I came across this video yesterday on a colleague’s, Brandon LaVack of LaVack Fitness Facebook feed. It is truly an inspiring story which invoked some internal self reflection on my part.
Two questions popped into my mind.
1. What do I have that this guy, Richie Parker, doesn’t have?
2. What does he have that I don’t?
The answer to both cut to my core.
The first question isn’t as easy and comfortable as “I have arms.”
With my arms, I have baggage. What I carry, that is a bigger deal than arms, are my limitations. A perspective which can suck the energy out of life. I have excuses which hold me back from experiencing, growing, and living to my fullest potential. He does not.
What does he have that I don’t have? He has a fulfilling attitude. One that doesn’t look at his physical challenges as barriers preventing him from success. His is an attitude that sees hard work and challenge as an opportunity for movement, independence, and freedom. A pure beautiful embrace of life.
“I don’t know if there is anything that I can’t do. Just things that I haven’t done yet.” Richie Parker
After watching this video I don’t have any more excuses. Just two arms to reach out and embrace life fully. What a beautiful man. Thank you Richie Parker for some serious perspective.
How does this story move you? Please watch the video and post your thoughts below in the comments.
Another Thanksgiving holiday has come and gone. Brightly colored lights and fir trees are being hung with care. And yes, Christmas shopping season has officially begun.
If you’re anything like me, the availability of ridiculous amounts of fatty and sugary treats has you reaching to loosen the belt notch. You may feel the need to burn off more than a few extra calories and redouble your focus on bringing in the new year feeling and looking great.
With that in mind I would like to take this opportunity to once again offer my top health and fitness related gifts for the holiday season. These are the items that I consistently recommend to my clients year round and that I personally cannot do without. Here are my top gift picks for health and fitness products for that special someone, including yourself.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am an affiliate for many of these products. This means that if you purchase one after clicking one of these links, I will get a small commission. That said, the only reason I am an affiliate for these products is because I believe in them 100%.
1. Foam Roller
If you read my blog regularly, then you already know that I am a huge advocate of foam roller therapy. Upon being introduced to foam roller therapy in 2003, I was an instant convert. Over the past 10 years, the foam roller has been an incredible tool for both me my clients. Including foam roller therapy into your daily or weekly health and wellness lifestyle will reduce the amount of chronic pain and injury in your life; improve mobility and joint range of motion; and help you feel and move better. It has the potential to have enormous effects on both your short and long term health and well-being.
The Grid is currently my go-to roller. It is one of the firmest foam rollers on the market. I prefer a firm roller over a soft one. It is great for travel. It fits inside most carry-on luggage. The center is hollow allowing you to pack clothing or other items within it, making it a great space saver.
The Grid 2.0 is a longer version of the grid. The extra length is nice if you have the floor space to maneuver and it is useful for doing some of the corrective exercises I describe in the article, The Scapula: The Mast and Sails.
I love my TRX Suspension Trainer. There is no other piece of workout equipment that has as much versatility. With a pair of straps you can do full body flexibility and full body functional strength training.
Regardless of your current conditioning or ability, you can use the TRX Suspension Trainer. Suspension training utilizes your body weight to provide resistance. The beauty about the TRX is that adjusting the level of resistance is simple: all you have to do is move your feet back or forward. You can make exercises super easy, super hard, or somewhere in between. Every exercise engages your core from your fingers to your toes in ways that are unmatched by most traditional strength training equipment. The TRX Suspension Trainer is the number one piece of workout equipment that I recommend to every one of my clients.
A TRX Suspension Trainer weighs about a pound and fits in a small bag – also great for travel. They mount easily to a door, wall, ceiling, tree, or outdoor jungle gym. I have a few clients with very busy travel schedules. They struggle with making it to a gym while on the road. With a set of straps they can workout in their hotel room and are less likely to miss vital workout sessions. I took my straps on a five day trip and had a couple of great workouts.
I love throwing a sandbag into a workout… any workout. Whether I am focusing on core, strength, power, or a high intensity burnout, a sandbag is usually in the mix. It is just a great tool. The benefit isn’t always about how heavy the bag is, but how the sand shifts, forcing your body to dynamically stabilize through movement. The Ultimate Sandbag is a great piece of equipment that would fit in well in any home or professional gym.
I had The Rip Trainer on my list last year as a new piece of equipment. Over the past year it has become one of my favorites. The Rip Trainer is great for adding multi-plane rotation and anti-rotation training into your workout. If you are creating the perfect home workout studio, I would suggest taking a good look at the Rip Trainer… right after you buy the TRX Suspension Trainer.
I made my transition into barefoot/minimalist footwear about five years ago when I came across the Vibram Five Finger shoes at Whole Earth Provision Company, a local outdoor living store in Austin, Texas. At the time there were only a handful of barefoot/minimalist shoes on the market. Today there are over 64 and growing. Here are my favorites:
When it is time to hit the rugged trail, this is the shoe I reach for. They are stylish, light, fit snugly, have a ton of toe room and a nice protective plate underneath the forefoot that protects my feet from the sharp Texas trail rocks.
