Here is a brief video demonstrating how multiple foam rollers can be used when dealing with a sensitive and kyphotic spine. The kyphosis I am refering to is an exaggeration of the normally kyphotic thoracic spine. The lumbar and cervical curves are supposed to be lordotic or “arched” in a healthy spine with normal curvature. Of course these techniques can be used for a flat or extended thoracic spine as well but I would omit the segmental extension shown at the end of the video clip since more extension is NOT what a flat T-spine (often refered to as a “dorsal dish” in the somatic and Rolfing bodywork world).
Enjoy and please share with anyone who you feel may benefit from this information!
I was recently interviewed by Allan and Katherine Phillips of Pike Athletics, a premiere Athletic Development business located out of Tucson, Arizona. In this interview Allan asked my several questions about massage therapy, assessment, track and field (sprinting) and much more. Here’s the link:
As many should know who frequent my blog, I am a proud RKC instructor (Russian Kettlebell Challenge)! Recently however, Pavel Tsatsouline and his team of fine Master and Senior instructors, have made some changes in the testing protocols for those aspiring or preparing for RKC Level 1. You can read about them here: http://www.dragondoor.com/workshops/russian_kettlebell_challenge_certification_requirements/
One of the great things about the RKC is that it is a continuously evolving system. Pavel, his top instructors, and the RKC as a community as a whole, are always finding ways to streamline the teaching and instructional part of the RKC information.
The Chief is Never Satisfied!
New Changes in Testing
Basically, the skills tests (swing, clean, press, squat) are now tested only with 1 bell (and only on one side). Receritifying RKC’s will be testing on both left and right sides, but still only with one bell. Also, the Turkish Get-up no longer requires the high-bridge position as that has been left for a key component of the CK-FMS (Certified Kettlebell Functional Movement Specialist) course. I think the reasoning behind this is that the high-bridge position, while clearing the health and function of the hips, doesn’t allow for as much load to be used and people have been using much less loads on their get-ups over the last few years as a result.
Since the Russian Kettlebell Challenge (at all levels) is considered a “School of Strength” primarily, it was felt that the low-sweep position of former years allows for heavier loads to be used. I think this is a good idea and doesn’t discount the immense benefits of also learning the high-bridge position that was popularized by Dr. Mark Cheng, Brett Jones and Gray Cook in the Kalos Sthenos: Kettlebells from the Ground Up DVD.
High-Bridge is Reserved for CK-FMS Now
So there you have it! Just a quick note to inform anyone currently involved in the HKC/RKC or anyone interested in getting certified about the most recent changes to the testing procedures. BTW, the snatch test is still the same and can be read about again at the following webpage:
The following is taken from ClinicalPsychology.net and explores just how common it is for scientists, which are biased people like you and me afterall, to alter their findings for various reasons! Science is really the best tool we have for understanding the universe and we must find ways to keep it pure!
Review of Dynamic Body, Exploring Form, Expanding Function by Erik DaltonPh.D.
by Keats Snideman
This Book Came out Really Nice! Super Color Photos!
Last December I received a copy of esteemed bodyworker Erik Dalton’s newest book project, Dynamic Body, Exploring Form, Expanding Function. This hardcover book is 415 pages and includes incredible color photos and illustrations throughout. In addition to the five chapters authored by Dalton, this great book includes contrubuting chapters from the following greats of bodywork and rehabilitation:
Art Riggs- Refine your Touch- Striking a Balance Between Relxation and Intense Therapeutic Bodywork (One of my favorite chapters in the book; really makes you think about your intention and how your pressure is being received by the client!)
Judith Aston- Aston Kinetics- a 360 by 360 degrees Perspective of The Human Body
Til Luchau- John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, and Goldilocks- Assessing Pelvis Motion in Walking
Gil Headly- Reconsidering “The Fuzz”- Notes on Distinguishing Normal and Abnormal Fascial Adhesions (Really a cool chapter on fasical adhesions and how certain adhesions are natural and don’t need to be “destroyed” by the a therapists hands.)
Craig Liebenson- A Rehabilitation Roadmap (Dr. Liebenson always delivers such useful information!)
Adjo Zorn/Kai Hodeck- Walk With Elastic Fascia- Use Springs in Your Step!
Robert Schliep- Fascia As a Sensory Organ- A Target of Myofasical Manipulation (I’m really like what Schliep is doing with all his Fascia reseach; fascianating stuff!)
