Tag Archives: yoga tune up

The Quidditch Match

This mobility piece is inspired by Harry Potter. What better way to mobilize your scary bits than with a ride on the old broomstick? For my friends in Canada and the US with tight hips, this is a great way to address those parts that often don’t get addressed. Getting up high into the hamstring and adductor attachment points is a great way to free up some range of motion in the hips. Give it a try. I am using a barbell on a squat rack with a yoga mat rolled around it. You can do this with a plain barbell or try to get at those places on the floor with a ball or roller. I find this way works much better.

The Quidditch Match from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Hip Helpers

I got a request from a friend in Canada that has some hip mobility issues. She is missing some range in abduction and external rotation. My first thought is to address the soft tissues and see if we can make some change in her range of motion that way. This video addresses the muscles of the glutes and external rotators. I am using a Yoga Tune Up® Alpha Ball.

Basic Butt Roll from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Treat While You Train DVD Set Review

“Treat While You Train” DVD Set Review
Starring: Jill Miller and Kelly Starrett

If you ask Jill Miller and Kelly Starrett they will tell you that every person should be able to perform basic maintenance on themselves. Just like you brush and floss your teeth everyday to take care of your oral hygiene, you should roll, floss, stretch, mobilize and stabilize your muscles, joints and soft tissues to optimize your physical health and performance.

TWYT_DVD_Front_Web

If you have not visited Jill Miller’s Yoga Tune Up® website or Kelly Starrett’s mobilitywod® website, then you are behind the times. You absolutely must go and immerse yourself in this world because there is so much vital information there to help you with not only your aches and pains, but your performance and posture as well.

However, the downside to websites and youtube videos is that they are relatively short and cursory in their details. That is why someone that wants to go in depth and learn more has to buy books or DVDs to get more information and knowledge.

Enter the “Treat While You Train” self-care DVD. This 2-DVD set is a must have in your reference library. Jill and Kelly go step-by-step through the body and show you powerful and effective ball rolling techniques to address the 3 Ps: eradicate Pain, improve Posture and enhance Performance. Along the journey they drop a lot of knowledge on you about how the body functions and how to live, breathe and move optimally. You can purchase the full “Treat While You Train Self-Care Kit” where you get the DVDs and 6 Yoga Tune Up balls of varying sizes ($79.95) so that you can do all the exercises on the video. You can also just purchase the DVDs separately ($34.95) if you already have the Yoga Tune Up balls.

TWYT-Full-Kit-CompositionAs someone that already watches a lot of these videos and teaches these techniques, this DVD set is a valuable reference source for me. If I am asked about how to treat a certain area or I am looking for ideas for my next class, I can quickly pop in the DVD and watch a section to get some ideas. For the general practitioner, the DVD is well-organized and thorough and extremely easy to follow. The DVD is visually stunning and the quality of the recording is great. The best part is that they utilized a clear glass wall and table for the demonstrators to demonstrate on to be able to show the viewer exactly where the balls go. This increases the likelihood of doing the techniques properly and getting the best results. Another wonderful thing about this DVD is that they work from broad to specific and show you basic self-massage techniques that you can use anywhere and then apply the techniques to specific areas of the body. So if you are like me and think in big pictures, having some basic guidelines for you to improvise with will serve you well. If you are the more recipe-oriented type, then you can learn each technique on each body part. Either way it is a win!

The best part of this DVD is that you can do it at home at your own pace. I know in the class and workshop environment where I often teach, it is difficult to allow people enough time to fully explore all these techniques to optimal effect. With this DVD set you can bring the high quality instruction home with you and take your time exploring these techniques at your leisure. The goal is to educate and empower you, the end user, to treat yourself. The only way to do that is if you take the time to explore and learn your own body. Practicing along with these DVDs will allow you to find your own body blind spots and map the areas of your body that need attention. You don’t have to be perfect, but you have to practice. Get the Treat While You Train DVDs and let the treatment be a treat for your whole body.

