Stop doing so many crunches!

    The other day I had a client/patient tell me that she had performed over 300 crunches in a row on Saturday morning to break down the fat and sugar that she ate over a Friday, "girls night out". With a proud look in her eye and bright smile on her face, I barely had the heart to tell her that what she just did had no scientific meaning and no benefit towards trimming her waist line. How could I when every time I turn on the TV and see an Mis-Informercial that says everything to the contrary?

      For the past 25 or so years I have been trying to find the perfect exercise selection to get my body to 100% performance capable. I have redesigned my workout over the past several years trying to use a minimalist approach to fitness. Use what works and discard the garbage I have learned from fitness mags over the years. The only way in my opinion  to decrease girth on the waistline and bring out the legendary abs of the likes of such individuals as Bruce Lee or Jackie Warner is to just simply, EAT CLEAN and get your bodyfat below 8% for men and 15% for females. As an experiment I did just that for the 4 weeks before my marriage. I simply just cut out all sugar and processed starches without eating anything from a box or bag. I adjusted my calories and ratios of Protein, Carbs, and Good Fats and like magic, the abs come thru (please see pic above). No back breaking sit ups or crazy no carb diets for me. What? No crunches or leg raises? ABSOLUTELY NONE! Actually I can't remember the last time that I did crunches or a complete ab workout. I only work my core the way that Dr. Stuart McGill PhD says to. If you read his research based work from his text, Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance, you will see what I am referring to. I will not recite his work, as I feel that his expertise is unquestionable and should be read and interpreted by the reader. I can however tell you that as a Chiropractic Physician, his knowlegde and experience far exceedes mine, and I take everything he says as, 'fact'! I don't have a million dollar lab to test results of his work, but I do have my patients' and clients' testomonials, all of which have been nothing short of positively benificial. If you insist on doing as my client has, multiple sets of high volume crunches, I will see you in my office one day with your low back complaint. In short, ligaments that surround your spine act similar to a wire coat hanger. If you repeatedly bend it back and forth, it will break. So keep bending your spine, especially in your lower back, over and over, without enough rest and recovery, and you will cause micro tears in the ligaments that protect your spine and vertebral discs. Compounded over several weeks to months and this will weaken the area, leaving you subseptible to herniations and sprains. Forget the old myths of doing more ab work to strengthen the back. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! Use a pilates method or talk to your back doctor about a spinal strengthening routine. If your doctor instructs you to do situps or leg raises, please inform them that you now know better and refer them to Dr. McGill's work found on a link in my blog. You have now been warned! You're welcome! If you want to know more about how to stregthen your core, contact me at my email BodyCorex@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading and good luck with your personal quest to find physical balance!

Well one of the most common foot problems that can lead to problems elsewhere up the kinetic chain is Over-Pronation.

 What is Over Pronation  aka:Hyperpronation?

Over-pronation is a common bio-mechanical problem that occurs in the walking process when a person's arch collapses upon weight bearing. Picture this: As a person steps forward with his or her right foot and places it down heel to toe the foot starts to move in the direction called pronation. As they transfer the weight over that right leg before the left foot swings forward, the foot arch starts to drop (normal mechanism of pronation). Now as the person steps forward with the left foot, they push off the right foot and if the right foot is not supported by the stabilization muscles of the foot (ie. Posterior Tibialis), then the force of toe-off with the dysfunctional right foot will cause muscles further up the body to be weaker and slower. For an athlete this is very important in regards to performance. They will have no reel power in the push off. For the average person this can keep your body constantly off balance, and body aches that you keep getting massaged may never go away. The feet are the foundation of the human body, so in my chiropractic treatment, it is the first place that I look in reference to an unbalanced muscular skeletal complaint. Conditions that this imbalance causes are; Plantar Fascitis, Achilles Tendonitis, Bunions,

