Aaron’s main point was that even Long Term Athletic Development models (which are currently only found in Australia and Canada, to my knowledge), suffer because they don’t embrace PLAY throughout the lifespan.
My response was to his post was this:
YES!!!
That was my experience as well…organized sports supplemented my PLAY activity…not vice versa.
And today, the same is true.
My problem with the “LTAD” models out there is that they posit some “goal state” that isn’t in the present moment.
How about “Present-Term Athletic Development?” PTAD
Wherever you are, that’s where you need to focus your efforts and abilities.
Getting to some “goal-state” might happen, but that should be an intention more than a rigid and forced outcome.
What’s the goal right now, always?
For me, and for any athlete or other person I’ve ever met, THE CURRENT GOAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN THIS:
+ to improve strength power and endurance (the %’s may vary)
+ to improve range of motion
+ to improve agility and reactivity
+ to improve tissue quality, and recover-ability…
and
+ TO HAVE MORE FUN
I’ve never met ANY client – athlete, non-athlete, bodybuilder, etc., who wouldn’t agree that they want to do those things.
“Physique” goals are important for bodybuilders, but even that goal takes a backseat to those above for most of the bodybuilders I’ve ever met.
Met-Con is a term frequently used by Crossfit and people who do Crossfit to describe the Crossfit-style workout. It’s also occasionally used as a blanket term for what could better be described as “General Physical Preparedness” – a program that achieves a general level of aerobic endurance, muscular strength, and some muscular power.
As mentioned in the post above, the term is actually useless, since literally anything and everything a person does qualifies as “metabolic conditioning.” That’s the definition of metabolism. “Met-Con” sounds cool, but doesn’t help anyone to understand what is being described or promoted.
I also recently re-posted this article by a fitness guru about Tabata training. He doesn’t go into much depth, so let me explain.
Tabata (named after Japanese researcher Izumi Tabata) intervals consist of 20 seconds of maximal effort work followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated for 7-10 total sets. Tabata developed this working on highly trained athletes, who would get close to total failure in that 20 second period.
The results are amazing. Over time the Tabata athletes’ VO2max (max oxygen volume/uptake) increased to levels beyond those achieved through any other recorded training protocol.
Crossfit began using Tabata intervals, and then a lot of other trainers jumped on board. Here’s the problem – Tabata intervals demand 7+ rounds of 20-second effort to exhaustion.
Most trainees do not have the capacity to exert an all-out effort period, let alone for multiple rounds of 20-second stints. This is not a knock against the average trainee, it’s simply a fact. New trainees don’t have the neuromuscular coordination or power-endurance to perform this protocol in any meaningful way, let alone to adequately control complex movements (like Olympic lifts) in this fatigued state.
Will it exhaust you? Yes. Will it make you feel like you are experiencing “tabata death?” Yes. Will it improve your performance over time? Maybe. As long as you don’t fry your central nervous system, or experience some sort of acute or repetitive-strain injury. And as long as your body can adapt between “Tabata” workouts.
That said, the reason for this post is something slightly different.
One of the people who commented on my Facebook posting of the articles above said that it seemed like “sour grapes.”
She’s an amateur competitive runner. She’s invested in her health and fitness. And I’m sure she knows at least one person who does Crossfit.
So I understand her reaction.
And that reaction itself is the reason for this post.
As long as the lay-public has no way to discern the deeper aspects of physical conditioning – as long as health and fitness experts continue to post articles that simply praise or blame, but offer no true education – those types of articles and posts are just sour grapes.
It is up to the competent health and fitness professionals out there to begin to educate their public about the principles of physical health (as far as we can understand them) in concrete and useful terms, that rely on accepted standards of reproducibility and logic (“science”).
Our technology has advanced to the point where – now more than ever before – it is possible for anyone to understand and interact with the deepest structures and functions of their bodies in ways that allow for feedback and meaningful correction over time.
