Showing posts with label z health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label z health. Show all posts
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Why I? Loading for the Real - an Overview/Review Z-Health I-Phase
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In life we have physical things that we do that we'd like to do better. It may be as complicated as getting a technique down for a wicked lick on a guitar or as simple as getting off the steep stairs of a bus with a little more grace. Our goals may be a little more serious: we'd like to move more smoothly, and perhaps take fewer falls when going for a run or even walking about the house. Z-health's i-phase approach provides a suite of strategies to help with these real life movement goals. Before we get into i-phase a bit of z-health context
In an overview i did of Z-Health, focusing on R-phase, i wrote about how Z-Health (Zed for short in this article) focuses on communicating with the nervous system, and why that's important for improved well being, whether that's getting out of pain, or moving better for daily life or an athletic pursuit. For a quick review, R-phase focuses on moving each joint in the body through its range of motion. It does this not just because moving joints about is good for the health of the joint, but because joints have a TON of two particular kinds of receptors in them: noci- (detecting noxious stimulus - not just pain) receptors and mechano- receptors (excellent article overviewing joint mechanoreceptor types).
The mechano's in the joints are in large part communicating about where that joint is in space, as well as how fast it's moving. The brain processes all the inputs coming in from these joints to create a microsecond by microsecond map of where we are in the environment. Help all the joints move through their whole range of motion, and at least two key things happen:
(ok you too may have wondered why he didn't just step aside, but heh, that means there were a few options rather than just one).
The pay off here is that the more ways we can move the more choices we have to avoid a crisis. The more we practice moving, the more we work our balance and visual system to connect to those movements, the better our coordinated responses, or reflexes have in a given situation. This range of options and heightened reflexes that comes from such agility/balance work has been shown to be an important component as a strategy for people at risk of hip fractures, for instance. Enhance the signals as to where one is in space, practice using them, we give the body more options to adapt and remain vertical, lessen the chance of a fall.
It's a Map - a Map of the World. Eric Cobb talks about what our bodies do in space as Navigation. "And navigation is an action." The better information coming in from the body about position in space, the better off we are. When joints can move, they're sending off more points of information.
Think about the "light bulbs" that people wear on motion capture rigs for computer graphics. Only a few points are needed around the major limbs to be applied to a model of a human form in order for the computer to integrate those points and model to render a pretty convincing motion (movie, 275kb). But look closely at the foot. How "mobile" does it seem in the model?
Thus, entire strips of sensors have to be used to map finer joint movements accurately, like those of the fingers (movie 2.6mg). Way more sensors to give finer detail of movement - but check out how well or not even here, the fingers unscrewing the cap are mirrored in the computer model of same.
In other words, a few points certainly give a general sense of movement, but more points of information are necessary to get a truer picture of the movement. And that's just for a computer trying to render a passable realistic sketch of a anthropomorphic character. My fave work in this space is Mike Chat's from Discovery's Extreme Martial Arts, and mapping the skeleton onto the form (check about a minute into the clip).
Very convincing approximation from gross motor movements.But notice that the light suit to get that degree of movement detail has many more points (the white dots on the skin suits in the image below)
It's these multiple points of information of course that feed into why Zed heads talk about freeing your feet, getting out of non-bendable, twistable, overly squishy shoes: their "support" stops your joints from moving as they're designed, and hence lessens the signal back to the body about the foot's location in space.
It's no wonder that so many runners get sprained ankles: the shoe wear designed to "support" their foot deadens its natural ability to communicate, hobbling the body's ability to respond and get it out of trouble. R-phase therefore is about openning up all the communication channels of the joints to enable a better map, better signal to noise ratio for letting the body respond to the envirnoment. I-phase is training the body to put that new information to work.
Building on the Information Flow: Putting the Map to Work
Eric Cobb talks about R-Phase as learning the vocabulary of movement; IPhase is getting into the grammar - building sentences. What does that mean, practically?
In R-Phase, by learning the drills that move each joint of the body through its range of motion (with the exception of the sutures in the skull - that's T-Phase), we learn about those ranges of motion. Speaking for myself, i started unable to move my thoracic spine in any meaningful, mobile way. Thought it was impossible for me. Turns out not. Lots of practice, et voila: thoracic circles like no one's business. Standing still.
So R-Phase we learn how to move these joints to send off that information with very little load on the joints themselves. Great for learning, and teaching the body to create new patterns of movement. The benefits of this practice alone are legion. I could write idyls of joy to how much R-Phase (with a little T mixed in) has helped my back. Likewise, in working with clients, R-phase drills have wrought out and out remarkable benefits for many clients, helping them either into better performance or out of pain or both.
Once that practice/knowledge is in place to perform perfectly in "neutral" posture and load, I-phase adds load. With lunges. And foot positions. A simple pelvic circle in neutral stance suddenly has a plethora of combinations from 6 lunge positions and 3 foot positions for each of 2 feet. Nice.
Train for the Sprain; the Kobioshi Maru of Movement
So why add all these positions to a given neutral stance posture? Cobb argues that this puts the body in positions that are closer to real life. Get used to working in these postures (80% load on the front leg, feet neutral; shift to 80% load on the back leg, feet turned out), the body is more ready to respond to unusual circumstances, ie, life. This is the magic of practice, or the learning effect of making reaction reflexive rather than cognitive.
We see this practice effect all the time. One of the greatest examples of it was in the early Space program, where astronauts rehearsed and rehearsed multiple variations of space maneuvers in the earliest simulators in order to have that vocabulary of options at their finger tips, but in order to be able to call on them in a variety of less than optimal conditions. Like going for a run on a muddy chip trail (in vibram fivefingers of course. no stupid squishy trail shoes that kill the proprioception here) and starting to slide, but being able to recover.
There is no Spoon: I-Phase as a Template
Another aspect of I-phase work is that "it's a
template." Unlike R-Phase, while the I-Phase and Neural WarmUp II DVDs take one through a variety of combinations of the I-Phase movements, and while they introduce some moves not in R-Phase at all (like the powerful peg board drill), the DVDs are by no means exhaustive. Right elbow circles in a left lateral lunge with neutral foot position are demonstrated. But all the other lunge positions and foot positions are available, too.
To add even more dimensions, head and eye positions can also be part of the mix. How about practicing the elbow circles with a left anterior lunge, head titled left, eyes looking right (up). Sounds like a slightly wacky combination until perhaps looking at the picture on the right.
By following the guidance in the I-phase manual on how to learn and practice these loaded positions, one is not only working mobility, but adding strength/muscle work. The advantages are the same as in R-phase: signal is increased.
Adaptation for the Unexpected or the Fairly Usual.
If you've ever tried to hold a position that's new, you may feel your muscles shaking. That's a neurological adaptation happening: you may be entirely strong enough to hold the move but the muscles/nervous system are figuring out optimal firing patterns to adapt the muscles to that move. There can be quite a bit of initial shake in I-phase. But as the positions become practiced, neural paths are developed to get used to these positions.
What happens at the same time is again, more signaling information is brought to the body's central processor; better mapping happens. The muscles, like the joints have tons of mechanoreceptors too telling the body about limb position and the stretch position of the muscles. The more patterns practiced, the more the brain gets used to those new positions, the better it can navigate by putting just the right resources there (no more shaking) and having more available for elsewhere. Go from clutz in learning a move to grace in practice of a move; from conscious effort to unconscious response.
Faster Learning?
Another benefit to the I-Phase template approach is enhancing the rapidity of being able to learn new moves/adapt to new situations. Cobb talks about this kind of learning as that of the "natural athlete" - someone who has such unconscious body awareness that they can readily move their bodies into the forms demanded of that work. With I-phase practice in its varied positions, the body habits of natural athleticism can be learned.
One might protest, but i am a desk jockey, not an athlete.
Phooey!
If one has to walk stairs, open a car door in a rainy oil slicked parking lot, shovel snow or sweep a floor, reach for something rolled under the couch, stay vertical on a moving British bus, then one needs these I-phase teachable athletic skills for simple survival (especially in the case of the British bus. sheesh!).
I've personally noticed that my reflexes have improved without consciously working on them - when i can catch a bottle that's coming off the counter towards the floor, grab my hat 2 feet in front of me as the wind's whipped it off my head, or beat my cousin at a video driving game without ever having played the game, something's funny here. Especially when my previous image of myself was always of the person who was lucky if the lid to the jam landed sticky side up.
So when do I do I?
Some folks ask "when should i do I-phase?" I've also heard some people say, after a year or more of focusing on R, "i'm not ready for I; i still haven't mastered R."
My view? based on my experience and working with folks? Really being grounded in R is a very good idea. Doing the 12 week program that's in R-Phase to learn R-Phase is a very good idea. I worked on R-phase for about 6 months before really getting into I. I also did the R phase certification 3 months into that cycle, so i got a lot of attention on how to do R properly (get a coach; it's worth it). This is not to say all that time was necessary; it's just what i did. Your mileage may vary, as a colleague says. What i would say is if and as you've been practicing R-phase, do connect with a Z-health coach to check your form. As with anything, getting the form right makes huge difference in performance/experience. Those simple toe pulls go from "oh ya, ok" to "ahhh. wow" when you really get 'em. And that's what you want every time.
That said, R-phase is not a martial art; it's not yoga. It's learning how to hit particular targets cleanly and effectively to recover function and "clear the map." While one can do R forever fruitfully, getting into I, as i hope has been shown above, is doing your body a favour to take that knowledge and get into some Astronaut Training Time. That is, I-Phase's addition of load and position challenge is prepping the body for Life; it's the simulator to train for the sprain. My opinion? based on my experience and working with folks? If you've been doing R for awhile, have gone through the 12 week programs, have met with a coach to optimize your target hitting, you owe it to your body to get into I-phase.
We can Work it Out
And if you'd like to work with me on some of that Zed mojo, either in person or online (yes that too is possible), please feel free to contact me. My email's in my profile, and there's some feedback here, mainly from other trainers with whom i've had the pleasure to work. Otherwise, hope you'll check out the I-phase Neural /WarmUpII package. As with R-Phase, the I-Phase DVD goes through the suite of I-phase Drills in some of the lunge/foot combinations. The Neural Warm Up II is a power boost subset version of I drills and is more of a work out. It also has several new (and intense) super chargers, body openers and eye drills.
Later, let's talk about S, too?
