Adventure Prep Series: Ankle & Knee Stability for Uneven Terrain

You can be strong in the gym and still get wrecked on a trail.
Most ankle instability isn't a strength problem — it's a timing problem. The ankle can't react fast enough when you step on an edge or root. These four drills fix that.
Step 1: Forefoot Walk + Heel Walk 

10 yds on the ball of the foot — spring tall, no collapse. 10 yds on the heel — toes up, anterior shin loaded, controlled pace. 2 passes. 90 seconds. Do this before every trail session.
Step 2: Active Foot Hold Stand on one foot.

Tripod contact: big toe mound, pinky mound, heel. Arch active — not gripped, not collapsed. Hold 30 sec. Progress to eyes closed and perturbation holds.
When the foot communicates clearly, everything upstream responds better.
Step 3: Multi-Direction Lunge Matrix 

Forward → Reverse → Lateral → Rotational → Crossover One round each direction, both legs, bodyweight only. Terrain doesn't move in one direction — your prep shouldn't either.
Step 4: Step Downs Stand on a step.

Lower the free foot slowly (3 sec). Stop before contact. Return. Watch for knee cave, ankle collapse, or torso pitch — each one tells you exactly where your deficit lives.
15-Minute Pre-Trail Circuit: 

Forefoot Walk + Heel Walk — 2 x 10 yds each

Active Foot Holds — 3 x 30 sec/side

Lunge Matrix — 1 round, all directions, both legs

Step Downs — 3 x 8/leg
The mountains don't care how much you bench. Train for the terrain.

Pardon the Interruption

I started out January with 4 workouts per week. My plan was working well, for 11 days. Then a severe pain in my right arm shoulder and arm hit. Nerve pain leading to muscle spasms leading to loss of strength leading to numbness leading to nerve pain. So much for consistency, next move was containment and pain alleviation. Not much room for “fitness training”. But I kept positive and moved forward.

The most important thing that sprung from the last 3 weeks, was the adherance to my principle of Consisent Sifting and Winnowing by always being willing to put new things in the Hopper. When hospital visits and drugs weren’t moving the needle, I decided to try acupuncture. Finding someone to use needles around my spine was daunting. A good friend recommended Dr Chin. After learning of his decades of experience in Chinese medicine, I made an appointment.

After a long conversation about my activity and injury history (both are long!), followed by alot of explaination with anatomy diagrams (for those interested: Dr Netter’s work is available in Chinese!), Dr. Chin began a 3 hour session of acupuncture and massage. The results had some immediate results: pain reduction and the ability to sleep without meds. Then, on the subsequent days, the nerve pain has gone away. The feeling is returning. No more pain drugs needed. More work is required. However, the intervention worked and has allowed me to look forward again with optimism.

Today, a plan of action and activity: a meeting with a Physical therapist, upper body PT exercise plan , lower body strength work, walking (maybe a ruck), and lots of stretching. I may be back to consistent exercise, but positive thoughts and being open to something that moves me forward every day, has reinforced that being consistent starts with your basic self practices. Today, I re-start the process forward with some revised physical goals for the next 6 months.

Use your consisent belief in yourself, consistent action, consistent positive thoughts to move beyond the interruption when life deals you setback.

The price and the guide

Some days are joyous with feeling of adventure and overcoming adversity. You feel great about a cool experience, for me the physical ones are the most satisfying. Feeling free & easy of movement afterwards is the goal. Pain can be a consistent companion , it’s how much that is the question. Understanding how to thread the needle between soreness & injury is hard. Some days you pay the price for hubris. Today is one of those days.

Last week I talked about the joy of meeting and rolling with a world champion and the challenge & joy that came from the chance encounter. In addition to that grappling session, I had a hard Jiu-jitsu class the day before and, with the help of friends, took down a large oak tree on Saturday. Well, my body wasn’t up for that combined level of work. Now, a pinched nerve in my neck overrides the recovery of the rest of my muscles and will keep me out action for awhile.

As a performance coach to all levels of athletes, recreational 65+ year old nordic skiers to 20-something elite rugby players, High-school football players to CEOs flying around the country, I stress working their plan and the importance of recovery. Know thy self and how you work best. I failed to adhere to that maxim. Another setback reminds me yet again of the significance of coaching, the wisdom of experience, and why we seek those who provide it.

For myself, this means working with my chiropractor, Dr. Breanna Tivy (Thrive Chiropractic), to boost my recovery. Then, sitting down with my BJJ instructor, Prof. Gina Franssen (X2 BJJ), to map out the next year to hopefully avoid another episode like this one. And finally, some upper-back strength planning with my friend, Mark Schneider (The Retreat Strength Gym). Yes, coaches need coaches, too.

As we move through this month of resolutions, think on what your goals are for this year and why they are important. Reflect on who can mentor or guide you through the journey. Don’t ask for “help”; look for advice and direction from someone who can give prudent prespective. This guide can aid in avoiding some pitfalls; probably not all. Be proactive. The journey will be a bit smoother. And when you do make a mistake, that same sage mentor will be there to assist in moving you forward again.

Seek coaching. Find a mentor. Create teammates. 

“One of the greatest values of mentors is the ability to see ahead what others cannot see and to help them navigate a course to their destination.” - John C. Maxwell

Many strong hands make light work.

