Beginner Body Restoration - Conor Harris [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

BEGINNER BODY RESTORATION Conor Harris BS, CSCS, XPS, CES, CPT

DISCLAIMER This eBook is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to serve as a means of injury diagnosis or treatment. If you are in pain, go see a qualified physical therapist.

INTRODUCTION Welcome to the eBook. This is designed for anyone who is looking for a simple, straightforward, and effective program to improve how your body feels, moves, and potentially even looks. The goal of the program is to give you the most bang-for-your-buck possible, while not giving you highly compex exercises. Some of my previous programs have exercises that require a bit of body awareness and thinking, but I designed this program so that anyone can pick it up and immediately start using it. Even those who have never exercised regularly before. I'll keep this short and sweet! Below is the program and be sure to read the instructions before beginning.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW Please watch this video below for: Instructions on how to use the program most efficiently Common mistakes Tips for maximizing progress

Please do not skip this. It's very important!

WATCH

FACTORS IN EXERCISE SELECTION If you have seen, read, or watched any of my content before, you know that I talk a lot about the pelvis and ribcage. These are the foundational structures of our body at which everything extends out from. Therefore, I want to address those and develop a strong and mobile "base" before worrying about the arms or legs too much. Think about it like this - If your shoulder hurts, why could that be? Well, if your ribcage is in a poor position, then your shoulder blade that sits on your ribcage will be in a compromised position. If your shoulder blade is misalinged, then of course your shoulder and arm will be as well. Same thing for the lower body. If your pelvis is unable to find the mobility it needs, then the knee, lower back, and/or foot will have to use compensatory strategies to find what should be present at the hips. On top of that, the pelvis and ribcage are directly interconnected via the spine. That's why this program is a "Total Body Reset" - I don't believe you can (or should) try to isolate sections of the body. You can't affect one area without the other. They are inherently connected. Everything is connected.

Asymmetry I also discuss much about natural asymmetrical patterns in humans. If you're curious to learn more, see my content here about the Left AIC pattern. I take this into account in the program, choosing progressions that will help improve symmetry on both sides of the body. And everyone is asymmetrical. So if you see that an exercise is only to be done on one side of the body, don't worry, it is meant to be that way. This will be a huge piece of the puzzle to helping you feel better. If you think you aren't a Left AIC, just try the exercises as they are laid out anyway. It is very likely you will be surprised at what happens. Every day I have people tell me they aren't a Left AIC, but they have simply built additional layers of compensation on top. I have taken into account in the creation of this program that most people have additional layers.

HOW TO USE THE PROGRAM PART I Follow the eBook exactly as written. If you half-ass it and then come to me saying it isn’t working, I’m not going to be very receptive. This program will help you if you follow it diligently. Every single exercise is chosen for a very specific reason. Each exercise is providing a specific input into your body that another exercise in the program may not be.

Frequency Each session is to be done 3-4 times per week. 3 is good, 4 is great. 5 could be even better. It takes consistent input into your body to convince it to accept new positions and hold them over time. Every exercise is programmed for 3 sets total per session, but more could be potentially useful. Once again, 3 is good, 4 could be better. I tell all of my clients: “The ball is in your court for how quickly you will see results." If you do less, you’ll see slower results. If you do more, you’ll probably see faster results. However, keep in mind there will be a point of diminishing returns. It's probably not worth your time to go beyond 5 sets per day. It is also possible (and sometimes helpful) to break up your sets throughout the day. A potential scenario would be if you are doing 3 sets in a day, do 1-2 in the morning before you start your day and 1-2 at night before you go to bed. Often times this can actually be beneficial as you are getting more "exposure" to these new positions throughout the day, rather than all at once.

HOW TO USE THE PROGRAM PART II Now, let's move on to the program. This eBook is broken up into six weeks, each with progressions building on the previous weeks. The idea is that the progressions will build upon the earlier weeks as you gain access to new range of motion. I have strategically selected exercises I've found to work best with people who are new to these types of exercises. The consistent repetition of the exercises will help you progressively integrate certain positions and muscles into harder poisitions over time. Please do not skip weeks. If you have to miss a day, be sure to complete at least 14 days of the given exercises before moving on to the next week. I have found 14 days to be a very effective timeline for allowing the body to adapt to the intended positions, range of motion, etc.

Order of Execution Do the drills in the order presented. Initally they will be presented sequentially one at a time, but at the end of each phase there will be a summary of all of the exercises. It is recommended to complete all sets of a given exercise before moving on to the next one. They are laid out in a specific order for a specific reason. Each exercise opens up space for the next one to be more effective, or easily executed. For example: Exercise #1: 3 sets of 15 reps Exercise #2: 3 sets of 5 breaths Do all three sets of Exercise #1 before moving on to Exercise #2.

