experienced professional to show you the ropes). Though it’s still relatively new in the grand scheme of performance training, it appears there’s always something to be learned from the pros and a technology they’ve made their own over the last 30-plus years. Best-case scenario, we get faster, stronger, and maybe even better at what we do. Worst case, we walk away with a power output to use as a benchmark for improvement. And that’s never just a load of hot air.

#madluv collaboration with EDU

PerformancEDU — Wed, 15 May 2013 00:09:01 +0000

Here at EDU we get welcomed with #greatness, #energy and #madluv 4-5 times per week by 3 amazing individuals…….Grant, Shawn and OBIEONE!

The path has been set, the goals are creeping closer and the work is being put in. We are so ready for the challenge Grant, Shawna and I have set. Lets ROLL!

Here is a little background of Grant and Shawna through their website, Facebook, Youtube and their book 2 feet back.

Marc Digesti USAW | Director of Performance at PerformancEDU

Why are my hips so TIGHT?

PerformancEDU — Mon, 13 May 2013 21:42:56 +0000

Gray Cook says it best: Hip mobility is something we loose. As infants we are born with crazy hip mobility. Watching my little nephew Enzo put his feet in his mouth, and roll into a full squat with his bootie touching the ground is truly amazing to watch as a performance coach, but lets be real, we loose this very quickly. We tend to be very long and week on our backside muscles, and very short and strong on our front side. We see this a lot with our executive types of clientele which sit for excessive amounts of time. This will place the spine into flexion, which will make the glutes long and weak. This is what causes all of us to have tight hip flexors.

What causes the muscles to be tight?

Soft Tissue Mobility Restrictions
Muscular Restrictions
Capsular Restrictions
Muscular Mobility
Limited Range of Motion
Lack of extension for the Glute to fire in the Hip
Lack of flexion in the Psoas

How can we work on these limitations?

Static Stretching
Active Stretching-Low Loading

Remember…….if we can get stability in our core, this will allow us to gain active hip mobility.

Marc Digesti USAW | Director of Performance at PerformancEDU

What is the “Core” and how do we Stabilize it?

PerformancEDU — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:27:56 +0000

Grant Korgan Single Arms Stability Pushouts

It is almost certain every athlete or client which comes in during their initial evaluation always has a goal of getting a “six pack” or a strong core. Usually their knowledge of the “core” stems from what they are told from their coaches or from what they have read in health and fitness magazines. We always like to challenge our clients and athletes to the “how’s and why’s” to each and every session, this includes the initial evaluation. We usually as this question “what is your definition of a strong core?” Typical client responses:

Ability to do 100 crunches
Planking for 10 minutes
Having 6 pack abs

There is so much going into the core (terminology, movements, progressions, understanding the anterior and posterior core), but I am just going to stick with the basics and describe what the core is designed for. Lets define core stability, it is the ability to create movement in the arms (upper extremities) and legs (lower extremities) with out compensating the spine and or pelvis into movement. ”In the broadest sense allowing force to move from the ground through the hips, spine or scapulothoracic joints without energy leaks. Energy leaks are defined as points at which energy is lost during the transfer of force from the ground, and are a result of the body’s inability to stabilize a particular joint. Torso strength encompasses core stability, hip stability and shoulder stability, and most importantly, the ability to move force from the ground to the extremities while maintaining stability in the aforementioned areas (Boyle, Michael (2011-12-05). Advances in Functional Training).”

Core training goes much deeper than non weight bearing crunches and having six pack abs. Its the ability to relate body weight and load bearing movements while being able to create stability in a safe and effective manner.

Marc Digesti | Director of Performance at PerformancEDU

EDU Athlete Spotlight: Grant Korgran in SF Chronicle

PerformancEDU — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:28:58 +0000

Paralyzed athlete Grant Korgan achieves polar goal

Tom Stienstra, Chronicle Outdoors Writer

Published 4:00 am, Sunday, January 29, 2012

EDU Marc Digesti and Grant Korgan

Grant Korgan, and Tal Fletcher pushiung day after day Photo: Keoki Flagg, ©Keoki Flagg 2012

Two winters after being paralyzed from the waist down, Grant Korgan found his redemption this month on a minus-45-degree day at the South Pole.

