Book Review in the Strength and Conditioning Journal

Hey, Like a complete slacker, we got reviewed by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. This is a members only scientific journal, I pasted the excerpt below. Not bad for our first professional peer reviewed review!

BACK TO FEELING GREAT

Bryan Fass and Bill Scibetta.

Precision Fitness-Personal Fitness Inc., Cornelius, NC; ISBN-10: 0-9791553-1-2; softcover, 108 pages.

The authors have penned a guidebook to proactively address common low back pain and stiffness. The book is written for the layperson, with copious photos and good descriptions of standard back stretching and strengthening exercises. Sections on self screening and myofascial release are also well done.

The book is broken down into various sections that run from 2 to 9 pages in length. Besides sections related to the back and hip, there are sections addressing posture, nutrition, and cardiovascular training. Most of the material, although fairly rudimentary, is well done and aimed at a target audience of laypeople and entry-level trainers. I especially like the progressions in the spine program that takes the trainee from level 1 (very basic) to level 6 in difficulty. The references are mostly secondary, with one requiring a bit more information to follow. However, this work is not an advanced scientific one but one that the laypersonor trainer can use to guide him or her through an organized program of low back/hip care and maintenance.

Understanding Postural Fatigue

OK, here goes a difficult and mostly misunderstood concept, POSTURAL FATIGUE. When exercising, assuming that you have achieved the ability to maintain 'normal' posture, there is a point you may/should reach that your body simply says 'no more'. This 'no more' threshold is much easier to reach when rehabilitating an injury or beginning a fitness regimen, the more fit you become the longer it takes to reach. The fatigue point is reached when you loose control, and I don't mean emotionally. When you can no longer maintain proper technique, hold your breath, shake, twist or lean...you are done. Let's take a common spine/AB exercise an an example, the plank. When your head falls, you shrug your shoulders, back drops, glutes relax you have reached fatigue and need to stop. This premise holds true for all exercises, there is a threshold that you body will reach and anything past that point merely transfers strain to the joints and supporting soft tissue structures. Try performing just about any exercise in a mirror, can you maintain neutral, do you sway or round/arch your back?
A basic rule I teach is that when you can no longer maintain your postural check points (chin tucked-ab's braced-neutral posture) try to re-find it, if you are unable to re-establish Neutral than stop. The is no benefit in training past the point of postural fatigue.
As you can tell this can go on and on, I will elaborate further later...stay tuned.

Stabilize before you Strengthen

I got my hands on another post rehabilitation client today and after a thorough assessment I taught them some simple stabilization exercises. After going through the stabs. it became immediately apparent that this concept was never re-enforced to them. We basically went through the beginning program in the book (Back to Feeling Great) and thoroughly learned to Brace, Bridge, Segmentally Stabilize and Side leg raise (hip abduction). It never ceases to amaze me that when taught with total control these 4 exercises will safely make you stronger, but they unachieved it from the inside out...stability before strength.

VIDEO

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Simple fix to Back Pain

No matter how many times I see it, nor how many times I teach it, I continue to be amazed by how powerful 4 simple exercises can be at helping to correct spinal issues and back pain. In my book Back to Feeling Great is a protocol I developed over the years that just keeps on proving to me and my clients that it works. I had 2 new clients recently, on is 48 yrs. old, has a bulging disk with pain down the leg, he also smokes but is an avid cyclist and rides a desk for a living. The other is a 30 something with disk/vertebral degeneration, she has had numerous injections, and surgery with the next step being fusion. Both have similar but different issues and both have had a significant reduction in pain and consequent increase in activity levels. No matter what we did the same 4 simple exercises to re-educate the ab's, gluteals, lateral hip and spine segmental stabilizers. This protocol works and if done correctly will help you get better. By the way both of the examples above were referred in by spine surgeons who will send to us a last resort before surgery. Go team.

