Simple Fitness and Biomechanical Wisdom

If it does not move and it should = roll it/stretch it!

If it moves when it should not = Stabilize it!

If it hurts perform tennis ball self massage!

If you do not understand what rolling and tennis ball massage are them but the book, it's all in there!



Does not get any easier than that.

Exercise of the week

To start off the week and with spring a few days away I will give you a great full body functional movement to start off with. The exercise is a reverse lunge row. Simply go into a split leg stance with the back in neutral and head up. Be sure that the hips are in line, perform the row with the same side leg that is behind you. This exercise is fantastic for back strength and hip/shoulder flexibility.

Exercise of the week

Responders, here is an easy one. A single leg row. A great way to integrate a lower body stability exercise into an upper body strength and postural reeducation movement. The row is an excellent motion, just remember not to shrug, squeeze your shoulder blades and to keep your hip/knee 'soft' so you avoid leaning back and straining your back. 3 sets of 12-15 reps should do the trick.

Single Leg Row

Strength Training Causes Muscle Imbalances?

Yes, you read the title correctly. A study published in the journal of strength and conditioning research from Nova Southern university showed that recreational strength trained men have a high incidence of muscle imbalances. Now, what have I been saying all this time? Traditional 'gym science' exercises on machines and focusing on the pretty muscles Will do nothing but cause and reinforce postural distortion and muscle imbalances. This directly correlates to injurious patterns, joint strain and muscle fatigue/damage. Remember that your chosen career sets you up for poor posture and repetitive patterns that are know to be rough on the body. What we know we know wrong folks, the gym class and high school weight room exercises of yesteryear are bad. They did not work then and they do not work now. Please realize that there is a better way to train, smarter and safer. The 'Fit Responder' book is just that, a BS filter to lead you down the path to safe health and wellness. Nothing pains me more than to see dedicated police/fire/ems responders in the gym vainly attempting to be fit and strong, unknowingly reinforcing postural patterns and setting up that cascade effect of injury. Just because a lot of folks have jumped on the band wagon of 'military type' fitness and are exercising at extreme intensity does not mean your body is ready for it. When was the last time you were tested for movement pattern dysfunction?

Gut Check

Responders, please pay attention!

In the 'Back to Feeling Great' book there is an entire section dedicated to testing. The movement and biomechanical tests are accurate and valid, they can be applied to a vast population safely and can be re-tested bi-annualy. Without testing the base movements in the body we have no way of actually knowing what is working properly versus what is a cheat pattern. The best athletes cheat through a movement. it does not mean they are secure from injury just that they have mechanically figured out how to get it done faster, which we know is not always better.

I assessed a neighbor yesterday (she is teaching my wife to play piano) and she has a HX of Right sided Lower back Pain. With symptoms of 'popping' in the lower back and calf/foot numbness we have a problem. Now, this very smart lady has been to chiropractors, oriental medicine physicians, pilates instructors, massage therapists and her sister is a Physical Therapist. Do you think anyone picked up on her underlying issue? NO. I took her through the same tests in the 'Fit Responder' book plus a few ortho. tests and guess what? Pelvis is weak, and her spinal SEGMENTAL STABILIZERS are non existent. She shows signs of degenerative joint/disk and spinal instability. With really strong gross motor muscles(abs/obliques/quads/hip flexors)from years of pilates and yoga and a total inability to find and maintain NEUTRAL SPINE she has lost the ability to stabilize her spine = pain and popping. I put her into a standing neutral spine position with a slight hip hinge and she was totally pain free (it's in the book). When she gets back from the spine doctor I sent her to and we know exactly what her spine looks like I will help get her back to many of the activities she enjoys, pain free. All this took less than 45 min. to assess and teach some corrective exercises.

If I could go this far that quickly with such a level of accuracy why are we not doing this stuff on a departmental or clinical level on each person? Am I the only one that can see how much time/money will be saved by finding it and fixing it before it's broken?

Step Up!

