Archive for February, 2012

Part 2: Back Pain… or is it SI Joint Dysfunction?

Michelle
Feb 29 |17:59

So, how is your stretching going? Any questions? Feel free to shoot me a message.

 Firstly, I would like to stress how important these exercises are to restoring your SI Joint Function. These exercises address and isolate ‘smaller’ & ‘deeper’ stabilizing muscles. They aren’t as fun as throwing a weighted ball against a wall or vigorously wood chopping with a DB, but they do create the framework of a strong body. Trust me, you won’t be isolating forever.
What I’ve seen time and time again, is temporary relief and then an immediate ‘up and at ‘em’ response. Unfortunately, that road usually leads right back to pain. Please, please, please take the time & effort to address the internal weaknesses.  The combination of an unwillingness to put in the effort and an eagerness to progress too quickly may, in fact, set you back.

Secondly, these exercises are used to generally treat SI Joint Dysfunction. There is no better option than to be assessed. If you have a special case or can’t seem to find relief, come see us in person at EZIA.

Alright, I said my schpeel. Here we go.

1. TVA Activation

The TVA =Transversus Abdominis. The easiest way to learn to activate the TVA muscle is to move onto your hands and knees. Release your stomach completely so that gravity pulls your stomach down. This stimulates your nervous system to respond quicker. From here, without moving your spine at all, draw everything between your navel and pubic bone, up toward the spine. If you refer to the photos below, my stomach is completely relaxed in Photo A. In Photo B, I contract my TVA and, essentially, shrink my waist. Your aim after learning to control this contraction, is to integrate this ‘tightening’ into your lifting, etc.

Listen folks… this muscle is awesome, both functional and aesthetically pleasing. One, it will protect your lumbar spine during movement. Two, musculary speaking, engaging it will set you on the road to flat abs.

Perform 10x

Photo A.

Photo B.

 2. Lower Abdominal Activation

Lie on your back and bend your knees to 90 degrees, arms at your side with palms facing up. (I prefer to perform this with Blood Pressure cuff underneath your back for accurate feedback, but performing sans cuff will suffice). Here, we are focusing on the portion of the Rectus Abdominis between pubic bone and navel. To engage the muscle, you will feel like you are flattening your low back as you scoop your pubic bone toward your navel. Release and contract again. Try this a couple times to get comfortable with the movement.  While holding the Lower Abs, move your right leg up, lower, switch and repeat. Don’t change the angle in your knee unless you need to. Straightening the legs will make the exercise more challenging, closing the angle will make it less challenging. If you feel pain or discomfort in your low back, don’t move the legs at all and just work on the pelvic tilt.

Perform 10x/leg

Photo C

Photo D

3. Clam Shell

The set up: lie on your side. Stack legs and hips. Draw the navel in and lift your waist away from the floor. Squeezing the heels together, open the legs as far as you can without rolling the top hip back. Close the legs and repeat.

Perform 15-20x/side

Photo E

Photo F

4. Supine Hip Extension w/ball Squeeze

Lie on your back, feet spaced hip width apart and feet parallel to one another. Arms are placed by your side, palms facing up and neck is in neutral. Start by engaging your TVA, then press your heels into the floor lifting your hips as high as your are able. Lower with control to the floor. Make sure not to over squeeze the ball between your knees. Engage your inner thighs just enough so that the knees stay in line with the ankles and hips.

Perform 8-12x

Photo G

Photo H

5. Squat

Position feet slightly wider than your hips. Make sure you keep your entire foot flat on the floor, with a slight emphasis in your heels. Do not allow the heels to lift during the squat. Turn your toes out to the degree that they line up with your knees. Engage your TVA and initiating from the hips, sit back as if you are going to sit in a chair, then bend the knees. Squat to a depth in which you can hold good form. Make sure you keep the extension in your back and the knees tracking over the second toe. You can use a dowel rod for assistance. Position the bar vertically in front of you and grip it above belly button level with relaxed arms.

Perform 10-20x

Photo I

Photo J

 

6. Romanian Deadlift

Stand with your feet hip width apart, toes pointing straight and knees softly bent (*never ever lock your knees during this exercise) Start with a wooden dowel (broomstick or anytime of lightweight pole you have) Grip right outside the hips with with elbows straight and slightly turned back. Puff your chest and engage your TVA. With the knees still slightly bent, push the hips back as your bend over, maintaining the extension in your back and the bar touching your thighs. Find your the position where you feel a slight stretch in the back of the legs and you keep good form, now reverse to stand upright.

