Gym Movements Biofeedback, Z-Health Joint Mobility, Where is the hard data?

Walter Miller, Strength Athlete, Middleweight wrestling champion circa 1919

I am back!  Did you miss me?

Thanks for your patience with my response to comments last week. Jodie and I had a blast in Baja Mexico at a small town called La Ventana. We went down with some friends to hang out, see that orange thing in the sky that they call the sun and kiteboard.

We had a blast and Jodie did great kiteboarding too! I got out and rode 4 days (every day that there was wind) and even did a 7 mile downwinder back to where we were staying. More details to come soon.

Gym Movements, Z-Health, Hard Numbers Please!

One of the requests that I have received is one asking for hard numbers. Since I am a researcher, I like numbers. Heck, I did a whole MS in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics, so I better like numbers! ha! To be honest, they were never my strong suit, but after years of practice I got pretty good at it. When I started I did not think any math beyond Calc 4 even existed, wow, I was wrong.

I need to thank Kevin who is a strength coach on the East Coast for taking the time to do this. While this is far from a peer reviewed, placebo controlled study, it does show us some important things.

Take it away Kevin!

Mike

I purchased Gym Movements and I am really looking forward to the video. This past weekend I have been testing myself and 2 of my high school clients with both Z Health and some of the material I saw from the Gym Movements clips. this past weekend I had a girl I train do the following

Step 1 Toe touch test

Step 2. Vertical Jump Test (18 inches on a jump mat)

Step 3 do a “bad squat on the toes for 10 reps

Step 4 Jump again (16.4 inches)

Step 5. do some Z Health drills (ankle and hip mobility)

Step 6 Retest vertical and hit 18.2

Step 6. Static stretch (hit 16 inches)

Step 7 Z Health drills (18.5)

She looked at me like I was crazy and asked what I was doing? I filled her in and she was very interested in what I had to say

With me this weekend I have been doing static stretch tests, Active Isolates tests and Z Health test and EVERY TIME. I get more range of motion with the Z Health Drills I learned from Sara’s DVD.

I will let you know what I think about the Gym Movements DVD, but I think a combination of the Gym Movements DVD and getting the Z R-Phase is what I need

I am amazed how much your body “clears up” by just doing the ankle Mobs.

Thanks

Kevin

What Did We Learn

Now we have some hard numbers to show that what you do training wise and mobility wise has an IMMEDIATE effect upon your body.

Good training and mobility results is massive changes, very fast! I first learned this at the R-Phase cert from Dr. Cobb. When I do Z-Health sessions, the whole premise is that you have them walk (gait) and then try a Z-Health drill, then have them walk again. If their gait (walking movement) is better, that is a good drill. If not, then try another drill.

Exercise will have the same effect.

Good exercise= better movement and performance

I Want To Hear From You!

What are your thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments and if you have any similar data, I would love to hear from you!

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

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Quoted in Muscle and Fitness, Nick Tumminello and More Randomness

If you pick up the latest issue of Muscle and Fitness Hers, look for my quote in there regarding caffeine and fat loss.

Dave Barr wrote a great article on supplements for fat loss, so a huge shout out to him for quoting me in the article and pick up a copy today.  Thanks Dave!

Nick Tumminello

I have the honor of having a guest article over at Nick’s site.  Head on over there and learn

• Are people training the gym without their heads?
• How to fire up those glutes and hip
• Why should you bother with joint mobility work
• Do you need optimal joint mobility in ALL your joints?

Go to

Z Health Ichabod Training with Mike T Nelson

Super Bowl Throwback

The Super Bowl is coming soon and it is NFL playoff time, so I thought I would throw up this classic video.

I am not saying I can dance well (other than the white boy shuffle, which I rock at), but it looks like they are trying to shake a squirrel out of their pants.

Rock on!
Mike T Nelson

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Ouch, the Muscles Around My Shoulder Hurt:  Testimonial for Mike T Nelson

What are you waiting for?

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How to Harness Brain Neuroplasticity for Extreme Human Performance

Are We Missing the Boat?

