Resource Library

Sleep and Weight Loss

Ever feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle with weight loss? You get up early to hit the gym, you do your best to drink enough water and eat a balanced diet. Yet, find that you’re still struggling to lose weight?! Before you throw in the towel, try sleeping on it!

Research on Sleep and Weight Loss
Evidence1 suggests that men and women who report sleeping less than 7 hours per night are more likely to struggle with weight gain or being overweight or obese. The results of a 24-month sleep study suggested that sleep quality and quantity were both significant indicators to achieving weight loss success in the randomized participants. In other words, the body needs adequate rest in between your daily activities, career and community demands as well as working to digest your food. 

But how much rest is enough? The recommended sleep duration by the National Sleep Foundation is between 7 and 9 hours each night.1 However, sleep duration among children and adults is declining worldwide. This could be a factor for the raising rates of obesity in the United States. The data analysis of NHANES (nationwide demographic researchers) demonstrated a strong correlation between higher BMI (15,16) as well as higher rate of obesity in adults who experienced less than 7 hours of sleep each night and children who experienced less than 9 hours a nights.

Weight Loss and Cortisol
There are several reasons why less sleep can increase the pounds. For example, a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when people were staying up later, late-night snacking increased AND they were more likely to choose high-carb snacks.2 Nutritional science on the other hand suggests that cortisol (a stress hormone) signals your body to conserve energy to fuel your extended waking hours. Cortisol is going to ensure you store extra fat to survive the extra waking hours.

Sleep's Effect on Insulin
Another stubborn hormone responsible for weight gain is insulin, which helps turn sugar into fuel for your cells. When your body is not able to fully process the sugar and starches you eat, it stores them as fat. In fact, researchers found that in a matter of 4 days of insufficient sleep, the body changes the manner in which it processes insulin by 30%. Even when calorie intake remains the same, reducing the rest-period will affect weight loss by 55% if an appropriate sleep schedule is not maintained.

Do note, sleeping more than 9 hours per night will not necessarily help you lose more weight. However, your metabolism becomes dampened when your sleep is interrupted (hello 2 am wake up with a racing mind). Increased cortisol from stress and insufficient sleep as well as decreased insulin are two major factors that contribute to a plateau in your weight loss attempts. If this sounds like you, follow the tips below or set up an appointment to get personalized recommendations to support your longterm healthy weight loss.

Sleep Tips for Weight Loss

• Reduce bright light exposure an hour before bedtime. Shut down your computer, cell phone, and TV for the day.
• Design a restful space and use it only for relaxation purposes. Only two things should happen in your bed room and they’re not working or eating.
• Prepare your mind for rest before your body lays down. Take a warm bath, meditate, or read yourself to sleep.
• Stick to a schedule. Allow yourself to wake up and retire at the same times every day. Do your best to keep this practice on the weekends as well as see a boost in immunity and energy as a result.
• Allow time to fully digest.  Avoid eating meals, caffeine or alcohol close to bedtime. Ideally, when the sun is down, the kitchen is closed. This supports your circadian rythm and healthy digestion.
• Enjoy a dark bedroom. Darkness cues your body to release your natural sleep hormone melatonin, while light suppresses it. Remove lights and electronics from the bedroom and ensure no artificial light comes in through your windows.

Recovery and Manual Therapy for Runners with Aaron Lange

Aaron Lange, LMT, specializes in sports massage therapy for elite distance runners. His work includes injury treatment and prevention. He got into massage therapy after meeting his now-wife, elite marathoner, Bria Wetsch. We had a chance to catch up with Aaron to discuss manual therapy and recovery methods for runners.

Staying Healthy and How to Reduce Risk of Injury as a Runner with Kurt Roeser

Boulder Underground discusses injury prevention methods with Kurt Roeser, PT, DPT, OCS in Boulder, Colorado. Kurt is Board Certified Physical Therapist, Clinical Director at Ability Physical Therapy and Founder of Boulder Run Physio. He is highly respected in the running community and has run 1:04 for the half marathon and 2:17 for the marathon. Learn from Dr. Roeser the benefits of strength training, how to reduce your chance of injury and what you can do as a runner to stay healthy. “It can be daunting for runners to choose what supplemental activities they should prioritize to help recover from an injury or minimize the risk of another injury. Focus on the fundamentals: work with a coach to develop a sensible training progression to manage your running load and integrate some basic strength and conditioning. From there you can layer strategies to address your individual risk factors based on previous injuries, biomechanics, or weaknesses. Remember, running should be about running. Keep it simple.” - Kurt Roeser

Why Run and the Biggest Running Mistakes for Beginners with Dr. Caballes

Boulder Underground welcomes Dr. Caballes to a winter workout session in Boulder, Colorado. Dr. Caballes is a Non-Surgical Sports Medicine Specialist that serves the greater Denver-Boulder area through Cornerstone Orthopaedics. He is highly respected in the running community and has been featured in numerous publications including Runner’s World. Learn from Dr. Caballes the health benefits of running, the biggest running mistakes for beginners and what you can do as a runner to stay healthy.

Combined Events Training for the High School Athlete

https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/eaac6d7c-0756-4535-8501-322c7f60eea9/downloads/Combined_Events_Training_for_the_High_School_A.pdf?ver=1578585243962

How to Incorporate Strength Training in a Run Program

One question we get frequently asked is how to incorporate strength training into a running schedule. From an early age of training, runners are not taught to have a solid strength training program along with their mileage. Starting in middle and high school, other sports have priority, and runners don’t learn how to balance the stress of aerobic (cardio) and anaerobic (resistance) training. They also may never learn proper form and never feel confident to pick up heavy weights in the gym. Fast forward to adulthood, these runners have missed out on the benefits of strength training and how it can make you faster and lighter on your feet.
So WHY is strength training important? 
Having strong muscles makes every stride and movement easier. Your muscles have to produce a certain amount of force to contract, but if you can not only move your bodyweight but EXTRA weight on top, that makes every step you take during running and every squat a sub-maximal effort. Your body learns how to move more efficiency under that extra load. You’ll feel lighter on your feet and stronger doing everyday activities like carrying groceries and going up stairs. Each step during running can exert up to 4x your bodyweight, so it only makes sense to prepare your body to handle those loads! 
So HOW do I run and strength train? 
The answer to this question depends heavily on what your current training looks like and what your goals are. A recreational 5k runner and someone training for a half, full, or ultra marathon will look drastically different, but strength training is equally important for all groups. For someone with a typical training schedule of 3x/week including a long run, tempo/moderate distance run, and short run, heavy lifting should be performed at least 2x/week, allowing for full rest days as well. If you run more than 3x/week, one option is to perform strength training on the same day as the run to ensure you can take a full rest days while adding more running days. Two sample schedules are attached here:
Of course, the days can be adjusted to fit your schedule, but there are a few things to notice in this schedule above. 

• Try not to arrange heavy lifting the day before a long run. 
• Make sure you take full rest days. 
• Make the schedule work for you! 

• Compound Lift Exercises: 3-5 sets, <6 repetitions, 8/10 effort
  • Squat/Deadlift 
  • Sets: 3-5, <6 repetitions, 8/10 effort 
• Accessory Work: 3-4 sets, 6-10 repetitions, 8/10 effort 
  • Hamstring Accessory Work: Hamstring Bridges, Reverse Hyper, Hamstring Curl
  • Plantarflexion Accessory Work: Calf Raises Seated AND Standing 
  • Single Leg Exercises: Single leg RDL, Lunges, Split Squats 
• Power Exercises:
  • Explosive Strength: Box Jumps, Olympic Lifts, Dead Ball Throws
    • 3-5 sets, 2-5 repetitions, 8/10 effort  
  • Reactive Strength: Bounding Jumps, Hurdles, Drop Jumps
    • 3-5 sets, 5-6 repetitions, <5/10 effort 

• Are you trying to get faster? 
• Are you trying to run more efficiently? 
• Are you trying to run farther with less fatigue? 
• Are you trying to maintain a healthy body?

The Most Important Muscle

Runner phenotypes are important to determine so that training can be tailored to suit the specific needs of each runner.As more and more information pours out on a daily basis about functional training and as I call "the movement to movement" sometimes information easily becomes misinformation or missed information altogether. One of the central themes surrounding functional training, or at least it should be, is the importance of the THORACIC DIAPHRAGM.

And yes, this does answer the question, what is the most important muscle, and it doesn't matter if you are a sprinter, a marathoner, or any other sport. The diaphragm is central, pun intended, to every athletic movement and the quality of that movement. And yes it is the THORACIC DIAPHRAGM, there are actually 4 diaphragms in the human body; the CRANIAL, CERVICAL, THORACIC, and PELVIC. All of these have played an integral role within the body and between one another. At the foundation of the functional training and athletic training rests the thoracic diaphragm.

First, let’s discuss the action of the diaphragm, the human lungs work on a negative pressure system which essentially means that when we inhale we are essentially forcing air in, and when we exhale we allowing it to escape, this is a very simple explanation but this is not meant to be a physiology lesson. So when we inhale the diaphragm contracts and moves inferior causing a vacuum for the lungs and when we exhale the diaphragm relaxes and rises to allow air out. During these same actions an incredible thing happens, as the diaphragm contracts and moves downward it builds pressure between itself and the pelvic diaphragm or pelvic floor, this is known as intrabdominal pressure or IAP, this IAP is THE PRIME STABILIZER OF THE SPINE! No not the lumbar musculature, not the abs, and not the mystical CORE that everyone is training into oblivion. Now in order for the diaphragm and IAP to properly stabilize the spine and in effect the rest of the body, we must first remember how to breathe.

"Remember how to breathe?" This is a common patient response, and then they lose their minds when I tell them they can keep themselves out of back pain by learning how to breathe. Stick with me, if you have ever watched an infant breathing, not in a creepy way, you have probably noticed that their giant Buddha-like belly expands and falls with little to no movement of the ribs or chest. This is the exact opposite of how 90% of the adult population breathes. Instead most adults, due to extended amounts of seated posture and general lack of movement start to breathe using accessory breathing muscles in the neck and shoulders. These accessory muscles are only meant to be used for labored breathing, as in exercising. Switching to these backup muscles as the main breathing apparatus leads to shoulder tension, lumbar spine pain, headaches, and a whole host of other problems.

Now that we have discussed the general issues with the thoracic diaphragm, we will now move to why it is an athlete’s most crucial muscle. For the purpose of this article, I will use a distance runner, but this does not mean that the diaphragm is not equally important for non-endurance athletes. All runners have at some time probably heard that you should try to breathe in a 3:2 ratio (3 steps breathing in, 2 steps breathing out) this is supposedly done to keep the runner from landing on the same foot with a full exhalation. This theory on breathing is absolutely right, but it needs more specification: 3:2 ratio of ABDOMINAL BREATHING.
I'm sure some of you reading this are saying, what about the glutes, they are the cannon or the powerhouse for running! What about the quads, runners are always getting a bad rap for being quad dominant. What about, what about, what about...all of these are true, but without the ability to properly breathe using the full potential of the thoracic diaphragm, you are working at a poor efficiency level and power output is decreased.

As I stated before when the diaphragm works properly a tremendous amount of IAP is built which acts as a balloon, or better yet as a WEIGHT BELT! Yeah, that giant leather belt used by powerlifters, well for some reason we were built with a spinal stabilizer that beats any bull-skin, the belly-binding belt you'll ever find. When a runner breathes properly through the abdomen, they link the upper body to the lower, they stabilize the spine, thereby stabilizing what is above and below, and most importantly the diaphragm is, in essence, the best shock absorber of the body. I'm going to nerd out for a second but bear with me, when a muscle is eccentrically loaded, like those of the diaphragm when we exhale, the muscle fibers are introduced to almost double the vibrational load. The muscle fibers do this with only 50% muscle activation, but what does this mean. It means that by breathing via the diaphragm, we are muscularly more efficient, and the increased vibrational load capacity means that ground reaction forces are dampened through the entire body. For an endurance athlete, this is a HUGE deal, when we start running marathons or ultras, every step starts to take a toll, so why not get the most out of each stride.

Diaphragmatic breathing does not only equate to increased efficiency but also increased power. If you have ever had the pleasure of reading Anatomy Trains, then you know that the body is now seen more like one giant muscle with multiple fascial pockets, rather than individual muscles encased in the fascia. For those of you who don't know, fascia is the connective tissue that is infused through EVERY structure of the body, it is much like the thin sinew you see in a nice marbled steak. The importance of paying attention to the fascia for training and treatment purposes grows as the body of research constantly mounts. Back to the diaphragm, these fascial pockets or slings connect all parts of the body, but some areas have stronger connections, such as the fascia around the low back, abdomen, and glutes. When we have the cortical ability to relax the abdomen while still breathing properly we allow for a tremendous power transfer from arm swing, to CORE (I just threw up a little), to the glutes, and finally to the ground. I'm not going into a huge amount of details on this but think of it like a bull-whip, yeah the Indian Jones weapon of choice.

