What if your life depended on balance & proprioception?

Balance is the ability to keep your centre of mass over your base of support.

Proprioception is the ability of your body to know where your limbs are in space.

This is breath-taking!

                   

In August of 2015 Spencer Seabrooke set the world record for the world's longest ever free solo slackline 290m high 64m wide in British Colombia, Canada.

How much balance training are you doing in your workouts?

Try replacing Squats with single leg squats or 'Pistol squats' to challenge your balance in a functional position:

                    

Have you ever tried slacklining?

Slacklining is a great way to enhance your balance and proprioception training.

Not only is it fun but it is also super-addictive.

There is no need to go as high as Spencer though, you can start with the slackline just off the floor.

Add some balance work into your programming today. 

You never know, one day your life might depend upon it!

Spencer Seabrooke, the Bulletproofbodies Team salute you.

CrossFit Meridian Regionals 2017 was all about the Teams

                 

The Team Event at Regionals is always the highlight because it is about more than just the individuals, particularly in the last event, which was the notorious "worm."

Two British Teams competing to get to the CrossFit Games were CrossFit JST led by Steve Fawcet and CrossFit Espri de Corps lead by Tom Wyles.

This was the first time that a British Team made it through to the CrossFit Games.

                      

Team JST won the Team event, which means they are the first British Team to reach the CrossFit Games.

Not only did JST have an amazing team, they also had the most fantastic supporters in the stadium!

Team EDC came a respectable 9th place, which meant that there were TWO British Teams in the Top Ten.

We were happy to provide Physiotherapy Treament to both Teams.

Below Alex Rees using Compex to aid recovery post workout.

CrossFit JST and CrossFit Esprit de Corps, the Bulletproofbodies team salute you both.

CrossFit Regionals, Pectoral tears and Decline Bench Press

So, there has been lots of speculation about why there have been so many Pectoral tears at CrossFit Regionals.

Having just been part of Athletes Services at Meridian Regionals our main aim was to reduce Pectoral tears.

The Men seemed to be getting the tears and not the women.

The exercise in question was Kipping Ring Dips.

Julien Pineu is a CrossFit Coach at CrossFit Invictus (He also does Strongman) 

but he knows a thing or two about Training and discusses the differences between 

Athletes in the Americas and in Europe.

                   

Julien talks about two factors:

Homeostasis and Hormesis

Hormesis is favourable response to stress.

Homeostasis is the body seeking to gain balance. 

"All the programs out there are based on hormesis; how am I going to create the right amount of stress to elicit the response that I want.

Most athletes develop problems because they focus on programmes that give them results in a specific areas, but longer term it will always lead to injuries, or at least getting stuck because they don’t take into account evolution and how the body actually works.

So the problem is more the way that the athlete looks at training, rather than the training itself.

Secondary to this, for CrossFit specifically, the main problem I see is latissimus Dorsi and Hamstrings.

The certain planes of movement that CrossFit tends to work within, lead athletes toward imbalances in these areas."

Julien Pineau, the Bulletproofbodies Team Salute you!

Check out the StrongFit channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/Strongfit

Athlete Services at the CrossFit Meridian Regionals Madrid 2017

It was three amazing days of CrossFit Athletes from Europe, Africa and the Middle East competing to get to the CrossFit Games 2017 in the USA.

             

As ever the Athlete Services were there to keep the athletes going and treat any injuries over the three day period.

The Athlete services team are totally International with Chiropractors, Osteopaths, Physiotherapists and Sports Therapists from all over the World.

This was a chance to use the new IAST (Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue) from Rocktape, the Rockblades.

This year we also had a chance to help athletes recover with the Compex 8.0.

Obviously we were still taping athletes with the only tape to use for CrossFit, Rocktape to help athletes to go stronger for longer.

Pectoral tears were a major concern to lots of athletes after 25 pectoral tears occurred in the US Regions.

We only had a few Pectoral tears which is a significant reduction and will help silence the critics about possible steroid use.

I would like to think that Athlete Services helped contribute to a reduction in this particular muscle injury.

