We love to see our clients transition from corrective exercise to full fitness activities without limitations or hesitations. We are so happy to have Eric Brittain as part of the Function First family!
Thank you for your dedication to your health, your consistency with your efforts and the amazing attitude you bring to every class. You uplift all those around you!
Written By
Kevin Murray, M.A. (pending)
Movement Masterminds – CEO
Function First – Director of Education
2012 CSEP CPT of the Year
THE SIZING APPEAL
The Small, Medium, Large concept to clothing that all department stores embody seems like a straightforward, pragmatic approach to sizing. If the article of clothing fits, you’re golden; If not, you’re either going up a size, or down. But what about those that fall between the cracks? Or above, or below those labels?
I constantly run into this predicament. Sometimes a small is too tight. Other times a medium drapes off my shoulders, which was a good look for me in the 90’s with skateboard in hand – not so cool anymore. I often wish there was a size “smedium”, right in between at that “sweet spot.”
Perhaps you can relate… maybe your frame deserves a “marge”, right in between medium and large.
ATTENTION ALL “SHOPPERS”:
DUALISTIC THINKING IS OUT-OF-DATE & NO LONGER IN STOCK!
Am I really posting up an article about clothing? As much as I dig fashion, the department store approach is actually a metaphor for the movement industry in many respects, and its modus operandi to complex pain problems.
For example, you may be familiar with conceptualized strategies such as:
• Tight hips = stretch em’
• Weak glutes = strengthen em’
• Noticeable swelling = ice that sh#t
• IT Band irritation = foam roll those puppies
A dualistic, department store approach emphasizes that although all individual’s move differently and come from different backgrounds and cultures, there are essentially only 3-types of people – small, medium and large. Chronic pain on the other hand is complex, embodying dynamic dimensions that encompass myriad variables expanding beyond the optics of biomechanical and connective tissue principles alone. A diverse approach to sizing is needed.
GEORGE ENGEL’s BPS APPROACH:
TAILORED FOR ALL SHAPES AND SIZES – SINCE 1977
Progressing beyond (but not excluding) biomechanics and connective tissue, a 3-dimensional approach to working with clients’ in pain include a vast variety of biopsychosocial ingredients and considerations:
• Systems theories
• Empathetic listening
• Uncovering client’s’ values and beliefs systems
• Establishing client trust
• Providing educational dividends around the context of pain
• Explaining the protective purpose that pain serves
are all in play when considering the Neuromatrix and its influence on how we collaborate with, and coach our clients’ in pain.
SUIT YOU, SIR
Working with the chronic pain demographic is much like being a tailor. Each individual comes in with unique dimensions and constraints; different outcomes and desires. A tailor is seeking to understand where specific attention needs to be placed. A tailor asks questions like:
Why doesn’t their clothing fit?
Have they ever been to a tailor before? If so, what was their experience?
How will we know when a successful amendment has taken effect?
What is their specific outcome?
A tailor considers multiple dimensions into his/her analysis and thought process, outside the shackles of unidimensional constraints. Instead, diversification is personified, driven by the uniqueness of each individual and their articles of clothing.
Individuals’ in pain each have their own unique articles of clothing (yes, we’re still talking metaphorically here) that need specific attention and consideration. If you can meet your clients’ unique needs, much like a tailor does, than you’ll have accomplished something truly special in your clients’ eyes.
Amidst the waves of uncertainty that accompany working with individuals’ experiencing chronic pain and relinquishing a dualistic/department store thought-process, above all remember you’re interacting with another individual – and not a mechanistic instrument. Be kind, be empathetic, and as often as possible seek to understand rather than judge.
“The quality of the therapeutic relationship appears to be more predictive of success than any theoretical approach of the helper.” John Nuttall
I started with function First in April of 2012. My wife was already attending and encouraged me to give the program a chance. My experience with ‘gyms’ had been less than productive, so my first response wasn’t exactly positive, but I decided to give it a chance. As it ends up, this was a totally different experience for me. Instead of a dry, boring routine, I was immediately part of an enthusiastic and friendly group of people. I was totally pleased with the guidance and direction of the instructors. The routines were creative and always changing. Nothing boring about it!
Being age 64, I was beginning to feel less energetic with less mobility and more discomfort. I knew I needed to add some exercise to my daily routine. But, not the typical lift some weights and run a while on the treadmill. The Function First instructors solved that problem with what seems to be an endless supply of varying exercises. I also soon discovered the ability of the staff to be able to modify the group routines to fit my personal needs.
