How to Choose A Sports Chiropractor
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How to Choose A Sports Chiropractor

 

If you play sports and are looking for how to choose a sports chiropractor, this article is for you! If you’re looking for a chiropractor who specializes in sports then it is important to think about your goals. Most of the athletes we care for have 2 goals:

  1. Not get hurt and be able to play sports forever
  2. Perform at their optimum potential and be their best athlete

We take these goals into consideration and use our resources to help each patient achieve those goals.

The first thing to look for in a chiropractor who specializes in sports is one who plays sports and is fit themselves. Personally, I have been an athlete my whole life competing in marathons, Ironman’s, crossfit competitions, and other local weightlifting events. The worst advice someone can take is from someone who is not athletic and has no idea on how athletes function.

One of our best athletes Emily Bridgers, top female crossfitter in the Southeast, says “I don’t know how someone who works out regularly does not get adjusted”.

Emily came in feeling great but, upon further review of her hips, she had imbalances and one hip was higher than the other. Through our specialized corrective techniques she was able to balance her hips naturally and is now competing at her highest level while feeling her best.

On July 25th – July 27th she will compute on ESPN in the Crossfit Games in California.

We tell all of our athletes: “If you want to train at an elite level then you must take care of yourself at an elite level.”

This is why chiropractic is a staple for a healthy body as well as adding in other tool such as massage, foam rolling, yoga, and acupuncture. The key to sustained health and longevity is being proactive and taking steps to betterment BEFORE pain shows up.

Your Turn

What are some of your favorite sports to play? Leave comments below!

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Crossfit Open Winner, Emily Bridgers & Corrective Chiropractic

Over the past few months I have had the privilege of taking care of Crossfit Open winner for the Southeast, Emily Bridgers. Emily trains at an elite level and works hard to make sure her body is in peak performance. This year she finished 9th in the World and has her eyes set on California this Summer.

The great thing about Emily is she thinks different and is open to growth. When we reconnected in February I explained to her what chiropractic was and how it could help her overall performance. I shared with her that through realigning the body and balancing the nervous system, her body will be able to function at its peak.

Our office in Atlanta is different than other chiropractic offices. We focus on corrective care and reworking the structure to reduce stress on the nerves and improve biomechanics. Click Here for an article about the benefits of corrective chiropractic.

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Crossfit Open 14.5 Tips and Strategies

I went ahead and did this workout on Thursday night after watching Rich Froning and Samantha Briggs make it look easy. Rich looked as if he was casually doing burpees and slowly doing his thrusters. I remember my coach saying during our workout “Rich just finished!” and we were all on rounds 12 and 15.

I will not re-do this again BUT if I were to there are definitely some strategies that would help.

NUTRITION

* Stay hydrated throughout the day! A lot of people who did this on Thursday needed water during the WOD. I would be drinking lots of water and coconut water throughout the day to make sure the cells are ready to perform.

* If you are going at night then stay light throughout the day. If you are going in the morning then make sure not have a heavy breakfast of bacon and eggs. This workout is all muscle endurance so last thing you will want is to feel heavy.

WARM-UP
*  Jog for 5 minutes
* Lunge twist
* Leg swings
* Shoulder mobility
* Stretch out wrists and get mobile front rack position
* 5-10 thrusters (have good front rack with each one and stay on heels)
* 10 Kettlebell swings

 

WORKOUT
Thrusters: Unless you are some freak of nature (Rich Froning) then stick to breaking up the thrusters and not hitting failure. Here is my goal if I were to re-do:

15/6
11/7
10/5
6/6
5/4 (UB)
6 (UB)
3 (UB)

Burpees: Make sure you are not jumping to far over the bar. DO a burpee, stand up, walk towards bar then jump. Do not make long jumps to overdo this workout and burn out early.

Read more here on more tips and strategies for CrossFit Open 14.4 Workout.

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Crossfit Workout 14.4 Open Tips and Strategies

Many of us body weight people got very excited when we heard this workout, as we know this is our time to shine. I did this workout 30 minutes after it came out and went 90% to get a feel for time, pacing, and other tips. I want to share those strategies as I plan to re-do this on Monday night.

NUTRITION

Fortunately I did this workout at 8:30 PM and have not eaten since 12:30 PM so my body was not full and feeling light. Since this is not a heavy weighlifting workout I plan to use the same strategies except I will be eating a Greens + bar 3 hours before the workout. This will give me plenty of sugar and satisfy my appetitie while keeping me lean and light. Also, be sure to stay hydrated throughout the day and focus on drinks with electrolytes that keep the body healthy on a cellular level (coconut water, aloe water, etc).

