Alchemy Weight Training

[RedFox]

I was rear ended at a traffic light causing whiplash and then pushed into a car in front of me causing the lower back problems. Fortunately no disc problems, all soft tissue (I guess that is fortunate??).  Anyway,  I have had PT and Massage Therapist work on trigger points and oh yea man they REALLY REALLY hurt!  Never felt more pain in my life.  What I need is to be able to learn ways to help myself when and where I need it, ya know?

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I used to do trigger point therapy in my sessions, but I don't anymore. Things would always feel great for 2-3 days but they always come back if you don't change the underlying patterns. If you can get the muscle causing the problem (not the one in pain) to relax and the posture to shift to one that is more in line with gravity, the trigger points stop forming. For instance, chronic trigger points in the upper back/traps are usually caused by tight pectoral muscles, which pull the shoulders forward. The trigger points form in the back, but it's more like the back muscles are screaming for help, they are basically overpowered by the pecs in most individuals. (Sometimes I give back strengthening exercises too but usually after we stretch)

 

Shaking qigong should help a lot with that, but I also teach my clients active isolated stretching (www.stretching-usa.com for books/video, or check out Jim & Phil Warton's Stretch book on Amazon, it's the same stuff). Low back stuff can be complicated, but as you're stretching, you might want to pay attention to psoas, quadriceps, hamstrings, and piriformis, as well as the low back/quadratus lumborum muscles. Once you get normal flexibility there, that'll start the process of getting your hips back to balance, and if it doesn't solve the problem outright, at least you'll have a better chance of isolating the next layer.

[MatthewQi]

Never been to Kenya yet Ron.

 

Thanks for the insight RedFox. I am going to try a form of Yoga - Vinyasa Flow this Sunday at the Y. I have never been good with stretching in general but am hoping this will help.

 

I also have been doing some Mung Bean hitting from Iron Shirt 2 and have got the video back out and will try to remember how to do those funny tendon changing exercises, anyone think that would be useful?

 

Out a town fishing til the weekend so if you don't here from me it isn't that I am being rude...

 

Matt

[Yoda]

Half Kenyan? Way cool! We've got to get that mileage up somehow! We'll figure something out.

 

You are definitely periodizing but I'm wondering if you periodized enough. I used to have a pattern that I'd always get injured just as I was getting into the groove of a particular training program. Every few months, I'd have a minor pull or tweak that threw me. Now that I've read Pavel, I've understood that you need to actually allow yourself to de-train and actually loose a level of conditioning every so often.

 

Mind you, I've never run more than 8 miles at a time, but if Oprah can run a 4:30 marathon so can a taobum.

 

-Yoda

[peter falk]

it's possible that period injuries could be caused by our "scripts." after i looked into this, the new found freedom that resulted was exhilerating. look at eric byrne's book 'what do you say after you say hello?" shows you how to identify and break out of scripts. but beware, it's only for people who are very serious about altering their life pattern. there are some fairly shocking things in it.

[sean]

I'm not a fitness expert by any stretch (da dum dum tsss)... but I just wanted to chime in with my now cliche recommendation to purchase Scott Sonnon's Warrior Wellness DVD. I swear by it. I have never rehabilitated any serious physiological trauma from it, but there are tons of people on his forum that recover from all sorts of pretty intense shit. It will probably take you about a year to go from the Beginner to Advanced levels on that DVD. Which is strange because it looks so simple. But it dredges up and releases years and years of stored tension.

[Cameron]

I love the clubbells. I don't think there better that body weight excercises for all around functional fitness but are fun and useful. I think his other stuff(body flow/freedom by degree) looks cool but havent getten into it yet. I could see the value to grappling/BJJ though.

 

But I don't agree with what he says about the Back Bridge being dangerous..atleast I think I read he says that. The back bridge..atleast in my experience..is the best excercise in existence.

 

basically what your doing already just with your head(nose touching the mat) supporting you instead of your arms. but that gymnatic style bridge you do is fun too and I have been playing with it.