Private Sessions were invaluable in starting me in the correct direction for better physical health. Issues my physician was trying to mask were alleviated with the appropriate exercise problems. I’ve found the instructors to be incredibly knowledgeable, concerned, and capable.
Function First has allowed me to continue with an active lifestyle of hiking, back packing water-skiing and boating.
Dave Snodgrass
Happy David
Once you take the time to think about it, it is easy to make the connection to how better health and fitness increases productivity and happiness at work. According to Chron.com stress impacts everything in your life, including memory and processing new information towards analytical situations. These stressors not only impact concentration, but can also result in costly mistakes in any career field. Furthermore, energy around an office is contagious and employees with low energy and high stress will negatively impact the office atmosphere as a whole.
In addition, when we don’t feel well we are more likely to call in sick, thus getting further behind on our work and, in turn, creating more stress. It is a vicious cycle. Encouraging employees to work out with specific goals of increased functionality and mobility will help them to alleviate stress and increase focus and productivity at work.
This is just one example of how working out with Function First changed a life.
Before I found Function First, I was working out on a regular basis. However, I wasn’t seeing the results I was expecting. I still struggled with movements like squats and deadlifts. Lifting and running were painful so even when I attempted a solid workout, I often felt discouraged or unmotivated. I felt upset and annoyed with myself. I began to believe that working out was always going to be painful and started to wonder why I even bothered. Instead of the sense of happiness and stress relief that I wanted to get from working out, I was feeling more and more stress and fatigue after each session.
This frustration and stress combined with the pressures I was already experiencing at work. I was losing ground and I knew something had to change; not just for my own self-image, but also for my ability to grow my company and support my employees.
Enter Function First
After my first session I saw improvement and was already feeling like working out was something I wanted to do again. I was quickly shown how important it was to have specific, mindful goals during each workout. I gained an understanding that when a movement was painful, there was a reason and a solution. Staying focused on the proper movements quickly increased my mobility.
Soon the pain I had felt while running, lifting, and squatting began to disappear. I began to believe in myself again and began to believe that I was capable of working out in meaningful and productive ways. I was finally seeing the results I was after.
This energy carried over into my professional life as owner of SD Equity Partners. I was surprised to find that I was not only feeling less pain when working out, but was also feeling great throughout my day. The stress relief that workouts once provided me had returned. Currently, I find that I am better able to focus on my work to become a positive influence on those around me. I am able to find joy in my tasks and pride in my own creativity. This energy has also seemed to increase the enjoyment of the people that I work with. My positivity is contagious.
Looking back on my progress I cannot believe how much time I spent agonizing and putting myself through stressful workouts. The problem was that I was not working out with a clear goal in mind. My efforts were unfocused and the pain I felt just increased my stress and lessened my abilities to focus during my work day.
Thanks to the unique guidance of Function First I am not only stronger and feeling less pain, I am now more focused and productive in the office and growing my business more than ever before.
Written by:
Evan Harris
SD Equity Partners – Founder and Owner
Function First owner Anthony Carey shares a few quick highlights on the Power Plate and why you will want to incorporate into your training. Whole Body Vibration (WBV) is a heavily researched topic with many scientifically based benefits. We are fortunate to have the “Cadillac” of vibration plates at Function First. The Power Plate Pro 7 is the most advanced system on the market.
Call 619.285.9218 or schedule HERE for your personal training appointment and use the Power Plate to maximize your results!
You can learn more about the Power Plate and the research studies on WBV at www.powerplate.com
When an individual’s identity and belief about who they are is based around their capacity to be active and athletic, we can predict his or her fears. So what happens when chronic pain no longer permits an active lifestyle?
What happens next is an internal dialog of perception and meaning begin to take root… and how well one can direct their own thoughts, beliefs, emotions and assumptions becomes significant.
Compartmentalization is an unconscious psychological defense mechanism used to avoid cognitive dissonance.
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The question then becomes “what is Cognitive Dissonance ?”and how does chronic pain fit into the equation?
Cognitive Dissonance “is the mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time, or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values.”
For example, no matter how much an individual may believe… if they’re heading east looking for a sunset, that idea and belief will inevitably run up against irrefutable evidence. This naturally will manifest an internal conflict.
