Movement has 2 aspects; Solving a movement problem like taking a step, changing direction, getting up from the floor etc. Liberating degrees of freedom. In our exploration of the task, our highest expression is to perform the movement with the greatest ease. This can be done by becoming clear on the task via improved coordination, or loading the task by increasing the demand. Moving is a series of chain responses that are highly integrated. The functional view of training asks that we load movement, rather than being concerned with strengthening muscles. The muscles involved in the chain of movement will increase their firing through facilitation and this constitutes the adaptation. The body-brain is a global system and needs to be trained as such. The 3 characteristics of functional movement adaptation using Power Bands are; the body is working against gravity ground reaction forces are present in overload and overspeed form the athlete is dealing with their own momentum Power Bands are a load enhancer that strengthen the loading phase (overload) and neurologically quicken the unloading phase (overspeed).  What this means for the athlete is; they are stronger against gravity they become more effective at controlling momentum (deceleration) while increasing foot [...]

Recent research performed at three prestigious academic facilities sheds light on the virtues of resistance training to optimize cardiac health. Research completed at Harvard University, the Michigan Technological Institute (MTI) and the University of Western Australia may give weight lifting a whole new image. In the Harvard study, over 44 000 US men were checked at two year intervals between 1986 and 1998 to assess potential heart disease factors, health status and activity levels. The Harvard scientists found that men who jogged regularly each week showed a 42% reduction in risk for heart disease. However, the men who trained with weights only once a week showed a 23% risk reduction. These results suggest that training with weighs maybe more efficient a providing protection against heart disease. The research performed by MTI scientists revealed the effectiveness of resistance training to normalize high blood pressure. After eight weeks of weight training, a group of healthy volunteers showed a significant decrease in resting blood pressure (130/69 to 121/61). These results add weight to the growing amount of evidence that suggests weight training “normalizes” a person’s blood pressure. Australian researchers have recently showed that resistance training is an effective form of rehabilitation for heart [...]

In the last 6 months I have seen a change in the way people are training and how gymnasiums are being equipped. This change is the biggest revolution since the introduction of electronic cardiovascular equipment into the Fitness Centre and it’s the new game changer. In my 19 years of strength and conditioning experience, the last half a year has been the most exciting. Dumbells are being pushed to the side and kettlebells are replacing them. Non-slip rubber matting is replacing carpet. Chin-up apparatus is taking the place of latpulldown machines. Fitness Centres are becoming real places to train again and less of a place to put on false mirror muscles. Fitness is fun and everyone is challenging themselves with innovative training programs, exercises and equipment. In the 1990’s the buzz was “functional fitness”, but we have moved beyond that. Prehab has replaced rehab and weaknesses are being attacked rather than avoided. What are the future improvements from here? I can quickly identify two: 1. Understanding and utilizing rest. You wouldn’t buy a racehorse, flog it week-in, week-out and then expect it to win races would you? But this is what many trainers are doing – expecting their clients to [...]

If you do a lot of kettlebell training, pull ups, deadlifting, rope climbing, rock climbing or anything else where you’re gripping a lot, you will most likely have tight forearms. Grip can be a limiting factor in performance, for example for most people grip endurance is the limiting factor in kettlebell snatches and for some people grip strength is the limiting factor in deadlifting.  Tight forearms will compound any grip limitations and can play a big part in preventing grip strength or endurance from improving. The forearms have a lot of small muscles that get tight very easily and this can in turn impair blood flow to the hands and even nerve function.  Forearms are also very easily overtrained and it’s not a big leap from chronic tightness in the forearms to medial or lateral epicondylitis (golfer’s elbow or tennis elbow). So, for any sort of grip training you’ll find great benefit in regularly working on the trigger points of the forearms and general massaging the area to promote good blood flow.  Not only will regular work on the forearms increase your performance in training, it’ll also help prevent long term setbacks like tendonitis. Self massage is obviously the easiest [...]

Periodisation, by definition is the attempt to categorise, or divide time into named blocks. In my opinion, it is the most important – and most difficult – to implement component of any athletic conditioning program, especially Mixed Martial Arts. You simply cannot spend all your time within one type of conditioning goal phase without neglecting other elements, getting burnt out or even worse; injured. For example, spending all your time developing power will force your cardio capabilities to suffer – but not spending enough time focussed on a specific goal will not allow it to be developed to its maximum potential. A “shotgun’ approach, such as a 1 power session, 1 strength session, 1 day cardio or 3 conditioning sessions a week cramming it all in, i.e. a power set, a strength set, an interval set etc. will also lead to failure to reach ultimate conditioning potential. A commonly used and understood example of periodisation is that of any football code. Many of us have read or heard of “pre-season” training and understand that it would be a different program to an athlete at his/her peak mid-season.  A player on the way back from injury is another example. In MMA [...]

