Z-Health Athletic Performance System

Since I’ve received sooo many questions about what is Z-Health, I’ve decided to provide you a brief review of Z-Health R Phase (level 1) certification.    I am reaching a point that with my current schedule I can’t answer every one of the emails that I get about what is covered in the Z-Health certification, but I want to help as many people as possible.  

My solution is to refer incoming emails to this multi part system and if people still have questions I am more than happy to answer them at that point as  I really love the interactions. 

Common questions

Are you doing this just to make money?

My main reason is to help people since I feel there is lots of bad information in the fitness area and my goal is do my small part to help clear up the confusion.   This does not mean that I have all the answers, but try some out the information here and judge for yourself .

The short answer is that yes that if you sign up for a Z-Health certification and mention my name I do make a few clams.   Keep in mind that I would never recommend anything to you that I do not 100% believe in.  I’ve spent over 3 years now doing Z-Health and have completed levels 1-4 and the Advanced Nutrition Course and on one of only 7 Z-Health Master Trainers currently.    I am always looking to learn more, but I have a good idea of what is involved in the system. 

If you don’t want to sign up for the Z-Health certification, that is perfectly fine and you may still learn a TON of amazing information here complete FREE.

Are you an employee of Z-Health?

No, I am not an employee of Z-Health.  I have done lectures at their training (level 1 and level 2) and presented information on Metabolic Flexibility at the
Z-Health 9S Advanced Nutrition course.  I work as an independent consultant and if I found a better system, Iwould be recommending that one!

After this series, will I know everything that is covered in the Z-Health R Phase?

Nope.  Keep in mind that I am trying to distill down 6 days of information into a series of written word.   It would be impossible to fully convey everything that goes on during the certification.  I did not believe that at first either until I drank the Kool Aid and went off the short plank in the pool for R Phase training.  

Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills

A key component of Z-Health R Phase is the actual dynamic joint mobility drill themselves.  The certification spends a HUGE amount of time on how to do these drills with PRECISION. You can ask anyone that has gone through the certification if they were doing the drills correctly before (or before working with a Z-Health trainer), and  almost everyone will say “no”.  This is not your grandma’s mobility program and PRECISION is a HUGE component of the system.   Virtually every other system does not use the same level of precision, so it is common to just go through the motions.    I know that is what I did when I first got the DVD a few years ago.  I was flapping my arms around to it like a Dodo bird trying to take flight.

Here we go!

What is Z-Health?

Z-Health at a base level is a system to obtain elite athletic performance.  Sounds good to me!  A side benefit of this is that many times you can get out of pain!   Better movement is the KEY to less pain and improved performance.  Sounds simple, right?

Key Z-Health R Phase
Concept #1: Proprioception

Simply stated, proprioception is the body’s 3D map of itself.   In your brain, there is actually a little 3D map of you!  I think of it as this holographic map of yourself hanging out in your brain.

Example Time. If you get pulled over by the Smokey as you are driving and you have to stand with your eyes closed and your head still and extend your
arms and touch your nose.  Without a 3D map of your body, you would not get close and may poke your eye out.

How does the body do this?

There are many small sensors in the body including:

1)      Mechanoreceptors (sense movement)

2)      Nociceptors (sense noxious “things”)

3)      Thermo (sense temperature)

4)      Baro (sense pressure)

5)      Chemo (sense chemical)

6)      E/M (sense electromagnetic)

The example Dr. Cobb uses that if you want to design a really smart robot, would you pt most of the motion sensors in the joints (bendy parts) or in the straight parts that don’t move?  The bendy parts of course!  The human body does the same thing, so it puts a ton of mechanoreceptors at the joints.

Nociceptors

Nociceptors are designed to sense noxious things that are “bad.”   If you touch a hot stove, the increased heat will be sensed as noxious.    If you hang out and inhale car fumes from your tailpipe, you know this is “not good” (noxious) (again, don’t try this at home, just imagine).  A noxious stimulus is NOT always the same thing as pain though (more on that later).

