Corrective Exercise|Back Pain: Straighten Out or Stiffen Up!

 

 

Joel E. Goldthwait states that “The nervous system is peculiarly protected by a bony covering against trauma from without, but is unprotected against mechanical trauma from within”. To expand this thought further, the musculoskeletal system fundamentally is unprotected from within. Mechanical stress is one of the key contributors to the onset or exacerbation of osteoarthritis. In plain English, this means that the majority of pain that people have is a result of the body being in poor position. When your body is out of place so to speak, nerves and blood vessels get compressed, waste products build up in a concentrated area and creates pain. If the thought of looking better and feeling better isn’t motivation enough to focus on your posture, then consider that it will help you get out of pain. With that being said, it’s not just about making your body as straight as you can. Taking your posture to the other extreme will create the same problems. The key is finding the balance or zero resistance point within your own body##

 

Create More Success With Your Exercise Program

Create More Success With Your Exercise Program

Terrence Thomas

 

There are two goals that are so important to ANY and results oriented exercise program. Failure to meet these two objectives will result in the following happening 100% of the time.

 

1. Your efforts will be wasted and your results will be mediocre at best.

2. You are guaranteed to suffer an injury.

 

With that said if you DO address the following objectives in your exercise program, ANY result that you wish to achieve is almost guaranteed.

 

Fundamental Exercise Objective #1: Restore and Improve Body Mechanics (movement quality).

 

The health, strength and beauty of the human frame rely heavily on how it is used. Form follows function. Let me ask you this. What would happen to a Ferrari (a sports car) if you took it off road and drove it like a Jeep? It wouldn’t be a pretty site to say the least.  This example holds true with the human body. The more you move the body like it was designed to move, you will bring healing energy and strength into the body. Strength, body symmetry (i.e. the quality that makes for visually appealing and attractive physique), power, endurance and every other bio-motor ability can be developed when the body is trained to move correctly. One of the best ways to achieve this is to: 1. Know what your current physical capabilities are. Is your movement skill average, above average or below average? Knowing this will help you choose the ideal exercises for your physical training program.

 

Fundamental Exercise Objective #2: Improve Posture.

 

Paul Chek, founder of the CHEK Institute said the following in regards to posture;

 

“Posture is the position from which movement begins and ends. Ideal posture is that state of muscular and skeletal balance which protects the supporting structures of the body against injury or progressive deformity, irrespective of the attitude in which these structures are working or resting.”

 

This statement makes it crystal clear that if your exercise program is not improving posture then it is degrading posture. .  If your goal is to develop a strong and beautiful body, it’s important that you are training with proper exercise technique. Exercise technique and the improper use of the body is the #1 reason for most injuries associated with exercise.

 

The variable achieving the two foundational exercise goals is to have an assessment system that determines whether an exercise is going to be right for you.  Remember: technique first and intensity second.  Go ahead and practice. Consider your exercise program as a practice rather than a workout. If you approach it this way, your quality will improve and I guarantee you your results will come faster and you will have better health. There is less likelihood for injury and you will be able to stick with your program much longer because when you practice you’re achieving mastery and the subconscious mind likes to learn new things.  Bottom line: you will feel better about what you’re doing which will help you stick with your program longer. ###

Improve Your Endurance In As Little As Five Minutes

Improve Your Endurance In As Little As Five Minutes

By Terrence Thomas

 

     Here are the cold hard facts. Any training technique that you use to boost endurance will be useless if one critical element is not in place.  It is the easiest, most obvious and the most overlooked aspect of endurance training. This very powerful method for boosting endurance is to improve your breathing mechanics.

     By optimizing your breathing pattern, you maximize your ability to bring oxygen into the body with each breath. Strong and efficient breathing will reduce your lactic acid build-up and you’ll be able to go longer, harder, faster.

