#12 in Health, fitness & dieting books
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Reddit mentions of Becoming a Supple Leopard 2nd Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance
Sentiment score: 37
Reddit mentions: 80
We found 80 Reddit mentions of Becoming a Supple Leopard 2nd Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance. Here are the top ones.
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- Victory Belt Publishing
Features:
Specs:
| Color | Black |
| Height | 11.15 Inches |
| Length | 8.75 Inches |
| Number of items | 1 |
| Release date | May 2015 |
| Weight | 4.17996448752 Pounds |
| Width | 1.42 Inches |
The book "Becoming a Supple Leopard" has a number of great mobility exercises, as well as sections on the theory and how to correctly perform exercises. Highly recommended if you'd like to dig into a book that feels like a textbook.
https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837
Better fitness and movement patterns. Walking 20 miles a day for 6 months while putting all your weight on your passive body structures will fuck you up, yo. I suggest reading Becoming a Supple Leopard for general movement patterns, and then Training for the New Alpinism to understand how to get in shape (though from the sounds of it, you probably won't have time for the latter).
If you are looking for gear knowledge, I'd suggest first laying out your gear on GearGrams or LighterPack. Asking "what do you wish you had" doesn't give us much useful to go on, since it doesn't tell us what you are bringing already; and as MadMaxHeadroom said, what you don't bring is just as important as what you do. Using one of these websites to list your gear will give you a useful way to tabulate weight, and will make your gear list easier to share and easier to read.
Once you've done that, I'd suggest posting to one or a few of the long distance hiking subs. I can't find one specifically for the CT, but here are a few, in descending order of activity:
Absolutely. Check out the book Becoming a Supple Leopard it's a great resource.
Cool Chad is actually Dr. Kelly Starret, author of Becoming a Supple Leopard and Ready to Run. He also is the main guy behind MWOD. This is /r/fitness, the whole point here is to share information.
I swear by supple leopard by Kelly starett. To get a taste of it, check him out on YouTube
Becoming a Supple Leopard 2nd Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628600837/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ZqPhzb5XQWVAD
First things first: There is no magic bullet. Training well requires a multi-prong approach; commitment to a program - any program!(especially commitment to appropriate rest and supplemental exercise!), individual-specific nutrition, technique/skill building. These are all critical to discovering maximum potential.
That said, if you're only ever going to buy one climbing training book, make it this one: Climb Injury Free. Everything else is just icing. This is the most important thing a dedicated climber needs to add to their arsenal. Climbing stresses the body in a lot of really unusual ways and making sure you support the underutilized parts of your body, as well as the over-stressed ones, can make or break your progression. Fucking shoulders, man, take care of them.
An even deeper, though less sport specific, dive into taking care of your body is Becoming A Supple Leopard. Goofy title, best book.
That said, if you want to go further, there are plenty of options for delving deeper and no single book, or routine, is the end-all-be-all.
Rock Climbing Technique, by John Kettle - support your strength by being efficient. Quality movement also helps reduce your chance of injury.
Self-Coached Climber - helping you learn how to learn.
The Rock Climber's Training Manual - great routines and a really solid section on theory, so you can better understand the why's instead of just throwing you at a program. It's mostly geared toward
Big shoutout to the Training Beta Podcast as well. I've listened to the first 50 episodes so far and it's been an incredible learning experience that has taught me so much. If you want to dig in and get to the best information, I suggest you skip most of the interviews with pros (though they're all really interesting) and stick to the interviews with trainers and non-famous individuals who have done something really interesting. Favorites so far include the Anderson Brothers, Jared Vagey (Climb Injury Free author - he's done several episodes), John Kettle, Tom Randall, Steve Bechtel, Justin Sjong, Adam Macke, and Bill Ramsey.
I think I'm missing one that was heavily focused on training with minimal time, but these are a great place to get started.
Kelley Starret's Deskbound and Becoming a Supple Leopard are great for this.
Becoming a Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett
For those who already use lacrosse balls and are looking for some other options, or potentially more effective items, here is my list of most effective items for different areas.
I also highly recommend checking out the book "[Becoming a supple leopard] (https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837)" By Kelly Starett. (as mentioned in another comment below)
IT Band / Quads/ Shins -[triggerpoint quadballer] (https://www.amazon.com/TriggerPoint-Self-Myofascial-Release-Massage-Quadballer/dp/B000LCC780/ref=pd_sim_200_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=QV9B5KT15B1DGX2DW947) This is significantly more effective then a traditional foam roller..... but that also means it sucks 1000x more while using it.
Calves/ankles/ hamstrings - [Medi-Dyne ProStretch ] (https://www.amazon.com/FootSmart-SmartFlexx-Stretching-Fasciitis-Tendonitis/dp/B005BWG7JA) - Foam rolling has never worked well on my lower legs.. but this is incredible for stretching my calves.
**Chest, abs, Upper back, lower back, delts, triceps* - [rumbleroller foam roller] (http://www.rumbleroller.com/) {I just noticed they now have knobbed balls, so I imagine these would be ideal for neck, arms, shoulders, chest} - The knobs on this roller literally feel like they are tenderizing my larger muscles. It can loosen me up in a hurry.
