Thursday, June 17, 2021

New Post

It's been a while. 

A long while. 

What's been happening?

Lots.

Life.

Global pandemic. 

Getting older.

On Dec 16, 2020 I began Tom Bisio's online Ba Gua Zhang program. Now six months in.

I started the practice one per day. Usually in the mornings before the rest of the family woke up. Then in the afternoon, on my lunch hour, I would jump into the garage and do my typical workout - some sort of weight training, kettlebells, clubbells, gymnastic bodies and some cardio. Nowadays, I still do my early morning session and in the afternoon, I do more ba gua.

Morning routine rests around standing meditation, or post standing. Typically now between 20-25 minutes. This includes Wu Ji, Embrace, and Floating Ball posture. Then depending on the time and my mood, qi cultivation exercises, linear mud walking, maybe phoenix stretch. 

Afternoons have recently, with the warmer weather, been based around circle walking. I now practice working through each of the ten postures. Either 3 minutes each, or 6 times around the circle (split in half for each direction) for a total of about 30 minutes. Then follow up with the 12 Standing Postures linked together, yin yang patting, joint rotations out of the Ji Ben Nei Gong series, crane stepping, phoenix walking, and plum blossom stepping patterns.

Over the past several weeks things have been getting real. Lots of those things that you hear people say about how things might feel that you never believe are starting to develop.

In the morning, first thing, I practice dao yin. At the end, as I sit and breathe, I can feel the energy in all of the individual areas swirling around. I can feel the energy in the bottoms of my feet now rising up toward my knees. I can feel it in my face. My chest. My arms. Kidneys. Dantien.

While practicing standing meditation, definitely feeling something stirring and moving around in my Dantien. It's not a ball rolling as some describe it, but more like a pancake flipping. At least that how it feels right now.

And when performing the opening preparatory posture, as my arms raise out to the sides, for about the first third of the movement, it feels like my arms are being inflated with air. They are raising, but it doesn't feel like I am doing it with my muscles.

So this blog is now more about me putting some of these things down in writing so that I don't forget what's been going on with my practices.

Stay tuned for more.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

A Beginner’s Kettlebell Workout

All movements in this workout are single arm lifts. One may choose appropriate sized kettlebells for the warmup, but choose a single kettlebell to progress through the superset work.


Warmup
Swing:  15x Right / 15x Left
Press:   5x Right / 5x Left


Superset

(A)   Clean:           1’ Right / 1’ Left

          Rest one minute

(B)   Push Press:   1’ Right / 1’ Left

          Rest one minute

Repeat (A) and (B) as written 3 times through.
 


As (A) & (B) get easier to accomplish, begin to stretch the time on each hand by 30 seconds. Be flexible with this. For example, at first only stretch the first superset to 1’30”, leaving the second and third supersets at 1’. Later on, stretch both the first and second supersets to 1’30”, leaving the last superset at 1’. Continue in this manner next progressing to 2’ per hand, 2’30” per hand and lastly to 3’ per hand. In all cases keep the rest fixed at one minute.

Once one hits 2’ per hand in each lift, it would be alright to only cycle through the progression twice, instead of three times. And finally, when one hits 3’ per hand, only a single superset would suffice for the day.

The key to success with kettlebell lifting is being consistent with one’s lifting, not killing oneself in a single session. Therefore I suggest beginners to finish their lifting before they overdo it. Take your time, give your body a chance to build up its ability to recover adequately and you will be amazed at how far your lifting and fitness progresses.

Nomenclature: 15x = 15 reps; 1’ = 1 minute; 1’30” = 1 minute 30 seconds

Sunday, March 3, 2013

2013 Kettlebell Lifting Update

So what's been going on? Well, lots.

Well as of late I have been once again bitten by the Kettlebell Lifting bug. I attribute it largely to the great group of people that I have been providing coaching to online. They are a very dedicated group. They like to have fun. And they share stories of their training and accomplishments with one another in a small private forum that I created on Facebook. Their accomplishments and enthusiasm have motivated me to jump back into the Kettlebell Lifting scene with both feet.

I have been training Long Cycle. I have started dedicating four days a week to lifting and have begun complimenting my lifting with additional (traditional) cardio work.

Yesterday was the first day that I attempted a Long Cycle set with the 24kg bells. I was able to complete a 4 minute set for 24 reps. It felt heavy, but I was able.

