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Stretching as a Warm-Up and Injury Prevention
Part IV: Move with a Purpose: Stop Mindless Stretching—Warm-Up, Cooldown, Injury Treatment, and a Bozo Prevention Strategy Stretching should not be the sole activity performed during a warm-up before or a cooldown after your movement or exercise program. Should it be a part of your routine at all? Most of us have heard to never
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Yoga Flexibility, Yoga Stretching, and Mobility
Part III: Move with a Purpose: Stop Mindless Stretching—Movement, Mobility, and Yoga Contrary to popular belief, yoga is not Sanskrit for stretching. It actually means to join or unite, and it is a combined spiritual, mental, and physical practice. Assuredly, most yoga poses do focus on flexibility and strength to varying degrees; however, each pose
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Fascial Fitness and Flexibility
Part II: Move with a Purpose: Stop Mindless Stretching—Flexibility, Fascia, and Your Nervous System Flexibility might be the ability of a joint to bend through its full range of motion, but in actuality, it’s the reflection of your nervous system. (Check out Part I of “Move with a Purpose: Stop Mindless Stretching.”) In essence, stretching
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Stretching for Flexibility, or Not
Part I: Move with a Purpose: Stop Mindless Stretching—Stretching for Flexibility, or Not It has been almost five years since I first posted my somewhat controversial “Stop Stretching!” article on the Sock Doc website (or Soc Doc as many continue to write). My views regarding stretching haven’t changed much, but my knowledge and experience around
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Athlete Motivation Part I: It’s in Both of Your Brains
There are a couple of standout ways to become a better athlete, yet even more ways to hinder fitness progress and overall performance. Simply put, it’s easier to screw things up. For improvement, proper training and recovery are at the top of that list, which can encompass everything from sleeping well to an adequate diet
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Motivation Part II: Healing and Optimizing Your Two Brains
You may not be fat, but hopefully your brain is around 60% fat. Most of this is arachidonic (AA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) fatty acids. AA fats are my favorite fats, and I discuss more on why you want to eat pasture meats, wild fatty fish, butter, and egg yolks here. Not only will you dampen
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Motivation Part III: Why Your Motivation Stinks, Literally
Long-distance athletes often deplete themselves more than any other athletes. I’ve been in this situation more than once during my 20 Ironman races. After some events, I just didn’t feel like doing much: I didn’t want to train or even get household chores done. Once I got moving, I’d do them, but it was difficult
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Using Manual Therapy to Restore Essential Gait Mechanics
Moving and Beyond: Essential Gait Mechanics Gait—it’s the movement of our limbs during locomotion. Our gait changes as we move faster or slower, and when we change terrain. Many people have poor gait mechanics, which limit their ability to perform to their fullest potential. Sometimes this limitation results in pain, and other times, there may
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Barefoot Basics—How to Regain Your Footing
Move Naturally Barefoot Natural movement means your body is moving without any alteration from its normal state or function. It also means your body is experiencing full sensory feedback from your surroundings, which is hopefully a natural environment. Do you think you’re moving as well with shoes on as you could be without them? You’re
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Truly BAREFOOT
Humans, with rare exceptions, should be able to function well while barefoot from birth until death. Although sadly, many people are unable to walk, run, or stand barefoot even for a few minutes without feeling discomfort, pain, or general uneasiness. Many people have essentially lost their ability to support themselves without secondary support, either because
Natural Athletic Training & Fitness
These articles offer natural athletic training and fitness information and injury-free training techniques and tips. Aerobic and anaerobic athletic training philosophies are discussed as well as unconventional topics such as minimalist (barefoot) running and the dangers of stretching. Achieving a level of desired athletic fitness involves more than just working out. Training needs to be much more specific for optimum athletic fitness whether you’re trying to swim faster, run further, or lift heavier. Athletic training isn’t only dependent on the amount or type of exercise but a lifestyle adaptation where your overall health plays an important role, especially the need to rest and recover properly.