What the Alexander Technique Tells Us About Athleticism

The Alexander Technique? What in the world is that? My brother introduced me to this concept developed by actor and orator F. Matthias Alexander from Australia early in the 20th century. Basically, he had discovered that his voice was getting tired prematurely and he would have to take extended breaks from his work to recover. He suffered from sore throats and fatigue that was uncharacteristic for him. A very observant man, he set up numerous mirrors so that he could observe himself while orating. He realized that his body was unnecessarily tense while he spoke. This wasn't out of nerves, but out of something more ingrained in him.

Mr. Alexander found that every time he spoke amongst other physiological "misuses", his head would tilt back, creating tension in his neck that caused his vocal cords to become tense and therefore fatigue. Every time he would think about correcting his head position, it would work for a few minutes, but within a short time, he would find that he was back in the tense position on his way to undue fatigue. With a little self-experimentation, he found that when he actually made himself find the optimal positioning of his head and neck reduced tension and allowed him to speak without tension for long periods.

What does this mean for athletes and specifically triathletes? Actually, the implications are substantial. First, F. M. Alexander's thoughts on head position are good for any person. Next time you are sitting at your desk or behind the wheel of your car, see what tucking your chin and extending your neck does for your breathing and overall tension. My estimation is that it would make a huge difference. By extension, I encourage you to watch some video of a track running race finish. Those who finish first are generally going to have their chins tucked and their heads in a natural, neutral position. Those who do not win are showing their fatigue by tightening up the musculature on the back of the neck, which is symptomatic of the tension in the rest of the body.

While running, swimming, cycling, strength training, sitting, walking, etc., make some observations about the tension in your body. Tension is taking energy away from necessary movements, which makes you less efficient and injury-prone during athletic activities. If you find that you have unnecessary tension during your activities, it's possible that you may need a bike fit or some help with your mechanics. However, you may find that you can correct it yourself just by allowing your body to relax.

Why Movement is Important - Part 1

Though it may seem like a statement that is obvious or that does not need be made: humans need to move. Allow me to qualify this slightly. Humans need to move throughout their entire range of motion as what is not used is lost.

To a strength and conditioning specialist, this means using the full range of motion for movements such as the squat. So often, we fall victim to the narrow views of studies or of specialists who work with a small fraction of the population when dealing with training and conditioning. It is important that coaches and athletes alike take into consideration the larger implications of exercise prescription when programming and training.

Because I referred to the squat earlier, let's take that movement as an example. (Notice that I used the word "movement" and not "exercise".) Many athletes who perform the squat only go through the motion such that the lowest point is when their femurs are parallel with the ground. This is good, but is not great and will not build a great athlete. These athletes will not make the gains made by those who squat completely such that their hips are very near their ankles.

This is for a number of reasons. The first is that the athlete has not gone through the entire range of motion. This means that if and when his or her joints do need to go through the entire range, they will be unaccustomed to doing so, especially because they have not been loaded throughout that entire range of motion. This has obvious implications for injury prevention as the athlete will be more likely to be injured if he or she has not performed the movement throughout the entire ROM. Additionally, moving through the entire ROM will induce the growth and solidification of connective tissue. For the squat, the connective tissue on the back side of the hips and lower back will be loaded optimally if the athlete moves through the entire ROM.

On top of the strength gains that will be made, the major antagonist musculature during the squat will be forced to increase in length at the bottom of the squat. This will serve to elicit gains in dynamic flexibility--essential for movement.

These are just a few of the reasons why a full squat is an important movement for all athletes, especially triathletes! In future blog posts, I will examine other movements that are important to the development of "triathletic athletes."