IOL Strength and Conditioning

What to get, what to get? You want your gift to be special, and you know training is something your friend or family member is passionate about. Maybe there’s not enough extra cash throughout the year for him or her to order some of the training toys we yak about in the forum or ponder over through youtube exercise videos. Settle in for a spell and I’ll send you off with some specifics to help make your gift shopping a little more successful.

Categorized by price instead of topic, you’ll find everything from books and dvds to metal, foam and rubber. These are truly the things we discuss in the forum, so in many cases buying a new implement doesn’t mean you have to get a book or dvd to go with it, unless money’s looser around your house than most, because we’ll have links to articles and videos handy. Heck, we welcome this kind of thing in the forum – we’re always in need of new topics of conversation.

A couple of thoughts before the nitty-gritty:

One: Consider a gym membership gift certificate if the household budget is stretched and a gym causes a gleam in your recipient’s eye. But beware: not all gyms are alike. If you aren’t sure which one will do it for him or her, think handmade gift card with cash earmarked for the membership. It won’t feel like a gift to be stuck in a hated gym when the heart’s pining for the gym down the road.

Two: If this all feels too hopeless and you don’t feel confident in making a decision, zip on down to your local Play it Again Sports for a gift certificate. Anyone with a desire to train at home even part-time will find a way to spend the loot. Just don’t go along for the ride unless you’re a gymrat, too; it’ll be like an extended trip to the lumberyard where every bolt gets reviewed. Shudder.

Price Categories:

Under $30

Starting Strength, Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore, $26.95, includes shipping via media mail
I’d have to call this book poorly titled, because it’s anything but basic, and the idea of “starting” is probably a turnoff to folks who’ve been training for awhile. Yet those are some of the people who will benefit the most from this fabulous barbell training instruction, because most of us learned by accident and are doing our barbell exercises entirely wrong. If you’ve got a beginning trainee on your shopping list, so much the better – get ‘em started off right.

Gym Boss workout timer, $19.95, plus $2.95 shipping
This tiny little stocking stuffer is an interval timer that works for a variety of training modalities from weight training, kettlebell work, cardio intervals, sled drags and more. Just set the work and rest times, tell it how many times to beep at you and get to work.

Captain’s of Crush grippers, $19.95, plus $7.00 shipping
If you’ve never shopped for grippers before, you’ll probably get stuck on which one to order. Can you swing a pair into the budget? If so, the average person will probably want a trainer (#1250) and the Number 1 (#1251) unless he (or *maybe* she) has an exceptional untrained grip.

The Concise Book of Neuromuscular Therapy: A Trigger Point Manual, by John Sharkey, $24.05, $4.98 shipping
This is an outstanding book for anyone who has recurring pain, especially those who exercise regularly. Self-treatment of soft tissue problems is the future of athletic healing, and this book provides a comprehensive description, specific bodypart details and plentiful illustrations. For now, this is my top triggerpoint book recommendation.

JumpStretch band, $22 for the average band (green), plus $7.34 freight
I’d buy two matching bands if possible because the options with two are far greater than double one. These are used for a variety of purposes, from assisting exercises (such as chins) to making exercises harder (such as bench or squats… for sure get two if you think this might be the purpose), to standalone bodyweight exercises and strengthening tools for ankle and other joint work. A great addition to a limited home gym, the curious trainee will find a lot of good uses for a band or two.

Foam Roller, $21.95, free shipping holiday special
We use this as a sort of self-massage tool by rolling over it on the floor or against a wall, and it works surprisingly well. Get the black molded or EVA foam; the white rollers don’t hold up very well under weight. While you’re shopping, if there’s room in the budget, consider a round “posture” ball. In fact, if space is an issue or your giftee has chronic shoulder and arm problems, the myofascial release ball might be a better choice if you’re picking between that and a roller.

The Mind in Bodybuilding book by Frank Zane, $23, plus $3.05 shipping
If you have a Zane fan on your shopping list, this will be a great surprise because it just came out a couple of weeks ago. In this book, Frank focuses on meditation, relaxation and other mind-body techniques for which he’s well known.

~$30-50

Dan John’s Everything’s Over My Head dvd, three different 30-minute informal seminars, $39.95, plus $6 shipping
Now here’s a guy whose life mission is to teach people to train heavy, pick up stuff, put it overhead or drag it around, and he does a darn good job of it. From unusual outdoor training ideas to Olympic lifting technique learned in one viewing, Dan’s going to keep the viewer inspired and laughing while at the same time taking plenty of notes. This is a dvd that will be in and out of the player; unlike most dvds, this one gets better with each viewing.

John Izzo’s Free the Hips dvd, $27.99, plus $4.29 shipping
John’s done an excellent job at teaching us how to regain hip mobility to get rid of back pain and to increase athletic skills. This is a dvd of a live workshop, and includes the lecture handout notes. Personal trainers will use this material with their clients, as will baby boomers trying to train around nagging back pain.

Dave Draper and Bill Pearl’s seminar dvd, $29.95, plus $6 shipping
This is our filming of a 75-minute seminar featuring Bill Pearl and Dave, and including a transcript of a later conversation between the two guys that covers material they felt was missing in the earlier recorded Q&A. Readers of Dave’s newsletter or followers of the Golden Era of Bodybuilding (‘60s and early ‘70s) will really get a kick out of seeing the guys together 40 years later as they reminisce about those treasured days and come full circle to their training today. Note: If your recipient is a regular visitor here, check your dvd shelf before placing your order – this may already be there.

West Coast Bodybuilding Scene by Dick Tyler, $24.95, plus $6 shipping
If this isn’t already on the shelf of whomever you’re shopping for, I think it will get you a grin on Christmas morning. Easy to pick up and read a few pages anywhere in the book, Dick Tyler’s timeless memories along with the classic photos and Dave’s clever captions is always tops for a nostalgic smile.

~$50-75

Grey Cook’s Secrets series dvds, ~$69.95 each (Core Training is $39.95; $199 discounted price for the set of dvds), free shipping holiday special
Here you’ll have to decide which your beneficiary most needs: attention to the shoulders, hips and knees, core or overall movement patterns. If the person has a specific nagging problem in one of those areas, the answer’s easy. If not, I’d go with the primitive patterns because the ideas on that one are not well known, and it’s likely to be an unexpected gift. If the guy or gal’s a personal trainer and there’s any chance of spring for the set, it’s a gold mine that will propel the viewer far beyond the other trainers in the region. No kidding.

