Below is part of the report written by Elliott Hulse on Autonomic Nervous System.  If you can to download the full report, just go here:

How-to-Increase-Anabolic-Hormones-by-Balancing-the-Autonomic-Nervous-System-by-Elliott-Hulse

How to Increase Anabolic Hormones by Balancing the Autonomic Nervous System

Hey, Elliott Hulse here.

The very first thing I want to do today, guys, is I will admit to a horrific mistake that I had been making with regard to my training and lifestyle. And along with that admission, I’d like to apologize to you because me being in that state of imbalance has not afforded me the opportunity to serve you and to actually give you this information that I’ve been holding onto for so long. I just didn’t feel right teaching it to you if I wasn’t living it myself.

Now, the mistake that I made with my training was the fact that I was training way too hard. Now, I know that sounds ridiculous, sounds crazy, especially coming from a professional strong man, somebody who trains baseball players and football players, that I was training too hard. But, the fact is that the training that I was doing was imbalanced. My concern is that a lot of you may be doing the same thing. You may have been encouraged by me to do the same thing. And granted, you’ve received a ton of benefit from transcending the flesh and pushing through and persevering and breaking your ass to get the results that you want by working very, very, very hard in the gym and I’m still a proponent of hard work. But, what I want to teach you were today is how to balance that type of training, balance your hard work so that you will get faster, longer lasting, better results with less work. I’ll show you what I mean.

What we’re going to talk about here today is something called the autonomic nervous system. I like to think of the autonomic nervous system, and it’s a branch of your nervous system. If you understand your brain and your spinal cord and all the nerves that shoot out of it, it works as an operating system for your body. The autonomic nervous system I like to think of as our automatic nervous system. It’s subconscious. It totally runs on its own without you having to think about it.

So, the things like your heart beating or different metabolic reactions going on within yourselves, breathing, your hair growing, nails growing, skin, the building of muscle, the repair of tissue and organs, your digestion. You don’t have to think about these things. You don’t work out and then say to yourself, okay, I’ve got to remember to grow. It happens automatically based on the stimulus that you provide. When you’re sick, you don’t have to remind yourself, immune system, please kick-in. I need your help. Or, when you’re sleeping at night, you don’t have to remind your heart to beat. These are all things that happen automatically. They’re running in the background.

Now, an interesting thing about the autonomic nervous system is, it will also respond to outside stimulus. For example, if someone scares you, they jump out of a bush and yell at you, your heart rate skyrockets and your eyes are going to dilate and you’re going to start breathing really heavy. You didn’t have to think about doing that, but there was an outside stimulus that caused that reaction. That’s called the fight or flight reaction, just if you were wondering. What I just described is a reaction that’s provided by one of the branches – you’ve got two branches – of the autonomic nervous system, which is called your sympathetic branch. We’ll talk about that in a moment.

“The reason why the understanding of our autonomic nervous system is so important for building muscle, for having vibrant, vital health, for increasing our sex drive, for having mental focus and clarity, for building the strongest versions of ourselves all around it because we can determine and we can choose the type of outside stimulus to balance the autonomic nervous system ourselves. We have the choice. We can do these things.”

For example, you don’t have to go to a scary movie where things are popping up or jumping or they’re like gross, deformed images of people on a screen that’s going to stimulate a branch of the nervous system that’s probably already over-stimulated. You don’t have to watch the news that stimulates a part of the nervous system. These are all fear based things. You can chose not to do those things, and you can chose to partake of activities and thoughts and behaviors and exercises that stimulate the other set end of the spectrum that makes you feel good. I’m going to talk about that in a moment.

We need both branches of this nervous system. You’ve got your sympathetic like I just described in pretty good detail, and then you’ve got your parasympathetic branch of the nervous system. As you see here, it’s almost like a seesaw. Your body is going to chose based on your choices and the environment around you and what’s going on to either stimulate one end of the spectrum or the other. Two can’t be going at the same time. So, automatically you’re going to be either in a sympathetic mode or you’re going to be in parasympathetic mode.

Now, when you’re in sympathetic mode the good part of this is that it provided energy, it provides focus and concentration, real acute energies of the mind, survival, fight or flight. Like I told you before, if somebody walks in with a gun, you’re out of there or you’re fighting. You’re fighting or flighting. It’s catabolic. We tend to think cannibalism in the world of strength building and muscle building as a bad thing. But, the truth is, you want to be catabolic to a degree because it’s going to help stimulate the other end – and I’ll tell you what I mean in a moment – and also because it gives you energy.  Just click here to read the rest of the report on How-to-Increase-Anabolic-Hormones-by-Balancing-the-Autonomic-Nervous-System-by-Elliott-Hulse .

Rick Kaselj, MS

For some people in university, their favorite class was the nervous system. I can’t say that I was one of those people. I learned what I needed to learn and moved onto the next class. The class that I loved was the anatomy class that focused on bones and muscles.

After the interview with Elliott Hulse on thinking beyond the physical, it got me thinking about the nervous system a little more when it comes to injuries.

As usually, when I start thinking about injuries, I head over to the research to see what it has to say on the topic. I was not expecting to find very much on exercise and the autonomic nervous. To my surprise, there was a lot of great research on the topic.

Before I go into the research, let me bring Elliot back in here to explain the autonomic nervous system.

What Does the Autonomic Nervous System Do?

Brazilian Paper on ANS and Exercise

I could summarize the paper but let me take some key excerpts from the paper instead:

“The data of this review suggest that the beneficial effects of physical activity may be due, at least in part, to reductions in sympathetic nervous system activity. Conversely, with the recent association with physical inactivity and chronic disease, these data may also suggest that increased sympathetic nervous system activity contributes to the increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle.”

“Sympathetic overactivity is common in many cardiovascular disease states and is related to a higher incidence of morbidity and mortality. Reductions in sympathetic outflow, whether at rest or during conditions that produce sympathoexcitation, may occur following exercise training. Alterations in the cardiovascular regions of the brain stem and other regions that are influenced by the levels of physical activity are likely to play a role in long-term cardiovascular health. Future studies will be important to further identify the central mechanisms involved in physical activity-dependent changes in the control of sympathetic nervous system activity.”

 Let me quickly summarize what they suggest:

• Exercise helps decrease sympathetic outflow
• An increase in sympathetic nervous system activity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease
• Higher sympathetic activity relates to higher incidence of morbidity and mortality

Where to get more information: Martins-Pinge MC. (2011). Cardiovascular and autonomic modulation by the central nervous system after aerobic exercise training. Braz J Med Biol Res. 2011 Sep;44(9):848-54. Epub 2011 Aug 19.

