Many personal trainers, coaches and trainees tend to overlook seemingly minor flaws in form during exercises because they likely do not see the correlation with how proper alignment of the joints during movement can have a profoud effect on the performance of that activity. Long term, this also promotes more awareness of the body’s structure, limits the likelihood of injury and increases performance. In this blog, i’d like to prove to you how simple positioning of the head and neck, as an example, has a profound effect on strength and function during movement.

photo from http://neckpainsupport.typepad.com/.a/6a010534db265a970c011570527775970b-800wi

This all may seem anecdotal at this point in my argument, however, after revisiting a favorite book of mine titled “Supertraining” by Dr. Mel Siff PhD, i was reminded again about the awesome powers of proper alignment and how it positively correlates with improved strength and safety during movement.

“The position of the head has a powerful effect on overall posture, particularly during standing and sitting activities…Flexion of the neck casuses a reflex relaxation of the erector muscles, which is potentially dangerous for resisted lifting movements such as squatting, cleaning and deadlifting.” (Siff, p.153)

I will also add that cervical hyper-extension also causes not only compression of the cervical vertebrae, but also distorts the other curves of the spine during activities such as the barbell good morning, squatting or deadlifting patterns. One must learn to position the head neutrally by activating the deep neck flexors. Also, many will exhibit poor extension in the thoracic spine, likely due to long hours of sitting in flexion. This will likely need to be adressed first before any work in the neck is done. Here’s a great video of learning how to position the head and neck, called the chin-tuck:

Teaching the Chin tuck for good head/neck alignment

It may seem simple and silly to perform, however, learning how to keep a neutral head and neck position during workouts is essential for engaging the right muscles, increasing performance, and keeping the spine nice and healthy!

In my profession, i talk a lot about what it means to be “strong”, to be “fit”. I often reference incredible athletes that have overcome obstacles and persevered to be the best in their chosen sport as an example of what it means to be strong and fit. We see it all the time in sports drink commercials–the focused athlete covered in sweat giving his/her all to be the best.

But nobody is stronger than Grandma.

My Grandmother may not have been a top competitor in the world’s strongest man competition, however, she harbors a deeper level of strength that even an elite athlete couldn’t compete with. She raised 8 kids by herself in the housing projects of Oakland, California. She always put everyone ahead of herself and would never cease to help anyone in need. Most strongman competitors would cry if they missed a meal, while my Grandmother would miss several to help another. And where would these strong men be without their mothers and grandmothers raising them, teaching them how to never quit, and to always eat their vegetables?

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” -Ghandi

Lifting weights, running faster, jumping higher are all surface level attributes for the most common assocation with the word “strength”. To me, strength has changed its definition. It is no longer about a solo pursuit to lift the most weight, to run faster, or to jump higher…

The highest level of strength is about compassion, sacrifice and courage to surrender to something greater than yourself. Strength is a feeling, an unwavering flame that fights to stay lit despite the winds of overwhelming opposition. Strength is being able to smile regardless of the situation, to enjoy the process, and to give all of yourself without fear. Strength is best friends with optimism and revels at the opportunity to find the best in any situation. Fear is the enemy of strength and has no place in the heart of those that are truly strong. Most of all, strength is an expression of love–a place of abundance where one can be free and vulnerable without fear of being hurt.

My Grandma helped me to see what it truly means to be strong. Thanks Grandma, I love you.

Charlie

Do personal trainers actually work out? And what keeps them motivated to move?

I can tell you that many personal trainers DO NOT actually work out. This may come as a shock to some, but it’s speaks to a larger socio-cultural issue in regards to our views about movement.

Let’s take a look at an analogous perspective first. I had a professional chef once tell me that, after a long day of cooking gourmet food for the restaurant he worked at, he often comes home and throws on some macaroni and cheese and a polishes it off with a budweiser. You may think that a chef would make himself a nice duck l’orange or chicken cordon bleu with a wild mushroom risotto as a reward for a hard day of work, however, the truth is that most chefs are probably sick of making gourmet food all day long. Personal trainers aren’t exempt from this same phenomenon in relation to exercise.

Now, before you break out the rulers and start smacking wrists, let’s consider that personal trainers are people, too, and often fall off the bandwagon of healthy living just like the everyone else. Some trainers give up regular exercise altogether, but some find another way to keep themselves motivated to move. It is the latter group of trainers that can share a valuable philosophy for those seeking to make movement less of a drudgery and more of an enjoyable experience over the lifespan.

The antidote to the disease of sedentarianism seems to be solved by not working “out”, which is nomenclature that needs to be workshopped. To me, working OUT means going outside of oneself to elicit a change without subscribing to the internal wisdom, abilities, and possibilities of one’s internal selves. From my observations of those that are the healthiest and most fit are those that work IN, and they do so by working within their own abilities, doing the best they can that day. Another observation is that they tend to do less regimented workouts and focus more on play. Yes, just like a kid, the most fit people play. Play doesn’t just mean swinging on a swing set or playing hopscotch, although those are fair game, too.

PLAY-(n)-engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose (dictionary.com)

Personal trainers and fitness professionals that commit to moving long term usually start to exhibit higher and higher levels of play. Even if they claim to follow a strict program of exercises on a spreadsheet with weight percentages and heart rate zones meticulously mapped out, they still tinker and play within the program itself. I see this as a subtle sign of that person’s inner desire for play and creativity. True states of play, meaning those that are free from all expectations, is rare in adults because it is a scary state for adults to be in at first. Play has no direct purpose, mission or objective. And we all know that adults need a reason behind everything. Once someone can let go of purpose and working OUT all the time, they can enter their movement practice with an open mind, free of the stress of expectations. This allows for the key of possibility to open the door of FUN in movement.

In my own recent musings with movement, i treat each movement session (notice how i didn’t say “workout”?) as a way to explore the realm of possibility at that particular point in time. I’m always testing myself in new and unique ways with the realization that my health and fitness goals will take care of themselves when i am enjoying what i am doing first, free from stressful expectations and approaching this practice with exuberance for the belief that my body might be able to do things and teach me things that i never thought possible. Programming and limiting myself to strict sets and reps all the time blunts this realm of possibility.

Now before i get written off as some kind of hippie counter-culturalist proposing that everyone throw away their heart rate monitors and workout logs, let me just say that i am not against these things. If one has a particular competition (i.e.-road race, weightlifting, triathlon, etc.), then there is merit to monitoring progress and progressing in a steady fashion to avoid injury and overtraining. However, blindly following programs all the time does not teach anyone how to listen in to their bodies, it instead outsources those duties to a piece of paper. Even though this may be a safe route because it locks someone in to statistically safe parameters, it doesn’t allow the individual to explore in the realm of possibility. For example, what if athletes, for 3 months out of the year (during the offseason), chose what they wanted to do as long as it was some form of movement. They could be encouraged to try a bunch of new sports, activities, etc. This, along with mental relaxation from the rigors of competition, could make moving exciting again as they rediscovered new ways in which their bodies could move. It could also make their bodies smarter and more resilient by challenging it in new dimensions.

So, to try and sum up my entire rant, i believe a missing link in health is playing in the realm of possibility. Stick to your programs if it provides peace of mind, however, i encourage everyone to step outside for a while and cater to the curiosity of what their body’s may or may not be capable of. This could mean including an element into ones workout that is random, or perhaps even spending weeks or months away from structure. This is especially important for those in high stress jobs who spreadsheet and forecast their working life, only to attempt to do the same with their movement practice. Could play be the skeleton key that unlocks the stress of life?

I dare you to play…TAG YOU’RE IT!

He has invented a device he calls “The Harwin Balancer” that one stands on to re-awaken their internal selves by exploring their body in relation to gravity. After going through the treatment myself, i came off of it with a very refreshing sense of alignment and “lightness” throughout my structure. I can’t say i full understand what it does or how it accomplishes it, but it really is something worth experiencing.

Dr. Harwin’s Balancer

Aside from his work with the balancer, he said something that really resonated with me as i continue my quest to understand how our deep intrinsic awareness and awakening our inner structure to align itself again relates to my passion for strength and performance.

