Normal Does Not Exist
Are you normal?
For something to be abnormal, we also need to know what normal is.
I use range of motion assessments with my clients. We measure and assess so we can improve.
But no one is normal or abnormal.
It can be easy to slide into the idea that if you are not like someone else, that something needs to be improved. That if you don’t meet someone else's idea of “normal” that you need to change.
But we are all different and unique.
Maybe a client has 3.5 inches of dorsiflexion on their left ankle and 1.5 inches on their right.
So what would the desired range of motion be for that client?
It depends on their goals. Maybe they need 3.5 inches on both legs. Maybe they need 5.5.
But we don’t base the process on others' perception of “normal”.
We base the process on the clients goals.
Because normal is a made up thing, and it's full of bias.
Why Do You Workout?
What is your reason for working out?
Let's hear it...
Your answer today could be very different tomorrow and that's ok!
Priorities change and we want our training to match those priorities.
I started working out to be a better basketball player.
Then it was to get through military training.
Then it was to get bigger.
Then it was to be a better rower.
Then it was to get better at CrossFit.
Now it's to make sure my body feels good and that I can do whatever I want outside of the gym pain free (primarily golfing).
What's your why?
@activelifeprofessional
Not Enough Hours In The Day?
How many hours in a day are for you?
Let’s make some progress. Even if it’s not the big step you wanted to take.
You’ve had a stressful day.
There are many tasks remaining on your to do list.
One of those tasks is working out.
Normally your workouts take 60 minutes.
But today that 60 minutes isn’t in the cards.
So what do you do?
Do you skip it? Or do you try to force it into your schedule?
If you would need to sacrifice food or sleep to fit that workout in, then that workout is not needed. Prioritize sleep and food, those aspects are crucial for how you feel the next day. You are moving the needle forward in your recovery.
How about adjusting the plan?
Maybe you can get 10, 20, or 30 minutes of movement. That’s still moving the needle forward.
That could be doing the warmup that was programmed. Or doing part of the assigned session.
One small step forward is better than none.
A good coach will help you prioritize what is important in your training with the time you have.
Throw Like a Girl
What does it mean to throw like a girl?
Here’s an insult that needs to go away.
Where did this insult come from?
Cultural and sexist norms. That continue to be used.
There is a principle in training called the SAID principle. Specific adaptation to imposed demands. Basically says that you adapt to tasks you are exposed to.
People throw the way they do because of their exposure to throwing.
Something I learned from a Medball training course from @ericcressey is that baseball players became excellent at throwing from something called humeral retroversion. It's an adaptation in growth plates that allows people to demonstrate more movement in their shoulders.
Many people, especially women, have not developed that ability.
And it’s not their fault.
It's the people who have said things like:
“Baseball is a men’s sport”
“Throwing is for boys”
“No I can’t play catch with you, go play with your dolls”
Many people that aren’t good at throwing are a product of norms that denied them the ability to learn and adapt to that activity.
Jackie Mitchell was one of the first female professional baseball players in history. After learning to walk her father taught her how to throw. At 17 years old she played in an exhibition game against the New York Yankees. She struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, two of the best baseball players in history.
Babe Ruth was quoted saying: "I don't know what's going to happen if they begin to let women in baseball. Of course, they will never make good. Why? Because they are too delicate. It would kill them to play ball every day."
Days later her contract was voided, and women were banned from professional baseball. It was said that the game was “too strenuous”...
There could be a lot more people like Jackie Mitchell. If we allowed them to participate in the same activities as everyone else.
Mitigation>Prevention
Can we prevent it? Or mitigate it?
In the realm of injuries, mitigation is better than prevention. Because prevention doesn’t exist.
Mitigation is the action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something.
Mitigation accepts that there are certain things that are out of our control.
We can’t control that hidden patch of ice that you slipped on in the winter.
We can’t control that box that fell on your toe.
We can’t control the car that forced you off the road into a biking accident.
We can control the steps we take to have those uncontrollable things be less severe.
We can prepare ourselves physically to be able to recover quicker from those incidents.
We can make it more likely that a 6 month recovery becomes a 3 month recovery.