Lets go to one more research paper.

Exercise is Good For Turning Down the Activity of the Autonomic Nervous System

Let me go through the key highlights of the paper:

• Sympathetic nervous system overactivity is seen in hypertension and heart failure which are examples of cardiovascular disease.
•  Exercise has been shown to reduce hypertension and sympathetic nervous system activity.
• Exercise reduces resting blood pressure and sympathetic outflow.
• Exercise changes the central nervous system plasticity  which leads to an alteration of the regulation of sympathetic nervous system.

Very interesting stuff.  I know cardiovascular fitness has been getting bashed of late in the fat loss world but there are other benefits to it, other than just losing fat.

For more information: Mueller PJ. (2007). Exercise training and sympathetic nervous system activity: evidence for physical activity dependent neural plasticity. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2007 Apr;34(4):377-84.

Spontaneous Movement in order to Balance out the Autonomic Nervous System

I got a great example for you on spontaneous exercise.

Even if you don’t care about this stuff (exercise and autonomic nervous system), I know this is going to put a smile on your face.

I was at my 4 year old son’s preschool party day, yesterday. This is when the kids sing a few songs for the parents. My son got into the song and then broke out into an impromptu dance solo (30 second mark of the video). I hurt my face from laughing and smiling so much.   Have a watch:

I can not take credit for this dance moves, I think he gets them from my wife.

Looking at the article above, I think the video of my son sums it up well.  If you want to have a balanced life, get moving, dance a little and smile a lot.  Your autonomic nervous system will be happy and so will the rest of your body.

Exercises to Decrease Sympathetic Activity

If you are looking for exercises that decrease sympathetic activity, check out Anabolic Energizers.

This is a little workout that Elliott Hulse put together.  I have been doing them during the week especially when I have been feeling stress.  If might be something that will help you or your clients out.

That is it.

Take care and have a great day.

Rick Kaselj, MS

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If you read EFI (ExercisesForInjuries.com), you know I am a huge fan of self massage.

It is best to have a massage therapist or body worker do the massage, but if you can’t afford to see one, don’t have time to see one or do not have one living in your house, the second best thing is self massage.

I am going to go over some of what I do in this 2 hour workshop.

Hands-free Self Massage for Injury Prevention and Workout Recovery

Description:

Rest and stretching are the recommended methods of preventing injuries or getting our clients’ bodies ready for their next session.  In this practical and hands-on workshop you will learn new, safe techniques and exercises for yourself and your clients when it comes to fending off injury and to help the body get ready for the next session.  You will be shown ways of using common and inexpensive equipment found in a fitness centre to add to your programs.  We will be using tennis balls, medicine balls, foam rollers and a few other gym tools to help in injury prevention and recovery for the neck, hip, shoulder, back, knee and foot.  If you have nagging tight muscles or have a tough time recovering between workouts, you should make sure to attend this workshop.

 
What You Will Learn:

• Learn who should, but more importanly, who should not be doing self massage exercises
• Go through a list of movements and exercises to help foot, calf, knee, hip, back, shoulder and neck for injury prevention and recovery
• How to use the foam roller, medicine ball, tennis ball, plus a few other fitness tools in new and unique ways.
   
  Important Details
   
  Make sure to dress for an active and hands-on workshop.  That means no jeans, skirts, button up shirts or cute shoes.  What is recommended is yoga pants, athletic shirts and running shoes.

Location:  Live2Play Fitness Studio – Unit #200, 5858 176th Street, Surrey, BC  V3S 4E2

Date:  Saturday, February 18, 2012 from 2 pm to 4 pm

Continuing Education Credits:  2.0 BCRPA (Pending)

To Register:  Call Live2Play Fitness Studio at 604-579-0169

Due to equipment, this workshop is limited to 10 participants.

Please note, this will be the only time this workshop will be offered.

There has been more talk about doing pull ups of late and I have been seeing more people give them a go in the gym.

What I have seen has kind of scared me.  People jumping off stability balls, using other people’s backs or just crashing to the floor when trying one.

I asked my friend, Shawna Kaminski, who has created a very cool pull up program to give us some tips on how to do a pull up injury free.  Take it away Shawna.

Pulls Ups and Injuries

You can’t deny the power of the pull up; a beautiful physique can be sculpted with the simple pull up. It broadens and strengthens the back, while sculpting the waist in one fluid easy to understand (but difficult to do) maneuver.

The prime mover for the pull up is the latissimus dorsi. Surprisingly, the pull up engages the core a great deal. The secondary movers and stabilizers for the pull up include the trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, serratus anterior, transverse abdominus and the obliques. You can see how the pull up is a compound movement and can effectively train the core.

As with any movement, it’s imperative to ensure that proper form is used to prevent injury.

Pull Up Body Position

I once made the mistake of overzealous training when training to do the human flag and my elbows and I weren’t on speaking terms for several weeks.

(Shawna asked me about her sore elbows and this is what I suggested to her:)

The pull up is no different. There are a few things that can be done to prevent injury, specifically overuse injury when doing the pull up.

First of all, you need to get your mind focused on the correct muscles in order to get your first pull up. Rather than using the back muscles, many people will try to lift with their arms, chest, shoulders, anything to get their body to move. This will get you NOWHERE FAST.

When doing an assisted pull up, you need to be in the correct position.

You need to get your body UNDER the bar like this:

You need to position yourself so that you’re looking up and you’re ready to engage the BACK muscles, NOT just the muscles of the arms. Your legs will be used to help you but they need to be directly UNDER your hips, not in front of you. If you’re legs are in front too much, it will cause you to lay back and get out from under the bar.

Place the legs directly under your hips for the assisted pull like this:

Using a bench or box directly under you is the most helpful.

It may seem like I’m splitting hairs with the correct position for the assisted pull up. I am.

This is the KEY in order to be successful.

A simple exercise that anyone can do in order for you to FIND the back muscles is to do a simple hang from a suspended bar.

As you hang, look up and think about inwardly rotating your scapula, or squeezing your shoulder blades together. This will cause you to press the chest forward. You should start to feel a slight elevation of your body, even if you can’t move your entire body up to the bar yet.

This improved body position will address the common error of inwardly rotating the shoulders to pull the body up. The back is much stronger and everyone will be more successful when they engage the muscles of the back when doing a pull up.

Pull Up Grip

Another area to be concerned with is the grip. Your grip can lead to some elbow pain and strain. Even though you’re actually ‘hanging on for dear life’ when doing a pull up, try not to use this ‘power grip’ as it actually radiates up the arm and can effect the elbow. Hold the pull up bar more loosely and this will alleviate or prevent elbow pain.

