In this study, the researchers tested rugby athletes for a period of about eight months, from pre-season to post-season. The researchers performed the FMS and also tested the athletes’ performances on a handful of strength and speed exercises, like bench press and forty-meter sprint time. The aim of the study was to determine if the FMS could be used reliably and to see if the athletes would improve without specific movement interventions.

The screening was indeed reliable. The researchers tested the athletes on all of the FMS tests, amounting to twelve total: the squat, hurdle step (right and left), lunge (right and left), shoulder mobility (right and left), active straight leg raise (right and left), push up, and rotary stability (right and left). Out of the twelve assessments in the FMS, only the most complex test had any degree of variance between test administrators. This means the test works. Unfortunately, the rugby players didn’t actually improve their scores over the eight months of testing, even though they did get stronger and faster.

We must consider the small range of possible scores in a movement screen like this one. Each one of the twelve exercises performed was rated on a scale of one to three, so there wasn’t a lot of variation possible in the scoring system. For most exercises, the players scored a two, which means they couldn’t fully complete the exercise, but didn’t experience any pain. It’s possible they did improve, but not enough to be reflected with such a limited range of scores.

In this study, there was no control group that performed exercises designed to improve their FMS scores. This study was primarily conducted to determine if increases in performance would yield increases in function, which they did not. For example, the players got stronger at the bench press over the season, but couldn’t perform an overhead squat any better than they could at the start. If you’ve ever done an overhead squat before, you know that it would take more time to improve your score on that, than it would to lift more on your bench press, especially if you’re only working on the latter.

So we know that functional movement is not linked directly to improvement in other athletic qualities. We also know that for athletes who do not score off the charts on the FMS, it’s relatively safe to go about developing other athletic traits, so long as we take care to not push the limits of movements.

This study has important applications for athletes who perform relatively poorly on a FMS, despite being strong and fast. Coaches need to pay specific attention to improving the scores in order to increase an athlete’s chances of remaining injury-free and attaining the pinnacle of performance.

References:

1. Mark Waldron, et. al., “The reliability of Functional Movement Screening (FMS) and in-season changes in physical function and performance among elite rugby league players,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Publish Ahead of Print, DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000270

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Use the FMS to Assess Mobility, Not Performance appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

12 Reps With Fitness Coach Jeff Kuhland

1. Who was your first coach and what did he or she teach you?

Coach Loy in high school. He was my cross country coach. I had many coaches growing up, but he was the most impactful and best coach I’ve ever had. He not only taught you the sport of cross country, but also raised young men and women to be responsible adults. He had the credibility of being an athlete first and living what he preached. Most importantly he truly cared about his kids and the community. Recently his team volunteered for a race I was directing and he said to them, “Remember we are a service team. Do your best to help others today.”

2. Who is the coach you most admire?

Coach Loy.

3. If you could have a superhero power, what would it be?

This is a tough question. I’ve always wanted to be indestructible (like Wolverine), to be able to breathe underwater, and to fly. Ultimately I’d pick Wolverine’s healing abilities. I have this idea that if you regenerate that fast, when you work out you will heal instantly and theoretically be able to get infinitely stronger or faster. Imagine going out for a run, and getting faster and faster.

4. What athlete, dead or alive, would you most like to talk with?

Captain Matthew Webb, he was the first man to swim the English Channel. His feats, physical capacity, and mental toughness are unheard of. There is a book written about him and it is one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever read. His breakfast before swimming was a dozen eggs, 1lb of bacon, and 1lb of sausage. During his swim he drank beer when he was thirsty, drank whiskey when he was cold, and ate roast beef sandwiches when he was hungry.

5. When did you know that coaching was your calling?

After graduating college my first job was working with MovNat and then immediately after that as a personal trainer. I knew at this time I could make a difference in people’s lives and was hooked. Helping coach others is more rewarding than any “normal” job or large sum of money for meaningless work.

6. What is the best and hardest part about being a coach?

The best part is watching people you have come to care about succeed far beyond their original goals. The hardest part is watching people come in who want to change but are not ready yet. Some people are simply not ready for coaching or training.

7. What is your favorite physical activity or exercise?

Do I have to pick only one? If it was only one it would be trail running. But I also love CrossFit, the track, kayaking, rafting, snowboarding, wakeboarding, swimming, rock climbing, hiking, and much more.

8. What is your favorite “cheat” food?

I don’t have cheat foods. I eat healthy most of the time and when I want something else I’ll eat it. I enjoy eating healthy mostly, but pizza or chocolate are top on my list too.

9. What is your biggest accomplishment?

This is another hard question. Most notable would be our team winning the national championship for adventure racing in 2008. My hardest physical accomplishment is running the Mountain Masochist fifty-miler. Kayaking and rafting the 226 miles of the Grand Canyon is also another huge one on the list.

10. What do you bring to your students/clients that is different than other coaches and programs?

Training that is based on human growth patterns, that deliver the fastest gains while mitigating risk of injury. I bring a large educational background in terms of traditional schooling and a variety of certifications and experience. I have the ability to adapt to a large number of client needs, while delivering top quality fitness without gimmicks or fads. I believe in the Functional Movement Screen, getting people to move naturally and efficiently, and with applicable fitness. It’s about the engine not the exterior to me.

11. What is your favorite quote?

“The only things worth it in life are those you have to work for.” – Author unknown

12. What was/is your favorite sport and why?

Trail running is my favorite sport. There is nothing that can beat the ability to run for miles in the woods, and the feeling of freedom it gives you.