Holiday Thoughts

With another holiday week/end upon us I find myself back on the usual rant about eating well, making good choices and not falling off the band wagon of exercise and stretching. We are all human and you have to live a little but make good choices, and eat smaller portions. Yet again the morning after the holiday....'THE DAY AFTER" everyone drags themselves back into the gym or out on the road to 'burn it all off', and while I would normally applaud this proactive behavior the point is health and wellness is a full time job. Live it, be it, practice it and encourage it from and for others. Of course I'm not saying don't have fun, have a little of the bad stuff but keep it small. If you have set strict goals for yourself, which you should never sent them that tight, keep your eyes on the ball and continue to strive for that goal.

STRESS

I believe that I have found a new definition for STRESS. I define it as a totally un-controllable 2.75 year old boy, that appears to have sensory input issues / ADD. Parents can't and wont control him, he is unable to process commands and is unable to focus on anything! Now to the health point...would you give this child sugary drinks all day, processed food only and keep him up till 2300 hrs with no nap! DAMN!, has he been tested, of course not, but at least limit the stimulants and chemicals he is exposed to. By the way, he is 'running over' my calm 2.25 yr old, got to go.

Summer's Comming

Ok folks it's that time of year again, time to drag out that bikini and spedo. All kidding aside, Summer is almost here that signals the time of year that all those old injuries re-surface. Going from 0 (sedentary) to 100 (running) with out first preparing your body for the rigors of exercise will ultimately lead you to injury. We all carry around those old injuries, couple that with faulty mechanics from muscle imbalances and improper exercises and you have set your self up for disaster. Now is the time to stretch, Self Massage and ease into exercise. Jumping into the water without knowing the depth is risky, so is jumping into exercise without knowing the depth of your bodies imbalances.

One of my Favorite Personal Trainer Jokes

A WOMAN'S WEEK AT THE GYM

If you read this without laughing out loud, there is something wrong with you. This is dedicated to everyone who ever attempted to get into a regular workout routine.

Dear Diary,
For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me.

Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.
I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.

My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.

MONDAY:
Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess -- with blonde hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!! Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring! Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!

TUESDAY:
I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door.
Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Belinda's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT! It's a whole new life for me.

WEDNESDAY:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.
Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for early in the morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why the Hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other shit too.

THURSDAY:
Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late, it took me that long to tie my shoes.
Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. She sent another skinny bitch to find me .
Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine -- which I sank.

FRIDAY:
I hate that bitch Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it.
Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the damned barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?


SATURDAY:
Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her made me want to smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.

SUNDAY:
I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my daughter (the little shit) will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a root canal or a hysterectomy.

Exercise induced whiplash

I understand that the majority of folks reading this are not "the gym guy" you know the one, weight belt, gloves, elbow wraps. They must lift HEAVY ALL THE TIME. They have poor posture (rounding of the shoulders, foreward head position, sway back and little tiny legs. Bad form and bad body, no pain no gain!. The other day in the gym I watched a guy, in horror, do what I believe was a dumbell row. He leaned on the bench (with all the above mentioned gear, including wrist straps because the weight was too heavy to hold) and pulled so fast and hard that the weight, which moved only a few inches, forced him into a self induced whiplash. His neck moved so violently that when he was finished he was dizzy. The strain was so severe that a limp developed tht got progressively worse as he completed all 3 sets, with a 130lb dumbell.

So, what is my point. If you used to be that person, or played sports in school or you were just a normal kid, you have pain and stiffness for a reason. Please understand that proper exercise needs control, you can not have control without stability, and if you have no stability you will have pain from lack of the above. As I explained to a physician the other day about the books we have published, there is a sequence that needs to be followed to re-program the body, you did not get this way overnite and fixing it will take some time as well. Muscles have memory and are quite stubborn, if you reinforce the bad patterns/memory through poor posture or continually exercising wrong you will never acheive a permanent resolution to your pain or lack of performance.

Fast Weight Loss

I came across the most fantastic diet. A friend of mine lost 7 pounds in just 3 weeks without changing his lifestyle. His wife lost 5 pounds in just 2 weeks, fantastic results. what is this amazing breakthrough diet you ask?
They stopped eating fast food, cut sugary drinks completely out of their diet, began to eat at home for dinner and bring their lunch with them to work.
They drank 8-10 glasses of water a day, added JUICE PLUS and a fiber supplement.