With a few final thrusts of his ski poles, Korgan pushed his body the last 10 yards of a 75-mile, 12-day trek across the 9,000-foot Polar Plateau.

Korgan, who before his injury split his time between Stanford and Lake Tahoe, is the first paralyzed, or adaptive, athlete to reach the South Pole.

The real journey, he says, has been one of his soul, a salvation where he emerged on top after 22 months of recovery, physical therapy, introspection and training shared with close friends and trekkers, Tal Fletcher of Marin County and Doug Stoup of Truckee, and his wife and trainer, Shawna Korgan.

“I feel like everything happens for us, not to us,” Grant Korgan said. “You can decide what you want, that you choose the direction you want to go. That’s been the key for me, focusing on what I want, regardless of circumstances. The situation I face never sways me from the direction I want to go.”

Korgan, 34, was a scientist, working at Stanford as a mechanical engineer in the university’s nano-mechanics labs and spending most of his time as a world-class kayaker, snowmobiler and global adventurer. In the flash of a tiny mistake, the life he knew ended.

Third jump goes awry

In March 2010, Korgan was called from Stanford into the Sierra Nevada, in remote national forest south of Sonora Pass, to make a series of epic snowmobile jumps for a movie.

“The first jump of the day was about 140 feet, just an amazing, gorgeous jump,” Korgan said. “The second jump was a 100-foot fall-way, a hip jump where you change your course in the air and land on a different slope.

“The third jump, the second I left the lip, I knew I gave it a little too much speed, by maybe a half a mile per hour, and I was going to overshoot my landing spot. Felt like I had minutes in the air up there. Knew I was going to break bones. Had to figure out which bones to break. Braced myself for the hit.”

He shifted his position to the left side of the snowmobile so his leg and femur would absorb the brunt of the landing, Korgan said, and not his back. Instead, the spinal compression from the impact shattered his first lumbar vertebrae with such force that doctors called it a burst fracture.

“It was instant, as if something flipped a switch,” Korgan said. “It felt like a warm sack of hot metal BBs were attached below my belly button.”

An examination of his tracks showed that Korgan flew his snowmobile more than 100 feet in the air and overshot the landing site by only 2 feet.

In the hospital, doctors established that Korgan was paralyzed.

Wife Shawna, alerted by paramedics in the rescue helicopter, rushed to the hospital to be with her husband, she recounted: “I took his face in my hands, looked him in the eyes, and said, ‘It’s going to be OK. We’re not just going to survive this, we’re going to thrive through this. We’re going to keep every dream we’ve ever had. We’ll hike, bike, kayak, ski. All of our dreams are still happening. Don’t you change a single one of them.’ “

Recovery begins

Korgan spent nine days in an intensive care unit, another 30 days in an inpatient rehab hospital. Shawna, with a degree in health ecology and 15 years in the fitness industry, including five operating a wellness center, became his personal trainer. Therapy turned into recovery. He tried everything to regain use of his legs: multiple physical therapies, acupuncture Pilates, yoga and hyperbarics, a form of oxygen therapy during which he was placed in an atmospheric pressure chamber.

“I started with zero feeling, no movement below my belly button,” Korgan said. “Yes, I had a prognosis (to never walk unassisted again). I chose very powerfully to recover, no matter what the odds.” In the past six months, Korgan has been able to feel his thighs down to his knees, though he has no sensation below his knees or in his hamstrings.

This past summer, with Stoup, the world’s most traveled polar explorer, and Fletcher, a world-class helicopter ski guide, plans for an expedition to the South Pole began to take shape. Training for Antarctica became a mission. The expedition team called it “The Push.” In July, with another adaptive athlete, John Davis, a two-time Paralympics gold medalist, Korgan paddled his kayak 50 miles in four days on the Lake Tahoe Water Trail. The team set out on a series of mini expeditions that included treks in Alaska, the Arctic, Lake Tahoe and Patagonia.

