Fick Physical Therapy and Sports Performance

💭 Take a second and think about the last time you sprinted, cut, jumped, or landed during competition.

❓How often were you using both legs equally?

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿.

🦵Sport is largely a series of single-leg actions. Whether you're accelerating off the line, changing direction, landing from a jump, or absorbing force during a cut, your ability to perform often comes down to what one leg can do at a time.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.

🏋️ An athlete may be able to squat impressive weight, but still have meaningful differences in strength, power, stability, or force production from one side to the other. Those differences may not be obvious during traditional strength training, but they often become much more apparent when speed, fatigue, and high-demand movements are involved.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳.

🦵Single-leg deficits can impact acceleration, change-of-direction ability, landing mechanics, and force absorption. Over time, they can also contribute to compensations that place additional stress on the body.

⚠️ This doesn't mean bilateral strength isn't important. It absolutely is.

❗ But if you want to understand how your body performs in sport, you have to look at how each side performs independently.

👉 Schedule an assessment at Fick PT & Performance to identify strength deficits, asymmetries, and opportunities to improve performance.
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🌐 www.fickptandperformance.com

Most athletes spend a lot of time thinking about how to create force.

🏃How to sprint faster.
🦵How to jump higher.
💥How to become more explosive.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁.

👉 Because every time you accelerate, jump, or change direction, your body eventually has to slow itself back down.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻.

❗Force production is what allows athletes to be explosive. It's your ability to generate force and create movement. It's what drives acceleration, jumping, and many of the athletic qualities we typically associate with performance.

𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁.

𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥.

❗Every landing, cut, deceleration, and change of direction requires the body to absorb forces that can be several times your body weight. If the muscles and tissues responsible for controlling those forces aren't prepared, something else has to take the load.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯.

🛑 Many injuries don't occur because athletes can't produce force. They occur because athletes can't control it.

🏃The athlete who can sprint the fastest isn't always the athlete who stays healthy. More often, it's the athlete who can efficiently absorb, control, and redirect force over and over again throughout a season.

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵:
1️⃣ The ability to create force gets you there.
2️⃣ The ability to absorb force keeps you there.

👉 Schedule an assessment at Fick PT & Performance to identify deficits in strength, force production, and force absorption before they become limitations.
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📱 (720) 480-2866
🌐 www.fickptandperformance.com

🗣️ "I feel fine."

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.

❗The problem is that many performance limitations and injury risk factors don't show up during everyday movement. They stay hidden until the demands of sport become high enough to expose them.

𝗔𝗻 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴, 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲-𝘁𝗼-𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁.

✔️ They may move well in the gym, but lose control when sprinting, cutting, or landing at full speed. They may complete every workout without pain, but struggle to absorb force efficiently when fatigue sets in.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.

🏃 Many of the deficits that impact performance are invisible until speed, fatigue, and load enter the equation. That's where objective testing becomes valuable.

📊 Tools like force plate testing, SpeedGate sprint analysis, and the VALD NordBord allow us to measure qualities that movement alone can hide. We can identify asymmetries, force deficits, and areas where performance may be limited before they become larger issues.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀.

𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵.

❗Feeling fine is a good start. Knowing what's actually happening beneath the surface is even better.

👉 Schedule an assessment at Fick PT & Performance and discover what testing can reveal about your performance.
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📱 (720) 480-2866
🌐 www.fickptandperformance.com

💭 Imagine trying to improve your grades without ever seeing your test scores.

👉 You might study harder.
👉 You might spend more time working.
👉 But without knowing where you're losing points, you're mostly guessing.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.

❗Many athletes assume they need to get stronger, faster, or work harder. But until you understand what's actually limiting performance, it's difficult to know where to focus your efforts.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯.

📊 An assessment helps us identify the things that aren't always obvious:
force deficits, side-to-side asymmetries, mobility restrictions, movement inefficiencies, and areas where your body may be compensating.

🦵 One tool we use is the VALD NordBord, which measures hamstring strength objectively.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿?

❗Because hamstring weakness and asymmetries are often difficult to identify through movement alone. The NordBord allows us to quantify how much force each leg can produce and identify deficits that may impact sprinting performance, force production, and injury risk. This information can then be instantly transfered into a training program to help build strength in the ranges we see the deficits.

𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮.

🛑 Random training creates random results. The best programs aren't built around assumptions—they're built around objective information. When you know exactly what's limiting performance, every part of training becomes more intentional.

👉 Start with an assessment at Fick PT & Performance and discover what your body is really telling you.
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📱(720) 480-2866
🌐 www.fickptandperformance.com

❗If working harder was the answer, most athletes would already be where they want to be.

