Better Movement, Better Performance
David Fleming
Sitting around doing nothing damages our bodies. But then again exercising damages our bodies and we are all doomed! Well, try not to panic, that's not the point. The ultimate way to health and performance is to be intelligent in our training. It's important to train hard: for sport; fat loss; or for developing insane amounts of bicep bulge. Mr. Fleming discusses the importance of incorporating focused joint mobility and movement health drills into your daily routine in order to facilitate awesome movement and performance in training.
You’re messed Up Pal !!!
This article relates to health. Movement health. If you want to perform better, maintaining healthy joints that can take the abuse of your buffness pursuits, you’d better start balancing things up a bit.
Train hard, but train smart!
I'm not here to advocate a life of mobility drills and deep breathing against a life spent battling the iron.
I'm advocating a life of intelligent, balanced training as opposed to a life of getting battered by the iron, (unless you’re already too beat up to train anymore, then you really should be hitting up the mobility drills!)
Basic principles
Your body has evolved to move -to squat, lunge, walk, run, hunt throw etc
But you didn't use it properly did you? -modern life changes the way we use our bodies, instead of a childhood of squatting, lunging running and jumping we have xbox, tv, chairs and computers.
So, you're a bit jacked up - as sub optimal changes take place and we do not move as well as we are designed to.
You want to train hard, but that can make you even more jacked up- your body will learn faulty movement patterns and move with compensations which will lead to injury/stress.
Movement is a spectrum from grace and control to aggression and power -thus we need a range of training, not just strength and power.
Balance it out and reap the benefits of actually feeling good instead of being beat up all the time!- mobility, stability and function will increase our positive results from the heavy stuff.
Optimal performance needs optimal health. Optimal health needs a range of training -not just running, not just weights but a balanced spectrum of activities.
Neuroscientist Rodolfo Linas, whose writings have inspired some of this article states that;
“the brain seems to have evolved, or I believe and many people will agree, as the instrument for motricity, the instrument to move. Now because it is so closely related to prediction and so closely related to intentionality when we make an impossible statement and say you know what, thinking may be nothing else but internalized movement. Why? Because it is through movement that we solve many things. And what is it that the brain basically does ultimately in all of us? What it does is generate premotor acts, inside it generates premotor events, all that we can do as human beings with our brain is activation of motor neurons, that is the only output. I tell my students you only activate muscles or you activate glands. To put it differently, you either move or drool, that’s all you can do in life. It’s true.”
Have you ever considered the quality of movement that you indulge in? Gym based training which the majority of you reading this article will participate in is movement of course and its far better than sitting and essentially dying on the sofa but its not necessarily in line with improving health, vitality and well being.
Why? You ask. Well, while any exercise is better than none there are ways to optimise or at least improve your movement repertoire.
Movement can be considered both input and output to our brains and nervous systems. The intent to move a joint or series of joints and then the action to do so is ‘output’. For every one of those motions that occurs there is a vast amount of sensory information bombarding the system. Angulation, speed, tension, compression, traction, activation, fatigue, all this information is being fed in to the system and over time the response will be an improved ability to complete those movements.
Now, don't get me wrong. I love strength training. Picking up, pushing & pulling heavy stuff is a big part of my day but I'd be lying if I said it really made my body 'feel' good. It's high arousal stuff & that's great. It's part of the movement spectrum but it shouldn't be the only kind of focused movement employed to maximise health.
Loading an already compressed series of joints with high loads can be harmful as it squeezes all of the fluid out of those joints. This fluid lubricates, removes toxins and waste products and carries in nutrition which makes it imperative to the joints health and function. Whenever two internal surfaces come in to contact within the body without movement, adhesion occurs. You sell control, fluidity and function while you buy pain! Sustained joint compression also blurs the brains perception of that joints capacity reducing the functional range of motion to surrounding tissues.
For example if you have the common issue of overly kyphosed thoracic spine, and your sole exercise routine consists of loading a 97.52 kg bar on your back, and squatting repeatedly - you are, 1: likely to suffer major compression and eventually pain in the joints, and 2: likely to blur the nervous system’s perception of what you are capable of which will lead to the brain limiting the range of motion and power available to the joints and muscles of the surrounding area.
If improving health and well being is high on your list of priorities the high level, compressive and stressful movements you make should be equally balanced by slower, more precise, 'higher quality input' movements also.
In other words, if you pummel yourself for 5 sets of deeeep squats, you would be well advised to balance it out with an equal amount of mobility drills to offset the punishment.
There is a lot to gain from focused learning of new movement patterns and very little to lose.
Let's take Tai Chi and Qi Gong as examples. Tai Chi is very well known and involves many different forms. Precise, slow movements flow from one position in to another with a focus on diaphragmatical breathing and low body tension. The intricacies of Tai Chi can take years to perfect but this is the point. The more you are forced to reduce tension in movement (until high tension is required) and truly engage in learning new ways to move your body, the greater the benefits to your health and well being.
Qi Gong is somewhat easier to learn and described as movement meditation. Some of the movements are similar and when you observe it you will see the amount of rotation and 'flow' that occurs through each joint. From the toes to the fingers, everything is involved. This is key. All joints are important and learning how to control all of the available motion at each joint, when combined with correct breathing patterns will directly provide improvements in balance, range of motion and relaxation while indirectly increasing strength.
There are many options to learn slow and controlled movement systems with a view to improving health and performance. One of which I am studying to become a practitioner is Z Health. The 'R Phase' system is available on DVD to the public and I can't recommend it enough. Another option is 'Intuflow' by Scott Sonnon. Both are effective dynamic joint mobility systems.
Most people at some point in their lives, if they exercise or not, want to feel better. If you have the necessary parts to move and the ability to predict, you must still have the intent. A lot of you out there won't try the sort of things I'm suggesting, you won't have the intent. Intention though, can be influenced by knowledge. If you are serious about your training or health, the sooner you learn to incorporate a balanced approach the better off you will be.
The perfect exercise plan, with the goal being both health and aesthetically driven must encompass several factors.
1. Dynamic joint mobility - improve the brains awareness of the joints and in turn gain range of motion, control, reduce pain and improve well being.
2. Intergrated fluid movement. Tai Chi, Qi Gong - improve the integration of joints, fascia and muscle tissues and in turn gain range of motion, coordination, balance, reduce pain and improve well being
3. Strength training with absolute emphasis on perfect technique. Kettlebells, barbells, dumbbells, bodyweight, strongman equipment etc.
4. Plyometrics - sprinting, jumping, bounding. Gain speed, rapid force production and reduction
5. Low intensity Cardiovascular work. Walking, jogging, cycling etc. Improve circulation and oxidization and fuel efficiency.
Not all of these elements have to be performed during an individual gym session but you will need to experiment to find the minimum frequency of these lower intensity activities to maintain your joint health and range of motion. The general message is to try something new, something that contrasts your current form of movement. As they say, it's all about balance!
About the Author
David Fleming is one of London’s top personal trainers. He is obsessed with helping people get stronger and helping people to get More-Athletic. He has studied and learned from the best strength coaches in the world. He is happily married and can lift heavy weights. His mother is very proud of him and he writes a good article.It took him until the age of 30 to pass his driving test, but other than that he is a solid chap.
