Gravity Fx Fitness

“My leg is feeling ‘normal’ for the first time in years and I lost 6 pounds last week,” stated 66 year old Sue.

I met Sue about three weeks ago at a body transformation workshop given by a chiropractic couple I know.  They spent two hours addressing the diet and exercise changes necessary for weight loss, as well as the hormonal issues that keep many people overweight.

Everyone had the opportunity to come train at my studio for a week and she was one of the only ones to take me up on the offer.

The first time she came in we talked about her health history and she mentioned an accident about twenty years ago, where she was walking and a pick-up truck ran into her lower leg, breaking it.  She had therapy on the leg after it healed but it has been a problem for quite some time.

Many seniors who are overweight can have difficulties going up stairs and when we did this exercise (step-ups) she really struggled with the leg she had injured.  Sue had to consciously think about lifting her foot, when it should have been fairly simple.

As we went through some basic exercises she struggled with that left leg and had to sit down at times as it became fatigued.  She came in once more before leaving on vacation and I was hoping she would come back to continue the task of getting her stronger and dropping some weight.

The next session I had her hop up on the table and did some basic massage for her lower leg and also her thigh, which was working too much to compensate for the lost motion down below.

Then we had her do some flex band stretching for her lower leg and ankle.  She needed assistance on some of the ankle circles, in order to complete the motion.  Then she started her exercises which included Power Plate squats, step-ups off a low step, TRX squats and various band and tubing rows, both seated and standing.

We did this three times last week and Monday she said that the leg now feels normal and she lost 6 pounds in a week, making changes to her diet as well.  Normally I don’t care too much for checking the scale but with those who are very overweight this number can be an indication of progress when accompanied with exercise.

Sue is getting ready to move to South Carolina soon with her husband, giving us a little more time to increase her strength and drop some more weight.  She has a good attitude and wants to stay active in her senior years.  Her daughter and granddaughter plan to hike the Appalachian Trail next Summer and Sue wants to meet them and walk with them a little while.

Without this type of intervention it would probably not be possible and she was a fall waiting to happen, in my opinion.  It’s a good thing we met when we did and she decided to take action.  She still has a lot of work to do after she moves away but has momentum headed in the right direction.

She has been working on the ankle circles at home while sitting down and is walking more, also.

She said that she thinks attitude has a lot to do with overcoming obstacles and I couldn’t agree more.  I recently saw a magazine article on a star athlete’s training program and his trainer was someone I worked with in the same facility for a short while.  He was a good guy with a good attitude so I felt glad for the publicity he got, but also a little bit jealous…..

but Sue’s progress made me feel happy and made me realize how many more people in their 50’s and 60’s need some help in losing weight and increasing their strength to maintain their health and mobility as they age.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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This is a demo of cupping massage from a massage therapist friend of mine. Looks like a great way to increase circulation and probably enhance tissue healing.  Should be an option for those who don’t tolerate deep tissue massage very well.

Brian Morgan

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A great way to assist your warm up and help prevent injuries is through use of the Stick and a tennis ball.  The tennis ball is great for loosening up the fascia (connective tissue) in the arch of your foot.

Your fascia provides support for your muscles and is spread all throughout your body in different layers and in diagonal patterns, as well as vertical and horizontal.

Tight (restricted) fascia in your feet can cause problems further up the body, so a simple way to work them is with a little self massage.  You can do this seated or standing by rolling the ball underneath your foot for 30 seconds to two minutes, using an amount of pressure that works for you.  You can progress to a golf ball if needed, as long as you didn’t just injure your foot.

This is also good to do before you exercise or prior to stretching.  Same thing applies to massage with the Stick. If you have special issues or health concerns check with your doctor or therapist first.

Brian Morgan

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I recently injured my elbow due to my own ignorance (stupidity) and have learned a few valuable lessons.

Basically, I ignored my body’s own pain signals until it was too late and had no choice but to stop what I was doing and make some changes.  In my quest to be “lean and mean” at the age of 44, I tried pushing through pain, which is never a good thing!

Yes, you may definitely have to push your body past its comfort zone to achieve great physical feats, but the adage “no pain, no gain” is a bunch of crap that usually leaves you with loads of injuries down the road.

