Whether you are an aspiring professional athlete or someone who puts a lot of effort into keeping their bodies in the best possible physical and mental condition the first step is to make sure that you can handle the fundamental movements of everyday life. As I have mentioned previously one of the first steps in determining a suitable strength and conditioning training program is to do a flexibility assessment.
Training for any activity that involves movement can be shown as a three step pyramid (Cook 2003), with functional movement at the base, functional performance in the middle, and functional skill at the top. The premise that I alluded to in the opening sentence is that without a solid foundation of functional movement that is those movements that you use in everyday life then it is difficult to achieve a level of excellence in sport performance or skill. This is also applicable to those of you like me who train to keep fit and healthy.
How do you handle everyday activities?
So what does this all mean? It means that the first thing you should do is assess how you handle some of life’s everyday activities such as, position changes from standing to sitting, getting on the floor, cleaning, washing, or dressing movements for example tying your shoe laces and putting on your socks, trousers or slacks. If for example you’re finding it hard work to tie up your shoe laces, put on your socks or to get down on the floor it is usually because of a decreased range of motion, you should look into the reasons why before starting or continuing on with a training program.
If you are having trouble (pain in the back or hip) putting on your socks either standing up or sitting down it is most likely due to tightness in the hip, transfer this to your training, for example performing squats, this very same restriction is going to effect the movement, your body will compensate using a different pattern which will become unsustainable over time and lead to soreness and injury.
Efficient and Effective Movement Path
Every movement we make with our bodies has an efficient path, another words one that involves our muscles, joints, and body part resulting in the most effective move for the sport or activity we are engaged in. In an everyday activity like kneeling one leg on the ground to pick up an object the most efficient path for the upright knee to take is directly over the foot below, if however this knee moves inward, it makes the movement less efficient and harder work as it places more stress and strain on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
This may not feel like an inconvenience and you may not even know you are doing it however over time constant incorrect patterns of movement will see your body compensate for the inefficiency which will eventually lead to even less mobility and greater risk of injury.
The point of my post today is to make you aware that to perform movements that are critical to your chosen sport or your training in the most efficient and effective way you must first make sure that your flexibility and mobility are up to scratch. The easiest way to do an initial self assessment is test yourself out on some everyday activities such as the one’s I’ve mentioned above, if you’re feeling discomfort with any of these then you should seek help to treat and correct the problem.
Learning how to get the functional movements right will not only make everyday activities feel smoother you will notice a progression in your training because of a better range of motion and the associated mobility that brings to your body parts. If you haven’t already done so I would also read an earlier post Flexibility and Fitness. As I always suggest should you need any further information or help with this topic please consult a health professional.
Zol
Fitness Moves