 

The next level of that bridge that Matt Furey teaches is flipping backwards and standing up..then being able to flip forward on your hands( or head if your insanely advanced) back into the bridge..he call this "Bridging Gymnastics".

[Yoda]

I have Pavel's joint mobility book and I follow Steve Maxwell's joint mobility routine which has elements of both Pavel and Sonnon, from what I'm told.

 

I agree that the bridge is the bomb, but I've never worked with it consistently. Mine doesn't look near as good as Sean's.

 

I'm shopping around looking for a pet feat in the strength/flexibility dept to work on, and I'm thinking that handstand training and bridging have the best bang for the buck--very energizing, keeps the chi flowing, and good for showing off too.

 

-Yoda

[Cameron]

On the Gama Fitness tapes Furey says bridging gymastics is BETTER than the Royal Court(squats, pushups, bridge) but it's just too advanced for most people.

 

After I get my pushup and squat goals I'll start working on BG.

[Yoda]

my 5 year old daughter kicks ass in the bridge--it's very natural for kids, so that's a clue that it might be the ticket to keeping one's life childlike.

 

-Yoda

[Cameron]

sweet! I always imagine that would be one of the nice parts of having a family..having little kids that are fun to be around. You seem like a fun dad..get them doing all this awesome stuff early!

[sean]

But I don't agree with what he says about the Back Bridge being dangerous..atleast I think I read he says that. The back bridge..atleast in my experience..is the best excercise in existence.

My understanding is that Scott's issue is with the nose-to-mat bridge, especially the way Furey teaches it. Not with other types of bridging which he frequently promotes; in fact the program he designed for me includes bridging which is why I've been getting into it lately. here is the relevant thread on CST opposing nose-to-mat bridge.

 

And here are some articles discussing the CST approach to bridging:

Threading Scorpion Bridge

Threading Bridge

BMX: Back Mobility Xtreme

 

I'm not up on this kind of thing enough to know one way or the other, although intuitively I feel that rocking around in a nose-to-mat bridge looks dangerous for your neck.

[sean]

... I'm thinking that handstand training and bridging have the best bang for the buck--very energizing, keeps the chi flowing, and good for showing off too.

My motivations exactly!

[BobD]

Anyone tried doing the micro/macro cosmic orbit breathing in sync with each rep? I just did it and I feel mad energized and was able to do more reps.

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Related to this, how fast do people run the orbit when not in sync with breathing? If you are just standing at the bus stop (or wherever) and do a few rounds of the orbit, how long does it take to go one round of up the spine and down the front? Do people always sync with an in and out breath? To me, it seems "right" to run the orbit quickly, just about in time with saying (at a normal speed) "up and down", though if I am linking it to breathing then I have to run it much slower.

 

I think I read somewhere that M Chia said his ran at some incredibly large number of rounds per second (ie far too may to actually visualise each one).

[peter falk]

Related to this, how fast do people run the orbit when not in sync with breathing? If you are just standing at the bus stop (or wherever) and do a few rounds of the orbit, how long does it take to go one round of up the spine and down the front? Do people always sync with an in and out breath? To me, it seems "right" to run the orbit quickly, just about in time with saying (at a normal speed) "up and down", though if I am linking it to breathing then I have to run it much slower.

 

I think I read somewhere that M Chia said his ran at some incredibly large number of rounds per second (ie far too may to actually visualise each one).

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the orbit goes both ways really: up the front and sown the back while simultaneously going up the back and down the front. i realized this in my own meditation and micahel winn confirmed it for me. thought it mighta been a brain fart at first.

 

it should take a matter of milliseconds or less to "do the the orbit" once it's open. otherwise the speed of doing it depends entirely on your own mind and the effort it attaches to "doing it." if you just let go, it goes by itself independently of earthly time.

 

soooo, if youre standing at a bus stop or drivin down the road or waiting in an ofice or watching tv or whatever, just tune in to it to see or feel it happening and see what you get.

[thelerner]

Good question on speed of the orbit. IMHO many people start by linking it to the breath, a bit of butt squeeze to get it on its way, an upward roll of the eye to send it over the edge etc.