This is the method that I use in my training, and seek to refine, constantly, and I call for all of the other health and fitness professionals out there to use the same principles in their programming – to tailor their work to each individual based on the principles of life – and to become proper educators of their client base, rather than just fad-producers or -promoters, cool-name-slingers, and/or disconnected, herd-mentality “workout” generators.
I’ve hit my limit on this post. I’ll post the best workout for you in the next entry!
Metabolic – having to do with metabolism, which is the sum-total of chemical actions that take place within the body at any given moment.
Conditioning – the state of something, or the process of changing that state.
Okay, so that’s it eh?
Well…yes, that IS it.
Sit on the couch and eat potato chips and watch TV/play video games/wait for the paleocalypse = MetCon.
Workout till you puke = MetCon.
Go on vacation and hike/bike/swim/have fun every day = MetCon.
So can I ask a favor of you folks out there in the reading-world?
Please stop calling your workout session or methodology MET-CON!
We know it’s MetCon.
EVERYTHING IS METCON.
If someone is selling you “Met-Con,” and they’re not telling you specifically what aspect of your MET their going to CON (other than you wall-met…eh…alright that’s bad, but you get my point), take your money elsewhere!
Before we answer that question, here’s some current news:
Today was yet another round of the Smolov squat program! Today was 2 sets of 3 with 300 on the bar, then a final set of 3 with 320. TOUGH!
Again, I underestimated rest times, and still feel like I’m not getting enough protein/recovery between sessions. I’m going to commit to a nice hot epsom-salts bath at least ONE day (if not more than one), and to getting plenty of protein and fresh greens in every meal. It’s only going to get tougher for the next four weeks…
That said, are barbell back-squats safe?!
Well I’m interested to hear your opinion on the subject.
I remember thinking, after racking the bar on the last set, having just lifted 3600 pounds (plus warmup sets) that I’d probably accomplished significantly more work in my short 30-minute workout than the boot-campers had in their 45 minute session.
Yes, many very successful sports strength coaches have used very simple, heavy programs with their athletes to help those athletes to become (and remain) superstars.
My favorite example is Charlie Francis, the infamous coach of Ben Johnson. While BJ was busted for using steroids (which is kind of a (very sad) joke…bad timing more than anything, most likely), Charlie’s methods were very successful for many other athletes as well.
Charlie advocated a 90/60 approach – either work at 90+% of your maximal limit, or explosively at 60%. Forget about the middle zone.
While that approach is obviously very tailored to sprinters (or other “power” athletes), I think it holds true for most athletes.
Strength built generally can be transferred to skill or application of that strength in life.
With any exercise you have to remember that you’re always also training the motor-skill needed to complete that exercise. When people start training “special” exercises with weights, thinking there’s going to be a carryover to their performance, they’re usually wrong. The motor skill gets learned, sub-maximal strength is built, the muscles and nervous system are getting exhausted and confused, and performance on the field or in life fades.
(By the way, my friend Aaron Schwenzfeier uses a similar mentality in his approach to strength training his athletes!)
What are the best strength building exercises? The classics, of course:
Barbell Squats (front or back)
Deadlift
Bench Press
Overhead Press
Bent Row
Clean & Jerk and Snatch (if you’ve got the time)
In “bodyweight only” exercises, it’d be:
The 1-leg squat
1-arm pushup
Handstand pushups
Pullups and chinups (and 1-arm versions eventually)
Bodyweight Rows
Glute-ham raises
If you had to pick only ONE, of course the obvious answer is – PICK THE ONE YOU NEVER DO.
But really, if you could only pick ONE max-strength exercise with weights, I would pick the DEADLIFT.
Done properly, this one exercise, beyond anything else I’ve ever seen, corrects posture, builds total-body strength, tones the nervous system.
Some may argue that squats are better, but I’d counter with one point – squats cannot exercise the grip as well as deadlifts. Period.
Bodyweight-wise, I’d probably pick the 1-arm pushup. The entire body has to get in line to pull (or should I say, push, har har) this off.
What are the best POWER exercises for barbell/weight work?
Clean & Jerk and Snatch (if you have time to learn them)
Any ballistic exercise with a weighted implement:
Squat-throw
Overhead throws
Shot-putting
What about with bodyweight?
