Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterView our profile on LinkedInFind us on Google+View our videos on YouTubeView on Instagram





 

AP Image: Markus Shreiber  
Team USA Helen Maroulis, celebrates after winning the gold medal against Japan's 3 X Olympic Gold Medalist, Saori Yoshida during the women's 53-kg freestyle wrestling competition Thursday

PHASE IV Athlete Helen Maroulis
Makes History
 By Robert Forster, PT CEO 
 August 19, 2016


We are so proud of Helen Maroulis who beat the seemingly unbeatable 3 X Olympic Gold Medalist from Japan to make history as the first ever Gold Medalist for USA Women's Wrestling! This medals means so much to women's wrestling in America and to me personally.

The challenges Helen faced and overcame in this truly amateur sport are largely unknown, and created a perilous path to this Gold medal.

Being a pioneer in what was a mostly male dominated sport, Helen moved past the stereo types and rude comments, and the lack of funding available to female wrestlers to win this medal.  With little or no money available for training and living expenses the last few years, Helen had to split her time between a shared spare room in a generous SoCal benefactor's home and the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs; she never really had a home base, but was always doing the hard work to improve her fitness and skills.  
 
 
 
Helen un-scored upon at Las Vegas Worlds

Beginning in June of 2105 we worked with Helen to improve her metabolic efficiency and increase her ability to be more active in matches as well as creating the joint stability necessary to eliminate and prevent chronic injury. She won the World Championships last September in Las Vegas without allowing one point scored against her. 
 
Helen elena and aaron
 
US Olympians Helen Maroulis and Elena Pirozkohva, along with
Aaron Pico at PHASE IV performing Forster Structure Program
for Injury Prevention, Joint Stability
  
 
For the Olympic Games however, with just 5 women's weight classes, Helen, who was already having trouble making the 55kg (121.254 Lbs) weight class had to drop to 53 kg (116.845 Lbs) Olympic weight limit. 
  
Working with PHASE IV Head Exercise Physiologist, Jacob Lee, and her personal support team we created a heart rate specific running program to improve her ability to burn more fat at all intensities of training and competition.
 
Jacob Lee Head EP PHASE IV
 This served to not only to reduce body fat, but allowed her to push the pace harder in her matches with less lactic acid build up and less fatigue than her competitors.  
HELEN MAROULIS EP SLIDE
Helen's Metabolic Efficiency progression using specific Heart Rate intensity training and recovery based on her VO2 testing results 
 
More recently, she endured the stress of a grueling travel schedule necessary to find international competition.  She traveled to Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and Spain in recent months making her weight cut to the Olympic weight class even more difficult.
 
Working with her right through her time in Rio, we fine tuned her training, diet and recovery schedule to allow for the otherwise grueling weight cut to be more tolerable and safe.

While this registers as just one of over 55 Olympic medals our athletes have won over the last 9 Olympic Games, this one is the most inspirational for me personally.

 Helen Maroulis Team US, competes against Myong Suk Jong of Republic of Korea during the Women's 53 kg quarterfinals in Rio   
 
Wrestling is my first love in sports; and I've wrestled most of my life including a stint at D1 Bloomsberg University in Pennsylvania before entering PT school, and from age 45 - 49 to qualify for the Masters National Wrestling Championships. 

Because I've spent decades working with elite track and field athletes and learning the training science used by legendary coach Bobby Kersee to prepare his athletes to capture at least one Gold Medal at each of the last 9 consecutive Olympic Games; I knew the American training techniques in wrestling had to evolve if the US was to succeed in international competition.
 
 
That began a ten year personal mission to bring modern training science to US wrestling. However, wrestlers are hard headed when it comes to change. To prove the PHASE IV Science paradigm we first set out to change the training and weight loss methods at the local high school wrestling program in Santa Monica. That resulted in their first State Champion in nearly 20 years.

Then we began working with the passionate US men's and women's coaches at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and we had our first wrestling World Champ. This lead us to being asked to present our science based approach to training and weight management at the Olympic Trials Sports Science Symposium.  We were well received, and put 5 PHASE IV athletes into the best of three match finals at the US Olympic Trials: 3 emerged as Team USA Olympians.


Now we have the first US Women's Olympic Champion in wrestling. Something we can all be proud of!
 
