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Movement patterns that we have unlearned (and how to get them back!)

6. November 2014/0 Comments/in Experts /by Fabien Mpouma

Every day you can observe an unbelievable phenomenon in our western civilization: We, the city folk, have unlearned the basic movement patterns!

However, you can’t really argue that it won’t be helpful to be able to carry things for a bit and to be able to get into a deep squat position. And it is exactly the deep squat that is the perfect example of how we overrule our genetics and force a certain movement style on our anatomy.

Our heritage of evolution

Shouldn’t we rather move according to our anatomy and genetics? When observing toddlers and infants you can quickly see that they move intuitively according to their abilities. Rolling from the back to a face-down position, crawling, running, kneeling, and squatting are elementary movements that are essential to human development. They play a major role in orientation, exploration of the environment, and in the process of becoming independent. The deep squat for example is the first choice when toddlers want to pick something up from the floor or take a break.

It is amazing that they intuitively perform this movement flawlessly. It is safe to assume that their parents didn’t actually show them this movement. Since children tend to imitate a lot from their direct models this could have been a reasonable assumption.

However, you have to take into consideration that toddlers have different anatomical relations than adults. Their center of gravity is higher because of their relatively bigger heads. Additionally, they possess a significantly higher flexibility in their joints.

Why do we lose this gift over time?

The most influential reason is probably the invention of the chair. At the latest, the virus is implanted at the first day of school. The better part of a whole day is spent in an anatomically suboptimal position. Your back is often rounded, the gluteal muscles are soft or weakened, the hip flexors and the whole front of your body may be shortened. This can lead to major problems in the long run because the spine is not in its natural double s-shaped flexion. Many people will not bend their hips more than 90° all day.

Simply following the motto: ‘what you don’t use will fade away’ the hip joint will slowly start to reduce its range of motion.

Wearing shoes with heels over a long period of time will create a similar effect. The back side of the legs is permanently shortened and impairs the mobility of the ankles. If you still go into the deep squat your center of gravity will be too far behind the feet and holding this position will demand significantly more strength and will feel uncomfortable.

However, sometimes it can feel so good going down into the deep squat and stay there for a while.

The lumbar spine can relax in a different position, the digestive organs can work better (this is also the reason why the toilets in some countries are simply holes in the ground, by the way), and the articular cartilage will receive additional impulses in the form of pulling, pushing, and shearing loading.

So my tip for you: approach the movements slowly. You can re-learn these movements. With little tools like the aeroSling suspended deflection pulley trainer you can simplify this exercise. It allows you to adjust your bodyweight, and with it the intensity of the exercise, by adjusting your position in relation to the mount.

Your goal should be a free squat in which the buttocks are underneath your knees in the end position.

feet shoulder-wide apart
toes point straight forward (or 5-10% rotated outwards at max)
the sole fully touches the ground and the full weight rests on the metatarsus
bend hip and move your buttocks down and back
keep the natural hollow back and leave the head in a neutral position
move knees outwards
move the buttocks as low as possible

Get functional,

Your Fabien

How to establish new (good) habits

11. September 2014/1 Comment/in Experts /by Fabien Mpouma

‘Man is a creature of habit’

Everyone here knows it because it is a common phenomenon: you resolve to do something and then you simply don’t do it. ‘From now on I will workout more! Tomorrow I’ll quit smoking! I will visit my friends more often!’ All of those are resolutions that every one of us has made at least once. Especially the New Year’s resolutions are a prime example for our fondness for overhasty resolutions. At the end of the year, when we look back, we realize that we haven’t lived up to the expectation that we have posed upon ourselves. Thus, every year we start into the next year with the same old resolutions, but this time… yeah, you know the end to this.

But everything is not lost!

aerobis gives you some tips on how to keep up your resolutions and make them a reality.

