"Are Riding Two Horses at Once Is Really Possible"

The danger of riding two horses at once is that you can easily get split in half! To ride two horses at once, not only must the rider must be skilled, but both horses must be in controlled and must be comfortable running next to each other... in tandem.

Like a horse and its rider, we all have needs that must be met if we are to maintain the wealth of health. First, we must care for our “self.” The self is our idea of who we are and our idea of our body and its needs. In essence, these needs are:

1. Optimal food
2. Optimal water
3. Optimal rest
4. Optimal movement or exercise
5. Safe shelter
6. Optimal warmth (energy)

These needs are also the needs of a business, which must be seen as a living entity if one is to be successful in the development, management and growth of any business. The same is true for those working within a business, for they either create safety and security in a business or diminish it.

If we look at these needs as they apply to a business, they convert as follows:

1. Optimal availability and use of resources
2. Optimal flow (incoming and outgoing of resources and the ability to adapt)
3. Optimal work/rest ratio to keep ownership, management and staff healthy
4. Optimal use of effort and skill within the business and marketing of the business
5. Enhanced stability within owners and employees (which creates stability of the business)
6. Consistent cash flow, working capital and revenue

Would it be a good idea to try and ride two horses, before you’ve mastered riding one?

The first horse we need to learn to ride is the horse of self. Only when we’ve achieved a level of self love and self awareness that produces a surplus of life force and internal resources are we ever likely to have what it takes to energize a business endeavor.

Anyone with experience riding horses knows that an unhealthy horse doesn’t like anyone on its back! An unhealthy horse is a dangerous horse to ride and is potentially risky to be around. It would be a mistake to hitch a sick horse to a wagon or a plow. To do so increases the likelihood of not getting the hay in before it rains, not preparing the fields for new crops, etc. Forcing a sick horse to be productive may actually kill it!

I repeatedly find myself coaching sick, tired and burned out people who own businesses and who manage staff. When I look into my clients' lives (how they manage themselves), it is obvious they don’t know how to care for the (animal) body. Yet, they work earnestly to care for and improve a second horse.

When we care for ourselves intelligently, we manage our lifestyle such that it creates inner wealth, abundant energy and a genuine sense of freedom. These are necessary qualities for success in any endeavor. A healthy body is a prerequisite for a healthy mind. No business owner, manger or employee can create a healthy business without a healthy mind! Each horse (self and business) has needs. However, it is the horse of “self” that feeds the horse of business every time. When we come to work tired, poorly fed, dehydrated, lacking sleep, rest or non essential (play) time, we are far more likely to find ourselves repelled or repulsed by people and the challenges natural to any business. This is burnout.

The horse (body) is a strong animal. Yet, managed gently by instinct and intelligence (mind), the horse responds gracefully to its rider’s cues. This is a healthy partnership. Managed poorly, the horse is pained and may throw you off (addiction, obesity and diseases)!

Now, let’s take a look at the two horses. One horse represents the horse of “self” or the female part of you. She needs the rest (moisture), energy (movement) and (self) time to create a nurturing home environment in which she may cultivate the necessary life force to feed and manage the second horse, which is the natural complement in a personal/professional relationship. The second horse represents the male part of you, which is expansive, logical, constructive, warming, divisional and self expressive. If the female (horse of self) is overworked, under rested, poorly fed, inadequately watered or lacks safety and security, she dries out, and the male (horse of self) has to over compensate in order to create balance. The rider then has a very hard time controlling and working the horses.

Likewise, when we come to work, it is our function to foster partnerships with both staff and customer. Yet, if one shows up depleted, dried out as a prune (you certainly can’t re-create a plum), things cannot flow. By the very laws of nature, dryness absorbs moisture around it. This means that a problematic paradox emerges. Those that are burned out and who should be managing and maintaining their business avoid their employees and don’t connect with their customers. They begin drawing precious, vital energy, moisture (flow) out of the business, their employees and their customers... not a sign of health, is it?

What does this look like? We have all seen it:

* Physicians who are more unhealthy than their patients.
* Teachers who resent their students.
* Firemen who can’t hold the hose or carry victims down the ladder to safety.
* Policemen too fat to run after a bad guy.
* Business owners who isolate themselves through preservation and who become unwilling and uninterested in meeting the needs of staff and customers.
* Personal rainers who look and feel worse than their clients.

In order to ride two horses at once, each horse must be healthy and feel safe with the rider. If this does not happen, any other horse is a potential threat to it’s safety, resources become limited and survival behavior leads to over investment in self (one horse sees the other as a threat to it’s own survival). A sick horse is a liability!

The rider must have mastery riding one horse before attempting to ride two horses, or disaster is inevitable. Each horse must have a common tandem objective, or the rider will become split in half! Each horse must be felt and seen as an extension of “self” and cared for as such. Anything else leads to one horse feeling abandoned, even though the other is standing right next to it. Any horse that feels deserted is unlikely to comply with the wishes or direction of the rider or the other horse. Abandonment creates a sense of absence: there but not there. Each must be groomed, cared for and treated as a unique individual. Two healthy halves equal a strong and healthy whole. You and you become one: two horses working as a functional unit sharing the load.

I encourage you to bring your horses together in harmony with clearly defined core values, goals and objectives. When we do this, we successfully ride two horses at once. One who successfully rides two horses at once enjoys more than double the satisfaction, safety and security and joy of working together in tandem. The whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts. When we ride two horses together successfully, each horse has the satisfaction and joy of companionship from the other. And we more than double our horsepower!

My dream for all of us working together is that we all ride safely in harmony with both our individual and professional goals and overcome the challenges of balancing self and business. My success is your success, and your success is my success. The world benefits greatly when we come together in love and synergy. To do this, we must cultivate our instincts, feed our intellect and ultimately nurture our relationships with self and other. The rest is natural and easy. Then we will ride two horses at once!

Photo Credit: R. Michael Tonnesen, www.adirondackminute.com

References: Pual Chek

Forwarded by, Natalie Pyles

Fitness & Nutritional Expert, Author, Speaker

Call Me For Your FREE Consultation Today! 1-800-681-9894 or 480-212-1947 or e-mail fitnesselementsassociates@yahoo.com
WWW.MyFitnessElements.com

'New Program Luanch Fitness Now'

Function Now

Function, Food, Flexibility

Working out for Real Life Functions


Functional fitness may be among the latest buzzwords in gyms these days, but for good reason. It's about training your body to handle real-life situation

Yesterday you had a great workout at the gym. You're bench-pressing more weight than ever before, and pulling enough weight on the seated rowing machine to try out for the Olympic sculling team.

Today, you lift a 60-pound suitcase to carry it downstairs -- and throw your back out. What happened? In all likelihood, you're not paying enough attention to your functional fitness. You might be toned, tight, and ready for the beach, but are you ready to lift your toddler out of his car seat or hoist the spring-water bottle onto the dispenser?

Functional fitness and functional exercise are the latest gym buzzwords. They focus on building a body capable of doing real-life activities in real-life positions, not just lifting a certain amount of weight in an idealized posture created by a gym machine.

Making Muscles Work Together

"Conventional weight training isolates muscle groups, but it doesn't teach the muscle groups you're isolating to work with others," says Greg Roskopf, MS, a biomechanics consultant with a company called Muscle Activation Techniques who has worked with athletes from the Denver Broncos, the Denver Nuggets, and the Utah Jazz.

"The key to functional exercise is integration. It's about teaching all the muscles to work together rather than isolating them to work independently."

So what's an example of a functional exercise? Think of a bent-over row; not the kind of row you do on a seated machine, but the kind you do leaning over a bench, holding the weight in one hand with your arm hanging straight down, and then pulling the weight up as your elbow points to the ceiling, finishing with your upper arm parallel to the ground.

"That's an exercise that will build the muscles of the back, the shoulders, the arms, and because of its nature will really work your whole body," says exercise kinesiologist Paul Chek, MSS, founder of the Corrective High-performance Exercise Kinesiology Institute in California who has advised the Chicago Bulls and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

"Compare that motion to a carpenter bending over a piece of wood, a nurse bending over a bed to transfer a patient, or an auto mechanic bending over to adjust your carburetor. Anyone doing a bent-over row will find a carryover in things you do in normal life."

Contrast that with the seated row: You're sitting in a chair with your chest pressed against pads, and you pull two levers back. "You may be strengthening certain muscles, but your body's not learning anything, because you don't have to activate your core stabilizer muscles or the stabilizers of your arms and shoulders. The machine's doing it for you," says Chek.

"In functional fitness, most of the time, you should be standing on your own two feet and supporting your own weight when you lift anything."

References: Gina Shaw

Forwarded By, Natalie Pyles

Fitness & Nutritional Expert, Author, Speaker

Call Me For Your FREE Consultation Today! 1-800-681-9894 or e-mail fitnesselementsassociates@yahoo.com
WWW.MyFitnessElements.com

"How To Incorporate Programming for Skiing"

It’s that time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, when people are dusting off their ski boots and heading for the slopes. For personal trainers, it is traditionally the time of year when we are approached by prospective clients looking to improve their fitness in order to make the most of their time on the slopes. This article will focus on how to design a functional, enjoyable and appropriate training program for skiers and set recommendations on how to best prepare these clients.