The first step in improving breathing is to bring attention to the primary respiratory muscles. Your diaphragm and deep abdominal muscles are your primary respiratory muscles. If you watch an infant breathe, you’ll see they breathe perfectly. The belly is expanding as they inhale and flattening out as they exhale. They are showing you the ideal breath with should be about 70-80% use of the diaphragm and 20-30% of the accessory respiratory muscles. It is only in the presence of stress that this pattern gets reversed or “inverted”. An inverted breathing pattern is when the dominant muscles of respiration become the neck, chest and shoulder muscles. These are your accessory respiratory muscles, and if they become the primary breathing muscles, you are guaranteed to have health challenges at some point. Some of them include;

 

*Chronic Headaches

*Chronic Neck pain

*Increased likelihood of shoulder injury

*Lower back pain

*Constipation

*Chronic fatigue

*Poor posture, which will lead to multiple orthopedic injuries.

 

It is my experience has been that once the breathing pattern has been inverted, it does take considerable effort to correct the pattern. It is not impossible but it does take consistency to retrain the body into a correct breathing pattern.

 

Here are some quick tips to help you optimize breathing;

1. Do stretching exercises for the neck and chest muscles: This will allow the body to use the diaphragm easier.

2. Practice breathing through your diaphragm lying down. Doing this makes it easier to activate the diaphragm.

If you apply these techniques 10 to 15 minutes a day, set little reminders to focus on your breath during the day and do specific exercises to enhance breathing mechanics, you will be half-way home in terms of being able to boost your endurance. ###

The Physical Excellence Workout

The Physical Excellence Workout

by Terrence Thomas

 

Let’s discuss the five key principles that I use to design all of my exercise fitness sports performance weight loss and stress management exercise programs. The five principles of the Physical Excellence Workout are:

 

1. Infant development

There are certain skills that must be developed in the human body between the ages of zero and one years of age.  If these skills, reflexes and processes are not developed, it can predispose the body to injury, hormonal imbalances, neurodevelopmental and even emotional problems.  The Physical Excellence Workout uses infant development training to clear the runway to a fully functional strong, healthy and beautiful body. Infant development exercise can be used as a stand alone workout or in combination with other forms of training. Either way it will help build a balanced strong and healthy body.

 

2. Corrective stretching

The goal of corrective stretching in the Physical Excellence Workout is to balance the musculoskeletal system. It is similar to a guitarist tunes their strings.  Stretching is not about how limber you are but how balanced your body is. A balanced body is a beautiful, strong, and healthy body and the physical excellence workout will help you accomplish this.

 

3. Core conditioning

Proper core conditioning will teach the body to dissipate forces away from the spine. Real core training involves more than just training the abdominal muscles or putting the body under a balance challenge. The Physical excellence Workout core conditioning program involves training the entire musculoskeletal system to function as a unit in order to dissipate forces, stabilize joints, reduce wear and tear,  improve performance and  overall health and vitality.Anti-aging and the ability to stay youthful, beautiful and vital is directly dependent on the body’s ability to maintain a strong and functional postural system.  The Physical Excellence Workout strengthens the postural system to preserve longevity and vitality in the body.

 

4.  Scientific strength training

Strength training when done correctly provides a therapeutic response in the body. Yes, the Physical Excellence Workout strength training method is about increasing force and lifting heavy weights, but it is done in a way that promotes health, balances the system as well as strengthening the body. Choosing the right movement at the right time for the right person is how clients get  amazing results and lifelong success with the Physical Excellence Workout.

 

5.  Primal pattern development

Primal pattern development is a functional training technique that develops all of the body’s natural movement patterns that would be used in a primal or primitive environment. There are seven basic primal patterns and they are squats, lunges, bend, push, pull, and twist. The seventh pattern is gate, Which consists of walking jogging and sprinting. In the Physical Excellence Workout, clients are evaluated and then a program is designed according to their current level of skill and fitness levels. This aspect of the Physical Excellence Workout allows us to transform a couch potato to a well conditioned athlete.

 

Whether you were a couch potato, a professional athlete, a stay-at-home mom or someone just trying to look and feel their best, the physical excellence workout will help you reach your goal methodically professionally and efficiently. Give us a call and let us show you how we can help you get results like these satisfied clients!

 

—————->Success stories!

