Big toe flexibility

Hi guys,

Did you know that inflexibilty of your big toe can lead to a lot of ankle, knee or hip problems?
Full extension of the Metatarsophalangeal 1-joint (the big toe) is absolutely necessary for performing movements....where the big toe is extended

Think about following movements & look at the big toe

Lunges

take-off phase (running)

split jerk

A lack of big toe flexibility is actually the same story as last post regarding the flexibility in the fingers & the wrists. A mobility problem on its own isn't a big deal, the rest of the kinetic chain will compensate for your deficits, but how long will your body be able to withstand this.....?

Consequences of big toe inflexibility:


- Torsion & more movement in the knee joint needed
- Difficulties in extending the hip joint
- compensating in the lower back

All this leading to moving with more effort, strain & aches that actually could be prevented if we cared a little bit more about that tiny small joint captured in that shiny, fancy shoe :)

A good exercises we've been adding into the programming the last few weeks is the
"squat to kneeling"

Don't only look at this "move" as an exercise, but use it as a habit to come out of the "chair-syndrome". Buy yourself a mat & get yourself more on the ground.


Till next post warriors!!!!!

Wrist Flexion Raises

Having wrist, elbow, shoulder or neck problems?

 
Especially during activities like:
- front rack position during front squats or (power) cleans
- closed chain pushing movements like push ups, handstand (push ups) or floor work (crawls, crab walks)

Have you ever checked your wrist and fingers mobility & load capacity (strength)?
Wrist/fingerflexibility is changed due to prolonged time of grabbing (boxing, powerlifting) and manipulating objects (construction work, office job, playing with cellphones & tablets). The wrist flexors & extensors will be lengthened or shortened dependent on the daily tasks frequented the most.

The human body is a kinetic chain. Flexibility problems in one joint can create a lot of trouble in the rest of the chain. One of those chains is the following:
fingers-wrist-elbow-shoulder-neck (some problems in one area can be caused somewhere else in the chain: look up and down the chain!!!)

 

Try the following exercise to know the status (strength/mobility) of your finger flexors/wrist 

Execution:
- Shoulders are above the wrist & stay there during the whole movement
- Distance knees-wrist will determine the weight placed upon the fingers
- with locked elbows lift the wrists into the fingers support position (4 knuckles stay on the ground)
- try to get the lower arm perpendicular on to the fingers
- Increase the knuckles-toes distance to make the exercise harder  
- The ascent en descent should be done with strength & control: DO NOT FALL!

Problems in the neck, shoulder, elbow en wrist? Maybe it's time to check your fingers!!!



- Kaizen -

The Front Body Line Drill

Last 6 weeks we've been working on the "Front Body Line Drill" (FBLD)
A hell of an exercise when done properly but so much to gain from it.

Transfers to:
- overhead pressing movement
- handstand

The feature of this exercise lies in knowing how to tense the body while creating an open shoulder (180° anteflexion). Common problems are inflexible shoulders or the inability to create tension at the right places.

Execution:
Lie down grabbing a stick on shoulder width (arms parallell to each other)
Tense the body by applying the following cues:

Tense the midline:
- Posterior Pelvic tilt: squeeze the butt as much that the lower back flattens out
- Bracing the abs: Decrease the distance formed by the lower part of the ribcage & the pelvis

Only when the midline is active & stays active you open the shoulder angle
- Glenohumeral Exorotation: "Try" to turn the thumbs to the ceiling (while grabbing the stick the thumbs won't be able to turn, but the shoulder will)
- Glenohumeral Abduction: pull the hands out of each other
- Scapular Elevation: press the hands away from the body (parallell to the body)

Only when the shoulder is in position you retract the scapulae
- Scapular Retraction: pull the stick to the ceiling  






In Full position your body should be flattened out like a line, hence the name body line drill
When you're going past the line up then they're a few things that should be checked:
- are you arching the back? Check the midline!
- are you taking the stick on shoulder width?
- are you dislocating the shoulder? Don't! push the shoulders away, pull apart and then retract (avoid the dislocation)
Don't get me wrong, I'm not claiming these are faulty movements. They're rather not suitable in the context of creating a body line handstand or an overhead motion without arching the lower back.

The active retracted hang

Hi Ninjas,


This month the focus has been on the "active retracted hang" or "arching active hang".
I'm talking about the next performance by the ido portal team

The reason we've put this in the program will be discussed in this blog:

1. Increasing the movement capability of the scapula
Last blog we already discussed the importance of scapula mobility necessairy for making complex arm movements.  A lot of people with shoulder issues/mobility problems will benefit from this exercise.


2. Improving the Chin/pull up

Statement from Ido Portal & Vince Gironda

"Few people are really capable of doing a real Pull Up - using complete Lat recruitment.
Most will pull towards the bar, only reaching over it with their chins.
Some will be able to touch their chest to the bar, but will do so with rounded shoulders at the top - relying on their subscapularis - a habit that will eventually lead to shoulder issues.
Many do not fully depress shoulder blades nor do they retract it before pulling up - a habit that will lead to injury."