Clap-pushups
Clap-pullups and/or muscle-ups
Any sort of jumping (split jumps, broad jumps, stairs, etc.)
Can I pick one exercise that’s the best power-generator?
With weights, I’d have to pick a ballistic (i.e., throwing the weight) clean & jerk or snatch.
Bodyweight – gotta be the explosive-burpull.
What the hell is that?
Do a burpee with a clap pushup, when you go to jump, jump up to a bar above you and do a clap-pushup.
If you can finish 10 of these you’re in fantastic shape.
Any additions or changes you’d make to those lists?
I’ve read the psychology books. I’ve read the sports psychology books. I’ve worked with clients, friends, and family who want to start or continue an exercise program.
And I’m here to share my secrets with you.
So first, a question – what is motivation?
What does it mean to you?
When you think about something you’re motivated to do, what comes immediately to mind?
I guarantee you it most likely has something to do with one of the following four things:
Sex – need I explain?
Status – affiliation, being “in,” etc.
Safety – shelter, food, water, etc.
Risk – danger, fun, excitement
And that it’s one or more of the following:
Comfortable
Easy
Tasty (especially fatty, sweet, and/or salty)
Fast
Cheap
Orgasmic
What’s “motivating” is usuallly hitting your evolutionary-behavioral necessities (to have sex/reproduce, to be safe, and to have and understand some sort of status in your group); AND your dopamine receptors – fast, easy, cheap, fun, tasty, comfortable, orgasmic, etc.
For most people “fitness” or working out doesn’t satisfy any of those needs.
Let’s face it, you are perfectly fit enough to “live” and/or “survive” in today’s world.
If you get too fat or broken-down, there’s always the Rascal!
If you get diabetes, there’s insulin shots for the rest of your life. And even those have been automated into a monitor/pump that automatically injects you with insulin.
Cardiovascular system burnt out from too little exercise and/or too much smoking? Get an oxygen tank and mask.
What I’m saying here is that motivation has nothing at all to do with necessity.
In today’s world, you don’t need the things you’re motivated to do, and you aren’t motivated to do the things you “need” to do.
I know a lot of people who like to read and/or talk about fitness and health stuff, but who never seem to do anything. For them, thinking, talking, and any “mental” activity is used as a replacement for actually doing something.
Another aspect of motivation that makes it really difficult for people to harness is that it’s almost entirely individual. It’s one of those rare places in life where we can’t just go along with the rest of the pack. If you’re motivated to work out (i.e., exert effort, which is not cheap, easy, fast, etc.) – it’s your motivation.
It’s not like buying the new pair of jeans that you saw in your favorite fashion magazine. There’s a reason they’re in the magazine. There’s a reason 100 or 1000 stores across the country are carrying those jeans in every size imaginable.
Because it’s not about you as an individual. That’s about you conforming (i.e., wanting to fit in – status/safety), and about you caving in to the addictive dopamine rush you get when you buy something new.
So what’s the secret to being motivated to work out?
The secret is this – To find the one reason that turns fitness into a necessity for you.
Whatever the “reason” is doesn’t really matter. Create one.
For instance, some people want a “deeper connection” to their body. Some people want to hang out with friends. Some want to look like a certain celebrity. Others want to be able to move a certain way (dance, sports, martial arts).
It doesn’t matter. That reason is up to you. It’s all yours.
If you can’t find a reason, that’s okay. You don’t have to. Medicine is advancing at a rate that you should be fine in your Rascal with your oxygen tank and mask…as long as the power doesn’t go out.
When you do find that reason, ride it for all its worth.
After that, “hard” doesn’t matter anymore. You want it to be hard, or it isn’t a good workout. The meaning of the word “hard” changes. “Hard” becomes pleasurable, enjoyable. And yes, you can get your dopamine fix from it instead of those $300 jeans.
If someone else’s reason works for you, for now, that’s okay too, but realize that that will wear off soon enough. Recovering addicts of yo-yo diets and DVD fitness workouts pay attention – You need your own reason.