First Wrestling Olympic Gold for PHASE IV Science and Team USA Woman's Wrestling Getty Image Rio, Brazil 
 
I want to thank Coach Mark Black, Dr. Ken Lane, and Dave Kirby, for helping spread the new science of performance to the wrestling community.  Thanks also to the great coaching staff at the US Olympic Training Center, including Head Women's Coach Terry Steiner, as well as Helen's personal support team for the opportunity to work together for her success.

Finally, a big thanks to the great staff at Forster PT and PHASE IV for always finding ways to improve the lives of our clients and the elite athletes we have the great privilege to work with.  This is what it is all about.

 
Helen Maroulis with her historic Gold Medal, Getty Image, Rio, Brazil (Ceremony on NBC)

You can watch Helen's Gold Medal Match on the link below. 

The Botched Baton Pass and Breakdown of The Dive
By Robert Forster, PT CEO
August 19, 2016


English Gardner and Allyson Felix, right, from the United States drop the baton in a women's 4x100-meter relay heat during the athletics competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympics at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. Photo credit: AP

Allyson Felix , who is adverse to controversy; but steely in the face of adversity, has been tested here again in these Olympic Games.
She competes here with only one major competition under her belt, and she suffers residual pain and swelling from a severe ankle sprain that occurred just a 100 days before the Olympics.  In addition her Silver medal in the 400m sprint was part of the most dramatic and controversial finishes in Track and Field history.


Allyson Felix and English Gardner of the United States react after flubbing the baton handoff in the Women's 4 x 100m Relay on Day 13 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on Aug. 18, 2016.

Yesterday she found herself once again facing adversity because her baton handoff in the 2nd leg of the women's 4X100m relay was hindered by another competitor crossing into Allyson's lane, and knocking her off her stride.  She was unable to get the baton safely into her teammates hand.

With the presents of mind and leadership that only a seasoned veteran of 4 Olympic Games would possess; and with the focus of a champion, Allyson knew she must pick up the lost baton and get her teammates to carry it through the finish line. Without finishing the race, it could not be appealed on the grounds of interference.


The US speedsters won the appeal!  They ran the relay race over again, by themselves after the meet concluded, and posted a time that qualified them for the final to be run tonight.

In a dramatic statement, Team USA successfully got the baton around the track in the replayed relay with the fastest time of the day and the second fastest in the world this year, without the benefit of their competitors racing in the lanes around them!


United States' Tianna Bartoletta hugs her teammate Allyson Felix, right, as United States' Morolake Akinosun, left, looks on after a women's 4x100-meter relay after the U.S. team dropped the baton in the morning race during the athletics competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympics at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. Photo Credit: AP / Matt Slocum
 

Dissection of The Dive
By Robert Forster, PT CEO

CNN IMAGE Shauna Miller of the Bahamas dives over the finish line to win Gold in the 400m on Monday, August 15 to edge our Allyson by .07 seconds

With a few days to ponder the Wome
n's 400m Olympic Final, which was contested here in Rio late Monday night, some thoughts have come together that might put this odd occurrence in perspective. I have received many questions from our readers and a few insights from Coach Kersee regarding the now famous Miller dive for Olympic Gold.

First off, was it legal? Yes, apparently the rules state that the first torso (as apposed to extremities or head) to cross the vertical plane of the front edge of the finish line, will be placed first in the standings.

Has it happened before that athletes have either tripped or thrown themselves across the finish line? Yes, but rarely is it successful at improving ones standings in the finishing order. Conventional wisdom and good coaching has always held that a runners fastest way to the finish line is to maintain one's velocity by maintaining a well trained and finely tuned running stride, right through the finish line.  

Ironically the same thing happened to Allyson earlier this year at our US Olympic Trials in June.

ALLYSON Felix's dreams of an Olympic 200m- 400m double were dashed by one hundredth of a second after an agonizing defeat in the 200 at the US track and field trials
by Jenna Prandini who trips out of stride.


Allyson, who had already won the 400m final to qualify for her 4th Olympic Games was attempting to make the US team in a second individual event, her signature event, the 200m race. Allyson was the 200m defending Olympic Champion having won this event at the London Games 4 years ago. However, in a foreboding turn of events Allyson was denied her goal of attempting the rare 200/400m double here in Rio when Prandini from Clovis, California threw herself across the line to narrowly beat Allyson for the third spot on the Women's 200m team.