:)
(update 1: review of S-Phase DVD, the Complete Athlete, vol.1, posted) Tweet Follow @begin2dig
In an overview i did of Z-Health, focusing on R-phase, i wrote about how Z-Health (Zed for short in this article) focuses on communicating with the nervous system, and why that's important for improved well being, whether that's getting out of pain, or moving better for daily life or an athletic pursuit. For a quick review, R-phase focuses on moving each joint in the body through its range of motion. It does this not just because moving joints about is good for the health of the joint, but because joints have a TON of two particular kinds of receptors in them: noci- (detecting noxious stimulus - not just pain) receptors and mechano- receptors (excellent article overviewing joint mechanoreceptor types).
The mechano's in the joints are in large part communicating about where that joint is in space, as well as how fast it's moving. The brain processes all the inputs coming in from these joints to create a microsecond by microsecond map of where we are in the environment. Help all the joints move through their whole range of motion, and at least two key things happen:
- more options to respond to the environment because there's more mobility;
- the brain gets a better picture or "map," as Z-Health founder Eric Cobb puts it,of where we are because more signals are firing;
(ok you too may have wondered why he didn't just step aside, but heh, that means there were a few options rather than just one).
The pay off here is that the more ways we can move the more choices we have to avoid a crisis. The more we practice moving, the more we work our balance and visual system to connect to those movements, the better our coordinated responses, or reflexes have in a given situation. This range of options and heightened reflexes that comes from such agility/balance work has been shown to be an important component as a strategy for people at risk of hip fractures, for instance. Enhance the signals as to where one is in space, practice using them, we give the body more options to adapt and remain vertical, lessen the chance of a fall.
It's a Map - a Map of the World. Eric Cobb talks about what our bodies do in space as Navigation. "And navigation is an action." The better information coming in from the body about position in space, the better off we are. When joints can move, they're sending off more points of information.
Think about the "light bulbs" that people wear on motion capture rigs for computer graphics. Only a few points are needed around the major limbs to be applied to a model of a human form in order for the computer to integrate those points and model to render a pretty convincing motion (movie, 275kb). But look closely at the foot. How "mobile" does it seem in the model?Thus, entire strips of sensors have to be used to map finer joint movements accurately, like those of the fingers (movie 2.6mg). Way more sensors to give finer detail of movement - but check out how well or not even here, the fingers unscrewing the cap are mirrored in the computer model of same.In other words, a few points certainly give a general sense of movement, but more points of information are necessary to get a truer picture of the movement. And that's just for a computer trying to render a passable realistic sketch of a anthropomorphic character. My fave work in this space is Mike Chat's from Discovery's Extreme Martial Arts, and mapping the skeleton onto the form (check about a minute into the clip).
Very convincing approximation from gross motor movements.But notice that the light suit to get that degree of movement detail has many more points (the white dots on the skin suits in the image below)
It's these multiple points of information of course that feed into why Zed heads talk about freeing your feet, getting out of non-bendable, twistable, overly squishy shoes: their "support" stops your joints from moving as they're designed, and hence lessens the signal back to the body about the foot's location in space.
It's no wonder that so many runners get sprained ankles: the shoe wear designed to "support" their foot deadens its natural ability to communicate, hobbling the body's ability to respond and get it out of trouble. R-phase therefore is about openning up all the communication channels of the joints to enable a better map, better signal to noise ratio for letting the body respond to the envirnoment. I-phase is training the body to put that new information to work.
Building on the Information Flow: Putting the Map to Work
Eric Cobb talks about R-Phase as learning the vocabulary of movement; IPhase is getting into the grammar - building sentences. What does that mean, practically?
In R-Phase, by learning the drills that move each joint of the body through its range of motion (with the exception of the sutures in the skull - that's T-Phase), we learn about those ranges of motion. Speaking for myself, i started unable to move my thoracic spine in any meaningful, mobile way. Thought it was impossible for me. Turns out not. Lots of practice, et voila: thoracic circles like no one's business. Standing still.
So R-Phase we learn how to move these joints to send off that information with very little load on the joints themselves. Great for learning, and teaching the body to create new patterns of movement. The benefits of this practice alone are legion. I could write idyls of joy to how much R-Phase (with a little T mixed in) has helped my back. Likewise, in working with clients, R-phase drills have wrought out and out remarkable benefits for many clients, helping them either into better performance or out of pain or both.
Once that practice/knowledge is in place to perform perfectly in "neutral" posture and load, I-phase adds load. With lunges. And foot positions. A simple pelvic circle in neutral stance suddenly has a plethora of combinations from 6 lunge positions and 3 foot positions for each of 2 feet. Nice.
Train for the Sprain; the Kobioshi Maru of Movement
So why add all these positions to a given neutral stance posture? Cobb argues that this puts the body in positions that are closer to real life. Get used to working in these postures (80% load on the front leg, feet neutral; shift to 80% load on the back leg, feet turned out), the body is more ready to respond to unusual circumstances, ie, life. This is the magic of practice, or the learning effect of making reaction reflexive rather than cognitive.
We see this practice effect all the time. One of the greatest examples of it was in the early Space program, where astronauts rehearsed and rehearsed multiple variations of space maneuvers in the earliest simulators in order to have that vocabulary of options at their finger tips, but in order to be able to call on them in a variety of less than optimal conditions. Like going for a run on a muddy chip trail (in vibram fivefingers of course. no stupid squishy trail shoes that kill the proprioception here) and starting to slide, but being able to recover.
There is no Spoon: I-Phase as a Template
Another aspect of I-phase work is that "it's a
template." Unlike R-Phase, while the I-Phase and Neural WarmUp II DVDs take one through a variety of combinations of the I-Phase movements, and while they introduce some moves not in R-Phase at all (like the powerful peg board drill), the DVDs are by no means exhaustive. Right elbow circles in a left lateral lunge with neutral foot position are demonstrated. But all the other lunge positions and foot positions are available, too.To add even more dimensions, head and eye positions can also be part of the mix. How about practicing the elbow circles with a left anterior lunge, head titled left, eyes looking right (up). Sounds like a slightly wacky combination until perhaps looking at the picture on the right.
By following the guidance in the I-phase manual on how to learn and practice these loaded positions, one is not only working mobility, but adding strength/muscle work. The advantages are the same as in R-phase: signal is increased.
Adaptation for the Unexpected or the Fairly Usual.
If you've ever tried to hold a position that's new, you may feel your muscles shaking. That's a neurological adaptation happening: you may be entirely strong enough to hold the move but the muscles/nervous system are figuring out optimal firing patterns to adapt the muscles to that move. There can be quite a bit of initial shake in I-phase. But as the positions become practiced, neural paths are developed to get used to these positions.
What happens at the same time is again, more signaling information is brought to the body's central processor; better mapping happens. The muscles, like the joints have tons of mechanoreceptors too telling the body about limb position and the stretch position of the muscles. The more patterns practiced, the more the brain gets used to those new positions, the better it can navigate by putting just the right resources there (no more shaking) and having more available for elsewhere. Go from clutz in learning a move to grace in practice of a move; from conscious effort to unconscious response.
Faster Learning?
Another benefit to the I-Phase template approach is enhancing the rapidity of being able to learn new moves/adapt to new situations. Cobb talks about this kind of learning as that of the "natural athlete" - someone who has such unconscious body awareness that they can readily move their bodies into the forms demanded of that work. With I-phase practice in its varied positions, the body habits of natural athleticism can be learned.
One might protest, but i am a desk jockey, not an athlete.Phooey!
If one has to walk stairs, open a car door in a rainy oil slicked parking lot, shovel snow or sweep a floor, reach for something rolled under the couch, stay vertical on a moving British bus, then one needs these I-phase teachable athletic skills for simple survival (especially in the case of the British bus. sheesh!).
I've personally noticed that my reflexes have improved without consciously working on them - when i can catch a bottle that's coming off the counter towards the floor, grab my hat 2 feet in front of me as the wind's whipped it off my head, or beat my cousin at a video driving game without ever having played the game, something's funny here. Especially when my previous image of myself was always of the person who was lucky if the lid to the jam landed sticky side up.
So when do I do I?
Some folks ask "when should i do I-phase?" I've also heard some people say, after a year or more of focusing on R, "i'm not ready for I; i still haven't mastered R."
My view? based on my experience and working with folks? Really being grounded in R is a very good idea. Doing the 12 week program that's in R-Phase to learn R-Phase is a very good idea. I worked on R-phase for about 6 months before really getting into I. I also did the R phase certification 3 months into that cycle, so i got a lot of attention on how to do R properly (get a coach; it's worth it). This is not to say all that time was necessary; it's just what i did. Your mileage may vary, as a colleague says. What i would say is if and as you've been practicing R-phase, do connect with a Z-health coach to check your form. As with anything, getting the form right makes huge difference in performance/experience. Those simple toe pulls go from "oh ya, ok" to "ahhh. wow" when you really get 'em. And that's what you want every time.
That said, R-phase is not a martial art; it's not yoga. It's learning how to hit particular targets cleanly and effectively to recover function and "clear the map." While one can do R forever fruitfully, getting into I, as i hope has been shown above, is doing your body a favour to take that knowledge and get into some Astronaut Training Time. That is, I-Phase's addition of load and position challenge is prepping the body for Life; it's the simulator to train for the sprain. My opinion? based on my experience and working with folks? If you've been doing R for awhile, have gone through the 12 week programs, have met with a coach to optimize your target hitting, you owe it to your body to get into I-phase.
We can Work it Out
And if you'd like to work with me on some of that Zed mojo, either in person or online (yes that too is possible), please feel free to contact me. My email's in my profile, and there's some feedback here, mainly from other trainers with whom i've had the pleasure to work. Otherwise, hope you'll check out the I-phase Neural /WarmUpII package. As with R-Phase, the I-Phase DVD goes through the suite of I-phase Drills in some of the lunge/foot combinations. The Neural Warm Up II is a power boost subset version of I drills and is more of a work out. It also has several new (and intense) super chargers, body openers and eye drills.
Later, let's talk about S, too?
:)
(update 1: review of S-Phase DVD, the Complete Athlete, vol.1, posted) Tweet Follow @begin2dig
PDF
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Gifts for the Fitness Geek
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It's not too late to think about giving a fitness geek in your life something that will make them *really happy.* If it's too late for the package to make it under the tree, why not print out an image of the thing so they know it's on the way?
The following has suggestions for Stocking Stuffers, Readable References, Kettlebell Training of many Varieties, Lifting, Training Support and of course FOOD. Hope y'all enjoy - and maybe treat yourself.
Stocking Stuffers:
If you need something small to pack into that stocking, here's a couple suggestions
Bands: Iron Woodies are great bands, excellent quality. Especially for someone working on their pullups, these can be a powerful assist.