We can make it more likely that you can be less hindered in the ability to do the things you want to do.
There are those that will recommend you do some weird training to prevent injuries. Those things may look cool, but unfortunately prevention is not possible.
Because life is going to happen. We can’t prevent that. But we can make the most of it by being as prepared as possible.
When to Use a Foam Roller
When should you use a foam roller?
Let’s dive into some claims about foam rolling.
One of the big claims for foam rolling is decreased soreness. Studies have shown no negative effect of foam rolling (increased soreness) and found about a 2% improvement in perceived soreness. This was studied using a 10x10 back squat program and 20 minutes of foam rolling.
Some claim that it promotes blood flow. So does running, walking, squatting, biking, rowing, or just moving. You would have to foam roll crazy fast to match the amount of blood flow created by those activities.
Another claim is loosening muscles. A commonly spread idea is that it will loosen knots in your muscles. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Let’s take someone who squats 500lbs. Their muscles and body structure have adapted to move 500lbs. A piece of foam isn’t going to do much to those muscles. But can change happen? Yes. But it won’t last long. Studies looking at improving range of motion showed that foam rolling prior to training can improve range of motion but that the improvement lasts approximately 15 minutes.
So how would I use it for myself or my clients?
To me, 20 minutes of foam rolling isn’t worth it for 2% improvement. I would rather manage the training volume and overall recovery (sleep, nutrition, etc) better. But for athletes, this could make a lot more sense. Athletes can’t control when their games are or how intense a game is. If it helps, do it.
For some people who feel restricted in movement, foam rolling could be useful. Let’s take someone who has very stiff ankles and it is restricting their squat or ability to run. Small bouts of foam rolling on the calf prior to training could provide a short-term window of improved range of motion. Next, we would use that range of motion. We would load it. Want to change your muscles? Load them. If we load that new range of motion, it will be more likely that that range becomes more permanent. So that eventually increasing range of motion could be less of a priority.
Lastly, the placebo effect is real. If you have been foam rolling, you enjoy it and are seeing results, then keep doing it. No need to change something that is working.
Shoutout to E3 Rehab for the majority of the content for this post. They have some great resources on the topic on youtube.
When Foam Rolling Isn’t Enough
Is foam rolling the solution for you?
You’ve got this knee pain that is affecting your ability to run. You love to run. It’s an escape for you, a part of your routine.
You see a video on Instagram of someone saying to use a foam roller to reduce knee pain. They seem smart. They run a lot too.
So you start foam rolling. You start with 5 minutes of foam rolling before your runs. It helps for 5 minutes but then the pain comes back.
So maybe more is better. You try 10 minutes of foam rolling. It helps for 6 minutes but the pain comes back.
This cycle continues until you spend 30 minutes before and after running on your foam roller.
That’s an hour of your day.
Is the foam roller the solution for you?
Maybe there’s a more appropriate solution for your needs.
It could be strengthening your hips, quads, calves, feet, etc.
It could be managing your recovery better through sleep and nutrition.
It could be managing your running volume more appropriately.
It could be a lot of things. And maybe it includes using that foam roller. But not for an hour a day.
Feel like you are spending time doing something and not getting the results you want in the time you have available? These are the problems I aim to solve.
What Worked For Them May Not Work For You
You don’t need to do what everyone else does. Especially when it’s stupid.
“My friend tried this thing where they rubbed French’s ketchup on their low back while wearing hockey gloves in the shower. It solved their back pain!”
First: Heinz ketchup. Always. End of story.
Second: Yes this is an extreme example. And if this example is true for anyone, that's really cool. And weird. And unlikely to be an actual solution. More realistic examples include foam rolling, ice, rest, KT tape, medication, etc.
Just because it worked for them, doesn’t mean you need to try that thing.
Sure they may have very similar symptoms or problems. But they are not you.
You deserve solutions that are specific to you.
You deserve educated direction and guidance to solve your problems.
No quick “fixes” or gimmicks.
I Squatted. Now My Knees Hurt…
Is squatting the problem?
So your knees are hurting. You’ve been running a lot. You are in a busier time in your life.
