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25.01.2022 The list goes on... Please add any other Physio points below that I have not yet mentioned Any questions on any of these points welcomed

25.01.2022 This week's #researchmondays is on how to minimise the interference effect of concurrent training through the timing of your S&C sessions around your endurance training. The interference effect is essentially the mixed signals your body gets when you do both endurance and strength training, as they are complete opposite stimuli that cause contradictory adaptations. Ultimately, this blunts the strength results you can get if you don't plan your training properly to minimise this interference effect. In short, aim to wait 8+ hours after endurance sessions to do strength training in the lower body. It's also recommended to wait at least 24 hours after a strength-session if you want to do a high-intensity run session (Blagrove 2018)

21.01.2022 Program breaks Last week, I mentioned that I was on a program-break for the first time in 12-months and damn does it feel good! It's also the reason I do 12-week mesocycles of training for my clients, so if they need a 1-2 break before restarting, then they can take it.... Program-breaks are necessary for a physical break, especially if you have been 'on' for many months leading into a race. If the body has been in a high-stress mode for months, then your hormones and nervous system will thank you for some less stressful periods. They are also very necessary as a psychological break. The mental energy to follow a set-program, to constantly bang out hard or long sessions, to 'get up and go' for months/years on end can cause mental fatigue, and ultimately, the feeling of demotivation or burn out. When you have a break, make sure you have a plan. Without a plan, a few weeks break can turn into a few months or years. Set an intention of a return-date, or proper retirement if that's what you are choosing to do. Remember, if you want to work at 100%, you also need to rest at 100%

21.01.2022 Multi-directional plyometrics Doing these on top of plyometrics 'on the spot' will target even more ankle strength, stability and proprioception. These will be helpful for all runners, in particular trail runners who find themselves running/climbing/jumping through variable terrain.

20.01.2022 #RESERACHMONDAYS Overuse running injuries are more complex than just 'Going too hard too soon', or 'Not enough strength'. We know this because high-level runners who are STRONG can still get injured, and they may not have even changed their training loads significantly. The reality is, there are many factors that can come into play that can cause running injuries, and they can be categorised into 3 domains: 1. Personal factors... 2. Health and lifestyle factors 3. Running/training factors So as runners, we need to think outside the box to reduce the risk of injuries. Plan your training, make sure you're doing proper rehab and strength-training, but don't forget other lifestyle factors that also affect your ability to train and recover. Source: Injuries in Runners: A Systematic Review on Risk Factors and Sex Differences (Van De Worp et al, 2015)

19.01.2022 New podcast episode alert! Loved chatting with the expert herself, doctor Nicky Keay on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) and the role hormones play in athletic performance. This was a real jam-packed episode, so whether you are an athlete, health-professional or coach, this is one you'll enjoy and learn a lot from!... Swipe to see all the topics Nicky covers in the chat

16.01.2022 Coaches and female athletes, let's talk about the effect of the menstrual cycle on performance In the past, I'd heard through the grapevine that as females, we would perform best immediately after menstruation, and worst just before menstruation. Over time, this manifested as a baaaad nocebo effect (A negative expectation making the actual outcome more negative than what it otherwise would've been) and it really fked my head over during training and racing. However, the tota...lity of the evidence appears to suggest otherwise. In fact, different menstrual cycle phases have very little bearing on physical performance, and if there are any changes during the early follicular phase, they are negligible for the recreational athlete. So the main thing is not to get caught up in expectations, but rather to take a personal approach. The reality is, some females will have debilitating cramps on the first day of their menstruation, while others will barely notice a thing. Therefore, aim to leave your expectations at the door and go with what your body tells you. You might be surprised by what you can do!

16.01.2022 Dr Nicky Keay on last week's episode of The Athlete's Garage Podcast. Here, Nicky speaks about how low energy availability affects the body and how that leads to the symptoms of RED-S. Listen to the full episode out now!

14.01.2022 New podcast episode alert! This episode continues with my conversation with @nickykfitness. This time, Dr Nicky digs even deeper into hormonal health for athletes and ways you can easily monitor your hormonal situation day to day. From there, Nicky goes into training considerations across a lifespan, from exploring the idea of too much training for children/adolescents, to training around the menstrual cycle during adulthood and how menopause later in life can affect training too. A lot of this episode is especially relevant for females, but this episode is going to be useful for any health professional or athlete interested in understanding the bigger picture effects of hormones. Happy listening!

13.01.2022 New podcast ep alert! In this episode, I sit down to chat with Melissa Ensink aka Prana Running! Mel is a Nutritionist, Run and Health Coach, with a holistic approach to health and wellbeing. Over the years, Mel has run 11 marathons, the latest two being during pregnancy and 10 months post-partum, so you bet she has a lot of learnings and inspirational stories to share with us! In this conversation, Mel and I chat about her running story, managing running during- and post...-pregnancy before diving into her journey as a vegan, the difference between veganism and plant-based nutrition, misconceptions about plant-based eating, healthful dietary patterns and more. This was such an authentic and inspirational chat, so whether you are a runner wanting to optimise your diet or improve your performance, this is for you! Enjoy :)

12.01.2022 Breathing (Part 3/3) Common mistakes during deep inhalation during S&C exercises: - Elevating the shoulders - Tensing the neck and shoulders... - Extending the thoracic and lumbar spine, causing tension in the core to be lost Things to think about instead: - Maintain relaxed shoulders and neck - Breathe down into the stomach - Maintain a neutral spine, even a posterior pelvic tilt if anything Something to think about next time you are squatting/deadlifting!