Specifically, two weeks ago, my right elbow was throbbing after I got done playing basketball for the first time in 10 or 12 years.  I don’t like taking anything if I don’t absolutely have to, but I ended up taking some Advil to reduce swelling and inflammation.

I’ve used icepacks and soaked it in a large pan of ice and water quite a bit, too.  I’ve had restricted movement at my shoulder and shoulderblade for a while, with some nasty triggerpoints in my levator scapula and rhomboids (upper and inner areas of shoulderblade).

My pecs and lats have also been tight and contained some triggerpoints (tight bands of muscle) that haven’t responded to self-massage with a massage ball or tennis ball.  These items plus a rolling massage tool like the Stick may be great for maintenance work, but don’t always replace the hands of a skilled massage therapist.

The result of the tightness and movement dysfunction (misalignment) in these areas puts unnecessary stress on my elbow and I also have some tight bands of muscle in my triceps.  Instead of taking the time to get some quality soft tissue work, I tried to work through it – BIG mistake!

I’ve been doing weighted pushups with a sandbag on my back and single arm kettlebell presses to try and increase my upper body size and strength.  My elbow didn’t want to fully straighten so I just ignored the discomfort and shortened the movement.

Playing basketball and all the overhead movements involved was the last straw.  Two weeks later, the elbow feels much better but is definitely not 100%.  Yesterday I did some upper body strength work and partial pushups with my bodyweight is all I can do for the pushing movements, except for static pushups on the Power Plate.

Its not quite ready for much eccentric work, but the vibration platform allows some static work without causing pain – keeping the stress to the elbow minimal but still providing some maintenance strengthening to occur.  The increased blood flow probably aids the healing process, also.

This minimal joint stress would probably benefit athletes during their competitive season – helping them maintain strength when combined with some resistance training.  So I talked to a massage therapist the other day who does some quality deep tissue work and we are going to exchange services.

The stretching I received at a recent continuing ed course helped quite a bit as well, but if I don’t get the proper massage work done, my problems will only get worse over time and keep me from achieving my goals of a lean, athletic physique.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Cross training might help you avoid injury and increase performance.  In a recent newspaper article, a trio of local physical therapists were featured in their preparation for an Ironman Triathlon.

According to one therapist, “I have done three marathons, but the daily running was always causing some sort of injury.  The cross training keeps me fit and injury free.”

I’ve worked with a few runners over the years and overuse injuries seem to be part of the training.  I can remember the first year that we had a local marathon.  I did massage therapy with three people that had become injured while increasing their mileage to prepare for the race.

Adding in biking and swimming can take some of the pounding off your muscles and joints.  If you don’t want to do a triathlon, add in some resistance training that focuses on single leg stance, such as lunges and stepups.

You can also focus on recovery methods such as massage and stretching.  You need a combination of strength and flexibility built into your muscles – they should be elastic, like a rubber band.

Hard training athletes need quality massage therapy on a regular basis.  My massage mentor had one of his athletes set the NFL record for most carries in a season by a running back, while getting weekly massage.

Self-massage is a more viable solution for most of us.  This can be a foam roll, tennis ball, or rolling massager like the Stick or Tiger Tail.  Follow this up with various types of stretching and throw in some strengthening exercises, as well.

Don’t forget to engage in sport or recreational activities that work the muscles in different movement patterns, like lateral movements.  For specific strengthening exercises, check out my other running articles.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Sandbag training is a great way to increase your core stability and your athleticism.  Every exercise puts some demands on your abs and low back, strengthening them in the process.

I recently started doing sandbag squats to increase my leg strength and I’ve been doing pushups with a 30 pound sandbag on my back, for upper body strength.

These two exercises really work your abs and low back.

But you can also do rotational exercises for your midsection, along with explosive movements that increase your power and athleticism.

Here’s one of Josh Henkins’ videos that you might enjoy.

Sandbag Fitness Systems

Get moving!

Brian

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This old dog recently learned some new tricks at a continuing ed course on deep tissue massage therapy.  If you think that massage needs to be painful to be effective, think again.