In addition, when you come to a full hang position, you will put strain on the elbow joint. If you’re going to be doing a copious amount of pull ups, it’s best to not fully extend the arm in the hanging position. By keeping a slight bend at the elbow in the extended position, you will work the bicep more and strain the joint less.

One of the best things about the pull up is the variety of ways you can do them. You can constantly change your grip from shoulder width, to narrow grip, palms facing each other or parallel. Every workout you do can be different just by changing up the grip. This helps with overuse injuries as you’ll put stress on different areas of the shoulder/back as well as the elbow/arm.

Pull Up and Eccentric Training

The key to learning how to do a pull up is to work the ‘eccentric’ contraction. The eccentric, or lengthening portion of any movement, is the strengthening phase; this is opposite to what most think.  There are a variety of ways that you can work the eccentric contraction when doing a pull up. You can do assisted pull ups, jump pull ups, suspended pull ups, inverted rows, weighted pull ups (all of these are discussed in my program, by the way).

A caution when training eccentrically: the lengthening phase is the portion of the movement that causes the most muscle soreness. You need to be careful when doing eccentric contractions as you will cause more delayed onset muscle soreness and due to fatigue, there is a greater incident of injury where you strain the muscle excessively. While eccentric training is a great way to start to build up the strength to be able to do a pull up or increase the number of pull ups you can do, caution is necessary to prevent injury.

The pull up is clearly one of the most impressive bodyweight movements that can be done. With proper training with a mind towards injury prevention, you’ll be more likely to succeed at increasing your pull up power and not your aches and pains. You can check out Shawna’s pull up program here.

About Shawna

Shawna Kaminski is in her late 40′s but she can kick most 20 year old’s butt when it comes to pull ups, push ups and human flag.  In order to help people improve their pull ups, she put together a program that helps improve your pull up, gets you to perform your first pull up and improve your push up.  You can check out her Challenge Workouts here.

Shawna is a retired schoolteacher of 20 years who’s found her passion in the fitness industry. She’s been a competitive athlete all her life and has competed nationally in three sports. She’s parlayed her ability to teach and her love of training into programs that you can directly benefit from. Shawna is in her late forties, is a mother of two teenagers and understands how busy life can be. Her workouts are short and intense and often can be done anywhere. She’s always up for a challenge and shares her fitness challenges with you. Currently she runs her own fitness boot camps and coaches clients in person and online with her amazing result getting programs.

 Rick Kaselj, MS

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As you know, we are hitting the end of the month and that means time for the Injury of the Month.

This month’s  injury is Jumper’s Knee.

In this video I talk about the equipment you will need to perform exercises targeting jumper’s knee.

I hope the video helps you.

It is good if you get Jumper’s Knee or to help one of your clients.

If you are interested in the Jumper’s Knee Program, this is what is what you will get.

That is it.

If you want the full details on the Jumper’s Knee Program, click here.

Rick Kaselj, MS

Back with part two of Nick’s injury story.  In part 1, Nick talked about how he used corrective exercise to overcome an injury.

Now in part 2, he talks specifically how he used corrective exercise to help him with the deadlift.

Thanks so much, Nick.

Enjoy the story and info.

My Back Gave Way

One day, I was doing sets of five on front squats w/chains. On the fifth rep of one of those sets, I felt something “give” on the left side of my low back. My entire low back was in pain and I couldn’t complete another set. I finished with some glute ham raises, cable chops, step ups, and a couple of other things just fine; however, the next few days my back hurt like crazy and I was definitely worried. I trained upper body fine and took the rest of that week off. The following week I felt a little better and was able to train decently. I got some tissue work done, got an adjustment and I felt like I was good to go; thus, I continued with my training for the meet and was actually hitting some PR’s for about a month or two after the “injury.” I decided against doing the meet but was still training pretty well.

What I Should Have Done

Now, what I should’ve done was taken a decent amount of time off from any type of intense training but when I’m in the zone, I’m in the zone. Anybody who’s competitive with anything can understand that. Well, the pain came back and I ended up making things worse as I tried coming back too soon a couple of more times. I had a grade 2 strain (at least) near the 12th rib attachment site of quadratus lumborum and actually had some bruising on the rib. This might not sound like much and there are plenty of worse injuries but it was terrible because it affected pretty much everything I did. Too much stress would cause spasms here and in many surrounding areas and it was real easy to restrain the area. The pain was nagging, sharp, annoying and sometimes extreme.

QL is technically a deep low back muscle though it can really be thought of as a very deep abdominal muscle. It attaches to the 12th rib, lumbar vertebrae and the posterior iliac crest and is a very important spine and hip stabilizer for almost any activity you can think of; thus, it was hard to give it the rest that it needed since its active so often. Since my left glute wasn’t doing its job for who knows how long, my left QL was working overtime and eventually gave. This was definitely a cumulative injury as the overload that occurred in this area from the rotation and shift that I had probably created a large number of microtraumas over time.

I had neglected soft tissue work for too long and hadn’t addressed imbalances appropriately for long enough. Needless to say, I had to back off from heavy powerlifting for a little while and I have eventually come to realize that the entire experience was a blessing in disguise. It forced me to take a step back to figure out the answers to some questions.

What caused this to happen and what held back my lifts?

What do I need to do to fix things so that I can come back stronger and healthier?

I Finally Took Some Time Off to Figure Things Out

Glutues Maximus and Medius Exercises

I took some time off and then had to figure out ways to improve my body and strength without straining this area and making things worse. It took some time and it took some effort but I pulled it off. I focused on hammering out gluteus maximus exercises and gluteus medius exercises, with an emphasis on catching my left glute up to my right.

Worked on My Obliques

I hammered out lots of oblique work to help stabilize my spine and pelvis better. I worked on biomechanics and technique until my shifts were almost eliminated. I invested in a sled so that I could strengthen my legs without straining my back. I got massage, ART and chiropractic care. I did everything I could to make myself better and heal the injury at the same time.

Single Leg Exercises Helped

When it had healed enough to allow it, I began to focus on getting my single leg lifts significantly stronger. I found that single leg variations didn’t aggravate anything while bilateral lifts seemed to aggravate it once I got to a certain weight. Single leg variations were something that I had done but had never really focused on getting strong with. Pushing these lifts up would help to iron out hip and trunk imbalances and increase strength and stability at the same time. I would rotate in 2-3 week cycles of barbell reverse lunges, front split squats, barbell step ups, yoke bar reverse lunges, one leg squats and bulgarian split squats while sometimes adding chains to keep things interesting. I ended up working in the mid to high 200 pound range for most of these, which was a good increase from where I had been before.

Exercises to Target the Glutes

For glute work, I put myself on a steady diet of one leg hip thrusts, one leg rdl’s, reverse hypers, clam shells, side leg raises, bird dog variations, cable chops, sled dragging, prowler pushing, kettlebell swings and other exercises that I’m probably not thinking of at the moment. I pushed these up consistently and am now doing one leg hip thrusts w/ a 135lb bar or lots of chains on my lap, one leg rdl’s with around 150lbs for reps, clams and slr’s with heavy bands and have gotten strong on all of these exercises. I’ve probably put on an inch or two on my glutes over the course of the past two years. I also did some psoas and adductor strengthening as my hips all over were not as strong or as stable as they needed to be. My back has always been a strong point for me while my hips lagged behind. For lower traps, I have done lots of Y’s, I’s, high to low rows and face pull variations. Since lower traps attach on T-12, which is close to that 12th rib, gaining strength, stability and endurance here has helped to provide added support around the area and also helped to rehab the area.

Exercises to Target Quadratus Lumborum

For direct oblique and QL work, I got on a diet of side bridges, rotating side bridges, cable hold variations (split stance, tall kneeling, squatting, etc.), cable chops, side holds and offset farmers carries. All of the single leg work obviously hit obliques and glutes as well.

One great corrective exercise that I had used previously as well is the offset step up. You can either put more weight on one side of a barbell or hold a dumbbell in one hand, and do step ups. The offset weight will force appropriate oblique and hip muscles to fire in order to keep your body square. I have seen these work not only for myself, but many others as well.

The added oblique and glute strength is a big help to QL since it now has the appropriate support from its friends. While I know that there are varying view points on reverse hypers, I absolutely love them and they were a big help in rehabbing my back and keeping strength up. The fact that I could train glute function along with trunk stabilization via low back muscle activity combined with the traction and decompression that the exercise provides helped me tenfold. If you do them correctly and with control, they are an amazing exercise for both posterior chain strength and recovery.

For biomechanics, I had a great colleague and friend of mine watch my movement to help me find where neutral was while eliminating my shift. I did this with the use of lighter squatting and pulling with either a barbell or kettlebell. I did plenty of mobility work for hips and spine as well as some stretching for left TFL (part of the shift) and psoas.

Previously, if I missed a deadlift, it was because of my hips. Getting my front or back squat up almost always meant that my deadlift would go up with it. So by now you are probably wondering, what happened with the old weak points now being stronger points and the biomechanics improving? Well, over the course of the past few months, I’ve dived back into some heavier bilateral squatting and pulling and I feel great. I’ve hit 30 pound PR’s on squatting variations after only a couple of workouts back at it and am gradually working my way back up on the deadlifts but pulled around 500 pretty fast and easy recently, and should be able to hit a PR when I really push it. I feel more stable and have more pop out of the hole with my new found glute strength that I never had before. I plan on hitting some big numbers over the course of the next year and I truly believe that had this injury not happened, I might still be guessing what it was I needed to work on.

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One more part to come. The above was part 2 and you can check out part 1.

Thanks to Nick Rosencutter for the great information above.

Rick Kaselj, MS

It is that time of year to look back and see how things have gone.

One thing that I have been working hard at on EFI are videos. I have well over 200 videos on YouTube and I keep adding more.

Looking back at the year, I wanted to highlight the most popular videos from the EFI YouTube channel.

Here they are in order of most views.

#10 – Simple Gluteus Medius Exercise

#9 – Kettlebell Technique Mistake

#8 – Bill Hartman on Hip and Ankle Mobility

Read the rest of this entry »

A little article for you on working with special populations, specifically working with clients that are pregnant.

It is guest article from Sara Dean.  

Sara has contributed to EFI before, and you can read her past article here.

Sara is going to focus in on exercise considerations for pregnant women.

Enjoy!

I’ve worked with pregnant women for years now and I have to say it is an honor to work with women during such an exciting time in their lives.  It is incredible to see women exercise through major bodily changes.  But the most exciting thing about working with prenatal clients is seeing how exercise impacts their entire pregnancy, delivery and childbirth recovery.

Having been through this with many moms now, I can’t say enough for the significant role exercise plays in prenatal health.  Regular exercise will give moms more energy (much needed in pregnancy) and prevent them from gaining excessive amounts of weight.  Research shows that moms who exercise consistently are less likely to have their babies later than 40 weeks (overdue mamas are miserably uncomfortable!), have shorter labors, have easier deliveries and lose their baby weight considerably faster.

In fact, one of my recent new moms lost 23 pounds of baby weight in the first week after giving birth.  She worked out 2-3 times a week until she was 38 weeks and 2 cm dilated (with her doctor’s permission, of course).

I have worked with many moms who didn’t exercise during their first pregnancy, but then came to me before or during their second pregnancy.  Getting in shape and/or staying in shape throughout their second pregnancy significantly improved their experience with pregnancy, delivery and recovery the second time around.  These moms really noticed a huge difference in how quickly their bodies bounced back the second time around compared to the first time, many of them quickly returning to their pre-pregnancy weight of their first child.

So there are clear and consistent benefits to exercising while pregnant.  But many moms are nervous to do this on their own and seek us out for expertise and guidance.  This is exciting, but we have to be smart.  We want to help, not harm, moms and babes.  There are a few things to keep in mind at all times, to protect moms and babes, but also to protect yourself as a fitness professional.

Here is what you need to know, in the order you need to know it:

#1 – Get Medical Clearance

1.  Your client should get a Medical Release from their OBGYN at their first prenatal visit.  This is usually somewhere between 8-10 weeks into their pregnancy.  This allows the doctor to give them permission to exercise throughout pregnancy.  If the pregnancy is not low risk for any reason, the doctor can give specific instructions and modifications at this time.  Note: as the pregnancy progresses, you may need to get updated releases if anything changes.  For a standard, low risk pregnancy, just the initial release is fine.

Know that doctors are not exercise experts and some of them may give you really frustrating restrictions, such as “Keep mom’s HR under 140 bpm.”  If you get this kind of instruction, I would contact the doc.  140 bpm is an arbitrary number (as arbitrary as the old school (MaxHR = 220-age) formula).  Also, because of changes in blood volume during pregnancy gauging intensity with HR is not the most effective.  I always use Ratings of Perceived Exertion and advise moms not to work at an intensity higher than a 7 (on a scale of 1-10) while pregnant.

#2 – Focus on the Core

2.  During the first trimester much of your exercise emphasis should be on the core.  At this point in the pregnancy, mom’s abdominal muscles have not been overstretched yet, so you can still do some really good strengthening that will allow the core to stay stronger as the belly grows.  This will also really help protect the low back later in pregnancy and postpartum.  Focus and awareness on the pelvic floor is also important at this time.  Your clients should be practicing co-contractions of the pelvic floor and TVA during all exercises.

