HIPPY

Somebody gave me the idea to speak a little bit on the blog about the hip, why it's good to have good hip mobility, and ways to improve your hip mobility. I have attached a couple of videos that I think do a good job of showing and explaining some of the techniques used to increase some movement in the hip.  But first I will speak briefly to the point.

A lot of people that we see here at CPC have jobs that keep them sitting for a large part of the day. Sitting is one of the biggest culprits for aggravating some hip limitations. The longer you spend in a seated position the more your body is going to adapt to and stay in that position, most of the muscles surrounding the hip are in a shortened position when seated, stay there long enough and they tend to stay shortened. When you get up and move, walk, exercise, squat, whatever, you may end up with some tightness or limitations in that area.  

You need to regain that movement.  How? There are many ways, see the videos below for some examples.  Why is this important? Lack of movement in the hip and effect you when you walk, run, squat, go up stairs, etc, if you can't move there then you are going to compensate and create other problems elsewhere.  

Yes, this was brief, when have any of you really known me to talk a lot?  Exactly, I'm hungry and I want to go eat. If you have questions, as always, come talk to us.  Enjoy your weekend!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRmT1mja4uk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRmT1mja4uk

Why EVERYONE should be using the RIP Trainer.

I don't know about you but I have cursed Mother Nature more than I care to admit these last few weeks. It seems like every time I go out to walk my dog I'm slipping on ice or stepping over mounds of snow that my lovely neighbors have left in the middle of the sidewalk. One day last week, Friday to be exact, I was out walking Pepper (my dog) after a rare attendance at Geoff's 9am Fusion. We had spent the hour bouncing back and forth between the RIP Trainer and Suspension Trainers working, well...everything. My core, glutes, and hamstrings were fired up and ready for the day. As Pepper and I were neared the end of our walk I slipped in a hidden patch of ice. My left leg slid forward, my right hand (leash hand) whipped back, my poor dog snapped to attention, but instinctively my body fought the urge to yard sale on the sidewalk and righted itself. Crisis averted. Why you may ask? The answer should be obvious, the RIP Trainer! 

If you are unfamiliar with the RIP Trainer it is a rather simple looking piece of equipment. Created by Peter Holman, former member of the US Taekwondo team as well as a Physical Therapist, he sought a way to train his clients and teammates to create and control rotational forces. The ingenuity of the product is recognized as soon as you place your hands on it. Core muscles are forced to engage to either allow for rotation or to prevent it. Just think "All Core. All The Time."  The RIP allows for 3 dimensional exercises to be completed in all the frontal, sagittal, and transverse planes, while providing an asymmetrical load. If that wasn't enough, balance and stability are challenged as you increase the difficulty of each exercise. With 85% of the body’s core musculature running on a bias, rotational movement is one of the best way to train and the RIP makes it happen.

To put a real life spin on this just think of what your body has to do when you….slip on a patch of ice, step out of the car, shovel, start a snow blower, throw a bag of salt over your shoulder, pick up uneven bags of groceries, or even your kids. You twist. You bend. You even prevent each of these from happening as well. Everyday life requires you to create and control rotational forces! The RIP Trainer prepares you for whatever lies outside the walls of CPC.

Don’t be fooled and think the RIP Trainer is just for athletes. It is a training tool for everyone, and with snow predicted for the end of the week and spring nowhere in sight it’s time you start thinking about training with it too. You’ll be glad you did.

SK