Podcast Interview with Dan John

Enjoy

Stay Strong,
RB

Christmas Day Session

Sticking with tradition for last year!!

Me, Tommy Brady, and Joey Boland.

11am Christmas Morning

Session:

4 Rounds:

A1: KB swings x10
A2: Push Up w/ Rotation x5 Each Side
A3: DB Goblet Squats x10
A4: 1 Leg TRX Rows x10

Finisher 30on:60off

Ropes x 4 Rounds Each



Stay Strong,
RB

How I teach the Close Grip Hang Snatch

This is how I teach my athletes the close grip hang snatch.

I learn't this for Mike Boyle

Step 1:

Catch Position - Push Press

Cue - Dip, Press, Sit



Step 2:

Teach Start Position - Exact same as the hang clean

1. Chest Up
2. Wrist Under
3. Hips Back



Step 3:

Perform the Full Close Grip Hang Snatch

Cue - Jump, Shrug, Throw the bar into the roof/sky/ceiling



Stay Strong,
RB

Book Review: Primal Body, Primal Mind

Excellent read.

Interesting things I took from the book:

- Heart and brain run 25% more efficient on Ketone
- Red Blood Cells are the only thing in your body that need glucose, which your body can already make
- High Blood Sugar levels lead to glycation which causes your to AGE faster, both mentally and physical

The rest of the book had a similar theme to other Paleo/ Weston A. Price information.

- Fat and cholesterol are good, and needed
- Our ancestors always look for the most nutrient dense food (fat, protein)
- Soy is not good
- Nutrition has a huge impact on mental and emotional health
- Stay away from sugar and high starch foods

Gedgaudas also put a some great information in the book about supplements.

All in all a great read.

Stay Strong,

RB

Podcast Interview with Joel Jamieson

Enjoy

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RB

Podcast Interview with Elisabeth Ryan

Enjoy

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RB

Podcast Interview with Sean Croxton

Enjoy

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RB

Podcast Interview with Patrick Ward

Enjoy

Stay Strong,
RB

Book Review: The Great Cholesterol Con - Dr Malcolm Kendrick

Excellent read.

Spends the first two chapters explaining what is heart disease and what is fat and cholesterol.

Chapters 3-7, Dr Kendrick destroys the cholesterol hypothesis and all other ad-hoc hypothesis that came with it.

Chapter 8, Dr Kendrick gives his full take on statins, the ok, the bad, and the ugly!!

Chapters 9-11. Dr. Kendrick gives his hypothesis on what he think is one of the main causes of heart disease. Stress. Which cause a dysfunctional hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)axis.

Overall a great read. Dr Kendrick's humor throughout the book made it a very entertaining, and informative read.

I would highly recommend it!

Stay Strong,
RB

How I teach Hang Cleans

This is how I teach all my athletes how to perform the hang clean.

Step 1:
Teach them the catch position



Step 2:
Teach them the start position

1. Chest Up
2. Wrist Under
3. Hips Back



Step 3:
Perform the full Hang Clean

Cue to - "Jump, shrug, elbows up & Sit"

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Stay Strong,

RB

Re-Thinking Core Training

Something I have heard Gray Cook speak about over the last few years if this concept of using a high threshold strategy. I sort of understood what he meant by this but not fully. At the Level 1 SFMA course in Holland earlier this month Kyle Kiesel touch upon this the topic of High Threshold strategies, which helped my understanding of it greatly.

Basically a High Threshold means using global muscles to always stabilizes rather than the authentic reflexive stability by the intrinsic (or local) stabilizers close to the joint.

Kyle quoted a study that showed athletes with a history of a previous low back injury would use and keep on for longer (after the task they were require to do had finished) their global muscles (Obilques, rectus, erectors, hip flexors, hamstrings). This is what a high threshold strategy is.

Kyle gave the example of an athlete attempting to perform a shuttle run, or a 10-5-10 test with a high threshold strategy, basically stating that this high threshold strategy would impair his/her performance. This is because the global prime movers also have to stabilize the spine and truck, so their prime movers cannot produce optimal mobility and force production to adequately perform the task (shuttle run, etc).

If the athlete had authentic stability at the spine, he/she would be able to contract and relax more efficently to complete the task at hand. But the high threshold strategy as pointed out above can leave certain muscle's contracted for a longer time period of time, even when the task requires for a relaxation phase.

Basically this is just another way of stating a prime mover is acting as a stabilizer. When this happens a prime mover(s) has to sacrifice mobility and force production for stability, as the stabilizers have for some reason (injury, postural problems, etc), have become ineffective at offering authentic stability.

Doing planks, side planks, pallof presses, etc with someone with a high threshold strategy may very well only feed this dysfunction. This made me re-think some of my core training with some of my athletes and clients.

Just something to think about

Stay Strong,
RB

SFMA Level 1

Only getting around to putting this up now!

Sent last weekend in Eemnes, Holland at the SFMA Level with Kyle Kiesel and Gray Cook.

I went over with Strength coach Barry Solan, and NMT's John Shevlin and Paddy Morrison.

It was a great weekend of learning. Gary came out with a few gems over the weekend.

One thing that has stuck with me that Gray kept saying was:

"Its not just about aciviting some muscles, but its also about inhibiting others".

Kyle got into what a "High Threshold strategy" is, and how it can be detrimental to performance and function.

Overall it was a great weekend of learning. I am looking forward to doing SFMA level 2 next year.

My Training 2

Last 4 weeks:

Day 1:

A: Box Squat Wk1-3 4x(4x2) 10secs Wk4 OMIT

B: BB Reverse Lunge off Step Wk1-3 3x10 Wk 2x10

C: BB RDL Wk1-Wk4 2x12

Day 2:

A: Bench Press Wk1-3 4x(4x2) 10secs Wk4 OMIT

B1: Supinated Grip Chin Ups Wk 1-3 4x8-10 Wk 4 2x8
B2: BB Military Press 4x10 Wk4 2x10

C1: TRX Rows - Neutral Grip Wk1-3 3x15 Wk4 2x15
C2: FE Push Ups Wk1 -3 3x15 Wk4 2x15

Day 3:

A: Hang Cleans Wk1-3 4x(3x2) 10secs Wk4 OMIT

B: TBDL Wk1-3 4x8 Wk4 2x8

C: Front Foot Elevated DB Split Squat Wk1-3 3x10 Wk4 2x10

Day 4:

A: Neutral Grip Chin Up Wk1 10x2, Wk2 6x2, Wk3 12x2, Wk4 OMIT

B1: 3 PT DB Row - Neutral Grip Wk1-3 3x10-12 Wk4 2x10-12
B2: Incline DB Press - Pronated Grip Wk1-3 3x10-12, Wk4 2x10-12

C1: Standing Overhead Curl and Press Wk1-4 2x15
C2: BB Bent Over Row - Pronated Grip Wk1-4 2x15

Conditioning:
Changed it up on the day.