Scott Sonnon’s Intu-Flow 2-dvd set, $49.95, plus an unfortunate shipping cost of $16.95.
This is a bit of a mis-named instructional program; Intu-Flow sounds more like a yoga routine rather than the comprehensive joint mobility program it is. Scott was on the forefront of an industry now saturated with joint range-of-motion routines—he knows it the best and brought the rest of us into the fold. This dvd set is divided into sections, to teach the beginning, easy joint movements before being dumping into more complicated, possibly impossible positions. If you think a follow-along joint mobility workout would be more appropriate, Scott’s Ageless Mobility dvd will set you up right at $24.95. The program is over an hour, kind of too long for most of us for a regular joint mobility routine, however it’s real nice to practice a few times, work a few of the exercises for a shorter duration over the course of a month, going back to check progress against the dvd on occasion. The Ageless Mobility dvd is sort of a combination of joint mobility and joint mobility via yoga positions rather than a dedicated joint mobility program.
Magnificent Mobility dvd by Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson, $49.99, plus $5.99 shipping
Mobility is one of the newer buzz words in our industry; most people have an idea what it means, but not so much how to put a plan into action. Eric and Mike are two of the go-to mobility guys, and in this dvd they show their stuff, including beginner, intermediate and advanced options. An ebook that’s real handy for later reference is also available, but it drives the price up pretty good.

Inside Out dvd by Bill Hartman and Mike Robertson, $49.99, plus $5.99 shipping
This time Mike’s joined by a guy known industry-wide as one of the top physical therapists alive, even called the “Smartest Man in Fitness” in one popular interview. This rep is well-deserved, and in the Inside Out dvd you’ll see why. This offering focuses on the upper body, the thoracic spine and shoulder girdle in particular. Most excellent for anyone with chronic shoulder pain. This also comes in a set with either an ebook or print manual, again at additional charge.

Polar Heart Rate Monitor, $59.95 for the bottom tier monitor, free shipping
A heart rate monitor is a great tool for gaging how hard we’re training, both in steady-state cardio, interval cardio training and also for monitoring kettlebell work and sled drags. If you’re unsure if this will be a welcome gift, go with the cheapest, a monitor with big numbers in the display, the time, a stop watch and a heart rate measuring strap. Moving up from the basics, it’s going to get a little dicey to pick one for someone else because the options available are extensive and range in price up to around $400.

Trail Guide to the Body, spiral-bound muscle and bone textbook by Andrew Biel, $52.95, plus $6.67 freight
For anyone who’s interested in how the physical body is connected, bone to muscle, this book is primo. Massage therapy schools use this textbook; personal trainers should have a copy to read, read again and nearby on the shelf for easy reference.

Kettlebell, 26-pounder, $42.95 from Lifeline, plus $15.87 freight; $54.95 plus $27 freight from Ader — 35-pounder, $47.95, plus $14.87 freight from Lifeline; $64.95 plus $27 freight from Ader. Best guess for a beginning kettlebell user is a 26 for a woman, a 35 for a man – we use these differently than we use dumbbells, and the weight used is lighter than you might expect. The difference between these two brands is best described on this page from Ader; in particular, note the wider handle. If hand size is big, a wider handle is better. Otherwise, go with the Lifeline for price most likely. Power Systems has a few of their “cardio bell” kettlebells on sale, 50% off plus free shipping if you use the code from the front page, for those who are a little interested but not committed enough to spring for the cost of the black iron ‘bells. One last point about kettlebells, if the person you’re buying for is something of a kettlebell enthusiast or might be interested in competition, pass over the kettlebell idea. This person has a specific ‘bell in mind and the surprised look on Christmas morning will be mixed with disappointment in being stuck with a brand he or she doesn’t really want.

Anthony DiLuglio’s Art of Strength kettlebell workout dvd, $49.95, seems to include freight
Your mate’s got a kettlebell, but doesn’t know how to use it. There are a number of excellent kettlebell instructional dvds designed to teach exercise form, but not so many to show how to train with one of those handled blobs of iron. Anthony’s an expert instructor – exceptional, really – who’s created a set of work-along training videos that are superb. The first in the series is the Providence dvd, and while his teaching style has only gained ground the past couple of years, it’s still a gold standard as a place to start. Needing a “what do I do next” option, you can’t go wrong with any of the more recent offerings.

Steve Cotter’s Encyclopedia of Bodyweight Conditioning, 3-dvd set, $49.99, plus $6 shipping
For anyone who trains at home or travels, or anyone who’s rehabbing and unable to train with weights for any reason, this set covers 160 different exercises to be done without weights or props. When we talk about bodyweight training most of us get stuck at pushups; Steve’s a master at bodyweight conditioning and teaches his many techniques is this fine dvd set.

Randy Roach’s Muscle, Smoth & Mirrors, Volume 1, $57.95 paperback or $67.95 hardcover, plus $7.17 freight
562 pages of well-researched, honest recording your iron history buff will go nuts over. And check this out: If this gift goes over big, you’re all set up for next Christmas; Volume 2 is on the way in 2009. Review the contents here, and order it here.

~$100-150

Lebert Equalizer bars, set of two, $99, plus $18 freight
First thought, of course, is dipping bars, but these are useful for oh so much more. Very handy to have around a small home gym or personal training studio. Includes a laminated exercise poster and a workout idea dvd.

X2 Weight Vest, $112.49 ($149.99 less 25% sales discount – use coupon code X08 if before 12/31/08)
We use these for conditioning in a variety of modalities, walking… hill climbing… to pushups, squats or other exercises. Comes with 12 pounds vest inserts. Doesn’t sound like much, but it’s plenty for starters. Shipping costs vary depending on distance from company.

~$150-200

TRX Suspension Trainer, ~$149.95 less 15% sale discount, includes free shipping
I recommend this one unless your recipient is a golfer, tennis player or has another specific interest as described on the main product page. I love love love this thing; don’t be dissuaded by the idea these are just overpriced, silly straps. Note: If you think this will be used indoors where there’s no squat rack, you’ll need to spring for the door anchor ($24.95) or your great gift will sit behind the couch unused until the late-ordered anchor arrives.