“Changing my energy level from an all time low to the highest its ever been..Changing my time spent training from inefficient to incredibly effective..Changing weak link aspects of my physique to the high levels of core strength..Terrence Thomas is the coach who has helped me get into the best shape of my life! Beyond teaching me to master exercise techniques specifically tailored to address my fitness challenges, Terrence suggested a diet suited for my metabolic type and advocated eliminating depleting cardio sessions. Thanks to his expertise and devotion to helping me reach my goal, Terrence has vastly helped me improve my quality of life -a priceless reward I’ll surely appreciate for the rest of my life.”

-Bari A.

 

“Terrence is one of the most interesting people I have ever met. Besides looking like a real life Super-Hero, he lives by the very high standards he preaches. He is relentless about results and will not stop until any willing person around him has reached their full potential. In other words, he cares very well for himself and also for everyone around him (that is, if you are fortunate enough to be around him).

I met Terrence through my wife (they went to school together) and since then he has not stopped impressing me. So much so that I decided to engage him as my health and fitness coach. The results have been outstanding… inside and out.

To expand on that, one of Terrence’s “Super Powers” is the ability to understand the human body from a level I have never seen anyone be able to do. I call him “The Body Doctor” because he has this interesting talent to derive what a person’s needs are and to easily guide them to overcome their limitations (present and future). In my case, I sure had many… suffering from all sorts of muscle constrains and joint pain, it was hard for me to get around to do the things I loved in life. It was as though I had aged prematurely, and Terrence has been instrumental at taking me from that point of limitation to where I am now. Today, I feel so incredibly better and much more able to do the things I like.

Furthermore, Terrence possesses many other skills, not limited to the workings of the mind as-well-as potentiating one’s metabolism and biochemistry for optimal digestion and healing. Terrence ensures a complete and holistic physical and mental state of excellence for anyone that is fortunate enough to partner with him in their pursuit of happiness.

At this time, I invite you to make a strong determination and decision in your mind to contact Terrence and go over any limitation or goals you may have.”

-Marcello.

 

For a FREE consultation today call, 954-454-5305!

 

Have You Been CHEKed?

What Is Corrective Exercise?

CHEK (Corrective Holistic Exercise Kidra (guiding soul) and is a system developed by international strength coach and rehabilitation specialist Paul Chek. It is an integrative system that is rooted on the belief that the human body functions best and is most healthy when it is in ideal alignment. Corrective Exercise is different from other systems in that it involves several distinct yet integrated protocols. They are as follows.

I. Ideal Postural Alignment
Information dating back to 1934 explains how poor posture can contribute to a multitude of health conditions ranging from headaches to arthritis. Ideal posture is the position in which the body functions best with the least amount of mechanical stress.

II. Motor Learning
The nervous system is the driving force behind the muscular system. An inefficient nervous system will render well developed muscles useless. Corrective exercise improves the communication between these two important systems.

III. Primal Pattern Development (TM)
The quality of movement is equally important as the quantity being performed. Research shows that it takes 300-500 repetitions to develop a motor pattern. Conversely it takes about 3000-5000 repetitions to erase a motor pattern. Therefore it is important that movements be done correctly to avoid mechanical flaws that could result in injury or poor performance.

IV. Advanced Core Conditioning
The proper function of the abdominal wall goes far beyond merely doing crunches and sit-ups. In fact these two exercises are the least important and often time the most dangerous. Corrective exercise will improve or restore proper function to the diaphragm and abdominal wall. This is very beneficial to those who have chronic back pain, are recovering from any form of abdominal surgery such as c-section, hernia repair, abdominoplasty, or any laproscopic or open abdominal procedure.

V. Integrative Health Concepts
Corrective Exercise addresses all systems of the body and how they interact with each other. Comprehensive structural evaluations allow for a complete perspective of a person’s health status. It also helps to determine if outside medical assistance will be needed. This creates an integrative or team approach to helping clients and patients achieve success.

WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM CORRECTIVE EXERCISE?
· Chronic pain patients
· Athletes and industrial workers
· Law enforcement and military
· Post-partum mothers
· Children and teenagers
· Anyone who seeks to improve their overall health and appearance.

Do You “Workout” or Do You Train?

The “bigger is better philosophy that swept America in the 80’s and 90’s is giving way to a “The new way of thinking when it comes to working out.  A way of thinking that contains more substance than flash”. Steve Blechman Editor-in-chief of  Fitness Rx magazine, is quoted as saying this I couldn’t agree with him more (October 1999 issue of Muscular development).

