Do you understand Anatomy Trains?

In case you have just joined the Functional Revolution, you need to know about Thomas Myers and "Anatomy Trains."

In a previous job I used to teach anatomy in a dissection room.

We use to discard the fascia in order to get to the muscles.

We taught individual muscle actions by way of origin and insertion.

We failed to teach integration or that muscles attach to muscles via the fascia.

Rather than discard the fascia, Myers took the scalpel sideways and discovered that everything is attached to everything.

Rather than the bones and the muscles holding the body upright, the bones and muscles are floating within the fascial structures of the body.

This revolutionary idea gets away from the reductionist, isolated body part theory, commonly used in anatomy teaching.

Isolated muscle teaching is contextual, whereas anatomy trains is functional.

If we are training in functional movement, then we need to understand fascia and how no muscle works in isolation.

If you want to know more I recommend Myers book, Anatomy Trains, which is now in its third edition.

Thomas Myers, the Bulletproofbodies team salute you.

Bulletproofbodies and Bikram Yoga

As an Extreme Athlete how do you handle the heat?

When was the last time you challenged your Thermo-regulatory system?

Bikram Yoga is a great way to maximise your Yoga session.

The heat helps aid muscles to relax, reducing micro-tearing and optimising your flexibility.

The focus on breathing is paramount, with Pranayama breathing to begin, breathing only through the nose during the session and the workout closes with a return to breath.

The 26 postures take 90 minutes to complete and work on your motor control, balance and proprioception.

There is also an element of Mindfulness as Yoga means Union of both body and mind.

How does your body respond to heat stress?

The American Council on Exercise conducted a study involving 20 participants aged between 28 to 67 who were experienced Bikram Yoga participants.

Each person in the study swallowed a censor to measure their core temperature at 10 minute intervals.

In addition, they also measured heart rate every minute.

What they found was that core body temperature went up to near critical levels where normally heat illness mat occur.

Heart rate was measured as a percentage of their maximum.

Interestingly, Men struggled more with the cardiovascular component of the class when compared to the Women during the study.

Hydration strategies were of significant importance before, during and after the Bikram Yoga session.

Thanks to ACE (American Council on Exercise) Fitness.

References

Hewett, Z.L. et al. (2011). An examination of the effectiveness of an 8-week bikram yoga program on mindfulness, perceived stress, & physical fitness. Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness, 9, 2, 87–92.

Hunter, S.D. et al. (2013). Improvements in glucose intolerance with bikram yoga in older obese adults: a pilot study. Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies, 17, 4, 404–407.

Tracy, B.L. and Hart, C.E.F. (2013). Bikram yoga training & physical fitness in healthy young adults. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 27, 3, 822–830. 

Check out their website below:

https://www.acefitness.org/acefit/expert-insight-article/47/5384/ace-study-examines-effects-of-bikram-yoga-on-core

CrossFit Box of the Month - Maida CrossFit

Today I met Alex Chapman who is both owner and head Coach at Maida CrossFit.

Maida CrossFit is based in Aldershot, Hampshire.

This is no ordinary Box as it has three components within the Maida building.

Fight Science is a Martial Arts centre.

There is a Heavy Training Area for serious Power Lifting.

Then there is Maida CrossFit.

Alex's enthusiasm for CrossFit is infectious and he is keen to tell me the story of the Box.

His customer service focus is impressive.

There is a friendly feel to the Box as I meet the people I will be working out with as we begin the warm up.

The EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute) is a surprisingly tough front squat, back squat combination which is perfect to pre-fatigue the quads before the WOD.

Alex states that he programmes in pre-fatigue workouts to maximise the gains of the WOD.

The AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) is a simple but effective Triplet of Push Press, Pull Ups and Box Jumps.

Interestingly, it's the Box Jumps that go first as my Quads are burning.

I miss a landing and no rep myself as punishment.

I manage to just get into the next round before Alex calls TIME.

Great Box, great community and an even better workout.

We wish you well for the future.

The Bulletproof Team salute you.

Are you a Slacker?

If you want to work on your balance and proprioception then look no further than the growing sport of Slacklining.

It is tight-rope walking combined with Trampolining.

Your first challenge is to just be able to stand up and hold your position.

Then, if you can, try a few step forwards.

Got that? Ok, try a few steps backwards.

Feeling confident still?

Try a few tricks!

It takes Trampolining to a whole new level.

All you need is two trees and a Slackline and you are away.

Balance is a motor component of fitness that you need in your arsenal in order to become Bulletproof.

So, take the day off and be a Slacker!


Thanks to Phil Vierno, check out his channel below:


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCwd6PTTA7NlO8QQgQy00RQ

Self-Optimising Movement, is this the best way to learn?

Who taught you how to walk?

It's highly likely to be your parent or Guardian.

Were they a Physiotherapist or Movement Specialist?

Unlikely.

Who taught you how to run?

Again, it's unlikely they were a running coach.

Chances are that you taught yourself most of the Functional Movements that you have been performing your whole life.

We teach kids important movements like cleaning their teeth, but neglect to show them how to walk or run, we assume its so simple that they just do it.

They Self-optimise.

But is this really the best way to teach movements safely and efficiently?



Dr Andreo Spina and Functional Anatomy are coming to London Feb 11 -12 in 2017.

Check out his website:

https://www.functionalanatomyseminars.com/

Do you know the 4 P's of Functional Movement?

Functional movement training is about movements based on the real-world and not just in the Gym.

Biomechanics in the real world are not the same as an artificial training environment.

Functional Movement Training is about exercising in 3D, so it is multi-planar, it is likely to involve compound or multi-joint movements, not isolated movement.

Functional Movement Training is about rediscovering MOVEMENT before we start exercising.