What are they good for? Kettlebell cleans are great for: Building grip endurance Getting many of the benefits of the one arm swing, such as developing power endurance in the posterior chain, with the added bonus of being able to regulate pace and resting the grip when need be (usually the limiting factor in swings) Combinations and complexes (eg clean and press, clean and jerk) Getting the kettlebell into rack position to perform a variety of other exercises Developing skill and coordination – the clean is particularly good for developing skills that transfer to the snatch such as releasing the grip at the correct time and landing the handle in the correct position on the hand. Where to begin? Before you start cleaning you need to have two kettlebell lifting essentials down pat: the one arm swing and the rack position. I like to think about having two targets for the clean (the end of the backswing and the rack position), and then moving as directly as possible between the two.  Once you have your two targets established it becomes much simpler and you can reduce the movement to the bare essentials, which in turn results in greater efficiency and less [...]

The ability to be able to see ourselves as living and whole is key to understanding the role of the moving, breathing body, with our connection to the earth coming through the feet. The feet are our basis for uprightness, yet we constantly cover them over without much consideration to their informational role in telling us about the ground, in standing and moving.  Another important link is the role that the feet play informationally with the low back via the sensory connections between the feet and lumbo-sacral area. The most common areas of the low back that people have trouble with in relation to disc bulges is the L4-5 and L5-S1 area of the lumbar spine and sacrum.  The deep muscles of the low back send their sensory spinal nerves down to the sole of the foot.  This important link exists because of the systems’ need for information regarding movement and stability. There are mythical stories of North American Indians walking in dry river beds on pebbles when they had low back pain.  Osteopath/Acupuncturist Phillip Beach recommends that people build themselves a small rock garden in their home or office, so that they can spend about 20 minutes a day, [...]

When one understands that our so called mechanical or structural orientation is a product of neurological activity, one is invited to ask the question; how is our way of training and educational systems honouring this neurological reality? Lets look at the facts: Spinal function is a neurological behaviour. Spinal function is a behavioural response to gravity. Neurological lack is causing mechanical failure. Brain stem is where orientation is constructed and reflexes are generated to globally position, stabilise and move the spine as a dynamic whole Extensive connections between the cerebellum, vestibular apparatus and mid-line columns of neurons in the brainstem. The purpose of a reflex is to produce a behavioural response very quickly without having to involve the higher cortical centres. Mid-line (spinal) stability happens via firing of motor neurons from brain-stem level, which operate reflexively to the lower levels as a motor foundation to which the higher levels in the cortex project down using the more lateral pathways to control the limbs. Posture/stability: core of the brain-stem. Proprioceptive inputs (from the body) project into the same core area of the brain-stem. Vestibular (balance based) input controls the body, neck and eyes through the vestibular reflex, vestibular colic reflex, and [...]

Stand with the feet hip-width apart with the hands over the level of the kidneys with the thumbs facing forward and down with the fingers pressing into the deepest aspect of your lumbar spine. Pay attention to the length and width of your feet, then lift and spread your toes away from the floor.  Hold the toes up, but just enough so that you can press the first and fifth metatarsal heads into the support surface. Fill up the abdominal container by widening into your thumbs and pressing your spine back into your finger-tips, without any gross movement of the spine. Let this be the controlling principle. Send the shins forward, knees forward and away and track the angle of shins and trunk with a long spine.  Pay attention to 3 points of support at the feet, and particularly the front metatarsal heads.  Follow this down, stopping at any barriers to the movement and breathing. It is very important to be aware of every millimeter of how you are lowering the body by feeling the feet and keeping the trunk symmetrical.  Follow this down to the limit of your symmetry and hold the bottom position and breathe.  Over time, this [...]

Just a heads up re a new training facility that’s opened up in South Yarra – the High Intensity Training Centre. Head coach Scott Comber gets it. He has decked his gym with a bunch of our gear, so for those in the area looking for a great place to train check it out here: www.hit-centre.com.au Or call Scott – 0488 550 066 From the man himself…… Hey, I’m Scott and I’m the Head Coach here at the HIT Centre. I’ve spent thousands of hours helping clients build their fitness levels by teaching them to be athletes, not just gym goers. Athletes make every workout a chance to improve themselves by giving everything they can and every day is just another chance to eat right and fuel their body for maximum performance. If you come and give me your best, I’ll do everything I can to make sure you leave a fitter person.