As the FLO Fitness team returns from a very
fun and educational weekend from the 2015 Perform Better Summit, we thought it
would be a great idea to have two of our staff members share their thoughts
about their experiences at the Summit. Here is what they had to say:
“The
2015 Perform Better Summit located at Providence, Rhode Island was a great
experience due to the variety of current information and practices that were
presented on a wide range of musculoskeletal topics. As a first time attendee, who comes from a
background of Athletic Training, I can confidently say that attending this
conference has made me become a better health care clinician. Hearing presentations from several of the top
professionals in their respected fields has allowed me to gain great insight. In
particular, hearing the words of Gray Cook, Eric Cressey, and Emily Splichal,
have not only changed the way I view certain areas, but has also allowed me to
understand new concepts and approaches of movement and treating different types
of dysfunctions. This translates directly to how I am going to rehabilitate,
condition, and prevent the injuries of the athletic populations that are under
my care. What makes the information
presented at Perform Better unique is that the content is universal and allows
professionals of various backgrounds to collaborate with each other. I personally believe that collaboration between
related occupations is truly the way to advance professions. Combining knowledge will spark new questions
and change perspectives, which in turn will not only set a higher standard of
care, but also performance in a universal level. Perform Better understands this approach and
I am looking forward to what they have to offer in the future.”
-John
Placca, ATC
FLO
Fitness Intern
Will
be leaving the FLO family soon to fulfill his duties as Athletic
Trainer/Graduate Assistant at Rider University this upcoming fall.
“I had been looking forward to this weekend
ever since I signed up. July 16th-19th
in Providence, Rhode Island, was marked in my calendar in bold letters. It would be my first time attending Perform
Better’s Functional Training Summit.
Although I had heard many stories from the rest of the FLO Fitness gang
regarding the well-renowned speakers, educational takeaways, and bonding
memories, little did I know what the few days would actually entail.
The
first day at Perform Better, I found myself in a large group of people ranging
from personal trainers to athletic trainers to physical therapists…and
everywhere in between. I had never been
in an environment with such a diverse amount of individuals within the health
and fitness industry and I was already somewhat overwhelmed. As I sat down in Eric Cressey’s hands-on
lecture, I realized my number one goal for the weekend: to simply soak it all
in, while attempting to pick out one concept from each presentation. I looked for a tip, a lesson, and or exercise
that would hopefully better FLO Fitness or myself. These are my findings:
Eric Cressey – “Building a Better Warm-up” –
At FLO Fitness, I see several of our athletes lack shoulder mobility,
especially while performing exercises such as wall slides. Usually, one arm allows for more range of
motion than the other. Eric Cressey
demonstrated on several volunteers with previous poor scapular/shoulder
mobility that three cues might improve shoulder flexion.
1.
If the
athlete demonstrates an adducted posture where his/her shoulder blades sit too
close to the spine, the athlete needs to turn on their serratus anterior
muscle. Cue: “make a bigger arc” or
“reach.”
2.
If the
athlete poses a natural anterior tilt of the shoulders, a posterior tilt is
required. Cue: “tilt back” or may need
some manual guidance.
3.
If the
athlete’s scapulas are too depressed, he/she needs to move the shoulder blades
up with a tiny shrug. Cue: “shrug”
Mike Boyle – “Functional Strength Coach
5.0” – Although I believe we do a great job at training our athletes
unilaterally to strengthen any imbalances throughout the body and increase core
stability, the term bilateral deficit was brought to my attention during Mike
Boyle’s lecture. This discrepancy
happens when the summed unilateral force is greater than the bilateral
force. For example, this means an
athlete may become overall stronger
in an arguably more sport specific exercise like a split squat or eccentric RFE
(Residual Force Enhancement) than a squat.
Greg Rose – “Pain: Is it you or your
Environment” – People fear pain and many believe it means that training must
cease. Greg Rose shared his 4x4 matrix
that can be used to regress exercises to fit the client’s needs. There are two categories when assessing: Position and Resistance/Assistance. Each classification can be modified to allow
the individual to potentially train pain-free.
For me, this was a fresh way of providing regression and it can be
applied to our athletes.
Bill Parisi – “From Trainer to Successful
Business Owner” – With such a big name in the performance side of sports, I had
always been curious to learn more about Parisi and how they train their
athletes. Bill Parisi put the attendees
through a mini workout that would be typical at his speed school. He focused on activating the core and the
lower body muscles before heading into a series of dynamic movements including
A-skips, bounds, and proper sprints.
This run-through gave me a better understanding how he structures one of
his 85 facilities.
Rob Gilbert – “How to do the Impossible: The
Mental Secrets of the World’s Greatest Coaches and Athletes” – Although Rob
Gilbert touched on several successful coaches and athletes, I was most
impressed with the delivery of his presentation. When a presenter can not only engage his/her
audience but also provide an emotion throughout the room, it’s special. People feed of your energy, positive or negative,
especially when training in the gym.
I’ll be sure to bring nothing but positive vibes.
Don Saladino – “The Drive to Be the Best” –
Similar to Bill Parisi, Don Saladino knows how to build a business. His facility in Manhattan and his cliental of
celebrities did not just happen overnight.
His biggest advice when pursuing your dreams was to network and do as
much research as you can on the particular topic. Such instruction can relate to many life
situations as one grows and learns more about his/herself.
Bill Knowles – “Athletic Development: A
Performance Based Strategy to Reduce Injury” - At FLO Fitness, we focus on an
extended warm-up through activation and dynamic exercises to make certain our
athlete’s muscles are firing correctly before getting after it in the
workout. We are always looking for new
and interesting drills to add some variety to the sessions. Bill Knowles showed the attendees several
exercises that can be done with a partner.
These included trust falls where one partner acts like a board and falls
into the other partner’s hands. The
partner that catches then squats and presses the board-like partner up to the
original position. The board-like
individual must activate a tight core throughout while the other person squats
in an abnormal yet somewhat natural way.
Emily Splichal – “The Art of Movement Efficiency”
– Personally, as a personal trainer, I do not consider the foot enough while
training our athletes. Emily Splichal, a
podiatrist and human movement specialist, discussed how important our feet are
in when it comes to perceiving and receiving impact forces. She shared with us, Short Foot, a foot
strengthening exercise to help train our feet to improve our communication with
the ground. Even if it takes a few
minutes during each training session, such practice is imperative to assist in
reducing injury.
Michael Mullin – “Understanding Sequencing and
Asymmetrical Rotational Patterns on Principles of Postural Restoration” – In
order to help establish optimal respiratory function, Michael Mullin
demonstrated an exercise that can be used just before physical activity. The Stair Short-Seated Balloon exercise is
used to work the expiratory muscles as it offers resistance while
exhaling. Similar to Short Foot, this
exercise only requires a few minutes during a session yet can increase the
effectiveness of the entire workout if included.
My
first time at Perform Better’s Summit was full of learning, meeting new people,
and fun. I was fortunate to have such a
great crew include me in such a memorable experience. I am excited to start implementing the
knowledge I gained this past weekend into our training sessions at FLO Fitness
and into my life. Perform Better 2016
cannot come soon enough! “
-Diana
Venezia, CSCS
FLO
Fitness Coach
Will
be leaving us in the fall to attend Graduate School at Temple University.
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