I like 'em cuz they're
Timers: I've been writing alot about the value of timed sets, being a big Escalating Density Training fan. There are many devices you can use - an egg timer, a good old fashioned clock. The gymboss is designed for workouts, though, with various modes of single time zones; dual time zones (for work/rest intervals), repeats. It's just convenient. And it works.
Hydration. Nothing like a great water bottle to take to the gym, or use at home mid sets. Though i would love to say my passion is for stainless steel, the valves on such bottles usually suck. The best compromise right now seems to be the Camelbak Bottle with bite valve - now without toxic bpa's!
Sunshine.
Given the fact that unless you live in sunny climes such that you can bask your body, most of us are apparently super vitamin D deficient. This is the nutrient generated by the sun in our skin. If we don't get a great big sun hit, it makes sense we're tacking to the low side, and this is SO IMPORTANT for calcium in our bones and a whole raft of other good things to work. Daily doses are now recommended to be anywhere from 2000IU (10 times the current RDI) to 15,000IU, pending who you read - anyway it's more than most of us get. This may not seem like a big deal, but as a loving stocking stuffer, a can or two of high potency Vit. D (at least 1000IU a shot) wouldn't go amis - print out one of these articles as wrapping paper. Now Foods and Carlsons make these biggie IU sizes, and seem to have good reviews for quality as well. Vegetairians, take note that D2 is an alternative to the sheep lanolin/fish base for Vit D, and a recent study suggests D2 is equivalent to D3 in efficacy.
Shirts & stuff. Nothing stuffs into a stocking like a highly compressed T.
Designed in the UK (Scotland is part of the UK); made and sold in the US of A, Rannoch's Way of the Kettlebell T.s
Other lovely small things that could be in the stocking or under the tree? I know it's not much of kb, but whether as a paper weight or a double kb one-handed press, i still get a kick out of these itty bitty 5lb'ers at GNC. They're just fun.
Recovery Stocking Stuffers (or under the tree if you're feeling generous). If your fitness geek is just starting to workout at home or at the gym, they may not be used to getting that recovery nutrition thing happening with a workout drink, so here's a few to think of:
Readable References:
Strength Training Anatomy, Frederic Delavier, Amazon US ||Amazon UK
This is a fabulous illustrated manual that shows what muscles are hit by all the main weight lifting moves. It's organized by muscle group: arms, shoulders, chest, back , legs, butt, abs.
It shows the muscles in the context of the actual move, so you can see why those are the muscles affected. This book is recommended for the interested fitness geek.
Manual of Structural Kinesiology, Thompson, Floyd, Amazon US
|| Amazon UK 
Now while the Anatomy book is grand for seeing muscles used in context, it doesn't explain how that muscle operates in a move. This text on kinesiology does just that in a well illustrated and highly accessible fashion. It's one of the books i've used in putting together why the pull up is a Lat based move, and how firing the lats works in the kettlebell swing. This book is recommended for the more serious fitness geek.
SuperTraining Mel Siff (US, via Amazon || UK, UKSCA)
For a book easily acknowledged as one of the best in the field, if not the Bible of training, it is not easy to find. So if you have a serious fitness geek on your hands who does not have this tome, scoring if for them will trigger some truly warm seasonal glow. This ain't a book for the faint of heart, but for those keen, the rewards are a plenty. Serious Fitness Geek recommended
Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. Beachle and Earl Amazon US ||in the UK
This is the NSCA's main text for their CSCS certification. As an overview of all aspects informing athletic performance, from muscle physiology to hormones to lifting practice to program development, it's a fabulous reference. This is the BRAND NEW 3rd edition. It's a FAB reference for any coach or someone you can see becoming a serious fitness geek.
Science and Practice of Strength Training. Zatsiorosky and Kraemer Amazon UK || Amazon US
This book is a great complement to both Supertraining and Essentials. It focuses on plan development, the rational and approaches. Again, this is serious fitness geek territory.
Kettlebells
Now if you've heard someone you care about saying they want to get back into shape, and you've discussed kettlebells, of course the best way to get them started is that bundle of tough love for the beginner and experienced swinger alike that is Enter the Kettlebell, book and DVD (review here). If they are brand new to the experience, you may want to add the appropriate kettlebell to that package, too. Dragon Door makes the best US made bells in North America. London Kettlebells is the best value in the UK, and Kenneth Jay's Kettlebells.dk are indisputably the best in the rest of the EU.
Muscle Mass & KB's If you're also want to be-gift someone who is keen to add some mass while
getting strong, and are keen to support a kettlebell addiction, the original source of the KB+Heavy=Mass is of course Mike Mahler. Kettlebell Solutions for Size and Strength is a great one, but my fave is actually the Kettlebell Solution for Fat Loss and Mental Toughness - and not because i've used it to burn fat; because the videos of the big moves are better than the previous edition. I'd combine the ebook "The Agressive Strength Solution for Size and Strength" and its workouts with the Mental Toughness DVD. DVD's Available in the US from MM's site; available in the UK from London Kettlebells.
Cadio and KB's If you're interested in helping out someone who wants to get a little more cardio into their lives, there's any of the Art of Strength vids, the Newport in particular (review) being a challenger. These are available from AOS in the US, and from yup, London Kettlebells in the UK.
Cardio Overdrive: VO2 Max. Advanced Strength Strategies, Kenneth Jay. This is it: the original VO2max KB program, illustrated, discussed, demonstrated as formally taught at the RKC Level II cert.
Lifting
Deadlift Nirvana. If the fitness geek in your life has discovered the deadlift (perhaps you've helped foster that discovery), of course the best program for getting into that move is Pavel's Power to the People. If you're concerned about that person's well being, though, and want to ensure they're getting that all-critical form just right, there's a super DVD that can help: Brett Jones and Gray Cook's Secrets of the Backside. The DVD details potential issues with the lift, how to correct them, and of course, shows (from dual angles) proper deadlift form(s). Excellent.
Pull Ups. Lifting oneself is a great alternative or complement to lifting heavy objects. An affordable, non-invasive pull up bar is one that can work in a door way. In the UK, there's Golds Gym Telescopic Chrome Chinning Bar
. I've been using this at the office for over a year. i can quickly attach and detach iron woody bands to them for high rep days via a carabiner (big mouth type from REI). In the states, a version of this kinda bar is available, too, by Go Fit for about 18 USD.
There's more than one way to swing a pull up. If you have a space that allows it, the TRX is a mechanism that puts many bodyweight assisted exercises, from pull ups to dips, all in a single unit. By space, i mean a beam somewhere you can put a hook into, or a tree or a bar. I've seen these slung of chain link fences. There are other similar gym-in-a-bag products, for sure. This just happens to be the best built - really. The design of the sliders for instance is really top rate, using very good hardware.
And for yet one more spin on the pull up or the dip, especially for crossfit junkies, one of the sweetest versions of the classic rings are these super-light and portable rings by Elite Fiteness. Great articles on the site as well as companion DVD's.
Training Support
Dynamic Joint Mobility.
Perhaps one of the most crucial and often overlooked aspects of a fitness program is joint mobility. The reasons for taking ten minutes to move *each joint* through its full range of motion are myriad.
While there are a variety of joint mobility DVDs, the one i recommend is Z health. You can see why in a series of three posts (1, 2, 3), but the fast answer is that there is a well-founded scientific, neurologically centered reason for *each* move in the program.
The program starts with R-Phase, and is complemented by an abbreviated routine called the Nueral Warm Up. It is followed by I-Phase. R-Phase is what it's founder Eric Cobb refers to as the vocabulary of the program; i phase is the grammar. If you want to start with only one DVD, the R-phase DVD is great, but i'd recommend getting the R-Phase and Neural Warm Up 1 package. R-Phase provides detailed moves and instruction that are critical; the neural warm up would potentially move too fast without those building blocks, and precision is the name of the game here. The advanatage of the Neural Warm Up is that, based on what you learn in R-phase, it takes you through a total joint range of motion session in 10 mins. Z Health DVDs are a great family gift, too: we *all* move.
The Gift that Keeps on Giving: Give the Gift of One on One Assessment
If your athlete is just starting out or is an experienced fitness geek, there's one thing that will always provide a super return on that gift: give them a check up session with a certified trainer/movement specialist.
For hardstyle Kettlebells, there are RKC's all over the world (listing) that can give a keen eye to movement and tweak it to add to that athlete's movement efficiency. Speaking of efficiency, most of us could move better. The Functional Movement Screen is one assessment an FMS specialist can offer to evaluate movement patterns. If your beloved geek has been complaining of pain or weakness in certain moves, the Z Health assessment by a Z certified trainer is another great tool. As currency crumbles, you will find that there are an increasing number of RKC's who are also FMS and Z certified, so you can get even more bang for that gift-giving buck (or euro or pound).
Food that says health and love:
And finally, since eating is such a critical part of any fitness geek's repertoire - indeed without which nothing - help in the hungry heart cannot go amiss.
Raw Cacao Nibs. What says love better than chocolate? This legendary aphrodisiac has also more recently been listed as a "super food." Lots of protein, good fiber, polyphenols. Good stuff (here's more info).
A really great way to put max love into another's hands is by going straight to the source with organic cacao nibs. The great thing about the nibs is you can eat 'em for one heck of a cocoa hit straight out of the bag. You can also pour them in a bowl with raisins and nuts, and have an incredible taste sensation - the raisins bring out an almost red wine-y flavour to the nibs. Awesome. They're also great in a blender to make a protein shake. Add in some coffee beans, and it's lethal.
Organic Raw Chocolate Cacao Nibs by Sunfood Nutrition are probably the best quality in the US. In the UK, intriguingly, a wee company called "detox your world" has made the best effort to get the best sources onto the island.
Cooking? Who said Cooking?
Making a healthy but decadent meal for someone is also an act of love, of course, but what to cook that meets both these requirements? The Gourmet Nutrtion Vol. 2 cookbook to the rescue. The pictures alone get taste buds salivating. Check out the site: there's a sampler you can download for a range of recipes from the book.
One of the big plusses of GN2 is that it has all the nutrition info of the complete recipe AND it gives that info based on large and small portion sizes. One more benefit: it has meal templates as well to help make selections based on your fitness goals.
If you're giving this to a cooking neophyte, no worries there, either: there are sections on what to shop for, basic tools to have in the kitchen and some basic techniques for making sure these recipes work.
Ok, and as an aside, in case the one you love doesn't quite know how to think about their eating you could also bundle in the Precision Nutrition System which includes 7 books/guides for creating and supporting 10 habits for lifetime successful eating (review here). This ain't a *diet* plan, where one is restricted in what they want from eating for a period of time. This is an approach to eating - all the time. Paradigm shifting habits, we're talking.
