A Data-Based Solution for Those Pesky Hamstrings

A Data-Based Solution for Those Pesky Hamstrings A Data-Based Solution for Those Pesky Hamstrings Using Data to Prevent Hamstring InjuriesYoure running hard, finding your stride, and then all of a suddena twinge. You probably dont think about them. You may not even have ever looked closely at them. But your hamstrings, those cord-like muscles on the back of your legs, can be vulnerable, maybe even ready to snap. The reason are many, from atrophy to imbalance with your quadriceps, but they can have an athlete on the floor writhing in pain and possibly unable to perform normal low-level physical activity for a lengthy period of time.The NordBord was invented to help athletes stand up to the issues of these often overlooked muscles, quantifying muscle strength in the commonly used Nordic Hamstring Exercise (NHE)in kneeling position and going forward, until falling.Sam James, chief technology officer of Brisbane, Australia-based Vald Performance, the company behind the NordBord, explains Research had shown that the NHE was already protective against hamstring strain injuries, but, at the time, there was no way to measure it. Hamstring strains are a common and costly schwierigkeit for many elite sporting teams, so the doctors were motivated to better understand the risk factors associated with this injury, and were determined to measure them. For this reason, they created the first NordBord.The NordBord hamstring testing system. Image Vald PerformanceAccording to James, the NordBord is made up of over 200 components, including custom metal, sensors, and electronics assemblies. The structural frame contains steel and aluminum and there are hooks that restrain the ankles for that kneeling position, he says. Load cells, which are precision force sensors, connect to the onboard computer. It all works together to, among other things, measure isometric and eccentric strength.The NordBord collects streams of force data from each leg during the NHE, he says. This data is tr ansmitted from the NordBords sensors and its visualized to view. On the ScoreBord app, key metrics such as maximum force and imbalance between limbs are displayed along with historical values for comparison.The NordBord, developed by Dr. Anthony Shield and Dr. David Opar, underwent a number of design changes to improve areas such as accuracy and durability, James says. This included centralizing the NordBords computer (it had previously usedtwo) to improve reliability, stripping down the frame.Future tweaks to come? While minor improvements will still be made, the NordBords futureevolution will occur primarily in its software, as Vald Performance enhances its data collection and analysis capabilities, says James.The NordBord is currently being used in the sporting world, including by 13 National Football League teams, James adds. Check the NFLs injury reports and youll know why any potential hamstring help has to be considered.Eric Butterman is an independent writer.While minor impr ovements will still be made, the NordBords future evolution will occur primarily in its software.Sam James, CTO, Vald Performance

30 behaviors that will make you unstoppable

30 behaviors that will make you unstoppable30 behaviors that will make you unstoppableA lot of people are good at what they do. Some are even elite. A select few are completely unstoppable.Those who are unstoppable are in their own world. They dont compete with anyone but themselves. You never know what they will do - only that you will be forced to respond. Even though they dont compete with you, they make you compete with them.Are you unstoppable? By the end of this blog, you will be.Lets get started1. Dont think - know and act.Dont think. You already know what you have to do, and you know how to do it. Whats stopping you? - Tim GroverRather than analyzing and thinking, act. Attuned to your senses, and with complete trust in yourself, do what you instinctively feel you should. As Oprah has said, Every right decision I have ever made has come from my gut. Every wrong decision Ive made welches the result of me notlage listening to the greater voice of myself.Ladders is now on Smar tNewsDownload the SmartNews app and add the Ladders channel to read the latest career news and advice wherever you go.The moment you start thinking, youve already lost. Thinking swiftly pulls you out of the zone.2. Always be prepared so you have the freedom to act on instinct.Just as the yin-yang symbol possesses a kernel of light in the dark, and of dark in the light, creative leaps are grounded in a technical foundation. - Josh WaitzkinBecome a master of your craft. While everyone else is relaxing, youre practicing and perfecting. Learn the left-brained rules in and out so your right brain can have limitless freedom to break the rules and create.With enhanced consciousness, time will slow down for you. Youll see things in several mora frames than others. While theyre trying to react to the situation, youll be able to manipulate and tweak the situation to your liking.3. Dont be motivated