There is one thing, and one thing only, that I can point to with 100% confidence and say that everyone – yes, everyone – would benefit from including in their physical practice – whether as part of an exercise program or not. That one thing is [...]]]>

Scott Sonnon - Joint Mobility Mastery-Level Teacher

There is one thing, and one thing only, that I can point to with 100% confidence and say that everyone – yes, everyone – would benefit from including in their physical practice – whether as part of an exercise program or not. That one thing is joint mobility training.

Five years ago, I was riddled with aches, pains, and injuries that resulted from years of athletics and fitness training. Today, I’m not only in the best shape of my life, but I am also 100% injury-free – and aches and pains are a thing of the past. This is due, in part, to my adoption of joint mobility training.

It wasn’t that long ago when people would stare blankly when they heard the term “joint mobility” and would ask something to the effect of: “is that like stretching?” However, in the last few years, joint mobility training has experienced a surge in popularity. It’s now in vogue. Nowadays, everyone in the fitness industry knows what it is, but not everyone knows how joint mobility training really works or why we should be doing it.

Scott Sonnon does. Scott has been teaching this stuff in the United States since the 1990′s. Nobody can be 100% certain, but I think Sonnon brought joint mobility training to the West. Whether or not he is the grandfather of this training method, he is without a doubt one of the world’s foremost experts on the subject.

Special Offer

Today, Scott is opening the doors of his entire joint mobility system and offering a mega training package at a hugely discounted price. I got the word in an email last night, and I simply had to tell you guys about it.

There are 5 products in the package, with a retail value of $234.75. As I think back to when I purchased each one of these products individually, that’s exactly the amount I’ve invested over the last 5 years to buy each one – and, honestly, I would have paid more.

For the next three days, you’ll be able to get all 5 programs for only $49.

I think you’d be getting quite a deal if that only included the Intu-Flow joint mobility system (1 of the 5 products included in the package). Obviously, a sale like this doesn’t come around everyday, and I think you’d be crazy not to jump on this offer. There are a handful of other joint mobility programs out there, and I own a few of them, but this package is by far the definitive resource on the subject. This is all you would ever need to invest in for the rest of your life.

The Bottom Line

If you want to heal your aches and pains, prevent injuries, improve your joints range of motion, strengthen all of your body’s basic movement patterns, increase your coordination, and ultimately improve your health and performance potential, AND if you want the most comprehensive joint mobility training resources currently on the market, then you absolutely must get a copy of this joint mobility super-package before it’s too late. Consider this my strongest endorsement.

Click Here to Order The Joint Mobility Super-Package

*Don’t miss out on the weekend discount – expiring 10/30/2011 at midnight!

Note: I truly believe in the power that joint mobility training has for healing aches and pains, preventing injuries, restoring your joints natural range of motion, and for improving your movement performance. I also believe in all of these specific products since I’ve used them myself for years. I want so badly for you to enjoy the pain-free movement that I do, that I’m willing to give you a bonus incentive just for investing in your health. If you decide to purchase this joint mobility super-package today, then I will send you an exclusive video about How to Get the Most From Your Joint Mobility Practice. In that video, I’ll reveal all of my personal tips and tricks for maximizing your results from using these programs. After you’ve placed your order through my referral link, just forward your confirmation email containing your receipt to physical (dot) living [at] gmail (dot) com and I’ll reply with your free gift. Thank you for supporting PhysicalLiving.com by investing in your health!

If you found this article helpful, please share it with your friends and tweeps:

Tweet

CST Coach, CST-KS
Health-First Fitness Coach
Joint Mobility Instructor

Hey John, I’ve never contacted you before but your website has been instrumental in shifting my training focus from Dragon Door and Kettlebells towards Circular Strength Training with a long-term view to MovNat or Parkour-style movement skills.

Grandiose plans to be sure! A journey with a thousand steps and all that, I [...]]]>

QUESTION:

Hey John, I’ve never contacted you before but your website has been instrumental in shifting my training focus from Dragon Door and Kettlebells towards Circular Strength Training with a long-term view to MovNat or Parkour-style movement skills.

Grandiose plans to be sure! A journey with a thousand steps and all that, I decided to concentrate on Intuflow and for the last 3 weeks have been doing the beginner level daily. My problem is that I’ve started picking up some injuries even from that! Lower back and shoulder. Some parts of me, like my wrists and knees, feel great from the practice. Is it normal for some folks to pick up niggles even from simple mobility drills?

It seems that no matter what I do lately it, aggravates some part of me. I shall be going through the video again but I’d appreciate your thoughts given that I know you went through a steep learning curve with mobility stuff yourself.

Thanks, Colin

ANSWER:

First off, I can definitely relate. I’ve been there, and I’ve been frustrated just like you. You’re only in three weeks (which is great!), and that’s enough time to learn quite a bit about your mobility. You’re facing resistance to the changes you’ve made in your training program, and you’re asking for help, which means that you’re committed to seeing this through to success. Keep it up, Colin!

