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