Hi everyone,
I have been getting a lot of e-mails asking about a tight hamstrings article a few months ago and for those of you in that "last category" who are asking me about motor control drills, this post is for you. I have even had people track down my personal training website and call my business phone to ask about the article! Below I will explain what was "beyond the scope" of the original hamstring article.
When it comes to making neural improvements to increase your range of motion (and be able to finally touch your toes), the Z-Health system is simply the best around.
I could never touch my toes (not even close!), but I had just decided to live with it. I actually got into Z-Health due to some chronic back pain I was having. As I worked through the program and my pain, I consequently was able to drastically improve my range of motion, all without stretching.
Before I first started doing Z-Health, when I was trying to touch my toes honestly couldn't reach more than 2 inches past my knees! I tried stretching several hours per week, but that didn't help and it took up a lot of time.
After my first session, I got about 6 inches closer to touching my toes (but was still about 6 inches off - I was really high up there!). Within one month of doing about 5-10 minutes of drills each day, I was able to touch my toes. Over the next few months I picked up a few more inches. I can almost palm the floor now after doing a few drills!
To be honest though, the extra range of motion was just the icing on the cake. I actually got into Z-Health due to some chronic back pain I was having following an unfortunate accident. Now, I'm pain free in addition to all the range of motion increase I received.
My clients love it too. One of my favorite responses was "You know, if you had told me that I would be able to palm the floor when I walked in here today, I would have never have believed you." The most common response though is "simply amazing".
If you hop over to the Z-Health website, you will see there is all kinds of stuff available. There are different products for warm-ups before working out, things to improve your sports performance, even certifications for trainers like myself. I am currently R and I Phase certified and use it every day with clients and patients (I work with some chronic pain patients in addition to personal training).
If you are interested in some motor control drills to improve your hamstring flexibility, here is my specific recommendation:
I strongly recommend picking up the R-Phase DVD. Skip the introduction DVDs and the Neural Warm-Up DVDs and all the other stuff (you can always pick it up later if you play sports and really like the R-Phase DVD) and go right for the R-Phase DVD set.
When you get the set, you will receive 2 DVDs and a book. The book contains about a half an hour to an hour of reading. It outlines what the system is, gives instructions for how to perform the drills, and has pictures each motor control drill and how to perform them properly.
There are 2 DVDs - the follow-along and the "technical" DVD. Now, I KNOW you are going to want to just pop in the follow-along, but haste makes waste!
The follow along is designed to be used once you have a decent understanding of the drills. If you remember from the original hamstring article I wrote, the idea behind these drills is to increase the brain's familiarity and comfort with the body. If you don't perform the drills properly, you won't get a benefit. That's where the Technical DVD comes in.
The follow along is designed to be used once you have a decent understanding of the drills. If you remember from the original hamstring article I wrote, the idea behind these drills is to increase the brain's familiarity and comfort with the body. If you don't perform the drills properly, you won't get a benefit. That's where the Technical DVD comes in.
The technical DVD explains each drill in detail, the common pitfalls, and how to do it perfectly. If you do the drills perfectly in line with the technical DVD, you will see big improvements in flexibility, and not just in your hamstrings! Remember that the brain controls flexibility on a whole-body level, so as you train your brain, you'll get more flexible all over.
To jump start your progress, learn and practice the following 4 "high pay-off" drills with the DVD:
Toe Pulls
Ankle Tilts
4-Position Hip Circles
Thoracic A/P Glide
These are the 4 drills that have been proven to be very effective in the vast majority of the population. Look up these drills on the technical DVD and then practice them. It will only take about 10-15 minutes to learn and you get several inches (at least!) more when trying to touch your toes.
The better you get at the drills, the more your brain can learn, and the more you ultimately get out of them.
Additionally, everyone's body is different and deficits will be at different places. As you work through the DVD, retest your toe touch range of motion after each drill. You will find that some drills will increase your range of motion by a significant amount, and some drills will do nothing.
Make a mental note of which drills improve your range of motion (should be 1-3 drills). Also make a mental note of which drills you really struggle to perform properly (usually 1-3 joints aren't "smooth").
With that information in hand, here is your action plan:
- Pick up the R-Phase DVD and learn the 4 "high pay-off" drills.
- Once you master the 4 high pay-off drills, throughout the week, perform the drills that give you a big range of motion increase and the drills that are difficult. Try to do a "short focused session" (2-3 minutes of drills) a few times per day, rather than allocating a large chunk of time. A few 3 minute sessions per day will only add up to 10 minutes!
On a weekend day, go through the follow-along. After you finish, go for a 20 minute walk.
Following this strategy will get you touching your toes in no time! I can't say enough good things about this system - I strongly recommend to anyone picking up the R-Phase DVD set.
Click here to pick up the R-Phase DVD Set
Click here to pick up the R-Phase DVD Set
If you are a professional trainer or health care worker interested in using Z-Health with clients or patients to reduce their pain and improve their range of motion, I strongly recommend checking out the Essentials of Elite Performance seminar.