Hammer Toe, etc. I have helped so many people with their low back complaints by simply adjusting their feet, doing some simple soft tissue work with the tight muscles, and rehabilitating the weak muscles involved. If this didn't correct the problem, then I would simply cast them for a Functional Orthotic.
 The reason why I say "functional", is because so many doctors and therapists set patients in orthotic casts without adjusting the foot, which in my experience changes the measured angles of the prescribed orthotic. . To understand more about this condition refer to articles written by a leading authority in Orthotic Devices, Kevin Hearon DC - founder of the Chiropractic Extremity Council. It is not an easy task adjusting and treating the foot, which is why I am taking a third post graduate seminar in the subject. I aim to be one of the best chiropractic technicians in my area in regards the the extremities and how they relate to common spinal problems.

Muscle Imbalance Theory

Well its been about 6 months since writing anything. Mostly because my work has been non stop thanks be to GOD. I am fortunate now to have a solid foundation of strong, healthy clients to work with. Making my job as a theory tester, easier. Most of us fitness and health enthusiasts are pretty tired of the so called fitness experts blabbing on and on about the newest fitness craze. P90 this and Insanity training that. "How can I get this weight off now, no matter what it does to my joints."-Ave Client Mindset.  I don't have anything against those programs but most of the more inexperienced trainers I know, can easily crank someone out until they throw up. Most of these methods actually are pretty dangerous to the average personal training client full of imbalances and latent with injuries. From a muscular skeletal point of view, most people that I see for the first time are a mess. Most history questionnaires that I review usually have more than one physical dysfunction. From plantar fascitis to post knee surgery to cervical (neck) myalgia (pain). Performing their first squat, I can usually pick out an inconsistency in movement of the ankle, knees, and/or hip. Most clients row while raising their shoulders first, which will set off neck pain if underlying problems exist. I try to describe what I see, but most clients have neither the knowledge of the human movement system, nor the movement awareness to take what I recommend seriously. Sad part is most trainers don't either and when they get a client who has muscle imbalances and/or motor deficits they just ignore it and train on. I can admit that until 5 years ago, I was one of these trainers. I thought that everything can be fixed by getting a good adjustment and just working through it. That was until my shoulder became so bad that I just had to learn more or end up getting a surgery that I didn't need. Even though I am constantly learning more everyday, there are a few theories that I personally believe should be considered scientifically proven by now. In the next few blogs, I am going to comment on these mostly unknown concepts and principles, so that any layperson without a degree in anatomy and physiology, can understand the steps to take to when confronted with muscle and/or skeletal and/or neurological PAIN!

Get educated about your muscle imbalances!

What is Muscle Imbalance?
It means just what it says; a person’s musculoskeletal system is not in proper balance causing restriction in healthy joint and musculoskeletal movement. However, it is a little more complicated then this.

The skeletal muscles work together to allow movement. For many reasons some of our muscles can become what is known as “HypERtonic” and when this occurs corresponding (paired) muscles will become “HypOtonic.”

Without getting too technical, a muscle that is Hypertonic it is a muscle that is shortened and tight, and over time (sometimes also weak) and is unable to “relax” or “release” the contraction fully when needed. It can develop into a muscle that begins to exist in a state of chronic, semi-contraction, which the body recognizes as suffering with a mini muscle spasm all the time. The paired Hypotonic muscles become chronically “over stretched” and weak and are unable to contract when needed. Of course, this set-up decreases correct movement of the joint causing it to move in an altered way, which can lead to joint breakdown.


FACT: A muscle that is chronically semi-contracted causes metabolic dysfunction within the muscle tissues. It also squeezes blood vessels and nerves running through the muscle. This interferes with healthy blood supply and proper nerve signaling.


