In an era of weight loss tips, CrossFit challenges, and other body-image trends dominating media coverage in the health and fitness industry, there are very few things that can make a strength and conditioning person happier than this story.
Toronto Blue Jays star outfielder Kevin Pillar needs no introduction- but to aspiring athletes in all sports and positions, his off-season workout philosophy might...
Pillar's focus on "moving more like a child..." is in the simplest of terms- focusing on the foundations of building and maintaining a healthy state of physical conditioning. Mobility and stability are top priorities. Yes. At this point, the relaxed and healthy state of muscles and joints are more important to Kevin Pillar than muscular size or the exact amount of force those muscles and joints working together can produce.
Without achieving optimal levels of mobility and stability, we immediately place ourselves under disadvantaged circumstances when it comes to strength, power, and speed.
This is where we should welcome our friends in the respected fields of physics and biomechanics...
They will tell us that the ability to produce force will forever be restricted by the limitations imposed on a joint angle. In physiology, this often means that the high-resting tension in large muscle groups caused by a lack of mobility training, poor recovery, and excessive volume are in-fact our biggest limiters.
But let's put a positive spin on it...
If our biggest limiters on gaining new strength, power and speed can be lifted through increased involvement in flexibility/mobility training and improved recovery, likely without even breaking a sweat, what are we waiting for?
Happy training,
DV
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