The Importance of Mobility

The beginner's guide to mobility

What is the importance of "mobility"? Many athletes and gym-goer's often ponder this question at some point in their time spent in and out of the gym.

I was searching for articles regarding the importance of mobility after a friend of mine complained of sore knees after he squatted and his squat weight wasn't increasing (he was training on his own). To give him a gentle reminder that MOBILIZING AND STRETCHING ARE VERY IMPORTANT, I searched for articles that would help me explain the importance to him. I thought it would be perfect to share this article with everyone. Regardless if you are new to training or have been in the gym for years, its always nice to remind yourself of the benefits of taking care of your body. 

The importance of Mobility

Being mobile is a crucial aspect of being healthy. If a person is not able to move a joint freely through its full range of motion, then they are already putting themselves at an increased risk of injury. before even attempting to pick up a weight and load that range of motion.  There should be a period of time either before/after training or even on a separate day that is dedicated to improving mobility. Something as little as 5-10 minutes daily can be enough to see progress. One of the most common reasons you feel un-athletic is because you aren't able to get into the positions and postures that you want. It's much easier to do a little mobility work every day to preserve it than it is to lose it and have to work to get it back. Five minutes a day goes a long way. Here are a  few reasons why mobility work should be (if it already is not) a crucial adjunct to any exercise program:

1. Decreases chance of injury- This should be a given and is by far the most important. Any restrictions to a freely moving joint pose a possible risk of injury. There are some exceptions such as a basketball player having tight ankles to prevent constant sprains from changing directions, but overall a free joint is a happy joint.

2. Keeps joints healthy- When doing mobility exercises, the joint being targeted is commonly referred to as being “warmed up.” What is actually happening is that blood is being moved to the surrounding tissues and synovial fluid (fluid in our joints which helps them glide) is shuttled into the working joint. For example, fire hydrants or hip circles are aiming to warm up the hips. Blood is then transported to the muscles working to move the leg (hip flexors, glutes, external rotators) and synovial fluid hydrates the hip joint in preparation for exercise.

3. Become stronger- If our movement is restricted in a squat and we can only go down to just above parallel, how strong would the squat be through its full range of motion if we are not able to train the bottom fourth of the movement? Not very strong at all. This logic can be applied to every exercise as well. If our mobility is limiting a full range of motion, then we cannot strengthen all parts of the movement.

4. Time efficient- Like I said earlier, mobility exercises are quick, easy, and effective by design. A full upper body or lower body routine can be completed in 5-10 minutes making it optimal as a warm-up or cool down. Full body routines can be implemented on non-training days as well and should take no more than 15-20 minutes either.

5. All you need is you- In addition to being time efficient; mobility exercises are also very portable. Many can be down with just body weight movements, and the most you would ever need are some bands and a light bar or dumbbells. There really is no excuse to not stay on top of mobility work.

These are just some basic and broad reasons why implementing mobility work into your routine should be done for a body maintenance perspective as well as a time/equipment viewpoint. To get the most out of your training, your body needs to be healthy. A healthy body leads to longevity and living a comfortable life. Living a comfortable life then leads to living a happy life. I think setting aside 5-10 minutes a day is a reasonable debt to pay for a happier life don’t you?

5 Super Foods you want in your diet!

Hello!
As humans we are ALWAYS trying to find ways to improve our performance, health, and over all well-being. Lucky for you, I came across this wonderful chart of the top 50 super foods when I was browsing on CanFit Pro's website recently (see link below).
Here are the 5 I chose to share with you! 

Almonds  
Almonds are a nutrition packed nut. Like others nuts, it is high in fibre, monounsaturated fats and antioxidants like vitamin E. Almonds contain high amounts of magnesium important for circulation of oxygen in the blood which is crucial to optimum cardiovascular performance. They are also high in potassium which is important for heart function to increase endurance, as well as for muscle contraction, to promote strength and assist in a speedy recovery.

