{"id":1627,"date":"2017-10-25T09:51:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-25T16:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fananddigital.com\/nakoafit\/?p=1627"},"modified":"2017-10-25T09:51:00","modified_gmt":"2017-10-25T16:51:00","slug":"ironman-iron-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fananddigital.com\/nakoafit\/ironman-iron-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"Ironman or Iron Pain?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The idea of swimming 2.4 miles, then hopping on a bike for 112 miles, and finishing off with a marathon, all in one day, is not fun. In fact, it is downright masochistic, and sadistic in its nature. So why do endurance athletes do it? To push their mind and body past their pain threshold and show in the furnace of adversity, how far the human spirit can take them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I was one of these athletes, and let me tell you, completing one of these events liberates you like you have never felt before.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, since endurance athletes push themselves further then the body is meant to, the body breaks down and suffer injuries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you were to Google \u201cTop 10 Injuries Triathletes Suffer From\u201d \u2013 a majority of them would end in \u201citis\u201d. The end root \u201c-itis\u201d means inflammatory. These would be considered overuse injuries and usually end up becoming chronic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike acute injuries, which are traumatic, such as a fall, twist or blow to the body.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have also been a victim of suffering from overuse injuries from endurance sports.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, the burning question\u2026how do you stop these annoying injuries?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The answer is you can\u2019t. The amount of stress an endurance athlete puts on their body during training or racing can only result in overuse injuries. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, you can help prevent these injuries by working on MOBILITY and STABILITY of your joints.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is vital to know which joints need mobility work and which need stability and strength. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This chart below will give you a joint by joint visual of mobility and stability.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1628 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/fananddigital.com\/nakoafit\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/KineticChain-Mobility-Stability.jpg\" alt=\"Mobility and Stability Chart\" width=\"581\" height=\"454\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fananddigital.com\/nakoafit\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/KineticChain-Mobility-Stability.jpg 581w, https:\/\/fananddigital.com\/nakoafit\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/KineticChain-Mobility-Stability-300x234.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 581px) 100vw, 581px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the figure describes above, it is crucial to consistently work on mobility in the following areas:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ankles<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hips<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thoracic Spine<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Glenohumeral joint<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Motor control\/stability should be concentrated in the following areas:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Foot<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Knee<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lumbar Spine<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scapulothoracic<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The videos below will walk you through mobility drills you could perform before and\/or after training. This will help prevent injury and improve performance and recovery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mobility Suggestions for Ankles and Hips<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mobility Suggestions for Ankles and Hips\" width=\"1100\" height=\"619\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KWo8tJOPvjY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mobility Suggestions for Thoracic Spine and Glenohumeral Joint<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mobility Suggestions for T spine and Shoulder\" width=\"1100\" height=\"619\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/W2D9rbgskjY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are stability drills for our joints that are in dire need of motor control. As endurance athletes, a heavy load is not necessarily the answer, but rather training our mind to activate the muscles necessary to perform swimming, cycling and running. I chose primarily unilateral (single leg) exercises as asymmetries tend to exist in every person. If we reduce asymmetries in training, then we can improve body mechanics, reduce injury and increase performance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stability suggestions for Feet, Knees and Lumbar Spine<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Stability Exercises for Feet, Knees and lumber Spine\" width=\"1100\" height=\"619\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PuCL5xv4NKk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stability suggestions for Scapulothoracic and some final thoughts and considerations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Stability for Scapulothoracic and Final comments\" width=\"1100\" height=\"619\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KqSGdlQlqpU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As an endurance athlete, your time tends to be limited, especially with the volume of training. So, when you are presented with either:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go out for a run, ride, or swim<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Or<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Work on mobility and stability<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most would choose the first option because it is more exciting and would lead to an increase in performance. However, if you were to keep an open mind about improvement in this sport, mobility and stability could be the answer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On a final note, here is some food for thought:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Nakoa Educational Director, <a href=\"https:\/\/fananddigital.com\/nakoafit\/member\/john-welch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John Welch<\/a>, explained mobility to me in a great analogy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every mobility limiter on your body is like a band holding you back. Tight ankles \u2013 that\u2019s two bands around the ankles. Tight hips that\u2019s two bands around the hips. Now running a 10km race (let alone an Ironman) is hard enough. Why would you add bands of resistance to your body making it harder?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then add to the fact you are putting immense pressure on your stability joints, because of the limitations of your mobility.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, limitations in mobility and stability may not be only the cause of your injuries, but may also be limiting you in peak performance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our bodies are designed to move pain-free, let\u2019s keep it that way!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The idea of swimming 2.4 miles, then hopping on a bike for 112 miles, and finishing off with a marathon, all in one day, is not fun. In fact, it is downright masochistic, and sadistic in its nature. So why do endurance athletes do it? To push their mind and body past their pain threshold and show in the furnace of adversity, how far the human spirit can take them. I was one of these athletes, and let me tell you, completing one of these events liberates you like you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,106,84,109,321,95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitness","category-injury-prevention","category-livefit","category-pain-free-living","category-video","category-workouts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fananddigital.com\/nakoafit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fananddigital.com\/nakoafit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fananddigital.com\/nakoafit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fananddigital.com\/nakoafit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fananddigital.com\/nakoafit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fananddigital.com\/nakoafit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fananddigital.com\/nakoafit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fananddigital.com\/nakoafit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fananddigital.com\/nakoafit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fananddigital.com\/nakoafit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}