I would like to start by making some general points with regards to designing and implementing a skiing program, or indeed any sports specific training regime. Never lose sight of these points because they will act as the focal point of your program.

1. Keep it FUN. This may be stating the obvious, but if your clients feel they need to perform hours of monotonous, repetitive and unimaginative exercise, they will be put off skiing forever.

2. Keep it functional. Functional training appears to be the latest fitness buzz word, but its underlying principles are relevant to sports specific training. We have all seen the trainer who guides his client around the gym floor from resistance machine to resistance machine. My advice would be, where at all possible, keep your clients on their feet. There are one or two exceptions to this rule, and I will explore these later in this article.

3. Keep it specific. Another obvious one perhaps, but if you are training athletes, then train them to improve aspects of their fitness that are specific to skiing, not soccer or basketball. A program must also be specific to an individual’s age, standard and own personal specifications.

That last point brings us nicely onto the first task of a trainer when designing a skiing program, and that is to analyze the requirements of the task. Questions to ask during a consultation include: Have you skied before? Where are you skiing? How much skiing will you be doing (and how much time will be spent in the lodge)? Once you have determined your clients' individual requirements, you must examine the activity demands.

Skiing, depending on the standard and ability of the client, can be compared with interval training. That is, an individual may perform high intensity exercise lasting anywhere up to several minutes followed by a period of inactivity or active recovery at a lower intensity. This puts a demand on both the aerobic and anaerobic systems. Or individuals may choose to participate in less intensive and more continuous skiing, which places different demands on the body. Skiing also places a great demand on the central nervous system with regards to balance, coordination, reaction time and, of course, core strength and stability. While skiing, these components of fitness are affected by variables such as surface area, contact points such as feet and hands, visual effect, movement and external stimulus (i.e., obstacles on the slopes).

It is vitally important to replicate the activity of your clients and train them to cope with the physical demands of such activities. I will now break down some of the above principles and apply them in a programming setting.

Strength Training

The strength component of a skiing training program deals with base strength preparation. This is the work an athlete needs to complete before he can progress onto more advanced forms of training such as stability ball exercise, BOSU integrated training and resisted movement training. This phase should involve familiarizing clients with fundamental large muscle movements such as squats, lunges, deadlifts and body weight resistance exercises such as pull ups and press ups. These exercises recruit high threshold motor units and increase motor unit firing rate. I would never use isolation exercises in a sports specific exercise routine unless it was absolutely necessary, not even for novices. For strength training exercises, I would recommend working on a three sets of eight to 10 repetitions protocol. The base strength preparation phase should last between four and six weeks, depending on your athletes' fitness levels.

Core Development

Core training is arguably the most important element of any skiing fitness program. Effective core development will ensure your clients are strong and stable in the trunk and therefore able to support quick, powerful dynamic movements. In his article "Principles of Skiing Preparation," Chip Richards highlights the importance of moving from our center, thereby taking the stress away from the limbs and promoting core function.

I use several methods in order to develop core stability. The first and most simple is single leg training. As mentioned above, skiing places great demands on the CNS due to changing surface area and contact points. Single leg training reduces available surface area and halves the body’s contact with the ground. Also, skiing requires rates of force production generated by a single leg. Appropriate exercises include single leg backwards lean, opposite leg and arm reach and resistance exercises such as single leg shoulder press and single leg squats. (Examples of these can be found in the PTN Exercise Library.) Exercise on unstable surfaces should be incorporated into all snow sport training programs.

The stability ball plays a vital role when training skiers. Its versatility coupled with the fact that you can really stimulate the core makes it one the most effective exercise tools for skiers. Effective exercises include dumbbell chest press (supine) and bridge raise with tuck. For more advanced athletes, do jack knife, press ups and lateral raise kneeling on the ball.

Unstable surfaces should be incorporated into a winter sports program, with the most effective piece of equipment being the BOSU integrated trainer. Skiing requires high frequency muscle contractions with a restricted range of motion. Therefore, squats and lunges on the BOSU ball are ideal. Conventional standing strength training exercises such as deadlifts, shoulder press and woodchop as well as single leg exercises can also be performed using this piece of equipment.

The Resisted Movement Training protocol developed by Premier Training International in the UK is an idea based on dynamic movement patterns to promote healthier human function with particular emphasis on exercise along the kinetic chain. The type of exercises promoted through resisted movement training is relevant to winter sports training.

Dynamic Flexibility

There has been little research conducted in the area of flexibility for snow sports. I don’t prescribe any static stretching for my clients unless they have a specific muscle imbalance, and even then, I consult with a physiotherapist before prescribing a static routine. It is my belief that dynamic stretching is a safer and more effective way of improving flexibility. Some of my favorite exercises include leg kicks, star jumps, hip swings in the saggital plane and dynamic hip adduction and abduction. Ensure your clients have conducted some form of aerobic activity before performing such exercises. I would reserve five minutes every session for flexibility work.

Agility

Due to the aerobic and interval nature of the sport, there is a requirement for skiers to undergo some aerobic training. This is best conducted in the form of explosive and agility work, which requires clients to complete short bursts of aerobic activity with a rest period. Exercises involving short sprints, agility ladders and vertical cones/poles should be high on the agenda. This will also increase quickness and reaction time. If you are seeing your client for two hours per week, then I would spend a total of 30 minutes per week on agility.

In summary, it is very important that trainers consider all of the above theories, principles and exercises in order to plan an effective training program for skiers. Sometimes, the amount of time we can spend on the program is affected by our clients' schedules, and it is very common for someone to approach a trainer two weeks before their holiday. Ideally, a trainer would have at least two months to prepare their client, but we can only do our best. Your ultimate goal should be to design a fun, functional and sport specific skiing program.

References:

1. Heatlie, M. (2006) Strength Training for Winter Sports. FitPro Network, October/November 2006. pp 16-17.
2. Pratt, B. (2006) Progressive ski-matics. FitPro Network, October/November 2006. pp 14-15
3. Tom Huelin

Forwarded By,

Natalie Pyles

Fitness & Nutritional Expert, Author, Speaker

Call Me For Your FREE Consultation Today! 1-800-681-9894 or e-mail fitnesselementsassociates@yahoo.com
WWW.MyFitnessElements.com

"The Art Of Flexibility Training - Part 2"

The stretches in this article are presented in the context of assuming that your client is "apparently healthy" as described by the American College of Sports Medicine. It is also assumed that your client has successfully cleared any and all health history questionnaires, has gotten any necessary medical clearance before you work with them and is appropriately warmed up.

Hamstrings: biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus

Besides one of the heads of the bicep femoris, the hamstrings cross the hip and the knee, and these stretches are presented using that reference point. Since they cross two joints, there are several options in both stretching and strengthening this muscle group. Remember that even though we are talking about stretching, we must always think of the entire program. There are many issues that can be discovered or uncovered during an assessment, and in flexibility training. Some of these will be presented today and I will also present an entire article on assessment in the near future.

Straight Leg Hamstring Stretch

With the straight leg hamstring stretch, we are lengthening the muscle fibers behind the knee as much as possible and then lengthening at the hip until a stretch is felt, aka the "endpoint."

Client lies on table with both legs straight. Remember, it is always acceptable to bend the knee that is not being stretched. This puts slack in the hip flexors of the non-stretching leg, easing stress on the low back.

Have the client lie close to the edge of the table from which you are working. This makes it easier on your body. Where, and how you position yourself will depend on the length of the client’s leg, your height, and the height of the table. Adjust the height of the table if possible, so that you don’t have to hold your limbs up high over, or away from your body. These same criteria hold true if you are stretching while your client lies on the floor. You will need to determine whether you should be standing, or kneeling. You should keep your spine in neutral, your abs tight, chest out and keep the client’s limb close to your body. You should think about moving your body instead of your limbs.

Active movement is a valuable tool for the trainer to assess many components, such as range of motion, strength, flexibility, and core stability. Assess your client’s active range of hip flexion by asking them to lift up the right leg as high as possible. Determine pain free movement, assess imbalances between the two sides, and determine the endpoint.

"Normal" passive flexibility for the hamstrings is approximately 85 degrees with the low back flat. It is the responsibility of the trainer to determine how much flexibility the client needs or wants as part of the program design process. These needs and wants must then be weighed against the risk of possible hypermobility at the joint, with muscles that are too flexible.

Determine the endpoint: where the client begins to feel a stretch. Put the client’s right leg on your shoulder, or wherever is comfortable for you. (Fig.1)

Figure 1

Put your left hand above the client’s right knee. Do not put your hand on the kneecap. Cue the client to keep the pelvis still, and the opposite leg still.

Cue the client to keep the right knee straight, and push the straight leg down towards the table with approximately 50% effort, for about 4 seconds. Immediately afterward, you may feel the muscle fibers release, and you are able to move the limb into a new endpoint. Repeat this sequence 3-4 times, always beginning at the new endpoint.

