Posts

Sports & Fitness Center New Location and New Team Members

/in /by

We’re excited to announce that Silver Sage Sports & Fitness Lab has moved to downtown Reno at 400 Mill Street. All Silver Sage Sports & Fitness Lab performance and fitness testing, bike fit and gait analysis services are available at our new location. (Silver Sage Family Medicine services are still offered at 10467 Double R. Blvd.)

Our new building is actually a very cool old one that’s been fully renovated, part of Reno’s downtown renaissance. We share space with Fizio, a new fitness center and athlete lounge. This partnership has proved mutually beneficial, as we serve similar communities.

Silver Sage Sports & Fitness Lab services include:

  • Lactate Threshold Testing
  • Metabolic Efficiency Testing
  • VO2 Max testing
  • Functional Threshold Power Testing
  • Resting Metabolic Rate Testing
  • Dynamic Gait Analysis
  • Dynamic Bike Fit
  • Coaching and Training

MichelleFaurotOur Sports and Fitness Lab team has changed as well. Our new Lab Director and Head Coach is Michelle Faurot. Michelle holds coaching certifications from USA Triathlon and U.S. Masters Swimming. She is a record holder in the Race Across America, repeat Team USA member for age group triathlon, multiple podium winner at USA Cycling masters nationals, and a top ten swimmer at U.S. Masters nationals. Julie Young is now focused on her new venture in the Sacramento area. We wish her the best and thank her for helping grow the Sports and Fitness Lab.

Our new Bike Fit technician Jonnie Diederich hails from Madison, WI and is an avid cyclocross racer. He has studied with and worked for some of the top bike fitters in the U.S. Jonnie holds bicycle fitting certifications from Serotta International Cycling Institute (SICI), Specialized Body Geometry, and Trek Fit Services. He is also proficient at analyzing movement imbalance, and holds both a Functional Movement Screen (FMS) certification and a Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA – Level 2) certification.

Gait analysis is provided by Fizio co-owner Lauren Evans, an ACE Personal Trainer, USA Track & Field Level 2 coach, and a USA Cycling Level 3 coach.

Whether you’re a cyclist, runner, triathlete, or simply interested in optimizing your health, we have services that can help you maximize your personal performance and wellness.

To celebrate our new location, we’re offering all returning clients a 20% discount on all services, if booked by the end of the year.

If you’d like to schedule a test, call (775.204.1038) or email us today. We can’t wait to see you in our new location!

Refining Your Power

/in , /by

For the last three and a half years, Jimmy Lockie has been participating in running races, triathlons and a half Iron Man. Now he’s set his sights on Ironman Canada, taking place in Whistler, BC in July 2017.

While he’s had success, he hasn’t had the kind of results he was looking for. He started working with Julie Young, at Silver Sage Sports & Fitness Lab in April and his times are going down!

Julie started by doing a lactate threshold test with Jimmy to identify his heart rate, power output and recovery capacity at lactate threshold. The results of this test helped Julie create a training plan to help him move toward his goals.

JimmyLockie_Swim“I PRd twice in a row right after I started working with Julie,” he says.

After the initial testing and training plan, Jimmy decided he was ready for a Silver Sage Sports & Fitness Lab gait analysis, where they use Dartfish video analysis software to analyze a runner’s gait frame-by-frame, from all views. “We focus on hip and knee extension, torso angle, pelvis stability, hip adduction and ankle eversion,” Julie says. “If we identify deficits in strength and/or movement, we can make science-based recommendations to improve strength, stability and mobility to then help solidify their technique and maximize efficiency.”

“There is no doubt in my mind that this testing is what is helping me improve my performance,” Jimmy says. “It didn’t make me necessarily faster, but it made me more efficient on my bike and running so I can become faster.”JimmyLockie_Ironman

Through the lactate threshold testing, Jimmy found out that he could get his heart rate higher without prematurely building up lactate, while running at a normal pace. “I wasn’t running to my full potential because I didn’t know what my full potential was,” he says. “I found out that I can push harder and it’s not going to hurt me.”

The gait analysis helped him further fine-tune his technique. “Once Julie put everything into the computer, we found out that my stride was too long and needed to move my arms more,” he says. “She also gave me different exercises to do before and after a run to loosen up my hips.”

