Transitions and Integration

This post has multiple meanings...

Kinetic Edge just was relocated upstairs to a much larger space after only 8 months. I now have room for all of my 'toys.' Thanks to all of you who beared with me during this transition phase...I have been a little spacey lately to say the least with all of the build out and decisions that have had to be made. This has caused me to be on 'blog hiatus' for about a month. I'm back.

Let's explore transitions, integration and coordination on a deeper level from a movement perspective.

Most of the time we (scholars, schooling, teachers in general) tend to focus on the distal ends of skill development. We are are a society of wanting 'finished projects' and we want them:
1 our way
2 now
3 in perfect finished form

My own training recently has started to focus on the all of the in-between micro-movements. There are 1000s /1,000,000s of micro-movements within one main movement. I'll use the squat as an example for all of this.

Squatting is a multi-joint movement ...most of us focus on ankle / knee / hip some on low back as the 4 'main' joints. Let us not forget ALL of the small joints within the foot which are just as critical as the main 3 (ankle/knee/hip). Now in Z training there is isolated joint mobility for each one of these joints where it is singled out. After we can separate each joint movement without tension and have a clean movement pattern, we can then integrate a 2nd joint. This can continue until you've integrated a 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc. joint into the movement. Then comes the re-coordination of all of the integrated 'parts.' I am finding this more and more extremely important in producing cleaner movement patterns and also increasing PRs, decreasing soreness (although at first, you will be pleasantly surprised at a new found level of tissue soreness), etc when exploring individual movements in depth.

Now take the squat and the multiple joints and perform individual Z drills at different levels of the squat. For example going into a 1/4 squat (or 5/16 squat or whatever level you want, because EVERY level matters) and perform a Ball of Foot Circle or a Closed Chain Knee Circle or a Ball of Foot Outside Toe Pull. Make sense? If not, seek a Z Level II trainer (minimum) to find out more because the videos won't do this justice.

Contact me for more info at brad@keperformance.com

P.S. I will be more diligent about updating my blog and putting out some stellar information!

Z Health Client Results

I thought I would update all of you on two clients from radically different situations and different speeds of outcomes.

Client #1
Female / mid thirties
I have known her for about 6 years. At one point about a year and half ago, she was teaching a spinning class, a step aerobics class, and also strength training with a personal trainer. Very fit person who loves to workout and live a health lifestyle.

She came to me today for her 1st Z appt and the first time ever working with me 1 on 1.

Complaint: R medial and lateral knee pain level 7 (scale of 1-10) and low back pain level 2. Knee hurts when most descending stairs and also doing lunges and sometimes squats. For someone who is dedicated to health and fitness the pain has reduced her activity to swimming 3 days per week and that is about it (and she says she is 'ornery' :) She's been to two Physical Therapists, 2 other trainers, 1 orthopedic, and 2 other 'specialists' all of who basically said they could not do anything for her other than a cortizone shot (and we all know how I FEEL about that!...of course she made the correct decision and declined :)

Z Eval: I started doing some drills with her seeking the highest payoffs in the order that her body likes. I find 5 drills that are perfect for her. Test visual system and find 2 discrepancies. Re-test the R phase drills with the rehab eye positions to solidify the work.

Result: Knee pain level 7 to 0.
Time: 1 hour.

*Disclaimer...is it always this easy? No. Is it this easy 80% of the time? Yes.



Client #2
Female / Early Forties
This one has been long-term. We are now in our 20th week of working together 3x/week. In great shape, is going to begin training for a Half Ironman which her friend talked her into (I have explained the consequences...and sometimes that is all I can do :)

Complaint: Low back pain most of the time directly above Left hip. Acute problem happened picking up her son and has lived with this for 7 YEARS. Pain level as high as 8 initially 20 weeks ago. Since then other things have unraveled and manifested as the back pain has decreased. So we do something different almost every day. (She is diligent with her rehab drills at home).

Z Eval: I started with attempting to find high payoffs. This has definitely a work in progress. August 1st marked the first time in 7 YEARS that she was without back pain. I have played with all types of things and sought out other Z trainers for advice. This has challenged me to a much higher level of trusting my intuition based on what I see at a gut level each day she comes in. Have learned a lot by means of the term "anything can cause anything" (because some day there is no 'explainable' reason why a specific drill decides to be 'the one' that eliminates the pain that day.)

I'm just glad that she is in it for the long haul and has more patience with herself than I am with not being able to 'fix it' immediately.

**Not all clients are 'fixed' in under an hour. This particular client still has some mobility work to do and solidify her current state, yet we have come a long way.

When you are serious about a Z Private Session to eliminate pain or improve performance contact me at info@keperformance.com