Stay Strong,
RB

The Degeneration of a Nation!!

2011 has been a very good year for me from an educational stand-point, particularly in the fields of health, fitness, and emotional well being.

I have come to realize many things.

Nutrition!

First and foremost NUTRITION is SO IMPORTANT for every aspect of every single human’s life on this planet. The problem is many do not have a clue when it comes to how to optimally fuel they body, to enhance their physical and mental well being.

Now while there are still disagreements among some of the authors and experts on what is optimal nutrition? I think it is safe to say two things, 1) no one nutritional lifestyle (notice I didn’t say diet) suits all, and 2) Eat real food.

What you put into your system dictates who you are going to be. You are literally WHAT YOU EAT! Nutrition is NOT JUST ABOUT your physical health, it also has a huge impact on your emotional and mental well being. If you are feeding yourself with foods that you have an unsuspecting allergy to (gluten, pasteurized dairy etc), this maybe what is making and keeping you depressed.

I know this first hand. I got an over intolerance to dairy that had my mood all over the place. Since giving it up I feel SO MUCH better. I feel better both physically and mentally.

It makes me sad to look around and see how unhealthy and unhappy so many people in Ireland are! I see so many people who just look so unhappy and think I can really help you!! I feel like telling them about Sean Croxton and underground wellness, Gray Cook and movement, Mike Boyle and Joint by Joint, the corruption of the food, medical, and pharmaceutical industries, and about all the vast information that is out there on nutrition, everything from people like Gary Taubes, Robb Wolf, Art DeVany, Lierre Keith, Sally Fallon, Thomas Cowen, Dr. Michael Eades, Rudolf Steiner, TS Wiley, Paul Chek, Matt Stone, Dr. Thomas O’Bryan, Dr. William Davis, Dr. Catherine Shanahan, Doug Kauffman, Julie Mattews, Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride, and many more. I have also read Dean Ornish, the China Study, and Joel Furman’s books and while I agree with some of what they say, I still believe Fat is essential for health, Organic meat and wild fish are superfoods, and that grains are for most people a poor choice of food.

I also want tell people about all the bullshit that we are lead to believe!! Like what I stated above that, fat is bad, grains are good, and that meat causes cancer. I feel like telling people that Ancel Keyes research for the lipid hypothesis was aweful science. I feel like telling people to watch Dr. Thomas O'Bryans DVD on Gluten sensitivity, and read "Wheat Belly" and "Dangerous Grains". I want to tell people that organic grass finished meat is a superfood. I feel like telling parents who have kids with ADHD, and autism that their child’s problems may just be a nutritional one, and to read the work of Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride, and Julie Mattews.

I want to tell my father that his is literally killing himself with the way he is living is life! I want my friend to realize that her anxiety and asthma is due to her poor lifestyle. I want my house-mates to realize that they are always sick and have health problems because of the shit they put into the bodies everyday.

Now The Drugs Don’t Work

I look around see humans who physically look so undeveloped from malnutrition, and who look depressed and fed up because of their poor nutrition, and then these people go to a health care system that is controlled by drug companies, and get given a prescription that will likely make them even more sick. Doctors should be treating people with nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle approaches NOT with FUCKIN DRUGS. Its a disgrace.

People say to me, “ye but people don’t care they just want a quick fix”, yes this is true because this is the environment that we are been brought up in. If we were brought up in an environment that taught us humans about REAL health, this wouldn’t be the case!

Just remember the health care system is run by the drugs companies. These drugs companies are a BUSINESS, and HEALTHY PEOPLE ARE NOT GOOD FOR PROFIT!!!!

Agriculture is failing!!

Our earths soil is so depleted, thus are nutrition is sub-optimal from the get-go. Modern Agriculture has destroyed the earth’s top-soil. Fossil fuels are being use to fertilize the soil, like what the FUCK?? Cows are being fed grains, artificial feed, and bone meal (in the US anyway) for some reason even though cows are herbivores!! This is producing sick unhealthy and depressed cows that need to be pumped with anti-biotic’s to stay alive! The meat from these cows will make you sick, so I agree with T Colin Campbell that factory raise meat is not good for you at all!

Agriculture is also the most toxic by-product to the environment. We need to as Rudolf Steiner would say “heal and revitalize the earth”. Steiner wrote a lecture series called “Biodynamic Agriculture” which is a form of a agriculture that will help to heal the soil, which in turn will help to produce healthy crops, and healthy animals for us humans to eat, so we then can reach optimal health, both physically and mentally.

“Mans lack of spiritually development is due to poor nutrition” – Rudolf Steiner

Movement Quality!!

Athletes and patients come to me and wonder why they are injured, and I feel like throwing Gray Cooks Performance Pyramid at them. I feel like screaming you are injury because your movement quality is shit, because you do a fuckin’ job that you hate for one thing, and that also has you sitting for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, to pay off for shit you dont even need!

We are not designed to do shit like that. I mean sitting for 35+ hours a week, and this doesn’t even include, sitting in your car, couch, or toilet (as you struggle to push one out because your has GI tract problems from your stress levels and gluten sensitivity)!

Sleep

Sleep more, in a dark room, with NO ELECTRICS on. Read Disconnects by Derva Lee Davis. Also read TS Wiley’s book ‘Lights out’.

People's sleeping rhythm is all over the place. People can’t sleep at night because of their chronic stress levels, and spending the night time surrounded by bright lights that prevents them for relaxing their autonomic nervous system to be able to sleep.

Conclusion:

This "degeneration of a nation" as I call it is extremely sad to watch. Its sad in that its so preventable!! But as stated above HEALTHY PEOPLE ARE NOT GOOD FOR PROFIT! I promise I will do my best to keep fighting the good fight, and keep helping as many people as I can by directing them to the resources from where I have learned so much. You then can make your own mind up and come to your own conclusions.

I do not mean to make this blog post of "I am right", and almost "everyone else is wrong", sort of thing. As I stated above I just want people to beware of the really great information out there that may very well save their life!!

If there is one thing I want you to take away from this blog post it is this - QUESTION EVERYTHING! Even as you read this blog post question me and what I believe. Do your own research and FORM YOUR OWN OPINION! DON'T BLINDLY FOLLOW THE STATUS QUO!! As Jacque Fresco would say don’t be "a victim of your culture".

I will leave you with this quote:

"Don’t take authority as the truth, take truth as the authority”

Stay Strong,
RB

Back From Tipp

First off let me say, sorry for the lack of content on the blog lately. I have been really busy getting my final assigenments done for my higher diploma NMT course.

Some other stuff has been going on too, which I will write about on the blog soon.

Anyway just wanted to share some pictures from my time down in Tipperary with my grandparents, and extended family. I went down with my 'aul folks' on wednesday afternoon. The beauty of the area in Tipp from where my family are from is breath-taking. Its the prefect medicine from the aul cortisol levels.