The supple leather of the whip is very flexible, with just a small flick of your arm, the power is transferred down the entire length until it reaches the end with enough power to cut that rose in half that your beautiful side-kick has been holding in her teeth. This transfer of energy in a runner cannot happen without this same type of supple energy transfer through the thoracic diaphragm. Sure, good and sometimes great runners, who have poor breathing habits can make it to the peak of running, but this is true for all sports. Athletes are tremendous compensators, and they always find a way to excel, but it is up to practitioners like myself and others in like fields to educate, treat and train people to maximize their performance and decrease injuries.

"When a man has lost all happiness, he's not alive, call him a BREATHING corpse"
-Sophocles

3 Pillars of Ankle Health: Building a Strong Foundation from the Feet Up

Strong athletes have strong healthy ankles! When it comes to movement and force production, our feet are the first thing that comes in contact with the ground. Because of this, ankle and foot health is essential in order to help the whole body move in an effective and efficient manner. Being the base and the place we produce force for jumping and running, ankle strength and stability should definitely have it’s place in your weekly training program. 3 basic pillars of maintaining a healthy ankle include appropriate dosing of strength, mobility, and plyometrics. This will not only improve your ability to produce force in your exercise performance but also in your everyday activities!

Strength
When it comes to performing just about any movement, it costs us some “energy dollars” from our overall energy bank account. Say for example, for every step we take costs 20lbs of energy on your ankle muscles, specifically your calf muscle complex via the Achilles tendon and surrounding tendons. When it comes to taking multiple consecutive steps at a fast rate (ex. running), you can imagine how fast and how much energy dollars we would end up having to use. One way to make sure we don’t ever run out of money (so we can continue doing all the activities we enjoy!) is to build up our energy bank account! What if you could perform a single leg calf raise with 100lbs for multiple reps? Then each time you take a step and it costs 20lb of muscle energy, wouldn’t it seems like chump change? Each step, stride, or jump we take all of a sudden becomes a submaximal effort, and is less taxing as your body requires less energy to complete the task. These 2 exercises below are some of our favorite options for improving strength at the ankle complex!

SL Calf Raises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx9uhWJVrwY
Farmer Carries on Toes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFxgeZeNPqk

Mobility
Having limited ankle mobility in any direction may sometimes hinder your body from performing at their most optimal position. All muscles have an optimal length where they are strongest and able to produce the most amount of force. However, if you are already limited in these positions, your tissues may be forced to try to contract in a shortened, or weaker, position. When it comes to athletic performance, ankle dorsiflexion (foot pointed up) and ankle plantarflexion (foot pointed down) are going to be 2 of the most important positions you want to have access to. If you are an athletes and want to get the most out of your training, add these 2 ankle mobility drills into your movement prep before a leg day or a run for the best results!

Bench Assisted Dorsiflexion (Ankle DF): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_BG3eed6a0
Hero Stretch (Ankle PF): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbFJ_fEfknE

Plyometrics
As an athlete you’re most likely performing some sort of plyometric movement (ex. jumping, running, cutting) that requires elasticity and tendon involvement during force production and force re-absorption. While many HIIT workouts may include some form of high-intensity plyometrics, it is important to perform them outside of these workouts with intent and not under fatigue. By focusing on producing force from the Achilles tendon, you can improve it’s elastic capabilities and “springiness”, which ultimately is another form of building up your overall “energy bank account.” To improve Achilles tendon reactivity, try these exercises while focusing on spending as little time on the ground as possible!

Double POGOS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks3JgoDLE6w
SL POGOS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNqlIcutvDw

Hopefully this gives you a solid starting point of building up some strong resilient ankles. Improving ankle and feet capacity is one of the best ways to minimize risk of ankle/foot injuries in the future. If you are dealing with any kind of nagging ankle or foot pain get in contact with us! We’ve helped HUNDREDS of athletes get back to the activities they love pain free!

Compensation for lack of ankle mobility

3 compensation pattens you will see for a lack of ankle dorsiflexion .. if you don't get it from the ankle it has to come from somewhere else 🦶 . 1️⃣ Early heel rise 👣 . 2️⃣ Excessive knee extension 🦵 . 3️⃣ Pelvic lean ↖️ . Up next, suggestions on how to fix this mandatory ROM Did you know we offer virtual consultations?! 💻 We love helping people from all over the world move and feel better. 🌍 Our passion is education. Check out our website gaithappens.com for consultations, a whole list of available courses, shoe recommendations, favorite products and more! 👣

Establishing a strong foot tripod

Let's discuss the foot tripod, some hate the term, some love it, 🤷🏻‍♀️call it what you will but that foot best be solid on the ground 👣 You have to feel the ground.  You have to have a stable foundation on which to perch your body 🦶 . And one little fun fact here too…it is the FOOT that PUSHES the knee out, and the hip/glute that PULL the knee out.  So since we have been talking about that knee, if you are squatting, and you hear “sit back on your heels and drive the knees OUT”…..I would be very cautious here.  Most will sit on the outside of that heel, drive the knees out….losing the contact of the medial foot, ie big toe.  And this my friends, is BIG problem. . Find the “tripod”. Find the “4 points of contact”. Find your FOOT 🦶. Good stuff from the DNS Gait course here. . 1️⃣Come up on the toes . 2️⃣Turn your foot in, and press big toe down . 3️⃣Keep the base of the big toe down (POINT OF CONTACT #1) as you spread the 4 toes and drive them out . 4️⃣Anchor the 5th toe toe (POINT OF CONTACT #2) . 5️⃣Keep the big toe and little toe down, and slowly drop the heel . ⭐Be in the center of the heel (POINT OF CONTACT #3, and #4 if you are centered in the middle of the heel⭐ FEEL THE MAGIC HAPPEN, a beautifully strong stable foot.  Now you can squat…..but don’t lose any of those points of contact 😉 . . . Did you know we offer virtual consultations?! 💻 We love helping people from all over the world move and feel better. 🌍 Our passion is education. Check out our website gaithappens.com for consultations, a whole list of available courses, shoe recommendations, favorite products and more! 👣

P.E.A.C.E & L.O.V.E = An Updated Guide for Soft Tissue Injuries!

If you’ve ever hurt yourself or sustained an injury, you’ve probably read somewhere on Google or heard a coach or doctor tell you to implement the method “R.I.C.E” (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) in order to combat these soft tissue injuries and facilitate our bodies’ healing response. While this was meant for the acute phase of the injury (meaning JUST the first 24-72hrs), unfortunately we still see tons of people being misguided and utilizing this method weeks or even months into dealing with an injury!

In the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) in 2019, Dubois and Esculier proposed an updated acronym of “P.E.A.C.E and L.O.V.E” to assist in the management of musculoskeletal injuries through both the acute as well as subacute phases.
P.E.A.C.E. (acute phase) – AKA: Calm Shit Down

• P = Protect
  • Initially after the injury, we want to protect the aggravated area by temporarily avoiding and unloading movements or exercises that provoke or increase discomfort. Usually movements that cause any kind of sharp pain should be avoided or modified in the first few days after the injury. While protecting the site of the injury, it is important to MINIMIZE REST and continue to find different ways to move in order to prevent overall deconditioning!
• E = Elevate
  • Elevate the injured area higher than the heart.
• A = Avoid Anti-Inflammatory Modalities
  • Avoid NSAIDs and Ice!
  • Inflammation is our bodies natural way to combat the injury and help facilitate optimal soft tissue regeneration. Utilizing medication or ice to inhibit the inflammatory process can actually impair and slow down the healing process. The use of ice is mostly an analgesic one as it can assist with temporarily numbing the sensation of pain. However it is important to note that ice may potentially disrupt and delay the healing process of our body.
  • Our bodies are extremely strong and resilient! Let your bodies do what it’s designed to do without impairing the natural process!
• C = Compress
  • Utilizing elastic bandages or tape can assist with reduction of swelling (if there is swelling)
• E = Education
  • Understand that passive therapy approaches (manual therapy, e-stim, ASTYM, Graston, dry needling, cupping, etc) has a minimal effect on pain/function when compared to an active approach
  • Understand and set realistic expectations based on healing time frames depending on the severity of the injury

• L= Load
  • Use an active approach and load the tissue with the issue! Let pain be your guide to allow for appropriate tolerable loading. Early loading has been shown to be extremely beneficial to help you get back to your normal activity and life pain free again!
• O = Optimism
  • Perception and how we view situations are extremely important as our brain plays a significant part in the rehab process! Research has shown that individuals with negative expectations are more likely to have worse outcomes than individuals with positive expectations. Set yourself up for success by viewing situations through a positive lens and outlook!
• V = Vascularization
  • Movement is medicine! Blood flow is extremely beneficial for accelerating the healing process. Pick pain-free movements that you enjoy and perform them often!
• E = Exercise
  • Utilize an active approach in order to restore mobility, strength, stability, and proprioception to the area. This will not only help accelerate the healing process, but also help reduce the risk of a recurring injury!

Leg Strength Circuit - Plyos

Leg strength being one of the baseline essential factors for healthy running, this circuit helps runners develop strength in functional movement as well as movement precision and coordination. By focusing on single leg motion, runners can expect to develop stability and balance as well.

We recommend these types of circuits be implemented after initial foundations have already been established. For a more initial routine, see the stationary leg strength routine.

Stretchy vs. Stiff Runner

Runner phenotypes are important to determine so that training can be tailored to suit the specific needs of each runner.

Basic Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, Part 1

Understanding nutrition fundamentals is key to developing effective fueling habits. Follow along in this series to know what’s in your food and how scientists talk about it.

Read the full article here!

Tight Adductors? Try This

There’s a difference between feeling tight and actually having shorten muscles that are tight. Today, Dr. Amber will help you determine which one you might be experiencing in your adductors, or inner thigh, and if you might just need to get your core working to take some of the load off. Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Functional foot strength with toepro

Want strong feet? 👣 So do we. And I can tell you since our new obsession with the dynamometer, we are on a mission to break some records with that thing 😉 . Why? Numerous studies show that foot/ ankle strengthening exercise improve balance, provide stability during the push off phase of gait, and as we know provide a foundation for the rest of the body. 👍 Weakness in these muscles can lead to plantar fasciitis, stress fractures, bunions and Achilles tendonitis and multiple other dysfunctions up the kinetic chain. 👎 Weakness in the toes in the elderly is also a contributing factor to an increase in falls. 🙅🏻‍♀️ . Something to consider…..strength gains while exercising are angle specific. To be effective, foot exercises must duplicate the positions muscles are used while 🚶‍♂️ and 🏃🏽‍♀️. We know that during the gait cycle, the toes are at a position of dorsiflexion (upward position) during push off…..SO…… . exercising the toes while they are stretched results in a fourfold increase in toe strength compared to conventional exercises! 🤯🤯 COOL STUFF…..So what does this mean… The short foot, picking up marbles with your toes, banded toe exercises, while all ore a good place to start, if you want to move well, you have to MOVE. You have to make things functional. 😊 . I have been going to town on this thing, and I can tell you, day 1 my foot cramped and I got to about 10 reps and was getting fatigued. Working up to the protocol of 4 sets of 25 reps doesn’t happen over night. But I can tell you, I can’t wait to see that dynamometer read when I can 😁💪 . Modification: roll up a small towel and place under the toes. The foam of this device does provide an increased resistance that is necessary to improve gains however. . https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/256... . . . Did you know we offer virtual consultations?! 💻 We love helping people from all over the world move and feel better. 🌍 Our passion is education. Check out our website gaithappens.com for consultations, a whole list of available courses, shoe recommendations, favorite products and more! 👣

How to Run Longer

Originally posted on atozrunning.com
By Zach Ripley, running coach and co-founder of AtoZrunning

Every runner wonders about how to run longer, whether in pursuit of longer races like marathons, ultra marathons, and beyond, or in pursuit of increased training potential. And we all tend to qualify the question. How to run longer without getting injured. How to run longer in the heat. How to run longer in workouts. You get it!
You know from our podcast or other articles that we like to try to simplify these kinds of things, and this question is no exception. But before we share the two word answer to this question, let me briefly share what we’re trying to do here.
This article is merely the first in a series we will be publishing on How to Run. The ultimate goal of the series is to establish how to run better (also the title of the final installment), and to get there, we plan to focus on the most basic aspects: running longer and running faster. More specifically, running longer and running faster effectively.