Most of the times the resolutions should turn into habits. This can be defined as follows: ‘A habit, from the standpoint of psychology, is a more or less fixed way of thinking, willing, or feeling acquired through previous repetition of a mental experience.”[4] Habitual behavior often goes unnoticed in persons exhibiting it, because a person does not need to engage in self-analysis when undertaking routine tasks. Habits are sometimes compulsory.’ (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habit; accessed: 9/9/14) So the difference between a resolution and a habit is that you have to actively choose to make a resolution a reality, whereas with a habit you don’t have to ‘engage in self-analysis’ when to actually do it. We don’t think about it, we just do it. But why is it so hard for most of us to make resolutions a reality and to keep them up for more than a few days? The key: the desired behavior has to be appealing out of motivational reasons and must then be reinforced by rewards. The present state of psychology is that some habits can be internalized in a couple of days (orderliness, fastening your seatbelt when driving etc.). Others may need years (e.g. diet, alcohol consumption or other addictive substances). Regular exercise is also one of the behaviors that are hard to internalize and turn into a habit. The background here is that habits are meant to make our lives easier.

We are genetically doomed

Looking at it from an evolutionary standpoint it was more or less critical to our survival to internalize ritualistic behavior in order to save resources. ‘Athletic abstinence’ is the immediate and logical result. Today’s technological advancements allow us to have a energy-saving daily routine. Don’t burn a single calorie if you don’t have to! There might be an ice age or drought right around the corner. Breaking free from this genetically predisposed laziness can be very hard. It is possible, though! The motivation for change can lie in the improvement of the outer appearance, which is important for the self-esteem, or in the fear of health issues, in the pure fun of the activity itself, or in the appeal of the challenge. You just have to start.

The solution

Get a training buddy. Or train in a group. Sometimes it can help to measure yourself against others in competition. If you feel like you can’t bring yourself to working out or even driving to the gym just think about how good and content you will feel after the workout. Compare that to the feeling you will have if you don’t go and you start feeling bad about it. If you decide to go even though you don’t feel like it out of laziness (or whatever small reasons we design just to give us an excuse) you will have a unique and well-deserved sense of accomplishment. This feeling is definitely better than feeling bad about not sticking to your workout schedule. And if you reward yourself from time to time (but not with junk food!) and the results start coming in there is actually a good chance to turn a resolution into a habit. Sportive greetings, Your Fabien

What is core strength and why do I need it?

28. August 2014/0 Comments/in Experts /by Fabien Mpouma

Let’s talk about a core problem! Yeah, that’s right, many athletes and even more non-athletes have a core problem. In their core, the body center.
The core is anatomically and structurally the center of our body and has an enormous amount of tasks. And with great tasks comes great responsibility! Only with a strong and stable core as a foundation can the limbs develop their full strength potential.

The core consists of the pelvis, abdomen, lower back, chest, and shoulder girdle. (Basically, the core is what you get when you remove your arms and legs.) It makes sense to include the head into the core because it has great influence on the position of the spine which in turn is of great importance for the core. All these parts form a pillar that is the foundation for every movement.

The primary tasks of the core musculature are to position the pelvis, straighten up and stabilize the spine, and to form and protect the abdomen. For most movements it is important to bring the spine in the perfect position and then stabilize it. In other words, to form a solid foundation and build a house on it.

Amongst others it is the gluteal musculature (m. gluteus maximus) that is responsible for this and brings the pelvis to an upright position. In this position the pelvis is then fixated by the abdominal muscles (m. rectus abdominis, m. transversus abdominis, m. obliquus internus). The spine is protracted as if you pulled on a string that is connected to the top of your head. The shoulders are turned back so that the shoulder blades move back and down. The head is in neutral position as an extension of the spine and you look straight forward.

This neutral position of the core should be kept firmly like a pillar. From this basic position pressing, pulling, lifting, rotating, jumping, and running movements are not problematic. The otherwise tender spine is properly protected and the connected limbs can optimally unfold their full strength. Only a strong core allows for an optimal strength transfer to your limbs.

