The Importance Of Being Supple For Performance

Becoming supple offers numerous benefits, including improved athletic performance, reduced pain and prevention of injuries. It also enhances daily function, allows for a wider range of movement and a healthier life.

Underrated And Under Used

Far too often the work required to become supple or stay supple is left out, pushed aside, not given the priority it should and not programmed enough into athletes training regimes.

From the very beginning of my career as a Strength & Conditioning Coach I have always preached to my clients the absolute importance of being supple and placed it right by the top of the pyramid in my training hierarchy.

Quality of movement, execution of exercises with precision, training with purpose and moving away from unnecessary pain, has always been the message I drill into my athletes.

For many years in Australia, and even across the globe there has been a cultural persuasion to “toughen up”, “don’t be a wuss”, “get on with it”, “no pain no gain.”

Well I hope that now, today, after decades of unnecessary injuries, an abundance of new education, new tools, more resources, improved facilities and more upskilled coaches- we have a far more calculated and smarter approach!

“There is no point being 6"9, 105kg, 8% body fat, 40inch vertical, 40% 3P shooter- but sitting on the bench injured or on restricted minutes.” Something I have seen far too often as I observe athletes seasons/careers both locally, nationally and internationally. It is obviously super important to be strong, built, lean and athletic, but there is more than one way to achieve this!

As you study biomechanics and human movement you quickly learn that we have the research and knowledge available to precisely assess the human body, its function and its ability to perform its most basic mechanical movements.

“Biomechanics is the foundation of understanding how we move, the architecture of why we move the way we do, and how to move safely and efficiently”- Donnie Raimon.

The Benefits

Being supple offers numerous physical benefits including improved range of motion, reduced risk of injury, better posture, and enhanced athletic performance. It also contributes to increased strength, improved blood flow, reduced muscle tension and pain.

Enhanced Athletic Performance:

Suppleness can lead to improved performance in sports and other physical activities. Through addressing the muscle and joint restrictions, athletes can extend their careers and enhance their performance by improving their range of motion and efficiency of movement.

Improved Range of Motion:

Supple muscles and joints allow for a greater range of movement, making it easier to perform everyday tasks and activities.

Increased Strength:

While strength is often associated singularly with weight training, flexibility can contribute to more effective muscle function and overall strength.

Reduced Risk of Injury:

Increased flexibility can help prevent injuries by allowing muscles and joints to move more smoothly and tolerate stress better.

Improved Circulation:

Flexibility can boost blood flow to muscles and tissues, delivering more oxygen and nutrients.

Reduced Muscle Tension:

Supple muscles are less prone to knots and stiffness, leading to reduced muscle tension and increased comfort.

Better Posture:

Flexibility plays a key role in maintaining good posture by lengthening muscles, improving joint mobility and aligning the spine.

Enhance Daily Function:

Increased mobility and flexibility allows for easier participation in daily activities, making everyday tasks less challenging and more enjoyable.

The Process Of Becoming Supple And How

I’ve trained since I was the age of 17, now 38, and performed at a high level in several sports during younger years. I’ve been coaching for over 13 years, and sat through dozens of courses, lectures, certifications, seminars as well as been mentored by many world class coaches around the globe. I can tell you there is no one miracle cure, no one method or setting that is going to get you supple and passing every musculoskeletal assessment straight away. It takes time, it takes commitment and it requires assistance.

However what I can tell you through my own education, study, experience and having worked with some amazing biomechanists, kinesiologists, physiotherapists, doctors and trainers over the years- is that the solution is going to be a combination of a number of protocols and treatments.

In the real world where you need results now, and you need to work on improving your performance now and start making progress; your starting point is stretching. Now I’m not saying you need to become a yogi and take up yoga five times a week. In fact you may sit through an entire class of yoga where everyone is stretching the same muscles for the same length of time, following the instructors lead, and not once stretch the area your individual body needed the most. “Side note, I’ve loved yoga in the past for taking the time out to breathe, relax and lock in a session dedicated to opening up restrictions in the body; even if it wasn’t personally tailored to my own bodies needs.” But once a week would be enough for me.” What I would most importantly do to address my flexibility is get myself an individualised stretch program from a musculoskeletal assessment, and I would tap into this work daily or bare minimum before each of my training sessions 3 to 4 times within the week. This work will entail a combination of static, dynamic and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching. It won’t take long to make significant improvements in your body’s flexibility and then you can focus on maintenance.

