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Wahoo! The weekend is finally here, Sometimes I feel like it takes forever to get here! For most of us that are training for an event or just have an awesome run, bike, or swim club in their community, the weekend tends to be the time to really put that distance training in. However, remember my friends quantity always beats quality. We always seem to get so wrapped up in the mileage ("I gotta get 20 this week!") However we don't seem to put in the homework at home to get ready for these miles. Before we can build our engine, we must prepare it for activity. The tissues and joints need to warmed up and activated before we can move. Most importantly, our ankles, feet, hamstrings, and hips ALL the major movers for running and cycling.
So put on your favorite playlist (mine is Meghan Trainor) and try these moves the next time before you run: * Lunges with a pause at the bottom * Squats (knees out, chest up) * A few running drills that activate the elasticity in your ankle (hopping, skipping) * Hip Circles * Ankle Flexion and Extension Tell your joints "Get ready to be active" by warming them up efficiently and properly and you will be rewarded with a successful run for weeks to come! Be sure to follow me on IG at redheadrunner_hpc Or Facebook at Redheadrunner
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If you haven't seen this video on Youtube I'd HIGHLY recommend it. When I tell people I'm a Crossfit coach, I get very similar reactions. Most see it as a easy way to get hurt, but in actuality, if you have GOOD coaches, it's a way to stay out of injury. It's a way to help prepare you for a functional life.
A life where you can be practical in your career, a life where you continually chase your kids around a playground, stay out of the nursing home longer, and out of the doctor's office from pain caused from an inactive lifestyle combined with bad nutrition. Knowledgeable coaches make the difference when it comes to the actual activity. Good coaches provide instruction, education, guidance and motivation to push you to your truest potential in a safe environment. Good coaches guide clients through the proper movement along with body awareness and correlation to real life scenarios. What type of functional training are you including in the your weekly training? Welcome back guys to RedheadRunner, I've hope you've had a restful weekend thus far. I'm currently sipping my mid-afternoon coffee in my LOVELY Ironman Santa Rosa mug with my unicorn socks on..pretty comfy. As I write this I can feel the ache of my hips talking to me from my earlier bike ride. I know it's time to do some homework and prepare them for my run tomorrow...The question is, do you do YOUR homework?
Today's Topic? It's all in the hips To KISS it, (keep it simple silly) having good hip movement basically makes it a lot easier to move from one good position to the other easy, right? Our bodies keep a position that we regularly put them in (they're really smart) How often do you sit during the day? Not that much? Do you sit at every meal? How about when you drive? When you work ? The time adds up pretty quick, so imagine if you never taught your hips to be in an extended position (think of a big lunge) it only knows to be in that bent,sitting position. NOW, go for a run without warming it up, or stretching it and I bet down the road you will feel tightness and/or pain.  When we run correctly, our back leg's hip is in extension and our front hip is in flexion. When our range of motion is shortened, due to tight hips, we then compensate that range with other tissues and parts of our body. Lower back pain is expressed when that hip is looking for range and instead of being able to use it's full capacity because of tightness, it begins pulling on the lower back for reinforcement...Ahhh..if you've been dealing with lower back pain have you tried opening up your hips? Hips provide power with lifting weights as well as running. We are continuously closing and opening our hips as we cycle through Pose-Fall-Pull. When we're not able to fully express that motion our legs have to work HARDER to get to these positions. Our speed suffers as well as a the longevity of our run. Ok, so I have tight hips what can I do? 1. Stand more during your day Take walking breaks at work, put your computer on your kitchen counter (my counter is the perfect size for my 5'6 frame, check yours out!) 2. Perform daily mobilizations Take 10 minutes a day (everyone can find 10 minutes somewhere) and make sure you do some hip opening mobilizations daily as well as before/after your workouts. Couch stretch is a GREAT and DAILY mobilization you should be performing. Check out my improvement over the months. 3. Form Check Educate yourself on proper running technique ( I know a pretty good coach, if you're in need head on over to my coaching page to contact me for a running analysis). We can mobilize daily and get special massages monthly but until you have the most efficient form, you're only going to put your body in injuries path over and over again. Until we fix the pattern the result will remain the same. Notice below how in the bottom picture coach Christine was using her legs to get her feet in front of her instead of her hips. There's really no hip flexion or extension at all. By a few cues and quick drills of Pose Method coach now has FULL expression of hip extension/flexion. "It felt like I could fly". Her pull (contact with the ground improved as well)..hooray for hips!  Watch my quick warm up video to get an idea on how to prepare your hips before a run 3 Moves to Perform: 1) World's Greatest Lunge with hip circles, both sides 2) Downward Dog 3) Squats Thanks for reading! Feel Free to subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on my IG page Redheadrunner_hpc for more running related tips and ways to stay motivated!
 Are you tired of dealing with injuries while running, swimming, or biking?
