Pills? Shots? How 'Bout a Little SMR?
Happy New Year everyone! Ready for 2013? I am! (I've also had a lot of coffee this morning.)
Yes please!
I had a conversation with a friend of mine the other day and she recounted a saga of back pain to me. She had some back pain that just wouldn't go away so she went to the doctor to get the appropriate MRI and x-rays (nothing was found to be structurally wrong). Then, he writes her several prescriptions for muscle relaxers and pain killers, none of which helped. He also told her to get an epideral.. which also did nothing. She then went to another doctor who sent her to physical therapy... which proved, once again, to be a somewhat unhelpful (she said that the PT was great, but by the time she had started making progress with my friend, the prescribed number of sessions were over.). Then, as a last resort, she asked a trainer at the gym she attends who has training in a method called Egosque (a school of thought focused on postural realignment), and within a session or two, bam. No more back pain. For her, she was merely a little out of alignment.
It's an obvious answer in retrospect; kinda like disarming Voldemort with a simple Expelliarmus charm.
My sister-in-law was in a similar situation. She was experiencing near-debilitating back pain for months. She saw a chiropractor, had MRIs and was prescribed various pain-killers and muscle relaxers, to no avail. Then, one day, Steve was rolling his glutes on a lacrosse ball and Jenn, being curious as to why her brother was lolling around on the floor while making pain-faces, asked what he was doing. "Just rollin' my glutes," was the reply. "Can I try?" she asked. Being the awesome brother Steve is, he passed the lacrosse ball to her and taught her how to roll on it.
Within 5 minutes (this is no exaggeration), Jenn's back pain was gone. In her case, it was just tight butt muscles that needed some lovin'. Go figure!
Last story, I was having almost daily headaches, borderline migraine levels sometimes, for a couple of months this past year. I too trucked off to the doctor and had muscle relaxers prescribed to me (I was also taking a fair amount of Motrin to ease the searing pain in my head). Nothing. The muscle relaxers made me feel sick to my stomach, dizzy and my head still hurt. Motrin, as effective as it can be, is not something I wanted to be taking long term. After several futile weeks, I went to see and ART specialist (Dr. Grove in Vienna if anyone is interested. No, I don't get any special treatment, but she's so great and has helped me so much that I'm more than happy to send folks her way!) and she immediately pinpointed my tight neck muscles and within 20 minutes, my headache disappeared. I've been seeing her once a month (to continue working on my neck) and I have had only a handful of headaches (usually when it's been 3-4 weeks since I've seen her) since August. Again, just a little soft tissue work and boom, pain was gone as fast as an apparating wizard.
Not to discount any PTs or chiropractors out there (as it may seem in the two previous stories) but sometimes the problem isn't where the pain is. (and I think that's what happend with my friend and sister-in-law, their respective therapists were perhaps treating the symptoms instead of the cause.) This is also not meant to be a post about diagnosing pain nor do I claim that I can. If you're having pain you should go see a professional, get the MRI or x-ray to rule out any structural damage and then proceed to seek out professionals that know how to administer soft-tissue work (beyond what you can do yourself with a lax ball and foam roller).
I'm relating these stories because from what I see at work and at my previous jobs (and what people tell me when they find out what I do for a living) people have a lot of nagging pains that don't go away with medication or shots. I'm not saying that those medications don't have merit, (I definitely helped keep Motrin in business!), but they only treat the symptoms and not the underlying cause. The main point is that, folks need to attack the source of the pain (none withstanding actual structural damage). And, in my experience, digging into the soft tissue is often the simplest and most effective answer when it comes to nagging, unresolved pains.
If you have some sort of pain that just never seems to go away, I would encourage you to go see a reputable ART therapist or PT to see if they can find the source of your pain. If you don't have the time (or money) to do so, check out this website and take a lacrosse ball and get rolling!
Eating During the Holidays: Strategize!
First off, I saw the Hobbit... Most excellent! The reviewers out there who are saying it's not so great (Rotten Tomatoes) Poop on you. I loved it! Any Tolkein fan will love it, go see it!
Onto the topic for today: eating during the holidays. About this time, there are all kinds of "diet" advice, how to manage the holiday weight gain. Magazine covers are inundated with promises of "melting away" pounds and "avoiding the holiday bulge," with articles listing revamped recipes and (in some cases) "quick" workouts to justify the holiday treats.
I'm all for finding alternative, healthier versions of favorite food and I think it's great if a meal can be concocted that is healthy AND tasty! But, majority of holiday meals will NOT be the "healthy" version (or the "Kelsey" version as my family calls it.) So what is one to do to avoid the pounds that tend to accumulate during the holiday season (thus inspiring many New Year's resolution and influx of gym use.)?
How about this: just don't eat as much; obvious statement, I know. I understand that there is a plethora of delicious food, but hey, if you don't want to gain the extra weight, don't eat too much. Or, strategically eat. Meaning, if you know you're going to have cookies/pie/cake or whatever after dinner, don't eat the extra rolls at dinner. Or, if you want to sample all the food, great! Just have a little bit of each instead of a lotta bit.