I’ll tell you this – if you have your reason, everything else falls into place and nothing else matters.
If you don’t, nothing falls into place, and everything else matters.
Simple as that.
NOTE – This post is NOT an attack against people who enjoy participating in culture, who have diabetes and are consciously engaged with it, who are incapacitated, or who have to use oxygen masks. It IS a demand for accountability and self-responsibility.
It’s one of a few activities that allow us to directly and immediately alter our physical, mental, and emotional states.
For instance, breathe faster or slower and feel how that changes your physical state.
Most people don’t really notice the effect breathing can have until after some sort of relaxing or traumatic event, or until it is pointed out to them.
When you get tense your breathing speeds up and gets more shallow. This leads to other physiological responses – tension in the body in general – which tends to have a snowball effect.
When you relax, breathing tends to slow down and deepen. General muscle-tone throughout the body follows suit.
With metabolism relatively constant (i.e. insignificant variance from moment to moment), an increase in ventilation (the volume of air breathed from respiratory cycle to respiratory cycle) will increase the rate of flow of CO2 from tissue cells to the point of diffusion of CO2 from the pulmonary artery to the alveoli of the lungs. If this rate of flow is too fast, the concentration of CO2 in blood will be too lean, acid level of blood will drop, the crucial ratio of base to acid will increase, and the unbalanced pH will be alkalotic. If the rate of flow of CO2 is too slow, its concentration in blood will be too rich, acid level will rise, the crucial ratio of base to acid will decrease, and the unbalanced pH will be acidic. In healthy individuals under non-stressful conditions, the self-regulatory mechanisms of breathing will automatically calculate the amount of O2 needed for metabolism and increase or decrease the volume of air breathed per unit of time so that the rate of flow of CO2 from cells to lungs will be just right, neither too fast nor too slow, and a stable level of balanced pH will be maintained. And what a delicate balance it is.From Ronald Ley’s introduction to the book
Chaitow stresses the structure/function relationship in the body, and particularly in the lungs – and that long-term functional use leads to change in structure, and therefore, long-term change in functional ability.
Pausing the Breath (pg. 199) 1. Pausing after the inhale, holding the lungs filled, creates tension and strain in the muscles of inhalation
2. Pausing after the inhale creates temporary hyperinflation, which works against relaxation and proper emptying of the lungs
3. Pausing after the exhale is more natural. The breathing system reduces volume by slowing the frequency, reducing the depth, and lengthening the post-exhalation pause. A post-inhale pause does not seem to occur naturally except when accompanying a state of suspense.
Yoga Breathing (pp. 238-239) In a study by Nagarathna & Nagendra (1985), 106 individuals with asthma were divided into a treatment and control group, matched for age, sex, and severity of the condition. There were significantly greater improvements in the yoga group in weekly number of asthmatic attacks and in scores for drug usage as well as peak flow rates, which were still evident at 4-year follow-up. • Cappo & Holmes (1984) used a pranayama breathing pattern (inhale quickly / exhale slowly) in their study, which compared the effects on arousal of that pattern with patterns of slow inhalation/rapid exhalation, as well as inhalation and exhalation at the same rate, and also with control groups (distraction control, and no treatment control). All three breathing pattern groups reduced their overall rate to six cycles per minute for a period of 5 minutes during the evaluations. The results showed that ‘inhaling quickly and exhaling slowly [the pranayama pattern] was consistently effective for reducing physiological (skin resistance) and psychological (subjective cognitive arousal) during anticipation and con frontation periods.’ • This result is consistent with yoga teaching about the value of slow exhalation. Van Lysebeth (1971) points out: ‘Every other point in the breath ing cycle involves muscle tension; so absolute relaxation can occur only when the exhale is complete: The point of equilibrium, the rest point between exhale and inhale, is a moment when the yoga therapy or traditional yoga methods is scanty; however, some verification exists: breathing apparatus is motionless. Cutting short the end of the exhale means that the exhale is incomplete and that the breathing muscles never quite relax between breaths. This may result in retention of more ‘used’ air than normal, and also can promote chronic hyperinflation and hyper tonic neck and shoulder muscles. • A study of patients with congestive heart failure attempted to produce improvements by teaching the yoga ‘complete breath: This is a 3-stage breath that fills, in sequence, the abdomen, lower chest and upper chest, then reverses the order with the exhale. Breathing this way produces a natural breathing rate of about six breaths per minute. The chronic heart conditions led to subnormal O2 saturation, limited exercise tolerance, and dyspnea; these all improved significantly with continued practice of the yoga breathing, and sensations of dyspnea diminished. By improving the ventilation-perfusion ratios as well as alveolar ventilation, this style of breathing optimized breathing and made the most of available function. Respiratory efficiency improved and irregularity was reduced (instability in O2 saturation was associated with instability in breathing frequency and amplitude). The ‘spontaneous’ breathing rate (the rate at which subjects breathed when they thought they were unobserved) dropped from 13 to less than 8 (Bernardi et aI 1993). The heart and lungs operate in many ways as a cardiorespiratory unit. Breathing and heart action are closely related, and their synchronization stabilizes the autonomic nervous system (see Ch. 8).
Yoga breathing emphasizes full use of the diaphragm in breathing (Fig. 9.4). The diaphragm is attached by fascia to the heart’s pericardium in such a way that diaphragmatic movement provides a massaging action to the heart. Also, the vena cava, which carries freshly oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart, passes through the diaphragm and is alternately squeezed and released during breathing. This action promotes a periodic acceleration of blood flow toward the heart. As Andrew Thomas (1993) states: ‘The fully and correctly operating diaphragm is thus a second heart.’
Yogic alternate nostril breathing (pg. 239)
(Box 9.4; Fig. 9.5) In health one nostril is more dominant than the other at any given time in terms of the volume of air flow. There is an alternation every 1 t to 3 hours throughout the 24-hour cycle, with one nostril being more open than the other (Gilbert 1999). Evidence suggests that whichever nostril is more open, the opposite hemisphere of the brain is slightly more active, and in yoga this is utilized to enhance different activities related to particular hemispheric functions. These traditional yogic intuitions and observations have been confirmed by modern research in which EEG readings from the brain have been found to correlate with increased hemispheric activity with the currently dominant nostril (Rossi 1991, Shannahoff-Khalsa 1991, Block et al 1989). Some yoga breathing exercises alternate between the two nostrils, breath by breath, with the intent of regulating the balance between the two hemispheres. This is thought to promote proper alternation between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system functions.
WTF?!
The point here is that you can directly alter BRAIN/MENTAL and PHYSIOLOGILCAL/PHYSICAL (and their intermediary…EMOTIONAL) states simply through the use of breath.
How do you practice this?
1. PAY ATTENTION.
When you’re going through your day, occasionally check in – are you holding your breath?
Especially when you’re going into a situation you know to be stressful for you – regulate your breathing to remain relaxed.
Track the relative amount of tension in your muscles and the tension in your breathing. If you’re holding your breath or breathing shallowly, you’re most likely gripping in your body someplace (check the hands (fists), and glutes).
2. PRACTICE
Practice some sort of relaxation technique that exploits and explores the connection between breathing and body-states.
This book is GREAT. It does not go into the ridiculous level of scientific depth covered in Chaitow’s book (or this post). It simply presents practices to help you connect breathing to your body state.
Want to get rid of that pain in your neck or shoulder that has been there for years, or that just pops up now and then?
Or the pain in your lower back or hip?
The first thing to do is to figure out what’s actually causing the pain. This might involve a trip to a doctor (MD or DO), physical therapist, or other medical professional.
But a lot of times we can figure out and “treat” our own pain. That’s what I intend to help you with here.
Surrounding your muscles is a layer of tissue called fascia. It’s both a connective tissue and a contractile tissue. Fascia is the thin white layer of material that you might find on a chicken breast or piece of beef. It separates muscle bundles. It provides structure and support to the body.