Word about Korgan and his personal mission circulated in the outdoors industry. A book deal was in the works. The Truckee-based High Fives Foundation, which supports adaptive athletes in winter sports, awarded Korgan a grant for the expedition and provided money for therapy. A film crew came together to capture the drama. At the same time, a sit-ski, similar to a mountain bike on skis, was designed that consisted of a seat on a welded frame bolted to a pair of 6-foot Volkl backcountry skis.

On Jan. 5, the team landed on the Union Glacier in Antarctica, and the next day, bumped up to the Polar Plateau at an altitude of 9,000 feet, that is, atop ice that is nearly 2 miles thick.

On his sit-ski, after the first 10 pushes, Korgan stopped abruptly, Stoup recounted. Pushing his sit-ski across the Antarctic ice felt like crossing Velcro, he told Stoup, and he couldn’t believe the effort it required. They towed 6 1/2-foot sleds loaded with 180 pounds worth of food, fuel and survival gear.

“There was some doubt in my mind he could complete the journey,” Stoup said. “The first 10 pushes were very hard. It hit me right away that it would take him a herculean effort to do it 12 days in a row, 10 hours a day.”

Daunting conditions

Many call the South Pole the most inhospitable place on Earth. For this expedition, temperatures loomed in the minus-mid-30s to as low as the minus-mid-50s pushed by winds of 20 to 30 knots. Whiteouts enveloped the team for three days and half of a fourth, turning progress and navigation into acts of faith.

Because Korgan cannot feel his feet, Fletcher monitored Korgan’s foot temperatures with instruments and used thermal socks with batteries and down booties to keep them warm and protect against frostbite. They also wore vapor-wicking poly-based and SmartWool underwear, multiple layers of cold-weather gear, including 800-fill goose down vests, jackets and pants, and survival-suit shells.

The team worked best when Stoup was out front, navigating, and Fletcher would be alongside Korgan, feeding him energy food, monitoring his body temperature. “That’s how I was able to go all day,” Korgan said. “I get bad gas mileage. I need a lot of fuel.”

“I used affirmations to keep me moving forward,” Korgan said. “I began silently saying to myself, ‘I am strong, I am healthy, I am healed, and I am working toward my goal of reaching the South Pole.’ I eventually began to say these statements aloud and my teammates would often join me. Then, I said to myself daily, ‘Although my body has been broken in the past, my spirit never can be. I am unbreakable.’ “

On the final morning, a clearing in the clouds appeared and the sun poured like a beacon onto the South Pole, dedicated by a group of flags and pole marker.

On his feet

About 100 feet away, Korgan got off his sit-ski, wobbled a bit as Fletcher and Stoup each gave up one ski and pole and affixed them to the feet of their friend. Then with a small crowd watching nearby – more than 150 scientists from the South Pole’s Amundsen-Scott research station – Korgan made it to the end, on his own, on his two paralyzed feet, Stoup said.

Korgan cried as he hugged his best friends and said, “Thank you, guys.”

After a pause, he said, “I only wish my wife was here,” Stoup recounted.

From the small crowd, a figure in polar clothes walked out toward the men, then removed a mask: It was Shawna Korgan.

Korgan was stunned at the surprise, then embraced his wife. The magic of this moment overwhelmed all who shared it, Stoup said.

“I’ve witnessed the healing process over the last year,” Stoup said. “He is an inspiration to me and everybody who knows him. It is amazing to watch him.”

Korgan said he felt overwhelmed as he neared his goal.

“I was full of tears, to pass the flags, and the greatest moment in this recovery, and then, all of a sudden, there’s my wife,” Korgan said. “She said, ‘Welcome to the South Pole.’ “

Late last week, as he reviewed the scope of the expedition, Korgan said he and his wife shared a mantra throughout.

“I kept thinking, ‘The goal, the dream, the desire,’ ” Korgan said. “That’s what we say. I faced that over and over as we went. You have to decide what you want and then focus solely on what works.”

E-mail Tom Stienstra at tstienstra@sfchronicle.com.