Now, that is a GREAT question because you bring up a very important point concerning the nature of Intu-Flow joint mobility training (or any prehabilitative training, for that matter). Nobody starts a new training program with a blank slate. We all carry a lifetime of tensions, hidden or known pains, weaknesses, stored deficits, and general limitations throughout our bodies. These are issues that are present in the body before you even started your Intu-Flow training, and for most people, this is exactly why they start an Intu-Flow practice in the first place. Prehabilitative training is, in part, a process of cleaning the slate to remove these impediments. In doing so, you directly confront your restrictions on a daily basis, seeking to slowly unwind them through gradual tension release and the recovery of basic ranges of motion.

Using Intu-Flow properly will never create a new injury in your body. If you get injured from Intu-Flow, then you’re not using the program correctly and you should either review the instructions or hire a CST specialist to guide you. What can happen is an Intu-Flow practice may uncover a hidden impediment that you were unaware of until directly confronting it. Perhaps you’ve never moved your shoulders through all 6 degrees of freedom, and once you finally try it, you quickly learn that there’s some pain due to an underlying injury. For instance, some people have no problem moving their scapulae through a full circle (shoulder shrug circles). However, they may struggle to move their humeral shoulder into top/back position without pain. This is a common issue that only becomes known if you actually perform the movements to test your mobility.

What often happens, is someone starts a joint mobility program expecting to make rapid progress and start feeling wonderful now that they’re drinking from the fountain of youth. The reality is that most people immediately discover they are actually debilitated in many ranges of motion. This is some of the best news anyone can receive because you literally shine a spotlight on your weaknesses. It’s humbling and uncomfortable, but it’s also comforting because you now know exactly what you need to be doing. You know that you have some issues in your shoulders and lower back, and you wouldn’t have known that if you had not started directly confronting them through a holistic mobility practice like Intu-Flow. This is exactly why Intu-Flow works top to bottom, core to periphery, while hitting every single joint in every degree of movement freedom.

If you’re new to CST, or programs like Intu-Flow joint mobility and Prasara Yoga – even if you’re new to any form of pre-habilitative training (tai chi, qigong, yoga, etc.) – then it is highly likely that you will discover some underlying problems in your movement – usually immediately. These problems can be movement restrictions, tension, or pain from an injury. It’s not that Intu-Flow CAUSES injuries from practice, but rather that it UNEARTHS injuries that were already there, just not yet known to you.

The realization of your impediments is only the beginning of a successful mobility practice. That’s why the beginner level of Intu-Flow is used specifically for recovery of the basic ranges. Recovery must happen BEFORE any coordination or refinement takes place. This process is a necessary step to further advancement and unlocking your ability to experience flowstate. Welcome the challenge, and know that you’re doing the best thing you possibly can by confronting these issues head-on each and every day.

One last thing… you wrote:

“with a long-term view to MovNat or Parkour-style movement skills. Grandiose plans to be sure! A journey with a thousand steps and all that.”

Let me ask you, why wait to start learning MovNat or Parkour? If that’s what you want, then go get it. You don’t need to accomplish X, Y, and Z before you start a movement practice like MovNat, Parkour, or Kung Fu. You just need to start. Forget about trying to aspire to an unconscious (and nonexistent) standard. You don’t need to attain a certain conditioning level or health status to begin improving your basic movement skills. Set your own standards, and start today. You’re only limited by your level of commitment and diligence. Besides, you’ll never wake up and realize, “ok, now I’m ready for some “real” training.” You don’t need to pay a price to get admission to better movement. You just have to show up. The process of cleaning the slate is never ending, and you’ll never truly have a clean slate to work from. Life is anything but static and controlled. It’s dynamic, random, and chaotic. There is very little order. And so we address this in our training by not letting life get in the way. By striving for improvement even amidst the chaos. Don’t hesitate to pursue what you truly want. Before you know it, it’s too late.

My readers can learn the full beginner level of the Intu-Flow Joint Mobility Program, which is available for free here:

http://physicalliving.com/resources/circular-strength-training/mobility/

___________________________________________________________________________________________

If you found this article helpful, please share it with your friends and tweeps:

Share Tweet

CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
Fitness Professional

P.S. I shouldn’t neglect to add that even gentle exercise programs like Intu-Flow can, in fact, directly cause injuries if used improperly. That’s why CST uses tools such as the Intuitive Training Protocol to help us utilize the program effectively without injuring ourselves.

P.P.S. If you notice a reduction in your symptoms, then I think it’s safe to say that you’re improving your health and recovering from any underlying injuries. However, if the pain does not diminish, or gets even worse, then you should definitely visit your doctor and start working with a good physical therapist to help you heal. Personally, I’ve found that most “niggling” injuries can be worked out through an intuitive practice using Intu-Flow, but chronic injuries almost always merit the attention of a medical expert. And of course, it’s never a bad idea to be overly-safe, and get all issues checked out with your doctor anyways.