You can also give them this pdf for free on the Strageties for Success that is Precision Nutrition. It's a 40 page condensed version of the whole system, as a preview.
And to All a Good Night
All the best of the Season to you, and here's to a healthy, happy, prosperous New Year.
UPDATE: additional book ideas from pain management to motivation now listed
mc Tweet Follow @begin2dig
It's not too late to think about giving a fitness geek in your life something that will make them *really happy.* If it's too late for the package to make it under the tree, why not print out an image of the thing so they know it's on the way?The following has suggestions for Stocking Stuffers, Readable References, Kettlebell Training of many Varieties, Lifting, Training Support and of course FOOD. Hope y'all enjoy - and maybe treat yourself.
Stocking Stuffers:
If you need something small to pack into that stocking, here's a couple suggestions
Bands: Iron Woodies are great bands, excellent quality. Especially for someone working on their pullups, these can be a powerful assist.I like 'em cuz they're
- a tad less expensive than some of the others, but still very well made.
- they come in three lengths, depending on application
- they have a specific "pull up package"
- Great value for money.
- they have a specific EU rate, BUT,
- if you're in the UK, you can get them from London Kettlebells directly
Timers: I've been writing alot about the value of timed sets, being a big Escalating Density Training fan. There are many devices you can use - an egg timer, a good old fashioned clock. The gymboss is designed for workouts, though, with various modes of single time zones; dual time zones (for work/rest intervals), repeats. It's just convenient. And it works.Hydration. Nothing like a great water bottle to take to the gym, or use at home mid sets. Though i would love to say my passion is for stainless steel, the valves on such bottles usually suck. The best compromise right now seems to be the Camelbak Bottle with bite valve - now without toxic bpa's!Sunshine.
Given the fact that unless you live in sunny climes such that you can bask your body, most of us are apparently super vitamin D deficient. This is the nutrient generated by the sun in our skin. If we don't get a great big sun hit, it makes sense we're tacking to the low side, and this is SO IMPORTANT for calcium in our bones and a whole raft of other good things to work. Daily doses are now recommended to be anywhere from 2000IU (10 times the current RDI) to 15,000IU, pending who you read - anyway it's more than most of us get. This may not seem like a big deal, but as a loving stocking stuffer, a can or two of high potency Vit. D (at least 1000IU a shot) wouldn't go amis - print out one of these articles as wrapping paper. Now Foods and Carlsons make these biggie IU sizes, and seem to have good reviews for quality as well. Vegetairians, take note that D2 is an alternative to the sheep lanolin/fish base for Vit D, and a recent study suggests D2 is equivalent to D3 in efficacy.Shirts & stuff. Nothing stuffs into a stocking like a highly compressed T. Designed in the UK (Scotland is part of the UK); made and sold in the US of A, Rannoch's Way of the Kettlebell T.sOther lovely small things that could be in the stocking or under the tree? I know it's not much of kb, but whether as a paper weight or a double kb one-handed press, i still get a kick out of these itty bitty 5lb'ers at GNC. They're just fun.
Recovery Stocking Stuffers (or under the tree if you're feeling generous). If your fitness geek is just starting to workout at home or at the gym, they may not be used to getting that recovery nutrition thing happening with a workout drink, so here's a few to think of:
- Surge - if resistance is their bag. It's a 2 to 1 carb to protein ratio, just right and nice for workouts
- Endurox - if cardio is their bag - intense rowing, cylcing or that VO2max kb cycle. That's a 4 to 1 Carb/protein ration, shown to be optimal for endurance efforts and recovery.
- ICE - this is a BCAA and flavouring drink for someone working out, trying to get lean with the focus on that fat burn - the BCAA's make sure the muscles get the amino acids they need for repair without adding caloric load - BCAA's aren't digested as regular whey protein is.
- Roll Your Own - if you have an adventurous fitness geek at home, you can provide the ingredients for each of the above by ordering them from TrueProtein.Com or BulkNutrition.Com - or by providing gift certificates to the same. Hydrolyzed whey protein, bcaa's, and maltodextrin/dextrose in the appropriate ratios, and you're rocking.
- TO SHAKE IT ALL UP: my fave shaker cup by far - cuz it really works - the turbo shaker.
Readable References:
Strength Training Anatomy, Frederic Delavier, Amazon US ||Amazon UK
This is a fabulous illustrated manual that shows what muscles are hit by all the main weight lifting moves. It's organized by muscle group: arms, shoulders, chest, back , legs, butt, abs.It shows the muscles in the context of the actual move, so you can see why those are the muscles affected. This book is recommended for the interested fitness geek.
Manual of Structural Kinesiology, Thompson, Floyd, Amazon US
|| Amazon UK Now while the Anatomy book is grand for seeing muscles used in context, it doesn't explain how that muscle operates in a move. This text on kinesiology does just that in a well illustrated and highly accessible fashion. It's one of the books i've used in putting together why the pull up is a Lat based move, and how firing the lats works in the kettlebell swing. This book is recommended for the more serious fitness geek.SuperTraining Mel Siff (US, via Amazon || UK, UKSCA)
For a book easily acknowledged as one of the best in the field, if not the Bible of training, it is not easy to find. So if you have a serious fitness geek on your hands who does not have this tome, scoring if for them will trigger some truly warm seasonal glow. This ain't a book for the faint of heart, but for those keen, the rewards are a plenty. Serious Fitness Geek recommendedEssentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. Beachle and Earl Amazon US ||in the UKThis is the NSCA's main text for their CSCS certification. As an overview of all aspects informing athletic performance, from muscle physiology to hormones to lifting practice to program development, it's a fabulous reference. This is the BRAND NEW 3rd edition. It's a FAB reference for any coach or someone you can see becoming a serious fitness geek.
Science and Practice of Strength Training. Zatsiorosky and Kraemer Amazon UK || Amazon USThis book is a great complement to both Supertraining and Essentials. It focuses on plan development, the rational and approaches. Again, this is serious fitness geek territory.
Kettlebells
Muscle Mass & KB's If you're also want to be-gift someone who is keen to add some mass while
getting strong, and are keen to support a kettlebell addiction, the original source of the KB+Heavy=Mass is of course Mike Mahler. Kettlebell Solutions for Size and Strength is a great one, but my fave is actually the Kettlebell Solution for Fat Loss and Mental Toughness - and not because i've used it to burn fat; because the videos of the big moves are better than the previous edition. I'd combine the ebook "The Agressive Strength Solution for Size and Strength" and its workouts with the Mental Toughness DVD. DVD's Available in the US from MM's site; available in the UK from London Kettlebells.Cadio and KB's If you're interested in helping out someone who wants to get a little more cardio into their lives, there's any of the Art of Strength vids, the Newport in particular (review) being a challenger. These are available from AOS in the US, and from yup, London Kettlebells in the UK.Cardio Overdrive: VO2 Max. Advanced Strength Strategies, Kenneth Jay. This is it: the original VO2max KB program, illustrated, discussed, demonstrated as formally taught at the RKC Level II cert.
Lifting
Deadlift Nirvana. If the fitness geek in your life has discovered the deadlift (perhaps you've helped foster that discovery), of course the best program for getting into that move is Pavel's Power to the People. If you're concerned about that person's well being, though, and want to ensure they're getting that all-critical form just right, there's a super DVD that can help: Brett Jones and Gray Cook's Secrets of the Backside. The DVD details potential issues with the lift, how to correct them, and of course, shows (from dual angles) proper deadlift form(s). Excellent.
Pull Ups. Lifting oneself is a great alternative or complement to lifting heavy objects. An affordable, non-invasive pull up bar is one that can work in a door way. In the UK, there's Golds Gym Telescopic Chrome Chinning Bar. I've been using this at the office for over a year. i can quickly attach and detach iron woody bands to them for high rep days via a carabiner (big mouth type from REI). In the states, a version of this kinda bar is available, too, by Go Fit for about 18 USD.
There's more than one way to swing a pull up. If you have a space that allows it, the TRX is a mechanism that puts many bodyweight assisted exercises, from pull ups to dips, all in a single unit. By space, i mean a beam somewhere you can put a hook into, or a tree or a bar. I've seen these slung of chain link fences. There are other similar gym-in-a-bag products, for sure. This just happens to be the best built - really. The design of the sliders for instance is really top rate, using very good hardware.
And for yet one more spin on the pull up or the dip, especially for crossfit junkies, one of the sweetest versions of the classic rings are these super-light and portable rings by Elite Fiteness. Great articles on the site as well as companion DVD's.Training Support
Dynamic Joint Mobility.
Perhaps one of the most crucial and often overlooked aspects of a fitness program is joint mobility. The reasons for taking ten minutes to move *each joint* through its full range of motion are myriad.While there are a variety of joint mobility DVDs, the one i recommend is Z health. You can see why in a series of three posts (1, 2, 3), but the fast answer is that there is a well-founded scientific, neurologically centered reason for *each* move in the program.
The program starts with R-Phase, and is complemented by an abbreviated routine called the Nueral Warm Up. It is followed by I-Phase. R-Phase is what it's founder Eric Cobb refers to as the vocabulary of the program; i phase is the grammar. If you want to start with only one DVD, the R-phase DVD is great, but i'd recommend getting the R-Phase and Neural Warm Up 1 package. R-Phase provides detailed moves and instruction that are critical; the neural warm up would potentially move too fast without those building blocks, and precision is the name of the game here. The advanatage of the Neural Warm Up is that, based on what you learn in R-phase, it takes you through a total joint range of motion session in 10 mins. Z Health DVDs are a great family gift, too: we *all* move.
The Gift that Keeps on Giving: Give the Gift of One on One Assessment
If your athlete is just starting out or is an experienced fitness geek, there's one thing that will always provide a super return on that gift: give them a check up session with a certified trainer/movement specialist.
For hardstyle Kettlebells, there are RKC's all over the world (listing) that can give a keen eye to movement and tweak it to add to that athlete's movement efficiency. Speaking of efficiency, most of us could move better. The Functional Movement Screen is one assessment an FMS specialist can offer to evaluate movement patterns. If your beloved geek has been complaining of pain or weakness in certain moves, the Z Health assessment by a Z certified trainer is another great tool. As currency crumbles, you will find that there are an increasing number of RKC's who are also FMS and Z certified, so you can get even more bang for that gift-giving buck (or euro or pound).
Food that says health and love:
And finally, since eating is such a critical part of any fitness geek's repertoire - indeed without which nothing - help in the hungry heart cannot go amiss.