MOBILITY/WARM-UP

* Airdyne for 10 minutes to get blood flow to the legs and arms.
* Lunge and twist
* Leg swings
* Shoulder mobility using blue band and PVC
* Bent over dumbell rows
* 3 x 5 OH squat with bar only
* Row slow 150 meters
* 5-10 toes to bar
* 5-10 wall balls
* Power Clean: 5 x 75, 4 x 95, 3 x 115, 2 x 135
* 2 Muscle Ups

 

WORKOUT

* Wear lifting shoes as they will help with rowing, wallballs, and cleans.

ROW
* Do not go all out!

* Pace yourself nicely here so when you get to the toes 2 bar you are not out of breath.

* Set the setting to between 8-10 so you are getting 1 calorie for every 1-2 pulls * Sit up straight and do not lose your posture

Toes To Bar* Chalk up your hands* Have the bar right above your fingers if you were standing. (A mistake I made on the chest 2 bar pull-ups was the bar was 6 inches over my fingers so I had to jump each time to get on the bar, which wasted massive energy. * Break these up and DO NOT reach failure. I broke mine up = 10-10-5-5-5-3-3-3-3-3 (Have your counter know your breakdown so they can support you)

 

Wallballs
*This should be your time to get your breath back
* Knees out and spread legs
* Break these up if you need to. I did 20-10-10

Cleans
* Rechalk
* Do not go too fast if you plan on getting to muscle ups.
* Stay close to bar and short breaks
* I did singles but took 5 seconds between each single.

Muscle-Ups
*It is easy to take long breaks after each one or two so make your counter tell you to get up on rings. My coach had me get up every 12 seconds within the last minute as my breaks were too long. Good luck and post any other recommendations you may have!

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Crossfit Open 14.3 Tips and Strategies

Ok, I know what everyone is thinking. “This is going to kill MY back.” Yes, BUT only if you lose your biomechanics, form, and don’t listen to the body. I did this on Thursday night and woke up feeling fine Friday morning but I went at 90%. My goal is to not blow or herniate my disc for the sake of a few extra reps as each rep beyond the point of exhaustion could be damaging.

I plan on redoing this workout on Sunday at 4:00 PM with the strategies below, as I have now had time to digest this workout.

NUTRITION

* Breakfast @ 9:00 AM – I will be having a breakfast wrap to start the day. (Brown rice wrap, guacamole spread, bacon, chicken sausage, spinach, onions, olives, and mushrooms)

* Lunch @ 1:00 PM – Plan on getting in more protein as well as well as some carbs. (Chicken and sweet potato)

* Pre-Workout Snack @ 3:30 PM – Green Tea and 6 BCAA’s (Poliquin)

* Note – I plan on drinking A LOT of water throughout the day to hydrate the soft tissue in my body as well as the spinal discs.

MOBILITY

* 100% plan on seeing my chiropractor the morning of the workout. This is a lot of loading on the lumbar spine so I prefer to make sure my biomechanics are in alignment for less loading and better function.

* I also will sit on an exercise ball throughout the day to create mobility into the discs. These discs look similar to jelly doughnuts and too much stress can push the fluid out and create a herniation. This is not worth it!!!

WARM-UP

* Jog for 7 minutes

* Stretch the glutes/hamstrings (inch worm, power skip, and lunge with rotation)

* Work up to a good lift at 275 (1 time)

* Do 10 step up/down. Rest 15 seconds. Repeat 2 times.

WORKOUT

* As we learned last year, step up/down is much more efficient.

* It will be better to load than unload as I saw on Thursday night. Have your bar ready to go and the weights already laid out appropriately.

*I will also be using a women’s 35 lb to help with the grip as it will not be as wide.

35lb bar + 5 lb + 45lb (each side) = 135lb

35lb bar + 5lb + 45lb + 25lb (each side) = 185lb

35lb bar + 5lb + 45lb + 25lb + 2, 10lb (each side) = 225lb

35lb bar + 5lb + 45lb + 25lb + 2, 10lb + 25lb (each side) = 275lb

35lb bar + 5lb + 45lb + 25lb + 2, 10lb + 25lb + 2, 10lb (each side) = 315lb

35lb bar + 5lb + 45lb + 25lb + 2, 10lb + 25lb + 2, 10lb + 25lb (each side) = 365lb

* Listen to your body!! Do not try for extra reps by losing form. You will regret this long term.

* Other than that this workout is pretty self explanatory and as long as you are hydrated, mobile, and conscious than you should do very well.

RECOVERY

* STRETCH!

* Take a Recovery Bath (epsom salt, coconut oil, and arnica oil)

* Get mobility into your discs through exercise ball.

* Realign your spine through chiropractic.

* Get a soft tissue massage to flush the soft tissue and help recover. You are halfway through the Open and now is a good time to rejuvenate.

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