AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH MAGAZINE

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ISSUE 112 - 10/18/2006

1. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Fear causes hesitation and hesitation will cause your worst fears to come true."
- From the movie "Point Break"

Oh right, it is time for another quote from another great guilty pleasure movie from the 90s. Despite many cheesy lines, women with bad haircuts, and a vague spiritual message that is easy to miss, the 90s classic "Point Break" is still very entertaining and is one of those movies you can revisit many times for a good laugh. It was yet another role that Patrick Swayze took to break away from the greatest estrogen inducing movie of all time "Dirty Dancing." If you are looking for a sure-fire way to destroy testosterone then "Dirty Dancing" is your drug of choice. Unlike many things in life, the estrogen increasing effects of the movie "Dirty Dancing" are a certainty not a possibility. Which brings me to this week's topic.

Being decisive is not always easy. Often in life you have to make decisions in which the path to take is not completely clear. It would be nice to have an absolute upside with one option to make the decision making process easier to digest. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case. One of the reasons why people often gravitate towards the path of least resistance is due to uncertainty. If you knew for sure that your business plan would work what would stop you from putting it into action? The reality is you do not know for sure if your business plan will work. Hell, you do not know for sure if anything will work in life as there are no guarantees.

We are used to getting 100% satisfaction guarantees from merchants and we want the same guarantees in our lives. Just as we will not purchase a product from a company that does not offer a money back guarantee, we will not take a chance on pursuing our goals unless the results are guaranteed. While it is great to have guaranteed satisfaction with purchases, we cannot expect to always have a safety net when we make decisions. The scary part of life is we have to make decisions without knowing what will happen. The difference between unsuccessful people and successful people is successful people make decisions and take action in spite of their fears. Unsuccessful people either wait for someone else to prove it can be done and try to follow them or they simply succumb to their fears and instead live vicariously through others. A successful friend once told me that whenever you do not want to do something, that thing is usually the very thing you must do. I never really got it until years later.

One very important part of decision making is to listen to your instincts. Yes doing research and discussing your situation with knowledgeable people are also very important components of the decision making process. Regardless, we all have an instinctive side which we often ignore. Your instincts basically tell you whether something is a good option within seconds of the decision making process. Then it is up to you to back up your instincts with real world data or dismiss your instincts all together. Many people choose the latter and instead hope for someone else to make a decision for them. Why let someone else come into the decision making process? If things go wrong you can relinquish the blame to someone else.

It does not take a genius to realize that to a high percentage we have become a society that does not accept responsibility for our actions. Look at all the ridiculous lawsuit cases we hear about everyday. The main reason why Americans are getting fatter each year is not due to low thyroid function. No it is primarily due to over stuffing your face function and lack of physical function. Yes there are tons of temptations for unhealthy eating everyday in our country. However, does that mean you have to take those options? Of course not. Similar to everything else in life, you have to take charge of your health.

It is highly unlikely that your life will ever get better if you do not take personal responsibility for your actions. You never become an adult regardless of your age when you do not take responsibility for your actions. Not just the successes of your actions. No you must take ownership of the failures as well.

Do not feel bad if making decisions is not always easy. It is not supposed to be. The unknowns in life are often intimidating. However, the unknowns are what make life exhilarating and exciting as well.

Live Life Aggressively!

Mike Mahler

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2. HELP THE KATRINA VICTIMS

My friend and top body worker Dianna Linden recently sent me a list of non-profit organizations for helping out the Katrina Victims. Here is the list:

• Operation USA http://www.opusa.org
• Mercy Corps http://www.mercycorps.org
• Oxfam America http://www.oxfamamerica.org
• America's Second Harvest http://www.secondharvest.org

I encourage you to take a look at the above organizations and make a donation to the one that sits well with you. Also if you want to help out animals, make a donation to http://www.bestfriends.org.

