It's Never Too Late

Today I was inspired, and here's why.

A few weeks ago I was sitting in my barber's chair.  We were talking about fitness and nutrition, and he mentioned another client of his who works as a trainer.  An 82 year-old trainer.

"There's someone I'd love to meet," I said.  So my barber walked over and grabbed a card from a stack across the room.  "Here you go.  Give him a call."

This morning, I finally got to meet and talk with this personal trainer after several brief phone conversations.  I caught about 15 minutes of his last client session for the day, and then we sat and talked for about 45 minutes.  In the brief time I got to see him in action, I witnessed him effortlessly squat down, pick up a 45 lb. plate, rack it on the leg press, and demonstrate the exercise.  I watched as he got down on the floor and worked on Supermans with his client.  After his session, I learned that he has been working as a personal trainer for 12 years.  This means that after a career in an unrelated industry, this man earned his training credentials and started a new career at 70 years old.  Wow!

I share this little story for a few reasons.  First, it's never too late to make a change.  Age does not matter.  If it's a commitment to get in shape, age does not matter.  If it's a commitment to reinvent yourself, age does not matter.  My Saturday morning meeting affirmed that for me.  Secondly, learning to move well now will allow you to move well later.  This trainer told me that he loves to travel with his wife.  If he can easily squat and rack a 45 lb. plate, lugging a suitcase should be a breeze.  And third, always be open to conversation and ideas with as many people as possible.  A chance conversation with my barber lead me to an inspirational meeting with someone twice my age, but with similar values to mine about living healthy and moving well for the long haul.

Next time you think doors are closed to opportunity, no matter what facet of your life, think of the 82 year-old trainer doing his thing.  You just might think again.

Tight Hammies? Maybe Not!

Are you someone who has long believed that your hamstrings (the three muscles in the back of your upper leg) are "tight" because you can't touch your toes?  Perhaps they truly are.  But maybe you've been barking up the wrong tree by stretching the heck out of them.  Here's why.

The hamstrings work to flex (bend) your knee and extend your hip.  But the big hip extensors are your glutes.  I like to refer to the glutes as the "lead singers" in hip extension production, with the hammies as the "back ups".  The hamstrings should work synergistically with the gluteals.  However, if the glutes are under performing, those back-ups will take the lead mic.  In effect, they're "singing" louder and longer than they ought to be.  They're "turned" on more than they should be.  This phenomenon may also be perceived at "tightness" in your hamstrings.  Your hamstrings have become synergistically dominant.  You want them to be manning those back-up mics, not leading the band.

Here are two quick ways to assess if you have truly tight hamstrings.  Try bending forward to touch your toes with your knees straight.  If you can't, now sit on the floor and reach out to touch your toes.  If you can, then perhaps those hammies aren't as tight as you thought.  After all, aren't these essentially the same movements?  The only difference is that the standing maneuver requires more spine-loaded motor control than the seated version.  Another key sign that your hamstrings may be working too hard is if they are prone to cramping.  Try this.  Lie on your back and perform a glute bridge.  Feet flat on the floor with your knees bent, lift your butt off the floor to make yourself straight through the thighs and trunk by driving your hips to the ceiling.  This SHOULD be a glute-dominant action. However, if you find that your hamstrings begin to cramp while doing this move, then it's a sign that your hamstrings are working overtime on that lead mic.

Here's a quick (if not high-quality) clip of my 5 and 3 year old doing an unsupported (arms in the air) glute bridge.  Maybe not perfect form, but if my kids can bust out a bridge on a Friday night (yes, this is what I do on the weekend these days), so too should you.

So, think again whether your hamstrings are truly tight or not.  And if you find that your hamstrings have been unfairly blamed all these years, and that your weak, under performing glutes are the real culprit, get to work.  Make sure these powerful hip extensors are up to the task.  Your low back will thank you for it!

James W. Horn, MSPT

Baby's Don't Lift Dumbbells

I took a great course last fall that changed the way I look at my patients.  In essence, it provided a system by which a person's basic movement capacity can by screened, revealing mobility and/or stability deficits.  With all the evaluative and treatment tools that I have accumulated over the years, this is the system that has organized the toolbox.  It's a work in progress, but I'm very excited about the ways that it will help me help YOU to get better, stay better, and move better.  That's why I love doing what I do every day.

Of all the great nuggets I took away from that weekend in Philadelphia, one particular line struck me the most.   "Baby's don't get strong by grabbing miniature dumbbells and doing 3 sets of 10."  Rather, an infant's motor development occurs naturally and intuitively.  They have to earn the right to to reach the next developmental milestone by laying down the wiring sequentially.  Think of the new Freedom Tower as it's going up down town.  Without the preceding floors, the higher ones couldn't be there.  This is the fundamental concept behind the movement assessment to which I'm referring.

As we get older, we do a million things to tangle those well-laid wires.  We assume habitually poor postures, stick to a single lane on the movement highway, and incur injuries for a variety of reasons.  These are just a few ways that we can mess up the software that drives our hardware.  Here's the thing though.  Whether we're rehabilitating ourselves from injury, or we're setting out to "get in shape" with a new year's resolution, odds are we're neglecting our wiring (neuromotor control) and focusing prematurely on the hardware (big, lean muscles!).  Well, if I ask someone to grab some weight and start pushing or pulling it without having some understanding of their basic movement capacity, then aren't I asking them to injure themselves worse?  Or at the very least, prolong their rehabilitation?  Or "get in shape" without actually doing a damn thing about learning how to move well for the long-haul?  The answer is "yes".

Baby's don't walk out of the womb.  The 80th floor of the Freedom Tower doesn't float in the air without support from 1-79.  Next time you want to get in shape or have to undergo rehabilitation, ask yourself if you've "earned the right" to grab that dumbbell.  Get assessed to see how well you REALLY MOVE (or don't for that matter).  You may be surprised.

I'll leave you with this quick example.  If you can't squat like this baby, ask yourself, "Why not?"

James W. Horn, MSPT
Chelsea Physical Therapy
& Rehabilitation
119 W. 23rd Street, Suite 1002
New York, NY 10011
(212) 675-3447