Olympic Flexibility

As I mentioned in last weeks blog, my upcoming trip to the London Olympics is made possible by a small town girl with a big dream.  US Modern Pentathlon is a multi sport event like now other, combining fencing, swimming, horse-back riding, running and shooting... All in one event! 


In many ways, Suzanne Stettinius has been training for the 2012 Olympic games all her life.The daughter of a Navy Seal, this girl knows how to shoot a gun and has been riding horses since she was a little girl. In high school and college she was on the swim team and cross country run team. The fencing was the one new sport she had to learn "later in life" (she's now 24, so its all relative!) 

Suzanne lives on a farm "in the boonies" of beautiful north Baltimore County. Ironically, she is about 5 minutes from my house (and NOTHING is near my house). When you live in the hills of North Baltimore, you're used to driving... A LOT. Suzanne drives great distances to train, particularly for fencing in DC and swimming at McDonough (since she can run, ride horses and shoot all at her parent's farm).

The fact that we live minutes apart was random good luck. She could stop by for stretch sessions after a run or before swimming or fencing. I always joked that she either smelled like horses or chlorine (and often it was a mix of both :)

On a side note, after I working with Suzanne for a few weeks I was hanging out with my sister, niece and nephew. They started talking about this local Olympic hopeful that my niece and nephew went to high school with. I said "you mean Suzanne Stettinius?" Turns out, my nephew was best friends with Suzanne's brother Ed (pictured above shooting with Suzanne at their farm) since they were little kids, Suzanne graduated high school with my niece and I had briefly met Suzanne when she was probably 5 years old. So our paths had crossed in a previous lifetime.  

The flexibility technique I use with Suzanne is called Ki-Hara. It's the same technique five time Olympic swimmer Dara Torres touts as her "secret weapon" that allows her to compete at an Olympic level with athletes half her age.

The Ki-Hara technique was refined by Steven Sierra and Anne Tierney of Innovative Body Solutions and incorporates Resistance Stretching and Mashing to create dynamic flexibility with strength. I also trained under Susan Bianchi at Intrinsic Health Systems, who has been stretching Jets football players for years.

More and more, athletes from all different sports are understanding the importance of flexibility and how it relates to power, performance, recovery and injury prevention. I've stretched several Raven's players over the years as well (and no I won't name names) but I can say that even though she's small and lean, stretching Suzanne's long legs and powerful swimmers arms is just as much of a workout for me (but I'd take that any day over bicep curls!) I often get asked what I do to get my arms, and I say "I stretch athletes!"

A typical session with Suzanne includes mashing (pictured below) which literally means I am walking all over her to get her muscles warmed, loosened up and prepared to stretch. Yep, I use a walker to help me stabilize so I can really dig my heels in (trust me, she's not complaining). The benefits are similar to a deep tissue massage, which is essential for an athlete who trains as hard as Suzanne. But often many athletes either don't have the money or the time to invest in weekly massage or sports specific stretching. A one-on-one Ki-Hara session combines both the benefits of massage along with flexibility.

After we mash for a good 20 minutes (which gives us time to chit-chat), we'd move onto the Resistance Stretching for 30 - 45 minutes, depending on what training she just completed and what training was up next (often she was fresh from a run and had a swim or fence training next) so we'd focus on stretching out the legs first, which also helps flush the muscles, lessen soreness and speed recovery to she bounced back faster and was more ready for her next run. Then we'd move onto her favorite upper body stretches to increase range of motion and power up her arms for swim practice. Fencing is more of a one-sided sport, so the Ki-Hara technique works at bringing her body back into balance and staying centering from a strong core throughout all the stretches, which applies of course to the horse back riding and shooting as well.

During the stretch session, there is very little chit-chat because Suzanne has to stay focused on resisting and staying engaged from her core. The stretches move her arms and legs through full range of motion in specific, rotational and diagonal patterns, engaging the core continually to achieve full body flexibility with strength. Trust me, stretching Suzanne is a workout for me too. 

