Comments on: Release your e-brake

By: Melissa @ Whole9

Melissa @ Whole9 — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:53:41 +0000

Elizabeth – thanks for checking in. You know, my squat HAS gone up (I pulled a set of 5 at my last 1RM about a month ago) but my training and mobility work has been sporadic at best during these last 9 months. With our travel schedule, I feel like I get a month or two of solid training (on a regular schedule), and then I’m off and running playing catch-as-catch-can with training for the next month or two. Progress is hard to measure (and efforts are hard to track) when your schedule looks like ours.

I’ve gone back to my yoga practice, however, in an effort to continue to improve mobility/flexibility. It’s harder than I remembered – five years of lifting and neglecting my mobility work haven’t been kind to my hamstrings OR hips. But things are starting to move in a positive direction, and I’m looking forward to seeing what a regular yoga practice will do to improve my lifts as well. Keep you posted (in another 9 months, probably).

Best,

Melissa

By: ElizabethJ

ElizabethJ — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:24:52 +0000

Melissa- it’s been about 9 months since you wrote this. How is your hip flexability now? Did your squat go up?

By: Dallas @ Whole9

Dallas @ Whole9 — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 16:43:33 +0000

Chris,

I hear you. Eating enough Good Food to gain mass, especially if you’re a “hardgainer”, can be a lot of work. Greg Everett and Robb Wolf have a couple good mass gain articles in Performance Menu (on gaining mass), if you’re interested. I eat a LOT of fat, and plenty of protein, and since I’m lean and insulin-sensitive, I’m not afraid to use some starchy veggies like squashes and sweet potato as carb sources, either. Good (dense) fat sources include coconut milk, pastured butter, high-quality tallow, and maybe some olive oil for variety. Also, it’s worth mentioning that not all humans have the potential to be huge Viking types, and if that’s you, you might consider shifting your focus to an activity that more closely matches your body type. Just a thought. Hope this helps.

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 16:32:46 +0000

Dallas, I too need to put on some weight/mass. I did the whole GOMAD thing for about six weeks, but got tired of the way it made me feel. So, now I’m looking to do it by eating clean. However, I’m running into a problem: I’m getting tired of food. Do you have any suggestions for packing in the calories while avoiding burn out?

By: Stretch the pain away. « Father Andrew's Hot Body Gym

Stretch the pain away. « Father Andrew's Hot Body Gym — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:39:57 +0000

[...] According to Melissa Urban over at Whole 9 effective, regular stretching is the key to unlocking the real power and utility of the human body. She plainly states, “Start taking your mobility issues seriously. Figure out what’s messed up, learn how those mobility issues are negatively affecting your performance numbers, and then commit to spending quality time every single day working on them. Sub out a training day for a movement/mobility/skill day, even. Best case – it fixes your mechanics, your lifts improve and you’re a stronger, happier person. Worst case – you’re merely more flexible, with less pain and stiffness during full range of motion. Win/win, people.” [...]

By: michaelchasetx

michaelchasetx — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:30:24 +0000

Melissa and Dallas, thanks for providing this forum.
I’ve found a leather Softball works good … also bought a high-density 36″ foam roller on the Internet and cut it in half to have one at work/gym and one at home to roll. I searched yahoo on “roller therapy” and found great examples of how to use the roller. And it has been a life-saver, along with deep massage, on trigger points from lifting.
http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_repair/feel_better_for_10_bucks
http://www.performbetter.com/catalog/matriarch/MultiPiecePage.asp_Q_PageID_E_91_A_PageName_E_ArticleMyofacialRelease

By: Met-Con Day and A Word on Mobility « BASICS Ogden

Met-Con Day and A Word on Mobility « BASICS Ogden — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:05:45 +0000

[...] Releasing the e-brake. Words of wisdom about mobility. We train SO hard… and yet I’d venture to say that all of us have some sort of mobility e-brake [...]

By: “FAIL”…. « Crossfit Journal

“FAIL”…. « Crossfit Journal — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:37:46 +0000

[...] enough to get my elbows in the right position. I thought that stretching was overated, until I read this article. It seems I’m not the only one having trouble with the [...]

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:06:18 +0000

My hamstrings and hips in general have always been tight. Sometimes it’s bad enough that I get some referred pain in my lower back. I’ve got a lacrosse ball that I’ve been using and I stretch my hamstrings (not often enough) but even those two together don’t seem to get it 100%. I’ve been considering taking up yoga specifically to deal with this.

By: Dallas @ Whole9

Dallas @ Whole9 — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:35:26 +0000

Austin,

Thanks for the kind words. Glad we could be a resource for you and your clients. Hope to see you at some point as part of our Whole9 Nationwide Tour!