HOW TO USE THE PROGRAM PART III Effort It is very common for people to think along these lines: "If I try harder, I'll get better results!" "I need to really activate these muscles in order to make changes!" While that makes sense initially, what I actually strongly suggest is you do the opposite: Use a low amount of (phyiscal) effort. The reason is that we aren't going to "override" the natural position our body holds us in or the movement compensations it has by trying to force our way into new positions. Large amounts of effort will drive "Fight or Flight" (sympathetic) responses in our nervous system and create the impression that the new position is a threat. Instead, we want to "educate" the body and nervous system on what is safe to move into, and more effective to move into. Think of it as if we are saying this: "Hey, here's a new position you are a bit unfamiliar with. Let me show you how we can start to use our muscles more effectively in this position." This will allow the nervous system to relax (parasymathetic, "rest & digest" portion of the nervous system) In order to do that, we need to start with gentle effort and proper breathing. In terms of a 1-10 scale of effort, I recommend starting with a 3/10 effort, never going beyond a 5/10. Muscles may start to "burn" a bit at the end of your sets, but it should never be significant starting out. This is by far the biggest mistake people will make on this program. If you aren't seeing results, I would bet a lot you are trying too hard. 3/10 is often much less than people originally anticipate.

HOW TO BREATHE Breathing is foundational to the success of this program. Please understand how to effectively breathe before working on incorporating it with the exercises. If there is a breathing component to an exercise, this is how I want you to execute it: Relaxed, full exhales through your mouth. The longer and more relaxed, the better. Many people use their six-pack (front) abs more than their obliques (side-abs), yet our obliques are what drive proper respiration. Therefore, I want you to be able to feel your obliques and not your six-pack when you exhale. Think "jelly-belly" as if your stomach was a jelly-filled donut. The obliques should come on because you're exhaling, not because you're bracing. If you don't feel them, you're not exhaling long enough (not to be interpreted as hard enough). Period. A general guideline is 5 second soft exhales and 5 second even more soft, silent inhales. Below is a video with an in-depth explanation on how to do this:

WATCH

The first exercise in this program is a short-seated breathing drill where you can work on effectively patterning this. If you are struggling to get a full exhale, I recommend the optional modification using a balloon or a straw. It will get you significantly better results.

EXERCISE #1: WEEKS 1-2 COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE & PURPOSE

REPS

PRI Short Seated Breathing Improves ability to breathe & expand back ribs while stretching the low & upper back

8-10 breaths

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK OPTIONAL MODIFICATION WITH BALLOON OR STRAW (RECOMMENDED) This technique is a modified version of the Wall Short Seated Reach technique from the Postural Restoration Institute®. www.posturalrestoration.com

EXERCISE #2: WEEKS 1-2 COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE & PURPOSE

REPS

PRI Sidelying Scissor Slices Stretches glutes & rear hips while improving ability to push femur (leg) back in hip socket into internal rotation

5 breaths per side

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK Copyright © 2022 Postural Restoration Institute®. Used with permission. www.posturalrestoration.com

EXERCISE #3: WEEKS 1-2 COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE & PURPOSE

REPS

PRI Supine Hemi-Extension with Rectus Femoris Improves end-range hip extension Improves ability to dissociate sides of the pelvis from each other Note: Over the course of 2 weeks, progressively use less elevation as long as low back stays 100% relaxed

15 reps per side

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK Copyright © 2022 Postural Restoration Institute®. Used with permission. www.posturalrestoration.com

EXERCISE #4: WEEKS 1-2 COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE & PURPOSE

REPS

TFL Inhibition Drill Shuts off commonly overactive TFL muscles that get too tight when the hip lack mobility Pick whichever option below allows you to feel glutes the most

10 breaths

OPTION #1 VIDEO LINK OPTION #2 VIDEO LINK Copyright © 2022 Postural Restoration Institute®. Used with permission. www.posturalrestoration.com

EXERCISE #5: WEEKS 1-2 COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE & PURPOSE

REPS

Heels-Elevated Toe Touch Improves mobility of hamstrings and hips while decompressing low back

8 breaths

You can use books 2-3 inches thick elevating your heels instead of a ramp.

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK

PHASE 1: WEEKS 1-2 EXERCISE

SETS X REPS

1.) Short Seated Breathing

3 x 5 breaths

2.) PRI Sidelying Scissor Slices

3 x 5 breaths

3.) PRI Supine Hemi-Extension with Rectus Femoris

3 x 15 per side

4.) TFL Inhibition Drill

3 x 10 breaths

5.) Heels-Elevated Toe Touch

3 x 8 breaths

EXERCISE #1: WEEKS 3-4 COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE & PURPOSE

REPS

PRI Standing Latissimus Stretch Releases commonly tight lats that compress our backs and limit shoulder mobility Opens up chest and helps improve neutral resting position of shoulder

5 breaths per side

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK Copyright © 2022 Postural Restoration Institute®. Used with permission. www.posturalrestoration.com