When fascia gets bound up or “knotted” (basically getting into a state where it’s contracting non-stop), it causes pain. The nerves around that area get compressed and irritated. That point where the fascia is knotted is called a “trigger point.”
Since fascia is a sheet-like covering, and it spans such a huge area in your body, a knotted-up portion of fascia can also lead to pain in other places (“referred” pain).
The way to tell if something is a trigger point is through experience!
There are two approaches to trigger points. One is to feel where you have a general area of pain or irritation, and then to look at the charts below and find the trigger point for that area. Use your finger or thumb to push around where the trigger point should be and feel for a spot that’s especially sensitive and resistant to pressure. Voila! You’ve found the trigger point.
The other way is just to search around for trigger points themselves.
Once you’ve found a trigger point press into (or squeeze) it deeply enough that you feel the referred area “light up” and hold that pressure for one minute. If that’s too intense, use 5-second heavy/light alternations for one minute.
After that minute, put some ice on the area and “sweep” the ice from the trigger point to the area of referred discomfort while stretching that muscle group as far as possible.
You just want to use the ice to cool the area, not to deep-freeze it. Keep ice “sweeps” intermittent enough that the area gets cool, but not COLD.
Same goes for stretching – don’t try to beat your personal-best stretch in this area (if you have one), just gently stretch the muscle.
Here are some great Trigger Point charts I found online:
NOTE: Trigger points in the neck/shoulder area should be squeezed (pinched between the thumb and fingers), not pressed into.
You can get to your back and neck using something like the Backnobber:
ALSO: Only treat trigger points this way once per day. If the pain (of the point or the referred area) isn’t diminished when you’re done, there might be some other cause of the pain, and you should check in with your physician again.
Resources
There are a ton of good books out there that go through this type of treatment in-depth. Janet Travell and David Simons wrote the “classic” in-depth/technical manuals on this type of therapy:
But Leon Chaitow’s book “Instant Pain Control” is a great self-help guide:
Somewhere in the middle of the two is Bonnie Pruden’s “Complete Guide to Pain-Free Living”:
Just realize that you can do it yourself, with just a little self-experimentation and discovery!
What’s Happening In There?
I saved this part for last, since some people might not really be that interested in what makes this type of therapy work, but here it is!
To the best of my understanding, a “knot” is an area of constant contraction (what’s called “tetany” – where the term for the disease “tetanus” comes from). When you press into an area like this, you’re doing two things – 1. You’re shortening the fibers of that area even further, which sends a signal to the spinal cord telling those fibers to relax (since they’re exceeding their “normal” resting length), and 2. You’re sending a signal to the brain that the area in question needs attention. Over time, when a muscle goes into “spasm” (or tetany) the body attempts to “normalize” that situation. That is, it ignores it and attempts to keep going about its business. Bringing attention to the area is often as big a help as any sort of “manual” therapy.
Hope you enjoyed the post! Please leave questions or comments below!
Key is a physical therapist (or “physiotherapist,” as they’re known outside the USA) who has studied several somatic disciplines and integrated them into her physical therapy practice.
Why?
Key’s realization, and the realization that the best “body-professionals” are coming to, is that our scientific understanding of how the body moves and “works” is useful to identify (and sometimes address) particular features of the body, but that the health of the body is always based upon strong, aware, exertive, and “functional” movement.
Professor Shirley Sahrmann summed this up well in her 2002 book “Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes.” She outlined the history of physical therapy, which began with a focus on dysfunctions of the neuromusculoskeletal system through “cadaveric” anatomy – focusing on individual muscles and innervations, and the restoration of muscle function through manual methods. The field shifted in the late 1950′s, when the polio vaccine significantly reduced the incidence of polio in the “developed” world. Research and practice shifted to a focus on the central nervous system’s role in dysfunction, particularly as related to cerebral palsy. Joint dysfunction became the predominant area of study and treatment in the 1980′s, as physical therapists began to realize release techniques applied to joints could resolve nervous system disorders. In the 1990′s focus shifted again, this time to “movement” – largely due to an increase in the number of patients presenting with problems related to dysfunctional movement.