The two-word answer to how to run longer
Run easier.
As far as we can tell, every authoritative source on running agrees on this point. So it’s a good answer. But it’s also not very well followed.
Have you ever set out for a run to find in the final third or so that you don’t have quite the energy to finish what you started (or perhaps that you do, but you’re wondering if you’re going to pay for it later)?
We all have. Even so, we find ourselves regularly falling into this trap. 
Here’s the first problem: we think things to ourselves like “8:30 is my easy pace, and since I do that for my easy 5 mile runs, I should do that for my easy 10 mile runs.” That may not be a conscious thought, but it is a common one. And falls apart under the weight of reality. We don’t run the same pace for a 10k and a half marathon race, so why would we run the same pace for an easy 6 or an easy 13 miles?
We wouldn’t. Not if the intended training stimulus is similar.

How much easier?
How much easier, then, is the first side of this coin, and while a whole lot of smart number crunchers have come up with clever ways of explaining this with heart rate and pace estimators, etc., such metrics are handicaps to the more essential need. We simply need to teach ourselves to run easy enough to finish the effort in the desired state. 
If I’m trying to get through an easy run, I need to finish feeling like I’ve got plenty more to give and am not doubled over. If I’m trying to get through a strong effort or a race, I need to be able to run as strong in the last 25% as I could have run in the first 25%.
One simple guiding principle makes all the difference here. When in doubt, ease up. From a purely pragmatic standpoint, almost nothing is lost in training adaptations by going a little bit slower on a run, be it an easy effort or something harder. Conversely, much is lost by overdoing an effort, especially a long effort, especially when done repeatedly over time.
Always remember that progress must be coaxed, courted even, but never coerced.

How much longer?
In order to know how much easier to run, though, we also must know how much longer to run. These two are answered largely at the same time, but there’s at least some sound wisdom we can apply that does not require trial and error.

• Increase incrementally
• Master one step at a time
• Change one thing at a time

1. System development (let’s call this energy, respiratory, and cardiovascular)
2. Neuromuscular development
3. Musculoskeletal development

Leg Strength Workout for Runners

Originally published on atozrunning.com
By Zach Ripley, running coach and co-founder of AtoZrunning

Every runner needs a good leg strength workout (or two or three). While running is itself providing the vast majority of strengthening a runner might need, most training does not address everything. How is your coordination and stability? When you stand on one leg, do you hold steady or wobble a little? How about when you do a standing lunge? What we find is that a targeted functional movement leg strength workout improves both running mechanics (and therefore economy) and perceived effort. 
Answer then, these simple questions: do you want to run better? Do you want to feel better while you run? Then listen up.

The Goal of an Effective Leg Strength Workout
For runners, the ideal leg strength workout fulfills two simple goals:

1. It strengthens the functional movement of the target muscle groups.
2. It leverages proper mechanical and postural elements of good running.

• Stand on one leg, arms in a relaxed running position.
• Squat down on one leg, moving the other behind with bent knee (running posture). Arms should follow opposite legs.
• Rise back to neutral, remaining on one leg the entire time (for all reps).

• Stand relaxed on both legs, feet parallel.
• With hands behind head or on hips, bend at the waist until about parallel to the ground.
• Keep back and legs straight the entire time.
• Return slowly to neutral and repeat.
• Try to keep everything still except your waist (avoid the temptation to push hips back while you bend).

• Stand relaxed on both legs, feet parallel, arms straight out in front of you.
• Squat slowly down past 90 degrees, then slowly return to neutral.
• Be sure to bend at the hips, pushing hips back as you squat and keep back straight.

• Stand on one leg, hands on hips. Be sure back is straight, chest up, and shoulders back.
• Extend the opposite leg out, keeping foot parallel (do not rotate hip at all) and knee straight.
• Return slowly to neutral, remaining on one leg the entire time.
• Extension should not be uncomfortable or cause compression in the side in order to achieve.

• Stand on one leg, arms straight out in front of you.
• Hold the opposite leg out in front as well, knee straight (it does not need to be fully extended but rather enough in front of you to stay off the ground).
• Squat down slowly, keeping back straight, extended leg straight, and arms in front of you.
• Be sure to bend at the hip.
• Return slowly to neutral.

• (Similar to single leg deadlift)
• Stand on one leg, arms relaxed at your side.
• Bend forward while bringing your leg out behind. Keep both your back and your extended leg straight.
• Swing arms straight out above head as you extend.
• Return slowly to neutral.

• Stand on one leg and spring upward, driving the opposite knee and moving arms opposite legs.
• Keep back straight and head upright.
• Land on the same foot, touching the ground with your opposite arm, then spring back up, driving the opposite knee all the way.

• Step forward with one foot.
• Drive the other foot laterally to the opposite side.
• Lunging to the side, touch the ground with your opposite arm.
• Return to neutral then repeat to the opposite side.

• Stand neutral with feet parallel, arms straight forward.
• Squat slowly down, pushing hips back and keeping back straight.
• Spring upward on flat feet. (Do not jump off the balls of your feet.)
• Keep back straight, arms extended, and eyes forward.
• Land on flat feet.
• Squat and launch again.

• Stand relaxed on one leg, the other knee raised to hip level, arms in running position.
• Hop upward and forward, flexing at the ankle, not the knee.
• Propel off toes.
• Land on the balls of the same foot and continue bouncing.

• Stand relaxed on both legs, arms in running position.
• Hop upward and forward, flexing at the ankle, not the knee.
• Propel off toes.
• Land on the balls of the feet and continue bouncing.

• Begin in a neutral position, arms in running position.
• Jump to a standard forward lunge position, extending one foot forward to land with knee at 90 degrees and the other back to land on toe with knee at 90 degrees.
• Keep arms in a running position opposite legs.
• Jump up and switch legs while in the air, landing in the opposite lunge position.

The Runner's Guide to Pain and Injury

Embracing Pain and Injury
I was just as distressed as you are about to be when I read the 2010 study from Current Sports Medicine Reports that indicated “40%-50% of runners experience injury yearly.” We already know that pain and injury are common, but numbers like that make it sting.
If we’re counting any small strain or some such as an injury, perhaps it’s not a stretch (the study indicated anything that necessitated any interruption in training). What such news ought to be, though, is a call to action. 
If we run, we know these two things with certainty: pain and injury are inevitable, and despite all, the times between make it worthwhile. This examination will simply better equip us to deal with the pain when it strikes in a manner that decreases the disruption to our training.

Understanding Pain
In college, I used to be known for gingerly approaching my coach before practice to announce, “Hey boss, when I do this thing and move in this very particular way, this other thing hurts in this very precise spot.” Any guesses how said coach most often responded? 
Don’t do that thing. 
He was on point for calling out my absurdity. Unfortunately, this also seems to be the most common reaction from general doctors when approached by a runner with a running pain. Stop running for a bit, and it will stop hurting. Right?
Pain is more complex than that, though, and warrants some amount of reflection. We will present in this guide our basic approach to responding to pain, and in order to do that, we need to clarify what we mean by pain.
We are all familiar with such terms as soreness, tightness, aching, burning, stinging, and the like. Let’s apply a simple caveat here: pain is the body’s signal that something is amiss. That signal always means something. That doesn’t always mean it is an especially notable or significant something, but as runners, our first priority in dealing with pain is understanding to what degree notable intervention is needed. 
When considering whether a pain is notable and worthy of significant intervention, apply these parameters:

• Has it been hurting for 2-3 days in a row?
• Is it acute and asymmetrical (hurts on one leg but not the other)?
• Does it progressively worsen during activity?
• Does it hurt even outside of activity (sitting, standing, walking, sleeping, etc.)?

• Nutrition, hydration, and sleep all contribute to how resilient our bodies are as well as how quickly and effectively they recover. Imbalance or shortcomings in these areas are sure to increase risk.
• Unimpeded movement is another basic necessity for the body, so things like simple regular myofascial release techniques go a long way (runners love their foam rollers, but things like graston technique and other more precise methods are often even more effective).
• Supple and pliant tissues tend to respond to exertion better, so consider something as brief as a gentle massage with an emollient to a tight area before activity.

1. seeing a medical professional (if not already), 
2. seeking diagnosis for the injury (something notable is wrong and needs to be clearly established if possible) by pushing for things like scans or specialist visits, and 
3. expecting a period of downtime and cross training.

1. Diagnose the issue and establish a plan for addressing the cause.
2. If possible, seek an alternative training option (cross training) that in no way risks the rehabilitation process but allows for aerobic activity of some sort.
3. Focus on rebuilding strength and stability.
4. When pain-free running is possible, very gradually increase to a full training load of easy jogging.
5. When a full training load of jogging is possible, revisit training goals and plans and resume regular training.

Should I get a Professional Running Analysis?

Why get a Running Analysis?

The primary reasons to get a biomechanical running analysis boil down to:
1. Performance improvement – run faster for longer
2. Reduce running injuries – by attaining a more efficient gait

While running has numerous health benefits, it is also associated with a high rate of injury. In a 12-month period, over 60% of runners may experience a running injury which will put them out for a period of time. And quite ironically, the weakest part of a runner’s body is often their gluts, legs and feet!  

How about a Running Shoe Store Analysis?

In theory, you could have your running analysis at any of several commercial running shoe stores. While we're sure the stores are well intentioned, a professional running analysis or gait analysis offers the full 360 view of your running ability versus a surface level look. Think of it like choosing to see a dental hygenist for your oral care but never seeing a dentist to know where your teeth truly stand. An over simplfied evaluation can cost you by leading to further unintended injury. A 2011 study found that the practice of assigning runners shoes based on their pronation is “overly simplistic and potentially injurious.”  

A detailed, individualized analysis of your body in motion while running can prevent injuries, help your injury, and provide invaluable self knowledge. 
Professional gait analysis, like that used at Alpine Fit Physical Therapy and Nutrition, is both evidence-based and holistic. A gait analysis can also help patients who suffer from the lower extremity conditions such as knee pain, hip pain and ankle pain.

The key to improving running is smarter movement. 

Your running gait, comprised of three phases, is the way your foot strikes and leaves the floor with each stride.
The three phases of running are the loading phase, propulsion phase, and recovery phase. Each of these phases are cyclical and because of that are inter-dependent with inefficiency in one leading to inneficiency in the subsquent phase and on and on for as many miles as you run.

Running is nothing but a series of single leg hops. These hops result in the transfer of energy from your body to the ground allowing for forward progression. As a runner your pace is determined by the amount of energy transferred. When biomechanically efficient, the body moves from one point to another expending the minimal amount of energy.

When running, the primary focus should be on how to become more biomechanically efficient which will naturally result in faster times if desired. But, most importantly, this efficiency creates a foundation of improved motor programs that support training without interruptions due to injury. 

Today’s Running Analysis is Holistic

Not too long ago, therapists looked for the cause of injury almost exclusively in foot motion, especially pronation (the natural motion of the foot when landing).  And while pronation is still an important part of running analysis, we know that much more is involved. 

We believe that running injuries are created “from the top down.” This means that hip and pelvic motion, as well as whole body position can be as important as the mechanics of the foot and ankle themselves. It is a whole body analysis which includes looking at your biomechanics, strength, and mobility as well as your running goals, diet, sleep patterns, and how you train. 

Here are some key points to consider when looking at your own gait:

• By improving your Standing Posture=>Walking Posture=>Running Posture
• Are you standing with your weight evenly distributed throughout your feet?
• Do you know what your static posture is and are you able to correct it if necessary?
• Can you tell which part of the foot you're primarily hitting the ground with? Heel or Mid-foot?       
• Are you having consistent pain? If poor biomechanics and improper loading may be the cause. 
• Interested to know more? Check out our Alpine Fit's Biomechanical Running Analysis. 

Cross Training Option for Runners

Are you a runner? Do you need to find another form of exercise to cross train?  Would you like to learn about dance as a form of cross training?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this blog is for you.  Below are five reasons why dance is a great form of cross training for dancers.  
 

1. Dance works the muscles differently

2. Improve your balance

3. Improve your flexibility

4. Build foot strength

5. Interval training

Sports Nutrition for Females

webinar with Source Endurance
Learn the basics about how the menstrual cycle impacts nutrition and performance. I cover the history of studying (or not studying) females in sports nutrition research, an overview of the menstrual cycle, the basics of what we know about female hormones and nutrition and performance needs, and next steps for those interested in exploring more.