It’s December in Texas and still 80+ degrees. Which means I’m still wearing my summer time favorites. These are great shoes for minimalist running or casual wear. Each year, as the weather warms up, everyone pulls out their flip flops – one of the worst shoe choices you can make – and a rash of foot injuries come through my door. Luna Sandals provide all the comfort of a flip flop without the same foot and gait dysfunction.
Soft Star Shoes are simply some of the most comfortable shoes on the planet. They are warm and dry in the winter, and cool and dry in the summer. Plus they make great minimalist shoes for the kids.
These shoes are so comfortable, my son and I have matching pairs.My son’s winter boots. He loves them!
In case you’re wondering, these are tops on my Christmas wish list.
Jesse James Retherford is a licensed massage therapist, certified personal trainer and barefoot movement coach. He specializes in the treatment and prevention of chronic pain and injury.
Jesse writes a blog with insights on the treatment and prevention of chronic pain and injury. lt is also a great way to stay up to date with his availability and the best way to have access to occasional specials, offers, and announcements. You can sign up here.
Anyone who knows me is aware that I am a huge advocate of foam roller therapy, and for a good reason: it works. In my personal and professional life I have found that foam roller therapy is an incredibly valuable practice. It is an absolutely vital component of a well designed holistic fitness and health routine.
What is Foam Roller Therapy?
Foam roller therapy is simply one of the best methods available to treat and prevent injury. If you don’t own or spend any time using a foam roller (the main tool used in foam roller therapy), then get one. Start. A foam roller is, in my opinion, one the best investments of time and money you can make when it comes to your long term health and fitness.
Foam roller therapy is the use of a foam roller for self massage. There are many different kinds of self massage tools out on the market. Finding the right one can be a confusing and expensive process. I prefer to keep my tools super simple, inexpensive, and effective. The self massage tools that I most often recommend and use are a Trigger Point Grid foam roller, lacrosse ball, golf ball, and a softball.
Foam roller therapy helps increases joint function, mobility, and range of motion. It reduces acute pain, speeds up recovery and healing, and it reduces injury.
There are 26 bones in the human foot, 33 joints, more than 100 muscles, and roughly the same number of sensory nerves that you have on the palms of your hands. By the way, that’s the same amount of nerves as the inside of your mouth, and coincidentally, your genitals.
It should be pretty obvious that the foot is designed to be incredibly dynamic. It is fundamentally sensitive and responsive.
The foot is capable of an extremely wide range of functional movement and sensory feeling. It offers the possibility of stability in almost any context.
Your feet are your first and primary connection to the earth. It is no wonder that they are the foundation of your entire postural system, and of your spiritual and emotional health. Every joint and muscle in your body has a stake in how well your feet do their job.
When you change your foot, you affect what rests upon them. When you alter the position, mobility, stabilization, and sensory feedback of your foot, you directly disturb its natural relationship with your knees, hips, back, shoulders, neck, and head. Shoes change your feet and body.
This week, we have a very special guest post from Carly Pollack of Nutritional Wisdom. Carly’s mission is to educate clients so that they can become their own “nutritionist”. Through her clinical experience of over 800 clients, she has obtained the tools necessary to coach a wide spectrum of individuals.
By Carly Pollack, MS, Certified Holistic Lifestyle Coach
“Minds are useful when we need to conceptualize, plan and theorize; but when we depend on them to guide our inner lives, we’re lost” Geneen Roth
Maya Angelou is famous for saying, “when you know better, you do better”. After studying the mind and how it works, I don’t always believe this to be true. How many of you know exactly what you need to do to bring health and happiness into your life, but wonder why it is so hard to bridge that education into action? When clients come to see me, simply telling them what they should eat for optimal vitality is not enough. If we don’t address the mind, how it works for and against you, you can never free yourself from emotional eating and self sabotage.
Your current health and weight are a direct reflection of how you live your life. This means your food behaviors can tell you much more than your current level of will power. They represent your personal order of priority, time management, how loving you are to yourself, how you choose to comfort in times of stress and most importantly, it can reveal the mind’s limiting beliefs.
We all have limiting beliefs or what I call the “stories we tell ourselves”. Let’s first make a few things clear. A fact is something that is true for everyone. A belief is just a thought that we think repetitively until we believe it to be “true”. Remember, it wasn’t THAT long ago when we thought the world was flat. How many times have you felt completely powerless when it came to food choices, telling yourself the story that you are not in control? This is an example of one of many stories we tell ourselves that prevent us from moving forward toward greater health. If we aren’t clear on what our stories are, we can’t actively begin to think, say, and function on more positive beliefs. I invite you to search yourself with compassion, to take a good look at the thoughts you have that aren’t helping you to live your dream. Who would you be and what could you achieve if you let go of these thoughts?