Louie Simmons’ pulling sled, $149.95, includes free shipping
Scroll down (no direct link). The neighbors sometimes stare, but after the first day out, we don’t care much. Pulling and dragging heavy objects is fabulous for strength, endurance and conditioning, and sled pulling is how much of us drag. Don’t forget, weights aren’t included, so if the giftee doesn’t have weights or kettlebells at home, this might not be the best gift choice.

Dave’s Top Squat, $149 plus $24 shipping
This would be for the guy or gal who loves or needs to squat but who either has issues getting the shoulders back comfortably or who has trouble holding good squat form. It’s an add-on to a bar that basically puts handles in front; your giftee would already need to own the bar, squat rack and plates for this to be a useful item. Some people carry it in to the public gym, but it won’t fit into a gym bag and isn’t particularly handy to carry.

Mike Mahler’s Boys are Back in Town seminar dvd set, $169.95, includes freight
Looks like a lot of money for a set of dvds, sure enough, but instead think of it as a weekend seminar, nearly eight hours of four of the top speakers in the industry talking about their specialties, each one doing one or two 90-minute sessions: Steve Cotter on kettlebell sport training and on chi-kung; Mike Mahler on kettlebell training for strength and on optimizing hormones; Steve Maxwell on joint mobility and on kettlebell core training; and Nate Morrison on performance breathing. I’m confident the next seminar set, the nine-hour Collision Course featuring John Brookfield, Jon Hinds, Mike Mahler, Mark Philippi, with Tom Furman and Dylan Thomas is equally powerful, but I haven’t seen those sessions personally. This one’s on a pre-sale special at $99.95 (*might* not be in by Christmas, but it’s a savings of $100 off the soon-to-be price of $199.95—a handmade gift card with the set following a week or so later would still get major props).

~$350-500

Pendlay weightlifting bar, 20kg, $389, plus $45 freight (varies depending on distance) These bars are the double-drool factor around the forum; everybody wants one. They’ve also got an economy bar at $199, a good quality, normal-use home gym bar. If the home-gym is being set up or upgraded, this is the bar that provides the foundation for the work that follows.
~$500-1000

Concept 2 Rower, $900, plus $40 freight (both the unit and the freight are bargains, seriously)
This is the crème de la crème of cardio equipment, full body rowing on a smooth, top quality machine. You may be able to find one on your local craigslist, but usually someone has to die first.

Remember watching Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry, how he clenched his jaw muscles rhythmically, looking oh so cool and you either wanted to be him or wanted your boyfriend to have a squared-off, hardworking exactly jaw like his? Think of that intense-jaw look now, from your adult perspective. Do you see the same thing, or do you see a person too tense, habitually beating the heck out of an aching jaw?

Whether Clint did that as part of his Callahan role or if it was or is a regular part of his life, I haven’t a guess. But I’ll betcha a similar habit and plenty more like it are buried in your structure, and that of your family and friends. In fact, I’ll wager a few of those idiosyncrasies are clever little bits you picked up from your dad and mom, even from your grandparents if they were around the house when you were a young’n.

We now know some of those handsome and not-so-handsome habits can wreck havoc on an aging body, and some of you reading this are well aware of a dull ache that’s getting worse, pounding to get your attention.

Here are a few examples to get you pondering:

• Shoulder hunched up on one side
• Head tilted (hello, Horatio) or rotated
• Chin lifted – chin up! Meaning excessive cervical lordosis
• Pelvic tilted too far in one direction, forward or back
• Duck foot on one side, or both
• Resting your weight on one leg, never both
• Crossing knees when seated, unable to sit with your feet flat
• Tensing the jaw, grinding the teeth
• Sucking in the gut, never relaxing the abdominals
• Resting on your heels or the outsides of your feet
• Walking on your toes
• Arms crossed over your chest, shoulders internally rotated
• Tight hold on the computer mouse when reading a webpage
• Left foot always leads or right foot always leads, staying a fraction of a second longer on the lead foot each step

Each one of those, and probably a hundred others like them, can add tension to your body, and often cause a cascade of affects up, down or crossing the body, sometimes enough to set the whole configuration askew.

Strictly from a functional body standpoint, realize how you habitually hold the parts of your body can contribute to – if not be the main factor of – your mobility problems. These are the type of things we need to address in order to fix an aching back or a messed up shoulder or elbow. Sounds bizarre, but it’s true.

This isn’t a discussion about body language; it doesn’t matter where the habit came from – not the psychology behind it, whether it was a headtrip or a habit you copied from you dad when you were a child or your favorite actor from your teen years, or perhaps a compensation for a long-forgotten injury. Instead, I’m only pointing out there are things you’re probably doing that are detrimental, or will be as time carries on.

We get what we train, that’s what it boils down to… not just in our workouts but even more in our working and resting postures that take up a lot more of the week than the training. Then we go to the gym and train in those faulty positions to strengthen up the tilted, rotated, hunched-up structures.

A lot of our mobility problems require work, strengthen up this side, stretch out that – tease our joints into moving better over the weeks or months of a concentrated rebuilding plan. It’s so valuable and effective, and well worth the time we dedicate to corrective exercise.

But listen here: Some of the problems contributing to a troubled overall is a case of Just Stop Doing That.

Having a trainer move you through a joint mobilization program or a masseuse go to work on your soft tissue is fabulous. But it’s not enough. This stuff is of the “daily importance” variety, and none of us are rich enough or have enough time to trot across town to get that kind of hands-on help. We need a program to follow at home, something that requires cheap or free tools and that can be done quickly, pre- or post-workout as needed.

In the forum and around the internet we’re picking up more and more pieces of the puzzle, and for a lot of people practice makes perfect… the picture’s getting clear. Others, though, need guidance: What’s a foam roller?; what’s it do and how do I use it? and what’s joint mobility? isn’t that the stretching I did in high school? are common questions we hear, and maybe these are questions you’re wondering right now.

Nick Tumminello, a trainer and educator at PerformanceU, set out to document two main pre-workout programs he uses with his clients (and what he suggests they do at home on off-training days) to make this material available to those of us without hands-on guidance. His two Secrets dvds, Secrets of Self Myofascial Release and Secrets of Self Joint Mobilization, answer the questions you have, and add a few twists to the mix for the somewhat educated.

This is done in a live setting; an athlete goes through the pre-workout rolling as Nick instructs so we can see how the movement is done correctly while we listen to his coaching.

Covered, from the bottom up: plantar fascia, gastroc/soleus, illiotibial (IT) band, piriformis, low back, adductor, quadriceps, tensor fascia latte, groin, lats, posterior shoulder, and chest and shoulder.

Because I already knew most of the rolling techniques of the Myofascial Release dvd, the Joint Mobilization held my attention better. Still, I got a few valuable tips, ideas I hadn’t seen before as he introduces foam rolling and other self-massage implements, tips and warnings and when to use which tool. This is the best foam rolling demo I’ve seen, including other dvds and a couple live sessions at conferences.

Secrets of Self Myofascial Release, 25 minutes, $29

I’m very [read: extremely very] into joint mobility, and have been reading, watching and practicing variations of joint mobility exercises about a year, long enough that I’m pleased to see unusual stuff a bit off the beaten trail. You should see my hen-scratching as I scribbled bits and pieces—and stickmen—while Nick explained his joint mobilization moves. If you’re not already doing joint mobility, this dvd offers all the basics, plus a few real golden keepers.

Covered, after a short pre-mobilization trick: ankle mobility (3 techniques), T-spine mobility (4 variations), shoulder mobilization (3 exercises), hip mobilization, (2 options), closing with two shoulder and hip coordinated movements that I’ll be adding to my daily mobility program. These… these were outstanding! Here’s a look at one of them.

Lest you think I’m completely in the tank for Nick, I do have one criticism and that’s price. To be fair, it’s a trend that’s growing industry-wide in which a 30-minute dvd selling for $49 fits right in, but I just don’t agree with it. Still, the material is original, and that’s a lot more than I can say for a number of other pricey dvds.

These are quality educational pieces, especially for readers amped and ready to start but having no instructions. If you regularly do the exercises and foam rolling shown on these dvds, you’ll be all set and ready to train well… for a long time into the future. Good job, Nick.

When I saw Anthony Carey was presenting at the IDEA convention, I knew in advance it would be a real highlight for me. His book, The Pain-Free Program, is an outstanding contribution to corrective exercise self-help, and really had an impact on my early steps in getting to pain-free movement. I was eager to hear him in person and to watch him interact with the crowd.

Snipped off the top of his session handout, we find,

“Limitations and dysfunctions of the hip joint result in a transfer of responsibility to the lumbar spine. The lumbar spine is not designed to work the way the hips do, so the outcome is often lower back pain. Recognizing the contribution of the hips is key to long-term function and back pain prevention.”

I think most of us are starting to get the hint, but let’s get a little deeper into the material. Here are the bullet points from my notes, in no particular order.

• Functional anatomy is more complicated than cadaver anatomy, ie Gray’s. The way the body actually works is different than it appears. For example, the hamstring curls the leg up, but functionally its purpose is much more useful.

• The maximum rotation in the lumbar spine is 8-10%.

• Hip flexion equals lumbar flexion; lifting the leg (hip flexion) causes posterior tilt. Hip extension equals lumbar extension.

• Hip ABduction equals ipsilateral lumbar flexion. Hip ADduction equals contralateral lumbar flexion. Hip AB-ADduction is excessive frontal plane movement—frontal plane hip tilt.

• A normal pelvis rests in 5-10% anterior rotation (toward the front). Sagittal plane deviations are excessive anterior rotation (more than 10%), posterior rotation (to the back) and asymmetrical rotation, meaning one side rotates forward, one side rotates back. Asymmetrical rotation doesn’t dissipate force on impact.

• Frontal plane deviations include hip adduction (elevated) and leg length discrepancy.

• Hip internal rotation equals lumbar rotation toward the involved hip. Hip external rotation equals the opposite (away from the involved hip). This is rotation on the transverse/horizontal plane.

• Corrective exercises for sagittal, frontal or transverse plane deviations should work the planes that need attention, establishing normal range of motion in all three planes. Additionally, train stability of the hip musculature at all ranges of motion and stabilize the lumbar spine when the hip is moving. Include in the program foam rolling, static stretches and dynamic stretches.

• 85% of disc bulges are posterior lateral, meaning they bulge to the back of the spine, not the front, and to the outside.

• When you have a sciatic nerve problem, don’t stretch the hamstring. That makes it worse.

• The sciatic nerve passes under, over or thru the piriformis muscle under the glute maximus.

• Tight hip flexors decrease hip extension and pulls on the lumbar spine during walking, contributing to pain for even the sedentary person who walks 2,000-3,000 steps per day on average.

• If a person has an elevated hip, look for a low shoulder. You’ll also find a short waist on the high-hip side.

• When a hip is in internal rotation, the knee is internally rotated and the foot is pronated; in external hip rotation the knee would point out, with the foot supinated.

• Hips need mobility and stability equally. Don’t just think mobility.

• Average hip rotational range of motion on a clinical testing table is 90 degrees of external rotation and 70 degrees of internal rotation. This is completely different than useful range of motion, which depends not only on mobility, but also on stability.

• When working on joint mobility, look for quality of movement and don’t over-fatigue. Stop before you’re exhausted with the movement.

• Bonus: If the arms are pulled forward in the overhead squat, look for tight lats.

• Bonus # 2: In cases of fibromyalgia, work on posture. That will help with the pain.

Again let me recommend Anthony’s The Pain-Free Program to anyone with recurring back pain or who has determined he or she has problems in the hips. It’s exceptional in helping the reader discover where to start and how to progress. The exercises are well explained, with photos to pull the whole thing together. Exceptional book, grab a copy… read it… then DO THE EXERCISES. That’s the only way it works, eh?

You ever notice when you add an overhead arm reach to a kneeling stretch, the stretch deepens? Why is that do you think? Adding a left arm extension to a right glute stretch puts the left lat into play, sending stretching fire into the glute. What might have happened here?

Those of us newer to the corrective exercise side of training are beginning to understand a left hip problem might show up as right shoulder pain. How can that be?

Behold our beginner’s introduction to the muscle and fascia pathways known by some as myofascial slings, by others as myofascial meridians or flexibility highways.

