Joe's Joint

[Naldaramjo]

In my quest for more mobility, I often notice a certain "impatient" energy creep in. A demand for results. In these moments, I can very easily negate my efforts by pushing too much. This is counterproductive at best, but it remains a persistent pattern. Perhaps there is a relationship between this mentality and a lack of peace with the present moment. 

[Nathan]

On 7/15/2019 at 8:04 AM, Naldaramjo said:

Have you read much of these authors? What's your take?

I'm afraid I haven't actually read any of their books, aside from The Yoga of Eating by Eisenstein, but that's unrelated. I'm just familiar with them via a few essays/interviews/podcasts. I do resonate with the basic core concept, though, as I understand it: we create an artificial divide between ourselves (as humans) and everything else, which is the source of many of our problems (on both individual and collective levels). That Gaia piece is strange - I never really got that vibe from other interviews of his that I'd read/heard. I'd love to read several of the books mentioned, but it's just so hard to find anything like this here in Japan without paying ridiculous prices.

[Nathan]

On 7/15/2019 at 10:04 AM, Naldaramjo said:

Perhaps there is a relationship between this mentality and a lack of peace with the present moment.

Of course - results await us in the future  No problem. We all do it, and seeing the pattern is the important part. Just keep watching 

[Naldaramjo]

6 minutes ago, Nathan said:

I'm afraid I haven't actually read any of their books, aside from The Yoga of Eating by Eisenstein, but that's unrelated. I'm just familiar with them via a few essays/interviews/podcasts. I do resonate with the basic core concept, though, as I understand it: we create an artificial divide between ourselves (as humans) and everything else, which is the source of many of our problems (on both individual and collective levels). That Gaia piece is strange - I never really got that vibe from other interviews of his that I'd read/heard. I'd love to read several of the books mentioned, but it's just so hard to find anything like this here in Japan without paying ridiculous prices.

Does Amazon ship to Japan? I've ordered several paperbacks off Amazon recently, because they were too old or too obscure to have been made into an e-book. The shipping cost isn't too bad. 

The Ascent of Humanity is in Kindle format, so there's an option there. Easily the most all-encompassing of his works, although I've heard Sacred Economics is also a worthy read. 

He's an interesting man with a wholly individual perspective that he's clearly thought long and hard about, and that alone makes him worth listening to. His spiritual ideation suggests an especially critical eye is required though, because it's so easy to miss when he crosses over from cultural iconoclast to spiritual flake. 

Living the Change is great, btw!

[Nathan]

1 hour ago, Naldaramjo said:

Does Amazon ship to Japan?

They do, but I'm just building up my wishlist while I wait to go back and visit. Generally it's either pay a premium to buy English books from Amazon JP, or pay a premium to have them shipped from Amazon US. The premium isn't terrible, but it's still money that I need to spend on other things at the moment.

1 hour ago, Naldaramjo said:

Living the Change is great, btw!

I'll keep it on my radar! I see Eisenstein's interview is available on his site, so I'll check that out in the meantime.

[Naldaramjo]

5 minutes ago, Nathan said:

They do, but I'm just building up my wishlist while I wait to go back and visit. Generally it's either pay a premium to buy English books from Amazon JP, or pay a premium to have them shipped from Amazon US. The premium isn't terrible, but it's still money that I need to spend on other things at the moment.

I have a few paperbacks I'd be happy to send your way if you're interested. I've mentioned them a few times in this thread, but not mentioned yet is Stephen Jenkinson's Die Wise...a rather dense book on an important subject. 

[Nathan]

4 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

Stephen Jenkinson's Die Wise

Looks interesting! He seems to have a few interviews on YouTube, so I'll check those out for now. Reminds me of Frank Ostaseski, based on a couple of interviews I've heard with him. Not sure how much overlap there actually is, but you might find him interesting too.

[Naldaramjo]

Thanks...I'll check him out. Let me know if you'd like the paperback. It's hefty!

[Nathan]

Google is stalking me, like always... Just went to YouTube and this popped up in my stream, so I figured I'd share.

 

[Naldaramjo]

Thanks, @Nathan, I'll check it out. I've been intending to watch Griefwalker, a documentary about his work, for some time now. This looks similar.

[Naldaramjo]

I read yesterday...

Quote

Let your spiritual path become the willingness to let whatever happens make it through you, rather than carrying it into the next moment.

...reading this sentiment expressed so eloquently was like reading it for the first time.

[Naldaramjo]

Something of Note

I have been shying away from doing any chest specific exercises in volume for quite a while because they aggravate my left deltoid. Given the issues I've occasionally had with the back muscles surrounding my left shoulder, I've often wondered if the two issues were related. 