Perform 8-12x

Photo K

Photo L

Once again, there is no better option than to be assessed. I hope you find these stretches and exercises helpful and if you have a special case or can’t seem to find relief, come see me in person at EZIA.

michelle.uher@eziahp.com

 

Why Olympic lifting? Flexibilty tips to get you started

John
Feb 29 |16:33

Why Olympic lifting? Well, Olympic lifting is a full body expression of strength, speed, power, coordination and flexibility. The real question is… why not Olympic lifting? If you are an athlete of any kind from golfer to surfer, learning and developing these lifts will prove to be extremely beneficial.  The truth is that most people are either intimidated by the speed and complexity of the lifts or just plain lack the flexibility necessary to properly complete the lifts.

Depending on the individual, there can be flexibility issues ranging from lack of thoracic mobility, lack of hip mobility all the way down to tight calf muscles. The first thing we do at EZIA is pinpoint any of these issues and start with the most basic movements. Here are some first steps that you can do from home to work on your flexibility before you start your training. I would highly recommend working on these exercises before starting a program and using a credible coach like those at EZIA.

Let’s start with upper body flexibility limitations. The subscapularis muscle attaches from the anterior face of the shoulder blade to the head of the humorous. Pectoralis minor attaches from the ribs to the coracoid process (or the little nub next to the face of your humorous). Pectoralis major attaches from the clavicle, sternum and ribs to the the humorous. If one or all of these muscles is too tight it will be extremely difficult to be successful with the Olympic style lifts. However, we have ammo. Self myo facial release is a great technique for improving bio mechanics and reducing musculoskeletal pain. lt is also of use for developing the flexibility necessary in the Olympic lifts and their variations. Here are the tools you need.

The only tools necessary are a 4 or 6 inch diameter foam roll and a lacrosse or tennis ball. We sell black (hard) foam rollers that maintain their sturdiness after a lot of use in our pro shop.

Start in the prone position and roll laterally across the front of the shoulder and pec muscles. It probably will not feel like a relaxing massage but it is necessary. Spend about a minute per side slowly and deliberately rolling out the tissue, breathe and try to take your mind somewhere else.

The sub scapularis muscle is a little trickier. If working on the right side, put your right hand on your left shoulder, keeping your elbow level to the horizon. Take your left thumb and press under the armpit into the face of the shoulder blade. Gently knead the tissue with about 6 to 12 strokes. The latissumus dorsi and teres minor are other common culprits. To roll out these areas you will want to lay on your side with your arm extended and the foam roller perpendicular to your spine. Roll underneath and slightly behind the arm pit and down the side of the back. If you have trouble getting to specific spots you can fine tune with a lacrosse or tennis ball but beware it will be more intense. Just remember to breathe.

Thoracic curvature or lack of thoracic extension can also affect your lifting mechanics in a negative way. 30 to 35 degrees of thoracic curve is normal. An EZIA coach can measure this for you. If you have any more curvature, we will have some work to do.

To mobilize the thoracic spine, you will lay supine over a foam roll, roll perpendicular to the spine under the shoulder blades. With your fingertips behind your ears drop your head and chest down into extension and hold for 5 seconds. Come back up and roll back an inch or two, then repeat.  Do this until you reach the bottom of the thoracic spine, then work your way back toward the shoulder blades continuing your 5 second holds. Give it about 6 passes. If you have a rigid flexion in the thoracic spine this will be somewhat uncomfortable. It will feel better over time. If it doesn’t, feel free to call the EZIA therapy team and set up an appointment.

Last but not least stretching. We cannot address flexibility without including stretches. Not everyone has to stretch before a training session and in fact it can pre dispose some to an injury. However if your joints and there natural range of motion are inhibited then it might be necessary to pre stretch those particularly tight areas.  Sub scap, pec minor and pec major can all be stretched in the prone position with the arm over a swiss ball. The lats can be stretched by kneeling down while placing bent elbows on top of a surface in front of you. Relax down into the stretch. Teres minor can be stretched using the scratch stretch. Hold a towel and hang it behind your upper back grab the bottom of the towel with the opposite hand and pull. You will feel the stretch below the outside of the shoulder on the raised arm.

I hope these tips will help bring success to your Olympic lifting adventures. At EZIA Human Performance, we are here to help you perfect your performance. If you have any questions regarding this article or any questions relating to other areas of strength and conditioning, nutrition or therapy please come by and see us. We are happy to help. Stay tuned, lower body flexibility limitations next article.

