Gravity Fx Fitness

This weekend I had the pleasure of learning to use Indian clubs from physical educator Dr. Ed Thomas.  This ancient art is highly useful for re-teaching or restoring proper posture, as well as expanding the ribcage and positively influencing your breathing patterns.

I had been using Indian clubs for a little while with my clients and myself as part of a dynamic warmup, but I must confess that the patterns used were very “primitive” at best, nothing close to the precise patterns that Dr. Thomas is capable of.

So first thing Monday, all my clients spent a couple minutes learning how to “properly” go through some of the patterns and could really feel their shoulderblades moving and their ribcages opening up to allow for better breathing.

I have to confess, after a weekend of using the clubs for several hours, along with a basic yoga class and I am standing taller and breathing much more relaxed.  I also feel less tension in my neck.

It might interest you to know that it wasn’t just personal trainers or physical educators that were expressing the health benefits of diaphragmatic (abdominal) breathing, but physical therapists like Gray Cook, also.

Here is a link to an article that Ed Thomas wrote on breathing.

This is a simple video that can be used for 2-5 minutes daily to work on proper breathing.  With the majority of our society being seated throughout most of their day, high stress levels and a lack of proper exercise, this is a simple way to help combat these issues.

Soon I will post an article on the clubs with some simple ways to increase mobility in your shoulders and increase your coordination and posture.  Interestingly, Dr. Thomas learned to use the clubs in Davenport, Iowa as an 8 year old in the Fifties at the German Turner hall.  I think its time to bring back some of these lost arts that have been around for hundreds or thousands of years in various cultures throughout the world.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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“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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Indian clubs are a great way to enhance or maintain your posture and shoulder mobility.  They can be used as part of a dynamic warmup for the upper body, prior to sports or a workout.

Weighted clubs have been used for physical training for centuries in India and neighboring countries – heavier clubs for strength, and lighter clubs for coordination and mobility.  They could be found in many turn of the century or early 1900’s gymnasiums.

I’ve used Indian clubs weighing 1or 2 pounds for a while now and they are a great way to warmup.  The circular movements train the wrist, elbow, and shoulder at the same time, lubricating the joints.  There are many different patterns that can be used, from simple to complex.

Someone who has lost some mobility and maybe has some posture issues can start with basic pendulum moves and gradually add more complex patterns.  The more difficult patterns increase upper body coordination – teaching all the joints to work together.

They force you to expand your ribcage as you swing them overhead – perfect for someone sitting at a desk all day with poor posture.  I think that they work well with joint mobility programs that are done with bodyweight.  They add just enough resistance to make additional demands on the body.

They can be used by the older golfer, baseball player or tennis player who wants to keep from losing their mobility.  They also are great for those doing strength training.

I’ve got some wear and tear on my shoulders from lifting weights with poor posture and they help me keep training intensely, past the age of 40.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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The ancient art of swinging Indian clubs has made a small comeback here in the US, with those involved in  martial arts particularly.

These are clubs that resemble skinny bowling pins and weigh about a pound or two, making them ideal for increasing or maintaining shoulder range of motion.  You can find many testimonials on the web of people who have increased their mobility or reduced pain in their shoulders.

I was introduced to them by Dick Thomas, the owner of Motion Rx.  He had a frozen shoulder when his brother Ed, a PhD in physical education, recommended he try swinging the clubs.  At first all he could manage was to swing them back and forth in an arcing movement, like a pendulum.

Gradually, his shoulder movement increased and over time he could swing them overhead in many different circular patterns.  Club swinging is great for upper body coordination because they integrate the elbow and wrist in all the movements.

Dick demonstrated some of the different patterns and told me that he could go out and throw a baseball with his adult sons once or twice a year and throw as hard as they could, with no soreness the next day.  As anybody who has thrown a baseball will tell you, that’s no small feat for someone over 55.

I like to use them for a few minutes as part of my warmup before doing any upper body exercises.  Its a great way to get blood flow to the shoulders and rotator cuff, and good for prevention in my opinion.

Others are using heavier clubs and “maces” for strength and stability.  These lighter clubs are more for mobility.  The different rotational patterns are important for coordination and swinging them overhead helps expand the ribcage, which can become tight with lack of overhead movement.

One local mixed martial arts legend has successfully used them to help with his shoulder rehab after he hit a sticking point with traditional exercises.  I have several pairs of both the (approximately) 1 and 2 pound clubs.  For those with decent upper body strength, the 2 pounders work nicely.

You know what they say – use it (move it) or lose it!

Get moving

Brian

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