A 7-Day Nutrition Plan to Fuel Your Best 5K Ever

“Runners might eat heaping bowls of pasta the night before a race, but whether or not they're successful the next morning depends on much more than that final bite of spaghetti.
Just like weeks of strategic workouts set you up for race-day success, so too will weeks of thoughtful snacks and meals made up of the right balance of macros and eaten at the optimal times.
Use this nutrition plan as part of our Best 5K Ever Challenge — or alongside your own 5K training — to feel your best throughout the month.”

Read the full article here!

No-Bake Power Bars Recipe

These energy AND nutrient-dense bars are great for travel, long active adventures, and easy snacks.
Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups pitted dates
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1/2 cup coconut, shredded unsweetened
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

The Best and Worst Pre-Workout Breakfast Foods

Eating a healthy breakfast before a morning workout can help you feel and perform at your best. But sitting down to the wrong meal can derail your fitness goals and potentially lead to stomach aches and pains and well as indigestion and bloating.

Read the whole article here!

Basic Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, Part 2

Understanding nutrition fundamentals is key to developing effective fueling habits. Follow along in this series to know what’s in your food and how scientists talk about it. Part 2 explores micronutrients, what are they and why athletes need them.

Read the full article here!

Basic Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, Part 3

Understanding nutrition fundamentals is key to developing effective fueling habits. Follow along in this series to know what’s in your food and how scientists talk about it. Part 3 explores specific food choices which boost health and performance as it relates to ideal macros and micros.

Read the full article here!

Running: Expectations v. Reality

So you want to be a runner? Go out, let the sun and breeze hit your face, and cruise down the path without a care in the world. Sounds nice. Maybe you have a race in mind. You’re going to run a local 5K/10K and have a nice after race beer. You’ll get your T-shirt, finisher’s medal, maybe even brunch with some friends on the way home. These are the ideal scenarios, but not always how things play out.

It’s no secret that running is one of the most popular forms of exercise around the globe. Every year, millions of people lace up their shoes and go run. The unfortunate reality however, is that the vast majority of those people wind up injured every year as well. What follows is often worse, those nagging injuries get ignored or trained around and lead to even more issues.

Let’s take a closer look at one of the more popular races, the marathon (26.2 miles).
– There are approximately 30 million regular runners in the US.
– There are over 1,100 marathons held each year in the US.
– ~90% of marathon runners sustain an injury during training.
– Each year, ~80% of runners sustain an injury that forces them to stop running.
– There is an inverse relationship between the cost of a running shoe (the US running shoe industry rakes in about $4 billion a year, by the way) and the likelihood of a runner getting injured. In other words, the more expensive your running shoe, the more likely you are to get hurt. “So which shoes should I buy?” you might ask… Well, that’s a topic for another day. My recommendation for now, just wear what is comfortable to you and don’t worry about the price, brand, features, or what your friend is wearing.

So now you might be wondering, how can you make sure you are able to run without being injured? Great question! Because let’s be honest, telling a runner to stop running is like telling them to stop breathing or telling a fish to stop living in water… That’s just crazy!
There actually is a way for you to run, enjoy it, get good at it and even stay healthy. Our running checklist below is a good place to start.
In this checklist we dive into the 12 essential areas that can impact your ability to run effectively. From head to toe, warm up to cool down, we’ve got you covered. To see our complete list click the link below!
Get Checklist Now

Stay tuned for more running related posts as the weather continues to warm up!
Stay safe & stay healthy, 
Andrew

A Bulletproof Core: Find and Engage the Multifidus

How has your core been feeling lately?  Were you able to find and engage the lower abdominal muscle to give you more support during exercise?  Do you have a better understanding on how to contract your pelvic floor? In this post, we’re going to discuss how to find and engage the multifidus, a key component of a strong core.

What is the multifidus?
The multifidus is a diamond shaped muscle in your lower back that sits deep to your spinal erector muscles. While these muscles are often quick to kick in to help stabilize, they get tight very quickly and can cause  compression in your back.  The  question then becomes – how do we find that deep muscle and activate it?  No worries, I’ve got your back. (see what I did there?)

Finding the multifidus
Start in a standing position and put a hand on each side of your lower back right over those spinal erector muscles.  Lean backwards slightly and feel those muscles contract and tighten under your fingers.  Now, come back up to neutral and tip just slightly forward and you should feel those erector muscles relax; if you keep leaning forward they will tighten back up to support you from falling over. 

Come back up to the point where you feel those erector muscles are nice and soft and sink your fingers deep to feel the multifidus.  From this point, try to come an inch taller without letting those erector muscles get tight. 

Activating the multifidus 
There are a few different ways to activate this muscle. You can either engage by practicing a few different positions or engage as prep before an activity that involves support such as carrying or lifting.

I encourage you to try these exercises and consider incorporating into your overall fitness routine. If you have any questions, feel free to connect with me at amber@physioroomco.com

What Are The 7 Most Common Running-Related Injuries?

As humans, we were built to withstand running for long periods of time at various speeds. However, this highly repetitive activity inherently involves a significant level of impact, leading to a plethora of injuries. Have you met a runner that hasn’t dealt with some sort of injury? Odds are you haven’t. The majority of injuries that runners sustain involve areas ranging from the lumbar spine (lower back) to the foot.

The seven most common injuries runners experience include the following:

1. Runner’s Knee (AKA patellofemoral pain syndrome, or PFPS)
2. Achilles Tendonitis/Tendinopathy
3. Hamstring Issues
4. Plantar Fasciitis
5. Shin Splints
6. Iliotibial (IT) Band Syndrome 
7. Stress Fractures

How to Safely Return to Running Postpartum

Running tends to be a common exercise for moms postpartum because they can take their baby with them, it doesn’t require a ton of equipment and it’s an easy exercise to get back into. However, it’s important to know that your core pelvic floor need to be able to handle the force that is coming from the ground so you can run safely and injury free.

Post Pregnancy Plank Progression, Part 1

Many core-strengthening exercise programs for woman after having a baby includes movements like Planks - which are great! However, being able to do a plank effectively after pregnancy isn’t always feasible. In this video, Dr. Amber walks you through some plank progressions that will help you begin the process of building up that core strength so you can go back to normal exercise while putting your body in a more optimal position.

A Runners Guide to Achilles Tendinopathy

The Achilles tendon (AT) is a pretty cool tendon in our body that originates from our Soleus muscle (a giant workhorse) for running and connects with the two bellies of the Gastrocnemius (another HUGE giant workhorse) during running before inserting onto the calcaneus or heel bone. Our achilles tendon is the largest and strongest tendon in the human body as it has to withstand upwards of 12x body weight load during running!)

Given the demands placed on the AT, it’s not surprising that it’s commonly affects runners. This often manifests as a “tendinopathy,” which is an umbrella term used to describe pain and injury to the tendon typically when the current capacity of the tendon has been exceeded. Regarding tendinopathy, the tendon can progress or regress down the continuum based on the loads it is exposed to until at either ends of the spectrum we have a “rupture” or a “healthy tendon.” The most common phases we see people dealing with tendon pain are when they are in reactive , disrepair, and degeneration. With the tendon being in the reactive or disrepair phase, we can actually reverse it structurally back up the continuum towards a healthy normal tendon. However, when the tendon reaches degeneration phase or rupture, there is nothing physically we are able to do to change the actual structure of the tendon. But what we CAN do is improve the cross sectional area and collagen fibers of the SURROUNDING tendons which can ultimately improve overall tendon FUNCTION, allowing you to get back to the activities you want to be able to do pain free!

With achilles tendinopathy we have two big main types. We have mid insertional which is the main one that everyone thinks about right, right in the middle of the Achilles tendon, and we also have insertional achilles tendinopathy where we are dealing with it a bit lower where the tendon inserts on the calcaneal heel.

Because of the insertion site, compression is typically a lot more sensitive and painful in insertional achilles tendinopathy rather than mid insertional achilles tendinopathy. Compression at the achilles tendon typically occurs in end range dorsiflexion where we have the toes pointed upward. So common rehab movements in end range DF such as ankle DF stretching, as well as deficit heel raises, can actually flare up insertional achilles tendinopathy even more when you dose those in too early! So it’s super important to distinguish between the two types early on in order to know how to appropriately dose exercise and load the tendon in a meaningful manner.

When it comes to management of Achilles Tendinopathy we typically like to separate into 2 different phases. Phase 1: Calm Shit Down. Phase 2: Build Shit Back Up.

Phase 1: Calm Shit Down
· we typically want to temporarily remove stressors that aggravate and are sensitive (Typically this relates to plyometric energy storage/release movements such as jumping, hopping, running, uphill running, speed work etc.)
· manipulate different variables such as (mileage, speed, type of environment) to allow the athlete to continue training within tolerance in order to prevent deconditioning
· minimizing compression for insertional achilles tendinopathy (avoiding end range calf stretches) and maybe even putting in a heel lift to allow the heel to go into a bit of plantarflexion from neutral if it’s really aggravated.

Phase 2: Build Shit Back Up
Things such as PRP, shockwave therapy, corticosteroids, and NSAIDs all have been shown to be less effective than exercise. Tendons respond to load and so when looking to improve overall capacity of the tendon, we want to dose it with different exercise variations to the gastroc, soleus, and overall achilles complex. We can split up loading progressions into 4 different stages:
Stage 1 (Isometrics)
ex. Calf raises (hold)
Stage 2 (Isotonics - eccentrics, concentric, HSR (heavy slow resistance)
ex. Deficit Calf raises (isotonics)
Stage 3 (Energy Storage Exercises - plyometrics)
ex. Double Leg POGO hops
Stage 4 (Return to Sport)
All of these are phenomenal options in terms of finding the appropriate entry point of loading where we’re dosing enough to increase the strength of the tendon and not doing too much and overloading the tendon. Entry point of loading will vary based on where the tendon is on the continuum as well as level of sensitivity and other stressors as well.

Major Keys to Consider with Tendon Injuries
Treat the Donut - not the Hole! - Focus on improving tendon FUNCTION not structure!
Be Patient and Trust the Process! - Find a great physio who can help guide you through the process and be patient. Know that it can take up to 12 weeks for physiological adaptations and changes to occur!
Load the Tendon! - Tendon’s respond to load and in order to improve tendon capacity, we need to be loading the tendon >70% 1RM intensity to elicit appropriate adaptation.
Manipulate Different Variables to Continue Training! -Manipulate different factors such as training volume, frequency, and duration in order to continue to stay active and prevent de-conditioning!
Stay Positive and Count the Small Wins! - Managing and getting through tendinopathy injuries definitely is no easy task and it’s important to stay positive! Don’t let this one injury define who you are. Count the small wins and keep trucking along! You got this!

If you’re a runner dealing with achilles issues or heel pain, get in contact with us! We have helped hundreds of runners get back to running pain free and hit PRs in their races without any issues and we want to do the same for you!

Shoe recommendations for Hallux rigidus

The words NEVER and ALWAYS……ssshhhh 🤫  They’re like swear words, @ least in the world of movement. The big red ❌ and the big green ✅ give us slight anxiety 😬 . We all MOVE differently.💃🏻🕴🧜‍♀️We all adapt to our environments. Yes, there are ways we can move more efficiently, become more stable, more mobile but that picture will look different for everyone 📸 . And, the same for footwear.  We are big pushers of foot function.  We believe the foot should be able to feel the ground, adapt to the environment, be as functional as possible in a world where function is often compromised 👣 . With that being said, gait happens. 🤷🏻‍♀️ And if your gait happened to leave you with a rigid big toe, or TRUE hallux rigidus, or if surgery happened and there is a screw in that big toe, well……shit happens.  So we deal with it.  We work with what we have, and we will find a way🦶 . There are times where that big toe is so rigid, and the forefoot rocker has been lost.  Yes, these cases are rare thank God, but it does happen.  Now, a minimalist shoe is sometimes too flexible for this forefoot. Sometimes this foot type needs some cushion, some rocker 👟 . I am on a FB page for a hallux rigidus group.  It is an amazing resource for these patients.  They share their stories and they share their favorite shoes 😊 . ✔ For a running/walking shoe:  Hoka One One, Bondi. There’s enough cushion on this shoe to handle the weight of the world.  It will provide Cush and rocker to propel OVER the big toe 👣 . ✔For a work shoe: Alegria.  Hello forefoot rocker.  This shoe will rocker you right over that big toe🦶 . ✔ For a sandal: Birkenstock:  RIGID sole.  Patients with foot pain love this sandal.  Why?  It pretty much eliminates range of motion.  Good?  NO.  Good for those who can’t bend their big toe?  Yes 👍 . We caution you, this is NOT an ALWAYS list.  Everyone’s foot function varies, but these have been popular amongst this group 👣 . . . Did you know we offer virtual consultations?! 💻 We love helping people from all over the world move and feel better. 🌍 Our passion is education. Check out our website gaithappens.com for consultations, a whole list of available courses, shoe recommendations, favorite products and more! 👣

What is forefoot supinatus

Forefoot Supinatus:  The correctable one!  We love this one 😊 👣 👣 Quick summary 1. Rearfoot pronation 2. Inability to maintain integrity of the medial column 3. Lateral column SOFT TISSUE CONTRACTURE ⬅️⬅️⬅️ 4. Causes: MANY: But overall… Foot strength leaves something to be desired, and our hip stabilizers are out to lunch 🌮 5. Symptoms: starting at the foot: (asALWAYS 😉) Mortons neuroma, bunions, posterior tibial tendonitis, Achilles tendonitis, ITB contracture, knee pain, hip pain, low back pain, poor balance to name a few 🤷🏻‍♀️ 👣 ⭐⭐⭐DON”T CHASE THE PAIN, FIX THE PROBLEM⭐⭐⭐. Then we can stop diagnosing our ‘PAIN’ 🙌 . 

