FRISCO, Texas - On a cold and windy Saturday morning, inside the cavernous 145,000 square foot Fieldhouse USA gymnasium, two dozen youth basketball and volleyball games progress with throngs of cheering parents and referees' whistles. Except for a handful of curious onlookers, 15 men and women on a side court go unnoticed. Each stand rigid, leaning on both hands against a wall, with one foot on the floor, the other raised and poised to move. On command they quickly take two steps in place, stop, and do it again... down-up-hold, down-up-hold, down-up-hold.
"Watch your posture, stand tall! Engage your abs and glutes! Strike the floor under your hips. This time faster and ... GO!," commands their 5' 5" human dynamo instructor. Just minutes before they were skipping, squatting, lunging, and lying on the floor with exercise bands, ropes, and foam rollers.
Is this a new kind of pilates, or group rehab session? Nope, it's school.
Welcome to Movement U. The brainchild of professional endurance athlete and entrepreneur, Jessi Stensland, who has over 20 triathlon titles to her name, is traveling the country teaching one-day workshops to athletes on the basics of how the body moves during sport and preparing it for injury-free, maximum performance. The focus of instruction is on what she calls "the pillar" of movement; the pelvis, abdominal and gluteus muscles. "Running doesn't begin in the legs," she explains, "it begins in the pelvis ... and a powerful run comes from the glutes, not the quads." The hallmark of her teaching is body alignment and muscle activation to prepare for performance and resiliency.
Using a blend of gym work and classroom instruction of anatomy, science, and personal experience, Stensland guides her students through uncomplicated lateral and vertical exercises performed with precise form, controlled movement, and proprioception. She teaches that four mindful, well executed squats using only your body's weight is far more effective, and healthier, than a dozen sloppily done squats with a barbel. In only a minute, with just a few warm-up exercises, an athlete can prepare the often overlooked, but essential, pillar muscles for action. Although not a triathletes-only event, her class teaches specific movements applied to each element of triathlon; swim, bike, and run.
Attending the Dallas MovementU in Frisco were runners, triathletes, and certified triathlon coaches including several multiple Ironman finishers. One participant, who is training for the Houston Marathon, completed a 20-mile training run only an hour before coming to the class. This group of athletes obviously knows hows a thing or two about how to run, yet they were there eager to be put through the paces by Jessi; me included. Why? Because most of us have been injured during training and want to race without being hurt... heck, to do everyday, routine activities without pain would be just fine.
"There are a lot of training programs, coaches, pieces of equipment, and products claiming they will make you a faster athlete. Some of them work and many of them don't. I'm here to teach what does work," says Stensland. She keeps the classroom atmosphere comfortable with her constant smile and All American girl-next-door touch and captures our attention with an expertly direct delivery. Out in the gym, Jessi demonstrates the prescribed running, jumping, and flexibility exercises with mesmerizing speed and power. She's a living definition of making the hard look easy. Then we all take a turn at the movement while she critiques our form.
From injury plagued athlete to injury free evangelist
A lifelong athlete, Stensland stood out and became a co-captain of the George Washington University swim team while graduating magna cum laude in 1998. After college she began racing triathlons as a professional and racked up frequent wins. But success came at a price. With just a few months before she was scheduled to race in the 2004 Olympic Trials for triathlon, Stensland found herself besieged with numerous muscular and joint injuries. The result of years of punishing training schedules while not giving her body proper doses of joint stability, mobility, and flexibility training to match her muscular strength. It's not enough to be strong to go fast; at least not for very long.
"My body was a wreck just weeks away from the biggest race of my career," she says about the 2004 trials. 'Then I met Mark Verstegen of Athletes Performance and it changed my life." Mr. Verstegen is the author of the popular, "Core Performance," book and companion DVD. After training with Verstegen she made it to the race feeling fit and narrowly missed a spot on the USA Olympic team. "Before then I was racing with 100 percent effort but only getting 80 percent in results. During the trials I was able to get 100 percent performance although I could only give 80 percent effort," she explains the difference was due to less time racing leading up to the trials while she was learning how to repair her body. Her point being this: she learned how to move for speed and power with an efficiency she did not have before meeting Verstegen. Moreover; done without injury. It was an athletic awakening.
In 2006 she suspended her racing career to persue interests in sport video production. Never moving far from her racing roots, or forgetting her Olympic trials epithany, she began speaking to groups of athletes around the country on the importance of training first to avoid injury. This year she founded MovementU and in October set off on a coast-to-coast eight-city tour.
Graduates ready to spread the knowledge
Attendee Gerald Jackson, a coach and director of Plano based Negative Split Racing triathlon club, came to MovementU curious and ready for the education. He went away enthusiastic to put his new knowledge to use with his club and impressed with how easily Jessi's teaching can be applied. "All of what I learned can be done at home or at a gym, in fact you don't even need a gym. My "ah ha" moment came when she talked about engaging my core in all three events and I knew I was doing it some but not enough. Also, her swimming strength tips were great. I like how she taught the class too. Great flow of events," he said.
U and Jessi are on the move
Stensland's MovementU stop in Frisco was one of two appearances in Texas. The following day she conducted a class in Austin. The next, and final workshop of the year, will be held at Athlete's Edge in Vista, California on December 13.
She also makes her return to the racing curciut in 2010.
Follow her on Twitter @JessiStensland and @MovementU. Follow her blog at GoJessi.com
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Comments
too bad i missed it. i hope she comes back to Dallas.
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