Growing up our parents put us in competitive swimming. My dad's sports background was football and although he still follows the game I guess he thought swimming was as different from football as you could get. And although I spent countless hours in pools and had permanently wrinkled fingers I'm not that strong in the pool these days. The technique has changed enough that I'd have to spend some time with a coach to learn the new way to swim. But if there's one thing I would change with my swimming technique it would be head position. And maybe it wouldn't be so much to change my head position but instead it would be to be aware of it. Below are 6 Reasons Head Position Matters for Swimming. Less Resistance - When you watch a non-swimmer swim a short distance this is usually done with the head up. The problem is that when we lift the head we increase drag resistance. And swimming is all about over coming resistance forces. If you are swimming in a pool you should be looking down at the line on the bottom not ahead of yourself towards the end wall. If you're not sure about your head position have someone shoot a video. Or time yourself for 50 m with your chin tucked, your chin up and with your head in a neutral position. Which position resulted in the fastest time? Ideally it would be best to video yourself doing these time trials.Better Gas Exchange - Distance swimming is primarily an aerobic sport and relies primarily on the availability of oxygen to fuel the activity. When oxygen supply is diminished or delayed, swimming performance suffers. As well, we remove waste products with cellular respiration. If breathing patterns are impaired we won't be as effective drawing...

We have a number of our clients deadlift barefoot. And usually they ask us why? Below is my answer. In the last few years the pendulum has swing towards minimalist running shoes. From the Nike Frees to the Vibram 5 Fingers and everything in between there is definitely more awareness as to the benefits of barefoot running. And while it may not be necessarily in correlation to the barefoot running movement there are more people who workout barefoot on the gym floor. Or maybe they would like to train barefoot but their gym doesn't allow it. Some gyms, specifically ones in New Zealand, encourage barefoot training for their average to elite level members. For the novices and anyone with special needs regular footwear is required. When we're talking about gym workouts there is one exercise in particular that justifies barefoot training. And while many things in a gym may be done to look different but not actually serve a purpose this is something that will allow you to train more safely and effectively when you deadlift. Below are 4 Reasons to Deadlift Barefoot. Reason #1 - Better sensory inputWhen you deadlift you feet are what connect you with the ground. And this lift is definitely an example of press your heels through the floor to pull the bar off the floor and finish by extending the hips. If we are off balance we are not going to recruit the right muscles, at the right time and in the right plane. Any of my grade 10 science students will recall this is called neuromuscular efficiency. And our ability to be neuromuscularly efficient is enhanced when the sensory input from the ground through our feet is maximal. Think about it this way. We are taking in sensory input through our feet. How well...