Be aware of diastasis recti in the second and third trimester.  If your client has an abdominal separation of greater than 2 fingers, she should limit core work to kegels and isometric TVA holds, so as to not worsen the separation.  To prevent causing or worsening DR, eliminate all forms of crunching/sit ups and twisting by about 20 weeks, or earlier if the mom feels any uncomfortable pulling at the centerline (linea alba) of the abdominals.

After 20 weeks moms can no longer lay on their backs.  So ab work must come off the floor.  I use the ball and multiple plank variations at this point, so we can still get plenty of core and back strengthening in.

#3 – Include Upper Back Work

3.  Upper back exercises are significant early on as well.  As moms’ bellies and breasts grow it is easy to start to round forward in the shoulders and upper back.  So it becomes important to strengthen and train the traps and rhomboids to pull back so moms can stand tall.  This will also help down the road as new moms constantly bend over in caretaking of their newborn (diapering, in/out of the crib, nursing, etc).

I do very few chest exercises during pregnancy.  There is no need to perpetuate the rounding forward of the shoulders and tightening of the chest.  It happens all too easily without training.  Chest work just makes it harder to strengthen and protect the back.

#4 – Modify Supine Exercises After 20 Weeks

4.  Moms can’t lay flat on their backs after 20 weeks, so use the incline bench or the ball (with hips slightly lowered, as in this photo) or a foam wedge to keep them at about 30 degrees.  This is safe and effective for any supine exercise such as hip extensions, pelvic tilts and any (limited) chest work.

#5 – Listen to Your Client

5.  Be aware of your client’s comfort.  They will likely feel out of breath much more easily, even in their first trimester.  So always have them listen to their bodies and back off whenever needed.  There will be days they feel good and you can stick with a pretty traditional routine and there will be days when they are really dragging and you have to remind them that any movement is good.  Obviously, stop any workout in which a mom feels dizzy, lightheaded, nauseous (aside from regular morning sickness), cramping or pain.  Always, always error on the side of caution in any of these situations.

#6 – Comfort Level

6.  Be aware that moms often feel very uncomfortable in their own skin.  They have little control over their rapidly growing body.  So anything you can do to make them feel strong and empowered will win them over.  Listen and validate their concerns, and then educate them to the benefits of fitness during pregnancy.

My favorite story along these lines is from one of my moms, who in her first trimester did not want to do any jumping because she felt like the baby was so small it would simply fall out.  She laughed as she told me this, knowing it was irrational.  But I listened and honored her wishes.  She was able to push plenty hard doing other exercises.  She ended up training to 39 weeks, doing sets of 12 push ups at a time on her toes.  She was amazing and she felt amazing.  She also lost all her baby weight within a matter of 2 months.

So

, exercise caution, then train smart and you will have some happy mamas who will rave to their friends about their amazing trainer!

Fit Healthy Moms is owned by Sara Dean, a fitness professional from Seattle, WA. Sara owns and operates a local personal training and Boot Camp Business, Sync Fitness.

Sara started Fit Healthy Moms in 2010 after years of working with prenatal and postnatal women. Sara’s passion is helping moms lose baby weight and burn baby belly fat. Fitness and exercise can completely change your pregnancy and postpartum experience.

At the urging of her clients, Sara launched Fit Healthy Moms to provide moms with the necessary information about postpartum weight loss.  Moms all over the country are using her online downloadable postpartum weight loss program, 6 Week Pregnancy Weight Loss

Thank you so much, Sara.

Here are a few other articles on exercise considerations for pregnant women that may interest you:

• Postpartum Exercises
• How to Do Pelvic Floor Exercises, Right
• Exercise After C-Section
• Top 5 Exercise Considerations for Postpartum Weight Loss 
• A Quick Guide To Safe Exercising After a C section

 Rick Kaselj, MS

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Lots of questions in the EFI mailbox this week.

Here are a few that were in there.

Post Rehab Essentials

Just a reminder, the release price of Post Rehab Essentials ends today.

Tomorrow the price will jump up $60.

If you would like to have a better understanding of working with people with injuries, I highly recommend it.

You can get more details by clicking here.

Distance Education Courses

I have had a number of emails from EFI readers about distance education courses.

They have been wondering if I have any distance education courses that they could do in order to get their continuing education credits before the end of the year.

Yes, I do.  I have an number of courses.

Here are the distance education courses that I have:

• Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Lower Body Edition - 6 CECs
• Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body Edition - 7 CECs
• Effective Rotator Cuff Exercises - 6 CECs
• Effective Exercises for Scoliosis - 5 CECs
• The Ultimate Training Guide for Cancer Survivors - 2 CECs
• Lower Back Spinal Fusion & Exercise - 1 CEC

A number of people have said that Christmas is a good time to work on distance education courses since we all have a little more time with things lightening up around work.

If you need it done ASAP, just let me know and I will mark things very FAST.

Plus, remember, if your association is not listed, you can easily petition your association.  Often times all you need to do is fill out a form letting them know about the courses.  I am also here if you need any help.

MIRL CEC Exam

Hi Rick. My name is Bryan. I am a certified Athletic Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

As you know, it is time to re-certify and turn in CEU’s. I purchased the MIR-lower body, but for various reasons did not complete the exam before the deadline.

I have contacted the NSCA and they will allow me to turn in CEU’s for the exam.

May I still take the exam and get credit from you so I can use the CEU’s? Sorry to wait to the last minute. Thanks for your help.

Yes, no problem.

We would like people to finish up their exam within a year but we are flexible.

Bryan, finish up the exam and email or fax it to us.

We will mark it and get you your CEUs for NSCA.

If you need it, ASAP, just let us know and we will process it even faster.

Courses from Last Weekend

It was a great weekend of courses.

Last weekend it was the Exercise Rehabilitation of the Upper Body courses.

Lots of learning and sharing.

I learned a lot from those that attended.  From their questions and their own experience and knowledge.

Here are some of the kind words from the weekend:

“I got some great points for my shoulder.”

Christine Masters

“I am very pleased with Exercise Rehabilitation of the Shoulder.  I love it when I can take these new concepts and try them on our residents.”

Diane James

MIRU DVDs are Out There

People are very excited about the Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body Edition - .

The DVDs look awesome but the content is even better.

Today, I am off to pick up another box of DVDs that will be sent around the world.

Thank you for everyone that has talked about them on Facebook.

Let me know how they are.

 Sharing the Reading

Thanks for everyone for passing on various articles from ExercisesForInjuries.com (EFI) around on Facebook, it means a lot.