My plan is to compete next month at the IKSFA NY Open with the 16kg bells and achieve Rank I. The following month is the IUKL/AKA White Oak Open where I'll see how far my 24kg lifting has progressed.

Here is the vid of yesterday's lifting...


Saturday, April 28, 2012

A Long Overdue Update

Wow, I just realized that it's coming up on a year (!!) since I last posted to this page.  I guess I've been distracted.  Actually, blame Facebook since that's where most of my attention goes these days.

Anyway, next week I will be participating at America's Next Great Trainer Expo being held at Rockland Community College, benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rockland County.  Admission is free, so please stop by if you have a chance.  There will be fitness professionals, including myself, along with others specializing in health and wellness.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

A Kettlebell Workout

Over the last few days I had gotten an itch for some kettlebell lifting. The weekend is usually my time off from Olympic weightlifting these days. So I decided to hti the garage and move the bells around a bit.

There was no rhyme or reason to the progression. I just went with the flow and what I felt like playing with. Here is the video of the workout, rest breaks removed.

Let me know if you have any questions on what I did.

Legend: Yellow = 16kg, Purple = 20kg, Green = 24kg, Orange = 28kg, Red = 32kg

Friday, July 22, 2011

Beginning Female Weightlifter - Part 2

By Marc Chasnov


WHEN IS SYMMETRICAL NOT SYMMETRICAL?
The first installment of this series discussed the anatomical position and planes. The focus was on the midsagittal plane, which is a theoretical construct dividing the body into symmetrical right and left halves. The right and left sides of the body are supposed to be mirror images of each other in length, girth, and muscle power.

It is important to establish baseline measurements of each respective side of the body. This will assist the coach in determining the individual's current physical status. If the athlete has equal strength in all muscle tests on each side of the body, the coach can then direct the athlete to a progressive training program. If the athlete exhibits inequalities between the two sides, then she must be directed to a corrective exercise program. Many athletes will have ipsilateral (same side) upper and lower extremity dominance. Some will have contralateral (opposite side) upper and lower extremity dominance. Some will be ambidextrous.

Regardless of one's respective upper and lower body dominance, it is important in weightlifting to have both sides of the upper extremities, lower extremities, and torso equal in strength and alignment. The first part of this series made reference to establishing a baseline of strength in the beginning female weightlifter. In this installment, the following measurements and functional testing procedures will be discussed:
1.) Circumferential Measurements
2.) Leg Length & Asymmetry
3.) Spinal Alignment
4.) Muscle Testing

1. CIRCUMFERENTIAL MEASUREMENTS
More often than not the athlete's dominant side is larger in girth and stronger than the non-dominant side. Muscle size does not necessarily represent the muscle's force output, but it is always important to develop parity in size between the right and left sides of the body.

For the upper body circumferential measurements should be taken on both sides of the body for the following parts:
-Upper arm
-Forearm
-Wrist
-Hand

For the lower body, circumferential measurements should be taken on both sides for the following parts:
-Thigh
-Lower leg

2. LEG LENGTH & ASYMMETRY
It is important to have equal leg length. Unequal leg length or leg length discrepancy can affect the rest of the body; it can disturb position of the foot stance, squatting position, pelvic stability, and the entire spinal alignment.

When considering leg length, one must measure from the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) of the pelvis to the inside bone of the ankle, the medial malleolus (Fig. 1).


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Figure 1: Leg Measurement Points


If there is a question of leg length discrepancy, then the athlete should be referred to an appropriate healthcare professional who can evaluate it further.

3. SPINAL ALIGNMENT
As part of the evaluative process, the beginning lifter should be tested for scoliosis. The word scoliosis comes from the Greek skoliosis meaning "crooked." It is not uncommon for females between the age of 10-16 to have idiopathic "unknown origin" scoliosis.

A basic test to detect spinal alignment issues is the Adam's Test (Fig.2). In this test, the lifter is required to wear the appropriate clothing to allow proper observation. The athletes will be requested to bend forward and allow their upper spine to round with their arms dangling. The legs are kept straight and the feet are equal in their stance.


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Figure 2: Adam's Test
Source: iscoliosis.com


The examiner should observe from both the front and back of the bent-over athlete. If the examiner observes a deviation from a straight spinal alignment or some form of rotation ("increased height") on one side of the spine, then the individual should be recommended to the appropriate health practitioner.

