Why do athletes stretch? The reasons vary, but typical answers are: “to prevent injury”, or “to warm up”, or “to reduce soreness”, but mostly “because some coach / trainer / friend told me I should”.

Lets look at what the research says:

Recent studies published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine have shown the decrease in injury due to stretching to be statistically insignificant stating that it would take the average person 23 years of stretching to prevent one injury.

And

The effects of stretching on muscle soreness have been proven to be “too small to make stretching to prevent later muscle soreness worthwhile”.

Regarding stretching as a warmup, a 2003 study from the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise demonstrated that static stretching prior to bench pressing reduced the pressing power. A similar study from Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sports showed a similar decline in muscle strength after stretching.

These results do not build a good case for stretching as a warmup. So then, how should we warm up? It has been shown that a dynamic joint mobility (DJM) warm-up to be more a more effective means to prepare an athlete for strenuous activity. Joint mobility prepares the central nervous system for the demands of strenuous activity by activating mechanoreceptors. Mechanoreceptors are movement sensing nerve endings; they are all over the body, but primarily focused in the places that move the most – around the joints.

DJM differs from stretching in that it is dynamic and active, and is typically performed in positions and at speeds encountered in the sport. Stretching on the other hand is often static and slow, and therefore does not prepare the circuitry of the nervous system. DJM does not take the athlete into tension as stretching does but moves just to the edge of tension as the joint is taken through its entire range of motion.

A full body joint mobility warmup such as Z-Health’s Neural Warmup 1 can be performed in under 15 minutes and provides a much better pre-activity warm up and injury prevention than static stretching.

This is a guest post by Lou Mcgovern – Z Health Master Trainer, check him out at his website www.essentialstrength.com

I have a confession to make, I HATE weightlifting. I always have. I could never get into lifting weights; I’ve always loved playing ball, I dig calisthenics, I like messing with kettlebells (because it never really felt like weight lifting to me), but deadlifts, and bench presses, and back squats, I just don’t get.

I think my friend Joey said it best: “Lifting weights hurts…”

His meaning was two-fold; but, I’ll get to that is a moment. First, allow me to describe the circumstances around which he made that statement.

It was a bitter cold December day circa 1993. Joey was a few years older than I. He was the older brother of my best friend, Danny. Joey had recently returned from Denver and we were down the playground playing soccer in the cage, just as we had virtually every day since we were little kids.

We all looked up to Joey because he was what we dreamed about being, a professional soccer player. At that time he was playing with the Denver franchise in the Professional Indoor Soccer League (NPISL or whatever it was called at the time). He had served stints in Europe, playing on First Division reserve sides in England, Bundesliga sides in Germany; and now he was back home and playing in, at that time, the only  American professional soccer league.

(Note** The American professional soccer landscape in the early 90’s was still maturing: the United States had yet to host a World Cup, The North American Soccer League had folded almost 10 years previous, less than a handful of Americans had ever suited up for a top-flight European Club, The MLS was a few years away from its inaugural season, and professional indoor soccer was the best thing we had.)

Being (not exactly big) kids hopeful of making our high school varsity teams, Danny and I asked Joey what kind of lifting program they were doing out in Denver. He replied that they had a weight training facility but he never used it. Why? “Because lifting hurts”.

We knew what he meant, lifting made him sore and tight; being sore and tight made him play worse. It made him slower, it made him fatigue quicker, and for a guy who hated losing, it was generally unhelpful. Spending time in the gym also limited his time working with a ball; refining his touch, working on new moves. What Joey realized was, he was already strong enough to hold off defenders, to win loose balls, to work himself out of corners; he understood that if he worked on his touch (with the ball), instead of spending time lifting, he could create more space for himself, wrong-foot defenders, beat people with his moves, or draw fouls and set up free kicks. His strength did not come from a barbell; it came from being a great athlete, and from his love for the game.

The reason I am bringing this up is not to condemn weightlifting. I realize that some folks love weightlifting; for some of you, lifting is your absolute passion. That is awesome. Please do what you are passionate about, and do it well.

I bring this up because as I look around the fitness & training worlds, and I see them teeming with weightlifters; some that are passionate about lifting. Others are in search of health and simply do not see an alternative. To me, health grows out of doing exactly what you are passionate about.

Although I am not passionate about lifting, I have always been passionate about playing. Which is why I put such a value on the Z-Health Performance System.

I’ve been witnessing an awful lot of misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the Z-Health Performance System, and my intuition tells me its because our lens has had too narrow of a scope.

The way that I understand this system, its was designed by examining elite athletes, deconstructing their skill-sets, and modeling them. The diversity of athletic pursuits dictates that an overwhelming majority of athletes studied while designing this system were not weightlifters; yet I continually witness the system being applied only to this extremely small speck of the athletic universe – the “pick up heavy stuff” star… or the “help my (whatever) not hurt so I can pick up heavy stuff” meteor… or the “just gotta get through my workout” moon…

It pains me to see so many people “work out”. When I was a kid I never worked out; Danny and Joey never worked out. We Played. we played our tails off; even when we were down the playground perfecting our step-overs or practicing driving corner kicks.

Am I alone in my belief that the true value of the system is that it (virtually) forces us out of the weight room; that is encourages us to get out and play? To get out and recreate? To go out and compete, without being confined to chasing a PR? That mastering the art of playing most any sport well can be refined to mastering it’s R’s, I’s, and S’s? It’s rhythm, timing, and flow?

Am I the only one that believes the greatest joy in life comes from mastering one’s passions?

Why are we only applying Z-Health to pain relief? Why do I so often hear, “I have to go do my Z, to warm up for lifting”. In the book: Kettlebells for Dummies it says: “Z-Health exercises are great for warm-up and cool down”. Sure, they are, but if that is how you use Z-Health, you are missing so much. So much mastery… So much joy.

Again, if lifting gets you absolutely jazzed, have at it. In all honesty, I don’t mind picking stuff up every now and again; I simply need a lot more variety in my diet.

I know I cannot be alone in my agreement with Joey that lifting (for the most part) hurts. I want to practice playing. Playing ball. Playing in the ocean. Playing in the mountains. Playing in the parks and playgrounds. Playing music. I have too much playing to master to worry about lifting…

And need some of you to play with me…

This is a guest post by Lou Mcgovern – Z Health Master Trainer, check him out at his website www.essentialstrength.com

Possibly one of the most common questions I receive when it comes to an exercise routine is, “Is there a BEST time to work out?” I know many swear by starting their day with exercise and many others use physical activity as a way to wind down from the stress of a hectic workday. Exercising after 8 pm can often prevent sleep and be stressful to the hormones.

There was an interesting article in The New York Times over a year ago that I bookmarked about this subject. The article, titled, “The Claim: Morning Is the Best Time to Exercise,” validated my opinion—any time of day beats no exercise at all. The author reports that science has proven working out between 4 and 7 p.m. is a slightly better time for physical performance than morning, based on hormones. The article explains “the body’s temperature and hormone levels peak in late afternoon, making muscles more flexible and producing the best ratio of testosterone (the muscle-building hormone) to cortisol (the hormone that does the reverse).”

However, the article goes on to say that the advantages of an afternoon workout are slight and that the human body can adapt to working out at any time of the day. That being said, I must once again stand on my soapbox and say, a calorie burned at 6 a.m. is the same calorie burned at 6 p.m. The key is to work out whenever you have time, any time of day, any day of the week. I remind my clients all the time that when it comes to exercise, you have to break some rules to get your workout done.

Now, there are rules we follow for exercise because they make sense and keep us healthy and safe. For example, we have heart rate training zones to guide us so we burn fat and don’t overdo it. We have strength training rules that tell us how often to lift, how much and how to do the moves safely. We have guidelines for mobility for stretching to reduce injury and muscle soreness. But every so often, when we read exercise rules and guidelines in the media, we end up feeling defeated if they don’t exactly fit in with our lives, needs and goals. Take a look at how you exercise now. Are you that person who’s silenced by inaction because you can’t do it perfectly according to the rules?

I love morning exercise; for me, a workout at 7:30 a.m. is the ying to my yang. I make sure I have a balanced breakfast at least 60 mins or longer before and get it done before I start the workday. But when I find a client who absolutely won’t go for morning workouts, then I suggest another time of day. You may find that what works for you is a little different than what you might have read, or heard on TV. I’m not knocking fitness experts because I am one! I’m just asking you to remember to be true to yourself and bend the rules to fit in your lifestyle so you actually do something, rather than nothing.