An Example of How Muscles Work in Opposite Pairs
Muscles exist as “agonists” and “antagonists.” This is another way of saying – Muscles move the skeleton and joints by working in opposite pairs. For instance, if you bend your elbow to touch your shoulder, your biceps (muscles on the front of the upper arm) contract, and the triceps (muscles on the back of the upper arm) relax. It works the other way when you straighten your arm - the triceps contract while the biceps relax

What Causes Muscle Imbalances?
There are more reasons than we can cover in this article but here are some of the most common. See if you can relate to any

1. A lifetime of poor posture which gets poorer as we age. This can start from birth and become a pain and disability problem as early as our teens and twenties.

2. Jobs or activities that require a lot of forward bending (flexing) and/or lifting/twisting from that forward bend.

3. Jobs or activities requiring long or excessive use of extension (bending backwards)

4. Jobs that require static position or repetitive motion – like computer work, cashiering, etc,

5. A lack of exercise. Over exercise, and Incorrect exercising.

6. Repetitive Stress - Both Physical and Emotional - Just think about defensive attitudes, confidence, shyness and aggression. These immediately affect our musculature and it all shows up in our body’s posture.

7. Lack of restorative sleep

8. Of course it can also result from an accident injury

9. Here is a catch-22. Another cause of muscle imbalance results from the very injuries caused by muscle imbalances. Once injured, the pain and physical reactions to that injury can create further imbalanced muscle problems if not properly treated.

A Journey back to BALANCE!

It is about time to kick off the spring with better health and wellness the BodyCOREx way.  Getting Structural Integration, Chiropractic Upper Cervical Work, Cleansing, and Acupuncture. Along with changing my workout to more functional training and martial arts practice. Stay tuned as I document my journey here on my blog....

Working Towards a Balanced Life!

Once again I am at deep thoughts about this idea called balance. When do we ever achieve such a state.  Is it a place where physical meets mental, meets spiritual-all at the same time for a split second? Lets just consider the physical for a moment. If the human body acts to a stimulus a certain way since birth,  can it ever be changed.  Some researchers say yes, but it takes many hours of repetitive movement training. In my clinical practice in Arizona I was finding that a lack of kinesthetic awareness, or the ability to sense their own body movements accurately was the patient norm. My personal belief is that retraining the body out of these dysfunctional movement patterns is the most important and most overlooked treatment modality.  Yes, I agree with most chiropractors that when adjusting the spine you are effecting the communication of the nerve pathway to and from that particular organ or system.  My argument however, is why some doctors think it is enough to stop there, when educating our patients on their wellness is what separates us from the conservative physicians.  Some people will find help from many different practitioners of all sorts.  I have had patients rave to me about Structural Integration and/or Rolffing.  I have heard miracles happen with Feldenkreis, Z Health, Trigenics, Bowman Work, NMT, ART and on and on. I have studied each of the arts by taking seminars or by being treated by a competent technician.  Were the answer lies I believe is discovering the patients dysfunctional movement patterns and addressing these patterns  utilizing the tools that help reestablish the muscle-nerve-memory connection, while simultaneously addressing scar tissue and dysfunctional reflexes.  While working on my recent case study through Body COREx, I am discovering behavior patterns in relation to stress, such as right shoulder hunching and right translation of the neck with slight head rotation to the same side.  Without getting into all the details of the case study, it is obvious that stress enhances a dysfunctional patterns and addressing the stress is foremost.  However, if you deal with the soft tissue injury to the connective tissue as well as correct any spinal subluxation and retrain the body to move in mirror image then your are bringing the body in accordance with it's innate tendency toward homeostasis.."balance".

Almost Finished

Well I got bronchitis for about 2 weeks so I missed my goal, however I am on a strong track towards my success. Here are the pics for my own transformation. Workout consistency is 3 x/week. No cardio right now except for heavy bag work for 30 minutes 2x/week. Workout Technique: My own mixed with SAIS and EDT models. Diet: Mostly Organic "real food". I use a 50% carbs, 30% protein, 20% fat but only 5%bad fats if any. I work about 12 hours a day 5/week, so that is why the increased carbs from my usual 40%. I currently weight 184 and I was pinched this AM at 11% bodyfat. I supplement with Glutamine, Liquid Vitamins, Green First Veggie Drink, Predigested BCAA's at night. No creatine or NO2 because I can't digest them. Protein Shake is Brown Rice Protein and sometimes Hemp Protein. My strength has gone up 27% on upper body and 20% lower. I also take digestive enzymes and a physillium husk GI fortifier drink to help keep my colon clean from toxic invaders.

