Source: Muscle Evo.
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I attended a spine seminar in Los Angeles several weeks ago. Alex McKechnie, the Sports Performance Coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, gave a lecture on how he performs core stabilization using a device he invented, the Core X.
The Core X is a ingenious device made from two bungee cords attached to four velcro bands. These bands attach to your wrists and thighs, and the tension from the bands automatically causes your core area to fire and stabilize. In order to perform the exercises correctly, the body must resist torsion, load and shear forces.
Exercises can be performed in the functional position of standing, as well as on all fours, on your back and against a wall. Make sure to stay tuned, as I will be sharing exercises on how to use the system.
For more information regarding the Core X System, check out http://bit.ly/kuucFk and if you decide to purchase a product, tell them I sent you!
In this video, I interview guest Jon Boyd Barrett. He shares a powerful, effective and quick technique to eliminate neck and lower back pain. Make sure to watch the entire video because there’s a special offer at the end!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLzn4Y_U44w
If you need a challenge in your workout while improving your posture and strengthening your back muscles, you’ll want to throw these advanced Pilates mat exercises into the mix. These three exercises can be performed anywhere, and provide big benefits and efficiency that target a bunch of muscles all at once: core, back and neck extensors, scapular stabilizers, arms, shoulders, glutes, hamstrings and calves!
Here are the BIG 3:
1. Swimmer
Target Muscles: Postural muscles of the neck, upper and lower back, deltoids, hamstrings, glutes, calves
How To Do It: Lie on your stomach, with your arms and legs extended. Make sure your palms face in and your pull your shoulders away from your ears. Lift your right arm and left leg, then switch. Continue alternating arm and leg lifts for 30 seconds, twice, or 60 seconds once through.
2. Leg Pull Front
Target Muscles: Core, lats, triceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves, quadriceps
How To Do It: Get into plank position, making sure that your shoulders are over your wrists and navel is drawn in. Inhale and lift your right leg up. Exhale and shift your shoulders back and point your right foot. Inhale and shift your shoulders forward. Exhale and lower your right foot down. That’s one rep. Repeat on the left and do 5 reps on each side.
3. Leg Pull Bicycle
Target Muscles: All postural muscles, triceps, shoulders, core, glutes, hamstrings, calves
How To Do It: Get into a reverse plank position, making sure shoulders are over wrists. Lift your buttocks high in the air so that your body is in one straight line. Bend your right knee to your chest, extend the foot up to the ceiling, and then down. That’s 1 rep. Do 5, and repeat on the left side. Rest for 10 seconds and reverse the bicycle: Lift your leg to the ceiling, bend your knee to your chest and extend your foot out for 5 reps. Repeat on the other side.
Once you start doing these exercises consistently, in addition to getting strong, you’ll notice that your posture will improve and that you’ll starte getting compliments on your toned body! Have fun and if you need modifications, make sure to ask me. If you want to learn these exercises in person, or need help with designing a program that addresses your posture, make sure to send me an email here, or call me at (310) 463-4363!
Have you ever noticed that when you’re stressed out you start to experience neck or back pain? Or if you already have neck or back pain, the symptoms seem to intensify to intense and even intolerable levels?
One particular theory by Dr. John Sarno, author of “Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection,” proposes that what’s going on in your head can cause pain via increased tension in the nervous system. When nerves cause blood vessels to constrict, blood flow is decreased to the muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves. The tension causes a buildup of metabolic wastes. The end result? More pain, spasm and tension. Hence, our already weak and injured areas often get the brunt of these effects when we get stressed out.
The great news is that there are effective solutions to get rid of this stress, and as a result, calm down your neck and/or back pain.
So I know you’re chomping on the bit to figure out what these are, so without further ado, here they are:
1. BREATHE. There is tons of research that show that deep breathing has the following benefits: relaxation, stress reduction, lowering of blood pressure, clarity of thinking, etc.
How to do it: Sit comfortably in a chair with your feet flat and your hands in your lap. Close your eyes and start to breathe deeply. Inhale for a count of six; pause for 2 seconds; and then exhale to a count of six; pause for 2 seconds. Do this for one minute. Check in to see if your pain has decreased. Keep going if this is effective.
2. FOAM ROLLING. This is a way of giving yourself a massage using a large rolling pin-like foam that’s 6 inches in diameter and 3 feet long. My clients all love it and marvel how amazingly effective it is for improving their posture, alignment
and eliminating pain.
How to do it: Lie length-wise on top of the foam roll so that your head and buttocks are fully supported. Open your arms out to the side to 90 degrees, allowing gravity to open up your chest and shoulders. Close your eyes and stay in this position for 60 seconds. This is instant nirvana and don’t be surprised if you fall asleep in this position (make sure to set a timer!).
3. ACUPRESSURE FOR THE EMOTIONS: This approach is also known as “Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT,)” or the “tapping” technique. EFT is surprisingly effective and works quickly. It entails saying positive affirmations whilst tapping on acupuncture meridians to clear the pathways from emotional blockages that may be causing back and/or neck pain.
Not only does this approach work for pain, but it can help you lose weight (imagine how the stress on your back will lessen), reduce food cravings (another way to lose weight), remove negative emotions and help you accomplish your goals.
You can get extensive and specific instructions here: http://bit.ly/d3VBh5 , but here’s a condensed version for you to implement now. If you’re in the Los Angeles area, you can contact Jonathan Boyd Barrett here: http://bit.ly/eIhFTK . He is an excellent practitioner of this method and I highly recommend him if you would like assistance with the technique. I will be doing an in-depth interview with him, so stay tuned!
How to do it: There are nine points you will be tapping, or stimulating the acupuncture meridians to clear the flow of energy. The first thing to know is the location of the tapping points.
1. Karate chop point: Side of hand.
2. Top of head.
3. Inner eyebrow.
4. Side of eye.
5. Under the eye.
6. Under the nose.
7. Chin.
8. Collarbone.
9. Under arm.
Now that you know where to tap, here’s how to implement the affirmations. The first step is to tap the karate chop point as you say three times, “Although I have back pain, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
Next, you will use one or two fingers to tap the other areas five to seven times while you say “back pain” once. You don’t have to be exact with the number of times you tap in each place, nor do you have to be super-precise with the acupressure point.
There you have it. Let me know how these worked for you. They seem very simple and basic, but they are extremely effective! Give it a go and I’d love to hear how you’re doing.