Only if you can maintain the optimal position of your core can you reach your optimal performance and prevent injuries. For example, if your are a soccer player and you want to shoot harder, jump higher, and stand your ground in one-on-one situations you should direct your focus to core training first. As I have said before: you have to create a solid foundation before building a house on it.

P.S.: If you want to know about the core you should definitely check out this article. It abolishes one or two common misconceptions of core training.

Sportive greetings,

Your Fabien

Doing sport in your older years

21. August 2014/0 Comments/in Experts /by Fabien Mpouma

Sport in old age? We say: absolutely!

The body is very adaptable, even in old age. Regular workouts can help the organism maintain its performance and even improve it.

The average life expectancy in Germany is constantly and drastically increasing since the middle of the past century. The demographic change is a big topic of discussion between scientists and politicians alike.

What most people don’t seem to realize as they grow older: what you use will remain intact. What you don’t use will degenerate. Thus, sport is definitely an important part of growing older!

Picture source: Mayr, K., Benzer, W., Sport im Alter, In: Kompendium der Sportmedizin (2004)

The natural degenerative muscle wasting can be slowed down or possibly even stopped. Joints will remain flexible and the range of movement can be retained – a basic prerequisite for an active and mobile life. The cardiovascular system stays active and in a healthier state, reducing the risk of diseases.

And sport will impact your bones. In a good way! Bone cells need, aside from natural nutrients, pull and push movements to regulate composition and decomposition processes and structure themselves.

Additionally, activity stimulates the cognitive performance – especially when it comes to outdoor activities.

So why not go for a walk? This will probably easily fulfill the bare minimum of movement for one day. If you feel like it you can also go on a hike, go for a moderate run or do reasonable strength training (e.g. with a sling trainer). No matter what you do, it is important to stay active!

Sportive greetings,

Your Fabien

Source: Lüschen, G., Abu-Omar, K., v.d. Knesebeck, O., Sport und körperliche Aktivität im Alter: sozialstruktureller Kontext und die Beziehung zur Gesundheit, In: Soz.- und Präventivmed. 46 (2001) 41-48

Coming back from injuries

31. July 2014/0 Comments/in Experts /by Fabien Mpouma

‘Don’t call it a comeback’

Especially when it comes to professional athletes time is ticking fast after injuries. The goal is to reclaim one’s peak performance and a prompt return to game.

Time is money, even with injuries

For every athlete, club, association, or every company for that matter, time is money. Thus, treatment should start immediately after the trauma. As we have discussed last week, many doctors, physical therapists, and medical attendants pass on the treatment with ice and immobilization of the affected body parts. Slightly increasing load and mobilization seem to be the better alternative for a quicker regeneration.

Thus, there is often no way around a physiotherapeutic rehabilitative treatment. This treatment involves actively and passively mobilizing the affected muscle, joint, or structure with increasing movement amplitude.

Activity instead of compensating schemas

Then the slowly progressing training load follows. This depends on the injury itself and whether surgery was needed or not. You should definitely take the natural wound healing into account. During everyday movements you should be mindful of relieving postures and compensating schemas and avoid them completely. This would only make regaining the target movement much more difficult and impair your athletic performance.

‘…I’ve been here for years’

Depending on the kind and severity of the injury the movements have to be learned anew. The central nervous system and the muscles, joints, and sinews have to re-store the movement. Every one of you that had previously have to wear a cast knows how strange the movements feel after the cast is removed. This is also one of the reasons why casts are much less used in today’s treatments than a few years back. Immobilization inevitably makes rehabilitation longer. Especially professional athletes would have a hard time regaining their competition performance level because with a lengthy immobilization they would complete lose their rhythm. Their body not only would have to regain the necessary strength for the sport-specific situations but also the coordinative and movement-specific aspects of the sport. Don’t let all the hard work and long training hours become worthless because of an injury!

