Consistency in Your Assessment Tools

The degree markers on a protractor never changes and neither do the inch markers on the tape measure. If you use a weight scale you want to make sure that it's calibrated and a Bod Pod has to be as well. So if you are one that uses the Foam Roller as one of your tools to gain feedback on muscular trigger points and tender areas, why shouldn't you have consistency in that tool too?

Last week I assessed a couple athletes and they presented movement patterns that led me to believe that there was over activity in the Gastoc/Soleus complex, TFL, Adductor complex, IT Band to list some of the possibilities in the lower body. After educating them on the assessment results it was time to review the corrective strategies to address the possibly tight muscles with the initial implementation of the foam roller for tension relief. To my surprise their responses weren't what I had expected for high level athletes applying body weight on their calves on a foam roller. Their level of tenderness was negligible at best. This was curious.

After some thought and evaluating the firmness of the foam roller, I saw that the foam roller had some miles on it. It was the equivalent of performing the technique on a roll of paper towels. You may think that I'm exaggerating and I wish I was, but I'm not.

Fast forward, after some manual release of the lower leg, adductors, ITB and TFL I was able to elicit the results I wanted to achieve with the foam roller. After a re-evaluation there was improvement in movement quality.

The inconsistency in the equipment made me doubt for a second the initial assessment results. Without the use of a dependable piece of equipment I had conflicting information. Not only did this affect my initial instruction of Self Myofascial Release (SMFR) but also the "buy-in" I was trying to create in the corrective exercise process with these athletes. The solution here is to make the investment in reliable tools, check your equipment for consistent performance and keep tabs on what needs to be updated to account for added value for your service.

"A plan is only as good as those who see it through."

The question comes up," What do I have to do to relieve this discomfort?" or "What do I have to do to be stronger at this?" After spending time with them on an assessment and getting a handle on what they are willing to change in their lifestyle I draw something that I think will stick. Depending on the person and situation some will do part of the workout, some won't do anything at all and rarely does anyone do everything. I'm smart enough to know that putting together a life-changing routine is only as good as one's ability to follow it. The only way to find out if they are following it is to;

1. Follow Up,
2. See what they liked or didn't like,
3. Make additions, subtractions, other modifications,
4. Rewrite,
5. Follow up again.

No plan is ever perfect. Even with adjustments plans still aren't perfect. With ongoing modifications you do get closer and closer but only when that person follows your recommendations, enjoys the process and sees the desired results is the plan "perfect".

People, Let me tell you a story of my Best Friend(s)...

After reading the title of this Blog, hopefully you've got the theme of the Courtship of Eddie's Father playing in your head. Great late 60's / 70's show that by the time I was able to understand TV, I was watching the reruns.

We all have best friends and different ones at that for the different aspects of our lives. So for now people, let me tell you a story of these best friend(s) and why.

Scott Mitchell(Twitter: ScottiMitch)- can't stop talking about his family and has a real passion for his new company. Red-lines it on the Value/Morals-ometer.





Eric Beard (Twitter: ericbeard)- Where does this guy find time to sleep? Balancing family, self/professional development, teaching, Tweeting, etc..

Derrick Price (Twitter: TheDerrickPrice)- Combination of professionalism, inspiration, entrepreneurship, and Rob Schneider.

What they all have in common is that I've had a great opportunity to work with them. And when you're an Instructor for the National Academy of Sports Medicine not only do you try to learn from each other but you quickly realize that everyone offers even more personally. To say the least for what I do professionally, they've helped me more than you know. What they've done for me personally, I've still yet to realize. That's what best friends do.

Why should I read this?

It's been brought to my attention that I have yet to let you, the reader, know who I am or why I decided to start blogging. It's only fair I suppose that you understand the motivation behind the thoughts and where I see all this going. Let me start out by saying that I sharing isn't one of my best qualities, but I've come to realize that sharing is the only way to make an impact. I don't just mean the sharing of physical things but thoughts and ideas. That's why blogs exist.

I will start off by saying that as of this post I am engaged to be married to one of the most caring, beautiful and selfless people that I've ever met, Stacy. Without her I would not have the courage or support to do this on top of the other endeavors that I've chosen to pursue. And besides, she's always good for keeping me sharp on my movie quotes.

Without giving my resume on this post I will say that I have had more formal education within the fitness field than most and have been involved with more than my share of fitness, corporate wellness, consulting, coaching, and teaching as well. If you must know about my formal background I'll gladly have my secretary forward to you my resume. Outside of all that there has been no greater teacher(s) for what I do today than all the clients and athletes that have trusted me with getting their bodies to a better place. I only say this because this is where what I've read in the books, heard in lectures and taught by my mentors, all becomes real. It's with hope and optimism that what I do have to share is worth while and that you'll come back for more.

One Foot in Front Of The Other

"When your mind doesn't do the job, your feet have to." -Anonymous

This saying was told to me once when I forgot my keys and had to hike back to the apartment. The walk was not bad. What was bad was that we were already late to the movie and there were four people waiting on me.
The point of this message is that if there is little to no thought of exercise selection in strength and conditioning fitness programming someone is going have to work later. By "work" I mean there is going to be a lack of efficiency in getting to the end fitness, strength, power relating to the sport or activity. The only way to make up for the lack of efficiency is to make up the gap in performance with increased effort and energy. In the end poor performance, movement inefficiencies, overuse injuries and fatigue are sure to follow.
If you are an active exerciser, consider the amount of planning that you took on your workout. For example, if you workout three times per week consistently, this adds up to 156 workouts/year. I'm not even talking about how long you're in the gym, lifting, jumping, doing group exercise, cardio, etc.. All put together, at the end of the year you can be 156 workouts closer to achieving your goals or 156 workouts closer to pain, discomfort.
Take some time today or before your next workout and evaluate your performance and level of conditioning. Are you achieving your desired results? Are you making gains in conditioning and strength? If you can honestly answer a solid "yes" to those two basic questions, great! Keep up the good work and keep plugging along. If not, let your mind do more of the work so your feet don't have to.

Sideline Conditioning

Collegiate athletics offers fans an opportunity to witness great plays, athletes a chance to compete and Strength Coaches a chance to figure out how to make this happen. What I mean by this is that the athlete has to be strong, fast and powerful to compete at the highest levels of competition. To attain these attributes they have to train, and train hard.
I wasn't long into my Strength and Conditioning career when I learned that not everyone is able to do the pre-planned workouts. Not long after that I realized that if they can't do it in the weight room, most likely they can't do it on the field or at least not do it well whatever it is. For a sport like football this is more than obvious.
In the weight room you can replace an exercise that might aggravate the shoulder with an injury. On the practice field where that injury may prevent full participation, there is no such substitute. Either you do the job or you don't. All or nothing. In or out. It's not an a la cart situation where you take what you want and leave what you don't.
This brings on the need for a modified conditioning plan for athletes that are sidelined with an injury. This can be called a "sideline reconditioning" program. When the rest of the team is practicing, there is still plenty of opportunity to get better. There are a multitude of steps and departments that have to be coordinated to make this happen.
These steps are:

1. Communication between Sports Medicine, Coaches, and Strength and Conditioning
2. Movement Assessment
3. Corrective Exercise strategy
4. Execution and observation
5. Re-assessment
6. Plan modification

This is the first of many blog entries that address this issue that affects every collegiate sport program, personal trainer or anyone that works with a client/athlete that has sport performance goals but is limited by injury or discomfort.