Make sure to take a look at these posts as there has been some discussion going on in the comment area:

• Key Considerations for Ankle Sprain Exercises
• Corrective Exercises for Disc Herniations
• Post Rehab and Hip Imbalances
• Have We Drunk too Much of the McGill Cool-Aide?

I know I need to reply to the disc herniation posts.  I have been working on this month’s Injury of the Month but will get to it next week.

Oh ya, this months injury is Jumper’s Knee.

That is another week.

Have a great weekend and thank you for reading.

Rick Kaselj, MS

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Still a buzz from last weekend’s course.

It was a great weekend of learning and yesterday I went through some of my notes and practiced some of the exercises.

I am working on the next international presenter to bring to Vancouver.  Those who attended last weekend gave a list of presenters they would like to see.  I am working on contacting them and seeing if they are interested in coming to Vancouver.

Let me know if you have anyone you would like to see for an intensive weekend of learning.

What To do For Those with Back or Knee Pain when the Rear Leg is Elevated

While I was a the course, I did have my digital camera.

I took a few video clips.  Here is another one for you.

Breathing and Athletes

I followed up with Roger Takahashi on the breathing thing he talked about in his presentation.

He was kind enough to take the time to email me a reply with a few more details. I thought you would be interested in it.

“The breathing techniques and information that I touched upon was regarding breathing and recovery – between shifts and post game especially – although it can be used during the game as well.

There is quite a bit of information on it with respect to training athletes. Just google – breathing recovery athletes – or something like that.

We use a computerized system here at the rink that educates players through mostly biofeedback (auditory and visual) to regulate breathing patterns and to us better breathing techniques.

I know that the military uses techniques such as these as well.  Hope this helps!”

Roger Takahashi

Strength and Conditioning CoachVancouver Canucks

Very cool stuff.  I know breathing is important to incorporate into exercise but it is very cool to see athletes incorporating it into performance.

Kind Words about SI Joint Program

“The Sacroiliac Pain Solution Program works: if you do the exercises, the pain will go away.

I found the program a very professional presentation, and set forth in a easy to follow manner.”

Regards,
Robert Pearey

MIRU2 Feedback

I love the fact that I can easily follow along with my own copy of presentations for note-taking.

The information was great and absolutely worth the price.

Tony did a great job making his presentations sound enthusiastic, and I learned the most from him.

Josh Johann

Currently studying Exercise Science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

That Is It

Nothing more for this week.

Have a great day and weekend.

For all of my friends in the US, have a great Thanksgiving.

Rick Kaselj, MS

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A very cool thing about being known in the fitness industry is you get to hang out with other leaders in the industry.

One of those guys is Nick Tumminello.

Here is a photo of Nick and I at lunch.

Nick was one of the international fitness industry experts that I have brought to Vancouver to learn from.  He has jointed the list of Eric Cressey, Mike Robertson, Anthony Carey and many more that I have brought in.

Last weekend, Nick was in Vancouver to do an intensive seminar with the readers of EFI. (I know I have a lot of acronyms for my stuff but I seem to keep picking long names for things).

I Learned More Than Just Training Stuff From Nick

When I spend a full weekend learning from someone, I always learn more than just training or fitness education stuff.

Here are a few things that Nick said that got me thinking:

Leg Extension is Functional?

The leg extension machine is not functional unless you are training for a seated ass-kicking contest.

He said this is not his quote but I thought it was hilarious.

Exercise Enthusiast versus Fitness Professionals

A fitness professional sees the risk and reward of an exercise and an exercise enthusiast sees an exercise.

Brilliant People

There are a lot of brilliant people out there that you have never heard of.

You might not have heard of them because they have not put themselves out there to share what they know with people for some reason.

Personal Trainers Have Lost Their Identity

They have tried to be good at everything compared to sticking to what they are good at.

Injured People

Injured people are not the same as non-injured people.

Learn from The Right People

Look at the clients you work with, or train and learn from people that do the same thing.

Position versus Movement

When you are observing someone, are you trying to put them into a position or trying to control movement?

How You Feel

When you are presenting a course, people will remember how you feel.

Let me expand on this.  We as presenters give our all and want people to leave happy.  You can see Nick is the same way.  At the end of the weekend, there was a big group hug, group photos, photos with Nick and a lot of hugs.  It was very cool to see.

A key point to remember if you ever plan to do any presenting or teaching.

It was very cool to have people from all over BC, Washington State, California and Illinois come out to the course/seminar.

Now something funny.

Have You Ever…

Have you ever come across a Yoga instructor that has not come across someone that would not benefit from yoga.
Have you ever come across a body builder that has not come across someone that would not benefit from being stronger.
Have you ever come across a corrective exercise specialist that has not come across someone that would not benefit corrective exercise.

Few Tweets on the Event

Mike Howard did some tweeting during the weekend, here is a clip of some of his tweets:

A Training Thing I Learned from Nick

I did learn a lot from Nick.

Here is one thing.

I will have more info on what I learned from Nick in a future post.

Rick Kaselj, MS

P.S. – Here are a few more Facebook comments about the weekend:

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A review of the BCAK 20 Year Anniversary Event

I drove up the mountain like I had done many times before.

I had done it on a daily basis 20 years ago.  Every morning, I would head up the mountain to Simon Fraser University.

Tonight I was at SFU because there was a 20 year celebration for the British Columbia Association of Kinesiolgists (BCAK).  I was also there to see an instructor, Craig Asmundson, and co-op coordinator, Nancy Johnson, who played a big part while I was at university.  Plus strength coach, Roger Takahashi of the Vancouver Canucks was there to share his journey from kinesiology student to kinesiology professional.

BCAK Celebration

The evening started off with a celebration of Craig Asmundson and Nancy Johnson on their contribution to the BCAK.  Both helped start the BCAK, 20 years ago, and were early presidents of the association.

The association has grown to be a voice and advocate for kinesiologists in British Columbia.

The next part of the evening was a presentation of Roger Takahashi.  It was great to hear Roger Takahashi share his journey.  I remember when I worked at a physical therapy clinic, I loved hearing about other people’s professions.  It is fascinating to hear what people do, the skills they have and the journey they have taken to get where they are.

Let me go through some of the highlights of Roger’s presentation.

Roger highlighted the importance of volunteer work and how it was a key thing to him getting his job.

Roger’s Interview with the Canucks

A great story he told is the job interview he had with the Canucks in 2003.  He described sitting in a chair and on the other side of the room was a long table with every member of the Canucks.  All the management, coaching and medical staff.  He described the interview like a shooting drill of questions.  He had no idea on how the interview went, but looking back he feels his volunteer work gave him the understanding of  the day to day operations of hockey which set him apart from other candidates.  In the interview he was able to show he understood the process around hockey but also understood hockey training.