 

There is a great guided meditation by Minke DeVos on the MO(part of her Tao Basics CD). It starts out slow, hitting the front and back chakras, then links a 'pearl' to your breath and circles it. Then puts two pearls 'racing each other'. Then multiple pearls like a fast busy freeway. Then it dissolves into flowing stream, you can use to speed the flow if you want, or sit in the Tan Tien and watch it flow by. Ultimately she involves the full Macro cosmic orbit, involving the legs and arms.

 

Peace

 

Michael

[BobD]

Thanks for the replies chaps. I am trying to get back into the habit of sensing the orbit running all day, with checking in periods now and then, backed up with the occasional full on orbit meditation, probably linked to breathing. So there will be the orbit speed linked to the breath, and the whizzing around of its own accord speed. That Minke sample MO meditation is very good for getting the orbit started up. Looking forward to the integration of her stuff with the site when/if Sean can sort it (just a comment Sean, not a nag )

[el_tortugo]

My understanding is that Scott's issue is with the nose-to-mat bridge, especially the way Furey teaches it. Not with other types of bridging which he frequently promotes; in fact the program he designed for me includes bridging which is why I've been getting into it lately.  here is the relevant thread on CST  opposing nose-to-mat bridge.

 

And here are some articles discussing the CST approach to bridging:

Threading Scorpion Bridge

Threading Bridge

BMX: Back Mobility Xtreme

 

I'm not up on this kind of thing enough to know one way or the other, although intuitively I feel that rocking around in a nose-to-mat bridge looks dangerous for your neck.

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i checked out these fuggin links and am diggin the bridge.....

 

i downloaded a clip on the threaded scorpian an cant decide if he is doing the same kind of bridge one would do from a laying down position..... im talking about how your arms end up.

 

when i do the threaded it is different... it is a fine exercise but i prefer the stretch the arms get from the laying start.... as well as the ability for pushups.

 

 

the movie actally motivated me to try it.... somthing about seeing somone do kooky things makes me want to do it tooo.....

just the page would have had me reading it more in a couple of weeks as opposed to doing it now.

[el_tortugo]

i appologize for all the repeat posts.... i really dont know why it does that..... my browser just keeps loading... the progress wheel keeps a spinning..... i went o take a shower and came back to all these posts.

 

i tried on another thread to delete them but i cant..... so they stay till mr. moderator moderates them away.

 

i just wanted you to know im not fucking with you or totaly ripped out of my mind...

[el_tortugo]

i think i figured it out by watching the clip over and over and trying it....

 

 

my arms must not be flexible/limber enough to get right into thier bridge position and do push ups .....

 

or maybe its somthing else.

 

 

 

 

and i remeber reading somewhere on here about a little contraversy about resting your forhead or not in the bridge....

 

can anyone point the way or post what you know here?

 

 

 

 

another thing is i am wondering if anyone has tried going in reverse in the pushups?

 

head, chest, belly going down/ belly, chest, head going up? thats how ive always known em'

[Cameron]

The way I do it the way wrestlers do it..on the forehead nost touching the mat.

 

I have not had any experience telling me this is dangerous and matt furey gets alot of positive feedback saying that it not only isnt' dangerous but has helped people with back problems.

 

After watching this DVD on Indian wrestling and seeing dudes flip backwards landing into a nose to floor bridge it is pretty obvious it is not a dnagerous movement if done properly.

[el_tortugo]

The way I do it the way wrestlers do it..on the forehead nost touching the mat.

 

I have not had any experience telling me this is dangerous and matt furey gets alot of positive feedback saying that it not only isnt' dangerous but has helped people with back problems.

 

After watching this DVD on Indian wrestling and seeing dudes flip backwards landing into a nose to floor bridge it is pretty obvious it is not a dnagerous movement if done properly.

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i dont see how it would be dangerous niether..... unless i tried hurting my self.... but then anything is dangerous if you make it so.

 

thanks i like it that way you can stay like that for some time.

 

[el_tortugo]

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