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If we think of “performance”, we often think of accomplishments such as a heavier lift or a faster run. External displays such as these have become our typical performance indicators. However, these only tell part of the story; these are merely an external result.
What made that external performance possible? What is inside the body that helped that physical task happen as it did? Practice and repetition are part of the story, but these physical feats and long hours of practice would not be possible without some degree of health and ability from the internal components. Without a certain degree of integrity in those internal components, that external display could not be achieved.
Respecting the structure, the precise stimulation of tissues, and training the skill of contractile control are very valuable “behind the-scenes” decisions we can make, and these can positively influence joint health, reduce and/or mitigate overuse and injurious movement, improve external performance, can influence how often we can practice, and therefore how far we can get and how long we can continue in our athletic endeavors over a lifetime.
An Internal Performance Approach To Injury Prevention and Recovery
Athletes are often compared to high-performance race cars. In addition to proper fuel and proper training, we must also consider the stresses placed on the vehicle.
In order to reach a higher level of performance, athletes often train at a higher level of intensity. Like race cars, the faster and harder they train, the more often they will need a “pit stop”. Muscle inefficiencies and abnormal alignment/movement can become precursors to injury, especially during periods of intense and repetitive training. Poor alignment and compensatory movement can place excessive stress on muscles, joints, tendons, and other tissues. Pain and further compensation are often the symptoms that follow.
Many conventional methods and therapies typically attempt to treat the resulting symptoms of pain/tightness/fatigue, without exploring and addressing the underlying muscular/mechanical factors that can cause those symptoms. This could lead to further compensation, and recurring or more severe injuries down the road.
The goal should be to improve the muscular participation before the injury occurs. If an injury is already present, the improvement in muscular participation, and force distribution through the muscular system, will provide a better environment for healing and faster rehabilitation. The end result is increased stability, better recovery, and improved athletic capabilities.
An Internal Performance Approach To Exercise and Training
Exercise is not just a workout to conquer and/or something that can offer us gym-bragging rights, it’s an an opportunity to invest in the body.
Internal Performance as a strategy can allow for improvement in tissue strength, and improvement in the controls that govern tension in the muscular system. We can train the ‘software’ without having to damage the ‘hardware’. We can improve the ‘hardware’ without having to damage the ‘hardware’.
Many people ask how much, but very few ask how well you perform the exercise. When we focus on the internal variables, such as tension-generation, control, intention, etc., we can bring our focus where it often needs to be; the human body. Exercise can be nourishing, stimulating, and an opportunity to make investments in our muscular resources.
1. Internal Performance® is a concept developed by Tom Purvis: Internal Performance® (2015) USPTO Reg #4779272