PUBLISHED ARTICLES

Fitness Cycling

May 2001

Training

By Lee Brandon, C.S.C.S.

"The Trap Zone"

It’s the 39^th grueling mile of a 50-mile training ride. An ominous hill looms ahead in the distance. Fatigued and numb, your hands seem to have detached themselves from your body, while your throbbing neck betrays you. You have just entered the wrong "Trap-Zone."

Most of us are familiar with the term "traps" meaning the trapezius muscle which is named according to its shape. Tight upper traps are often associated with neck stiffness and strain. But, did you know the trapezius has several components to it, and that its fibers pull in various directions? The actions of the trapezius depend on which portion of the muscle contracts. When the right parts are called upon while cycling, they can actually help release the stress from your neck and arms. It’s simple a matter of learning how to correctly recruit your muscles (finding the right "trap zone") in order to improve the biomechanics of your spine, not only while cycling, but also in everything you do.

It is important to understand that posturally sound biomechanics can protect you from injury, release nagging neck and back strain, and also improve your athletic performance! Conversely, when you move incorrectly or sit in a posturally incorrect position the worse you’ll feel and your ability to perform will be compromised, especially on those long training rides. The good news is with a little practice using the following exercises, you’ll soon be on your way to finding the right "trap zone."

Whether you are cycling, sitting, standing or even lifting, the postural benefits to firing your low traps in the right "trap-zone" by perfecting the "squeezing your pencil" technique is exponential. Do it frequently and you’ll be surprised how your posture will inspire others.

Until next time, remember – train…"hard and smart."

Lee Brandon, C.S.C.S. www.leeBrandonInc.com

Contact Lee at leebrandoninc.com

Come visit us at ClubFit-LA, (310) 200-0300.

This article is the first in a series that addresses AB-Vanced Neu-Spine® Training tips (See Photos 1&2). AB-Vanced Neu-Spine® technology is a patented, cutting edge system of training that simply teaches the concept of a "neutral spine." Neutral spine is defined as the correct postural alignment for a given individual where their head, neck, upper back, and low back; are neither in flexion or extension. The AB-Vanced Neu-Spine® position is where the spine best tolerates mechanical forces. Simply put, this system of training will teach you how to call up (i.e. fire or contract) key muscles at exactly the right moment in order to stabilize your spine, thus increasing your performance. This article lays the foundation for future columns.

Let’s focus on the simple anatomy of the neck and head. Did you know:

§ The average weight of your head is 8-10 pounds.

§ The upper Trapezius (Traps in ‘gym-lingo’) is strained all day long holding your head on your body (See Photo 3).

§ Other muscles can assist in holding your head on top of your body or in ‘neutral’. The lower Trapezius (low-Traps), Rhomboids and Latissimus Dorsi (Lats) all work as major postural stabilizers to the spine, shoulders and head.

§ Learning to call up the muscles you need at the right time is similar to trying to wiggle your ears. We all have the muscles to move them, we just do not know how to use them. Posture works the same way: Innervate and coordinate key muscles to ‘fire’ (or contract and stabilize) in a new order for the ideal posture. Holding your body in a new (or should I say AB-Vanced Neu-Spine®) position, all starts with becoming aware of where your head is, in relation to your body.

§ Remember, "A chain is only as strong as the weakest link" and your spine is not exception.

§ The move of the month is a foundational strengthening drill for learning to "Squeeze your pencil."

Do This Trap-Zone Exercise

1. Stand straight with your back and head against a wall. Keeping your back and head against the wall, step forward so your feet are out 6 to 12 inches from the wall (See Photos 4, 5 & 6).

2. Have someone place a pencil between your shoulder blades.

3. Squeeze your shoulder blades together without shooting your head away from the wall or arching your low back.

4. Take a rubber band or surgical tubing and hold it in your hands, palms up.

5. Slowly, while breathing from your abdomen squeeze the pencil and move your thumbs toward the wall.

6. Avoid tightening your neck. If you’re ‘bunching’ your neck…think long neck.

The key is to release your neck and find the weak link of the low traps. "Squeeze the Pencil" and breathe. Repeat ten times, then rest ten second, and repeat for four minutes daily.