One of the nice things about these CEU classes is getting worked on by another professional.  In general, I prefer firm to deep pressure when getting worked on.  In the last two courses I’ve attended, the therapists that I worked with, used decent pressure, but not as much as some of the work I’ve received.

Yet, the massage was fairly precise and skillfully applied – and the results were noticeable.  As I was driving back from Chicago last weekend I noticed that I was able to breathe easier and deeper than before.

A few days later I noticed that my shoulder was moving a little better, even though there really wasn’t much work done directly to the glenohumeral (shoulder) joint – which can tell you that where it hurts isn’t necessarily where the problem is.

The next night my mother asked for some assistance for some pain she got while doing yard work over the weekend.  She had lifted some things she probably shouldn’t have and had pain around her shoulderblade that was radiating down her arm.

Instead of having her lie face down on the table, I put her on her opposite side and worked around the upper and inner edge of her shoulderblade while I used gravity to let her scapula drop down a little.

Instead of using a lot of pressure, I massaged the area while using her arm to add movement to her shoulderblade, which helped relax the tense muscles.  Besides not causing any undue pain, I didn’t work any harder than necessary, which is also a good thing.

I talked with her today and she said that the pain had disappeared after the massage work, with no more radiating pain going down her arm, either.

Deep tissue massage doesn’t always need to use the most amount of pressure from the therapist.  There are different layers of connective tissue (fascia) that can develop adhesions and they need to be unstuck.  Light, relaxing massage usually works on the superficial layers only, often leaving the deeper layers stuck together after an injury or trauma.

Moist heat prior to the work can soften the connective tissue, making it easier to manipulate.  Warming the soft tissues with lighter massage first can prepare the tissues for the work to follow.

Clients sometimes tell the therapist they can go deeper, even though the therapist is still “prepping” the tissues for the deeper pressure to follow – just like how an athlete warms up prior to playing their sport.  Be patient!

In wrapping up, I’ve had deep tissue work that didn’t get the desired results because it wasn’t as skillfully applied as it could have been.  Pressure is great, but skill is more desireable than just being heavy handed.

By the way, my Mom still needs some strengthening and posture training to prevent future problems.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Skilled deep tissue massage can be very effective at relieving or reducing chronic pain.  It can also help you reduce the risk of overuse injuries.

In the previous article, I talked about my first massage and how effective it was for removing excess tension.  Excess tension in the muscles and restrictions in the fascia (connective tissue) can create pain.

You can have too much tension from overuse and you can have a buildup of scar tissue from an injury.  This is where deep tissue massage can be very effective.

In my opinion, using some form of moist heat first will make the tissues more pliable and easier to work on.  This may save the client from greater pain/discomfort and it definitely is easier on the hands of the therapist.

In one instance, I worked on a 77 year old woman who had torn her rotator cuff two years prior.  She had to take care of her husband and couldn’t take time off to have surgery.

So she had almost no movement in that shoulder and basically, almost no function with that arm.  In order to drive, she had to take her other arm and lift her bad arm to grab the steering wheel.

She would joke to the technicians that I was beating her up, but she knew it was helping and I didn’t create any more discomfort than necessary.

After ten 30 minute sessions of massage and stretching, she had about double the range of motion and could now swing a golf club again, for which she was very happy.

She could have used some strengthening exercises too, but she was coming in to the clinic from quite a distance and was satisfied with her progress.  I believe strongly in corrective exercise, but have seen times where people got better results with skilled soft tissue therapy and chiropractic, than they did in physical therapy.

My massage mentor worked with college teams for a while and then “graduated” to the pro ranks when one of his athletes turned pro.  One of his football clients set the NFL record for most carries in a season, while receiving massage twice a week, a record that has since been broken.

Active Release Technique (ART) has been touted as very beneficial for releasing scar tissue in a number of athletes and weight lifters.  It can be very painful to receive, but is reported to get fast results.

As one prominent lecturer has said, “not all practitioners are equally skilled,” which is probably true of all manual therapists.  I think it takes quite a bit of work to become proficient with ART.

Check out my article about self massage that you can do before your workouts.

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Is pain a necessary evil or can deep tissue massage be unnecessarily painful?  As a massage therapist and former instructor of massage therapy, I’ve had some interesting discussions on this matter.