Bringing in The Cows

Grandad and Daddy

Beautiful View From John's Lane

Me and Grandad outside John's

Pictures of The Farm:

Some Pictures of the viewpoints:

















Stay Strong,
RB

My Training

I have decided to do a Charlie Weingroff and keep a training diary on the blog. This just for myself more then anything else. I use a modified westside, defranco style template.

My last 4 week block

Day 1:

A: TBDL Wk1 10x2, Wk2 12x1 @90%, Wk3 12x2, Wk4 OMIT

B: BB Reverse Lunge Wk1-3 5x5, Wk4 3x5

C: Decline GHR Wk1 3x8, Wk2 3x9, Wk3 3x10, Wk 4 2x8

Conditioning: BB Complex 4rounds x8reps, rest 60-90secs

RDL
BB Row
Front Squat
Push Press
R Lunge
Sumo Deadlift

Day 2:

A: Close Grip Bench Press Wk1 10x2, Wk2 12x1 @90%, Wk3 12x2, Wk4 OMIT

B1: Neutral Grip Chin Ups Wk1-3 5x5, Wk4 3x5
B2: BB Military Press Wk1-3 5x5, Wk4 3x5

C1: 1.5 TRX Rows - Neutral Grip 3x8
C2: 1.5 Push Ups 3x8

Conditioning:

A1: Ropes
A2: Burpees

30:30 x 5mins

Day 3:

A: Hang Cleans Wk1 10x2, Wk2 12x1 @90%, Wk3 12x2, Wk4 OMIT

B: BB RFESS Wk1-3 5x5, Wk4 3x5

C: BB RDL 3x8

Conditioning: BB Complex 4rounds x8reps, rest 60-90secs

RDL
BB Row
Front Squat
Push Press
R Lunge
Sumo Deadlift

Day 4:

A: Mixed Grip Chin Up Wk1 10x2, Wk2 6x2, Wk3 12x2, Wk4 OMIT

B1: 3 PT DB Row - Neutral Grip Wk1-3 5x5, Wk4 3x5
B2: Flat DB Press - Pronated Grip Wk1-3 5x5, Wk4 3x5

C1: 1.5 1 Arm Kettlebell Press 3x8
C2: 1.5 BB Inverted Rows 3x8

Conditioning:

A1: Ropes
A2: Burpees

30:30 x 5mins

Stay Strong,
RB

Dr Mark Hymann Video

Enjoy.

Stay Strong,

RB

Victims of Culture

Jacque Fresco of the Venus Project talks about humans being a victim of their culture

Examples of this would be a child brought up in a very religious family, who because of their upbringing believes firmly that God (or a God) created the world and everything and everyone in it. Than you can have another child who had parents that where strong atheist's, who because of their upbringing believes firmly that the idea of a God that created everything is just ridiculous!

The idea of being a victim of culture is very true even when it comes to strength and conditioning. Think about. If I was brought with a powerlifting background I would more than likely train my athletes like powerlifters. If my first introduction in the field was to a certain guru, I would train my athletes and clientele very similar to how that certain guru does.

The fact of the matter is, is that you cannot be mad at anyone for the way they are, how the act, how they think, and how the train people, because we are all victims of culture to a certain extent, some more than others. Nobody is born into the world with any prejudice. This is all learned from environment/ culture.

So this is why it is essential we develop open minds, all of us. Let us consider all opinions and ideas when it comes to life and training systems ;-)

Just some thoughts to digest.

Stay Strong,
RB

Dr Burzynski movie

Stay Strong,
RB

Fresh The Movie

Part 1

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Part 2

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Part 3

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Part 4

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Part 5

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Part 6

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Part 7

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Part 8

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Stay Strong,

RB

Removing the negative

I have been training a client of mine who is an office worker. This guy is very athletic, and strong. His FMS show that is ASLR wasn't great and needed improvement.

So for the first phase of training (4 weeks), we hammered away at the correctives for the ASLR. Little improvement.

Than we got talking in the gym during a session, and I said half jokingly "all those hours sitting at your desk are helping your hamstrings". The next session my client comes in and tells me he got himself a "stand up" desk.

Over the following weeks ASLR is a solid 2. This just comfirms the point that if you want to see an improvement in anything, you need to first remove the negative!!

Stay Strong,

RB

The Marc Owens Medical Fund

Just a quick blog post today.

Please click the link below and make a donation to the Marc Owens Medical Fund.

Marc has a very aggressive stage IV cancer, and needs to raise €1m. Currently his fund has raised €200,000. So please support, donate to, and pass on Marc's story.

Thanks guys

Stay Strong

RB

Marc Owens Medical Fund

Lymphatic Drainage Technique Seminar with Paula Bergs NMT

Last weekend I had the pleasure of being exposured to techniques that can enhance the performance and health of our lymphatic system, by Paula Bergs NMT.

The lymphatic system is part of our immune system, and is basically a detox system.

The lymphatic system has multiple interrelated functions:

- It is responsible for the removal of interstitial fluid from tissues
- It absorbs and transports fatty acids and fats as chyle from the circulatory system
- It transports white blood cells to and from the lymph nodes into the bones
- The lymph transports antigen-presenting cells (APCs), such as dendritic cells, to The lymph nodes where an immune response is stimulated.
- Lymphatic tissue is a specialized connective tissue - reticular connective, that contains large quantities of lymphocytes.

Paula was a wonderful and very funny teacher, and it was a pleasure to learn from her.

Stay Strong,
RB

Book Review: Ultimate MMA Conditioning

This is the best book I have ever read on Energy System Development. It is also the best training related book I have read in a long time.

Joel Jamieson covers all the details about the 3 main energy systems in this book. He outlines how the aerobic, anerobic, and alactic systems work, how to assess each one, and what methods you can use to improve both the power and capacity of all 3 systems.

Joel goes on to outline how he goes about improving the following using an 8 week block training system:

General Endurance
General Strength
Explosive Speed & Power
Power Endurance
Fight Preparation

The final chapter goes on to outline how Joel goes about programming for the 8 weeks coming up to a fight, which is great information also.

This book is in no way a "cookie cutter" approach to ESD, but is a book that gives you the blue-prints to be able to design an effective ESD system no matter what the sport. So this book is about a lot more than just MMA. Believe me. In fact I am of the opinion that if Joel were to re-name this book, more coaches would read it. I feel some coaches maybe put off by the title, and think that it is "just an MMA book".

The main point that I took away from the book was that you can not separate "strength" and "conditioning", as both should actually go hand in hand within a holistic approach to improving performance.

This is a brilliant book, that is extremely informative and easy to read. I highly, highly recommend it!

Stay Strong,
RB

Book Review: The Fungus Link

This was a book I heard Paul Chek recommend on the Underground Wellness Podcast show, which if you are not subscribed too, you need to subscribe NOW! Do it.....!!