Forearm Blast: Part 4

Grip strength is important to health and fitness and if the tissues in your forearms are knotted up, then it will impact the ability of those muscles to fire properly. I have been doing Ido Portal’s 7 Minute Hang Challenge and it’s been kicking my butt. Without these Yoga Tune Up® therapy ball exercises, I would not be able to function.

See also:
Forearm Blast
Forearm Blast: Part 2
Forearm Blast: Part 3

Forearm Blast: Part 4 from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Forearm Blast: Part 3

The small joints of the body can take some of the most abuse in our training. If you are spending time lifting overhead or walking on your hands, then your wrists and forearms can get overused and abused. Make sure you do some of these simple strengthening exercises for your wrists to keep them strong.

Go to Forearm Blast: Part 2 for some good warmup stretches for the wrists. Then check out Forearm Blast for some more great wrist exercises.

Forearm Blast: Part 3 from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Schmeariformis

A big shout out to Brick New York for hosting me today.

Your butt is the big engine that drives the machine. Nestled deep below the glutes are six muscles that are responsible for external rotation, the most famous of which is the piriformis. This quick mobility piece will help you bring some relief to the piriformis by schmearing it with the Yoga Tune Up® ball. Test your air squat before and after and feel the difference.

Schmeariformis from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Lower Back Attack

I spent the morning at Brick New York coaching and working out and found a few minutes to record a couple of videos.

Most people I meet want to know how to bring relief to their lower backs. The lower back can be the nexus for a lot of pain and tension due to myriad reasons: poor mechanics, over use, under use, fatigue, poor proprioception, as well tissue dysfunction. Going after the Quadratus Lumborum with a Yoga Tune Up® Alpha ball is a great place to start. This is one of those areas that can be quite tender so if the pressure is too much try to do this standing at the wall with the Alpha ball. Test and retest your forward bend before and after to see if you have increased range of motion.

Lower Back Attack from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Trapper Keeper

Most of us suffer from tight, sore shoulders. The trapezius muscle on the top of the shoulder often does the lion’s share of the work for the upper body and consequently holds a lot of tension. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get a shoulder massage everyday? All you need is a Yoga Tune Up® ball and a door jam and five minutes to give yourself a luxurious shoulder rub. Test and re-test your overhead position before and after trying this.

Thanks to Brick New York for hosting me today.

Trapper Keeper from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Hip Helper

Have you been squatting so much that your hips hurt?  Here’s a quick fix for you. This mobility piece will work on your gluteus medius, your tensor fasciae latae and the upper attachment of your rectus femuris. These three muscles can get really tight and aggravated from lots of sitting and squatting.  A good massage with a Yoga Tune Up balls should relieve some tension. Give it a try.  I am using a Yoga Tune Up® Alpha ball but you can also use a Super Nova from mobilitywod.

Here are some tips:

  • Use a bigger ball or at least elevate your ball on a yoga block to get the right spot.
  • Breathe deeply as this can get uncomfortable.
  • Test and re-test with an air squat.

 

Hip Helper from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Foot Fix

Have you been on your feet all day? Have you been running, doing box jumps and double unders? Do you have plantar fasciitis? Do your feet just plain hurt? It turns out that we hold a lot of tension in our feet.  We stand on them all day and we keep them bound up in socks and shoes which restrict their natural movement.  Restoring movement in the foot and massaging the plantar fascia can relieve pain and increase range of motion upstream in the ankles, knees and hips.

Kick off your shoes and socks and let’s roll it out. All you need is a Yoga Tune Up® ball and some bare feet. You can do this standing up or sitting down. Any time. Any where. Five minutes a day can make a huge difference.

Some tips:

  • Lean on a wall or table for support and balance.
  • If you are sitting down, use your other foot to add more weight and pressure to the foot you are rolling.
  • Back off on the pressure if it hurts.
  • Spend at least 2 minutes on each foot.
  • Check in with a forward bend before and after to see if your range of motion increases. It’s okay if there is no change, you will still have received a benefit.

Foot Fix with YTU Balls from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.