The real pull up is very difficult to master:

1. Start in a slightly wider than shoulder width grip. From a complete hang with shoulder blades elevated, while maintaining locked elbows, depress shoulder blades down and retract them together. Your head should elevate between your shoulders as the lats and scap retractors will 'engage'.

2. From the position achieved in stage 1 start to pull up by thinking of bringing elbows to your sides. Do not concentrate on the upper arms. This is an essential cue for you: concentrate on your lats.

3. Pull all the way up until your lower chest hits the bar with shoulder blades retracted backwards and shoulder rolled behind. The triceps of both arms should make contact with the lats and there should be a slight pause at this position for 1-3 sec. The come down will reverse the process, going down at least in 4 sec to complete hang."

So get the active retracted hang a go
for more information: visit http://www.idoportal.com/blog/morehang

3-10 x 5-10# with a static pause of 1-10" at the top

3. Transfers to other movements

Especially hanging movements like the leg raise, front lever, skin the cat/german hang, muscle up,,...

Shoulder Spring Warmup Prep

Hi Ninja's,


Coming months we're going to put some attention into shoulder health & ankle mobility.
This 2 months the shoulder is getting highlighted  for a moment,
in particular the scapula (shoulder blade).

The shoulder is craved for complexity because of the ball & socket architecture of the glenohumeral joint & the scapula that's moving swiftly (that's how it's supposed to be) over the thorax allowing even more range of motion. Did you know the only joint attaching the arm to the thorax is actually the sternoclavicular joint? This explains why people breaking their collar bone can do shit with their arms. 







Arms are made for manipulating objects & moving freely to express oneself. Think about dancing, playing, crafting,.....

It's very important that we keep moving in this wide range of motion, so or shoulder won't grow into fixed positions. Think about the rounded shoulders forward, anterior position of the head because of the sitting disease. Move your shoulder often in different positions, it'll be grateful & less likely getting injured.




A less mobile scapula will get your shoulder joint more easily impinged (impingment syndrome) and eventually can lead to inflammation of the surrounding musculature or capsule of the shoulder. Most common are tendintis of the supraspinatus or the long head of the biceps tendon (mostly because of overcompensating the weakened musculature due to pain inhibition)
 


The coming band warmup is a prehab tool we're using momentairly a few months to get people used to shoulder/scapular movements as a startoff for preventing shoulder problems (here's a youtube clip starring head coach Bert & Chong).

 Here a more detailed version of the exercises performed

A lot of credit goes to Ido Portal, Kelly Starret & ofcourse our coaches Bert & Chong for the awesome video.


See you next posts ninja's

Reset & Warm up

A decent body prep is always obligatory preceding heavy training.
Not only for the sake of injury prevention but also to perform better.
A warm, sweaty body prepares the body for the incoming stress & strain a good training incorporates
Especially now during the winter days warming up is more than essential
Notice: puffing & sighing, being breathless can be symptoms of a warmup, BUT a decent warmup comes with the taste of SWEAT

Start every training with an "original strength"- sequence followed by some crawling
you'll be ready to go in no time!!!

A. ORIGINAL STRENGTH
 
Every Human body grows up with reflexive strength. As baby you cross a lot of motor skills that are intended to make us body strong & resilient against life. Rolling/nodding/rocking & crawling builds up a lot of motor control because it's a process meant to be gone through by every human being. We really destroyed our bodies since the age of 7 when we were put on a chair and never left it since.
Make your core stability stronger, tightly tying your body, increasing the reflexive strength & stability.
Make everything your body does, more efficient, from digestion to hormonal profiles, allowing to slow down the aging process just by following this sequence a few times a day. 
Because the origin of the sequence is based on the neuromotor development of babies this sequence is also called a "reset" for the body

A1. Neck Rolls

1 on each side
- Start supine on the floor, hands crossed on the body, feet together
- Initiate the roll from the eyes & lift the head up
- Feel the vertebrae rolling one by one from head to sacrum
- Don't use the foot, hip or pelvis to initiate the roll
- If you've done it right, you'll feel when you crossed the center the legs will naturally fall towards its place
- Roll back the same way
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3aEbL8oCZY

A2. Arm Rolls

1 on each side
- Start supine on the floor, hands crossed on the body, feet together, hands overhead
- Initiate the roll from the eyes & lift the head and one arm up
- Start rolling by elongating the arm, you should feel the shoulder blade being pulled away
- Feel the vertebrae rolling one by one from head to sacrum
- Don't use the foot, hip or pelvis to initiate the roll
- If you done it right, you'll feel when you crossed the center the legs will naturally fall towards its place
- Roll back the same way
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6I0G3EHV7s


