Training is learning, and at Redefined Fitness you will learn new and exciting forms of building and maintaining good health. Our elite team of certified, professional trainers has been helping the community surpass their health and fitness goals since 2002, using a methodology that infuses sports rehabilitation and functional fitness techniques. We offer professional one on one or group training environments to suit your personal needs, and work with a wide range of clients, who are achieving all of their fitness goals.

Importance of Balance and Motion Training

Posted by Redefined Fitness Saturday, October 20, 2012 Saturday, October 20, 2012

From Balance Escalation, The Synonymy of Balance and Motion.
By Doug Gray, FAFS

Escalation is another word for growth and intensification. Come to Redefined Fitness to expand and grow your functional threshold. That's a fancy way to say, Redefined will improve your ability to perform your best.

As Movement Specialists the Team at Redefined have expertise certified by the Gray Institute. Doug Gray is an advanced thinker in training optimum performance. Here he shares the importance of Balance Escalation.

Balance must be studied and, more importantly, trained in motion. Traditionally, balance has been studied and trained in stillness. Albert Einstein [noted Movement Specialist just like the Team at Redefined Fitness] once said, "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving." It is important to note that life is made up of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. While this post is geared primarily toward the physical, the principle of "balance" is applied to all aspects of life, as Einstein alluded to...

Paul Boese commented on this topic by stating, "We come into this world head first and go out feet first; in between, it is all a matter of balance." Balance in life seems to be a state that is strived for throughout one’s time on earth. It is no wonder that in the physical, balance is important to one who is trying to move at a young age, to one trying to continue to move at an old age, and every age in between. What is even more important is the reality that balance training seems to be a forgotten area of focus for total fitness. Fitness is comprised of flexibility, strength, and cardiovascular endurance; balance dramatically enhances each and every aspect. Therefore, balance training needs to be incorporated into all types of training – injury
prevention, rehabilitation, and performance enhancement.


Balance training is foundational to all forms of exercise. Exercises can be grouped according to the following: foundational, enhancement, and skilling. Simply characterized, foundational exercises are what the body can execute on its own without equipment; enhancement exercises build from foundational exercises by adding equipment to the movements; and skilling exercises are more refined in that they drive a specific purpose (such as an activity or sport). Balance training, while it is involved in all three categories, tends to be neglected. A prime example is in youth training – many children are funneled into skilling exercises prior to mastering foundational and enhancement exercises. Take soccer for example – children are asked to kick a ball in a certain direction for a certain purpose before they can successfully balance on one leg and drive their opposite side foot in all three planes of motion.


Balance Escalation, which is part of the Gray Institute’s 3D Matrix Performance Series, is a workout designed to expand the threshold of one’s functional abilities – to strategically, threedimensionally,
and sequentially improve balance. Moreover, it is a workout designed to allow one to better own his / her three‐dimensional space. The workout itself is hugely empowering, as it can be easily tweaked up (made more challenging) and easily tweaked down (made less challenging) to meet one where he / she is successful.

Since escalation is another word for growth and intensification. For a Redefined Fitness client and one who seeks to perform their best, to add intensity to his / her fitness, balance training is paramount. And this escalation allows for the expansion, the growth, of his / her functional threshold.


The overall, guiding logic of Balance Escalation is to load the entire hip three‐dimensionally with authentic motion as the body is oriented in a balancing position and / or transformation zone. The entire hip can be simply divided into two components: the back hip (glutes) and the front hip (hip flexors). This section of the body is also known as the “power source of the body.” If the power of the body is turned on, then it is much more advantageous to maintain balance while facilitating motion. To turn (load) the back hip, the relative motions of flexion, adduction, and internal rotation must be eccentrically lengthened. To turn on (load) the front hip, the relative motions of extension, abduction, and external rotation must be eccentrically
lengthened.


The authentic movement objectives of Balance Escalation, in particular, are as follows:
• Leverage foot reaches, hand reaches, and a combination of foot and hand reaches from a single leg balance stance;
• Apply foot swings, hand swings, and a combination of foot and hand swings from a
single leg balance stance;
• Incorporate single leg balance lunges, lunges with balance, and a combination of single leg balance lunges with balance;
• Build upon series of above lunges with hand swings; and
• Finish with hopping jacks*.

Balance enhances control and stability. The facilitator in this process is motion. Gary Gray is quoted as saying that balance training is “turning on your switch a little faster in all three planes.” Motion (or movement) turns on prioprioceptors (the “electricity of the body”), proprioceptors turn on muscles, and muscles allow for amplified balance. Thus, it is important to constantly tweak one’s balance training in a variety of manners to better own one’s threedimensional space. This, of course, needs to be done authentically, as well as subtly, safely, and sequentially. Balance Escalation is a workout that provides a foundation – a framework – in which to accomplish this.



