How to Stretch Your Piriformis...... Correctly

A while back I read an article by a young strength coach, Nick Tumminilo about how the typical figure four piriformis stretching is actually stretching more of the posterior lateral hip capsule and may lead to problems such as hip impingement. I also just listened to Nick on a strengthcoach.com podacst talking about the same subject. Nick is a smart young man and you know what? He is right.

In the supine piriformis stretch and the standing leg cradle the hip is flexed above 90 degrees, externally rotated and abducted. This is actually putting the piriformis in shortened position, not a stretched position.


"The supine piriformis stretch is not an effective stretch for the piriformis"



"You can see the hip is obviously abducted during the leg cradle"

"In the neutral hip position the force vectors of piriformis action contribute to hip abduction, extension and lateral (external) rotation. It might be assumed that the hip must flex, adduct and medially rotate to stretch piriformis, but this isn't the case. As the hip flexes, the rotation moment of piriformis changes such that by full hip flexion it becomes a medial (internal) rotator." (Travell & Simons, 1992)
"The transition point for this change in action is considered to occur at about 60 degrees of hip flexion." (Kapandji 1970, Lee 1989)

In the article, Tumminilo states that "In order to effectively stretch the piriformis as an internal rotator (above 60 degrees of hip flexion) we need to place the hip into flexion, external rotation and adduction. You will see this occur in the protocol below."

So here is the strategy that Nick is using. I have been using it and I like it a lot.



DN

A Message to Trainers And Coaches (New Year's Resolution)

My friend Jon Chaimberg has a new DVD coming out soon and in it, he has a message to trainers and coaches. The summary of his message is to practice what you preach. The message may come off harsh to some but he makes a very good point. The truth hurts sometimes.

Too often I see trainers/coaches who are fat and out of shape or are postural, distorted train wrecks that cannot show a single exercise correctly. In fact, this is actually more common then seeing a trainer who CAN demonstrate correct form. This may sound like I am being negative towards out of shape people but I am not. I think it is BS for someone in this field to be out of shape (no matter the age) and be training other people. It is also BS if a coach cannot demonstrate an exercise and expect an athlete or client to perform the exercise correctly. I have even seen trainers give exercises to their clients that they have never even done personally.

"This guy probably isn't the best choice as a trainer"


I will be the first to say that I am not the strongest, fastest, leanest or most muscular trainer on the planet....... Not even close!! But, I do workout. I am in shape. I am trying to get stronger. I am trying to get leaner. If I give a client an exercise, I have done the exercise before and I CAN do it correctly.

It is the trainers at the commercial gyms (24 hr fitness, ballys, etc, etc) and tv shows like the biggest loser that make it embarrassing to be called a personal trainer. Guys and gals in the industry........ PLEASE get educated. For the price that they are paying, you owe it to your clients. Read a book every week. Watch a DVD every week. Attend seminars as often as possible. Learn progressions. Become a member to strengthcoach.com. And last but not least...... workout, eat clean and try to better yourself.

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and say thank you to everyone that follows this blog...... It's been a great year!!

I will leave you with a great impersonation of John Madden by Frank Caliendo..... Enjoy!



DN

Got Strength?

Strength is arguably the most important physical quality a person can have and even more so for an athlete. Strength is too commonly measured only in terms of the bench press. But we need to look at strength in a more balanced approach. So the question should not only be, how much can you bench press? But also how much can you squat? How much can you deadlift? Now, in my opinion these are still traditional views of strength. I think we really need to look at unilateral strength and strength relative to your own body weight. So my question to you is:


How much can you single leg squat?
How much can you single leg deadlift?
How much can you chin or pullup? Or, can you even do a pullup?
How many pushups or inverted rows can you do with a 50 lb weight vest?



These are some of my questions of strength. I have seen many fighters surprisingly weak in these "bodyweight type" exercises (not truly bodyweight because we add external resistance like weight vests). And for the MMA guys out there, remember, the days of David versus Goliath fights are almost extinct. Nowadays you will compete against an opponent in your weight class.

