As an athlete our number one priority should always be the capability to move functionally. This is the backbone of strength & conditioning! Moving functional means that the joints are capable of moving with strength and control through all the necessary ranges that our specific sport demands. It also means that the base movement patterns, such as running, lifting, rotating/pivoting, throwing, jumping, and more are done so using efficient biomechanics that effectively integrate the entire body into each movement. Each of our muscles must play their part in a balanced way! And to top it all of this, we need this to be habitual or second nature. When movement becomes dysfunctional, or simply if range of motion displays differences between sides, then any time spent developing strength & conditioning as well as simply playing/training your sport has a risk of locking in dysfunction further, leading to aches, pains, and injuries that could have been preventable. Sound movement is...

Qi is an abstract term. It only achieves a concrete or objective definition once it has been affixed to a second term providing context. For this reason, qi often plays the same role as ‘god’ does in spirituality. It can be used to unproductively describe spiritual phenomenon. On the other hand, its abstract nature has the ability to pragmatically group phenomenon that relate in ways outside of our current material-scope. On its own, the word qi signifies a rough aggregate similar to our english words “energy”, “vibe”, “spirit”, “feeling”, and “immaterial”. A word used to describe an immaterial feeling or sensation. To define it with latin & greek terms, maybe something along the lines of the affixes “ -ous”, “-ness”, “-y” or “-ity” would be our best translation. For this reason I tend to steer clear of the term as much as possible. If I am able to specify the qi factually, precisely, or in a way that is more familiar to northwestern hemisphere conventions, then I never hesitate t...

Hey guys. Thanks for tuning into the Hero Performance Health Blog! I'm Dr. Kyle Ryley a Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor and Therapist, as well as owner of Hero Performance Health (HPH). HPH is a Calgary-based clinic that beautifully bridges classical Chinese medicine with the newest innovations in the field. Operating out of the beautiful and luxurious Beacon Hill Chiropractic & Massage, and also treating elite gymnasts out of the Calgary Gymnastics Centre, HPH dedicates itself to providing powerful solutions to your individual health needs. The purpose of this blog is to serve as an outlet for my research and insights in the field of modern health and medicine, particularly how it pertains to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. This blog will also shed light on the very ancient and mysterious Chinese medical arts. Traditional Chinese medicine is an extensive and comprehensive system still capable of providing much more to our traditional medical understan...