Somax Performance Institute has announced a new remote program that aims to improve elite performance in endurance sports by ‘improving efficiency rather than strength, endurance and stretching.’
Somax Performance Institute company President Bob Prichard said “The problem with relying on fitness and strength training is that muscles are only 20% efficient.
“80% of the energy produced by muscles is released as heat. It is like hiring someone to do a job who only completes 20% of the tasks assigned to them.”
A release from the company continued…
‘This is why it takes elite athletes years just to improve their times 2%, while Somax athletes have improved their times 8-18% in weeks and have gone on to win 44 Gold Medals and set 11 World Records.’
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, all Somax training programs required the athlete to travel to the company’s office’s in Tiburon, California, around 15 minutes north of San Francisco.
With the advent of Zoom, the first two weeks of efficiency training (60 hours) can now be completed remotely at home. Once the athlete has enrolled, they will receive directions for ‘recording their sport with slow-motion video using their smartphone and photographing up to 25 ranges of motion critical to their sport.’
Using its RSSSSA (pronounced ‘russia’) technology, Somax will pinpoint areas of inefficiency and lack of flexibility that are can be hindering athlete performance. Athletes will then be instructed in Somax drills and exercises for tension, stress and habit reduction.
According to Somax, foremost among these instructions is increasing chest expansion to improve lung capacity and oxygen intake. The final two weeks (60 hours) will then be completed at Somax’s California premises once the pandemic has ended.
“Western and Japanese runners all bounce up and down 3” with each stride,” said Bob Prichard at Somax. “[This] adds 2.48 vertical miles to their marathon and over 11 million pounds of impact to their feet, ankles, knees and hips.
“This is why they are often injured; and markers for muscle damage can be found in their blood a month after a race. We have reduced bounce, which reduces impact to the same as walking. This alone will cut 5 minutes or more off a marathon time.”