Cherries
Red cherries have tons of antioxidants being rich in vitamin A and C as well as in its deep red anthocyanin pigments. These powerful anti-oxidants reduce the oxidative stress from a strenuous workout aiding in muscle recovery. Cherries are also full of fibre and potassium, which paired together, reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure. The red pigments in cherries specially fights heart disease and stroke by blocking the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, reducing the inflammation that contributes to the build-up of plaque. Cherries also contain specific flavonoid called terpenoid that research shows is at the forefront of fighting cancer through reducing tumor growth.

Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of iron, which is conducive to oxygenation of the muscles to fuel your workouts. Sweet potatoes are also a source of vitamin C and E and beta-carotene which both have antioxidant properties that assist in muscle recovery. On the disease fighting front, the folate, iron, copper, calcium and fibre in this vegetable helps to lower cholesterol, blood pressure and homocysteine levels. These nutrients also boost the immune system, fight cancer, support strong bones and combat intestinal disease.

Avocado
It's no surprise that avocados have received a bad rap over the years, due to their whopping 31 grams of fat per avocado. Don't fret though, 2/3 of this fat is of the monounsaturated variety which has been shown to help lower total cholesterol. In addition, avocados also pack powerful phytochemicals that fight against cancer and heart disease. Because of its high healthy fat content, avocados can help quickly satiate hunger which assists in weight loss.

Beets & Beet Greens
Beets are a great disease fighter. Their red betacyanin pigment is known to be a potent cancer fighter. They also contain the nutrient betaine which works with folate to lower inflammatory compounds known to damage your arteries and increase your risk for heart disease. Red beets are also a great source of salicylic acid, a close relative of aspirin. Beet greens are a great treat for vegetarians as they have a high iron and calcium content rarely found in vegetables, yet so crucial to preventing anemia and osteoporosis. They are also loaded with vitamin C, fibre, potassium and magnesium, all important to maintain good health.

Source https://www.canfitprointeractive.com/super_foods

Pre-Workout Nutrition: How to fuel your body before a workout

Whether you’re new to working out, or if you’ve been in the game for years, there will always be ways to improve performance for your next workout

I get asked this often, “what should I eat before a workout?”. There can be so many factors to consider when answering this loaded question.

Good nutrition can help your body perform better during a workout and improve recovery after a workout.

This is a quick guide to help you according to the things that I have learned and experienced over the last few years of trying to enhance my performance through nutrition.

·      Nutrient timing is very important for fuelling your body properly prior to your workout. Try and build your meals around your training session.

·      Your body needs carbohydrates to use as fuel so you can keep up your training. Carbs can be consumed as whole foods or simple juices. Examples would be sweet potatoes or fruits for whole foods, and Gatorade or coconut water for juices.

·      When working out first thing in the AM, try and consume at least a 1:1 ratio of protein to carbs 45-60 minutes prior to working out in a liquid form (it is easily digested by the body in liquid form).

·      Mixing one scoop of protein with a small bottle of juice is a great way to get fuel for your body to digest and use quickly.

·      When your training session is later in the day, eating 60 minutes prior to working out is not crucial if you have supplied your body with the proper nutrition in your meals throughout the day.

·      Consuming some BCAAS (amino acids) before your workout will help decrease muscle damage.

·      Drink water! Our body needs water to function properly. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends drinking 0.5 - 0.6 L of water at least 4 hours prior to exercise and 0.23 - 0.35 L 10-15 minutes before exercise. If you workout first thing in the AM, drink one glass upon waking, and then again 15 minutes before training.

At the end of the day, simple pre-workout nutrition practices can go a long way in helping you perform better, and help you reach your goals.

How to decrease soreness after a work out

The do’s and don’ts of post workout recovery, and some tips too!

Oh no. You get out of bed the morning after leg day and you take your first two steps and wince in pain. Immediate regret falls over you. Stepping in and out of the shower is dreadful, and you know you must walk down three stories to get to your car. You think back to yesterday morning when you could walk freely, even run and jump.

