Q: Hey Joe –
I’m bummed I wasn’t able to attend the stretch to win seminar at your facility this past wknd. Couldn’t make it out to nj with my work schedule. Is there any way you can write up a quick recap or key points from the wknd? My hamstrings constantly bother me and feel tight all the time. I warmup before training and stretch my hammy’s every morning yet nothing seems to work long term.. Any info or tips you can provide would be greatly appreciated. I’m a huge fan of yours from TX! (Go Texans!!)
Nick
A: Nick,
Sorry you couldn’t make it to the seminar this weekend. Ann & Chris Frederick – once again – provided a ton of practical information on the topic of Fascial Stretch Therapy…and (as always) they kept things very entertaining and fun 🙂 I strongly encourage you to take their Level 1 Course if flexibility is a topic you’re interested in. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — they are, hands down, the leading authorities in the world regarding Stretch Therapy.
Out of respect to Ann & Chris, I won’t write a “recap” of the weekend because it is their material…I was just the “host” and an attendee this weekend. I wouldn’t feel right “giving away” all of the valuable information that they provided to the seminar attendees. BUT, I will give you a little information that will hopefully change your mindset regarding your “tight hamstrings”…
Think about this: There are over 25 muscles that cross the hip, so why does everyone stretch the muscle (hamstrings) that’s the most irritated? Your hamstrings will ‘release’ through hip traction and stretching the glutes, hip flexors and other surrounding muscles. Once you “open up” the surrounding muscles, it becomes much easier to stretch the hamstrings (with much less pain and irritation).
The above point was proven time and time again this weekend. Ann & Chris provided us with their “best bang for your buck” lower body stretches. Guess what? There wasn’t one direct hamstring stretch in their “Elite 8” stretches! The amazing thing was that every seminar attendee added 5-20 degrees to their straight leg (hamstring) test after tractioning the hip and stretching the surrounding muscles!
To conclude, I think people need to start approaching their flexibility training in the same fashion that they approach their weight training. What I mean by this is that you shouldn’t always directly treat the “problem”; find the cause of the problem and treat that. Doing this will yield much faster – as well as long-term – results!
-Joe D.
**Before leaving the site, check out my two HUGE announcements below…
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COMING SOON…
I’m not going to lie; it’s been very difficult for Smitty and me to keep our mouth’s shut during the past few months regarding the newest installment in our DVD series (Amped Warm-up, POWER!, EXTREME)!
Our newest collaboration, HardCORE, will be the most comprehensive product ever created on true “core” training! Unlike other “core” dvd’s that just provide a bunch of abdominal exercises; this dvd will provide a “3-dimensional” look at what the core truly is, while providing you with over 260 exercises! (Yes – you read that right – there are over 260 exercises that are guaranteed to help you build a bullet-proof core!) Strength coaches, personal trainers, physical therapists, bodyworkers and athletes of all levels are going to be blown away with the scientific (yet practical) information provided in HardCORE! (There is also a manual that can be printed from the dvd that is worth the investment alone.)
We are finishing up the final narration this weekend, so look for this product to be available within the next month!
Keep checking back right here so you don’t miss the release of this one-of-a-kind resource!
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“Train like The Game” article approved!
In my last blog post, I asked if my website followers would be interested in hearing how I trained Triple H during this past year in preparation for the biggest Wrestlemania of all-time. The interest in this article has been nothing short of overwhelming! The emails, blog comments, facebook and twitter messages literally haven’t stopped since I hinted about this article. So I asked Triple H if he was OK with me writing an article about his training and he was kind enough to give me the “green light”. I think this will be an extremely interesting look at what it takes to be one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all-time! (Get ready to be shocked, inspired, educated and motivated when this article is completed…)
Keep checking back and follow me on twitter to stay informed regarding this article and other exciting announcements!
-Joe D.
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