Thomas Myers- An Introduction to Anatomy Trains- Myofascial Meridians (A great overview of the Anatomy Trains approach to assessment and bodywork)
Jerry Hesch- Sacral Torsion About an Oblique Axis
Aline Newton- Stabilization: The Core and Beyond
James Waslaski- Treating Tendinosis Conditions- A Revolutionary 12 Step Approach (I really enjoyed this chapter and it really makes you think about tendonitis versus tendonosis and how the treatments really do differ!)
Serge Gracovetsky- The Coupled Motion of the Spine- Bipedalism verus Human Gait & Application to Sport Medicine (Gracovetsky’s Spinal Engine theory is fascinating and really help us to understand the true mechanisms behind human locomotion)
Robert Irvin- Enduring Relief of Chronic Pain- Using Orthotics to Correct Postrual Imbalance
Robvert Schleip and Divo Gitta Miller- Fascial Fitness- Suggestions for a Fascia-oriented training approach in Sports and Movement therapies (A great chapter on how we can incorporate some of this new fascia research practically into our movement approaches with exercise, stretching ,etc.!)
Aaron Mattes- Active Isolated Stretches- The Mattes Method (Mattes’ approach has been around a long time and for good reason, it really delivers when applied carefully and skillfuly)
Erik Dalton’s clever chapter titles are:
May the Course Be With You- a fantastic chapter on the intricacies of the golf swing and how golfers need to learn the proper movement patterns in order to safely distribute the torque associated with the swing amongst the various joints and muscluar chains of the body. Examples of his famous Myo-skeletal Alignment techniques as well as home flexibility and strengthening exercises are given. Even if you don’t golf or work with golfers, there is something to be learned here as movement is the common denominator in all human activities.
Well-Heeled- in this chapter Erik goes over the devastating effects that wearing high-heeled shoes can have on the female (and male!) body. If ever an article needed to be written to demonstrate how things go awry from high-heeled shoes, this is it! Erik also gives several soft-tissue/fascial-release techinques to help restore better balance to the body of a high-heeled shoe enthusiast and even shows some strengthenign and stretching techinques that can be given to clients as homework.
Vicious Cycle- this chapter dives into the injuries and dysfunctions that can emerge in cyclist from poor bike fit, poor posture, improper cycling biomechanics. Erik also goes over the very common problem of lateral knee pain and IT-band issues in cyclists. Like his other articles, Erik gives great advice and pictures of specific myo-skeletal alignment techniques and home retraining exercises that can be done by cyclists to help them counteract the negative adaptations that can occur from excessive cylcing in a poor posture.
Human Silly Putty- In this very ineresting chapter, Erik discusses the phenomenon of “Creep,” which is defined as the deformation of tissues under load. He goes on to give an example of how standing on one leg (a common postural position), ligamentous and capsular creep can occur in the pelvis. This can lead to a iliosacral “upslip,” which is approximation betweent the sacrum (tailbone) and illium (pelvic bone) is altered by excessibe shear occuring between the two joint surfaces. Erik goes on to demonstarte corrective/therapeutic bodywork techniques to help correct such a disorder as well as demonstrating strengthening “homework’ exercises that can be done by clients at home.
Weak in The Knees- Erik’s final chapter in this book goes over the immense complexity of the knee and how simple, catch-all phrases like “chodromalacia” patella or “patellofemoral syndrome” do not really explain the true problem nor give any real ideas for resolutions of chronic knee pain. Diving deeper into the anatomy of the knee as well as its intimate connection with the foot/ankle complex and the more proximal hip joint, Erik gives the reader a more wholistic approach to treating the dysfunctions above and below the site of pain to help achieve more lasting relief. This goes hand in hand with the “regional interdependence” or Joint-by-Joint” approach that has become more popular in rehabilitation approaches such as the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA). Erik is really saying the same thing and is very much in-line with this train of thought!
Dalton is Saying Many of The Same Things!
I really enjoyed reading the various chapters in this book since they included such a diverse and eclectic collection of thoughts and ideas, both empirical and theoretical from some of the great minds in the fields of movement, bodywork, and rehabilitation. Erik’s chapter alone, are fantastic as I explained above and I couldn’t recommend this book enough to any bodyworker, clinician (PT, PTA, ATC, DC, DO, MD, etc.), or strength and conditioning/fitness professional with a desire to understand the intimate connections of this amazing, at times frustrating, human body! I commend Erik for his efforts on putting together this book- it really is a great resource!