You think, “what have I done to myself?”.

According to science our muscle tissue has “micro tears”, which means there are tiny microscopic tears in your muscle fibers from you working them out. Good news is, when they tear they repair and get stronger. Sometimes you even experience soreness two days after, which is called delayed onset muscle soreness. Good news again, we can reduce this pain and give you enough information that you can help prevent this again in the future.

Don’t worry! You’ve done nothing wrong, this will go away with time and some TLC you will have to give yourself over the next couple days (you’ll enjoy it).

Here are a few tips and tricks to help reduce muscle soreness

Post workout stretching and mobility

It is very important that you keep things loose and happy. The muscles in our bodies are all connected in groups called myofascial chains or slings. Think of it as a subway or bus route, when one area is jammed it throws the whole route off.

Do: Spend time stretching out muscles that you targeted during that session.

Tip – Try also hit the surrounding joints and muscles worked that day, that way when your specific muscle group is tight you don’t feel discomfort in the surrounding area.

Don’t: Don’t ever stretch to the point of pain. It should feel like a whisper, not a shout.

Have a post workout protein/carb recovery drink

Within 20 minutes after your work out it is important to have some protein and carbohydrates to help repair your torn, hungry muscles and replenish the glycogen stores lost.
There are many options to choose for proteins. Some people drink whey due to its benefits, others choose to drink plant protein, and now some drink beef protein (sounds gross but its not what you think).

It is recommended that you drink your post workout “meal” due to it being easily digested in its liquid form and therefore delivering it to your muscles quickly.

Do: Take one scoop of your favourite protein and shake it up with a juice of your choice.
Tip – Try pure tart cherry juice with some vanilla protein. The pure cherry juice will help with the soreness. Don’t ask me about the science behind that because it came from my varsity soccer coach who was once a crazy Scottish pro soccer player.

Don’t: Go home and make a meal that will take one or more hours to prepare and cook. Your body needs fuel ASAP!

Proper nutrition throughout the rest of your day

This is one of the most important rules. If you have a great workout and great stretching session, get that carb/protein drink, but the rest of the day you binge on cake and tacos, you may have just taken some steps in the wrong direction.

Sugar causes further inflammation, which in turn will keep your muscles unhappy.

Do: try and have balanced protein, carb and good fat meals throughout the rest of your day.

Tip – if you have a sweet tooth, try and eat some 70% dark chocolate if you absolutely NEED something.

Don’t: get into the mindset that just because you worked your body hard, you can eat whatever you want. Keep fueling it properly and it will feel great

Proper hydration and sleep

As you may know, your body recovers when it sleeps. When you are sick what is the main thing that everyone tells you? Drink plenty of fluids and get proper sleep. This is very true when it comes to rebuilding your muscles. When you hydrate it properly, your body muscles will flow nicely and will be less “tight”.

Do: Try and set a bed time for yourself where you can get 7 to 8 hours of sleep. As busy adults I know how hard it can be to get that proper rest.

Tip - When you wake up in the morning try and drink one glass of water. I promise you’ll thank me.

Don’t: don’t gravitate towards pop or juice instead of water throughout the day. Also, try and limit the phone and TV time before you go to sleep, it helps you fall asleep faster and have better rest.

Supplements

This is a sensitive topic. There are tons of supplements out there that do different things for different people. That’s for another post!

These are some tips and tricks I have mastered over the last few years. Its normal to be sore, it means you’ve worked hard. There are circumstances where sometimes it lasts a few days, if you are concerned in anyway, please visit your doctor.

I hope this helps you in one way or another, and you can hopefully bring this information to another fellow athlete!

P.S. the cherry juice is a real thing and it does help.