Ever seen something that you were pretty sure was true and all the evidence was pointing in that direction, but you still felt a large chunk of the data was missing?

I always feel like that trying to explain some concepts in Z Health and how  your brain is in control of your performance in the gym and on the field.  Optimize your brain and your body HAS to follow.

How does the brain get information?

Eyes + Inner Ear (vestibular “balance”) + Joints (proprioception) = Extreme Human Performance

Optimize each one of these and you are set.   This will also allow you to add strength and not degrade your movement performance when done correctly.

If you come to me as an athlete that wants to be a D1 football player and coach says you need to get stronger.  Let’s say I add 100 lbs to your squat in 6 months, but in the process you move like you are dragging your right leg.  Did I make you stronger?  Yes!  Did I make you a better football player?  No!  Will coach (and you) be happy?  No!  What you are really saying is that you want to be a better football player and you and your coach think that strength is the ONLY way.

Strength is great and a huge component to athletics, but it should NOT come at the cost of movement efficiency.    How can we get an increase in performance without making you walk like Ethel?  THAT is the key and we need to look at the brain.

Data Please

Watch the slide show below.  It is a bit crazy, but hang in there

If you only get one thing, here is the take away

“The physical characteristics of your BODY IMAGE may affect how your brain works your body”

I would even go as far to say that they will instead of may (but we need more data of course).  If your brain is the key to performance, than maybe there is something to this body image thing.  The brain can actually change over time, so it is not fixed even if you are an older adult (concept of neuroplasticity).

Body Image, But I Already Look Good!

Not that type of body image there Fabio!  Body image is referring to the map that your body generates of yourself. When I busted up my ankle several years ago, I had a horrible map of my right ankle at the time. It just felt like a big lump and very “dumb.” It was not uncommon that I would bump it against things in my home (which does not help the healing process). My body image (map) of my right ankle was horrible. How do you think my ankle performance was at the time? Horrible! I could barely move it at all due to the injury.

To a lesser extent, this happens to all athletes. If your wrist wrist does not have 100% mobility, the body map is fuzzy because of it.

The Fix Is In

How do we fix it? For most, starting on the joints is key since they take a fair amount of abuse from desk jockeys with mousie right hand to elite athletes with crazy shoulders from throwing 90+mph fast balls to football players hitting each other at mach 2. Daily living takes its toll and getting all the joints to move through a full range of motion to clean up the body image (map) and allow more performance.

Remove the Brakes

Less than optimal joint mobility is breaking your current performance. I like the Z Health R Phase for mobility work since it targets the joints, but just plain movement is a great start.

Summary

We have evidence now that your body image will affect your performance. Fix your body image (movement map) by first starting off on some joint mobility and watch your performance sky rocket.

Rock on
Mike T Nelson
PS
Leave any comments below and tweet the heck out of this one! Much appreciate all the help!

REFERENCES
Full paper at
Interdependence of movement and anatomy persists when amputees learn a physiologically impossible movement of their phantom limb

References below taken from
Physiologically impossible movement of phantom limbs explained

1. Damasio A (2000) The feeling of what happens: body and emotion in the making of consciousness. (Vintage, London).
2. Churchland PS (2002) Self-representation in nervous systems Science 296, 308-310.
3. Ramachandran VS (1998) Consciousness and body image: lessons from phantom limbs, Capgras syndrome and pain asymbolia Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London – Series B: Biological Sciences 353, 1851-1859.
4. Price EH (2006) A critical review of congenital phantom limb cases and a developmental theory for the basis of body image Consciousness and Cognition 15, 310-322.
5. Moseley GL, Olthof N, Venema A, Don S, Wijers M, Gallace A, & Spence C (2008) Psychologically induced cooling of a specific body part caused by the illusory ownership of an artificial counterpart Proc Natl Acad Sci 105, 13169-13173.
6. Moseley GL, Parsons TJ, & Spence C (2008) Visual distortion of a limb modulates the pain and swelling evoked by movement. Curr Biol 18, R1047-R1048.
7. Parsons LM (2001) Integrating cognitive psychology, neurology and neuroimaging Acta Psychol. (Amst). 107, 155-181.

