Deck of Cards Workout
Here’s a great way to add some variety to your weekly routine. It turns into a super energetic workout that challenges your metabolic threshold because you don’t know what’s coming next.
Instructions:
Take a deck of cards and decide a different exercise for each suit and an exercise for each face card. Number cards are for the number of reps you perform and face cards should be something you can do for 1 minute or a set number of reps. Draw card, do exercise, draw card, etc…
Beginners should take a break every 10 or 15 cards.
Intermediate can take a break after 25 cards.
Advance try and get through the whole deck.
Tips:
Remember to pace yourself. Go slowly at first; you have a whole deck to get through.
Examples:
Upper Body Deck Workout
♥ Hearts – Push Ups on BOSU
♦ Diamonds – Pull Ups
♠ Spades – Bicep Curls/Lateral Raises/Tricep Pull Downs
♣ Clubs – Body Rows
Jack – Side Plank (30 sec each side)
Queen – 100 ups/jogging in place (1 min)
King – Dead Lifts (8)
Ace – Plank on BOSU (1 min)
Here is a video of Chris doing an Upper Body Deck Workout.
Postural Deck Workout
♥ Hearts – Oblique Crunches with Slosh Pipe
♦ Diamonds – Pull Ups
♠ Spades – Slow Burpees
♣ Clubs – Ramps on Swiss Ball
Jack – Bent Over Rows (10)
Queen – 100 ups/Jogging in Place (1 min)
King – Dead Lifts (8)
Ace – Plank (1 min)
Core Deck Workout
♥ Hearts – Mud Crawl
♦ Diamonds – Cobra
♠ Spades – Dead Bug
♣ Clubs – Oblique Crunches w/Slosh Pipe
Jack – Side Plank Crunches (10)
Queen – Bent Over Rows (10)
King – Dead Lifts (8)
Ace – Plank (1 min)
Pro Tip: Do not do this workout right after eating, it will be uncomfortable.
Plantar Fasciitis – Our Treatment Differs From Most (Part 2)
By: Patricia Igar and Brianna Castillo
This article provides more information on plantar fasciitis, its causes, and its treatments. Here at Best Day Fitness, we have a unique approach to “fixing” plantar fasciitis and preventing the pain from happening ever again. First, we will go over what to do, then we will compare our philosophy and treatment strategies to the traditional method.
The first thing you need to do is STOP STRETCHING!
The plantar fascia is a connective tissue that functions similar to a tight cable that holds up the arch of the foot. It can be compared to bowstring that keeps the bend in the bow. Lengthening this cable by stretching lets the arch lose its tension. Yes, this is the most recommended treatment for plantar fasciitis. However, this is only a temporary reduction of the pain. The most likely cause of the pain is the fact that the underlying muscles of the foot are weak and not doing their proper jobs. When the muscles do not work, the fascia must take over the role of shock absorbing the impact forces from walking and running. This stresses the fascia and ultimately results in inflammation and pain. Which leads to our next recommendation.
Next, you need to STRENGTHEN THE MUSCLES OF YOUR FEET AND LEGS!
The muscles in the lower legs and feet work in tandem to keep the foot and ankle stable when walking and running. The plantar fascia is an extension of the Achilles tendon, which is also an extension of the calf muscles. Strengthening the lower leg muscles helps tremendously in preventing feet pain.
Here are some exercises that can help strengthen those muscles:
This Toe Dexterity Exercise is simple; take a wash cloth and pick it up with your toes.
Start with with your whole foot on the floor. To make this exercise more intense you can come up on your toe or use a destabilizer or BOSU Ball.
Don’t forget to do both sides.
Calf Raises are also super helpful for strengthening the muscles of the foot and calves.
Stand on both legs, with soft knees, and lift your whole body off the floor by coming on to your forefoot and toes. Don’t just bend your knees, make your whole leg work.
These ramps are another great way to strengthen your feet, calves, and legs.
Lay on your back and lift your hips up. While keeping your hips high, raise and lower your heels.
