Metcon Magazine - 5 Hindering Joint Restrictions

Elevating Fitness Through Functional Training NEW MAGAZINE PREVIEW ARTICLE 1ST ISSUE RELEASES JULY 1ST

Metcon MagazineMetcon is a new digital maga-zine focused on functional train-ing. We will release our first is-sue on July 1, 2016. New issueswill be released on the first dayof January, March, May, July,September, November. Each is-sue highlights a different sportand how athletes can benefitfrom incorporating functional fit-ness into their training. Every is-sue also contains education arti-cles written by premiere doctors,nutritionists, and trainers fo-cused of increasing performancethrough strength and endurancetraining and proper nutrition.In the First Issue • Correcting Common Issues with the Clean • 7 Habits of Highly Effective Squatters • Cues & Progression for the Snatch • Proper Bench Press Form • The Science of Plyometrics • Amelia Boone - Training and nutrition with OCR Superstar • Joe De Sena - Becoming Spartan Fit • Common OCR Mistakes from OCR Elite athlete Evan Perperis • Functional movements OCR athlete need to be doing • Goal Based Training • The Coaching Disconnect • The Problem of Evening Hunger • Recipe: Lettuce Wraps with Chicken and AvocadoSign Up for FreeSign up now to make sure youreceive our first issue featuringObstacle Course Racing withAmelia Boone and Spartan co-founder Joe De Sena.You can sign up now atwww.metconmag.com/subscribe2 METCON | June 2016

June 2016 | METCON 3

5 Joint Restrictions HINDERING YourFUNCTIONAL TRAINING By Jeremy McCannI n exercise and sports science, Big Toe achieving triple extension has been the goal of many com- Lack of extension in the big toe prevents our foot from creatingmon athletic movements. Triple an arch when our heel hits theextension is a position in which ground. This is referred to as thethe ankle, knee, and hip are ex- windlass mechanism. As the heeltended. In functional fitness pro- strikes the ground during gait,gramming, there is revolution in our foot rolls into pronation (col-the way coaches and trainers lapse of the arch). The contact“look at movement. Most function- The sport of fitness is incredibly dynamic and re-“ quires explosiveness, coordination, flexibility, andstamina. Often overlooked is the importance ofmaintaining a center of mass.al exercises and workouts em- of our toe with the ground slowsphasize what I call global quad- pronation and pulls on the plan-ruple extension. This means tar fascia to form the arch of thethe athlete extends the foot/an- foot. The inability to slow prona-kle, knee, hip, and the thoracic tion leads the athlete to over-spine. The inability to get to this pronation, or pushing off almostposition results in poor perfor- completely from the big and sec-mance and pain. The following ond toes. This forces compensa-is a list of joints that I find are tion from other joints to slow theroutinely restricted and prevent knee as weight is transferred.athletes from moving efficientlyinto this globally extended posi- How this impacts an athlete’stion. Keep in mind that dysfunc- performance: Many functionaltion at one joint leads to dysfunc- workouts have exercises that in-tion throughout the entire body. volve transferring weight from4 METCON | June 2016

If our joints aren’taligned, wewaste energy. June 2016 | METCON 5

one leg to the other (i.e. running, to travel forward and ask the lunging, farmer’s walks, etc.) quadriceps to carry the burden These exercises are examples of of slowing the knee down. This locomotive movements for which puts the glutes in a poor position the goal is going from point to load up and limits the amount A to B. To be efficient, an ath- of force that can be produced. lete should perform this move- For an athlete who is exploding ment in a straight line. Think of out of the hole during a barbell traveling: You want to take the squat, this is detrimental to force shortest direction to get to your production. Our ability to create destination. Taking the scenic power from our gluteus maximus route usually costs more in gas hinges largely on our ability to and time. Running is no differ- extend our hips backward as we ent. If our joints aren’t aligned, descend into a squat. Lacking we waste energy. An athlete who dorsiflexion pulls our knees and overpronates pulls their knee drags our hips with it. closer to the their midline. This means they must constantly An athlete who suffers from a compensate with other muscles lack of dorsiflexion will often to prevent their knee from col- complain of shin splints, knee lapsing inward. The end result pain, and low back pain. is likely pain and definitely a waste of calories and increased Hip fatigue from using muscle im- properly. A lot of people don’t understand the pelvis isn’t just one piece. Al- A person who overpronates will though, at first glance it may ap- often complain of plantar fascii- pear as one cylinder, it really is tis, Achilles tendinitis, and hip made up of four pieces: a right bursitis. and left innominate (hip), the sacrum and the pubis symphy- Ankle sis. With that being said, one hip should be able to flex while the At the ankle, if we find a talus other extends. One of the most bone that has shifted laterally, common postural deviations that then this is an indication we are occur is an anterior pelvic tilt. carrying more of our weight to- This is when one or both innomi- ward the midline of our body. The nate bones tilts forward. This ankle accommodates this shift in position will lock the back of the weight distribution by turning pelvis in place and prevent it the feet outward. In doing so, from extending the hip. the Achilles tendon gets twisted around a bit and movement be- Without the proper ability to flex comes compensated. Dorsiflex- and extend at the hip, an ath- ion (the turning of the toes up lete will be forced to compen- and bending the foot back to- sate their movements when do- ward the ankle) is lost and our ing things like running. The hip brain will ask other muscles to is very dynamic and can perform pick up the slack, thus creating many different movements. Flex- a compensation pattern. ion of the hip comes with exter- nal rotation, while extension of Most functional exercises in- the hip is coupled with internal volve bending at the ankle, knee rotation. A person who lacks the and hip to absorb impact from ability to extend to an anterior below (running, jumping, etc.) or pelvic tilt will also lack the abil- control forces from above (bar- ity to internally rotate well. This bell squats, cleans, etc.). When will drive the brain to compen- the ankle doesn’t bend well, the sate by moving the leg forward, knee and hip will try to make up which usually means the leg the difference. A restriction at must be swung forward from the the ankle joint will force the knee side. As a result, the athlete will6 METCON | June 2016

