Wednesday, November 13, 2013

finding dysfunctions and learning mobility

So I am six months into this crazy thing called CrossFit and I can honestly say I feel amazing! Now it doesn't mean it's not without some pain and discomfort. Sure in every class there is something that I may not be great or good at, so it only makes me want to push harder, try harder. The thing I have been learning along the way though, is that you learn very quickly the dysfunctions of your body. All the things you've been doing wrong will come into light as you begin to learn how to do correct movements. In the beginning its not so obvious, these dysfunction, and depending on how often or hard you workout you may never discover them. I've gone from a 2-3 time a week person to a 4-5 time a week person, as soon as that became consistent I started to feel many dysfunctions. First one popped up on my left elbow with some tendonitis. At first I believed it was from an old injury from several years back, was sure to ice it after lifting heavy and stretching it out. But the pain and inflammation never went away. This is when a coach brought to my attention that it's more than the joint, it's the muscles that attach to the area. A lightbulb went off, my triceps and pecs were exceptionally tight on that side. As soon as I started getting regular massage work and chiropractic adjustments done to the areas, things started to change. Don't get me wrong, it didn't magically go away and it is not likely to be gone anytime soon. My joints and muscles are having to learn whats right and whats wrong, I'm having to watch my movements as I lift heavy weights above my head. I can always tell when I used bad form, the area around my elbow will begin to hurt. It's better though, and I'm still learning.

The second dysfunction that popped up was my knees, primarily the right one. Now I explained this one away with having had torn ligaments in my right ankle 3 or so years ago. Figuring things are tight and that is probably why I am feeling it in my knee. But as time progressed and the left knee began to bother me as well, I sought out help. The collective minds have given me an array of things to work on, but each one have come to the same conclusion. I have a lot strengthening to do for adductors, gluteus, and hamstrings, as well as a lot of tight fascia that needs to be worked out. But the biggest thing that has come into play is learning that I need to start all over with my squats. Because from the get go I was unable to do a squat with my feet facing forward, I had started to do them with my toes slightly facing outward. It didn't become a problem until I began doing heavier back squats. Now doing a simple air squat or lunge is absolutely painful. 

One of my coaches brought up a book to Aaron and I to look into. Aaron had heard about this book a while back and read up on it. But after much conversation with Joon, we decided to purchase the book, "Becoming a Supple Leopard" by Dr. Kelly Starrett. It's highly recommended for anyone who is heavy into working out and/or sports activity. It teaches you proper mobility. We've only just started reading it but have already put much of it to good use. Tonight I began the process of properly doing squats with the assistance of a resistance band to hold onto. I have a lot of work to do with my legs, as they get more toned and stronger, they'll need more rehab. But I am certain that all my hard work now will pay off later down the road. 

What is something you do for mobility?

No comments:

Post a Comment