What is Stability?

Knee, hip,  shoulder,  elbow and back injuries are often attributed to weakness in muscle stabilisers. So people often undertake (or are prescribed) strengthening exercises for the muscles that are supposedly weak. Generic shoulder and hip stabiliser strengthening exercises are the norm when one consults a trainer or health professional. Hip abduction, rotator cuff exercises, crunches etc.

But this does not often address the issue as the rule of specificity states that stabilisers should function as stabilisers. It follows that correct training of stabilisers as stabilisers rather than as movers should address this.

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“Perhaps you are searching among the branches, for what only appears in the roots.”

-Rumi

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It is a matter of timing, coordination, motor control.  Increasing strength alone will not improve these qualities.

It is like turning off the power at the powerpoint and then trying to turn on the appliance.  No matter how many times you press the on off button the appliance will not start up. It is disconnected. Reconnecting it is the only way.

Think crawling and other floor or wall exercises.  Walking,  carrying things, balance exercises.  Assuming that you perform them correctly.   Do them wrong and you will probably end up reinforcing your existing inefficient patterns.

Seek sensory rich movements,  make them challenging enough that you cannot perform too many inefficient repetitions and listen to your body.  Pain is a signal. Ignore at your own peril.

(to be continued)

Training vs ‘Working Out’

There is this mainstream belief that training requires you end up half dead, unable to move, sore, drenched in sweat and general worn out.

A lot of people ‘train’ that way.  They believe that if they are not sore, worn out or unable to move the next day then their session was a waste of time.

Firstly, good luck and I hope you have a good chiro/physio/surgeon because you will probably need one ASAP.

Secondly, that is a very limited view of training.

Thirdly, don’t ask me what the ‘best exercise’ is because your definition of training only requires that you do enough of some random movement that makes you tired.  Just pick something, anything and do it a million times until you throw up, pass out or collapse.  Take your pick.

Ok, now I’ve taken care of that crowd, let’s continue.

Training implies a purpose.  This may differ for different people.  It may be you want to perform better at your endeavour of choice, be healthier, have more energy.  OR you may simply want to lose weight, get ‘stronger’, be able to touch your toes, look good naked, whatever.  It doesn’t really matter.  That is your goal.

Training is then something that gets you closer toward that goal.

Working out is just wearing yourself out or training yourself to be tired.

The difference is like putting your foot on the pedal to go somewhere or simply spinning your wheels.  Both burn gas but only one gets you from A to B.  Unless your B is burning rubber, and creating a lot of smoke.

Michael Clarke: A Movement Quality Study

Technique.  One of my favourite subjects when it comes to movement.

Just as more and more people are concerned with the quality of their food these days (think organic, fresh, non GMO etc), more and more people should pay attention to the quality of their movement.

A lot of injuries are caused by poor movement skills/ability (and inefficient alignment).

Some people are more ‘injury prone’ not because of any true structural issues but rather from lower quality movement skills.  Add on top of that a high intensity/load and trouble awaits.

The most recent example is Australian cricket captain, Michael Clarke.  Having had back ‘problems’ for most of his life and now more recently hamstring issues (three aggravations in a few weeks and seventh in the last two years!), Michael Clarke fits that bill.  High load, generally good movement but obviously still deficient in some areas which is why he is breaking down.  Which is a shame as he is otherwise a very graceful mover not to mention an important part of the Australian setup.  Another case in point is former Australian vice captain Shane Watson.  He is another ‘injury prone’ athlete who can otherwise be quite dominant when fit.  However, that has not been regularly enough for some.

The common approach here and one which I’m sure the team has been addressing is probably stretching, massage and what is commonly called core stability.  But obviously they are missing something.  No more proof is needed beyond the continual breakdowns.

But if one looks at simple routines that the Australian cricket captain does, there are hints and clues there.

His back is a case of overuse but more importantly overuse due to poor dynamic alignment and connection.  Watch Michael Clarke take guard, watch the way he plays those lovely cuts and drives.  It’s not the positions he finds himself in but rather how he initiates the actions that I think is causing him problems.  It’s not the amount of cricket he plays but the amount of strain Michael Clarke is self inflicting on his poor spinal structure.

