At some point we're all confronted with set-backs, injuries, sickness, and unforeseen adversity getting in the way or slowing us down from reaching our goals. When you're in the midst of a set-back it's crucial to think about WHAT YOU STILL CAN DO. Not only is this important in preventing you from getting mentally discouraged, but it also helps you pick back up quicker and get back on your path more effectively when the time's right.

As an athlete and coach all my life I've had friends, training partners, teammates, athletes and clients who I've watched get frustrated and disappointed to the brink of quitting...all the while in a dark cloud of negativity surrounding the limitation or set-back they're experiencing. It's like getting sucked in a vortex that you wind up participating in, adding strength to the set-back. When associated with situations like this, whether personally, or helping someone cope, I like to think of all the elements, factors, and parts that contribute to the whole (person, plan, and environment) and conceptualize how small a percent of that whole a broken finger, sprained ankle, or 2 sick days represent in retrospect...they're tiny! This obviously doesn't apply on game-day, or 2 days prior to national championships, but really during training, and in some day to day life situations. 

During a gymnastics practice in college I once confronted a teammate who was sitting out of practice pouting in frustration about a broken toe...sitting out of a 3 hour practice!! After talking to him about how many other things he could be working on to strengthen his upper body, core, flexibility...even doing mental routines and visualization drills, the broken toe really seemed dwarfed by all of the other positive constructive things that didn't require the king toe. After a few days my teammate came back with more drive and focus than most could remember him having prior to getting injured. So, sometimes our set-backs can be blessings in disguise...but only if you stay POSITIVE & PERSISTENT!

First off, I’m really thankful and excited for the chance to contribute to Mobile Fitness. I’ve known Greg starting with our time at Springfield College together, and was able to see the inception of the Mobile Fitness concept. It’s amazing to see it transform from post-it note drawings on his desk to the successful business it is today. Greg’s vision and philosophy is something I share with my own work, so I’m looking forward to sharing some thoughts.

My name is Dr. David Tilley, and I live in the North Shore of Boston. I was a gymnast for 18 years, 4 of which were at Springfield College while doing my doctoral work in Physical Therapy. I have been coaching gymnastics for just over 11 years, and still currently help coach a women’s optional team. Along with coaching I work as a Physical Therapist in an outpatient orthopedic clinic and also own a company/blog called The Hybrid Perspective (www.HybridPerspective.com).  My patient population is really all over the place. I work with everything from the average mother with back pain, to the highly competitive Olympic weight lifting athlete, to people looking to get screened for preventive measures. Given my background in gymnastics and still being a coach, I do have a large niche specialty in working with gymnasts. I split my weeks treating between the regular clinic most days and spending two afternoons a week treating at Tree House Training (Danvers, MA). Tree House Training is owned by my friend Dave Picardy and has a variety of training programs at his facility including a running club, an Olympic Weight Lifting Team, a Cross Fit program known as North Shore Cross Fit, various high school athletic training programs, individualized personal training, and more.

I started The Hybrid Perspective as a blog 2 years ago in an effort to share some thoughts I have related to my work, and also start networking with other like minded individuals. I use the blog as a vessel to share my viewpoint on how people can increase their performance while also reduce their injury risk. I strongly feel that by learning more about human movement and also the rehabilitation - performance spectrum, someone can really tap into their full potential. I also feel that there are many parts to injuries that are preventable. It just takes someone with a trained eye, some experience with the current literature, and the skills to reverse engineering problematic movement patterns.  I try to share some of my experiences in this department with weekly blog postings on different drills, training tips, videos, random thoughts, and so on. Check them out @ www.HybridPerspective.com 

When it down to it, I really just want people to be able to do what they love and stay healthy in the process. Helping people achieve their goals, be it basic daily activities or high-end performance, is something that I am passionate about. Being a former athlete myself and also still currently perusing fitness goals, I know first hand how difficult facing both injuries and tough training can be.  Sometimes it can be complicated with all the healthcare information available these days. I try my best to take the academic world and translate it into useful information for people to take advantage of.

This post just really serves as an introduction, but I hope that through some intermittent blog posts on the MFS/E site I can share what has helped me work with patients, clients, and the gymnasts I coach.  I’m definitely looking forward to contributing. Thanks again to Greg, and I hope everyone has a great weekend!

- Dr. Dave Tilley, DPT

In the past 7 years I've worked in a variety of settings applying health, fitness, & performance based training programs. I'm often asked if a popular or trending fitness program is "good" or "bad". I've never been able, or felt compelled to give a straight simple answer...not because I dodge or work around questions like a shifty politician, or because I don't know, but because there really isn't one in most of the occasions I've been confronted with. This is because the answer all depends on what your individual goals are. Once I can get a better understanding of what someone is trying to get out of their time spent training, and their lifestyle, I can then say X-program is good for that, or Y-program is a waste of your time. Not everyone has a coach or trainer at their disposal, so if you're not sure, and in no position to consult someone who can help you, then use the good'ole scientific method, and be guided by the wise words of Bruce Lee:

"Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own."

- Bruce Lee

Most gyms will offer free trial sessions, and low-cost entry level memberships for you to try-out a training program. If your goal is weight loss, then you've got some pretty clear, quantifiable, and identifiable variables to analyze that training program's effect on your goal. You can read yourself stupid Googling about what training program to do to reach your goals and get nowhere with the confusion. My point is that sometimes you just need to try, execute, and absorb what works for you after trying. After experimenting and observing what works & what doesn't for you, you'll have so much experience and proficiency that you'll be empowered by your process, and even compelled to add something uniquely your own!

Making the individual commitment to get to workout is difficult. You can find 20 other things that require less effort, less time, and might be more enjoyable. None of those things will have the same kind of lasting pay-offs as spending an hour with 10 other people dedicated to the same effort - GETTING BETTER. Being able to share that experience with friends, partners, and fellow-members at your gym is special and should be taken advantage of at a gym that provides that opportunity. The benefits of a sense of camaraderie with those you train with at the gym go beyond good company, and should be highly sought after and quickly embraced when discovered or cultivated, here's why:

• Motivation - A partner will push you harder than you might push yourself
• Competition - A competitive personality needs to set their sights somewhere...a group can provide that atmosphere
• Dedication - The trust & bonds created while training together bring you back for that support & encouragement
• Accountability - The impact you have in a group makes you a valuable link in that chain, you will feel accountable to them
• Support - The continual practice of overcoming challenges together creates a unique bond amongst a group you train with

It's tough to find and qualify camaraderie in a gym, because it's something that is cultivated, experienced, and described in different ways depending on the gym, members, coaches, location, and time. But, one thing is for sure, you will know it when it's there because it will provide you with the benefits listed above, and when embraced it will have you reaching and setting goals you probably never would have, if you were alone.