One of Finish Strong sponsors is TEKTONIC, a full-service training facility for comprehensive performance and rehabilitation for athletes. I decided to put myself through the rigors of their performance lab under the direction of Dr. Thomas Sutton to determine how I can improve as an athlete. I underwent several different performance lab tests.
The first was the BOD POD, a body composition analysis. Every athlete should know their body composition. Building lean body mass improves strength and endurance, and decreases susceptibility to injury. I learned that my body fat was 10%. A bit higher than I would like, but within the range for elite athletes. According to Dr. Sutton, a person needs at least 3% body fat just to survive. The take away from this was that I could develop some more lean body mass via strength training.
Dr. Hutton also administered a flexibility test to measure the range of motion for my hip flexor, hamstring, shoulder and chest. This helps to identify athletes at risk for muscle injury due to lack of flexibility or excessive mobility in the joints. The tests helped me to realize that I need to focus on strengthening and increasing the flexibility in my calves and hip flexors.
I also had a video biomechanical analysis performed using Dartfish technology to capture any deficits in strength, speed and movement mechanics. I ran on a treadmill and discovered that an old shoulder injury was causing an inefficiency in my running stride length.
As a result of this thorough analysis, I need to incorporate flexibility and strength training exercises targeted for my calves, hip flexor and shoulder. If you are considering how to enhance your performance, I recommend TEKTONIC. All Finish Strong Racing and coached athletes receive 20% discount on all TEKTONIC performance-based tests.
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