Athlete Spotlight: Mattie Smallhouse

PerformancEDU — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:41:54 +0000

Mattie Smallhouse had a great weekend up at Mammoth this past weekend. I wanted to share how well he did: Matt, had a good weekend at Mammoth –3^rd on Saturday, and 8^th on Sunday. He ran 5^th to last on Saturday when the course had slowed a bit (the kids race based on a random draw—there were 70 boys in his class). The kids who beat him for the most part outweigh him by 30-50 lbs.

Here at EDU we are so stoked to see our athletes compete at a very high level and get the results they deserve. I can not be more excited for Mattie and all the hard work he has put into school, training on hill and not to mention, the time he puts in at EDU.

KEEP RIPPIN Mattie!

Will the FMS Cure Most Communicable Diseases?

PerformancEDU — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:31:06 +0000

Gray Cook

Posted February 15, 2011

Hey Mike

Many of the over simplifications have been addressed in the book. Unfortunately people talk more than they read and I can tell it is beginning to irritate you.

OK, so the title is a bit tongue-in-cheek. However, if you are a regular Strengthcoach.com reader you might be tempted to answer yes. It seems every thread now begins with the statement “have you done the FMS on them”. Every answer parrots the same mantra. If you attack the weak pattern, the athlete or client will be miraculously cured.

The weak pattern will drive performance problems, but performance problems can also be due to poor performance. That’s why I suggest that both be tested.

To be honest, I think doing the FMS should be step one for every client that complains of pain. In fact, if you have the time it should be step one for every client, period.

I actually think the SFMA will get the painful problem managed more efficiently and effectively than the FMS. I advise the people with pain to skip the FMS.

I am a huge fan of the FMS, of Gray Cook and of Lee Burton (the co-creator). However as Alwyn Cosgrove likes to say first we underreact, then we overreact. As one member said yesterday “has the pendulum possibly swung too far?”. The FMS is a screen. It is a way to begin to gather information about an athlete or a client relative to the way they move. For me it is step one when an athlete or client complains of pain. What it is not is a heat-seeking missile that will expose a weak pattern and present a miracle cure.

I just read a thread that intimated that FMS correctives will cure shin splints. That is what prompted me to write this article. Yes, the shin splints could be the result of a biomechanical fault that originates in the hips or the core but it is overuse that causes shin splints. In past years when I ran too much my shins hurt. If I followed a more progressive program they did not. Every overuse injury is not a movement fault.

Totally agreed — every overuse injury is not a movement fault — but don’t stop there — prove it! If the FMS shows serious dysfunction then you cannot rule out a movement problem. On the other hand if the FMS is clear or at least 2s on everything with no asymmetries then you have identified a performance problem, programming overload, or inappropriate activity choice.

Some people just aren’t the right body type for distance running. No amount of corrective work is going to make an offensive lineman into a distance runner. If you fix his Active Straight Leg Raise and then send him out for a 5 miler he will probably still have shin or low back issues.

This may be the way some misguided people use our model — but I’ve never implied anything like this — ever!

It is the old hammer analogy. My hand hurts when I hit it with the hammer. The Dr’s advice, hit the nail.

I love the fact that everyone has embraced the FMS and is beginning to see the value of screening, evaluating or assessing but please let’s not overstate it’s value so that people begin to discount it. The Functional Movement Screen is step one in the process. Step two is up to you. Step two does not have to be “refer them to an SFMA therapist”.

I’ve never said to send the FMS client or athlete with pain to a medical professional trained in the SFMA. It’s just nice when someone speaks the same language. All I’ve ever said is — don’t go it alone — get some help and limit your liability and protect your client / athlete in the most responsible way possible.

There are thousands and thousands of excellent therapists who have no idea how to perform the FMS who will do an excellent job of getting someone better.

Agreed! No argument from me!

There are numerous models for therapy and rehab. Gray’s model best fits the Sahrmann model of rehab through movement. As strength coaches, athletic trainers and physical therapists, this model fits extremely well for us as it works within the confines of our abilities. However, I have seen the best results when the skills of manual therapy are combined with the model of rehab through movement. In my experience the “weak pattern” is very often a result of a soft tissue or joint dysfunction that simply will not get better by attacking the weak pattern. Often a qualified physical therapist must aggressively attack joint function or tissue quality.