In order to control your mind, you must have a clear dream for yourself. Without fear or limiting beliefs, write down the dream you have for your life, health, family, career, etc… Don’t know what your dream is? Then start by looking at what you DON’T want. People who don’t have a clear vision of their dream will need to thrive on a crisis (I’m too fat, not good enough, my pain will never go away, etc.). When you have a big enough dream, you don’t need a crisis! People actually begin to make life long changes when they have found something to love more than they love the pain of their problems. They begin to love and respect themselves. The stories of the mind begin to shift from a place of fear (I won’t be good enough, make enough money, find the right partner), to a place of love (everything comes to me at the right time, my body works for me, I feed my body with the intention of nourishment).
Remember, you pay attention to the things you love. They are the things you take care of. If you are not taking care of yourself, counting calories or shaming yourself in front of the mirror are not going to get you there. I have never met one client that has attained his/her dream through fear. Most clients spin their wheels trying to work on the symptom (weight gain, insomnia, digestive stress) when their focus needs to be on the root cause (lack of love, lifestyle imbalances, unhealthy and fear based thoughts and stories).
The mind is like a television with many different channels. You get to choose what you watch, and for how long. If you have a repetitive thought that is no longer helping you, “change the channel” to a more positive, loving affirmation. Controlling your thoughts is the key to achieving your dreams because after all, your thoughts create your future. Think of your imagination as life’s preview of what’s to come.
Carly PollackM.S. Holistic NutritionNutrition and Lifestyle Coachwww.nutritionalwisdom.com
Carly’s mission is to educate clients so that they can become their own “nutritionist”. Through her clinical experience of over 800 clients, she has obtained the tools necessary to coach a wide spectrum of individuals.
Carly holds a Master’s Degree in Holistic Nutrition and is a Certified Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach by the prestigious CHEK Institute. Her passion for new knowledge keeps her on the cutting edge of nutrition. She will soon obtain one of the highest nutritional credentials, CCN (Certified Clinical Nutritionist).
Carly’s no-nonsense approach to lifestyle coaching will guide you through this journey with honesty, caring and laughter. Carly currently resides in Austin where she works with clients in her private practice and lectures throughout the United States.
Have you ever suffered an injury because of bad advice?
It’s not your fault. There is so much misinformation out there on the internet that is dangerous. There’s no way around it.
It concerns me to read advice – albeit from genuinely well meaning people – that I know, because I’ve seen it firsthand in the bodies of my clients, will only end up as pain and injury in the lives of those who go out and implement the techniques.
Right now I am working with a few clients who are just getting back in motion after long seasons of rest (aka: little or no exercise) due to pain and injury. Injuries are no joke. I have experienced them personally and see them in the lives of all my new clients and it is devastating.
There is hope.
A couple of my clients have have recently gotten past the Healing phase of TAO Fit. They’re moving again. But the goals we’re setting at this stage are very specific:
It is a really difficult season because the amount of exercise prescribed is extremely restricted. More focus is put on deep tissue massage, self massage using a foam roller,corrective exercises, and light walking. Remember: the primary goal of this phase is to reduce pain and recover from injury. It tends to feel excruciating and frustrating for my clients because they have a strong desire to exercise, the very reason they come to see me in the first place, and I purposely hold them back.
Phase 1 is about patience. Move too fast too soon and it’s back to injury. Most bad advice recommends doing too much too soon. Lifelong health is about patience.
The great thing is that Healing, in the grand scheme of things, is a short phase. Soon enough it is time to move to phase two.
Phase 2 – Rebuild and Restore
With an adequate amount of Healing under our belts, it is time to kick things up a notch. We kick into a higher gear with metabolic conditioning.
Your metabolism and your conditioning have a direct relationship with one another.
The more efficient and active your metabolism, the better your condition. The more active with varying degrees of intensity your conditioning, the better your metabolism.
The inverse is true as well. Terrible metabolism hampers your conditioning, while a lack of conditioning strangles your metabolism.
Metabolism
Metabolism is the mechanism your body uses to convert food into energy. Your metabolic rate (the energy you expend at rest and during exercise) can be an invaluable tool to help you gauge and best reach your overall health and fitness goals.
I often describe the body as an engine. Regular exercise is great for your metabolism. Even better if you exercise at every degree of intensity (low, medium, and high). If you take it up another notch, and allow yourself adequate rest and recovery, and you eat high quality fuel, you will have a high efficiency engine that will burn a ton of energy (calories). This is the optimal place to be: great health, physically fit and conditioned, pain free, and ready to take on life’s challenges.
The flip side to this is: if you are physically inactive for a large period of time due to lifestyle choice or injury, your engine will drag, lag, and run inefficiently. It won’t burn high amounts of energy. In that state, if you consume high calorie, low quality fuel, you will gain weight, have low energy, feel unproductive, and feel burdened by the daily challenges of living. If your goal is to embody the healthiest, fittest You… Then this is your time for change!
Metabolic Conditioning
Metabolic conditioning is a training program focused around improving the way your engine runs. It is designed to boost your metabolism. We want to make your engine work more efficiently, burn more calories, run smoother, provide you with greater energy, increase your productivity, improve your health, and lengthen your lifespan. Ultimately the goal is to allow you to lead a fulfilling and satisfying life. A well rounded training program with an emphasis on metabolic conditioning will improve cardiac capacity and function, increase your strength and muscle mass, and decrease fat.