You go to the gym and your coach has squats planned for the day. You do your squats. They feel surprisingly ok.
The next day while running your knees feel worse! So what’s to blame? Is it the squats?
Not necessarily. Squats for unfortunate reasons can get a bad reputation for knee pain. Some of that is misinformation. But it’s also a reasonable conclusion. Your knees hurt so it must have been something that used your knees that led to your pain.
Pain can come from multiple inputs and we can be complicated beings.
Your habits, beliefs, coping methods, lifestyle, emotions, anatomy, activity levels, and more, all influence how your body feels.
This can make it difficult to identify a cause, but not impossible to find a solution.
Looking at someone's pain experience requires analysis and assessment of who they are and where they are at. From there a path towards a solution can be found.
Only sleeping 4 hours a night? Imagine what an extra 2 hours could do for your recovery.
Eating 1200 calories a day. Very unlikely for that intake to be enough to meet your needs. Imagine what more food could do for your recovery (and your mood).
Are you constantly foam rolling and stretching to address your pain? Maybe you need load and not length to recover.
Are you feeling unsupported in your physical goals by others? Maybe being in a more supportive environment could change your outlook on pain.
Pain is frustrating. It can be easy to place blame when we are unsure of a solution.
The solution requires introspection and effort.
The problem probably isn’t squats.
There is Only One You
Take care of yourself.
There will always be more work.
There will always be something on your to do list.
There will always be things that didn’t get done.
There is only one you.
Make sure you take time for yourself.
The Gym Should Improve Your Life
What should the gym do for you?
What you do in the gym is not about pullups, squats, deadlifts, thrusters or running.
It’s about what you can do outside of training.
It’s the ability to feel more confident.
It’s the ability to do your favourite activity in retirement.
It’s the ability to run around with your grandkids.
It’s the ability to get up when you fall.
It’s the ability to feel more energized.
It’s the ability to see improvement.
You invest time, energy and money into training. When done well it can be an investment with very high returns.
Workouts Should Improve Your Pain
Train to improve your pain, not cause it.
Your workouts should leave you feeling better.
Yes they should be challenging. Yes they should require effort.
But they should not make you experience more pain.
They should improve it.
If your workouts are leaving you in additional pain, something needs to change.
If your knees start to hurt while running, your back starts to hurt squatting, or your shoulders start to hurt with pushups, then something needs to change.
This isn’t to say that pain is bad. Pain will happen. You can train with pain. But thresholds are important.
If your pain starts at 4/10, we want to keep it there, or even better improve it.
Worse is not better.
If your workouts are leaving you in more pain here are some steps you can take.
1. Find a coach who can assess how you move and evaluate what your training is like. Maybe you have some areas of your body that could use some additional attention in your training. Or maybe you have some things that you have been doing too much of and you need a break.
2. Prioritize your recovery. This includes sleep and nutrition.
3. Listen to your body. Maybe you start a workout using a 20 pound weight, but your pain worsens. Try a lighter weight, see if that feels better.
Workouts Should Not Make you Puke
Puking is not a badge of honour.
When you are training, you should not need to puke.
I’m not talking about that puking feeling you get when you ate 10-day old leftovers for lunch.
I’m talking about that puking feeling you get after going too hard in a workout.
You are TRAINING. You don’t need to puke.
There are a variety of responses your body could have in response to too much intensity. These include but are not limited to: pain, anxiety, disordered breathing, nausea, dizziness, and vomiting.
All of these responses can be adjusted. By appropriate volume and intensity, nutrition, and recover
If you are competing I would understand it slightly more. Only slightly. There is something you are trying to win.
How do you win training? I would say you win training by recovering and improving.
How can you recover and improve if you are puking during training?
From a recovery standpoint, it just doesn’t make sense. It rids your body of the fuel it would use to recover. If you can’t recover your progress will be so much less.
So how can you improve this?
1. Pre-workout nutrition can play a role. You can play around with meal timing and quantities.
2. Manage your pacing. If you start feeling unwell in a workout, listen to that signal your body is giving you and back off the intensity.
