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Go Faster

8/3/2022

2 Comments

 
Often my focus on biomechanics is centered around performing activity with maximum stress on the muscles and I would contend that this is exactly where focus should first be placed, especially with any structured exercise. Putting the stress on the muscles is not only how you ensure you are getting the benefits of the exercise, which is the reason you are doing the exercise, as well as how you decrease the potential for injury or progressive wear-and-tear to the body from the exercise.

However, biomechanics is also how you can focus your exercise for aesthetic gains like developing a peak to your biceps or raising the height of your glutes. And biomechanics is also how you can modify performance like changing the speed you run. 

Running speed is a simple equation: 
Length of stride x Frequency of stride = speed 

Both of these factors are pretty simple and it seems fairly straightforward. The amount of distance you cover with each stride and the faster each leg covers that distance, the greater your speed. But, as your foot extends in front of your body the ground strike force pushes against your foot and against the momentum of forward movement and the further in front of your body the more directly this force pushes against the direction you are moving. 

One way to counter this slowing force is to reduce the amount your leg is extended, but this obviously reduces your stride length. Some of this loss, but only some, can be regained by focusing on pushing the rear leg behind you more. Another way to change this equal-and-opposite force that is hindering your forward movement is by changing the position that your leg is in when you strike the ground. Having your knee more bent when your foot strikes the ground directs the force of impact in a more vertical direction and less against the forward movement. The extreme of this gait is the position that is used by sprinters and is the way to generate maximum speed for short periods of time. 

So, those are three different gait patterns that each have their own stress forces to the body, positive aspects and limitations: extension in front, extend behind and with greater knee bend. If you are running for distance, I recommend that you use all of them and change your gait as you are running. This will change the way your muscles are working and disrupt repetitive forces to your body. 

And while walking has its own gait patterns, and usually less force, there are some similarities not the least of which is that your body is actively trying to find an easier way and using consciously different gaits will decrease your body’s ability to leverage on joints and increase your benefits. 

As always, let me know how I can help.
Adam
2 Comments

Envisioning Movement

8/2/2022

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What does it mean to move mindfully through space? In a lot of cases, people move as though the body is a singular unit, rather than as a makeup of hundreds of smaller independent components. The degree to which these components are able to move independently is a direct correlation to the degree of freedom a body has to move. Thus, in order to move mindfully, we have to first recognize the independent components of our body. Take the spine and pelvis for example. When tension and tightness are present in the body, we tend to move as though this central column is a singular piece where bending is difficult, and turning the upper body results in the lower body turning with it, rather than each vertebrae moving freely and independently of the pelvis.

Perhaps the proper way to dissect the individual components is to first determine where your body is in space. Sensing the spacial occupation of the body helps to first connect the mind and body together and prepare the body for movement. When the mind is prepped for the movement the body will make, we can better move in proper alignment and mechanics. Sitting in a chair and without looking (or even close your eyes) or making any adjustments, sense into where the limbs are. Are they close to the body or further away? What is the relationship between the feet and the ground? Where is the spine in relation to the pelvis? Are the sitz bones connecting to the seat, or is the weight distributed more forward or back on the tailbone? Is the head stacked on top of the spine or is it shifted forward? Is the chest and lower ribs scrunched together or is there ample space between the ribs? 

As you continue to scan the body and sense into where the components of the body are in relation to each other, you are re-connecting the brain with the physical body. This is a great grounding technique, too! When we re-link the brain and body, we are able to begin reprogramming the neural pathways of the brain, and begin to re-learn a new way (a proper way) of movement. 

Now that you’ve identified where the body components are, gently make any adjustments needed: feet under the knees, weight grounded on the sitz bones, spine stacked with the head on top, shoulders back and down, etc. Once here, keep the eyes closed, and envision the movement of standing up. What is required in the body to happen in order to accomplish this movement? Envision the entire process: weight shifting forward as you hinge at the hips, thighs and glutes engaging, core engaging, pelvic floor coming online, exhaling as you lift the hips off the seat, maybe you bring in the assistance of the arms to push up slightly, unhinging at the hips to raise up as the legs straighten. 