Our fascination with the FMS reminds me of the old internet fascination with ART. Every internet thread started with “have you found an ART provider yet”. We need to remember that all methods are tools in a toolbox. Sometimes the best tool is the computer or the phone. Much like the TV show Who Wants to be a Millionaire, the best thing you can do is phone a friend to get the right answer.

Please be careful not to oversimplify complex processes. There are no right answers and as the old saying goes, there are many ways to skin a cat. If someone asks you “how do I skin a cat”. You are not required to answer “have you performed the FMS on the cat yet”.

Sorry the FMS — misunderstandings take time out of the other stuff you would like to do. Unfortunately we are both in education and it is our responsibility to answer the stuff directed at us. I hope that the people who have read my new book are not the ones misapplying the model. As a matter of fact every response I’ve provided is in the book.

I’ve also attached all the principles from chapter 15 in the book. All I really care about is the principles — the FMS and SFMA are just the methods I use to stay as close as possible to the principles. I also provided extra commentary in blue. Enjoy

Thanks for the heads-up!

One last thing brother — I think a quick way to clarify whether an FMS question is worth answering is to ask the individual who posted it if they have read the Movement Book. If they have not there is a good chance the answer is readily available. If someone posted about Shirley’s work you might first question if they had studied her work as much as you have.

PS- If you have the time the FMS should still be step one for every client, period. But remember it is a way to begin to gather information about an athlete or a client relative to the way they move. “

Principle # 1

We should separate painful movement patterns from dysfunctional movement patterns whenever possible to create clarity and perspective.

*What I want you to know — I feel the starting point is to separate pain and dysfunction and I have opinions about what to do next. I guess I’m not satisfied with the current systems I see in place. I’m not offended when people criticize the screen — I’m just disappointed when they don’t have a viable solution to put in it’s place.

Principle # 2

The starting point for movement learning is a reproducible movement baseline.

*What I want you to know — We set far more performance baselines than movement baselines. When we do set movement baselines they are often not standardized. Without standardization it is nearly impossible to develop a statistical injury prediction model.

Principle # 3

Biomechanical and physiological evaluation does not provide a complete risk screening or diagnostic assessment tool for comprehensive understanding of movement-pattern behaviors.

*What I want you to know — This does not imply that we stop looking at biomechanics and physiological factors. It just means that we need to add a whole movement profile into the equation. The # 1 risk factor for a future injury is a previous injury… Even if you have a good PT, even if you have a good trainer, even if you have a good coach… We don’t have bad pros we suffer from the lack of a manageable system.

Principle # 4

Movement learning and relearning has hierarchies’ fundamental to the development of perception and behavior.

*What I want you to know — A clear understanding of movement pattern capability reduces the trial and error we often experience when trying to gauge a client or athletes movement learning capabilities. It also offers a level of risk management that is supported by research.

Principle # 5

Corrective exercise should not be a rehearsal of outputs. Instead, it should represent challenging opportunities to manage mistakes on a functional level near the edge of ability.

*What I want you to know — There is more to corrective exercise than just doing exercises correctly.

Principle # 6

Perception drives movement behavior and movement behavior modulates perception.

*What I want you to know — When movement pattern dysfunction is identified the client or athlete is often unable to correct the problem with verbal instruction or isolation exercise.

Principle # 7

We should not put fitness on movement dysfunction.

*What I want you to know — Everyone seems to agree with this but no one seems to have a systematic solution. Basically every trainer I know says they have enough experience not to do this but no one has a reproducible system. Everyone just vouches for himself or herself. My question is — If everyone is doing so well why do we still have low back pain, non-contact athletic injuries and training related injuries.

Principle # 8

We must develop performance and skill considering each tier in the natural progression of movement development and specialization.