Today’s standards not only require you to look good but to perform optimally as well. Blechman also went on to say that adding muscle for the sake of bulk is not the wave of the future. The ability to perform skilled athletic movements is more practical than just adding bulk. It is no coincidence that some of the greatest athletes in the world also have some of the best-built physiques. Their aesthetically pleasing figures are the consequence of years of exposure, to balanced purposeful physical activity. If they would have limited themselves to the use of exercise machines or fixed modes of physical activity, their high level of performance may never have been possible. So what better way to achieve an elite-level body than by emulating their training philosophies. This is the essence of training versus workout out.

In today’s modern world, technology has provided us many ways that we can exercise increase fitness and improve our bodies.  There are strength machines, aerobic equipment, the numerous exercise gadgets that range from health riders, , ab rollers, ab doers, ab dollies, ab cruncher, ab stimulator and the many other devices present in the market today. We can also choose methods of exercise such as the pilates method, step aerobics, spinning classes, kickboxing, super-cardio, body sculpting, the list is endless.  The intent of all of these machines, gadgets and methods are to improve one’s health and physical fitness levels and to exercise your body.  But I am here to tell you that Exercise Doesn’t Work, and here is the reason. All of these techniques are meant to exercise the body but WHAT IF YOUR BODY DOESN’T WORK? What do you when your body does not work? Confused? Keep reading..
More people today live sedentary lifestyles that contribute to a wide range of chronic physical dysfunction in the body. Sedentary lifestyle brings with it obesity, overweight as well as muscle weakness that prevent safe execution of exercise. Millions of people are starting exercise programs when their bodies are not working properly.  As a result there is more than 2.8 billion dollars a year is being spent on medical costs related to exercise and weight training injuries according to the US product and safety commission. I question the reason for this. My theory is that first people are starting exercise programs when their bodies just do not work and secondly people are not being taught how to use their bodies properly.

Machines and other modes of exercise the body, but who’s to say that any machine or particular exercise is suitable for everyone. There is nothing that takes into consideration the critical factors such as posture, muscle balance, movement skill and current level of physical conditioning. The reason why most mainstream “workouts” don’t work is that the majority of people have bodies that are not functioning properly on some level.

To make exercise work for the masses, there must be a system in place that will determine TRUE physical readiness. This means evolving beyond the realm of “biceps and triceps” and into the mindset of physiological stress from a hormonal, nutritional, emotional, and musculoskeletal.  This is the key step that most people forget to take when selecting an exercise program and is why traditional exercise does not work.

What does work is corrective exercise. Corrective exercise is not a method, exercise class, or quick fix. It is a philosophy that is based on the fact that the body functions best when it is in ideal posture and when all of the body’s basic movement patterns are working properly. The goal of any exercise program should be to improve posture, movement function and mechanics in the body. Unless there is an understanding of how your body is functioning before starting an exercise program, it will be very difficult to select exercises that will restore or improve function.

We are all dynamic in that when we exercise, there is more involved than just muscles. We have nerves, hormones, and internal organs that are also effected by the type of exercise that we do. Even our emotions are effected by exercise. Corrective exercise is about understanding the interactive nature of the body, a holistic approach if you will. Knowing how you will respond to exercise before starting a program puts you in a great position to achieve positive results. In my personal experience, I have evaluated and treated many clients that had been exercising for 5, 10, and even 20 years not knowing that their bodies were not working properly.  After a comprehensive assessment and consultation, they can see and even feel the difference between traditional exercise and corrective exercise.  Once I take them through specific tests that physically show them the difference between their current movement patterns and what ideal movement is, they realize that for most people traditional exercise does not work.  Then I explain that in order to make exercise work for them, they have to first understand their body. This is the philosophy of corrective exercise. Corrective exercise allows you to know your body better and address its needs with specific exercises. This is the type of exercise that works. If you are truly interested in knowing how your body functions and what exercises are best for you, I highly recommend considering a corrective exercise program.  C.H.E.K. practitioners have special training on how to assess the body through a comprehensive structure evaluation which includes a posture, orthopedic and movement analysis, thus creating a successful exercise program. ##

The Skill Of Exercise….