by money or anything external.Having nice things is, well, nice. But for you, its never been a bout the money, prestige or anything else outside of you. Take these things away and nothing changes for you. Youre still going to be pushing your personal limits and giving it your all. Give these things to you and they wont destroy you like they do fruchtwein people.4. Never be satisfied.The drive to close the gap between near-perfect and perfect is the difference between great and unstoppable. - Tim GroverEven after you achieve a goal, youre not content. For you, its not even about the goal. Its about the climb to see how far you can push yourself.Does this make you ungrateful? Absolutely not. Youre entirely humbled and grateful for everything in your life. Which is why you will never get complacent or lazy.To quote Jim Rohn, The way to enjoy life best is to wrap up one goal and start right on the next one. Dont linger too long at the table of success, the only way to enjoy another meal is to get hungry.5. Always be in control.Unlike most people, who are dependent on substances or other external factors, you are in control of what you put in your body, how you spend your time and how long you stay in the zone.Act based on instinct, not impulse. Just because you could doesnt mean you do. And when you do, its because you want to, not because you have to.6. Be true to yourself.Although 70% of US employees hate their jobs and only one in three Americans report being happy, relentless and unstoppable people purge everything from their life they hate.Have the self-respect and confidence to live life on your terms. When something isnt right in your life, change it. Immediately.7. Never let off the pressure.Pressure can bust pipes, but it also can make diamonds. - Robert HorryMost people can handle pressure in small doses. But when left to their own devices, they let off the pressure and relax.Not you. You never take the pressure off yourself. Instead, you continuously turn-up the pressure. Its what keeps you alert and active.8. Dont be afraid of the consequences of failure.Most people stay close to the ground, where its safe. If they fall, it wont hurt that bad. But when you choose to fly high, the fall may kill you. And youre OK with that. To you, there is no ceiling and there is no floor. Its all in your head. If something goes wrong - if you fail - you adjust and keep going.9. Dont compete with others. Make them compete with you.Most people are competing with other people. They continuously check-in to see what others in their space (their competition) are doing. As a result, they mimic and copy whats working.Conversely, youve left all competition behind. Competing with others makes absolutely zero sense to you. It pulls you from your authentic zone. So you zone out all the external noise and instead zone into your internal pressure to produce.10. Never stop learning.Ordinary people seek entertainment. Extraordinary people seek education and learning. When you want to become the best at what you do, you never stop learning. You never stop improving and honing your skills and knowledge.Your unparalleled preparation is what gives you power. No one else is willing to pay the price youve paid.11. Success isnt enough - it only increases the pressure.For most people, becoming successful is enough. However, when youre relentless, success only increases the pressure to do more. Immediately following the achievement of a goal, youre focused on your next challenge.12. Dont get crushed by success.Success can become a catalyst for failure. - Greg McKeownMost people cant handle success, authority or privilege. It destroys them. It makes them lazy. When they get what they want, they stop doing the very things that got them there. The external noise becomes too intense.But for you, no external noise can push harder than your own internal pressure. Its not about this achievement, but the one after, and the one after that. There is no destination. Only when youre finished.13. Completely own it when you screw up.Implementing ex treme ownership requires checking your ego and operating with a high degree of humility. Admitting mistakes, taking ownership and developing a plan to overcome challenges are integral to any successful team. ?Jocko WillinkNo blame. No deception or illusion. Just the cold hard truth. When you mess up, you own it. And as the leader, you own it when your team fails. Only with extreme ownership can you have complete freedom and control.14. Let your work speak for itself.Well done, is well said. - Anthony LiccioneCal Newports book, Deep Work, distinguishes deep work from shallow work. Heres the differenceDeep work isRareHigh valueAnd non-replicable (i.e., not easy to copy/outsource)Shallow work isCommonLow valueReplicable (i.e., anyone can do it)Talking is shallow. Anyone can do it. Its easily replicated. Its low value. Conversely, deep work is rare. Its done by people who are focused and working while everyone else is talking. Deep work is so good it cant be ignored.15. Always work on your mental strength.Mental resilience