This is a very interesting book by Doug Kaufmann. Kaufmann speaks about the role of fungal infections in human disease and illness, and makes that point that a fungal infection is nearly always in some way part of a chronic illness or allergies. He discusses the role if fungus in arthitis, digestion, respiratory disorders, depression, skin probloms, hearth health, allergies, womens health, and pain.

Kaufmann discusses the need for more doctors to study myocology (the study of fungus). He just like Dr. Hymann, and Dr. Liponis of Ultra-prevention believes the big pharmaceutical companies are destoying our health and are only concerned about keeping people sick for their profits. Healthy people are not profitable for pharmaceutical companies, remember that!! Kaufmann actual states that a lot of antibotics used by well meaning Doctors can indeed infect patients with a fungus. This then in turn can lead to a casade of other seemingly non-related health problems.

Kaufmann closes the book off with his Phase 1 and Phase 2 diet programs to eliminate a fungal infection. Fungus thrive on sugar, so Kaufmanns diet program is very similar to a Paleo type diet. Kaufmann states that for the most part, this diet had cured or at least relieved to a great degree his patients symptoms, and/or allegies.

This is a great book, and yet another I would highly recommed. I will be ordering his Vol 2 & 3 books soon.

Stay Strong,
RB

Book Review: Ultra-Prevention

This is a book all doctors should read. As it is written by two medical doctors, who have gone against the modern western model of medicine to treat chronic illness and long time health issues. Now in the opening of this book both Dr. Hyman and Liponis do admit that western medicine is excellent in times of acute life or death situations, but as a model for long term health they feel that a lot of things are severely lacking.

The book in broken up into three sections

Part 1: Modern Myths of Medicine
Part 2: The five forces of illness
Part 3: The 6 week Ultra-Prevention Plan

Part 1 would make for some very interesting reading to most lay people. For me I just found myself nodding my head in agreement with what both doc's had to say.

The Myths they dispelled were as follows:

1. Your Doctors know best - The doc's say they dont, and that most are heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical industry.

2.If you have a diagnosis, you know what is wrong with you - They doc's say that this is bullshit! The doc's talk about a man who was diagnosized as having alzheimers disease, who really just had a case of lead and mercury poisoning. The doc's got this gentleman to stop drinking the tap water from his house (as it had a high lead content), and also told him not to eat fish that had been contaminated with mercury. This mans alzheimers disappeared. The man never had it to begin with. He just had the symptoms of alzheimers, but this was not his problem.

3. Drugs Cure disease - The doc's say bullshit yet again. They believe drugs only treat symptoms and not causes, and also believe that drugs designed to treat a certain illness can in fact make you even more ill due to the side effects that it may have. Like taking anti-inflammatory medication for back pain, but ending up with the development of stomach ulcers because of the side effects that this medicaton has on your G.I. track with excessive doses.

4.Your Genes determine your fate - The doc's say there is two types of genes. Genotype - your genetic blueprint. This cant be changed. But then there is a Phenotype. Phenotypes are the genes that are influenced by your diet, lifestyle, activity, enviroment, etc. These can most certainly be changed.

5.Getting old means aging - The doc's say with the proper nutrition plan, lifestyle habits, and mental clarity in place, getting old does not not mean aging. By this they mean just because you get older things like alzheimers, arthitis, and low sex drive do not and should not be accepted as just simply "getting old!"

6. Fat is a four letter word - The doc's dispell all the bullshit that most of us reading this already know about fat. Its not the fat people. Fat is good for you. The doc's are a bit cautious about fat from animal meat, but they dont specify their stance on organic grass fed/finished meet. Conventional meat I would be in full agreement with them. But again for the most part we would all agree with the doc's here.

7. You can get all the vitamins you need from your food - This chapter was the only one that suprised me. But the doc's did make a good arguement for the need and use of certain vitamins. They believe that with the enviroment we live in being so toxic that supplementing with some form of vitamins is probably needed in modern society.

In Part 2 the five forces of illness the doc's discussed were as follows:

1. Malnutrition (Sludge)
2. Impaired Metabolism (Burnout)
3. Inflammation (Heat)
4. Impaired detoxification (Waste)
5. Oxidative Stress (Rust)

Part 3 then discussed the doc's 6 week Ultra-Prevention plan.

Step 1: Remove

1. Clear the sludge
2. Elimanate Waste
3. Remove the rust
4. Cool the heat
5. End the burnout

Step 2: Repair:

1. Repair the digestive system and optimize nutrition
2. Repair and enhance detoxification
3. Repair the Rust: Oil the oxidative stress system
4. Repair immune function and reduce inflammation
5. Repair metabolism

Step 3: Recharge:

1. Restore normal sleep
2. Move your body
3. Stress management
4. Other Ultra-prevention techniques (keep a journal, etc)

Conclusion:

This is a book that I would highly recommend to anyone in the medical, health and fitness, nutrition, or psychology field. A very enjoyable and informative read.

Stay Strong,
RB

Trying to improve speed!

Ah! God bless their little hearts. With their weight vests, and bungee chords and whatever other gadgets they had.

A group of players the other day who do little to no gym work went out to do a "speed session". You know to get faster and all that jazz ;-)

Little do they know that if you want to get faster you need to get STRONGER first and foremost. And before you can get Stupid strong you better have some level of movement quality!

Speed and moreso improving acceleration as we know from Peter Weylands research is about the FORCE THAT YOU CAN PUT INTO THE GROUND. The STRONGER you are the MORE FORCE you can produce into the ground. Sir Issac Newtons 3rd law - " for ever action, there is an equal and opposite re-action". Good man Issac. Ive always said that your a sound man!

So lads listen up. Put your little gadgets and magic fairy dust aside, and get into the weightroom. You really want to know why you're slow. Its call "a severe case of weakness!" So get strong, AFTER you have the movement quality in place to do so.

So in summary - To improve your speed

1) Improve movement quality to at least the minimum of the industry standard which for me is the FMS
2) Get strong
3) Get more Powerful
4) Work Acceleration Techniques

The End!

Stay Strong,

RB

Concurrent Periodization for Gaelic Games

Last week one of my athletes asked me when are we going to do a power phase!

A coach she had had previously use to implement the old linear periodization model of Endurance phase, followed by a Hypertrophy phase, follow by a max strength phase, followed by a power phase. Given that this athlete is still a beginner in strength training terms, Im fairly sure that this coach wasnt implementing a block periodization scheme (which is a different kettle of fish), which is for very elite level athletes anyway.

I explained to her that what I implement for the most part with my athletes is a concurrent style of periodization where all qualities (max and sub max strength, power, speed, etc) are always been trained in each phase of training.

The disadvantages of a linear scheme have been well documented by a lot of coaches.

