The debate over limitations in human performance has been waged for decades. In the endurance sports world, the commonly-held perception is that the cardiovascular system is the primary limiting factor. The belief expressed by many endurance sports coaches is that maximum VO2 and lactate threshold are the primary culprits - and thus, we need to track and scrutinize the appropriate training parameters - namely, heart rate.
But here are some thoughts to refute those claims - to take our focus away from the past and turn it towards the future.
The month of March has some very important attributes tied to it. March was originally the first month of the Roman Calendar - before the winter months of January and February were added. Those who know me realize that I could do without winter at all ... so I think that March is as good a starting point as any.
We now have Daylight Savings Time beginning in March - and as you all know, I definitely have a strong appreciation for sunshine!
March 14 is Albert Einstein's birthday. Given that Einstein was one of the great thinkers of our time, then I certainly appreciate March even more. March 14 is also Pi Day - a day to celebrate the mathematical constant pi (which, I will have you know, is 3.1415926535 ... without looking at Google. Why do I know that? Read the previous posts!). I am still not quite sure why we'd celebrate pi ... unless, of course, I am a circle, and then it makes sense of my world.
There seems to be a growing aversion to the medical system in recent times. Why are people so hesitant and apprehensive about accessing medical care for anything other than chronic or life-threatening conditions? I certainly see it regularly when interacting with active people. Why is this so?
I am not sure I have that answer completely - but let me propose a few potential reasons.
Just like any other enterprise, there needs to be a value added benefit to going to a clinician for care. The "customer experience" starts from the moment they contact the office. You're on hold waiting for the next customer service representative. A frustrating start, for sure. Let's say you get lucky - and don't have to wait to schedule an appointment. Is the provider of your choice on your insurance plan? Or will this be an (oftentimes exhorbitant and inflated) out-of-pocket expense? Now I have to balance the potential cost-to-benefit ratio of the experience.
Isaac Newton - physicist, mathematician, and arguably the greatest scientist the world has known. If you've taken high school science, you've been exposed to the ways of Newton. And if you look back to yesteryear, and revisit those golden memories of pendulums, bunsen burners, and trajectories, you're sure to unearth a thought or two on Newton's Laws of Motion.
Math and science got me through high school. Though I love the process of writing now, in those days writing was something to be done only because it had to be done. It was about writing book reports, or comparing and contrasting protagonists in Shakespeare's plays. No wonder I didn't enjoy putting pen to paper! Math and science - my bread and butter. My meal ticket - or so I thought. At one time, I was going to become a mechanical engineer ... which evolved into an automotive designer ... which then turned into physical therapist (and yes, there are some common threads throughout - best left to another digression here!). But suffice it to say, I was comfortable with Newton's ideas - back in the day.
The Ivory Tower of Academia. If you've been involved with the educational system in any way, shape, or form, you've at least seen it off in the distance. Perhaps you've occupied it's courtyard, or maybe even resided inside it's walls.
The Ivory Tower - is tarnished.
Last time I looked, academia and education were about teaching and learning. There is plenty of good research literature to indicate that adults learn primarily by interaction, by doing, by being actively involved in their own learning process. In effect, it is much the same way that children learn most effectively. As Bob Pike would say, adults are just babies with big bodies.
... to take a look around us. Be honest. What do you see?
Do you see a "peaches and cream" existence?
Or do you see the current "state of the union" in all it's glory?
Two phrases harken out to me these days ...
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" ... and "If you do what you've done, you'll get what you've gotten". Oh yes, and let's add the Santayana favorite - "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it".
This week marks the 13th anniversary of my first McKenzie course. I would bet that your first thought would be "why remember something so seemingly trivial - it was just a course"! But in our lives, we remember moments in time that shaped us and our perspective on the world. That four days in February 1994 was one such weekend.
What made it so? In the span of four days I was presented with a large volume of research - that contradicted much of what I'd been taught in school. This was, at first, unsettling - but the "scientist" in me decided that you can't simply discount the literature and that if it was all about "being a better PT" then I better sit down and do some homework to understand how all these issues fit together. It pushed my "comfort zone" ... and started me down a path that changed not only my career but my personal life perspective as well.
Smart Physio
posts are on professional and career-related topics such as health, fitness, training, and health care.
Rhubarb Diaries
posts are commentary, perspectives, opinions, humor and insight on all of my favorite topics: music, sport, and politics/current events.
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Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sport, education, and health care, one that has been defined by his experiences as physiotherapist, mentor, McKenzie practitioner, innovator, author, educator, coach, patient, and athlete. Read more about Allan, contact him, get updates via email, or connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Up to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.
"Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the third edition and fourth editions of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach" by Charles Giangarra, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.