DN

The Quickest Way to See a Knee Surgeon

Let me first say that Eddie Bravo's jiu-jitsu is amazing. It is second to none. This is not a bash on Eddie but more of a warning to NOT listen to his advice on flexibility. Eddie is what we would categorize as hypermobile....... Think of the far opposite of being really tight and stiff. Like BJ Penn, he is genetically like this. Following Eddie's advice may be the quickest way to see a knee surgeon. At minute 3:30 of the video he states that you not only need flexible hips but you also need flexible knees. Yes we need good hip mobility but our knees are meant to be a stable joint. Stretching the ligaments in your knees makes as much sense as having a training partner kick you in the zipper in order to callus up your groin.



This is why most people who try to play a rubber guard end up with severe knee problems.

DN

The Difference in Plyometrics vs. Pulsing: McGills Response

I recieved a question on training the pulse that I wanted to share. The question was:

How does this compare / contrast with the theories of plyometrics?

I was going to answer it myself but being the knucklehead I am, I didn't want to confuse anyone. So I emailed Stuart McGill....... Here is his reply:

"I think of a pulse orginating out of any sort of contraction. For MMA
it could be a period of isometric contraction (holding an opponent)
and then explosively pulsing to create a desired effect. It may be
simply to start relaxed and fire into motion such as a sprinters start
or superman punch for example. These are all pulses.

Plyometrics are special in that they always involve the storage and recovery of elastic energy. Thus the muscles must be tuned to do this efficiently (say
preactivated to about 25% of MVC) and then rapidly stretched. Then as
the muscles stretch back there is usually another pulse to assit with
the elastic recovery. Think of a drop jump. If the muscles are not
prestiffened there is no storage in the elastic band."

DN

Training The Pulse

Alright, alright....... I will talk a bit about the pulse. I have been getting emails asking me to talk about Stuart McGill's "pulsing" idea. To be honest, I am still playing around with it, so I will give a sample (of course I am not giving it all away!!) of what I am doing to train the pulse.

The pulse, how Stuart explained it to me, is a short contraction (pulse) followed by a relaxation phase and then another pulse. This happens in every sport and the greatest athletes in the world do this the best........ coincidence??

In baseball and golf, you will see the athlete pulse to engage the swing, relax (there must be a relaxation phase in order to get to the next pulse quickly without losing power) and then pulse again when they make contact with the ball. An MMA athlete would do the same, pulse to initiate the strike, relax and another pulse when they make contact with the poor opponents face :-)

Since we know that the greatest athletes in the world pulse the best, and if we figure out how to train for the "pulse"........ are we on the verge of making good athletes great?? Maybe!! Let's see as Stuart McGill keeps gathering the research.

The video is one exercise we are using to train the pulse. We call it a helicopter pulse. The athlete stiffens the core while swinging the converta ball overhead. We cue the athlete to pulse at 12, 6, 3 and 9 O' clock. On our 1st set we perform four to five pulses at 12 and 6 O' clock. On set two, we pulse at 3 and 9 O' clock. The ball should be light. We use a 4 lb ball for most. Pulsing at the different angles offers a very nice 3D feeling.



This is an advanced exercise. The regression would simply be the helicopter without pulsing.

DN

Featured Athlete: Pro Escobedo

On Saturday, December 6th, IPT athlete Pro Escobedo became the two time FCFF Light Heavyweight Champion defeating a previous Champion Tom Matijacic. Pro worked so hard for this fight and all of his hard work paid off. He was a poster child for showing up to a fight ready and in shape. Tom was a VERY dangerous opponent as he packs a freight train behind his punches. Pro stuck to his game plan the entire fight and never derailed. He moved efficiently, attacked at the right times and worked the cage like a Champ. As the fight went on, it was apparent that Pro was the more "in shape" of the two as he was moving just as quickly in the last round as in the first. At the end of the fight he told me he felt like he could fight another fight....... I am VERY proud of him!!

FCFF Light Heavyweight Champion Pro Escobedo


Pro working against the cage


Pro delivering a heavy right hand


DN

Are You Sure Your Hamstrings Are Tight?

Can you touch your toes? It should be a simple task, yet so many people fail the ability to simply bend over and touch their toes. First off, let be clear that bending over and touching your toes is not a stretch that I recommend but it SHOULD be something that someone CAN do. I just want to see that someone has the mobility to touch their toes. I would never use a toe touch as a repetitive stretch.

