Be Remarkable, the number 400, purple cows and you!

The other day when I was updating posts, I realized that this is post #401. Yep, there are over 400 posts on this blog now. Wow, that blows my own mind. For those following along since the start you know that I was on blogger for about 2 years before moving all the content over to the new home here.

The very first post I ever wrote is below

Walking vs Running: Which Burns More Calories?

So I want to thank ALL of you for reading along on my journey.  I really do appreciate all the comments, emails and feedback (hate mail is probably a bit strong).

Struggling

I was searching for something to make the 400th post memorable and I was struggling. There was so much I wanted to say, but I had no idea where to start and then it hit me in the form of this video from my buddy Craig at The Movement Dallas

Be Remarkable

I have always said that the worst place to be is a trainer/coach that gets good results. It is a fast death sentence with a long pit stop at stagnation. I was excited to see that others who I respect (like Seth in the video above) were saying the same thing (although for much longer and much louder).

If you are a trainer getting good to very good results there is not as much drive to do better. Why learn something new that may change my mind when I am getting results already? If you suck, it is pretty obvious (by looking at your athletes results and your bank account) that you need to put up, shut up, or get out FAST.

I hate the word average.  Nobody wants to be average.  This is Extreme Human Performance not Average Human Performance (yawn….)

My Goal

My goal is to get the best results from everyone I work this and to strive to continuously improve myself. This will mean screwing up. Actually screwing up a lot. Now I won’t let an athlete leave moving worse because I re-assess everything, but I won’t have them try the correct drill all the time, every time.

My long term goal is to get 99% of the athletes I see moving better without pain (pain on a 1-10 scale to less than a 1) and performing better in ONE session. Yes, you read that right, ONE session. While this business model sucks large moose balls from a revenue standpoint, I believe it is what athletes are paying for when they hire me or anyone else.

I’ve explained this goal to others in the field and most of the time it is met with one of the 3 things
1) Deer in the head lights of a Peterbuilt look
2) “You are nuts!” (probably true)
3) that is not physically possible.

While I am not there yet, I am at about 80-90% and I know others who are in the area. I am not trying to pump sunshine up my butt here, but athletes pay for results not time. Your goal as a trainer/goal is to deliver results. Period.

Fear of Failure

I believe you need to fail as fast as possible in order to achieve greatness. Most are too afraid to try for fear of failure. Wired magazine (my favorite magazine) has a great cover article discussing how to correctly fail.

Purple Cow or Skiing Ostrich

As Seth points out in the video above (you did watch it, right?) that since their are so few purple cows, if you see one, you will stop and go “Holy crap, look at that!” I would argue that their are few skiing Ostriches, so you will stop and watch one ski

That is one bada$$ two-planking bird!

Being remarkable is rare, so that IS your marketing and others will hopefully spread the good word.

What Do YOU Want To See?

My goal as always is to bring you information you will not find in many places about how to get stronger and become a better athlete.

You won’t read the standard stuff here that you can find on 100s of other websites. Stretching this, lift that, repeat. Please. You know that already and my guess is that is why you are reading here.

You want to move beyond that.

HOW can I lift more?

HOW can I move better with less pain?

WHY do I need protein after I lift?

What does the research say so I can stop reading BroScience articles (er I mean forum posts) from Johnny Big Gunz who lives in his mother’s basement swiping an internet connection from the neighbor.

Feedback

Place some comments on what you want to see here and I promise you that I will work my hardest to deliver it to you.

Now is your time to pick for brain for free and help me deliver what YOU want in 2010.

Rock on!
Mike T Nelson

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I trust you had a great Turkey Day (if you are in the USA) and a great weekend to everyone else. Jodie and I took a short trip to South Padre Island Texas for some kiteboarding time and had a blast. I got to ride 4 days and Jodie got in some great practice with the kite 3 times. I will have more details on it very soon.

Just a quick note that I had an article on “Pain and Performance” published on Boddicker Performance. I know what you are thinking, “Ugh, that sounds about as much fun to read as having a testicle removed” but I tried my best to make it a bit more entertaining while staying true to the science. You will have to be the final judge on that, but here is some feedback

“You are the only person I know who can make reading about the pain neuromatrix pain free for everyone.   Great post”  –Dustin Schlichting

Go there and find out for yourself. (Note, it is a bit hard to read, so feel to print it out. Carson is working on changing the format soon).

Pain and Performance

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

What is the rate limiting step to muscle growth and increased athletic performance?

Is there something we can do to accelerate the process?

Here are my thoughts

Here I yack about

Tissue Turnover

• Is this a limiting factor?

• If so, how do we do it?

• Protein Intakes: High vs Low

• Protein Building (Protein Synthesis) and Protein Degradation (”Catabolic”)

• Increased Training Volume

• German Volume Training (GVT) meet Escalating Density Training (EDT)

Let me know your thoughts on this! I love comments, so let me have ‘em

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

Extreme Human Performance of the Week: Brett Favre to Greg Lewis TD Toss

Due to my crazy schedule I have not made time to watch a full Vikings game for some time, but today Jodie and I were hanging out for a bit and after she left around half time I debated about watching the rest of the Vikings vs 49ers game.  Everyone knows I should spend that time working on my dissertation if I ever want to graduate, but my butt seemed like put crazy glued to the coach.

It was a back and forth game the whole time and it did not look good for the Vikings near the end.  They were all out of time outs and only about 1:30 left on the clock and they needed a TD.    Yikes.

In the past it would be a complete stumblefest as they would attempt to get a score, but would end up pissing away precious seconds on each play and all Vikings fan leave pulling out their purple hair.

