August 2019 Links and Review

Every week, my newsletter subscribers get links to some of the goodies that I’ve come across on the internets. Here were the goodies that my peeps got their learn on in August. If you want to get a copy of my weekend learning goodies every Friday, fill out the form below.  That way you can brag to all your friends about the cool things you’ve learned over the weekend. [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Hell yes I want weekend learning goodies every Friday!”]

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Is it Risky to Change Your Movement Patterns?

Many claim there are inherent risks when changing the way someone moves, especially with higher level athletes. But is this fear warranted? Do we as movement professionals have the power to alter athletes the way we think we do? I sift through this question in today’s podcast, where I discuss the supposed risks one undergoes when altering movement patterns. It may not be as risky as you think. Check out the podcast, show notes, and modified transcripts below. Show Notes Usain Bolt debrief I did dispelling this absurd myth Below is a good example of Usain Bolt’s asymmetry: Here is a deep dive into the 90/90 hip lift Below is the rockback breathing exercise Joel Jamieson is my go-to resource for conditioning Putting the Myth to Rest I want to discuss this myth that I see going on around the interwebs, which I thought I put to rest in a previous debrief, but unfortunately I still see it perpetuated. What is that myth? I’m glad you asked. The myth is when you see someone who is a good performer in whatever they do, and they are utilizing compensatory movement strategies. Do we change these strategies? If that supposedly is what makes them great? So today I’ve decided I want to go Ether on this. Put this to rest, because I do not want this myth perpetuated. Check Your Ego  For those who have never heard of this, basically some professional athlete will move with a compensatory strategy, such as Usain Bolt. If

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Respiration and Posture for Better Sprinting and Lifting

Want to help your clients and athletes perform at a higher level by incorporating breathwork? I recently did a q&a over at Simplifaster, where we discussed all things breathing, performance, and training. Below is a list of the questions I answered: The difference between the breathing patterns seen in strength training and in dynamic athletic performance. How breathing on the ground transfers to what happens when standing and moving around? The top priorities in training an athlete’s trunk and midsection How to deal with common “thoracic spine mobility” deficit in athletes How to use “big lifts” for athletes, squatting and deadlifting, in light of muscle activation and posture How to progress single leg exercise progression Click on the link below to check it out Respiration and Posture for Better Sprinting and Lifting

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How to Teach Kids to Skip

I’ve been seeing a lot of kiddos lately who have leg injuries. Once we’ve gone through lower level rehab activities, it’s time to start our jumping program. Need to expose these young ones to some explosive activity after all. Typically, I start most jump programs skipping. The reason why I start here is because the jump itself is not very high, is relatively low impact, and is a low risk exposure to the stretch shortening cycle. The problem I’ve noticed with most kids nowadays (#getoffmyporch) is that no one learned how to skip. Like, at all. It’s like they’ve skipped skipping or something. Below is the typical problem solving sequence I see kiddos go through when I ask them to skip: Look at left and right hand look at left and right leg Look up and to the side thinking “how am I going to put this together?” Try to move one arm forward, and shake their head no All of a sudden, try to go for the skip and do the same side Phil Collins’ “I Can’t Dance” skip For those of us who are visual, it looks like this: I am deeply saddened at the lack of movement competency our kids have. Our very own CDC tells us that most kids should be able to skip by the age of 5, yet The unskippable kids I work with range from 11 to 16 years old. Can’t skip. What the heck happened? This fundamental movement is essential for our

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