I know this sounds harsh, or at best, callus, but a little extra will-power now will save a lot of extra work come January. And, saying "no" to the extra helping is not hard. I used to struggle with both anorexia and binge-eating disorder; I know too well the extreme ends of "will-power" (iron-will and no inhibitions). There's no secret recipe or workout that will magically keep you from gaining extra weight throughout the festivities. Trust me, managing caloric intake around the holidays is NOT complicated and with a little work, can be worth the effort.
I should note, that regular exercise, not just frantic after-the-fact workouts in January, is also an excellent tool in the toolbox of good health. Keeping up with your training through the holidays (or at least some semblance of it) will certainly be beneficial.
Anyway, I know this was short and not particularly informative, but more like food for thought (pun intended). Just be smart with your food choices and you won't have to worry about having to "work" it off later.
So What?
A golfer misses a putt. A basketball player misses a shot. A baseball player swings and misses. Often those misses seem like a matter of life and death before, during, and after the moment. But, the truth of the matter is they are not. Your ability to recover is where mental toughness lies. Over the past few days my work with athletes brought discussion on perspective. Perspective on the tragedy in Newtown served as a simple reminder that our misses are not nearly as big of a deal as we make them out to be. A game is a game. Many of us fear failure and the emotions that come with it. Yet, it’s failure that allows us to grow, which allows us to live. Failure is where brilliance is born. It's how we learned how to walk, talk, and read. It's all part of the process of greatness.
So next time you miss, and your thoughts start racing about all of the bad that can happen; give yourself perspective on the situation and ask yourself, so what?
Conrad Mann at the USPA Larry Garro Memorial Powerlifting Meet
Whether it’s a third grade spelling bee or the Superbowl, putting yourself into competition takes a ton of courage. At 64 years young, Conrad of SAPT fame decided that it was time to enter into his first powerlifting meet (why not?). Even a double knee replacement wouldn’t keep Conrad from competing, and he decided to enter into the bench-only meet.
Here’s how it went down.
The Weigh-In
Conrad was competing in the 164.9 weight class. He was concerned prior to the meet that he might not make weight, but ended up stepping on the scale at a whopping 159 pounds. He came prepared, however, with plenty of fluids and snacks to get properly hydrated before he stepped on the platform.
The Wait
The typical sequence of a powerlifting meet is 1)Squat, 2)Bench Press, and 3)Deadlift. The lifters will have 3 attempts at each lift, and with two flights of competitors in the squat, we had plenty of time to relax and watch the squat attempts. We saw lifters of all shapes and sizes squat one after another. It was awesome to see all the different leverages people possess and the different styles of squatting they chose to utilize. High bar, low bar, Olympic shoes, Chuck Taylors, wider stance, narrow stance, long femurs, long torsos- basically every variation of a barbell back squat that you could imagine. Anyone interested in biomechanics should definitely check out a powerlifting meet just to see the infinite variations in the same basic movement pattern.
Towards the end of the second flight of squat attempts we decided it was time to start prepping both body and mind to push some heavy weight.
The Warm-Up
Taking the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” attitude Conrad went through the same general warm-up as he does prior to a session at SAPT. Mobility work, scap pushups, face pulls and external rotations were all part of the ritual.
Just as important as getting physically warmed up for the bench attempts is getting mentally focused. At this point, Conrad’s level of raw strength was out of our control. The strength-building portion came from weeks of hard work on a brilliant bench specialization program designed in the top secret laboratory that is Steve Reed’s mind. However, this was the time where it was critical to take charge over the factors that we can control, of them being 1)Techniqu0e, and 2)Obeying the commands. The head judge gives three commands after unracking the bar (start, press, rack) during each attempt, and failure to obey any of these commands results in a “no good” lift.
Following the general warm-up we got on the bench. We started with light triples and progressed into heavier singles, ensuring that each rep was crisp and clean. The bar touched the same spot on his chest with every press, the elbows were nicely tucked at the bottom, and each command was obeyed as I yelled them out during the warm-up.
Go Time!
Having successfully primed his central nervous system to its fullest capacity, Conrad was warmed up, suited up, and ready to go. He was in the first flight of benchers and stepped on deck for his first attempt in a powerlifting competition.
Conrad opened at 85kg (187lbs). It was a solid opener, and flew up at lightning speed. Undisputed three whites from the judges for a good lift.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nw78bHsOqI&feature=youtu.be
His second attempt was 92.5kg (203.5lbs). Another easy bench for Conrad and three whites.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0dQ6bO8x48
Third attempt here was 97.5kg(214.5lbs) for a PR. Again another solid, clean lift that received a well deserved three whites from the judges.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z-L2EkKSXU
Wrap Up
To sum it up, Conrad walked away from the meet three for three on his attempts, a PR, no torn pecs, and shoulders still in-tact! Can’t ask for much better than that. Congrats Conrad, way to represent SAPT! Big thanks to Ron, Jen, and Sondra being part of the SAPT support staff, and a double thanks to Ron for taking videos of the attempts!