Now that you’ve run through the process in your mind’s eye, do it! How does it feel in the body when the mind has prepped the nervous system for the movement to come? You can test this out during normal daily activities, and during exercise. Try a movement like normal, then try envisioning the movement before doing it and notice the differences.

This envisioning exercise goes both ways in that it can help and hinder us. The mind is the powerhouse of the body and holds supreme influence, so much so that envisioning things like jumping, running, or throwing a ball tell the nervous system to begin prepping. The muscles will actually contract and certain chemicals and hormones in the body begin releasing—the body is experiencing the act prior to it happening! This is how consistent exposure to a mental fear state negatively impacts the body and keeps it in a fight or flight state. So if envisioning is powerful enough to help us use our biomechanics to their best ability during exercise, being mindful of what we envision the rest of the day is just as important. If someone’s mental capacity is mainly being used to think of negative things, the body is constantly prepping for this event that the brain keeps telling it will happen. 

Mindful movement is a mental exercise just as much as it is physical. We can re-wire the brain towards healthier movement habits the more we provide it the opportunity to do so. When you can, take a deep breath and run through what the optimal movement or action you’re about to take would look like and notice the changes that happen over time!

Best,
Katherine
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Map Your Marvelous Diaphragm

8/1/2022

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The diaphragm (the orange colored organ in the 3D image above) is a muscle nestled up under your lungs--by design. When the diaphragm contracts and relaxes, with the help of the intercostals (muscles between the ribs), it causes air to move in and out of the lungs.
If you look at both the above 3D image and this illustrated image of the diaphragm, you can see how the expansion and contraction of the diaphragm will impact the viscera of the belly (your guts) and the psoas muscles that reside behind the guts. In fact, tension in the psoas can restrict deep diaphragmatic breathing, and conversely, the inability to take a deep belly breath can inhibit hip function. Perhaps this is why some like to title the diaphragm as possibly the most important muscle in the body–I vote the heart, but I’m a born-lover. I contrast the 2 images above to underscore why if you hold tension in any one of 3 zones, diaphragm, psoas, or belly viscera (by way of the fascia casing around the organs) you can restrict range in one of the other zones.

There are a host of everyday behaviors and environments that can lead to tension around these areas. Slouchy prolonged sitting can lead to restricted shallow breathing behaviors and a shortened psoas muscles, you can find such behaviors at the work desk, watching TV, long car trips. Experiences that send the nervous system into high alert/attention may also engage tension in one of these zones. For these reasons, there is value in spending some time being clear on the range of diaphragmatic breathing available to you, feeling the movement of your diaphragm as it expands and contracts (the mapping), and also knowing a couple ways to stretch the diaphragm.

Carla plays a big role in my awareness of this concept and work. To map the diaphragm, Carla and I teamed up back in 2020 to create an introduction to breath work video, that aims to help you witness the breath, assess the state of tension in your abdominal area, and then your ability to soften/dissipate tension where you find it.
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Breath Awareness & Three Part Breath Video with Tami and Carla (11 mins)
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/aUUmmmbNCa8ndvzwb7T7izVHVtlU5dzB4xHOQZ4Vi5IGnrXILl1_1uwJVdF8us00.xlQ-p33GD38Yvt71
​
As the "motor muscle of breath, it can be automatic, forced, or controlled in its movement;" that makes it a rather unique motor muscle. The diaphragm also has both local and global effects on the functions of your body systems: directly it affects breath, but breath influences our body systems in ways we are only recently able to understand and explain. Breathing and breath practice can influence a host of shift in things like cortisol production, insulin production, O2 absorption in the blood, lymph system movement, cues to digestion--to name but a few of the systems influenced by the activity that can be impacted by your connection to your respiratory motor muscle, the diaphragm. Awareness of tension in these areas and your ability to move this tension is a tool you deserve!

Next month I will continue this segment with more stretches for each of the 3 zones, not only more for the diaphragm, but the psoas as it is influenced by the diaphragm and the fascia that surrounds the viscera of the belly.

To space and ease of breath~
Tami

If you have any questions please email me at [email protected].
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    This blog is written and updated by the staff that support EQUIVITA. Individual blog posts are the thoughts of the staff member that submitted the post.  The content of these posts often support the thoughts and ideas of our organization, but do not always(and we scarcely use definitives) reflect the same thoughts or ideas of the organization as a whole.

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