All forms of exercise are metabolic. One form of metabolic conditioning is High Intensity Training. It is basically interval or circuit training. The goal is to get your heart rate up into the higher training zones. You will feel out of breath and you will feel your heart pounding a bit. These workouts are much shorter in duration. Generally lasting from 10-30 minutes (this does not including dynamic warm up or cool down).
The goal of this intro into high intensity metabolic training program is to “prime the pump” of your engine. Your body has been burning energy at a low, regular, and sustained rate for a long time. We want to get it engaged; fan the flames; turn the coals red; so that you can ignite the fire.
The great thing about high intensity metabolic training is that it can be added into just about any sport or activity that you love such as walking, running, cycling, swimming, strength training, rowing, etc. However, it is important, before you do any high intensity workouts, that you have a strong core, functional pain free range of motion, and great form.
The Program
All workouts begin with a dynamic warm up. A good dynamic warm up is the most important phase of any workout. It prepares the body for your workout by increasing heart rate, body temperature, and joint mobility; while significantly preventing injury. The dynamic warm up should last between 10-20 minutes and will feel like a workout in and of itself. I highly recommend doing the majority of these workouts completely barefoot.
Weekly workout schedule
Day 1: 45-60 min brisk walk
Day 2: 30 min easy recovery walk
Day 3: hill workout*
Day 4: 60 min functional training, 45-60 min brisk walk
Day 5: 30 min easy recovery walk
Day 6: day off, you can foam roll and stretch
Day 7: 60 min functional training, hill workout*
*Hill or stairs workouts:
Find a nice big hill or several flights of stairs. They need to be long enough that it takes 2 minutes to climb them at your fastest pace.
Work = Walk uphill fast, pretty much as fast as you can, pumping your arms. You want to get your heart rate up high.
[Note: The body isn’t ready to run at this stage. Learn to love the power of a good, strong walk. Never underestimate the value of walking. In later phases, as your body grows stronger and more capable of supporting itself through corrective and functional exercise, we will integrate running into the program.]
Rest = Walk as slow as you can walk while still moving.
If I give you a range of time or sets, then feel into your body and go with the time that feels best.
Pace yourself. You want to go fairly hard on each set, but I want you to go strongest on the last sets. Basically, don’t blow yourself up on the first couple of sets.
Week 1-3
hill day 1: Begin w/dynamic warm up. Then: [Work 45 sec / Rest 60-90 sec.] x10 sets
hill day 2: Begin w/dynamic warm up. Then: [Work 45 sec / rest 60-90 sec.] x12 sets
Week 4-6
hill day 1: Begin w/dynamic warm up. Then: [Work 60 sec / rest 90 sec.] x10 sets
hill day 2: Begin w/dynamic warm up. Then:[Work 60 sec / rest 90 sec.] x12 sets
Week 7-9
hill day 1: Begin w/dynamic warm up. Then: [Work 75 sec / rest 90-120 sec.] x8 sets
hill day 2: Begin w/dynamic warm up. Then: [Work 75 sec / rest 90-120 sec.] x10 sets
Week 10-12
hill day 1: Begin w/dynamic warm up. Then: [Work 90 sec / rest 120 sec.] x6 sets
hill day 2: Begin w/dynamic warm up. Then: [Work 90 sec / rest 120 sec.] x8 sets
Alternate Option: If the longest hill or flight of stairs you can find are too short and you find yourself getting to the top before your time is up, add body weight squats or lunges at the top until your time is up (as many as you can).
Last week I discussed, in Pushing Through The Pain, the meaning and role of “good” vs “bad” pain and the need to understand what pain is communicating with you. This week I would like to discuss some of the most important items to consider when returning from a training injury: healing, recovery, and the grand return back to running.
Does it hurt?
The first step in your recovery process is healing. It is important to give your body the adequate time it needs before attempting to return to full speed. This is where pain will provide you with the greatest input.
Before you can go out and start running again, It is important that you have pain free range of motion. Do you have a specific pain (can you point to it?) associated with joint movement? Yes? You are still injured! Your body has not fully healed. Now is not the time to begin your previous training program. Pain affects efficient movement, which creates inefficient habits (poor form). Poor form is one of the primary causes of injury and recurring injury, and it is incredibly hard to unroot from your body. If you do not have pain free joint range of motion, it is not worth the risks to push through it. You WILL be creating a cycle of chronic pain and injury for years to come.
Now That You’re Pain Free
This is a big step. What you do over the next 3-6 months will lay the foundation for how you move for the rest of your life. Now is the ideal time to work on improving how you move on a purely functional level. Now is the time when you can develop healthy biomechanical habits, learn to move with efficiency, strength, balance, and postural awareness, and take the kinks out of your gait that may be the leading cause of your injury in the first place… i.e. now is the time to work on improving your form.
