Shoulder pain? Try this drill for relief!

This one goes out to a client of mine who experiences shoulder pain any time she raises her arm overhead. Often the reason we have shoulder pain is that the humerus or arm bone has come so far forward in the shoulder socket and rubs up against the front of the shoulder capsule.

The One arm shoulder swimmer is an awesome drill to glide the shoulder back in it's socket and get you back to action. Pay attention to my form cues in the video and perform this as part of an upper body warm up or as a stand alone exercise in your mobility routine! 

The Real Health Challenge

First, I want to apologize to all the clients over the years to whom I have suggested counting macros, going keto and religiously keeping a nutrition log.

I have watched your expression go from blank when I overloaded you with information to frustrated when yet another body fat measurement stayed the same.

The entire process begins to seems completely overwhelming because we try to do WAY to much too quickly while failing to stamp out the bad habits that got us in to this position in the first place.

But instead of following a diet or worrying about logging what we do at every meal, what if we just focused on one thing at a time? Lets set aside dieting for the moment and just talk about five undisputed habits that will lead to consistent fat loss.

My question for you is are you doing these things consistently? Until you are, it makes no sense to discuss carb to protein ratios or going keto. You haven’t been successful because you haven’t been consistent and if you can master these five things, I promise you that fat loss will follow.

This is why coach Roger Woodstock and I will be hosting our 6 weeks to Holiday Fat loss program kicking off on Monday November 4th and runs thru Sunday December 14th. It is open to current and new clients alike.

This program will involve working through the habits listed and getting you consistent at a time (the holidays) when most people are falling apart.

It involves 2-3 weekly workouts at our gym, daily education and accountability for each habit, plus a daily check in system to ensure you are sticking to the program. We team you up with a partner and the group which is most consistent over 8 weeks wins $250 and some other rad prizes.

This program will absolutely help you lose body fat, but most importantly, you will build a strong foundation going in to the New Year to really hit the ground running.

We are looking for only 8 people to test this program so if this sounds like you, feel free to email me OR text me at (863) 670-3820 for more info.

You can also sign up at https://www.fitnessrehab.info/healthyholiday

Until Next Time,

Coach Chris

Ultimate Running Guide- Part 3

Ask the average runner how they warm up (and I do because, you know, its my job) and you hear all the right things: foam rolling before leaving the house, followed by a thorough dynamic warm up before a run.

This is all well and good until I hit lake Hollingsworth on Saturday morning for a run myself and pull up next to said running statically stretching their hamstrings while smoking a fat cigar.

Flabbergasted, I ask why they would do such a thing? And their reply is always "because it is satisfying and its the way I've always done it"

So I get it, old habits die hard and this article will probably not convince you to stop stretching or smoking (just please anything but Parodis), but what it will do is present you with the most up to date information possible on warming up properly and preparing your body to run.

Why Warm up at all?

We have all heard the benefits of warming up properly and what we SHOULD do to properly prepare for a run. But then we have reality, you just want to run versus spending 20 minutes on stretching, mobility, etc.

I totally get it and I completely agree. The reason I focus at lot on mobility is not because I love mobility, but because I love performing and dominating competition. This stuff helps me to sharpen the sword and train more often without being excessively sore. It also gets me in to the MINDSET to compete. 

When I am on the soccer field doing my dynamic warm up, I watch other people sitting down and stretching their hamstrings, casually talking to other people and/or juggling a soccer ball.

In the meantime, I am preparing for battle by imagining how I will out run, out jump and juke past said competition. I may not be the most skilled player out there, but I will be the most prepared and Visualisation training is something used at the highest levels of sports to sharpen focus before game time. i

Here is an awesome article on a few routines I like to use for myself.

Seven minutes in Heaven:

Remember the old game where two people would go in to a closet and discuss warming up? One thing I think we all agreed upon is that warming up should take no longer than seven minutes.

My goal for you is to literally set a clock for seven minutes and FOCUS on it. The FOCUS part is important because our goal is to optimize your mind as well as your body for the run ahead.

So we are throwing out an excess of drills and breaking them down to the bear essentials: 1. Retro-walking (to remind the body to weight shift from side to side) 2. A-run (To teach frontside mechanics and running form) 3. B-run (To teach backside mechanics and running form) 4. A- skips (To put everything together)

Pick a distance of 20 yards apart and perform these drills slowly at first and then building up to a more realistic running pace. At the same time, clear your mind and imagine yourself busting thru PRs and dominating the run.

Conclusion:

Thus concludes my epic (in my own mind) series on preparation for running.

Achieving a result in any sport or activity can be complex and the tendency is often to put our head down and grind. But more is not necessarily better and, in the case of running, often time worse. Taking time to prepare properly both mentally and physically will not only given you an edge on the competition, but also a better chance of staying injury free.

I truly hope this has given you some ways to do just that. Now go out, hit the road and steer clear of those Parodis.

Until next time,

Coach Chris