Glutes, lower back** - [small hard medicine ball.] (http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_1514727_-1?cm_mmc=pla-_-Sports+And+Leisure+Fitness+Accessories+Hand+Exercise+Equipment-_-Google-_-BCG+Medicine+Ball&sku=103368094&gclid=Cj0KEQiAk5zEBRD9lfno2dek0tsBEiQAWVKyuKCbg3HpbBH95wzqTRral6KvXGSc5I-6QBj35NTtRnkaAptr8P8HAQ&kwid=productads-adid%5E104478168558-device%5Ec-plaid%5E263066970473-sku%5E103368094-adType%5EPLA)
lacrosse balls work fine for your glutes, but I feel like it is better used in supplement to something that's able to loosen up a wider area first.
Stronger by Science books. Their squat, bench, and deadlift manual are probably some of the most in depth and well-researched books out there on the squat, bench, and deadlift.
Juggernaut Training systems books. I personally own the Scientific Principle of strength training, and it really is a great book.
In terms of mobility and rehab work, you can check out the Becoming a Supple leopard, which comes highly recommended by my physio.
Although honestly, most of the information available in said books are also available as free articles on their websites. With citations you can actually follow. Plus, most of the core information in there is already incorporated into the sub's wiki.
Wait. No web links. Nevermind, disregard said advice.
http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837
This book might be useful. It has a ton of stretches depending on what issues you're having. Some of it is geared heavily towards the CrossFit crowd, but the stretches, explanations, and pictures are useful.
I'm a big fan of this book
While technically not a book on sports massage, it is great for doing self myofascial release.
Based on just reading your first sentence it seems your main goal is to lose weight. I would highly advise to focus primarily on nutrition for the first 4-8 weeks then bring in weight training. Weight loss is 80% nutrition based, if you don't master that first all your hard work in the gym will be worthless and your overall goal of weightlifting will likely fail. You can look into paleo, bulletproof diet, slow-carb all of which work well, but the best one is the one you stick with.
Why do you want to weightlift? is it to perform better at a sport, compete in weightlifting events or do you want to look good naked?
Figure out the why to this goal and I can give you a better direction, I would be happy to chat about this because it is a passion of mine and I love to help others out.
As a warning to weightlifting, it can be beneficial but also dangerous if performed incorrectly. 1st being you are unlikely to have the needed mobility to do all of these correctly, 2nd bad form can destroy you. I started kettlebells recently and it took me a month of mobility training to get my squat correct for swings because my hip flexors are so tight. My suggestion is to get your body extremely mobile by doing yoga and the exercises in Becoming a supple leopard. I have spent 100+ hours in the athletic training room because I was reckless in college. Be sure to be patient with understanding form because an injury will be your own fault due to negligence and set you back multiple weeks or months. This will be hard, you will fail, and want to give it up. Be aware of that and make plans on combating them. Set up betting pools with friends, keep yourself accountable. I hope you the best of luck!
here are my go to sources for health and fitness. Ben Greenfield, Bulletproof, Nerd Fitness, Gymnastic Bodies, How to look good naked, NAtural Born Hereos I just read this and it is one of the best books I have read in health, an additictive storyline that teaches you along the way.
Source: NCAA Athlete, Health and Nutrition Enthusiast, Obstacle Course Racer
If you find Deskbound to be interesting and want to further your knowledge and toolbox for increasing your mobility, check out his other book, Becoming a Supple Leopard.
I've fought two torn shoulders, a torn ankle, pretty bad tendonitis in both knees, countless sprained ankles, a sprained knee, broken ribs, etc and I'm only 24. Thankfully the major problems occurred from 19-24 after I finished my competetive career. I'm working towards a comeback so this is very relevant to me.
The first thing you need to do is the equivalent of physical therapy (strengthening exercises), even if nothing is hurt right now. Almost every muscularskeletal problem can be fixed or prevented through increased strength and flexibility in the correct muscles. Your muscles support your joint function, which take a lot of abuse from playing sports. Having strong muscles in the right areas also helps prevent injury.
One big thing I've learned is that almost everything in your body is connected. Foot pain? Possible cause could be as far away as your lower back. Personally, I resolved some of my knee pain from strengthening my glutes. The human body is extremely complex and it's a ton of information to learn. Between years of physical therapy and doctor's visits and reading up on it all, I've become a lot more knowledgeable but still barely know anything.
Your options are 1) find someone who knows what they're doing or 2) learn it all yourself. Personally I have found a really great training gym where all the coaches know a lot about injury prevention and how to exercise to both prevent injury and improve athletic performance. Hopefully you can find something similar for you.
Kelly Starret has a youtube channel a book and a website. Crossfit gets a bad rap (rightfully so I believe), but this guy has very good info. His big thing is mobility, which deals with how the different muscles are connected to joints and appendages. Problems in one thing will affect other things, and he shows how to fix these problems with stretches and pressure therapy/release.
Oh another thing, I have a personal massage therapist, who helps loosen my muscles from heavy training and tells me if she feels any imbalances. So I have a lot of very expensive and knowledgable people helping me, I realize I'm very fortunate. I think without money, it's very difficult to get the best protection and treatment there is out there. :(
But the knees and ankles get the most damage, you can youtube knee and ankle strengthening exercises for basic stuff. That's a good first step. The stuff I mentioned is pretty over the top and specialized
For quick relief, you can try this routine. I use it to loosen up in the morning.