However, that finish was not technically legal. Prandini apparently made contact with Allyson as she instinctively reached out to prevent Allyson from getting by her.

Image taken moments after Jenna reaches for Allyson
 
After some deliberation, Allyson, her Coach Bobby  Kersee, and her brother and manager, Wes, decided it was best not to risk appearing greedy by contesting the results, as Allyson had              already qualified for her 4th Olympic Games competing in a Rio for three medals: 400m, 4x400and 4x100m relays.                                                      




Everyone is asking,
"How did Allyson Felix beat her ankle injury, to run the fastest 400m in the World this year?"
Allyson Felix Beats Ankle Injury to Post World's Fastest 400m This Year
Answer:  Team Forster, Felix, Kersee

This video is an in depth look at Allyson's Injury and Her courageous #RoadtoRio
Robert Forster's Weekly Newsletter - Where Sport's Medicine and PHASE IV Science Take the Gold! 
"An inspirational resource from the heart of PHASE IV: Bob Forster, PT."
             - Joe Warren 2X Wrestling and MMA World Champion

TEXT "PHASEIV" TO 22828 TO SIGN UP  
 
WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT METABOLIC FITNESS?
Free Health and Fitness Consultation

Free Scientific Health and Fitness Consultation at
PHASE IV 1544 20th Street, Santa Monica
310-582-8212

Our Physical Therapists and Exercise Physiologists understand the special set of needs and goals you bring to the table. What will emerge from a health and fitness consultation will be an educated you, empowered by the knowledge and understanding of how your body performs best for life, sport, and recreation.

See our Exercise Laboratory in Action!

DO YOU HAVE A NAGGING INJURY?
Free Injury Evaluation
FORSTER PHYSICAL THERAPY
427 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-656-8600

Voted "Best Place to go for a Sports Injury" and "Best Place for a Massage"
-Competitor Magazine and
"Best Physical Therapy in L.A."
-Los Angeles Magazine
A critical component of PHASE IV's comprehensive solution is injury rehabilitation. PHASE IV and FORSTER PHYSICAL THERAPY are the exclusive therapy providers of the Skecher's Los Angeles Marathon, and have been treating patients' injuries for over thirty-five years.

Our highly educated and trained staff of Licensed Physical Therapists, Certified Massage Therapists, and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists are experienced in solving difficult injuries. Please call us to schedule a free injury assessment.
In this video you will learn:
* The safest and most effective stretches for each part of your body
* How to incorporate a safe and effective stretching routine into your active lifestyle
* The importance of stretching in developing healthy joints and muscles for life
* How stretching aids in the recovery process and helps to prevent injury
* The performance benefits of a proper stretching routine in sport and training
* How stretching improves your range of motion, improving athletic performance
* Forster's progressive resistant strengthening exercises designed to support the larger muscle groups
* How to develop strength that positively impacts your power to weight ratio, speed, and performance
* How to build resistance to training injuries
* Why Forster's joint stability and full range of motion strength exercises are essential for recovery
PLUS BONUS FEATURES:
FORSTER'S ROLLING PROGRAM
FLEXIBILITY SELF ASSESSMENT
HOME HEART RATE FIELD TEST FOR METABOLIC FITNESS AND SO MUCH MORE!

NEED THE RUNNER'S BIBLE NOW?

You're not alone!  See why our Olympic Gold Medalists endorse Bob's book on Healthy Running!

Healthy Running, Step by Step
By Robert Forster, PT and Roy Wallack

Forster's new book is quickly becoming the standard in science based training and rehabilitation for runners; providing a comprehensive, easy to follow approach to training, nutrition, recovery, injury prevention and the techniques Robert perfected over 35 years treating the world's best athletes.

"This book presents a good, honest, common-sense plan gained from years of experience and results at the highest levels of the sport. If you're ready to end the running injury yo-yo for good, you'll be smarter and safer the second you open this book."

- Rod Dixon, Three-Time Olympian and New York City Marathon Champion




Healthy Running Step by Step
Name | Company | Phone | Email | Website
Name | Company | Phone | Email | Website
STAY CONNECTED: