Mental fatigue impairs physical performance in humans

FLzine
I just finished an interview with the fine folks at FLzine.com. I will give you all a heads up once the interview is posted. In it I discuss more mobility fun, why static stretching sucks, and much more.

Mental Fatigue Impairs Performance
Here is something that I have wondered about for years, but until recently never found any data.

When I started working in Technical Services for a major medical device company after my first 7.5 years in college many years ago in a galaxy far far away, I would get grilled all day answering calls from patients, reps, nurse and doctors. They ranged from Ethel that was too close to her microwave and she was trying to hide around the corner closing the door with a broomstick (microwaves and pacemakers are not an issue) to a physician at a device implant who is calling about a certain feature and you can hear the monitors in the background beeping.

I could not understand why I was so tired once I got home even though I sat no my butt all day! Part of this was from just not moving around much at all, but perhaps part of it was "mental fatigue"?

On to the Study
The nice part was the study below was a crossover design, so each subject acted as their own control. This allows you to use less subjects overall as you are only comparing 2 different conditions changes; so one with mental fatigue and the other without.

While it has been argued that a bike to exhaustion is not similar to a time trial format, the vast majority of evidence has been collected using that format. Time trials can be altered too by the subjects (esp. non competitive athletes) learning to pace themselves better.

The performance decrease did not appear to be from the heart/lungs (cardiorespiratory) or muscles! It appears to be all in your head indeed!

If anyone has watched lots of exercise tests to exhaustion will tell you, you need to be very careful what you say to them during a test. I always make it a point to explain everything up front and remind them that it is a max test. Once the test is over half way, I only use encouragement and do not give one group an "option" to quit. My guess is that if someone is working very hard (RPE of a 9 out of 10) and you reminded them that they can stop at any point now because the test is on a volunteer basis, many would just stop even though physically their numbers may be the same!

Other trials have attempted to get around this by giving money for the top performance to make it more competitive.

No mater how you cut it, endurance events at a high level are much about pain management.

Thoughts on the study? Let me know by posting a comment
Rock on
Mike T Nelson


Mental fatigue impairs physical performance in humans

Samuele M. Marcora, Walter Staiano, and Victoria Manning School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Wales, United Kingdom Submitted 4 October 2008 ; accepted in final form 5 January 2009


Mental fatigue is a psychobiological state caused by prolonged periods of demanding cognitive activity. Although the impact of mental fatigue on cognitive and skilled performance is well known, its effect on physical performance has not been thoroughly investigated. In this randomized crossover study, 16 subjects cycled to exhaustion at 80% of their peak power output after 90 min of a demanding cognitive task (mental fatigue) or 90 min of watching emotionally neutral documentaries (control). After experimental treatment, a mood questionnaire revealed a state of mental fatigue (P = 0.005) that significantly reduced time to exhaustion (640 ± 316 s) compared with the control condition (754 ± 339 s) (P = 0.003).


This negative effect was not mediated by cardiorespiratory and musculoenergetic factors as physiological responses to intense exercise remained largely unaffected. Self-reported success and intrinsic motivation related to the physical task were also unaffected by prior cognitive activity. However, mentally fatigued subjects rated perception of effort during exercise to be significantly higher compared with the control condition (P = 0.007). As ratings of perceived exertion increased similarly over time in both conditions (P < style="font-weight: bold;">

CONCLUSION: In conclusion, our study provides experimental evidence that mental fatigue limits exercise tolerance in humans through higher perception of effort rather than cardiorespiratory and musculoenergetic mechanisms. Future research in this area should investigate the common neurocognitive resources shared by physical and mental activity.

Headstands, Politicians and Iron Radio--oh my!

In This Issue

• Standing Backflip
• Iron Radio with Me
• Super Human Radio Update

Standing Backflip
For those who are on my newsletter (and if you are not, you can sign up on the upper right hand side) you know that one of my goals for this year is to do a standing back flip. The catch is that I have never taken any gymnastic courses EVER and I currently have some visual issues.

My right eye is suppressed, meaning that when most people view and objects, two images (one from each eye) go to the brain and the brain compares the images to combine them. Well, my brain gets two very different images and since the brain doesn't like to be confused, it "dumps" one of them to avoid confusion.

Both of my eyes track together, but my depth perception is the same as if a normal person had one eye closed. My goal is to get both of them to work together and regain more depth perception.

Now add in some new head positions and goofy 3D vision and it makes for some interesting video as you can see below!

My girlfriend Jodie showing me how it is done!


My attempts


I soon realized as soon as my head went down, I had no idea what the rest of my body was doing! Yikes!

I need to send a very special thanks to Olympic coach Pat at Minnesota Twisters for all the expert advice. She did an excellent job and if you are looking to learn gymnastics, check them out below

Minnesota Twisters




Mike T Nelson on Iron Radio this Friday
I will be on Iron Radio this coming Friday discussing
"Periodizing Training & Nutrition"

EVENT: Iron Radio With Mike T Nelson
DATE & TIME: Friday, April 3rd at 2:00pm Eastern
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast -- it's your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW...
http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=6770136
www.ironradio.org

Please tune in and send in some great questions! It will be a good time.

Special Request from Carl Lanore
Carl is the host of Super Human Radio and does an excellent job. Check out the interview on did with Carl on proprioception "2 Way Muscle Talk" a few weeks ago

Z Health, Proprioception, Neuroplasticity all on Super Human Radio

Carl recently did a very important episode, so see his comment below

"I have never asked anyone to help promote a show before... but this is different. The show that aired today has serious implications and ramifications to ALL OF US. Please listen and pass along to your members, friends and family. The link below is the permalink to this particular episode and will NOT change. Use this link when passing it along. Thanks in advance. "
Carl

Show # 277

03/20/2009

- MUST HEAR EPISODE - New Legislature Will Restrict Your Access To Healthy Food... This Is NOT a Hoax

Guest: Judith McGeary and Pete Kennedy

They're at it again! Politicians and special interest groups. If they have their way we will all lose access to health giving nutritious foods AND the family farm will , once and for all, be put to death. You must listen and pass this show on to others NOW.

Download this episode - http://www.superhumanradio.com/rss/2009/SHR_Show_277.mp3

Thanks and any comments, let me know!
Rock on
Mike T Nelson

Z Health Testimonial from Joe Pavel and More Nervous System Research

Z Health Testimonial
The testimonials keep rolling in! Yeah ha! When I open my inbox and find a really cool testimonial in there, I have to admit that it TOTALLY (like I still live in the 80s or something) makes my day.

It is WHY I do this, spend all the time reading studies, trying stuff out, talking to others---it is to get RESULTS since that is why athletes pay money!

I can't take much of the credit since I never did an exercise for them. They have to put the time into it each day and do their exercises in good form. Nobody will ever be able to do that for you. I am just providing the stimulus to get them moving in the correct direction.

I truly believe your body wants to be healthy and perform at a much higher level, it just needs the right "push" at times to get moving in the correct direction again.

Here is one Joe Pavel, RKC, Z Health R, I Phase Trainer put in his newsletter recently

Since taking the Z-health certifications last spring and Summer I have…

1. Signed up and participated in judo classes. Just yesterday I received my yellow belt.

2. Rode a unicycle.

3. I can ride a Ripstick for however long I want

4. I got rhythm- I know this is hard to believe but it is true. I can do more than the "white man dance" at weddings now, which makes my wife very happy!

5. I've fixed my aches, pains, eyes and previous injuries, with the help of my Z- Health Master Trainer Mike T. Nelson.

Why did this all happen?

It happened because I move better now than I ever have in my whole life. That's from doing daily Z-Health drills and from seeing a Z-Health coach.

It works better than anything else I've ever tried at fixing your bodies restrictions to improve your movement skills because every problem is a movement problem.

No drugs, no surgery no long recovery, no needles, no trips to the hospital where you might end up with flesh eating disease (this happened recently to a woman where I live.)

Just simple, precise, joint movements can deliver the right release from a restriction, instantly.

After the session I did with Joe recently, I got this email

Thanks for the great Z session on Saturday. I crushed Ben my partner in judo when we randoried, wrassled. But man was I sore yesterday from the new nervous system stimulis. -Joe Pavel

Congrats to Joe for doing his "homework" also and getting his reps in! Nice work! If you are interested in some Z Health training, be sure to drop me a line.

Check out Joe's Blog below
Kool Kettlebells

On to some more studies on the nervous system. My notes at the end of each as always. Here we go!


Heat reactions in multiple sclerosis: an overlooked paradigm in the study of comparative fatigue.

Marino FE. School of Human Movement Studies & Exercise & Sports Science Laboratories, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. fmarino@csu.edu.au


Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating and debilitating disease characterised by a range of symptoms such as motor dysfunction and muscle weakness. A significant MS symptom is heat sensitivity so that exposure to heat will increase body temperature and consequently the appearance of neurological signs. Although some people with MS can undertake exercise, it is thought to be limited by the sensitivity to heat and the subsequent rise in body temperature which occurs.


It has been found that central fatigue is a determining factor in muscle activation and performance in normal healthy subjects. However, it is unknown whether thermal strain also induces central fatigue in MS even though muscular fatigue in MS is due mainly to central rather than peripheral factors.


CONCLUSION: This review focuses on the similarities in the manifestation of central fatigue in both MS and healthy subjects with reference to thermal strain and heat reactions.

My Notes: Be sure to check out the other studies I covered that look at the effects of heat below

Performance Research for February: Central fatigue exercise 3

On to another study!

Locomotor exercise induces long-lasting impairments in the capacity of the human motor cortex to voluntarily activate knee extensor muscles.

Sidhu SK, Bentley DJ, Carroll TJ. University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.


Muscle fatigue is a reduction in the capacity to exert force and may involve a "central" component originating in the brain and/or spinal cord. Here we examined whether supraspinal factors contribute to impaired central drive after locomotor endurance exercise. On 2 separate days, 10 moderately active individuals completed a locomotor cycling exercise session or a control session. Brief (2 s) and sustained (30 s) isometric knee extension contractions were completed before and after locomotor exercise consisting of eight, 5-min bouts of cycling at 80% of maximum workload. In the control session, subjects completed the isometric contractions in a rested state.

Twitch responses to supramaximal motor nerve stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation were obtained to assess peripheral force-generating capacity and voluntary activation. Maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) force during brief contractions decreased by 23 +/- 6.3% after cycling exercise and remained 12 +/- 2.8% below baseline 45 min later (F(1,9) > 15.5;

CONCLUSION: Thus locomotor exercise caused a long-lasting impairment in the capacity of the motor cortex to drive the knee extensors. Force was reduced more during sustained Maximum voluntary contraction after locomotor exercise than in the control session.
Peripheral mechanisms contributed relatively more to this force reduction in the control session, whereas supraspinal fatigue played a greater role in sustained Maximum voluntary contraction reduction after locomotor exercise.

My Notes: Interesting study, but it goes to show that trying to tease out central (aka brain) issues from peripheral (muscle) is very hard to do and in reality it is probably a combination of both.



Cortical voluntary activation of the human knee extensors can be reliably estimated using transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Sidhu SK, Bentley DJ, Carroll TJ. Health and Exercise Science, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.


The objective of this study was to determine if a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) method of quantifying the degree to which the motor cortex drives the muscles during voluntary efforts can be reliably applied to the human knee extensors. Although the technique for estimating "cortical" voluntary activation (VA) is valid and reliable for elbow flexors and wrist extensors, evidence that it can be applied to muscles of the lower limb is necessary if twitch interpolation with TMS is to be widely used in research or clinical practice. Eight subjects completed two identical test sessions involving brief isometric knee extensions at forces ranging from rest to maximal voluntary contraction (MVC).


Electromyographic (EMG) responses to TMS of the motor cortex and electrical stimulation of the femoral nerve were recorded from the rectus femoris (RF) and biceps femoris (BF) muscles, and knee extension twitch forces evoked by stimulation were measured. The amplitude of TMS-evoked twitch forces decreased linearly between 25% and 100% MVC (r(2) > 0.9), and produced reliable estimations of resting twitch and VA (ICC(2,1) > 0.85). The reliability and size of cortical measures of VA were comparable to those derived from motor nerve stimulation when the resting twitches were estimated on the basis of as few as three TMS trials.


CONCLUSION: Thus, transcranial magnetic stimulation measures of voluntary activation may provide a reliable and valid tool in studies investigating central fatigue due to exercise and neurological deficits in neural drive in the lower limbs.

My Notes: This may be a cool tool to help sort out the differences.

That is it for now! Any comments, let me know
Rock on
Mike T Nelson

Z Health Question: Case Study/Car Accident and Basketball Performance

Happy Monday to all of you! I trust your weekend was a good one.

I spent all day in the lab on Friday (6am-7:30pm) and stopped by Chipotle for a nice chicken burrito (hmmmm, burrito) and watched an episode of Myth Busters on DVD! Ahhhhh, the good life. I was in bed by 9pm. Mr Excitement lives next door, not here this weekend.

Z Health Case Study
Saturday I worked around my townhome for awhile and had a Z Health session with a client in the afternoon that went well.

Here is how it went down:

We got her left glute(butt muscle) to fire with Z Health ankle work on the left side. There are 4 spots in the foot/ankle that correspond to muscles in the hip. If the ankle is goofed up, it will start to shut down the muscle in the hip to prevent you from exerting any more high forces on your ankle. as your body is trying to protect itself. Once the ankle area is "open" with some Z Health mobility work, many time the muscles in the hip fire much much better. The technically name for this is "arthrokinetic reflex" and is taught in the Z Health R Phase cert. See this post below for more information.

Jammed Joints and Muscular Weakness--Stability and Mobility

We got her abs to work much better also! She could not do a strict sit up, and after some specifc exericse for her head (yes I know that sounds very weird), she could do a sit up!

She was having some issues getting her right tricep to fire, and we got it working pretty good with a combination of neck (C7) mobility, radial nerve glide with elbow and shoulder movement, and motor point work. For information on nerve flossing, see this post below

Nerve Flossing Z Health Style: I Can Rotate My Neck

Z Health Question and Answer
Hi Mike! I'm a 15 year old fan of yours work. I'm from Serbia so sorry for my bad English.I read your blog every day and I read whole archive of your blog and I can tell you it's FANTASTIC! Readers can see that you enjoy learning new stuff about our bodies and you want to share that with them.

I have a question for you. I had a car accident while I was in a car with my dad. I had just a minor left hip contusion but my father ended dislocating his left hip (luxatio coxae) and ortho said that he must not put left leg down for 6 months. He can sit now and ortho gave him some exercises to do but his muscles are weak a he feels pain in the injured hip .

I'm wondering if Z can help him now? There is no Z trainer in Serbia or anywhere near my country and I'm desperate seeing him in pain.

I am going to buy some Z product to try it myself since I play basketball and want to increase my performance.Is it better to buy R phase or the Quick Start Guide?

Thanks in advance!Greetings from Serbia!!!
Boki

P.S.Keep up the good work!

Answer
Thanks for the kind words all the way from Serbia. Much appreciated and no worries as your English is great.

Sorry to hear about the car accident.

For your dad, the best advice to work with his orthopod. If his doc will give him the ok to start some very light NONpainful movement; he too could start with some Z Health. If he can only do it while seated, that is fine too. Once cleared for movement, I would have him start on the RIGHT shoulder and see if that helps.