Really does not seem all that hard does it?

Exercise of the Week

WALK, seems so simple to just go for a walk. Amazing how few people actually walk each day. The act of walking at a brisk pace will loosen muscles in your back, hips and legs which consequentially are the same muscles that when tight actually contribute to your back hurting. 'Mall Walking' slow and with no purpose has the opposite effect, it actually makes you stiffer, that is why when you shop your back gets stiff. We are creatures of motion, so move. Studies have shown that just walking 20-30 minutes each and every day will significantly decrease pain, halp weight loss and release chemicals that make you feel better. So get up and go for a walk.......Now.

Are you responsible for your pain

Laying in bed last night I was reading a Biomechanics journal (light reading) and there was an article than talked about pain. The basic premise was that many people that suffer from pain either have caused their pain or continue to reinforce the pain that they have from a previous injury. I was glad to have read that, the author was a Physical Therapist, and many PT's still treat just the symptoms with a lack of time to explore where the biomechanical cause has come from. For those of you that have had PT / Corrective Exercise / Chiropractic and you feel worse after the first few sessions or your pain has changed this is what should happen. Yes, you should get worse before you get better. If someone tells you that you will be pain free after just a few sessions they are probably lying. Once a pain cycle has begun it takes TIME to ease, that means Fascial tissue, Muscle, Nerve and joint tissue must have time to return to normal, the question is are you still reinforcing the pain?
Poor posture, lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle, poor diet and stress all contribute to pain, when you add in repetitive strain, and yes a computer causes repetitive strain, it is very difficult to reduce your pain.

Simple is Better

Simple is better, really? i thought complex technology was the answer to all. But seriously, while down here is Florida avoiding the snow back home I had a lady who lives in the building perform one of my favorite (safe & effective) stabilization exercises. I asked her to do it daily until fatigue and no further. Now, this woman has had balance issues, back pain and ankle problems ( she does not know the name of her condition). After just 5 days of performing this exercise she reported a significant decrease in back pain and feels more stable walking. Happily this is just one exercise, imagine if she went through the entire protocol! And by the way this exercise is a contralateral-extension aka. bird dog. I would include a picture but I do not have one on my hard drive so go buy the book, it's in there.

Cool Down

I just want everyone to know that this post is being written while I sit on the balcony gazing out at the ocean(yes on vacation). But a person I care deeply about (family) has a problem. this person has been suffering from hand and thumb pain for at least 6 months now. They have massaged, popped pills, worn a brace all to no avail. I made the simple suggestion to use ICE 2x daily for 15 minutes, everyone scoffed, why not heat. ICE ICE Baby, is an anti-inflammatory and an anti-pain. It is applied locally, so 100% of the effect stays where you need it, versus a pill that has to go throughout your whole body and only a small % may actually get to 'the spot'. And ICE is cheap. Amazing...simple, effective, safe, cheap, easy, but yes it hurts for the first 5-8 minutes, and after that cool and pain free. Next time you have pain, try ICE for 15-20 minutes 2 x daily (longer is not better) for 10 days, I bet you will be amazed at how much better you will feel. Use it consistently or like anything else the effectiveness is reduced.

Did You Know

Did you know that the average person that has back pain has nothing wrong with their back.

Did you know that the average person having difficulty losing weight does not have a weight problem.

Did you know that psychology plays a greater factor in your success with an exercise or weight-loss routine then effort or structure alone.

Did you know that by simply eating half of what you eat every day you will lose weight.

Did you know that your metabolism is slowing down by simply sitting here reading this.

Did you know that this is all I have time for today and will hopefully post the answers soon.

Joining The inmates in the Asylum?