Then, you need to learn how to STOP HEEL STRIKING!
Although wearing shoes is a normal aspect of society and actually required in most businesses, we say don’t wear them! When you are allowed to do so of course, and if you must have shoes on, wear minimalist shoes. Why? Because shoes decrease the sensations of walking and prevent the nervous stimulus the brain needs in order to use the muscles in your feet. So, ultimately, shoes turn off the feed back from your feet muscles. When muscles are turned off, the ligaments and fascia take over resulting in over-use and inflammation, which causes pain. Use your feet!
When the feet can’t feel anything, faulty biomechanics ensue. Do you ever notice when you heel strike? No, because the shoes have “cushioned” your feet and have actually allowed the feet to perform in a manner that is improper and eventually destructive. Unfortunately, most of us have been placed in shoes from an extremely young age and have developed a defective gait that has become habit. Heel striking causes a cascade of problems from the feet all the way up the kinetic chain of the body.
Read further to learn about why plantar fasciitis happens in the first place and more of the reasoning behind the exercises and lifestyle changes we are suggesting.
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
It literally means the inflammation of the plantar fascia. It can be accompanied by pain anywhere along the bottom of the foot, but is usually felt more by the heel.
What does the Plantar Fascia do?
The plantar fascia gives ligamentous support to both the medial and lateral longitudinal arches of the foot. The arches of the foot buffer and dissipate the ground reaction forces during foot contact with the ground. In order to keep the arches strong, but flexible, muscular and ligamentous support is required. (From the textbook: Evaluation of Orthopedic and Athletic Injuries)
What do most people think causes Plantar Fasciitis?
It is widely thought that flat feet, high arches, and/or over-pronation can be root causes of plantar fasciitis.
What is the actual cause of Plantar Fasciitis?
The main culprits are foot muscle weakness and heel striking. There can be many factors involved and one does not necessarily cause the other, however they are all related.
Why do I need to strengthen my feet?
In essence, when the forefoot contacts the ground first, the arch is at its highest and strongest point. As the foot comes down the impact forces are dissipated because of the intrinsic muscles of the foot and calf muscles. You need to have strong muscles and supportive connective tissues in the foot for this to happen.
Think of a bow and a bowstring. Your foot is the bow and your Plantar Fascia is the bow string. A bow’s strength comes from the tension in the bowstring; it needs to be tight to keep the bend in the bow to give it potential power.
When forefoot running, the arch is curved more, and so it has more space to dissipate the force of running. The arch will give (or un-arch) a little to dissipate impact forces as opposed to when you heel strike all the force comes down on the heel.
You need to strengthen your feet because the intrinsic muscles of the foot and the plantar fascia need to be strong for the force of your bodyweight plus the extra force running to be dissipated when you land on your forefoot.
Why is heel striking bad?
Reason 1 – The intrinsic foot muscles and the calf muscles are there to decelerate body weight, not to push off with, as when you heel strike. When the arch comes down fast, the plantar fascia is stressed because it’s doing the job of the foot and calf muscles.
“When the heel initially hits the ground, the foot MUST pronate excessively to allow the foot to contact the ground.” This means that the foot is literally slapping down towards the ground, which results in “the failed execution to dissipate the impact forces of walking or running.” (From The Journal of Athletic Training – Plantar Fasciitis and the Windlass Mechanism: A Biomechanical Link to Clinical Practice)
Reason 2 – When people run or walk with their heel striking first they are reversing the body’s kinetic chain of stable and mobile joints. Usually, the forefoot is stable, the ankle is mobile, and the knee is stable, etc. With heel striking, you are starting the kinetic chain on your heel and this makes the ankle be the stable joint, in turn making the knee have to be the mobile joint…etc. (More on this in the next article)
Reason 3 – When you wear cushioned shoes you are reinforcing bad form. You heel strike but you don’t feel the impact as much as you would if you were barefoot. Cushioned shoes desensitize your feet, which are supposed to give you biofeedback on how you are running and what terrain you are running on. Over time this bad form leads to more problems than just Plantar Fasciitis. Bad form can give you ankle, knee, hip or back pain and eventually injuries.