This Saturday several friends (and their kids) came over to help take down a dead oak tree. It was kinda like an old fashioned barn-raising, just in reverse. The skills of a forester to start and some good Cuban pulled pork sandwiches to finish (recipe below) bookended at a great day. In the middle was a lot of work with strong hands. Having the strength and mobility to move heavy pieces of oak means lots of firewood and potentially some milled wood sections for future tables & benches. This ability is the benefit of work in the weight room and time spent making good friends. Both require time, dedication and being your authentic self. What will your strength practice & openness to friendship create? Get to work this year building muscle for cool tasks and the friends to enjoy with whom them.

Cuban Pulled Pork

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of 1 lime (2 tablespoons)

Juice of 1 orange (2 tablespoons)

3 to 3 1/2-pound boneless pork shoulder

Mix the oil, salt, cumin, oregano, black pepper, red pepper, garlic, lime juice and orange juice in a small bowl. Make slits in the pork with a paring knife and rub liberally all over with the oil mixture. Place the pork in a slow cooker and top with the remaining juices from the bowl. Cover and cook on low until tender, about 6-8 hours.

Remove from the slow cooker and let cool slightly. Shred the pork into thick chunks with 2 forks. Set the pork aside and keep warm in the cooking liquid.

Serve over rice or on sandwich buns

topping:

Yellow mustard, Swiss cheese, thick-sliced honey ham, thinly sliced dill pickle, or sweet pickle relish

Be open to giving

Cool experience: A teammate brought a friend to Jiu-Jitsu Friday. I invited the new white belt (w/cauliflower ears) to drill some escapes, helped him with some simple positions like others do for me. His local friend told me he able “to roll”. Then we went live! I learned alot about grip, hand battling, & evasion. Later in the session, I found out this humble guy was 2021 greco-roman wrestling 55kg world champion, Ken Matsui.

Along the the journey, we will meet interesting people. By opening up with giving of yourself, and being open to receiving, special moments happen that will enrich your soul and the path.

Arigato Ken! Good Luck on the road to LA 2028!

Prepare

Its a beautiful sunny day in April. We are usually beginning the commencement of the non-winter outdoor activities. But Old Man Winter has a few more tricks for us.

However, the snow will melt; the grass will green. And golf/softball/trail running/[insert spring activity] will start soon.  

So, go prepare. Get to the gym and lift weights to build your power for hitting more doubles this year. Throw those med balls against the wall to develop your club head speed. Practice your arm swing & high knee drills to hone your running form.

Build a plan to help improve your performance. 

Don't complain. Prepare. Spring is coming and your game will thank you.

-Ryan McDowell

Member Showcase: Catherine H.

Catherine is an awesome member of Maxmead Fitness.  She is such a positive person who lifts everyone up each day. Hear why she is at Maxmead Fitness.

Your 2018 New Years Resolution Guide:

Everyone has them. The infamous New Year resolutions. Whether it’s eating better, losing weight, goals for in the gym, out of the gym, goals of travel, for school, sleep. Everyone has different things to work on but the common theme with the resolutions is not following through with them. We have put together a few simple steps that we use at Maxmead to help our members reach their goals.

1. Coming up with a plan- It is easy to say you are going to do something. “I am going on a diet.” “I am going to start a new workout routine.” “I am going to be more consistent with going to the gym.” Whatever it is you say you’re going to do, if there is not an action plan to follow it is very difficult to stick with. What do I mean by action plan? I mean sitting down and writing out ways that you are going to make these goals achievable. For example, you write down that your goal is to start the Whole 30 for the month of January. Next is taking a look at your schedule and lifestyle at the moment. What things will you need to change? What things might get in the way? From there you can come up with actions to help you be successful. One might be your work schedule is crazy and to be successful you need to spend Sunday evenings going to the grocery store and preparing food for the week. You can then take that action plan and plug the time you need for food prep into your schedule on your phone or daily planner.

2. Starting Small- If you have a BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) we are behind you 100% and say GO FOR IT! What we suggest for these life changing goals is to start small. What we mean by this is instead of changing everything all at once, start making a few changes every week. From step one you will have an action plan. If your goal requires you to make a lot of changes, start with a few and add changes as you go along. Like the old saying, Rome wasn’t built in a day, it takes time, practice, and repetition for these new lifestyle changes to set in.

3. Community- Let people know what your goals are! Be excited about them and share them. Share your plan of action with your gym community, your family, your friends. Talking more about your action plans will help keep you accountable and someone you share with may have some great feedback or advice for you. When you include others and let them know your goals it can help you stay motivated, positive, and on track. It is also nice to have a community help you celebrate your small victories along the way.

When we have a new member join our clan at Maxmead they meet one-on-one with Coach Ryan, Coach Elizabeth, or Coach Brad for an  intro session. The goal for us is to have a better understanding of our new member. We try to get the whole picture of what their life looks like at the moment. We want to know how your sleep is, what stressors are apparent, how is nutrition and water intake, what are your lifestyle habits, what does your exercise routine look like, how often do you stretch? All of these things factor into your time spent at the gym and to best help you succeed we need to reach more of your life than the hour that you spend in class. From learning more about you we can then give you action steps. Small changes that you can make right away rather than big changes that are easy to give up on from being overwhelmed. From these small changes we help you along the way and will give you further steps to take down the road. This is why we call ourselves your ‘Coach for Life’. We want to see you succeed!

We are beyond grateful to have the opportunity to enrich the lives of others with better movement, nutrition, and a friendly, welcoming community that is a blessing to be a part of. If you are interested in joining our clan, or know someone who might be a good fit don’t hesitate to send us a message!

Goodbye to 2017 and all the wonderful lessons we have learned, friends we have made, experiences, and growth along the way and Hello to 2018 and a new adventure! We can’t wait to hear what your goals are and how we can help you succeed!