Some are as follows:

1) Only one quality is trained per phase. With this scheme one quaility may improve while others diminish. I say may as it also makes no sense to me that your power will improve with "just a power phase" as your Max strength will be diminishing during this phase. You need to be strong to produce power!

2) Endurance phase at the start. High reps for beginners is stupid in my book.


A concurrent method, or an emphasis concurrent method (basically a modified block periodization scheme for my more advantance athletes) to me is best scheme for dealing with most athletes, particularly team sports like Gaelic Games.

The benefits:

1) All quailites are improved, or a worst maintained while emphasizing one quality.

2) If a new member where to join the team during the season the concurrent model is a fair better system for the athlete to begin with. If we where to use a traditional linear model this athlete would have to start doing taxing hypertrophy work while the rest of the team would be on the power phase. Linear just makes no sense in this situation.

3) The fact that all qualities are being trained also gives you more flexibility with having to change the program on the fly. "Not feeling great today on the olympic lifts. Ok, how about we leave the olympic lift today, and just hit one set on our strength stuff and get out of here."

4) Less Boring!!

Anyway thats all I have to say on this for now. Im off to bed.

Stay Strong,
RB

My Last Weekend with Dr. Chaitow

As my NMT Diploma nears its end, it was time for our class to spend its final weekend with Dr. Leon Chaitow.

This weekends topic was the European version lower extremity.

On Saturday we covered the basic table assessents for the lower extremity, and than applied MET methods to everything around the thighs.

Sunday was much the same with MET and PR techniques shown for the lower leg. We were also shown some nice joints mobilizations of the ankles and hips using METs.

I spoke to Dr. Chaitow about reading Gray Cooks new book "Movemnet". I would really like to get his opinion on Grays philosphy.

I question the use of table assessents as a main assessment of a patient as opposed to an assessment of movement patterns (FMS, SFMA, Sahrmann). Now some table assessments can come in handy, like in the SFMA breakouts to determine if a problem is a mobility or stability one.

I am a believer in Grays thought process that hypertonic muscles, are primer movers being ask to also be primary stabilizers, as the timing (not strength) efficency of the actually prime stabilizers is off.

Example would be when timing of the deep inner core unit (multifidus, TVA, etc)is off and the body will compensate as a protective mechanism by getting the muscles around the pelvis to become hypertonic in an attempt to keep the spine and pelvis stable.

This is how a stability or motor control issue can make it seem like a person has a mobility or flexibility issue when they do not.

Remember mobility problems are consistent. Stability problems are inconsisent.

I hope Dr.Chaitow will read Grays book soon.

Stay Strong,
RB

Book review: Eat Stop Eat

I have had this e-book on my laptop for the last year and I finally came around to reading it.

The basic idea behind Eat Stop Eat is to introduce intermittent fasting one to two times, to your weekly eating schedule. Each intermittent fast last a 24h period.

Brad Pilon (author) first dispels the need of constant eating, and points to the fact that the marketing of the food industry has lead us to believe many myths like that fasting is bad for your body and metabolism, because if your fasting, you’re not eating, and if you’re not eating, you’re not buying someone’s food product.


Pilon states that On top of that, 10 billion U.S. dollars per year goes into the advertising and promotion of this food.

I like this quote from the book:

"This is why the food and nutrition industry is willing to suggest many different theories on how to lose weight, as long as it means we continue buying and consuming foods. Think of all the diet suggestions you know. They all rely on the continued intake of food. Eat six small meals a day. Eat high protein. Eat breakfast (It’s the most important meal of the day). Eat cereal. Eat high calcium. Eat whole wheat. Take diet pills. Whatever the recommendation, it always revolves around making sure that the population is continuously consuming food and food supplements.

Pilon states that there is two absolute truths when it comes to nutrition and weight loss.

1)Prolonged caloric restriction is the only proven nutritional method of
weight loss

and

2) Human beings (nutritionally speaking) can only be in one of the following
states: Fed or fasted.

Pilon calls this fed and fasted state, the yin and yang of nutrition. Pilon says that nearly everyone is in a constant fed state. This doesn’t allow us to burn off the food we have already store.

Pilons dispells the belief that fasting is bad for your body (muscle mass) and metabolism, and in fact goes on to show the many health benefits that happen from intermittent fasting. Such as:

•Decreased body fat & body weight
• Maintenance of skeletal muscle mass
• Decreased blood glucose levels
• Decreased insulin levels & increased insulin sensitivity
• Increased lipolysis & fat oxidation
• Increased Uncoupling Protein 3 mRNA
• Increased norepinephrine & epinephrine levels
• Increased Glucagon levels
• Increased growth hormone levels.
• Decreased food related stress

Pilon goes on to say that once you are involved in some from of resistance training at least 2-3 times a week that you will at the very least maintain (if not slightly increase) your muscle mass.

I find this sort e-book to be a very interesting read.

Stay Strong,
RB

Hamstring Re-hab

19 year old Gaelic Football Player.

Grade 1 hamstring strain picked up in a 1st round senior football championship game.

Athlete had 6 days to be ready for 2nd game.

SFMA -
C F - DN
C Ex - FN
C Ro/F - Right DN, Left DN
MSF - DP
MSE - DN
MSR - FN
SLS - FN
OH - DN

Rehab Protocol

Day 1 - Saturday Afternoon:

Table Treatment:

Stripped Hamstrings
Performed Soft Tissue Release to Hamstrings and Hip Flexors
MET Hamstrings and Hip Flexors

SFMA Corrective Circuit x3:

Mobility: AIS Hamstring x8
Static Stability: Supported Leg Lowering x8
Dynamic Stability: 1 Leg Glute Bridge (Belly breathing emphasis) x5
Dynamic Stability/Pattern: Reaching Single Leg Deadlift x8

Athlete regained MSF (with a slight stiffness still in hamstring), and MSE.


Day 2 - Sunday Evening:

Athlete spent all Saturday evening at home doing SFMA corrective circuit and iced hamstring, and now had a pain free FN MSF pattern, as well as a FN MSE.

Table Treatment:

Same as Day 1

SFMA Corrective Circuit x3:

Same as Day 1

Pitch Work:

Warm Up:
Perform a 10-15 yard stride after every movement, slowly increasing speed of each stride

Knee Hug
Heel to Butt
Overhead Reach Lunge
Spiderman
Inchworm
Backward SLDL Walk
Straight Leg Walk
A-Skip
High Knees
High Heels
Backpedal
Backward Run
Side Skip
Crossover Skip
Crossunder Skip
Carioca
Side Shuffle

2x6 10yard jog into 20yard strides @50%

2x6 10yards straight leg skip into 20yards of strides @50%

Athlete maintained MSF, which indicated that the hamstring had tolerated the workload placed upon it.


Day 3 - Monday Morning:

Athletes FN MSF remained as did MSE. No Pain at all in hamstring.

