PROJECT: BulletproofBody

Do you want to Bulletproof your body?

"You are more likely to get injured than you are to compete with the fitness Elite."

It is important to have rolemodels in any Sport. There is a positive effect of modelling excellence. The standard of today's Athletes is far higher than anyone expected 10 years ago.

However, most of us will not get to the compete with the fitness elite, such as qualifying for the CrossFit Games so rather than aim to be the best in the 'Sport of Fitness,' shouldn't we just enjoy it and reap the benefits?

In order to get maximal gains you need to train consistantly with this new method.

Only by practicing these new functional movements will you transform from 'Motor Moron' to 'Motor Master.'

At the start of your Functional Fitness journey you are far more likely to do things in a sub-optimal way and this could lead to a soft tissue injury.

I want to be crystal clear. Extreme conditioning programmes like CrossFit do NOT cause injuries if you follow their model correctly.

There is no such thing as a bad exercise, just those not adjusted, adapted and conditioned to that training stimulus.

But doing Extreme Conditioning Programmes without the correct preparation, knowledge, coaching, technique, training and focus can.

How do I know?

Because I made all the mistakes that I know you can avoid with a little advice.

I was in a position that I should know better, but I didn't listen to my body.

With some very simple guidance I could have navagated my journey with less mistakes.

I want you train in a more optimal way.

Interested?  Please read on.

Despite being 'Fit' in terms of Military service I was soon to learn a new definition of fitness and have my weaknesses exposed for the first time. These weaknesses were then handed to me on a plate and then stufed down my throat.

Years of Military training had tightened my body. Wearing a heavy Bergen (Back Pack) over the years had changed my posture.

In conjunction with decades of press ups and sit ups, I realised that this type of training had stolen my range of movement.

I woke up to the fact that body weight training is NOT strength training (if you can do mmore than 6 reps).

I had a Gymnastic background but still struggled to perform these skills when fatigued.

I did too many Plyometric exercises in an attempt to learn double unders faster than other people. As consequence I gave myself bilateral (both sides) Achilles Tendionopathy (Illness of the tendon).

I was amazed at how an Overhead squat was so difficult just with a PVC pipe above my head.

I attempted WOD's that gave me such extreme DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) that I was unable to put on my clothes in the morning without significant pain.

All of this despite excellent daily coaching with constant corrections on my technique.

I kept a list of my so called injuries over my first year of training.

Not one of them was permanent.

Not one of them really stopped me training.

My injuries were an accumulation of being driven by my natural competitive spirit, over reaching, under recovery and sub-optimal nutrition.

As a Sports Physiotherapist that has made all the training mistakes already, I feel in a good position to give advice. I don't just talk about it, like you, I live it.

I then made it my mission to travel around Europe as a Physiotherapist treating Extreme Athletes, such as CrossFit athletes, in as many competitions as I could.

This is now my sixth year of specialsing in injury treatment, management and prevention in extreme conditioning programmes. Most of my time is spent going back to the basics principles of movement excellence.

However, this Blog is not about me, its about you and getting better never stops.

It's time to Bulletproof your Body.

Are you ready?

3,2,1, GO!

Bulletproofbodies Team

Injury Prevention Advice

Do you overlook the simple in search of the complicated?

"The beginners want to do the intermediate level, 

the intermediate level want to do the advanced

and the advanced go back to basics."

Do you sit down all day?

When you exercise you are also sitting down? (Cycling, Rowing, Seated weight lifting).

So you get told to stretch because your quads are tight. So you do, a bit, when you remember or when you can be bothered or when the knee pain gets bad enough for you to do something about it.

However, you have niggles in your back, hips and knees especially in the morning.

They don't hurt enough for you to do anything about so you just train through them and ignore this early warning sign.

A health pathogen is a behaviour that negatively effects your fitness. An example of this would be smoking.

A health immunogen is a behaviour that positively effects your fitness. An example of this would be regular exercise.

However, what if your chosen modality of fitness was contributing to your pain?

Now, your health immunogen behaviour has become a pain provoking pathogen!

What if the one sport you have chosen requires more than just doing the sport to maintain health?

Fitness is not about complacency and compromise. It is about understanding the body in order to maximise performance and minimise injury.

Maybe you require compensation exercises to stay pain free?

The missed and most neglected element in your fitness training is injury prevention.

You read about maximising performance and maximal 'gains' but rarely hear about minimising injury.

You are more likely to get injured than you are to become an elite performer. So why are you not aware of injury prevention advice?

It's about being proactive rather than reactive!

What if you had the power to reduce the risk of injury by simply investing a small amount of time dedicated to self-improvement?

Sounds good, doesn't it? 

                                     Injury prevention?   It's the basics done well!

Well, I'm about to give you guidance so you can make positive decisions about your health starting now.

First, realise that where you are in your fitness training is a direct result of your fitness behaviours. 

You need to take total responsibility for this. You are where you are and the truth is the only starting point.

Second, conduct a "needs analysis" on yourself.

It is likely that flexibility is something you are lacking.

It is likely that mid-line stabilisation is something you are lacking.

The reason you are lacking these areas of fitness are because you simply don't know about them, so how can you train or value them?

You would rather spend 10 minutes extra on the bike, running or performing metabolic conditioning, wouldn't you?

Do you know why you need to stretch your hip flexors? Especially after training.

That's right, your body has adapted to the main posture you ask it to perform every day, sitting. 

Your hip flexors have adapted to the demands you placed upon them and are now short and tight, with your gluteus being switched off do to long periods of you compressing them with no activation.

The biggest muscle in your body is underdeveloped because it is underused.

So if I ask you to perform a rectus femoris stretch with your rear heel touching your buttock can you maximally contract your gluteus? No, I didn't think so!

You might own a foam roller? But how often do you use it?

Are you using it effectively? Do you even know what it meant to do? Is it just too painful?

The hip flexor stretch is now your test, retest objective marker. 

It is the evidence that your injury prevention strategy is effective.

You can either perform this test with more ease of movement or there is no change.

You are beginning to take responsibility for your body and the demands you place upon it.

Can you maintain an upright position, then can you contract your gluteus?

In addition, how much tummy time do you get? That's right, just lying on your stomache.

If you are stuck in spinal flexion all day and while exercising, spinal extension and rotation can become difficult and limited.

Because you are sitting your pelvis is stable and you are able to develop strong prime movers (quadriceps) at the expense of weak pelvic stabilisers. 

Your strength has become your biggest weakness.

Furthermore, you will get adaptive shortening of the hip flexors and weak gluteus.

What you require are compensation exercises for the large amount of time that you spend sitting down.The very opposite exercises of what your chosen sport position is as well.

You are not just aimlessly stretching anymore. You now have a goal and the methodology to achieve that goal.

You need to monitor the amount of time you sit down without a break.

Sitting has become the new smoking! 

Sedentary behaviour is now the world's forth leading cause of preventable disease.

Getting up and moving about every 30 minutes has been shown to reduce the effects of prolonged sitting and increase productivity.

I now use a standing desk and it has really made a significant impact on the way I feel and work.

These suggestions are not complicated, they are simple. Your life is complex enough without me adding to it.

I hope you see the value and take ownership of doing the simple.

Bulletproof Physio.