“All-round sports training must include the capability of coping with unexpected and sub-optimal conditions”– Mel Siff, PHD author of Supertraining
In a recent post, Are You Practicing Wrong, I covered why I think the idea of “perfect practice” is utter nonsense when it comes to training yourself how to improve at pretty much any skill. In this post, I’d like to take it a step further and talk about how crucial Imperfect Training is to your overall development as a warrior. Continue reading
Four weeks ago I injured my ankle. The diagnosis? Peroneal tendonitis. Walking was painful. Squating was painful. Lunging was out of the question. Heck, even balancing on my injured foot hurt. Continue reading
Several years ago, back in about 2004, I severely injured my neck. At the time it happened, it didn’t feel too bad. I thought it was something I would just shake off and keep going. However, when I woke up the following morning, I realized I was in severe pain and couldn’t move my neck.
After panic subsided and I managed to crawl out of bed into a hot shower, I figured the warm water would loosen it up and I’d be fine. The hot water provided some initial relief, which allowed me to begin to move slightly, but not by much.
Fast forward to later that day at the doctor’s office. She examined my neck, checked my range of motion (which was non-existent!) and then prescribed muscle relaxants and talked about surgery.
Surgery?
Drugs?
Ummm… no thank you!
Back at home, lying in my bed feeling sorry for myself, I began to think about how I could start to help myself and heal my own neck. I began to work on mobility far from the source of my pain. Starting with the fingers and hands, I worked my way up my arms and into the elbows. Since this felt okay, I tried the shoulders. That hurt. So I backed off. Again and again just working shallow range of motion on the rest of my body until I could reach, and begin to move the neck. Each time I was able to do a little more, go a bit farther.
When I was finally able to work into my neck, these are the exercises I did:
This was not an instantaneous process by far, but gradually, bit by bit, day by day, and week by week, I was able to increase the range of motion and decrease the pain. Eventually, I was able to completely restore the full, pain free mobility back to my entire body.
In the video above, I also mention some breathing exercises I did along with mobility to help heal myself. The main exercise is quite simple, yet extraordinarily powerful. Using your mind to locate the source of pain, inhale directly into the pain. Visualize the breath bringing healing energy into the area. Then exhale from the pain. Visualize your breath pulling the pain out of the body and expelling it. Repeat until you feel the pain begin to decrease and the area feel warm and energized.
If you would like to learn more about healing yourself with mobility, breathing and posture, I highly recommend you check out:
In an effort to provide you, my dear readers, with the best information out there on strength, health, fitness, and martial arts, I am interviewing top coaches, professionals, martial arts masters, and ordinary people who do extraordinary things. Continue reading
For months now people have been asking me to implement a Kick Boxing program at Warrior Fitness Gym. I’ve been resisting the pressure mainly due to one important factor – I hate kick boxing. 🙂
Allow me to clarify. I hate what real kick boxing has devolved into, the dreaded “cardio” kick boxing. To me, cardio kick boxing is almost worse than Zumba as far as fitness goes. Continue reading
In everyday matters joint mobility also saves the day. If for some reason you sleep with a craned neck and you wake up with neck pain you can easily and quickly get rid of it or reduce it significantly before you even head out to work by doing joint mobility. I have done so on various occasions and believe me that it is better to work with a “little nagging pain” that goes away that day than endure the day with the kind of pain that makes you think about taking a pain killer or that seriously interferes with your quality of life.
Joint mobility also PROTECTS you by giving you a resilient body that can handle training mistakes a lot better. As an example I was in Cartagena, Colombia, (yes, the same city where the Secret Service got in trouble) with the Navy and I woke up early to do incline sprints on the 300 year old walled city. The particular incline I chose was made of cobblestones and had holes in it. On my second sprint up this incline I completely twisted my ankle 90 degrees. Because I had already warmed up my ankle to FULL mobility I was able to finish the sprint, and more importantly FINISH my workout like nothing had happened. In fact, when I came down to do another set of sprints after I twisted my ankle a local came to me and said to me in Spanish “I saw what had happened to your ankle” somewhat concerned for my ability to safely walk on back to the hotel. I simply laughed, shrugged it off, thanked him for his concern and FINISHED my work out by doing FOUR more sets of sprints. I know for a fact that if the same thing had happened to me in my college days I would have been done for, because the same thing DID happen to me when I was in track and field and it took three weeks to heal!
Joint mobility has also helped me with my wife. She had a case of vertigo a year ago and I taught her joint mobility, as the medicines the doctor gave her only made her feel worse. The joint mobility (and acupuncture I gave her) where the keys to her recovery. To this day she does the neck series everyday as a preventative and feels great every time she does it.
As I mentioned in my previous article, many of my friends I teach these drills comment on how their lower backs loosen up and become pain-free after the mobility series. In fact, it was at the prodding of these friends that I decided to do my FULL mobility DVD, because they wanted something they could study in their homes after I left.