Well, today I tried doing a sort of "beginner's" push-up, with my body at a roughly 45 degree angle. I did maybe 10 repetitions, really concentrating on working the chest muscles. What I found was that a specific muscle on the left side of my back - perhaps, going off an anatomy diagram, the upper portion of the latissimus dorsi, the teres major, or teres minor - was working pretty hard. My sense is that the muscle, whatever it was called, was working to keep my shoulder girdle structurally supported. It was trying to prevent my shoulder blade from lifting off my rib cage. 

I think I'll continue to experiment with this beginner's push-ups and see how the sensation changes over time. I also wonder if especially mindful planks might help develop these muscles.

Any thoughts?

[Nathan]

3 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

Any thoughts?

Sure: Who knows? 

But seriously, regardless, rotator cuff exercises (done properly) can never hurt. Look up LYTPs. This should get you started. Also, you might consider strengthening the serratus anterior if you're worried about the scapula lifting off, or winging.

[Kit_L]

On 8/22/2019 at 2:50 PM, Naldaramjo said:

the upper portion of the latissimus dorsi, the teres major, or teres minor - was working pretty hard.

Of course they do; they have to. You can enhance this effect by actively pulling the shoulders down to the hips as hard as you can (like when flexing your lats), as you start to push back from your bottom position, and do not let the shoulders rise towards your ears from this position. As well, use an arm angle where the elbows brush your sides; much easier to avoid shoulder injuries this way. It's analogous to close-grip bench pressing.

Twice the software has eaten my content. I have been working on this for an hour now...

What I wrote was that the BodyLine series (links below) will do everything the LYPTs will do, and a lot more besides. The front plank addresses @Nathan's concerns re. serratus anterior activation and strengthening (if you really protract, that is the main effect, in fact), and the reverse plank is the best shoulder rehab exercise on the planet. Work up to being able to hold all planks for 60" each (so four minutes in total) with literally every muscle in the body switched on.

Once that is doable, move on to @oliviaa's MasterClass on the Arch Body Hold; itself a major activation and strengthening exercise for the whole body, but the preparation movements also cover all the LYPT angles. As well, Olivia explicitly cues the exercise in such a way as to avoid the problems Nic T. identifies in his four videos: over-activation of the lumbar muscles, and under-activation of the thoracic extensors.

https://stretchtherapy.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/monkey-gym-foundational-skills.pdf

https://stretchtherapy.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/wrist-mobility_bodyline-exercises_handstands.pdf

 

There is an immense amount of content here; consider this a six–twelve month project. It will be worth it.

[Naldaramjo]

Wow... @Kit_L and @Nathan...thank you for these resources! I've already experimented with the LYPTs since you posted, Nathan, and found them quite helpful in connecting with the contraction sensation. The body line material looks comprehensive and I am looking forward to incorporating it into a regular routine. Cheers!😁

[Naldaramjo]

Have recently been doing some work with the skater squat as performed in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAeU-4QDl1I

I have found that this movement is most difficult for me to perform when my upper body approaches parallel with the ground. I am attempting to mimic the lady in black (~3 minutes) in this video, although I can't go as deep as her yet. Interestingly, as my leg straightens, I start to lose control and wobble all over the place, so I think, for me, it will be good to continue the range of motion until my leg is locked out rather than stopping just after my knee angle reaches 90 degrees.

My range of motion is pretty tiny at the moment, but it feels like I'm really putting my ass through its paces. 🍑

 

[Kit_L]

12 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

I am attempting to mimic the lady in black (~3 minutes) in this video,

Too advanced a depth for you presently, I'd say. The SSS is a truly amazing exercise—but it requires strength and balance of a pretty high order, if you go as deep as Merryn does. Here's the progression I recommend:

Bend support leg, only to a degree you can balance, easily. Then incline the trunk forward, slowly, and feel how this changes the difficulty. Only incline as far forward as you can maintain balance easily, with no pain in the knee (move whole body's weight backwards if you do; this engages the glutes and reduces quadriceps' contribution), and stay in that position for time (say, 15"). 

Then, staying at whatever depth and inclination you have, change legs over (another balance challenge), and repeat for second leg.

If you do all this, it will be the glutes that do the majority of the work (you will know all about it the next day, if my experience is anything to go by!). I worked up to 5' total, 30" x 5 on each leg, not ever losing the back-level-with-the-floor inclination. I could hardly sit down the next day!

[Naldaramjo]

Thanks, @Kit_L. I just gave this a quick go, and I gotta say, it's damn effective. Amazing how much of a workout can be had with no additional weight. 

Do you think there's anything to be gained to working with the upper range of motion (i.e. with the supporting leg locked or nearly locked and the upper body parallel with the floor)? I find that I have so little stability in this position. My hips starts shaking like crazy.