Yes, R Phase is great for basketball, since that has lots of running and a higher impact on the joints. I would start at R Phase and once you are moving well with those drills, you can try the Neuro Warm Up 1 next.

It is worth saving to get the R Phase over the Quick Start Guide as the exercises on the Quick Start Guide(QSG) are repeated in R Phase. But if money is super tight and you are looking to start something now, the QSG can be a good place to start.

The key is to make sure you are doing the drills with PRECISION in a relaxed state.

You can purchase and Z Health product from the box on the upper right hand side of my blog. I do make a few dollars off of each sale, but the price is the same to you and I will be my best to answer any questions you have.

Let me know how it goes and I wish both of you the best!
Rock on
Mike N

Music, Mobility, and Rhythm Z Health Style

After the onslaught of crazy science stuff, I figured a few of your brains may need a break.

Below is a great video of some crazy mobility work done to the song "Loose Cannon" by the band Killing Joke. I had heard of Killing Joke for quite some time, but the first CD I bought from them was the "Democracy" release in 1996. I have a video from that album at the end here. It is a great album and I would recommend it.


Mobility and Music
The first video below is perfect, as it combines my love for music and mobility work all in one!

Keep in mind that rhythm can be developed also. In the S Phase Z Health class we did some mobility work to a metronome. This is harder than it sounds at first.

So if you are doing an elbow circle, your goal is to complete one rep at each beep of the metronome. Or you can reach the mid point at each beat. This will also force you to practice mobility work at a different speed. Most do too much at the SAME speed. Remember that just like exercise, your body will adapt and not change much after that point.

So the next time you are told "Yo' got no rhythm booooooy" break out the metronome and Z Health drills.

Special thanks to Sheriff in the UK for sending this one to me.




Democracy

More Brain Science and BAHG

More brain science!

Wait, I thought this was a blog about athletic performance? I don't care about all this brain mumbo jumbo you say?

It is still all about athletic performance, but the future of advanced athletic performance is figuring out how the brain and nervous system allow you to perform at a higher level.

Remember the post the other day (click HERE if you forgot) that the brain is predictive! Keep this in mind when you watch the video below.





What is athletics at a high level? Of course physical performance is key, but a sports game has many many predictive properties to it. Who is fastest to the ball? How did he/she get their first?

2 ways
Player A and player B (aren't I so creative with names!) Player A looks for the ball guy's reaction (by saying "ball guy" you can sub in your favorite sport there and get pissed at me for mentioning someone else) or Player B that can PREDICT (correctly of course) which direction the "ball guy" is going to go. My vote is on player B. Why would you spend so much time watching films to prepare for a big game? Now if we want to go to the ultimate level, combine speed AND predictive ability.

If the brain's main job is prediction, I bet we can train it! This is covered in Z Health S Phase (Sports Specific) certification also.

The video above is not your typical brain science video and is well worth a look. Note that this was originally from 2003, but I feel it is still valid.

BAHG
My buddy Brad "No Relation" Nelson at Kinetic Edge Performance and Brad Rants Blog talks about BAHG--Big Audacious Hairy Goals. If you are on my newsletter you know my goals for this year, but my new goal by Jan 2010 is to present on TED.

To be perfectly honest, I have no idea (yet) how they select presenters or much really about the process at all. But I do know that they have some amazing presenters there. If anyone has any contacts or tips on how to make it happen, let me know.

One last thing
Here is another great link where you can read the wiki page at the same time as the video

Cilck HERE to find Nibipedia

Performance Research for February: Central Fatigue Round 2

I must be going crazy as now you have 2 blog posts in one day. I needed a break. Yes, I read studies to relax. I even take vacations to go to conferences on exercise physiology. Next up on that one is ACSM this May.

So my parents came by today to help clean my townhouse. Very much appreciated, but nothing like having your mom (love ya mom) run around asking "How did this get so dirty?" My answer is that I am a grad student, Teaching Assistant for Exercise Physiology and Human Physiology, run a separate training/nutrition business, work 24 hours a week for a medical device company (on call full time there too), and try to see Jodie on occasion too. Coffee is my best friend on most days and sleeping more than 7 hours is heaven!

So we move on and here are a few more studies on Round 2 of Central Fatigue.
Enjoy

Inflammatory and oxidative and nitrosative stress pathways underpinning chronic fatigue, somatization and psychosomatic symptoms.

Maes M. Clinical Research Centre of Mental Health (CRC-MH), Antwerp, Belgium. crc.mh@telenet.be


PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this paper is to review recent findings on inflammatory and oxidative and nitrosative stress (IO&NS) pathways in chronic fatigue and somatization disorder. RECENT FINDINGS: Activation of IO&NS pathways is the key phenomenon underpinning chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): intracellular inflammation, with an increased production of nuclear factor kappa beta (NFkappabeta), cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible NO synthase (iNOS); and damage caused by O&NS to membrane fatty acids and functional proteins.


These IO&NS pathways are induced by a number of trigger factors, for example psychological stress, strenuous exercise, viral infections and an increased translocation of LPS from gram-bacteria (leaky gut). The 'psychosomatic' symptoms experienced by CFS patients are caused by intracellular inflammation (aches and pain, muscular tension, fatigue, irritability, sadness, and the subjective feeling of infection); damage caused by O&NS (aches and pain, muscular tension and fatigue); and gut-derived inflammation (complaints of irritable bowel). Inflammatory pathways (monocytic activation) are also detected in somatizing disorder.


CONCLUSION: 'Functional' symptoms, as occurring in CFS and somatization, have a genuine organic cause, that is activation of peripheral and central IO&NS pathways and gut-derived inflammation. The development of new drugs, aimed at treating those disorders, should target these IO&NS pathways.

My notes: Holy crap, what did they say? The big take away here is the body is ALL connected! See my post below about my theory of the body as a black box

The Body as a Black Box

Resistance exercise training enhances sympathetic nerve activity during fatigue-inducing isometric handgrip trials.

Saito M, Iwase S, Hachiya T. Applied Physiology Laboratory, Toyota Technological Institute, 2-12 Hisakata Tmpaku-ku, Nagoya 468-8511, Japan. msaito@toyota-ti.ac.jp

Just a note that the full study is up and finalized. I covered this one already below

Performance Research October: Sticking Needles in Nerves and Jumping Out of Planes

Last one for today below.

High-intensity running in English FA Premier League soccer matches.

Bradley PS, Sheldon W, Wooster B, Olsen P, Boanas P, Krustrup P. Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK.


The aims of this study were to (1) determine the activity profiles of a large sample of English FA Premier League soccer players and (2) examine high-intensity running during elite-standard soccer matches for players in various playing positions. Twenty-eight English FA Premier League games were analysed during the 2005-2006 competitive season (n = 370), using a multi-camera computerised tracking system. During a typical match, wide midfielders (3138 m, s = 565) covered a greater distance in high-intensity running than central midfielders (2825 m, s = 473, P = 0.04), full-backs (2605 m, s = 387, P < 0.01), attackers (2341 m, s = 575, P < 0.01), and central defenders (1834 m, s = 256, P < 0.01). In the last 15 min of a game, high-intensity running distance was approximately 20% less than in the first 15-min period for wide midfielders (467 m, s = 104 vs. 589 m, s = 134, P < 0.01), central midfielders (429 m, s = 106 vs. 534 m, s = 99, P < 0.01), full-backs (389 m, s = 95 vs. 481 m, s = 114, P < 0.01), attackers (348 m, s = 105 vs. 438 m, s = 129, P < 0.01), and central defenders (276 m, s = 93 vs. 344 m, s = 80, P < 0.01).