11.01.2022 A few things that I've learnt over the years that I always keep close. These seem to always be relevant across the board - Whether it's regarding career, business, training or personal development

11.01.2022 In the 8WDI 2.0, one of the themes that has been brought up regularly is procrastination due to good ol’ social media. Social media is absolutely brilliant in so many ways. But the thing is, people have gotten to the point where they can’t stop opening and scrolling on SM, even if they don’t even like it anymore.... People are closing these apps feeling more deflated than before, because they’ve created a ‘false sense of self’ on these platforms that just isn’t authentic Or the nature of SM means that they are constantly comparing themselves with an IMAGE of others, which crushes their self-esteem Instead of being present in real life and using SM as a tool, people are plugging themselves into the matrix of SM and living in it. They are mistaking other’s verification of their posts, as their actual self-worth and the truth. People can’t even focus on one thing anymore because they are unconsciously addicted to distraction and instant gratification. So here are 5 habits I’ve implemented around SM usage that have been super helpful: 1. Turning off ALL pop-up notifications. I did this years ago and finally found the peace of responding to the external world when it suits me, not when it suits everyone else. 2. Deleting social media apps off the phone completely and just using them on the computer. I still check them every week day but it’s 2-3x allocated timeslots day instead of 30x a day. Ps. This is why I am shite at posting IG stories lately, apologies! 3. Have allocated blocks of time for social media daily. Maybe it’s 15 minute blocks 2-3x a day to check what you need to, have a quick scroll, then get out before you get sucked too deep into that black hole! 4. Scheduling posts in advance. This is especially handy for business owners. I always create next week’s posts the week before in an allocated timeslot for ‘content creation’. This allows me to get in the zone of creativity + inspiration, instead of logic + coaching, which is where my head is at for a big part of the week. 5. No phone in the first and last hour of every day. These times are the only times we truly have to ourselves, so it’s worth keeping sacred. What strategies have you found worked for you?

08.01.2022 'Around the world' lunges Runners often do most of their S&C training in the sagittal plane with up-down and forward-backward movements. But since the body works as a 3-D system, athletes will benefit from further adding in side-to-side movements (Coronal plane) to improve stability through the torso and pelvic during running.... Try these 4-directional lunges: - Forward lunges - Reverse lunges - Cossack squat (A wide and full-range side lunge) I have a plate under my heel in the cossack squats to assist with mobility so I can get all the way down without falling backwards. Thanks @mechanics_ofmovement for prescribing these suckers that leave my glutes sore for days

08.01.2022 You’ve just got to make a decision about what you’re committed to and the tactics you really believe will get you there, and know that there’s going to be an upside and a downside, but you just keep going. - Al Sharpton

05.01.2022 Some common misconceptions that I find myself repeating regularly to patients. It may take many more years before these truths become common knowledge (If ever), but if we all help to spread the word on these, then we can help to reduce common fear and misunderstanding about our own bodies! To add to #2- Up to 30% of pain-free people in their 20s will have disc bulges. By the time people are in their 80s, up to 85% of pain-free people will have disc bulges (See photo 2)(Brinj...ikji et al., 2015). This suggests that disc bulges are a normal part of ageing, like grey hair and wrinkles are, but pain independent of a disc bulge is a different story. To add to #4- Not only does recreational running NOT cause arthritis, but has actually been shown to be protective against hip and knee arthritis (See photo 3) (Alentorn-Geli, 2017). Recreational runners generally have lower rates of arthritis than sedentary populations due to the health benefits of weight-bearing exercise on joint-health.

04.01.2022 Breathing (Part 2/3) A common mistake in weight training is people breathe out during the concentric phase of a rep, causing them to lose pressure and stability in their torso. Remember, a fully inflated football (your torso at the end of a deep inhale) is going to be able to hold its shape and withstand external forces (the weight you're lifting) better than a deflated ball (your torso after exhaling).... Instead, think about taking a deep breath in before each rep, and holding your breath for the duration of the rep. See the video for reference. This was from 2017 when I hit my all-time top squat for 1 rep. I don't think I would've been able to keep strong through the torso and fight the weight without intra-abdominal pressure and core strength. Thanks always for the gee-up @michaeltouhy!! Ps. I don't think I could even carry that weight on my back anymore let alone squat it since swapping out heavy lifting for this swim/bike/run business!

04.01.2022 Had a lot of fun presenting to this group of Physios this morning There was so much to fit into the 2-hour talk about rehab for endurance athletes... In fact, I reckon the presentation was 3 hours before it was cut down! For my first 'overseas' talk, I'll take the 2am wake-up for the 4am start (7pm in Belgium) For anyone wondering- I don't even drink coffee and all the energy must just come from being high on how much I love the work I do ... Thanks for the invite @smarteducation.be and everyone for joining! #powertalk #rehabforenduranceathletes