Hockey Combine

He talked about the hockey combine and the role a strength coach plays in it.  Roger shared how he evaluates the prospects and then meets with coaching staff to rank the players.  He downplayed the importance of the combine and highlighted the importance of focusing on the anaerobic tests and lower body power test but also commented on the limitations of the testing.

He talked about how the physical aspect of a hockey player is a small part of an athlete.  Bigger components are their attitude, work ethic, how they handle disappointment and how they have developed over the years.

Read the rest of this entry »

As you know the SI joint injury workout book came out last week and I already was asked for a refund.

Let me chat about why the person refunded.

“I Have Done All the Exercises Before.”

It does not happen often but I do get some refund requests for my products.

I do all I can to listen to their reason and process the refund, fast.

I was sad to hear about a refund request on the Sacroiliac Pain Solution.

The reason why the person wanted a refund was because:

“I have done all the exercises before.”

The reason sounds logical but let me share with you what I have learned about exercises and injuries.

#1 – It is NOT the Exercise

Like Lance Armstrong’s book, It’s Not About the Bike, the same can be said about the exercise.

More important than the exercise is the movement you are trying to target and the goal you hope to reach with the movement.

This can be activation, endurance, strength, mobility, etc.

#2 – Technique is Paramount

I find with exercises for injuries, technique is so important.

It is tough to cover all the details in an exercise in a description or in a video.

The best way to get results is to have someone go through the exercise with you, then you give feedback on what you are feeling while doing the exercise and then have the exercise corrected.

Many times changing a foot position, rotating out a hip or changing the point of weight bearing can have a huge effect on the exercise.

#3 – Order Counts

The order you do the exercises in is also important.

You could be layering on or removing layering with your exercises.

Let me explain.  In order to target lengthening of the psoas, you may need to:

1. Foam roll the rectus femoris
2. Foam roller the biceps femoris
3. Stretch the rectus femoris
4. Stretch vastus lateralis
5. Activate gluteus maximus

Then finally, you can get at the psoas.

Each of the steps above removed layers of the muscle in order to get to the deeper muscle.

#4 – Sets, Reps, Tempo, Frequency and Contraction Type

All of these vary with the exercise and the injury.

For example, in the sacriliac pain solution, one of the exercises is prone hip extension.

This exercise is also performed when someone has jumper’s knee.

The sets, reps, tempo and frequency of the exercise varies depending on if it is SI joint injury of jumper’s knee.

I am sure there is more but I think you get the idea.

There is so much more to getting the result you want from your exercises than the general movement and name of the exercise.

Sneak Peak in to the MIRU DVDs

I am so excited to show you this:

Ya, those are the MIRU DVDs.

They will be available next Tuesday, watch for it.

REMEMBER: Question of the Week (Win DVDs)

Head over to the Exercises For Injuries Facebook Fan Page and answer this question:

What is your greatest challenge when rehabilitating an upper body injury?

If you do, you can win a 4-DVD set of MIRU.

Yes, the ones that are not out yet.

Even if you miss the question of the week, make sure you go to the Fan Page because I plan on giving something away every week.

This is what the Fan Page looks like:

Now to one more question about the SI joint product.

Is this Good for New or Old SI Joint Injuries?

Hello,

I was wondering if this product would help with an old SIJ Injury. In case the ligament seems overstretched and chronic.

In other words would your program be ideal for fresher injuries or would it deal with an old nagging one as well?

Regards,

Salman

It is good for old and new SI joint injuries.

After the initial flare up process, I would do the stage 1 exercises in the program

Even if someone has an old SI joint injury and they were looking at preventing an SI joint flare up, I would get them to do Stage 3 exercises.

A Kind Word about MIRU

Congratulations again on MIRU. It is a tremendous resource that has proven extremely beneficial.

Having worked as a Professional Strength & Conditioning coach in the National Rugby League in Australia I am familiar with the prevalence of impact injuries of the upper body (particularly shoulder injuries).

MIRU has proven an extremely useful resource in providing methods of assessing and correcting muscle imbalances of the shoulder. In addition MIRU has proved a valuable resource in providing corrective and strengthening exercises for the neck and core as well as highlighting valuable soft tissue and myofascial treatment methods.

MIRU has assisted in improving my ability to assess and correct muscle imbalances of the upper body.   Our holistic approach to treating muscle imbalances from the initial assessment phase to the completion of the rehabilitation plans have improved as a result of this resource.

Lee Clark

High Performance Manager (Newcastle Jets A League) formally Performance Manager Newcastle Knights National Rugby league Team

One More Set of Kind Words About MIRU

What I like about the MIRU was that everything could be used ASAP.

I have shoulder problems myself and I was able to integrate a lot of the exercises in my routine. Also, the range of examples being presented in the DVD made me research more about anatomy, physiology and biomechanics. I truly love your product and would definitely recommend it to my peers.

MIRU has validated what I am currently doing with my clients. Sometimes I have doubts on whether I should be applying “fillers” or mobility exercises during the circuit itself but seeing that this is how professionals do it meant that I am following the right path.

Edsel Segovia

Personal Trainer

Toronto, Ontario

That is it for this week.

Thank  you for your questions.

Until next week.

Rick Kaselj, MS

Here are a few muscle imbalance exercises for you.

Before I get to the exercises.

I wanted to show you this:

It is the first batch of DVDs for Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body Edition – .

They look awesome!

What is on them is even better than how they look.

I did not plan on doing DVDs as more and more people like digital access but the feedback I got from the 576 exercise enthusiasts and health & fitness professionals that have got MIRU is, they want a DVD option, so I have set one up.

They will be available next Tuesday, November 14.  Watch for it.

Now let’s get to the muscle imbalance exercises.

Pec Minor Stretch with Foam Roller

I really like this one.

Have a look:

You are on your stomach, with your right forearm on a full foam roller and your right elbow just below your right shoulder.

You take two deep breaths and relax your upper body, then you rotate your head and shoulders away from the foam roller.

The most important part is the rotating of the shoulders – that hits pec minor the best.

If you want to know if you are stretching pec minor, this video will show you how to find it.

MIRU – Coming to a University Near You

Earlier this week, I got an email from:

It looks like they plan to use the Upper Body Edition and the Lower Body Edition of Muscle Imbalances Revealed in the curriculum of one of their sports perfomance classes.

How cool is that?

When I started this MIR thing, I never thought it would be used in colleges and universities, but it is.

In a little while, I will let you know about a college that is starting to carry my courses on-line.