🌟 Yet every year, athletes spend countless hours training and still find themselves dealing with the same limitations: slower first steps, recurring aches and pains, difficulty changing direction, or feeling like they can't quite reach the next level.

𝗢𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁.

𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺.

The body is incredibly good at finding ways to get the job done. If one area lacks mobility, strength, stability, or control, another area will step in and compensate.

👉 At first, those compensations can be hard to notice.

You still perform.
You still compete.
You still train.

🕛 But over time, they can reduce force production, limit movement quality, and place unnecessary stress on the body.

🏃 What looks like a performance problem is often a movement problem.

🏋️ And what feels like a strength issue is sometimes a compensation issue.

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲, 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

𝘐𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦?

🛑 Because sometimes the biggest performance gains come from identifying what's getting in the way.

👉 Start with an assessment at Fick PT & Performance and discover what's actually limiting your performance.
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📱 (720) 480-2866
🌐 www.fickptandperformance.com

⏰ At some point, training has to become more than just workouts.

❗Because improving performance—and staying healthy long term—requires more than working hard. It requires understanding what your body needs, where your limitations are, and how to build a system that supports progress over time.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘗𝘛 & 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.

𝗪𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸:
→ Strength deficits
→ Movement limitations
→ Power and asymmetries
→ Force absorption and control

💪 From there, we build a plan specific to the athlete in front of us.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀:
→ Strength development
→ Speed and power training
→ Movement quality and deceleration work
→ Mobility that transfers to sport

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆.

❗Because durable athletes aren’t built through random training. They’re built through structured progression, recovery, and ongoing adaptation.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.

🌟 We combine assessment, training, recovery, and progression into a system designed to help athletes perform at a high level and continue improving throughout their season.

👉 If you want to build a stronger, more durable version of yourself, start with an assessment at Fick PT & Performance.
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📱 (720) 480-2866
🌐 www.fickptandperformance.com

💪 Most athletes already know how to work hard.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀.

👉 Over the last few weeks, we’ve talked about building strength, speed, power, deceleration, and mobility—and how each one contributes to performance and durability.

❗But none of those qualities improve without consistency.

⚠️ One of the biggest mistakes athletes make is chasing intensity instead of building a system they can sustain.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗼𝘂𝘁.
𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.

❗Strength, speed, power, and movement quality all rely on progressive adaptation. The body needs repeated, controlled stress in order to improve tissue tolerance, movement efficiency, and performance.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀.

👉 If training lacks structure, progression, and consistency, it becomes much harder for the body to adapt effectively—and much easier for performance plateaus and injuries to occur.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼:
→ Train consistently
→ Progress gradually
→ Build over time

🌟 Because long-term performance isn’t built through intensity alone.
𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆.

👉 If you want a structured plan that actually supports long-term performance, start with an assessment at Fick PT & Performance.
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📱(720) 480-2866
🌐 www.fickptandperformance.com

🇺🇸 Today, we honor and remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

In observance of Memorial Day, Fick PT & Performance will be closed as we take time to honor their service, sacrifice, and lasting impact.

🌟 Thank you to those who served and to the families who continue to carry their legacy.

𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗙𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗣𝗧 & 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.

🤸 Meet Your Gymnastics PT, Dr. Sam Shively, DPT, CSCS

As both a former Level 10 and collegiate gymnast and now a Sports Performance Physical Therapist, Sam understands firsthand just how much gymnastics demands from the body.

From high-impact landings and extreme ranges of motion to repetitive skills, strength holds, and long training hours—gymnasts ask a LOT of their bodies. 💪

And Sam has been there.

After competing through injuries like a torn shoulder labrum, ankle sprains, and recurring pain, she saw how common it was for gymnasts to simply “train through” injuries instead of truly addressing the root cause.

That experience shaped the way she treats athletes today.

At Fick PT & Performance, Sam combines her background as both an athlete and clinician to help gymnasts recover safely, build confidence, and return to the skills they love. ❤️

Her gymnastics-specific rehab approach includes:

→ Strength and stability at end ranges
→ Landing mechanics
→ Core, hip, shoulder, and ankle control
→ Progressive return to skills
→ Long-term injury prevention
→ Rehab that actually understands the demands of gymnastics

Because gymnasts deserve more than generic rehab. They deserve care that understands the sport, the skills, and the mindset. 🤸✨

If you’re a gymnast dealing with pain, coming back from injury, or wanting to move stronger and more confidently, Dr. Sam Shively is here to help.

📍 Fick PT & Performance
📱 (720) 480-2866
🌐 [www.fickptandperformance.com](http://www.fickptandperformance.com)