* “Jumping Jacks” are defined as two feet to two feet jumps with bilateral hand swings; “Jumping Jack” is defined as two feet to two feet jumps with unilateral hand swings; “Jopping Jacks” are defined as two feet to one foot jops with bilateral hand swings; “Jopping Jack” is defined as two feet to one foot jops with unilateral hand swings; “Hopping Jacks” are defined as one foot to same one foot hops with bilateral hand swings; “Hopping Jack” is defined as one foot to same one foot hops with unilateral hand swings.


The Gray Institute is internationally acclaimed for its innovation, development, mastery, and delivery of Applied Functional Science and is recruited to consult, analyze, assess, rehabilitate, restore, train, and condition individuals of all levels and abilities, including professional sports. The Gray Institute is the foremost leader of functional prevention, rehabilitation, and performance enhancement in the industry. For more information, please go to www.GrayInstitute.com.






Functional Flexibility

Posted by Redefined Fitness Friday, September 28, 2012 Friday, September 28, 2012

Whether training for golf, football, baseball or any other sport, athletes today understand the benefits they derive from a consistent, ongoing strength training program.

Flexibility training today is a bit like strength training -- before strength training gained universal acceptance. Less successful Athletes do not pay attention to flexibility training.

Yet, flexibility begins the foundation of all successful Athletes. Without flexibility the body cannot achieve optimal power, strength, cardiovascular fitness or muscle endurance. Flexibility also helps rehabilitation and injury prevention.

Flexibility training has not gained popularity because so few trainers know anything about flexibility. Not having studied flexibility training or using flexibility training themselves, these trainers cannot clear up the confusion about flexibility training. Professionals choose technique and determine what programs to create for their clients through principle-based approaches specific to each client's intended need.

The Movement Specialists at Redefined Fitness explore principles to assess and understand each client's functional flexibility.

The Principles and Strategies used:

  1. Understand the individual and the tasks they perform
  2. Assess movement in three dimensions
  3. Determine mobility and stability capabilities of the client
Functional Flexibility uses the tasks needed by that client to see that they function better, optimally and efficiently. General stretching (the kind the few that do stretch employ) does not provide the optimal functional outcome.

When you understand the function of the muscles during the tasks you will perform, you can then determine the appropriate stretches to achieve optimal performance.

When a body moves in the real world, it moves in three dimensions. The body changes angles and positions. When the body changes positions function changes. Movement Specialists at Redefined understand how the muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments, nerves, joint capsules and joints move three-dimensionally during the exact task. Specialists look at how much motion the client needs and how well you perform the motion.

Looking at your motion and stability for your intended task based on your current performance then together we build a strategy to lead you in the right direction as quickly and safely as possible. You will progress through appropriate levels based on your body, mobility and stability for your goals.

Level One: Task Specific
Assess your ability to perform the exact task.
If this produces pain, discomfort, a lack of confidence we create support to assist you in the task.
In three dimensions we assess what happens when the height or angle of the movement changes. 
Same discomfort, more or less?
Your Movement Specialist will change your body angles, positions, heights, etc before moving on from your intended task. Together we will find a way to gain success for what you want and need to do.

Level Two: Task with Outside Support
Where you cannot perform the task at the highest level, your Movement Specialist will add outside support or points of stability to the intended function. Outside support such as True Stretch will allow you to position yourself in the specific range of motion that apply authentic drivers. Understanding where your weakest link occurs using the motion-stability principle.

Level Three: Structure Specific
Provides an environment for a structural assessment. Your motion specialist uses the structure to understand the deviation from the exact functional task, to figure out how to achieve the desired outcome.

The exact function dictates how far away from the function is necessary and move into isolated structure to achieve the necessary performance. Function feeds function. Your Movement Specialist will simplify the function to improve your well being. By applying the principles of Applied Functional Science (the convergence of physical, biological and behavioral science) you will understand the meaning of flexibility.

Functional Flexibility recognized you as a whole. By understanding your needs as a whole, we then break down the properties and patterns of your parts. Your Movement Specialist will use Applied Functional Science to help you move better, feel better and perform better.




Posted by Redefined Fitness Wednesday, September 5, 2012 Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Things that the Movement Specialists at Redefined Fitness can do to help you feel better, move better and perform better.

  • Use principles, strategies, and techniques to treat you with an individualized program specifically designed to your body and goals.
  • Identify musculoskeletal issues which limit your functional movement, and work to fix the root problems.
  • Utilize Applied Functional ScienceTM and human biomechanics to improve treatment efficacy
All to make you feel better, move better and perform better!

True Stretch

Posted by Redefined Fitness Tuesday, August 28, 2012 Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Learn to prevent injury and feel better with The TrueStretch

Are you getting the most from your stretching? Connect with your Redefined Fitness Movement Specialist to see how you can improve the way you feel, the way you move, minimize the potential for injury, and perform your best.

Have You ever tried The TrueStretch?