On the flip side, when I’m training an athlete or someone who is working toward a serious goal like a marathon, then rules and schedules are absolutely important to their outcome. You can’t run a marathon at your potential without following a well-mapped program. But if you are that person trying to just lose a few pounds, feel better, have more energy and stop being cranky—then BEND THE RULES to work for you, not against you. The best time of day is the time you will be able to complete a workout consistently over time, and at a time that suits you.

What time can you schedule in and stick to each day?

Resistance training such as bodyweight training or free weights can have some wondrous effects. Here are 7 underground tips from ‘the resistance’

1. Muscles Are the Engine of Youth
Biological aging and the loss of functional strength have less to do with your chronological age than they do with time spent training and engaging the body for physical growth and development.

Strength training is the most effective way to build muscle, thereby slowing down and even reversing the process of aging.

This does not mean you have to train with the goal of developing big, showy muscles. Rather, we need to look at muscle as lean body weight that keeps you active, fit and energized.

2. Strength Training Builds a Strong Foundation
Numerous studies show that adults who exercise have greater bone mineral density (BMD) than less active folks. Weight-bearing activities such as strength training produce greater BMD than non-impact or low-intensity activities such as swimming or yoga.

I’m a fan of swimming and yoga. But strength training is the best way to build strong bones, tendons, ligaments and muscle, which are all essential to your physical foundation.

3. Strength Training Is Good for Your Mind and Mood
Aristotle used to make all his students train with the Olympic athletes to improve their bodies which improved their thinking and reasoning powers.

If you’ve studied the life of the third U.S. president Thomas Jefferson, you know he was a true Renaissance man and fitness enthusiast who lived to be 83, once remarked that “a strong body makes the mind strong.” well beyond the lifespan of folks born in the middle of the 18th century. Clearly T.J. was on to something when he drew a connection between physical and mental strength.

4. Strength Training Shapes You Smaller
Many people, not exclusively women, resist strength training because they’re concerned it’s going to make them “look big” or muscle-bound.

Here’s the irony: Strength training actually shapes you smaller. That’s because a pound of muscle is much smaller and takes up less space than a pound of fat. A kilo of fat is about the size of a watermelon. In contrast, a kilo of lean muscle is about the size of a large orange. Imagine how amazing you would look and feel if you swap 5 kilos of fat (think 5 melons) for 5 kilos of lean shape-defining muscle (think 5 oranges). You’ll look a million dollars!

Not only that, these 5 kilos will be evenly dispersed around your body, not residing, as fat does, in a few problem areas. Five kilo is  enough to really change the way you look. It’s not the sort of volume to add size.

5. Muscle Makes the Scale Irrelevant
For some the scale can become like a daily mood ring. The scale looks only at weight—it does not take into consideration the composition of that weight: whether it’s water, fat or precious lean muscle.

A loss of muscle reduces the metabolism and accelerates fat gain even more. That’s why dieting without strength training will never result in permanent weight loss. Not only have you not created additional lean muscle to burn calories, you’ve likely reduced a portion of that valuable resource. This is why most dieters who have lost some fat will gain it back faster.

Begin to see body weight in terms of body composition. A -60 kilo woman who has only 10 kilos of fat will fit easily into a dress that a 50 kilo woman with 15 kilos of fat cannot.

Use a mirror or be in tune with the way your clothes fit—and be kind. When you have a lean, strong body, the number on the scale is irrelevant.

6. Muscle Is “Money in the Bank”
Having muscle is like having money in the bank. For every kilo of muscle you gain, you’re able to burn 70 to 100 calories more per day—with no added effort. That’s because lean muscle boosts metabolism, which in turn can burn fat. One kilo of muscle consumes the caloric equivalent of 5 kilos of fat in just one year.

Let’s say you’ve added 5 kilos of lean muscle to your body. Just carrying those 5 kilos around for daily activities, not including exercise or training, can burn on average an additional 500 calories each day.

Does it take effort to add that lean muscle? Of course it does, much like the accumulation of financial assets takes time and effort. But by making a modest investment, as you’ll do in this program, you’ll be rewarded handsomely.