Recently I was talking with a fellow therapist who uses deep pressure with her massages and usually people tell her that the results are much different than light, relaxing massage.  Sometimes, the clients are amazed at how it can make them feel.

The pressure that I use and that I enjoy, is firm to deep pressure.  Sometimes this can be uncomfortable to receive and often, a little painful for a brief moment.  I’ve had some pretty good results, though, and don’t have much problem putting up with some momentary discomfort in exchange for lasting results.

I’ve also had some students tell me that they have come across people that have had bad results with deep tissue work and endured too much pain.

So this made me think about this little dilemma and I think I have some answers.  One, the therapist may have used very deep pressure without adequate skill.  I’ve had a few therapists use lots of pressure, but it wasn’t applied skillfully and the results weren’t what they could have been.

I have a very high pain threshhold and generally need plenty of pressure to make a change in my muscles.  I also push my body to its limits when I exercise, so my muscles are fairly dense and used to a lot of stress, so I can handle deep pressure very well.

My first massage was about 13 years ago.  At the time, I was doing concrete construction, which included plenty of digging and pushing a wheelbarrow full of dirt or wet concrete – a pretty demanding job.  I didn’t experience any pain, but my muscles got stiff after a while.

So I decided to try massage therapy and had a half hour session with a chiropractic student.  He used deep pressure work, along with triggerpoint and stretching.  The session left me with some bruising on my backside and some spot tenderness – lots of pressure!

But it wasn’t really painful and really loosened my hips and I felt much better – I played softball a few hours later and hit a homerun my first time up – mission accomplished.  There again, I had spent lots of time lifting weights and doing manual labor, so my body was used to being stressed.

Maybe those that don’t do anything physically demanding can’t tolerate a lot of pressure in their massage.  Those with high stress levels – your issues end up in your soft tissues – often seem to need and want more pressure.

The deep tissue massage is designed to release tension in overworked muscles or reduce or realign scar tissue, which may be restricting the muscles’ ability to stretch.  This can include cross fiber friction massage, which is frequently painful or at least, uncomfortable.

This technique is often used by physical therapists in dealing with an injury and can be used by massage therapists, as well.  I’ll finish for now and discuss this more in a second article next week.

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I’m going to do a product review of two different self massage tools – the Stick and the Tiger Tail.  I’ve used both of them and am also a massage therapist, so I’ll try to give you my professional opinion.

Frequently I am asked how often someone should get a massage.  I usually tell them it depends on what the problem is, but ideally if you are exercising regularly and fairly intensely, once a week.

I realize that most people don’t have the time and/or finances for this, especially in today’s economy.  Many hard training athletes will often use some form of self massage in their warmup, whether it is a rolling massager like the Stick or a foam roll.

Foam roll massage uses very deep pressure and can be pretty painful the first week or so, even with big, strong athletes.  I sometimes use a massage ball or tennis ball for some deep tissue work, but I will leave that for another article.

I use both of these devices prior to lower body exercise or flexibility work such as flex band stretching.  Massage prior to stretching will get better results.

Expert strength coach Mike Boyle gives this analogy – if you have a knot in a rope and you pull on both ends of the rope, the knot gets tighter.  Muscles will behave similarly if you don’t relieve the excess tension in the muscle before stretching.

The Stick has individual rollers which conform to the shape of your muscles and can be used at different speeds and you can vary the pressure to meet your needs.  Tiger Tail has a single roller that provides a little more firmness if you prefer deeper pressure.

It is also smaller, making it convenient for taking it with you in your workout bag, though they are both very portable.  I like both of them and would recommend either one.

The Stick is used in sports training centers and by athletes at all levels.  Hard training individuals need some type of massage to help keep injuries to a minimum and increase the tissue quality of the muscles.

Having a flexible muscle with lots of “knots” isn’t good and trying to stretch a muscle with knots without massaging them first isn’t wise.

My advice is to use some form of self massage and then get a professional massage as often as you can.

You can find both of these items at PerformBetter.com – click on Flexibility and Recovery.

Learn how to be pain free and make your body unbreakable.

Get moving!

Brian

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