Table Treatment:

Same as Day 1&2

SFMA Corrective Circuit x3:

Same as Day 1&2

Pitch Work:

After Warm Up

Circuit x2:

Lunge Matrix x5 Each Leg
Linear Bounds x5 Each Leg
Lateral Bounds x5 Each Leg
Linear Hops x5 Each Leg
Medial/Lateral Hops x3 Each Way


2x6 10yard jog into 20yard strides @75%

2x6 10yards straight leg skip into 20yards of strides @75%

Athlete maintained MSF, which indicated that the hamstring had tolerated the workload placed upon it.

His speed of strides also increased from 50-75%. He reported that when taking off he could feel the hamstring a little bit in the first two strides.

Athlete was advised to rest until following evening. Drink plenty water, eat fish, and clean food, and sleep well to all help promote recovery.


Day 4 - Tuesday Evening

Athletes FN MSF remained as did MSE. No Pain at all in hamstring.

Athlete did report a bit of soreness in Glutes from the previous days pitch circuit. A good thing.

Table Treatment:

Same as Day 1,2&3

SFMA Corrective Circuit x3:

Same as Day 1,2&3 - A more focused soft tissue release to area where stiffness in hamstring had been indicated the previous day.

Pitch Work:

After Warm Up

Circuit x2:

Lunge Matrix x5 Each Leg
Linear Bounds x5 Each Leg
Lateral Bounds x5 Each Leg
Linear Hops x5 Each Leg
Medial/Lateral Hops x3 Each Way


2x6 10yard A-Skip into 20yard strides @75%

2x6 10yards straight leg skip into 20yards of strides @75%

2x6 10 yard Linear Accelerations into deceleration @90-95%

2x3 10 yard Linear Acceleration into 5 yard Side Shuffle @ 90-95%

Athlete maintain MSF, which indicated that the hamstring had tolerated the workload placed upon it.

No pain in hamstring during any of the above activities.


Day 5 - Wednesday Evening

Athletes FN MSF remained as did MSE. No Pain at all in hamstring.

Table Treatment:

Same as Day 1,2,3&4

SFMA Corrective Circuit x3:

Same as Day 1,2,3&4

Pitch Work:

After Warm Up

Circuit x2:

Lunge Matrix x5 Each Leg
Linear Bounds x5 Each Leg
Lateral Bounds x5 Each Leg
Linear Hops x5 Each Leg
Medial/Lateral Hops x3 Each Way


2x6 10yard A-Skip into 20yard strides @ 75-85%

2x6 10yards straight leg skip into 20yards of strides @ 75-85%

2x6 10 yard Linear Accelerations into deceleration @100%

2x3 10 yard Linear Acceleration into 5 yard Side Shuffle @100%

Athlete maintain MSF, which indicated that the hamstring had tolerated the workload placed upon it.

No pain in hamstring during any of the above activities.


Day 6 - Thursday Evening Game Day

Athlete had Kinesio tape applied to hamstring before game. Athlete reported to be feelng great.

First Half - Athlete moved extremely well scoring three points (2 from play, 1 free)

Second half - Athlete felt hamstring and had to come off - Crap!!

Athlete reported afterwards that he felt great in first half, and felt that the half interval (where he sat down for 15minutes, and let the hamstring "get cold"), was the undoing of all the work.

So that was a great lesson. Athlete felt if he had done a mini warm up again (to get heat and blood back into hamstring) at half time, he would have been fine.

Thanks for Reading

Stay Strong,
RB

Big fat fiasco

Thanks to Stephen Bennett for telling me about these videos.

Enjoy! Well unless your Ancel Keyes ;-)

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Stay Strong,
RB

A visit from Strength Coaches Cedric Unholz and Barry Kinsella

Saturday I was delighted to be visited by my great friend and fellow stength coach/manual thearpist Cedric Unholz, as well as meeting fellow strength coach and Irishman Barry Kinsella for the first time.

Barry is the owner of East Coast Barbell in Bray. A fanastic facility for anyone from the east coast area of the country to go and train.

It was pretty busy at the facility when the guys came, so it was hard to get a proper chat going. But it was still great to see Cedric, and Barrys Donny Shankle impressions were priceless. I will definitely be taking Barry up on his offer to visit East Coast Barbell in the near future.

Stay Strong,
RB

Championship Week Strength Training Sessions - What to do??

I get asked by a few players about how close to a game is it ok to lift.

Here are my guidelines

All strength work is fair game up to 72 hours before the game.

The day before, morning of, or an hour or so before the game you are allowed to do the following

Roll
Mobiity
Dynamic Warm Up
Low volume Plyos and Med Ball Throws
Low volume Olympic Lift Variation - No more then 12-15 total reps.

Within 48 hours of the game, all upper body work is fine. Just no heavy leg work within 72 hours of the game.


Stay Strong,
RB

Audiobook Review: Why We Get Fat

This book seems to be a big disscussion within the fitness and nutrition industry at the moment.

My take on the book is that Taubes does make some interesting points, some that I agree with and some that Im not so sure of.

Taubes believes that we dont get fat from overeating, but we overeat because we are getting fat. He believes that obesity is a metobolic disease, not a psychological disorder. He believes also that insulin is the key hormone that than regulates our fat tissue, and keeps us fat.

He believes that exercise will actually make you fatter, as exercise makes you more hungry. Now for the most part I believe he is referring to aerobic type exercise and not so much strength training.

He believes that even the sugar from fruit may drive fat gain.

So basically Taubes believes that everyone should just eat protein, fat, and green plants, veg, nuts and seeds. Fruit may not be a great choice for very overweight people as it will still rise blood sugar, not as much as glucose, but it still will.

My Take

I am a proponent of a lower carb diet for most. In my mind their are essential amino acids and fatty acids, but there are no essential carbs. Also just thinking logically about what we ate as hunter-gathers, diets consisting of more protein, fat, plants, berries, nuts (fat) and seeds, would lead you to believe that we have not been designed to comsume processed carbs, or grains (yet?).

I think the fruit argument is fair. If you are someone looking to get really lean, then maybe limiting fruit with alot of sugar is a good call, or when someone is in the initial stages of a diet. But for the general population I would recommend they all get more fruit into their diet. I guess I would recommend not to have late in the evening, and if so eat it with a protein source to slow its absorption.

I think the exercise argument is something Im not so sure about. Now aerobic exercise is low on the fat loss hierarchy, and from what I understand this is what Taubes is talking about. If he believes that aerobic exercises has little effect on fat loss, than I would say I wouldnt disagree with. But Strength training and interval training to me difinitely can contribute to fat loss. I think Alwyn Cosgroves Results Fitness is living proof of this, along with a lower-carb diet.

All in all I think it is an interesting read/listen, and I would recommend it.

Here are some videos of Taubes discussing some of the his thoughts and opinions from his new book "Why we get Fat".