Coach John Welch

 

Eating for Energy

Lindsay
Feb 29 |16:06

Pouring yourself a cup of coffee mid-afternoon?  Dragging around all day, feeling like you didn’t get any sleep the night before?  Getting tired halfway through your workouts? If this is you, don’t worry, your not alone.  According to the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, nearly 40% of working American’s experience fatigue.   Other studies also have found that nearly 50% of American adults complain about feeling tired all the time at a medical visit.  While it is important to rule out any serious medical conditions, there are simple steps we can take to feel more energy and it comes from our eating habits and lifestyle.  Let’s take a look…

  1. Find balance:  There are four building blocks of nutrition that our bodies need daily: protein, carbohydrates, fat, and water.  My goal with my clients is to always stabilize their blood sugar.  When your blood sugar is stable and you are eating the correct balance and including all four building blocks, your energy levels will sky rocket.
  2. Eat regularly:  We should be fueling ourselves all day long.  I always recommend that my clients eat at least 4 meals a day.  If you think about it, the food we eat turns into energy, and the right combination of foods affect our blood sugar… so the equation is simple.  Eat right + Eat often= Energy!
  3. Hydrate:  My favorite experiment to do with people when I hear them say how tired they are mid afternoon is first, see when the last time they ate was (and what they ate).  Then, I get them to drink a big glass of water and see how they feel 15 minutes later.  Your afternoon crash is most likely your body telling you it needs more hydration, so try and reach for a water first before picking up that coffee.
  4. Eat your fruit:  For all our active clients at EZIA, eating fruit is a great natural energy boost.  My favorites are apricots and bananas as they are high in potassium, which helps maintain normal nerve and muscle function.
  5. Eat more seeds:  My favorite seeds are chia, flax, and hemp seeds.  These seeds all have an extremely high amount of soluble fiber that keeps us full and satisfied, giving us a longer period of energy.
  6. Get to know your B’s:  B complex vitamins are often linked to peak mental and physical performance.  Foods that are high in B vitamins include: meats, legumes, eggs, grains, and nuts.

 

-Lindsay Cobb, EZIA Nutrition Coach

 

Protein Type and Primal Nutrition at EZIA

Christina
Feb 23 |19:30

 At EZIA we believe in the nutritional benefits of Primal Nutrition. Primal Nutrition puts you in one of three categories: Carbohydrate Type, Protein Type or a Mixed Type. The concept is pretty self-explanatory, no? Before you begin diagnosing yourself as a Carb Type, in hopes that it means a long life of Italian restaurants and seconds on the bread basket, I would like to show you what being a Protein Type includes.

When my children were born, they wanted their bottle every 3 hours… like clockwork… And by “clockwork” I mean scream bloody hell until you put the bottle in their adorably chubby hands! My husband and I spent the weekends running errands, doing chores, or watching whatever sport is in season and what is really interesting was every 3 hours… like clockwork… I think you get the point. Eating regularly is something that most of us block out once we are old enough to skip a meal in favor of going outside to play. The body, however, does not stop needing it. For Protein Types, it actually begins screaming out in rage at your defiance. Once you begin to do it on a consistence basis it rebels by storing fat to use later (and some of my clients firmly believe it is a form of direct revenge).

The reality is people who fall into this category can’t skip meals! To put it bluntly, they downright live to eat! They burn through carbs like crazy, leaving them feeling like they may want to eat their arm off after a light green salad with a bit of chicken breast. My carnivorous clients need more purine, an amino acid found in dark meats, than the other clients that I see.

When we sit down at EZIA and fill out your health questionnaires, we complete a series of questions. I want to know everything from how you feel after eating a breakfast consisting of eggs & bacon to how you sleep after eating dessert. Yes, even the tiniest of desserts can affect how you well you sleep. Protein Types burn through carbs rapidly, leaving them hypoglycemic if they don’t eat the appropriate protein and fat along with it to slow it down. Throw this in at the end of the day; it’s not out of the question to wake up a in the middle of the night ravenous.

So, my advice to you meat eaters is to remember a few very important rules:

  • First, be careful with all words ending in –ose (fructose, dextrose or sucrose). These will cause some problems for you if not balanced with some good old-fashioned high quality fat and protein; like nuts, avocado, etc.
  • Go full fat!! Wooohoooo!!! That means nix the low-fat version of your yogurts, cottage cheese and pretty much anything else that has been refined as to be able to label itself as such.
  • When you pour your morning cup of Joe, black is best. The added bit of sugar along with the caffeine can leave you feeling jitterier than your carbohydrate type friend. If you need to cut the bitterness add some full fat cream and save your pancreas and adrenal glands the extra beating.
  • Last, eat frequently. Give your body these nutrients every few hours in an honest show and effort to rebuild your relationship. You extend your hand in steady fuel supply and it accepts it by burning and not storing it as fat, helping you sleep better at night and side-step the afternoon slump.

