IOL Strength and Conditioning

We’re going to stall a little longer on Chuck Wolf’s IDEA presentations because when writing last week’s post, I forgot I’d made notes all over his handout sheets, and I’d forgotten how brilliant his handouts were under all my scribbles. We’re going back to the bullet format for more tips, any one of which might strike a nerve down one of your aching bodyparts.

1) Tight muscles are weak muscles. When muscles weaken, they get tight. Think strengthen before moving directly to the instinctive stretching.

2) Tight hip flexors or adductors cause anterior pelvic tilt. This in turn will lengthen the abdominals, causing suboptimal abdominal loading, leading to a loss of force production as the spine cannot fully extend.

3) Adequate range of motion is required in the foot, ankle, hip, pelvis and thoracic spine in order for the abdominals to fire.

4) Don’t neglect stretching and strengthening the feet and toes. Most of us have chronic tightness in the muscles of the feet. When this happens, the feet lost the ability to absorb force, causing trauma, torque on the joints and reduced propulsion.

5) Tightness in the forefoot, calves or hips will shorten the stride length.

6) Stretch your hip flexors and same-side calf at the same time, not separately. You want them both equally flexible.

7) Drop conventional rubber tubing shoulder rehab. The range of motion is limited; it disassociates the humerus from the scapula; it doesn’t involve the lower extremities; and the scapula doesn’t clear, creating a bony barrier.

8) Where the pelvis goes, the low back will follow.

9) Abdominal region function: decelerates spinal extension, lateral flexion and rotation; decelerates anterior pelvic tilt.

10) Abdominal region action during gait: decelerates pelvic motion, decelerates shoulder motion, lengthens to create elastic energy.

11) At the ankles during gait, eccentric loading (calcaneal eversion, dorsiflexion, tibial internal rotation and forefoot abduction) must occur maximally to recruit glutes.

12) The segments of the spinal regions (lumbar, thoracic and cervical) all have a different degree of range of motion, with the lumbar spine having the least. This is the reason modern corrective authors suggest limiting our lumbar rotation, and why most have removed exercises such as the scorpion from their line-up.

13) In gait, as the foot hits the floor on loading, it goes into pronation. It’s loading, stretching, absorbing and decelerating eccentric action. As it begins the unloading, it shifts into supination as it shortens, propels and accelerates in concentric action.

14) In standing, reaching overhead will create a neutral foot with no pronation or supination, increasing quad involvement and decreasing glute recruitment. In single-leg standing, reaching to the same side will put the foot into supination; reaching to the opposite side will force pronation. If you have a problem getting your foot into one of these positions, practice the appropriate side reach.

15) Check your feet for calluses. If you have calluses from other than an ill-fitting shoe, you probably have a faulty walking pattern. A heavily callused heel with a smooth forefoot indicates a heel doing all the work; a callus on the bottom of the foot, on the big toe, at the metatarsals or on the outside of the foot indicates a deficiency in the way the foot hits the ground. Use the calluses as a guide to correct your gait or, farther up, how your hips are moving.

Bonus: In every session Chuck hammered single-leg balance and lunges with a variety of reaches: overhead, side (high, even and low) rotational from the hip, low reaches. Over and over he had us doing medicine ball lunge reaches. Tri-planar action is his number one gig, same deal with Fraser Quelch. There must be something to this, something we should stop and consider.

This is a guy who wants us all to have this information and who loves to teach. Many thanks to Chuck for the stellar presentations.

Want a little more? Here’s part three.