Interpretation

The brain is where all the signals are interpreted  (just like proprioception). You will see that the brain and nervous system are a huge part of Z-Health.   A noxious stimulus may not be perceived as pain because of the complex function of the brain.

Mechanoreceptor Focus

Since the mechanoreceptors are for sensing movement, and the movement is interpreted in the brain; the fastest way to dramatically improve your movement map (and thus performance) is with precise joint mobility.    

Better mobility = a better movement map = increased athletic
performance.

Stay tuned here next Monday for Key Concept #2.  It is HUGE and very few people even talk about it. 

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

The Kettlebell Press

Basics are best, but it seems some tend to forget that. Heck, I tend to forget that at times.

Below are two videos on how to perform the kettlebell (KB) press; a basic strength move that you will also learn at the RKC.

The first one reviews the barebones of how to do it correctly. I had to learn this the hard way and thought I was doing it correctly, and I was not even close! Luckily, I did a session with Sr. RKC Geoff Neupert a few years ago and he set me straight. Over the past couple years I’ve played around with it and taught others, so check out the short clip on how to get the basics of the KB Press down pat.

If you care looking for a bit more variety on your KB Press and you are doing great on the standard version, here are a few more options for you

1) Bottoms Up KB Press

2) Open Palm KB Press

3) Pizza KB Press

4) By the Horns KB Press

For further information, check out my article at Dragon Door

4 Tips for KB Pressing Power

by Mike T Nelson, RKC, Z-Health Master Trainer

All of this is a great start, but it is not a substitute for a session with a coach who can evaluate your form in person.

Email me at michaelTnelson@yahoo.com if you are interested in a Z-Health/Kettlebell combo session to take your kettlebell work to the next level and make sure you have the basics down cold.

If you are not in the White Bear Lake Minnesota area, look for a Z-Health or RKC in your neighborhood.
Drop me a comment and let me know how your Kettlebell Press is coming along!

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

PS

Geoff Neupert’s “Kettlebell Secrets Teleseminar” wraps up tonight, Thursday Aug 27 with Pavel Tsatsouline himself.

Listen as Pavel simplifies the process of muscle-building identifying the only three components necessary for building slabs of rock-hard muscle, dispelling the myths of the “musclemags”…

To find out how you can listen in for FREE, click HERE

I interrupt the normal post here to open a huge can of worms.

Some topics just seem to be around for years, so I thought I would throw out my comments once again on lumbar flexion.

I first put up the post on it (below) almost 1 year ago and it was also published at Diesel Crew also, but the topic came up once again recently on the Strength Coach Podcast Episode 41 when I was just listening to it tonight.  I had so many thoughts running through my head, I decided to put them down “on paper” and hopefully promote some healthy discussion and learn something new myself in the process.

Highlights of Episode 41

“Is Spinal Flexion Bad?”

Special Conference Call with
Charlie Weingroff, Nick Tumminello and
Coach Boyle

You can see my comments in the posts below in the past on this blog

Lumbar Flexion?

Follow up

Lumbar Mobility In Italy

Everyone needs to remember

Living systems are built up with use, and ATROPHY with disuse.

I agree with Nick’s thoughts from the podcast on this point, that the body will ADAPT.  Now, we need to be careful WHAT we are adapting to.

I think it was Dan John that once was asked

“Are squats bad for my knees?” and his response was, “The way YOU squat is bad for your knees!”

How the exercise is done make a huge difference and not every exercise is good for you.   If you are overweight and your gait (walking motion)  looks like a penguin with sunburned privates, then walking is NOT the best exercise for you!  When you walk you put about 4-6 times your bodyweight (running is up to 10x your bodyweight)  through your joints, and if your joints are not up to par it is NOT helping you.  Dump your expensive super stiff, uber spendy, pronation control running shoes too, but that is another can of worms for another day.    Yikes, anyone still reading?

Are We Ruining Athletes?

As Nick pointed out, exercise can be binned as distress or eustress.  Distress is generally a “bad” stress and eustress is generally a “good” stress.  Lumbar flexion for some may be ok and other it may not be.  It is individual and you MUST assess the exercise.

