Dr. McGill, a spine therapy guru, used to say: “Without a correct body posture, you will never be able to walk or ride a bike correctly, not to mention practicing physical exercises". Gray Cook, of the creators of the FMS system, liked to repeat: "First move well, and then move often". The importance of faulty posture diagnosis and correction is best evidenced by the sheer number of people suffering from various types of locomotor system-related pain - a situation frequently linked directly to their lack of attention attached to correct posture.

Over 80% of the population complain about recurring lower back pain. Modern civilization and our sitting lifestyle are not factors that contribute to maintaining good health. When we meet the customer/patient for the first time in order to establish a training plan, it should be one of our main priorities to identify, in the course of pre-training diagnostics, which type of a faulty posture we will be dealing with. We need to know whether it is related to locomotor system restrictions, or perhaps visceral or psychosomatic disorders. Evaluation of the patient’s health will be a determining factor in deciding whether the training plan devised is to be treated in its entirety as a therapy, or whether elements of the therapy may be incorporated into the training plan as an addition of preventive nature.

The lecture will focus on the following issues:

• Characteristics of faulty postures
• Analysis of biomechanical, as well as fascia and muscle-related posture disturbance patterns
• Visceral disorders and their impact on posture
• Visceral motor reflexes affecting faulty postures

The participants will learn how to distinguish between various types of faulty posture, and how to identify basic disorder patterns. How to effectively diagnose the patient and assess their posture, as well as how to understand the mechanism of locomotor system compensation.

Strength training is a foundation on which the conditioning and mobility of athletes is based. It also is a source of well-being for those practicing sports as a recreational pastime. Why is strength so important? It is the foundation for all other parameters defining our physical skills. Power, speed, endurance, flexibility, precision and dynamics are all derivatives of strength. There are many myths in existence related to strength training - according to one of them, it adversely affects flexibility. Many such myths will be verified during the lecture.

Lack of strength is one of the most frequent reasons of movement disorders that athletes suffer from. Weakness of one part of muscles results in the mobility, movement, stretching ability or the movement pattern being disturbed, as the body, in order not to suffer an injury, will revert to the so-called protection mode. In such a case, even relaxing the tense tissue fails to bring about the long-term effect desired. In such a case, it is strength training that is the best solution, as it not only increases the range of movement and improves the popular movement pattern, but will also facilitate (by boosting strength) maintaining the newly acquired movement range.

We may stretch, mobilize and relax our muscles. However, if we are not strong enough, the highly desired effect will remain unattainable. Our body will get back to its previous condition, or will suffer from an injury, as the newly created movement range or body position will not be strong enough to prevent overloading.

During the lecture, the participants will learn:

• that strength and strength training are the foundation on which other movement features and physical skills are based
• how to increase and maintain greater movement range by building strength
• how to distinguish correct strength training that is a remedy to practically all mobility and flexibility-related problems caused by incorrect workout

Along with numerous innovations and quick technological development, the 21st century has brought about such benefits as laptop computers, mobile phones and cars that have taken over many tasks formerly reserved for human beings and encourage us to live more sedentary lifestyles. The lack of physical activity is closely linked to the abundant locomotor system dysfunctions, and to a number of disorders affecting individual segments of the human body. Improper functioning of the pelvic girdle, resulting from long hours spent sitting, is one of the most common problems affecting the contemporary population. The disorder is closely linked to atrophy, disproportion and incorrect tension of the group of gluteal muscles.

Simultaneously, over the past two decades, we have been observing a considerable growth of interest in physical activity, active recreation and a healthy lifestyle. The phenomenon prevails amount numerous layers of the society. However, many of those people fail to attach - both consciously or not - sufficient attention to the correct operation of their pelvic girdle, and to the activation of their gluteal muscles, neglecting this specific area of training-related methodology.

The following issues will be referred to during the lecture:

• Etiology of pelvic girdle’s functional disorders
• Unbalance of the group of gluteal muscles and the hip flexor muscle - diagnosing disorders and examples of correction strategies
• Biomechanical axis of the lower limb - description and identification of problems and its impact on the upper body
• Methods of activating and restoring structural balance of gluteal muscles

The FMS functional assessment constitutes a foundation of the primary capacity that defines the quality of movement, and its key components: mobility, nerve-muscle coordination and stability. Its position within the overall performance development is depicted by the optimum performance pyramid proposed by Gray Cook. The quality of movement, understood as the optimum pattern complying with the assessment criteria applied (FMS), forms the base of the pyramid.