I must vent! just took a client through a workout. She has a HUGE bulging disk at L3-4 that was injected 3 weeks ago, symptoms have lessened but she is still full of spasm and pain. I had her do one of my favorite “diagnostic exercises” a step up. While watching her mechanics I noticed that a) the right hip and leg moved perfectly (this is where the pain is) b) the Left foot turns in, Left knee turns in and left low back fires to compensate = bad pattern. So I had her lay on a table and noticed a short right leg. Now, what does this all mean? = cross pattern!

Basically if you have pain on one side of the body and dysfunction on the other side the structures caught in the middle, in this case the spine, get torque and strain all day so something has to give. So I released her right adductor, Left calf and posterior tibialis and both thoracic paraspinals. Followed with a gentile hip flexor stretch and re-test.

Not suprisingly on retest she had almost no pattern dysfunction and no pain, next visit we can begin correcting the imbalance through exercise. In many cases it’s just that simple, so if you suffer from pain and re-injury or exercise and physical therapy do not resolve the issue please find someone near you who can do this stuff. Or buy the ‘Fit Responder’ book, it’s in there to.

A fitness Rant

Ok, just had a ‘conversation’ with a long time client of mine. Recently another trainer on my staff has been working with this person. When I left them a few months ago the client was pain free and well on their way to achieving their goals. Recently we have been dealing with a resurgence of shoulder and neck issues (this is what the client originally came in for) After a good bit of the ‘the blame game’ I determined a few things.

1) The client does not stretch herself, does not use the foam roll for self massage or the ’stick’ for self massage. The client also neglects to come in for a maintenance massage as recommended.

2) The client has re-entered what is called an ‘upper crossed syndrome’ which is essentially a forward head posture, tight anterior neck, tight pects and traps and weak mid-back and shoulder blades.

3) The client has lost the ability to fire her scapular (shoulder blade) stabilizers and because of this simple movements are causing pain.

SO, what have we learned? Be responsible for yourself, stretch daily. Use your foam roll and ’stick’ a few days a week with out fail. As a practitioner or participant never assume that you will not loose what you worked to gain….use it or loose it. If something that used to feel good now causes pain there is most likely either a tight muscle or body part or your technique/application of that particular exercise is flawed.

The abdominal brace

Folks, per numerous request, here is the intro page from the Book.

Lower abdominal training is the place to start because it’s the foundation or the “core” of the body. Training the lower abdominal wall with proper abdominal firing places less stress on the vertebral discs and effectively activates the outer unit musculature (movement system). This allows proper muscle activation at the right times, with proper movement patterns and less stress to tissues and greater muscular and mechanical efficiency as the end result.

Core training involves proper lower abdominal contraction or Abdominal Bracing. This involves coordinated firing of the abdominal wall while deactivating the hip flexors and keeping the upper body and legs relaxed. Learning this concept and the concept of spine stabilization with neutral spine will naturally lead to learning how to find, maintain and work within the parameters of coordinated spinal mechanics

Control of movement is the key to re-educating the lower abdominal wall and allowing the deep pelvic stabilizers to fire efficiently. This progression begins with mastering the abdominal contraction or ‘bracing’. The key is isolating the muscles of the abdominal wall. Pay strict attention to NOT allowing the use of the legs, hip flexors or glutes. Typically the body will want to compensate (a.k.a. cheat) to achieve these movements; you must be diligent to not let this happen.

In the past we were all taught to DRAW IN (pull belly button to the spine). This has been proven ineffective at contracting all of the abdominal wall muscles. If we have a weak back and continue to draw in the abdominals we are essentially making our ab’s and back weaker and less efficient at supporting your activities.

To begin the progression lay on your back with the knees bent and feet flat on the floor, place your hands behind your head. Take a breath in and while slowly exhaling begin to push your belly button down toward your hips.

Imagine flexing your bicep, this is the same pattern as flexing your abs. Another way to perform the contraction is to imagine pushing your obliques (love handles) out. The contraction is very slow to develop and never forceful so the legs do not help. Continue the contraction until the lower back is in slight contact with the floor and you can breathe while not straining or feeling tension in the neck, chest, shoulders or legs. For most people this is not easy. This progression should take you time to work through, each level will take around 2-3 days master.

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.