How Do I Know If Lumbar Flexion is Good for Me or Not?

This is the key question that we must ask and can be applied to ANY movement.

1) If it causes you pain, don’t do it.  Find a local physical therapist or someone to get you out of pain.   Many many times the athletes I see leave moving better and that correlates to a huge reduction in pain.  I personally love Z-Health for this aspect.

2) If you move worse after lumbar flexion, it is CURRENTLY bad for you.    Now this does not mean it will ALWAYS be bad, but if it currently is bad then don’t do it.  You can also check your own range of motion also; if it improves = good; if it does not or gets worse =  not good currently.

Do You Have Your Athlete Perform Exercise With Improper Form?

No!  You must do perfect form (and not just give lip service to it).  I am not a fan of huge weighted flexion exercises for MOST athletes.  I do believe that some athlete may be able to work up to it if their sport requires it GRADUALLY, assuming it does not degrade their movement (via gait or range of motion).  Again, if it makes the athlete move worse, don’t do it.  The body is wicked smart and we need to stop thinking that we are smarter than it!  We also must prepar the body for what it may encounter in the “real” world in a safe manner.    This includes teaching everyone (when they are ready) sports speed movements since I have never seen someone fall over slowly and yell “timber!!!!” as they did it.  I also teach athletes how to fall since this is a HUGE fear for many.  Again, this is done in a controlled and safe manner, all the time testing their movement.    I don’t take Ethel out and push her down to see what happens.

Don’t We Need Stability at the Spine?

I prefer to think of it as coordination instead of stability  (thanks Frankie).  I agree with Mike Boyle that stability makes it seem like there should not be any movement there.

So maybe our end result is more muscle “stiffness” but we need to TRAIN MOBILITY to get there?

That was my whole point of the article when I wrote it.  We NEED to get MOBILITY FIRST before we can have good coordination. (stability)   I go into detail why and how in the article, so I won’t repeat it here again.

How Can You Disagree with These Coaches.  Isn’t That Disrespectful?

Of course not.  I can disagree with someone’s thoughts and ideas and still respect them.   If everyone agreed, how boring would that be and would we ever learn anything?  We can all learn something new.  I don’t expect people to believe everything I say without doing their own research or at least some critical thought.

The Joint by Joint Approach Says the Spine Need Stability, Why Mobility?

From coach Boyle’s article, here is the big take away, although I encourage everyone to read the full article link below (warning, the link may be borderline safe for those at work depending on what pic comes up with it)

A Joint-by-Joint Approach to Training

by Michael Boyle

Joint Primary Training Needs
Ankle mobility (particularly sagittal)
Knee stability
Hip mobility (multi-planar)
Lumbar Spine stability
T-Spine mobility
Gleno-humeral stability

While the Joint by Joint Appraoch by Mike Boyle is a great thing since it gets people to look at the huge effects joints have on performance and strength, I still belive that ALL joints need mobility first.  Yes, this include the ones labeled as “stability” above.  The knee is more than just a hinge joint, and while it does not have a ton of mobility in a circular motion, it has some and should be moved as such (again, making sure it is not painful and it is good for your body).   Watch an NFL running back, elite soccer players, etc and you will see some rotation of knees!   Each and every joint should be moved in all the directions that are possible depending on how the joint is designed. This is the basic premise behind the Z-Health R Phase.  If your joints are not up to par, your nervous system will brake your performance to protect that joints.

Even Jaw Mobility?

Summary

The human body is absolutely amazing in its capacity to adapt and remodel to the stress placed on it.  The same stress may be ok for you, but bad for your neighbor, so you (or your coach, yes everyone needs a coach) must test your movement after to determine what is optimal for YOU!   Optimal stress done in a repeated intelligent fashion = superior results.

Feel free to drop any and all comments below as I want to hear YOUR thoughts!

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

I hope all of you had a chance to download the interview with Craig Keaton the other day, and if you missed it go back and check it out.

Interview with movement coach Craig Keaton

Random Updates

Some random updates today as I feel like there are so many things going on I wanted to get them out to you.

