How are your ankles performing?
“If your feet and ankles can’t perform their work then the rest of your body will overload and catch the fault. Sore back? Let’s look at your ankles..”
Grounded strong feet and healthy ankle mobility is your foundational gold medal for everything you want to achieve higher up the body.
“If your feet and ankles can’t perform their work then the rest of your body will overload and catch the fault. Sore back? Let’s look at your ankles.”
A set of key joints in your lower body that frames your n and transfers force to the floor are your ankles and your feet. If they are restricted or weak you are creating a storm somewhere higher up (or you are just going to stay sitting down - which I doubt is your future of choice if you are reading this). So let's look at three strategies to positively impact the motor blades of your movement.
Firstly look at the footwear you are sporting. I am an advocate of barefoot shoes for a few reasons but mainly because they remove the heel rise of traditional sports and casual shoes as well as creating a safe ‘toe box’ for your feet to naturally expand into. There are plenty of brands on the market and none have paid me enough to promote theirs so take your pick based on preference, colour, and budget. Wear them as much as you can in and out of the gym. Caution: do not run in them, yet. Whilst our feet were made to be bare they were not made to run on concrete naked so if you want to run barefoot we would strongly recommend grading in the distance.
Secondly, consider the shape(s) you are compromised in and spend more time there. In this video I show how an ease raiser for the heel (book) works to negatively angle the shins and sit in a deep squat for 5-10 minutes. Game changing. No need to lift there or promise to watch an entire Grey’s Anatomy episode (yes it’s my vice), but reward yourself with some foot care and use it to prepare for a session or after a long day in the office.
Thirdly we have to consider that your foot is weak and collapsing under load. Potentially this is the anterior braking system (shins), or the underside of your foot. Try using the same book to strengthen your feet in a heel only or ball only hold to develop strength in the Tibialis Anterior and calf muscles. Watch this video to see how.
As a bonus bit of content for the days when despite all of the above your calves are tight and you can’t imagine how you will ever be able to safely go down stairs again, try using your shin as a myofascial release for the other leg.
Follow the video below to see how to pretzel yourself into a position allowing trigger point care of your tight gastrocnemius muscle. Spoiler alert, if you want something pleasant go for a coffee, this is not enjoyable but we think it works anywhere and anytime!
Have you been profiled recently?
If your coach isn’t profiling you frequently then you are paying for a companion - get an iPod, they are cheaper and less condescending.
Valid and reliable data is precisely how we move forward in every aspect of our lives. As S&C coaches we hypothesise, we intervene, we scrutinise (more often than not we prove ourselves wrong over time as science and technology improves), and then we start again with a more educated base.
“If your coach isn’t profiling you frequently then you are paying for a companion - get an iPod, they are cheaper and less condescending.”
Valid and reliable data is precisely how we move forward in every aspect of our lives. As S&C coaches we hypothesise, we intervene, we scrutinise (more often than not we prove ourselves wrong over time as science and technology improves), and then we start again with a more educated base. And yet here we are, in an age when the scientific method is forgotten or untaught in schools, or simply ignored because it conflicts with our opinion. When did we become apathetic to fact and prefer shouting louder than the person next to us? When did a photo of a bicep or an up lighting bulb convince us that we were getting fitter? Note to all coaches out there, if you can’t define Valid or Reliable then you need to buy a book. Ahh SPSS.
I am a proud scientist and strong advocate that evidence and facts speak louder than dogma, especially when it comes to physical health and wellness. “If we have data, let’s look at the data. If all we have are opinions then let’s go with mine”. Our hope must be that Jim Barksdale’s words apply to dinner table debate but not the application of science in a fitness world. You telling yourself (or worse, me telling you so you consume more services) that you have lost weight should not be an opinion. ‘Think’ you are getting stronger? Nothing to think about, either you are or you are not.
A simple cyclical process that we teach for our coaches to understand coaching responsibilities
Opinions are everywhere and rarely do our lives revert to black and white evidence. I am grateful that my living and reputation depends on facts and my career journey will be rewarded by education and results instead of publicity spin. If I am worth my salary then you will be achieving your goals. Strip the noise, the marketing, and the filtered before and after photos away and regardless of your goal you should frequently be rewarding your grind with evidenced progress and scientific adaptation.
I am not being seasonally inconsiderate, ’tis the season to be jolly’ and I was. MY body composition goals waited until Jan, not because I am lazy (although I am), but because I refuse to chastise myself over the mince pies and Christmas cake I adore. However I am fully transparent to the hard work I will lose by avoiding the gym in favour of a buffet, and how much more work I will have to do in January. The FACT will is that I gained weight and lost Aerobic fitness. And I dare say a lot of us did so at least there is solidarity in Christmas gluttony. Denying it to yourself or others is futile. You need the humility (and evidence) to change from.
As 2023 starts and all of our athlete members get back under the bar across our multiple facilities and our endurance athletes return to the ergs, we will not be embarrassed or offended by the data. We will be informed. Are you afraid to check your bank balance because you think you have spent too much? Then I guess you are also avoiding the gym "until you are fit enough” too. Note, money and fitness don’t arrive by accident. Educate yourself with data and make sure your coach is doing so too.
So how do we approach January with our paying member athletes across the UK and Asia? We lead informative profiling sessions, communicate what is expected, and educate that testing data is not to show you how unfit you are, quite the opposite. Profiling informs our programming for your benefit. If your coach isn’t profiling you then you are paying for a companion - get an iPod, they are cheaper and less condescending. If you are serious about your health investment then demand you are profiled. Importantly if your goal is body composition then pay for a DEXA, your intermittent paleo keto plant based diet deserves more than 5 skin clips by your PT behind a curtain.
Scientific method improves our industry. Are we all using it informatively?
Tom is the CEO and Head of Strength & Conditioning at Pinnacle Performance. He now leads a team of full time coaches having spent his coaching career with professional athletes from World Cup Cricketer’s and Footballers, to Sprinters and Triathletes.