Posture Exercise and Sports Performance
“You have to move well to move well!” That statement has a very profound meaning when related to sports performance. Have you ever tried running, jumping, throwing, swinging, or any other sport related movement and experienced pain or discomfort during the movement? Have you ever wondered why?
The answer is simple, your body doesn’t move correctly. No, really, if you experience pain when moving, your body is not moving correctly. Believe it or not, the human body was designed to move without pain. Pain is your body’s way of telling you something is not right.
Sports performance is greatly impacted by our ability to move in a strong, balanced, fluid motion without pain. Lets’ face it, the best athlete in any sport is typically not someone who is in constant pain while moving! The Motion System is where we can look to find out why an athlete is not moving well.
The Motion System is divided into three areas
Connecting (bones, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, disks & synovial fluid and fascia) Controlling (Brain, spinal cord, nerves &mechano-receptors), and Contracting (muscles). When there is an imbalance in any of these areas, pain free movement will be limited. Getting in touch with a CPEP (Certified Posture Exercise Professional) is the best way to accurately identify what needs to be corrected and to obtain the proper guidance and instruction to safely correct your posture.
So, once we have identified why the pain is there, and that posture and sports performance are connected, how do we correct it? POSTURE EXERCISES! Following a strict BAM 3-2-1 protocol (as instructed by a CPEP) will help your body learn and maintain correct Balance, Alignment and Motion. If an athlete has weak balance chances are there is a miscommunication between the brain and body and they will not be able to move and stabilize properly (controlling system not working correctly). If alignment is incorrect and weak there will be unnecessary pressure on the joints, causing pain (connecting system not working correctly). When the muscles are not able to contract, relax and stabilize correctly the patterns in which the body learns to move is incorrect (contracting system not working correctly). BAM 3-2-1 can restore correct Balance, Alignment and Motion to an athlete which in turn will lead to more pain free movement and greatly improving their athletic performance!
The demand for proper movement changes drastically when we are discussing athletes. Not only does an athlete need to be able to move will in everyday situations, but they also need to be able to move well in situations that are much more demanding on their body.For an athlete to move well and continue to move well throughout their life the Motion System must be firing on all cylinders. The use of the BAM 3-2-1 protocol will be a vital component in getting the Motion System working like a well-oiled machine! All in all this will lead to more prolific athletic performance which is what every athlete is after!
What are you waiting for? Find a CPEP to help you get to an all-star level today!
Author: Tyler Tsujimoto, CPT, CPEP, CES, PES, Nutritionist, Trigger Point works with clients from his studio, NewStar Fitness & Nutrition in Midvale, Utah.