Forefoot Supinatus Mobility

Remember we're talking about a rigid foot type here so we're looking for mobility 💃 especially in the lateral column of the foot 👍 1. Stand with the lacrosse ball 🎱under the 4th/5th met just behind the ball of the foot 2. Turn both feet slightly pigeon 🕊toed with the knees slightly bent 3. Put your hands on your hips and rotate the pelvis and trunk for about 90 seconds...the ball shouldn't move under your foot 👍👍👍

Stationary Leg Strength Routine

AtoZrunning helps runners thrive by providing information, inspiration, and community around the sport of running. From coaching services to podcasts and articles, runners can find content created by runners for runners.

In this video, we demonstrate a simple functional movement routine to build leg strength.

Cool Down Routine for Runners

Post-run routines can help with neuromuscular wiring and general strength and mobility. This routine is intended to support both. To accomplish this goal, always seek to perform each movement deliberately and slowly. Control is key.

For more, visit atozrunning.com

50+ Ways to Fix Toast

The next best thing since sliced bread was toasting those carbohydrate-rich slabs of goodness. 
This slab of goodness has rescued my morning re-fuel a time or two. If you’re like me, you’re tired because life is busy and you need to get breakfast in your belly ASAP. Make the most of the slice of toast and get some good nutrition to help build towards recovery.
If that wasn’t awesome enough, fixing them with a variety of delectable toppings. Toast can be the backbone to build solid morning nutrition. With little effort, your toast can become a rather fancy morning meal.

The Classic Toast
I get it. Sometimes all you want is the basic toast with butter. What can you use instead of butter? Let’s say you are out and dry toast is just sad. 
Substitutions for butter:

• Olive oil 
• Coconut oil 
• Ghee

• Chia seeds
• Crushed nuts
• Flax seed
• Protein Powder

• Cinnamon
• Pumpkin spice
• Nutmeg
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• (most berries, you get the picture)
• Chia seeds
• Crushes nuts
• Flax seed
• Protein powder

• Eggs
• Cheese
• Tomato
• Spinach
• Garlic salt
• Raw or cooked peppers
• Cheese

• Nutella
• Peanut Butter
• Butter
• Ghee

• Chocolate chips
• Mini marshmallows
• Chia seeds
• Shaved nuts
• Flax seeds
• Protein powder

• Cinnamon (depending on flavor of yogurt)
• Fresh fruit
• Honey
• Chia seeds
• Protein Powder

• Everything bagel seasoning
• Tomatoes and balsamic
• Egg
• Feta cheese
• Avocado
• Cheddar cheese
• Veggies

21 Reasons to Run

Whether it’s a mountain run with the pup, running with friends, or a solo trail run there are many reasons to be thankful to get out on a run.
But beyond the obvious joy of running, there are 21 additional health reasons to consider if you're ever needing some additional motivation to lace up your running shoes. Here are 21 benefits to running:

1. Improves digestion
2. Lowers incidents of breast and colon cancer
3. Increases energy levels and endurance
4. Improves mood and cognition
5. Counters diabetes
6. Decreases stress
7. Improves muscle strength
8. Improves circulation
9. Improves self-esteem
10. Improves lipid profiles
11. Delays Alzheimer & Parkinson’s disease
12. Improves function in heart failure
13. Limits obesity
14. Improves fertility
15. Prevents hypertension
16. Improves sleep
17. Lessens risk and severity of strokes
18. Improves the health of offspring
19. Maintains bone density and decreases osteoporosis risk
20. Maintains joint ability
21. Strengthens immune system

Step by Step Nutrition Guide for Skiing & Snowboarding

Confused about how to fuel before, during, and after a day on the mountain? 

I've got you covered. This step by step nutrition guide was designed specifically for skiers and snowboarders. It covers what you should eat and why, plus get my favorite meal & pocket snack ideas to get you started (recipes included!) 

Get your free guide here.

Step by Step Nutrition Guide for Mountain Biking

Confused about how to fuel before, during, and after a ride? 

I've got you covered. This step by step nutrition guide was designed specifically for mountain bikers. It covers what you should eat and why, plus get my favorite meal & pocket snack ideas to get you started (recipes included!) 

Get your free guide here.

Mindfulness For Runners

When it comes to both taking care of the brain and training it for enhanced performance, there’s no better tool than mindfulness. A runner who regularly practices mindfulness can experience less stress, stay engaged with their training plan, manage emotions during races, and more easily recover between workouts and events. Mindfulness supports runners in the short and long term and can have impacts far beyond the trail.

WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness is “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment.”  Mindfulness is an attitude, state of awareness, or way of being that comes from mindful practices. Mindfulness can be practiced anytime, anywhere, by intentionally shifting our focus to the present moment.  
Mindfulness meditation is a formal mindfulness practice that helps develop a mindful attitude and cultivate present moment awareness. It is often what comes to mind when people think of mindfulness.  Mindfulness meditation comes in many forms, not all which require stillness or sitting. The most compelling research on the physiological impacts and brain changes from mindfulness come from studies where participants engaged in formalized mindfulness meditation practice.

WHAT DOES MINDFULNESS HAVE TO DO WITH RUNNING?
Cultivating an attitude of mindfulness through intentional and consistent practice—especially the practice of mindfulness meditation—can have positive impacts on a runner both physiologically and psychologically.
Mindfulness teaches runners how to communicate with and regulate their bodies. With consistent practice, runners will learn to recognize when their sympathetic nervous system (fight/flight response) is in play and respond more efficiently when it is. Regular mindfulness practice produces structural changes in the brain that enhance communication between the prefrontal cortex (thinking part of the brain) and the amygdala (alarm center of the brain).   These changes help individuals shift from reacting to potential threats to responding to potential threats--- a helpful skill to have in the middle of a race.
As runners increase their mind/body connection, they can more easily notice subtle changes in tension or stress that allows them to intervene earlier, decreasing the likelihood of burnout or injury. Mindfulness practitioners may be more capable of noticing the impacts different fuels have on their bodies or have more insight into how they are responding to the stressors of training. As runners use meditation, they can learn more about themselves and apply that knowledge to their training and racing.
Mindfulness decreases stress. By engaging with mindfulness we tell our body that we are safe which activates a relaxation response and results in a lower heart rate, relaxed muscles, and lower blood pressure. As a result, we feel an immediate decrease in stress. At the same time, awareness gained from mindfulness can provide a sense of clarity or perspective that increases a sense of control over a situation, alleviating stress.
Furthermore, and perhaps more excitingly, consistent mindfulness practice decreases the activity in the amygdala and shrinks the amygdala itself—both leading to an overall decrease in stress that lasts beyond the moment.
Life stress impacts our running. Putting big miles on a stressed system can lead to burnout or injury. By using mindfulness and decreasing overall stress, runners can safely stick with their training plan as prescribed or even increase their capacity for running-specific stress.
Mindfulness changes our brains. A study out of Harvard used brain imaging to demonstrate that mindfulness produces helpful structural changes in the brain after just 8 weeks of about 30 minutes/day of mindfulness meditation practice. Changes were identified in the prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex—both of which play major roles in executive functioning, impulse control and decision making. Mindfulness promotes neuroplasticity, which means by practicing mindfulness we can more easily learn new things and integrate new ways of thinking. We can change things we don’t like--maybe transform our inner critic to an inner coach or learn how to bomb downhill.
Mindfulness is a fantastic recovery tool. While the jury is still out on CBD bath bombs, there’s no question that mindfulness decreases cortisol, improve sleep, and reduce inflammation. Those physiological benefits paired with the mindful attitudes such as patience, non-judgement, and non-striving, support recovery between workouts after races, and during injury.

HOW CAN I GET STARTED?
Building capacity for mindfulness is just like building endurance for running—start small, stay consistent, and increase incrementally.   
Start by integrating mindfulness into your running. You can use strategies like body scans or progressive muscle relaxation to take stock of how you are feeling and reduce tension before you even head out the door. During your run, set aside 3-5 minutes mid-run to focus on the pattern of your breathing or your feet hitting the ground. You don’t have to aim for an entire mindful run—just shift your attention for a few minutes.

Outside of running, look for regular pockets of time where you can implement a pause, a mindful return to the body. To have a “mindful moment”, simply intentionally shift your focus to the sensation of your breath or use your senses to notice the environment around you. When your mind shifts to thoughts or discomfort, come back to the breath/sense.   Sitting for a few breath cycles before eating, pausing when transitioning from work to home or home to work, or being mindful for a few minutes before bed are all simple ways to add mindfulness into your day without impacting your busy schedule.

When you are ready to start with more formal mindful meditation, consider using guided meditations, visualizations, or movement meditations. These can feel more comfortable than sitting in silence trying to quiet your mind.

Start with an achievable goal of 3 days/week and 5-10 minutes/session for the first week. Once you’ve done that for a couple of weeks, increase EITHER the session time OR the frequency. If you miss a day, it’s OK! There’s always tomorrow. Try not to let a missed day become a missed week.
Mindfulness is an accessible tool—there’s no cost, no equipment, and it doesn’t require much in the way of technical skills.  But for runners who are more comfortable with movement than stillness, it feels inaccessible. It doesn’t involve the dopamine hits we get from moving our bodies or from seeing a shiny Strava medal .  In a world where data, metric and measurable results guide our training, mindfulness asks us to blindly trust an uncomfortable process. And when we are starting out it can feel really hard. Hard enough that we mistake being a novice with “being bad at mindfulness” and give up before we can begin to reap the benefits. One study demonstrated that people would literally prefer to endure an electric shock than sit in stillness with their feelings. Knowing it is supposed to be challenging can help you manage expectations. When (not if) it is challenging, be kind to yourself!  Take it one day and one practice at a time. Remember that the research shows changes after 8 weeks of regular practice---consistency and patience are key.

WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE?
As you look at your training program or think about preparing for your upcoming race, don’t forget about your brain!  Your mind has the capacity to change and the need to rest just like the other parts of your body. These resources can help you incorporate mindfulness into your life/training.

1. My Mindfulness For Runners Course is available for download. Engage with it at your own pace and schedule. It’s full of tangible resources, fun science, and real-life strategies. Use code TRAININGBLOCK for 25% off.
2. Download free meditation apps or ones that offer free 7 day trials and find what works for you and what doesn’t. (examples: Headspace, Calm, Waking Up, Nike Training App)
3. Spotify and YouTube are full of free meditations—don’t give up until you find something that works for you.
4. Readings and resources from; Sakyong Mipham, Thich Nhat Hanh, John Kabat-Zinn, Tara Brac

How to run a fartlek

One of the most common questions we get from runners is how to run a fartlek workout. This is not surprising given that ambiguity and uncertainty have surrounded fartleks since their birth in Sweden in the 1930s. 
Our endeavor here will be to make abundantly clear how to run a fartlek workout successfully. To accomplish this, we will need to separate fartleks from other workout types as well as define clearly the purpose and spirit of the workout.