Raw Cacao Nibs. What says love better than chocolate? This legendary aphrodisiac has also more recently been listed as a "super food." Lots of protein, good fiber, polyphenols. Good stuff (here's more info).A really great way to put max love into another's hands is by going straight to the source with organic cacao nibs. The great thing about the nibs is you can eat 'em for one heck of a cocoa hit straight out of the bag. You can also pour them in a bowl with raisins and nuts, and have an incredible taste sensation - the raisins bring out an almost red wine-y flavour to the nibs. Awesome. They're also great in a blender to make a protein shake. Add in some coffee beans, and it's lethal.
Organic Raw Chocolate Cacao Nibs by Sunfood Nutrition are probably the best quality in the US. In the UK, intriguingly, a wee company called "detox your world" has made the best effort to get the best sources onto the island.
Cooking? Who said Cooking?Making a healthy but decadent meal for someone is also an act of love, of course, but what to cook that meets both these requirements? The Gourmet Nutrtion Vol. 2 cookbook to the rescue. The pictures alone get taste buds salivating. Check out the site: there's a sampler you can download for a range of recipes from the book.
One of the big plusses of GN2 is that it has all the nutrition info of the complete recipe AND it gives that info based on large and small portion sizes. One more benefit: it has meal templates as well to help make selections based on your fitness goals.
If you're giving this to a cooking neophyte, no worries there, either: there are sections on what to shop for, basic tools to have in the kitchen and some basic techniques for making sure these recipes work.
Ok, and as an aside, in case the one you love doesn't quite know how to think about their eating you could also bundle in the Precision Nutrition System which includes 7 books/guides for creating and supporting 10 habits for lifetime successful eating (review here). This ain't a *diet* plan, where one is restricted in what they want from eating for a period of time. This is an approach to eating - all the time. Paradigm shifting habits, we're talking.
You can also give them this pdf for free on the Strageties for Success that is Precision Nutrition. It's a 40 page condensed version of the whole system, as a preview.
And to All a Good Night
All the best of the Season to you, and here's to a healthy, happy, prosperous New Year.
UPDATE: additional book ideas from pain management to motivation now listed
mc Tweet Follow @begin2dig
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
What is Z-Health R-Phase: not your daddy's joint mobility
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OVERVIEW: TO cut to the chase, if you're looking for a good follow-along dynamic joint mobility program, the z-health "movement rehab package" is a great way to go: it comes with three dvd's and a detailed manual: one DVD is instructional, going through each of the movements and what targets to focus on in the movement to get best effect. The next is a 20 minute program flow that goes through the set of movements in a sequence. And there's a 10 min daily mobility practice DVD (called the neural warm up) to keep all joints oiled, as it were. THe manual creates a 12 week approach to learning each component of the movements, to build practice, awareness, and most particularly, rebuilding or rehabbing the maps in the brain that learn and orient good movement.
More detailed overview of the DVD's in the "what's on the DVD's" below.
GETTING INTO IT What the heck is Z health (or ZHealth or Z-Health)? This is a fast review overview of Z-Health from the perspective of someone who's recently certified in the first level of z training called R-phase.
The usual response i've had to this very query about Z-Health is "it's joint mobility, right?" - which is frequently followed by "i do that already; don't need more/other."
Just as a quick aside, what is joint mobility work, anyway? It's usually construed as work to move joints through their whole range of motion. Ok. So why is that a good idea? And what if you can't move a joint through it's ROM? Or how do you know that you've done so?
Some folks talk about joint mobility work as an end in itself: that it's taking care of the surfaces of the joint for "joint health." And sure there's good there: move it or lose it. Body parts that don't get moved don't get the same attention as joints that do; moving joints also helps move waste materials away and good stuff in, and can stop weird growths from poor mobility or improper mobility.
Z health folks themselves however don't talk about joint mobility per se, but about the nervous system: yes there's joint mobility work in there, but initially that joint mobility work is designed to be a vehicle for getting to the nervous system; it's not an end in and of itself. That other good things come from moving those joints, specific to "joint health" is a bonus.
Granted, this insight of nervous system focus is a little tricky to get from the Z health web site or from the start up R Phase DVDs, and once you have it, ok - Z = nervous system, what does that mean anyway?
In the health culture, we're usually so focused on muscle work (and sometimes ligaments) that we either forget that the body has other, and higher order systems that co-ordinate activity. Or when we're reminded of it, we don't have a framework to utilize the information. What does it mean to what -talk?-to the nervous system via the joints; to focus on bones to nerves rather than muscles to lifts?
Recently, i completed the Z Health R phase certification in Edinburgh (full review and more detailed description over here), and the pieces came together. Z Health itself, it turns out, is actually this framework for understanding and working with the nervous system. It is a kind of paradigm shift away from the focus on muscles and ligaments in isolation, and to the nervous system, which after all, without which, movement doesn't happen Consider someone recovering from stroke: their loss of muscle function is not because their muscles fail, but because messages are no longer being sent via the nerves to innervate.
In Z Health, the R Phase certification material covered makes clear that the body always responds to exactly what it practices (a variant of the SAID principle). This adaptation happens quickly. Why? communication in the nerves moves at over 300mph. There are tons of nerves focused on receiving and communicating various kinds of information. Something that is make compellingly clear in Z is that if there is the smallest disruption in that signal path at one place in the body the WHOLE body is effected. No kidding. So reducing noise in the signal path is a good idea. And thus to the heart of the first phase, R phase, of the Z approach.
Our joints, it turns out, have the largest proportion of particular kinds of nervous system messengers, mechanoreceptors, that communicate our position in space. They are key to our ability to move. When there's immobility around a joint, there's compensation elsewhere in the body. Global performance is actually impinged. You don't have to take my word for this: go to a z workshop like the Essentials of Elite Performance and see this demonstrated.
In Z's R phase cert, from such demos, we learn that movement - from range of motion to pain release - is dependent on the nervous system's perception of the state of the body. Dealing with the joints - taking each one through its full range of motion - is a powerful way to help the body learn that things are ok. Likewise, restrictions in joint mobility are powerful indicators that work can be done to improve not just mobility, but through that joint mobility, clearer communication in the nervous system.
You may already do joint mobility work, and that's great. How do you know that it's having that optimal effect for you, that it's clearing the signal path to enable optimal movement/performance? That some of its movements are not, in fact, closing joints down rather than opening them up? It might be interesting to drop by a z cert'd instructor just to get a quick assessment - you may find that you're in great shape with what you do - or you may find that there's a few places to tune.
If you haven't looked at Z, you might want to consider doing so. In health we talk sometimes about what's the minimum a person should do for their health, for instance "if you do nothing else, do blah." If we look at biggest bang for the buck, there's an argument to be made that if you do nothing else, do joint mobility work - and do the joint mobility work that you know is opening your joints, providing the clearest signal path to enhance movement.
Ok, that's the basis of Z-Health. But where does it start?
Z-Health has several phases: R-Phase, I-Phase and S-Phase.
R-Phase teaches the movement vocabulary where one stands in a neutral stance with tall spine, and learns how to take each joint through a full range of motion.
I-Phase is the complement of R-Phase (b2d overview here), and begins to move the athlete from neutral stance into versions of the R-Phase drills in more natural planes of motion.
S-Phase takes these movements and makes them, er, move (b2d overview of S here).
Z-Health in each phase uses joint mobility as a vehicle for optimizing or clearing the nervous system. Kathy Mauck of Z-Health talks about this approach as helping to build a clearer map. That is, in mechanoreception/proprioception, where our body senses where we are in space, clearing joints of any mobility restrictions or impingements or whatevers means that more information about those locations is coming through. That's a good thing.
It's a first principles thing, isn't it? The nervous system is higher up the stack than muscles, ligaments, bones. These other systems are responsive to the nervous system, so it rather makes sense that if there's something we can do to improve that communication, other good things will follow. Like improved athletic performance. Improved daily mobility. And quite often, reduced pain.
Ok, Starting with R-Phase, what's in those DVD's?
So, this neuroreceptive approach to well being sounds interesting. Where does Z-Health begin?
Here's what you get in the R-Phase/Nerual Warm Up I combo set (i recommend getting both and i'll come onto why)
The R-Phase DVD set has two discs: a follow along and an instructional DVD. A lot of folks skip the instructional DVD. May i encourage you strongly to go through the instructional? These vids help you find and hit the joint targets that make a big difference in the effectiveness of the follow along drills. You'll also find alternative positioning not given in the Follow Along (but which can be used while doing the follow along)
toe pull targets and alternative position from R-Phase instructional
In the R-Phase follow along, it takes a little over 20mins to go through the drills for each joint in the body, as there are a few drills for each joint. Each movement is modeled by three people as it is described by Eric Cobb.
R-Phase Follow Along goes through mutliple movements for each joint
The Neural Warm Up I is a complement to R-Phase.
It's a ten minute series that also moves through each joint of the body, and introduces some movements not in the R-Phase package that optimize hitting joints in for a quicker series. It's easy to get the Neural Warm Up I in every day, or on alternate days from doing the complete R-Phase series. Eric Cobb leads this movement suite. As with R-Phase, NWUI also includes an instructional set to make sure you're comfortable with each movement.
Eric Cobb leading cross body figure 8's in Neural Warm Up I
Eye Drills in Neural Warm Up I. Another attribute of the Neural Warm Up series is that they include eye drills. Eyes may not have joints but they do have muscles. And like any muscle, use it or lose it. There are also more nerves in the eyes than just about anywhere else, so making sure the eyes are moving through there full range of motion is pretty critical (and part of why contacts rather than glasses are recommended).
This is why i recommend getting R-Phase and Neural Warm Up I together: R-Phase provides multiple drills for each part of the body that can be practiced as a complete sequence, or, as taught in the manual, as a particular focus on a given day: like today, i'll do shoulder circles at various speeds. The Neural Warm Up is a well thought out, short, routine to make sure you get through each joint effectively, as well as work the eyes, and get a muscle recharge.
Manuals. Both R-Phase and NWUI come with manuals on how to get into practicing R-Phase for most benefit, with two twelve week programs. The manuals also go over the four speeds at which R-Phase is best practiced. Once you have the speed down that the video demo's, what about going super slowly? Very different feel on the muscles and joints to bring it down. Awesome variants.