Before I get to the next exercise, I thought this was funny:

Now to the next exercise.

Sitting Relaxation Exercise

This exercise came from a Facebook friend.  I really like it.

I had called the above exercise, “Brugger Relaxation Exercise” but have been told by a few people, that there were a few things missed in the original “Brugger Relaxation Exercise”.

I still think there is benefit in the above exercise so I will keep it in the post.

I will do another video on for the “Brugger Relaxation Exercise.”

I think there is an important lesson there. I am always learning, growing and changing.  Thank you for helping me.

Great Exercises From EFI Readers

As you know I have been giving away DVDs on the EFI Facebook Fan page:

These are all great exercises.  Thank you all for sharing.

I will put more photos below of other exercises that EFI FB friends suggested.

Make sure you visit the EFI Facebook Fan Page to win all kinds of stuff.  This week it is a set of MIRU DVDs.  Yes, the ones above.

Side Lying Half Windmill

This was a suggestion from a EFI Facebook Friend.

I modified it a bit and just did half of the movement.

You are lying on your side with your right leg at a 90 degree bend at the hip and knee.  The right leg is resting on a full foam roller.  This prevents twisting in the lower back and pelvis plus it stabilizes the lower body.

Now you move the right arm out front and just below shoulder height.  Then you move it straight up, leading with the thumb.  When you reach overhead, continue moving the arm behind and back until it is at shoulder height.

Then move the right arm from behind to the front.

Reasons Why I Like This Exercise:

• I like this exercise because we get overhead movement, which is important and often ignored.
• I like the rotation and extension movement that is created in the thoracic spine.  Many people are poor at that.
• With it being in a side lying position, it is easier to move the arm in full flexion.

I am Amazed at What I have Learned

The amazing feedback for MIRU keeps pouring in.

Here is just one of many kinds words I have gotten:

Firstly I am amazed at what I have learned with what I have read and watched.

I am finding the information an excellent update on the PFT training and my Phys.Ed. degree years ago.

What I am impressed with is how I have been able to help at least 3 specific cases with scoliosis, rotator cuff and SI joint issues.

I must say I struggle through the very detailed diagrams of muscles at first and eagerly get to the info on what exercises.

Anyway keep up the good work – you do succeed in making me work!

I also wanted to add that your resources really help me – living in a “rural remote” community where it is expensive to access in-person training.

Thanks so much,

That is it.  Thanks for reading.

Rick Kaselj, MS

P.S. – Here are some other exercises EFI Facebook Friends had suggested.  I hope this helps:

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Today, another interview for you. It is on intermittent fasting.

I know, if you have been following me on the blog, you have seen me started to chat more about nutrition and diet on the blog.

Over the last year, one big thing that I have learned is nutrition and the mental side are things that I have ignored when it comes to injuries. I am starting to focus a little more energy and time on these topics with my clients and getting better results with them.

Now to the interview.

Intermittent Fasting with Dan Go

Click Here to Watch the Intermittent Fasting Video

Dan shares with you:

• What is IF?
• The feedback his clients give him on intermittent fasting
• How IF affects your metabolism
• Research relating to intermittent fasting
• Benefits of intermittent fasting
• How to do intermittent fasting

Also go check out Dan’s blog on fitness lifestyle, it is a lot of fun.

About the report that Dan talks about, I am still waiting for him to send it to me, sorry.

Rick Kaselj, MS

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Another great interview for you today.  It on the importance of addressing fascia in an exercise program.

It is  an interview with Dean Somerset.

Take it away, Dean.

Rick Kaselj, MS

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Why Fitness Professionals Most Focus on Fascia with Dean Somerset [ 12:51 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

With it being Halloween, I thought it would be very fitting to talk about sugar addiction.

Rick Kaselj, MS

I planned on it being a regular day but my birthday got in the way.

I did my regular ritual and got up, checked email and Facebook.

Email was quiet but Facebook was crazy. I had over 121 birthday wishes. I never knew I had that many friends. I don’t think I had that many friends in high school.

As I was reading the birthday wishes, a number of things hit me.

Let me share some of it with you.

Birthday Wishes from Around the World

It is very cool to get happy birthday wishes from every corner of the world: Mexico, Spain, Finland, Holland, Netherlands, Canada and the USA.

All This Writing and Videos are Helping

It is awesome to hear this:

People from around the world are benefiting from the blog, my writing, the videos and products.  This is great to hear. This will help move our society from a pain and injured society to a healthy and active one.

EFI Is Helping

I am so happy that EFI is helping people.

All the support from everyone just encourages me to do more.

Do Great Work!

I think Vince brings up a great point.

“Everyday, wake and do great work.  It will lead to great change, great results and great happiness.” – Rick Kaselj

Birthday Wishes from New Friends

Heard about this guy for a while but finally met him in Vegas a few weeks back.

Even when you are an old fart, you make make great new friends like Mike.  (Happy Birthday to you as well.)

Injury Free Birthday!

Very cute Jacy!

When I hit the gym today, I will make it a light day.

Helping with Your Words

I take presenting very seriously.

A few weeks back I was in San Diego and I freaked out my Mastermind Group.  They were perplexed at why I spent 5 hours on preparing for a 25 minute presentation.

You learn so much when you put it together, you visualize the presentation, you make that vision a reality when you speak and it touches some.

I am so glad I could help, Benjamin.

A big lesson I have learned the last few months is that writing has the same effect as speaking and I need to keep learning, practicing and writing, more.

Croatian Wishes

It is always nice to get warm wishes from family and friends from the old country.

I am sure there will be more to add to this post as the day goes by.

Thank you for thinking of me and sharing your love.

Rick

It was a great Core Stability Weekend.

It was a lot of fun.

There was a lot of learning, knowledge and exercises exchanged.

People love that the courses are practical and hands on.

Have a look here:

I just got these kind words in an email:

“Hi Rick:  Thanks for the confirmation.  I wanted to let you know again how much I enjoyed your workshops on Core Stability.  I really appreciated your teaching style in providing review of anatomy, building onto normal function and ROM and then going into abnormal function and finally a great deal about exercises for stabilization of those muscle sets.  I can see why you have so many repeat customers.  You really provide a much needed service for fitness professionals who want to expand and refresh their knowledge of body mechanics and who are not satisfied in staying stagnant in their field.  I also like attending the workshop with others in the Kinesiology field (e.g. students & professionals) as well as other fitness leaders.  I came away with a ‘wealth’ of information and new techniques.

Again, thanks so much,”
Tina Moore, CPT, RN

Okay, I just have to go out but I will continue this in a bit.

Rick Kaselj, MS