Peak sports performance training doesn’t begin with jumping right into a task and going full bore—this is a recipe for poor movement patterns, injury, and frustration.
Performing at an optimal level FIRST involves identifying deficiencies through a proper assessment THEN working through the deficiencies by following the Movement Health Journey.
The Movement Health Journey encompasses the six steps need to reach peak sports performance training. Performance is the pinnacle of all of your training.
Step One: Breath
Proper breathing, to us, means breathing with your diaphragm, instead of your chest which leads to stability in your core and lumbar region creating greater overall balance in your body.
When using the diaphragm efficiently, we should be able to see an expansion of the belly more so than the expansion of the chest with a slight flare of the lower ribs.
Step Two: Mobility
Mobility is defined as the ability to move or be moved freely and easily.
Each body segment has a minimal requirement of range to be deemed as normal and functional. If some body parts cannot meet these minimal requirements, this may lead to compensatory movements and increased risk of injury.
Having good mobility for each body part/segment requires good joint mobility, muscular flexibility and muscular control/coordination. If any one of these components are limited, they can prevent your mobility from reaching its full potential.
Step Three: Stability
Stability training creates a solid foundation of underlying stabilizing muscles that allow your body to accommodate larger, more powerful movements.
Stability is defined as: Your body’s ability to safely and effectively maintain and control various postures as well as resist changes in equilibrium.
Basically stabilizing muscles are the most important muscles for supporting and holding your body upright.
Step Four: Endurance
Endurance is the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity.
At Stretch Affect we consider there to be four types of endurance: cardiovascular, muscular, postural, and mental—each play an important role in Movement Health.
Cardiovascular endurance is how efficiently your heart and lungs can supply oxygen to your muscles to withstand an exercise or movement for an extended period of time.
Muscular endurance is the ability of specific muscles to exert force consistently over time. You do not have to be training for an athletic event to benefit from muscular endurance, you’ll need endurance carrying your kids, walking up and down stairs, or carrying groceries!
Postural endurance involves the Postural Control System which allows us to stay in a controlled posture while responding to changes in position. Such as going from sitting to standing, responding to a slip or trip, and carrying a glass of water without spilling.
Mental endurance, the grit factor, how long can you sustain your passion and perseverance for your long-term goals?
Step Five: Strength
Muscular strength can look different for different people. Not everyone will have the same strength goals.
More strength without building muscle— focuses on increasing the functional ability and capacity of a muscle rather than increasing size. Think swimmers, rock climbers, and gymnasts.
Becoming more efficient— training eccentric muscles. An eccentric contraction of a muscle is a lengthening contraction of a muscle. Think about slowly lowering a weight after a bicep curl.
Functional strength for activities at home or sport– Training proper deadlifts could help prevent an injury when lifting your child from the floor. Training suitcase carries could prevent injury when carrying heavy grocery bags.
Step Six: Power
Power is the ability to overcome resistance in the shortest period of time. It’s the difference between a haymaker and a jab, a homerun and the warning track.
Power = Force x Velocity
Implementing Sports Performance Training
Now that you have a better understanding of how we mindfully progress you through the steps to optimal sports performance training—it’s time to put it all together and perform!
Here’s a real-life example of our CEO, Chris, going through the steps to improve his golf game.
His Movement Health journey started with wrist and elbow pain while playing golf. He gets an achy and intermittent sharp pain in his elbow and wrist following golf activities.
During his initial assessment he had decreased wrist extension, supination mobility, as well as weakness in his ulnar deviators. These impairments are contributing to his golf elbow symptoms.
The following videos demonstrate how Chris utilizes the six steps, tailored specifically for his wrist and elbow deficiencies, to improve his golf game.
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Breath: flexor fascial stretch with core360 belt diaphragmatic breathing.
Mobility: Hyperice hypersphere mini wrist flexors SMFR, wrist extension MWM, pails/rails supination with Functional Range Conditioning
Stability: Vibeplate single arm bear holds, medicine ball walk overs, bear position ball rolls.
Endurance: Keiser Fitness, stick mobility wrist roll ups, Bodyblade diagonals
Strength: Theraband flexbar Eccentrics, RMT Fitness Club supination/pronation radial/ulnar deviation.
Power: Keiser Fitness golf handle radial deviation, RMT Fitness wrist deviations
Performance: Super Speed Golf swings, golf integration.
A strength of Stretch Affect is our ability to give you what you need based on your goals. All of these steps are fully customizable based on your life. Picture yourself in each of these steps and how they form a complete package, one building on the other, forming the best version of yourself.