We've all heard the expression, "Teaching the Old Dog New Tricks". I have found in my pursuit of Fitness, that this is essential to attain a high level of General Physical Preparedness (GPP). Having a clear definition of Fitness and understanding the physical components that constitute being Fit, will guide you to enhancing your exercise variety.
Crossfit is a great way to implement this. This all encompassing approach to fitness, brings with it, an extensive list of gymnastic, weightlifting, and mono structural (cardio) exercises, which will continually get you learning and refining skills.
I personally find the gymnastic movements most enjoyable, challenging, and also very physically demanding. The fun aspect of learning new skills, and the feeling of attainment, makes exercise engaging.
I currently set myself a weekly goal - to achieve a new skill. In the last two weeks, i have learnt how to hold a headstand, and perform a double under with a skipping rope. The hard work you put in to learning a new skill, is a workout in itself! The feeling of achieving the new skill, after a lot of endeavour, is a feeling you savour, and a feeling you want often. This is what fitness is about!
Injuries often make you change the focus of your training, and you have to explore other movements/exercises. Learning new skills whilst injured (ensuring that the skill isn't exacerbating the injury!) is a fantastic tool for maintaining positivity in a negative situation.
"New Tricks", not only increase physical capacities, but increase mental capacities. The brain like your muscles has the ability to adapt through training and increase work capacity, this is known as neuroplasticity. Learning "New Tricks" form new motor programmes in the brain, which allow us to perform these "New Tricks" from memory when needed.
The pursuit of Fitness should facilitate growth both physically and mentally. Learning "New Tricks", is a fantastic way to increase your GPP.
Learn a new skill every week for the next month, and see how you feel!
Monday 25 November 2013
Friday 1 November 2013
Flexibility/Mobility and Fitness
Who is fit? What is Fitness?
I was first introduced to Crossfit almost 2 years ago, from a fitness enthusiast perspective, my interest was immediately drawn in. What i appreciated, was and is, their definition of fitness, "An increased work capacity, over broad modal and time domains". Basically meaning, having a capacity to perform well in many different activities, over varying time durations. To be good at a wide range of activities (gymnastics, weightlifting, cardiovascular events), the individual must possess a number of physical skills.
Crossfit, identify 10 physical domains of fitness, that are fundamentals for being Fit (based on their definition of fitness): cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, speed, power, agility, co-ordination, balance, accuracy, and Flexibility/Mobility.
Flexibility/Mobility is a massively important element in fitness, and is a common precursor to injury. Lack of compliance in soft tissue structures (muscles/tendons/joint capsules), can lead to injury, when trying to perform movements, that push past plastic limits (causing adaptive changes). This is seen in sprinting, racket sports, field sports, and other such sports. If soft tissue structures, and joints, become stiff, sporting performance suffers, as reduced range of movement, leads to reduce power production. This is commonly seen in Squatting - with stiffness in hips and ankles, and subsequent inability to control spinal midline in the descent of the squat, which leads to a poor bar path, decreased power output, and decreased ability to perform well.
Flexibility/Mobility for a lot of people is an untapped source of performance gains. It is also a fantastic fix for musculoskeletal pain, and a standard prescriptive treatment for all my patients. Flexibility/Mobility work is not just stretching, it is also self massage, for example, using a lacrosse ball for gluteal tension release, this will assist with hip rotational gains.
Being Flexible/Mobile, is an important physical skill to master, takes time and hard graft, to reap the rewards, but overlaps in to Performance - Squatting a PR, and Pain Management Strategies - Reducing muscle/joint related Lower Back Pain.
I was first introduced to Crossfit almost 2 years ago, from a fitness enthusiast perspective, my interest was immediately drawn in. What i appreciated, was and is, their definition of fitness, "An increased work capacity, over broad modal and time domains". Basically meaning, having a capacity to perform well in many different activities, over varying time durations. To be good at a wide range of activities (gymnastics, weightlifting, cardiovascular events), the individual must possess a number of physical skills.
Crossfit, identify 10 physical domains of fitness, that are fundamentals for being Fit (based on their definition of fitness): cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, speed, power, agility, co-ordination, balance, accuracy, and Flexibility/Mobility.
Flexibility/Mobility is a massively important element in fitness, and is a common precursor to injury. Lack of compliance in soft tissue structures (muscles/tendons/joint capsules), can lead to injury, when trying to perform movements, that push past plastic limits (causing adaptive changes). This is seen in sprinting, racket sports, field sports, and other such sports. If soft tissue structures, and joints, become stiff, sporting performance suffers, as reduced range of movement, leads to reduce power production. This is commonly seen in Squatting - with stiffness in hips and ankles, and subsequent inability to control spinal midline in the descent of the squat, which leads to a poor bar path, decreased power output, and decreased ability to perform well.
Flexibility/Mobility for a lot of people is an untapped source of performance gains. It is also a fantastic fix for musculoskeletal pain, and a standard prescriptive treatment for all my patients. Flexibility/Mobility work is not just stretching, it is also self massage, for example, using a lacrosse ball for gluteal tension release, this will assist with hip rotational gains.
Being Flexible/Mobile, is an important physical skill to master, takes time and hard graft, to reap the rewards, but overlaps in to Performance - Squatting a PR, and Pain Management Strategies - Reducing muscle/joint related Lower Back Pain.
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