MARCH 2019 | ISSUE 4

#QUOTEOFTHEMONTH

A message from Founder and Owner, Coach Tristan Mitchell:

“Why does movement quality matter? Why should you care about the way you are performing a movement and/or exercise? Gone are the days of pushing or pulling weight and maxing yourself out for the sake of the number. As the game of fitness has matured (and continues to do so) so have the things that matter the most. The HOW you are performing an exercise should matter just as much, if not more, than HOW MUCH. Now I’m not saying never max out or never test your limits, but what I am saying is don’t do it at the expense of your position and structure. Learn movements and understand where you need to improve, whether it is motor control related, range of motion limitations, conditioning deficits, or a combination of these things. We all start somewhere, we are all novices at the beginning and that is okay. The process is about making improvements; not just “how much” improvements, but improvements in developing the skills of strong movement integrity. Without that we open ourselves up to potential injuries that could otherwise be mitigated.

Sound movement does not mean you are bulletproof but it does mean you are putting yourself in the best position available to you under load to make sure injury risk is as low as possible. As you practice, improve, and test your movement quality in your workouts at the Den they will begin to spill over into your day to day life. That is where the real magic is! As we clean up movement quality in the gym, we see movement quality clean up in our daily movements and activities. Think posture while sitting, getting on and off chairs, in and out of cars, going for a hike or run, playing sports, skiing, and more. You know, living life! That is the reason many of us are in the gym, to have a body that feels strong and good doing the activities we like to do and to feel good doing our daily tasks. That is what better movement quality and awareness can provide us and that is why it matters!”

THE PRIDE’S PRIDE

Member Testimonials

#MOBILITY

Sliding Surface Dysfunction by Coach Joel:

Last month we covered joint mechanics to help restore function to a joint. It's usually the first place to start when improving range of motion is the goal. This month we will focus on restoring the sliding surfaces of your tissue. This will improve the interplay between skin, nerves, tendons and muscles. Some examples of this are methods using a foam roller like the “pressure wave” or “tack and floss”.

Sliding surfaces can be thought of as different components, structures and systems that work in conjunction together. Your skin should slide over your bones, tendons, muscles. Your nerves should slide through the tunnels in your muscles. Your tissues should slide around your joints. Sliding surface dysfunction will restrict these systems. The dysfunction could be a result of a multitude of issues including improper bio-mechanics, overused and stressed joints, damage to joints, tendons, muscles and/or nerves.

Sitting for prolonged periods of time is a common situation that can cause sliding surface dysfunction. Sitting causes your glute muscles to glue together, inhibiting their ability to contract. You may have heard us at Lions Den refer to this phenomenon as gluteal inhibition and this can lead to a motor control disconnection between the pelvis and lumbar spine. Imagine wearing a really tight pair of pants, and then try to squat to full depth. It would be restrictive. Dysfunctional sliding surfaces of skin and muscle become restrictive in the same way and will affect your ability to express the body in full ranges of motion.

How do we address these dysfunctions? We use mobilization techniques to restore the function of tissues. One technique is a hip flexor smash using a tack and floss method.

As pictured above:

1. Place a softball, lacrosse ball or similar sized ball into the front crevice of your hip and lay flat on it

2. Search for a tender spot or knot in the soft tissue (usually easy to find) and tack it down

3. Using your 4 - 4 - 8 breath count to help guide you, breathe into the tissue and exhale to release it

4. After three to five breaths floss the muscle to restore normal function by bending your knee and trying to kick your butt, then extending your leg back to a straight position and repeating

5. Remember to take big breaths in and slow controlled breaths out while flossing

We should be practicing some form of soft tissue maintenance work on ourselves for 10 - 15 minutes every day. If you want to learn how to mobilize sign up for one of our Mobility Classes offered Monday and Wednesday nights at 7pm immediately following group training or schedule a half-hour private with one of the “Mobility Nerds” to get a more personalized session for your particular tissue ailments. We would love to chat with you about your favorites techniques and give you a checkup to make sure your doing it right.

#ZEALMEALS

Zeal Meal of the Month: The Macro Bowl

Ready to try something unique and delicious that might challenge your typical food routine and is guaranteed to excite your taste buds? Look no further than the Zeal Macro Bowl! 

Why we chose it

Zeal designed the colorful and flavorful Macro Bowl based on the principles of the macrobiotic diet. With its roots in Zen Buddhism, the macrobiotic diet is designed to balance the principles of yin and yang. Think of it as combining a little bit of all the best things to optimize the nutritional benefit of the meal. The macrobiotic diet emphasizes locally grown foods that include whole grains, land and sea vegetables, legumes, protein, and sometimes fruits. Meals based on the macrobiotic diet will often also include a fermented food that provides beneficial probiotics. 

What it is

The Zeal Macro Bowl provides a hearty combination of land and sea vegetables (in the pictured dish, they used bok choi and kelp), raw sprouted lentils, Zeal housemade kimchi, and brown rice. The basic protein included in the bowl is Zeal's special seasoned tofu, but they offer the option to substitute a meat-based protein source as well, such as bacon, salmon, shrimp, chicken, or steak. 

Is your mouth watering yet?

How you can get it

You can pick up a Cured Salmon Macro Bowl in the Zeal cooler at Lions Den for $15, order one from the iPad at LD and pick it up on your way home from your workout (can also be delivered for a small fee), or stop by Zeal to try it out. 

GROUP CLASS STRENGTH TRAINING PROGRAM

A message from Coach Jennifer about our current Strength Program going on in our group classes:

“Lions Den SMP is turning 1 and we have been changing and challenging the way our members think about movement and their structure within movement. Now that we all know how to position ourselves, brace, breathe, and move well we want to keep challenging you by forcing adaptation with strength training. 

There are many benefits to following a strength-training program that uses numbers and weights catered to your individualized needs. In order for us to make sure we are getting all the benefits from strength training we are now starting our first strength cycle. We highly encourage you to use a journal (ask any coach for one if you have not received one yet) to keep track of your progress throughout this cycle.

Following a program is a great way to keep you accountable in your fitness journey. It is never the exact same as the week before, and you will become more aware that you are getting stronger. We will all use our own journal and log the weight amounts we are performing. Researchers have found that logging one’s weight used in each workout leads to increased performance as well. The strength program includes:

• 2 testing weeks

• 3 mesocycles

• 9 micro cycles

• 1 de-load week

The strength cycle started February 25th and is 12 weeks long so make sure you get in here Monday, Wednesday and Friday every week so you can participate. Don’t worry if you missed out on the first testing week, contact us to schedule a discounted session with one of our coaches to get you caught up.”

SPRING FITNESS CHALLENGE

with Coach Wade Bass

#PODCAST OF THE MONTH

Brad Kearn’s “Get Over Yourself” Podcast Episode 29 Dr. Kelly Starrett: Mobility King

How to take simple, incremental steps to living a mobile, functional, happy, balanced life

THE FOOT COLLECTIVE WORKSHOP

Sign up here! If you are a Lions Den Member you will receive a 15% discount, email us for the discount code!