is arguably the most critical trait of a world-class performer, and it should be nurtured continuously. Left to my own devices, I am always looking for ways to become more and more psychologically impregnable. When uncomfortable, my instinct is not to avoid the discomfort but to become at peace with it. My instinct is always to seek out challenges as opposed to avoiding them. - Josh WaitzkinThe better you can be under pressure, the further youll go than anyone else. Because theyll crumble under pressure.The best training you will ever do is mental training. Wherever your mind goes, your body follows. Wherever your thoughts go, your life follows.16. Confidence is your greatest asplatzset.Youve heard it before Running a marathon is far more mental than physical. A persons ability to run a marathon - or do anything hard - is more a reflection of their level of confidence than their actual ability.Your confidence determinesThe size of challenges /goals you undertakeHow likely you will achieve those goalsHow well you bounce back from failuresIf youre not confident, you will never put yourself out there in the first place. When youre confident, you dont care how many times you fail, youre going to succeed. And it doesnt matter how stacked the odds seem against you.17. Surround yourself with people who remind you of the future, not the past.When you surround yourself with people who remind you of your past, youll have a hard time progressing. This is why we get stuck in certain roles, which we cant break free from (e.g., the fat kid or shy girl).Surrounding yourself with people who you want to be like allows you a fresh slate. Youre no longer defined by your past, only the future you are creating.According to the Pygmalion Effect, the expectations of those around you in large measure determines how well you perform.18. Let things go, but never forget.The science is clear forgiveness improves not only your emotional health, but also your physical health.Being unstoppable requires carrying no unnecessary mental or emotional baggage. Consequently, youll need to immediately and completely forgive anyone who has wronged you. However, forgiveness doesnt mean you forget. And it doesnt mean you have to do further business with those who have wronged you.19. Have clear goals.While a fixation on results is certainly unhealthy, short-term goals can be useful developmental tools if they are balanced within a nurturing long-term philosophy. - Josh WaitzkinAccording to loads of psychology research, the most motivating goals are clearly defined and time-bound.Your goals can either be focused on your behaviors (e.g., Im going to write 500 words per day) or on the outcomes youre seeking (e.g., Im going to get published on The New York Times by June 1, 2017).For most people, behaviorally-focused goals are the better and more motivating option. But when you crave the results so much that the work is irrelevant, your aim s hould be directed straight at the outcomes you want. However, results-focused goals are better when short-term and grounded in your long-term vision and philosophy. When your why is strong enough, the how will take care of itself.20. Respond immediately, rather than analyzing or stalling.He who hesitates is lost. - CatoAnticipation of an event is always more extreme than the event itself - both for positive and negative events.Just do it. Train yourself to respond immediately when you feel you should do something. Stop questioning yourself. Dont analyze it. Dont question if it came from God or from yourself. Just act.Youll figure out what to do after youve taken action. Until you take action, it will all be hypothetical. But once you act, it becomes practical.21. Choose simplicity over complication.If you cant explain it simply, you dont understand it well enough. - Albert EinsteinIts easy to be complicated. Most of the research and jargon in academia and business is over-complic ated.Cutting to the core and hitting the truth is hard, because its simple. As Leonardo da Vinci has said, Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.Very few people will give you the truth. When you ask them a question, it gets mighty complicated. There are so many variables or It depends they say.T. S. Eliot said it best, Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?Wisdom is timeless and simple. Learn wisdom and choose it.22. Never be jealous or envious of someone elses accomplishments.Being unstoppable means you genuinely want whats best for everyone - even those you would consider your competitors. Jealousy and envy are the ego - which operates out of fear.The reason you are happy for other peoples success is because their success has nothing to do with you.You are in control of you. And you are different from every other person. There is no one who can do exactly what you can do. You have your own superpower with your own u nique ability to contribute. And thats what youre going to do.23. Take the shot every time.If I fail more than you, I win. - Seth GodinYou miss every shot you dont take. And most people dont want to take the