Here is Fast Friday Fitness - Strengthen your arms while learning to change a movement habit that is a common source of elbow pain:
Hold a pushup or plank position, handstand, or just lean on one or both arms.
Notice your elbows. Check if you lock them straight, or let them hyperextend (bend slightly backwards) shown in the photo below.
Instead, keep elbows slightly flexed (bent forward). You will feel an increase in arm muscle use.
The elbow joint is called a hinge joint. It is shaped to open and close like a door. Because of the shape of the bones, opening wider than a certain point - usually close to a straight line - is stopped by the bones, not muscle flexibility. You can try it yourself now, and feel the bony end point. Like a door, if you force the elbow joint open past maximum straight range, it yanks one side of the hinge and squashes the other. Don't try that yourself. That is a common injury in yoga because some forms of yoga teach to hyperextend the elbow under body weight.
People with flexible elbows, both men and women, have bones shaped to open slightly wider. They can hyper-extend the elbow so that it bends slightly backwards. That is not a disease or cause of pain by itself and does not preclude them from sports like archery as often repeated (will be covered separately). You can easily control elbow angle using your brain and muscles.
For leaning against a counter, bike handlebars, doing pushups, plank, yoga, and other leaning or arm balancing. Keep elbows slightly flexed instead of letting the joint open to or past maximum range.
Fast Fitness - Stronger Arms and Chest, and Core, Hip, and Leg Stability With A Friend
Friday, March 14, 2008
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM
Here is Friday Fast Fitness - strengthen inner legs, thighs, arms, and core, while practicing neutral spine with a friend. More exercise than putting hands up on a bench or exercise ball.
My students Johanna (1) and Diana (2) demonstrate the beginning of this move. Description of how to progress follows the photos:
Partner 1 lies face up with bent knees
Partner 2 does pushups on Partner 1's knees while holding neutral spine, not letting the lower back sag and arch downward. Partner 1 gets entry-level exercise hip and core exercise by holding legs stable and does not let knees wobble. Higher-level exercise is described below the photos.
To increase core and hip stabilization training for both partners, Partner 1 tilts knees slightly to each side while Partner 2 continues pushups. Try both moving continuously side to side, and holding legs stable at an angle. Do not twist your spine.
Fast Fitness - Plyometric Partner Bench Press for Valentine's Week
Friday, February 15, 2008
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM
Here is Friday Fast Fitness - Have fun together as you strengthen arms, shoulders, chest, back, wrists, and core, while practicing neutral spine, speed, teamwork, and cooperation in a fun plyometric partner bench press.
Lie face up with both arms held upward (white karate uniform) to support partner (black karate uniform).
Partner (black uniform) rests shoulders on your hands and holds straight body position on toes. Partner (black uniform) uses abdominal muscles to hold neutral spine without letting the lower back sag.
Push your partner up and down with your hands in a bench press motion. To add plyometric training, push partner strongly and quickly into the air (right). Catch them lightly, bending your elbows upon contact. Switch places and repeat.
Use common sense and springy light touch to reduce unhealthful impact in both partners. You can improve strength and speed without hurting joints and connective tissue. I will post more on plyometrics in articles to come.
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Valentines Day is for everyone, not just couples. It is healthy to have active fun with family and friends too.
Monday's post Valentine Partner Pushups gives a fun partner exercise idea. Here are more variations for active fun with children and friends of many ages.
Babies and children love to move. They can hold their body weight. Get them started early. Don't let them lose this strength by making them sit still and eat. Get up from the table and play. That is Valentines Day love.
Try these with friends
This man is doing a partner handstand with his young daughter. It is a lot of good exercise and balance for both:
I will cover how to do this partner handstand in a future post. Send in your own photos of fun exercise with family and friends.
Exercising in social ways is healthy. Valentine's Day is this week. This week I will post several ideas for fun active partner exercise. Start with this version of partner pushups, then have fun making up your own.
Pushups give full body physical benefit when done with neutral spine.
These two Fitness Fixers explain how to tell neutral spine while holding a pushup position and how to correct an overarching lower back (hyperlordosis) to neutral spine:
Making Thai Massage Healthier Part II - Avoid Snapping Elbows or Knees Backward
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM
The previous two posts told a little about Thai massage, and some of the benefits and pitfalls.
Some massage practioners say that Thai massage is an "energy-based" system, not a physical one. However, there are direct physical moves that bring direct physical change, both good and bad.
Many of the Southern Thai massage styles consist mostly of pressing, without many stretches. Northern style Thai massage adds many stretches. Stretches can be helpful to restore length to tight muscles so that you can restore healthy body positioning. For example, in the photo at left, the legs are lifted so that the front of the hip is gently stretched. The practitioner (man doing the lift) puts his foot on the back of the person's hip, to safely keep the lower back from being overly-arched by the stretch. The stretch concentrates on the front hip muscles where it is needed. This is a beneficial stretch because the front of the hip is often tight from long sitting and faulty standing positioning. This Thai massage stretch, done right, can restore length to the front hip muscles. In the photo above left, the knees bend the normal way the knee joint moves and the hip gets a nice stretch.
There are a few moves that are usually better to skip. Some practitioners may straighten your elbow or knee too much - photo of knee hyperextension at right, below. They may push your elbow or knee backward to assist the overly extended position, even sometimes adding a forceful snap.They may bend your knee toward your chest, then hold your heel and let the leg drop straight, letting the force snap the knee. The elbow and knee joints are not shaped to hyper-extend. Hyperextension means to go more than a normally straight position. Hyperextending the knee or elbow can wear at the joint and strain the cartilage.
It is not usually healthful to snap a joint, especially repeatedly over time, to reach the end of its range of motion. Although many of us learned to do this in massage school, and were taught that the snapping and hyperextending motion has benefits, it is better to skip joint snapping, and do other moves that have benefit without harm.
The elbow joint is called a hinge joint. It is shaped to open and close like a door. Because of the shape of the bones, opening wider than a certain point - usually close to a straight line - is stopped by the bones, not muscle flexibility. You can try it yourself now, and feel the bony end point. Like a door, if you force the elbow joint open past maximum straight range, it yanks one side of the hinge and squashes the other. Don't try that yourself. That is a common injury in yoga because some forms of yoga teach to hyperextend the elbow under body weight.