7. Muscle Enhances and Prolongs Life
The list of life-enhancing benefits from adding lean muscle is staggering.

Muscle not only makes you look good, it takes an active role in supporting your well-being. Success begets success, for those with lean muscle tend to get leaner and stronger. The more muscle you have, the faster and hotter your metabolism burns, and the easier it will be for you to swap fat for lean muscle.

When you have lean muscle, you’ve made a long-term investment in your quality and longevity of life.

How will you start to tone and add to your investment.

So when someone tells you that they are a sports coach, movement or fitness specialist, ask them what they are doing to improve the function of your eyes and your vestibular system? See a Level III, Z Health Movement Performance specialist for more help in this area.

By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, April 8 (HealthDay News) — The new crop of 3-D movies hitting theaters are making some people sick — literally.

It’s not the alien creatures bleeding off the screen or half-eaten humans spit out in your direction by fierce dragons. It’s just the way 3-D plays tricks on your brain, mimicking symptoms of motion sickness.

The problem, if you have one, may lie in your head and, in particular, your eyes, experts note.

An unlucky (or lucky, depending on your point of view) 5 percent of the population have such bad eye coordination they can’t perceive 3-D at all. But if these people decide to plunk down $20 for Avatar or Alice in Wonderland, at least they won’t get a headache.

“In 3-D movies, your eyes have to be working together as a team perfectly. You have to have equally clear images in both eyes,” explained Dr. James J. Salz, spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. “Then you will get the fusion of the two images.”

Getting the 3-D effect involves using two different cameras projecting two images on top of each other to create depth perception. Salz’s former partner, Dr. Julian Gunzberg (now deceased), developed the original 3-D technique used in House of Wax with Vincent Price.

An estimated 30 percent of moviegoers have enough eye coordination to see 3-D, but only with a struggle. These are the ones more likely to get headaches and eye fatigue while watching 3-D on the big screen, said Jeffrey Anshel, an optometrist with VSP Vision Care and the principal of Corporate Vision Consulting in Encinitas, Calif.

“The problem comes in with people who have 3-D vision but have a weak fusional mechanism,” Salz explained. “Your eyes are having to work harder. The brain is sending extra impulses to keep the eyes in alignment. If you’re asking your eyes to fuse in 3-D all the time, you will feel the extra strain, the motion sickness.”

“Avatar is asking your eyes to fuse and do the extra work for two hours and 40 minutes. It’s not surprising there are some unhappy with [their] experiences,” Salz added.

The brain is further confused by conflicting input from different parts of the body — the eyes, the pressure receptors on your extremities and the vestibular system in the inner ear, explained Dr. Robert Wiprud, an associate professor of family and community medicine at Texas Health Science Center College of Medicine and director of family medicine at the Scott White Clinic in College Station, Texas.

The vestibular system includes hair cells resting in fluid that detect sound and head movement. “When we move in a certain direction, the fluid moves the hair cells, creating an electrical impulse that travels along the eighth cranial nerve to the brain, and the brain can tell if you’re sitting still or moving forward,” Wiprud explained.

“Most of the time, all that information adds up and makes sense to your brain,” he said. “But when you go to a realistic 3-D movie, you get a conflict between what the eyes are seeing and what the vestibular system is sensing. Your eyes are telling you that you’re flying through the air while your vestibular system is saying, ‘No, we’re just sitting here.’ It gives you a false sense of movement which, in people who are sensitive, can lead to nausea and headache.”

“Your brain hates conflicting signals. A regular movie doesn’t fool your eyes as much,” said Wiprud, who has avoided seeing Avatar for fear of the consequences.

Die-hard movie fans might benefit from dramamine or other motion-sickness medications, or you could take it as a clue that your eyes need a full exam from a behavioral optometrist, Anshel said.

For now, you still have to go to a theater to experience the stomach-churning realism of 3D. Soon, though, you may have the luxury of getting sick in your living room, because 3-D television is on its way.

You can improve your vision – Better Eyesight Without Glasses.

Another great book for movement & athletes – Sports Vision – T.Wilson

But just because you don’t get a workout report using barbells- it doesn’t mean that NO calories are burned whilst you’re lifting!

1. Lifting heavy things requires a lot of energy in order to shift something from one place to another repeatedly. This means you burn a lot of calories, and sweat just as much by using repetitive resistance as you do cycling or stepping.

Lift HEAVY = Work Hard. Hard work = more energy burned!