Every journey begins with a single step. The goal of this is to help you develop good running and movement habits and injury prevention so you can run pain free for the rest of your life. If you’re like me, that means another 40-50 years of running. Keep it in perspective. Three or Six months of training might seem like a long time, but if it means that you’ll significantly reduce the amount of time you are lame with chronic pain and injuries over the rest of your life, is it worth it?
Form, Not Conditioning
You cannot learn a new movement pattern (form), and – at the same time – use that movement pattern to train for endurance, strength, power, or speed (conditioning).
For example, if you are recovering from a running injury and are training to improve your running gait, you cannot use running to improve your conditioning. The two on a fundamental level don’t work together!
Training to improve your form and training to improve conditioning are not compatible trainings. To improve form, you need practice… perfect practice. You are training your neurological system to develop new bio-mechanical habits. To have flawless form, you must repeat the movement pattern flawlessly with every repetition. At this stage of training, form breaks down at the first sign of fatigue. Once fatigued, you will no longer be able to maintain perfect form. Training with imperfect form reinforces the very poor movement patterns that can ultimately lead to injury. Fatigue is a core component to training endurance, strength, power, and speed. You will not achieve significant improvements in your conditioning without training into some levels of fatigue. What this means is that if you wish to improve your form to reduce the recurrence of injury, then you must limit how much you run until you have fully developed your new and improved running gait. This may take a few months or longer, depending on your age, conditioning level, injury history, and a few other factors.
You may be able to continue to work on conditioning. However, it will come from activities which do not aggravate your injury (i.e. not running). Options may include: cycling, swimming, climbing, walking, hiking, rowing, functional training, and metabolic conditioning.
Training Program
There is no training program that can guarantee for you a speedy pain and injury free recovery. Because of what I see in the lives and bodies of my clients doing the work I do, I tend to err on the conservative side. I would rather see them, and you, spend a few months developing a solid postural foundation and basic fundamental movement patterns. We typically start with something like the ability to perform a functional squat or lunge prior to getting back on the trail. I feel that squats and lunges are a basic progression before running. If you cannot perform a functional deep squat, lunge, or lateral lunge, then running is not advisable. Not until you can complete those movement patterns pain free. Spending a few months, right now, bomb-proofing your body with healthy and efficient movement patterns will pay off huge dividends in added years or decades to your active, pain and injury free running life.
Getting You Back To Speed Be patient! For at least the first few months, I suggest limiting your total running time to no more than 2-3 days per week. With at least one day off between runs. For the first 12 weeks of getting back into running, I am a big fan of interval training. Running intervals builds recovery into your workout. This helps prevent fatigue and form collapse. Right now, running for 5-10 minutes straight is just too much. Your body is not conditioned for it. Within a minute or two, you will fatigue and your form will suffer.
Focus on form, not speed. Intervals are not about high intensity, unless you are specifically doing sprint intervals… which you should not be doing right now! Keep a nice quick cadence, around 180 steps per minute; and a quiet footfall.
“Pain is not good or bad. Pain is a vital piece of a complex communications system that tells you something is going on within your body. Pain is there for a reason, and it should be listened to, respected, and understood. Listening to, and participating in this conversation is incredibly important. If you listen to the ideas of “pushing through the pain” or “no pain, no gain,” you are consciously disconnecting or ignoring the body’s natural warning signals.”
This period of time is ideal for reconnecting and listening to the communication of your body. Don’t push it. When something hurts, or doesn’t feel “right,” STOP! Your workout is over. Take a couple of days off.
An Example of a 12 Week Injury Recovery Running Program
All workouts begin with a dynamic warm up. A good dynamic warm up is the most important phase of any workout. It prepares the body for your workout by increasing heart rate, body temperature, and joint mobility; while significantly preventing injury. The dynamic warm up should last between 10-20 minutes and will feel like a workout in and of itself. I highly recommend doing the majority of these workouts completely barefoot.
Note: It takes about eight weeks for your muscles to adapt to a new conditioning program. It takes years for your fascia to adapt. By incorporating self massage using a foam roller, deep tissue massage therapy, flexibility training, corrective exercises and functional movement into your training program, you can significantly speed up this process, while decreasing the amount of time dealing with chronic pain and injury.
Week 1
Day 1: Dynamic warm up: Run 1 minute: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 5 times.
Day 2: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minutes functional exercise
Day 3: Dynamic warm up: Run 1 minute: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 5 times.
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Dynamic warm up: Run 1 minute: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 6 times.
Day 6: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minutes functional exercise
Day 7: Rest
Week 2
Day 1: Dynamic warm up:Run 90 seconds: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 4 times: 30 minutes functional exercise
Day 2: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 3: Dynamic warm up: Run 90 seconds: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 5 times
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Dynamic warm up: Run 90 seconds: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 5 times.
Day 6: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 7: Rest
Week 3
Day 1: Dynamic warm up: Run 2 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 4 times: 30 minutes functional exercise
Day 2: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 3: Dynamic warm up: Run 2 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 5 times
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Dynamic warm up: Run 2 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 6 times.
