My hips don’t lie.
I made the connection with John Ball in June. John runs Maximum Mobility out of Phoenix, Arizona. I visited John with some soft tissue “issues” that had been plaguing me for a while. Lucky for me, I met John. Unlucky for John, he now has a new friend for life: me!
My right leg hurts by my hamstring.
Its your hip.
My left leg hurts by my quad.
Its your hip.
My IT band hurts.
Its your hip.
My hands won’t touch the ground and I have a tight back.
Its your hip.
I have an eye infection.
Its your hip.
What can we take from this? My hips don’t lie. The culprit of a less-than-stellar 2011 race season can be chalked up to junky hips that are tight, lacking mobility, and locked up. Something that I am afraid most of us are guilty of.
Being one that is always striving for daily improvement: I have been working on becoming a healthier, smarter, stronger, and better athlete. Through education with John, Matt Dixon, my sponsors (just to name a few) I have some new tools of the trade that are helping me increase my hip mobility.
1. A Lacrosse ball - yup. A $5 hard ball. I roll my feet on it. I sit on it. I roll on the wall with it. It hurts - but it breaks up the junk in the trunk.
2. The Grid - from Trigger Point. This has become a tri-weekly part of my training regimen. I swapped out a few stretching sessions and replaced them with 30 minutes of QT spent on the Grid. The perk of the Grid? It can go anywhere with you - just stuff your underoo’s in the hollow center and stuff it in your suitcase. It also makes for a killer pillow during an airport layover.
3. Game Ready - My ice-y pants! I started using the Game Ready back in May. It’s the perfect combination of Ice + Compression. I started using the GR only once a week. I am fully addicted now, after all big sessions its a must do.
4. TRX - I continue to faithfully stick to a strength training program. While my run mileage has been limited, I’ve more than made up for it by becoming a stronger athlete. Training with TRX helps with strength, stability and mobility.
5. Beer and Ice Cream - Key ingredients to staying healthy! My rec’s are Big Dipper & Big Sky Brew, of course.
That’s all for now - I know I’ve been MIA. It’s been for good reason. I’ve got two World Champs I am preparing for: Vegas 70.3 (in 2 weeks) and Ironman Hawaii (in one month). Here’s my pledge to keeping you all posted as the races draw near.
Thanks for the continued support,
Linsey