Arthrokinetic Reflex

MC has a great blog entry about the arthrokinetic reflex, see below

Arthrokinetic Reflex: Joint action affects Muscle Performance

I had a reference to a blog post I wrote on it in the past below here

Mobility-vs-stability-primitive-patterns-z-health-and-more

Here is an excerpt from a comment I posted on her blog:

There is tons of stuff going on in the upper neck region related to nerve function and head position and the arthrokinetic reflex is just one of them (maybe the main one, but hard to say).

More tension to add tension is not efficient and results in decreased performance. My buddy Frankie like the text “Minimal Effective Tension” and I would agree

Hamstring flexibility can be affected by TONS of stuff, including what time of the day it is even (source http://su.pr/8rKFwJ). I saw a poster at ACSM this year that showed a decrease in hamstring flexibility and strength (I think) by doing a spinal slump (slump forward and bring your head to your knees) from the increased strain on the nerves themselves; thus the body trying to protect itself.

I explain that when you crank your neck funny it is like kinking a hose and it slows down the water flow (muscle power).

The killer part is that you can do enough mobility work that when you bring your neck to that position it will NOT have a bad effect on muscle strength.

For example, at the recent Z-Health R Phase cert we did a similar demo with the feet and they were unable to jam my ankle joints since I’ve done enough mobility work that my nervous system can hold the joints open; even under high force.

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

Time Magazine says “Exercise Blows”

Time magazine recently published an article about exercise and how it is ineffective for weight loss in an article called “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin” by journalist John Cloud (photo: creative commons / angela7dreams)

While I agree with that premise that exercise ALONE without any dietary control is ineffective, it may give people the idea that exercise in general sucks and I did not want to do it any way.  That is NOT even CLOSE to true.   There are TONS of benefits to exercise and if they could put it in a pill (and yes, they are working on there, see the link Exercise in Pill) it would be the best selling pharmaceutical pill in history!

I was going to go off and write a whole rant, but Dr. John Berardi at Precision Nutrition already beat me to it, so see his article below

Why Exercise STILL Doesn’t Work

That is enough for today!

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

Wow, that is an extreme human to say the least.  Wow.

I have to agree with my good buddy Aaron Schwenzfeier that Tyson Gay did look great.   Aaron was down at my place during the last summer Olympics and we had a blast watching them on TV and totally geeking out watching the athletes movement, breathing, facial expressions, and trying to predict who was going to win.

Usain Bolt 100m 9.58 world record Berlin 2009

Wow. Amazing performance by Bolt.  He made it look EASY, even though it is a new world record.  Are you making your training look easy or hard?  You should be training at a higher level, but making it LOOK easy.  Dr Cobb had a cool quote from this past weekend’s Z-Health R Phase cert

“Make the extraordinary, ordinary”

It looks like Tyson Gay has a problem in his gait also.  Check out the last few seconds of the video above -  that is not normal, especially at a world class level.

So I turned to my friend Google and found the following

Groin injury knocks US sprinter Tyson Gay out of rematch with Usain Bolt in 200

So looks like Gay will be resting for awhile.    I think if/when he gets back to 100% health he could give Bolt a run for his money.   If you are looking for elite performance, get out of pain!

I was able to catch the Mens 400 m Hurdles this AM on TV and the US did very well!

400m Hurdles Men World Championship Berlin 2009

Amazing performance all around!

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

PS

If you are looking to up your performance level and get out of pain in the Minneapolis, St Paul area, drop me a line at michaelTnelson@yahoo.com

A HUGE thanks to all those that took me up on the phone consulting special.  It is a blast to talk to some really exceptional athletes!

For those that missed out on it, I will have some slots available later (but without bonuses), so drop me a line.

Special Treat!

As a special thanks to everyone that reads this blog, I was able to round up a special interview with Craig Keaton in Dallas TX and this one is FREE as my way of saying “thanks again”

Now you may be wondering .”Who is this guy?” and while he is not a “big name” Craig really really know his stuff and I always have a killer time picking his brain about research, Z-Health, training athletes and nutrition.  Craig trains top American football players, Olympic competitors and the every day athlete just looking to look, move and feel better.  If you are looking for Extreme Human Performance, you must listen to this interview!