There was a similar distance deficit for high-intensity running with (148 m, s = 78 vs. 193 m, s = 96, P < 0.01) and without ball possession (229 m, s = 85 vs. 278 m, s = 97, P < 0.01) between the last 15-min and first 15-min period of the game. Mean recovery time between very high-intensity running bouts was 72 s (s = 28), with a 28% longer recovery time during the last 15 min than the first 15 min of the game (83 s, s = 26 vs. 65 s, s = 20, P < 0.01). The decline in high-intensity running immediately after the most intense 5-min period was more evident in attackers (216 m, s = 50 vs. 113 m, s = 47, P < 0.01) and central defenders (182 m, s = 26 vs. 96 m, s = 39, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION: The results suggest that high-intensity running with and without ball possession is reduced during various phases of elite-standard soccer matches and the activity profiles and fatigue patterns vary among playing positions. The current findings provide valuable information about the high-intensity running patterns of a large sample of elite-standard soccer players, which could be useful in the development and prescription of specific training regimes.

My notes: SAID principle 101---the coach needs to understand the needs/demands of his/her player's sport in order to optimal train them for it.

Z Health Master Trainer Evaluation Review

Update
Greetings! First off I apologize that it has taken me forever to get this review up. I am currently working on my dissertation research, so I am spending tons of extra time in the lab testing subjects. I am investigating the effects of an over the counter Energy Drink on heart rate, fuel usage (carbs or fat being burned during exercise) and vessel effects. As soon as I have any published data I can talk about, you will be the first to know.

All the tests are in the morning since the subjects are fasted. A HUGE thanks to all the subjects that have volunteered already---THANKS!! I could not do it without you and much appreciate your time.

I also just got word that I had my revision work from my PhD oral exam completed, so I just that is great to hear. I just have to finish up my research now and crank out some papers. My goal is to be entirely completed by my birthday this August at the absolute latest.
Picture of me in San Diego to prove that I was there (even though I was indoors for 90%+ of the time)
Z Health Master Trainer Evaluation Review

As most of you know, I was in sunny San Diego CA the first week of January this year to kick off the year at the Z Health Master Trainer Evaluation. It was great to be there while many of my friends were freezing their butts off sub meat locker style in Minnesota.

Why All the Fuss?
A great question, is "What is involved in the Z Master Trainer Eval?" To start off, I must
admit that I signed a two way NDA (non disclosure agreement) so I can't give you details on exactly what happened. I can give you a run down of my experience though.

In order to even be eligible for the program you must have completed Z Health R, I, S, T
Phase (levels 1-4) by this past March and then formally apply for the program. Here are some older blog posts with my reviews of the Z Health training (click below). Note: I don't have a review from R Phase since I was not blogging at that time.

Z Health Info and a Brand New Study on Strength Training and Insulin

Z Health Level II Update #2 from Sunny AZ

Z Health Level II Update #3--the final one

Z Health I Phase in Practice Update

Z Health Level 4 Wrap Up and Good vs Bad Calories

Z Health Interview, S Phase, Research, USAPL Results

Z Health S Phase Wrap Up

Z Health S Phase Update I


R Phase is about 6 days and the others are 4 days each, so you are at 18 days of Z Health training and this assumes that you only went to each one once! I've done R Phase 3 times and I Phase twice and many others have done more than that. If you have any questions about any Z Health cert, esp R Phase, please drop me a line and I am more than happy to chat with you about it. If you talk to the find folks at Z Health, be sure to mention that I sent you. Full disclosure, I am NOT an employee of Z Health and I make ZERO money on anyone that shows up to a certification; although I do get some money off future certifications that I complete.

The Master Trainer(MT) program started in March 2008 with about 40 people and 10 were at the live training about 9 months later.

Each month we had various assignments that reviewed R, I, S, and T Phase in addition to essays, online quizzes on anatomy, conference call and other questions.

San Diego, Here I Am!
Once we were at the training, out grade was primarily (I can give you all the details) based on
1) Presentations. We each had the chance to present twice on a pre-assigned topic. We got
45 minutes to present including time for questions each time.
My 2 presentations were on:
I. The role of the brain's reward system in learning new (and improving old) exercises/movements.

The 10 second overview is that HOW you cue an athlete and the STATE of the athlete are crucial for optimal learning and thus execution. Dopamine also plays a HUGE role in the motor learning/chunking process

II. The role of threat/high stress and the brain's response to it.

In short, as heart rate increases the body get closer to a "fight, flight, or freeze" state and weird things start to happen such as police officers not even hearing a gun shot that happened right next to them. Think about the implications for this in athletics, esp Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) where your heart rate and adrenaline are flowing BUT you still need to make key decisions and not let technique degrade.
Note: If anyone is interested in more information on those 2 topics, please let me know.

2) Grand Rounds. We would take a full history of an athlete and then write up what we
think we may find and how we would address it.

3). Rapid Fire. This gave my indigestion. Pretty much any Z Health topic was placed in a large hat and names were drawn from one hat and a topic was drawn from the other hat. Without looking anything up, you had to teach the class on the spot how to do it right then and there while you were graded. Ugh. Included in "stack of topics" (which I was seriously hoping what have been involved in some freak accident with a paper shredder, but no dice. drat) was various muscles that we would have to describe the orgin, insertion, muscle test, nerve glide (if there was one), innervation and bonus for blood supply for the muscle. So if I drew "sartorius muscle" I would list off each of the above and demonstrate a muscle test and nerve glide (if there was one). Needless to say, that is a ton of stuff to know.

6 Whole Days
That was the basic breakdown of how the 6 days went. We also had some addition lectures on business topics too, which was great. We were evaluated the entire time.

I thought that I would go out to CA, be busy during the day and then relax at night. I figured I would detox myself from coffee too while I was there too--ha! I slept less and drank more coffee than in the previous week. My roommate Scott Perry (if you are in Bend OR area, look him up at the Z Health site HERE for a session with him), would get there early and quiz each other on Z Health topics. We would have the training all day and worked through lunch 3 of the days (I think) and get home at about 7 or 7:30pm after picking up a sub from subway. At night we would either work on our presentations (I spent 2 weeks before I even left working on mine and other Z Health topics) and/or review muscle testing and quiz each other. Crash into bed, rinse and repeat for 5 more days!

The Last Supper
Sat night we went out to dinner and that was a great time. The stress of the 6 days was over and I was happy to know that I was one of 4 that passed at the live event. Whooo ha! Time to relax over good food. I had a seared tuna steak with red pepper and pesto sauce with crab meat on top. Awesome!! See the Flickr link on the lower right side for pictures.

Sunday I hung out with Dr. Cobb and a few others for a bit and then headed off to see the fine folks at Essential Strength for a session on myself. If you are in the San Diego area, I highly recommend you contact them by clicking HERE.

Summary
So, looking back on it, was it worth it? I would say yes. It was a great chance for me to really test myself and see what I could accomplish. I also work best off of deadlines, so having a hard deadline to put together 2 presentations and really dig deep and make sure I knew the material was good. It was also great to spend 6+ days with other highly intelligent and highly motivated people.

Any questions you have, please place them in the comments. If it is something that I can't answer, I will say so; but you never know until you ask. Below are the comments from Dr. Cobb.

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

Announcing: Z-Health Master Trainers

Announcing the first group of Z-Health Master Trainers!

Last week, in sunny San Diego, California, four people earned the first ever designation of Z-Health Master Trainer. Six others earned Master Trainer(p) status, indicating provisional standing.

These courageous souls successfully completed six full days of testing on a variety of topics, including:

1. Public Speaking
2. Skills Teaching
3. Client Assessment and Evaluation
4. Client Program Design
5. Professionalism

These individuals achieved the following designations through hard work, drive, and preparation:

Z-Health Master Trainer
Leah Davison
Mike T. Nelson
Theresa Nesbitt
Zachariah Salazar

Z-Health Master Trainer(p)
Alisha Toombs
Katie Bigelow
Kent Johnson
Lou McGovern (note, Lou has completed the follow up work as has passed now)
Luis Hernandez
Scott Peery

We will be sharing much more about this landmark event in a special feature newsletter next month. Until then, please join us in congratulating these outstanding individuals on their hard work and accomplishments. We are very proud of each one of them.

