#Crossover symmetry activation protocol portable

Avoiding a major injury where you would be sidelined three to six months is more important than any single aspect of training.

You're asking very small muscles in your shoulders to do a lot of heavy lifting and the risk of shoulder injuries in climbers is exceptionally high. Thomas: Maintaining healthy, balanced shoulders and preventing injuries is key to success as a rock climber. The whole thing takes about seven minutes and is designed to get blood in the joint, resolve inflammation, and then stimulate tissue recovery. It’s similar to the pre-workout program, but with a longer eccentric contraction. This is best accomplished after a climbing workout with Crossover Symmetry’s Recovery Program. Climbers, on the other hand, really need to focus on improving blood flow in the joint and promoting tendon recovery. Repetitive motion athletes tend to focus on pre-workout shoulder movements to establish healthy neuromuscular function. Matt: Unlike other sports that stress the shoulder through repetitive motion, climbing puts a lot of load on the shoulders. What should climbers specifically be most aware of when it comes to shoulders? It’s a short-term stability fix, but at a cost: over time, normal movement becomes increasingly compromised and overuse injuries become more likely, potentially initiating an injury cascade through other parts of the shoulder and body. This happens by making sure the big muscles work in conjunction with all the smaller muscles that are often ignored.When imbalance exists, the body tries to compensate by favoring certain movement patterns. The key to healthy shoulders is establishing a neuromuscular connection to improve the quality of movement and balance around the joint.

This often happens at the expense of the lower/middle trap and rhomboids. The big muscles tend to dominate, especially since those are the muscles people focus on when they lift weights. And then there are lots of other small muscles mostly designed to stabilize and control movement. The upper trap, lats, and pecs are the big three movers of the shoulder. And as you can imagine, there are lots of ways for those 17 muscle groups to get out of balance. There are 17 muscle groups that hold the scapula stable to the body. They say, “This is where it hurts, so this is where the problem is.” People who really get how the shoulders work know that almost always, issues originate from something upstream, commonly how the scapula (shoulder blade) attaches to the body. Matt: A lot of people just see the arm and how it attaches. Tell us about how the shoulder works and how this relates to common shoulder issues. We were curious to hear his take on the system and how he and other climbers benefit from it. Then-because we always appreciate a well-rounded perspective-we spoke to Thomas Betterton, owner of the Denver Bouldering Club, which recently implemented Crossover Symmetry in its gym. We had a chance to sit down with Matt and pick his brain on everything shoulders. The goal is to educate and equip athletes, giving them the tools to end shoulder pain and injury. Their program repackages common physical therapy exercises into an out-of-the-box routine coupled with a comprehensive online education platform that they keep updated with the latest in shoulder research. Instead of adding raw strength, Crossover Symmetry focuses on creating stability in the shoulder using a slightly modified version of traditional shoulder bands. When his shoulder pain went away for the first time in years, he became a believer and joined the company. The company had developed a sequence of seven exercises that could be done in less than five minutes-none of which involved lifting heavy weights. That’s when he discovered Crossover Symmetry, which, at the time, was focused on helping baseball pitchers add velocity to their throws. Matt’s pain wouldn’t subside no matter how much self-torture he inflicted. The answer was simple: keep smashing yourself on lacrosse balls and foam rollers until it goes away.Įxcept it wasn’t working. Like most people, he chalked it up to mobility problems. When Matt was younger, he had seemingly chronic shoulder issues. He also has a Master’s in Exercise Physiology and is an occasional gym climber himself.

#Crossover symmetry activation protocol portable

He’s the director of education & training at Crossover Symmetry, a young Colorado company that developed a portable shoulder training system designed to relieve pain, prevent injury, and enhance performance.