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3. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Whenever someone has the courage to take action in the community to help out another being, we all have an obligation to lend a helping hand. My friend Melya Kaplan of "Voice For The Animals" is such a person and recently she sent me an email regarding a dog named Lucy that she rescued from a very bad situation. I immediately sent Melya a check for $100.00 to help Lucy out. I hope you can lend some support as well. Please read her message:

Lucy needs your help! Lucy is a 61 pound, brindle colored with white chest and feet, sweet, extremely affectionate staff terrier mix. She loves giving kisses and thinks she is a lap dog. I first saw Lucy as I was driving on 3rd approaching Rose Ave. in Venice. As I looked to my left, I saw a dog who could barely walk on a rope held by a homeless man. The dog's entire back end was hunched over and she kept lifting one of her legs and trying desperately to hop on the other three. Suddenly she stumbled and to my horror, this scumbag kicked her and pulled hard on the rope! She let out a scream of pain. He tugged harder trying to get her to walk and lifted his leg threatening to kick her again. I stopped my car in the middle of the street. He saw me, and pulled her across the street. I made a U turn and went after them. I finally caught up with him in back of the storage facility on 3rd. I got out of my car, leaving the rear door open, and went over. The dog was shaking, obviously afraid. I told him that it would be best for him to give me the dog. He was obviously drunk and drugged. I kept repeating that I wasn't leaving without the dog, that she is in pain, and I would make sure she got vet care. I had to keep repeating what I said because he was so out of it, he couldn't remember from one second to the next. As I talked, I kept petting Lucy, bringing her closer and closer to my back seat, door open. Finally I began to pry his fingers lose from the rope. He held on. Then some of his buddies passed by and called out to him, distracting his attention. I grabbed the rope, got Lucy into the back seat, and we took off. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw him standing in the middle of the street, cars honking behind him.

I immediately took Lucy to a vet who did x-rays of her legs. Not only had he broken her leg, but he had fractured the other leg as well. Lucy now needs surgery. We have found a vet who will do it for $2500, but we need to raise the money. How can YOU help? Be a friend to Lucy! We are asking all animal lovers to help us raise this money for Lucy's surgery.

Donations to the Lucy Fund can be made to: Voice For The Animals, P.O. Box 205, Venice, CA. 90294. Please send this to all your friends and ask them to send it to all their friends. This is Lucy's hour of need and she needs friends! We are also looking for someone who would foster Lucy while she recovers from her surgery. All she needs is a little corner in someone's home where she can relax and feel safe. And she will repay that person with lots of kisses. If you need anymore information, please email me - meyla@earthlink.net.

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4. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH TRAINING ARTICLE

This issues outstanding training article is from Dr. Jeffrey Tucker. Dr. Tucker is a highly sought after chiropracter based in Los Angeles. Make sure your check out his bio at the end of the article and get in touch with him.

Overhead Deep Squats: Understanding Of Movement And Function

Dr. Jeffrey Tucker

A self assessment of the overhead deep squat as it relates to stability and mobility to movement is discussed in this article. As you perform the deep overhead squat I will discuss the parts of your body to observe so you can determine if you have a stability and/or mobility imbalance. The body is a "kinetic chain" of inter-connected parts. I recommend overhead deep squatting as the primary assessment to evaluate what is required, mobility or stability?

This self assessment will improve your awareness of the way you move. If you notice a dysfunction I offer corrective recommendations. As a Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine Doctor I train clients in stability and self mobilization.

A restricted joint or segment can cause a compensation which leads to uncontrolled and increased motion in another joint or body part. The uncontrolled segment or region is the most likely site of the source of pathology and symptoms of mechanical origin. The most common dysfunctions within the human movement system are:

• An ankle becomes stiff or loses motion and needs mobilization.
• A knee becomes too lose and needs stabilization.
• A hip becomes stiff or loses motion and needs mobilization.
• A lumbar spine segment(s) becomes too lose and needs stabilization.
• A thoracic spine segment(s) become stiff/tight and needs mobilization.
• The gleno-humeral joint (shoulder) becomes too lose and needs stabilization.