A Note on the DVD's and why seeing a Zed'er is a good idea
I've heard from colleagues who've said "i've looked at the video" or "i've tried it [once or twice] and it didn't do anything remarkable for me" or "i like X's flow better." That's ok; it's understandable. These movements are precise, designed to hit targets rather than look pretty. Though watching someone do double elbow circles is pretty cool. And if you're already in good shape and doing mobility work, you mayn't feel a kowabunga effect. I know for myself when i've done them either daily or every other day as recommended, after breakie in my case, i just feel more energized. I can't claim, though, that i was doing them to optimal effect. I also know the first time i had a Z-Health trainer really check that i was hitting the toe pull targets, i had a revelatory experience. Man, what a difference! It went from ok to awesome.
Like any athletic endeavor, when learning new technique, while DVD's are great references, where possible, we also hear the recommendation to seek out a certified trainer for a session to tune our positions. This is just as true of joint mobility work as it is doing a kettlebell swing or a lift.
Getting an expert pair of eyes on these movements will ensure we get the most effective communication to the nervous system going. This meeting will help make sure we are hitting the target joints in full range of motion as effectively as possible. Also, such a meeting can also help target drills for a particular sport or for to address pain.
Why Z?
It's that last point that still makes me shake my head. It can sound like one is talking about a revival meeting: i saw this guy do these itty bitty moves, and he tried his shoulder again and his range of motion went way way up. Wow.
I've also seen folks do muscle work and be able to touch their toes when they couldn't before, so people can be helped by many things and in many ways. umm hmm. That's likely true. And that's great. The thing about Z that appeals to me is that it's working at the higher level or root of an issue by going for nerves. That suggests to me that muscle work, whether stretches or pulls or pushes, is more or less trying to get to the same signal paths but that by going away from the nerve receptors to these bigger tissues requires far bigger effort/work and i'm guessing has less precision.
With z, because it's going directly for the nerves, i hypothesize based on what i've seen and know of the science, the approach is more compact and specific. This minimal effort has great transferability. Anyone sitting at their desk can do ankle circles or finger waves or head titls.
Lighter, faster, stronger.
And again, what i'm describing here is in no way to challenge anyone else's mobility system - i don't know anyone else's mobility system. It's simply to articulate that this approach is based on the bleeding edge of what we know about the nervous system, movement and pain. It is specifically designed to do a particular neurological job to improve mobility; reduce pain and thus improve performance. As well, it has a compelling assessment associated with it to evaluate immediately if that job is being effected.
If you're potentially interested in doing a Z-Health cert based on anything you've read here, and you feel so inclined, please email info@zhealth.net for info and let them know mc recommended the cert. Trainers don't get money from these recommendations, but there's a new program where we will get money off our next certification, which is awesome. It's also a nice way for me to see if these articles help at all :) Thank you for reading. And for your consideration. You can always drop a comment here, too, if something you read helped.
update march 2009:
i've added a review of z health five months post certification and how it's been working so well with athletes in ways i hadn't anticipated.
update June 2009:
what's I-phase?
updated July 2009:
when add I-Phase to R-Phase
I-Phase is the more "in the real" version of R. R is the starting point - the basic vocab of Zed. I-Phase is the more flexible template, moving out of "neutral stance" and into more usual planes of motion.
Review 2009:
S-Phase: The Complete Athlete, Vol 1.
Tweet Follow @begin2dig
Note from Nov 2009: the article below was written shortly after my initial experience with z-health. After going through the whole certification suite of z-health's R,I,S,T and 9S certs, my view has clarified quite a bit and is hopefully easier to grok.
You may find the following piece interesting (i hope you do) but i think a clearer take on the z-health picture can be seen across a few pieces:
and for a total cut to the chase overview, an interview i did with chris highcock at contitioning research has i think the most succinct version yet.
- - the philosophy/science informing z-health
- - a practical overview of what R-Phase and I-Phase are trying to achieve and why/how
- - the z-health fundamental: never move into pain - and why that's so important
And now, back to your article:
 |
| zhealth movement rehab package |
More detailed overview of the DVD's in the "what's on the DVD's" below.
GETTING INTO IT What the heck is Z health (or ZHealth or Z-Health)? This is a fast review overview of Z-Health from the perspective of someone who's recently certified in the first level of z training called R-phase.
The usual response i've had to this very query about Z-Health is "it's joint mobility, right?" - which is frequently followed by "i do that already; don't need more/other."
Just as a quick aside, what is joint mobility work, anyway? It's usually construed as work to move joints through their whole range of motion. Ok. So why is that a good idea? And what if you can't move a joint through it's ROM? Or how do you know that you've done so?
Some folks talk about joint mobility work as an end in itself: that it's taking care of the surfaces of the joint for "joint health." And sure there's good there: move it or lose it. Body parts that don't get moved don't get the same attention as joints that do; moving joints also helps move waste materials away and good stuff in, and can stop weird growths from poor mobility or improper mobility.
Z health folks themselves however don't talk about joint mobility per se, but about the nervous system: yes there's joint mobility work in there, but initially that joint mobility work is designed to be a vehicle for getting to the nervous system; it's not an end in and of itself. That other good things come from moving those joints, specific to "joint health" is a bonus.Granted, this insight of nervous system focus is a little tricky to get from the Z health web site or from the start up R Phase DVDs, and once you have it, ok - Z = nervous system, what does that mean anyway?
In the health culture, we're usually so focused on muscle work (and sometimes ligaments) that we either forget that the body has other, and higher order systems that co-ordinate activity. Or when we're reminded of it, we don't have a framework to utilize the information. What does it mean to what -talk?-to the nervous system via the joints; to focus on bones to nerves rather than muscles to lifts?
Recently, i completed the Z Health R phase certification in Edinburgh (full review and more detailed description over here), and the pieces came together. Z Health itself, it turns out, is actually this framework for understanding and working with the nervous system. It is a kind of paradigm shift away from the focus on muscles and ligaments in isolation, and to the nervous system, which after all, without which, movement doesn't happen Consider someone recovering from stroke: their loss of muscle function is not because their muscles fail, but because messages are no longer being sent via the nerves to innervate.
In Z Health, the R Phase certification material covered makes clear that the body always responds to exactly what it practices (a variant of the SAID principle). This adaptation happens quickly. Why? communication in the nerves moves at over 300mph. There are tons of nerves focused on receiving and communicating various kinds of information. Something that is make compellingly clear in Z is that if there is the smallest disruption in that signal path at one place in the body the WHOLE body is effected. No kidding. So reducing noise in the signal path is a good idea. And thus to the heart of the first phase, R phase, of the Z approach.
Our joints, it turns out, have the largest proportion of particular kinds of nervous system messengers, mechanoreceptors, that communicate our position in space. They are key to our ability to move. When there's immobility around a joint, there's compensation elsewhere in the body. Global performance is actually impinged. You don't have to take my word for this: go to a z workshop like the Essentials of Elite Performance and see this demonstrated.
In Z's R phase cert, from such demos, we learn that movement - from range of motion to pain release - is dependent on the nervous system's perception of the state of the body. Dealing with the joints - taking each one through its full range of motion - is a powerful way to help the body learn that things are ok. Likewise, restrictions in joint mobility are powerful indicators that work can be done to improve not just mobility, but through that joint mobility, clearer communication in the nervous system.
You may already do joint mobility work, and that's great. How do you know that it's having that optimal effect for you, that it's clearing the signal path to enable optimal movement/performance? That some of its movements are not, in fact, closing joints down rather than opening them up? It might be interesting to drop by a z cert'd instructor just to get a quick assessment - you may find that you're in great shape with what you do - or you may find that there's a few places to tune.
If you haven't looked at Z, you might want to consider doing so. In health we talk sometimes about what's the minimum a person should do for their health, for instance "if you do nothing else, do blah." If we look at biggest bang for the buck, there's an argument to be made that if you do nothing else, do joint mobility work - and do the joint mobility work that you know is opening your joints, providing the clearest signal path to enhance movement.
Ok, that's the basis of Z-Health. But where does it start?
Z-Health has several phases: R-Phase, I-Phase and S-Phase.
R-Phase teaches the movement vocabulary where one stands in a neutral stance with tall spine, and learns how to take each joint through a full range of motion.
I-Phase is the complement of R-Phase (b2d overview here), and begins to move the athlete from neutral stance into versions of the R-Phase drills in more natural planes of motion.
S-Phase takes these movements and makes them, er, move (b2d overview of S here).
Z-Health in each phase uses joint mobility as a vehicle for optimizing or clearing the nervous system. Kathy Mauck of Z-Health talks about this approach as helping to build a clearer map. That is, in mechanoreception/proprioception, where our body senses where we are in space, clearing joints of any mobility restrictions or impingements or whatevers means that more information about those locations is coming through. That's a good thing.
It's a first principles thing, isn't it? The nervous system is higher up the stack than muscles, ligaments, bones. These other systems are responsive to the nervous system, so it rather makes sense that if there's something we can do to improve that communication, other good things will follow. Like improved athletic performance. Improved daily mobility. And quite often, reduced pain.
Ok, Starting with R-Phase, what's in those DVD's?
So, this neuroreceptive approach to well being sounds interesting. Where does Z-Health begin?
Here's what you get in the R-Phase/Nerual Warm Up I combo set (i recommend getting both and i'll come onto why)
The R-Phase DVD set has two discs: a follow along and an instructional DVD. A lot of folks skip the instructional DVD. May i encourage you strongly to go through the instructional? These vids help you find and hit the joint targets that make a big difference in the effectiveness of the follow along drills. You'll also find alternative positioning not given in the Follow Along (but which can be used while doing the follow along)
toe pull targets and alternative position from R-Phase instructionalIn the R-Phase follow along, it takes a little over 20mins to go through the drills for each joint in the body, as there are a few drills for each joint. Each movement is modeled by three people as it is described by Eric Cobb.
R-Phase Follow Along goes through mutliple movements for each jointThe Neural Warm Up I is a complement to R-Phase.
It's a ten minute series that also moves through each joint of the body, and introduces some movements not in the R-Phase package that optimize hitting joints in for a quicker series. It's easy to get the Neural Warm Up I in every day, or on alternate days from doing the complete R-Phase series. Eric Cobb leads this movement suite. As with R-Phase, NWUI also includes an instructional set to make sure you're comfortable with each movement.
Eric Cobb leading cross body figure 8's in Neural Warm Up IEye Drills in Neural Warm Up I. Another attribute of the Neural Warm Up series is that they include eye drills. Eyes may not have joints but they do have muscles. And like any muscle, use it or lose it. There are also more nerves in the eyes than just about anywhere else, so making sure the eyes are moving through there full range of motion is pretty critical (and part of why contacts rather than glasses are recommended).