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Testimonial on Joint Mobility Work Z-Health Style and Mike T Nelson for a Painful Shoulder

Here is another testimonial.  A HUGE thanks to Chris for stopping by the Extreme Human Performance Center in White Bear Lake, MN for 2 sessions.

For several years I’ve had a painful left shoulder that kept me from many things I like to do. The doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists could only tell me that there’s no specific injury or structural issue.

After only two sessions with Mike T Nelson, and a bit of homework on my part, the range of motion in my left shoulder has improved greatly and I began to find my lats again!

Now I can do several exercises I couldn’t do just a week before, others have improved, and my shoulder over-all just hurts less.  My shoulder is not 100% yet but it feels more stable than it has in years and I expect it to continue to improve.

Thanks Mike!

–Chris Hansen, Minnesota

Contact Mike T. Nelson to move better, lift more, with less pain today by clicking HERE.

Great question here about scar tissue and the use of SMR (foam roller) and other implements from Chris and Mark Young had some great comments too in response to my foam roller posts.

Foam Roller Exercises : Just Say No

I figured that I get lots of questions on the standard 4 phase Z Health approach I would republish the answer here for everyone.

Mike,

What do you suggest for removal of scar tissue if self release (foam rolling, baseball/lacrosse/golf ball) is removed from the picture?

Chris

Great question Chris.

I think the bigger question is “What can’t you do?”

Now this may be a problem for various reasons and scar tissue may be one of them.

I tend do the the following to get athlete bodies working correctly again:

1) joint mobility work

2) visual work (eye movements actually)

3) vestibular work (head rotation, tilt or chin down or up)

4) hands on work

Most of the time on a first session, joint mobiity work is enough.  Guy came in a while back and his shoulder did not go all the way when moving it out in front.  Joint mobility work (Z-Health) on the same side wrist, opposite hip, opposite foot/ankle got his arm almost all the way up (was only at about 70% before).

If joint mobility work is not having a good response, I will test their eye reflexes (PREP, taught in Z Health I Phase).   PREP=postural reaction to eye position.  If they were not normal, they do drills with an eye position and joint mobility.

Example: bad ankle

A female athlete came in a while back with an ankle issue.  In order to get her hip muscles to fire better, she had to move her eyes up and while holding them up, do some ankle joint mobility work.  Hip muscles (glute med, psoas and RF) fired up and her gait (along with her ankle) was much better.

If eyes + mobility don’t work I will add in vestibular work, using PNRT (postural neck reflex test).  A recent athlete came in post ACL replacement and post Physical Therapy  and on his first visit the joint mobility was not working, so I tested his eyes and they were normal (PREP test only), but his PNRT was positive (not normal) for his head rotated right. So his drill was an ankle mobility drill with his head turned right.  Moved much better, knee was much better.  (note I find it is rare to find ONLY vestibular issues)

Some times it is a combination of all 3

Mobility +  eyes + inner ear = optimal function and movement

This is hold the brain gets information to execute movements too (joints + vision + vestibular).  We are reverse engineering better movement by fixing the “bad” signals!

If that still does not work, I will check the tissue by just moving it in specific orientations at 3 different layers 1)skin 2) fascial 3) deep.   Note, most of the time I am not FORCING the tissue to move, I am holding it in a specific orientation and then using joint info, visual (ocular motor too) and inner ear (vestibular) work to ALLOW it to release.  I am working to find the correct combination to the safe via spinning the dial, vs trying to blow up the safe.

Another Example: Powerlifting and hamstring strength

Awhile back a powerlifter came in and her left hamstring would not fire up to 100% and gait could be better.  At the time she was deadlifting about 3xs body weight.  Went through the testing above, using a gait assessment after each drill.