My hope is not to diagnose you via internet, my hope is to enlighten you and encourage you to learn more about your optimal nutrient ratios. By taking the time to go through all of this with a fine tooth comb, or in this case a new friend to hold your hand and explain it all, we can get to the bottom of what is best for you, your health and your family.

See you next time!

 

Back Pain… or is it SI Joint Dysfunction?

Michelle
Feb 22 |08:27

Do you realize that 80% of the American population will report some degree of back pain in their lifetime? Chances are, you are one of them. Low back pain manifests for countless reasons and can be set off by anything under the sun, from an aggressive athletic action to simply bending over to pick something up. The root cause is typically the same: muscle imbalances within the body. The key is to know which ones and to treat intelligently, which lucky for you, EZIA does.

Do you ever find yourself rubbing those aching dimples in your low back? Discomfort and pain on one or both sides of your back is usually an indicator of SI Joint Dysfunction. Other signs include sciatica-like pain, groin or deep glute pain, and/or stiffness with bending, walking or moving from a sitting to standing position. Once again, if you have any of these symptoms, it is possible you are experiencing SI Dysfunction. I always recommend a health-care pro to confirm a condition, but read on and try these simple stretches that may help you find pain relief.

First, what is an SI Joint? SI is an abbreviation for Sacro-Iliac. The joint is located between the Ilium and the Sacrum, and we have 2; one on the left and one on the right. The joint is unique in that it is not directly controlled by a group of muscles, but rather held together by several ligaments. The joint is meant to have very slight movement, but dysfunction occurs when that movement is too restricted or too excessive, and this will eventually lead to pain. Though there aren’t muscles directly moving the joint, there are hip and pelvis muscles that are important to keep lengthened and strong to stabilize the joint during movement.

Here at EZIA, we first resort to correct imbalances with exercise, diet and lifestyle. There are certain cases where surgery is required, but we seek to avoid if at all possible. Many times, a series of simple stretches and exercises can prove remarkable in relieving pain and restoring function. Today I will provide you with beneficial stretches. Next week, I will follow up with appropriate exercises.

 

photo a.

Lie on your back with your right leg bent and the left straight. Place your right arm at your side, palm facing up. Push your right foot down and slightly elevate the right glute. With each ʻrepʼ, lift the glute, traction the thigh away from the hip (which will feel like your are pulling the thigh out of the hip socket toward the direction of you knee) and rotate your body to the left. Continue to lift and rotate toward the other side, one vertebrae at a time until you open yourself up to the left side. Should take about 15-20 movements until you are opened up to the opposite side. Repeat on other side.

 

photo b.

Move into a kneeling position on the floor. (make sure that the front knee stays stacked on top of the front ankle.) Squeeze the glutes and tuck the tailbone under. I like to grasp a dowel rod (you can use a broom stick or belt) just outside the shoulders. Be sure to keep the arms straight overhead. Lift up & out of the rib cage, side bending over the front leg. 1.Inhale 2.Exhale and squeeze the glutes, ʻtucking the tailbone underʼ into a posterior pelvic tilt. 3. Inhale again 4. Exhale and side bend deeper over the front leg. Repeat steps 1-4, 3x per side, moving deeper into the stretch with each exhale. You should feel the stretch on the front of the thigh & into the torso.

photo c.

Sit on the floor creating a 90 degree angle in the knee joint in front of you and a 90 degree angle at the groin. Lift your chest & keep an upright posture with your torso. Instead of tucking your tailbone under like the Hip Flexor Stretch, you are going to tilt your tailbone toward the ceiling (a.k.a anterior pelvic tilt). Maintain this position as you hinge forward from the hips until you feel a stretch in your outer thigh and hip. Inhale and as you exhale move slightly deeper into the stretch. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 3x on one side and switch legs. If you are unable to get down on the floor, it is acceptable to use an elevated surface. (see photo d) It is extremely important that you do not allow your back to round such as in photo e. This is position commonly used in some yoga classes,but it is incorrect to allow such rounding of the back for this particular use.

 

photo d.

Photo D.

 

photo e.

Photo E.