Here's to 2013. I hope Train Out Pain can help you be the 2nd Pillar if your goals are to be healthier and more fit.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Why Cyclist Should Squat
If you consider yourself a cyclist and don't do some sort of squat pattern you are doing yourself a disservice and potentially setting yourself up for injury. Like many things with performance and health, we have a negative and positive feedback loop. The good news, there are several ways to break the negative loop and get you pedalling (pun intended) in the right direction.
First, the adductor magnus is a powerful muscle, capable of generating a lot of work.
Second, cyclists use the adductor magnus to go from flexion to neutral. (so extension)
Third, the squat pattern when the hip external rotators are doing their job of keeping the knees out on decent, allow the adductor magnus to be trained as a hip extensor and also eccentrically lengthens the tissue.
So when everything is working well, squats will make the adductor stronger in hip extension and this will make you a stronger, healthier rider.
Break the loop by, loosening the hip rotators by rolling on a tennis ball for a few minutes a few times per day, followed by shins vertical, knees out squatting movement.
I like Goblet Squats for cyclists. I've posted a video of Goblet squats previously. So start a positive loop with your squatting, cycling and adductor magnus strength this winter.
First, the adductor magnus is a powerful muscle, capable of generating a lot of work. Second, cyclists use the adductor magnus to go from flexion to neutral. (so extension)
Third, the squat pattern when the hip external rotators are doing their job of keeping the knees out on decent, allow the adductor magnus to be trained as a hip extensor and also eccentrically lengthens the tissue.
So when everything is working well, squats will make the adductor stronger in hip extension and this will make you a stronger, healthier rider.
Break the loop by, loosening the hip rotators by rolling on a tennis ball for a few minutes a few times per day, followed by shins vertical, knees out squatting movement.
I like Goblet Squats for cyclists. I've posted a video of Goblet squats previously. So start a positive loop with your squatting, cycling and adductor magnus strength this winter.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Ancestors Slept in Divided Sleep?
There is a cool blog/website called Barking up The Wrong Tree that recently talked about two sleep periods Ancient books talked about the notion of two sleeping periods. Further probing shows that in the not so distant past, two distinct periods of sleep were the norm.
Before modern electricity and artificial light, it seems are natural Circadian Rhythm is to sleep for two periods. The first is to go to sleep when it gets dark, followed by a period of restful awakeness for an hour, then fall asleep again till the sun comes up. If modern man is removed from all artificial lights, this again is the natural rhythm he will adapt.
It seems this hour was used for meditation, prayer, sex, reading and problem solving. Blood worked has shown that this hour is incredibly healthy and relaxing. It wasn't looked on as a bad thing like it is today. In fact the notion of the 8 hour block of sleep is relatively new. The New York Times had an article entitled "Rethinking Sleep," that delves into this much deeper.
I never had heard of this natural rhythm before. It's an interesting fact. The take away, turn the lights off earlier if you can and if you wake up in the middle of the night, don't fight it. Relax and enjoy it.
Before modern electricity and artificial light, it seems are natural Circadian Rhythm is to sleep for two periods. The first is to go to sleep when it gets dark, followed by a period of restful awakeness for an hour, then fall asleep again till the sun comes up. If modern man is removed from all artificial lights, this again is the natural rhythm he will adapt.
It seems this hour was used for meditation, prayer, sex, reading and problem solving. Blood worked has shown that this hour is incredibly healthy and relaxing. It wasn't looked on as a bad thing like it is today. In fact the notion of the 8 hour block of sleep is relatively new. The New York Times had an article entitled "Rethinking Sleep," that delves into this much deeper.
I never had heard of this natural rhythm before. It's an interesting fact. The take away, turn the lights off earlier if you can and if you wake up in the middle of the night, don't fight it. Relax and enjoy it.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Merry Christmas and Unwrap the Chain Workout
Merry Christmas!
Hope the Holidays have treated you well and you find some time to spend with friends and family. Commitments, parties, vacation, relatives and friends often get in the way of the routine scheduled workout and training session. As I get older, the more I realize this is probably a good thing. Priorities change. But, that doesn't mean you don't do anything.