Day 6: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 7: Rest
Week 4
Day 1: Dynamic warm up: Run 2.5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 4 times: 30 minutes functional exercise
Day 2: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 3: Dynamic warm up: Run 2.5 minutes, Walk 1 minute: Repeat 5 times
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Dynamic warm up: Run 2.5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 6 times.
Day 6: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 7: Rest
Week 5
Day 1: Dynamic warm up: Run 3 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 4 times: 30 minutes functional exercise
Day 2: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 3: Dynamic warm up: Run 3 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 5 times
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Dynamic warm up: Run 3 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 6 times.
Day 6: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 7: Rest
Week 6
Day 1: Dynamic warm up: Run 3.5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 5 times: 30 minutes functional exercise
Day 2: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 3: Dynamic warm up: Run 3.5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 6 times
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Dynamic warm up: Run 3.5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 7 times.
Day 6: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 7: Rest
Week 7
Day 1: Dynamic warm up: Run 4 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 5 times: 30 minutes functional exercise
Day 2: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 3: Dynamic warm up: Run 4 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 6 times
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Dynamic warm up: Run 4 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 7 times.
Day 6: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 7: Rest
Week 8
Day 1: Dynamic warm up: Run 4.5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 5 times: 30 minutes functional exercise
Day 2: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 3: Dynamic warm up: Run 4.5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 6 times
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Dynamic warm up: Run 4.5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 7 times.
Day 6: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 7: Rest
Week 9
Day 1: Dynamic warm up: Run 5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 5 times: 30 minutes functional exercise
Day 2: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 3: Dynamic warm up: Run 5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 6 times
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Dynamic warm up: Run 5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 7 times.
Day 6: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 7: Rest
Week 10
Day 1: Dynamic warm up: Run 5.5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 5 times: 30 minutes functional exercise
Day 2: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 3: Dynamic warm up: Run 5.5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 6 times
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Dynamic warm up: Run 5.5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 7 times.
Day 6: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 7: Rest
Week 11
Day 1: Dynamic warm up: Run 6 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 5 times: 30 minutes functional exercise
Day 2: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 3: Dynamic warm up: Run 6 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 6 times
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Dynamic warm up: Run 6 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 7 times.
Day 6: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 7: Rest
Week 12
Day 1: Dynamic warm up: Run 6.5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 5 times: 30 minutes functional exercise
Day 2: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 3: Dynamic warm up: Run 6.5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 6 times
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Dynamic warm up: Run 6.5 minutes: Walk 1 minute: Repeat 7 times.
Day 6: Dynamic warm up: 30-60 minute functional exercise
Day 7: Rest
Each week, I see new clients dealing with a very specific type of injury. The one that comes from pushing through the pain. This past week, Jason Robillard of Barefoot Running University wrote an article that I think you should take a moment to read right now: When Running Hurts: Discriminating Between Good Pain and Bad Pain. He writes about the difference between good and bad pain for barefoot runners and for runners who want to run ultra marathons.
Go ahead and read it now, I don’t mind waiting…
Two Kinds of Pushing Through the Pain
This is a topic that has been on my mind as well. In the runner’s groups and forums, I see the advice, “pushing through the pain is what you have to do.” Usually it’s offered haphazardly by “experienced” barefoot runners to novice barefoot runners. This kind of thinking comes from a particular couple of ideas. First, that when transitioning to barefoot/minimalist running you will experience pain, and second, that the only way to get beyond the pain is to push through it. “No pain, No gain.”
I consider this advice to be not only irresponsible, but dangerous for most people. Doubly dangerous since the majority of those who offer the advice have very little experience in coaching much less in working directly with people with injury. Triply dangerous because they’re often strangers on the internet, where trustworthiness and background info are superficial at best.
The Article
I agree with everything Jason says. But I think he is speaking to a very specific segment of the running population. For the most part, his audience is made up of people who are already in good to excellent physical condition and injury free. However, many of the people transitioning to a barefoot/minimalist lifestyle are doing so because they have been dealing with chronic issues of pain and injury. And they are searching for the cure to their woes.
I grew up as a competitive athlete and I am all too familiar with the sayings. “No Pain, No Gain!” and “pushing through the pain is good.” One of my favorites comes from my best friend, an ex-Navy SEAL, “Pain is just weakness leaving the body.” My guess is that the last one would resonate well with Jason Robillard, being an ultra marathoner.
In the past, as a personal trainer and coach, I’ve even used these same phrases to motivate clients to push themselves just a little harder. But now that my work has shifted into movement therapy, my practice has deepened and grown, and I see more and more clients with issues of chronic pain and injury. Many of my clients come to me over-trained and in pain because they spend the majority of their training time “pushing through the pain.” In light of this, the “idea” that I have makes me think of this in an entirely different way.
What is “good” vs “bad” pain?
“Good” pain….
… is general in feeling, meaning it does not have a specific origin (i.e. muscle soreness vs. “my knee hurts”).
… happens when you try a new exercise or workout after a long break.
… comes from pushing yourself to your limits of speed, strength, endurance, power.
… goes away once you slow down or stop exercising.
