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What is High Performance? Ross Tucker's 12 minute master class

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Over the last few years I have become a fan of Ross Tucker, mostly through his "The Real Science of Sport Podcast." He brings a measured, thoughtful approach to sport and sport science. In the latest episode  (Season 6, Episode 20, Oct 3 2024), he gives a 12 minute master class on what it is to do "high performance." The discussion starts around the 40 minute mark.  As a physical therapist, I am most interested in how all of this relates to rehabilitation and the return to sport process. Here are my key take-aways: 1.  Apply principles, not knowledge. With principles in place, you are better equipped to determine what knowledge to apply to your situation. 2. Performance science is implementing a "logical, systematic process" not just throwing technology, staff or money at performance questions. Process & Systems >>>> Stuff. Develop a "framework to understand your environment" that is free from bias and helps you systematically app...
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The Waiter's Bow

The sit and reach test stinks. Why? Well, it does not allow one to discriminate between hip and lumbar spine flexion. It tells you NOTHING. The initial testing position puts the hip/torso in 90 degrees of flexion to start; that is an end-range hip flexion position for many. For most, this is only a tortuous test of lumbar flexion. Ever had the pleasure of making a wrestling room full of 9th grade boys try to sit up against the wall while keeping their knees extended? I prefer to use the Waiter's Bow as a assessment tool, and as a warm up or cool down exercise. My goal is to create hip extensor mobility in the context of the neutral spine. The Waiter's Bow is a weight-bearing, AROM test of flexibility that allows you to discriminate hip flexion from lumbar spine flexion. The Waiter's Bow is, in my book, a basic movement comprehension skill everyone should learn. It lays a foundation for advanced training skills and the neutral-spine body awareness that is critica...
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Strength: Overcoming Tradition & Assumptions

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The term "strength" comes with many images and stereotypes. The most common stereotype usually includes intimidating men who look like action figures, in spaces that look like iron jungles. Strength is associated with mass gain, limb girth increases, muscle hypertrophy and maximal force production against an external load. With regard to lower body strength, we speak in terms of multiples of bodyweight (BW), with the ratio of 2x BW historically viewed as necessary and desirable. We have historically trained in terms of 1 RM. There has been a trend recently to adopt a VBT (velocity based training) approach, as we know 1 RM changes on a daily basis and technology now allows us to more finely tune things with velocity as the target within each set. These things can be helpful as we initially learn to measure and document progress. But I think it is important to step back from this narrow outlook, because this view of strength does not serve all of us well, in either the rehab or...
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