I’d recommend stretching your glutes and hamstrings first though, a lot of back pain stems from tightness in those areas.
In general, I’d recommend owning a copy of [Becoming a Supple Leopard](Becoming a Supple Leopard 2nd Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628600837/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_qVAeAbC2V7R0M), the mobility work in the book is invaluable to your climbing and overall strength.
These two books are god send for getting into Ortho residency.
Becoming a Supple Leopard
&
Starting Strength
Kneeling lunges and the couch stretch for hip flexors. The limber 11 is great too.
Basically spend 20-30 minutes a day on mobility work. I highly recommend this book.
If you sit at a desk all day make sure you're getting up every hour or so and walking around or doing some stretches at your desk too.
I'm not over 50, but one of my friends who was shot through both his femurs tells me this book, Becoming A Supple Leopard, was important to his recovery and regaining his previous strength.
Like anything that endures, good health requires preventative maintenance
Surprisingly, the answer to avoiding back pain isn't "remain as motionless as possible", but rather, exercise. (Genetic predispositions notwithstanding, of course.)
Also, make sure you're keeping your mobility as healthy as possible. For example, if you can't touch your toes without bending your knees, that's something you might want to work on. Another one is squatting down and keeping your feet flat on the ground.
Don't let the fear of what might happen stop you from doing something about it. My dad died at 55 from congestive heart failure, when I was 29. (His dad died similarly at age 54.) I just turned 56 this year, and have been quite a bit more active and focused on general health (not to fanatic levels). And yes, my dad's passing does contribute to some of the motivation behind what I do, but not significantly so.
You may not have chosen your genetics, but you can make lifestyle choices.
Btw, a lacrosse ball can help with keeping the myriad back muscles less chronically tight. I mentioned this in another post, but check out Becoming a Supple Leopard.
If you dont have it I strongly suggest buying some voodoo floss or its equivalent and foam rollers. In my experience its from tight quads and calves. If you dont I recommend stretching. I usually do couch stretches. I also highly recommend buying "becoming a supple leopard" also by Dr kelly starrett. Its a great book it comes with a pain prescription section thats in the back of the book you look for the area and he usually as 2-3 exercises to fix the area.
Do you get a pinching feeling? You could be doing damage to your tissues.
Pinching is very bad and if you can you should see a physical therapist about it.
Your legs are probably pushed way back on the hip joint capsules from lifetime of sitting and it's causing issues.
If there's no pinching you can probably correct the problem yourself with some hip mobility exercises.
This book has a lot of great ones - Becoming a Supple Leopard https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628600837/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_0TkJDb160V4CS
Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. I have a bachelors/masters in Exercise Science and this is a book we used since my first semester.
Becoming a Supple Leopard I have the first edition, so I'm not sure what was added in the 2nd, but this is a great book that isn't so "sciency"
Best book I ever read to help with this is [becoming a supple leopard] (http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Edition/dp/1628600837). He goes blow by blow on all Oly lifting positions but for squats he describes your hips and ribcage like two large bowls filled with water. Stand so they are flat and not spilling (straight up and down) squat, return to that position. Squeezing your butt in at the top to straighten them out again. Your form looks good though!
I would say it's worth the money, it was recommended my by brother who used a lot of the techniques in Becoming a Supple Leopard to recover from back surgery. I am not as devoted as I should be, but all of his recommendations I have committed to have helped immensely (getting up every 30min for 2min, adjusting to certain chair positions, and adjusting positions often). He covers everything, even recommended form for using a computer mouse.
I'm just really getting into the mobility side of things, so I don't have a good feel for everything yet. He gives very in depth prescriptive recommendations for mobility workouts, mostly based around foam rolling, bands, and lacrosse balls. He also has some office focused mobility exercises.
A while ago I bought Becoming a Supple Leopard and discovered I had been doing press ups wrong my entire life. I had been flaring my elbows out to the side and had my hands too far forward. I can only thing I can think on is my PE teacher back in school told me to do press ups like that. Thats over 30 years ago now.
Basically I have spent the last few months re-learning how to do press ups. Its been really tricky at times, its very easy to fall into old habits. I have enjoyed the challenge though. Its made a dull part of a work out interesting.
Why not post a form check over at /r/bodyweightfitness? There are some great people over there who will be happy to help you out.
Oh and by the way... I can't even start trying to do an L sit. My shoulders are all over the place.
As a bit of a warning, I'm not saying what I did will help you, or even that you should do it. It's just what worked for me.
I tore my labrum, along with nerve damage some time in 2014(during this time, I went from throwing mid 70s to mid 60s), and I kept pitching while seeing an athletic therapist(helping my velocity get back to mid 70s). The pain got bad in 2015 and I had to stop playing. However, during my time not playing I took the time to strengthen other parts of my body along with my shoulder.
A couple years later, I get an email from a college coach (whose scholarship I had turned down in 2015) asking how my shoulder was and if I wanted to give it another shot. In preparation, I read Kelly Starrett's Becoming a Supple Leopard from front to back. I eventually made my own mobility program. It was a lot of effort, as I'd often times be doing mobility work for 1-2 hours a day. I eventually got to a point where I was throwing mid-80s (which I've never done before). I'd also long toss max distance every 2-3 days, and throwing two bullpens 60+ pitches per week. However, the pain eventually came back.