*What I want you to know — The FMS is not the only thing — but I feel it is the first thing. Frequency, intensity, volume, performance level, and all the other factors regarding appropriate activity and conditioning must still be considered. It is entirely possible to have a good FMS and still get shin splints from running. This scenario suggests that movement capability is present but performance considerations were not managed.

Principle # 9

Our corrective exercise dosage recipe suggests we work close to the baseline, at the edge of ability, with a clear goal. This should produce a rich sensory experience filled with manageable mistakes.

*What I want you to know — It is refreshing to explore exercises that require increased sensory awareness. I used to think 3 sets of 10 reps would fix stuff and then I started to measure things to see exactly what I had changed — not much.

Principle # 10

The routine practice of self-limiting exercises can maintain the quality of our movement perceptions and behaviors, and preserve our unique adaptability that modern conveniences erode.

*What I want you to know — Motor learning seems to progress at an accelerated rate with exercises that make us work and also pay attention. Self-limiting exercises require a certain level of technical skill before you could even come close to a volume that would place unnecessary risk. My lists of self-limiting exercises are simply suggestions to force precision with higher levels of sensory input.

EDU Female Skiers took ALL the medals in State

PerformancEDU — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 23:52:34 +0000

Its a good day at EDU for our Female Ski Athletes at the High School State Championships. Alex Benales, Claire DeAngeli and Megan Resigno all stole the show in Giant Slalom, Slalom and Overall.

Here is the breakdown:
Alex Benales: 1st Place in GS
Megan Resigno: 2nd Place in GS

Claire DeAngeli: 1st Place in Slalom
Megan Resigno: 2nd Place in GS

Megan Resigno: Overal Winner

Megan Resigno Mt. Rose Race Team

SKIING: MANOGUE BOYS WIN TITLE FOR COACH

By Eric Lee Castillo sports@rgj.com

12:00 AM, Feb. 22, 2013 EST
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The Bishop Manogue boys ski team team won its first state championship in school history Thursday at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe, and it was in honor of Miners coach Scott Trabert.

The first-year coach, who said he has about 22 years of skiing experience, took a break from the ski world when his 20-year-old son Matt died on Aug. 9, 2010, in a car accident. Now, Trabert’s return to skiing has been memorable.

“You know Manogue hasn’t really been on the radar when it comes to skiing in this state, but Scott has really turned it around,” Reed coach Todd Tuttle said.

Trabert’s presence is added motivation for Miners sophomore Stephen Osborne as he performed at his peak, winning the slalom while wearing the skis Matt wore when he earned the same honor as a sophomore at Wooster in 2005.

“I actually didn’t have the right skis for the weekend, and he (Trabert) offered them, so I was really honored to use them since his son meant so much to him and was such a great skier,” Osborne said. “Even though Scott has only been our coach for one season, I’ve known him a long time and he’s always been there for me like another dad would.”

Osborne also grabbed a fifth-place finish in giant slalom and barely lost the overall individual title to Reno’s Matt Cooper, who finished second in slalom and first in giant slalom.

“It was an honor and a pleasure to have Stephen be able to ski on my son’s skis, win a slalom event this year …,” Trabert said. “I know my son’s sitting out there looking over us very proud.”

The Miners defeated second-place Wooster by a 131-95 margin. Reno finished in third place with a score of 148, and Reed fourth with 249.

The Manogue girls didn’t fare quite as well, finishing third with 166 points behind first-place Galena (95) and Wooster (112). Reno finished fourth at 201.

However, Miners junior Alex Banales stole the show during day two of the state meet with a first-place finish in giant slalom. Banales beat Galena’s No. 1 skier and the event’s overall individual champion, Megan Rescigno, by 1.2 seconds.

“It’s been a privilege to be a part of the team this season because Scott’s such a great coach,” Banales said. “He’s really taught us a lot, and this is the hardest we’ve worked and the best we’ve performed in all three years I’ve been on the ski team.”

EDU’s PT Transition Program on Fox11 Reno

PerformancEDU — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 22:28:59 +0000

Special thanks to Thomas Wood and Fox11 for helping with our vision and putting it into a visual voice.

Marc Digesti USAW | Founder and Director of Performance