NaterMania

Hi Josh!

That inlocate was realy nice! Tried one this morning and was not close to it. What prereqs did you do to get there?

Thanks!

Thanks! I am starting a thread in Graduate Studies on this.

Joshua Naterman said:

FWpCC2j8Ceg

youre legendary man!!! I actually used one of your old routines as a template for my own training. very inspirational!!

Crushed by 22 hollow rocks.

PE1 exercises are going well so far.

My back apparently doesn't work properly in XR support lol... ah well. Can't have everything. Could be uneven rings as well, since they are in fact uneven.

Just discovered that a 0.8-ish inch lift under my heels gives me perfect front squat form. How about that.

Amazing what a bit of lift can do. Also useful when teaching pistols, the gradually take it away.

I'm hoping the number you just stumbled upon and was not some crazy experiment to find perfect height lol

Nic Branson said:

Amazing what a bit of lift can do. Also useful when teaching pistols, the gradually take it away.

I'm hoping the number you just stumbled upon and was not some crazy experiment to find perfect height lol

No, random weight plates hahaha! my 5 kg plates actually.

Although... I am thinking about designs where I can periodically strip away 1/32 of an inch every month or so Just to try and slowly work actual ROM into my ankles. It may not ever work, I mean my ankles are just unrealistically tight and my calves are very, very strong.

Any ideas on how to accomplish a ROM with these issues are welcome All I've got is single leg downward dog plantar/dorsiflexion. That's the only thing that seems to do anything for me, but no permanent ROM increases. Of course I'm not terribly consistent with it either.

Edit: I will probably never actually make such a platform, but it's fun to think about. Wouldn't be very difficult, really, but... I have other things to do.

Hope things are going well up there Nic!

Joshua Naterman said:

Although... I am thinking about designs where I can periodically strip away 1/32 of an inch every month or so Just to try and slowly work actual ROM into my ankles. It may not ever work, I mean my ankles are just unrealistically tight and my calves are very, very strong.

Any ideas on how to accomplish a ROM with these issues are welcome All I've got is single leg downward dog plantar/dorsiflexion. That's the only thing that seems to do anything for me, but no permanent ROM increases. Of course I'm not terribly consistent with it either.

Would weighted calf raises off the edge of a step increase it. I find myself doing this without weights and I can get my heel down pretty far before I pull back up on the ball of my foot.

Not sure, I'll have to try them and see how they feel. Thanks! It's always the simple things I forget.

I am pretty much sticking with the PE1 exercises, along with bent leg L sit (first progression), some unilateral straight-leg hip flexion active work while seated (gives major cramps right now) for beginning compression work, wall handstands, and a slight variation of the hang PE1's where I move slowly from hollow to arched and back repeatedly. This feels very, very good. I got it from a tap swing video as it is apparently a drill to teach the actual shape change at the bottom of the swing that powers your movement.

I am also doing the very first ring swing prep element (at least as far as I know), which is just a nice dead hang with a repetitive, controlled partial inlocate. I don't recommend anyone screw around with that unless you know for sure you're ok, and don't push your limits. Take it easy... ring swings (and even the beginning prep work) are very hard on the shoulders. It will take a long time for us bigger people (adults in general) to build up a swing.

I just do these as part of PE1 hangs.

Hollow rocks are still difficult, I get mid 20-s with good form and a very open hollow.

Handstand is progressing, it's a good thing I have Daniel to correct me when I start twisting (as I apparently do when I first get up into the handstand) because it really makes a difference. I feel both sides working equally which means my right traps get tired quick! This is improving on a weekly basis, which is nice. I know I'm doing it right when that whole diamond (upper, mid, lower traps) feels tired and pumped after a wall handstand. Also getting some middle deltoid growth from this.

Slow lateral raises with 20 lb dumbbells are now a joke.

It's kind of freaky how much this super beginner work helps, even for the short time I've been back in training.

My local chiro store sell gradulated heel lifts, if that's what you're referring to? Typically used for leg length differences.

The cheap ones are cork but adequate for your needs. Probably available online if not locally.

I've used traditional stretches for the calf-achilles complex for years with little improvement...

Just a thought but could dorsiflexing without external pressure - just using the muscles on their own and holding like 20-30 secs - possibly be effective? It might help build up the strength needed to stabilze the foot with a more flexible ankle. Or not?

It feels good anyway!

I've put up an ankle mobility drill a few times I would have ya warm up with. See about finding it again here.

I've known some people who just could only go so far with ankle mobility. I wish could say there is a way of knowing or not without first putting in the work and seeing if there are improvements.

For calfs, my favourite is regular down dog, but there is a trick to it. As you lower the heels you also have to drive the hips back, they normally drop forward as the heels come down. You also will really tighten the quads to open the backs of the knees.

The best way I've found to really concentrate on the calfs is to do it starting with the heels on a wall. Drive hips, open knees, then relax a bit a slip the heels down a bit, keeping them wedged in. Drive hip etc, if possible getting all the way to the floor.

In down dog you can see your ankles, use that to your advantage, don't let them collapse, see the wrinkles on the outer ankle, take them out.

The absolute best way to do it, if you have a way to set it up, is with a pelvic swing. If you ever have one, it will become one of your favourite restorative tools. To heck with foam rollers.

Hey Joshua,

I've been meaning to ask you some questions related to calves/lower legs.