Check out the interview below and The Movement Dallas website below.  If you are in the Dallas area, you owe it to yourself to pay Craig and The Movement a visit.

The Movement Dallas : Changing the way you eat, move, eat, think and live

Craig’s Formal Background

For over a decade, The Movement Dallas Co-Founder Craig Keaton has sought, created and implemented cutting-edge fitness and wellness strategies to radically transform his and his clients’ lives. Craig has a varied background: at a university level, he studied for over 8 years in the fields of Biochemistry and Exercise Physiology, and following that, received certification in the fields of Corrective Exercise and Nutrition/Lifestyle Coaching with the world-renowned C.H.E.K. Institute. Most recently, Craig completed a 3-year hands-on education program devoted to pain relief and performance enhancement with Dr. Eric Cobb, the founder of Z-Health Performance Solutions.

Craig utilizes his holistic background to address clients’ root issues and is intuitive in his approach to “treat the person, not the disease.” This philosophy has aided Craig in coaching people who are as varied as their goals: from professional, Olympic and collegiate athletes who want to optimize their performance, to those with debilitating disease states who wish to recover their health and quality of life. Craig’s current endeavors include a full schedule of highly committed clients, the research and development of the most effective fitness and health concepts and applications, and the education of fitness/wellness professionals through The Movement Apprenticeship and Certification Programs.

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

PS

Leave some comment love on your thoughts on the interview and what YOU want to see here!

Play Now:

 Craig Keaton Interview [37:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Just wanted to drop you a line as I am here for the first weekend of Z-Health R Phase here in Minnesota.  It is a blast to meet so many dedicated trainers and therapists.  I am here learning more and helping teach a bit also.

I’ve received some email questions about what exactly is Z-Health, so I am working on a 7 to 9 part series that should start up next Monday to peal back the curtains and go into details on the concepts taught at the Z-Health R Phase.

In the meantime I have some audio today about “State Before Skill”

Learn

• How you can optimize performance both on the field and in the gym
• Does your mood matter?
• Is it critical HOW you learn?

Tune in or download it below.  Special thanks to Frankie Faires for explaining this concept to me quite awhile back.

Leave any questions on it in the comments below.

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

PS

A HUGE thanks to those that took me up on my special phone consulting offer.  It is expired now, but I may have other offers in the future so stay tuned.

Play Now:

 State Before Skills [4:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I have crazy new information today based loosely off the following abstract, so hold on tight.

Nail-gun narcolepsy
The Lancet, Volume 374, Issue 9685, Pages 238-238
B. Mokhlesi, M. Khan

You have to see this pic from the abstract!

From the abstract

“A man aged 48 years who had a history of obsessive compulsive disorder and depression was found unconscious on his basement floor with a nail gun. He arrived at the emergency room in a deep coma with a 15 cm (6 inches) nail embedded in the occipital lobe……. Although the man did not have any sleep disorders before the traumatic brain injury, he developed substantial and persistent hyper somnolence with daily sleep duration of 20 h”

First off, the guy is lucky to not have any other issues considering there is a huge freakin’ nail in his melon!  They were able to treat him with drugs and I guess he is back to “normal” now.  Eeek.  I can’t imagine sleeping for 20 hours a day for weeks (although it does sound nice for a few days).

Nails, Hippocampus, Athletic Performance

The hippocampus is a section in the brains of humans and other mammals primarily concerned with the limbic system and plays important roles in long-term memory and spatial navigation.   (Note, the limbic system include the following brain structures: hippocampus, amygdala, anterior thalamic nuclei, and limbic cortex.  It develops to mange the “fight’ or ‘flight’ chemical).

In our fury rodent friends, the hippocampus has been investigated as part of the brain system responsible for spatial memory and navigation; so this may be important for athlete on the playing field.

