FRC, what is it?

As many of you know, in January I decided to attend a couple clinics to further
my knowledge in the health and fitness field. Now that I have had some time to
let all that information settle and actually start putting some of it into practice,
I wanted to share with you what I have done.

The first conference I attended was called Functional Anatomy Seminars,
where I got certified as a Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist,
or FRCms for short. Okay so you're thinking so what do all those letters really
mean though. Great question!

Developed by Dr. Andreo Spina, is a system for joint health and mobility training
based on scientific principles and research. Mobility refers to the amount of usable
motion (or Range Of Motion) that one possesses across a particular articulation
(joint). The more mobile a person is, the more they are able to maximize their
movement safely, efficiently, and effectively. While improving mobility, the FRC
system also acts to safeguard your joints so that movement can be executed
safely while you are building strength, or participating in your preferred sport or
activity. Lastly, these training principles help improve the function of your nervous
system by training your body to accept loads through the entire range of motion
of a joint. This leads to a reduction of pain and injury, increased joint health and
longevity, as well as an increased ability to move freely and easily.

Still confused? Let me see if I can break it down more. First this course looks at the
difference between what we know and call flexibility and mobility and shows us the
true difference. We also learned what the difference between these two terms means,
and what happens when there is inequality between the two.

Let me start with flexibility. Flexibility is defined as how much your joints can BE
moved through a certain range of motion. Meaning for example laying on your
back, how far can you use a stretching strap or partner to stretch your hamstring
muscle. This does not equate to how far you can actively lift your leg while lying
on your back, that is mobility (more on that later). What Dr. Spina found that
the more flexibility people had compared to mobility, the more injuries and pain
they reported. In most training programs we were taught to stretch to increase
muscular length and that that would in effect allow people to participate in activities
with less pain or injury. This has actually been found to be false.
  
Here is an example of how using the FRS system can help you. Let's use the squat
as an example. In order to do a squat you have to be able to dorsiflex your ankles
(bring the top of your foot closer to your shin), and be able to flex your knees and hips.
Most of the time we can do a little bit of each of those motions enough to make the
squat look good. So you are going along adding more weight to your squat and you get
to a point where all of a sudden you start getting knee, or ankle or even back pain,
or you feel like you just can't get any deeper in your squat. Many times we just keep
pushing through thinking oh I'll get through this if I just push hard enough. Now by
implementing some FRC techniques we would step back and see first what type of
squatting you want to do. Then based on the squat you want to do, look at your mobility
and see if you have all the prerequisites for the movement, then start training the
movement(s).

The movements we would train are ankle dorsiflexion, knee flexion and rotation, and
hip flexion and rotation. To do this we would start by assessing each of those joints
mobility through the use of CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations). After some time
practicing the CARs we would add in some resisted PAILS and RAILS (these
techniques will be discussed in a later blog), then finish with more CARs to see how
much the PAILs and Rails affected your mobility. Once the joints in question are
working in the correct capacity needed to perform your squat is achieved then you
can go back to your loaded squats and give it another try.

There is obviously a lot more to this as I simplified it a lot for the sake of this post. I hope
you found this blog post helpful, and I know some of you have already experienced a
few of these techniques with me. I will continue to implement these new techniques with
all those who need them. If you have any questions on this system, or are interested in
doing an entire hour of mobility training please feel free to reach out to me. I'm always
here for you.

Training Outdoors in the Fall and Winter

Every year when fall weather hits, I begin to hear complaints about not being able to get outdoor workouts in anymore. Even though the days are shorter and the weather is less desirable, you can still enjoy your outdoor training activities throughout the fall and winter; you just have to take a few extra precautions to help reduce your risk of injury or illness, and to keep you cozy.

The following tips are for those of us in California, where generally the temps get between the 30's and 50's temps in the winter, and who are running, or doing some other type of continuous movement activities, not including cycling. The clothing you will need for cycling will be slightly different including more wind protection.

I'm going to break this up into temperature ranges. Now keep in mind every one's tolerance and comfort in cold is not the same, but that having being said, play around with your choices during shorter workouts until you have it figured out before you embark on longer adventures.