shift a lot when they run. Again,energy is wasted and perfor-mance suffers.An athlete who has an anteriorpelvic tilt will often complain ofpain in the sacroiliac (SI) joints,quadratus lumborum (QL) mus-cle, and knees.Thoracic SpineExcessive thoracic kyphosis(rounding of the shoulders) mayhave the biggest observablenegative impact on global exten-sion. Our scapula is attached toour rib cage. A rounded thorac-ic spine pushes the scapula upand forward. This closes downon the humerus and makes itimpossible to get the arms over-head without manipulating theposition of the spine. Excessiverounding also changes the posi-tion of the rib cage, because itis normally accompanied by anexcessive arch in the lower back.In doing so, the ability to prop-erly recruit the trunk muscles isinhibited.Many functional exercises areperformed in the sagittal plane(a vertical plane that passesfrom anterior to posterior, divid-ing the body into right and lefthalves). From the shoulder, thereare many exercises that involveflexion and extension of theshoulder. The shoulder is prettydynamic and can move in andout of multiple planes, but it re-ally depends on the positioningof the scapula to do it efficiently.When the scapula is too high,you will need to compensate byarching at your lower back toget you arms over your head.Again, this is an example of anenergy leak, in which the goalis to get weight overhead; but todo so, the entire spine must bedeviated. The more kyphotic aperson is, the more lordotic (thebigger the arch in the low back)the lumbar spine usually will be.In addition, when a person hasan excessive curve in their tho-racic vertebrae, they will alsolose rotational mobility. Consid- June 2016 | METCON 7

Keep in mind that dysfunction at one joint leads to dysfunction throughout the entire body.8 METCON | June 2016

ering how much rotational power center of mass to a forward po- In most parts of life, becomingis needed for running and rope sition. Almost as if a person is great has very little to do withclimbing, this spells doom for constantly falling, the athlete’s what you already excel at andathletes looking to crush multi- brain will need to recruit addi- everything to do with the littlemodal PRs. tional muscle to maintain align- parts we hide. Functional train- ment and good positioning. This ing has revolutionized the capac-An athlete who has an excessive is counter-productive for an ath- ity of the human body. Our “en-thoracic curve will often com- lete who is trying to be faster, gines” are stronger, faster, andplain of shoulder impingement, stronger, and go longer because fitter than in any time through-tennis elbow, and mid-back muscle gets trained to do a job. out history. The only thing thatpains. A muscle that is easily stimu- will slow us down is failure to lated can be recruited when it is take care of our smallest hiddenNeck not needed. This is the concept parts. of synergistic dominance andA forward head carriage is the reciprocal inhibition. Poor align- About the Authormost common postural devia- ment for an athlete leads to mus-tion seen at the head and neck. cle imbalances and movement Jeremy McCann is a pain re-The head weighs 8 to 11 pounds. impairments. A forward head lief exercise expert, masterWe need to remember that the carriage is an example of this. trainer for The Biomechan-spine is one piece. If the neck If we go back to our functional ics Method and owner ofis out of position, the rest of the anatomy, we know the levator Range of Motion Fitness inbody either follows it or is taxed scapula muscle attaches from Riverside, Calif. In additionexcessively to hold it in place. the base of the skull to the top to his advanced certifica-One of the muscles over-worked of the scapula. A forward head tions from The BioMechanicsby a forward head carriage is carriage will shorten the levator Method, he also holds nu-the levator scapula. A short and scapula and the upper trapezi- merous corrective exerciseoveractive levator will pull up us. Proper shoulder function and specialty certifications fromand forward on the scapula and rib cage positioning will be very some of the industry’s mostmake movement of the shoulder difficult to achieve because the prestigious institutions, in-dysfunctional. lower trapezius will be inhibited cluding the Gray Institute, and the scapula will be hard to National Academy of SportsThe sport of fitness is incredibly depress. Medicine, PTA Global anddynamic and requires explosive- FMS.ness, coordination, flexibility, A forward head carriage is as-and stamina. Often overlooked sociated with shoulder impinge- romfit.comis the importance of maintain- ment, neck pains, and head- fb.com/romfitnessing a center of mass. Having a aches. fb.com/JeremyMMcCannforward carriage displaces this June 2016 | METCON 9