Neurons (brain cells) in the rodent hippocampus area respond as place cells: that is, they fire bursts of electricity (action potentials) when the animal passes through a specific part of its environment.   No, they don’t get shocked every time the crawl past the rodent water cooler, as they (and you) can’t feel the action potentials.   These hippocampal place cells interact with head direction cells, whose activity acts as an inertial compass, and with grid cells in the neighboring structures (cortex).  What does that mean?

In rodents, there appears to be 2 mechanisms involved 1) Head Direction Cells and 2)Place Cells

From an article “Do humans have some kind of homing instinct, possibly involving navigation by magnetism like certain birds do?”

“1) Head-direction cells: When a rat is placed in a large recording chamber and allowed to forage for food, there are cells in some parts of the brain that fire whenever the rat faces one particular direction. It does not matter where the rat is in the chamber; whenever it faces in that direction, those cells fire like crazy. Each of the head-direction cells has its own, unique directional preference, so that the direction the rat faces at any given moment is signaled by the firing of some particular combination of these cells.”

“2) Place cells: These neural cells are the complement of head-direction cells. They fire whenever the rat is in a certain location, rather than a specific direction. Studies indicate that place cells, too, use both landmarks and path integration (a record of the animal’s movements through space) to keep track of where they are.”  

The interesting part is that they seem to operate independently from cues from the eyes (visual) and inner ear (vestibular function from the semicircular cannels that provide input to the brain about head orientation)

Human Data

In humans, their is much debate about the existence of place and head direction cells.   I envision some cool experiments with humans in a maze, blindfolded, looking for food at the end!

We can control our movement maps though!

If  you want to drive from White Bear Lake Minnesota to Chicago IL you need a great map.  A detour through the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan to say “Wat Up to da Yoopers” is not ideal.   You want to drive right from point A to point B in the most efficient manner, unless you want to take a sight seeing detour.

How Do You Get a Great Movement Map?

Your brain controls all of your movement and strength, so to optimize it we need to look at how the brain gets its information.   This primarily comes from:

1) Eyes (visual and eye muscle movements)

2) Vestibular (inner ear “balance”)

3) Proprioceptive (info from the joints)

In order to optimize the body for performance (and pain reduction), we need to optimize each one of these systems. This is what I really love about the Z-Health system, as it works to optimize each system and then combine them in a way to get maximal results in record time!

Better movement = better performance

Superior athletic performance for virtually ANYONE is the result as you can learn to move more athletically and do things that they thought were not possible with the correct approach.

Where Do I Start?

For most, the best way to start is by doing some dynamic joint mobility work (like Z-Health or dynamic mobility drills).  If you are near a Z-Health trainer, you can stop in to see them and get a custom approach just for your movement to jump start your progress.   If you are in the Twin Cities MN area, hit me up at michaelTnelson@yahoo.com

Summary

So while the debate in humans about head direction and place cells rages, we know for certain that you can control your movement maps by visual, vestibular and joint movements; so get to it!  That PR is just around the next corner and stay away from the nail gun!

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

PS

Time is ticking the offer below and may already be over depending on when you read this page, so click below

Huge Announcement and Special Offer

For some of you this may be a surprise, but to those following me on Twitter you have the inside track already.

See the videos below and make sure you read all the way to end for a very special offer!

And another view

Yep, I am engage now!  First off a HUGE thanks to the guys that actually filmed it.  We did not plan on that part, but two different people came up to us after the show and said they had filmed it.  How cool!

Details

I had Jodie come down to AZ to stay for awhile as I was at the Z-Health Advanced Nutrition course.  She flew down on a Tues and I set up a massage appointment with my friend Angela Sunberg (if you are in AZ, you must get in to see her at  Bodyscapes Studio) during the day and then told her to pick me up the studio where the training was at 5pm.  We headed out to the Marque Theater and I was freaking out that we were going to miss them playing since we had to take a few detours and the parking lot had literally just filled up.

