Gluteus Maximus

Deep Squats with a Dumbbell

Standing in front of the box holding a 10-20 lb dumbbell in both hands, extend your arms out fully in front of you. Slowly begin to lower yourself into the deep squat.  The weight should help you maintain your center of gravity.  At the bottom of the squat carefully place the dumbbell on the step.  When you feel comfortable, try to release the weight and maintain your full squat.  Raise your arms up above your head and hold this position. From this full deep squat position, slowly raise yourself to the full standing position.  Repeat.

Treadmill Running

Treadmill Running

A question often asked in our Kelowna physiotherapy clinic, “Is running on the treadmill a good thing or a bad thing?” More Recently Olympic middle distance runner Malindi Elmore (@canadianrunner.ca) asked this very same question so this has become both the blog of the week and her answer rolled into one.                   

The short answer is yes and no. Why?  Well the good things about running on the treadmill are that it is often conveniently in an athlete’s home and is great when the weather is nasty and the roads and trails are covered in snow and ice. If the athlete is using the treadmill run for a recovery run or is rehabbing an injury there is less physiological and mechanical stress on certain joints, ligaments and tendons as the treadmill surface is smooth and cushioned reducing the forces on joints. There is also no wind resistance to physiologically challenge the athlete and no terrain changes to test injured ligaments and joints. The treadmill is also a great place for some speed work as you are able to run faster on the treadmill than outdoors due to the help from the belt and the reduced drag of wind. If none of the above reasons are why you are on the treadmill and you want to simulate the physiological challenge of outdoor running then elevate the treadmill by 1%.

However, some of the not so great things about training on a treadmill are that your feet are moved backwards by the running belt which creates a less desirable forward lean by the upper body. The belt moving under your center of mass requires a complex neuromuscular movement pattern between your feet and your body and often leads to a shuffle gait pattern leading to more stress on your knees, hips and lower back.

Additionally biomechanically the belt the gait pattern cycle has a much faster heel to toe transition with a consequence that there is less opportunity for the foot to naturally pronate. For the excessive pronator this is a good thing and the impact forces are less; however reduced pronation means that there is more midfoot impact which results in increased tightening of the calf muscles (gastrocs and soleus) and an increased risk of achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis. Finally running on the treadmill requires less of the pulling motion required when running outdoors and often leads to the hamstrings and gluteus muscles being undertrained.

So the conclusion is that the treadmill is great for some speed work sessions, some recovery runs,  if you are in the finals stages of rehabilitation of an injury or simply if you have no choice as the weather is that nasty but otherwise gear up and go run outside.

A question often asked in our Kelowna physiotherapy clinic, “Is running on the treadmill a good thing or a bad thing?” More Recently Olympic middle distance runner Malindi Elmore (@canadianrunner.ca) asked this very same question so this has become both the blog of the week and her answer rolled into one.                   

The short answer is yes and no. Why?  Well the good things about running on the treadmill are that it is often conveniently in an athlete’s home and is great when the weather is nasty and the roads and trails are covered in snow and ice. If the athlete is using the treadmill run for a recovery run or is rehabbing an injury there is less physiological and mechanical stress on certain joints, ligaments and tendons as the treadmill surface is smooth and cushioned reducing the forces on joints. There is also no wind resistance to physiologically challenge the athlete and no terrain changes to test injured ligaments and joints. The treadmill is also a great place for some speed work as you are able to run faster on the treadmill than outdoors due to the help from the belt and the reduced drag of wind. If none of the above reasons are why you are on the treadmill and you want to simulate the physiological challenge of outdoor running then elevate the treadmill by 1%.

However, some of the not so great things about training on a treadmill are that your feet are moved backwards by the running belt which creates a less desirable forward lean by the upper body. The belt moving under your center of mass requires a complex neuromuscular movement pattern between your feet and your body and often leads to a shuffle gait pattern leading to more stress on your knees, hips and lower back.

Additionally biomechanically the belt the gait pattern cycle has a much faster heel to toe transition with a consequence that there is less opportunity for the foot to naturally pronate. For the excessive pronator this is a good thing and the impact forces are less; however reduced pronation means that there is more midfoot impact which results in increased tightening of the calf muscles (gastrocs and soleus) and an increased risk of achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis. Finally running on the treadmill requires less of the pulling motion required when running outdoors and often leads to the hamstrings and gluteus muscles being undertrained.

So the conclusion is that the treadmill is great for some speed work sessions, some recovery runs,  if you are in the finals stages of rehabilitation of an injury or simply if you have no choice as the weather is that nasty but otherwise gear up and go run outside.

XC Ski Prep: Wave Physio Kelowna

The XC Ski hills open today!!!!
Before you head out here is a great exercise to prepare you for the challenge of being back on your freshly waxed skis.

T–Pose   

Balanced on one leg, rotate your trunk and free leg until they're parallel to the floor. If you need help with balance, use a counter–height structure. Quiet balance in this position for two to three breaths, then switch stance legs and repeat. Do three to five repetitions per leg, alternating legs. More challenge? Do slow quarter squats.

Back Pain and Running

Back Pain and Running?
Another reason to run with good biomechanics is that it reduces your chance of lower back pain.  Between the L4 and L5 vertebrae in your lower back is a disc. When we aren’t kind to this disc we develop problems in the lower back, which in turn lead to a melee of other issues.
During the running gait cycle, when your heel contacts the ground it’s important that you have a slight knee bend (flexion of approximately 20 degrees), as demonstrated by James Young in the picture ( His foot is another issue which he is working on, so watch out anyone in his age group). This knee flexion allows the impact forces to be dissipated through the knee and hip before they reach his lower back. Landing with your forward leg fully extended at impact means that most of the impact forces (which have been measured to be between 5-8 times body weight) need to be dissipated by the athletes’ lower back and the lion’s share of the work is done by the L4/L5 disc.
To run better, healthy and happy contact Malindi Elmore at the Canadian Runner Clinics offered in Kelowna BC. www.canadianrunner.ca

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Hamstrings and Running Economy

In a recent publication of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, the authors concluded that the hamstring muscles played the major part in the decline of running economy. They felt that the hamstrings in most athletes were the muscles that fatigued prematurely which resulted in economy breakdown. The conclusion therefore is to strengthen the hamstring in both of its functional positions, with the knee straight and bent.