Here is a short video of me thumbing through the book to show the incredible color photos throughout the text!
You can purchase Dynamic Body from Erik’s website, here.
2012 AZ Youth, Open & Mastser’s Track Season Schedule
It’s that time of year again! That’s right, track and field season is beginning here in AZ. For the last several years I consistently post the track schedule for Youth, Open and Master’s Athetes in my futile attempt to encourage more kids and adults to take up competing in the wonderful sport of track and field. The fundamentals of track and field are really the foundation for movement in so many other sports!
January 21 Sat. Puma Indoor Invitational Open 11:00A.M. Paradise Valley Community College
January 28 Sat. Puma Indoor Invitational Open 10:00A.M. Paradise Valley Community College
February 4 Sat Puma Indoor Invitational Open 12:00 P.M. Paradise Valley Community College
February 11 Sat Glendale Indoor Invitational Open 9:00 A.M. Glendale Community College, Glendale, AZ
Feb 17&18 Fri&Sat Arizona Relays Open 9:00 A.M. Central Arizona Community College
February 18 Sat Diablo Relays Youth & Adult 9:00 A.M. Arizona State University, AZ
February 19 Sun. Indoor Classic Youth & Adult 8:00 A.M. Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff
February 25 Sat Grand Canyon State Games Adult only 8:00 A.M. Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
February 25 Sat Glendale Last Chance Indoor Open 9:00 A.M. Glendale Community College, Glendale, AZ
March 3 Sat Bobcat Relays Youth & Adult 8:00 A.M. Horizon High School
March 17 Fri GCC Outdoor Invite Open TBA Glendale Community College, Glendale, AZ
March 16-17 Fri&Sat Willie Williams Open 4:30pm/9:00am University Of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
March 16-17 Fri&Sat Baldy Castillo Invitational Open TBA Arizona State University, AZ
March 16-18Fri-Sun Masters Indoor Nationals Master only Bloomington, IN
March 31 Sat Puma Outdoor Invitational Open TBA Paradise Valley Community College
April 6 Fri Mesa Classic Open 1:00P.M. Mesa Community College
April 27 Fri GCC Outdoor Last Gasp Open TBA Glendale Community College, Glendale, AZ
April 28 Sat. Arizona Flames Invitational Adult only 5:00 P.M. Westwood High School, Mesa, AZ
May ?? 19 Sat. Masters Invitational Adult only 5:00 P.M. Westwood High School, Mesa, AZ
May ?? 19 Sat USATF Weight Throw Pentathlon Adult 8:00 A.M. Mesa Community College, Mesa, AZ
Jun 16-17 Sat&Sun Arizona State Championships Youth & Adult 8:00 A.M. Mesa Community College, Mesa, AZ
June 23 Sat Grand Canyon State Games HS & Adult 5:00 P.M. Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
July 21-22 Sat Masters West Region Championship Adults Cal Tech Pasadena, Pasadena, CA
August 2-5 Thur-Sun Masters Outdoor Nationals Masters only Lisle, IL
August 9-12 Thurs-Sun NCAC Region Championship Masters only St. Johns, Canada
August 18-19 Sat-Sun Masters Throws Championship Masters only Seattle, WA
Youth & Adult = Both Youth and Adult compete, with youngest age going first in heats(except hurdles).
Open = Meets that allow Masters athletes. Unless meet director approves masters implements, you have to throw Open standard weights. Races are seeded based on time. Opening heights are based on Open standards.
Entry Process for Arizona Masters & Open track meets:
Masters / Open Track Meets – Visit the Schedule/Results link to the left and click on the upcoming meets for entry info. We will continue to take day of meet entries as long as space is available. There is now a $10 fee for all late entries, taken up til the start of the track meet.
All Ages USATF track meets (Indoor Classic & AZ State Champs) will have to be entered at www.coacho.com. There is a deadline.
For entries into Open & Junior Colleges use www.directathletics.com.
For entries into Glendale JC meets email cran@msn.com.
For entry into Grand Canyon State Games go to www.gcsg.org.
You can find printable entry forms into select Master’s events on this webpage.