EXERCISE #2: WEEKS 3-4 COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE & PURPOSE

REPS

Seated Posterior Expansion with Low Reach Helps decompress the upper back & neck area Improves shoulder mobility

5 breaths

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK Optional: You can use this variation to target one side of your back more:

ALTERNATIVE MODIFICATION LINK

EXERCISE #3: WEEKS 3-4 COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE & PURPOSE

REPS

PRI 90/90 Hip Lift with Left Hip Shift 5 breaths on left side only Improves internal rotation of left hip - a common limitation

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK Copyright © 2022 Postural Restoration Institute®. Used with permission. www.posturalrestoration.com

EXERCISE #3: WEEKS 3-4 COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE & PURPOSE

REPS

Modified Wall Stride Improves end-range hip extension Improve glute activation in hip extension Helps pelvis learn to dissociate joint actions between sides

5 breaths per side

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK

EXERCISE #5: WEEKS 3-4 COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE & PURPOSE

REPS

PRI Left Sidelying Right FA Abduction My favorite drill for improving right hip external rotation and abduction - a very common limitation Very important: Make sure not to lift the right foot up off the object until you can master the first position

3 x 5-8 breaths (left side down right glute only)

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK This technique is a modified version of the Left Sidelying Left Flexed FA Adduction with Right Extended FA Abduction and Left Abdominal Co-Activation technique from the Postural Restoration Institute®. www.posturalrestoration.com

PHASE 2: WEEKS 3-4 EXERCISE

SETS X REPS

1.) PRI Standing Latissimus Stretch

3 x 5 breaths per side

2.) Seated Posterior Expansion with Low Reach

3 x 5 breaths

3.) PRI 90/90 Hip Lift with Left Hip Shift

3 x 5-8 breaths per side

4.) Modified Wall Stride

3 x 5-8 breaths per side

5.) PRI Left Sidelying Right FA Abduction

3 x 5-8 breaths (left side down right glute only)

EXERCISE #1: WEEKS 5-6 COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE & PURPOSE

REPS

Same-Side Connect Roll with Hip Extension Improves internal rotation of hips Improves shoulder rotation Progress to #2 once you master Option #1

10-15 reps per side

OPTION #1 LINK OPTION #2 LINK

EXERCISE #2: WEEKS 5-6 COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE & PURPOSE

REPS

PRI Supine SLR Alternating Crossover Improves hamstring mobility Improves trunk rotation Improves internal rotation of hips

5 breaths per side

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK Copyright © 2022 Postural Restoration Institute®. Used with permission. www.posturalrestoration.com

EXERCISE #3: WEEKS 5-6 COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE & PURPOSE

REPS

PRI Left Sidelying Knee Toward Knee Improves right hip external rotation and glute activation Improves dynamic left hip internal rotation Only lift left knee once you can master activation of right glute without losing right foot arch

5 breaths with right glute/left sidelying only

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK Copyright © 2022 Postural Restoration Institute®. Used with permission. www.posturalrestoration.com

EXERCISE #4: WEEKS 5-6 COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE & PURPOSE

REPS

Inchworm with Alternating Reach Releases tight calves and improves ankle mobility Improves shoulder mobility

5 reaches or steps per side

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK

EXERCISE #5: WEEKS 5-6 COMPLETE 3+ SETS OF THE GIVEN AMOUNT OF REPETITIONS OR BREATH CYCLES

EXERCISE & PURPOSE

REPS

Bench/Couch Supported Lunge Improves deep hip flexion mobility Improves hip external rotation

15 reps per side

You can use a couch for this as long as it's stable.

EXERCISE VIDEO LINK

PHASE 3: WEEKS 5-6 EXERCISE

SETS X REPS

1.) Roll with Hip Extension Focus

3 x 10 reps per side

2.) PRI Supine SLR Alternating Crossover

3 x 5 breaths per side

3.) PRI Left Sidelying Knee Toward Knee

3 x 5 breaths (left side only)

4.) Inchworm with Alternating Reach

3 x 5 reaches per side

5.) Bench/Couch Supported Lunge

3 x 15 reps per side

SPECIAL OFFER: SHARE YOUR RESULTS & GET A FREE PROGRAM ($40 value) OR 50% OFF BEGINNER BIOMECHANICS COURSE ($100 value)

As you progress through this program, you will start to see things good things happen. You may notice: Improved posture Improve range of motion at your shoulder, hips, etc Better movement Less pain If you experience any, or multiple, of the above benefits, you can write a few words and/or show a before and after picture of your progress and share it on your Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or TikTok story and tag @conor_harris_ in it.

EXAMPLES

We will respond with a question asking if you want a program or the discount code for the Beginner Biomechanics Course. Looking forward to seeing you progress!

Ending Notes I hope you've enjoyed the program! I am confident you will see some great things happening. You can reach me at: @conor_harris_ on Instagram or Twitter [email protected]