shot. Fear of failure paralyzes them.The only way you can become unstoppable is if you stop thinking about it.Just take the shot. Dont do it only when its convenient or when you feel ready. Just go and make whatever adjustments you need after the fact.24. Dont get caught up in the results of your success. Always remain focused on what got you those results the work.When you start doing noteworthy stuff, there are benefits that can become distractions. It can get easy to ride the wave of your previous work. Keep practicing. Perfect your craft. Never forget what got you here.25. Think and act 10X.When 10X is your measuring stick, you immediately see how you can bypass what everyone else is doing. - Dan SullivanMost people - even those you deem to be world class - are not opera ting at 10X. In truth, you could surpass anyone if you radically stretch your thinking and belief system.Going 10X changes everything. As Dan Sullivan has said, 10X thinking automatically takes you outside the box of your present obstacles and limitations. It pulls you out of the problems most people are dealing with and opens you to an entirely new field of possibilities.When you take your goal of earning $100,000 this year and change it to $1,000,000, youre forced to operate at a different level. The logical and traditional approach doesnt work with 10X. As Shane Snow, author of Smartcuts How Hackers, Innovators, and Icons Accelerate Success, has said,10X progress is built on bravery and creativity instead. Working smarter.The question is Are you willing to go there? Not just entertain the thought for a second or two and then revert back to common thinking. No. Are you willing to sit with 10X thinking? Are you willing to question your own thought processes and open yourself to bel ieving an entirely different set of possibilities?Could you convince yourself to believe in your 10X potential? Are you willing to undertake goals that seems lunacy, to you and everyone else? Are you willing to take the mental leap, trusting the universe will conspire to make it happen?10X thinking truly is hard to fathom until you experience. Once you experience it, you realize it not only possible, but even possibly conservative. Going from six figures to seven figures can happen within a few short years. If you think big enough, and are willing to act boldly and intelligently enough, its not that crazy.All the tools are in place in our global world. And if their not, then build them. Theres plenty of people doing it. You have no excuse, only that you dont really want it, and are thus not willing to pay the price.26. Set goals that far exceed your current capabilities.You need to aim beyond what you are capable of. You need to develop a complete disregard for where your abilities end. If you think youre unable to work for the best company in its sphere, make that your aim. If you think youre unable to be on the cover of TIME magazine, make it your business to be there. Make your vision of where you want to be a reality. Nothing is impossible. - Paul ArdenIf your goals are logical, they wont force you to create luck. Being unstoppable means your goals challenge you to be someone more than you currently are. As Jim Rohn has said, Dont wish it was easier, wish you were better.27. Make time for recovery and rejuvenation.Wherever you are, make sure youre there. - Dan SullivanWhen you focus on results, rather than being busy, youre 100 percent on when youre working and 100 percent off when youre not. This not only allows you to be present in the moment, but it allows you the needed time to rest and recover.Your ability to work at a high level is like fitness. If you never take a break between sets, you wont be able to build strength, stamina and endurance. Howev er, not all rest produces recovery. Certain things are more soothing than others.Recovering from my work generally consists of writing in my journal, listening to music, spending time with my wife and kids, preparing and eating delicious food, or serving other people. These things rejuvenate me. They make my work possible, but also meaningful.28. Start before youre ready.The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. - Chinese ProverbMost people wait. They believe they can start after they have enough time, money, connections and credentials. They wait until they feel secure. Not people who are unstoppable.Unstoppable people started last year. They started five years ago before they even knew what they were doing. They started before they had any money. They started before they had all the answers. They started when no one else believed in them. The only permission they needed was the voice inside them prompting them to move forward. And they moved.29. If you need permission, you probably shouldnt do it.A mentor of mine is a highly successful real estate investor. Throughout his career, hes had hundreds of people ask him if they should go into real-estate.He tells every one of them the same thing that they shouldnt do it. In fact, he actually tries talking most of them out of it. And in most cases, he