There is plenty of evidence to support the link between uncontrolled intersegmental translation or uncontrolled range of motion and the development of musculoskeletal pain and degenerative pathology. Muscle and joint imbalances within the ankle, knee, hips, lumbar region, thoracic region and shoulder contribute to insidious onset, chronicity and recurrence of pain.

Learning to refine mobility and stability will reduce asymmetries and limitations as a means of injury prevention. It is important to establish stabilization prior to strengthening. Evaluate flexibility limitations and asymmetries between the left and right sides of your body. An individual conceivable could overcome a deficit in range of motion in one joint by using more range of motion (ROM) at another joint to achieve the specified goal.

Lack of motion at any joint in your lower extremity can challenge your muscle-joint balance control mechanisms and lead to joint instability. Limited range of motion can also occur in the myofascial system (extra-particular in nature). These two components are inter-related and often occur together. The abnormal displacement or restrictive barrier to movement changes the normal pattern of movement of the joint. Movement around an abnormal axis of rotation imposes abnormal compression or impingement on some aspect of the joint tissues and produces altered proprioceptive input to the central nervous system. The motor-control system must adapt to maintain function. These faulty movements increase micro-trauma in the tissues around the joint which if accumulative lead to dysfunction and pain.

Let's perform the evaluation of the overhead deep squat. You want to wear shoes and you will need a barbell (a wooden dowel, broom stick or gold club will do). Hips are shoulder width apart. Stand with the dowel held over your head. Perform 2-3 squats going as deep as you can. The ideal criteria for a well performed Overhead Deep Squat is:

1. Upper torso is parallel with the tibia (leg bone) or toward vertical (back is relatively upright).
2. Femur (thigh bone) below horizontal.
3. Knees aligned over feet.
4. Both arms are over the head with the dowel aligned over feet.
5. Toes point forward.
6. Knees don't turn in or out.

ANKLE: Perform another squat this time looking at your feet and ankles. Hypomobility of the ankle or tissue tightness can be observed during the overhead deep squat if the heel of the foot rises while descending from a neutral starting position. This is the result of limited soleus muscle motion (eg, ankle dorsiflexion). Motion can be restored and maintained despite restricted joint motion. Restoration of dorsiflexion and normal gait patterns can occur after anterior-to-posterior (front to back) self mobilizations of the talus in the ankle.

Do another squat and observe if your toes turn outward while descending from the starting position. If they turn outward, it means you may have weak tight lateral gastrocnemius, hamstrings, weak inner thighs and you are at risk for Achilles tendonitis.

The progression of self rehab to improve the foot dysfunction is to start with ankle self mobilization.

1. Start out in the double leg stance.
2. Take a single step forward onto a stool (approximately 8-12" high) with the right foot. Flex the ankle and knee over the stool as far as they can go. Compare to the left side.
3. The restricted side can be stretched and mobilized while on the stool by repetitively moving the knee over the foot. Altered movement of the subtalar joints and soft tissue tightness can be restored through self repetitive range of motion maneuvers.
4. Perform a wall stretch. With both hands against a wall, feet flat on the ground and one foot at least 18-20 inches behind the other, bend the front knee. Hold the static stretch for at least 30 seconds. Do this at least 2 times per leg.
5. Stand on one foot turned in 45 degrees with the heel hanging off a step. Your body weight is on the forefoot. Hold onto a wall or rail handle and let your bodyweight drop down. Hold this stretch for at least 60 seconds.

If you have a history of ankle sprain(s), lack of motion can result at the ankle joint. Limited dorsiflexion after lateral ankle sprain has been attributed to tightness in the gastrocnemius-soleus complex.

KNEE: Perform another squat or two and observe the knees. If the knees drift inward while descending from the start position it may mean you have weak glutes, tight inner thighs and you are prone to knee and low back problems. The patellofemoral joint may be influenced by the segmental interactions of the lower extremity. Abnormal motions of the tibia and femur in the transverse and frontal planes are believed to have an effect on the patellofemoral joint.

