Compass Performance

Compass Performance

Welcome to Compass Performance where the aim is to provide you evidence based Health and Fitness information. check out my instagram https://www.instagram.com/compass_performance

Learn more
At the beginning of this month, Covid finally got me. I had made it over two years without being infected with the covid 19 virus, however I tested positive in the beginning of the month. Luckily, my case was pretty mild and only had me down for a few days. However, since having covid I have found my training has taken a major hit. Primarily while running, my heart rate increases to significantly higher rates earlier in my run. This occurs even on what should be “easy” runs. With this I have been taking my runs much easier, and really focusing on gradually rebuilding my volume. I have also noticed increased fatigue while lifting. I would love to hear other peoples stories and if they have experienced similar symptoms and how they altered their training during these times. Use it or lose it. Data has shown that when we don’t use our body we lose our physical capabilities extremely quickly. In fact 2 weeks of disuse has been shown to significantly decrease muscle mass, protein synthesis and muscular strength. One way we can try to limit these effects when we are unable to adequately load our body is to use blood flow restriction. This way we can still create metabolic adaptations without having to load the affected tissues significantly. Running has countless benefits that are not limited to lower risk of Cardiovascular disease, improving mental health, decreasing rates of Osteoarthritis and adding years to your life. However, all good things come with drawbacks. With running, the drawbacks are injuries. Nearly 60% of runners will experience an injury throughout the year. On average runners take 56 days(nearly 2 months) to fully recover from an injury. Although we are not able to “prevent” injuries, we can put ourselves in the best position to reduce the risk of injury. The biggest things we can do is. I want to welcome @dannywinnn to Compass Performance. I have had the opportunity to work with Danny for 5 years. Over the next few months Danny and I will be growing Compass to help more people. Look out for coming announcements! Now that I’m entering the physical therapy workforce I have become more aware of the future of PT.The APTA recently published this alarming graphic in their recent APTA Physical Therapy Workforce Analysis showing that the number of PT’s will soon significantly outpace the the demand for Physical Therapy. Journal Club: now that boards are over I’m excited to read some research. Early sports specialization has become increasingly more popular, with 17% and 41% of youth athletes are now considered ‘highly specialized’ in sports. Much of this has been driven by parents and coaches hoping to help their kid get ahead and allow them to make varsity or get a scholarship for college. This has been amplified by many High School athletes making their college commitments when they are freshman or Sophomores. Although the data suggest that highly specialized youth athletes make up slightly more of the the scholarship athletes in the NCAA, most kids who are specializing aren’t getting scholarships. Most Elite high level athletes have also acknowledged the importance of playing multiple sports as a kid. My push for delaying sports specialization becomes amplified when we look at the factors outside of performance. Highly Specialized youth athletes are more likely to become injured, experience depression and burnout. The sad truth is most everyone who “makes it”, made it because they were a great athlete and not because they specialized when they were 12 instead of 16. Allow the kids to enjoy multiple sports and develop as a holistic athlete Studying and preparing for the NPTE is incredibly stressful and overwhelming. Luckily my last clinical finished 3.5 weeks before the April NPTE. With this I saved much of my studying for this time and treated it as a full time job. Here are my favorite resources that allowed me to significantly improve my scores and pass the NPTE. Quick life update: 1 month ago, I graduated from physical therapy school and 2 days ago I found out I PASSED the NPTE to become a licensed physical therapist.

Latest from the Blog

Fatigue Is Not a Risk Factor for ACL Injuries: Myth Buster Monday

Fatigue is Not a Risk Factor for ACL Injuries:Mythbuster Monday Although I have torn my ACL twice, researched ACL injuries for 7 years and presented internationally regonized research on ACL risk reduction. Yet I still know very little about why ACL injuries occur.  However, every day we come a little closer and gain a betterContinue reading “Fatigue Is Not a Risk Factor for ACL Injuries: Myth Buster Monday”

Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.