I know any reader will realize that I am not the typical bodybuilder you see in the mags. I have been lifting since the age of 14 years, and I have never taken an anabolic steroid in the 23 years that I have been training. I am just an average guy who loves the beauty of a balanced muscular physique..

17 Day Road Trip Across America..This is what I saw!

To those who think that I have something against the "heavy set" in our society, I would like to defend myself by saying that I am a natural health care physican, "Chiropractor". I have witnessed first hand what "FAT" has done to my fellow Americans and others in the world. Like a respected Oncology researcher trying to discover the escapable cure for cancer, I too am trying each and every day to search for answers to help curve the average person's ill mindset of overindulgence and misinformation. On some days I say, why bother?, let them do whatever they want and mind your business. But then someone will sit across the desk from me during a consultation, look me in the eyes with pain and frustration, and plead with me to help them lose fat, get rid of the joint pains, and get their lives back. On a weekly basis, a client would report to me on their diets and I can't believe my ears..."13 diet cokes, 3 bags of buttered popcorn, a canister of pringles, and candy." Seriously, I am not making this up, just ask any good trainer or doctor. This is the truth, something that I think many Americans should start paying attention to. Fact: Look what has happened to the numbers in your personal state by going to:http://www.revolutionhealth.com/conditions/obesity/obesity-epidemic and scroll from 1991-2006. This is exactly what Liz and I saw on our road trip. It makes me sad because, although most of the friends I have had over the years have mocked me or laughed off my passion to help them, I know that they hurt and it effects almost every part of their lives. I wish America, the country in which I was so proud of being a native of, would take a stand against any and all advertisers that force feed "garbage food" to our children during their Saturday cartoons. Its hipocritical to see how fast people would rise in arms over a few magnets in toys, however feed their children toxic chemicals that 90% of us without a biochemistry degree can't even define. That is without mentioning the horrible amounts of sugar and fat in their average diets. I wish that one day in my lifetime we could again call this country..."The Strong and The Brave", instead of the fat and weak nation we've become. Let us fight a war for ourselves. Put the 300 Billion dollar obesity price tag into feeding the poor, not caring for the gluttened and greedy.

Dr. Scott Hernandez changed my life!

I met Scott three years ago; in that time I left my hometown of South Florida (Miami Beach & Boca Raton) to begin a journey in natural health and wellness, have lived in four different states, become a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, ran Scott's Chiropractic practice for two years, learned about Naturopathy with an amazing Naturopathic Medical Group, took a 17 day roadtrip throughout 15 different states, and have, with the help and guidance of Scott, made over my body.

"Mentors"

We all should have one or many mentors growing up. Growing up in the 70's-80's in my youth, I use to marvel at the compact power and speed of the legend..Bruce Lee. He was so firm in his belief in the control of his physical and mental well being. Besides the usuals like my parents, grandparents, and teachers, I believe the biggest personal motivater in fitness that I remember was Jack LaLanne. During those old broadcasts that would still come on from time to time in Black and White, I remember him saying (screaming).."Get UP and Get MOVING! Quit being Lazy! Get OFF THAT COUCH AND SQAUT..begin...1,2,3-30. As a fitness motivator, I have always tried to be a Jack LaLanne, however....I'm NOT!
I wish more young people out there would get back to reality and get out of the virtual reality. "Movement is the Answer to Obesity"-my feelings!
See video on you tube: "Obesity in Young Children"..she is right on the money!