Bridging The Gap Between PT and Functional Performance

Bridging The Gap Between PT and Functional Performance

fitness
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Having worked in PT clinics for about 5 years, I would often hear conversations between patients and therapists that would go something like this:

PT: Hey Sally, why are you limping?
Patient: My back is hurting
PT:  What did you do?
Patient:  Well my trainer made me do this one exercise…
PT: (places palm on face and dies a little inside)

And there you have it.  Sally’s trainer didn’t fully understand her injury history, and pushed her too hard, too soon.  There is obviously a gap in the transition from PT to functional performance. But why the disconnect? Well, we are here to explore how we can bridge that gap!

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Foam Rolling 101: How and When to Foam Roll

fitness
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You know those foamy, tube things you see at the gym?…yeah those are called foam rollers.  Although gaining traction in popularity, foam rollers are still a very underutilized piece of equipment.

Foam rolling is an important part of a well rounded fitness program.  Leaving it out is a mistake that can lead to injury, and decreased performance.  Today we are going to go over those benefits, and I will show you my go-to-foam roll routine.

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Productivity Hack: 4 Routines to Jumpstart Your Morning

Personal Development
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Are you one of those people who hates mornings?  Do you wake up with low energy, feeling like a zombie?  These are all symptoms of someone who “is not a morning person”.  While it’s true that you may not be a morning person, I bet another reason for your disdain of mornings is lack of a routine.

Consider every day, like Game Day.  If you were an athlete, you wouldn’t just roll out of bed, all disheveled and start playing right?  So then why do it in your professional career?…Start your morning off with a consistent routine, and you will perform at the top of your game all day! 

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Breathe Better: How Eric Christensen is Changing How We Breathe

fitness, Personal Development
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16 per minute, 960 per hour, 23,040 per day….That’s how much we breathe.  You could say breathing is life.  It’s the first thing we do in life, and the last thing we do.They why then do we ignore it?  Why do we never train it?…Poor breathing patterns can lead to numerous problems such as chronic pain, and hormonal issues.   

Eric Christenson is here to help change all that.  Eric is a doctor of physical therapy (DPT) and the owner of Chandler Physical Therapy in Chandler, AZ.  Eric estimates that 85%-90% of his patients have breathing issues that effect their function.  If you’ve ever had persistent neck pain, chances are poor breathing patterns is one of the causes.  Eric’s passion to change the way we breath runs deep.  So much so, that he wrote a book.  His book, “Breathe Better”, addresses our society;s pervasive issues with breathing.  “Breathe Better” is scheduled for release.

In today’s post, I interview Eric and we take a deeper look at his new book, Breathe Better, and give you some exercises to help improve your breathing.  Enjoy!

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The 4 Biggest Fitness Program Mistakes

fitness

Starting up a new routine at the gym can be like traveling through a jungle.  If you don’t know where your going, it can be easy to get lost.  Thats why you need a map.  In this case, your map is a program.  Follow it, and you should reach your destination.

The problem is, some maps, have mistakes.  Just as some programs have mistakes.  They can lead you down the wrong path and in some cases injury and diminished results.  To be clear, there is no perfect program.  But there are also some common programming pitfalls that people fall into.  Here are some common programming error that you can avoid on your way to achieving your fitness goals.

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Patience and Perseverance: My Interview w/ Preston Hale

fitness, Personal Development
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Welcome back for another Ignite Interview!  Today I interview another up and coming performer in the world of fitness and performance training.

I share my conversation with Preston Hale, III.  Preston is a performance coach based out of Chandler, AZ.  Preston trains primarily athletes, with a special emphasis on developing defensive backs in American football.  Preston uses his experience as a college athlete, and knowledge as a coach to provide very unique and high level training. He breaks down football movement like few can. 

Preston has taken a unique road to get where he’s at, and is an example of perseverance.  He is also one of the most avid learners I know.  In our conversation we cover Preston’s keys to success, his training philosophy, and how to handle the fear of making a career switch.  Enjoy!

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My Current, 4 Favorite Podcasts

Personal Development
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In today’s world, where people multi-tasking is a way of life, podcasts are king.  For those of us who have a commute to work, podcasts are an opportunity to learn on the go.  They turn the time normally reserved for useless radio chatter and fake first date updates, into time spent bettering yourself.  But podcasts aren’t just reserved for the car.  They are a great way to take advantage of any downtime you may have during your day.  If you haven’t started listening to podcasts yet, then I highly suggest you start immediately.  Here are a few of my favorite podcasts.

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Smarter Not Harder: Are You Overtraining?

fitness
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How many of you have had a stretch where you hit the gym HARD everyday for , and seen minimal results? …Chances are, you were probably were overtraining. 

Overtraining is a problem….It has gotten worse with the proliferation of high impact, group fitness classes.  The idea that “more is better” and “no days off” is not true when it comes it fitness.  Overtraining can lead to injury and decreased results.  The good news is overtraining is highly preventable. All you have to do is listen to your body, and take these preventative measures. 

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How to Break the Habit Loop

Personal Development
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.  Understanding where habits come from is the first step to changing them.  And to understand that, we must understand the habit loop.  The habit loop is the basis behind all habits that we have.  All habits good or bad, are driven by a craving, and follow these 3 steps.

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Baller, Boss, and Bad*** Coach: My Interview w/ Sam Ostarello

fitness, Personal Development
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One of my goals with Ignite is to become a network and resource for like minded professional.   A resource for coaches and fitness professionals who are doing great work, and pushing the industry forward. ….Today, I share my conversation with Sam Ostarello.  I met Sam earlier this year at the Complete Speed and Power Summit in California, an event put on by Athletes Acceleration. 

Sam is a performance coach based Based out of San Diego.  Sam services primarily athletes and also is a basketball skills trainer.  Sam and her company, Elite Performance  have quickly become one of the go-to names for sports performance training in the area.

In our conversation we explore Sam’s experience traveling the world playing professional basketball, her philosophy on training female athletes, and some of the habits that make her successful…Without further adieu ladies and gentlemen, my conversation with Sam Ostarello!

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