Generating energy in both everyday and sports activity, while relying on the foundation of movement optimization, is another layer of the pyramid. At this stage the Functional Capacity Screen parameters are applied as well.

Within this meaning, FCS covers 4 main areas:

• Mechanics
• Ability to maintain proper posture
• Explosive activity vs. gravity
• Using cumulated elastic energy in the course of physical activity

FCS is a link that joins the primary mechanics and the level of specialized skill typical of movement or sports activity. Results of this assessment make it possible to identify functional aspects of conditioning deficits and to come up with a training plan that addresses the deficiencies.

We live in the world of extraordinary physical achievements. We strive to become fitter, stronger, and faster. Every day, we observe the limits of human physical ability being pushed farther. We see new records broken, and sports activity becomes an inherent element of our everyday life. However, we remain disoriented among the sheer number of basic questions concerning our physicality.

During the lecture, you will be provided with answers, inter alia, to the following questions:

• How to reach the peak of our physical fitness and well-being?
• Should men and women train differently?
• Where is the limit of our performance?
• How do physical activity and fitness affect our health and well-being?
• What should our nutrition look like?

The questions presented above do not refer to our physical condition alone. These are questions referring to the lives we live in the modern world.

The great diversity of human movement may seem to be rather complicated at first glance, but in reality, discovering the mechanisms that drive our bodies is simpler than we might expect. Nevertheless, many coaches and athletes still lack the proper approach to the assessment of human body functions. The “Movement & Mobility 101 Course” has been created to help you grasp the complexity and diversity of fundamental movement patterns. The system allows you to quickly identify any movement disorders and to implement actions aiming to remedy and correct these. The “Movement & Mobility 101 Course” is derived directly from thousands of hours of coaching practice and from the experience of coaching thousands of athletes and working with the world’s greatest coaches. Kelly Starrett has devised programs for settings as diverse as middle school sport classes and top universities. He has worked with amateur runners and Olympians alike. He trains the Joneses, and elite military units. His expertise is relied upon by professional Premier League, NFL, NBA, NHL or MLB teams.

During the workshop you will find out, inter alia:

• how to identify the most frequent movement errors that deprive you of speed, power, endurance and strength
• how to identify disorders causing pain, as well as muscle- and fascia-related dysfunction
• how to restore function to your joints and tissues
• how to protect your body from injury and optimize sporting performance

All-day workshop with dr. Kelly Starrett.

The corrective strategy is based on the fundamental principles of movement development. Its directions and areas are determined based on the FMS assessment result.

During the workshop, you will learn how to properly identify priority actions while coming up with a training program, and how to determine the scope thereof. You will be provided with practical insights into when and to what extent corrective measures should be implemented. You will be acquainted with a logical algorithm enabling you to apply corrective exercise strategies, with the following taken into consideration:

• corrective exercise qualification
• selection of optimized exercises boosting and restoring mobility and movement range, reeducating the movement pattern coordination and ensuring both functional and movement-related progression
• the so-called traffic light pattern, i.e. planning your physical activity with permitted, limited, modified and not recommended exercises identified for each stage of work with our customer/patient

The workshop is a mine of knowledge concerning the concept of FMS corrective exercises. The topic will be illustrated comprehensively with practical examples based on a selected movement pattern.

Proper selection of exercises, their progression and techniques may have an enormous impact on overall and specific functionality of the fascia network. Specific strength-increasing exercises and techniques will be presented during the workshop that have the greatest impact on the fascia and on boosting flexibility. The participants will be able to use their own examples to learn the extent to which strength training cannot be replaced by anything else while working on the fascia, improving flexibility and building strength that is the determining factor in maintaining outcomes of training in the long term.

Workshop participants will be acquainted with the following: 

• detailed weight exercising techniques
• they will work how to work on the fascia, as well as on boosting and maintaining their flexibility by strength training.

Each participant will perform a number of strength exercises under load. The ability to perform those exercises correctly on their own will enable them not only to train in a more efficient manner, but also to correctly pass on this knowledge to others.