2. When you lift weights, blood is required within the muscles you are working and this causes your heart to beat faster to deliver the fuel to the parts you are putting

Turn your Heart ON!

under duress. A faster heartbeat equals more calories burned and more oxygen turnover (another important factor in efficient fat loss!)

3. This post exercise energy deficit and increased oxygen consumption lasts for anything up to 72 hours, meaning your metabolism is elevated for two to three whole days following a really challenging workout! When you hop off a treadmill or a crosstrainer….you pretty much stop burning calories straight away.

Don't get obsessed by the machines' display

4. When you have finished your training session, you may experience a tight sore feeling called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (or DOMS). This is caused by the micro damage inflicted on your muscle tissues whilst your were placing them under a strain to which they were unable to cope with (lifting to the point of “failure” or at the very least extreme effort!) This tissue breakdown is part of the natural process of improvement. It is an actual fact that nobody makes their body BETTER in the gym.

It is AFTERWARDS when the magic happens. Repairing this tissue micro-damage requires energy (calories!) and building materials (food!).

THIS means that anything you eat during the next 24-72 hours (providing its actually nutritious food, and not “food” as in an edible substance) is much more likely to get put to good use within your body to repair those tissues…rather than simply being stored as bodyfat.

5. Tomorrow, and the next day, when you have additional lean tissue, you are burning more calories at rest just by having that extra muscle within your body. It is said that each pound of muscle in your body burns an extra 5 calories per day over what a pound of bodyfat would. Nothing major oin a daily basis, so certainly no licence to get your post workout protein in the form of a Big Mac . But adding 20lbs of muscle to your body would make you sizzle through an additional 36, 500 calories a year.

You can be Small, Lean AND Strong! - Jennifer Cargil

You can be ‘Small, Lean and Strong’.

By Jennifer Cargil – NutritionTransition http://www.nutritiontransition.co.uk

The Question of Body Fat
I often ask my clients, “who has less body fat %, a Sprinter or a Marathoner?” The answer I receive is almost always “a Marathoner.”

The correct answer, however, is a sprinter! (In 10 years of training, less than 10 people have answered this question correctly!). You can understand why, since the general public has been told over and over again that in order to burn fat you have to do continuous aerobic work. Sprinters do almost ZERO continuous aerobic work, yet they have less body-fat. How is this possible?

The reason is rooted in the intense nature of their training. The higher the intensity (i.e. “Intensity” is the percentage of the Maximum Heart Rate) the more calories per minute burned during the workout. In addition (and more important,) caloric expenditure is increased for 24-72 hours post workout.

The Power of Interval Training
The way for individuals to raise the intensity of their training is to do “Interval Training.” Interval Training alternates bouts of high-intensity exercise with that of low to moderate-intensity exercise. Recent studies have shown that Interval Training is more effective for fat loss while improving both Aerobic and Anaerobic fitness.

Tabata et al. compared a 70% of VO2 max moderate intensity group (MIG) vs. a high intensity interval group (HIIT). The MIG group did increase their VO2 max by about 10% without a concurrent improvement in anaerobic capacity. The HIIT group improved their VO2 max by 14% and their anaerobic capacity by 28%. The HIIT group actually improved both anaerobic and aerobic capacity at the same time!

Tremblay et al. compared a sprint ergometer group versus an aerobic group. Despite burning 50% less calories, the sprint group lost three times more fat than the aerobic group.

A sample Interval Protocol for Fat Loss
As always, please check with your Exercise specialist or physician before embarking on any intense exercise program.

Table 1: For those of you who are in the general public and have not exercised in years do the following protocol for at least 4-6 weeks.

• Perform 3-4 sessions/week
• THR = Target Heart Zone

After completing the 4-6weeks in table 1, move on to table 2 interval workout to prepare for the tough interval workouts in table 3
Table 2:

* Perform 2-4 sessions/week on non-consecutive days

After completing the 8 workouts in table 2, a new cycle can be started at higher initial speed during the “High Intensity” sets.

• Perform 3-4 sessions/week on non-consecutive days
• Before embarking on Workout 3, take a practice workout or two to establish the fastest possible speed for the “High Intensity” sets. This is very important to elicit the proper hormonal response.
• Do not do more than four to six weeks of Table 3 workouts. I repeat – do not do more than six weeks of Table 3!