3. Evaluate your workouts. Are they all high-intensity sprints? If so this is likely not sustainable. Give your body a break and try some lower intensity workouts.
When Advil is Dumb
That time Advil said something really stupid.
“Pain says you can’t. Advil says you can”
This quote is from an Advil commercial that popped up on my feed today.
One of their other messages is “pain will get you soon enough”.
It’s clever marketing. Saying that pain is going to get you eventually, might as well buy some Advil.
It’s also a band-aid. A temporary solution. Nothing that will address the underlying issues that would lead people to have problems doing the things represented in their commercials.
Activities like lifting a tire, walking to work, picking up your mail, playing with your kids at the park, building furniture or opening your oven.
There are issues there that Advil will not permanently solve. Sure maybe it helps short-term. But it’s not a solution.
What could be the solution?
Maybe the person is doing too much too soon and needs to address the workload.
Maybe they are stressed and have too much on their plate or are unable to effectively respond to stress.
Maybe the person has some range of motion limitations that are affecting their daily activities.
Solutions require a process, not a short-term pill.
Solutions require assessing where someone is currently at, to find the most appropriate path towards results.
Cooldowns
What’s the best cooldown? It’s more simple than you probably think.
How should you cool down?
Do you need a cool down?
Should you stretch in a cool down?
Should you use a foam roller during your cool down?
For general health I think this is a topic that has become way too complicated and overly emphasized.
Is it important? Yes.
Does it need to be long and complicated? Probably not.
So let’s keep it simple.
If you are training for general health this should be your cool down:
Do what you were doing for training, but slower, lighter, and at less intensity. Keep moving but move less and move slower.
The goal of a cool down is to bring you to the state needed to do your next thing and assist in recovery.
Basically don’t go from 100% to 0% right away. Do this gradually.
Some of this can happen naturally.
Were you lifting weights? Cleaning and deloading your bar is a part of your cool down. You are still moving things but at much lower intensity.
Finished a run? Gradually slow down to a walk and keep walking until your heart rate reduces.
Finished a CrossFit workout and then need to head home right away? If you walk to the gym, that walk is a part of your cooldown.
When training for general health, cool downs don’t need to be complicated. It’s unlikely you need any crazy foam roller, lacrosse ball or stretching routine. You need to move on to the next thing in your life. If you are spending a good percentage of your “training” cooling down, it's very likely that time could have been spent in better areas.
Cool downs become more intricate and important if you are a competitive athlete that needs to repeat their competition at regular intervals. But that is such a small percentage of the population.
What’s your cool down? Comment below.
Are You Getting Too Much Intensity?
Do you need to train harder?
Intensity is not only about how hard you exercise.
Fitness has no claim over intensity.
Intensity can be anywhere.
It can be in your work, your relationships, your responsibilities.
Intensity can be important to see some progress. But it’s even more important to make sure we aren’t getting too much and that we are managing the intensity that we have.
So do you need a ton of intensity in every workout you do? Do you need to fall on the flow after every workout? No.
Let’s say you have a very stressful job. You feel needed to be available at all times. You have stressful things going on in your life.
You already have a good amount of intensity! So it’s unlikely that you need a lot of intensity in your training.
Yes you can use training to improve your ability to respond to the stresses you face in life. But training is also a stressor. It’s important that we don’t push too hard and take huge steps back.
Monitor your training intensity based on how you are feeling that day. Adjust weights, reps, volume when needed.
You may see others go crazy in a workout. That’s ok. You don’t need to be like that. Do what’s best for you, your health, and your goals.
Weight ≠ Pain
Is weight the source of pain?
You’ve been dealing with back pain. It’s been on and off for years.
You’ve been told you should lose weight.
But is it your weight?
That person that told you to lose weight, do they know that you’ve been trying with little success, and are still dealing with back pain?
That person did they assume you needed to lose weight based on your BMI? The Body Mass Index was created by a mathematician in the 1800s who knew little about weight loss. Can we stop using dated information?
That person who told you to lose weight, did they assess how your body moves and the tasks you want to be able to do pain-free?