What is the common “treatment” of Plantar Fasciitis?
The most used treatments are stretching the calf and foot, wearing a boot at night, or using cushioned or stability shoes. These are just band-aids that treat the symptoms of weak feet, but do not solve the underlying problem.
Orthotics turn off the muscles in your feet. It might provide some temporary relief from pain, but will actually weaken the foot and never fix the true problem. They only treat the symptoms and do not address the causes.
Boots or splints worn at night, again, only treat the symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis and do not fix the causes.
What should I do to FIX Plantar Fasciitis?
The true cause of plantar fasciitis is improper biomechanics.
The above suggestions are the steps you should take that will help now and steps that will help in the long run. For now, try these things, but in the end, the life style changes we suggest will help eliminate pain for good.
S.Y.B. Squeeze Your Butt.
See how long you can S.Y.B. today! Squeeze Your Butt. Do you know when you sit, your gluteals are disengaged. Your brain gets used to these muscles being on “vacation”…therefore- your brain forgets about them(literally). This causes other muscles to compensate and this causes major imbalances. The largest/most powerful muscle in the body becomes weak and deconditioned. Of course so many people need back surgery- the muscles that anchor the spine are not doing their jobs 95 percent of the time!!! This practice of S.Y.B. could save you thousands in surgery, doctors visits, injections, lasers, medications, etc. Save money- S.Y.B.
The Spring Effect.
Properly Functioning Leg Muscles Create a Spring Effect to Dissipate Ground Reaction Forces.
These forces are easily dissipated by the muscles so the joints do not get damaged. When the muscles are dysfunctional or out of balance, then the spring effect is limited and joints become damaged. This puts stress on joint cartilage and ligaments. The injuries that arise from these dysfunctions can be immediate (acute), or can occur over long periods of time (chronic).
Here is what the leg should do when all muscles are functioning properly and you are walking/running with proper fore/mid foot strike. Notice how the ankle, knee and hip joints are all alternating angles- this is just like a spring- which absorbs impact to lessen stress on joints. The muscles when functioning properly are like shocks on a car. Faulty shocks make a bumpy ride and often cost money to repair!!!! :
This is what happens when you land with your heel first. If knee joint is locked out due to heel striking – the entire spring effect gets disrupted. This causes knee, hip and back pain/dysfunction. You may be able to run like this when your young…but continue and eventually your cartilage in your knee will break down among other career ending injuries. :
The hamstring and gastrocnemius (calf) stabilize back of knee and are considered the dynamic version of the ACL. They help the knee to spring with every step you take. The quadriceps on the front of knee are the dynamic version of the PCL. The quads are often dominant and hamstrings/calves are often weak. This causes the spring effect of the knee to be taken out of the shock absorption equation of walking and running. This imbalance is exacerbated by landing on your heel when walking and running:
The Fetal Position- How it Wrecks your Posture
16 hours a day, 112 hours a week, 5824 hours a year, 465920 hours in an 80 year lifespan.
This position is considered hip flexion or trunk flexion.
When we hold this postion, the muscles in the front of our body tend to stay in a shortened position.
The muscles in the back of our body tend to be in a lengthened positon.
When we stand up- the front muscles and back muscles are at optimal length. The more we remind the body to be erect and in an “anatomical correct” or “posturally sound” position- the better balance between front and back muscles.
By correcting this imbalance- we can prevent injuries and eliminate pain.
Pay attention to your sleeping habits. If you wake up in this position- try and lengthen out and fall back to sleep. We can use our sleep to help us correct our posture. Think of it as 8 hours of free posture therapy!!!!