On a manual muscle test, the left hamstring was still weak and gait was off.  Ending up doing a right elbow circle (neuro reflex to the opposite knee/hamstring aka probably interlimb coupling), with her head rotated right (vestibular input), with her eyes open and in the up position (looking up), while I held deep (not remotely painful) pressure on the whole hamstring (all 3) in a position to the “right.”

As she rotated her head and did the elbow circle, I could feel the hamstring tension to the right melt and it moved easily.   Had her walk and gait was much better, left hamstring fired up great.  Later I heard her DL went up, but hard to say what I did was directly related to it; but moving better is always a good adaptation.

I hope that helps a bit.

Summary

Basic joint mobility work is Z-Health R Phase, eye and head movements (vestibular) is Z Health I Phase, hands on work (holding tissue) is Z-Health T Phase (level 4) work.  Minimal amount to get the job done = less collateral damage to fix later (although I don’t see them again as much which is my goal, but is a crappy business model–hahaha)

Most don’t need direct tissue work right away, but that is not to say it can’t work.  Physiology is messy and many things can work.

If anyone has comments/questions on this one, post away in the comments!  Comments make me feel all warm and fuzzy and it is getting colder here in Minnesota now.

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

PS
If you want any info on the Z Health certs, let me know and drop me an email or give them a call and tell them I sent ya.  I am NOT an employee of Z-Health, but I do make a few bucks off of cert referrals.   Again, I would never recommend something that I don’t use myself or feel that works great.

Key Z Health R Phase Concept #9:The Neuromatrix of Pain

I know it sounds like a concept from the movie The Matrix, but it is a newer (ok, not really that new, but not overly well accepted) theory about pain.  Pain lives in the brain.  Pain is needed for survival.  There is actually a condition where some don’t feel pain, and they have horrible problems with doing all sorts of nasty stuff to themselves since they don’t get the signal that “Hey, what is that I smell, oh, I left my hand on the hot stove!”  Duh!

The pain in the brain can go awry though and start to cause other issues.   According to the Neuromatrix of Pain, you have 2 areas to work on

1) Signals – alter the signals coming in to the brain.  Movement can do this, as can other things

2) Interpretation -  how the brain translates that signal.

By working on both of these, many times pain can be reduced or eliminated.   Now it is not always that easy, but greater than 50% of the time with acute pain (chronic pain is a whole different can o’ worms) it can be altered in 1 session!  Pretty crazy.   It still amazes me to this day when just a few of the correct joint mobility (or sometimes eye or head movements) get man athlete to move much better.  When they move much better, a vast majority of time their pain drops dramatically.

Move Better = Less Pain

I’ve seen this myself to date about 90 times (conservative estimate).   I know it sounds crazy, but it is true.

Summary

What you thought you knew about pain is most likely out dated! Pain is a multi focal event. If you are in pain, you are NOT performing at an optimal level. Period. You need to get OUT of pain ASAP for extreme human performance.

I have a few other articles that discuss this, so check them out below

Pain Blog Posts (these are just a few)

Is Pain Bad for Performance ?

Pain and Athletic Performance, a New Study

Z Health, Pain and Limb Shaking

Nerve Flossing Z Health Style- I can rotate my neck

Tennis Elbow Pain and Tendinosis: An Exercise Fix

Biomechanics of Pain and a Shot to the Nuts

If you want to feel, move and perform better, drop me a line today for a session!  Just hit the “contact” tab above to reach me via email for details.  I guarantee everything I do 100% and your satisfaction is my top priority.

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

Key Z Health R Phase Concept #8: 4 Elements of Efficiency

Behind the curtains of the Z-Health Athletic Performance system rolls on.    Only 1 more left after today.   If you missed the last one, see below

Key Z Health R Phase Review Concept #7: Enemies of Efficiency and SMA

Last time we learned what the enemies of efficiency were, so today we are going to learn how to move efficiently.  Watch Usain Bolt shatter a World Record.  What do you see?