Now, in the first article I mentioned my father’s statement of “If you do something everyday, then everyday you will be able to do it.” Every morning I go through my routine and establish full mobility in every joint. I easily touch my wrists to the ground every morning. Now I ask you, if I establish full mobility every morning and touch my wrists to the floor easily and gracefully every morning, am I going to have full mobility and easily touch my wrists to the floor at 100 years of age? The answers is ABSOLUTELY YES! All I have to do is keep doing my FULL mobility routine every morning.
I have been practicing joint mobility for five years now ever since I had the epiphany with my healed ankle. I have been studying, incorporating, experimenting and refining my routine based on the works and/or my personal interaction with Pavel, Steve Maxwell, Scott Sonnon, Navy kinesiologists, Chek Practitioners, Z-Health, Mike Mahler, Chuck Habbaken, Bud Jeffries and others.
If you want to get your hands on the best mobility training out there and the EXACT one I have used to heal myself multiple times from the injuries sustained through training and life then click in the link below:
As an added bonus I am including a FREE BONUS which is my SECRET stretching routine to open up the hip and lengthen the spine which I found are the keys to maximizing my Qigong practice (which would be the second thing I most recommend for longevity).Done together the joint mobility and stretches can be knocked out in under 26 minutes, yet your health and quality of life will expand to new and greater levels that will seem like a 1000% return on your investment.
Another bonus is a makeshift mobility test that you can do to gage whether you are at a Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 joint mobility. If you train others you can also use it to gage where your clients are at and to monitor their progress over time.
So order this DVD now and try it for yourself. I know that you will feel immediately freer and open, even diminishing or completely getting rid off nagging pain if you are carrying any, at the end of the instructional session. That is right, I am saying that after going through the instructional part just ONCE you will feel an immediate improvement in your mobility! Commit to doing it everyday and you WILL have FULL mobility for the rest of your LIFE!
If you live in the New Jersey area and prefer personal instruction in mobility then I highly recommend you check out my friend Jon Haas’ school, Warrior Fitness at 4004 Sylon Blvd, Hainesport NJ, 08036, or give him a call at 609-556-8712 to set up an appointment or attend a class.Guest blog post by Eric Guttmann, U.S. Navy Officer, Author, Fitness Enthusiast and More!
In my last article I mentioned how I healed a sprained ankle myself using joint mobility. Now whenever something happens I can quickly and easily fix it myself. For example I was training my heavy snatches with a training plan I wrote for myself. This plan laid out progressively heavier snatches as I got stronger and perfected my technique. I was to spend a minimum of a week with each weight class or until I mastered the weight before going up another level.
I started to progress faster than I anticipated and I got so eager that I ignored my own training protocol and quickly jumped to the 88lb kettlebell instead of spending time training that week with the 70lb kettlebell like I had planned. As I snatched the 88lb with abandon I felt a sharp pain in my back and instantly knew something had gone wrong. On the drive back to work the curves on the road became sheer AGONY for my lower back! I managed to see the chiropractor the next day and did my joint mobility everyday morning and night, slowly working through the pain and increasing my range of motion. Within FOUR days I was snatching the 70lb kettlebell with perfect form and also learned to honor my innate wisdom in planning.
Many of my friends to whom I teach the lower back and spine mobility drills comment on how their lower backs loosen up and become pain-free after the mobility series. In fact, it was at the prodding of these friends that I decided to do my FULL mobility DVD, because they wanted something they could study in their homes after I left.
Now, if you remember on the first article I mentioned my father’s statement of “If you do something everyday, then everyday you will be able to do it.” Every morning I go through my routine and establish full mobility in every joint. I easily touch my wrists to the ground every morning. Now I ask you, if I establish full mobility every morning and touch my wrists to the floor easily and gracefully every morning, am I going to have full mobility and easily touch my wrists to the floor at 100 years of age? The answers is ABSOLUTELY YES! All I have to do is keep doing my FULL mobility routine every morning.
I have been practicing joint mobility for five years now ever since I had the epiphany with my healed ankle. I have been studying, incorporating, experimenting and refining my routine based on the works and/or my personal interaction with Pavel, Steve Maxwell, Scott Sonnon, Navy kinesiologists, Chek Practitioners, Z-Health, Mike Mahler, Chuck Habbaken, Bud Jeffries and others.
If you want to get your hands on the best mobility training out there and the EXACT one I have used to heal myself multiple times from the injuries sustained through training and life then click in the link below:
As an added bonus I am including a FREE BONUS which is my SECRET stretching routine to open up the hip and lengthen the spine which I found are the keys to maximizing my Qigong practice (which would be the second thing I most recommend for longevity).
Done together the joint mobility and stretches can be knocked out in under 26 minutes, yet your health and quality of life will expand to new and greater levels that will seem like a 1000% return on your investment.
Another bonus is a makeshift mobility test that you can do to gage whether you are at a Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 joint mobility. If you train others you can also use it to gage where your clients are at and to monitor their progress over time.