Do this while cycling and you will noticeably reduce the stress in your head and neck by firing the large shock-absorbing muscles that keep you in a strong AB-Vanced Neu-Spine® posture (See Photos 7 & 8).

§ It would stand to reason that if, "We are what we eat"…Then ultimately, "We will become what we practice."

§ Be aware of ergonomically incorrect activities. Learn to correct these activities by perfecting the movement. Then, by strengthening and stretching the muscles involved you’ll benefit by feeling better and avoiding injury. Many corporate clients complain of headaches and tight necks, especially on one side of the body or the other. If your work station isn’t neck-friendly, you need to make posture correcting changes. Example: Rearrange your computer monitor so it is directly in front of you and consider using a headset in place of the handset of your telephone to stop head leaning and muscle strain.

§ Make it a challenge and sit up tall every hour, in your AB-Vanced Neu-Spine® position by exercising "squeezing an imaginary pencil."

§ This drill will create a new habit (motor pattern) and ease the stress off your spine and neck and put it where it belongs: On the shock-absorbing muscles. The relief is almost instantaneous!

Fitness Cycling

June 2001

Training

By Lee Brandon, C.S.C.S.

and Lisa Wojciechowski

Annually, thousands take up cycling as a way to stay in shape and burn a few additional calories. While the increased activity is good for most, there are also some hidden concerns that all riders need to be aware of. The low back could potentially be compromised if one’s posture and spine positioning on the seat is not addressed. The compression on the back and the forward lean of the torso that cycling encourages, is a concern for the average rider that wants to get in shape. Even spending 30-60 minutes leaning forward can create tension and overuse in the wrists, shoulders, and neck in the upper body, and can strain the lower back. The AB-Vanced Neu-Spine® Tilt is one exercise in a series that creates awareness of key muscles that can be used to help protect the rider while cycling and strengthen the core, both on and off your bike.

Whether you spend your spare time cycling, lifting, caring for your children, or sitting at a desk, the probability that you’ll encounter low back pain at some time in your life is very likely. Did you know that three out of four Americans have some genetic predisposition of our back pain, and that 80% of our population will experience some form of transient or permanent pain the neck or back during their lifetime?

Many lower-back problems, particularly those which cannot be traced back to any specific traumatic incident, may be caused from overuse and improper alignment of the spine (Head/Neck, upper-back, lower-back as it is positioned on our pelvis). Analyze the position of your handlebars on your bike. What shape does your spine take-on naturally during the course of along ride? Is it hunched or rounded over? Are your traps (the muscles in your upper back) screaming at you? Is it difficult to pull your head and shoulders back, and keep your abdomen in?

Have your local Strength and Conditioning Specialist or Cycling Specialist evaluate your bicycle with you on it, and have them make any needed adjustments so that it is more ergonomically correct for your body.

AB-Vanced Neu-Spine® Tilt drill will teach your deep abdominals (transversus abdominis, and internal obliques) and lower back muscles (multifidi, erector spinae) to work together to stabilize your spine all day long. Whether it is on a 30-minute indoor workout ride or a 50-mile road trip, your lower back will benefit from learning how to co-contract these muscles in the right order at the right time. The deep abdominal muscles act like a support girdle because they wrap around you and connect into your low back. It these muscles are trained properly, they can take the place of an external support such as a lifting belt. Artificial supports can actually do more harm than good since they may become a substitute for good posture and muscle strength.

Research shows that when the deep abdominal muscles are activated or ‘fired’ simultaneously with the lumbar multifidus, the dynamic stability of the lumbar spine is enhanced (Aspden, 1992). This simultaneous ‘firing’ of the appropriate musculature is known as a ‘co-contraction.’ It is precisely this coordinated action that the AB-Vanced Neu-Spine® Tilt teaches.

The AB-Vanced Neu-Spine® Tilt, is a great addition to any exercise regimen. Not only will the drill work trunk musculature that connects your upper and lower body together, but it will also prevent strain to the neck and lower back. It does this by increasing your postural awareness, muscular control and lumbar stabilization, which is especially important on long rides. In addition, by mastering this exercise, you’ll get off your bike after a long ride and know exactly what to do to get your spine into a neutral, pain-free place. Neutral is defined as the postural alignment for a given individual where the head, neck, upper back, and lower back are neither rounded forward (flexion) nor extended backward. It is the place where your spine is muscularly held in its optimum postural position and can best tolerate mechanical forces.