Insurance Reimbursement and Why It Can Impede Back Rehab
Although most legislation and legal activity involving bad backs are enacted with good intentions, much is counterproductive. A good example is the issue of spine range of motion(ROM). The American Medical Association (AMA) guidelines (1990) for quantifying the degree of back disability are based mostly on loss of spine ROM. Lawyers and compensation boards that need numbers for the purpose of defining disability and rewarding compensation have latched onto spine ROM as an objective and easily measured factor. In the legal arena, therapy is considered successful when the ROM has been restored or at least improved.
Scientific evidence suggests, however, that after back injury, many people do not do well with an emphasis on enhancing spine mobility. In some cases, back problems are actually exacerbated by this approach. In fact, evidence shows that many back injuries improve with stabilizing approaches-motor control training, enhancement of muscular endurance, and training with the spine in nuetral position……In best practice, spine flexibility may not be emphasized until the very late stages of rehabilitation, if ever.
(McGill, Stuart. “1:Introduction to the Issues.” Low Back Disorders: Evidence-based Prevention and Rehabilitation. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2007. Print.)
TRX Body Rows- Tutorial Video
This exercise is a very dynamic posterior chain exercise. I would venture to say that very few muscles in the body are dormant during this exercise. The emphasis of contraction to hold this position comes from the gluteals to keep the hips up against gravity. The pullers of the middle and upper back (Lats, rhomboids, traps) are maximally engaged as well to pull the trunk up against gravity. When done barefoot, with heel lift, the exercise emphasizes calf and hamstring contraction as well.
Because alot of these posterior chain muscles remain dormant when the human body is in a seated position- this exercise will really help to not only strengthen and condition these muscles, but also teach the brain to use them more. The brain is great at forgetting what muscles do when they are on “vacation”. The reason our brain does this is the fact that muscles require a lot of calories for contraction. If a muscle is not contracting- think sitting- then the brain says “hey, lets save some calories”. This caloric saving technique allows the organism(or human body) to survive longer between meals. We didn’t always have a grocery store on every corner…sometimes humans had to go weeks at a time with no food. The brain became great at conserving calories in times of low caloric intake.
Make sure to incorporate a lot of “posterior chain” exercises into your fitness program to remind the brain to use these “posturally important” muscles more often. Your bum knee, aching back, and sore neck will probably stop nagging you as well!!
This is a challenging exercise. Please remember to relax your head back to help keep the front of the neck from straining to much.
Most importantly- breath!
The Best Day Model of Human Performance and Injury Rehab
What is the BEST DAY Model? We were born naked and shoeless. Our body is incredible at healing and incredible feats of performance. Tap into this healing potential by using what you’ve got! Muscles!
I know that there are lots of ways to rehab injuries and to prevent them. We simply want to help you and your clients/patients achieve permanent changes- not temporary band-aids. Muscles move and stabilize the skeleton. Our lifestyle and activities inherently inhibit or alter these mechanics. This alteration causes trauma, injury and pain.
The Best Day Model is simple. Find the weaknesses and make them stronger. Once the weak muscles catch up with the dominant muscles- the skeleton pulls into proper position. This proper “alignment” or posture decreases risks of injuries and helps expediate the healing process of already injured tissue. If the skeleton is out of alignment due to imbalances in muscle strength- then the joints begin to rub improperly and injuries occur- both acute and chronic injuries.
Many discussions and groups on linked in promote external healing devices that can ultimately cost thousands of dollars to buy and implement:machines, therapy devices, braces, shoes, etc.
Special release techniques, joint distractions, decompression, compression, and other manual therapy has its place in pain relief…but ultimately the body’s bio-mechanics are what pull you back into proper or improper position. These physics are directly related to the amount of pull a muscle has on the skeleton. This amount of pull is what we call strength or weakness of a muscle. Stretching of the muscle is important but often times implemented more then the strength component of muscles. Many people spend countless hours stretching because it is easier and more convenient the stretching.
