The Most Important Method of Conditioning the Psoas

I just returned from presenting at the 20^th Annual Medical Fitness Association in Orlando Florida. The Medical Fitness (MFA) is one of my favorite conferences to present at because of the focus of the event – exercise as medicine. And given the immediate health care crisis and impending colossal crisis that is about to come, the MFA conference is so vitally pertinent to the health and fitness industry because it is one of the few conferences that truly has presenters and sessions that deal with the training, conditioning, and rehabilitation of individuals with chronic disease.  It does not deal with training the elite athletes, movie stars, Navy Seals or any of the other outliers of society. Rather they focus on the intrinsic factors that will most dramatically bring a change the health care crisis including

1. How to motivate individuals to begin to exercise and how to keep them enrolled in health and wellness programs;
2. How to educate medical professionals as to the importance of our work so they can be a regular referral source for us;
3. How to position yourself as an expert so you can become a vital part of the solution to the health care crisis.

In my discussion – as in the majority of my presentations – I discussed the two key components to becoming that vital part of the solution to the health care crisis.

1. You must believe that you are – or can be – that solution. Because if you don’t believe, you can’t convince any one else that you can be.
2. You must develop yourself into an expert. If you are not an expert and do not understand how to appropriately work with the chronic pain, deconditioned, and post-rehabilitation client, you will fail to serve the clients you are meant to serve.

And to become that specialist you must understand functional anatomy and kinesiology. Just as important, you must know how to apply this knowledge to solve movement problems in your clients.

As part of my discussion at the MFA conference – The Integrative Movement Solution to Chronic Pain and Degeneration – I briefly introduced and discussed the primary role of the psoas. And unfortunately, most of what we have been taught about the psoas is completely wrong! Or at least, it is woefully incomplete. For example:

1. The major functional role of the psoas is not hip flexion.
2. The psoas major is not even necessary to achieve full range of hip flexion.
3. In clients and patients with back pain, the psoas is not short and tight in the majority of these cases.
4. The Modified Thomas test is a relatively poor evaluator of psoas length.
5. Performing hip flexion under load is not the way to condition or ‘strengthen’ the psoas.

Check out the accompanying webinar to learn more about how this muscle functions and how to condition this important muscle.

Coming in the next edition of FITNESS INSIDER: In part II of The Most Important Method of Conditioning the Psoas, I will expand upon these concepts and show you how to specifically condition the psoas so you can solve many of your clients chronically tight back and dysfunctional hips. How will this information benefit you? It will enable you to continue to develop yourself into the specialist your clients need and want and get booked solid because you’ve become that specialist that our industry so desperately needs.

If you are looking for a coach to help you develop yourself into a movement specialist, we can help. We developed The Integrative Movement Specialist Certification specifically for the fitness professional that wants to distinguish themselves from the industry and become a part of the solution to the health care crisis. We are currently accepting applications for the Spring 2012 program. There are only 6 spots remaining for the opportunity to learn and share with 9 of your equally passionate and dedicated colleagues in a distinctively interactive and accelerated learning format. Click here to discover just a sample of the clinically relevant information you will discover during The Integrative Movement Specialist Certification.