Youth Track and Field Schedule
For the youth Track and field Schedule as well as a repeat of the Master’s Schedule, go to the main webpage for USA Track and Field Arizona. For Arizona High School Track and Field/Cross-Country information and scheduling go to the Arizona Track website. Since many reading this blogpost are probably not from AZ, check out the USA Track and Field website for clubs and afilliations in your respective area. Doing a web search for Master’s and Open Track and Field in your state is another good option. For people in other countries, a web search is probably in order as well as I have no idea how Master’s/Open track works in other areas of the world!
So get out there and compete! No more excuses…get invovled!
Craig Liebenson has done it again! Last fall he came out with yet another fantastic informational product on Flexibility and Ergonomic/Postural Advice, Core Stability Training, and Functional Performance Training respectively. This blog will review these new DVD’s but first I want to give a little background on Dr. Liebenson and the myriad of great products he has developed over the years.
My Liebenson Collection!
Dr. Craig Liebenson, D.C. has been a force of knowledge and reason for the past 20+ years.. The body of work he has provided to the fields of rehabilitation, injury prevention, and more recently, the fitness and athletic development industries, is immense. He was the first medical professional from the west to study and spend time with the late Dr. Vladimir Janda and the similarly great mind of Karel Lewit of the Prague School of Rehabilitation. More recently, he has been involved in the teaching of the Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) courses here in North America. DNS is the brainchild of Pavel Kolar who taken much of the great neuro-developmental rehabilitation information that was started by Janda and others in Eastern Europe.
Dr. Craig Liebenson
I have known of Dr. Liebenson since the late 90’s and have been a fan ever since. In fact, I have a fairly extensive collection of his work including the must-have text book that he edited and contributed several chapters to, (now in its 2nd Edition), Rehabilitation of the Spine, A Practitioner’s Manual. This book is a colossal 972 pages in length and contains chapters from some of the brightest minds out there including Stuart McGill, Clare Frank, the late Dr. Vladimir Janda, Pavel Kolar, Gwendolyn Jull, Paul Hodges, Karel Lewit, Vert Mooney, and many other experts in the fields of rehabilitation. This book contains a DVD as well that has many great clips from both Liebenson and various experts featured in the text.
Liebenson also collaborated with other experts to create a fantastic VHS Collection containing 4 tapes called the “Rehabilitation of the Spine, Video Series.” I still own a VCR and watch these tapes every now and again to refresh and gain insight on looking at the “big picture” with regards to body-wide dysfunction, as communicated by the late Vladimir Janda. Liebenson is also a frequent contributor and editor of the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Threrapies, which is an excellent journal for manual therapists, exercise and dance professionals, and anyone interested in optimzing human movement and performance.
A Great Resource!
Craig’s latest DVD’s are a fine addition to his vast collection and now include insights into the basics of how DNS concepts can influence our breathing (retraining mostly), flexibility and core stability. Additionally, staying true to his advice in the past, he gives great tips on taking micro-breaks and optimizing postures at work and home; somethings I’ve borrowed from him in my “Other 23-Hours” blog series. Some of the newer information from Dr. Liebenson includes the DVD on Functional Performance Training, where he goes over the the basic fundamental of key human movement patterns including:
*Squatting
*Lunges
*Functional Reaches (taking a page out of Gary Gray’s work here)
*Pulley pushed and pulls
*Torsion (or anti-torsion) Training
*Agility and Plyometric Training
*Basic of Speed Training
*Examples of Kinetic Chain Exercises for Baseball and Golf (not sure I agree with the specificity here but interesting to watch)
You can get a close up view of all the topics covered on the DVD’s at Craig Liebenson’s product page here.
The 3 DVD’s are for sale at Amazon and would make a fine edition to any fitness, massage, athletic developement, or rehabilitation professional!