There are so many possibilities for why someone could be experiencing pain.
Let's say you start to make some changes. Maybe you do it by eating different foods, maybe in different quantities. Maybe you start sleeping more. Maybe you start to exercise more. You start strengthening your body.
Those can all be great achievements.
So was your weight the sole reason you were experiencing pain? I really doubt it.
Maybe you stopped experiencing pain because you improved your body's strength and tolerance to activities. Maybe it was because you fuelled your body more optimally and improved your recovery.
It wasn’t your weight. No one can be sure of that as a cause and no one should shame you or place blame on your weight. You are more than a number on a scale. People need to acknowledge that.
So how would I address that pain?
We would assess your current abilities.
We would assess your current lifestyle (sleep, stress, work, nutrition)
We would identify the low-hanging fruit that is limiting you. (It’s probably not the weight)
We customize your training to get you the results that you have been looking for.
Pain can be complicated. Training and your path to results doesn’t need to be.
Are You Out of Shape?
Are you out of shape? What is “in shape”?
“I’m so out of shape”
This is a phrase I have heard so many times in the gym.
Whether it’s a person's first exposure to a training program or if they’ve been training their entire life.
So here’s the question: What is in shape?
In shape for what task?
In shape based on what standards.
Let’s use the Olympics as an example. There are multiple events and sports. Take Olympic Weightlifting, marathon running, and gymnastics as examples.
Athletes who participate in those sports all have different body shapes.
So are any of them out of shape? Absolutely not. They are in the ideal shape to perform their sport.
What if your body shape is someone else’s goal? And they hear you say that you are out of shape. How would that affect their mindset toward that goal? Unlikely that it’s helpful.
Want to change the shape that you are in? Go for it! Find the best version of yourself.
But you are and will always be in shape.
Are you Tight?
Should you be concerned if you are tight?
Have you been told that “insert thing” is tight?
Maybe it’s your IT band. Maybe it’s your lats. Maybe it’s your traps.
After hearing that “insert thing is tight” I hope that there is more of a conversation.
If not, I feel for you. I’ve been there. Someone is saying that something is a “problem”. Without giving a solution.
But is it a problem?
Tightness is a sensation of how something feels. It doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you. It doesn’t mean you will experience pain. If you are experiencing pain it also does not mean it is the source.
Tightness can even be good! If we want to be explosive, we need some relative tightness to be able to demonstrate power. Think of how a spring works. If it is loose and bent it won’t be very powerful.
The way your body and your muscles feel can be influenced by so many inputs.
Crazy workout the day before?
Stressful day at work?
Poor sleep last night?
On a family roadtrip?
Those are just a few examples that could influence the way your body feels.
Are there times we want to address some tightness? Absolutely. But not always. There need to be sound logic and a good plan moving forward to address whatever we want to improve long term.
Just because when you use a foam roller or get a massage and something feels tight doesn’t mean anything is wrong.
Could it feel good to have that area worked on? Totally.
Do what feels best for you.
But tightness ≠ problems.
Soreness ≠ Progress
Do you need to be sore to progress?
Do you need to be sore to make progress?
Short answer: No
Can soreness be a part of your training process while you make progress? Absolutely.
But you don’t need to be sore after every workout.
Soreness does not need to represent how hard you worked in the gym.
In training I want the results to speak for themselves.
I recently had a client mention that they were concerned that they weren’t working hard enough because they weren’t waking up as sore as they usually do.
But in two months they were able to double the number of pushups they can do, which is one of their goals. All while not being as sore.
That’s progress. And working hard.
This can be a challenging mindset to change. Society can often preach the “No pain no gain” mindset. That if you aren’t rolling on the ground afterwards, you didn’t work hard enough.
But why put yourself through pain if it’s not necessary. You can achieve results without pain.
I like to train smart. Training to improve your life and your health is a lifelong process. Let’s make that process as enjoyable as possible.
Could you be sore after a workout? Absolutely! That’s a normal outcome of the training and recovery process.
Do you need to be sore after every training session? No. If you are, this could be an indication of a recovery and training process that could be improved.
This is not to say don't work hard. Just work smart.