Important Points: Many of our clients (many people in general) have difficulty in keeping the pelvis still while the hamstrings are lengthening. This is a classic example of the relationship between proximal stability and distal mobility. We will address this more in the assessment articles. The bottom line is that if the ischial tuberosities come up off the table (the origin of the hamstrings), the stretch is no longer increased; core and pelvic stability is sacrificed, and most importantly-we lose the opportunity to teach our clients new movement and postural positions which will help them in their daily lives against musculoskeletal imbalances.

Before beginning the next cycle, reaffirm that the low back is okay, and look to make sure that the other leg is still and stable, and the pelvis is on the table and neutral. If the client’s left leg comes up off the table, it may very well be because you are going past the endpoint. If the left thigh is coming off the table, it could be because those hip flexors are tight. You can have the client bend the left knee, put the left foot on the table and continue the stretch. Remember that the range of motion did not increase even though it looks like the stretching leg can go further. It is only because you moved the origin of the muscle further off the table, and can therefore move the leg further.

Outer Hip/Abductors

Major muscles/tissue being stretched: gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, tensor fasciae latae (isn’t this something that you order at Starbuck’s – give me a tensor fascia latae with non-fat milk-?), and the iliotibial band or IT band.

The gluteus medius and minimus abduct and medially rotate the leg at the hip. The tensor fascia latae also abducts (although in a more flexed position), and the iliotibial band is responsible for stability at the hip and the knee since it inserts below the knee.

To stretch this are, we will cue the client to laterally rotate, and adduct at the hip.

Many clients are tight in the muscles of the outer hip and thigh. Many of the traditional sports in which our clients participate put a load on the lateral side of the body, like running, cycling, in-line skating, etc. It is important to remember, however, that a tight muscle is not always the strong muscle. It is the responsibility of the trainer to ascertain which muscles are tight and/or weak and flexible and/or strong,

Have the client lie supine with both legs straight. Assess active range of motion for adduction (which stretches the abductors). Be sure there is no pain in the low back as the client adducts the leg across the midline. Normal passive flexibility for the abductors is approximately 30-40 degrees past the midline of the body.

Sit, or prop yourself on the table facing the client, on the outside of the left leg. Cue the client to keep the hip-bones still, and laterally rotate the right leg at the hip.

A note on cueing: Many trainers would tell the client to "turn the right foot out." It is important to have the client understand that the movement is happening at the hip in order for them to perform the movement completely and efficiently. You may be able to feel the tightness of the muscles in laterally rotating at the hip. It is this "feel" that is crucial in being a safe and effective stretching technician (see Figure 2).

wpe53.jpg (5691 bytes) Fig. 2

Assist the client in bringing the right leg across the midline of the body, high enough to cross the left thigh.

If the leg goes too high, the client may feel a stretch in the hamstrings. If the hamstring stretch is inhibiting the stretch of the outer hips/IT band, then you may want to bend the knee slightly to put the hamstrings/gastrocnemius in slack. Remember that you are sacrificing the stretching of the IT band if you bend the knee too much.

Keep the client’s leg close to your body, or support your elbow with your body. Support the client’s right knee on the lateral side. Start the sequence at the endpoint. Ask the client "do you feel a stretch? Can you point to where you feel a stretch?" The client may feel stretching around the greater trochanter of the femur, or along the fibers of the IT band. Cue the client to push against your body with 50 percent effort for four to six seconds. After this isometric contraction, you should feel the muscles "give" or "release," allowing you to move further into a stretched position. Repeat this sequence three to four times.

If the client’s right hip comes up off the table, you can cue them to pull it back down before you start the next cycle of contract-relax. Remember, when they pull the hip back down to the table, they will be increasing the stretch, since they are pulling the origin of the muscles further away, and back to the stable position. You may have to continually cue to keep the leg externally rotated.

A Note on Breathing

Obviously, the most important point is for the client to breathe while stretching. You may want to try having the client inhale as they contract the stretched muscle, and exhale as they "release", and stretch. This is not the same as we cue during strength training, i.e. exhaling during exertion, although it works well with the contract-relax stretching.wpe54.jpg (5650 bytes)

Fig. 3

(another view of the same position)

Always be certain that the ankle is in a neutral position.

Quadratus Lumborum (QL)

Many times the quadratus lumborum – responsible for lateral flexion of the spine, or "hip hiking" of the hip – is either too weak and/or too tight for the core of the body to work efficiently in either initiating, translating or supporting movement in and around the pelvis, and the whole body. This muscle is extremely important in stability of the lumbopelvic region.

Assess active range of motion to determine pain free movement, compensation, and symmetry. Normal flexibility is approximately 35 degrees. Cue the client to sit on the table, with the left leg straight, and out to the side. The right leg should be off the table. If the left hamstrings are tight, they may inhibit the stretch. If so, have the client bend the left knee to put slack in the hamstrings (see Figure 4).

Fig. 4

The client should be instructed to keep the right hip bone still or to pull it toward the table. The client’s left arm can also be used to stabilize by holding onto the table.

The main goal is for the client to remain stable while stretching. If the client is unable to sit in this position without falling over to the side, then have them simply sit up with both legs out in front, and the left arm assisting in the stabilization. The client in Figure 4 could also move his left, letting the left leg hang off of the table. The bottom line is that we must understand which muscle(s) we are trying to stretch, we must be sure that the spine is not compromised, and that we are actually cueing the client to move into a position which will illicit a stretch. If you are stretching on the floor, have the client sit with the left leg straight as in Figure 4. Bend the right knee, keeping it perpendicular to the body, with the foot into the body.

Cue the client to reach up overhead with the right arm, and laterally flex over to the left side. Be certain that there is no discomfort in the low back area. Place your body up on the table, or position yourself so as to help secure a good base of support (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5

Cue the client to push against you with 50 percent effort for four to six seconds, after which the client may be able to "fall" into a further stretch. It is important to cue the client to increase the stretch if applicable. As they stop pushing against you, they should feel that they can stretch further.

The client may also feel a stretch in the lattissimus dorsi, or erector spinae. You may need to attempt different angles in order to determine where the client most needs the stretch.

Up to this point, the following muscle groups have been presented: hip flexors, quadriceps, hamstrings (straight leg), abductors (outer hip) and quadratus lumborum.

References:

1. Adler, S., Beckers, D., & Buck, M. (1993). PNF in Practice. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
2. Alter, M. (1988). Science of Stretching. Champagne, IL: Human Kinetic Books.
3. Brotzman, S.B., (1996). Handbook of Orthopedic Rehabilitation. St. Louis, MI: Mosby-YearBook.
4. Trew, M., Everett, T. (1997). Human Movement: An Introductory Text. Churchill Livingstone.
5. Porterfield, J., DeRosa, C. (1998). Mechanical Low Back Pain: Perspectives in Functional Anatomy.
6. Annette Lang

Forwarded By,

Natalie Pyles

Fitness & Nutritional Expert, Author, Speaker, & Wellness Coach

Call Me For Your FREE Consultation Today! 1-800-681-9894 or e-mail fitnesselementsassociates@yahoo.com
WWW.MyFitnessElements.com

"The Art Of Flexibility Training"- Part 1

"The Art Of Flexibility Training"- Part 1

We as fitness professionals have long learned that flexibility is one of the four components of fitness, along with muscular strength, muscular endurance and cardiovascular endurance.

There is much evidence both for and against the benefits of various flexibility training or stretching protocols. This article is not intended to delve into the pros and cons but to present specific kinds of stretching protocols in a practical manner. Stretching major muscle groups will be discussed. The goal is for the personal trainer to start developing a competency in stretching as a vital component of a comprehensive training program.

Components of a professional personal trainer’s approach to flexibility training.

Trainer Responsibility: We must assume the responsibility of "touching" someone. Whether stretching or working with a client in any capacity, we must be certain that we are being safe and thorough in our documentation regarding health history (PAR-Q) postural assessment and movement/flexibility assessment. It is, therefore, assumed that the trainer:

* Has completed a health history questionnaire - with medical clearance if necessary.
* Has completed an assessment to ascertain pain free range of motion around the joints and to assess flexibility of individual muscle groups.

Warm up: The question "how much time is necessary for a warm up" illicits many answers. Perhaps instead of a specific, designated time, we as trainers should adhere to the goal of a warm up (i.e., increase in core body temperature, lubrication of the joints, etc). Therefore, a person getting out of a cab at 6am in the morning would need a different (and more of) a warm up than a client who moves throughout the workday and comes to the gym at 6pm.

Range of Motion: Although defined many different ways, I use Range of Motion to refer to the maximum movement around a joint. There are many things that can contribute to the range of motion around a joint. Scar tissue, inflammation, muscle bulk, fatty tissue, bony landmarks and weak muscles can all decrease the range of motion around a joint. Another contributing factor to the range of motion around a joint is the inflexibility of an individual muscle. Herein lies the difference between range of motion and flexibility

Flexibility: The degree to which an individual muscle will lengthen. Again, this is but one of the contributing factors to the range of motion around a joint. It is important for the trainer to appreciate the relationship between range of motion around a joint, and the flexibility of individual muscles that surround that joint. Range of motion, again, refers to the movement around the entire joint, and includes many factors. Flexibility refers to an individual muscle, and the lengthening of the muscle fibers and surrounding fascia.