This is how important movement quality is.  The line as well as the point of power generation.  And it becomes more important the more the action is loaded or repeated.

This movement quality goes beyond simply what is happening in training and in competition.  They can be seen in more static and everyday positions like sitting and standing.  And they are easier to improve in sitting and standing due to the much simpler nature of these ‘actions’.  And the greater amount of time we spend in these positions.

Injury management should be injury prevention not just injury treatment once something happens.

The same patterns will show up but they will be easier to address.  It’s not a matter of muscle strength alone but true stabilisation through alignment.  So simply strengthening the abdominal muscles or the hamstring muscles will not fix the underlying issues.  Get the wheels aligned before you pop in a bigger engine.  I hope the experts do a better job with you this time round Michael Clarke and I wish you well in your recovery.

The 123 of sitting

The recent sitting piece received some interest so now it’s time for some detail.

For that I am going to focus in on the lotus/half lotus and seiza but the principles can be applied to all sitting.

I find lotus/half lotus is more stable and conducive to long term sitting as it is simply a more comfortable position.  It allows one to blossom but seiza is more rewarding/applicable with all the admonitions in my head reminding me that seiza is an applied position in which one can arise and immediately be in action.

Lotus is more of a contemplative position not that seiza is not but the latter is more demanding when performed correctly. Traditional Japanese clothing helps, not with the mindset per se but because the clothing provides additional feedback and cues. People were practical before they became superficial, trading the seed/nut for the flower.  It is NOT about the ‘look’ as the misinformed and these fans of dressup/cosplay seem to think it is.

To these two positions I would like to add what is called the ‘asian squat’.

This latter position offers additional benefits in that it does not require resting on the ground with our buttocks.  So it teaches additional lessons that are often missed beyond the ‘it’s great for my hips/ankles’ etc.  Many people also mistakenly condemn what they perceive as the pelvis tucking when in fact it is their narrow understanding that is limited.

This trinity of resting positions offer much better sitting/resting/restorative alternatives to sitting on modern chairs and furniture for two main reasons.

Firstly, modern furniture design is woeful.  If you look back at traditional furniture it was often flat bottomed and straight backed, ie good alignment.  But as people in society began to lose their own connections, designers began to mould the seat to these new ‘broken’ positions rather than fixing the problem of poor sitting positions!  Hence all these S shaped chairs when in fact we are NOT designed that way.  Square peg in a round hole anyone?

Secondly, take away the crutch/tool and the body has to learn to do the job properly.  We have all seen people with walking sticks and walkers change their upright postures for stooped positions to adapt to the tool and then cannot get back to alignment afterwards.  Hence, the name crutch.  Another example is footbeds/orthotics.  In some extreme cases the individual in question can barely stand walk without their shoes/footbed combination!  Crutch indeed.

But back to the trinity of sitting positions.  These were positions that people could and can still maintain for long periods of time because they are efficient and effective.

A lot of what is really happening cannot be seen with the naked eye which is why people find them difficult.

So let’s look at some basic cues you can begin to work on.

Firstly, the feet and pelvis should be well grounded like the roots of a tree.

Which leads to point two.  Like the trunk of a tree, the spine should be erect including the neck which is still part of the spine (hence the name cervical spine).

Finally, the head sits on top of the spine so that it is supported.  Remember that in Jerry Maguire the little kid tells Tom Cruise that the human head weighs 8 pounds.  That is 3+kg.  Not heavy but if you have to carry it all day then it can get so if it is out of alignment.  This then leads to tension, pain, disc issues later on as the body has to work harder than it is supposed to.

So 1,2,3.  ABC.  It’s always simple.

Note: For those whose bodies have been abused/misused for long periods of time already and need a middle point before being able to return to these simple sitting positions consider a flat bottomed stool.  And what about when you get tired during the learning process?  Then get up and go for a walk, get a drink, etc.  Do not push into pain whether you are sitting or doing more conventional notions of training.