This is why i recommend getting R-Phase and Neural Warm Up I together: R-Phase provides multiple drills for each part of the body that can be practiced as a complete sequence, or, as taught in the manual, as a particular focus on a given day: like today, i'll do shoulder circles at various speeds. The Neural Warm Up is a well thought out, short, routine to make sure you get through each joint effectively, as well as work the eyes, and get a muscle recharge.
Manuals. Both R-Phase and NWUI come with manuals on how to get into practicing R-Phase for most benefit, with two twelve week programs. The manuals also go over the four speeds at which R-Phase is best practiced. Once you have the speed down that the video demo's, what about going super slowly? Very different feel on the muscles and joints to bring it down. Awesome variants.
A Note on the DVD's and why seeing a Zed'er is a good idea
I've heard from colleagues who've said "i've looked at the video" or "i've tried it [once or twice] and it didn't do anything remarkable for me" or "i like X's flow better." That's ok; it's understandable. These movements are precise, designed to hit targets rather than look pretty. Though watching someone do double elbow circles is pretty cool. And if you're already in good shape and doing mobility work, you mayn't feel a kowabunga effect. I know for myself when i've done them either daily or every other day as recommended, after breakie in my case, i just feel more energized. I can't claim, though, that i was doing them to optimal effect. I also know the first time i had a Z-Health trainer really check that i was hitting the toe pull targets, i had a revelatory experience. Man, what a difference! It went from ok to awesome.
Like any athletic endeavor, when learning new technique, while DVD's are great references, where possible, we also hear the recommendation to seek out a certified trainer for a session to tune our positions. This is just as true of joint mobility work as it is doing a kettlebell swing or a lift.
Getting an expert pair of eyes on these movements will ensure we get the most effective communication to the nervous system going. This meeting will help make sure we are hitting the target joints in full range of motion as effectively as possible. Also, such a meeting can also help target drills for a particular sport or for to address pain.
Why Z?
It's that last point that still makes me shake my head. It can sound like one is talking about a revival meeting: i saw this guy do these itty bitty moves, and he tried his shoulder again and his range of motion went way way up. Wow.
I've also seen folks do muscle work and be able to touch their toes when they couldn't before, so people can be helped by many things and in many ways. umm hmm. That's likely true. And that's great. The thing about Z that appeals to me is that it's working at the higher level or root of an issue by going for nerves. That suggests to me that muscle work, whether stretches or pulls or pushes, is more or less trying to get to the same signal paths but that by going away from the nerve receptors to these bigger tissues requires far bigger effort/work and i'm guessing has less precision.
With z, because it's going directly for the nerves, i hypothesize based on what i've seen and know of the science, the approach is more compact and specific. This minimal effort has great transferability. Anyone sitting at their desk can do ankle circles or finger waves or head titls.
Lighter, faster, stronger.
And again, what i'm describing here is in no way to challenge anyone else's mobility system - i don't know anyone else's mobility system. It's simply to articulate that this approach is based on the bleeding edge of what we know about the nervous system, movement and pain. It is specifically designed to do a particular neurological job to improve mobility; reduce pain and thus improve performance. As well, it has a compelling assessment associated with it to evaluate immediately if that job is being effected.
If you're potentially interested in doing a Z-Health cert based on anything you've read here, and you feel so inclined, please email info@zhealth.net for info and let them know mc recommended the cert. Trainers don't get money from these recommendations, but there's a new program where we will get money off our next certification, which is awesome. It's also a nice way for me to see if these articles help at all :) Thank you for reading. And for your consideration. You can always drop a comment here, too, if something you read helped.
update march 2009:
i've added a review of z health five months post certification and how it's been working so well with athletes in ways i hadn't anticipated.
update June 2009:
what's I-phase?
updated July 2009:
when add I-Phase to R-Phase
I-Phase is the more "in the real" version of R. R is the starting point - the basic vocab of Zed. I-Phase is the more flexible template, moving out of "neutral stance" and into more usual planes of motion.
Review 2009:
S-Phase: The Complete Athlete, Vol 1.
Tweet Follow @begin2dig
Monday, September 8, 2008
Why Attend the Minnesota ZHealth Workshop: move better, feel better - really (a workshop preview)
Follow @mcphoo
Tweet
Want to last longer, move better, reduce pain? At the end of october - in fact, that's halloween (Oct. 31) to Nov 2 - Dragon Door is hosting a Z-Health workshop called " Z-Health
The Essential Secrets of Elite Performance" for Athletes. Athletes is a term defined broadly: if you move, and want to improve your movement - your athletic effort - you're an athlete.
Why would you want to attend this workshop? There's a couple of big reasons:
(1) If you're an athlete who suffers from any kind of ache, tweak or out and out pain, and have repeatedly hit the manual therapists' offices - whether chiro, massage or similar, the approach presented in ZHealth (or Z-Health or Z Health) will help. That's a bold claim. It's true and i'll come back to it.
(2) If you're an athlete who's hit a plateau, you'll learn skills that will help you tune your performance in what are likely very new ways - unless you're already working with a trainer certified in the Z approach that will help you move past your plateau.
(3) if you're an athlete who needs good hand/eye coordination for your sport, believe it or not, you'll improve it.
(4) If you're an athlete learning a new sport or have been playing a particular sport for awhile, the workshop will help you move with more efficiency. More efficiency means more power, speed - more of what's good for your game. The same goes for whether you're a powerlifter, kettlebell'er or hockey player.
You may say, ok, those sound like incremental improvements. So what?
On the one hand, the answer might be well, increments are what it's all about in sport: in the recent olympics, the difference between a world and olympic record in the 200m men's sprint was 2/10ths of a second. it took almost a generation to beat that record, too. You may say well you're not competing at that kind of elite level; those kind of increments don't mean much to you.
OK. If getting better measurable gains in your activity is not important to you, that's fine. For instance, you mayn't care that you can walk your circuit faster; you just want to keep doing it.
So therefore, on the other hand, that's the other rationale for improving efficiency: improving function while reducing wear and tear on the body. If we move with more efficiency, we're using our bodies more effectively. That means less energy is put into that movement, which means we have more energy for other things. Likewise, that efficiency means better use of our limited resource - ourselves - which means fewer problems over the long haul.
A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
One of the things we learn about in human physiology is that we're internally extremely well connected - a tweak that starts in the foot can effect the knee, can effect the hip, can trigger the back, can bug the shoulder, can screw up the jaw, can hurt the head. The cumulative effect of these little things can mean at the least less effective, efficient movement and at the worst means a whole host of pain, and a set up for problems like injuries in the movements to come.
The z approach takes this science of our wiring and shows us how to tune our movement to create the clearest path, the freest signal through that wiring so that we can work as effectively as possible. That efficiency means better performance, reduced pain. It's freaky how these things connect, and how quickly the effect can be demonstrated.
The Missing Manual
One of the biggest drags about us is that we don't come with The Manual.
I used to work a lot on motorcycles - this was necessary as i could only afford ones that were made a decade or more before the period in which i was riding them, and so, that telling you something about my finances, i had to be able to maintain them. One of the best resources for this up keep was (a) canadian tire, home of many parts that could be jury-rigged into working and (b) clymer manuals on how these things fit together - both the mechanicals and the all-important electrics. Without these manuals, hacking around the bike to try to tune it was just guess work. If it worked, it was often more luck than knowledge.
We don't come with Clymers. Netter's Anatomy and Guyton and Hall's Physiology while great texts on body parts and discrete physical systems, ain't great when it comes to seeing how, to put it loosely, the mechanical interacts with the electrics.
Without such a manual, what we often do in our own training, especially those of us who do not have coaches, is our best guess hacks. We read the articles, maybe follow some forums, watch friends, and try to put together an effective approach to get results, from getting the right gear to applying "correct" form. But how do we know what we're doing *is* actually right? is actually good for us? We're extremely complex, highly adaptive systems. We take tons of abuse, from poor eating to high heel shoes and keep functioning. So sometimes it's hard to tell if what we're doing is wrong - especially if we seem to be making progress. But at what cost progress? Perhaps if you're making loads of gains and are completely pain-free (either during or apart from your activity), you've lucked out and are operating optimally. Way to go. For the rest of us, well, there's this tension we get in the neck, or the back kinda aches, or sometimes when we walk our knee hurts. Pavel has this comment on his seminar with Charles Staley "Put up your hands anyone who's had a shoulder injury. Anyone who hasn't put up their hands, can't"
Anyone who's been in pain, and been helped out of it knows how much better their activities or daily lives are. For some of us, we go to manual therapies, and feel great for a time once we're off the table. For some, that treatment's enough. For many of us, we have to keep going back to get that release.
For all of us in such tweaked categories, getting a manual to deal with these tweaks proactively can make a world of difference to our performance - on and off the field; in and out of the gym.
Demystifying Movement
In the Z approach, athletes get a broader view of movement than muscle. After all, we have bones, muscles, nerves, but we also have sensory and perceptual functions or various systems that maintain those bones muscles and nerves in space. Without these we couldn't stay upright, little own move. The Z approach takes each of these components into account when talking about tuning movement.
Some folks think that Z is about joint mobility: that its thing is just to focus on moving the bendy bits instead of manipulating muscles, like other folks do.
In my experience of Z the answer is yes and no. Yes, the initial approach (Day 1 of the workshop, R Phase focus) is HUGE on getting full range of motion around joints, but the focus on joints is there as a powerful means to an end. The real meat and potatoes of the this initial phase is about what's happening around those joints with our nervous system, particularly with mechanoreceptors. Joints have more of these awareness detectors than any other part of the body. If one part of the body is having issues with its reception, the ENTIRE rest of the body responds. You'll see a demo that shows a problem with a thumb - no pain, but a less than fully mobile joint - will substantially, hugely shut down the ability of the hamstrings to generate force, but how freeing up that thumb joint will bring that strength back. That improvement in strength had nothing to do with building mass; it had to do with improving the signal path from a seemingly unrelated joint back to the brain - to give the all clear for that joint.
Bottom line of R: decreased joint mobility (a joint that cannot move through full range of motion), decreased strength; increased mobility, increased strength.
In Day 2 with I phase, the focus moves from the joints' relation to movement into how our visual and vestibular systems - balance, eye tracking and so on effect movement.
The S part of the workshop begins to put these components together into movement practice for coordinated benefit.
THE GOODS
The workshop promo uses terms like "massive" development of power and "immediate" strength gains. These sound very much too good to be true, don't they? And (to me, unfortunately) the workshop also talks about "revealing secrets" to making these gains.