Delineating Common Workout Types
It might be said that there are really only two types of workouts at a fundamental level. Nuances aside, there are workouts that involve sustained running at a given pace, and there are workouts that involve some kind of change of pace or intervals of varying efforts. This being true, fartleks fall under the category of interval types of workouts.
More accurately, though, fartlek and interval are somewhat interchangeable terms. A fartlek workout is really just any combination of faster and slower running over a given duration. What makes it different from other interval workouts has more to do with purpose than form. 
Hearkening back to its origin, a fartlek is a playtime run (recall the translation of the word fartlek: “speed play”). To apply that properly, a runner must then use a fartlek workout differently than other intervals. Primarily, a runner must seek to engage a spectrum of efforts within a single workout along with easy running rest periods.
Additionally, at its core, a fartlek ought to differ from other workouts by being more precisely attuned to each athlete, and not merely to each athlete but even more to each athlete in each instance. One might therefore note that the fartlek workout is the runner’s tool to getting exactly what is needed in the moment of needing it.

Achieving the Spirit of the Fartlek Workout
Understanding that fartleks are both highly variable and differentiated, the aforementioned ambiguity and uncertainty makes perfect sense. Or maybe makes no sense at all. 
This is also why when seeking to run a fartlek, the question “But what exactly should I do?” is actually not very easy to answer. It’s also simply bad practice to try to answer it. (Which is why, for those of you whom we have coached, we are unapologetic in providing an unsatisfactory answer! But fear not and read on…)
First, the answer has to begin with the purpose and spirit of how to run a fartlek workout. The format in general terms is playing with speed across various efforts and paces, so the central purpose, therefore, is neuromuscular. Additionally, the goal of the workout is to provide the stimulation needed at that moment for that runner. Therefore, the spirit of the workout is to respond to the body’s needs both in terms of needs identified in recent training and needs manifesting as the workout unfolds.
This is incredibly challenging!
We are suggesting that in order to achieve the purpose and spirit of the workout, we need to be able to make in-workout decisions and adjustments without the input from a coach. The best coaching during a fartlek looks like this: “How are you feeling? Does it feel better to go faster or slow it down a little? Do you need to jog longer between pace changes? Do you want to try throwing in something different?”
Coaching someone through a fartlek requires knowing realtime reactions to questions like these. That’s not especially practical, though.
With this in mind, we really need an aid to achieving the intuitive goal without so much thinking.

A Framework for Executing an Effective Fartlek Workout
Let’s build a simple yet highly effective framework. With this in mind, we should be able to successfully achieve the goal very nearly every time we run a fartlek. The framework involves making 3 decisions on repeat in response to two simple physiological cues.

Decision 1: Should I pick it up now?
CUE: Am I feeling fresh enough to go fast?
As you are jogging (be it the warmup before the workout begins or a rest jog between faster sections), once you begin to feel fully recovered and comfortable, your body should be ready for another pace change. All you need to determine here is whether it’s time to get up and go.

Decision 2: How fast should I go?
Once you start accelerating (or perhaps just before), determine how fast you want to go. This is not complicated because the intent is variety. Whatever you did most recently, do something a little different. This can range from strong steady effort running up to and including short wind sprints (we call them leg speed  or running form strides).

Decision 3: Should I slow down now?
CUE: Are my legs starting to fatigue at this current effort?
As you push at the increased effort, monitor how you are feeling. Naturally, if you decided in #2 to go substantially faster, you are going to fatigue sooner. The key is slowing down before you cannot handle the pace any more.
Then repeat!
A fartlek can occupy a total duration of a wide spectrum, depending on the nature of the need (though we do not recommend doing fartleks for longer than 60 minutes total, including the jogging rest between). As you execute the workout, simply focus on how you are feeling, interspersing lots of variety along with plenty of easy jogging between faster efforts. 

Why This is Helpful
Knowing now how to effectively implement fartleks, we ought to reflect a moment on why this type of workout offers value to our training. In a word, variety. 
Fartleks are the Swiss Army Knife workout (yes, yes - I know it’s Swedish). They provide the opportunity to fill gaps in many ways because by their very nature, they can be whatever we want or need them to be in a given moment. For example, during such periods as general base training or conditioning work, fartleks provide a chance for some light and quick sessions without excessively taxing the energy system like hard interval workouts are prone to do. Additionally, during a more intense race-specific coordination period, fartleks are a great chance to keep in touch with training elements that might not be as present.
This is why fartleks are neuromuscular in nature and also why variety as well as substantial jogging periods are essential.
Now, don’t just take our word for it. Give that framework a try on your next fartlek session, then let us know how it went!

By Zach Ripley, running coach and co-founder of AtoZrunning
Originally published on AtoZrunning.com

Video: Quality Practice

Quality Practice with Dr. Brian Zuleger, CMPC

https://coachesinsider.com/track-x-country/quality-practice-with-dr-brian-zuleger-cmpc-missouri-institute-for-positive-coaching/

Watch as Coach explains that a quality practice is practicing with a purpose to prepare to perform. Athletes and coaches need to focus on what are they doing to prepare to be effective in practice or team competition. Some athletes and coaches are good in practice but not so in competition and this is usually a result of not preparing for the performance environment which relates to a quality practice. Coach will discuss the illusion of balance, stating that if you are chasing success there will be a lack of balance in your life.

 

Strength Running Podcast 163- Professor Brian Zuleger

163. Professor Brian Zuleger on the Mental Strengths of Youth, Community, and Fun
Brian Zuleger is a professor of sport psychology at Adams State University, where he is also the mental strength coach for the Cross Country and Track and Field teams. He works directly with athletes in an integrative, holistic approach.
Brian is a certified Exercise Physiologist from the American College of Sports Medicine. He applies his education with the athletes he works with as a personal trainer and coach.
We discuss the partnership that he has with athletes, the skills that they focus on, and their unique psychology. We talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the youthful mindset, as well as what adult runners can take away.
We also talk about:
Healthy ways to view competition Temptation of numbers-driven outcomes Getting unstuck after a bad workout Advantages of having a team Show Links & Resources:
Check out Brian's website Connect on Instagram Sign up for our free course on confidence, focus, and mental toughness Thank you  to the  Run Smarter Podcast!
The Run Smarter Podcast is our newest sponsor that I know you'll love. Hosted by Brodie Sharpe, an expert in physiology, it aims to bridge the information gap for recreational runners and the field of physiotherapy.
Brodie is an expert in this and is passionate about helping runners perform their best. Alongside the valuable resources shared in the Run Smarter Podcast, he offers online physiotherapy to help runners recovery from injuries.
When I joined Brodie to discuss how to create the best training plan, I was impressed with his thoughtful questions and commitment to science-based information. Check out more of his episodes on The Run Smarter Podcast and subscribe to get the newest ones. I know you'll really enjoy it!

Active Isolated Flexibility (guided routine)

Active Isolated Flexibility (AIF) was originally popularized by Jim and Phil Wharton as a method for effectively and intuitively increasing mobility. As an approach, AIF leverages the agonist/antagonist pairing of muscle groups to functionally contract and elongate muscle tissues. Watch this video for a complete guided routine of AIF especially attuned to runners.
For more, visit atozrunning.com  

True Strength Training

It’s fair to say that most runners today know that they need to do some form of strength training in order to perform better and reduce injury risk. It is also pretty common knowledge that running hills never did qualify as true strength training;) However, when I see patients in my clinic and runners in our club, there are still many misconceptions about what true strength training is and how to incorporate it into your run program. If you are training for a 5K, would you run a 20 mile long run? Probably not. If you are training for a marathon, are you going to spend lots of time doing 100m sprints with full recovery? While a little speed work does help, it would not be enough to get you acorss 26.2 miles. Let’s see if we can shed some light on what effective strength training for runners might look like. Just a heads up that I hate being told the first 2 steps of a 5 steps process and then “you’ll figure it out”, so there is a lot of info in here so you can actually safely apply the following concepts tomorrow.

Let’s start with a few definitions:
Strength: the ability to move a load a certain distance. If you can lift 150lbs off the floor and someone else can only do 100lbs, you are stronger by definition. (to improve pure strength, lifting 80-90% of 1 rep max, having 1-2 reps in reserve, doing only 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps with 3-5 MINUTES of TOTAL rest, that’s the hardest part for us endurance runners :)
Muscle Endurance: the ability to move a certain load over a certain amount of time, with more time being equated to better endurance. This time component can be measured in time or repetitions. (often achieved in the 3 sets of 20 type ranges, with a lot of reps in reserve)
Hypertrophy: in the context of our muscles this means growth in size of muscles. More size does have the ability to become more strength, though there is an optimal balance in size and the weight that it means you are carrying on your body. (lifting 8-12 reps at 70% of 1 rep max/ about 3 reps in reserve is the sweet spot here)
Power: is load (strength) over time, the ability to move a load quickly. If you and a friend both move 150lbs  from floor to waist, but you do it faster, you are more powerful. You can improve power by moving the same load even faster, OR by moving a heavier load as fast as you did the lighter load. One of these variables has a lot more potential to change than the other… the amount of load, or strength. (lifting at 50% of 1 rep max but focusing on speed is crucial here. With power training, a dab'll do ya, so only a few reps and sets are needed, similar to pure strength, but even longer rest time. Also, plyometric work can shine here, think jumping tasks of any kind).

Running is mostly a sport of power trying to be sustained over time. A rare combination of power and endurance. Each stride is all about power, but we need to be able to continue this powerful single leg hop for many many miles. The goal of a good strength program should be to develop pure strength in your sagittal plane (forwards/ backwards plane) in order to make you more powerful with each stride, while also addressing decent endurance factors to keep that power coming over and over. Now, if you only weigh 150lbs, and can only squat 135 lbs., even at 30 reps (3 sets of 10 sound familiar to everyone?) there is only so much power you can generate to propel yourself forward. But if we can increase that squat to 225lbs over the course of several months, it becomes really easy to push 150lbs with each stride, and takes less energy in each stride to do that, leaving you more energy to go faster and longer. So how do we get there? 

This is where most runners are not aware that their program is probably heavily under-dosing the stimulus (read weight/ load) necessary to do this. We need to have seasons where we lift heavy, just as when we go high mileage and intensity a certain number of weeks out from a key race so we have our body prepared for the rigors of race day. We want to consider the 35 rule: 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps with 3-5 minutes rest in between, done at 80-90% of 1 rep max. So if you max out your deadlift at 150lbs, you want to shoot for 4x4 at about 130lbs. You will have only done 16 total reps

Pure strength has very little to do with the ability of the muscle fibers themselves, but rather the nerve to said muscle recruiting ALL the fibers to participate. It’s like the 80-20 rule being fixed. (80% of the work is done by 20% of the group, while the other 80% of the people cheer on the first 20%). By recruiting more muscle fibers the ones already working do not have to do more work, instead they do what they have been doing, but help arrives to move the load. So when you tap into pure strength training sections of your run strength program, you usually end up with LESS soreness than in the endurance and hypertrophy stages. And note the 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps for hypertrophy… if you have started lifting heavier, but stayed in that range, you are actually in the sweet spot for putting on that bulk that I often hear is not desired. If I had a nickel for every time a runner told me they did not lift heavy because they did not want to bulk up, my 5 year old’s college fund would be near complete already.
A couple quick thoughts on benefits of pure strength training:

1. You become stronger and faster
2. Your bones become MORE dense than running can offer, like SIGNIFICANTLY more
3. Your tendons and ligaments become better hydrated
4. In general your body becomes more robust and ready to handle the demands of the pounding that running is, reducing injury risk.
5. If you are a trail runner, you have better ability to skip around on the technical terrain like a mountain goat, reacting to whatever comes underfoot

sample strength training program

Strength routine for runners:
(this is NOT an exhaustive list of all the best lifts for runners, but does do a good job of challenging multiple planes of movement plus addressing a couple big lifts to get stronger legs and glutes and back. Shoot for 2x/ week with this routine.

Running EMOM:
Run strength EMOM (every minute on the minute: start a stopwatch, at each minute, switch to the other side or the next exercise. When you get to the last exercise, go back to the beginning)

side lying plank (with leg lift) Right
side lying plank (with leg lift) Left
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR84WQVhdIE
OR
banded toe taps Right
banded toe taps Left
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIPgv73d0gU

reverse step down Right
reverse step down left
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTA7h9bJ4V8
OR
single leg deadlift Right
Single leg deadlift Left
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84hrdsHgDuQ&t=130s

Pallof press Right
Pallof press Left
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtMok3ON0lQ
OR
Chaos pallof press to each side
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCAv2_3Bas0

Reverse plank
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNAxdJ6Bt00
OR
banded SLR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYb6M2mvtAU&list=PLVD4umAhljU9mq3csn_OulWVJaMkwRRHJ&index=4

45 seconds on, 15 seconds off each exercise for a total of 14 minutes

Above is a great first half of the workout routine. Rest an honest 3 minutes, then follow with emphasis on 1 of the following lifts:
Squat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3HlEF_E9fo&t=95s
Romanian Deadlift: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytGaGIn3SjE&t=421s (key difference vs. regular deadlift https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4usyq_IHdkg&t=24s, do the Romanian version at first is recommended, but the conventional deadlift is an amazing full body load)
Bulgarian split squat:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4LVK1crLSw&t=345s
Weighted hip thrust: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp26q4BY5HE

First 2 months: shoot for 3 sets of 15 with 5 reps in reserve (so if I said actually you have to do 21, you would say, you could do 20, but not 21). You can often figure out what this is using a 1 rep max calculator. On your first day, on the last set, go for an As Many Reps As Possible (AMRAP) round and see how many you can do with whatever weight you chose. Then use this calculator to help dial in roughly how much weight you should do to only have about 5 reps in reserve:
https://strengthlevel.com/one-rep-max-calculator
(just know that if you crank out a LOT of reps, this becomes less accurate the more reps you get, so hitting more than 25-30 reps means you need to try again some other day).