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Stay Strong,
RB

ACL Re-Hab Phase 1

16 weeks post operation.

3 day Program. A-B sessions.

A:

Roll

Table stretches

Mobility - Quadruped T-spine rotation, spiderman stretch, ankle mobility, leg swings, reaching single leg deadlift, reverse lunge, lateral lunge, rotational lunge, bodyweight squat.

Dynamic Warm Up - Knee hug, Heel to butt & reach, straight leg walk, backward reaching SLDL, spiderman walk, inchworm, A-skip, knees up, heels up, straight leg skip, backpedal, 1 Arm KB suit case carry.

Plyos - linear bounds 2x6 each leg, linear line hops 2x6 (ACL leg), linear box hops (Good Leg) 2x6

Medball Throws - OH throw 2x10, standing side throw 2x10

Strength and Power:

A1: Hang Clean 3x5
A2: Table Hip Flexor Stretch 2x8

B1: Trap Bar Deadlift 3x5
B2: Incline DB Press 3x8
B3: Plank Row 2x5

C1: BW Split Squat 3x8 (Deload with TRX when ACL leg is the back leg)
C2: 1/2 Curl & Press 3x8
C3: 3PT DB Row 3x8
C4: Side Plank 2x20/30/40secs

D1: TRX Rows 2x12
D2: Push Ups 2x12


B:

Roll

Table stretches

Mobility - Quadruped T-spine rotation, spiderman stretch, ankle mobility, leg swings, reaching single leg deadlift, reverse lunge, lateral lunge, rotational lunge, bodyweight squat.

Dynamic Warm Up - Lateral Skip, Cross-over skip, Cross-under skip, caricoa, lateral shuffle, lateral crawl w/push up x5, 1 Arm KB suit case carry.

Plyos - lateral bounds 2x6 each leg, lateral/medial line hops 2x6 (ACL leg), lateral/medial box hops (Good Leg) 2x6

Medball Throws - Standing Chest Pass 2x10

Agility Drill - 1, 2 shuffle and stick w/ hoops 2x6

Strength and Power:

A1: Hang Clean 3x5
A2: Table Hip Flexor Stretch 2x8

B1: Weight Chin Up 3x5
B2: Box Squat w/ Band at Knees 3x8
B3: FE Plank 2x20/30/40secs

C1: Bench Press 3x5
C2: 1 Arm KB SLDL w/ RNT 3x8
C3: Standing Isometric Pallof Press 2x20/30/40secs each side

D1: TRX Rows 2x12
D2: Single Leg Squats w/RNT 2x8

Stay Strong,

RB

An Interview with Dr.Perry Nickelston

1. Perry thank for your time. Could you give my readers your background, and how you came to be a Chiropractor?

First, I would like to thank you for the invitation to be a part of your blog. I am honored to share information with your readers. So a little bit about my story huh? Well, it has been an interesting journey for sure. I became a chiropractor later in life after suffering a debilitating back injury. Chiropractic was the only thing that helped me feel better.

I had already graduated college with a degree in political science because I had plans on being an attorney. Imagine that? But, deep in my heart I knew this was not the career path for me. So I decided to go back to college and study all the sciences (chemistry, physics, biology) and become a chiropractor. It’s never too late to pursue your dreams. Thirteen years later and here I am doing what I love.

I have since branched outside of traditional chiropractic to specialize in soft tissue work and movement assessments. Once I began to focus on the muscular and fascial system first, and then integrate that into the spinal/joint component it put all the puzzle pieces together for me. I consider myself a doctor of Integrative Medicine. Meaning, I will use any and all techniques to get a patient well.

It’s not about me, it’s all about the patient. They come first. I never latch onto one paradigm of treatment or therapy. Every therapeutic approach has its benefit. But what you must do is find the system that works for what your ultimate goal is with the client. That is the key! Find a ‘system’ and master it. A system is another way to say ‘principle’. Stay true to a base foundational principle and then find the methodologies that work for you. My principle is functional movement!


2. What, in your opinion, is the biggest problem you see in the chiropractic field?

Chiropractic is definitely a fast growing professional career path. There are more chiropractic schools in the US than ever, and enrollment is at an all time high. There are two problems I see in chiropractic today.

The first is a lack of education in how to run a business. Doctors need to understand that when you graduate from school, it’s not all fun and games. They expect the money and patient’s to start rolling in because they have a degree. WRONG! You gotta put on the entrepreneur and business owner hat after you get that diploma.

Chiropractic is a service business. You are providing a service to people. In order to provide that service you must have a business to operate that service. That involves learning marketing, hiring, training, payroll, customer service, lease negotiation, taxes, etc. This also applies to personal trainers. They are also in the service industry. And unless you want to be an employee the rest of your life, you must learn how to operate a business. There are many talented doctors and trainers that never make it in the profession because they have great hands-on skills, but ZERO business skills.

The second problem I see, and one I may get some flack for, but yet it’s still the truth…is not stepping outside the paradigm of ‘subluxation’ (joint fixation). What do I mean? The medical community gets a lot of criticism for focusing on symptomatic isolation or site of pain treatment. If it hurts here, treat here and all is good. Well, not quite! In the chiropractic community this can happen too. Chiropractors (not all) concentrate solely on the spine and subluxation as the root cause of everything. Adjust (manipulate) the subluxation and the body can heal itself.

Yes, an adjustment can help….however, what about the muscle system, fascial component, movement dysfunction, and movement patterns? All of these areas contribute to spinal fixation or dysfunction. So I would like to see chiropractors embrace other treatment systems. Today, more than ever there is a shift towards this mode of thinking and I am so thrilled to see it. Chiropractic adjustments can be a powerful therapy, and if you combine them with understanding the role of human movement, you are providing so much more service to your patient.


3. Who has had the biggest influence on you as a clinician?

Oh that’s an easy one. Gray Cook. He changed my entire paradigm of how to evaluate, assess, and treat a client. When I started to evaluate the movement systems of the body via the FMS (Functional Movement Screen) and then with the SFMA (Selective Functional Movement Assessment) the medical based model, it changed the way I practice. Gray was the inspiration behind my Stop Chasing Pain brand name and logo. I saw that phrase on a slide presentation while learning the SFMA and it just all clicked for me. It was the one thing I had been searching for to tie all of my integrated therapies together. I have visited him in Danville, VA several times and we have become close friends. I actually trained him on how to use laser therapy. He purchased the same laser I use and now treats all the athletes at his University with the laser. Whatever Gray says, I do! He is my mentor.

Then I got exposed to so many other amazing individuals that have taught me to be a better doctor. Just a partial list of these individuals:

Dr. Mark Cheng
Brett Jones
Lee Burton
Kyle Kiesel
Joe Heiler
Thomas Myers
Joe Dowdell
Nick Tumminello
Coach Robert Dos Remedios
Charlie Weingroff
Mike Boyle
Eric Cressey
Mike Robertson

And the list can go on and on….. The point I stress to everyone is to never stop learning. Stay true to the principles of fitness and therapy by discovering new and better methods.