Fascia is the connective tissue that holds us together. The slings are stretches of fascia connecting muscles in a length of which a tug on one end reflects up the length of the line to the other end. If there’s any obstacle in the length, be it a tight muscle, a triggerpoint, tight fascia or a faulty neural connection, the entire sling will lose its ability to function optimally. If the originating problem is serious, the muscles along the sling are pulled out of whack, and this is how a faulty muscle on one side might display itself as pain on the other.

A couple of the lines run as we might expect: the superficial back line running from underfoot, up the legs and spine, behind the neck and over the skull; the superficial front line at the top of the foot to the front of the legs, up the rectus abdominis, along the sternum and to the sides of the neck.

Still pretty logical is the lateral line, which runs up the sides of the body from the outside of the ankle, up the sides of the lower legs to the iliotibial (IT) bands, through the tensor fasciae latae (TFL) and glutes to the sides of the obliques, the intercostals and the strong muscles of the neck.

After that, things get a little screwy. The spiral line, parts of which are also called the oblique slings, runs along the outside of the leg, then crosses over the body at the hip, where it moves over to the opposite shoulder. Along this line, it also moves from the back of the body to the front. Problems arise throughout the myofasical sling network, but crossing from side to side and posterior to anterior is where the most baffling problems crop up.

Let’s say we have a length of fascia wrapping the TFL at the outside of the right glute of our favorite bench presser. Its lower connection passes through the IT band to connect to the outside of the calf, where in this particular guy there’s a nasty triggerpoint that’s been in place for, oh, maybe a year. (That’s not at all uncommon, lest you think otherwise.) Things are getting worse, and the outside of the calf hurts. The IT band is going to be tight, but unless our guy rolls the outside of his leg over a foam roller, he might not even know it. Moving up the chain, this tightness is pulling on the TFL, which in turn is pulling on the remainder of the sling above, only in this case, it’s a cross-body line, so our guy’s got himself an aching left shoulder. Who’s going to connect the right calf with the left shoulder? Not this powerlifter; he’s going to whine to whomever will listen (and some who won’t), quit his bench pressing, start icing the shoulder and chewing on Aleve.

The experienced corrective exercise specialist isn’t going to discount the possibility of a shoulder injury in a bench presser, of course, but in the process of sorting out the potential causes, cross-body stretching and strengthening running from head to toe is going to be one of the clear options of treatment.

It’s complicated, but in a funny way, it’s kind of simple. We’re sure to be talking about this in the forum and reading about it more and more on the ‘net in the next few years until eventually we all know it as well as we know our hamstrings from our quads.

The most accessible work in this field today is Thomas Myers’ book, Anatomy Trains, however the concept of myofascial slings dates back to the 1920s. Unfortunately, medical science at the time didn’t pick up on it, setting us back in our understanding of how the muscles work in concert. Had this research progressed forward since its original discovery, many of us – and certainly all athletes – would have passed over decades of bodypart training in favor of training how the body actually moves.

A lot of dull pain could have been alleviated along the way, no kidding about that. We’re late to the party, but getting up to speed is relatively easy. Let’s talk some slings, shall we?

After a particularly involved corrective exercise discussion in the forum, or via email after a blog post on recovering joint mobility, queries pop up about how to find local help with fixable dysfunctions. The desperation is understandable: Can’t someone just tell me what to do so I don’t have to study a bunch of anatomy?

At this point in the fitness and wellness industry, it’s almost an impossible question. If you get yourself in the right hands, anyone from a personal trainer, a physical therapist, a chiropractor, a physiatrist, Feldenkrais practitioner or Rolfer can sort out the movement problems of a live person in about an hour. In allopathic medicine, it would be the physiatrist, but they mostly work with patients in pain; I’m not sure what the response would be if you showed up with no symptoms, wanting to know how to fix your problems.

The thing is, finding the right person is real iffy, pretty doubtful, in fact. In the next few years, more and more people will be practicing using these assessment techniques, but we’re just not there yet. And, of course, each body is incredibly complex, so a person without a good deal of experience will have the basics, but the more subtle structural issues may go unnoticed. It really takes a good eye, a lot of opportunity to look at people, and a lot of patience to carry them through the trial and error process as they learn their craft.

For that reason, my first recommendation for a reader looking for local assistance would be Rolfing, because their regime is a systematic, ten-session, bottom-up process that covers the entire body, including the deeper parts we don’t usually think about. By the time the ten weeks are over, the fascia that contributes to holding things like feet tilted or arches dropped, hips twisted or tilted, abdominals tight, neck stretched, etc etc etc, has all been loosened, and the recipient has been retrained out of his or her faulty postural habits. For now, Rolfing is my initial recommendation for a full-body makeover when a local specialist isn’t a sure thing; if you can find a KMI-trained practitioner, so much the better — this is structural integrity similar to Rolfing, but with two extra sessions, all twelve based on the body’s myofascial slings.

But Rolfing takes a ten-week commitment, and the work is paid out of pocket. Shifting a 40- or 50-year-old back to feeling like 20 is priceless, and hopefully some readers and forum members will decide to go that route in the months and years to come. A slightly less reliable option is myofascial release therapy such as that taught by John F. Barnes in Sedona, Arizona. The reason I called it slightly less reliable is without the Rolfing treatment structure, the client is relying on the therapist’s good judgment. In many cases, this will be faster and possibly better than Rolfing because the person may have one very specific need the Rolfing program doesn’t get to until a later treatment, but that the MF release therapist can target on the first session. The downside is some people have a better eye than others, and if your therapist happens to be an other, you may end up chasing your tail a little.

A cheaper and shorter-term option is a near-local practitioner. How about this? Find a corrective exercise expert within driving distance; head down the road and make a long weekend of it. For a reasonable fee to cover a couple hours’ time, you could walk away with your current dysfunction evaluation and list of the exact exercises and stretches that will convert your ailing body from aching to fully functional. A couple months of dedicated effort and you’ll feel reborn.

Here are the options on my current list. I’ll update it from time to time as I discover more corrective exercise specialists. Feel free to drop me your name and link if you work with individuals with assessments and corrective exercise programs, or if you have suggestion for this list. I’m at ldraper@davedraper.com.

Find a local Rolfer

Find a local KMI-certified practitioner

Find a local Feldenkrais practitioner

Find a local myofascial release therapist

Gray Cook and Lee Burton have a program to train personal trainers and physical therapists in screening; find a certified Functional Movement Screen specialist.