More to come next month!
Dr Cobb

Kettleworx As Seen on KARE 11 TV Can Kiss My....

Ok, I am pissed. I was actually just seen screaming at my computer and pulling my hair out; so strap in and prepare for a tyrant. If you don't like tyrants, feel free to skip this post and we will be back to our regular program very soon I promise.

As most readers know I am a big fan of Kettlebells (KBs) and have completed the RKC (Russian Kettlebell Certification) as a level 1 instructor. While there are not any systems I agree with 100%, (who does?) I found the training to be great and well worth my time. Not only do you have to pass a physical test when you show up (for me it was 74 snatches with the 55 lb KB with only ONE hand switch, only pause has to be at lockout above your head); you have to survive the entire 3 day course including the grad workout and be able to TEACH someone how to SAFELY use Kettlebells. The instructors were top notch and everyone there took it serious. For a full review, see my old posts below.

RKC Wrap Up

Where to Get Kettlebells and Instruction?

Testimonial from Rick Olson, RKC

So, I am going to be biased towards this approach. This AM, Ryan Shananaha (or something like that) and his Kettleworx appeared on the Kare 11 news showing off his new KB program. Now I did not personally see it, but I did some searching on the web and found this clip from his appearance on another morning news show.



Now I don't know this guy, I've never met him and honestly I could not find much information on him other than the bio that he puts out himself. The fact that he calls himself a "Fitness Expert" give me severe nausea.


Ryan Shanahan BIO:

Ryan is the world's leading kettlebell trainer and foremost expert in kettlebell fitness. He is an internationally acclaimed trainer who regularly works with superstars and exclusive private clients, including the cast and crew of major feature films. For over ten years, Ryan has conducted private kettlebell training sessions working out of the Toronto Film Studio and now has now developed KettleWorx for the general public. Other facts about Ryan: Over the last 20 years, he's played professional hockey, represented Canada at the World Duathlon Championship, completed 22 triathlons and 2 marathons. After just 7 weeks of intense training he earned 2nd place at the Heavyweight Drug Free Bodybuilding Contest in 2007. In addition to movie stars and models, Ryan has often worked with athletic trainers, physiotherapists, physicians and other fitness and health care professionals.


The Video Analysis Is In
From the video above, according to Ryan "You can do more things than you can with traditional Kettlebells"

What? It IS A FRIGGIN KETTLEBELL? I really don't understand this one at all. How can you do more with their KB and system? According to Ryan, with a TRADITIONAL KB you can only do a swing? What? While I do believe that a swing is the most basic KB exercise, there is a reason you need to start with the basics---they work great! Once you get that down, you can move on to other exercises like Turkish Get Ups (TGUs), cleans, presses,etc. The limits to KBs are only in your imagination. Come see me if you need a new version. Here is Steve Cotter doing some more advanced exercises



More Crap
Ryan continues "this one takes care of the trouble spots on the side. I call it a side disco bend"

What? Uh, earth to Ryan, this is commonly known a windmill.


Ryan keeps going "so as you stretch it leans out the muscle and as you come up it firms up the muscle"


Ok, this one had me pulling my hair out. As far as I have EVER seen, there is ZERO data to support the notion that stretching will "lean out a muscle" NOTHING! Heck, I don't even like static stretching, but I will not go there today.

While we are marching down the road of no data fresh from "The journal of results that I pulled out of my butt" here is a big one "as you come up it firms up the muscle" Um, yes, that is commonly known in the literature as a MUSCLE CONTRACTION! It is insulting to people to assume they don't know that.

Spot Reduction Is a Joke
While everyone would like to believe that the spot reduction myth is true, it is NOT. THERE ARE BASICALLY NO DATA TO SUPPORT THE SPOT REDUCTION MYTH. Doing all the crunches in the world will do bubkiss to deflate that spare tire. Before the pubmed ninja go all crazy on me, there are a handful of newer studies showing that localized fat loss is possible, but the amount loss is basically nothing so don't get your undies in a bunch.

So what do I do now? Hang on sparky and we will get to that, but there is even more! I know, I can't believe it either.

Look Mom, Horrible KB Swings!


Watch CBS Videos Online

In a real swing, you don't use your arms that much to "hoist" the KB up. Now, I don't fault the hosts of the Early Show since this is the first time they have ever done this exercise! I do fault the instructor though.

Now just because you are on TV, that doesn't give you an excuse for piss poor information either, so let's can that excuse. Check out my buddy Brad "No Relation" Nelson from Kinetic Edge Performance teaching swings correctly on TV. Brad is also an RKC and Z Health guy too.



Get Some Real Balls

The weights used for most of their training is too light. Yes women, for maximal results you will have to lift something heavy at least part of the time and no you will not get too huge. Most women I've trained can use a 26 or 35 lb KB in their first session doing swings. If they can't most are up to that size in 4-8 weeks. With the Kettleworx system, the heaviest KB they make is 20 lbs.

Here is Fawn Friday doing snatches for reps with the 24 kg (about 55 lb) KB. Yeah, women are going to get too big. Pleeeeezzzzzzzzzzzeeeeeeeeee



From the Kettleworx FAQ

We recommend that anyone not currently active in a physical fitness program begin with a 5-pound kettlebell, with most women later advancing to a 10-pound kettlebell and most men later advancing to a 10 and then a 20-pound kettlebell. Those who are currently active and physically fit may elect to begin with a 10 or 20 pound kettlebell. It is important to note that the KettleWorx program is specifically designed to produce the best results when using kettlebells of the above recommended weights

Argh!!!! Please, your top weight EVER is only 20 lbs? This is in my opinion is degrading to assume that humans can't ever lift more.

But I just want to look better! Cool, no problem with that at all and I commend you on your goal, but by artificially putting limits on your performance you will never get the body you want.

"Whatever you believe is what you achieve" --??

Why I Am So Pissed
I have nothing personal against this guy. I have never met him and this is America and everyone is entitled to sell whatever they want and make a living. I have no problem with that.

I have a HUGE problem with people self proclaiming themselves as a "Fitness Expert" gag gag, and then proceeding to spew crap information! That pisses me off to no end. People who work hard for their money deserve something better.

What Do I Do Now?
1) Focus on the basics

While it may not be sexy and trendy, focus on the basics. Learn them first before you move on.

2) Fix your nutrition

Training and nutrition are like 2 wheels on a bike, you can work really really hard a pedaling but if you have a square tire; all that work is not getting your large butt down the street. Fix the wheel first, THEN pedal hard.

3) Seek Expert Advise.

I can't speak for anyone other than myself, but I am so confident that what I do is WAY better than Kettleworx that I will make you this gaurantee--Anyone who does 1 KB session with me is not completely happy with it, I will refund ALL their money no questions asked. I've spent the last 15+ years learning about physiology and neurology in order to help YOU achieve YOUR goals in a safe and effective manner. I don't have all the answers, but I am working on it (and will be working on that for the rest of my life).

4) Movement Quality
If both tires of your car point at each other cuz your alignment sucks, your car's performance will suck too. Get the alignment fixed! I personally find Z Health to be amazing for this aspect.

Summary
Ok, I feel better now and I am stepping off my soapbox. The moral of the story is be careful who you trust your body to. I personally would not trust it to just any joker. You only get one body, so do your homework first hand.

Any comments, let me know and post away in the comments.

Static Stretching--Good or Bad?

Here is another article on static/dynamic stretching. As most know, I am not a fan of static stretching especially pre competition/lifting . I much prefer active mobility work over static stretching since you want to teach the body increased range of motion AND strength. Static stretching is teaching the body an increased range of motion and making the muscle WEAKER. We all know that a static stretched muscle is temporarily weaker. The good part is that this is normally short lived.

