Return to Running and Sport Group Classes
Designed for those who currently cannot run or play their sport, or can only do so by enduring pain.
Often physiotherapy isn't enough to fully bridge the gap from injury to athletic performance. This is where RE:TRAIN comes in.
Learn how to better manage impact forces by working on coordination, alignment and strength in ways that carryover to doing what you want to be doing better and for longer.
Maximum group size of 4 people. Classes will be run to suit the varying needs of the participants. Appropriate for all ages.
Classes are 1 hour long and held either in Evolve Royal Oak, at my home gym in Ranchlands, or in Ranchlands Community Park.
Scheduling for these classes is based off current demand. Fill out the group class application below with your availability and we'll do our best to accomodate.
The RE:TRAIN Approach for Returning to Athletics
1. Loading Key Athletic Positions
While every sport has unique movement requirements, any sport played on the ground requires the following.
the ability to accelerate from a still position in any direction
the ability to decelerate and stop your momentum
the ability to land and anchor into the ground on one foot with the body balanced above, while setting up the next step or change in direction without overstraining or losing momentum.
Much more is required for a given sport, but without these 3 abilities readily available to you without pain, the other skills won't have a base to work upon (swimmers, rock climbers, and other "groundless' athletes should also have this foundation built for longevity in their day to day life).
When we get injured, often these abilities are severely compromised, and we have to find a way to work up towards managing the impact forces needed to move well through space.
This is why our first step will be loading athletic positions isometrically, establishing a manageable starting point for injured areas to be challenged along with the rest of the body. This step is crucial for avoiding setbacks when we get more dynamic.
2. Collision Management
Running and Sports create 1000's of collisions between yourself and the ground. In Step 1 we strengthened our shock absorbers without any impact. Step 2 involves strategically introduces impact in ways that are not close to the demands of sport initially, but allow steady progression towards those kinds of speeds.
This approach lets us dial in the coordination needed for our body to share the collision throughout our joints in a safe, distributed manner, and find the edges of what we are currently capable of without pushing too hard too quickly.
These low impact movement drills can be modified for any ability level, and is often where the biggest "aha" moments come from. Movement skills gained in this step can serve you for a lifetime.
3. Return to Athletics
At this point, running and/or your sport become part a big part of the journey. While it feels incredible to return to (or start for the first time!) something you're excited to do, this can also be where adrenaline and impulse take over and we run the risk of re-injury. Even with the preparations from the first 2 steps, it's easy to fall into old habits and overdo it early on.
For this reason in Step 3 we ramp up the intensity in a controlled way with sport specific programming, and reinforce the fundamentals of good movement throughout. We'll also talk about recovery protocols that will support you getting back in the game and staying there.
Once you've gotten to the point where you're engaging with athletics again with a lot less or no pain, then we have the option to dial in the performance side, finding ways to give you more advantages and consistent success.
Your Instructor Benjamin Thornton
The way I teach these classes is really a culmination of my own experience having ruptured both my achilles tendons over a 4 year period, and both times working my way back to playing basketball at a level where I felt as athletic as I was in my 20's (and in some ways I'm more athletic now).
I've studied and tested many different schools of thought on how to best come back from injury, and I can confidently say that you will learn something (if not a lot of things) new about how you can use and train your body for running and sport.
If you want more information about my approach with RE:TRAIN Movement, click the link below.
Group Class Application Form
Main Gym
Evolve Strength Royal Oak
#600-8888 Country Hills Blvd NW
Calgary, AB
