Entries by Mat Boulé

The Importance of Posture: Kyphosis

I find these times interesting when it comes to addressing the human body and improving its function. On one hand, you find the pain experts, which speak of posture as the least of their concern. On the other, you can speak to any posturologist and they will insist that the body performs better when aligned. […]

Of Posture and Power

Some will argue that power holds an important place in our lives, as we are somehow all involved in a social game where hierarchy is present.

Can abdominal training make you healthy?

It’s ok… I’ll admit it… I want abs! I want abs pretty badly. I want abs bad enough to train 4 times a week, eat low-carb and fast for 16 hours, 3 times a week. I mean… truly… I want abs! So maybe you’ve figured this out by now but part of my training program […]

Of eyes and stability

It is a known fact: vision, proprioception and plantar sensitivity contribute to postural control. We recognize that there is a veritable axis between the eyes and the feet (Roll, 1987).

Balance and bone health?

If one is looking to make links between the various physiological systems, we can remain surprised! We recognize some basic roles of the vestibular system: Equilibrium and orientation in space. Control of blood pressure as it relates to the postural context.

Balance, cognition and memory

If we have forever considered that the vestibular system was the one that created balance in an unbalanced state, when looking at recent literature, one can consider that this primitive balance system is a component of much refined human functions.

Locomotion, coordination and performance

When looking at the human body holistically, we tend to respect the fact that the different systems work together to allow what is possible. This is what makes this study quite interesting (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24103912).

Crawling… for performance?

If we consider that the development of motricity gives access to mobility, this takes place on 3 levels successively: Stability; Locomotion; Manipulation. The first mechanism for locomotion is crawling. While it may not be absolutely necessary for standing upright and walking, there is some research that stipulates that is relevant if one wants optimal performance. […]

Creeping… for walking?

There persists a debate as to if walking on all 4 (creeping) has any impact on how we walk and how we run. Some state that since walking on all 4 is a part of our phylogenetic heritage, it is necessarily an important component of how we learn to do anything that comes thereafter.