A3. Leg Rolls

1 on each side
- Start supine on the floor, hands crossed on the body, feet together, hands overhead
- Initiate the roll from one leg, bending the hip and the knee 90°
- Start rolling by crossing the leg over
- Feel the vertebrae rolling one by one from sacrum to head
- Don't use the head or arms to initiate the roll
- If you done it right, you'll feel when you crossed the center the arms & head will naturally fall towards its place
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LzSfAiC400

A4. Prone neck nods

10 reps
- Start Prone on the ground, feet together, supporting on the forearms
- Chest up & strong
- Bring the chin towards the chest & try to feel the stretch in the back of the neck all the way down to the lower back
- Put the head up & elongate the neck to feel the stretch in the lower part of the chin, the chest and the abs 
video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPwsPiEBEYg


A5. Rocking

10 reps
- Start in a quadrupled position, knees a little broader, but in the same line of the hips
- Feet plantar flexed in the same line as the shin
- Elbows or hands right beneath the shoulders
- Create tension by pulling the shoulders back and pushing the chest up & strong, maintain a curved lower back
- Now remain the tension in the spine & arms while pulling the butt towards the heels
- Go as far as you can maintain the tension without losing the arch in the back
video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-mY8v_AaTY


A6x. 6-point-neck nods

 10 reps
- Stay in the lowest position of the rocking
- repeat the neck movement from the prone neck nods
A6y. 6-point-shoe look

 10 reps
- Stay in the lowest position of the rocking
- Look sideways to your heels one by one
- feel the upper back moving alone
video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d3Inn_zeLc


A7. Baby crawls

 20 steps front and back
- Start in quadrupled position
- look and keep looking at the horizon
- Create tension by pulling the shoulders back and pushing the chest up & strong, maintain a curved lower back
- Crawl in a crossed pattern: the hand goes first, the opposite leg follows
- The dorsum of the feet stay on the ground (not shown in movie)
- Crawling backwards foot first, the opposite arm follows
video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePzzoUryf8k


CRAWLING

The crawl isn't so much different from the baby crawl presented in the original strength sequence, but it's way tougher. Here is how you perform it:

- toes straight
- knees low
- butt down
- chest up
- try to look forward
- Hand first, opposite leg follows (cross-pattern)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKK6NDktcfU&feature=youtu.be

Only if the forward crawl is going easy & steady you can progress to the backward crawl
Crawling is a very easy, yet tough way to get your body aligned & stable. Babies are the most strong and stable forms of human beings considering their size. Keeping their melon-sized head in balance on their little body requires a lot of strength and stability. Months of crawling eventually lead to us, walking warriors & moving ninja's.

Because it are only concentric movements, it doesn't need recovery or cooling down & is very suitable for warming ups & cooling downs
Get on the ground and crawl!!!!

All credits go to the amazing authors: Tim Anderson & Geoff Neupert
Read the book if you're more interested: BRAIN FOOD!!!

http://originalstrength.net/


The Road is the goal - Kaizen

Improving the squat

Mastering a skill like a squat is actually "RE-learning" a natural resting position.
If we take a look at the asian & african regions squatting is actually a habit.
 



 Looking back to the days we played as kids, squatting was a very normal thing to do. We played on the ground sitting in a squat, we took sand & rocks as snack sitting in a squat, untill someday we lost the ability to do so.




We were made for squatting, moving & playing like kids. Somewhere during growing up we just lost our movement gamma. The amount of different "rich moves" as a child has been overwhelmed by the poor, static postures & movements we make as adults. Because of the invention of PC's, smartphones & videogames the age of immobility has already reached school-going youngsters

“Enrich yourself with the gamma of movement, the richer it is, the more of nature sudden surprises you can handle” -Ido Portal-

The big  culprit in this story is the "chair". From the time we entered  elementary school our bodies were doomed to alter.

Luckily this process is also reversible, we only need time to relearn the pattern again.
Our brain has a special ability called SAID (specific adaptations to imposed demands) or "neuroplasticity".
"The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Neuroplasticity allows the neurons (nerve cells) in the brain to compensate for injury and disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment." 

Simply put:
"use it or lose it"
In most people's cases it'll sound more like "use it and regain it" 

Check this video explaining neuroplasticity

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vo-rcVMgbI

learning a motor skill involves focusing attention on each part of the skill and internalizing proper execution. Like I said before, a squat isn't a skill to require, you are born to do this.
Remaster it, claim your movement freedom again & scour the grounds like we used to do.

Guidelines

First step: squat more often!!

these videos below where a big inspiration for me getting myself more on the ground, make sure you watch them. Gratitude for the inspiration towards Ido Portal & Kelly Starret.  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/30squat/

For sedentary people, getting into a comfortable squat can take a long time
But rest assured --> SAID

The road is the goal - Kaizen
Good luck ninja's