This workout routine is designed with deconditioned individuals or healthy athletes with proper mechanical joint and muscle function and who have been given a clean bill of health by their physician. If uncertain or for an individualized Interval Training program/ injury rehab program contact Guy Edwards 07980865892 or guy@successfulhealthcoach.com

So not to look like a simple advert for Nike Free 5.0 I’ll recommend some other foot ware for a variety of occasions. Terra Plana – ‘Vivo Barefoot’, Vibram – ‘Five Fingers’ and Onitsuka – Tiger ‘Tai chi’ to name but a few. Any shoe with multi-planar mobility will do. Slippers often fit that bill too!!

N.B. Mobile foot ware is best used periodically at first to allow for the change and increased motion. It is also prudent to re-educate the joints of the foot precisely with either professional advice or a structured foot mobility program. Z Health Certified Trainer, to train on your own use the Quick Start or Z Health R-Phase DVD.

Tiger - Tai Chi

What’s sad about this is that many people feel like they are doing everything necessary to get the result they are looking for. They are resigned to the fact that this is how it’s going to be and there isn’t anything that can be done to correct their deficiencies. If you were to ask them what results they would like to get out of their workout, the number 1 answer is “losing weight or getting thinner.”

When I am asked what it takes to look “fitter,” the first question I ask is: “How long have you been doing your current training program?”

The usual answer I receive is “somewhere between 6 and 12 months.” The typical program they follow is “30 – 60 minutes of continuous aerobic work 3 to 5 times per week.” This is a combination of treadmill, stepper, elliptical, rower and bike.

Our training tells us that this is not a good approach to take for the client seeking improving results over time. World renowned strength guru Charles Poliquin has identified 6 reasons why aerobic training is counterproductive to fat loss:

(1) Continuous aerobic work plateaus after 8 weeks of training so anything more is counterproductive.

This is quite an “eye opener” for most people who immediately recognize that they may have been wasting their time for such an extended period. To quote Charles, “using this principle in preparation for the 92 Olympics, the Canadian Alpine Ski team actually surpassed the Cross-country team on aerobic scores as measured by third party University labs.” Who wouldn’t want to perform as well as the Canadian Alpine ski team?

(2) Aerobic training worsens power locally and systemically – in other words, it can make you slower.

If you are an athlete or a “weekend warrior” who likes to participate in athletic events or team sports that require speed and jumping ability, this is the last thing you want from a cardiovascular training program. Coach Poliquin adds that “the more lower body aerobic work you do, the more your vertical jump worsens (reduced leg power). The more upper body aerobic work you do, the more your medicine ball throws worsen (reduced upper body power).”

(3) Aerobic training increases ‘oxidative stress’ which can accelerate aging.

According to Endocrinologist Dr. Diana Schwarzbein (author of The Schwarzbein Principle ,) “oxidation” is a process that forms free radicals in the body. Normally the body can neutralize free radicals with substances known as antioxidants. It is only when there is an excessive build-up of free radicals that the body cannot neutralize all of the free radicals. This leads to changes to your metabolism which can accelerate aging in every cell of the body, from heart right through to skin cells.

(4) Aerobic training increases adrenal stress – raise cortisol and reduce DHEA, which can make you fatter and produce other undesirable health consequences

According to Dr. James Wilson (author of Adrenal Fatigue – The 21st. Century Stress Syndrome,) “normally functioning adrenal glands secrete minute, yet precise and balanced, amounts of steroid hormones”. When one does too much continuous aerobic exercise, the adrenal glands are stressed in a way that can upset this delicate balance which could lead to adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue is associated with such symptoms as: tiredness, fearfulness, allergies, frequent influenza, arthritis, anxiety, depression, reduced memory, and difficulties in concentrating, insomnia, feeling worn-out, and most importantly- with respect to this article – the inability to lose weight after extensive efforts.”

(5) Aerobic training increases body fat in stressed individuals by contributing additionally to stress.

If you are already going through a lot of stress in your life then adding more “stress” by doing too much continuous aerobic work will actually add more body fat thus making it hard to reach a weight-loss/body fat goal.

(6) Aerobic training worsens testosterone/cortisol ratio which impedes your ability to add muscle & burn fat.