Check out my other post below on it.

The Death of Static Stretching

Thanks to Cal Dietz for sending me the following article from the Yale Daily News (the bolding of text were the highlights in my mind)

Yale Daily News

Dynamic stretching
By Monica Mark
Staff Reporter

Play almost any sport at any level and chances are you will be called to stretch beforehand. The typical routine is well-known and widespread: Reach for your toes, hold the stretch for 10 or 15 or 30 seconds, release and move on to another muscle. It warms you up, limbers you up and gets you ready for tough competition, right? Not at all, according to the results of a recent study by kinesiology researchers — a study which does not appear to have taken the Yale athletic community by surprise. Staff reporter Monica Mark investigates.

Static stretches — stretching exercises that elongate the muscles, performed while the body is at rest — are likely not beneficial to a warm-up routine at all and could actually be dangerous, according to the research headed by scientists at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The study, which the New York Times featured in a recent article entitled "Stretching: The Truth", instructed participants to perform static hamstring and quadriceps stretches and then measured their muscles' power output. The results showed static stretching produces less-than-desirable results: In fact, less force was generated from leg muscles after a static stretching regime than from muscles that were not stretched at all.

Dr. Peter Jokl, director of Yale's Sports Medicine Center, said that it is true that static stretching may weaken muscles in the short-run. But he does not necessarily agree that it is "dangerous," as the article claimed.

"They were talking about weakening the muscles — meaning how much power they can produce," he said of the study's authors. "Say you wanted to produce maximum force out of your muscles. If you disconnect links by overstretching, you can weaken the muscle in terms of how much horsepower, so to speak, you can produce."

The primary function of a warm-up should be to increase body temperature, according to Jokl. Warm muscles use oxygen and stored energy more efficiently and can withstand more force.

"Connective tissue is like Tupperware," he said. "If you put one in the fridge it gets stiff. When you run it under hot water, it's more pliable."

Increasing blood flow — another effect of warming up — also makes muscles more flexible, he added.

Experts recommend light jogging or comparable aerobic activity as a way to start a solid warm-up routine. The warm-up should last from five to 10 minutes, which will raise the body temperature between two to three degrees Fahrenheit, according to Jokl. However, the athlete should be careful to avoid too intense of a warm-up, which can itself lead to muscle strain or other injuries, he explained. Even if you do avoid injury, a burnout of a warm-upcan have a second unpleasant side effect: It could simply wear you out.

But, Jokl added, "The study overdramatized the idea that traditional stretching may not be good for you."

Overdramatized or not, within Yale athletics, static stretching as a stand-alone warm-up went the way of leg warmers as fashionable workout gear a long time ago.

"This info is not new," Richard Kaplan, assistant athletic trainer at Yale, said of the pitfalls of static stretching. "We have already instituted a 'dynamic workout' … with most of our teams and reserve the static stretching for right before our cool-down period."

Indeed, dynamic stretching has taken the place of static stretching in many collegiate environments, though the latter still reigns supreme in amateur athletics. (Dynamic stretching is a process in which the muscles are stretched while moving — including squats, lunges, or the "Spider-Man," which requires the athlete to get down on all fours and crawl as though he or she were climbing a wall.)

"We do a full dynamic warm-up," Yale track and field head coach David Shoehalter said of the team's pre-practice routine, "I've been coaching now for 20 years and have been doing dynamic warm-ups the entire time."

In response to the claim that static stretching is dangerous, he added, "I wouldn't say it's dangerous, but it's not helpful, and it can lead to injury."

Alina Liao '09, a member of the gymnastics team, said she was also skeptical of the idea that static stretches are dangerous if they are performed properly and at the right time.

"I've never seen anyone injured directly from static stretching," she said in an e-mail message. "I don't think it's particularly harmful unless you do an extreme amount of static stretching immediately before active exercise."

Still, according to Shoehalter, static stretching is problematic for reasons beyond muscle weakening.

While he says dynamic warm-ups wake up your nervous system, "static stretching sends the message to your brain that your muscles are done."

"So the message the brain is getting is 'All right, I'm finished," he said, "and then all of the sudden, there you are redlining it, which can lead to muscle strains or pulls."

But that's is not to say static stretching should be nixed altogether.

Within the Yale track and field program, Shoehalter said, athletes perform an extensive static stretching routine following workouts, as opposed to preceding them.

Liao, whose warm-up routine includes both dynamic movements such as leg swings and static stretches like splits, also emphasized static stretching still has a place in a safe and healthy workout.

"Static stretching still might be important for preventing muscle tears or strains," she said. "Especially as a gymnast, if my muscles are not already fully stretched and thus ready for the flexibility my sport demands, I certainly risk tearing a muscle."

In the end, it may be more a question of power than of peril.

"More so than static stretching leading to injuries," Shoehalter emphasized, "dynamic stretching enhances the ability to perform at high levels."

In other words, static stretches won't necessarily hurt you, but they won't provide the performance boost of their dynamic counterparts — and could leave you sore and your muscles strained if used in lieu of an aerobic warm-up.

So if this research isn't really new at all, then why are so many people outside the world of collegiate athletics hearing of it for the first time? Why is dynamic stretching such a well-kept secret?

"It's hard to say," Shoehalter said. "It's kind of an 'old-habits-die-hard' situation. I think static stretching is the old school way of doing things, but if you look at any kind of major collegiate track program, they're doing full dynamic warm-ups."

Having come from amateur athletic environments, Shoehalter continued, many athletes have never been exposed to dynamic stretching, so when the warm-up is over, they ask why they haven't yet had the chance to stretch.

"You just kind of have to change what they think is stretching," he said. "You have to change their perception of what actually works."

Z Health, Pain, and Limb Shaking?

Here is a thought for you Mike, A friend of mine shakes her hands, vigorously flapping them around, and claims it helps her hands. What effect would that vigorous joint mobility have from a Z health perspective? Steve Hendrickson


Similar idea. When you touch a hot stove, after pulling your finger away, what do you do next? Flap that finger around! Why? Because your body is friggin' smart, that is why! You are trying to increase motor function and potentially "drown out" the pain sensation.

Z Health does something similar, as it uses all ACTIVE mobility drills, so there is a motor component being sent from the brain to the joint/muscles.

The downside is that limb shaking works, but the body does not learn much from it; so it will probably need to be repeated often in the future for the same effect. Limb shaking may have some other temporary benefits like blood flow and lymph movement also. Active mobility drills (like Z Health) since they are done by actively moving the joint/limb in an INTENDED position will "stick" better; so you don't need to keep doing the exact same movements forever.

Good question!
Mike T Nelson

Nerve Flossing Z Health Style: I Can Rotate My Neck!

Z Health Level 4 Work
I've had some questions about what the advanced (level 4) Z Health work entails lately, so I thought I would use an example from an athlete last night. This is just one item that is covered and is not the whole course. This material has existed before and was not invented by Dr. Cobb or Z Health, but it is an amazing tool.

I had the athlete rotate his head to the left and right and found that it was less than ideal. Actually it would only turn to about a 45 degree angle (which is not ideal, but relatively common). I remember Kent Johnson saying at the Z Health Master Trainer eval in CA last week to "not confuse common with normal" and I am going to steal that one!

I noticed that his sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) on each side would "pop" out when he turned his head. The SCM is a longer, strap like muscle that runs from under the ear lobe to the sterum (top part of the chest) /clavicle area (mastoid process of the temporal bone and superior nuchal lin for all you anatomy geeks--you know who you are).