Jimmy has made huge strides in just the few months he’s been working with Julie. Where he used to struggle with an 8-minute mile, he’s now down to 7:35 and he has 7:30 in his sites.

“Julie’s done wonders for me as an athlete and the possibilities where I can go are endless with her,” he says. “She cares about us, and is able to use these tools to make athletes so much better through all of the little things she does.”

Running is a Whole Body Sport

/in , /by

Interest in running recreationally and competitively is experiencing a meteoric rise.  The starting place for many interested in becoming a more serious runner is often a shoe store. Budding runners will invest in a new pair of running shoes believing the shoes will improve performance and prevent injury. Purchasing shoes sometimes includes a “gait analysis” performed by the shoe salesperson. A gait is a pattern of movement a person uses when they walk or run. A gait analysis is used to identify potential issues in someone’s form that can inhibit performance or lead to injury.

The problem is not all gait analyses are equal.

Gait analysis performed at a shoe store is designed to sell shoes

Though many believe the gait analysis they receive at a shoe store will give them insight in to becoming a better runner, that’s not always the case. Often, these analyses are done in the moment, where the clerk will ask the customer to jog in place, so they can identify which shoe will best fit the person’s form and gait.

Because this analysis is intended to sell shoes, the salesperson is typically focused only on the runner’s feet, not in context with what is happening above that might be contributing to foot mechanics. For example, they focus on the runner’s foot pronation (collapse of the arch) which is a normal function of foot mechanics during running, but not in excess. They will then suggest a shoe that can help to compensate for this excessive collapse to prevent over-use injury. Oftentimes, shoe store clerks receive little-to-no training other than to sell a shoe.

Running is a whole body sport

“When people go in to a shoe store to get a gait analysis, there’s usually no assessment of a person’s functional movement patterns, muscle length and joint ranges of motion,” explains Julie Young, an expert in endurance coaching, injury prevention/return to sport and performance training. “It’s like an investigative process. How we spend the majority of our day, injury and training history all contribute to our movement patterns. We have to collect and analyze all of the clues, put them together and come up with long-term solutions.”

Running, like gymnastics or swimming, is a whole body sport. It doesn’t rely solely on the feet but requires a body that’s stable and mobile. A comprehensive gait analysis, like those prescribed by sports medicine centers can give an aspiring competitive runner a visual impression (and an invaluable teaching tool) of the body’s break-down, which motivates the all-important activation, stability and mobility work.

A comprehensive analysis can also pinpoint specific strength and movement deficits in a runner’s gait. By identifying these problem areas, a professional can develop a training plan to improve the runner’s strength and movement deficits, while changing as little as possible in the individual’s gait. This can reduce a runner’s risk of injury, build strength and increase the runner’s performance.

Running can lead to injury

Unfortunately, many medical professionals only treat the victim (injured area) rather than above or beyond where the real criminal exists. That’s why it’s important to visit with a specialist in both sports and medicine.

Young, who was a top international cyclist for 12 years, conducts gait analyses as the director of Silver Sage Sports & Fitness Lab. She attends yearly courses at the University of Southern California’s Movement Performance Institute (MPI) as part of a fellowship. MPI, headed by Dr. Christopher Powers, conducts ongoing research on human biomechanics. Using state-of-the-art technology, Young has gained hands-on experience in identifying underlying movement impairments in a person’s gait.

“Through his extensive research, Dr. Powers is one of the few physical therapists I know who actually has a protocol for diagnosing injury (uncovering the source, not just the symptoms) and provides a methodical, systematic protocol to return injured runners to their sport,” Young said. “Many runners are looking for a quick fix. But unfortunately there is no silver bullet, and like anything worth achieving, return to running takes consistent investment.”

To identify potential problems, Young videos her clients running. Using frame-by-frame video analysis software, she’s able to identify exactly where underlying strength and movement deficits exist. She then creates an exercise protocol to improve those areas of weakness.

“For good or bad we are in an age of profuse, and often-times conflicting information, which can feel overwhelming, we want to help filter this information and provide our clients with credible, science-based tool,” said Young.