The progression of self rehab to improve the knee dysfunction is to start with self mobilization.

1. Use a foam roll on the adductor and abductor muscles. Firmly press and roll along the tight tissue for several minutes or until you feel a release of tight tissue.
2. Perform repetitive lunges at a 2-3 o? clock pose with the right leg and a 10-11 o'clock pose with the left leg. The number of repetitions will be different for each person but I start out with a goal of twenty per leg.
3. Perform side lying leg raises. Do not allow the quadratus lumborum muscle to activate early. Raise and lower the top leg, keeping it straight. Isolate the TFL and glute medius. Only perform this on the side that drifts. Perform enough reps to fatigue.

HIP: Perform a squat or two and observe the hips.

If you can keep your feet straight ahead or have only slight external rotation, plus the heels stay flat on the floor while squatting, but you cannot achieve the depth of getting the femurs below the horizontal then you may have tightness where the TFL attach into the glutes. The hip joints may be restricted.

I prefer the hip rehab progression to start with manual mobilization of the hips. This is a technique performed by a Chiropractor, Physical Therapist or trained Massage Therapist.

I teach my clients how to perform hip range of motion on there own. Part of this solution is simple to do repetitive squats. Over time and many repetitions you will break up the tissue tightness and accomplish squatting lower and lower.

If you suspect that your gluteal (maximus and medius) muscles are weak or having a hip extension firing problem during walking or running, and your hamstrings are dominating the movement pattern (they will be chronically tight no matter how much you stretch), you will have to retrain the gluteus maximus. There are a number of ways to "wake up" the gluts while squatting:

1. Weight shift towards the heels while squatting.
2. Perform bridges up and down with an elastic band or belt wrapped around knees to provide resistance to abduction.
3. Side steps with an elastic band around the ankles.
4. Bridges on a gym ball w/ alternate heel raises.
5. Tight hip flexors will inhibit the gluteus so these need to be evaluated for length.
6. For a stronger gluteal contraction perform the Tucker Test: Purpose is to help recruit a deeper and stronger contraction of the gluteal group. Test: Place a quarter on the outside of the clothes between the buttocks at the level of the anus and hold it in place with a strong gluteal contraction. Assess: Can you contract the gluteals strong enough and continuously while performing the bridge exercise up and down so the quarter does not drop to the floor. Relate: In order to hold the quarter in place you must concentrate on performing a strong gluteal contraction. This forces the continuous contraction of the gluteus and initiates a co-contraction of the abdominals.
7. Progression: Perform the overhead deep squat with the quarter held in the buttocks.

LUMBAR: Perform a few more squats and observe the back and torso. If the back bends into flexion while performing the overhead deep squat it may mean you have tight hip flexors, a weak core, and poor posture. This is such an important diagnostic tool. Why is this point so important? The lumbar spine may be more flexible relative to the hips in flexion due to lengthened erector spinae and shortened hamstrings. This can lead to a hamstring strain but more importantly, the muscles that control excessive lumbar flexion (lumbar erector spinae) have more ?give? than the muscles that limit hip flexion (hamstrings). Consequently during trunk flexion the lumbar spine gives more easily than the hips and excessive flexion occurs in the lumbar spine relative to the amount and time of flexion at the hip joints resulting in compensatory lumbar flexion and a potential lumbar flexion stability dysfunction. If you complain of pain in the low back when you bend forward to touch your fingers to toes, you may already have damage in the lower lumbar spine.