Dr. Eric Cobb has trained practitioners in Z-health, right up our alley.

Pete Egoscue has a few clinics where they also do this work.

Paul Chek has trained practitioners in corrective exercise.

Another option: MAPS Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapists, a program developed by Australian physiotherapist Geoffrey Maitland, who appears to be expanding upon Rolfing practices similar to Tom Myers’ KMI stuff, combined with joint mobilization.

If you’re shopping for a personal trainer in the phone book, the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) has an advanced specialization for corrective exercise. It appears they offer no online directory, however the initials the trainers will use is NASM-CES.
By state:

Alaska:
Juneau, AK, Corey Pavitt, D.C. at Pavitt Health and Fitness

Arizona:
Scottsdale, AZ, Josh Henkin at Innovative Fitness
Chandler, AZ, Keats Snideman
Mesa, AZ, Michael Lovegren

California:
Santa Cruz, CA, Suzie Lundgren
San Diego, CA, Anthony Carey at Function First
San Diego, CA, Justin Price at The BioMechanics
San Diego, CA, Todd Durkin’s team at Fitness Quest 10
San Diego, CA, Jason Karp
Santa Clarita, Alwyn or Rachel Cosgrove at Results Fitness
Montrose, CA, Lenny Parracino
Danville, CA, Clay Hyght, D.C.
Santa Monica, CA, Core Performance Center specialist
Santa Rosa, CA, Lana Pacheco
Venice, CA, Howard Skora
Visalia, CA, Justin Levine
Los Angeles, CA, Jacques Taylor

Colorado:
Greenwood Village, CO, Greg Roskopf does similar work with his Muscle Activation Techniques

Connecticut:
Hartford, CT, John Izzo

Florida:
Orlando, FL, Chuck Wolf at Human Motion Associates
Tampa, FL, Brad Kaczmarski
South Beach, FL, Tom Furman
Boca Raton, FL, JC Santana’s Institute of Human Performance
Jacksonville, FL, Giles Wiley

Georgia:
Kennesaw, GA, Bill Sonnemaker

Illinois:
Evanston, IL, Evan Osar
Naperville, IL, Nicki Anderson
Chicago, IL, Robert Lardner
Chicago, IL, Adam Wolf

Indiana:
Indianapolis, IN, Bill Hartman or Mike Robertson
Also in Indianapolis, Robb Rogers’ group at St. Vincent’s Performance Center
West Lafayette, IN, Cody Sipe

Louisiana:
Mandeville, LA, Charlie Hoolihan at the Pelican Athletic Club

Maryland:
Baltimore, MD, Nick Tumminello

Massachusetts:
Winchester, MA, one of Mike Boyle’s trainers at MBSC
Hudson, MA, Eric Cressey and his guys at Cressey Performance
Woburn, MA, Aaron Brooks of Perfect Postures
Boston, MA, Peter McCall
Natick, MA, Eric Beard

Michigan:
Adrian MI, Gary Gray’s team at the Gray Institute
Gary Gray is at the forefront of this industry and has provided much of the training used by others in the corrective exercise and performance fields.

Minnesota:
Woodbury, MN, Brad Nelson
White Bear Lake, MN, Mike Nelson

Missouri:
St. Louis, MO, Tracy Fober at IronMaven

New Jersey:
Fair Lawn, NJ, Martin Rooney at Parisi School
Montville, NJ, Eric D’Agati at One Human Performance
Freehold, NJ, Charlie Weingroff at CentraState Sports Performance
Manasquan, NJ, Jon Messner
New Milford, NJ, Andrew Schmitt

New York:
New York, NY, Ming Chew
White Plains, NY, Anthony Renna at FiveIronFitness
Manhattan, NY, Chris McGrath
Brooklyn, NY, Annette Lang

North Carolina:
Raleigh, NC, Tom Dalonzo-Baker and his crew at Total Motion Release

Oregon:
Newberg, OR, Dewey Nielsen at IPT

Oklahoma:
Edmonds, OK, Jay Dawes at OneEighty

Pennsylvania:
Pittsburgh, PA, Brett Jones
Yardley, PA, Kareem F. Samhouri
Shenandoah, PA, Tom Deebel, D.C.
Swarthmore, PA, Bruce Kelly

Texas:
Austin, TX, Andy Twellman
Austin, TX, Diane Vives
Austin, TX, Adam Davila
Houston, TX, Paul Yost

Virginia:
Danville, VA, Gray Cook or Lee Burton

Washington:
Seattle, WA, Tim Vagen

Washington, DC:
Washington, DC, Tanya Colucci at MINT

Wisconsin:
Madison, WI, Jon Hinds
Germantown, WI, Dave Schmitz

Canada:
Mississauga, Ontario, Jim Reeves

There are hundreds, possibly even thousands of qualified corrective exercise specialists who aren’t on this list. If your trainer is missing, please do not consider this a comment on his or her work. In fact, if you’re getting good guidance on fixing dysfunctioning joints from a specialist not on the list, please drop me an email with his or her name and a link.

A couple of recent conversations with friends made it clear my “How to Get Hip Mobility” post a few weeks ago was interesting, but still too advanced for a beginner at joint mobility. Let’s try this again from a remedial point of view and see if we can’t get a few more hips in motion. Before we get started, those truly interested in getting this mobility job done should first re-read the original post (link above); there are important points in it that won’t be repeated here.

What we’re doing involves a little bit of stretching of tightness, a little bit of strengthening of weakness and a whole lot of neural reprogramming, that brain-to-muscle connection that gets shorted out the longer the area has been locked down. Be it from the trauma of a sports injury, car accident or simply lack of use, as the joint gets less motion, the brain learns to work around it to get the job done another way. A big part of a joint mobility program is to renew lost neural pathways, and sometimes this works fast and feels miraculous. I pray for one of those AHA moments for you this week, because just one is enough to keep you in the hunt.

The biggest problem you’ll probably have — the biggest problem I had and what seems to be most troublesome for Dave — is making the movement smaller, slower. Where neural learning happens is in the small, slight movements, particularly at the beginning of the action. Yet as weight trainers we have a need to push harder, to make something happen, and instead of getting something new, we fall back into habitual, prime-mover action and nothing is gained.