1. Have you been able to keep up with your rope-jumping and straight leg bounces?

2. Have you been able to increase your vertical jump in the last several months? I ask because I remember some time back that you were incorporating and gradually increasing the volume and intensity of straight leg work because you believed this to be a major area of deficiency in some people's power training.

3. You said that with the foot/arch/toe/ankle exercises that you were doing, along with eventually natural running and jumping rope, that you completely fixed either your flat feet or falling arches (can't remember which exactly). How long in months or years did it take you to completely fix this dysfunction and train your feet to stay and work in a good position/s without thinking about it? I'm curious because in my case I know friends who have this issue (fallen arches/collapsed foot and ankle/internally rotated lower leg bones/everted feet/pronated ankles/dorsiflexed metatarsals) and and have worked for several months now doing exercises like have been mentioned on the forum with the addition of barefoot running and sprinting, jumping, rope-jumping, etc. These people have an arch (albeit not always super arched) when no loading is present, but as soon as weight is placed on the foot when standing, squatting, running, whatever their entire lower leg/foot/ankle/ all the way up to the hip just collapses and is not stable.

How long does it take with proper training for someone to get to the point where they have good/strong/powerful arches all the time, whether it be non-weight bearing or full load, without having to think; "Hey, I need to get myself and my feet in a good position."? Is this something that takes nine months to a year? Or does it take more like two to three years for complete reprogramming to the point where the athlete never even has to think about positioning for a strong arch, it's just part of their movement?

Any advice on something like this would be great as you have an incredible and ever-increasing knowledge of the human body AND you have personal experience with this. I know it can be fixed completely, I just don't know how long to tell people it will take in their individual situation and what specific things they need to work on the most for the fastest and most permanent results.

Cody Hahn

Cody: It can take years. It takes a long time for people to regain functional capacity in body parts that are completely immobilized, but come methods like muscle activation technique can help people learn to USE the muscles that are turned "off" so that they can strengthen them faster.

For me, personally, it probably took 3 years to truly be 100% solid. I found that some of the best work I did was just run/walks in the Vibrams 2-3 days per week.

Kit Laughlin's exercises are also excellent, and there is a device on the market that is a spring-loaded toe-curl machine to work some of the intrinsic foot muscles.

You can do all the muscle strength work you like, but if it isn't paired with a program that actually teaches proper movement and recruitment as well then that strength won't help very much.

It sounds to me like you're trying to treat people without having the proper background. You should start off with that if you really want to help people.

i think that you log is an encyclopedia of knowledge!!!!!!

alex87 said:

i think that you log is an encyclopedia of knowledge!!!!!!

Hahaha thanks alex!

Hey Joshua,

Thanks for the advice and help. You are absolutely right about me not having the proper background. I don't have it yet. I want it. I will get it. Eventually.

Cody Hahn

Cody H said:

Hey Joshua,

Thanks for the advice and help. You are absolutely right about me not having the proper background. I don't have it yet. I want it. I will get it. Eventually.

Cody Hahn

You will, I am on that journey myself.

In fact, even when I AM a physiatrist I will still tell people that they need to go to their own local specialist, because I may be A doctor but I am not THEIR doctor. I don't have their records, and I don't have access to them to do a proper examination, so while I will be able to pass on tons of invaluable information it will still be necessary for them to actually see someone in person for their own safety.

That will always be a prominent message in my books.

Keep learning my friend!

Joshua,

About your ankle/soleus mobility problems, Kit Laughlin actually has a post on his forum covering some tactics for addressing this. Go to his forum, and then look for "Super-duper ankle soleus flexibility routine." You may already be doing much of what is in this post, but then again it might present some new ideas. I for one, have never thought of externally rotating from both the ankle/foot AND the femur/hip at the same time while doing ankle/calf stretches. I am going to play with this. Just thought I'd let you know about this in case you need some help. I am saving up some money as I can because I want to get my hands on some of Kit's materials as soon as possible.

Cody Hahn

Thanks Cody!

Well, my shoulder is loosening up and I am learning to move it more correctly, and this is exposing some interesting weaknesses.

I am currently doing sets of 8-16 push ups at a 45-55 degree incline

I can feel weak spots in the front of the shoulder when I move correctly, as well as much more fatigue in the scapular and scapulothoracic musculature of the right shoulder. Left side doesn't feel anything at all hardly when the right side is just totally done.

Good stuff, it feels like there's going to be a long "from the ground up" rebuilding of the right shoulder that's actually going to go somewhere I'll have to see how things progress over the rest of this year before I know too much about that.

Doing high rep reverse curls to shoulder W, supraspinatus raises, more specific internal and external SITS rotation work, and some top of pull up holds along with higher rep assisted pull ups that allow me to move completely correctly with the arched position. Very difficult for my external rotators on the right side, left side is just WAAAAY stronger and doesn't even care with bodyweight.

I do those after my PE1's are all done.

So I decided to get objective data on my rotator cuff muscles. Supraspinatus is a bit weaker on the right but infraspinatus... is almost not even there.

What I mean by that is this:

I could barely do 4 proper reps with 10 lbs on the freemotion cable with the right arm. By comparison, the left arm did about 25 reps. Whoa.

It was hard to do 10 proper reps with 5 lbs. What a mess.

I did good work, and I am finding that the assisted pull up machine helps with some specific pull up work for arched pull ups.

I have no idea why my rotators are so weak on the right side, it's pretty unreal.

This definitely affects my entire scapular musculature, as I notice how form changes when the shoulder gets tired during wall handstands and planks.

Keep at it. Check your left hip compared to the right, both strength and mobility.