This is where the Chain Workout comes into play. A chain workout is simply a short dedicated piece of time, as short as ten minutes, where you do anything. ANYTHING. It can be foam rolling with some push ups. It can be a dynamic warm up. Kettlebell swings and Turkish get ups. Air squats at the kitchen counter superset with alternating plank push ups from the same kitchen counter. They can be brutally hard 10 minutes, or they can be 10 minutes where you don't even sweat.
The point is that mentally you have decided to do something...and then you do it. You keep the chain of active momentum rolling. So one day of not doing something doesn't become two, two doesn't become a week. You can look back on yesterday and know you did something. You kept your chain of fitness going. You strengthened your habit of health.
The Spanish Proverb states, "Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables."
Keep your Chain going as you finish off 2012.
Hope the Holidays have treated you well and you find some time to spend with friends and family. Commitments, parties, vacation, relatives and friends often get in the way of the routine scheduled workout and training session. As I get older, the more I realize this is probably a good thing. Priorities change. But, that doesn't mean you don't do anything.
The point is that mentally you have decided to do something...and then you do it. You keep the chain of active momentum rolling. So one day of not doing something doesn't become two, two doesn't become a week. You can look back on yesterday and know you did something. You kept your chain of fitness going. You strengthened your habit of health.
The Spanish Proverb states, "Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables."
Keep your Chain going as you finish off 2012.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
New Vitamix Recipe
Here's a recipe I've been enjoying the last week or so.
1 cup water
3 cups of Kale
1 big granny smith apple
1 pear
handful of ice cups
2" of ginger root
1 tsp of cinnamon
Blend it up. Revel in the electric green look. Enjoy the Deliciousness.
1 cup water
3 cups of Kale
1 big granny smith apple
1 pear
handful of ice cups
2" of ginger root
1 tsp of cinnamon
Blend it up. Revel in the electric green look. Enjoy the Deliciousness.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Random Stuff to Read and Do
Some things I've read that I have found interesting.
Chris Kresser talks about chronic sinus infection and how to possibly treat them. Can it be as easy as using Johnson Baby Shampoo? 60% success ratio.
Here is the link. Recommended Sinusitis Treatment.
Mike Robertson wrote a piece for T-Nation about steps for a better deadlift. I've met Mike a few times and he is a smart dude. I trust his information and can say all his steps are joint friendly. 5 tips for a Bigger Deadlift.
A patient that hasn't had any luck with any of the manual therapies for migraine type headaches, found that if she sips Lipton Black Tea, instantly takes the migraine away. Normally, she would have to pop a drug that would take some time. Caffeine doesn't have the same effect. Could be coincidence, but if you are a migraine sufferer, or know of someone, give it a shot.
People always talk about balance in there programing for training. How many people can even do a 1/3 of the reps in the inverted row as they can with push ups? What would happen if you could do as many rows as push ups? I'm guessing the shoulders would be much more stable and injury proof. I think this is a good goal for 2013.
Adults need playgrounds too. Who wouldn't rather work out outside then in a gym. We have small summers here in the Midwest. I think we should take advantage of them. Here's a cool article about Adult Playgrounds.
Chris Kresser talks about chronic sinus infection and how to possibly treat them. Can it be as easy as using Johnson Baby Shampoo? 60% success ratio.
Here is the link. Recommended Sinusitis Treatment.
Mike Robertson wrote a piece for T-Nation about steps for a better deadlift. I've met Mike a few times and he is a smart dude. I trust his information and can say all his steps are joint friendly. 5 tips for a Bigger Deadlift.
A patient that hasn't had any luck with any of the manual therapies for migraine type headaches, found that if she sips Lipton Black Tea, instantly takes the migraine away. Normally, she would have to pop a drug that would take some time. Caffeine doesn't have the same effect. Could be coincidence, but if you are a migraine sufferer, or know of someone, give it a shot.
People always talk about balance in there programing for training. How many people can even do a 1/3 of the reps in the inverted row as they can with push ups? What would happen if you could do as many rows as push ups? I'm guessing the shoulders would be much more stable and injury proof. I think this is a good goal for 2013.