In the context of chronic pain, wanting to go to the mountains for an afternoon of skiing with friends & family may be high on an individuals values list. But a belief that skiing will lead to further knee damage or an increase in pain will surely create a conflict. These psychological inconsistencies (dissonance) and the inherent uncertainty they bring can become difficult to manage – overwhelming for many.
Conflicting beliefs and values evenutally feed into an individuals psyche’, establishing negative neuro-associations based around the context of pain that can contribute to the overall pain experience.
What’s more, physical and emotional pain can negatively influence an individuals’ thoughts, feelings and beliefs regarding movement and exercise, inhibiting one’s capacity to remain consistent with how they define themselves – known as their identity.
Our role as movement professionals and coaches is NOT to change an individuals identity or belief structure, but rather create an environment to EXPAND their capacity to understand what pain is and what purpose it serves.
Arming each client with insight and knowledge into the latest in pain science can help them consciously direct their own thoughts, emotions, assumptions and beliefs regarding chronic pain, which can establish constructive psychological associations and increase their ability to effectively compartmentalize chronic pain.
Written by:
Kevin Murray
Movement Masterminds – CEO
Function First – Director of Education
Chronic pain is complex, resulting from many inputs processed through the nervous system and the brain. As humans, we rely heavily on our vision to assess and navigate our environment and maintain balance.
Visual references are also one type of input the brain relies on to determine a potential threat to the organism. For example, have you ever found a bruise on your body that did not hurt until you noticed it there?
For those suffering from chronic neck pain, vision provides a great deal of feedback about cervical range of motion along with the mechano-receptors in the joints and soft tissue. The endpoint a person sees when turning his or her head and experiencing pain combines with a cluster of other information occurring at the same time to form the neuro-representation of the pain experience in the brain, or what Melzack (2001) calls a “neuro-signature.”
Harvie et al. (2015) investigated the role of visual feedback on neck pain. The researchers used a virtual-reality apparatus to alter the visual proprioceptive feedback that subjects received during cervical rotation. Subjects were seated with their torsos fixed to avoid contributing motion from the thoracic spine during cervical rotation. Twenty-four subjects with chronic neck pain were assessed for the onset of pain during cervical rotation to the left and right. They were asked to stop when they felt pain and to rate it on a scale of 0-10 at the point in the rotation where pain occurred. Each subject was then fitted with a virtual-reality headset that provided six different visual scenes for six trials. The image below is taken directly from the study by Harvie et al. (2015) and shows an illustration of the set up.
Researchers manipulated the virtual-reality scenes so that the visual cues did not match the actual cervical-rotation distance that subjects achieved on all trials. The virtual rotation provided by the headsets was either:
• 20% more than the actual rotation
• the same as the actual rotation
• 20% less than the actual rotation
This bogus visual feedback of plus or minus 20% made the subjects perceive that they were rotating their cervical spines 20% more or less than they actually were.
The results showed that when rotation was understated (subjects perceived their rotation was less than it actually was), pain-free range of motion increased by 6%. When rotation was overstated (subjects perceived their rotation was more than it actually was), pain-free range of motion decreased by 7%.
This study provides additional evidence to support the findings that pain is not generated solely from tissue damage. The bio-pyscho-social model acknowledges multiple inputs contributing to the pain experience.
Vision is one of many contributing inputs that the brain processes when assessing a threat to the body and therefore produces pain. The association of a specific neck range of motion identified visually, coupled with information from the motor system and proprioceptive system, creates a confirmed reference for past pain experiences. In other words, we’ve always had pain with this set of circumstances (neuro signature of matched proprioception, motor function, vision, vestibular), so we are supposed to have now. Hello pain.
It is plausible that visual input can also influence pain in other areas. For example, if a client has lower-back pain, forward flexion of the spine will bring her eyes closer to the floor, possibly presenting a painful or pain-free experience, depending on the client.
When designing a corrective program for clients where you believe the visual field is a factor, you could vary the visual field to minimize the visual association related to painful movements. Or you could keep the head still and create the motion you want from the bottom up-creating relative movement of the cervical spine in relation to the thoracic spine.
Interested in learning more about how we, at Function First and the Pain-Free Movement Specialists work with the chronic pain population? Enrollment is available only until April 29th here.
Melzack, R. 2001. Pain and the neuromatrix in the brain. Journal of Dental Education 65(12), 1378-82.
Harvie, D.S., et al. 2015. Bogus visual feedback alters onset of movement-evoked pain in people with neck pain. Psychological Science. doi:10.1177/0956797614563339.