In the book Anatomy Trains, Thomas Myers talks about the different train tracks that cross through the fascial system of our bodies. What is Anatomy Trains?

- Anatomy Trains Myofascial Meridians is a revolutionary idea for understanding whole-body patterning in posture and movement. Anatomy Trains is a new map of the 'anatomy of connection' - precise fascial and myofascial links through the body that lead to new holistic strategies for identifying and resolving complex underlying problems.

This Anatomy Trains website is an on-going inquiry into the significance of form and shape - how we make patterns, and the limits of change and development with new 'in-form-ation'. From the individual cell to the social and cultural context, we are interested in morphogenesis, as well as morphostasis and morphokinesis - how we get stuck, and how we mature and grow out of such restrictions. (This is from the Anatomy Trains website). -

One of these "train tracks" that Myers refers to as the Superficial Back Line (SBL), runs from the bottom of the foot up the back side of the body and attaches to the top of the skull. Don't believe it?? Try this........

Perform a toe touch. Take note as to how far you get. Now roll the bottom of your foot with a tennis ball or lacrosse ball for 1-2 minutes each side.



Now try touching your toes again. What the majority of you just noticed is a significant increase in your range of motion. Pretty cool huh? You didn't even stretch your hamstrings.......... It's like magic!! :-)

Add that to your bag of cool party tricks.

DN

Glute Amnesia Gives New Meaning to Lazy Ass

Look, the glutes are the biggest, most powerful muscle in our bodies. Yet nearly every time I see a new client, I see the same limiting factor.......Their ass is asleep!! Glute amnesia can lead to so many different things. Think about it. If the biggest muscle in your body is not doing its job, don't you think something is going to go wrong? Here is a quick list of things that glute amnesia can cause:

1. Low back pain
2. Knee Pain
3. Pulled/Strained hamstrings
4. Anterior hip pain

Yes, this is a quick list......their is more!!

If you suffer from one of these (or even if you don't), it should be a priority that you perform some glute activation drills prior to your workout. Some of our favorites are:

Miniband Walk (around the toes)

This is one that Stuart McGill recently showed me. He said it had a much higher EMG reading than the other miniband walks because having the band around the toes adds an external rotation component along with the abduction. When you try it, you will see (or feel).

Cook Hip Lift

This is a great one but is sometimes to advanced for individuals with hamstring dominance. For those with hamstring dominance, try the next one.

Glute Bridge w/ reciprocal inhibition

This is another one from Stu McGill. I use this for the worst cases of hamstring dominance. Imagine trying to push your heels across the floor by engaging your quads. This will relax the hamstrings and you will fell more glute activation. I prefer to have the client push their feet into me so that I get some feedback, at the same time I feel the hamstrings to make sure they are not firing.

DN

Time to get a squat rack

This is just funny.......REALLY FUNNY!!



DN

Corrective Exercise: A missing link in MMA

MMA guys, along with most combative sports, walk around with Neanderthal like posture. Because we try to have hunch back posture (shoulders elevated and rounded, chin tucked, rounded upper back) when we box and kick box, we should pay extra attention to our posture outside of training. Having performed the Functional Movement Screen on a lot of MMA and BJJ athletes, I have seen many common limiting factors. Many of these being in the thoracic spine and glenohumeral area.
Other commonalities I have seen with these athletes include:

Poor ankle mobility
Weak hip stabilizers along with poor hip mobility
Poor core/rotary stability
Poor scapular stability
Poor shoulder mobility (commonly a problem because of the mobility problems in the thoracic spine)

Let's face it. The demands of our sport are vicious at times (and some of us aren't as young as we once were). It is in our body's best interest to stay healthy. There is a reason why your shoulder keeps hurting, why your low back keeps hurting and why that left knee keeps irritating you. Take some time to learn some corrective exercises that are for you and then take the time to apply them. Oh yeah, and stop playing rubber guard! Unless you are already hyper-mobile like Eddie Bravo or BJ Penn, stay away from the rubber guard. Your knees will thank you.

DN