Sahrmann’s book takes a traditional approach to treating movement impairment and dysfunction, asking the practitioner to test individual muscles and perform many single-muscle-specific or joint-specific exercises to retrain movement patterns. Key’s work, by comparison, approaches the body in a more holistic fashion, focusing on patterns of movement (though Key does use standard physical therapy techniques – individual muscle and joint testing and treatment).
Embedded within these approaches is THE BODY. Which presents something of a “problem” to me, and is one of the reasons for this post. The body in-itself (as an object – something you have) is not the approach of somatics. The body-as-central-point-of-focus (as something you do) is what somatics is about.
See the difference? Simply “working the body” might get some results, but doesn’t increase your awareness of why you got those results. So you’re helpless the next time you get into trouble.
It’s the old – “Give a man to fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for life.”
Janda was a leader in the 1960′s transition Sahrmann mentions, with his focus on neuromotor control and stability, which was significantly different from the “muscles and mobility” approach before him.
Janda’s major contributions are his “crossed syndromes” – patterns of muscular dysfunction that occur in a predictable manner.
For those with no access to the journal article above, check out the equally-great article “The Janda Approach” by Phil Page and Clare Frank. To avoid lawsuits from Lippincott and Williams, I’ll post Page and Frank’s fantastic representation of all of Janda’s crossed syndromes:
Janda’s lesson was that it is necessary to understand and utilize rules and techniques from each of “the three interdependent neuro-musculo-articular systems.”
The paper “Lessons for the Future” by Karel Lewit outlines the history of
rehabilitative medicine, roughly along the same lines as Sahrmann’s work. But Lewit goes one further, and addresses the body as a system (something the Czech school has been famous for).
Lewit makes the point that the dysfunctional motor patterns that Vladimir Janda discovered (and that Sahrmann and Keys are treating in their own ways) can be understood through basic rules about how the body functions.
First, the long-muscles of the body cross the joints in opposing innervations that, if “pulling” equally, result in “good posture.” But beyond that “global” (“superficial”) system there is a “local” (“deep”) system, of smaller muscles that cross only one joint at a time, providing local stability to the joints.
Lewit lists the clinical signs of weakness of the local/deep system (pp. 134-136):
Weakness of the lateral part of the abdominal wall (weakness of the TrA and diastasis (separation) of the rectus abdominis).
Faulty respiration evidenced by a lifting of the thorax rather than its expansion during breathing.
Sagging of the longitudinal arch of the foot and poor toe flexion.
Protruding or “winging” shoulder blades (lower trap and serratus ant. underactivity).
Overactivity of the short extensors of the neck and the sternocleidomastoid muscle.
These dysfunctions are addressed readily by (pp. 136-138):
Placing the hands on the border of the waist and exerting pressure outward against them (feeling the TrA activate in a ring around the abdomen, squeezing its contents laterally out against the hands).
Performing #1 while inhaling and keeping the thorax and clavicles from rising, allowing the thorax to expand with the breath (and the diaphragm to contract downward).
Leaning forward in standing (with “good posture,” of course), just to the point that the toes flex automatically (keeping the heels on the ground). Repeat slowly 10 times. AND, feeling the outer margin of the foot during walking.
Practicing drawing the lower point (ramus) of the scapula in toward the spine (against resistance – a therapist’s thumb, for instance). AND, in the four-point position on hands and knees, keeping the scapulae abducted (spread apart) keeping pressure on the base of the thumb (hands flat).
Sitting with “good posture,” and pressing quickly with both hands flat onto the top of the head, straight down the vertebral column.
Releasing the psoas, quadratus lumborum and erector spinae. How do you do that? Like this:
OR, if you’re a self-starter and have a creative streak – you can do it YOURSELF!!!
Also see Deric Stockton’s foam roll sequence:
Lewit goes on to discuss the importance of releasing muscular trigger points, and healing muscular and fascial scar tissue and lesions.
SO WHAT?!