What about hypermobility? If the ligaments that surround a joint are too lax, the joint can be hypermobile, and many times presents itself as unstable. It is then our decision of whether the individual muscle around that joint should be stretched or not. This is a question of risk versus benefit, and is greatly determined by the client’s goals and overall condition.

Endpoint: The point at which the client begins to feel a stretch. This is the point at which the muscle fibers are at their longest, at which some other mechanism is necessary to increase this endpoint, e.g. gravity, a towel, or the personal trainer. The trainer’s ability to detect the endpoint requires a great deal of sensitivity. A muscle’s endpoint will not be the same for everyone-or even for the same person at different times of day. The ability of a trainer to stretch a muscle far enough for it to be beneficial, but not so far as to destabilize a joint, or injure the muscle, is largely dependent upon the trainer’s ability to feel a muscle’s endpoint.

Core Stabilization: To be efficient at stretching, the bones at which the muscles originate must remain still. For example, when holding a rubber band in your left hand, and lengthening it with the right hand, you get to the point where you feel the rubber band is stretched as far as it can be. If you then move the left hand further towards the right, the rubber band decreases in stretch. That is exactly what happens during stretching when one of the bones at which the muscle originates. For the lower body, the pelvis must remain still; and for the upper body the shoulder girdle must remain still. Keeping the core muscles of the body engaged will help keep the pelvic girdle and shoulder girdle still.

Discomfort: There should never be any discomfort while stretching. The client must be able to distinguish a stretching feeling from a tingly, or radiating feeling, or sharp pain. The trainer must then stop the stretch, reassess the alignment, and perhaps discontinue until medical clearance is obtained.

PNF: Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation: PNF is a broad term that describes the neurological principles of the body. For example, if you stand on one leg, you will feel lots of movement around your ankle, your foot, perhaps your knee, and further up the chain. It is not necessary for you to actively engage any individual muscles to maintain balance; your body is "reacting" to the situation, and making the necessary adjustments. The sensory organs located in and around that joint are responsible for this (1,2). This is an example of PNF in practice. These principles are the intricate coordination of movements and reactions to the environment around the joints. In very brief review, two automatic responses that are responsible for joint and muscle protection are the muscle spindle, and golgi tendon organ. The muscle spindle is located in the muscle belly, and senses when a muscle is stretching too far, or too fast. Its protective reaction is to cause the muscle to contract, i.e. the myotatic stretch reflex. The golgi tendon organ, by contrast, is located in the muscle tendon, and senses too much tension. Its protective reaction is to cause the muscle to relax.

When we teach someone how to do static stretch, we tell him or her not to "bounce" or move too quickly or forcefully into the stretch. This is to prevent the myotatic stretch reflex from being triggered, by the muscle spindle. Then, after holding the static stretch for 15 seconds or so, there is a relaxation of the muscle fibers, i.e. the "inverse stretch reflex"; initiated by the golgi tendon organ.

The same thing happens when there is a contraction of the elongated muscle fibers, e.g. the golgi tendon organ causes a release; this is also called post isometric relaxation.

Since most fitness professionals learn static stretching, what will be presented here is "post isometric" stretching or "contract relax." There are many ways to manipulate the PNF principles of the body, and the trainer is encouraged to continue with further research and education. The knowledge of anatomy is crucial when stretching. Since there are many muscles that perform similar actions at a specific joint, only the major ones are named.

Hip Flexors and Quadriceps: these muscle groups are presented in sequence since the rectus femoris crosses both the hip and the knee, and can only be effectively stretched if done so at both joints.

Major Hip flexors: psoas major/(minor), iliacus, rectus femoris

Stable points: pelvis

The client sits at the end of the stretch table, with the right thigh almost off the table. Instruct the client to hold the left leg, while lying down on the table. Make certain that the client does not lie down without the left leg, as this is very stressful on the low back.

Assess the following:

* If the right thigh comes up off the table, the hip flexors could be tight.
* If the right knee extends, then the quadriceps could be tight.

Always be sure that you are practicing good biomechanics (i.e., back flat, abs engaged, good posture).

Spot the client by facing the table. Take the client’s left foot and place it on the front of your body so the client does not have to hold the leg.

Ask the client:

* "Does your low back feel okay?"
* "Are you feeling pinching or discomfort on the left side?"

It is important to keep the left leg relaxed and alleviate any discomfort, as this takes the focus and effort away from the stretching on the right leg.

If the client feels pinching in the hip flexors of the left leg, you can try to ease up on the degree of hip flexion on the left side or change the angle slightly at which the left hip is flexed.

Assess if the client feels a stretch in the right hip flexors. Be certain they tell you what they feel, and point to where they feel it - as they may be feeling discomfort in the low back, which is not what we want!

In this position, you have gravity assisting in the stretch. Be very conservative in increasing this stretch. If the client’s thigh is below the level of the table and he or she feels no stretching with minimal assistance, it is highly probable that this muscle group does not need to be stretched.



wpe1.jpg (4325 bytes)

Post Isometric Relaxation (Contract/Relax)

Hold the client’s right leg at the endpoint of stretch. Cue the client to push the right thigh up into your hand with 50% effort for approximately 6 seconds. At the end of the 6 seconds, you should feel a "release" of the hip flexors, allowing the right thigh to fall further towards the floor. Then repeat this sequence 3-5 times, always starting at the new endpoint.It is very important to not force an increase in the stretch. If the muscle fibers do not release, simply try it again.

Client cues: cueing is obviously a huge component in achieving the desired movement we want from our clients. Tell the client to push the right thigh (or you may get an unwanted push with the left leg!) Cue the client to push, or press, but not to resist your efforts. It is important to have the client initiate the effort, and you are resisting it with an isometric contraction.

Quadriceps:

While holding the right hip in the stretched position, cue the client to flex the right knee, or bend the right knee, or bring the right heel towards the buttocks. This lengthens all of the quadriceps towards the endpoint. Do not assist in this movement, as you want to be sure the client does not feel any knee discomfort. Reassess:

* "Does your low back feel okay?"
* "Does your right knee feel okay?"

If someone’s rectus femoris is extremely tight, they will experience an intense stretch; you will also feel that the right thigh tries to lift up, thereby easing the stretch at the hip. You may have to reduce the stretch at the hip in order to stretch the quadriceps successfully without being too severe of a stretch.

wpe5.jpg (4832 bytes)

The client may also report knee discomfort if this muscle is too tight to allow being stretched over both joints. If this is the case, reduce the stretch at the hip, and work only at the quads; over time as the rectus femoris increases in resting length, you will be able to increase the stretch over both the hip and knee.

Take your left leg and hold the client’s right leg in the stretched position by placing your shin right up to the client’s shin. This is a biomechanically advantageous position for the trainer, and very easy to maintain.

wpe6.jpg (4697 bytes)

Cue the client to push the right shin into your left one with 50 percent effort for about six seconds. Tell them to either release, or relax; you should feel the muscle fibers relax, and the thigh may drop closer to the floor or the knee may flex more. Repeat the sequence at this new endpoint three to five times.

Stretching at Both the Hip and Knee Joints

Cue the client to simultaneously push the right thigh up into your hand, and push the right shin into your leg, with 50 percent effort for about six seconds. Repeat the sequence at the new endpoint three to five times. This is very difficult for the client as it is a deeper stretch and requires coordination and focus.

References:

1. Adler, S., Beckers, D., & Buck, M. (1993). PNF in Practice. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
2. Alter, M. (1988). Science of Stretching. Champagne, IL: Human Kinetic Books.
3. Brotzman, S.B., (1996). Handbook of Orthopedic Rehabilitation. St. Louis, MI: Mosby-YearBook.
4. Handel, M., Horstmann, H., Dickhuth, H.H., & Guelch, R.W. (1977). Effects of contract-relax stretching training on muscle performance in athletes. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 76(5), 400-408.
5. Lund, H., Vestergaard-Poulsed P., Kanstrup, IL, & Sejrsen, P. (1998). The effect of passive stretching on delayed onset muscle soreness, and other detrimental effects following eccentric exercise. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 8, 216.
6. Pollard, H., & Ward, G. (1997). A study of two stretching techniques for improving hip flexion range of motion. Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapy, 20, 443.
7. Annette Lang

Forwarded By,

Natalie Pyles

Fitness & Nutritional Expert, Author, Speaker, & Wellness Coach
Call Me For Your FREE Consultation Today! 480-212-1947 or e-mail fitnesselementsassociates@yahoo.com
WWW.MyFitnessElements.com

"Discoveries Of Scientific Balance Training - Part 1"

"Discoveries Of Scientific Balance Training - Part 1"



I’m not going to lie to you. This is a technical series of articles that will challenge many readers for a variety of reasons. Some may be challenged by the anatomy, some may be challenged by the concepts and others may find the realities of balance training and how it relates to fitness professionals a bit alarming. The goal was not just to write an article on balance training and show the reader a few of exercises they could do with their clients. Rather, we were interested in showing you the science behind balance training and to provide a structural approach.