The post 12 Reps With Jeff Kuhland, Fitness Coach appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

What Is a Hip Hinge and Why Is It So Important?

A hip hinge is movement (flexion and extension) through the hip joint, keeping a neutral spine and the knees slightly flexed. Last week we looked at the deep squat movement. The deep squat has a relatively even ratio of knee and hip movement, as opposed to the hip hinge, which is very hip dominant. This positioning and movement pattern allows for safe movement in a variety of situations and provides the ability to effectively move large loads. Our posterior chain has incredible power if we harness it correctly and move efficiently.

Left photo: Standing with good posture. Right photo: Keeping spinal alignment and vertical shins.

A commonly seen trend is quad dominant, imbalanced athletes with glute inhibition who run and lift with suboptimal technique.² The pelvic girdle is balanced primarily between the hip flexors, abdominals, erector spinae (lower back muscles), and gluteal muscles. Many Americans spend an increasing amount of time sitting, leading to tight hip flexors, triggering reciprocal inhibition, and ultimately glute amnesia, robbing us of strength. Reciprocal inhibition in simple terms means, if one muscle is active the opposing muscle relaxes to get out of the way. A simple example of this is to extend your arm, contract your triceps as tight as possible and try to do a bicep curl without letting go of your triceps tension. This motion is physically impossible. The same issue arises with tight hip flexors that create inappropriate tension, not allowing full hip extension or glute activation.

Hip Hinge Screen

For these screens you will need a PVC pipe, broomstick, or any similar, lightweight rod to appropriately substitute safely.

Screen #1: Perform a hip hinge with a PVC pipe against your back to full flexion and extend back to standing. The PVC pipe must touch your tailbone (coccyx), hand in lower back, PVC touches upper back, hand behind neck, and PVC touches head throughout the entire movement. Any loss of contact will constitute failure of the test.

Screen #2: While standing, bend to touch your toes while keeping knees locked. If you are unable to maintain a locked knee position, continue work on the mobility exercises. Ensure proper posterior (backwards) weight shifting during a forward bend by using the hip hinge wall drill listed below under Re-Patterning of Movement.

Screen #3: Perform a single leg hip hinge. Place PVC pipe on your back, maintaining the same contact points as before, the tailbone, upper back, and head. From standing, perform a single leg hip hinge (shown below), ensuring hip symmetry and alignment with the foot. Use a mirror to watch for proper alignment. From the front view make sure no twisting occurs and the leg traveling backward is directly under your hip, while keeping your grounded foot in alignment. From the side view maintain alignment with level hips and the leg in line with the core. Use a mirror to check your form, or better yet partner up with a friend and screen each other.

If the single leg deadlift pattern is failed, first go through this corrective pattern sequence with both legs until you are successful with re-patterning (screen #1). When successful, you may restart the sequence, shifting the exercises to single leg versions. Perform these excises on both legs and aim for symmetrical mobility, coordination, and strength.

Hip Hinge Corrective Pattern Sequence

• Mobility – Stretch and mobilize calves, hamstrings, hip flexors, and hip extensors. Use a foam roller (daily) to help increase your mobility gains³.
• Static Stability – Exercises putting your body in proper positioning and require you to maintain it:
  • Hold a hip hinge at the bottom for 30 seconds for up to 3 sets
  • Barbell rows in a deep hip hinge. Keep your back straight and pull towards lower stomach keeping a straight bar path. Start with approximately 20-25% of your bodyweight. (20lbs for a 100lb person or 40-45lbs for a 200lb person). Key point: Don’t sacrifice positioning for heavier weight
• Dynamic –Start with banded pull throughs, cable, and banded deadlifts using a controlled path. Practice kettlebell swings focusing on hip drive using the Russian style.
• Re-Patterning of Movement – Focus on proper form and full movement.
  • Deadlift using the wall drill (pictured) – to ensure posterior weight shifting. To perform the wall drill, begin by facing away from the wall with your heels 4 inches from the wall. Stand tall and begin movement with a hip hinge, reaching back for the wall with your butt. While maintaining a neutral spine and with bodyweight on the heels, stop when you reach the wall and return to the starting position, keeping your body under full control. If successful, move your feet another inch away from the wall. Repeat this drill until you reach your threshold distance. From here you should achieve a full hip hinge with proper form and remain 100% in control while not using the wall for support.
  • Alternating kettlebell deadlifts – begin standing with the kettlebell between your feet. Perform a hip hinge, when you reach the kettlebell recheck your form, engage your lats, pinch your shoulder blades together, and pull the weight. Set the kettlebell back down reversing proper form and return to the top without the kettlebell.
• Strength – Deadlift loads at 70-90% of 1rep max
• Power – Tempo deadlifts, power cleans, kettlebell swings, “Granny toss” medicine ball throw against wall or for height
• Performance – This is sport/training/goal specific. Everyone should achieve a base level of mobility, stabilization in the hip hinge movement pattern, strength, and power.

References:

1. https://web.archive.org/web/20150217185731/http://www.acatoday.org/pdf/back_pain.pdf

^2. https://www.kinetic-revolution.com/glute-imbalance-inhibition-or-glute-weakness/

^3. http://www.customstrength.com/foamrollguide.pdf

The post Establishing Your Drive Train: Screening and Correcting the Hip Hinge appeared first on Breaking Muscle.