However, all athletes we cautious of this injury so adjusted both their training and strategies accordingly.

The Bulletproofbodies Team would like to thank everyone of out therapeutic friends and well done to the fantastic Medical at CrossFit Meridian Regionals 2017.

Cage Fighter Alex Reid & Bulletproofbodies

We all know Alex as a Cage Fighter with over 300 fights to his name.

Now Alex has turned his hand to Body Building and will be competing in Mr Hampshire this coming weekend at the Princes Hall in Aldershot on the 3rd of June.

Alex is in great shape for this weekend but he needed some Physio after all the punishment his body has taken over the years.

Here is what he had to say about Bulletproofbodies:

                      

We went straight to the hardcore treatment of Acupuncture.

Alex is certainly not afraid of needles!

At Bulletproofbodies we do a rare form of Acupuncture called Intra-muscular stimulation. 

Originally brought to the West by Chan Gunn it is one of the most effective treatments out there for relaxing tight muscles and restoring them to their normal length-tension.

As Acupuncture is not for everyone we tend to use Compex these days.

If you have not tried Compex yet you are missing out on the secret of recovering.

When Cage Fighter turns Body Builder there is a requirement for a different set of physical skills and training methodology.

Not to mention the discipline of dieting and eating clean.

               

Alex is a natural showman so going on stage should be easier than fighting in the cage.

Alex the Bulletproofbodies team salutes you and we wish you luck for competing this weekend at Mr Hampshire.

Perhaps the most important reason for you to SQUAT.

At Bulletproofbodies we are always harping on about the importance of being able to perform a squat as part of normal functional movement.

The squat has always been associated with strength & conditioning but its relationship with toileting is often forgotten about.

In Western society we have gotten use to sitting on the porcelain throne and have forgotten the way in which out bodies go to the toilet best, that of the deep squat position.

                   

The "Squatty Potty" is a simple addition to your bathroom that allows you to correct the "ano-rectal" angle.

The Pubo-rectalis muscle maintains the ano-rectal angle and sitting at 90 degrees only partially relaxes this muscle.

Sitting at 90 degrees means the colon is still kinked and is sub-optimal for toileting.

By simply raising the feet this then flexes the hips into a position that mimics normal squatting and allows the colon to fully open.

So the message is simple, if in doubt, SQUAT!

You can purchase yours today from the Bulletproofbodies Blogspot today.

Alternatively, 

Check out their website:

https://www.squattypotty.com/

Paul Chek, Bulletproofbodies & Cross-Fit

"There is no such thing as a bad exercise or exercise system. 

There are only incorrectly prescribed exercises and exercise systems."

Paul Chek

                      

In case you don't know, Paul Chek popularised Functional Movement and challenged the Body Building Gym culture of the 90's.

The Chek Institute is concerned with Holistic health and not just Functional Training.

He uses his 4 Doctors analogy which is brilliant. 

The last 4 Doctors you will ever need:

Dr Happiness - AIR - What do you want from CrossFit?

Dr Movement - FIRE - Are you over training?

Dr Diet - EARTH - Are you eating correctly?

Dr Quiet - WATER - Are you rehydrating and resting enough?

We put all these in the Couldren of Consciousness which contains many ingredients and requires some alchemy: 

Planning

Action

Celebration

Rest

Paul is not against CrossFit but he wants to make us aware of the challenge. Or as he calls it, “Trial by fire, baby.”

What Paul is highlighting is the significant risk that high intensity training may bring if you do not have adequate muscle flexibility, joint stability and baseline fitness

Are you ready for CrossFit? 

Are you prepared for CrossFit?

Are you scaling your workouts?

Are you maintaining good form when lifting?

Are you training through injury?

CrossFit replaces a primal need, that of significance, or proving yourself in society where you no longer have to prove anything.

Check out Paul's book - "How to eat, move and be healthy." 

I love Paul Chek and CrossFit and would recommend both to you, but only if you are ready for a trial by fire (baby)!

Paul Chek, the Bulletproofbodies team Salute you.

https://chekinstitute.com/