Shopping is one of the activities that we most frequently hear about regarding aggravating our clients’ lower backs. And what do we do during the holiday season? We shop.
The stopping and starting and stopping again. The standing around in long lines with no reprieve for our back muscles.
Couple that with the other stresses associated with the holidays and the factors that can ramp up lower back pain/tightness can get the best of us. So if you are looking for a quick and effective way to reduce tension in your lower back, you’ll want to watch this video.
Derahn shows you how to relax your lower back muscles WITHOUT stretching. It is counter intuitive for most people but it gets the job done because it goes with the tightness instead of away from it.
That’s the good news. It will relax the back muscles and for many people reduce or eliminate upper and lower back pain.
The bad news is that this is not a long term solution. It does not address the many, many bio-psycho-social factors associated with pain.
However, any time you can mitigate the discomfort, keep it from escalating and take control-you are doing something very positive for your long term success.
Try it!
By Anthony Carey M.A., CSCS, MES
Founder of Function First
(all photos are property of Nightmares Fear Factory http://www.nightmaresfearfactory.com/)
We’ve all heard the saying “frozen with fear”. It’s that brief but profound period of time where something is so shocking or terrifying that one can’t move. The body does not respond because the brain is overwhelmed with the danger at hand.
Or consider what happens to your body and your mind the moment you have the fright of your life in a haunted house. The image above is from the web site Nightmares Fear Factory. They are hugely popular images on the internet of visitors caught at a moment of time inside the Nightmares Fear Factory’s haunted house.
If we got a little “sciencey” here and thought about all the things that happen to the body as this photo is taken and for the short time thereafter, we would observe:
1. A huge dump of stress hormones enter the blood stream
2. The heart rate and blood pressure spike
3. Blood vessels dilate
4. Breathing gets rapid and shallow
5. Muscles all around the joints contract and stiffen the body
6. Posture instinctively goes into a flexed protection mode
7. Ensuing movement is guarded and apprehensive
Now let’s imagine these events happened within the first 5 minutes of a scheduled 30 minute tour through the haunted house. They still have 25 more minutes to take part in an experience where the tone has been clearly established as frighteningly intense.
So what happens when they approach that next corner that they can’t see past? Are they relaxed and at ease? Absolutely not! Their body will reproduce the identical events it did from the first scare. Except all of those responses will happen BEFORE they even get to the corner.
As they cautiously approach the blind corner and their body is in full anticipation mode-anticipation of the next blood curling scare-they ultimately see that there is nothing there. No threat exists at this corner. Yet their body and mind went through all the same events as if the next big scare actually took place. That pattern continues through the remainder of the tour with each anticipation of the scares almost as physically and mentally real as a scare itself.
The source (which we can’t see) that created those responses in the photos is not the only part of that scare experience. Although likely not as obvious to those in the photos, the entire experience includes the people they are with, the smell of the room, the temperature of the room, the sounds and even how their clothes fit. And as the remainder of the tour continues, they all become part of the biological, psychological and social contribution to that experience.
So what has this got to do with someone dealing with chronic pain? The scenarios can be almost identical except replace “scare” with “pain”. Let’s say for example that after a long flight you felt a pop in your back as you lowered your carryon from the overhead bin. You begin to feel your back tighten up and you experience the pain ramping up as you exit the plane. Beginning with the “pop” you felt, you would begin to experience those same 7 traits listed earlier. And whether you realized it or not, the physical pain itself is not the only part of the experience. The people you are with, the smell of the airplane and then the terminal, the temperature, the sounds and even how your clothes fit all become part of the biological, psychological and social contribution to that pain experience.
These combined elements begin to form a neuro signature or neuro representation in your brain. Over the next couple of days as you are recovering from this episode, you experience those 7 traits any time you anticipate potential threat to your back. This could be something as familiar as putting on your socks. Some movements may in fact provoke pain but others may not. Yet the net result is very similar in terms of your physical and mental response.
You can clearly see how patterns emerge that are counterproductive to your long term goals. And the reality of this is that we can’t and you can’t explain your way through process. Yes, you need an understanding but your body and brain also need proof. This is where a strategic and structured corrective exercise plan can create the movement confidence you need to no longer anticipate a threat when the threat is not valid.
Pain is a very complex experience for everyone. And many people will attempt to chase one aspect or another of their pain. The science now tells us that we have to look at the entire bio-pyscho-social context from which chronic pain is experienced.