“Strength is not about the size of a muscle or how many contractile fibers it has, it’s about teamwork and organization of the entire system” -Ron Harwin

I see it everyday in commercial gyms that i train in where we focus so much on the external musculature (abs, butt, arms, etc), with little awareness for our intrinsic musculature and our deep stabilizing system. Some luminaries in the field of somatic therapy have also suggested that over-emphasis on the external muscles actually weakens our intrinsic musculature.

Then, i realized after diving into my own understanding of my internal structure, that strength happens effortlessly when our entire body works together in a harmonious effort. I saw this play out beautifully after working at the Egoscue Method clinic in San Diego, taking 6 months off of weight training completely, only to come back to a competition and shatter my personal records. I believe it was because of my newly-found awareness of how my body works together as a unit, and how i was able to re-align my posture and re-awaken the inner structure that had gone dormant from years of mindless external training.

The body is over-engineered, however the connection from the mind to the body is never cultivated in most movement practices.

Some steps i’ve found useful for getting in touch with your intrinsic self:

1) put away your headphones and train in a quiet place. music distracts us from listening in.
2) pay attention to weight distribution in your feet, hands, and any other joint as you move through a range of motion. Are there blocks in any one? Awareness is the first step. Most trainees don’t realize that they are not squatting equally on both legs, as an example.
3) Find a mirror, a partner, or a video camera to film yourself as you move. This could be running, walking, lifting, etc. Visualizing yourself or getting feedback from another can help improve movement quality.
4) Stand still, close your eyes, and see if you are holding tension in any one area of your body (we hold patterns of tension from past injuries, guarding responses, vanity purposes, etc.). Try and relax those areas as you shift to center your body in gravity where the least amount of work keeps you upright.
5) Train barefoot. We interact and coordinate our movements in our world through our feet. If you jam your feet in squishy or rigid shoes, you blunt all the nerve endings in your feet that send signals about where your body is in space. Also, our feet tend to become weakened and amnesiac, causing postural distortions and balance issues the longer we keep wearing them.

There is an old saying that states: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”. To juxtapose this modern proverb onto a commercial gym setting, we see lots and lots of personal trainers leading their clients to the waters of weight loss, improved fitness, and other improved health parameters. But like many, these domesticated horses aint drinking the fitness kool-aid. And so goes the story that the client gets frustrated, the trainer equally, if not more so, frustrated that progress isn’t made. The trainer points the finger at the client for not eating vegetables and the client points the finger back at the trainer for not doing his/her job properly. We often seek comfort in passing the buck through finger pointing, but it never gets us anywhere except sore eyeballs.

So let’s go back to the horse analogy for a second…

If you lead a horse to water and it does not drink, could that mean that part of the problem is leading the horse in the first place?

Horses do not drink for many different reasons including minor illnesses, cold weather, and stress. This is a choice that the animal makes, and this choice is neither good nor bad. Instead of forcing or punishing the animal to drink, it’s best to take away the noxious stimulant and let the animal come to it of its own volition. Instead of forcing our way into making the horse drink, we allow the internal wisdom and choice of the animal to lead itself to the water when it is ready. The buddhists call this “getting out of your own way”.

Domestic horses are led to water all the time and do not drink, but wild horses run free and drink when they feel they need to. What if, perhaps, we met clients where they are at, lead by example in our own lives, and let them drink the water of improved health and fitness when they are ready? Create a positive environment, an atmosphere that quenches thirst, and set the wild horse within someone free, honoring their internal wisdom and teaching them to find their own water when they are ready.

Stop leading the horses and start watching them gravitate towards the water’s edge.

Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. ”

-Vince Lombardi

Before the anti-marxists come down on me for presenting some socialistic ideals, i’d like to say that this recession has surfaced a problem that this country has been fighting for a long time. Deeply embedded in its roots and most apparent in Generation Y, “invidualism” has taken it’s toll on our collective experience in the world we live in. We all fight day in and day out, surrounded by 3 walled cubicles (actual or virtually implied), looking to get ahead in the world. This individualistic mentality, to hold the torch at the top of the mountain, has eroded our potential for progress. We look to outsource everything in order to hone in on the prize, whatever that may be. Our society has placed so much value on recognition, that it has prevented social mobility from moving upward.

