Someone asked me, "What is ONE WORD that I would describe my general goal of improving one’s movement with?" After an intense bout of mental gymnastics I said; ‘EFFICIENCY’.

Many people would choose ‘strength’ or ‘flexibility’ or ‘stability’.

‘Efficiency’ however, is not exactly the trendiest term or a word that you could find on the cover of the fitness magazine attracting attention.

So, who cares about efficiency anyway?

Well I do! And maybe you will catch some of that enthusiasm too if I can make my case well enough.

Please, look at the general definition of ‘efficiency’, if you wouldn’t mind....

"The ability to do something or produce something without wasting materials, time, or energy." Merriam-Websters.
OR
"Efficiency generally describes the extent to which time, effort or cost is well used for the intended task or purpose." Wikipedia

The term efficiency relates to…

The intention or the goal of the action (specificity of the action or movement)
The precision of the process that leads to the goal (accuracy of the process)
The assessment of how well the mission was accomplished (effectiveness)
The amount of energy consumed in the process (the cost or the calories required for the task)
The amount of energy wasted in the process (the waste or energy potential to be preserved)

This picture illustrates what kind of layers could be found around the ‘efficiency’ of movement.

So now a good question would probably be; “Where is strength and endurance and all the good stuff that are always linked to the exercise and that I work for every day at the gym? “

Well if your goal is ‘movement’, which is an action towards a specific goal, you could start by assessing the quality of your movement solution to a given situation. Then you could choose tools or strategies with which to improve the quality of your movement solution. The strategies might very well consist of strength training or cardiovascular development, but they might also be more related to the quality instead of just capacity of movement, such as ‘removing obstacles from the path of movement to save energy’ or ‘increasing the accuracy of sequencing within the movement’. You just won't know until you evaluate and learn to know the individual in front of you.

If your goal is an action or movement within the world of sports, the efficiency of your motions getting that specific task done is of an outmost importance. Efficiency in performance means goal-driven precision with effective and strategic use of the energy available.

So next time you work out, don’t think how many calories can I burn during the workout, but how much energy can I save and still get to my goal safely and effectively. That’s efficiency!

Have a victorious New Year!

Tommi

PS: This and many other posts I have written are inspired by my journey into Applied Functional Science - AFS. (www.grayinstitute.com)

Let's look at one of the main reasons why a proper conditioning program can be so beneficial for a female athlete. Actually, TWO of the main reasons, the right knee and the left knee.

FEMALE ATHLETE'S KNEES AND INJURY PREVENTION

There are a lot of theories and studies on why females suffer more from knee-related injuries than men. Some of the possible causes have to do with the anatomy and physiology and others more with biomechanics and movement skills. Research says that for example in basketball there are about twice as much ACL-injuries with women than with men and in soccer the number is even higher. It is estimated that 38 000 female athletes suffer from an ACL-injury every year.

The good news is that according to studies proper conditioning program can help decrease the non-contact knee injuries with youth female athletes by 88%.

So what does the Knees 4 Speed -program consist of?

1. Activation and strengthening of the hip in all planes

The hip musculature has a huge role in controlling the movement of the knee. I have found that with most of my female athletes the muscles of the hip, including the great gluteus family, are often more inactive as with men. And we don't like muscles sleeping on the job. It creates a weak link in the chain and exposes the body for injuries.

Without a comprehensive activation and strengthening program for the hip, the knee often remains weak and "defenseless" against the forces of deceleration when landing from a jump or when quickly changing direction.

2. Turning the lazy foot into a great team player

The foot is the only connection to the ground for most of the athletes. At the same time, it is often one of the weakest areas of the athlete's body. With its 26 bones, 33 joints and two dozen muscles it definitely requires more of our attention.

A weak foot and ankle can not translate the ground reaction forces optimally and guess who has to pay for it? Well, yes, the knee and also the hip and even the spine. So, training the foot into a better team player helps the knee to do its job more safely.

3. Building a strong core in the upright position

Stability and dynamic control in the core region contributes to the stability and control of the knee as well. The functional strength initiates from the inside out and spreads from the center to the extremities.

The core training that helps the knee the most has very little to do with sit-ups or crunches. Have you heard of anyone who suffered a knee injury while on their back on the ground? No, me neither. That is why the abdominal wall needs to be trained with the body position and the task of the sport in mind.

4. Improving movement mechanics for efficiency

Improving movement mechanics in the context of preventing knee injuries basically means improving the skills of running, jumping, hopping, landing and change of direction. The emphasis is on the word SKILL. Improving a skill requires both a) deliberate, focused practice with quality repetitions as well as b) task-specific and more sub-conscious game and drill-applications. Fundamental movement patterns, such as squatting, lunging and single leg exercises are also part of improving overall movement mechanics.

These are the four corner stones of the Knees 4 Speed -athletic development and injury prevention program for youth female athletes.

Do you know aynone who could benefit from the Knees 4 Speed -program? Call Tommi the Trainer at 201-677-8885 or email for more information.

Tommi the Trainer

PS: Knees 4 Speed -program is available for youth sport teams as well.

Reference: Non-contact ACL-Injury Prevention for Femalesby Jason D Vescovi