Adductors: Caring for the Unsung Heroes of the Lower Body
This is a two parter blog on how to care for and train the adductors (inner thigh, groin muscles... take you pick of their name). We'll talk about keeping adductors healthy and happy (and hopefully prevent groin pulls/strains, I'm looking at you soccer players...) today and then in the next installment, we'll talk about how to train the adductors (ladies (and guys, I've seen a few!), get off the baby-maker machines...) Part 2 is here.
First, a little anatomy lesson just so you know what the adductors look like:
So these are the major players: Adductor magnus, add. longus, add. brevis, pectineus and gracilis. (there's also a muscle called the satoris, it usually works in conjunction with the gracilis but it's attached to front angle of the hip bone (instead of the pubis bone like the gracilis) and it helps flex the hip and externally rotate the femur: like when you sit and cross your ankle over your knee.)
All of them adduct the femur (brining it closer to the body) but that's not their only function! The adductor magnus helps extend the hip (important in understanding groin strains) along with the hamstrings and glutes. The adductor brevis and pectineus assist in breaking hip flexion (like a little extra umph in flexing the hip). Adductors are the sidekicks of the big guys: quads, glutes and hamstrings.
The adductors are also 1/3 of Team Frontal Plane Stabilization: keeping hips and femurs stable everywhere!
In case you were wondering, as I'm sure you are, the other two players are the glutes (especially glute med) and the opposite side quadratus lumborum. So, for example, if you were to lunge forward, the adductors help prevent your hips from shifting up/down and the knee from collapsing inwards.
Ok, with all the awesome-at-multi-tasking the adductor complex is, it's a area that gets really nasty. It gets clogged with knots and fibrotic tissue so it needs a healthy dose of SMR. While you can use a foam roller on the floor, it's not ideal. You can't apply a whole lot of pressure (due to the angle) and your essentially nose-on-the-floor and again, not very comfortable.
I recommend elevating your leg on a table or a bench to eliminate this issue. You can use a foam roller but I've found that medecine balls work wonders on the nasty gunk up in your adductor trunk. You can apply force over a smaller area, thus making it more effective, and it's easier to pinpoint super-nasty areas. See video below:
Notice how I go along the fibers (from knee to hip direction) as well as across the fibers (front to back). And when you find a angry bit, hang on it for about ten seconds then continue the delightful process of that we know of as SMR.
After that, drills like adductor rock backs, Cressy has a good video of standing rock backs, and static side lunges to bring the rolled-out fibers back to a desirable length.
Now, go forth, roll your adductors and be prepared on Friday to learn some ways to train the Sidekicks of the Lower Body.
Why Train with Chains?
I’ve had a few people ask me recently about the benefits of training with chains. I think chains are a great tool for developing strength and power, and not only because it looks cool. For those that have spent some significant time on solid weight training programs using strictly straight weight, incorporating chains into their regimen can help push their performance to another level.
A Teaching Tool
I think chains are a great teaching tool, but not necessarily for technique purposes (If technique is an issue, make that the priority and reserve the chains for another week, month, or year). I’m talking about teaching people how to be FAST and accelerate the load through the range of motion. Adding chains to barbell movements is one of many forms of accommodating resistance. This basically means that throughout the concentric portion of the movement, as the leverages improve, the resistance increases. Take benching with chains for example.
When the bar is touching the chest the weight is deloaded because most of the chain weight is sitting on the floor. As you press the weight towards lockout the links come off the floor, making the load heavier with each inch of concentric range. So imagine that the weight on the bar is 135 pounds, and we added 80 pounds of chain weight. At the bottom of the bench press, if you used the minimal amount of effort needed to press 135 pounds, the chains will reveal themselves to you during the lift as if to say, “nope.” This is when the learning occurs, and you know that you need to drive hard and fast into that 135 pound bar touching your chest because it is going to grow into a 215 pound load at lockout.
Overload Stimulus
The chains as accommodating resistance will also allow you to use greater loads than you may be used to at the end range of a movement. You can get a similar overload stimulus by using partial movements, such as rack pulls for deadlifts, but with chains you can overload while still practicing the full range of the exercise.
Recovering from an Injury
Often times the bottom of a movement is when some of the joints are the most vulnerable. Those who are recovering from a grouchy lower back can benefit from the decreased load at the bottom of squats and deadlifts while building their strength back up. Similarly, those making a comeback from a shoulder issue can start progressing into bench and board press variations with chains to add a little more security.
Convenience
Chains are also an extremely useful mode of resistance for more than just barbell movements. Throw them across your hips during glute bridges, drape them across your back for push-ups and planks, or around your neck for pull-ups, dips, and lunges. Obviously it’s of the upmost importance to look hardcore and throw a bunch of chalk covered chains onto a barbell, but they should not be used haphazardly.
If you don't have access to chains don't stress it, straight weight should make up the meat and potatoes of your program anyway. However if you have been training for a while and have access to them they can be a great addition to your toolbox and provide you with a cool new stimulus. Try them out!