As a species, we have survived, not on our own individual efforts, but on our ability to creatively think and execute plans as a group. In the times when our country has fought off hoards of british soldiers during the british revolution, we combined militia forces and waged guerilla warfare on the british. It certainly wouldn’t have been won by Paul Revere trying to showboat and pick off each of the opposing soliders one by one…especially with a slow loading musket rifle. The same is true with Kobe Bryant. Although Bryant is a stellar player, he is only as successful as the team that supports him.

The same holds true in the business world. Greed never accomplishes wealth, albeit in the short term, at best. I think the recession is a good thing. It should, ideally, be a way to slough off poor business practices, force others to improve their services, and put priorities into perspective for business and consumer alike. We have adapted over thousands of years to work creatively together to solve problems, what says we can’t do it again? Many people look to Obama to clean-up the political and economical mess, however it requires a group to get it done.

In the fitness world, we largely have a system based on trainers micro-managing active lifestyles. What if fitness professionals, instead of promising to blow-torch the fat off of the clients bones in 3 hours/week, we encourage accountability and group collaboration? Putting accountability onto the client is a solid way to get them to think about lifestyle change, instead of just blindly accepting a bunch of scientific facts that a fitness professional tells them. We often lose sight of our goals or don’t adhere to our behavior changes because we largely don’t understand completely the value of such behavior(s). I encourage everyone to listen to the internal dialogue you carry with you the next time you eat a doughnut or a large order of french fries. Have you ever really tuned in? The results could be enlightening…and not just the sugar rush.

1) Harmonious action:

seek first to take away what you don’t need before adding more
It is not uncommon to always be looking to add more of what we think we need instead of taking away what we don’t need. Adding more into a system that isn’t balanced to begin with throws us off balance, in disharmony with ourselves and our surroundings. In the case of exercise, some think that more is better, however, there are consequences for over-exercising such as: stagnation in progress, overtraining syndrome, overuse injuries, mental exhaustion, adrenal fatigue, etc. There needs to be a balance of work and rest in order to elicit a healthy change in the body. Yielding to challenges and trying not to control what we can not is a virtuous lesson indeed.  In the case of eating, many seeking weight loss goals look to add supplements instead of first taking away the poor food choices that are taking them further away from their goals. It seems to simple at first, however, supplements will never make up for good quality food. Seek first to add quality whole foods to balance the diet, then add what you feel is needed.

2) Dynamic Balance

choose movement that balances your lifestyle, not just what some expert thinks is best for you

Even though research can be important in helping us improve our health and fitness by providing statistically safe protocols, there are still many variables that cannot be controlled for. This is where instinct ultimately comes in handy. The body has a clever way of telling us what it needs if we learn to listen in. Even if a certain workout or nutrition program has been proven in a lab or by a certain group to be effective, it may not be ideal for you. The highest levels of health and fitness come from tuning into those instincts and finding where the balance lies within oneself. Some people can handle more cardiovascular exercise than others, whereas others can handle heavier bouts of resistance training. If it resonates with you and you feel good, you’re probably on the right track. We need to be cognizant of our lifestyles and choose a movement practice that complements our goals and supports our ambitions in the present.

Stress comes from disrupting the dynamic balance within oneself. Stress, for the purpose of this article, is measured by the distance between what one believes they should be doing and what one is actually doing at a given point in time. If you feel like you need to sweat today, then go for a run. If you feel tight, overworked and exhausted, maybe a light warm-up, some foam rolling, and mobility with some meditation thrown in might be a good call. Ultimately, no amount of super athlete workouts, precision set/rep schemes, or carb counting can account for the accuracy of instinct when one learns to tune in.

3) Oneness

You are not separate from the rest of the world, you are connected to the rest of the world.

How does your health and fitness choices relate to family health, friendships, social health, community, and/or global health? Does the exercise you participate in involve others or help to enrich the lives of others besides your own? Even though our society is more individualistic than ever before, it is important to stay healthy and do so in a way that helps raise the health of all those around us. Instead of going for a walk or going to the gym alone, why not call a friend to join you once in a while? Stay active by volunteering your time at a non-profit, such as a homeless shelter during a weekend or two throughout the year.

4) Cyclical Growth

Even though we have recreated an artificial environment for ourselves, amidst fluorescent lighting and manufactured air being pumped into to our houses and offices, we still are affected by the change in seasons.