The main motor nerve is the accessory nerve so we did some nerve glide work (nerve flossing) for it, had him walk and retested. He gained about 2Xs as much rotation and was able to go almost to 90 degrees on each side. Welcome to the Owl club! Whooooooo whhhooo (you know, that noise owls make)
Nerve Flossing?
Nerve glides or nerve flossing is a technique where an exercise is performed while a nerve is SLIGHTY tensioned. Just like flossing your teeth, the nerve is moved a little bit through various tissue to allow better movement of the nerve itself.

Nerves are a HUGE priority for the body and since the body is survival orientated, it will go to great lengthens to protect the nerves. This includes shutting down muscular function and force production along with range of motion (ROM). Result--not good for athletic performance!

How Can I Do It If I am Fitness Professional?
Anyone interested in can sign up for the Z Health Level 4 cert, but you must do R Phase then I Phase first (which are both amazing). Drop me a line and I am more than happy to chat with you about it or call the Z Health office directly by clicking HERE for more info and be sure to tell them Mike T Nelson sent ya.

Full disclosure: I am not currently an employee of Z Health, nor do I make any money off of referring people to their certs. I do get a few bucks off future certifications that I take though.
What If I Just Want To Get Better Myself?
Keep in mind that any active joint mobility drill (like the Z Health R Phase exercises) also work to slightly move the nerves, lymph, blood, and active muscle etc by themselves! That is another reason why precise, active joint mobility work is so important. As always, make sure it is done in a relaxed state and NO pain!

You can purchase the R Phase manual and 2 DVD set on the link from the upper right.
Full disclosure: the price here is the same as anywhere else, and I do make a few bucks off each one. Again, I never recommend anything that I don't 100% believe in.

If there is a Z Health trainer in your area, that would be your best bet. You can never replace custom work for YOUR body.

Summary
Nerve glide work can have amazing effects very fast when it is the bottleneck. As with anything else, it is not always this easy, but about 50-70% of the time with the correct knowledge it can be!

Any comments/thoughts, let me know.

Selected References
A great review is
"Improving application of neurodynamic (neural tension) testing and treatments: a message to researchers and clinicians".Shacklock M.

His book "Clinical Neurodynamics: A New System of Neuromusculoskeletal Treatment" is one I own and is quite good.


The ones listed below are a good place to start and are taken from "Neurodynamics in a broader perspective". By Butler DS, Coppieters MW


Butler DS. Mobilisation of the nervous system. Melbourne: Churchill
Livingstone; 1991.

Butler DS. The sensitive nervous system. Unley: Noigroup Publications;
2000.

Butler D, Gifford L. The concept of adverse mechanical tension in the
nervous system. Part 2: examination and treatment. Physiotherapy
1989;75(11):629–36.

Coppieters MW, Butler DS. Do ‘sliders’ slide and ‘tensioners’ tension?
An analysis of neurodynamic techniques and considerations
regarding their application. Manual Therapy, 2007, accepted
pending minor changes, in press [Epub ahead of print; doi:10.
1016/j.math.2006.12.008].

Erel E, Dilley A, Greening J, Morris V, Cohen B, Lynn B.
Longitudinal sliding of the median nerve in patients with carpal
tunnel syndrome. Journal of Hand Surgery [Br] 2003;28(5):439–43.

Gifford LS. Factors influencing movement—neurodynamics. In: Pitt-

Brooke J, Reid H, Lockwood J, Kerr K, editors. Rehabilitation of
movement. London: WB Saunders; 1998. p. 159–95.

Greening J, Leary R. Letter-to-the-editor in response to the editorial
by Shacklock (doi:10.1016/j.math.2005.03.001). Manual Therapy,
2006 [Epub ahead of print; doi:10.1016/j.math.2006.01.004].

Hough A, Moore A, Jones M. Restricted excursion of the median
nerve in carpal tunnel syndrome. In: Proceedings of the second
international conference on movement dysfunction, Edinburgh,
2005.

Maitland G. The slump test: examination and treatment. The
Australian Journal of Physiotherapy 1985;31(6):215–9.

Moseley GL, Nicholas MK, Hodges PW. A randomized controlled
trial of intensive neurophysiology education in chronic low back
pain. Clinical Journal of Pain 2004;20(5):324–30.

Rozmaryn LM, Dovelle S, Rothman ER, Gorman K, Olvey KM,
Bartko JJ. Nerve and tendon gliding exercises and the conservative
management of carpal tunnel syndrome. Journal of Hand Therapy
1998;11(3):171–9.

Shacklock M. Improving application of neurodynamic (neural tension)
testing and treatments: a message to researchers and clinicians.
Manual Therapy 2005a;10(3):175–9.

Shacklock MO. Clinical neurodynamics: a new system of musculoskeletal
treatment. Edinburgh: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann;
2005b.

Shacklock M. Author’s reply to the letter-to-the-editor by Greening
and Leary (doi:10.1016/j.math.2006.01.004). Manual Therapy,
2006 [Epub ahead of print; doi:10.1016/j.math.2006.01.005].

Tuzuner S, Ozkaynak S, Acikbas C, Yildirim A. Median nerve
excursion during endoscopic carpal tunnel release. Neurosurgery
2004;54(5):1155–60.

Valls-Sole J, Alvarez R, Nunez M. Limited longitudinal sliding of the
median nerve in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Muscle &
Nerve 1995;18(7):761–7.

Neuroplasticity and Human Athletic Performance

It is all in your head?

The future is upon us and my crystal ball prediction for 2009 is that neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to change) will gain popularity and for good reasons.

I find the science in this area amazing. Just a few years ago we thought that the brain would not change and now we know this is not true at all. The brain actually has an amazing ability to adapt and change (just like everything in human physiology). Most probably seen the PBS special "The Brain Fitness Program" which is fantastic.

The key to this idea is that learning new movements can have a huge effect on neuroplasticity. While hardcore research studies in this area are a bit lacking currently, there is enough data to show that when we learn movements there are concrete changes in the brain. The keys to enhanced athletic performance are findings ways to harness this neuroplasticity as the brain and nervous system control movement. The flip side is also true, for optimal health, we need to learn more athletic movements and challenge the brain in new ways.

Survival vs Performance
The human body is wired for survival instead of performance. This really bums me out personally, but once we realize this we can optimize it for survival and see an increase in performance! I have a whole presentation I did at the Z Health Master Trainer Eval in California recently on this topic. The short version is that we need to first look how we get information.

Primarily it is from
1) Eyes (visual and eye muscle movements)
2) Vestibular (inner ear "balance")
3) Proprioceptive (info from the joints)

In order to optimize the body for performance (and pain reduction), we need to optimize each one of these systems. This is what I really love about the Z Health system, as it works to optimze each system and then combine them in a meaningful way. The result is superior athletic performance for virtually ANYONE. Everyone can learn to move more athletically and do things that they thought were not possible with the correct approach.

Below is a great article in Outside magzine on neuroplasticity. While I don't agree with their exercises and would do it a different way; there is some great information.

Timeto exercise your mind AND body! See these related posts

Movement and Brain Deterioration? New Study

Stroke of Insight

Z Health S Phase Wrap Up

Z Health Level 4 Wrap Up and Good vs Bad Calories

Neuroscience Research Updates for October

Z Health and Biomechanical vs Neurological Approach

Total Life Fitness
Clear Your Head
Wellness 2009 from

Outside Magazine, January 2009
By Nick Heil

Brain training is suddenly big business. But can you get smarter without geriatric video games or wildly expensive lab tests? As our Lab Rat learned, yes.

The mental calisthenics were pretty simple at first: Could I pick up an envelope off the floor? Did I know where I was? Then came the stumper: What day was it? "Wednesday … wait a minute." I glanced around the room for clues. Nothing. "It's Tuesday. No, Monday!" I blurted to Tonya Kydland, a psychologist who works at Cognitive Fitness and Innovative Therapies (CFIT), a brain-fitness facility in a leafy section of Santa Barbara, California. Kydland nodded and, wearing a serious expression, jotted something in her notebook.