After 2 months: shoot for 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps at 2-3 reps in reserve to shoot for a bit more of a strength gain with some hypertrophy. If you are new to this kind of intensity with your strength programs, I recommend one 2 month session here. After this…

Think about the 35 rule: 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps with 3-5 minutes rest at a load that feels like there is 1 rep in reserve. This is a great place to build pure muscular strength with less likelihood of adding a lot of bulk. This should be the bulk of the strength work on a key lift each session. The low reps total (4x 3 reps is only 12 total reps), leaves your muscles strained (as in challenged, not injured)  and therefore stimulated for responding by getting stronger, without too much load and fatigue overall so you can hit the big mileages in your running program.

Rotate throught about 2 months of each set of paramters for the big lift (3x15, 3x 8-12, 3-5x3-5).
 

Dr. Brian Zuleger: Mental Performance Training in Track and Field

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-brian-zuleger-mental-performance-training-in-track/id1544810395?i=1000566977523

Sport is chaotic. During an athletic career, athletes are tasked with making a lot of decisions that compound over time and will dictate their trajectory.
Dr. Brian Zuleger, is a Mental Performance Consultant who has worked with Track and Field athletes, both as a Coach and Sports Psychologist.
In this episode, Dr. Zuleger explains how Mental Performance Training can equip athletes to navigate the chaos and remove the often self-imposed barriers that separate them from their better selves.

Mental Performance Coaching Process

Mental Performance Coaching Process
Rapport, Roles and Expectations

• Establish and maintain rapport with the individual/s.
• Explain the role of a mental strength coach within the specific setting or system with individual/s and important others.
• Explain what is expected of the individual.
• Explain/describe the mental training process.
• Explain your mental strength coaching philosophy (e.g. holistic approach)
• Discuss and/or clarify the mental training process (e.g., Informed consent, documentation, contract, confidentiality, limits of availability) to help individual/s make informed decisions.

• Obtain and summarize individual, team/group and organizational assessment data and information pertaining to performance via interviews, direct observation, the administration of questionnaires and standardized tests, collaboration with other professionals, etc. Assessment includes but is not limited to:
• Observing performance
• Obtaining a sport history
• Obtaining collateral assessment data and information
• Determining important factors in the performance environment (e.g., organizational characteristics (leadership, culture, dynamics), relationships with coaches)
• Identifying personal characteristics (e.g., family, SES, social values, personality, cognitive ability, motivation)
• Identifying perceived individual and organizational strengths and weaknesses
• Obtaining a health and injury history
• Identifying significant life events that may be affecting performance
• Identifying/assessing individual/s beliefs and biases about sport psychology

• Integrate and evaluate assessment data within a theoretical framework of performance excellence, evidence-based practice and professional judgment.
• Collaborate with the individual/s, and when appropriate, members of the performance team (e.g., coaches, colleagues, and other professionals) to formulate a plan to determine and prioritize goals and desired outcomes.
• Identify personal and systemic resources and barriers related to the achievement of goals and desired outcomes.

• Implement a performance plan that looks at how mental skills potential blend together to form greater mental competencies [e.g. Focus (mindfulness, self-talk, concentration)]
• Implement a performance plan combining awareness, education and action to facilitate achievement of desired outcomes.
• Implement a performance plan providing and obtaining feedback as the individual/s work toward achieving the goals and desired outcomes.

• Assess progress, reset goals and/or revise implementation strategies and techniques either as part of a continuing process/relationship (e.g., on continuing basis, yearly, season-by-season) or as part of assisting individual/s in making progress towards established goals.
• When possible and appropriate, obtain feedback from individual/s on consultant effectiveness.
• When ethically appropriate, obtain feedback from coaches/leadership regarding performer utilization of mental skills training and mental strength coach effectiveness.
• Consolidate progress and conclude the professional relationship when appropriate based upon people working with and/or professional opinion.

• Engage in activities to maintain and enhance professional competence.
• Practice in a manner consistent with applicable laws, regulations and the AASP Code of Ethical Principles and Standards.
• Engage in a process of self-reflective practice that includes a process of continuous learning.
• Recognize their own biases, stereotypes and misconceptions to prevent them from interfering with their relationships with individual/s.
• Recognize the limits of their knowledge and skills and accordingly refer individuals to, or seek collaboration with other qualified professionals, as necessary.
• Engage in activities that enhance their knowledge and skills that relate to their supervision of professional colleagues seeking certification.

High Jumping the JAC Way

https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/eaac6d7c-0756-4535-8501-322c7f60eea9/downloads/The_High_Jump.pdf?ver=1578585243962

Lifestyle Factors and Running Injuries

Injuries happen. They’re part of every sport or activity, and typically will happen to almost everyone at some point over their training career. Often when people step into our office, they tell us about the single movement that led to the ache or pain that they are experiencing. Unfortunately, except in the case of significant trauma (ex: NFL running back tears his ACL while being tackled) this is almost never the case. Overuse injuries, or even “tweaks” do not happen in a vacuum. They’re not caused by that one, single wrong movement. They are often caused by many, repetitive wrong movements and choices that could have been improved along the way. But what else impacts the severity or frequency of injuries we deal with?

There are many factors involved in almost every issue we face, and it is hard to determine exactly how much of a role each factor plays. Let’s explore some of the most important ones you should consider. 

Sleep
Prioritizing sleep goes a long way for many reasons and is a crucial aspect of injury prevention. Sleeping accelerates our recovery processes including recovery from inflammation, muscle repair and restocking cellular energy. Aside from being the prime time that our muscles and bones recover from the stressors of daily life, the recovery and rest for the brain and nervous system may be the most important piece of sleeping. Aim for eight hours of sleep per night as getting less correlates with an increase in injury risk. 

Nutrition
What we eat impacts our performance, recovery and how we feel. In general aim to make the majority of what you eat consist of whole food sources with plenty of vegetables and healthy fats. Yes, carbohydrates are important for energy, but don’t forget the protein. Most of the endurance athletes we work with are significantly under consuming protein for their body mass and activity level. For proper muscle recovery and repair we must eat an adequate amount of protein. Our general guideline is to aim for ~1g/lb of body weight per day.

Stress Management
How we manage our stress has a big impact on our ability to have the energy to train hard, and recover well. We all have things that cause stress in our lives, whether it be work, family dynamics, finances, traffic, traveling, you name it. What is important is that we have a strategy around combating these stressors with healthy outlets so that they do not wreak havoc on our bodies and nervous/immune systems. Running is a great outlet! Sleep, nutrition and hydration also impact this a great deal. Have you ever noticed that when you get stressed, you crave junk food? Me too! Unfortunately, the more we give into that temptation the more our body craves that outcome. 

Hydration
Fluid intake is another key aspect to injury prevention and recovery. Adequate hydration helps maintain soft tissue integrity during workouts and also helps clear waste from muscle tissue post workout. Pre and post workout hydration is crucial and coffee doesn’t count! Aim for a daily amount of at least half of your body weight in ounces of water. That’s 75oz for a 150 pound individual. Now, that’s a baseline to hit for everyone, even before factoring in training or activity level. Replace lost fluids in addition to this.  If you are exercising and sweating regularly it is generally a good idea to include some form of electrolyte replacement into the mix. Often, when doing a great job following the guidelines in the nutrition section above, we are under consuming sodium. We recommend sodium supplementation to many of our athletes. 

Movement
It is hard to quantify the importance that daily movement plays on our ability to be resilient from injury. What we do know is that individuals with sedentary jobs or lifestyles tend to lack mobility, range of motion, strength and tolerance to exercise much more than those who are moving often. Take the typical desk worker for example. Yes, it’s true that standing work stations are preferred over sitting, however just this one change alone is not enough! What’s important is to change positions often throughout the day and get our body into different shapes. Think about getting your hips, ankle, shoulder, spine etc. through a full range of motion for a few minutes and then return to your work. Remember, cliches don’t become cliches unless they are true… When it comes to mobility, if you don’t use it, you lose it. 

Before moving on let’s touch on positional errors. What we mean by this is finding ourselves in abnormal or non-optimal positions/postures throughout the day. Examples: standing with duck feet, feet turned outward, sitting in a slumped position over your keyboard or standing with your knees locked out throughout the day. These positions do not serve our tissue and joints well in the long term, though they may provide short term relaxation or stability. The more you can catch yourself and correct these throughout the day, the more natural being in a more optimal position will start to feel and you will tend to bias that way automatically! If you struggle with this, we can help.

Community
Without going down too deep of a rabbit hole – surround yourself with people that support the lifestyle you are attempting to lead. The old adage is that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time around. If you think about who those people are for you, do you like what you find? Your friend group, work circle, and training environment are all things where community and camaraderie make a big difference. Small modifications go a long way. 

We don’t recommend biting off more than you can chew in an effort to implement these things if you find holes in your day. Instead, make small changes, work to be consistent with them until you build a habit. Then implement another small change. 

Until next time, happy training. 

• Andrew

Rethinking Running Injuries – 4 Causes You Should Be Aware Of

In this post we are going to discuss three things related to running related injuries – Why they happen, how to manage them, and what to address to bounce back from them quickly. As we talked about in our last running blog Running: Expectations vs. Reality, running is one of the most common exercise activities in the world. Unfortunately, runners have a high prevalence of injuries with up to 80% of runners sustaining an injury in a given year. This number creeps even higher when we consider marathon running, where nearly 90% of marathoners experience an injury throughout their training cycle!

With advances in footwear and healthcare technology, as well as the increasing knowledge around training and nutrition guidelines, why then do injury rates remain so high in the sport of running?

Let’s explore four causes that lead to running related injuries that you should be aware of.

Training Errors
Training errors generally involve improper progression of the volume or intensity of one’s training. One of the most common training errors is simply doing too much, too soon. In general, the less experienced or conditioned you are the slower the process should be. However, having experience or being in shape doesn’t mean you can skip the process all together. Volume and intensity must be built slowly over time.  

Another important aspect that falls under training errors would be an incomplete training regimen. We often see runners who are missing a proper warm-up, cool down, and strength training program. We all struggle with not having enough time to do all of the things we want throughout the day or the week. Three things to not sweep under the rug when it comes to avoiding a running related injury would be the warm-up, cool down, and strength training routine.

Last but not least, we will touch on the importance of recovery. When we are training hard we have to provide the body with adequate time to rest and recover to reap the benefits of our training load. Building active recovery days into our schedule is an important factor to staying healthy and performing at our best ability level.

Movement Dysfunction
This item boils down to our ability to move our body through full ranges of motion without significant compensations. When discussing running specifically, it is important to focus on the feet, ankles, knees, hips, and spine mobility. Limitations in one or more of these areas will alter our running mechanics and increase the likelihood that we sustain some sort of injury. These issues generally happen slowly over time as a result of not using the range of motion that we are capable of. 

Lifestyle Factors
It is complicated to determine how much of an impact our lifestyle plays into our ability to resist injury. What is not complicated is knowing that it is a major contributor! Which lifestyle factors are most important when it comes to reducing injury risk for runners? Here are a few factors to focus on: sleep, nutrition, stress management, hydration, daily movement, footwear selection, and positional errors. 

In general, the more dialed in you have each one of these factors, the more you will be able to challenge your body without breaking down. Each of these factors are areas that we address with our clients regularly.

External Factors
This section addresses the variables that are out of your individual control. Sometimes injuries are accidents, such as slipping or falling during a run. As a result, we are now in a position to treat and recover from an unexpected injury.

Another external factor we must take into consideration is our competitive nature or the amount of adrenaline we exert. We’ve all had times where we get into the heat of the moment, push ourselves a little harder than we were prepared for, but don’t notice any negative repercussions until after the fact. Remember, the more you prepare your body with the items mentioned above, the less this external factor will play a role in leading to injury. 