This time was different!

Brett Favre and Greg Lewis to the Rescue!

Brett Favre lead them right down the field and had brilliant time management on the clock.   With only seconds left he threw a strike to Great Lewis who made an AMAZING catch in the end zone.  He went up and knew exactly where his entire body was in space, made sure his left foot was inside the line and dragged his right toe.  You have to watch the video below, especially in slow motion.  Stellar throw and dynamic catch.

What Did We Learn Today?

All exceptional athletes have an amazing movement map -  they know exactly where their body is in space at all times.   This is a combination of visual, vestibular (inner ear “balance”) and joint information to the brain (proprioception).   If you want to go from here to Chicago, a detour through the UP of MI is not the best route!

Each one of the these components can be trained also, but rarely do you see them trained; even at an elite level.  Virtually every athlete needs to start with joint mobility (I personally love Z-Health for this) to enhance their proprioception and thus their overall movement map

Better map = better performance

Congrats to the whole Vikings team and Brett Favre and Greg Lewis for the Extreme Human Performance of the week.

Who else watched the game today?  What are your thoughts?

Rock on

Mike T nelson

The Monday Mobility series rolls on, even though today is not a Monday due to the Holiday in the US yesterday.

If you missed last week’s episode, be sure to check it out below.

Z-Health Athletic Performance System Review :Behind The Curtains : Part 1

Now on to the the most important governing physiology principle that nobody talks about.

I’ve taken a ton of physiology classes over many many years, and it is incredibly rare this concept is even mentioned based about Physiology 101. Most trainers have even forgotten about this and if they have heard of it, they rarely use it in practice.  It is……..the SAID principle!

The SAID principle translated is
Specific
Adaptation to
Imposed
Demand

This is roughly translated as “your body ALWAYS adapts to EXACTLY what you do, whether you realize it or not”

While this is not a new concept at all, it is forgotten about almost everywhere.

How does it work?

So if I bench press heavy, what do I get better at? Bench pressing heavy! I know this all seems incredibly obvious.

If I play football, will squatting heavy make me a better football player? According to the SAID principle, no. The question you are asking is TRANSFER. Will squatting heavy TRANSFER to the playing field? If it does make you a better football player (again, that is tricky to evaluate), it is POSITIVE TRANSFER. If it makes you a worse player, it is NEGATIVE TRANSFER.

Ironically, I think many top athletes who train and do screwy stuff in the weight room, find that it does NOT transfer to the playing field and this is a good thing since if it did it would make them a worse player. Many succeed IN SPITE of what they do.

Below is an article I wrote SAID Principle and Transfer for XL Athlete on this topic

SAID Principle and Athletic Transfer at XL Athlete

Summary

Keep in mind that the SAID principle is true and “your body ALWAYS adapts to EXACTLY what you do, whether you realize it or not.   If you want more details, be sure to read the article above.

My buddy Todd has a great article on the SAID Principle too at the link below

SAID Principle article at Better Movement

What are your thoughts on the SAID principle?  How do you use it in your training?

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

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

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

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

I get the question a lot about what it is like to train at the Extreme Human Performance center, so I thought that since I am the research guy, I would do an experiment.

I invited Dave Sandel over since he also trains here in the Twin Cities Minnesota area.  He came over last week and we did some Z-Health on him, got down to business training and he pulled a deadlift PR (personal record) and even took out the 400 lb tire.   We throw in some Kettlebell work just for good measure too.

What Happened?

Before I get to that, here is a short tour of the private facility.

What the heck, that is your garage man!

Yep!  Truth be told I used to train at a big club in the Twin Cities here part time and I could not take it.   You don’t need a room full of chrome to get stronger, move better, and kick a$$.    You don’t need a $4,000 pulley a “wazi strength thing” and stay the hell off the treadmill!

You need basic, top of the line, equipment.   Basics are best, yet nobody wants to practice them.  Lift heavy stuff, set it down, make sure you don’t degrade your movement (if you leave the gym dragging your right leg, did you really get any better?)    Spend your money on the basics and then spend a ton of money on education!  Figure out better (not always newer) techniques.   The body is very complex, why do you think a weekend certification is going to cover it?  Pleeeeeze.  Focus on the nervous system,  since is the chief in charge and runs the show.

How I Ended Up in My Garage

So after the gym I was at filed bankruptcy on me (I did not even know, I found out by going there one night and found a note on the door!).  I checked into a few other places and could not stomach it.   I could not take all the chrome, had to keep your shoes on all the time (love barefoot training), can’t drop a heavy weight and some places you can’t even deadlift!  What?  The most basic function and you can’t even perform it there?  Time for plan B and vowed to set up a place that I could control, right outside my door, done by my rules to get athletes  RESULTS.   I LOVE it and would not trade it for any chrome gym around, no matter the amount of money.  Oh yeah, I control the stereo too—hehehe.  If you bring your Jonas Brothers CD you will NOT be let it.

What Happened to Dave?

I will let Dave tell you first hand.  Head on over to his blog below.  Keep in mind that if you are easily offended, read with caution.   It is all Dave and I did not even see it until he posted it online; so the account is not altered in any way.

Athlete Creator Dave Sandel hits ups the Xtreme Human Performance Center in MN

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

PS

If you are here in the St. Paul/ White Bear Lake/ Twin Cities area Minnesota and want to train here, drop me a line at  Info@ExtremeHumanPerformance.com and we may be able to arrange it.   Serious inquires only and there are only a severely limted number of spots open while I am finishing my PhD.