What made you try out a Biomechanics Coach?
I was training for a half triathlon in Mallorca May of 2013. (2500 m swim, 80 km bike ride and 20 km run). I was going to do it with my husband and two other friends. While training, I started getting this sharp pain in my knees after about 30 minutes of running. I tried to push through it, but after a few months of physical therapy I finally decided it was wiser to cancel the race altogether.
My next scheduled race was another half triathlon in France, in September, so I had about four months to get better. I was doing physical therapy, but that wasn’t really working, so when I met Lorna, in July, I was desperate to do something that would really help.
How did you meet Lorna?
We met last July at the Utrecht Triathlon. We’re in the same Triathlon club, ATAC. Before the race she told me she was a Personal Trainer and she was just getting her certification as a Biomechanics coach. During that race which included a 10km run, I could barely run it hurt so much. Lorna explained what a Biomechanics Coach did and after the race I told her I would contact her.
What happened once you started?
When we started, Lorna explained this process of measuring everything in your body based on different tests and then prescribed different exercises that target each area. She would do things like move my legs around to see how my hips moved, check to see how flexible my feet were, measure how far my spine bends if I lean from right to left, do various things with my shoulders, my knees. At that time there were lots of issues, areas of dysfunction.
Lorna gave me a set of exercises to do. Some of them could be done at the office sitting at my desk (although my colleagues laughed a little) and I could also do them on the train and at home
How much time do the exercises take?
What I like is that each exercise is done 4×20 seconds, so they are very very short. You don’t have to lay on the floor, don’t need a mat or specific exercise clothing. I found the time to be very manageable.
Has this improved?
We started in July and I had a half triathlon in September. I wasn’t completely pain free, but it was so much better than before, so much better! And then, probably in November or so, I remember running with our club on a Monday night and I thought ‘Oh my God, this is the first time in a very long time I have run without pain’. I just did a half marathon three weeks ago, the Den Haag Half Marathon. I can’t say that I was pain free, but the pain didn’t start until the 17th or 18th kilometer, out of 21, which then you just push through. It was amazing. I don’t do the exercises as much as I should, but I plan to keep doing them and hopefully will do a half marathon and half triathlons completely pain free. Due to not having pain, I have also been able to add speed work and become a stronger runner in the past months.
Have you noticed any other improvements in your body?
You know when you go to a concert and you have to stand up for many hours? I would always get a lot of pain in my lower back, so I’d be one of those people who are stretching all the time. This has improved, and also I’ve been having less pain in my hip when cycling.
Is there anything else that you’ve changed in your habits, exercise schedule or physical therapy?
Well, I take my computer to work with me every day, and I used to carry it in my bag, on one shoulder. I’ve stopped doing that and installed a rack on my bicycle. So now I’m putting heavy things on the rack or carrying them in a backpack. Maybe it’s also helping. Besides this, I think all the improvement I’ve had is thanks to Lorna. Actually, I send all my friends who have injuries to her.
What do you tell them?
First I tell them that they don’t need to run through pain and suffer. Second I tell them that since biomechanics is based on science and measuring and you do exercises that work after seeing results, it can really help.
How would you explain biomechanics?
I like the fact that it’s very exact. I’ve had about six sessions, once every 10 days or two weeks. With every session, everything is measured again, so you can really see your progress.
The exercises are actually a bit weird, at a first glance. They seem to be very simple, maybe too simple. But they work because they are based on a lot of research. Lorna also shows the exercises to you and can even measure at the same session what the likelihood is that they will help you, so that the exercises she chooses to prescribe are the ones with the biggest results.
Author: Lorna Wilson
Like what you see? Then send me a message or e-mail. We can meet up for a chat and find out how I can help you improve your training and help reduce injury risk.
06 460 377 74 / lorna@wilsonsworkouts.nl