My point is that without any kind of surgery, with the book, additional strengthening, and lots of effort, I was able to get back into being able to play baseball, but not at a serious level. I'm currently waiting on confirmation from my doctor to get 2 of the 3 surgeries required for my arm as there's nerve damage in my elbow as well.
It is difficult, but you can get back into playing baseball. It's a long process which will require a lot of hard work and learning on your part. I'm not sure where you're from or what your health insurance situation is, but it could also be costly. If you're going to do the surgery and try to get back into baseball, my best piece of advice I can give you is this: Do it for the love of the game. Your mental and physical health are not worth the grueling upward climb required if you're still trying to make it big.
> stretching is already part of the program.
You need to take it a notch higher. Ever heard of Becoming a Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett? Mobility information/ programming at it's finest. Mid 30's with 9-5 desk job and up until a few months ago (pre-Supple Leopard) most of my afternoons consisted of chiro and physio visits. Then I was watching one of those Alan Thrall videos where he talked about where he gets most of his info from and he recommended Kelly's book. I checked out his youtube and he had these MWOD's thing going on and just seeing this 40+ yo man do things that a lot of people at that age can only dream of was enough to convince me, plus he's a DPT. Also nothing beats doing "executive stretches" on company time!
The most recommended text for mobility work seems to be: https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837
I just finished reading it the first time a couple weeks back. It has some good ideas and techniques I never thought of, I'm already getting a bit more ankle dorsiflexion.
Becoming a Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett. Can’t recommend it enough.
https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837
Kelly Starret has tons of videos on mobility, correct walking stance etc. Here is one. His book on Amazon is also pretty good.
Go find Kelly Starrett's Becoming a Supple Leopard. For 2 years, I would get down into a squat position against a wall (using a basketball or similar shape item), and just do small bumps/pulses while deep in a squat. 4 - 5x daily x 1 minute at a time. It helped a lot. That let me get to a point where I could start working on real hip mobility.
Try this book. A lot of it is tight muscles.
Becoming a Supple Leopard
So flexibility is definitely a problem that can hurt your progress. I'd recommend this book: Becoming a supple leopard by Kelly Starrett. It is a step by step guide on how to identify what your restrictions are and how to fix them. Great book that has helped many (me included).
This is very thorough and comprehensive - I am mind-blown by this:
>"...most tissue actually is not PHYSICALLY tight...Most tissue is NEUROLOGICALLY restricted."
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I have yet to read the articles you suggested, but am familiar with Thrall and the FRC.
I look forward to reading the rest.
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Also my wife got me the 2nd edition of Becoming a Supple Leopard - are you familiar with it, if so, would you recommend reading it thoroughly before reading numerous articles online from various sources?
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Thank you so much!
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I have this percussion massager:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JDUFOAE
it is an older model, no longer made, but they have others. I pulled it out last night after reading this. I don't get much out of it and never did. A yoga teacher "commanded" me to get this 15 years ago. These "machines" are no comparison to the focussed work you would do with a lacrosse ball, theracane, foam roller, Armaid, etc, or that a therapist would do to you with hands, knuckle, elbows.
I would definitely recommend instead get an Armaid. And all of Starrett's books are good. His first one is Becoming a Supple Leopard: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628600837/
These are expensive books, but quite worthwhile - note the reviews. And absolutely get Sharon Butler's book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1572240393/
Her website: http://www.selfcare4rsi.com/
Part of the deep tissue massage thing is releasing deep chronic stored tension. But equally important is freeing stuck fascia. So Starrett calls this "smashing and flossing". Working back and forth against the "grain" of muscle tissue to unglue it and restore movement where tissues are supposed to slide across each other. Long-term chronic tension results in the fascia sticking and gluing things together if they are no longer moving.
Chinese Proverb - Moving door does not have rusted hinges.
Chinese Proverb: When healing patient - better not to use knife.
Nah. Just turned 31, started training a year ago. I've eaten well, started doing yoga and picked up a copy of supple leopard. Never felt better.
I highly recommend this book - Becoming A Supple Leopard. It's a shit title, but the book is well worth the investment.
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Every single time I've had pain anywhere in conjunction with training, or just life in general, I've used this book. It hasn't cured everything, but it's always helped - and most of the time I can work through what I would normally have to fix through therapy / doctor's appointments / physio etc.
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It goes through all the major areas of the body, focuses on where the pain is and what it might be, and helps you fix it. All you need is a roller, a lacrosse ball and a voodoo band. I've recommended it to everyone I've ever trained with, and everyone I know who's bought it, loved it.
As Jack Slack would recommend:
Becoming a Supple Leopard https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1628600837/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_vtkazb17TSHBT
yea definitely, i've been dealing with this for almost 20 years, been to physical therapy twice, avoided surgery thus far. but standard disclaimer that i'm not a doctor, physical therapist, etc, etc, just a dude on the internet.
like you mentioned, i would start with posterior chain mobility. stretch your hamstrings like this or this. lower back with some cat/cow. add in some IT band stretch. don't forget about those illiopsoas!
maybe, if your back will handle it, add in some light supine twists. and, as always, planks for core and lower back strength.
regarding yoga, i would recommend just showing up to a beginner's class. teachers know that everyone's flexibility is different, and (if they're worth their salt) will offer modifications to poses, or offer props to assist with the pose. honestly, a lot of yoga classes i've attended just flow through sun a and/or sun b, which aren't too hard. maybe you could try them at home? but, be careful and modify as you see fit! with yoga, like with anything, consistency is important. i used to go once a week and didn't see much improvement. attending class more frequently, and doing some work at home, has improved my practice tremendously.
some books:
does this help?
