If You Can't Move, You Can't Improve
by Kristina Bouterse
Many moons ago, I learned that Corey trains professional athletes. And this mom-thlete said, "you should put something together for our tennis team! We need exercises to help us feel better after a match and we want stronger serves." See... I play low-level, suburbia tennis with my girlfriends for a total of 14 weeks a year. Not quite the professionals he's used to training. But Corey agreed to come watch us play anyway (maybe because his wife is on the team?) and give us some pointers.
When I followed up with him about the exercises, Corey just shook his head and chuckled. "Y'all don't need to work out. You can't even move!" And that was the beginning of a new discussion: a talk about mobility.
We all know people with elbow braces, knee braces, lower back pain and ankle wraps. They still play their games, but they do it in pain. They're not as effective with their serves, swings, hits, kicks (kickball!) or sprints because of the pain and lack of mobility. Yet they still run, they lift, they work out, they slam that ball and, often times, win the game, out of sheer determination and skill. And between the games, they're doing the same thing I asked Corey for: a workout to make them better at their sport.
But guess what? If you can't move, you can't improve. You'll only injure yourself more.
And that's where Corey Bridges and the C4 Performance technique comes in to play. My past experience with trainers has been guided exercises with some critique and coaching to keep me going. C4 Performance started out completely different. Because... if you can't move, you can't improve.
Corey asked questions, did a visual analysis and then we jumped into a biomechanical assessment to see how my body moves. Real life movements are not static, they don't just go forwards and backwards; our bodies move in all directions. That's why Corey does a 3D assessment to analyze flexibility, mobility and stability.
He's fast and precise about the assessment. In just a few minutes, I was in the CAGE stretching my body in ways I'd never thought to try. And today, man, am I sore! My adductors were stretched so effectively that I didn't even notice how far I pushed my body.
Side note: Ever have a tennis pro laugh out loud at you?? I asked Coach Darrio how to serve stronger. He tossed his ball up, turned his entire torso, shoulder and elbow to demonstrate a master at his craft. I tried to mimic him and my elbow and arm just didn't go that way! I flubbed the ball. Coach actually laughed out loud at me and my stiff form. After years of immobility, my body just didn't go that way... but it should.
While moving my shoulder and arm into different positions, Corey manipulated the tissue around my ligaments to help loosen my shoulders and thoracic spine. We measured my mobility before and after the manipulation and the difference was quite noticeable! At tennis practice that evening, I was able to hit the ball in the appropriate racket position which helped the ball go where it was supposed to. My swing felt more full and natural. What a difference.
Over the years, many of us get tighter, find new pains and even get injured, yet we still want to play. We enjoy being adult athletes, hanging with our friends and chasing our kids/ grandkids around.
But injuries keep us from being active and doing things we love. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Being strong and living pain-free is a valuable factor in overall happiness. With Corey at C4 Performance, you work together to find the cause of the issues and balance your body. Then you enhance your athletic ability and unlock your maximum potential. Corey develops a custom program to improve your fitness, strength, speed, balance and agility.
Like I said, a totally different approach to training. Check out Corey Bridges with C4 Performance in his new Kennesaw location.
• • •
Corey Bridges, FAFS (one of only 1,500 Fellows of Applied Functional Science in the world), has been training professional athletes like Kirk Cousin & Aaron Murray, from Olympic table tennis athletes to stay at home parents. Bridges was raised an athlete and got his passion for movement while playing wide receiver for The University of South Carolina.
C4 Performance is located at 2010 international Blvd Suite D, Kennesaw GA 30144
Corey@C4-Performance.com
Call 404-931-1921 to make an appointment.
Kristina Bouterse, full-time REALTOR and mom of three boys, she rarely slows down! Kristina's passion for health has lead her down many rabbit holes, including physical, mental and overall personal well-being. She also loves connecting with other small business owners who have the same positive mindset. Contact Kristina with real estate questions at:
Kristina@GeorgiaEliteRealty.
No comments:
Post a Comment