The TrueStretch allows the human body to achieve improved flexibility and range of motion by keeping the body in natural upright positions that enable truly functional stretching. When you use this tremendous tool at Redefined Fitness, you can learn how to move better.

Flexibility transcends all sports, occupations and human activities. Flexibility is crucial to longevity and quality of life.

I do Yoga, isn't that enough?
When compared to yoga, the TrueStretch enables users to obtain similar results faster and easier. The TrueStretch utilizes the concept of True Function: functional 4-point contact (2-hands and 2-feet) in natural weight-bearing upright positions to facilitate the correct stretching of the human body. 

Explore movement in three planes.
The TrueStretch is ideal for restoring and maintaining muscle and joint flexibility in order to play, work and feel better. The TrueStretch has the unique ability to safely stretch the body in all three planes of movement: the sagittal (forward and back), frontal (side-to-side) and the transverse (rotational). 

Come to Redefined Fitness to try out The TrueStretch
The TrueStretch is an essential component of any exercise, rehabilitation or workplace injury reduction program.

NG360 Nike Golf Testimonials

Posted by Redefined Fitness Friday, August 10, 2012 Friday, August 10, 2012

Testimonials about Nike Golf Functional Performance System, NG360
From and about Golf Movement and Performance Specialists

...complete tool box of golf-specific flexibility, strength, power, balance and endurance exercises, along with the proper range drills, to help each one of my golfers get better.

...more functional, much more practical - simply put - it is authentic to golf.

...golfers immediately appreciate what [a Nike Golf Functional Performance Specialist] does for them...assessing them in the positions of golf, and training them specifically for the golf swing.


NG360 Functional Performance System

Posted by Redefined Fitness Friday, August 3, 2012 Friday, August 03, 2012

Athletic Golf Redefined
The Nike Golf 360 system will inspire and enable the golfer to achieve their athletic potential.

NG360 is a holistic approach to improving golfers' performance through physical evaluation and training, custom fitting of equipment and digital tracking applications.

Functional Soft Tissue Transformation

Posted by Redefined Fitness Wednesday, August 1, 2012 Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Gray Institute Event at Redefined Fitness and Physical Therapy, Chicago IL.
Oct. 27th - Shoulder/Elbow

Redefined Fitness Partners with NG360

Posted by Redefined Fitness Monday, June 11, 2012 Monday, June 11, 2012

Nike Golf Partners With The Gray Institute Helping Golfers To Better Their Bodies To Better Their Game

BEAVERTON, Ore. (May 23, 2012) - Nike Golf is amplifying its commitment to help golfers better themselves to better their game with its major new initiative, Nike Golf 360 (NG 360). NG 360 is a holistic approach to improving golfers' performance through physical evaluation and training, custom fitting of equipment and digital tracking applications.

Each of these three primary functions is fueled by the world's very best in expertise and innovation. To that end, Nike Golf has entered into a partnership with the Gray Institute to bring superior knowledge and execution to the performance analysis and performance training component of the initiative.

The NG 360 Functional Performance System (FPS), Powered By Gray Institute, is the component of the NG 360 initiative that focuses on golfers and their bodies - all through the lens of Applied Functional Science. With two years in development, Nike Golf and the Gray Institute have worked relentlessly to develop a specific athletic performance-based program for golf.

"We believe this partnership is game-changing to the sport of golf," said Kel Devlin, Nike Golf's Director of Global Athlete Development. "The Gray Institute is the expert in the study of body movement in sport. This program will transform human potential because it will help golfers physically move better to play better."

NG 360 FPS Powered by Gray Institute provides Nike Swoosh Staff members who are PGA Professionals, as well movement specialists, including physical therapists, trainers and chiropractors, with the tools to see the link between swing faults and body deficiencies.

"The body has to serve the swing," said Gary Gray, co-director of the NG 360 Nike Golf Performance Center and CEO of the Gray Institute. "The golf swing is a complex movement, requiring properly sequenced contributions from all parts of the body. Deficiencies in flexibility, strength, or balance, anywhere in the body, will result in an ineffective and inefficient swing. It is essential that these deficiencies be identified and resolved so that each golfer can maximize their full potential and enjoyment of the sport."

Gray is no stranger to Nike. He has worked with some of the best athletes in the world, including Nike athletes Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, and Mario Lemieux. Gray is an educator, innovator, and enabler. He has trained more than 10,000 movement specialists during Chain Reaction seminars; and countless more through his Video Digest Series and online education modules. Gray has invented products that are used extensively in the movement industry; while enabling practitioners to enhance their skills by uniting the specialties of rehabilitation, injury prevention, and performance training through the transcendent principles of Applied Functional Science.

Nike Swoosh Staff members and movement specialists can become certified NG 360 Golf Performance Specialists (GPS) by completing the Nike Golf 360 Functional Performance System (FPS) educational program. The FPS utilizes a hybrid model, combining online and seminar-based learning. For more information go to: www.grayinstitute.com.