I am in the same situation mobility wise.
Edit: Got some more information in there.
But it is? The great thing about body mechanics is that it’s indisputable. Although the issue is less about the pressure on the lower back and more about not having the spine straight over the pelvis to create a stable platform to generate torque. That’s just harder to explain to people and it makes more sense for most people to just say don’t cross the feet because it rounds the lower back.
Pull-up Fault
I would recommend everyone purchasing a book called Becoming a Supple Leopard. It has everything needed for any time of form question without any bro-science.
Amazon
Becoming a Supple Leopard by Kelly Starret (https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837)
Book that covers all of what you're looking for + interesting title
I don't think I can recommend this book strongly enough:
Becoming a Supple Leopard 2nd Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance
Kelly Starrett also has quite a number of videos on YouTube and on his site, mobilitywod.com. But having that book handy is like having an owner's manual for the human body.
Can I make a recommendation? The book Becoming a Supple Leopard is helping me a lot with my impingement problems (shoulders, hips, and ankles) and breaks down exactly how your body is supposed to move, and the ways to correct it if your body is having trouble.
Check out my fav mobility bible, Becoming A Supple Leopard!
Need to do some mobility work to avoid most of those injuries and nagging pain except for fingers I guess. Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett is a great ressource for recovery self-care of joints. Best 30$ you'l ever spendhttps://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524858311&sr=8-1&keywords=supple+leopard
I have his older book on recovery for running as a pdf that I can float to whoever wants it. For you guys that are doing road work. https://www.amazon.com/Ready-Run-Unlocking-Potential-Naturally/dp/1628600098/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1628600098&pd_rd_r=B8N180YPJEF1RQVFAPF3&pd_rd_w=VWd7r&pd_rd_wg=s4Pln&psc=1&refRID=B8N180YPJEF1RQVFAPF3
I LOVE yoga! I really like hard yoga workouts (when I say hard, I mean strength and show off moves). I highly recommend Dylan Werner (he's kickass https://www.alomoves.com/instructors/dylanwerner?instructors=dylanwerner&order=relevance&), Patrick Beach, and Ashley Galvin. I have used the Alo Moves app for years (was formerly named the Cody App). Dylan has some great stretching classes called Elasticity and Plasticity (his true strength series are phenomenal too, heck I love everything he creates). They are very similar to the GMB Focused Flexibility that uses PNF style stretching. Basically, you are remodeling your fascia. Oh, and Steve's Overcoming Poor Posture https://amzn.to/2Ned2tG (same author who wrote OG coupled with Jarlo from GMB) is a great book with some solid stretches. I feel like I just barfed this out and didn't really organize my thoughts for you, but if you tell me more about your yoga goals, I can probably give you better direction. If you are already hitting it hard with strength workouts using your BW, you probably are more interested in stretching and mobility--maintaining or increasing flexibility and range of motion. In addition to the resources I already listed above, I highly recommend "The Supple Leopard" https://amzn.to/2CerED3 . Happy Stretching!
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/1628600837/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486522197&sr=1-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=becoming+a+supple+leopard&dpPl=1&dpID=51JHhW%2BO%2BPL&ref=plSrch
I have used this as a reference book for getting over chronic back pain (mainly gym induced). Can't wait to get my six pack back!!
I second Becoming a Supple Leopard for anyone.
Let me ask you - HOW are you doing your stretches? I learned a new way of stretching where you have to first feel the slightest bit of tension then wait 10-15s for it to go away (if it does go away. If not repeat the day after) then go ahead and start further extending the stretch. A single stretch can take up to 15 minutes like this and way longer (weeks) to full do the stretch but it pays off A LOT. If you just go ahead and do the stretch all the way with lots of tension then you actually make things WORSE which blew my mind. You also have to do multiple types of stretches, every other day so it has to be consistent (that's a big thing, it can take a week or two for me to fully get rid of a flare up. If I just do it every now and then it won't do too much). Another thing you should consider is isometric exercises that will toughen you ligaments and tendons. If you do any heavy weight lifting, you need to rethink that also. Your muscles may be ready for the job but not the rest of the body so switch to body weight exercises and master them before moving on. Another thing that helped A LOT is a lacrosse ball that I roll around on my forearm focusing on tense/semi-painful spots (myofascial release) for 15m. It made a world of difference. I've attached the resources that really helped me out. Things that only helped a but not as much as the above were playing in the classical position and trying to pick NOT parallel to the strings but perpendicular ala Michael Angelo Batio.
https://www.amazon.ca/Conquering-Carpal-Syndrome-Repetitive-Injuries/dp/1572240393/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1505499105&sr=1-3&keywords=carpal+tunnel
https://www.amazon.ca/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505499312&sr=8-1&keywords=supple+leopard
https://www.amazon.ca/Convict-Conditioning-Weakness-Using-Survival-Strength-ebook/dp/B004XIZN5M/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1505499327&sr=1-1&keywords=convict+conditioning
I'll tell you right now, that not only have I greatly reduced pain from tendonitis (which has been with me since my teens) but also carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome but I've also been making measurable gains in high speed soloing. The worst thing you can do is take some NSAIDs and "wait it out". It took a year and a half of waiting with a tonne of desperation that lead me to dedicating my mornings to my overall health. Oh and forget about just guitar man...you'll need to take care of this if you want to be able to even work a desk job.