We hope this article educated you on running-related injuries and provided guidance in how to best avoid and manage injuries moving forward. 

If you’re interested in discussing this topic in more detail or if you’re struggling with an injury and seeking support, please feel free to call us at 720.316.9974 or email Dr. Andrew directly at andrew@physioroomco.com

Train Smart, Run Healthy: Understanding Training Errors

In today’s post we are going to talk about training errors. Training errors generally involve improper progression of the volume or intensity of one’s training. One of the most common causes of injury is simply doing too much, too soon. In general, the less experienced or conditioned you are the slower the process should be to ramp into training. However, having experience or being in shape doesn’t mean you can skip the process altogether. 

Follow the 10% Rule
If you have taken long periods off from running, your running volume should be built back up slowly over time. General recommendations are to follow the “10% Rule” or to increase your mileage approximately 10% per week over time. There is evidence to suggest that trained runners can advance a little quicker than that, though injury rates increase dramatically as the percentage of volume nears or exceeds 30% week over week.

This is extremely important when it comes to reducing the risk of sustaining an injury, and one of the first questions we ask our clients. Generally, our cardiovascular fitness improves more quickly than the body tissues can keep up with, which makes it challenging to hold ourselves back. The primary reason to progress gradually over time is to allow the tissues to adapt and build our structural integrity. This means our muscles, joints, bones, tendons, ligaments, etc.

Develop a Complete Training Routine
Another important aspect that falls under training errors would be an incomplete training routine. We often see runners who are missing a proper warm-up, cool-down, and strength training program. We all struggle with not having enough time to do all of the things we want throughout the day or the week; though these three things should not be skipped. 
While strength training builds tolerance in our tissues to the rigors of running, warm-ups are pivotal to priming the body for the movement and strain you’re about to endure. Cool-downs on the other hand normalize tissue function through movement while reducing heart and respiratory rate. 

Recovery
Last but not least, we will touch on the importance of recovery. When we are training hard we have to provide the body with adequate time to rest and recover to reap the benefits of our training. Building active recovery days into our schedule is an important concept.

In high level running it is not uncommon to see training schedules that involve running all seven days of the week. For most people, we do not recommend this, but rather scale the frequency back to 5-6 days at most in order to reduce injury risk. That doesn’t mean you should do nothing on those other days of the week. Continuing to be active, work on mobility drills, or resistance training would be good uses of your time when you are not running. Even when you are training consecutive days throughout the week, each training session should not be extremely taxing. One of the sure fire ways to increase your risk of an injury is by trying to make every run intense. Variety in training is important to allow you to continue training for a lifetime.

What Is Your Core And How Can You Activate It?

Have you been told to “turn on” your core when you exercise? Do you struggle to understand where these muscles are and how to effectively activate? If so, you’re not alone. Let’s discuss what your core is and how to activate so you can become stronger, healthier, and more resilient to injury.

What is your core?
What muscles do you think make up your core? There are a lot of muscles in the abdominal area that are considered part of the core. The main purpose of the core is to provide stability without limiting mobility.  If you contract the upper abdominals and then try to bend backwards, you will find it hard to complete the same range of motion if you were not contracting these muscles.

The four muscle groups that make up the core are the transverse abdominis, the multifidi, the diaphragm, and the pelvic floor. The purpose of these muscles is to support you while you move and to manage the pressure within your abdomen and pelvis while you perform different activities. When these muscles are not working optimally, symptoms such as low back pain, urinary incontinence and difficulty progressing with movements may develop.

How can you activate your core?
1.) Focus on the transverse abdominis
To activate, you may have been told to suck your belly button in towards your spine or rotate your pelvis so when you are laying on your back you flatten your spine into the floor. While these are good tips, I tend to find that they often cause you to over contract and engage extra muscles. The cue I prefer is to “bring your hip bones together”.  While you won’t actually generate any motion, this helps to bring the contraction lower in your abdomen and keep your upper abs and glutes from overpowering.  If you bring your fingers about 2 inches in towards your belly button from your hip bones, you should feel this area firm up without pushing up with the contraction. 

2.) Focus on the pelvic floor
While it tends to be talked about more with females, both females and males have a pelvic floor. However,  the anatomy changes slightly and therefore, cueing on how to activate is adjusted.  The one cue most people are used to hearing is to stop the sensation of having to use the restroom.  This direction may cause you to over engage and can lead to bladder dysfunction. 

To engage these muscles, you want to stop the sensation of flatulence, and “zip” that contraction forward.  This should be a gentle contraction and you should feel supported without feeling like you are working too hard.  You can then add the above transverse abdominis contraction to create a well-supportive sling.

I encourage you to try these exercises and consider incorporating into your overall fitness routine. Stay tuned for part two of this blog series, which will cover the remaining muscle groups that make up your core. If you have any questions, feel free to connect with me at amber@physioroomco.com

Psoas, Back, Tailbone pain

This release allows for self care in the low back and pelvis. 
Women: if the pain persists, particularly around a cycle of the month, Contact your OBGyn as it can be a sign that there is something more going on. The Uterus and Cervix both refer pain into the tailbone. 

Why Pain can become Chronic

Every nerve has an action potential 
People with Chronic pain have a lower threshold before the Action potential stimulates the pain response. 

What is Laser THerapy

Class IV laser can be a huge advantage in the recovery process from injury. 

Essential Oils

Essential oils have a multitude of uses. They can be important in overall cellular health, immune system protection, Detoxification, and a clean home. 

Improving Your Squat - Part 1

Improve your squat with Dr. Andrew Fix of the Physio Room! This is the first in a 3 part series. 

Lower Leg Mobilization For Runners - Anterior Tibialis

The anterior tibialis! If you've never spent time on this muscle in your lower leg and you're a runner.. well, you just might want to start! Too often we give our quads and calves most of the attention and we miss other areas of the lower leg.  Dr. Andrew will walk you through this simple anterior tibialis mobilization! Give it a try. 

90/90 Hip Stretch

The 90/90 hip stretch is one of our favorite hip mobilizations for after exercise and especially for our runners out there. Get into the routine of doing this one and you will steadily improve your hip mobility, keep those hips healthy and decrease risk of exercise or sport related injuries down the road.

Why you should STOP rolling out your IT band with Dr. Andrew Fix

Rolling out your IT band isn't necessarily a bad thing.. but we find that most people actually don't need to focus on this area to solve the problem they're trying to fix. The problem is likely stemming from your TFL upstream. In this video, Dr. Andrew will explain why this is more effective and why you should stop wasting so much of your time on your IT band.

Hip Strengthening Exercise for Lower Back Pain / Hip Pain / Knee Pain

This is a great hip strengthening exercise that we like to give many of our clients that experience lower back pain, hip pain, knee pain.. or maybe they're cyclists, runner or sit at a a desk all day. So really, this exercise can benefits almost everyone. All you'll need is a small band! This exercise will strengthen your hip flexors which is going to make it easier when you're running, cycling and might even help reduce some of that tightness you feel in the front of your hip.

Great Lower Body Exercise For Runners With Dr. Andrew Fix | Physio Room Co

Are you a runner and looking for some lower body exercises to strengthen your ankles and calves? Try this exercise! It's called the "Hover Walk".

How To Strengthen Your Calves

We’ve talked about how to stretch the calves (check out previous videos if you missed it) but today is all about strengthening those muscles! So find a slightly elevated area and give these exercises a try!

How to PROPERLY stretch your calf!

We have two sets of calf muscles; the gastrocnemius and the soleus. The gastroc is the muscle most of us think of as our calf and the soleus is a longer muscle that runs underneath. When we stretch the calf we want to make sure we're targeting both muscles because they both come together to form the achilles tendon. In today's video, Dr. Andrew will walk you through how to properly stretch both calf muscles!

Dorsiflexion & Plantarflexion Ankle Mobilization (No equipment needed)

Today’s ankle mobilization can be done exactly where you are with no equipment so kick off your shoes & go through this one with us! This technique will improve ankle dorsiflexion (the ability to bring your toes closer to your shin) as well as plantarflexion (pointing your toes forward). Both are important for proper ankle function and stabilization!

Lock In Your Mentality

The final piece to our Ready to Run Checklist is to find your lock in mentality! We're talking about the mental aspect of your training. What are the things you're doing to prep yourself mentally for your run? If you have a system set in place for yourself, you have a much higher chance of setting yourself up for success on your runs. Not only will you be in the right head space but you'll get a better quality run in. Allow Dr. Andrew to explain further in this video and be sure to check out the rest of our Ready to Run Checklist if you haven't done so already. Each video is packed with valuable information that could really improve your running.

Strength Training For Runners

Is strength training important for runners? Yes, absolutely! It will improve your running ability, make you more resilient to injury, improve your running economy resulting in you running faster and you'll be able to run longer feeling better. Allow Dr. Andrew to take you through our recommendations when it comes to strength training.

How to Properly Warm-up & Cool Down for EVERY Run

One of the best ways to not only prevent injury when you run but to simply run more comfortably is to go through a proper warm-up and cool down before and after every single run. Most people believe the first mile of their run is their warm-up but there are a few exercises you'll definitely want to add to your warm-up routine to better prepare your body for the repetitiveness of running. The good news is, it really only takes about 5 minutes. Dr. Andrew will take you through his full warm up routine as well as cool down so you can feel your absolute best the next time you head out on your run.

Training At Your Pace

Today is all about not comparing yourself to the person next to you and training at your own pace. Often times we push ourselves harder than our bodies are ready for and increase injury risk when we run because we're trying to keep up with a pace we're not yet ready for. This helps us to train smarter. Allow yourself to improve over time but remember to stay at YOUR pace, not someone else's.

Progress Slowly With Your Training

Welcome back to our Ready to Run Checklist with Dr. Andrew Fix. Today’s video is about knowing what you are and are not ready for when it comes to your running routine or training. This idea of progressing slowly just may be the most important item on our checklist. In this video, Dr. Andrew will provide you with some general recommendations you can use to decrease your risk of a running related injuries.

Proper Head Position When Running

Believe it or not, your head position when you run can either make you a more efficient runner or a less efficient runner. In today's video, Dr. Andrew will walk you through a drill that will allow you to better control your head position. Apply this principle to your next run and notice how much more efficient you feel.

Spine Mobility

Today is all about SPINE MOBILITY and why it's actually pretty important for runners!

Hip Mobility & Squats

Welcome back to our Ready to Run Checklist with Dr. Andrew Fix. Today is all about hip mobility and squats. Can you squat with full range of motion? Are your hips too tight? Are your glutes firing? We'll discuss that and more in today's video as well as give you a test to see just how good your squat mechanics really are and if your hips are what's actually holding you back.

Ankle Mobility

Welcome back to our Ready to Run Checklist with Dr. Andrew Fix - today is all about ankle mobility and this is important because anyone that does activities on their feet (which is almost everyone) needs adequate mobility in their ankles for going up and down hills, stepping on and off curbs and sidewalks, the list goes on. If we don't have proper mobility here then we can be setting ourselves up for problems.

Bracing Your Spine

Welcome back to our 12 part Ready to Run Checklist series! In today's video we talk about the importance of bracing your spine when we run. Common faults we often see in runners is an over-arched lumbar or a rounded thoracic spine and we lose that relationship between our spine and hips.

Foot Mobility & Strength

Welcome back to our 12 part Ready to Run Checklist series! In today's video we talk about the importance of foot mobility & strength as it relates to running as well as give you a few exercises that you can do on your own to improve overall foot function.

Listen To Your Body

Welcome back to our 12 part Ready to Run Checklist series! In today's video we talk about the first item on the checklist; Listen to your body! This is such a key component to training whether you're training for a running event or training in general.

Post Pregnancy Plank Progression, Part 3

Part 3: At this point you should be ready to move into the final plank progression. Dr. Amber walks you through the correct way to hold a plank to decrease your risk of over-compensation and put you in the best possible position for maximum core strengthening. She will also show you ways to modify this final plank position if you still find it to be difficult. If you're interested in a one-on-one session with Dr. Amber please reach out at amber@physioroomco.com

Post Pregnancy Plank Progression, Part 2

Part 2: Many core-strengthening exercise programs for woman after having a baby includes movements like Planks - which are great! However, being able to do a plank effectively after pregnancy isn’t always feasible. In this Part 2 video, Dr. Amber walks you through more plank progressions that will help you begin the process of building up that core strength so you can go back to normal exercise while putting your body in a more optimal position.