We must first master some basic movement patterns before we add, speed, intensity or resistance.

Functional Movement can be described in terms of the 4 P's:

1. Position

2. Posture

3. Pattern

4. Purpose

The Position refers to lying, sitting, kneeling, standing, handstand.

The Posture refers to where the joints of the human body are and how gravity is effecting them in this position.

The Pattern refers to which functional movement is being performed, squatting, lunging, hinging etc.

The Purpose makes reference to the fact that the brain does not think in terms of isolated muscle, but instead respond to the purpose of the movement.

Functional Movement is different from normal exercise.

Functional movement is task-dependent and individual-dependent.

This is based on a Needs Analysis of both the task and the individual.

Functional Training is the way forward and we need to move away from isolated muscle training and think in terms of movement.

So if you need to move because your life depends on it, you can for example run away from danger as running is a functional movement.

Remember, nobody ever died from a weak bicep!

References

http://www.ptonthenet.com/articles/the-functional-continuum-3251

AMAZING ATTEMPT At the Pull Up World Record in 24 Hours

On December 10th 2016 Danny Watson attempted the world record for the maximum number of Pull Ups in 24 hours at CrossFit 3D.

He managed an amazing 4907 Strict Pull Ups.

More importantly he raised a significant amount of money for the charity CLAPA, the cleft lip and palate charity.

He even made it onto the CrossFit main site:

We are hoping to interview Danny about this fantastic experience that has inspired us all.

For the moment we salute you Danny Watson!

The Bulletproofbodies Team wish you a speedy recovery.

Bulletproofbodies recommends (Self) Functional Movement Screening

In 2009 Gray Cook came to the UK and presented about FMS. I thought his presentation was amazing and I could see exactly where he was going with his thought process.

Later that year I would be using FMS on a daily basis and for the forseeable future.

I then got certified to FMS Level 1 & 2 with Lee Burton teaching us on the course.

As a Physiotherapist I could use the FMS as a tool to be pro-active rather than re-active with my patients and clients.

It was a way to rank and rate movement.

It was a way to make the invisible, vissible by putting the participant through seven movement challenges.

This tool is validated in the literature for nearly 19 years!

Although there has been some critism about whether FMS or indeed any form of screening can predict injury,

I believe that this is still the best tool for contributing in the paradigm shift away from reactive medicine to preventitive self-management.

Gray Cook and Lee Burton I salute you - Awesome work!

Please check out FMS on the link below:

http://www.functionalmovement.com/

Finger Tape like a Pro part 2

In part 2 of Volker's finger taping tutorial he introduces the "H" taping method.

Thanks Volker for these amazing videos!

Want to tape fingers like a Pro?

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Volker Schoeffl, who is both a Climber and an Orthopaedic Surgeon.

He had some really interesting information about Climbers and finger injuries.

Check out his excellent and easy to follow finger taping methods.

Take home messages:

• Use thin tape
• Use a figure of 8 technique
• Make sure you tape the finger in a flexed position
• Leave a gap for the soft tissue

Pull Up World Record Attempt

HOW MANY PULL UPS COULD YOU DO IN 24 HOURS?

Occasionally, in the Box there is someone special.

They are more motivated, more skilled and more determined than anyone else.

So it was not surprise that he is attempting the world record for most number of Pull Ups in 24 hours.

Danny Watson is a former British Army Physical Training Instructor who is also Commando trained

and a CrossFit Coach at Reebok CrossFit 3D in Manchester.

He has been training hard for this incredible athletic endeavour.

The current world record is 7,620 Pull Ups in 24 hours.set by Caine Eckstein from Australia.

However, this is yet to be validated.

Previously it was 7,306  by an American Teenager, Andrew Shapiro (May 2016) and before that

Rodney Hahn with 6,844.

Although not ratified Caine Eckstein managed 318 Pull ups per hour, or 5 Pull ups per minute.

Caine is not new to pull ups and originally set the recored with 4,020 in 12 hours.

His training included accumulating between 9,000 - 10,000 pull ups per week.

Caine reported no injuries post challenge, just being really sore!

Danny has a different strategy to Caine, working in bouts of Pull Ups rather than a 24 hour EMOM

(Every Minute On the Minute).

Danny will set himself small bit sized goals with breaks inbetween.

The world record attempt will take place on the 10th of December 2016.

The Venue will be Reebok CrossFit 3D, Manchester.

Good Luck Danny.

The Bulletproofbodies Team wish you well!

Are you becoming an Extreme Athlete?

An Extreme athlete is someone who is attracted to a particular activity where there is a combination of danger, high skill and elitism.

We live in an age where things that we thought were impossible have become a reality for the brave few pioneers who dare to challenge our expectations, our values and our beliefs about what is achievable.

However, when you are pushing the limits of human performance, there is a greater risk of musculo-skeletal injury. With great achievement comes great risk.

Once you have been successful with the impossible where do you go from there?

Are you an adrenaline junkie?

Are you a risk-taker?

Do you want to know how far you can push yourself?

The answer is probably yes. That's why you are still reading this.

So how do we train for the extreme?

Do we need to train the mind just as much as we need to train the body?

Perhaps it stars with intensity.

With the influence of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and it's time efficient evidence base for improved training, more and more people are becoming extreme athletes.

Professor Tabata could be called the Godfather of HIIT.

With his 4 minute exercise programme of 20 seconds work followed by 10 seconds rest, repeated 8 times, this is a good example of hardcore time-efficient training.

If you can handle Tabata training what will be next?

I think my friend, you are becoming an extreme athlete.

If you can achieve more than you expected in training, what can you achieve in the rest of your life?

In the words of Diana Nyad, "whatever you want to do in life, find a way!"