For the Less Trained. The thing is, if you haven't worked with a coach before ANY good coach will help you improve your performance - likely immediately. And if you haven't worked with a coach before, they may even break your current personal best in one session. So i'm not too moved by such claims. So on the grossest level, if you take this seminar you will definitely learn stuff to improve your performance, and you will see benefits right away. But what differentiates this approach from perhaps others is the longer haul: there are many many carry over effects of the whole Z approach that go beyond sport specific training.
If you learn how to squat right, for instance, you learn how to do this one activity well. If, however, you learn how to stand in balance on your bones, using as little energy as possible to hold a "long" spine, you have a foundation for effective powerful movement in any movement/activity (on day 3, if you're a kettlebeller, ask about "femur snap rather than hip snap" in the swing/snatch).
For the More Coached/Trained. If you have worked with coaches before, or do so right now, then you know how precious any gains can be. If your coaching/training has focused on mainly muscle work, it doesn't take a big leap of the imagination to get that if you can bring on board the other systems of the body like proprioception, like the vestibular and visual systems, that you're going to do better, harmonizing more of what the body has to offer to improve performance. Check out Mike T Nelson's posts about deadlift improvements with Z approaches for more.
For Those With Pain or Injury. If you've had an injury or are coping with one now, you'll know how valuable it can be to get out of pain so you can get back to your training. You may see a specialist to treat your ills and feel great while that happens. But have you asked yourself why do you have to keep going back to feel well? Do you believe that you will have to keep going to feel well? Would you like to explore the options of how you could take care of yourself such that you could get out of the treatment cycle?
If you are in pain, and would like that attended, may i recommend booking an appointment during the weekend with Dr. Cobb who will be delivering the workshop? He can assess and point you to a proactive plan for your own well being. It's worth it.
IN SUM
If you are keen to make your body last as long as possible pain free, running effectively, and efficiently, and if you want to improve your athletic performance, the skills you'll learn over these three days will literally last a life time.
Note for Instructors: if you're a trainer and want to learn how to provide these kinds of techniques for your clients, as well as how to do assessments of performance, you may want to consider taking in a Z-Health certification course rather than this workshop (here's a review of my experience with the first z-health cert, r-phase). Tweet Follow @begin2dig
Want to last longer, move better, reduce pain? At the end of october - in fact, that's halloween (Oct. 31) to Nov 2 - Dragon Door is hosting a Z-Health workshop called " Z-HealthThe Essential Secrets of Elite Performance" for Athletes. Athletes is a term defined broadly: if you move, and want to improve your movement - your athletic effort - you're an athlete.
Why would you want to attend this workshop? There's a couple of big reasons:
(1) If you're an athlete who suffers from any kind of ache, tweak or out and out pain, and have repeatedly hit the manual therapists' offices - whether chiro, massage or similar, the approach presented in ZHealth (or Z-Health or Z Health) will help. That's a bold claim. It's true and i'll come back to it.
(2) If you're an athlete who's hit a plateau, you'll learn skills that will help you tune your performance in what are likely very new ways - unless you're already working with a trainer certified in the Z approach that will help you move past your plateau.
(3) if you're an athlete who needs good hand/eye coordination for your sport, believe it or not, you'll improve it.
(4) If you're an athlete learning a new sport or have been playing a particular sport for awhile, the workshop will help you move with more efficiency. More efficiency means more power, speed - more of what's good for your game. The same goes for whether you're a powerlifter, kettlebell'er or hockey player.
You may say, ok, those sound like incremental improvements. So what?
On the one hand, the answer might be well, increments are what it's all about in sport: in the recent olympics, the difference between a world and olympic record in the 200m men's sprint was 2/10ths of a second. it took almost a generation to beat that record, too. You may say well you're not competing at that kind of elite level; those kind of increments don't mean much to you.
OK. If getting better measurable gains in your activity is not important to you, that's fine. For instance, you mayn't care that you can walk your circuit faster; you just want to keep doing it.
So therefore, on the other hand, that's the other rationale for improving efficiency: improving function while reducing wear and tear on the body. If we move with more efficiency, we're using our bodies more effectively. That means less energy is put into that movement, which means we have more energy for other things. Likewise, that efficiency means better use of our limited resource - ourselves - which means fewer problems over the long haul.
A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
One of the things we learn about in human physiology is that we're internally extremely well connected - a tweak that starts in the foot can effect the knee, can effect the hip, can trigger the back, can bug the shoulder, can screw up the jaw, can hurt the head. The cumulative effect of these little things can mean at the least less effective, efficient movement and at the worst means a whole host of pain, and a set up for problems like injuries in the movements to come.
The z approach takes this science of our wiring and shows us how to tune our movement to create the clearest path, the freest signal through that wiring so that we can work as effectively as possible. That efficiency means better performance, reduced pain. It's freaky how these things connect, and how quickly the effect can be demonstrated.
The Missing Manual
One of the biggest drags about us is that we don't come with The Manual.
I used to work a lot on motorcycles - this was necessary as i could only afford ones that were made a decade or more before the period in which i was riding them, and so, that telling you something about my finances, i had to be able to maintain them. One of the best resources for this up keep was (a) canadian tire, home of many parts that could be jury-rigged into working and (b) clymer manuals on how these things fit together - both the mechanicals and the all-important electrics. Without these manuals, hacking around the bike to try to tune it was just guess work. If it worked, it was often more luck than knowledge.
We don't come with Clymers. Netter's Anatomy and Guyton and Hall's Physiology while great texts on body parts and discrete physical systems, ain't great when it comes to seeing how, to put it loosely, the mechanical interacts with the electrics.
Without such a manual, what we often do in our own training, especially those of us who do not have coaches, is our best guess hacks. We read the articles, maybe follow some forums, watch friends, and try to put together an effective approach to get results, from getting the right gear to applying "correct" form. But how do we know what we're doing *is* actually right? is actually good for us? We're extremely complex, highly adaptive systems. We take tons of abuse, from poor eating to high heel shoes and keep functioning. So sometimes it's hard to tell if what we're doing is wrong - especially if we seem to be making progress. But at what cost progress? Perhaps if you're making loads of gains and are completely pain-free (either during or apart from your activity), you've lucked out and are operating optimally. Way to go. For the rest of us, well, there's this tension we get in the neck, or the back kinda aches, or sometimes when we walk our knee hurts. Pavel has this comment on his seminar with Charles Staley "Put up your hands anyone who's had a shoulder injury. Anyone who hasn't put up their hands, can't"
Anyone who's been in pain, and been helped out of it knows how much better their activities or daily lives are. For some of us, we go to manual therapies, and feel great for a time once we're off the table. For some, that treatment's enough. For many of us, we have to keep going back to get that release.
For all of us in such tweaked categories, getting a manual to deal with these tweaks proactively can make a world of difference to our performance - on and off the field; in and out of the gym.
Demystifying Movement
In the Z approach, athletes get a broader view of movement than muscle. After all, we have bones, muscles, nerves, but we also have sensory and perceptual functions or various systems that maintain those bones muscles and nerves in space. Without these we couldn't stay upright, little own move. The Z approach takes each of these components into account when talking about tuning movement.
Some folks think that Z is about joint mobility: that its thing is just to focus on moving the bendy bits instead of manipulating muscles, like other folks do.
In my experience of Z the answer is yes and no. Yes, the initial approach (Day 1 of the workshop, R Phase focus) is HUGE on getting full range of motion around joints, but the focus on joints is there as a powerful means to an end. The real meat and potatoes of the this initial phase is about what's happening around those joints with our nervous system, particularly with mechanoreceptors. Joints have more of these awareness detectors than any other part of the body. If one part of the body is having issues with its reception, the ENTIRE rest of the body responds. You'll see a demo that shows a problem with a thumb - no pain, but a less than fully mobile joint - will substantially, hugely shut down the ability of the hamstrings to generate force, but how freeing up that thumb joint will bring that strength back. That improvement in strength had nothing to do with building mass; it had to do with improving the signal path from a seemingly unrelated joint back to the brain - to give the all clear for that joint.
Bottom line of R: decreased joint mobility (a joint that cannot move through full range of motion), decreased strength; increased mobility, increased strength.
In Day 2 with I phase, the focus moves from the joints' relation to movement into how our visual and vestibular systems - balance, eye tracking and so on effect movement.
The S part of the workshop begins to put these components together into movement practice for coordinated benefit.
THE GOODS
The workshop promo uses terms like "massive" development of power and "immediate" strength gains. These sound very much too good to be true, don't they? And (to me, unfortunately) the workshop also talks about "revealing secrets" to making these gains.
For the Less Trained. The thing is, if you haven't worked with a coach before ANY good coach will help you improve your performance - likely immediately. And if you haven't worked with a coach before, they may even break your current personal best in one session. So i'm not too moved by such claims. So on the grossest level, if you take this seminar you will definitely learn stuff to improve your performance, and you will see benefits right away. But what differentiates this approach from perhaps others is the longer haul: there are many many carry over effects of the whole Z approach that go beyond sport specific training.
If you learn how to squat right, for instance, you learn how to do this one activity well. If, however, you learn how to stand in balance on your bones, using as little energy as possible to hold a "long" spine, you have a foundation for effective powerful movement in any movement/activity (on day 3, if you're a kettlebeller, ask about "femur snap rather than hip snap" in the swing/snatch).
For the More Coached/Trained. If you have worked with coaches before, or do so right now, then you know how precious any gains can be. If your coaching/training has focused on mainly muscle work, it doesn't take a big leap of the imagination to get that if you can bring on board the other systems of the body like proprioception, like the vestibular and visual systems, that you're going to do better, harmonizing more of what the body has to offer to improve performance. Check out Mike T Nelson's posts about deadlift improvements with Z approaches for more.
For Those With Pain or Injury. If you've had an injury or are coping with one now, you'll know how valuable it can be to get out of pain so you can get back to your training. You may see a specialist to treat your ills and feel great while that happens. But have you asked yourself why do you have to keep going back to feel well? Do you believe that you will have to keep going to feel well? Would you like to explore the options of how you could take care of yourself such that you could get out of the treatment cycle?
If you are in pain, and would like that attended, may i recommend booking an appointment during the weekend with Dr. Cobb who will be delivering the workshop? He can assess and point you to a proactive plan for your own well being. It's worth it.
IN SUM
If you are keen to make your body last as long as possible pain free, running effectively, and efficiently, and if you want to improve your athletic performance, the skills you'll learn over these three days will literally last a life time.
Note for Instructors: if you're a trainer and want to learn how to provide these kinds of techniques for your clients, as well as how to do assessments of performance, you may want to consider taking in a Z-Health certification course rather than this workshop (here's a review of my experience with the first z-health cert, r-phase). Tweet Follow @begin2dig
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COACHING with dr. m.c. 
