Just Train!
I received this call for help yesterday on my web site. I thought it would be worth sharing.
I am getting dreadful stick from my Physio at work for doing band-walking with my cricketers (was at the ECB conference that Vern did) he is saying it will cause tightness of the ITB. Bearing in mind I just do this as part of the warm up to activate the gluts. Has Vern got a beautifully succinct and concise argument to help back up my argument? the Pysio also states that Glut Max is not a stabilizer of the hip. Does Vern agree with this? I think it does help massively because of its attachment to the thoracolumbar fascia. Would be really grateful for any feedback
To me this epitomizes all that is wrong with our field today. This guy is really trying to really do the right thing, but the physio does not get it! If we left training up to the average physio we would never train, we would be neutralizing our spines while drawing in to activate God knows what. We would never get hurt, but we would never get better. Let’s get real here. Does it really matter in performance if the Glute Max is a stabilizer of the hip (I think it is by the way – it all depends on how you look at it) Remember we do not function it the anatomical position. It is about muscle synergies, acting against gravity on the ground!
The Mini Band routine is something virtually every athlete I work with does every day they train and sometimes before competition if we deem it necessary. The goal is to wake up and activate all the intrinsic muscles of the hip that play such an important role in movement. This routine does not cause ITB tightness, if any thing it takes stress off the IT band.
Let’s get away from this reductionist approach that creates robotic movements. Number one do no harm. Number two to get better we must pust the envelope, that demands knowing the athletes and having a system that empjasizes good progressions. GO FOT IT!
posted by Vern Gambetta @ 2/28/2007 08:32:00 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I love hearing stories like this because you know you're not alone. In function ALL muscles are synergists, stabilizers, neutralizers, agonists, and antagonists depending on what gravity, ground, and momentum are doing to it at a particular place in time. That means the glutes may be stabilizers of the hip, ankle, or shoulder depending on the task. I use band walks with my high school athletes quite a bit, especially with prevention of tibia stress reaction injuries, or "corkscrewing" knees during squats.
Amen!
As a physio, I'm tired of the reductionist thinking. FUNCTION, FUNCTION, FUNCTION!!
I've got necessarily nothing new or thought provoking to add, but offer one word of caution - the bands can overload the hip if not careful. For example, I've actually irritated my glute med tendon by overdoing lateral steps with bands. Nothing severe mind you, but it was a direct result of over training and it was a painful reminder that anything is dangerous if not done with care.
FWIW the key concept of bands is often overlooked; for example, they can be used to strengthen the lockout of a squat (you’re stronger at the end range of motion in this particular movement) OR to train explosiveness, and not deceleration, through end ROM. In my experience, people are using bands for “function” but don’t know what function they are training.
Just my 2 cents.
Todd Langer
www.balance2posture.com
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