As you were

With this in mind: trust your body with a quick return to movements. Don’t lie in your bed for weeks (although there are serious cases where that is the only option unfortunately)! Otherwise you not only lose muscle mass but also un-learn the coordinative aspects of certain movements. See you next week, Your Fabien

The R.I.C.E. method

24. July 2014/0 Comments/in Experts /by Fabien Mpouma

Today I would like to talk about a discussion that has recently gained a lot of momentum and is concerned about first aid measures after a sports related injury. The R.I.C.E. method. R.I.C.E. was originally published by Dr Gabe Mirkin in 1978 in ‘The Sportsmedicine Book’ and stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. This rule was quickly established as the standard for sport injuries and accidents and stayed the go-to-method for several decades. The aim of this method is to counter-act the swelling of injured tissue as fast and as soon as possible in order to avoid it or reduce it. This way it is (or rather, was) believed to reduce additional damages stemming from the swelling and pain. So far so good.

Doctors, physical therapists, coaches, and medical attendants have incorporated the R.I.C.E. method for decades. Of all persons, it was the inventor himself to criticize this method recently. He was certainly supported by several recent studies that have shown that cooling (partially strong cooling with ice) and elevation slow down the healing process. The explanation: cooling and elevating the tissue constrict the blood vessels and pores. Less blood can be transported to the injured area. Unfortunately, this goes along with a reduced exchange of nutrients. However, when injured the body needs to inflame in order to heal itself. In order to inflame the body produces certain inflammation-markers. These markers are necessary temporarily but can slow down the regeneration process when they are present too long. And this is exactly what happens when cooling the injured tissue! The next thing the body does is try to remove the damaged cells with the help of macrophages. Supplying enough of these scavenger cells, however, is difficult because of the reduced blood flow. Additionally, the macrophages send out a messenger called IGF-1 (a protein). This messenger is extremely important for the reconstruction process of cells and is lacking when the numbers of macrophages is reduced. Another point that Mirkin makes is the possibility of damaging the nerves when cooling the damaged tissue continuously. Mirkin has realized that there are more than enough reasons to make sure that the injured tissue is supplied with an adequate amount of nutrients and blood in order to assure the tissue can heal properly and as fast as possible. The R.I.C.E. method should at least be reviewed. Thus, our recommendation is this: stop the activity, cool for 20 minutes at max, active regeneration, and later mobilization, NOT immobilization! Your Fabien

100 years Tarzan – Why Tarzan would have been an aeroSling fan

1. October 2012/0 Comments/in Experts /by Lutz

Exactly one hundred years ago Tarzan, the story figure and later hero of many movies, saw the light of day

A noble son of a British lord, his parents died when he was still a baby left him to grow up in a family of apes in an African jungle. He learns their language and becomes part of their society. Later in life he meets up with Jane, daughter of an English scientist, and follows her back to civilization. However, in the long run he finds this unbearable and returns to the jungle.

Tarzan would have been a great fan of the aeroSling. This is easily explained:

Swinging from tree to tree holding on to lianas closely resembles exercising with the aeroSling-Slingtrainer.
Although lianas are quite sturdy and highly flexible, they do have a tendency to tear every now and then. This cannot happen with the aeroSling. Here, the artificial lianas are TÜV tested against tearing, guaranteeing high safety with all the positive effects of the functional and flexible instability training.
Since Tarzan grew up romping around in the jungle with his new family of apes, he was never confronted with any strict training methods such as fitness equipment. All of his life, however, he did apply functional training – a training method closely resembling that made possible with the aeroSling. aeroSling training is functional training based on your own body weight.
Of course, when traveling through the jungle, Tarzan never used a backpack or similar carry-all. Therefore he would have been thrilled by the mobility and the simple and easy transport of the aeroSling.
Each individual part of the aeroSling consists of high-quality materials individually chosen to resist extreme loads. Especially with regard to outdoor use for which the aeroSling is ideally suited, Tarzan could have depended on the aeroSling’s high durability.