Don’t live your life waiting for the next ghost or goblin around the corner.
Happy Halloween!
Function First Member of the Month
I started at FF in January 2011. My husband and I had just purchased a home in the neighborhood. I was looking for a daily fitness solution that fit into my lifestyle and meshed with my knowledge of the fitness industry. Anthony has been an industry colleague for many years (14!). He is one of IDEA Health & Fitness Association’s expert presenters and he often lends expert commentary to the articles that appear In IDEA Fitness Journal and IDEA’s other publications, for which I am editor in chief. So, I had direct knowledge of cutting edge training methodology and knew AC personally. Why wouldn’t I want to work with one of the best and brightest? How lucky was I to move into the neighborhood and be just over a mile from the studio?
What challenges were you facing with both everyday activity and athletics when you first joined?
I was very into triathlon training and a long-time runner when I started at Function First. I had also recently dropped a very heavy cutting board squarely on my left big toe joint. The havoc that wreaked up the left side of my kinetic chain included pain in my foot, knee, piriformis and reaching up into my infraspinatus. It’s amazing how it’s all connected. I had never had any of this pain until the cutting board incident. Like any stubborn athlete, I soldiered on, making it worse until I couldn’t run anymore. Shortly after starting X Factor, I did some corrective sessions with AC to sort it out. My toe joint will never be the same, but he gave me simple solutions that keep me in alignment, which releases a lot of the pressure my compensations build up. In four years of training with the team here, I’m happy to say that I’ve not incurred injury and have probably averaged 4-5 X Factor classes every week.
Can you tell us why you think the Function First Approach worked for you in reaching your goals?
It’s fun; it’s approachable; and even though I train in a group, it’s always customized to me. I know the training team has the skill/knowledge/experience to progress or regress me safely depending on how I’m feeling that day. Moving athletically and testing my body and mind in different ways at every session gives me a lot of joy. I love to feel my body move and test its limits. I’ve learned to crave lifting weight in multiple planes and shift the weight using full-body strength. The fact that there is not a treadmill in sight but instead shelves and bins and nooks and crannies full of fitness “toys” that are employed so creatively by all of the training professionals here speaks volumes to the knowledge of Function First’s trainers. It matches what I know to be the gospel in the fitness industry today—that you’ve got to keep challenging different body systems to keep progressing them. Our trainers are always experimenting with new formats and exercises, which is also key to maintaining my interest and attention.
What do you like best about the training program?
First and foremost, I love and appreciate the trainer-coach-inventor-tinkerer-inspirers I’ve trained with here over the years: From AC to Derrick to Wendy, to Natalie, Reyci and Danny (sorry, I’ve only trained with Derahan once!), they have always been all about helping us to improve and meet our goals. They are professional, knowledgeable, perceptive, funny and welcoming. They make the program! My X-Factor teammates make it worth coming, too. We all want to improve ourselves, so everyone is very positive and supportive. It’s both inspirational and aspirational to work and sweat alongside people who have fought through pain and injury, and see them “get after it” during training. That’s the magic of the programming here. So many have risen from the ashes of what they thought was destined to be chronic pain and inactivity to be strong, competitive life athletes who have shed the pain and learned how to train safely and smartly.
How has Function First changed your day-to-day life?
Training here has given me tremendous body confidence and, truly, confidence all around. I remember coming here for my first training session. I think it was Derrick’s first day or week, too. But I was so nervous I wasn’t going to be able to do things perfectly or that I would embarrass myself. I had some serious performance anxiety. DP’s confidence and great coaching got me over that in a couple of sessions. I can almost always sense that same trepidation in the newbies that join us; remembering how I felt, I try to make them feel at home. We all do. But I think we all learn to laugh at ourselves pretty quickly when we can’t get the correct foot forward on a ViPR bazooka combo, or we get lost in a circuit and have to ask what the heck comes next. Who cares? Learning and laughing along the journey is what it’s all about. I’ve trained with both the AM and PM X-Factor crews and both groups razz each other mercilessly. It’s hilarious at times. But we also support one another and cheer for one another’s victories. I still remember watching in awe as Rachel, Em and Ten started cranking out unassisted pull-ups a year ago. Amazing stuff! It made me so happy to see and share in their victories. I’ve made some lifelong friends here and plan to stick around for a long time! I’m so honored by this! Thank you, Function First.