Today’s population is more unhealthy than ever before in history, including a large number of people suffering from a variety of orthopaedic dysfunctions. How does this relate to you? Many of these people are your clients, and if you don’t have a solid grasp of what you are doing when prescribing exercises to them, you may be doing far more harm to them than good!

When reading this article, we recommend you spend some time going through it more than once. A good anatomy textbook and a highlighter may prove to be valuable in later parts of this article especially. More than anything, we want to show you that balance training is not as simple as some make it out to be and that there is much more to balance training than meets the eye. Our hope is that this article series will provide you with the tools necessary to start prescribing smart exercise programs and helping your clients far beyond their expectations!

Introduction

Balance training is needed today more than ever! It is projected that by the year 2045, there will be 77 million people older than the age of 65, and one out of every five people will be age 85 or older! Almost half the population over age 74 has difficulty with common functional activities, such as lifting, climbing stairs, walking, standing, bending, reaching and grasping, and it is well known that the most common orthopaedic injury among the elderly are hip fractures.

To address the growing numbers of elderly members joining gyms and health clubs, emphasis will need to be placed on exercises that improve key biomotor abilities such as strength, endurance, balance, agility, coordination and flexibility. Accomplishing these objectives requires greater emphasis on functional exercise programs, including Tai Chi, Yoga, Swiss ball training and free weight training, and a greater emphasis will need to be put on the skillful use of tools such as the Fitter, balance boards and BOSU balls. Notice I said skillful use of balance tools... that will be part of my focus in this article series.

Tai Chi has been shown to positively augment physical therapy programs aimed at improving balance, posture, coordination and integration of movement, endurance, strength, flexibility and relaxation. Swiss ball training has been shown to improve balance in a controlled study and has been used as a key modality in the treatment of neurologically impaired patients for over 30 years. Effective implementation of these functional exercise programs will require a more structured approach to balance training than is currently being used, and it will require that gyms provide the space for these types of exercise, particularly in the free weight area.

The topic of balance training is exceedingly complex. Though much more could be written on the subject than I am including here, it is my intention to give the reader a better understanding of the science behind balance training and to show you it’s not quite as easy as simply putting someone on a balance board or foam roller. That being said, here are the objectives for this series of balance training articles:

* Understand the relationships between segmental and gross stabilization and posture and the development of balance skills
* Learn to prescribe specific balance training exercises based on the individual needs of your client’s environmental demands - not the latest F.A.D. (Forthcoming Anatomical Dysfunction) training methods!
* Appreciate that balancing is a skill and that because someone can perform complex balancing acts does not assure they have intrinsic balance, segmental stability, nor does it correlate with a reduced incidence of musculoskeletal dysfunction.

We will be covering the first of these objectives in this part of the series.

HOW STABILITY AND POSTURE RELATE TO BALANCE

While the terms stability and posture may appear to be two distinct terms at first glance, they are intimately related to one another - especially with regard to balance and the related functional applications of such training.

SEGMENTAL STABILITY

The ability for any joint complex in the human body to function without internal derangement during normal human activities requires the maintenance of an Optimal Instantaneous Axis of Rotation (OIAR). While there a variety of joint types in the human body, joint movement can be broken down into the following: surface gliding, linear gliding, rocking or rolling motion, rocking combined with gliding motions and/or axial rotation. All joints in the human body are under the influence of segmental stabilizers (muscles crossing that joint only) and gross stabilizers (muscles crossing multiple joints). For example, the shoulder joint receives segmental stability from the rotator cuff musculature, while larger muscles like the pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi serve as gross stabilizers. Assisting with joint stabilization are ligaments, joint capsules and fascial structures such as the iliotibial band.

Every joint complex in the body is richly innervated with mechanoreceptors or nerve endings highly sensitive to motion that provide information regarding joint position, pressure, tension and pain (Table 1). When the active and passive systems of the body effectively stabilize a given joint and maintain an OIAR, normal neuromechanical relationships allow pain free function.

Figure 1. Segmental Stability

A. Maintenance of an optimal instantaneous axis of rotation (OIAR) results in physiological mechanoreceptor response and joint health.

B. Loss of an OIAR results in capsule and ligament stress, strain and/or injury. Due to mechanoreceptor influences on tonic and phasic musculature, locally and globally, faulty recruitment patterns may disrupt recruitment of gross stabilizers and balance!

However, in the presence of a muscle imbalance or faulty recruitment of stabilizer muscles, the chances of maintaining segmental stability and an OIAR are significantly diminished. This will likely result in aberrant strain in the capsular and ligamentous structures of the joint complex and may cause faulty proprioceptive information to be sent to the spinal cord and brain (Figure 1-B). Additionally, there will be compensatory facilitation of key muscles around the involved joint complex and possibly other areas of the body.

Because the Type I mechanoreceptors are located in the most superficial portions of a joint capsule, they are the first to be damaged any time there is of a loss of an OIAR that induces non-physiological loading of the joint capsule and ligaments. If the joint structure is damaged enough to traumatize the deeper fibers of the capsule, there will also be destruction of Type II mechanoreceptors.

JOINT RECEPTORS


FUNCTION

Type I


Low threshold, slowly adapting static and dynamic mechanoreceptors. Tonic reflexogenic effects on neck, limb, jaw and eye muscles. Postural and kinesthetic sensation. Pain suppression. Facilitate the tonic muscle system.

Type II


Fast adapting, low threshold dynamic mechanoreceptors. Phasic reflexogenic effects on the neck, limb, jaw, and eye muscles as well as pain suppression. Facilitate the phasic muscle system.

Type III


High threshold, very slow adapting receptors. Have the same characteristics as a golgi tendon organ.

Type IV


High threshold, non-adapting pain provoking nerve fibers. These fibers have tonic reflexogenic effects on the neck, limb, jaw and eye muscles. They also induce cardiovascular reflexogenic effects. Facilitation can cause guarding in the tonic muscle system.

TABLE 1. Joint Mechanoreceptors

Another important aspect to understand is that the Type I mechanoreceptors communicate directly with the tonic muscles of the body and the Type II mechanoreceptors communicate with the phasic muscles of the body. For a better understanding of tonic and phasic muscles, please refer to Table 2.

Predominantly Tonic Muscles


Predominantly Phasic Muscles

Prone to Hyperactivity


Prone to Inhibition

Function

Posture


Movement

Susceptibility to Fatigue

Late


Early

Reaction to Faulty Loading

Shortening


Weakening

Shoulder Girdle - Arm

Pectoralis Major & Minor
Levator Scapulae
Trapezius (upper)
Biceps Brachii
Scalenes
Subscapularis
Sternocleidomastoids
Masticatory
Forearm Flexors


Rhomboids
Trapezius (middle)
Trapezius (lower)
Triceps Brachii
Deep Neck Flexors
Forearm Extensors
Supraspinatus
Infraspinatus
Serratus lateralis
Deltoid

Trunk

Lumbar and Cervical Erectors
Quadratus Lumborum


Thoracic Erectors
Rectus Abdominis

Pelvis – Thigh

Hamstrings

Iliopsoas

Rectus Femoris

Thigh Adductors

Piriformis

Tensor Fasciae Latae


Vastus Lateralis

Vastus Medialis

Gluteal Muscles

Lower Leg - Foot

Gastrocnemius
Soleus


Anterior Tibialis
Peroneals
Extensors of the toes
Table 2. Properties of Tonic and Phasic Musculature

Modified from (7) and (8).

When capsule and ligament structures become overloaded and damaged, the resulting tonic muscle facilitation commonly leads to characteristic holding patterns and faulty movement sequences. A classic example of this is seen in a postural holding pattern demonstrated by an elevated, forward-rounded shoulder with increased tone in the biceps, or increased postural elbow flexion. When someone has this holding pattern and they perform movements such as lat pull downs, chin ups, rows and shoulder abductions, the movement is usually initiated from the upper trapezius, evidenced by a shoulder-hiking action. During shoulder abduction, there is often increased effort from the upper trapezius at the beginning of the motion to carry the arm through mid and upper ranges of abduction; there may also be an associated pain with this movement.

How does this pertain to balance training? When practicing any balance exercise or drill, such compensatory recruitment patterns are commonly accompanied with posture that is not conducive to optimal skills development or maintenance of one’s center of gravity over their own base of support. For instance, many protective patterns resulting from joint instabilities in the body result in gradual pronation of one’s entire body. From a postural perspective, this constitutes forward head posture, increased pronation of the extremities and a reduced ability to support the body against gravity and kinetic loading.

Poor posture is detrimental to learning or maintaining a balance skill because any environment requiring maintenance of balance also requires three-dimentional freedom of motion in the spine in order to right oneself. Because extremity motions required to right oneself are generally acyclical, the ability to rotate the spine efficiently and effectively is essential to preventing unwanted falls. As you can see from Figure 2, anytime someone’s thoracic kyphosis is increased and/or they have forward migration of the head, rotational capacity and rotational efficiency will be reduced, thus reducing one’s ability to right themselves or balance!