Let's start with 55+ degrees.
Most people will be comfortable with a pair of shorts and a tee or tank. These cloths can be your typical runners shorts and loose fitting tee, to the more form fitting triathlon shorts and tops. Really whatever you prefer here goes. Yes your first few minutes may be on the cool side when it's closer to 55 degrees, but keep in mind once you have warmed up you will be perfectly fine in the shorts and tee in this temperature range. If you will be doing your cool down with stretching outside as well, having a layer to throw over this would be a good idea.

 45 degrees to 55 degrees.
In moderately cool weather the question of what to wear is largely a personal choice, although when it's particularly windy, runners may want a windbreaker jacket. While a t-shirt won't generally cut it, a quality long sleeve base layer will get runners through most of this temperature bracket. The top should be made of a synthetic material as cotton will absorb and hold all your sweat and not allow you to stay warm and dry.

Shorts will also still get the job done since the legs tend to warm up quickly from the work they're putting in, but consider 3/4 length pants if your knees tend to get cold and stiff feeling. Also gloves may be helpful if your hands tend to get cold easily.

35 degrees to 45 degrees
Below the 45 degree point you should cover more of your body, particularly the hands and neck and head. Light running gloves and a light synthetic beanie or ear cover will help to keep you warm. On your body, a base layer under a windproof jacket will protect your torso, and light running tights ensure that your legs don't get too cold. To help cover your neck, having a mock neck base layer will work, or a light scarf that won't come undone while moving. If it's raining, you may want to wear a rainproof jacket and pants, few things are more miserable than being soaked through in 35 degree weather.

Thinking about your feet is going to be helpful in this temperature too. As our extremities get less blood flow and can end up feeling painful when cold and wet. Using wool socks will do the trick for both the cold AND the wet. Today's wool is made softer and less smelly that older types of wool cloths. One great company is Smart Wool. No I am not sponsored nor do I get any kickbacks from them. I use their socks because they work.

25 degrees to 35 degrees
When it comes to water resistance, windproof running jackets do better in the snow than in the rain, so your rain proof jacket is unnecessary for these temps. However just a base layer and your wind jacket won't be enough. You will need to either go with a thicker base layer and your jacket, or one light and tight base layer with a looser thicker layer over the top, and finally the jacket over that. Make sure you still have a little space between your jacket and your next base layer so you can trap in some warmth.

Your tights will need to be full length now covering all the way to your ankles. They should also have some insulation or wind resistance in them. Now is also not the time for your no show or ankle running socks. Your socks should be quarter length at the very least, up to knee high and don't forget the wool will keep you cozy and warm but not sweaty.

This is also the time to put on a thicker pair of gloves preferably something with some wind resistance. Last, let's not forget about your head and neck. This is definitely the time to cover them with a nice beanie and neck gator, or a full balaclava would be perfect here.

Below 25 degrees.
In this temperature range, moisture control becomes a big factor in your overall comfort during exercise. So does staying warm, so it's imperative that the middle and outer layers keep you well ventilated as well as warm. You're going to want to pick an outer shell that's still breathable but weather resistant. Ski touring and mountaineering shells do well because they are designed for exercise. Your thicker running gloves may not work at these temps, so grab your ski gloves and make sure they pull over your jacket cuff or under, you don't want to let heat out through your wrist area.  Also at these temps you will need another layer of pants over your tights. Something again that is windproof and possibly lined but has space between them and your base layer pants.

You may even find that your eyes start to burn. Grab those ski goggles if your regular sunglasses aren't doing the trick anymore. Something I haven't mentioned yet but is important especially in the below freezing temps, your music. If you like to listen to music while you exercise your phone or ipod wont work as it's too cold for the battery to function. You will want to make sure you have an interior pocket in your outer jacket, this will keep the battery warm enough to allow your music to continue playing while you continue exercising.

Now if you are more of a visual person like I am, I came across a pretty good picture that represents what I am talking about. Check it out below.

Thank you for reading, and as always if you have questions or suggestions please leave me a message.