Sorry, no parking

Now we had to head back across the bridge and find a place to park.  After a few more hectic wrong turns and Uies, I parked and got a call from the tour manager.  I was trying to turn down the volume as he says “dude, I don’t know how we are going to do this.”  So I jump out of the car (yes it was parked now) and talk to Andrew, the lead singer, about how we should do it.  This was all 10 minutes before we walked into the show.

It all started 3 years ago

Backup to almost 3 years ago and the first date that Jodie and I had was to see Project 86 in Minnesota.  It went well, but I felt bad that I was sooooo tired that night.  Fast forward about another year and I had it in my head that it would be cool to propose to her on stage at a Project 86 show.  The downside was that they did not play in Minnesota much after that time, and when they did I was out of town.  I seem to be good at being out of town when come, such as this past Sat they played here and Jodie and I were in SD at her family reunion.

About 3 months before the big event, I placed an email to my buddy the Rev. David J. Ciancio who use to own the Syndicate productions, which is a music promotions company.  I first talked to the Rev back in 1995 when I was the Director of Loud Rock music at WMTU 91.9 in Houghton MI (I was working on my mechanical engineering degree then and also hosted a metal music show every Tues night called “Metal Madness” ).  We kept in touch and I knew he would have a contact for the bands as my emails to the band directly yielded no response.  Not that I can blame them, as some crazy guy wants to get on stage with them at a show and propose to his girlfriend.  Yeah, not the typical request and hard to take it seriously.

The Rev steps up

The Rev had moved on to Yeah Man Management and I had to track him down there and it turns out that he met his wife at a Project 86 show at the famous CBGBs in New York.  He put me in touch with the P86 tour manager and we played email tag, then phone tag the day of the show.  I actually had the airplane tickets and tickets for the P86 show in AZ before I even got the confirmation from him that it was a go.

Back to the rental car scene where I hopped out like I sat on a pile of fire ants, and we scampered across the bridge to the show in 100 F plus heat.  I know it is a dry heat, but it felt like I stuck my head in a oven.  Like a silly monkey I was wearing a black shirt.  As we enter the show, the security guards a patting us down and made us take everything out of our pockets.  Jodie was in the security line to the left of me and I am stalling with the security guard so she would go ahead and would not see that I had the ring in my pocket.  I kept the ring in my pocket from the entire time I left my house until the show as I was super paranoid about something happening to it.

We enter the show just in time to see the last 2 songs before Project 86 hits the stage.  I asked Jodie to come down in front so we can see the show better and we are right on the floor at the very front behind the security barricade.  At this point she really knew something was up as she is not a huge fan of being scrunched between lots of large, unshaven, sweaty guys.

Enter, stage left

Project hit the stage and played a few classics.  After the second song, Andrew asks “Where is my friend Mike T Nelson?”  I wave back as Jodie points over to me and he dedicates the next song to us.  The rest you can see in the video above.

The funny part is that when Andrew got the request, it just said Mike from Phoenix, so he agreed to help me out without knowing me personally.  When he saw me at the show he said “oh, I know you!”  I had interviewed them on their very first time to Minnesota after their first release and few times after that and hung out back stage a few times.  He didn’t make the connection since I am from Minnesota not Phoenix.   We got to chat with him and his wife after the show which was killer.  Both of them are really really nice and very passionate.   If you have ever seen Project 86 play, you know first hand the amazing live performance they put on.

A HUGE thanks to Andrew from Project 86, all the members of the band including the tour manager for taking time out of his busy schedule to make a dream a reality.    I highly recommend all the Project 86 CDs and they are Jodie’s new favorite band too.  Here is a quick link to their new CD below at Amazon. 

Another HUGE thanks to the Rev for the hook up,  Joanne at Diamonds on Maine in Stillwater Minnesota and if you are looking for an engagement ring you must check them out as they have extremely high quality work at a fair price (not a cheap price, but if you are good you are not cheap) and a huge thanks to my friends the Petersons at Wine Haven as we enjoyed a bottle of their wine that evening.  Tell them I sent ya.