Change up your routine, eat seasonally, always have a random variable in place. Specificity has a price and overtraining and overuse syndromes are directly related to repetitive stress by doing the same thing over and over again without variation. The human animal is the most diverse animal on the planet, having the ability to run, jump, skip, swim, climb, crawl, etc. Even though we are not the best at any one physical task, our movement should reflect the celebration of the myriad of movement possibilities. This will not only break the monotony in movement practice/training, but it will also help make a smarter motor system, resistant to injury, overtraining, and boredom. Even if one wishes to train for a specific event, such as a marathon or strongman competition, it is still important to vary the stimulus among training sessions and have a dedicated off-season of varied movement (e.g.-between workouts, change the movements slightly such as replacing a barbell bench press with dumbbell incline presses). I use the off-season time to try new things, recover, clear up any injuries from hard training, and have fun without filling the mind with competition.

The needle, our breath

The thread, our movement path

That sew the body’s movement potential together

If one does not have an intention, a goal or direction, in mind, then one’s vision is clouded, leaving stagnation and frustration in seeking true movement potential. The needle, one’s breath, is the guide that keeps us together, even when there are difficult spots to move through. If we lose the cadence of our breath, we lose our focus, unraveling ourselves into higher levels of fatigue. This loss of focus also pulls and tugs at our intention and makes us question where we are going. When we go back to our breath and keep our focus steady, we can push on. If the right thread is not chosen, the correct movement for our intentions, then we will fall apart along the path that we have chosen, for it is not suited for the task.

Find your honest intentions, practice breath awareness and focus, and choose the right movement path to get you where you need to go.

Those who can remain calm on the outside, making their movement effortless, even in the wake of intense bouts of movement, will be the one’s who must achieve higher levels of fitness and movement potential. Is it any wonder that the best athletes in any sport make their movement appear effortless, their gaze deadset and unwavering, their speech firm and monotonic?

I awake, rouse myself from my slumber, and wait for my good friend Josh to arrive at my house to embark on a journey 70 miles to the south of San Francisco. The destination: a small place called “Jack’s Gym”.

We stopped for coffee along the way at 7am. After sitting in our car for a few minutes postulating about the man we were about to meet, a tiny red Toyota MR2 speeds next to us. A bright eyed-man, just shy of 6 feet tall wedges himself out of the tiny sports car. We exchanged formalities and he invited us up to his gym (called ‘Core Strength’), to show us around. Exuberant with knowledge and excitement, Deric Stockton was quick to share his knowledge about training and his unique philosophy on training. You would think, being a 40-year old powerlifter squatting almost 800 pounds, he would be quick to talk about periodization schemes, how to increase speed on the bar, and assistance exercises to load the body with more weight.

However, what we found was quite the contrary. Deric has developed his own paradigm of training that focuses on developing awareness of the deeper layers of the body. So many of us nowadays are unaware of our bodies, leading to instability, poor posture/movement patterns, and pain. Deric’s philosophy centers around getting the muscles to not only contract, but also to relax so that their action potential is much greater when the time comes to move, which allows for improved performance AND decreases in injury prevalence. Deric spends just as much time on recovery, if not more, as he does training. Much like a Tai Chi master, Deric has figured out that the key to health and strength lies in balancing the Yin and Yang.

As we followed Deric through the evergreen hills of Ben Lomond, we arrived at a small garage space called “Jack’s gym”. The door opened up, and the scent of rubber, and oxidized iron sent back memories of personal records achieved in garages similar to this in years past. This is where strength is practiced, built and celebrated. The tools used are simple, no shiny chrome dumbbells or towel service here. Not unlike a NASCAR mechanic’s shop, the tools slightly rusted and worn, covered in dust, pictures of heroes and past personal records, we readied ourselves for a tune up. After doing some joint mobilization drills that Deric showed us, we were ready to go to work. Today was Bench Day. Always intimidated by the Bench Press since it was one of my weakest lifts, i was hesitant to go heavy. I’ve never Bench Pressed over 235 in my life. After some technique work and some great coaching cues, i managed 10 reps with 225! Then, following that, i pushed out 255 for a triple! I couldn’t believe it, i was stoked. After that we followed our workout up with some assistance exercises, including Dumbbell floor presses for reps. I ended up pulling out 14 reps with 85 pound dumbbells! Stoked. This was a testament to how strong the body can be when the body’s joints are in the right position and working together.