When the testosterone/cortisol ratio is lowered your ability to add lean muscle tissue, which helps to increase caloric expenditure, is again hampered making weight loss much more difficult. Coach Poliquin notes that “continuous aerobic work is basically exercise induced castration!”

Coming up in “Part 2” of this article: I’ll examine alternative exercise strategies which can help you break through a plateaus as well as being healthier for you.

Following on to my introduction article on Z Health, I’ll begin to explain the ‘Phases’ in more depth. So this may be of interest to any individual wanting to understand Z Health how they work and how to get started using the process to improve your body & your training or if you are thinking about starting professional certification, R-Phase Certification is most certainly something that I recommend as it will give you real insight of how to make anyone’s nervous system move faster, stronger and without pain. I recommend this, as I would with anything, purely because I live, sleep and walk the principles, and after all my time in the industry I can recognize a good health system when I see and practice it. So to make it easy for you to understand, I’ll break it down so that you know what it’s all about. There are four levels before Master Trainer, the first of which is :

R-Phase – Level I – This level of training is based on the concepts of Injury Rehabilitation, Nervous System Re-education using Mobility Restoration. What does that actually mean? Well it is based on the principle that the Nervous System governs the body, as it is the fastest system to respond to any issue within the body, it tells us to tense up, flinch, drop, blink & recoil without conscious thought. It bases this information on the sensory input that it gains from the millions of receptors placed around the body. So if we wish to elicit the fastest change in our pain, athleticism, posture we should aim to work as many of these receptors as possible.

Areas of the sensory motor system that hold the most receptors are the joints, ligaments, skin, muscles and tendons, with ligaments being the most densely packed with all four of the mechano receptor types, Golgi organs, Pacinian corpuscles, Ruffini endings and free nerve endings. Thus if we influence them and encourage them to move with precision we create the fastest change possible!

The change that we make within the Nervous System is actually stored in our proprioceptive map within the brain and remembers the precise position of each joint, both specifically with the joint and systemically through the entire body. This explains why you may be able to dumbell press the same weight in either hand, but you are not able to hit a golf ball, kick a soccer ball or throw with equal power from either hand or foot. The movements we perform are specific to the exact task we wish to replicate. This is summed up in the S.A.I.D. principle, Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand, or said differently as Dr Cobb likes to say, “the body ALWAYS adapts to EXACTLY what it does!”

So How Does R-Phase help me?

Simply put, R-Phase systematically clears out the junk information stored in your joints. We all have movement flaws, from the elite performers and olympic athletes and  these flaws either slow us down and take us away from our genetic potential with respect to our fastest speed, our quickest reactions, or hardest strike etc. These movement flaws predispose us to or precipitate injury. As poorly functioning joints usually transfer wear and tear or load to other more mobile areas of the skeleton. By removing these flaws via the dynamic joint mobility introduced in the R-Phase DVD we are able to allow the governers and inhibitors from within the central nervous system to operate at a much higher level in terms of speed, power, agility and reaction speed. I have seen clients lift more, drop deeper into a squat, run faster with just 60 seconds of the right joint mobility work, it’s that fast. Finding an actively immobile joint and then teaching the individual how to free it up themselves is way more powerful than working on the joint passively, like I learned to do in manual therapy school.

At the same time the controlled use of the joints allows the body to co-ordinate movement and help increase efficiency and reduce pain. Which on a mechanical level obviously reduces stresses and strain on the system, but also from a neuromatrix perspective can lower the confused signaling that the brain interprets as pain(Butler&Mosley2003). There is much more depth on this at the certification, but essentially the controlled movement engaged by the participants own brain actually helps to reset the interpretation that the brain recognises as pain. This may sound confusing but it is in essence quite simple and practical to apply.

‘After just 10 mins of Z Health mobility my terrible desk posture is gone, I feel like I can stand up tall with ease, I’m like a new man. It would have taken me more than 30 mins of stretching to get the same result’ – L.Kelly – Accountant

What Do I Do Now?

Click on to one of the R-Phase links and just get started on your own joint mobility, no matter what you have done before you will not have done work that is as specific, beneficial and as worthwhile as this. Again once you have practiced this on yourself, you will see what a powerful tool this is to use with your clients, athletes, patients. When you take action on this you will feel the amazing results for yourself. Click Here

Click Here For Part II In the Secrets of Z-Health – R-Phase Series (Coming Soon)

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