The problem of muscle imbalance and faulty joint motion is not just localized to a “dysfunctional joint complex.” Clinical experience demonstrates that such clients not only have an increased risk of injury while learning new and unfamiliar balance skills, but they may also complain of “abnormal nagging pains” of an unknown origin while learning or practicing such exercises. This is likely to result from faulty motor recruitment of muscles at distant locations.

In support of this contention, Dvorak and Dvorak have demonstrated something they refer to as a spondylogenic reflex syndrome. While under cervical traction, the researchers electrically stimulated mechanoreceptors at the C3-4 level and were able to record significant EMG (electrical activity) responses in muscles certain muscles including the sternocleidomastoid, trapezius, digastric, scalenes, triceps, rectus femoris and biceps femoris! These findings strongly suggest that the electrical messages sent to the brain may make it respond as if a corresponding preprogrammed pattern of motion were taking place. Dvorak and Dvorak identified this phenomenon as a distant recruitment pattern.

This relates to the fitness professional because any individual suffering from a muscle imbalance and an inability to maintain OIAR during a challenging balance skill may develop an idiopathic hamstring strain, groin strain, muscle tear or spasm in a seemingly unrelated region relative to the problematic joint. In other words, you could injure a client that has a muscle imbalance if you give them an ill-prescribed balance exercise!

Additionally, balance training drills in the presence of intrinsic imbalance are likely to predispose your client to injury outside the gym, secondary to facilitation of faulty motor sequencing.

GROSS STABILITY, MUSCLE CHAINS AND BALANCE

The body knows nothing of muscles, only of movement. During the continual changes that take place to preserve our equilibrium while moving, the body is constantly activating an array of muscles in patterns of coordination that causes muscles to lose their identity. When we train people using balance exercises, we are training hundreds of muscles at once.

Current research by Serge Gracovetsky and Andre Vleeming et.al. expands on previous knowledge of muscle chains presented by such anatomy experts as Raymond A. Dart. In Figures 3-6, specific chains of muscle are now referred to as outer unit muscle systems by these and other researchers. The outer unit muscle chains work synergistically with inner unit muscle systems to carry out motor commands from the CNS. (For more detailed information, please read my articles on The Inner Unit and The Outer Unit.)

An understanding of outer unit systems and their working relationship with inner unit systems is necessary to understand how an individual or an athlete, such as a gymnast, can display impressive feats of balance (above) yet suffer from chronic musculoskeletal pain. In many cases they are predisposing themselves to injury by performing various balance acts while their body is out of balance at a segmental or gross level. Just because they can perform acrobatic feats of balance doesn’t mean they have inner structural balance, nor does it mean that repetitive exposure to further balance training is optimal for long term progress!

To appreciate how this works a little better, first consider that the small segmental stabilizer muscles have a profound influence on the recruitment of the larger outer unit muscles. For example, spindle cell counts of small muscles such as the suboccipital muscles in the anterior and posterior cervical region, and the intertransvarii and interspinales of the cervical and lumbar spine, have as many as 200-500 spindle cells per gram of muscle tissue! Using this information it becomes evident that one of their primary roles is to inform the CNS of joint position. As these position sensitive muscles discharge through the gamma nervous system they, along with local mechanoreceptors, have a profound influence on the alpha motor neurons of the larger muscles, which have the capacity to alleviate compression, torsion and sheer forces acting on any joint experiencing threshold limits of motion.

Problems arise in these systems when athletes become more experienced at exerting themselves and therefore become progressively more able to ignore warning signals coming from within. Examples of this are Golgi inhibition override by experienced Power Lifters, and the fact that many gymnasts and martial artists are capable of performing amazing feats in the presence of intrinsic pain and dysfunction.

It must be remembered that pain is the most powerful and effective re-programming agent of the CNS and anytime you are learning a balance skill at the expense of segmental stability or in the presence of muscle imbalance syndromes, you are retarding the ability to effectively utilize the segmental and gross stabilizers of the body. More importantly, you are teaching the body to move in an environment in which pain avoidance is the primary goal, not optimal motor learning!

As a clinician, I have had to treat scores of elite athletes in sports requiring exquisite balance skills, including motocross, skate boarding, ice skating, gymnastics, equestrian, hockey, skiing, surfing and martial arts. All of the athletes in these sports could perform amazing balance acts, yet they all came to me because they were in pain! To restore an athlete or individual’s ability to train for and participate in these sports, muscle balance and segmental stability training must precede balance skills development if long-term performance and injury prevention are the goals!

POSTURE AND BALANCE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

The topic of posture is a complex one, but my goal here is to merely show you the intimate relationship between posture and balance training. To begin, I would like to point out that in nature, where animals function naturally, poor posture and poor balance are virtually unheard of (below).

Simply stated, posture is the sum total, or static and dynamic expression, of segmental and gross stability. At the segmental level, each joint complex maintains it’s own balance as expressed by the maintenance of an OIAR and must maintain a balanced working relationship with one another.

In an individual with poor posture (above, B), attempting to learn balance skills will only reinforce poor posture if they are unable to achieve optimal alignment and stability during the exercise! Ultimately, balance training in the absence of postural training and segmental stability perpetuates postural, joint and soft tissue dysfunction - the tonic muscles become progressively more facilitated while the phasic antagonists become progressively more inhibited, further degenerating length/force relationships. This is very important to remember because the body always moves toward its position of strength. Therefore, anytime you learn a new skill from a position of poor posture (balance skill or otherwise), you are merely reinforcing faulty biomechanical relationships and faulty motor skills development! In this case, the brain now seeks to generate an equilibrium reaction or to generate force from a position of poor posture (below).



Your client with poor static posture will demonstrate poor dynamic posture if therapeutic intervention and postural training are not implemented prior to structural adaptation taking place. For example, notice the kypholordotic posture presented by this roofer carrying a sheet of plywood across a rooftop, a situation that naturally requires axial extension or lengthening of the spine for optimal performance and injury prevention! It is important to have an appreciation for static vs. dynamic posture when attempting to improve balance in your client.
Part 2 of this article series takes a look at the basic reflexes of Righting and Equilibrium that we use during balance activities, and it will give us practical tools for building the right type of balance in our clients, from sedentary to elite level athletes.

References: Paul Chek

Forwarded By, Natalie Pyles

Fitness & Nutritional Expert, Author, Speaker

Call Me For Your FREE Consultation Today! 1-800-681-9894 or e-mail fitnesselementsassociates@yahoo.com

"How To Avoid Spinal Stress Fractures and Running - Part 2"

"How To Avoid Spinal Stress Fractures and Running - Part 2"

The following article is a follow up to Spinal Stress Fractures and Running - Part 1 and will explore a functional approach to preventing Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis. Preventing lower back injuries that could progress to more common running injuries should begin with proper and well orchestrated flexibility and strength training programs. The following should be emphasized:

* Trunk and muscular flexibility (specifically the paraspinal, hamstring and gluteal muscles)
* Improving range of motion
* Strengthening the erector spinae muscles
* Strengthening the abdominal muscles
* Learning and implementing proper neutral spine position for training and daily activities

Unfortunately, most back pain is still caused by trying to do too much, too quickly, too often. Simply reminding the athlete (or coach) to gradually increase the work load associated with progressive strength development can have tremendous preventive effects. Proper periodization principles with emphasis on recovery based training and prevention of overtraining should be the cornerstones of a triathlete’s training program.

As eluded to previously, along with proper progression and periodization principles, a sound flexibility and strength training program are crucial to preventing or recovering from spondylolysis or spondylolisthesis. If a more common running injury such as piriformis syndrome develops as a result of these lower back issues, the athlete may only treat the secondary injury rather than treating the source, thereby progressing the injury to a worse degree.

The foundation of a sound flexibility and strength program is to understand and implement neutral spine position and proper core strengthening.

Neutral Spine

Management and prevention of back pain begins by understanding the neutral spine position. Three natural curves are present in a healthy spine. The neck, or the cervical spine, curves slightly inward. The mid back, or the thoracic spine, is curved outward. The low back, or the lumbar spine, curves inward. The neutral alignment is important in helping to cushion the spine from too much stress and strain.

The natural curves of the spine are the result of the muscles, ligaments and tendons that attach to the vertebrae of the spine. Without these supporting structures, the spine would collapse. They support the spine much like guide wires support the mast of a ship. This guide wire system is made up mainly of the abdominal and back muscles. The abdominal muscles provide support by attaching to the ribs, pelvis and indirectly to the lumbar spine. The muscles of the back are arranged in layers, with each layer playing an important role in balancing the spine. By using these muscles together, it is possible to change the curves of the spine.

Controlling pelvic tilt is one way to begin helping athletes balance the spine. As certain muscles of the back and abdomen contract, the pelvis rotates. As the pelvis rotates forward, the lumbar curve increases. As the pelvis rotates backward, the curve of the low back straightens. Rotation of the pelvis is like a wheel centered at the hip joint. The muscles of the upper thighs also attach to the pelvis, and contraction of these muscles can be used to change the curve of the spine.

The abdominal muscles work alone or with the hamstring muscles to produce a backward rotation of the pelvis. This causes the slight inward curve of the low back to straighten. If these muscles cause the curve of the low back to straighten too much, this may produce an unhealthy slouching posture.