4. What are you all-time favorite books in the following areas: - Strength Training:

I love all of the books by Mark Verstegen. I have all of his Core Performance series and they were the initial ones that got my mind thinking about training outside of the traditional bodybuilding programs that I had done for over 20 years. I looked good, but could not move! I did his Core Performance routine and it kicked my ass inside and out. That sealed the deal for me.

I also love the Functional Training books by Boyle. Can’t go wrong with Boyle.

- Physical Therapy/Chiropractic/ Rehabilitation: Anatomy Trains by Myers is an amazing book. A must have. Movement by Gray Cook is my all time favorite and the one I reference all the time. I read a part every night before bed to soak up in my brain.

-Nutrition: I love nutrition as it relates to hormones, so I do not actually read many typical nutrition books because they fall really short. I reference one a lot: Natural Hormone Enhancement by Rob Faigin. I also follow Mike Mahler’s work on nutrition. He has some very interesting viewpoints that I happen to agree with. He was a guest on one of my podcasts too that you can hear by clicking here: http://stopchasingpain.podbean.com/

-Business: So many great business books out there, but I highly recommend you subscribe to SUCCESS Magazine. This is jam packed full of business and professional success secrets. Books, audios, videos, podcasts, webinars…it is a win/win of business success and one of the best investments you can ever make.

-Random: I read several books a month and never stop learning. Some of my favorites are Tribes by Seth Godin, Cardio Strength by Coach Dos Remedios, Ultimate You by Joe Dowdell and Brooke Kalanick, and anything by Jim Rohn.


5. Sometimes there seems to be a huge gap between some physical therapists, chiropractors and strength and conditioning coaches. How in your opinion can this gap be bridged?

I think the gap is closer today than ever before. I come across some wicked smart coaches, trainers, and fitness professionals that know more than most doctors about the musculoskeletal system. Go to any Perform Better Summit and you will be blown away at some of the things they cover these days. The gap expands when someone tries to be everything to everyone. You can’t do that. You must become a master at your profession and then refer or consult with others in various fields.

Sure you can learn things from each other, but you can’t blur the lines into what the client needs. If a client is in pain that worsens even when you move them in a non painful pattern during a workout, you need to consult with a medical professional who understands what you do. When a client is out of pain, the medical professional must now refer to a fitness professional who can take the client into movements that will make them better than they were before they got hurt. You just have to stay within your scope of professional services and remember the client is of utmost importance.


6. What is your opinion on the argument that Muscle Energy Techniques safer and just as effective for joint mobilization as High-Velocity Thrusts (HVTs)?

I am what you call a straight forward kind of guy. I will tell ya exactly what I think about things, and this one I gotta disagree on. Keep in mind this is my own personal opinion. Don’t want anyone sending me hate mail on this subject. There are many different techniques to use for mobilization on a joint. But comparing Muscle Energy Techniques to High Velocity mobs is like comparing a jet plane to a single engine plane. They are both planes, they both will get you from point A to point B, but the way you get there is vastly different. There are many benefits to MET. I actually use some in my office, when indicated. However if you have a locked down hip or SI joint that is not moving correctly, you gotta get in there and move some stuff. Plain and simple! As far as safety goes…in the hands of a skilled clinician who understands the proper way to deliver a HVT and the contra-indications for use, there should be no problems. There are different levels of a HVT from level 1-4. You choose a level based on area being treated, acuteness, age, history and several other factors. I use any technique that will get a client well, including MET. I also do laser acupuncture, laser lymphatic massage, and laser kinesiology. If you think something will benefit your client…do it!


7. You are a proponent of laser therapy for the treatment of pain. Could you give my readers a brief summary on what is laser therapy, how it works, and how you integrate it into your treatment methodology?

Oh I love laser therapy. But not just any laser therapy, deep Tissue Class 4 laser therapy. It is different than the Class 3 Cold Laser most people are familiar with who may have tried laser therapy. The difference is in how much power, penetration and dosage the healing light energy is delivered into the tissue. Laser therapy is the ‘secret weapon’ of my treatment program. Here is a basic introduction to how laser therapy helps with pain…

http://www.litecure.com/pages/products/applications?source=top

Laser Therapy or “photobiomodulation”, is the use of specific wavelengths of light to create therapeutic effects. These effects include improved healing time, pain reduction, increased circulation and decreased swelling. The FDA cleared laser therapy in 2002 for clinical use in treating pain. I use it for anything you can imagine…you name it I have seen it. Some examples include: nerve pain, disc herniations, sprains, strains, muscle tears, fractures, burns, wounds, trigger points, myofascial pain syndromes, tendonitis and more. The reason it helps everything is because it regenerates cellular tissue and it does not matter what type of cell. A cell is a cell, they all react to laser light stimulation.

During Laser Therapy, the infrared laser light interacts with tissues at the cellular level, and metabolic activity increases within the cell which improves the transport of nutrients across the cell membrane. This initiates the release of nitric oxide that leads to a cascade of beneficial effects increasing cellular function and health.

During each painless treatment, laser energy increases circulation, drawing water, oxygen, and nutrients to the damaged area. This creates an optimal healing environment that reduces inflammation, swelling, muscle spasms, stiffness, and pain. As the injured area returns to normal, function is restored and pain is relieved.

Laser Therapy is proven to biostimulate tissue repair and growth. The Laser accelerates wound healing, and decreases inflammation, pain, and scar tissue formation. When it comes to pain management, Class IV Laser Therapy is a virtually side effect free and non-addictive treatment that provides dramatic results. Combined with my soft tissue work, movement assessments, and rehab protocols I can help just about anything.


8. Last question, what advice would you give to young coaches getting into the field?

Find a Mentor. Find a Mastermind group to become a part of to guide you. The quickest way to become a success is to follow in the footsteps of someone who has already done it. Reach out to them. If you want to get involved in a certain sport, coaching career, or fitness program do some research and find out who is the top in the area. Reach out to them and ask them questions. Trust me, they are more than willing to help you. Successful people love to help others become successful. A Mastermind group is like minded individuals who will keep you focused and motivated. Stay away from the negative stinkin’ thinkin’ people out there who will squash your dreams.

And second, find a system…a system of program design and core foundational principles you will follow. Don’t try to master everything, master one thing and then add to that skill. As in the immortal words of Bruce Lee, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” To me that means do one thing really well and you will be more successful.


RB: Perry, thank you so much for your time. Where can my readers find out more about you?

DR. P: I am not hard to find that’s for sure. You can find me via my website at www.stopchasingpain.com and this will link you out to all of my social media content pages. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Podcast Channel and my other Columnist media pages. Lots of things you can find on that website. I am always here to help and answer questions. Feel free to reach out anytime.