Spending 15-20 minutes daily on doing mobility work through all of your bodies joints is going to pay dividends. Again this work alone is not the miracle cure, but you will see improvements in your range of motion and strength by putting in this work. Worst case scenario spend at least 15 minutes before your training to work on your restrictions and limitations- your body will thank you for it and give back to you when you ask it to perform! Banded distractions, flossing and compression during this mobility work is also “good bang for your buck”.

Myofascial release, trigger point and soft tissue work, will all play a part in achieving a supple body. Sometimes prevention is the best cure! I suggest to check in with this work throughout the week before your S&C training.

One of the most successful methods to becoming more supple is actually a well designed and purpose fit training program. All of my clients have to move through a foundational phase of training with me, and in this initial phase many of the exercises prescribed take the athletes through full ranges of motion, and work the muscles at both start and end range. The muscles and joint capsules are stretched under resistance and the return on investment with this work is really quick!

The paragraph above also leads to the next subject. Our bodies can be thought of as a series of pulleys, especially when considering how tendons and muscles interact. Pulleys are simple machines that change the direction or magnitude of a force, and many muscles act in a similar way, using bones or tendons to change the direction or increase the force of muscle contractions. Muscles and pulleys- muscles, like the biceps or quadriceps, pull on tendons, which in turn pull on bones. Tendons as ropes- tendons, like the biceps tendon or the achilles tendon, act like ropes, transmitting force from the muscle to the bone. Bones as pulley systems- bones, like the patella, can act as pulleys, redirecting the pull of a tendon and increasing the force applied to the joint. So, if a muscle is weak it can throw out the balance in this pulley system and this imbalance can result in injury or pain if not addressed. A complete and well designed strength training program is an essential part of the equation in achieving a supple body!

Outside of the work you will be required to do yourself I believe the long term success of becoming supple lies within the team of professionals you build around yourself. Physiotherapists, chiropractors and massage therapists play a significant role. As and when needed all of these practitioners offer pivotal treatment. Wether it be pre/rehabilitation programs or hands on work like dry needling, cupping, adjustments, manipulations and deep/soft tissue massages; this work will assist you massively!

Recovery is obviously one of the biggest key components when it comes to establishing a supple body. If we don’t let the body recover and constantly put it into a stress state, battling to keep up, we will never achieve our goal. Sleep is number one- nutrition, supplementation and hydration is also right there at the top. Not long after these key priorities I am a massive fan of hot magnesium sulphate baths and personally have them 3-4 times per week when I am in my prime training phase.

Knowledge is power! Learn from books, learn from organisations and learn from coaches. I first remember becoming further interested in this topic after acquiring the book “Becoming A Supple Leopard” by Dr Kelly Starrett. I’ve learned the most about this topic from the DBC certification I did in Miami with Donnie Raimon and David Alexander, and when I received my own musculoskeletal assessment and personalised stretch program from DBC.

Throughout my 13 years as a coach I have also worked closely with many amazing physiotherapists to achieve the results for our shared clients, and in the process of doing this work I have learned so much from them first hand. Don’t settle for what you know, don’t settle for the problems you have within your body right now, go out and learn more and then go and put it into action!

In Conclusion

So, don’t deal with unnecessary pain you may be carrying, don’t wait until your injured to make it a priority, don’t neglect the importance of it, understand it’s ability to improve your performance, and do the work to become supple, you won’t regret it and your results will be noticeable!

Get yourself onto a personalised regime, addressing your individual needs, limitations and specific requirements.

I hope you’ve enjoyed Volume 1 of my new education series and I look forward to bringing you Volume 2 soon! If you have a topic you would like me to cover at some point, please feel free to reach out to me and let me know. My email is info@jordanglossop.com

Take care!