You hear your coaches harp on you about staying on top of your mobility, but do you actually follow up with that? Chances are that mobility and recovery in general gets swept right under the rug all too often. Sadly, the time that we see the best adherence to our mobility pleas is right after an injury stemming from the lack of mobility in that areas to begin with.
As coaches we know that you are all busy people, but it's our job to make sure that your take all realms of your wellness and fitness equally serious. We do our best to educate you on ways to mobilize specific areas that are bugging you, but it ultimately boils down to just doing it! All the mobility knowledge in the world won't do you any good if you don't physically perform the tasks given to you.
On the flipside, sometimes the hang up is actually a lack of "know-how". It's understandable. There's a lot going on with the human body, and a lot of different content out there telling you to do "X", while others tell you to do "Y".
Taking all of this into account, we thought that we would serve our clients best by partnering with some of the best in the industry to bring you the highest quality information and education possible. The two most trusted establishments in Austin for us are:
- Next Level Chiropractic and Rheab, owned and operated by Sam Sneed
- Christie Powell, MSPT, STS, USSF D. Christie is a Physical Therapist, and Owner/Director of Champion Performance. She is also a Strength Training Specialist and a PhD Candidate UT Austin, Exercise Science specializing in Athlete Return to Sport Following Injury.
Today, we have asked CP (Christie) to give us a quick run-down of some of the most common troubled areas in athletes and what you can do to eliminate the dysfunction in those areas through self-mobilization. She will also be giving you sneak-peaks of her very own all-in-one mobility device that she calls the MOBO System. This thing is truly the swiss army knife of mobility equipment!
Before we hand it over to CP, I want to invite anyone(open to the public) to join CP this Saturday(11.1.14) at TCS from 10-11am. She will be running all participants through a free mobility session and will be utilizing her new MOBO System to effectively tackle those troubled areas. If you'd like to join...SIGN UP HERE!
Free Massage!!! Who wouldn’t grab that Groupon? Massage increases blood flow and manipulates the soft tissue so that we gain access to freedom of movement. Mobility is movement, so when you self-mobilize you are essentially getting a free massage.
Mobility, and range of motion, can be decreased by tight muscles, tendons, capsules, and scarring. Mobilizing allows you to improve the movement of the joint by manipulating and increasing the blood flow to these soft tissues. This in effect can increase performance and improve efficiency of larger movements.
Injury can occur by attempting to force a joint through its’ range of motion when it is not available, or because it is compromised. Healthcare practitioners can help by using myofascial techniques such as ART, Airrosti, MDT and others but the best way to maintain the integrity of tissue is through frequent and consistent self-mobilization.
I believe mobilization is so important that I have spent the past two years developing a new mobility tool, MOBO System, which addresses all areas of the body. Below is a breakdown of how you can maximize efficiency and force production through mobilization.
MOBO For Athletes – Whole Body Breakdown
1. Plantar Fasciitis:
Do you have pain in the bottom of your feet? Grab one of the end tips from the MOBO wand and literally just stand on it. Each side of the end tip spreads your fascia differently, so try both and find what works best for you!
2. Ankle/Calf mobility:
One of the most overlooked issues leading to poor squat depth. Get into this region to loosen up prior to pistols or squats.
3. Quads:
This collection of muscles can be a strong, dominant group, which can restrict both the hip and the knee. You can address this area with either a stick or a foam roller.
4. Hip Flexor and Glutes:
If you have issues with squat depth or can’t sit cross-legged, and a lacrosse ball doesn’t quite cut it try using MOBO System to get into the hip flexor, IT Band, psoas, or glutes.
5. Thoracic Spine:
MOBO takes the basic functionality of a peanut (2 lacrosse balls taped together) and takes it to the next level. Adjust with in ½” increments to properly get into your T-Spine paraspinal muscle bellies whether a smaller woman or a 6’5” man. This really helps keep the chest up and get a straighter back when setting up for lifts.
6. Pecs, Traps, Periscapular Region:
Do you have shoulder pain or restrictions going overhead with Olympic lifts or gymnastics movements? MOBO targets the pecs, traps, and periscapular muscles to increase range of motion in the shoulder.