As I look at my dictionary, it says that to train means to acquire a particular skill or behavior through practice and/or instruction over a period of time. It is a Verb

now when i look at the definition of “workout” it says a session of vigorous exercise or training. This is a noun.

In my 20 years of experience, the people who get the fastest, most powerful and long lasting results…..
THEY TRAIN!

Food For Thought…

If you are open to learning about training click here.

Be Aware of Shiny New Things

A good friend of mine and Master RKC Brett Jones nailed it on the head when he explained this concept of keeping training simple and focused.

The sign of an amateur is in their constant pursuit of “the next new exercise or workout”.

Here’s the reality.

Russian coaches have an expression, “the continuity of the training process”. If you are exposed to an
exercise for only a couple of workouts, your gains from this exercise will be transient at best, non-existent at worse. If you want a lean, fit, resilient and strong body, you must sink your roots deep into your training.
If you keep taking detours into the next “shiny new thing”, you’ll be a jack of all trades,
a master of none and a lack of results to show for it.

Think about it…

The Skill Of Strength: Part 2

Let’s go a bit deeper into the Greasing The Groove concept.

When setting up your training program, there’s essentially 2 things to consider;

1. Movement Pattern

2. The Intensity that you will be performing the Movement Pattern

No Matter how you slice it, there are about 7 basic movement patterns that human beings perform. Any lift, stretch, machine, or tool is looking to develop one of these movement patterns.

1. Squat

2. Lunge

3. Bend

4. Push

5. Pull

6. Twist

The 7th pattern is gait, which consists of walking, jogging and sprinting.

This system of movement pattern analysis was developed by my mentor and friend Paul Chek.

Chek Practitioners call it primal pattern assessment and development.

Now we will need to determine intensity..

There are 3 general levels of intensity for any given movement pattern;

Below Baseline: Ex: a Supine Hip Extension done on a Stability Ball is a descended version of a Squat.

Baseline: Ex: Bodyweight Squats

Above baseline: Overhead Barbell Squats or Pistols (One-legged Squats) are ascended versions of the Body weight Squat.

What will determine your intensity is your current level of skill.

The idea is to choose the intensity that will allow for the best technique.
Once this is established, you can then determine the “loading” scheme that you will need (i.e. sets, reps, rest periods, tempo etc).

To Summarize:

1. Grease The Groove with the 7 basic movement patterns.

2. At minimum strive to perform all of them at a baseline level (more to come on this later).

3. If you need to perform a movement using a high load and volume, make sure that you can do it with good form. Otherwise, you risk getting injured and/or getting poor results with your program.

#3 is HUGE especially if you are a sports or physique athlete.

In sports, there’s a risk of developing glitches in the neuro-muscular system. Think of this as a computer virus but in your body. In geek language, it’s call a faulty motor engram.

If you are a physique competitor, exercise technique will affect how you look. Good form is essential for ideal symmetry and proportions.

Let’s take the Squat as an example: Good squat form demands that the glutes be involved. If not your body will compensate and use your Quads and lower back. What will happen is that the quads will them become over developed and the buttocks under developed.

So no worries about looking like a stud in the gym. Know that you are looking at the bigger picture.
Then when you do work your way up to stud status, you will stay there.

Terrence…

The Skill Of Strength

The “Skill” of Strength… Part 1

One of the best ways to improve the results of your training is to improve the quality of your technique.

When you improve technique, you will be able to shorten your training time.

So how you improve your technique?

You do it by Greasing The Groove. In other words, focus on performing less exercises more frequently.

Powerlifters and Olympic Weightlifters spend decades focusing on 2 to 3 lifts. For powerlifters it’s the Deadlift, Squat, and Bench Press. For O lifters its the snatch and clean and jerk.

I can tell you from personal experience that my own workouts are MUCH more simple now than they were 18 years ago.

I spend 1/4 of the time training that I did then and my results are double.

What’s the variable? Skill.

Resist the temptation to try the next “shinny new thing” and stick to the basics.

You will never go wrong.

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