Adults need playgrounds too. Who wouldn't rather work out outside then in a gym. We have small summers here in the Midwest. I think we should take advantage of them. Here's a cool article about Adult Playgrounds.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
What is Synergistic Dominance
A runner came into the office the other day dealing with calf pain. Gastroc/soleus had started to tighten up on a few runs and was wondering what was going on. On muscle testing, the tibialis anterior was found to be weak. It wasn't tight so adhesions and overworking were not highest on my list of possibilities. Checking further up the Superficial Front line, the sartorious and rectus femoris were both pretty tight. After doing some manual therapy on the Sartorious, retesting the tib muscle found it to be fully strong.
Synergistic Dominance is a trait where one muscle becomes so dominate it can inhibit a muscle that helps with the same movement. In the above case, it doesn't just have to be a helper muscle as in biceps and brachialis, it can be in the same fascial line.
A muscle injury doesn't just have to happen in the fascial line, an antagonist (or opposite) can also be paying a price. In the above example, the gastroc was strained, because its antagonist (tib ant) was inhibited. Now you know what synergistic dominance is. Work to keep those fascial lines strong.
Synergistic Dominance is a trait where one muscle becomes so dominate it can inhibit a muscle that helps with the same movement. In the above case, it doesn't just have to be a helper muscle as in biceps and brachialis, it can be in the same fascial line.
A muscle injury doesn't just have to happen in the fascial line, an antagonist (or opposite) can also be paying a price. In the above example, the gastroc was strained, because its antagonist (tib ant) was inhibited. Now you know what synergistic dominance is. Work to keep those fascial lines strong.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Random Awesomness or Find Your Ikigai
A little while back I discovered canal jumping. The next sport to come to Grand Rapids, MI soon (hopefully!) is Bo-Taoshi. Yourself, plus 149 other of your closest friends looks like this.
Still Icing? The data is mounting up that it's not doing much. In fact, one would be hard pressed to find any at all. I can remember taking full ice baths after two a days in college football and again in bobsled. I could swear it made me feel better. But, when inflammatory markers are measured, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness was no better as well, no evidence. Placebo is a powerful thing though. The only time I advise icing anymore is to numb something for pure pain relief.
Want to add some years to your life. Here's and excerpt from an article about the island of Ikaria.
"the notion of ikigai — “the reason for which you wake up in the morning” — suffuses people’s entire adult lives. It gets centenarians out of bed and out of the easy chair to teach karate, or to guide the village spiritually, or to pass down traditions to children. The Nicoyans in Costa Rica use the term plan de vida to describe a lifelong sense of purpose. As Dr. Robert Butler, the first director of the National Institute on Aging, once told me, being able to define your life meaning adds to your life expectancy."
New bucket list workout. See this pic. Deepest stairwell in the world. Try running/walking these! Do you have a bucket list workout?
Here is a very cool video from Perry Nickeltson.
For the full article on what to look for in terms of assessment and correction read the full article link on Dynamic Chiropractic.
Still Icing? The data is mounting up that it's not doing much. In fact, one would be hard pressed to find any at all. I can remember taking full ice baths after two a days in college football and again in bobsled. I could swear it made me feel better. But, when inflammatory markers are measured, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness was no better as well, no evidence. Placebo is a powerful thing though. The only time I advise icing anymore is to numb something for pure pain relief.
Creatine isn't just for strength athletes. A recent study on cyclists showed that it decreased lactate during intermittent exercise. It also raised lactate threshold. 5 grams a day a couple times a day for a week.
Want to add some years to your life. Here's and excerpt from an article about the island of Ikaria.
"the notion of ikigai — “the reason for which you wake up in the morning” — suffuses people’s entire adult lives. It gets centenarians out of bed and out of the easy chair to teach karate, or to guide the village spiritually, or to pass down traditions to children. The Nicoyans in Costa Rica use the term plan de vida to describe a lifelong sense of purpose. As Dr. Robert Butler, the first director of the National Institute on Aging, once told me, being able to define your life meaning adds to your life expectancy."
New bucket list workout. See this pic. Deepest stairwell in the world. Try running/walking these! Do you have a bucket list workout?
Here is a very cool video from Perry Nickeltson.
For the full article on what to look for in terms of assessment and correction read the full article link on Dynamic Chiropractic.
Monday, December 3, 2012
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