9.58 Usain Bolt 100 M World Record Berlin 2009 – The best free videos are right here

Z-Health 4 Elements of Efficiency are

1)Perfect Form
2)Dynamic Postural Alignment (tall spine)
3)Synchronized Respiration
4)Balanced Tension/Relaxation

Most only stop an exercise when their form breaks down, so this is after too much tension (there goes #4), their breathing is out of whack (#3) and their spine is not tall and long (#2) and hopefully they stop now as their form is degrading.   This is the path of INefficiency.

In Z-Health, it is recommended to stop once there is EXCESSIVE tension and this takes care of the others. Does all that tension and “sour puss face” when you are bench pressing really help you lift more weight? Go back and look at the Soviets in the 70s and 80s and note their expressions. They did not have excess tension, heck some hit PRs (personal records) and they looked like they were going to fall asleep! They learned that EXCESSIVE tension was not efficient. Again, this does not mean tension is bad; but excessive tension is not ideal.

Do you see any excessive tension here?
Vasily Alexeev – 230kg. (507lb.) Clean & Press

Breathing

There are 2 general types of breathing

1) anatomical match

2) biomechanical match.

If you are teaching efficiency, anatomical match is what you want as you will breath out when the lung field is in a collapsed position and inhale when it expands.

Examples of Anatomical Breathing Match

Kettlebell Press:  breath in on the way up (expanding) and breath out on the way down (arm pushing in on the lung area).

Squat: exhale on the way down, and inhale on the way up

Bench press: exhale as the bar is pulled down and inhale on the way up.

Biomechanical match is just the opposite of this and is inefficient.

Without opening a whole can of worms, there are times you want to make exercise inefficient, but for a vast majority of yoru work you want to make it efficient.

Many have no idea which method they are using or why, so awareness is a great start.

Make it LOOK easy.  Most violate all the elements of efficiency in the gym.  Watch elite athletes, do they make it look easy?  Yes!  You get what you practice.

Thoughts?  Be sure to leave a comment below.   I love comments!

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

The Perfect Pull Up

Below is a short video on how to do the perfect pull up and chin up.  Anyone else remember the Presidential Fitness test in middle school?  Man, I HATED that thing.  Let’s drag the most unathletic, string bean (read me) out in front of everyone else and see just how weak he really is.  Ugh.  The only part of the contest I even close to 50% was the shuttle run since I was in basketball and figured out that if you clean off your shoes before you run, you can stop exactly on the line.  Everyone else was sliding around like they were trying to be human dust mops on the floor.

Guess which exercise I hated the most?  Pull ups.  You had to do them in front of EVERYONE so there was nowhere to hide.  I got up there and just hung from the bar as the gym teacher told me to GO!  Well, I was pulling and I swear to you that my elbows did not bend at all.  The gym teacher told me to start again and I said that I was pulling.  After the third time of him telling me to start the exercise I just let go of the bar.  Oh, the good times.

Rant Almost Over

That stupid test is worthless.  You want to have kids HATE exercise really fast, that is your ticket.  I have not seen one President do it either.  You should teach kids HOW to move and HOW to do the darn test and maybe have them PRACTICE it a few times first.   Ok, back to today’s lesson.

Why Bother With Pull Ups?

• They are a great developer of the back muscles (you know, those on the opposite side of your chest you crazy 3 day a week bench nut!)
• Muscles like to be balanced and many time that stall in your bench press is actually from your body attempted to not let you get too far out of whack.  Start to balance it out with some pull ups and you will be rocking.
• Pullups and Chins can be done almost anywhere too!  No more excuses

What You Will Learn

• A cool neurologic “hack” to dramatically increase your pull ups.
• What perfect form looks like
• Options if you can’t do a full pull up

Testimonial Time

Here is what Gail has to say about it.  Gail first came to see me at the very end of August to work on her pull ups for the Tactical Strength Challenge (TSC).  We did a Z-Health movement session and some pull up practice.  Here is her exact email sent on Sept 1.

September 1, 2009

From: Gail Jensen

To: Mike T Nelson

Training continues to go well though I can still do only 1 pullup (of course, I was on vacation for a week-I did work out one day at the Gold’s Gym in San Juan-they are still pretty old school-not a kettlebell on the premises!). I keep trying to convince myself that pullups are easy and I visualize myself doing 2 or more. I also do the chicken neck prior to each pullup. I hope I can soon move beyond this “plateau” I seem to be facing. It helps to train with a partner, too.