08' is here, and like everyone else it's new years resolution time. Time to make the same old promises to yourself year after year of eating better making better choices exercising. Unfortunately, these so-called resolutions fail year after year.
Insanity is defined as doing the same thing again and again expecting a different result. Waking up January 1 and making the same resolutions year after year and going about achieving them the same way year after year is plain insanity.
Over the past 15 plus years of clinical practice and personal training I've seen people make the same mistakes over and over again. Mistakes that, with a little bit of education, should never have been made! Now, I don't blame these people that set out with lofty goals to make positive and proactive changes in the new year. I blame the misinformation and the lack of scientific data that the public is exposed to when it comes to exercise, fitness, nutrition and wellness.
So, it only seems appropriate that education, debunking myths and exposure to safe and effective exercise is the only way to avoid insanity. What if I told you that the only good thing about the bench press exercise is that without any doubt it will destroy your shoulders. Last time I checked in playing sports and the game of life if you are laying flat on your back staring at the sky you lost. What if I also told you that leg raises, an exercise that most people think strengthens you're ab's, actually only serves to create a muscle imbalance so severe that it will not only inhibit your ability to move but, it will permanently damage your spine never mind doing nothing for your ab's. When was the last time that you sat on a bench and pushed or pulled something behind your head? When you think of it in that context it really doesn't seem like a good exercise does it? So my point is simple, what we know we may very well no wrong. Hopefully we are all smart enough to realize at some point that what we are doing and what we have done has not or is not working. Change, especially for the body, is essential to attaining consistent fitness and wellness-based goals.
Now, for the big question, where does one go to get this information? There are a host of websites and magazines that will provide you with some of this information. There are also countless books, manuals, and programs that you can buy that can help you on your quest. But, and there is always a but, many of these books websites and magazines are also trying to sell you something. So, be careful in your choices.Over the years it has become very frustrating as a fitness and wellness professional that there are very few websites or books that I can recommend in good conscience to my clients. So, on a challenge from a client and friend who just happens to be a physician I went ahead, stepped up, and wrote a book. Now, I know what you're thinking, here comes another plug to buy something. But, in my humble and hopefully professional opinion this book is different from what is on the market. It is truly research-based, safe, effective clinically based exercises designed to bridge the gap between knowledge and application of good exercise science. The exercises and programs that "Back to Feeling Great a proactive approach to combating back pain and stiffness" contains will help you create proper flexibility, balance, effective posture and most importantly spine and pelvic stability.
Now, you may be wondering why those are important. It is usually the lack of stabilization in the spine, pelvis and core that prevents you from ever achieving your exercise goals. So what I did was create a program based on over 16 years of clinical rehabilitative experience that will help you to move better, be more stable, and have better posture which will in turn allow you to move more efficiently. If you are able to move more efficiently while maintaining good effective posture your muscles fire better. And very simply, if they fire better than you will get more out of your exercise. Sounds pretty good do less and get more!, and that is really the secret to a good and effective exercise, and wellness-based fitness routine.
Most people work way too hard when they're in the gym, the "Back to Feeling Great" book will teach you how to work smarter not harder on your road to achieving your fitness and wellness goals. Since the book came out numerous Physicians and Chiropractors have begun to recommend the book to their patients as a safe, effective and easy program that will actually do what it says it will do. I sincerely hope that with some education and exposure to proper exercise and not 'gym' exercises you will find your New Year goals to be effective and lasting without the risk of making the same mistakes over and over again, no sense joining the inmates in the asylum.
The book is available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com
www.backtofeelinggreat.com
www.backtofeelinggreat.blogspot.com

A Simple New Years Recepie Trick

The new year is upon us, and a heartfelt congratulations for surviving 07'. So, I thought I would start out it giving you a very simple but very effective solution to making some proactive changes in 08'. As you all know, portion control, and good food choices are equally as important as exercise. There are some very simple food substitutions that you can make on a daily basis to cut your caloric intake and decrease your portion size. One of my favorite recipes that allows you to indulge in that chocolate fix that so many love is to simply take a box of devils food cake mix and simply stir in a can of pumpkin. Mix well, add in some cherries if you like bake and enjoy. By adding in pumpkin instead of oil and eggs, you have substantially decreased the amount of calories and lowered the fat content. As long as you remember to enjoy only one piece per day this recipe will get you far from overindulging in those sweet and chocolate cravings.