strength

Bootcamp time again in Skipton!

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Bootcamp training

Bootcamp training

The days are getting longer, the weather is not as cold and it seems more people are willing to join me in some outdoor training!  This can mean only one thing…It’s Bootcamp time again in Skipton! What is a bootcamp?  Originally its the rough and tough training you get in basic training in the military.  These days it generally means any kind of training that involves minimal equipment and usually outdoors.  And as a few of us have signed up for some outdoor challenges this year (Trailtrekker, Warrior Dash, Tough Mudder, Commando Challenge) it is perfect to get us in top form. But why train outside when I work in a lovely, climate controlled gym??

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What are Movement Compensations?

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Movement compensation on crutches

Movement compensation on crutches

Since I started to learn Karate when I was 7 years old, I have consciously or subconsciously been trying to improve the way I move.  I have learned that if I want to put my body in a certain position, there are loads of different ways I can do it.  But I have also learned that some ways are better than others.

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Fixing the right problems and doing your back in

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Don't do this you muppet...I was chatting to someone about their strained back the other day.

***Disclaimer!  I’m not any kind of physiotherapist, so I am not any kind of expert in this.***

She had pulled her back picking up a bag from the floor, so she was asking me for some things to strengthen her back so it won’t happen again. But because I have way too much free time on my hands and am a bit of a nerd, I tried to investigate and understand the problem and come up with a good solution.  So I started off with a very important lesson I have learned…

Often, a pulled muscle is not due to a weakness in that particular muscle, but because of a weakness in a totally different muscle.

Why?

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Getting out of the wheelchair and relearning to walk.

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I’ve been spending the last few months working with Joan, who has been in a wheelchair for a long time.  The goal has been to help her stand and re-learn how to walk. And that is the important bit…she needs to relearn how to walk.  How do you teach someone how to walk?  Is it just a case of “put one foot in front of the other?”  At first, I thought it was as simple as that.  But I now know, if you do that you will fall over.  There is a hell of lot more to it than just that. Just some of the things you need to do include:

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