The progression of rehab for the low back or torso is:

1. Use the foam roll on the anterior and lateral sides of the hips. Work out as much tissue tightness as you can on the foam roll.
2. Stretch the hip flexors while doing a lunge with an arm raised overhead. The precise steps are: leading with your right foot, perform a lunge while raising your left arm overhead and rotating the upper body to the left. Hold this pose for 30 seconds. Do at least 2 stretches on each side.
3. The most important solution for this movement dysfunction is to control movement at the site of the instability. This concept is a process of sensory-motor re-programming to regain proprioceptive awareness of joint position, muscle activation and movement coordination. This training is beyond the scope of this paper. However, you can start by teaching yourself to co-contract the mutifidus and transverse abdominus muscles.

THORACIC: Perform a squat or two and observe:

Inability to get the dowel directly over the feet means lack of mobility in the thoracic spine. I usually find the arms way out in front of the feet. These clients lack thoracic extension. You will feel restricted motion of the thoracic spine into extension. You may have an obvious forward drawn posture, anterior head and shoulder carriage (slumping) and/or an increased kyphosis.

The rehab solution for this dysfunction is mobilization.

1. The foam roll will allow for self mobilization into extension. The repetition of performing self mobilization of the thoracic spine into extension while you perform the overhead deep squats is an exercise in and of itself.
2. Another self mobilization maneuver is to sit on a chair facing the wall, leaning the forehead on crossed arms against the wall. Knees and toes touch wall. Taking deep breaths in and out, on the exhalation the patient forces thoracic extension movement. Repeat about 10 times. I often find the thoracolumbar junction, T6 and above, as the key joints to manipulate to create flexibility.

SHOULDER: Perform two or three squats and observe:

If you have incorrect form, you will observe yourself pushing the dowel behind the back instead of over the head. To correct the instability in the shoulder we need to correct the length-tension relationship, improve muscle endurance and co-ordination of the rotator cuff muscles. These muscles act in a manner to generate a force balance to maintain centering of the joint throughout range of motion. The gleno-humeral joint has the greatest range of motion of any human joint. This mobility is necessary for upper limb functions. Stability is sacrificed to a large degree to achieve this mobility.

Assessment of the overhead deep squat provides analysis of stability and mobility. An exercise program based on the assessment can be implemented to achieve stability and mobility. Stability is only reliably tested under low load situations. Mobility is based on the ability to pass or fail the ideal criteria of the overhead deep squat posture. The benefit of having good stability function of both the local and global stabilizer muscles and good joint flexibility is in improved low threshold motor control and in decreasing mechanical musculo-skeletal pain.

About Dr. Jeffrey Tucker

Dr. Tucker's interest in putting together the arts and science of Pilates, yoga, stretching, medicine balls, stability balls, rubber tubing, balance training, chi gong, weight training, cardio training, endurance training, diet, chiropractic, performance enhancement, muscle and massage therapy, has been evolving for more than 23 years.

Dr. Tucker completed Chiropractic training at Los Angeles College of Chiropractic. He has a post graduate Diplomate degree in Rehabilitation and is certified in chiropractic spinal trauma. He is a golf injury certified doctor. He is a past-president of the Santa Monica Chiropractic Society. Dr. Tucker served on the Chiropractic Rehabilitation board. He is a member of the California Chiropractic Association and the American Chiropractic Association. He won a KARMA award and was named Chiropractor of the Year from the Los Angeles Alternative Medicine group. He is the designated and selected Chiropractor for The Massage Therapy Center in Los Angeles. He is author of numerous articles and publications on soft tissue injuries. He has been in continuous active practice for the past 23 years in the west Los Angeles area. He has completed advanced education and clinical training in rehabilitation, sports medicine, nutrition, and functional exercise training.

His practice includes chiropractic care, postural assessment, developing conditioning programs, gait analysis, therapeutic exercise, and muscle/soft-tissue therapy and diet/nutrition.

He can be contacted at DrJTucker@AOL.com or (310) 470-4511.

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February 24, 2007:

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March 11, 2007:

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May 13, 2007:

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14. RECOMMENDED READING LIST

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Until next time.

Live Life Aggressively!

Feel free to email me with your comments and feedback at mahler25@yahoo.com

Mike Mahler

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