Functional Range Conditioning

​It took me two years but I finally got around to taking Functional Range Conditioning. Then again, it pretty much took me two years to take a course and write another post altogether. In fact, I think my note summary on his FR course may have even been one of most "recent" posts on this blog.

Anyway, this won't be similar to my previous course summaries and reviews because frankly, I just want to cut to the chase. 1) How does it shape my clinical thinking? And 2) how can I integrate it?

I've been thinking about this for the last 72 hours and still haven't hit the nail on the head. I don't think I'm a complete tabula rasa but just like how my studies in Prague and Poland have taken me to deeper level of neuro in years past, these FR courses seem to be taking me deeper into "applied histology" (just made that up by the way...has nothing to do with AK).

So to answer my questions,

• I'm not 100% against distracting, smashing and tempering but consider that if you do so, and especially do so at end range, it's not much different than bungee jumping without a bungee cord.
• I think CARs would be a good thing to do after singing the national anthem in grade schools and an even better routine for corporate wellness programs' "morning stretch" routines (than what currently exists).

• We should be giving cat-camels more than we currently do. We should also be way more precise when we do so.
• For those of you who FMS and SFMA (yes, they are verbs), anywhere you need to increase "mobility", try running your own RCT to see if progressive angular loading progressions (isometric - holds - lift-offs - and so on) can get you there faster.
• I think rolling is fine, especially mid-range. For autonomic reasons. I also think it's fine for some type of recovery from extensive work. What exactly? I don't know. But it "feels" good. For mobility though, getting after it actively (rather than passively) using FRCs loading strategies will likely get you there sooner and lock things down faster.
• Joint positioning has always been important for the DNS crowd. Try screening arthrokinematics with CARs first to see what happens. I think it will help upregulate afferent and subsequently efferent activity much faster. Not only that, the test can also be the exercise.
• Sequentially, CARs before ELDOA (during warm up) for the trackies.
• For the therapists, PAILs/RAILs simultaneous with soft tissue work. Even when progressing to PALs/RALs. It's all seamless integration.
• Load early. Load often.
• We rely too much on passive interventions. Active loading will get us there faster.
• I need to go back to the Bunkie tests/exercises. It's higher level isometric loading (i.e. MCL rehab) right there.
• Before I get lost trying to implement this stuff or not integrate it to it's - and my own - full capabilities (that feeling you get on Monday morning when you come back from a CE course) I'm going to start with my current algorithmic process with intervention and fit it in. What I mean by that is, let's say my assessment leads me to lumbar locked thoracic rotation with LRF, rather than go through the motion with random repetitions, when the elbow points to the sky, I'm going to ask them to get after it right there (i.e. PAILs/RAILs).
• I think Captains of Crush work very well with FRC.
• I think we're too "slacky" in our pre-lift warm ups...both in our movement prep and under the bar with lighter loads. I think irradation as a "neural stimulant" not only may be more effective than most pre-workouts, but I think it can get us to our higher percentages a lot faster.
• I've never seen anyone apply chalk more gracefully than Dewey Nielsen.

That's it for now.