TAKE ACTION: Sharpen Up

Think you don't need to work your noggin? Try this simple test: Have a friend read two random four-digit sequences to you (for instance, 5-3-8-9 and 2-5-3-8). As soon as they finish, repeat the numbers out loud, but in reverse order (9-8-3-5 and 8-3-5-2). Next, try it with two six-digit sequences, then two eight-digit sequences. If you failed to nail it, your short-term memory could use work. Try any (or all) of the following brain-building tools—which also promote long-term mental health—20 minutes a day, three times a week. 1. CogniFit (cognifit.com). Their MindFit DVDs are loaded with brain-benders such as the Stroop Test, which trains reaction time and memory. The program customizes difficulty levels according to each user's ability and has been shown to improve everything from general health to driving. 2. HappyNeuron (happy-neuron.com). These online entertainment-oriented games improve attention, language, and memory. Try "Heraldry," which requires you to memorize various coats of arms. 3. Nintendo Brain Age (brainage.com). This game for the pocket-size Nintendo DS features numerous brain-building challenges, from simple math problems to mega-popular games like Sudoku. 4. Six-string guitar. Buy a beater on eBay and commit yourself to practicing three times a week. And play scales, not just the three chords you need to hack through "Free Fallin'. " You'll improve your memory, keep your mind in top shape—and impress at the next cookout.

CFIT is a new kind of mental-health outfit. Unlike the exploding number of commercial enterprises that purport to sharpen the mind using various electronic games and gizmos, CFIT addresses the whole picture: physical fitness, diet, mental activities, personal relationships, and medical history. "The idea here is to provide a thorough baseline assessment, then set you up on a program that will optimize your lifestyle to promote cognitive health," says Ken Kosik, CFIT's founder and a professor of neuroscience research at the University of California at Santa Barbara. In other words, CFIT is an everyman's brain gym: You pay an annual membership fee of about $4,000 and make twice-weekly visits to the place, à la Equinox.

Brain fitness has become big business over the past few years. Cerebral-exercise computer games from companies like CogniFit and HappyNeuron generated $80 million in 2007, up from $2 million just three years earlier. An increasing number of high-end labs, such as Los Angeles–based Elite Sports Performance, help wealthy clients tweak attention-honing brain waves using EEGs and other state-of-the-art technology. CFIT, which is scheduled to be fully open for business by late 2008, offers something entirely different: an accessible, one-stop mind shop that promises to transcend the realm of the wonky and geriatric. For now, half of CFIT's pilot group consists of retirees with looming cognitive trouble—the most ready and willing clients of the brain-training world—but Kosik's vision is far bigger.

"I can see this sort of facility all over the country, for all kinds of people," he says. (There's talk of opening a second CFIT facility in San Diego, with more on the horizon.) "The time to focus on brain health is when there is no disease at all."

Until about 15 years ago, many experts believed the brain was hardwired, and that once mental deterioration set in, it was irreversible. But recent neuroscience research has convinced the scientific community that the brain is malleable into old age. This principle, called neuroplasticity, has neurologists racing to tweak the mind in order to improve sports and job performance—and even stave off or reverse problems like Alz­heimer's and Parkinson's. CFIT aims to prevent these illnesses, but also to teach people how to maintain their intelligence and mindfulness over the long term. And that pro­cess begins with the rest of the body. "People forget that the brain is an organ, like the heart and lungs," Kosik says, "and that it benefits from exercise and sound nutrition."

My first step was to come clean on how often I floss (only in that pre-dental-exam panic), whether I do drugs (uh—cough, cough—no), and how much red wine and chocolate I consume (plenty). Once the staff reviewed my general health, it was time for a little mind fitness. The exercises—involving a stationary machine called the NuStep, a cross between an elliptical trainer and a stationary bike, and a widescreen TV set up with Nintendo's Wii—were pretty basic at first. I experienced minor guilt pangs when, during a round of Wii boxing, I knocked out CFIT's petite director, Hether Briggs (well, her avatar, anyway).

I got my comeuppance during the neuropsychological evaluation. I aced a few of the initial tests, then struggled to remember what day of the week it was. I could repeat from memory a string of eight numbers in reverse, but for some strange reason I messed up while attempting the same exercise with just four numbers. At the end of our hourlong session, Kydland asked me if I could recall the questions she'd asked when I first entered the room (Do I wear glasses or use a hearing aid? How old am I?). I drew a blank. And then I felt a sudden chill. Was this a warning sign of bigger problems?

Before I mustered the nerve to ask this question, CFIT set me up with some mental exercises on a brain-training computer program called MindFit that involved various memory and hand-eye-coordination games. At first, it was about as challenging as desktop solitaire, but it got progressively harder, until I was floundering again. Clearly, I could use some more brain push-ups.

The next day I sat down with the CFIT team to review my performance and discuss a long-term DIY program. This is the most innovative and impressive aspect of CFIT: They put all the components of mental fitness together in a practical, manageable training program. In lieu of cool-but-mostly-useless brain scans that might show my frontal lobe lighting up like a Christmas tree (or not), I got smart advice that I could take home and apply immediately.

To wit: My physical fitness is fine; keep it up, Kosik told me. He offered nutrition suggestions, like adopting the olive-oil-and-fruit-rich Mediterranean diet, which, according to a 2008 study in the British Medical Journal, promotes a 13 percent reduction in the occurrence of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Kosik also advocated a few supplements, like calcium, high-quality fish oil, and folate (a B vitamin that may prevent Alzheimer's). My team prescribed three 20-minute CogniFit sessions a week; though, to be honest, I'm more likely to commit my time to other equally effective brain-benders, like the Sunday crossword puzzle, Sudoku, learning guitar, or tackling another language—anything, basically, that presents fresh challenges. "The better you get at a given activity," said Kosik, "the less brain you use."

One of the most compelling things I came away with is also the simplest: the vital importance of friendships. "A healthy and active social network is probably one of the best predictors of long-term mental health," Kosik said.

"So I should keep playing soccer and going on ski trips with friends?"

"Absolutely," he said.

Before I left, I had to ask Kydland about my quirky performance during the neuropsych tests. Was this, as I feared, a sign that I'm on the road to senility? "Don't worry," she said reassuringly. "You scored completely within the normal range. You just weren't paying attention."

TAKE ACTION:
Reprogram Your System
Know that feeling when you want to keel over at mile five on your run? That's your brain playing mother hen. Sports scientists are realizing that everything from how fast you can run a 10K to how long you can bike at 20 mph is determined by the brain's understanding of the body's limits—a protective mechanism known as "anticipatory regulation."
"Job number one for your brain during exercise is to prevent you from working yourself to death," says Ross Tucker, an exercise physiologist and consultant to the Sports Science Institute of South Africa. This subconscious safety net is usually more conservative than it needs to be, unless you're an elite athlete. And research suggests that amateurs can boost their performance with workouts that safely recalibrate the brain's protective mechanism. Here's how.

1. Wear a stopwatch or heart-rate monitor and warm up with ten minutes of easy swimming, jogging, or pedaling. Increase your effort to the fastest speed you think you can sustain for 20 minutes. But don't look at your watch—hold your pace until you think you're near exhaustion. Stop and cool down.

2. Jot down your average pace (for example, 7:30 mile for a run) and the amount of time you held that pace (don't feel bad when it's not even close to 20 minutes). Repeat the workout once a week and try to sustain the same pace for a slightly longer duration each time. Again, don't look at the clock—push yourself by feel. Expect some improvement in your second try at the workout—not because you're more fit, but because your brain is comfortable letting you work harder.

3. In each subsequent workout, you should be able to go farther, thanks to improving fitness and a slightly less conservative brain.

—MATT FITZGERALD