I have recently been working on Girevoy sport lifts which require high volume kettlebell lifts. Working high repetitions of any exercise requires specific focus on recovery. Think of recovery as more than just taking time off, but including joint mobility exercises. Moving the body in specific fashion helps move nutrients in and waste out which speeds healing.
One of the areas I feel the GS lifts is in my shoulders and one of my favorite series of shoulder mobility drills is the “Tea Cup” movements from the Baguazhang internal martial arts. Steve Cotter does a brilliant job of explaining the “Tea Cup” exercises in the following videos.
Active recovery is all the rage right now and one of the best tools to use are light weight clubs or Indian Clubs. Just because it is popular now doesn’t mean that it is new so here is a classic club twirling video, a collection of quotes for light club work, and an updated take on the benefits of club swinging. Take a step into the time warp…
“… besides the great recommendation of simplicity, the Indian Club practice possesses the essential practice of expanding the chest and exercising everymuscle in the body concurrently.” –Indian Club Exercises, by E.B. Warman (1921)
“The effect of these exercises, when performed with light clubs, is chiefly a neural one, hence they are primary factors in the development of grace, coordination and rhythm. As they tend to supple the muscles and articulation of the shoulders and to the upper and fore arms and wrist, they are indicated in cases where there is a tendency toward what is ordinarily known as “muscle bound.” – The United States Army Manual of Physical Training(1914)
“[Indian Clubs] cultivate patience and endurance, and operate most happily upon the longitudinalmuscle of the back and shoulders, thus tending to correct the habit of stooping.” — The New Gymnastics for Men, Women and Children by Dio Lewis (1867)
“The club exercise will do much to develop the proper outlines of the shoulders back and waist. The man who uses the clubs diligently will never need to have his coats “built out” on the shoulder or padded on the front and rear.” — Indian Clubs by C.R. Treat (1869)
“Indian club exercises have of late years become one of the most universal methods of developing the muscular anatomy of the human body. Schools, colleges and even theological seminaries have adopted their use in their respective institutions with the most beneficial results. For keeping the body in a healthy and vigorous condition there has as yet been nothing invented, which for its simplicityand gracefulness can be favorably compared with the Indian Club exercise.” — Indian Clubs and Other Exercises by M. Bornstein (1889)
What was old is now made new!
Check out Scott Sonnon explaining the areas of the body engaged by club swinging.
The recent surge in popularity of Indian Clubsrepresents the current focus on martial arts and restorative practices. The clubs traveled east from India and Persia through Europe and finally to the U.S. in the mid-1800′s. The history of club swing is a fascinating story and worth its own post, but not the purpose of this post instead we are going to look at an awesome lower body routine.
I first stumbled across Indian Clubs which led me to the present day equivalent, the Clubbell. Scott Sonnon is one of today’s most innovative fitness experts and the creator of the Clubbell. I came across his work in my search for fitness regimens that combine active recovery. He just posted “The Ultimate 16 Minute Leg and Glute Workout” (check out the full post here). This series of 4 exercises relies on the principle of “time under tension” (principle of tensgrity) which gives the time to stimulate muscle growth. Coach Sonnon gives the example of bicep curls in that there is a rest period at the top and bottom of the movement versus constant tension with swinging.
Coach Sonnon’s solution based on current science in bio-mechanics is swinging weight! The weight pulls away from you as you swing thus creating continuous time under tension. And even better, once you get good at the technique, you don’t even need to add weight, because if you swing twice as fast, you produce 4 times the tension! Swinging gives exponentially more benefit to your muscles!
Here is Coach Sonnon’s 16 Minute Workout that shows you how to sculpt a great lower body for fitness using the modern version of this ancient tool: the Clubbell. If you want strong, functional legs which look and feel great, then use this workout 1-2 times per week for 3 weeks.
Here’s Coach Sonnon’s swinging weight “for time” routine. I have included links to the YouTube videos for each exercise, but you can go to the original post which has all four videos embedded.
The Ultimate 16 Minute Leg and Glute Workout
Look at the clock and start swinging at the top of the minute.
Begin with your 1st exercise (See the Front Rock-It Video Below) and swing for 20 seconds continuous with no pause.
As soon as the 20 seconds ends, park your Clubbells and shake out your legs for 10 seconds.
When the second hand hits half way through the minute (at 30 seconds in), then do another set for 20 seconds.
Stop (at 50 seconds through the minute), and shake out your legs again for 10 seconds.
So that was 1 total minute completed. Do that for 3 more minutes, 2 sets per minute of 20 seconds of swinging followed by 10 seconds of shaking it out.
At the end, you’ve completed 8 total sets (of 20 seconds) over 4 total minutes.
Take a 60 seconds break, while you get ready for the next exercise.
Then, move on to the 2nd exercise (See the Basic Swing Video Below) and do another 4 total minutes: 8 sets of 20 seconds of exercise with 10 seconds shake-out between sets.
Take another 60 seconds break.
Then, the 3rd exercise (See the Side Rock-It Video Below); 4 minutes (8 sets of 20/10).
60 seconds break.
Finally, the 4th exercise (See the Side Swing Video Below); 4 minutes (8 sets of 20/10).
Extra Hint: Remember to alternate sides (right side then left side) when you’re performing the Side Rock-It and Side Swing, so you’re doing 4 sets right side and 4 sets left side total.