… in the case of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), the soreness you get a couple days after intense exercise. This pain should reduce within 72 hours, and be gone completely within 5-7 days.
… does not interrupt your sleep.
Most well-coached athletes spend less than 10% of their total training time pushing themselves into this level of pain. It is the extra kick at the end of a workout, or a planned high intensity day. The majority of their training volume is at a lower level of intensity. However, it is not uncommon for uncoached athletes to spend the majority of their training time at this level. Every workout is a hard workout. There are no rest days. They run as hard and fast as they can every run, lift as hard as they can every workout. Their idea of a rest day is.. well, the only easy day was yesterday. Spend too much time training at this level of “good” pain and you will eventually feel the “bad” pain.
“Bad” pain… … is when, in other words, you have done damage to your body.
… tends to be very specific (i.e. “my foot, heel, knee, hip, shoulder, elbow hurts right here.”)
… doesn’t necessarily go away once you stop exercising.
… lingers around for weeks or months.
… interrupts your sleep.
… affects performance.
… leaves you moody – frustrated, angry, or anxious.
… leaves you overly fatigued.
… makes your joints, bones, or limbs hurt.
… leads you to the point that your immune system is compromised.
… makes you question whether you should continue exercising.
Do you feel this? Well, if you do… You are injured. To continue pushing through the pain, your body will make the injury worse, it will increase the amount of time needed to heal, and will prevent you from doing what you love to do so much. When you have this pain, you need to stop immediately and seek help from a movement specialist who specialized in walking and running gait assessment, movement assessment, hands on massage therapy, and developing a personalized exercise program for you. It would also be highly advisable to seek the advice of a health care professional. What you want is a solid health care team!
What is Pain?
Pain is not good or bad. Pain is a vital piece of a complex communications system that tells you something is going on within your body. Pain is there for a reason, and it should be listened to, respected, and understood. Listening to, and participating in this conversation is incredibly important. If you listen to the ideas of “pushing through the pain” or “no pain, no gain,” you are consciously disconnecting or ignoring the body’s natural warning signals.
Let’s get specific for a second. If you are training for an ultramarathon (of 50 to 100 miles or more), then pushing through some pain is what you will need to do to be successful. There is a level in which you have to disconnect and ignore pain to achieve
your goals. However, doing so is not necessarily in the best interest of your long term health and wellness. This, I believe, is the grey area in which Jason is addressing in his article. Most high level athletes understand that they may be sacrificing some level of health to achieve a specific goal.
However, if you are learning a new skill, perhaps you are learning how to barefoot run, now is precisely and absolutely the WRONG time to shut off or ignore the vital conversation that is taking place within your body. Keep in mind that you have spent the majority of your life cut off from the communication taking place at your feet at every step. To your body, the change from walking and running in a shoe with an arch support, cushion, and heel drop, to walking and running barefoot/minimalist is like training for the Kentucky Derby by riding a merry-go-round. It’s not the same thing. It’s not even in the same ballpark.
Now is the time for you to be extra vigilant and hypersensitive. Listen carefully to every signal coming from your body. Right now pain is the best coach you could have on the planet. It will tell you when you have done enough, and when you have done too much. It will say when you need to rest and, ultimately, when you can push it a little harder. Appreciate it, respect it, love it. Listen to it, and don’t ignore it until you better understand exactly what it is telling you. Happy training.
I have been a minimalist/barefoot runner for over four years. I started before the book “Born to Run” gave barefoot running widespread attention. Which, by the way, is a great, inspiring book, and not just because of the barefoot running aspect. It’s just a good read and I highly recommend it.
I don’t consider myself much of a runner. My athletic background is in basketball, a sport which is a series of sprints, jumps, and lateral cuts. I don’t think I ever ran more than three miles in any one run until I was over 25, other than the occasional Capital 10k, which felt brutal and unnatural to me. The only way I knew how to run was to go as hard and fast as I could until I couldn’t run anymore.
In 2003 I decided to run a marathon. I quickly realized that I really didn’t know how to run. Thankfully, I had colleagues I worked with who were great endurance coaches. They helped me with my training program and I completed two races that year… albeit slowly and painfully. I ran wearing thick, motion-control shoes, and running hurt… It hurt really bad. Again, it felt unnatural. After finishing the second marathon, I really didn’t develop much of a love for running out of the process.
About four years ago, something shifted. I had a series of serious injuries (dislocated big toe, and torn ACL) over the preceding couple of years that forced me to question the shoes I wore for both basketball and running. I recognized that my feet were incredibly weak. The more I thought about it, I recognized that my shoes were a major contributing factor. My shoes prevented my foot and ankle from functioning the way they were designed causing weakness and loss of functional mobility from my arches through my hips.
