Deep Versus Superficial

Not wounds, not personalities, not thoughts.

Today I am returning to my roots, to my core, to check my stability and flexibility. These things are hallmarks of my profession, words I say often because of their value. (Naturally, the deep always seems more valuable to me than the superficial. I train people from the inside out.)

In my work, I like to make sure I'm telling people the right things, offering them the right services and advice, and promoting the right stuff. You gotta have the right stuff if you want to feel good about what you do at the end of your day, don't you think?

Lately, I've been so immersed in so much information about so many health and fitness topics, that I've started to wonder about some things I've known and done so well, for so long. If pressed to support my approach or answers, what if I'm not so sharp anymore. Maybe I've been skimming the surface, riding on the idea that this or that is true without knowing if anything has changed, or if anything new has been learned since I first learned this or that.

Well I've been questioning these things, and I'm happy to report my answers are are all good. I've learned I can still can, and do, cite numerous truths that don't change, and it's comforting to know that I'm well-validated in my approaches and beliefs. But I also have discovered information and news about how old ideas are being revised since I once learned them. Recent research and conclusions are even more exciting beneficial for us all.

But what I'm really excited about today is the excerpt below, which is from the October 2009 Strength and Conditioning Journal. In these few paragraphs, I'm returned to my core. And the conditions in which I develop my offerings are strengthened.

The Journal, the article's authors*, and most of the strength and conditioning community doesn't realize this, but this entire section is endorsing Pilates as a training method. It's saying that what we do works, and that you'll be in better shape, a better athlete, and less likely to be injured as a result of a regular Pilates practice. The authors and publishers think it's about training baseball players. That's okay. It's the same means to the same end. And it reminds me, my clients and my peers, that Joe Pilates had the right idea, and we have the right stuff.

Enjoy, and if you're one of my Pilates clients, know that we've got your deep stuff covered right, not just the superficial.

"Superficial Strength Versus Deep Strength
Several hip-related injuries, including low back pain and hip flexor, hamstring and groin strains, and abdominal hernias, are often associated with pelvic instability and associated muscle imbalances. (cites three references) A common pattern seen in athletes is one where strong but tight hip flexors and lumbar extensors are paired with lengthened but weak abdominals and hip extensors. These imbalances and strength deficiencies are best corrected with a combination of stretching and mobilization of the shortened structures and using isometric contractions to re-educate and strengthen the hip extensors and abdominals (transverse abdominis and multifidus) (three more references) With the core foundation established, the addition of general hip strengthening techniques will reinforce and build upon the isometric strength gains.

The resultant improvement in pelvic positioning and stabilization offers protection to the joints and soft tissues surround the area. Although "prehabilitation" (common rehabilitative exercises incorporated into a routine before injury) exercise progressions may not have an immediate effect on power production, it may increase the efficiency of load transfer, thus leading to an increased power production and or speed improvement. (three more references)

The focus on basic proprioceptive techniques enables the athlete to effectively position body structures at different angles, under control, and often at high speeds. With the foundations established, the strength and conditioning specialist may add more explosive (plyometric) --Pilates people, that means the jump board on the Reformer!--components producing the same movements under higher resistances at higher speeds."

*Strategic Exercise Prescription for Baseball: Bridging the Gap between Injury Prevention and Power Production Javair Gillett, CSCS Detroit Tigers; Luke O'Brien, PT Howard Head Sports Medicine in Vail Colorado; Michael Ryan, ATC, CSCS, Champion Sports Medicine and Physiotherapy Associates in Birmingham, Alabama; Joseph Rogowski, MS, ATC, Orlando Magic