Hip conditioning after an icy fall in Seohyeon: Speed Conditioning

Maybe my female hormones are running out, because my whole body aches and I've been hunting for fixes everywhere lately. Even if it won't heal completely, I need to strengthen my muscles so the pain doesn't get worse, and I've been worrying about it a lot.

So this time I went to get conditioning at Speed Conditioning Exercise Center (스피드컨디셔닝운동센터), a pain care center near Seohyeon Station. I didn't notice it during the session, but I figured something out once I got home. I'll tell you about that too.

Location and parking at Speed Conditioning Exercise Center

Speed Conditioning Exercise Center is in Room 410 on the 4th floor of Seohyeon Hyundai Plaza, 35 Hwangsaeul-ro 360beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, 123 m from Exit 2 of Seohyeon Station on the Suin-Bundang Line. It's open daily 09:00–21:00, you can call to ask about Sunday bookings, and parking in the building is free.

It's close to the subway, but I drove. Seohyeon Station can be hectic so I was worried, but the parking lot was really empty and I parked easily and went up. That's just because it was Sunday, though. On normal days there are quite a lot of cars around Seohyeon Station, so the Seohyeon Station public parking lot is more convenient then. It's right next door, so keep that in mind!!

Inside the center and how to book

I went at 12 noon on a Sunday. I really love that they're open on Sundays.

It's 100% by reservation, so there was no waiting, but the waiting sofa was big and looked great. I wanted to lie down on it, haha.

PE-university applicants and elite athletes come for conditioning, and the director is very busy; when events like the National Sports Festival overlap, he travels a lot. So book well in advance! And always check his schedule first.

What is conditioning? An explanation at a rehab exercise center near Seohyeon Station

The center explained that conditioning is muscle care you need both before and after exercise. Honestly, this was the first time I'd heard the concept, so I asked lots of questions. Even now I don't fully understand it 100%, haha.

When you exercise, your muscles tear, and as they recover you build muscle and strength, but if you skip conditioning, the muscles lock up and that gets in the way of growth, they said.

Especially after an injury, good conditioning makes a clear difference the next time you work out, so people who try it once want to keep going. You can feel it in your body. It was a new concept to me, so I kept going "ohhh~" the whole time, haha. It was exactly what my child, who's preparing for PE university, needs!!

What's the director like?

I got to see the director right on my appointment time, and his explanations are crisp and clear. When I mentioned my worries, he already knew about them all, and he even gave solutions for what to do from now on.

Step one: checking body balance and muscle condition

The first step was standing straight so he could look at my body balance, then lying on a treatment bed to check my muscle condition. We talked about what exercise I'd done and when the pain started, and then the director examined my muscles. I have problems in both my upper and lower body (sigh), and he said we should work on the lower body first.

Lower-body conditioning that started with WINBACK radio frequency

After checking which muscles to condition, he first loosened them with a radio frequency device called WINBACK. It felt warm and refreshing and I loved it. Some people may find it hot, he said. It's different from ordinary radio frequency, and he explained that it uses a different frequency for each body part being conditioned. He said it's a really good machine, but it costs as much as a car... whoa!!

After the radio frequency, I got conditioning on my right thigh and glutes, and finally the iliopsoas (deep hip flexor). Some spots hurt and some didn't; apparently the places where the muscle is in bad shape are the ones that hurt. A good kind of pain, you could say? I like strong pressure, so it was perfect!!

After conditioning, he also taught me movements I can do at home. I don't know the names of the moves, haha, so I'll just leave the photo here.

The sore spot I hadn't realized was where I slipped on the ice

The thigh area the center pointed out as in bad shape was where I took a big fall on the ice earlier this year. I didn't realize it at the time. He just said this area isn't good and I went, oh, I see... But when I got home, that spot felt slightly tingly, and thinking back, it was where I slipped and fell on an icy road on my way to a golf lesson.

Everyone was staring (sob), and I was so embarrassed I jumped right up, but a day later there was a huge bruise on the thigh I fell on... Come to think of it, about a month after that, my hip pain got very, very bad.

Why do muscles keep hurting after a fall? The director's explanation

The core of the director's explanation was that if you contract a muscle you have to relax it again, and if you relax it you have to contract it again. After getting conditioning, this concept really clicked. If you did a lot of contracting through exercise, you need to balance it with the opposite movement.

When you fall on ice like I did, you get startled and your body tightens up and stiffens. That's when you should have stretched and loosened it, and I didn't. Once a muscle contracts, it keeps trying to contract unless you stretch it, and then it just keeps pulling, gradually getting shorter and causing problems. (This is how I understood it, but I'm not sure it's accurate, haha.)

Just as the director said, I was tingly for two days after. The first day was tingly, and from day 2 it was fine. He told me beforehand that depending on the person, there can be 1–2 days of soreness while it improves.

A conditioning center near Seohyeon Station for PE-university applicants and elite athletes

Many students preparing for PE university and elite athletes come to Speed Conditioning Exercise Center for conditioning, they said. I have a child preparing for PE university, so my ears perked up. My daughter often had terrible muscle soreness and suffered for a long time with a stress fracture. She had a hard time during PE-university prep, and I regret that she didn't get this kind of care. So I asked a lot about admissions sports in particular, and his answers were so good that they helped a lot.

Right now, if you pay for a 10-session package, you can choose between ₩30,000 off or 1 extra session, so keep that in mind!! Benefits can change, so check when you book!!

Overall verdict on Speed Conditioning Exercise Center

The best part of Speed Conditioning Exercise Center was learning the concept of conditioning. I exercise a lot and have had plenty of minor injuries, so from now on I'll do lots of foam rolling before and after workouts, and make sure to warm up and cool down!! And when I get injured, I've decided to get conditioning first and rehab afterward.

I think it suits these people.

• People like me who stay uncomfortable after an injury
• People looking for a pain care center near Seohyeon Station in Bundang
• People who need rehab exercise
• People who need posture correction
• People who need muscle care before and after exercise
• Students preparing for PE university

The director is so kind and explains things so well, so if you need it, booking a session is a good idea!!