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Category: Activity Progression

The 8 Reasons All HHP Clients Go Through a Movement Assessment

The Smith Performance Center team wants to be the best in the world at helping clients who want to maintain an active lifestyle. If you search the internet, this seems like a simple problem to solve. Just do this exercise or make sure to have protein after a workout. Problem solved.  This has not been our experience.  There is an entire area of research devoted to what behaviors keep people moving and what makes them stop. Keeping people active is not simple and there are numerous reasons why a person will stop. The purpose of the movement assessment is to figure out issues that will stop you from moving. There are clues in your history, how you move, how you hurt, and how you think that will help guide us. Here are the 8 reasons we do the movement assessment: Figure out what may lead to failure Determine the right

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Smith Performance Center Tucson

Tuck Jump Assessment for Physical Therapy

A review of our publications and the impact on physical therapy, injury screening, and protocol In the last few months, some of our research efforts in physical therapy, strength training, and injury screening have been published by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy along with a commentary in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. The publications were focused on jumping test performance and the underlying methods. These tests are useful in a full rehabilitation program to determine readiness for activity, however, even the best tests have limitations that need to be understood. There is no such thing as a perfect test but we can use a variety of tests to gain a more complete perspective.  After a publication, it’s fun to look back at the results and figure out how to use them to improve the outcomes at Smith Performance

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5 Contributors To Your Running Form That You May Be Missing

We perform running analyses every day. Viewing your running pattern lets us see you move from one phase of running to the next, from stance to float to swing. There is always something present that would fall out side of what others consider perfect form. Over striding may be present. You may appear to pronate too much.  You may be a heel or forefoot striker.  We may see that your knees hit together. But we do not start with a running analysis. The insights above may get you back to running. However, the truth is that analyzing running gait is not enough.  The how and why someone runs with their current pattern or why they keep having an injury cannot be determined by watching them run without checking out the other 5 contributors. Resolving it is not as simple as a switch to a midfoot or forefoot, which is the

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Smith Performance Center Tucson

Strength Training for Triathletes

What to do if you are an often injured triathlete that has tried to stay healthy? Why did you get into triathlon?  Do you love the challenge? Do you like the training? Do you like the chronic calf cramping, back pain, neck pain, sore shoulder, or weird knee pain that seems to happen when you step off a curb?  Do you like hearing you have weak glutes or it’s just that your hip keeps falling out of alignment? My guess is those last two are not why you started and continue to do triathlons. Triathlon combines three separate sports into one: swimming, biking, and running. The training is long with a focus on technique and conditioning. You may have been attracted initially to the idea of cross-training to reduce your risk of injury. After the second or third overuse injury, you realized that may not be accurate.  When triathletes get

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