The point here is not to give you a bunch of videos to watch or words to read that you may not be able to relate to.
The point is to say that there are very simple actions that lead to large changes in the way the body behaves. These are the things Lewit is pointing toward.
He is not saying that all the therapeutic techniques ever invented are not needed, but he is saying that there are often much simpler solutions that rely on the innate behavior of the body.
The LIFT Approach
Somatics attempts to teach the participant how to feel optimal function and movement in their own body.
But somatics alone isn’t good either. All the touchy-feely stuff in the world gets you nowhere. Yes, I can feel xyz, but what exactly am I feeling?
A merging of both approaches becomes necessary.
Lewit’s approach is something like this. Extremely effective at solving seemingly unsolvable (from the perspective of cadaveric anatomy) problems in the body. Lewit may not instruct his clients about neuromusculoskeletal anatomy, but he is in at least some way, simply by having them place their own hands on their bodies. He must provide a reference, which is an anchor back to “experiencing your own experience” (so to speak).
I think a merging of every approach becomes necessary. That’s what LIFT is all about.
But how can I do that? How can I possibly merge every approach?
It’s really simple, actually, and it’s the way that all body-practitioners follow already, whether they’ve consciously realized it or not. Here it is:
Start with a DESIRE to learn, feel, and express more and more deeply and broadly. It’s the mantra the Barefoot Sensei taught me – “TEACH ME.” To follow this principle requires deepening sensitivity and awareness.
Study the PRINCIPLES of the body (from every perspective – physiology, anthropology, physics, history, etc.).
Observe the principles in PRACTICES and tease them out – by doing them. Mere observation and laboratory analysis won’t help you here.
SHARE what you’ve learned with others, and hear/observe their feedback.
Sensitivity and awareness are requisite throughout, and those qualities should deepen as time goes by on this path.
“Posture” is often a mis-used word. People generally use the word “posture” to refer to the “ideal” upright posture in static-standing. But the word “posture” really refers to the position of the body at any given moment in time, and it usually accompanies a specific activity. So there is a “good posture” for shoveling that is not a “good posture” for rowing a boat.
Postural problems are usually a result of dysfunctional movement repeated many times. For instance, I’ve had clients who habitually carry their (thick) wallet in one or the other back-pocket of their pants. Sitting on that lump every day raises the hip on that side creating unequal muscle tension throughout their lower back. Over time the muscles (and if long enough, bones) change to match that demand. They go to do something that requires good core-control and even movement, and throw their back out.
Their seated or standing posture could have been “perfect” for all intents and purposes, but the repetitive dysfunctional movement (or lack of movement) caused an imbalance that hurt their back.
So it’s better to think of “posture” as something ACTIVE
(something that you do) rather than as something PASSIVE (something that
you have). “Good posture” at any moment is a snapshot. You might
“have” good posture for that moment…but it’s the continuing movement
that matters most.
Long story short – an elliptical doesn’t promote good posture any more than heavy deadlifts or any other form of movement. Awareness in movement (awareness of your postures) throughout the day is the best posture you can wish for.
There are “ideal” standing postures, or “ideal” postures in different movements.
What are they?
They are the postures that create the least amount of excessive shear or torsional force on the body’s joints (cartilage, ligaments, tendons, bones, muscles).
How do you attain those postures?
Understand how the body works. Increasing your understanding is mandatory.
Here are two simple “ideal-posture-finding” moves:
To the specific concern – elliptical training can have a much lower-impact on the spine and other joints (depending on how you use it). Observe “good posture” while you’re using it and it’s great for posture!
People who use jarring motions on an elliptical are putting just as much strain on their joints (and probably in different/worse ways) as people taking a walk or jog.
People who lean forward while using an elliptical will experience low-back pain for the same reason you would if you stood still while leaning forward from the waist for any amount of time…continual strain on the low back.
The low back is meant to be a place of VERTICAL stabilization for the body. It’s not very good at maintaining anything past vertical for long periods of time….
MOVEMENTS are what matter for good posture…forget about “posing”!!!