The Mobility Project

For many of you that train with me I'm sure you have had your fill of hearing about how I tweaked my lower back squatting about 2 months ago. I went to an RMT, Physiotherapist, Doctor and even gave acupuncture a go with varying degrees of results, though almost all practitioners informed me that my lower back is giving me problems because my glutes and hamstrings are too tight. Tight muscles in those two groups are pulling down on my hips and causing my lower back to come out of alignment. So what did I do about it? Nothing but whine about my back to anyone who would listen and secretly hope my back would heal enough so I could get back to doing what I love to do and lift heavy (for me at least) weights. Although I always spend the time to do a dynamic warmup before exercise for some reason in my mind mobility and post exercise stretching is something I only treat my clients to and months of paying more attention to other peoples posterior chains and none to my own has left me in a bad spot. Now as discussed in the last entry one of the reasons we do exercises through a full range of motion is to keep or expand joint mobility while building strength. You've probably heard me say "long strong muscles" if you started shorting depth on a lunge. I use such range of motion cues as I'm more concerned about how your body moves and works than how it looks. Now stretching and mobility can be a bit of a confusing issue with so much information out there (often conflicting) about what kind of stretching (static, dynamic, PNF, ballistic..) and when its most beneficial to do them (before, after, during exercise) but I sincerely believe as with allot of things in fitness and exercise its not so much what you are doing its how consistently you are doing it, you can over think things in the gym and good old "time to task" method usually beats out programs that spend more time planning than doing. So for the next 60 days I'm going to spend 30 minutes 5 days a week focusing on my mobility and flexibility. I'll be following a routine outlined for me by my physiotherapist that has static stretching and some band distraction and doing an online daily mobility workout. 

This is me on day 1 trying to get into a position called a straddle...

And this is what its supposed to look like (smile and all)!

So over the next 2 months I'm going to stick to my routine and see if I can get my forehead to tough the ground between my legs while maintain a decent spine alignment. If I fail I'm going to donate $200 to my local SPCA and if I succeed.... I'm still going to donate $200 to the SPCA (I just like to use a bit of $ as motivation even if I can't 'win'). Will update the blog from time to time with observations. Wish me luck!

First Blog + Most Common Question

Hello, and welcome to my first blog.

My hope here is to engage, educate and begin a dialogue with you over some of the principles of training I’ve used over my 10 years of training and coaching and to also examine some popular and new trends in health and fitness. I’ve never been known to be a master of words, as many of you who have trained with me know, but please bear with me as I fine tune this blog as I truly believe it can become a forum for us all the learn and improve together.

As most of the first readers will be people who have already trained with me I thought it would be appropriate to tackle the most common question I get asked on a day to day basis:

“Why do I have to Squat/Lunge/Pushup… through a full range of motion?”

 

Since my general reply of “because you can” doesn’t seem to cast a lot of light on the issue I’ll quickly cover the basics:

When we set out of accomplish any exercise we attack we do it from an order of form, range of motion and load or resistance. Your body is an amazing machine not like any other but functions on the same mechanical principles as most, that being there is a mechanically sound and safe way for your body to do almost any movement. Unfortunately many times we’re taught, from our youth on, just to move and not necessarily how to move. We learn movement patterns or “tricks” that aren’t necessarily the healthiest for our bodies but we apply them over and over again as they “work” and we figure anything that works must be right. But as Chris Rock famously said “you can drive a car with your feet if you want to, doesn’t necessarily make it a good idea”. 

So the first thing we do is try to build our form and range with very light resistance to teach the body the balance, coordination and flexibility necessary to accomplish the movement safely then slowly add load as our form improves. Now there is a school of thought that going through a full range of motion puts joints at risk of injury, and it certainly does if the load is too much for the joint to handle, so why not just strengthen working in the pre-existing range of motion? I would contend this is fine as long as you’re never planning on having that joint go through a dynamic range of motion for the rest of your days. Sport and more importantly life can be unpredictable, you never know from day to day what you will be required to lift, step up onto or quickly get out of the way of so why not prepare your body the best we can for anything that may be thrown at it?

Simply put I want to build long strong muscles and not short tight ones to help me navigate my life and if you attack your fitness from the order of form, range or motion then finally load you’ll move better from this day to your last day!