Fast forward only 4 weeks and Gail cranks off 6 at the Tactical Strength Challenge.  Check the stats for yourself below

TSC Results Fall 2009

First off, I need to send a huge congrats to Gail as she did all the work; I just provided her a few tips that I show in the video below.

Perfect Pull-Up Video:

Techniques, Tips and Neuro Hacks to Increased Performance

Contest Time (read How to Win a FREE T-Shirt)

Ok, here is the deal.  I am so confident that if you do perfect practice pull ups as above along with some neck mobility (as shown) above that you will increase your pull up numbers in record time I will put a T-shirt on it from my friends at Protein Factory again.

Details

• Contest starts today and ends exactly 45 days from now, but you need your numbers in the comments section below within 6 days from today
• Go find a pull up bar and do your initial numbers today if you don’t have them.
• Use the techniques above and follow them to a T.   Do perfect reps only!
• Get as much volume (read practice) in as you can without any pain.  Do chins, pulls up, neutral grip, etc.
• Report your numbers back here in the comments section by Wed Oct 28 at 5pm CST to be in the contest.  No exceptions
• The one that shows the most improvement (measured by number of reps) wins the Protein Factory T-shirt shipped to them on me (sorry to my international friends, USA only for the T-shirt since customs is a big pain but if you win outside the US I will think of something for ya).

Its Go Time!

What are you waiting for.  Send this on to as many friends as you want.  You have only 6 days to enter your comments below with your starting reps to be in the contest.  I would love to see at least 20 people in the contest.  It is FREE, you may win a free T-shirt from Protein Factory, I will provide answers to your questions below, and your bench will probably even go up!

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

Key Z Health R Phase Review Concept #7

The concepts covered in Z Health continue on and make sure to see a few of the previous ones below if you missed them.

• Key Z Health R Phase Review Concept #6: Optimal Motor Learning

• Key Z Health R Phase Review Concept #5: All the Body All the Time

• Key Z Health R Phase Review Concept #4: The 3 Rs of R Phase Why is it called R-Phase?

• Key Z Health R Phase Review Concept #3: Why focus on the nervous system?

• Z Health Athletic Performance System Review: Concept #2 The SAID Principle

Sensory motor amnesia (SMA)

This term was first coined by Dr. Thomas Hanna and describes a process where you have lost sensation of certain parts of your body! Sounds crazy, but if you can not feel it, do you think you will have a loss of performance? You betcha (see, I am from Minnesota and I am having hot dish for dinner with a lutefisk chaser; I know you are jealous).

Startle Reflex

This is a hard wired reflex in everyone. You can learn to modify it, but it impossible to extinguish it completely. The body is survival based, not performance based. Personally, I think this sucks, but I can’t change it.

To get a performance increase, you need to teach the body how to survive better.

Increased survival potential is a way to “back door” performance increase. By learning to watch for startle, you can gage your performance. In general, if you are going into startle you will need to drop the load on your lift. Now you may be able to lift it, but long term you are not doing yourself any favors by constantly going into startle every time.

Andy Bolton deadlifts1008 lbs for a new world record

Watch Benedikt Magnusson do a 1100 Pound Deadlift

Watch Benedikt Magnusson’s training for the deadlift.

Is he making it look hard?

I LOVE watching those video!!

What did you see?

Even though it is a world record for Andy Bolton and the other lifts are nuts, there is minimal startle.  Bolton’s face is still relatively calm. He makes it LOOK easy. That is your goal. Make it LOOK easy. All the greats do that, from Wayne Gretzky, to Michael Jordan, to Tiger Woods to Barry Sanders.

Any comments, post away at the bottom!

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

PS

Here is an article for more information on the concepts above that I wrote for XL Athlete

XL Athlete Dysfunctional Exercise Cues By Mike T Nelson