succeeds.Why would he do that? Those who are going to succeed will do so regardless of what I say, he told me.I know so many people who chase whatever worked for other people. They never truly decide what they want to do, and end up jumping from one thing to the next - trying to strike quick gold. And repetitively, they stop digging just a few feet from the gold after resigning the spot is barren.No one will ever give you permission to live your dreams.30. Dont make exceptions.Zig Ziglar used to tell a story of traveling one day and not getting in bed until 4 a.m. An hour and a half later (530), his alarm went off. He said,Every fi ber of my being was telling me to stay in bed. But he had made a commitment, so he got up anyway. Admittedly, he had a horrible day and wasnt productive at all.Yet, he says that decision changed his life. As he explainsHad I bowed to my human, physical, emotional and mental desire to sleep in, I would have made that exception. A week later, I might have made an exception if I only got four hours of sleep. A week later, maybe I only got seven hours of sleep. The exception so many times becomes the rule. Had I slept in, I wouldve faced that danger. Watch those exceptionsHence, Zig was unstoppable.ConclusionFrom this point, your strategy is to make everyone else get on your level, youre not going down to theirs. Youre not competing with anyone else, ever again. Theyre going to have to compete with you. From now on, the end result is all that matters. - Tim GroverWhen youre unstoppable, you will make sure to get what you want. Everything you need to know is already within you. All you need to do is trust yourself and act.Thisarticlefirst appeared on Medium.

5 Ways to Help Your Job Search this Year

5 Ways to Help Your Job Search this Year5 Ways to Help Your Job Search this Year9You spent the latter part of the year looking for a job that would satisfy your need for a flexible schedule, be in an area that youre passionate about, and oh yeah, pay well too. Now that the new year is here, its time to rethink your job search strategy. Here are five ways to help your job search so you can improve upon your skills- and land a lage that youll love.5 Ways to Help Your Job Search this YearKnow your professional worth. When youre scouring the job listings looking for the next great job in your career, its rare that youll find a listing that also offers salary info. But that shouldnt stop you from knowing your own professional worth. Use salary calculators at sites like salary.com to help determine what you should be earning. Once you know what youre worth, then you can go confidently into a job interview and accept a position knowing that youre being paid fairly.Get social.Sure, you vowed that you were going to spiff up your LinkedIn profile, but you still havent added all your previous contacts. When youre job hunting, its an absolute must to be on all the social media channels. From Facebook to Twitter, LinkedIn to Google+, you should have an approachable- and professional- profile to help your job search. That way, hiring managers and potential anfhreres can get a feel for who you are- and more importantly, how you carry yourself.Focus your job search.If youve been job searching for an extended length of time, its easy to start feeling desperate. Due to a lack of dollars, or simply feeling the need to be productive and purposeful, you might wind up accepting a position that you dont necessarily want- or have the skills for. Instead of sending out hundreds of resumes and cover letters to every available job you see, only to take a job you dont really want, focus your job search on quality jobs that you REALLY want. It seems counterintuitive, but applying to fewer jobs and spending more time on each application is a much better approach to your job search.Learn something new.You may feel that you have mastered all the skills necessary for your field. But chances are there is something new you can learn to give you that extra edge over other job applicants. You can take an online course or even attend a seminar (or a webinar, which offers regularly) that will allow you to learn something new in your field. You can subsequently use that info to dazzle a prospective boss during your next job interview.Customize your applications. Lets face it applying for jobs can be a full-time job in and of itself. So naturally, youre going to look to cut corners wherever possible. Unfortunately, cranking out cookie cutter applications is detrimental to your job search. Hiring managers can spot a cut and paste job very easily, and they will not give your application the time and energy it deserves because they will feel that you didnt give your time and energy to apply for the position. So be sure to customize your job applications to the position as best as possible- the extra effort might pay off with you getting called in for a job interview.Tweaking your job search for the new year can yield great results- including a new job.Readers, what plans do you have to help your job search? Let us know in the comments section below