In the other direction, as the hip flexors contract and back extensors contract, the pelvis is rotated forward, thus increasing the curvature of the lower back. If this curve is increased too much, another unhealthy posture may result, termed lordosis.

A balance of strength and flexibility is the key to maintaining the neutral spine position. This balance is the basis for optimal muscle function. Like a car, an imbalance may lead to wear and tear, eventually damaging the various parts.

Muscle imbalances that affect the spine have many causes. One common cause of muscle imbalance is weak abdominal muscles. As the abdominal muscles sag, the hip flexors become tight, causing an increase in the curve of the low back. This leads to the swayback posture mentioned above. Another common problem results from tight hamstrings. As the hamstring muscles become tight, the pelvis is rotated backwards. This produces an abnormal slouching posture.

Stability/Core Training

The aim of core stability training is to effectively recruit the trunk musculature and then learn to control the position of the lumbar spine during dynamic movements. The deep muscles of the trunk include the transverse abdominis (TA), multifidus (MF), internal oblique (IO), paraspinal and pelvic floor. The co-contraction of these muscles produce forces via the "theracolumbar fascia" (TLF) and the "intra-abdominal pressure" (IAP) mechanism, which stabilize the lumbar spine, and the paraspinal and MF muscles act directly to resist the forces acting on the lumbar spine.

It is not simply the recruitment of these deep-trunk muscles but how they are recruited that is important. The co-contraction of the TA and MF muscles occurs prior to any movement of the limbs, suggesting that these muscles anticipate dynamic movements, which may act on the lumbar spine and stabilize the area before any movements.

Prior to core specific training, it is important to emphasize flexibility drills first since flexibility is crucial to successful lumbar stabilization training because flexibility allows the muscles to assume the neutral position easily. The following exercises should be recommended:

Stretching should be performed three to four times daily. Each stretch should be held for approximately 30 seconds.









Training the Core Musculature

As with any type of strength and conditioning training, the training protocol for improving the function of the deep-trunk muscles must be specific to the task required. This specificity of training must take into account the type of contraction, the muscle fiber type and the anatomical position required. By definition, the deep-trunk muscles act as "stabilizers" and are not involved in producing movements but instead involve isometric contractions. These muscles do not need to be very strong, but they must be correctly coordinated and capable of working continuously. In addition, these stabilizer muscles should act by holding the lumbar spine in the neutral position, which is the correct alignment of the pelvis that allows for the natural 'S' curve of the spine.

Core training begins with learning to co-contract the TA and MF muscles effectively as this has been identified as key to the lumbar-support mechanism. To perform the TA and MF co-contraction, the "abdominal hollowing" technique with the spine in the neutral position must be performed. The following should be taught to the athlete to properly perform this exercise:

* Start by lying on the back with knees bent.
* The lumbar spine should not be arched up nor flattened against the floor but aligned normally with a small gap between the floor and the back.
* Breathe in deeply and relax the stomach muscles.
* Breathe out and draw the lower abdomen inward as if the belly button is going back towards the floor. This can be described as zipping up a tight pair of pants.
* Hold the contraction for 10 seconds, making sure to breathe in and out as the tension is held in the lower stomach area.
* Repeat 5-10 times.

Instruct the athlete to:

* Not let the whole stomach tense up or the upper abdominals bulge outward since this recruits the rectus abdominis not the TA and MF muscles.
* Not brace the TA muscle too hard since it is muscular endurance not maximal strength that is the focus.
* Not tilt the pelvis nor flatten the back.

The Next Step

After having learned to effectively recruit the TA and MF muscles correctly in various positions, the athlete can progress to simple core exercises. Some of these basic exercises that the triathlete can perform are listed below. These exercises may also involve the oblique muscles, other lumbar muscles and gluteal muscles to assist the TA and MF in maintaining the lumbar spine in a stable neutral position.

Pelvic Tilt

Lying on the back with the knees bent and the feet flat on the floor, tighten the stomach muscles and push the lower back into the floor. Hold for 5 seconds and relax. Repeat 10 times.

Dead Bug

Tighten the stomach muscles and press the lower back into the floor. Lift one leg several inches off the floor and hold for 5 seconds and lower it. Lift the other leg off the floor, hold for 5 seconds and lower it. Alternate legs, doing 5 repetitions with each leg.

Prone Hip Rotation

Lie on the stomach on the floor. Bend the knees so the thighs stay on the floor and the lower legs are perpendicular to the floor. Keep the knees on the floor and shoulder width apart. Cross the legs over each other as far as possible. Keeping the knees on the floor, uncross the lower legs and move them as far apart as possible. Hold for 2 seconds. Repeat 10 to 20 times.

Remembering that the ultimate goal of core training is to ensure that the deep trunk muscles are working correctly to control the lumbar spine during dynamic movements such as running is important. Once the athlete has achieved proficiency of the simple core exercises, the athlete can progress to achieving stability during more functional movements with the following two exercises:

Lunge

* Stand with feet hip width apart in front of a mirror.
* Place the lumbar spine in neutral with the back tall, shoulders back and head up.
* Lunge forward and bend the knee only halfway down.
* Ensure that the front knee is in line with the toes and the back has remained upright with the lumbar spine in neutral and your hips level.
* Push back up, initiating the movement by pushing down into the floor with the front foot.
* The force from the legs should bring the athlete back up quickly and easily to their starting position.
* The back should have remained completely still and the hips level as the athlete performed the push back.

Many athletes do not initiate the up movement correctly as they pull their heads and shoulders back first. This extends the lumbar spine, losing the neutral position. Others have problems keeping their pelvis level while performing the lunge. The athlete must learn to use their deep trunk and gluteal muscles to hold their lumbar spine in neutral and pelvis level as they perform the movement up and down. The movement should only come from the leg muscles.

Press Up

* Start from the knees, even if this means it is easy for the upper body.
* Hands should be slightly wider than the shoulders, and the head must be in front of the hands.
* Lift the hips so that there is a straight line from the knees through the pelvis and lower back, through the shoulders and all the way to the head.
* Ensure that the lumbar spine is in neutral with the help of a training partner or mirror.
* To maintain a neutral spine and a straight back during the exercise, the trunk muscles must provide active support.
* Slowly lower down, bending the arms to the floor. Keep the head still with the neck straight relative to the back.
* Push up, initiating the movement by pressing down into the floor with the hands.

These two exercises enable the athlete to learn core stability while performing dynamic movements. By reducing the resistance, the focus is on the trunk stabilizers and achieving perfect technique rather than working the major muscle groups. The rationale behind core strengthening can be defined as the ability of the core muscles to work in an efficient and coordinated fashion to maintain correct alignment of the spine and pelvis while the limbs are moving. It is this kinetic chain as a whole that must be trained, strengthened and stretched to elicit positive outcomes.

By identifying the root cause of potential running injuries as they relate to the lower back, it is possible to rehabilitate triathletes in a proper, periodized fashion so that loss of training time is reduced and performance is not negatively impacted. However, a proper flexibility and strengthening program emphasizing the core musculature should be implemented year round to prevent any such injuries from developing in the first place.

References:

1. Stinson JT. Spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis in the athlete. Clin Sports Med 1993; 3: 517-28
2. Engelhardt M, Reuter I, Freiwald J, Bohme T, Halbsguth A. Spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis and sports. Orthopade 1997; 9: 755-59
3. Rossi F. Spondylolysis, Spondylolisthesis and Sports. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 1978; 4: 317-40
4. Hoshina H. Spondylolysis in athletes. Physician and Sportsmedicine 1980; 9: 75-9
5. Micheli LJ, Wood R. Back pain in young athletes. Significant differences from adults in causes and patterns. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1995; 149: 15-18
6. Takaaki I, Miyake R, Katoh S, Morita T, Murase M. Pathogenesis of sports-related spondylolisthesis in adolescents. Radiographic and Magnetic Resonance Imaging study. Am J Sports Med 1996; 1: 94-8
7. Libson E, Bloom RA, Dinari G. Symptomatic and asymptomatic spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis in young athletes. Int Orthop 1982; 6: 259-61
8. Congeni J, Mc Culloch J, Swanson K. Lumbar spondylolysis. A study of natural progression in athletes. Am J Sports Med 1997; 2:248-53
9. Goldstein JD, Berger PE, Windler GE, Jackson DW. Spine injuries in gymnasts and swimmers. An epidemiologic investigation. Am J Sports Med 1991; 5: 463-8
10. Bergmann TF, Hyde TE, Yochum TR. Active or Inactive Spondylolysis and/or Spondylolisthesis: What's the Real Cause of Back Pain? Journal of the Neuromusculoskeletal System. 2002:10:70-78.
11. Soler T, Calderon C. The prevalence of spondylolysis in the Spanish athlete. Am J Sports Med. 2000:28(1)57-62.
12. Rossi F, Dragoni S. The prevalence of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis in symptomatic elite athletes: radiographic findings. Radiography. 2000:28(1):57-62.
13. The Bonati Institute. www.bonati.com
14. The Luklinski Back Pain Clinic. www.back-pain.co.uk
15. American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. www.aaos.org
16. Gatorade Sports Science Institute. Low back pain in athletes, RT# 19 Volume 6 (1995), Number 1. www.gssiweb.com
17. Spondylosis. The Athletic Advisor. www.athleticadvisor.com
18. Piriformis Syndrome. www.emedicine.com
19. Sports Injury Bulletin. www.sportsinjurybulletin.com
20. Core Stability Training. Peak Performance Online. www.pponline.co.uk
21. Core Stability. Sports Coach. www.brianmac.demon.co.uk
22. A Patient’s Guild to Rehabilitation for the Lower Back. University of Maryland Medical Center. www.umm.edu.
23. Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma. www.nismat.org
24. Spondylosis profile and diagnosis. Spine Health. www.spine-health.com.
25. University Sports Medicine Department of Orthopaedics State University of New York at Buffalo. www.ubsportsmed.buffalo.edu
26. Back Stretching. The Athletic Advisor. www.athleticadvisor.com
27. Back Strengthening. The Athletic Advisor. www.athleticadvisor.com
28. Bob Seebohar

