Movement

So, it's back to reality. I started working again, and I resumed training last week. The break was nice; I got a lot of stuff done around the house (although there's more to do!), but I was ready for things to get back to normal.

My training is pretty light right now. I'm trying to ride at least once a week, but otherwise, I'm mostly doing stuff off the bike. My latest fascination is working on basic movement. There's a guy named Gray Cook whose theory is that basic movements form the foundation of your athletic ability. If you can't perform basic movements correctly (due to tightness, using the wrong muscles, etc), then you won't be able to perform at your highest level, and you will be at a higher risk for injury.

He's a big proponent of training only what you can test. So, a foundation of his program involves a "functional movement screen". He provides a simplified version in his book, Athletic Body in Balance. The first time I tried it, I failed 3 out of the 5 tests! Kind of humbling. After working diligently for a week on improving one of the movements, I easily (and I mean, easily!) passed it the second time. I think passing some of the other tests will take a bit more time.

One of the benefits of working on these movements so far is that I've gotten better at paying attention to what my body is doing. I'm noticing which muscles I'm using to do something, where I'm tight, etc. It remains to be seen whether this will make me faster on the bike, but it certainly can't hurt anything...