When you settle down into smaller movements, you’ll get frustrated, annoyed. If you stick with it, you’ll notice the motion smoothing out in the tiny subtle beginning of the movement. A movement that originally was jerky and amplified your feeling of klutziness soon becomes effortless. Once you feel that a single time, the imagery will carry you through the rest of the beginner joint mobility frustration, sort of how a nice golf swing brings you back for more misery.

Here are four hip mobility exercises to get you started. Practice these daily for two weeks, then you’ll be ready to move over to the other exercises on the hip mobility menu to address the muscles surrounding the pelvic structure.

What I most want to get across is to simply do the movements — don’t try to understand why they’re suggested, don’t pay any attention to knowing the anatomy… just move the joints. The movement of the hip joints will probably be short and stunted and unfulfilling. Do them anyway, daily for two weeks, and I promise you the difference between day one and day 14 will explain everything you need to know.

Tabletop stretch:
Stand about torso length from the kitchen table or countertop. Bend at the hips, knees straight but not hyperextended, and put your hands on the table surface. Move your feet as needed to achieve a comfortable bend at the hip joints and a long torso stretch. Hold the stretch for a minute.

Kneeling hip flexor stretch:
Kneel on one knee, putting your knee farther back than a normal straight-to-the-floor position. The other foot will be in front of the forward knee, and the torso will be straight. Once in this position, you’ll quickly feel the stretch in the hip flexor region of the kneeling side… you know where we’re going with this. If the hips are extremely tight, this is the final position for now; build up to a 30-second hold on each side. If that position isn’t difficult, increase the stretch by lifting the arm on the knee-down side. From there, should that not be enough of a stretch, shift your overhead arm toward the opposite side.

Side-lying hip flexion/extension:
Lying on your side, bend both legs as if sitting, but with the top leg a bit farther behind. Grab the ankle of the top leg with the same-side hand, stretch the quad lightly, then move the leg forward and back in a small, smooth motion. Make this as effortless as possible, with the leg loosely swinging. Rest whenever you need to, and after one of those rests move the leg up and down so the knee moves closer and farther from the floor. Repeat the sequence on both sides, at least 20 reps of each, but more if you have time.

Standing femur circles:
Stand tall; stick one leg across the body to the opposite side and make small circles with the foot outstretched to the side, then reverse direction. Move the foot to the front and repeat; shift the foot to the outside and repeat; continue to the back and repeat the circles on both directions. Change legs and do it all again. Remember, these are femur circles — you’re moving the top of the leg bone in circles around the inside of the hip socket; you’re not circling the knee or ankle, the knee and foot are just going along for the ride. As you begin, the circles will be small and the hip will fatigue quickly. Happily, these small muscles strengthen fast.

Now it’s time to move on to the full hip mobility program.

One last thing: You don’t need to understand this for it to work. Let the doing happen now; the understanding can come later.

You’re not going to believe this: I found another four pages of notes from Chuck Wolf’s IDEA presentations in Las Vegas. If you’re just arriving, you can catch up here at part one and here at part two. We’re going back to bullet points because of the volume. When you bump into a statement that catches your attention, a simple google search will fill in the gaps.

I mentioned earlier Chuck hammered his priority of training in multiple planes of motion, and nowhere was it more evident than during his discussion of the functional spine. You’ll see that throughout the following thoughts, a bunch of gems comin’ up.

1) Walking – gait – occurs in all three planes of motion. The hips move in the sagittal plane to propel you forward, in the frontal plane as you move from side to side (weight moving from one leg to the other) and on the transverse plane as the hips rotate. If there’s a problem on any plane, there’s a problem in the gait.

2) To help sort out the cause of and solution to chronic back pain, consider first in what plane of motion the pain occurs, bending forward and back, side to side or rotational.

3) In your back stabilization exercises, include something in all three planes. Front planks are great, but they’re not enough.

4) The proprioceptors that tell the brain where we are in space work when the muscles are lengthened, and don’t work when they’re shortened. Bent-forward walking, such as often seen in older adults, shortens the muscles, causing poor proprioception… that is, bad balance, increasing the chance of falling.

5) 80% of non-impact injuries occur due to lack of control in the transverse plane. In your program design, include rotational work, and do it before your linear training.

6) Calves turn on the abdominals during gait; they’re the neural switch. Inactive calves or the feet not fully involved means weak abdominal action.

7) With excessive kyphosis, look for posterior hip tilt and fix that before working on the kyphosis. Stretching the pecs and strengthening the back won’t work until the hip tilt is addressed.

8) The lumbar spine is controlled in large part by the psoas and the adductors. Make sure the psoas and adductor length and strength matches right side to left.

9) You need good hip extension in order to have good back extension.

10) If you lose thoracic spine extension, it’s hard to rotate.

11) Sciatic nerve pain can be caused by a pinch in the lumbar spine or glute weakness, inactive glute and tight piriformis. If relief is provided by reaching one arm overhead, start at the chiropractor for attention to the lumbar spine. Otherwise, roll the piriformis over a tennis ball (remember, the knee must be bent to access the piriformis), and work glute strength and activation.

12) Strengthen foot musculature to provide relief of piriformis problems and sciatica.

13) Your isolated stability exercises (planks, bird dogs, etc) should be done first, before moving to integrated movement patterns.

14) Chronic muscle tightness is a sign something is wrong. If it keeps happening, you have to figure out why. Muscles tighten up in response to instability at a joint.

15) Since mobility without stability creates a vulnerability, the body tightens up in protection. This means we have to strengthen opposing muscles in order to gain nearby flexibility, for example strengthening the hip flexors to loosen the hamstrings.

I triple-checked: This wraps up my notes from Chuck’s IDEA presentations. Now that we’re done with the notes, I’m ready to go back for more. Three tremendous seminars, outstanding stuff.

We’re going to stall a little longer on Chuck Wolf’s IDEA presentations because when writing last week’s post, I forgot I’d made notes all over his handout sheets, and I’d forgotten how brilliant his handouts were under all my scribbles. We’re going back to the bullet format for more tips, any one of which might strike a nerve down one of your aching bodyparts.

1) Tight muscles are weak muscles. When muscles weaken, they get tight. Think strengthen before moving directly to the instinctive stretching.

2) Tight hip flexors or adductors cause anterior pelvic tilt. This in turn will lengthen the abdominals, causing suboptimal abdominal loading, leading to a loss of force production as the spine cannot fully extend.