I highly recommend this book: https://www.amazon.ca/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504795684&sr=8-1&keywords=becoming+a+supple+leopard
Whenever I am injured or just feel stiff I focus on doing all the mobility stuff.. its something to work on while you cant lift anyway :) . You will thank me...
Yes it does. If you are flat footed even if not visible you will have a bit of a valgus knee fault. To test try this, take your thumb and press around on the left side of your knee. There will be a hot spot on the meaty bit there that is excruciating. Dig around on the left side (inside) of your shin bone for the meaty bits under there and see how that feels. Notice it does not hurt on the outside edges.
Here is the issue: If the angle in your foot is overpronated due to flat foot it does not only affect your foot. In fact, the fault travels all the way into your lumbar spine and beyond. http://www.footfoundation.com/media/wysiwyg/pronation.jpg
Foot to knee, knee to hip, hip to spine. If anything is out of whack, EVERYTHING is out of whack. You are about to embark on a long and difficult journey to recovery my friend. Please try a few things before you consider surgery or shots or inserts. You are young and resilient!
There are a ton of things you can do for this. You can get custom inserts for your shoes, but that does the same thing that shoes did to get you here in the first place. Supports your muscles so they don't have to work. The inserts support your skeleton as well to force it into a good position. The problem with this is that you will never build up the strength in your feet to reduce or eliminate your flat foot problem.
I had flat feet, and the doctors said I "overpronated off the charts". "You cant fix it, it is what it is" Now I don't. How? About 1.5 years of rehab and learning to walk all over. Consistency and smart hard work. You probably walk with your feet turned out. (Duck walking) This is your bodies way of compensating. Stop it. Learn about Gait and Posture and how to walk properly.
Buy this book and study the crap out of it: http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449519053&sr=8-1&keywords=becoming+a+supple+leopard+2nd+edition
It will teach you whats going on and what to do to correct it. You will also learn why this issue is dramatically affecting your athletic performance. You will get much stronger just learning how to move properly.
I would have to write a couple dozen pages to adequately describe to you what to do. Look into Physical Therapy if your family can afford it. Don't ignore this, its not going away and will only get worse. At your age you can fix it in a few months.
http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Edition/dp/1628600837
Ebooks and PDF's available.
> Quick edit: BTW, your reply below about the dude's knees question, that's a super awesome reply and I think you did a great job explaining how more than one pathway can cause a given pain, and that determining the cause is important. Everything you said, right down to the example with the sore neck and how you would work on it, totally lines up with the theory behind massage practice as well. I'm really, REALLY glad to hear that it's evidently becoming more normal for people to practice these things on themselves!
Thanks for the kind words.
> Would you elaborate on what you're using "mobility work" to mean? I'm a massage therapist and I've done some fancy stuff in my old DZR dojo with flexibility and stability training, but I haven't had the opportunity to work much with physical therapists or personal trainers, and I've never heard anyone use the phrase "mobility work" before. It sounds to me like you're talking about a program of equipment-assisted self-massage, but I want to make sure I'm totally clear on what you're referring to.
> If there's an official name for getting athletes to practice self-care massage ... and all I have to do is articulate it with a more training-sounding name that doesn't use "massage", and make it feel comfortably familiar to them by recommending they use equipment ... then this is something I need to know all about, so I can translate my recommendations into this method's language.
Honestly I have no idea what it's called. It's part self-massage, part flexibility. It's very little stretching. Mostly using a foam roller, lacrosse ball(s), exercise bands, etc to help move my joints in a full range of motion, self massage, and the like.
When asked for specific details about it, I always refer people to this book: Becoming a Supple Leopard. It's my bible of mobility. The first half of the book discusses movement and how concepts behind properly moving the body and so on. The second half of the book is broken up into body parts and allows you to see the exercises in a detailed step by step fashion. Other than just doing them, if one reads the first half of the book then they'll be able to do them and understand why they work.
There is lots to learn about lifting. I would recommend 'Becoming a supple leopard.
http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Edition/dp/1628600837
Tell the coach you have already progressed to the point where you can't add weight every week, if that's true.
Starting Strength is a fantastic book. Covers the majority of basic barbell training and if you read it cover to cover, you will be set for a good few years on that alone.
You can also check out Jim Wendler's 5,3,1 (Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simplest-Effective-Training-Increase-Strength/dp/0557248299) although I would recommend you do this after you have learned the basic compound lifts.
My biggest advice to you would be to focus more on your technique and movement patterns to begin with. If you're getting injured so often, a large part of it will be down to poor movement mechanics when performing certain exercises. Therefore, if you go and throw a load of weight on, you'll be doing yourself a dis-service.
I've had my fair share of injuries (adductor tendinopathy, proximal hamstring tendinopathy, ischial bursitis, grade 1 ACL tear and lateral patellar tracking to name a few) and I insisted on getting stronger to remove overuse injuries. On the surface, my technique looked fine (e.g. knees weren't caving in, spine stayed neutral) but I wasn't moving optimally. I spent a few months reading books like Kelly Starret's Supple Leopard (Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-Kelly-Starrett/1628600837/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482422477&sr=1-1&keywords=supple+leopard) and watching Quinn Henoch on Youtube (link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vthkcq_1D1M) and now I carry very few injuries as a result.
I wouldn't worry too much about supplements for now. If you have joint pains, you can take omega 3 fishoils and potentially collagen tablets, but I think it would largely be down to sub-optimal movement and weakness.
Latest theory is that my injury is from an inner hip rotator tear. So check your mobility there.
Look into Kelly Starlett and Pavel Tsatsoulines stuff.
https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
Ask around in this forum
http://www.strongfirst.com/
Joe Rogan discusses on a podcast that Keto helps flexibility.
DDP yoga recommends no grains or milk products.
/u/whitepeoplestuff is talking about this...
I've never heard of it. OP, care to elaborate?
It's a ton of work but this book's exercises will fix you https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837
The big problem with stretching alone is that you don't fix whatever caused the tension. So you are only treating symptoms and they come back.
Basically you need to loosen things and strengthen them to make real progress. And since the body is one big connected system that tightness in one muscle may be caused by weakness in one you don't expect.
Becoming a Supple Leopard
For stretching/mobility with the bands, check out https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492393837&sr=8-1&keywords=becoming+a+supple+leopard+2nd+edition. Also, you really just pick exercises up (that use them) as you progress and see what you like. I went 2 + years before using them and have found a few instances they help. I do pull aparts to help engage my back for bench. I do monster walks to help engage my glutes before squat/deadlift. They are extremely versatile and you can use them for just about anything you want, which makes them relatively personal.
Re: chalk, i understand your comment, but even if you arent lifting "big" weight, its likely maximal for you, which means it can still be beneficial. For me, when i am doing my working (non-warm up) sets, I use chalk regardless. It creates a somewhat "one" feeling with the bar in that your grip feels true and strong. Its like being able to "feel" the road as you drive. I like to "feel" the bar and chalk, for me, eliminates those potential barriers (i.e. hand sweat, etc.) that could prohibit me from "feeling" the bar. I hope that made sense.
TLDR: Still give it a shot. Its dirt cheap and you may be surprised.
This book has multiple recommendations for resolving injured/weak areas.
However, they don't replace doing Molding Mobility and Starting Stretching. Add them to the videos.
Also, I think you should go "recovery mode" for 2-3 weeks. Something like:
If 2-3 weeks off sounds bad, try 6+ months off from injury.
This article has photocopies of some of the relevant pages I was thinking of (the book itself is well with it, I'd recommend buying it not just for this kind of stuff but also for good form for exercises and for physical therapy/rehab/maintenance)
https://www.pkfitness.com/201722the-trick-to-good-posture/
Link to the book on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837
I think a good place to start would be to warm up with with Limber 11 on your lower body days and Simple 6 on upper body days.
For a more detailed understanding of mobility, improving mobility for different movements, and how to address pain and problem areas, read Kelly Starrett's "Becoming a Supple Leopard"
Nutrition:
Workout:
I like Crossfit because the gym I'm at has a great sense of community and competition. I genuinely like the people I work out with and they push me to be better. I also like Primal/keto for the nutrition side, but I like meat and veggies so it's easy for me to follow.
This book :
https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837
https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837
Oh I'm not even saying that you didn't look into this, I'm saying that you probably don't even realize how much information is out there. Look into https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837 for how much you could learn on biomechanics. People have written books just on deadlifting.
Though back to your original question, I'd recommend trying out dancing for a bit. Give it a bit of effort, some time for social and some for plain practicing. It's a good way to meet people, and there will be situations in life where dancing is almost expected of you. Plus it's a good comfort zone challenge.
Also look into the meetup app. There are plenty of broad categories in there. Look for ones that interest you.
Nits
A lot of this is taken care of by following the bracing sequence in Becoming A Supple Leapord:
/u/dBolstad
Look into YouTube videos, books, & articles by Dr. Kelly Starrett (MobilityWOD) and/or by Dr. Stuart McGill. I can't sing their praises loud enough. I've struggled much of my life with lower-back pain, with no help from numerous physical therapists & chiropractors - but K-Star quickly turned things around for me. I learned & applied far more from this free 1-hour video alone than I did from many paid doctor visits. Good luck.
Not a wiki, but "How to become a supple leopard" by Kelly Starrett is your go-to source for increasing your mobility.
Becoming a Supple Leopard 2nd Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance
https://www.amazon.de/dp/1628600837/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_33DsxbTV0E97T
Regarding kettlebells- it's unlikely at your current fitness level that your doctor will be cool with a swing progression, but I think farmer's walks and turkish getups could be great for you. Think about your muscle-building efforts in terms of the five fundamental human movements: Push, Pull, Hinge, Squat, and Loaded Carry. Push is like a bench press, overhead press or pushup. Pull is like a row, or pullup. Hinge is a deadlift, kettlebell swing, or good morning. Squat is self explanatory, and Loaded Carry is like a farmer's walk. Ideally to make a balanced routine you'd get some work done in every category over the course of a week.
How much food: There are many TDEE calculators out there- I'd reccomend plugging your stats into a few to see what you get. Your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is how many calories you need to eat to stay the weight you currently are. (Note: your TDEE is not your BMR (Base Metabolic Rate). Your BMR is what you would need to consume to maintain weight if you were in a coma and absolutely not doing anything.) To stay the same weight, you track your calories to try to hit that number, and weigh yourself regularly (I reccomend early morning before breakfast- makes it easiest to catch when the normal couple pounds of variation starts to drift) and put it in to myfitnesspal so you can see it on a graph. Tracking your weight and your calories is the only way to know if your estimated numbers are the correct TDEE for you.
This last bit can be confusing. There's the obvious issue with correctly estimating your exercise when you put it into the calculator- what does 'three times a week' really mean? But there's also the tracking calories accurately issue: You know how you sometimes hear people say 'I only eat 1100 calories a day, but I just can't lose weight!' Welllllllll.... no. They are either not recording food they eat, or not recording it correctly. Food labels can be up to 25% off, and it's very easy if you're measuring in anything other than grams (looking at you, myfitnesspal listings for 'one chicken breast'. Not helpful) to be off by quite a bit. But what you can be is consistent. If your daily calorie count is consistently wrong by 300 calories, your weight probably won't move much. (500 calories one way or the other off of your TDEE is about the right amount to gain or lose weight.) So what you do is watch your weight to see what's actually happening. If you don't see any movement over the course of a couple weeks, then you change your calorie goal for the day with the knowledge that it's a bit like aiming for a target with a gun that pulls to the left. In order to hit the target, you're overcompensating by aiming 'too far' to the right.
Macros: Depends on the kind of exercise you are doing, but for now when you're setting up your myfitnesspal goals I'd suggest trying for an 50% carb, 25% protein 25% fat split. This is actually a pretty high carb ratio, but probably less than you are currently eating. When you adjust to it, try to increase your protein and fats. And do try to get your carbs from 'complex' sources. Get your sugar bundled with some fiber like it is in fruit and whole grains. (There's a whole deep and I think very interesting rabbit hole about grain and how we process it interacts with our bodies. Basically grain is pretty okay, but what we do with it to make it into modern bread is pretty terrible.)
Okay, that was probably super overwhelming, but I wanted to give you a good base of understanding.
TLDR: On a daily basis, it looks like this. You've calculated your TDEE, decided you want to gain weight so you're eating goal is 500 calories over that. Before breakfast, you weigh yourself and put that into myfitnesspal during breakfast computer-time, during which you can also enter breakfast (probably the same thing every day, or one of a couple of common things, so easy to enter) and lunch (which you precalculated when you made up the big batch of it on the weekend.) Then you have a pretty good idea of what macros you need to 'fill in' with, and can make educated decisions about snacking and dinner. Maybe once a week look at your weight and food graphs, and see if you are hitting your goals, and what you might want to adjust.
Fiber is actually pretty easy to get enough of if you eat fruits and veggies. But if you have yogurt for breakfast, soup and sandwich for lunch, and pasta for dinner, you can find yourself in trouble even if you're 'eating healthy' and at a good weight. If you're worried about it, there's nothing wrong with taking a fiber supplement. I actually buy psyllium husk and mix it into my morning yogurt- I rather like how it thickens up the texture. But you can also take it in pill form, both work.
While we're on the topic of supplements- there are only a couple that have any proven health benefits to a basically healthy person. Vitamin D has good data, as does fish oil. Unless your doctor tells you that you do, you don't need a multivitamin. I also suggest eating probiotics- the data coming out on the gut/brain connection is really quite compelling, and home-made saurkraut/kimchi/preserved lemons/kombucha is actually dead-easy to make if you're interested, and can be a nice 'Wow, you made that?!' confidence boost.
Books that helped me learn:
I have another one: Check out Becoming a Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett (https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837).
It lacks nutrition advice, but it has great information about muscle groups.
Becoming a Supple Leopard
Deskbound: Standing Up to a Sitting World https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628600586/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_GEeIybBKSRWH0
Becoming a Supple Leopard 2nd Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628600837/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gFeIybZ03PF2R
https://smile.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523465402&sr=8-1&keywords=becoming+a+supple+leopard
I dont think there's any satire at all. If you look at Kelly's youtube channel he does a lot with mobility and proper posture. Hes written a book, Becoming a Supple Leopard, which im willing to bet that if you ask one of your coaches they have a copy at your local gym. I know ive seen the book at many crossfit gyms ive been to.
From his website: Kelly’s clients have included Olympic gold-medalists, Tour de France cyclists, world and national record holding Olympic Lifting and Power athletes, Crossfit Games medalists, ballet dancers, military personnel, and competitive age-division athletes.
He has a PHD in Physical Therapy from Samuel Merritt College in Oakland, California.
I'm pretty sure he knows what he's talking about. To top it all iff I watch his videos regularly to try and increase my mobility and its done wonders
Link to his book:http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Edition/dp/1628600837