My issue with "movement matters"

"Movement matters" is a slogan that has been going around the industry for a while now, but I can't help the feeling that we're missing something every time I read it.

My Quest for a Double Body Weight Deadlift

Dam you Dan John. Dam you. Why did you have say those things in “Never Let Go”?? Why did you have to go and get me all pissed off and focused like that??

For those of you who haven’t read his fantastic book about all things strength, he cuts all the BS and defines a novice lifter as anyone who can’t deadlift twice their body weight and bench body weight. Needless to say, that made be a novice lifter…and a pissed off one at that.

It was exactly what I needed. I entered this industry 3 years previous, and everything that the experts talked about was “corrective”. Strength and conditioning was reaching epidemic status as no one was allowed touch a weight unless they had near flawless primal movement patterns. Everything had to be working perfect, because there is no point in strengthening a poor movement pattern.

In fairness I’m giving Dan John all the credit in waking me up, but he was merely the “two” in a rapid one two combo. The “one” was from a Vancouver based S & C coach, Carmen Bott.

Get Rolling!!

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last 5 years you’ve heard of foam rolling, or more specifically, self myofascial release (SMFR). In my last blog I went through a detailed explanation of why it’s important, how it affects the target tissue (fascia), when to roll, how long to roll, where and where not to roll…basically everything but the actual technique.  If you haven’t read that yet I recommend that you check it out HERE either before or after reading this.

This blog is going to exclusively cover the technique and show how to roll pretty much every major muscle in the body. Below I go though each area individually and at the very end I’ve got a video of how to put it all together in a nice routine. This will save time as you can just smoothly move from one area to the next.

Foam Rolling & Myofascia Explained

Fascia is of huge importance. It is one of only 3 networks that run throughout the entire body, the other two being the fluid and neural network. Anything that the body considers important enough to weave into every orifice of the body is simply vital, otherwise evolution would have thrown it in the trash long before we even made it out of the cave. So if this fascia stuff is so important how come we know so little about it and what the hell does it do anyway?

I believe it stems from the way anatomy is currently thought in school. We see pretty pictures of a muscle connecting to a tendon which in turn attaches to a bone; three perfect structures independent of each other. The truth is that it's far more like a continuum, everything flows gracefully from one structure to the next and the thing that ties it all together is fascia. Fascia is a matrix of fibrous connective tissue that runs throughout the entire human body, separating and binding together muscles and organs. Chaitow describes fascia a little more eloquently in this awesome blog as an "elastic-plastic, gluey, component that invests, supports and separates, connects and divides, wraps and gives cohesion, to the rest of the body". It's like a 3-D cobweb, but can also function as a sheath to wrap structures. It's simply fascinating stuff, and with research currently exploding in this area we're learning that fascia has more functions than we ever thought possible. Without going into a review of the current literature it's safe to say that it's far from a background material. 

Here is a superb video that will give you a better idea.

My Final Year Project

In the last few weeks when I’ve been going through some self myofascial techniques (foam rolling) with my clients the topic of my final year project (FYP) has popped up a few times. I’ve decided to write a quick blog about my FYP so that people can get an understanding of what exactly I did in university, and what my research found.

I’ve also uploaded a full copy of my FYP to google docs so if anyone wants to get their nerd on, all they have to do is click on the title below.

“The Effects Of Self Myofascial Release On The Plantar Surface Of The Foot During Sledge Rebound Jumps.”

For everyone else, here is a plain English summary.

How To Find The Right Personal Trainer - Part 3

O.k., you've now got a trainer who is educated, experienced and who practices what they preach. You're on the right road to a quality trainer, but there are still a few questions you can ask to guarantee you have the right person for the job.

Without further ado let's get stuck into the next question.

How To Find The Right Personal Trainer - Part 2

If you're going to find a good trainer you're going to have to put in some work. The first time you go in to meet your potential trainer you need to view it as a interview. You are hiring them to train you. They have to impress you, not the other way around. In this blog I want to give you the best questions to ask during this interview, and things you need to look out for.

I want this blog to be simply advice, but I think my first point is going to have to become a rule. Interview more than one trainer!! This is the only way you're going to be able to make a informed decision. Yes this means you're going to have to make a few more phone calls, take more time out of your schedule and talk to people. It means more work, but I can guarantee you'll end up with a better trainer. If possible also interview trainers from more than one gym. Often times every trainer in a gym will have the same approach to training and that might not be the right approach for you. Try to see at least 3 trainers from at least 2 separate gyms. You'll be amazed with how different every trainer is.