3) Adequate range of motion is required in the foot, ankle, hip, pelvis and thoracic spine in order for the abdominals to fire.

4) Don’t neglect stretching and strengthening the feet and toes. Most of us have chronic tightness in the muscles of the feet. When this happens, the feet lost the ability to absorb force, causing trauma, torque on the joints and reduced propulsion.

5) Tightness in the forefoot, calves or hips will shorten the stride length.

6) Stretch your hip flexors and same-side calf at the same time, not separately. You want them both equally flexible.

7) Drop conventional rubber tubing shoulder rehab. The range of motion is limited; it disassociates the humerus from the scapula; it doesn’t involve the lower extremities; and the scapula doesn’t clear, creating a bony barrier.

8) Where the pelvis goes, the low back will follow.

9) Abdominal region function: decelerates spinal extension, lateral flexion and rotation; decelerates anterior pelvic tilt.

10) Abdominal region action during gait: decelerates pelvic motion, decelerates shoulder motion, lengthens to create elastic energy.

11) At the ankles during gait, eccentric loading (calcaneal eversion, dorsiflexion, tibial internal rotation and forefoot abduction) must occur maximally to recruit glutes.

12) The segments of the spinal regions (lumbar, thoracic and cervical) all have a different degree of range of motion, with the lumbar spine having the least. This is the reason modern corrective authors suggest limiting our lumbar rotation, and why most have removed exercises such as the scorpion from their line-up.

13) In gait, as the foot hits the floor on loading, it goes into pronation. It’s loading, stretching, absorbing and decelerating eccentric action. As it begins the unloading, it shifts into supination as it shortens, propels and accelerates in concentric action.

14) In standing, reaching overhead will create a neutral foot with no pronation or supination, increasing quad involvement and decreasing glute recruitment. In single-leg standing, reaching to the same side will put the foot into supination; reaching to the opposite side will force pronation. If you have a problem getting your foot into one of these positions, practice the appropriate side reach.

15) Check your feet for calluses. If you have calluses from other than an ill-fitting shoe, you probably have a faulty walking pattern. A heavily callused heel with a smooth forefoot indicates a heel doing all the work; a callus on the bottom of the foot, on the big toe, at the metatarsals or on the outside of the foot indicates a deficiency in the way the foot hits the ground. Use the calluses as a guide to correct your gait or, farther up, how your hips are moving.

Bonus: In every session Chuck hammered single-leg balance and lunges with a variety of reaches: overhead, side (high, even and low) rotational from the hip, low reaches. Over and over he had us doing medicine ball lunge reaches. Tri-planar action is his number one gig, same deal with Fraser Quelch. There must be something to this, something we should stop and consider.

This is a guy who wants us all to have this information and who loves to teach. Many thanks to Chuck for the stellar presentations.

Want a little more? Here’s part three.

Five hours with Chuck Wolf covering function, assessment and program design for the shoulder, foot and spine left me with a pile of notes to ponder and thoughts to share. Rather than do a lousy job of explaining in a blog post material that requires book-length copy, photographs and hands-on demonstration, I’ll compile what were the most remarkable tidbits for easier sharing. From one-liners to longer, here are some of Chuck’s finest mindbenders.

1) When looking at shoulders in terms of the joint mobility/stability stack, we need to split up the shoulder girdle because the scapula requires mobility, while the shoulder joint requires stability.

2) Muscles are stabilizers first, then movers.

3) Proprioceptors are triggered when the muscles are lengthened.

4) All muscles, all joints work on all three planes of motion, including the foot.

5) If you can’t get good dorsiflexion of the foot, you won’t get good knee flexion.

6) Aside of a traumatic injury, the site of an injury is usually not the problem. Check the joint above or below.

7) The glute on the side with the least ankle mobility will be the less active one. Ditto low toe mobility.

8) The leg press uses little glute action because there’s no foot or ankle function.

9) If you have a problem putting your heel in a pronated position (reverse heel guarding), you can force the action by standing on that foot and reaching out in a side reach with the opposite hand. Same side reach will bring a heel from pronated to supinated.

10) Arms overhead will trigger a more neutral position of the foot.

11) If you have a tight calf, work subtalar joint mobility to loosen the calf and regain ankle mobility.

12) Your toes need exercise, too. In particular, the big toe needs good dorsiflexion.

13) If you’re pigeon-toed, your problem begins at the hip.

14) With pronated or supinated feet, if it’s a structural issue (including stretching of the ligaments), orthotics are needed permanently. If it’s a functional issue, it can be fixed: Change shoes; increase foot and ankle mobility; increase big toe mobility and correct walking pattern. Even if orthotics are required, plan on lifetime exercises to strengthen the ankles, feet and toes.
15) Don’t talk on the phone when walking. It messes up joint rotation and core activation head to toe.

16) A shoulder injury effects movement action from the top down. No body movement is normal when a shoulder injury is present, including walking or running.
17) If your stride length is shorter one side to the other, it indicates a tight hip on the opposite side.

18) To test single-leg internal hip rotation, stand with the big toe of the test leg down on the floor. Move the loose foot around the toe to test. Go slowly so you can pay attention to the first point of tightness in order to target the best correction.

19) If you lose frontal plane motion, you lose rotation, and lose glute function.

20) Joggers and bikers have tight hips in the frontal plane and need work to open up the hips. These people need transverse plane programs, and no sagittal plane exercises.

21) Tight IT bands do not need to be stretched more. Instead, you need to identify the cause. Excessive anterior tilt? Weakened, shortened glutes, tight hamstrings? Fix the tilt, fix the foot to activate the glutes, train the transverse plane and a life-long IT band problem could be cleared up in a couple weeks.

22) When you stretch, don’t stretch the muscles, stretch the fascia – the myofascial slings. Think fascia when stretching.

23) With plantar fasciitis, look for a tight, weak glute(s) and tight hip(s), and work to fix them. Work on calf flexibility and ankle mobility on all three planes; stretch and massage entire foot to loosen. Massage toward the heel, not away.

Bonus: In the lateral (side) lunge, don’t bend forward at the hips. Keep the toe, knee and hips lined up to work the glutes. Memory trick: Stack nose, knees, toes.

Ready for more? Here’s part two.