It was at this exact same time that I walked into a local outdoor sporting goods store, Whole Earth Provision Co., and saw the Vibram Five Fingers. I instantly saw the value in these shoes and bought a pair on the spot. Since then, I haven’t looked back. I now lead a completely barefoot/minimalist lifestyle. I am barefoot 90% of the time whether I’m working, running, or playing. And the other 10% I’m wearing the least amount of shoe possible. I wear my VFF’s, Merrell Trail Gloves, Soft Star Shoes, or Luna sandals when I have to. Like when I walk into a grocery store, restaurant, run on super rocky terrain, or when the pavement is 100 degrees in the summer time (I’ve burned my pads and it hurt).
Fast-forward four years: I follow the barefoot/minimalist conversation, and have kept up to speed with the back and forth debate over whether running barefoot is good or bad for you. Here is where I’m coming from:
I don’t run barefootbecause it is the cure for all of my running injuries. It isn’t! I’ve dealt with chronic injuries that have prevented me from running regularly for over a year. It’s just within the past few months that I have been able to build my injury free barefoot running base again.
Buying the latest and greatest shoes won’t cure your injuries either. Hang out on the running forums long enough and you will quickly see the high rates of injuries for both barefoot and shod runners. Injuries have more to do with the how (form) and why (motivation) you run than anything you place on your feet.
I don’t run barefootbecause it makes me a better or faster runner. I run pretty slowly. Speed was never my gift. Although over the past four years, I have noticed that my running has become stronger. I have logged some of my fastest one mile times over the past few years, but this is not why I run barefoot.
What I believe is this: strengthening the arches of your feet, improving the mobility of your ankles and hips, and re-engaging the muscles of your hips – namely the gluteals – will and does improve running.
I don’t run barefoot because I think it makes me better than anyone else. I find this to be a very unattractive feature within the running community, or any community (food, exercise, or politics) for that matter. Anyone who moves their body with joy and purpose gets big points in my book. It really doesn’t matter whether your feet are bare or not.
Why do I run barefoot?
I run barefoot because I absolutely love the way it feels. I love feeling connected to the earth. I love how mindful I am of each and every step I take. I choose to run barefoot/minimalist for the pure love and joy of it. I feel youthful, activated, and fully engaged. The best part is that over the past four years, I have developed a profound love for the art of running. What better reason is there?
Last week, my partner Katy and my son JBird left Austin for Kentucky to spend some time with Katy’s mom. Katy will stay in Kentucky for a week and a half, and leaves to spend the summer semester in Turkey (You can follow Katy’s adventures in Turkey on her blog.). JBird will remain in Kentucky with his granny for eight weeks.
This gives me an amazing 8 Weeks of Bachelorhood. As sad as I am to see my family gone for so long, and I know I will miss them both, I am excited to have this time to myself. I have blogs and manuals to write and business projects to make happen. Most importantly, I have a significant amount of time to make my personal and spiritual health and fitness a priority.
I have a few personal goals: lose the ten pounds I have added since Thanksgiving; build my barefoot running mileage; improve my strength and conditioning; create a healthier nutrition plan; go deeper into surrender through meditation and journaling; and just look and feel better in my body overall.
This past semester was busy for us
Katy took 15 hours of school, worked a part time job, and, to top it off, she was sick for an entire week. I was working more than before, and spending more time taking care of the kid. At the end of a long day of work, I didn’t have much energy to go home, make dinner, and clean dishes. Eating out was much easier, thus the ten pound weight gain. I also had less time and energy to workout, and my body has been feeling it.
This first week has been eye opening
This past week has been a little frustrating as well as illuminating. I wanted to work on a blog project and some very exciting business ventures, but I found myself incredibly busy doing other stuff. I’ve had to re-organize my space, time, and life around being alone in my house. This meant cleaning, organizing my work space, re-organizing my schedule for workouts and meditation, and cooking. I had to create a schedule of ME. Something I have never really done before.
It is amazing to me all the ways that I have not prioritized time for taking care of myself. Something that is obviously very easy to do with a busy schedule and a kid. Once the frustration passed, I could truly see how important it is to schedule my self first.
This is a huge topic I discuss with clients on a regular basis. “YOU must prioritize yourself FIRST.” But how do we do it when life is chaotic and busy? I am fortunate and blessed to have such an extended amount of time to really focus on myself, but most don’t. I often hear, “Once things settle down a little, I will work on myself.” Funny thing is that life generally doesn’t settle down. We go from putting out one fire to another, and our body, mind, spirit, and health suffer. My response to this is usually “The best time to start is right now. Anyone can change when life is easy. But once adversity returns, are more likely to fall back into old habits. Creating change while life is challenging is where it will stick and you prove to yourself that anything is possible.” I believe this wholeheartedly. Thankfully for me, life has actually settled down and provided me with a gift. One I will make the most of.
What I am doing for myself:
Working with a great nutritionist, Carly Pollack of Nutritional Wisdom.
Hired a friend as a personal chef to cook up some yummy food… this is Awesome.
Dedicating an hour a day for meditation and journaling… Work in progress.
Writing a kick ass 12 week fitness program for myself.
Doing said kick ass fitness program… So far so good.
Cooking more and more of my own food.
Eating out much less.
Giving myself the space to be alone, enjoy this precious gift of time that I have, and learn so I may continue to grow from it once my family returns. YES!
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