Head over to my friend Anna Robbin's Podcast She Tris Fitness and find out what adding a mobility practice to your routine can do you for your athleticism. For more tips and motivation follow me on IG: Redheadrunner_hpc Avoiding Injury While Training Podcast or click here to listen *Have you been dealing with a reoccuring running injury? *Does pain keep you from training? *Or are you ready to become faster or run more efficiently? A running analysis slows down your movement and allows me to see what's truly going on with each step you take. By becoming more efficient you can eliminate current and possible injuries by putting less strain and tear on your lower body. You can also increase your speed and midline carriage by perception, awareness, and practice.  Following our session you will receive a personalized assessment with photos depicting your before and after form. You will also receive home videos /drills to keep improving your mechanics.
Regardless if you're local or not let's get you running without pain. Contact me to set up your first session today! Follow me on IG : redheadrunner_hpc and Vent Runners on Facebook to see amazing changes clients have made after their sessions. Check out VentRunner's newest youtube post! Run For It is our newest addition to the Vent Human Performance's schedule. It's a FREE, Weekly class that teaches our community of runners how to get faster, stronger, and more efficient without injuries. Classes are Thursday's at 6:30pm at the Vent Human Performance Center, 4013 E Main Street Ventura California coaches by certified running instructor & Crossfit Level 1 Instructor Lori Sharp.
Follow our IG page: VentRunners as well as redheadrunner_hpc page for daily running tips! , I recently attended a workshop that discussed the turn of the new year and the mindset we should have to approaching it Goal Setting We all seem to understand the term goal setting, some of the more common New Year Resolutions being: "I want to lose weight" " I want to travel more in 2019" "I MUST find love in 2019" Those are all wonderful ...but are the goals more so of a reflection?....WHY..Why do we set goals? Of course they give us a sense of purpose and are ways to make us do things..but isn't the objective of the goal to create the sense of success? We set a goal to achieve something....but once we have it? then what? ARE we truly happy? One enlightenment...or that "ah-ha" moment I received was that it's not the goal we should be focused on...it's the idea BEHIND the goal, the why... FEEL SETTING How will achieving that goal MAKE..US...FEEL? AND! if we like that feeling why not think of MORE things that ALSO achieve that same feeling? SO instead of focusing SO much on the goal why not take a step back and focus on certain categories in our lives and how we want to feel within them? STEP 1- RE-DECONSTRUCT OUT MINDSET Let's go back to that first goal, one of the most common we see in the new year : "I want to get healthier"...Ok So one step back, "Why do you want to get healthier?" "Well if i was a little bit lighter I could run faster, it would be easier to move quicker".. So, "how would running faster make you feel?" ...Stronger....Faster...uncatchable, happy, like a unicorn. STEP 2- OUTCOME VS GOAL Ah-ha, SO instead of putting so much emphasis on the work, look at the outcome first... I Want to feel STRONG I want to feel HAPPY STEP 3- HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL ...Next, ask yourself "what do you do that makes you FEEL that way?" For me? - Running, Lifting, Sprinting, riding my bike, swimming (well sort of haaha) For health and wellness my focus word is Strong/Happy and I know for next year I can now set SPECIFIC goals around those activities that will end up giving me the satisfaction of strength and happiness. This is MUCH MORE personable than "getting healthier" or "losing 5lbs of fat". By having the specific goal that will in turn GIVE me the feelings I want, the outcome of losing 5lbs, or being healthier should come as a byproduct of what will make me feel great. Specific goals to focus on then? Placing Top 3 Age Group at both local sprint tri's Setting a New PR at my 70.3 AND Qualifying for Boston 2020 are all goals that will make me feel like that mythical unicorn Those goals were easily discovered but, not all are that quickly defined. As we covered the remaining categories that outlined my home life, finances, work, and spirituality I discovered some buzz words I'd never used before: Successful, Respect, Relaxed, Peace, and Free  My next step is to create goals under each word that will help me achieve all these feelings within their categories. My challenge for you is to think emotionally first instead of physically. How can you express yourself at your fullest next year by setting goals in place to create the best situation for yourself, physically, mentally, and spiritually? Thanks for reading! For daily fitness inspiration follow me on IG at Redheadrunner_Hpc Do you have a runner in your life this Christmas that has every Garmin, Brooks, Flipbelt, and running sock they need? Instead of giving them another GU or Honey Stinger why not give them the gift of an injury free 2019? Give them the gift a running analysis. A 75 Minute session includes: * A 75 Minute Session of a Before/After Video Analysis * Running form drills and mechanics education * Mobility and Injury Prevention Techniques * 14 Page Personalized PDF File of session pictures, Form Drills and Videos, and Kelly Starret's 12 Standards of Running. Contact me and let's get them running! IG: redheadrunner_hpc Ventrunners  Our body is a master at compensating, it always chooses the easiest way out. When our feet don't move like they're supposed to our other muscles pick up the slack, hence the reason for tight ankles, sore backs, and caved knees. By giving the feet the attention they need we improve range of motion to our other limbs as wells sensory mechanics, and strength (you're only as strong as your foundation). Strive to add barefoot play into your movement practice, whether it be walking in the sand, running through the grass, or walking around your house....release the feet. Follow VentRunners on IG for more training tips!
Members practice their pulling drills against a fixed wall. By pulling your feet under your body we shorten our stride and prevent heel striking, thus eliminating heel striking and tons of impact. Follow us on IG Ventrunexperience |