The date is tentatively set for later Feb, early March and I am super excited.  A final huge thanks to my friend Matt and his wife Nikki for introducing us to each other the very first time back in Oct 2007.  I feel so very  blessed to have met such a wonderful person that understands and completes me.

Special Offer for you!

In an attempt to help offset the wedding cost a bit, I am having a sale on phone consults with yours truly.  The normal price is $110 for on hour, but if you schedule it before this Friday Aug 14 at 5pm Central Time, the cost is only $90 PLUS 3 special bonuses below.    I normally never have any sales, and probably never will again.    First came, first serve as I only have 10 spots open right now due to my crazy research schedule.

Why a phone consult?

• It is a great way to get YOUR questions answered and CUSTOM to you.
• Want to know how to instantly increase strength?
• What mobility work should you do to maximize strength and decrease pain?
• If you have video, send it on and we can discuss your form and provide you solutions.

It is 100% GUARANTEED!  If you are not satisfied for ANY reason, I will gladly refund all of your money.  It is my “No Weasel” policy.

Since I am in a good mood, I will throw in the following bonuses

Premier Bonus #1: Jason Rhymer’s “Exercise Buffet” ebook.  Jason walks you through some unique exercises to put together your own killer training plan $34.95 vale

Premier Bonus #2: Hypertrophy Roundtable with Brett Jones, Mike Robertson, Frankie Faires and Geoff Neupert  Combined, these fitness experts have at least 40 years experience, amazing education and practical experience up the wazoo.  If you want to know how to add muscle size and strength, this is a must have.  This has NEVER been released before or published anywhere!  I was able to extract some incredible information from them.  Value $54.95

Premier Bonus #3: Special Z-Health Report from Mike T. Nelson, MS, PhD Candidate: This inside look at exclusive shoulder and hip mobility Z-Health drills will show you how to improve your movement and get pain free quickly. Mike reveals the essential tips and main points you MUST follow when
creating a balance and releasing tension. In this report, you will also learn how the shoulders and hip are connected and why this is important for improving your strength and fluidity of movement.
Value: $39.95

That is over $125 in free bonuses, but this only applies to the first 10 people and goes by by on this Friday August 14 at 5pm Central Time; so you will need to act fast by emailing me at michaelTnelson@yahoo.com to reserve your time today.

The first 10 by time stamp on email get it.   Sessions will be booked then over the following weeks.

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

PS

Make sure to email me at michaelTnelson@yahoo.com today to get you moving towards your next personal record.

Greetings!

I trust everyone had a killer weekend.  Jodie and I were off to South Dakota for her family reunion.  I will have an update in the next day or so and some tips on how you can survive a 12 hour one way car trip.

Here is an interview I did with Rick from Exercise for Injuries.  We chatted about everything from Z-Health, to athletic performance, to corrective exercises.  Topics covered are:

I. Movement

• How I got my first client
• Rehab and prehab work for shoulder issues
• “Traditional” corrective exercise work vs “Non traditional” (Z-Health, neurology)
• Neuroplasticity.  What is that?  Why should I care?
• Can we grow more brain cells?  (Is there hope for me?)
• How does the brain get its information?
• Movement maps- Why are they important and how do they affect athletic performance.
• If you have a chronic shoulder issue, is the shoulder always the SOURCE of the issue? (Hint, nope)
• The ultimate assessment that is really really fast
• Can you get instant pain relief? Is that possible?
• What the heck is an arthrokinetic reflex?
• How can you get an instant increase in strength in seconds

II) Nutrition (starts at 12:47)

Metabolic Flexibility

• What is it?
• How can it help you?
• What happens with energy drinks like Monster, Red Bull, etc

Notes:
This was done back in June
Blog has been updated to this one at http://www.ExtremeHumanPerformance.com
I am hoping (fingers crossed) to graduate later this Oct

Special thanks to Rick at Exercises for Injuries for doing the interview.
Check out his site at

Exercises For Injuries

Any questions or clarifications, drop me some comment love.  Feel free to download this MP3 and pass it around to your friend and enemies.

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

Play Now:

 Interview with Mike T Nelson Extreme Human Performance [19:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download