Knowledge acquired during the workshop will enable the participants to professionally assess customers, to evaluate the condition of the shoulder complex components, and to apply the correct rules while exercising the shoulder girdle. The minimum knowledge that each coach should acquire is summarized below:

• ability to assess the neutral position of the elements of the shoulder complex (shoulder blade, humerus, collar bone) - “with the correct neutral position, the movement may be correct as well”
• correct range of the outward and inward rotation of the shoulder joint
• priorities in boosting efficiency of the shoulder complex - a. upper rotation of the shoulder blade, b. posterior inclination, c. lowering of the shoulder blade, d/ efficient rotators
• command to activate the shoulder blade muscles
• train the shoulder blade plane - errors, examples of exercises
• serratus anterior - a muscle of priority importance - activation examples
• quadratus femoris-ascending part - a muscle of priority importance - activation examples
• rotator training - examples of exercises
• shoulder - hip - examples of exercises
• should we exercise single- or double-handedly?

Knowledge acquired during the workshop will enable the participants to professionally assess customers and to evaluate the condition of the complex components: lumbar section of the spine, pelvis and hip joint, mobility of the hip joint. It will also enable them to assess the degree of activation of the pelvic girdle muscles. Evaluation of other segments impacting the efficiency of the hip joint will be possible as well. The minimum knowledge that each coach should acquire is summarized below:

• neutral position of the lumbar section, pelvis and hip joint
• assessment of the range of outward and inward rotation of the hip joint
• Patrick test - analysis
• TFL and ITB - tension assessment
• efficiency of gluteus maximus and gluteus medius
• psoas major - role, dysfunctions, how to exercise
• hip - foot
• squat - assessment
• .deep squat - assessment
• bending forward and returning to natural position - sequence

The workshop participants will learn how to diagnose and eliminate muscular imbalance within the hip and pelvis area, and how it may impact the proper operation of the locomotor system. The workshop will include a practical session as well, showing the basic functional warm-up techniques and the following:

• pelvic girdle mobilization with the use of SMT (Self Myofascial Technique) and fascia stretching
• activation of the group of gluteal muscles in training complexes
• positioning of the hip -> knee -> foot axis and its impact on the development of a selected part of gluteus muscles
• example of a “step by step” program - correcting disproportions and shaping the buttock

Our spines do not have it easy these days, although at first sight it may seem to be otherwise. The modern environment we live in offers a growing number of solutions boosting the level of our comfort. Most of us get up in the morning, get into our cars, go to school or work, and then spend many hours sitting behind a desk. Later, after returning home, we spend even more time on a comfortable chair or in an armchair. Contemporary solutions make it actually possible to work from home, without having to leave your armchair, and the majority of products or services may be purchased by clicking a few keys on the laptop keyboard or smartphone screen, without our buttocks ever leaving the comfort of a chair.

Our bodies are programmed to save energy and are more than willing to seize such opportunities. However, they are not aware of the long-term consequences of such a behavior.

Evolution is struggling to keep up with the changes brought about by humans who are, in many cases, harming themselves. The spine is one of the best examples of our body’s inability to adapt to the changing environment and lifestyle.

Workshop agenda:

• spine - structure, functionality, mechanics
• spine 24/7 - what positions does our spine work in during the day (sitting, standing, lying, lifting
• static vs. dynamic positions
• how to sit – position vs. mobility
• how to stand – position vs. mobility
• how to lie – position vs. mobility
• how to lift – lifting techniques vs. mobility
• how to use our smartphones – position vs. mobility

Summary:
In order to keep our spines functional, we need to take care of it 24 hours a day. Any pain is a signal that the spine is in need of a comprehensive shift in our approach towards it. Therapy and training alone will not suffice to achieve a lasting effect and to get rid of pain for many years to come. It is the task of a physical therapist or a trainer to educate their patients/customers about healthy habits that determine the functional condition of their spines. During the workshop, participants will find what advice related to ergonomics of work, relaxation and physical activity during the day to offer to their clients. You will learn how and on what we should sit, stand and sleep in order to enable our spines to function properly. You will also find out what activities and positions should be avoided to retain as much mobility and to achieve the best results in sports.

During the workshop, the participants will learn how to approach their patients:

• How to efficiently assess their overall posture in 3 planes
• How to identify situations in which posture asymmetry is a physiological, and when a dysfunctional condition
• How to choose deep muscle exercise depending on the dysfunctional posture pattern
• How to select muscle and fascia relaxing exercises