Here is a short clip (because my batteries died half way through the filming!) to give you an idea of what the Ki-Hara Mash and Stretch session is like (guess we'll film Part 2 when Suzanne is back from London): 

After the stretch session, we finish up with another 20 or so minutes of mashing, along with some restorative yoga poses. Once in a while she'll stay for a quick snack (got her hooked on occasional green smoothies and chia seeds) ...then off she goes to her next training session! 

I offer private sessions at Performfit Sports Conditioning facility in Towson. If you want to stretch like an Olympian, let me know! More info at www.flexiblewarrior.com

Did you know that the U.S. Government is one of a few countries that does not fund Olympic Athletes? The athletes rely on contributions from private donors to to help fund their expenses. Here is a great article about How Athletes Fund Their Olympic Experience http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/804894/how-athletes-fund-their-olympic-experience

To donate to Suzanne's Olympic Fund, visit http://www.suzanne.mintmeadows.com/home - For a $25 donation, I will mail you and Flexible Warrior DVD (just email a copy of your receipt to karen@flexiblewarrior.com and let me know which DVD volume you want). To choose a DVD visit http://www.flexiblewarrior.com/

Thanks for supporting Suzanne and her her Journey to London Summer Olympics!

Olympic Flexibility

Journey to London 2012 Olympic Games 

 

It's been a LONG while since I last Blogged. One day I just realized that sitting in front of the computer more was not a goal of mine. And that writing is not one of my greatest strengths. 

An important part of happiness and success in life is doing what you love and what you're good at, which are often one in the same... This leads me to my friend, client and TEAM USA Olympic Athlete Suzanne Stettinius (pictured above right at a Spinning and Yoga fundraising event I hosted for her a few weeks ago). This girl knows what her gifts are and she is turning them into an Olympic dream. 

Suzanne is the reason I'm picking my blog back up for a few weeks. She is also the reason I get the huge honor and privilege to attend the 2012 Summer Olympics in London!

Few things inspire me more than Olympic athletes following their dreams, testing their limits with dedication and discipline and representing their country with pride. Watching even an Olympic commercial on TV makes me feel like I want to do more and be more. I can't imagine how I'll feel when I see it live! It's a refreshing reminder that nothing worth having comes easy, but with hard work and sacrifice we all have a chance at making a dream come true. 

Suzanne Stettinius is no exception to that inspirational Olympic spirit. I read about her hopes for the 2012 summer games in the local paper last summer. Her story moved me and I instantly wanted to help her with flexibility and recovery, the one thing most athletes aren't naturally good at or don't take the time to practice on their own, yet it can make a huge improvement in performance. 

In sports and life, its essential to focus on developing our gifts, yet its also important to practice what we're not good at (like me sitting down struggling to write). This is how we create balance in our bodies, brains and lives, grow and broaden our horizons and increase our potential. 

I've been stretching, mashing and practicing a little yoga with Suzanne 2 - 3 times a week for a year (more about her flexibility and recovery routine next week). We were instant friends despite a 20 year age gap. She has the kind of raw, real energy that lights up a room and is a pleasure to be around. She knows how to have a lot of fun but she also has a work ethic that sets her apart and gets her places. Her fearlessness and laugh are both contagious. The has a star quality yet is so down to earth. You want to cheer her on!

Suzanne trains for five sports.  She has a swimming coach (Jeff Hiestand), a running coach (Thomas P Bernier) and a fencing coach (Damien Lehfeldt), all of which are key players in her success and have donated their time to help her get to where she is. In addition, she did cross training, strength and conditioning with Patrick Hedge and Tim Bishop at Performfit. 

As her "flexibility coach" I can say that donating my time to support Suzanne's Olympic journey has been rewarding in all the ways that matter most in life. And the fact that I now get to cheer her on in London is just unbelievable. It's yet another time in life that reinforces my belief in Karma. 

All of us coaches, along with Suzanne's family appreciate any contribution you can make to support her Olympic Fund. I am personally offering any Flexible Warrior DVD of your choice with a $25 donation (just forward your donation receipt to me via email to karen@flexiblewarrior.com). I will cover the shipping. To pick a video, visit www.flexiblewarrior.com 100% of your donation will go to Suzanne's Olympic Fund.

To read more about Suzanne or to donate to her Olympic Fundraiser visit:

www.suzanne.mintmeadows.com