The Perform Better Seminar in Providence this year was the BEST seminar ever! They really outdid themselves this year – Congrats to Perform Better for putting on quite the show! Everything was completely organized, staff was super friendly, I went to buy a rope and some kettlebells and Carlos, one of the staff members, treated me like we were best friends! It was quite an experience, and if I ever get my own place, they are the ONLY ones I will work with!
Beyond that the presenters this year were of a caliber that I could not even begin to wrap my head around. I looked at certain time slots and knew that for sure I was going to be internally debating whether to stay for a whole lecture or bounce around from lecture to hands on?! The dillemmas!!!
Here is the wrap up of just a few of the presenters and what they spoke about, I will bullet point the lists and give you my take-aways:
Gray Cook – FMS Applying the Model to Real Life Examples
- The FMS is taking over as the lead form of screening and assessment in this business, Gray spoke about the elements of the system for screening movement and the importance of having a “STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE” before you write a training program.
- Just because the Doctors cleared you and said they “fixed” your knee or shoulder does not mean you have a quality movement pattern set up that will stop that injury from reoccurring.
- STOP looking at JUST THE JOINT for pain – Mike Boyle has said that pain site is different from pain source – start looking at the SYSTEM and at the MOVEMENT PATTERN.
- One of the BIGGEST take-aways from this seminar was when Gray Cook mentioned Dr. Cheng’s theory of the “4 Knots” where your shoulders and hips are viewed as the “four knots” of the torso. He described how the Shoulder Mobility test and the Active Straight Leg Raise actually test the quality of movement and symmetry within the 4-knots. As long as the “knots” are symmetrical and stable then you have a good platform for movement.
Mark Verstegen – Barefoot Training
- This has been a concept that is quickly becoming more and more mainstream by the SECOND! His seminar discussed how to progress to training barefoot, why you would train barefoot, the exercises used to strengthen the feet, and a great talk about the different types of shoes used for this type of training.
- Verstegen’s lecture included some interesting graphics depicting how our feet actually take the shape of our shoes over time, and how the toes should actually be more dexterous than we currently have them.
- One of the big takeaways from this lecture was the progression of lesser stability shoes until you are ready for more barefoot like training. A super imporant point considering that there are too many people that just go out and buy a pair of Viram Five Fingers then wear them out on their first 5 mile run. NOT a good idea at all. He sugessted getting a “trainer” shoe like a Nike Free Trainer, or the New balance Trainers which have less support than a regular running shoe, but more than barefoot. Then aslo get a barefoot shoe like a Vibram or the new Adidas Raw Training Shoes (which will be out Soon!!!)
- The above picture illustrates the characteristics of a “Normal” Foot –
Straightness and separateness of toes
Widest part of the foot at toes
Long Axis of great toe prolonged backward strikes center of heel
Transverse folds in skin of sole
Interesting compared to what peoples feet look like after YEARS of wearing “supported” shoes.
- His hands-On lecture was also pretty eye opening and covered a ton of joint mobility, foot strengthening exercises, and soft tissue work, and the updated “World Greatest Mobility Drill” that brought everything home about barefoot training.
Dr. Stu McGill – What We Learn From the Greatest and Strongest Athletes
- Stu is THE expert in spinal bioechanics – this seminar was a definite eyeopener, for so many reasons!
- “Sparing the spine while training will lead to higher tolerable volume of training. Hundreds of sit-ups will limit training volume.” – Conclusion, sit-ups still suck. Protect your spine at all costs! –
- A super important point he made was training the rate of relaxation and the balance between tension and relaxation. He spoke about Bruce Lee’s uncanny ability to control this balance with a precision that allowed him to perform the powerful One Inch Punch. (See the video)—> Bruce Lee One Inch Punch
- Superstiffness – the ability to engage the core musculature at the split second you need to was the aim of his presentation. He spoke about recently testing a 4.5lb Hula Hoop to cause that quick engagement on every rotation. Is the hula hoop the future of back rehab and core training? Who knows?! ; ) But McGill always has some excellent insights and eye opening information for this industry.
Thomas Meyers – Fascial Fitness
- Meyers studied directly with Drs. Ida Rolf, Moshe Feldenkrais, and Buckminster Fuller. He has also studied less extensively with movement teachers Judith Aston, Emilie Conrad, and in the martial arts. His work is influenced by cranial, visceral, and intrinsic movement studies he made with European schools of osteopathy. He is the author of the game changing book Anatomy Trains and has brought on some groundbreaking information to us yet again! His research will have a HUGE impact on this industry within the next 5-10years.
- His studies have shown that Fascia is NOT just a “layer” but rather an Extra Cellular Matrix that is everything in between all of your cells. This means that the fascial network is a TON broader than we initially thought, therefore the care of the system is paramount to your physical health.
- He discussed the different “fascial types” of people and how to assess them. Some people are like “Vikings” who have stiffness and strength in their systems, others are like “Acrobats” or “Ballerinas” who have more laxity in their systems – each has different needs and responds differently to their training. His effectively simple myofascial assessment is definitely something to take into consideration when designing training programs for your clients.
In other words, what are HIS training needs??? . . . Viking warrior man might need some flexibility, maybe just a little.
Vs. HER training needs???? . . . She probably needs more strength and stability, Ballerina girl probably doesnt need more flexibility.
But you always see Viking Warrior doing Viking things, you are rare put to find him in a Bikram Yoga class, just as you will most likely not find Ballerina girl in a powerlifting competition. Do they have to go to these extremes?? NO – but working on the qualities they do not have will help their bodies tremendously!
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These are just a few of the major lessons I learned at this summit. All of this still has to sink in, I am definitely excited to see the changes that are happening in this industry and proud to be a part of it!
Besides the learning, there was a ton of networking and schmoozing – and the Strength Coach party painted the town red YET AGAIN! It was great to just hang and talk with all the people you read so much about and actually see them off duty!
Thankfully it wasnt all just business, I was actually able to get some quality time to go out and enjoy the lovely town of Providence, Rhode Island with my girlfriend, eat at some great restaurants, and remind everyone that I’M FROM NEW YORK . . . (In case you didnt see my Yankee hat)! =)
That is it ~ The Perform Better Conference in a nutshell! All in all an awesome weekend, can’t wait for next years!
Stay strong,
Joey