Our program varies in that we go right to the weak muscles and promote strengthening through proper exercise protocol. Teaching the client/patient to strengthen these muscles through proper movement patterns is our focus. B y strengthening the weaker muscles, the skeleton pulls into proper anatomical position. We spend 95 percent of a session strengthening and conditioning muscles. This does not mean we don’t stretch muscles. On the contrary. The tight muscles are lengthened and stretched while the opposite muscles are strengthening. So we literally sneak in stretching to your entire program. We call it functional flexibility( think chest muscles stretching while performing a rowing/pulling back strengthening exercise).
By teaching clients and patients to correct these bio-mechanics more consistently- then permanent changes occur. No more band-aids. No more adjustments. No more surgery. By “nuero-muscular” re-education, behavioral re-education, and habit changing-the muscles can begin to pull and stabilize the skeleton in a less injury-prone manner. Teach the brain(conductor) to work the muscles(orchestra). If the conductor continues to miscue the strings section-then the entire symphony is “off beat” or dysfunctional.
I am in no way downplaying or discrediting traditional therapy techniques. I simply want people to understand there are far more effective ways of achieving pain reduction, performance enhancements and prevention of injuries.
Posted on:
January 6, 2012
Plantar Fasciitis- Our Treatment Plan Differs from Most
If you stretch a rubber-band for hours at a time-do the contractile properties of it increase or decrease. Holding a muscle group in a lengthened position is similar to stretching a rubber-band. Most people’s calf/ankle/arch complex are entirely too weak and stretching for prolonged periods only weaken the entire complex….therefore- I would say strengthen, strengthen, strengthen!!!! Too much emphasis is placed on stretching because it temporarily relieves pain. This temporary pain relief can lead to long term imbalances that lead to more expensive treatments(surgery/injections/etc). I know these splints and the stretching protocols are commonly used methods of treatment… But I lost count of the patients I have worked with that have severely altered their bio-mechanics from overstretching muscle groups that need to be strengthened- Especially the arch and ankle.
Don’t get me wrong- yes the achilles/ankle complex needs to be stretched. But stretching can be done with every step a person takes when walking or running with proper gait. If you raise the knee higher with hip-flexion, the fore/mid foot contacts the ground first and the calf decelerated the heel into the full-range of motion(dynamic stretching with every step- IE stretching muscles by eccentric lengthening). This brings the strengthen/stretch ratio to 1:1. Imagine you never strengthen the muscles involved in this movement pattern, and you constantly stretch. This ratio skews to predominant stretching which weakens muscles that need to be stronger.
I tell people to stop stretching this ankle complex and walk with shorter strides, higher knees, and softer landings. This reiterates neuro-muscular re-education so new movement pattern becomes habitual and patient is now “stretching” with every step as well as strengthening the lower leg and foot musculature with every step. Teaching people to use calf/ankle complex as eccentric decelerators instead of concentric accelerators promotes permanent changes- which begin to re-cue the body’s natural movement patterns/posture/ and balance.
The foundation is faulty so the rest of the body compensates. Therefore, the faulty foundation hurts or develops pathologies- in this discussions case- plantar fasciitis.
The arch of the foot is an arch. Did the Romans stretch the joints between blocks in the arches of the ancient aqueducts-NO! If they did this, the people of Rome wouldn’t have water to drink- because the arch would have failed.
How to address:
barefoot calf raises, and stop stretching. tighten up the arch. teach proper foot strike pattern. correct posture. get minimalist shoes. strengthen flexors of toes. stop stretching. more barefoot calf raises
Posted on:
December 19, 2011
Calf Experiment
Try an experiment…stop stretching your calves for the next two months. Everytime you go to stretch. do 30 calf raises without locking out your knees instead. the shock absorbers known as your calves are not as strong as you think…a lot of people think that because they can see their calve muscles-that they are strong…not necessarily true. Often times overweight people have good “definition” in their calves. This is simply because we burn fat from the extremities first..hence the appearance of strong calves ! However- 99% of new clients and patients I see stretch the calves too much and don’t strengthen them enough. Once we switch this methodology around- then the foot pains go away, knees work better and the entire body becomes “springier” and absorbs impact with far less chance of injury!