Forwarded By, Natalie Pyles

Fitness & Nutritional Expert, Author, & Speaker

Call Me For Your FREE Consultation Today! 1-800-681-9894 or e-mail fitnesselementsassociates@yahoo.com

"How To Incorporate A Holistic Approach to Injury - Part 3"

In this, the third and final installment in this series, Paul discusses his system of prioritizing your approach to rehabilitation and revitalization of body/mind systems.

Movement that Matters

Today, there are many philosophical and mechanical approaches to treating injuries and developing exercise programs for health or performance. Unfortunately for the public, the majority of these approaches still operate on the illusion that the musculoskeletal system is an isolated system that runs all by itself. Since we know for absolute sure that this is far from the truth, prior to assessing a client or patient’s ability to move and perform general motor tasks, practitioners should have:

* Completed an investigation of diet, lifestyle factors, hormonal and visceral health within the framework of the six major classifications of stressors (see Figure 1 in Part 1).
* Looked for reptilian stressors that correlate with the patients symptom profile and behavior patterns (see Figure 2 in Part 1).
* Completed the survival totem pole assessment (Figure 4 in Part 2) to identify potential problems in any of the body’s major control centers, understanding that the hierarchical structure of neurological control allows for the sacrifice of subordinate structures on the totem pole. Included in the survival totem pole assessment is a very comprehensive assessment of length/tension relationships, joint motion, core stabilizer system function assessments and special testing for potential impingement of the CNS.

After gathering key systems information, the next step is to complete the Primal Pattern (PP) assessment. The PP assessment is based on research into human development. A study of the general evolution of species and the evolution of man suggests that we are what we are today because of the selective pressures of Nature. Through extensive clinical observation and empirical research, I have concluded that to survive in the wild (which was our home for greater than 99.9 percent of human evolution), humans would have had to have been proficient at the following movements while unsupported on our own feet:

* Squatting
* Lunging
* Bending
* Pushing
* Pulling
* Twisting (such as throwing)
* Gait:
o Walk
o Jog
o Sprint

It became evident early in my career that athletes, laborers and people in general were commonly injured when forced by their environment to perform movement patterns they couldn’t perform well. I also noted that anyone who couldn’t perform a PP movement with good form was at greater risk of injury because PPs serve as a working foundation from which a plethora of other movements are built (i.e., throwing a ball, which is a lunge coupled with a twist and a push).

A typical example is the laborer who hurts his back while squatting down to pick up a heavy object (heavy being relative to the individual's level of conditioning). Upon consulting a physician or typical rehabilitation professional, he is told he shouldn’t squat because it is dangerous for the back, and he is told he should hereafter avoid squatting! This scenario presents a common problem in that squatting is a Primal Pattern. As an PP, it is almost impossible to escape the environmental demand to execute the movement. You squat to sit in a chair, get into a car, get on and off the toilet (which used to be on the ground), dress small children, pick up a five gallon bottle of water for the dispenser... we squat all the time!

With extensive knowledge of how to perform PP assessments and how to modify the assessment techniques to better suit each person’s specific work, sport or recreational environment, you will then gather relevant data. After completing the PP assessment, the next task is prioritizing the combined findings of the entire evaluation process.

Determine Your Physiological Load and Prioritize

Having completed a very thorough assessment of your client’s physical-emotional-mental and spiritual stressors in the format described previously, we will have gathered a significant amount of relevant data. While this information is critical for developing a coaching and treatment strategy, there is commonly much that needs to be corrected, and the client can become overwhelmed. It is also my experience that less experienced health care professionals can also become overwhelmed by the volume and diversity of challenges presented by most clients! It is for this reason that I developed the Physiological Load Assessment (PLA) form (see Figure 5 below). The PLA allows the practitioner the opportunity to empower a client/patient by letting him see what are usually obvious changes that need to be made to achieve function and vitality.



Figure 5


The process begins by listing all key stressors in their relevant columns. For example, any musculoskeletal complaints would be listed above the “Physical – Musculoskeletal” column, while any relevant visceral findings or hormonal findings would go above their columns respectively.
You then need to explain to the client that the body shares it’s stressors to protect it's self from accumulating too much energy in any given system or tissue, the result of which would be dis-ease! With this understanding, we can look at the number of stress inputs above each of the columns (represented by one of the sinks that are plumbed together) and collectively agree as to which system is potentially the greatest source of stress or aberrant energy.

After the client understands that body systems all share their stress, creating a total stress picture (see Figure 1 in Part 1 to appreciate how the body totals stressors), and they understand which system is under the greatest load, the practitioner must decide which self help options will most effectively alleviate the stressors loading the body systems. As the practitioner decides what self help methods will be most advantageous for the client’s specific needs, they are listed below each of the systems (sinks named after systems). Through this process, the patient usually begins to see a pattern emerge. For example, diet is commonly listed under each system sink as an important means of alleviating stress. Common options to alleviate stress include:

* Diet
* Circadian rhythm management
* Hydration
* Stretching
* Self help courses for improved mental/emotional/spiritual understanding
* Exercise programs or exercise program modifications
* Specific therapies or specialists such as:
o Detoxification procedures
o Hormonal testing and balancing (Biohealth Diagnostics!)
o Tai Chi, Chi Gong or Yoga lessons
o Feldenkrais or Alexander lessons
o Body work options such as sports massage, Rolfing or trigger point therapy
o Breathing lessons from an expert (I often use voice coaches)
o Psychologist
o Marriage or relationship counseling
o Financial planning
o Seeking council to overcome addiction

Don't Treat the Disease, Treat the Person!

While the current medical model is heavily slanted toward what I call "this for that" treatment, or the “Band-Aid Effect,” I think the current statistics on disease show that the model is failing drastically! As I often tell my patients, we evolved in the wild without drugs and doctors and we did so without near the prevalence of disease. Therefore, the greatest healer of all must be within us! The goal is always to coach the person with the disease, not treat the disease that has the person. Simply stated, disease is a symptom. It is not a cause.

When the clinician or therapist identifies which of the foundation principles are not being lived by, a structured plan should be built and agreed upon by the client to bring him into a resource state, balance or harmony. Foundation treatment principles include:

* Good diet
o Eating correctly for your metabolic type
o Eat organic foods
o Rotate foods on a four day cycle for food variety and decreased immune stress
* Adequate daily water intake
* Adequate exercise
o Work hard and rest hard!
o Working-out vs. working in
* Adequate rest and living in accordance with a natural sleep/wake cycle
* Live with a purpose! Have goals to improve:
o Physical health
o Emotional health
o Mental health
o Spiritual health

In conclusion, this system of assessment uses a holistic approach. This approach can help your clients achieve the ease and the life they’ve always wanted! All practitioners should carefully assess a client’s overall physiological load and identify any red flags that may require specific medical attention or tests. Implementing a personalized treatment plan to address stress, diet, exercise and related lifestyle factors flows out of the comprehensive assessment. Further, each client should be respected as a unique human being with unique challenges. There are no cookie-cutter approaches where you can try to fit the client into a standard mold. We use a careful system of assessment tools and questionnaires based upon interrelated physical, emotional, mental and spiritual systems of the human. This approach maximizes each client’s probability of achieving actual recovery leading to a state of vitality and well being.

It is the dream of all fitness professionals that their clients reach independence, becoming truly functional individuals as soon as possible. Using the principles described in this article series will help you to realize this dream!

References:

1. Connolly, Ceci. March 29, 2002. Pharmaceutical Spending Continues Steady Increase. Washington Post, p. A09.
2. http://www.mercola.com
3. MacLean, Paul. (2002). The Evolutionary Neuroethology of Paul MacLean: Convergences and Frontiers. Ed: Gerald A Cory, Jr., and Russell Gardner, Jr. Praeger, Westport, Connecticut.
4. Pearce, Joseph Chilton. (2002). The Biology of Transcendence: A Blueprint of the Human Spirit. Park Street Press.
5. Paul Check

Forwarded By, Natalie Pyles

Fitness & Nutrition Expert, Author, Speaker