One of the best track & field coaches out there that we should all be listening to is Dan Pfaff. I recently was made aware of some new uploads on Youtube where Dan gives us his wisdom of coaching for 38 Years in 28 minutes. Before the videos, here is a synopsis of some of the key points Dan makes during his talk:
• Holistic, Generalist, Universalist
• Mechanical Efficiency driven model of training, mastery is key
• CNS, fascia and the collagen matrix are key training touchstones
• Mechanical Efficiency can be affected daily by therapy inputs
• Network driven resource system for all areas of influence
• Programming is Linux theory in design: athletes, experts and personal growth
• Teaching and Motor Control is foundational
• Influenced by great teachers and leaders in their field
• Proper movements produce proper healing, progression schemes are an art
• Plan B programming must be as close to Plan A as possible
• A constant search for integrated task management schemes
• Mental training must occur in a systematic and regular basis
• All Sport science disciplines must be respected and explored
• Constant detection analysis for athlete or coach conformational bias
• Abhor training gaps
• Energy management is critical and must be monitored endlessly
• One task should cover many components
• The human body is an inverted pendulum
• The head, pelvis and feet are rudders of the ship
• Multiple muscle systems are a fact, chains are trained
• Injury or inefficiencies can be top/down or ground/up
• Biochemistry is delicate and easily influenced
• Athletes are injured at birth and it continues each day, the compensation puzzle
• Athletes are of good faith but there is brokenness in many life realms
• Aberrations may aid health and performance
• Athletes are uniquely gifted and suffer from likewise deficits
• The coach has to reprove himself daily
• Fear is real and can aid or fail performance
• Training groups and integrated support teams are essential
• Athletes must become students of their event
• Coach and athlete must have an open relationship
• Athletes must take ownership of their journey
• KPI’s are real and under analyzed
• The best form of training is doing event specific work• The best form of event specific training is competing
• Competitions train many items and systems
• Transference of training is critical
• Training gaps are not understood or appreciated by sport support staffs
Hope you enjoyed Pfaff…I always learn when I listen to the wisdom of Pfaff!
The Other 23 Hours: Constructive vs. Destructive Rest Positions
by Keats Snideman
In the previous posts I’ve written in this “Other 23 Hours” theme, I covered the importance of taking microbreaks, performing pre-bed self-massage & stretching, and the importance of sleep ergonomics. In this fourth installment, I”ll be going over a related topic of rest positions.
Not a Good Way to Spend Your Day!
When most of us get home after some exercise, a long session of retail therapy (i.e. shopping!), or a full day at work or the office, we immediately think of plopping our keasters down on a nice sofa, lounge chair or other comfy piece of furniture designed for sitting. I’m no different and love spending time on our family’s leather couch for at least a little while after a long day of massaging and coaching people. However, many of us might be better off spending at least some of this leisure/rest time in any other position besides sitting. Since so many people spend their days in a seated position with a fairly slumped posture, is it a wise idea to spend the rest of the night sitting as well?
Does this Position Look Familiar?
From biomechanical research, we know that sitting invokes higher inter-discal pressures than even standing does. Add in some serious slumping and the pressures go up even more. Now this isn’t entirely bad as rest (of any type) is so needed by a stress-laden society such us ours. However, the increased lumbar (and cervical) stress from all that sitting can take its toll over time as the discs slowly migrate backwards towards the spinal nerve roots. Look at the image below from researcher Alf Nachemson, who in 1966 conducted this study demonstrating that sitting introduces potentially harmful pressures into the spine.
Disc Pressures Are Higher When Seated!
Solutions and Constructive Rest Positions
So rather than sitting (a potentially “destructive” position) for hours upon hours for our primary rest position, why not try some of the following alternative “constructive” positions for a change. Even 2-5 minutes can make a big difference. If time is availalble, you could work up to spending 10-20 minutes in such a position; better yet, why not rotate between a few of them after spending a few minutes on the foam roller. It should be noted than any position or posture held for too long can become a bad thing as chronic muscular tension or connective tissue strain (i.e. creep or hysteresis) can lead to ischemia and other circulation problems. One of the best quotes that I”ve heard over the years regarding posture is as follows:
“The best posture is the one you aren’t currently in!” So the bottom line is to change your postural position frequently!
Supine Options
Supine with hips and knees elevated-
Feet elevated on wall, chair, or ottoman-
Lying Supine on Foam Roller (postural reset button)-
Corpse Pose (Sahvasana from Yoga)
Prone Options
Prone Extension Series (a la McKenzie Lumbar Corrections)-
Crocodile Breathing-
The following video will demonstrate and discuss the rest positions mentioend above:
Conclusion
So as you can see, there are many other rest positions that people can utilize instead of plain old sitting to recharge their batteries and help decompress from graviational postural strain. Additionally, focusing on slow, diaphragmatic breathing during such rest periods will also aid in the relaxation process greatly. Make sure the exhale is about twice as long as the inhale with deliberate pauses before inhaling after the exhale and you should be good to go. Some people get light headed when practicing this type of breathing by going to fast and not pausing in between breaths.
I hope you have enjoyed this edition of “the other 23 hours” and please share this blog post with any of your friends, colleagues, and family members who you think might be able to benefit from the simple yet powerful information.