BONUS BENEFIT! The awesome virtue of this workout is that it not only makes your muscles stronger and more beautiful, it’s also scientifically-based on the best fat-burning formula ever discovered (called the “Tabata Protocol.”) So, get into the swing and not only will you increase outrageous muscle tone, but you’ll become a fat-burning furnace!!!
Every evening I work through a series of poses to unwind from the day and I finish the series with my favorite pose, Halasana (Plow Pose). The name Halasana comes from the form of the pose which looks like an Indian plow. The plow carries symbolic meaning in traditional Chinese, Indian, and Tibetan stories. The common theme in these stories describe the plow as a powerful tool for revealing hidden treasures.
The reason I incorporate plow pose into my practice is the rejuvenative benefit to the whole body. The body’s natural relaxation processes are activated by pacifying the nerves, soothing the brain and heart, and regulating the breath. Plow pose helps nourish the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spine by increasing circulation and suppleness, releases tension in the neck and throat, alleviates the accumulation of phlegm or mucus in the sinuses and respiratory system, and gradually assists in lengthening and regulating the breath.
Halasana has a calming, restorative effect on the sympathetic nervous system. It also assists in balancing the glandular secretions adrenaline and thyroxin, while also improving the elimination of toxins in the digestive and urinary tracts. Those with a tendency toward high blood pressure may find relief from hypertension in the pose. In the inverted position of Plow Pose, the brain is flushed with blood, promoting mental clarity and increased vitality.
You start the pose by lying on your back. On the inhalation bring your legs straight up while keeping your spine flat on the floor. Then on the exhalation continue the movement by pulling your stomach inward, lift your legs over your head while bring your hips off the floor. As you are able to relax deeper into the pose you will eventually touch your toes to the floor. Focus on your breathing. Traditionally this pose is held for ten breaths. To come out of this pose start by bending your knees and roll down one verterbrae at a time until the whole back of your body is on the floor. Counter the stretch with a light back bend such as Fish pose.
As you practice Halasana and cultivate this understanding, you will notice an increased level of vitality and health within all the body’s systems.
In a previous post I mentioned that I developed iliotibial band syndrome while training for a half marathon.I found an awesome recovery tool, foam rolling.The actual name for foam rolling is Self myofascial release techniques (SMRT).SMRT comes to us from adapting myofascial models which first appeared in Osteopathic literature of the 1950′s. A number of alternative therapies such as Rolfing or connective tissue massage use the same concept. You will not find many articles in peer reviewed literature outside of the Osteopathic literature, but this has not stopped SMRT to catch on in the fitness community (you can even find foam rollers at Target).
Both traditional and alternative therapists attribute a laundry list of benefits to myofascial release.SMRT’s benefit to exercise recovery can not be denied whether you believe the claims or not.I want to give you an overview of what SMRT is before I point you in the direction of the foam rolling exercises.To help understand the concept of myofascial release I will first give you a definition fascia and trigger points.
Fascia falls under the category of connective tissue.It is like a mesh spider web that surrounds muscles, bones and joints and gives support and protection to the body. Three layers of fascia make up this dense connective tissue (the superficial fascia, the deep fascia and the subserous fascia). Mainstream thought sees fascia playing a passive role in the body, but new evidence is starting to suggest it has smooth muscle like ability to influence musculoskeletal interactions.Whether this is confirmed by future research does not change the trigger points from occurring in dense connective tissue.
Trigger points have been defined as areas of muscle that are painful to palpation and are characterized by the presence of taut bands. They can occur in muscle, the muscle-tendon junctions, bursa, or fat pad. Inelastic scar tissue can replace healthy fascia if inflammation combined with trigger points remain long enough.This thought process shows us how trigger points may lead to a variety of sports injuries – from cramps to more serious muscle and tendon tears (such as ITBS). The theory, which seems plausible, is that trigger points compromise the tissue structure in which they are located, placing a greater strain on other tissues that must compensate for its weakness. These in turn can break down and so the spiral continues.According to many therapists, trigger points in the fascia can restrict or alter the motion about a joint resulting in a change of normal neural feedback to the central nervous system. Eventually, the neuromuscular system becomes less efficient, leading to premature fatigue, chronic pain and injury and less efficient motor skill performance. The list of proposed causes includes acute physical trauma, poor posture or movement mechanics, over training, inadequate rest between training sessions and possibly even nutritional factors.
Self myofascial release is a relatively simple technique that athletes can use to alleviate trigger points. Studies have shown myofascial release to be an effective treatment modality for myofascial pain syndrome, although most studies have focused on therapist-based rather than self-based treatment.By performing SMRT techniques on a simple piece of foam, you can improve flexibility, function, performance, and reduce injuries. Basically you use your own body weight to roll on the round foam roll, massaging away restrictions to normal soft-tissue flexibility.Check out this article on Runner’s World that started my foam rolling journey.Also here is a good YouTube video demonstrating some of the techniques.
Follow this link, if you would like a more in depth explanation/demonstration.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
Hold each position 1-2 minutes for each side.If you feel pain, stop rolling andRESTon the painful areas for 30-45 seconds.Continuing to roll when pain is present activates the muscle spindles, causing increased tightness and pain.
Remember to maintain proper Draw-In Position, which provides stability to the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex during rolling.SMRT can be performed 1-2 times daily.
When choosing a foam roll, product density is very important. If the foam is too soft, less than adequate tissue massage is applied. On the other hand, if the foam is too hard, bruising and more advanced soft-tissue trauma may occur, leading to further restriction, initiation of the inflammatory process, decreased range of motion, pain, and decreased performance.
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