So order this DVD now and try it for yourself. I know that you will feel immediately freer and open, even diminishing or completely getting rid off nagging pain if you are carrying any, at the end of the instructional session. That is right, I am saying that after going through the instructional part just ONCE you will feel an immediate improvement in your mobility! Commit to doing it everyday and you WILL have FULL mobility for the rest of your LIFE!
If you live in the New Jersey area and prefer personal instruction in mobility then I highly recommend you check out my friend Jon Haas’ school, Warrior Fitness at 4004 Sylon Blvd, Hainesport NJ, 08036, or give him a call at 609-556-8712 to set up an appointment or attend a class.
Read Eric’s complete bio HERE.Guest blog post by Eric Guttmann, U.S. Navy Officer, Author, Fitness Enthusiast and More
I frequently attend health, youthing, anti-aging, and training seminars along with travels all over the world regarding health practices. I always make it a point to ask both presenters and experts in the audience what is the number one thing that they have SEEN bring about the greatest results.
The answers are varied and very good: get your bloodwork done because “numbers don’t lie”, drink one gallon of water a day, do “grounding”, wake up early and go to bed early to establish a rhythm with nature, optimize your hormones, do more isometrics, eat 51% of your food raw, get a magnetic mattress, take shilajit, harness the power of the mind, and of course everyone seems to have a favorite supplement and eating regimen they are really fond of.
However as I asked myself this question I found the answer to be achieving FULL Mobility. If there is one thing that I have learned and can transmit to others, that ANYONE from 7 to 97 can do, it is FULL Mobility. Reclaiming my FULL Mobility has helped me in every area of my life and has been a significant source of healings for me and for others, here are just a few:
When I was in the desert flying missions over Iraq I went into the base gym and they were giving a Capoeira class. Well, it was more like “get in there and do it.” I should have paid attention and noticed that everyone took their shoes off. I simply jumped in the class, started kicking, and managed to twist my ankle. “No problem,” I thought to myself “this will heal in three weeks.” Six months later I still had a nagging pain in my ankle. I went to my chiropractor and training partner and he informed that it was a ligament that was injured and it would take 18 months to heal. I got pissed and decided that I would fix this myself. I dug around my library to find a solution and unearthed some joint mobility materials and started doing joint mobility for the feet and ankles morning and night and in ONE WEEK the pain was gone. I went from 18 months to ONE WEEK doing joint mobility.
I now became a believer and decided to incorporate it daily and made it a life quest to gain FULL mobility in ALL my body. I devoured everything I could get my hands on regarding mobility. My father was a Greco-Roman wrestler in Hungary and when I was seven years old I noticed that he would do exercises every morning. I asked him why and he told me that his Eastern European wrestling coach had shared some training wisdom with him, “If you do something everyday, then everyday you will be able to do it.” Of course, it made perfect sense! If I achieved FULL mobility and practiced it everyday, then everyday for the REST OF MY LIFE I would have FULL mobility.
I have been practicing joint mobility for five years now ever since I had the epiphany with my healed ankle. I have been studying, incorporating, experimenting and refining my routine based on the works and/or my personal interaction with Pavel, Steve Maxwell, Scott Sonnon, Navy kinesiologists, Chek Practitioners, Z-Health, Mike Mahler, Chuck Habbaken, Bud Jeffries and others.If you want to get your hands on the best mobility training out there and the EXACT one I have used to heal myself multiple times from the injuries sustained through training and life then click in the link below:
As an added bonus I am including a FREE BONUS which is my SECRET stretching routine to open up the hip and lengthen the spine which I found are the keys to maximizing my Qigong practice (which would be the second thing I most recommend for longevity).
Done together the joint mobility and stretches can be knocked out in under 26 minutes, yet your health and quality of life will expand to new and greater levels that will seem like a 1000% return on your investment.
Another bonus is a makeshift mobility test that you can do to gage whether you are at a Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 joint mobility. If you train others you can also use it to gage where your clients are at and to monitor their progress over time.
So order this DVD now and try it for yourself. I know that you will feel immediately freer and open, even diminishing or completely getting rid off nagging pain if you are carrying any, at the end of the instructional session. That is right, I am saying that after going through the instructional part just ONCE you will feel an immediate improvement in your mobility! Commit to doing it everyday and you WILL have FULL mobility for the rest of your LIFE!
Moving Freely For Life <<<=====
If you live in the New Jersey area and prefer personal instruction in mobility then I highly recommend you check out my friend Jon Haas’ school, Warrior Fitness at 4004 Sylon Blvd, Hainesport NJ, 08036, or give him a call at 609-556-8712 to set up an appointment or attend a class.
Moving Freely For Life <<<=====
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Read Eric’s complete bio HERE.How many people do you know just in your own circle of friends and family who have broken, sprained, or otherwise injured their ankle(s)? A pretty significant amount of people, right? Continue reading
This post came about due to several avid blog readers sending me questions on how to, or if, one should train when sick or injured. If you have any particular topic in mind relevant to health, fitness, strength & conditioning, or martial arts that you’d like to see discussed on the blog, please email me HERE and let me know! Continue reading