[Naldaramjo]

@Kit_L, this introductory version of the skater squat has had a profound effect on general tension in my hips, even after only a couple of days 

1. My gracilis is more willing to stretch out in single-leg side-split stretches.
2. I am able to do a forward fold more easily than ever before with little to no strain in my lower back and little resistance from my hamstrings.
3. Related to 2, my hip flexors feel more willing to get out of the way as I forward fold, and as a result my knees don't automatically externally rotate as I get deeper into the pose.
4. I am able to more comfortably approach backbend oriented yoga poses (e.g. anivittasana). 
5. Piriformis stretches now feel like they more uniformly target the buttock region as opposed to just the medial glute area near the IT tendon.

The posterior chain seems to be more in sync than ever before. 

I made a couple of changes about how I get into the pose:

1. I lower myself with both legs on the ground. This helps me feel like I'm more aligned when I lift one foot off the ground.
2. I sometimes use my arm to brace myself as the movement becomes more difficult.

I'd like to eventually perform it as originally suggested, but at the moment, I feel like I need to build a bit more baseline stability and strength first.

 

~~

Additionally, the fish pose (reverse plank) has dramatically improved my sense of mobility in my shoulders. Quite shocking that the change was so rapid, considering how uncomfortable the pose felt initially. 

I'd like to get some progress pics up eventually, but this is all very encouraging. 

The butt

You see

Is the key

For me

 

[Kit_L]

On 8/29/2019 at 8:49 PM, Naldaramjo said:

The butt

You see

Is the key

For me

Hahahahahaha! For everyone, actually. The glutes, if active and present, are the body's powerhouse. So many "flexibility" problems are really no-glute problems—the tension/non-extensibility sensations you describe in say) gracilis) can be side effects of these "problem" muscles having to do work that they are not designed for. And because most people spend significant times sitting each day, I believe this helps make them inactive: they are squashed into submission! Well, I have no proof for that last claim, but looking around, decent glutes are rare.

The Speed Skater Squat is a massive dynamic isometric balancing pose where a substantial fraction of the body's weight is being supported by one glute at a time, over time. When you can do 30" on each leg x 5 minutes in total (with smooth transitions from leg to leg) you will have performed a whole posterior chain workout in five minutes. As you get stronger, the non-working knee will be closer to the floor; the work perception goes up exponentially. And ideally, the upper body is parallel to the floor, and the back is straight. 

Lowering with both legs is perfectly fine. I lower and straighten my arms, pointing with my index fingers; I lightly touch a tip for balance adjustment. If you watch speed skaters, they occasionally do the same (plus a huge amount more!):

https://youtu.be/CZtxUAXypl0?t=218

What an event!

I almost forgot: the reverse plank is THE shoulder rehab excise, IMHO. I do these regularly myself. Once the four planks are mastered (front, side 1, reverse, side 2), then consider slowly transitioning between the positions. 3D shoulder rehab.

 

[Naldaramjo]

...the Glute Rejuvenation Project continues...

Along with many of the suggestions that @Kit_L provided above, I have also introduced single-legged deadlifts with near straight legs. This really effectively targets the medial glute for me, and I find that my medial glutes are totally fatigued after merely 4 or 5 reps! This doesn't occur, however, when my knees are bent. 

[Nathan]

4 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

I have also introduced single-legged deadlifts with near straight legs. This really effectively targets the medial glute for me, and I find that my medial glutes are totally fatigued after merely 4 or 5 reps! This doesn't occur, however, when my knees are bent. 

Yes, these are very nice. I was working these up to not-terribly-embarrassing amounts of weight previously, and as you mention, being very diligent about maintaining proper (for the intended purpose) form is imperative. The body is ingenious when it comes to compensation 

[Naldaramjo]

15 minutes ago, Nathan said:

Yes, these are very nice. I was working these up to not-terribly-embarrassing amounts of weight previously, and as you mention, being very diligent about maintaining proper (for the intended purpose) form is imperative. The body is ingenious when it comes to compensation 

haha...what kind of weight is that? This feels like a really advanced exercise even without weight, but maybe that's just an indication of my own pattern of strength/flexibility.

[Nathan]

15 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

haha...what kind of weight is that?

Hmm, a quick glance back at my log seems to show I worked up to 45kg with a small bend at the knee, and then worked back up from 0 to 17.5kg with a completely straight knee before running off to Australia and taking a break  Absolutely zero bend made a big difference in the feeling of stability at the knee, but it was improving very quickly.

[Naldaramjo]

17 minutes ago, Nathan said:

Hmm, a quick glance back at my log seems to show I worked up to 45kg with a small bend at the knee, and then worked back up from 0 to 17.5kg with a completely straight knee before running off to Australia and taking a break  Absolutely zero bend made a big difference in the feeling of stability at the knee, but it was improving very quickly.

Wow...45kg single legged deadlifts? How were you holding on to the weight and maintaining balance? It must have been a barbell rather than a dumbbell, but I just can't imagine holding on to that much weight on a bar and not falling over!