Gleeming with accomplishment, we left the gym to head back to Deric’s house for some grub. After eating, we sat in his living room chatting about Tennis (one of Deric’s favorite sports). Nobody believes a big guy like him could move around on a tennis court, but he plays regularly and is apparently pretty solid at it, too. We watched a tennis match on TV as Deric pointed out the superiority of one player over another and how in elite athletics, athleticism can only be extended by those who harbor ever-increasing strength and power. Ultimately, those that are the strongest and most powerful will be the most successful athletes after the skill has already reached elite levels.

We said our good-byes, although we could have stayed and hung out all day and talked shop. Deric, out of all the strength guys i’ve met, seemed to harbor a peace of mind about him that i haven’t seen anywhere else. He has cultivated through his years of wisdom an inner strength as well as an outer strength that resonated with both Josh and I. He gives us hope that our society hasn’t lost it’s physical culture, reminding us that we can still be strong AND healthy. I hope we can all preserve all of those garage gyms out there, building communities of strong people who challenge themselves no matter what their ability level, age or limitations. The realm of possibility was pushed that day even, as Deric’s training partner lifted over 400 pounds in the deadlift…and he has two bilateral hip replacements! Amazing indeed.

The Iron game has been threatened and challenged by nay-sayers who, through fear, have sought to eliminate heavy lifting, saying that it is “dangerous”, “contraindicated” or “Unnecessary”, however, for those whose life it has enriched, it is something that will live on, even if it is in garages all over the country. When done properly, heavy lifting can be a very positive stimulus on the body, and Deric is living proof of that.

More info about Deric can be found on Liz Koch’s site www.coreawareness.com (there is an audio interview there with Deric and Liz, as well as a link to Deric’s seminar, which will be hosted at his gym called “Core Strength” in scotts valley, ca on July 25th)

2) Treadmills are performed in a relatively small range of motion, not allowing an exploration and practice of high-quality movement. Also, treadmills have a predictable speed and surface which doesn’t challenge the proprioceptive system to respond quickly to changes in surface level/shape/etc. I believe this has a direct correlation to sprained ankles and other foot dysfunctions due to poor dexterity and reactivity (along with the type of footwear chosen, of course. Why not do cardiovascular exercise that encourages moving your joints through all ranges of motion? Some of the best group exercise classes do this and it kills two birds with one stone by getting cardiovascular fitness covered along with improved joint mobility, motor control and awareness, and strength.

3)If you live in California, there is no reason why you can’t exercise outside 90% of the time. The benefits of being outside far outweigh the risks. There may be some hurdles to overcome in big cities, but the excuses stop there. Sunlight exposure is a good thing for Vitamin D production which we know helps with mood and bone health; fluorescent lights from being inside, however, are not conducive to the aforementioned.

4) Treadmills negate the work of the body’s posterior chain musculature (glutes, hamstrings, back extensors, etc.) by actively pulling the legs behind the body from the powered belt, instead of having the body’s musculature do the work. This reinforces flexed postures which contribute to posture-related health detriments like back pain, knee pain, shin splints, and migraine headaches, to name a few. There are treadmills that are not powered, which would be a better alternative since they force the body to use it’s posterior chain.

5) Treadmills are expensive to purchase and expensive to maintain. Thousands of dollars are spent purchasing new and repairing old ones. This cost could be subsidized by what some smart gym owners have done by attaching the treadmills to a power generator and using the human kinetic energy to cut down on energy consumption. However, the maintenance fees still stand. What if we used that money to fund more group exercise classes, cut down on personal training fees for clients, and perhaps gym membership fess as well? The possibilities for diverting this unnecessary revenue succubus are endless.

If you currently run on treadmills, i encourage you to try running for a week outside to see and feel the differences. It’s all around a better choice, and yes, you CAN bring your iPod with you.

CR

p.s.-what’s even worse is that we’re now exposing our pets to the woes of treadmill usage…