One of many additional benefits obtained by perfecting the AB-Vanced Neu-Spine® Tilt, is flat and toned abdominals and a smaller waistline, which is the ideal for most of us. Unfortunately, most of us learned to do crunches or traditional sit-ups and the more we do of them, the larger our waist becomes. There was a time in my lift that I thought doing more was better. During college, I proceeded to do 1200 sit-ups every night and wound up with a very large waist. I was strong, but thick, ‘pooched’ and distended. Today, I have my posture and figure back, with no neck strain or back pain. I am here to tell you from years of experience and research, the AB-Vanced Neu-Spine® truth.

Did you know? There are four layers of abdominals. It should be noted that the segmental nerve supply to the abdominal muscles below the bellybutton receive a difference segmental supply from those above. This is one means of separating the upper portion muscles from lower portion of the abdominals (Clarkson, H.M., 2000). Traditional crunches are only a small part of the picture.

Your posture takes on the shape of what you do for long periods of time. For example: If you sit hunched over at a computer 50 hours a week, consider it "rounded posture training." The same goes for riding a bike for hours at a time with poor posture. Assess your repeated activity, and consider it training. You’re training your body to look a certain way by default! What are you going to do to off-set the hours of incorrect posture training? Fortunately, clinical proof exists which demonstrates that you can re-educate your body to hold itself in a new position all day long. It takes postural awareness to start the process.

Engram Motor Programming (E.M.P.) is the brain’s way of following an established neural pathway, or in a sense, the path of least resistance. Once a movement pattern is programmed into the brain, the body will subconsciously repeat that movement, or hold itself in the manner which it has been trained to do so. New information or motor programming cab be entered into the brain with an initial conscious effort. With deliberate reinforcement, a new coordinated movement pattern can emerge which will then become second nature. The bottom line is that if you train in perfect posture, your posture is more likely to look perfect. Become aware of how you are loading your spine all day long and try to consciously correct it. Until next time, remember – train "hard and smart."

Lee Brandon, C.S.C.S.

http://www.leebrandoninc.som

mail to:/ contactlee@leebrandoninc.com

Traditional sit-ups and ‘crunches’ may lead to a ‘thick’ waistline or even worse, possible injury and strain to the neck and spine.

Lie on your back with your knees bent at a comfortable angle. Your heels should be flat on the floor. Position a towel roll comfortably under your neck. Fold another towel in half, and position the folded towel under the low back, centered under the belly button, to eliminate any space between the back and the floor. If your back posture is such that no space exists, do not use the towel. You should now be in a neutral spine position. Keep your head pushing backward ‘into’ the floor and squeeze the shoulders together by doing the ‘Trap-zone’ drill as shown in the last issue (squeeze a pencil between your shoulder blades together and depress them down to your waist). Relax the muscles in the front of your neck.

Breathe normally, from your abdomen, not from your shoulders. Draw your abdomen in , pulling your belly button in toward your spine. This fires the transversus abdominis, or your girdle muscle. Your head, neck and shoulders do not move from this position. The pelvic region is where the only movement should occur. Make sure that the abdomen is drawn-in the entire time. NO ‘pouching.’

Compress backward through the towel underneath your low back. Tighten your buttocks, press through your heels, and curl your tailbone up a short distance off the floor. NOTE: Your low back should not lose the compression through the towel under the belly button at any point in time.

Hold the top of the movement for ten seconds and feel a contraction in your buttocks, and lower portion of your abdominals without the assistance of any of the upper body muscles (neck, shoulders, or arms).

REMEMBER: The key is to release your neck and find the weak link in the low back. ‘Squeeze the Pencil’ and breathe. Repeat ten times and rest ten seconds then repeat for four minutes daily.

REMEMBER: Always consult a physician before beginning any fitness program or exercise.

Do this drill after cycling, and you will noticeably reduce the stress in your head and neck and lower back by firing the large shock-absorbing muscles that keep you in a strong AB-Vanced Neu-Spine® posture.