4. MUSCLE TESTING
Shoulder Abduction. The motion of shoulder abduction is controlled by the deltoid muscle. The deltoid muscle is in turn neurologically controlled by the C5 nerve root. The deltoid muscle (as seen in Fig. 3) controls lifting the arm out to the side of the body. It is also very valuable in contributing to overhead movement. The athlete is tested by holding their arm out to the side (abducting) with their thumb pointing down against resistance in the downward motion. lf the athlete cannot tolerate minimal resistance, the downward direction then specific exercises should be prescribed to strengthen the deltoid muscle.


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Figure 3: Shoulder Abduction


Shoulder internal rotation/external rotation (Fig. 4, Fig. 5) are tested for the main reason that in the female weightlifter, the rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder are important stabilizers of the shoulder joint. Stabilizing the shoulder joint is important to diminish the chances of shoulder dislocations in the beginning female weightlifter.


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Figure 4: Internal Rotation of the Shoulder



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Figure 5: External Rotation of the Shoulder


Elbow Flexion. The motion of elbow flexion is controlled by the biceps muscle. The biceps muscle is neurologically controlled by the C6 nerve root. When testing the power of the biceps muscle the examiner will place resistance on the inside of the hand or wrist of the athlete while the athlete prevents the examiner from straightening the elbow (Fig. 6).


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Figure 6: Elbow Flexion


Elbow Extension. The motion of elbow extension is controlled by the triceps muscle. The triceps muscle is neurologically controlled by the C7 nerve root. When testing the power of the triceps muscle the examiner will place resistance on the outside of the hand or wrist of the athlete while the athlete prevents the examiner from bending the elbow (Fig. 7).


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Figure 7: Elbow Extension


Elbow flexion and elbow extension are important to maintain the integrity of the elbow joint. There is always the concern of elbow dislocations in beginning female weightliiters, so corrective exercises should be prescribed at the beginning of a female weightlifter's career.

Finger Abduction. The motion of finger abduction is controlled by the finger abductors. The finger abductors on neurologically controlled by the C8 nerve root. When testing the power of the finger abductors, the athlete will try to hold the fingers apart while the examiner tries to close them (Fig. 8).


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Figure 8: Finger Abduction


Finger Opposition. The motion of finger opposition occurs when the thumb and pinky are held together (Fig. 9). The examiner tries to pull the thumb and pinky apart. Finger opposition is neurologically controlled by the T-1 nerve root.


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Figure 9: Finger Opposition


Finger motions are important in the beginning female weightlifter to maintain a secure grip on the bar.

Hip Abduction. Abduction of the hip occurs when the leg is moved away from the midline of the body. Abduction is neurologically controlled by the L3 L4 and L5 nerve roots. If the athlete is asked to abduct the leg whether in a supine or sideline and cannot maintain a nominal resistance against the examiner then corrective exercises should be initiated (Fig. 10). Weakness in the hip abductor muscles will cause beginning, intermediate, and advanced female athletes to have "kissing knee syndrome." Kissing knee syndrome is a very common problem in female weightlifters. When females squat or recover from the squat clean, the knees may come together. This knee-together pattern will cause excessive stress on the medial (middle) tissues of the knee. The motion is also biomechanically less effective than maintaining hip abduction and keeping the knees apart.


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Figure 10: Hip Abduction


Hip Extension. Extension of the hip is tested when the athlete is laying prone on a surface and lists their leg toward the ceiling (Fig. 11). The examiner attempts to resist the upward motion of the lower extremity. Weakness in hip extension represents problems with the gluteal and hamstring musculature. This musculature will strengthen as the beginning female weightlifter matures, but corrective exercises can be prescribed to strengthen the muscles faster.


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Figure 11: Hip Extension


Knee Extension. Extension of the knee is tested with the athlete sitting upright on a stable surface with the knee at the edge of the surface, so that the lower leg is hanging freely. The examiner requests the athlete to extend the lower leg and provides resistance to the front of the lower shin (Fig. 12). Knee extension is controlled by the quadriceps muscles and is neurologically mediated through the L2-L3-L4 nerve roots.


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Figure 12: Knee Extension


In the next installment of this series, we will discuss and demonstrate various exercises you can use to test the strength and balance of the upper body, lower body, and trunk.

Copyright © 2010 Marc Chasnov