Gravity Fx Fitness

“My hip felt better at work today than it has in the past month,” claimed one of my clients as he came through the door.

Which means the program must be working!  This person is in his mid 50’s and has no cartilage left in his hip.  His orthopedic surgeon told him you “worked hard and played hard,” spending his days working on concrete and playing recreational sports.

He’s been working with me for just over a month and doing well.  Yesterday’s workout focused on the lower body so it’s a good sign that he felt better the day afterwards.

The workouts are low to no impact, which is ideal for those with past injuries.  They also focus on dynamic flexibility and are done mostly in a circuit for optimal efficiency.

One of the unique components is the Power Plate vibration platform.  It creates reflex muscle contractions which can help with flexibility and weight loss.  The lower body positions involve double and single leg stances (squats and lunges).

It allows for additional stress to the muscles without stressing the joints.  Single leg exercises done off the platform allow for increasing flexibility and strength at the hip.  We also use ropes and an X-iser mini stepper for cardio work.  This places no significant stress on the joints while elevating the heart rate.

He says his bowling is improving so that is likely due to the work on dynamic stretching.  Reaching lunges done to the front and side are some of the exercises done, along with step ups using dumbbells or sandbags for resistance.  Being able to exercise without pain is always a good thing.

The TRX suspension trainer also works well for doing various lunges while providing just enough assistance (added stability).  Its also a great tool for stretching the shoulder and thoracic spine – areas that often become tight with age.

Today’s “workout” involved joint mobility movements and some work with the Indian clubs for additional mobility work.  These easy movements help you recover from more intense exercise, lubricate the joints and help flush toxins out of your body.

Besides being less physically demanding they give you a mental break, leaving you feeling better and ready to hit it hard on your next training session.  They also add to your movement efficiency.

If you stop moving your joints in certain directions they become stiff over time, not so much from aging, but from lack of use.

30 minutes of movement and out the door, leaving plenty of time to spend with friends and family.  So if you’ve been using that old excuse of lacking time to workout, you’re busted.  That’s no longer valid.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Never seen a shoe with individual pockets for each of your toes?  Well, I just bought a pair called the Vibram Five Fingers and I’ll soon tell you why.

Not long ago I was reading an article about a coach who used these “shoes” to reduce the hip pain that he had been dealing with for about a year.  During this time he saw doctors, massage therapists, and physical therapists, with noone really having any answers.

He decided to give them a try after going to a strength training seminar on kettlebells and seeing them on some of the other participants.  After a week of using these shoes, he noticed his baby toes were now gripping the floor and no longer “sleeping.”

At the end of the week his hip pain was significantly improved.  Your feet and ankles are linked to how your hips function.  The idea of wearing the five fingers is to strengthen the muscles of your feet, improving how well everything further up the chain works.

Shoes that are too rigid or too cushioned can weaken the muscles of your feet, as they don’t have to do as much work as they would otherwise.

I’ve had some problems with my right hip and have a slight bunion on my right foot.  I’m trying to see if these shoes will help.  My baby toes seem to always curl under the toes next to them and I have had some slight balance issues when standing on one leg, in the past.

So I bought my pair yesterday and have been wearing them inside for a few hours at a time.  Getting all your toes into the individual pockets can be a little tricky the first time, especially the last two toes.

The second day was a little easier to get them on.  I wore them during my workout today and they feel a little strange at first, but you get used to them.

The idea is that by stretching out your toes, they will all have to do plenty of work as you walk.  They could be used during yoga or pilates classes, joint mobility training, or weight (resistance) training.  Though, you might get some strange looks or whispers when lifting at the gym.

Since I don’t train at a large commercial facility it doesn’t matter – but I frequently do exercises outside of the mainstream, anyway, so I don’t care how silly these red shoes might look on my size 13’s.

I’ll keep you posted on any changes that might occur.

Get moving!

Brian

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