If you’ve been following the blog for awhile, I’m sure you know that I’m a big proponent of the Circular Strength Training system. Ryan Murdock is on the Faculty, in charge of bringing CST to the world, and he has a revolutionary way of sharing his health-first fitness [...]]]>

Ryan Murdock traveling in Jordan.

If you’ve been following the blog for awhile, I’m sure you know that I’m a big proponent of the Circular Strength Training system. Ryan Murdock is on the Faculty, in charge of bringing CST to the world, and he has a revolutionary way of sharing his health-first fitness viewpoints. I guarantee that you’ll learn something new by listening in on this call. Plus, Ryan is a great story-teller, and he’s gives us a glimpse into some of his travel adventures.  Some of the key points we covered include:

- How martial art will change your worldview and set you on the path of personal mastery, preparing you for all of life’s challenges. (also, why CST jives with most martial artists especially)

- Why joint mobility is Ryan’s “daily minimum,” and how he uses it to stay in tip-top shape year round.

- The best bodyweight training methods for achieving your health-first fitness goals at home or on the road.

- Health and Fitness Insights we can learn from visiting indigenous people from obscure places in the world.

- How to kill giant cockroaches that scurry around your hotel room! (one of Ryan’s stories from traveling in Burma with his girlfriend)

Listen to the interview here:

John Sifferman Interviews Ryan Murdock (54 Minutes in Length)

I want to thank Ryan again for doing this interview. It is an honor to learn from someone who carves out his own path in life and sets a fine example for us all. Be sure to check out his sites:

http://RyanMurdock.com
http://rmaxstaff.com/murdock
http://BodyweightExerciseRevolution.com

Here are some ways you can get started with CST today:

Clubbell Quick-Start Training Packages can be found halfway down this page (you can find more info about clubbells on the official site here http://clubbell.tv.com)

Prasara Yoga Introductory Package – Book here, Instructional DVD here.

Joint Mobility Training Package (more info about mobility training on my site here)

As always, if you have any questions about what was discussed on the call, how to get started, or about the products themselves, please leave a comment below or use the Contact page above.

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional and CST Student

P.S. For more information about clubbell training and prasara yoga, I recommend Scott Sonnon’s programs The Encyclopedia of Clubbell Training and his book Prasara Yoga.

Clubbell training with 15 lb clubbells:

Repeat 2X, warmup, no rest: 10 swipes, 10 mills/arm, 10 hammer swings/direction

Clubbell Work Set: 100 double swipes – 6 sets of 15, 1 set of 10 100 single arm mills – 6 [...]]]> 4/15/09 – Moderate/High Intensity Day

Full Body Joint Mobility Warmup using the Intu-Flow program.

Clubbell training with 15 lb clubbells:

Repeat 2X, warmup, no rest:
10 swipes, 10 mills/arm, 10 hammer swings/direction

Clubbell Work Set:
100 double swipes – 6 sets of 15, 1 set of 10
100 single arm mills – 6 sets of 15/arm, 1 set of 10/arm
100 hammer swings per direction – 50, 30, 20 reps

Rating Perceived Technique: 8+
Rating Perceived Effort: swipes = 8, mills = 5, hammer swings = 7
Rating Perceived Discomfort: 0

Bodyweight Training For Leg Strength, 1 set per exercise, went until about 60% exertion, 10 seconds rest between exercises:
Bodyweight squats
Reverse Lunges
Forward Lunges
Lateral Lunges
Forward/Reverse Lunges
Plie Lunges
Dragon Twisting
Pistols

Rating Perceived Technique: 8
Rating Perceived Effort: 5
Rating Perceived Discomfort: 0

Finished with Forest Flow from the Prasara Yoga Instructional DVD. Will do Flock of Pigeons Flow later tonight before bed. I’ll be in the car for about 10 hours tomorrow, so it will be scattered with frequent bouts of joint mobility to decompress my spine throughout the trip.

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional

It was such a nice day, that I did all of my training outside in the sunshine. I began with a very thorough [...]]]> 4/10/09 – No/Low Intensity Day

The 100 Day Challenge Officially starts today, and part of that challenge for me includes physical preparation for the Circular Strength Training certification seminar in August.

It was such a nice day, that I did all of my training outside in the sunshine. I began with a very thorough session of joint mobility training using the Intu-Flow longevity system. I spent about 40 minutes in total working each joint through mixed levels of sophistication. I spent a lot of time on my shoulders, arms, and legs especially.

Then, after playing with the dog for a little while, I practiced some FlowFit rounds to prepare for the upcoming focus in my training cycle. Here is one of the rounds I filmed for you:

Flowfit – levels 3 and 4 demonstrated

I’m pleased with my performance, although I think my leg swoop was a little off today. I thought it was funny when the sun came out during my upward facing dog – it had been cloudy up until then. I may take the dog for a walk later, and I plan on practicing Forest Flow from Prasara Yoga before the end of today. I am also happy that there is very little muscle soreness after yesterday’s high intensity clubbell training session.

Have a great weekend, and, if you’re with me, enjoy the first day of your 100 Day Challenge!

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional

P.S. you can find more info about the Flowfit conditioning program here: