Dear Esther,
Your system works so beautifully for me. For an old guy I feel empowered, but I was wanting to get your
opinion on a new muscle building technique I have been reading about, as I'm getting so weak. It's called Power of 10, a slow motion
once a week fitness program. If you are familiar with it, perhaps you could tell me if it might interfere with
your safe way of movement. If you have time I would much appreciate any comment.
Sincerely, William
3 years 9 months ago
12/15/2010 - 7:51am
Hi William,
We are so happy to hear that the Gokhale Method has been beneficial to you! Bravo! While I am not familiar with that particular technique, generally we suggest that students take what they have learned into almost any exercise endeavor. Most any sport or regimen can be done with good posture with a few tweaks here and there. Some things to keep in mind:
1. If you are picking something up that is heavier than a couple of pounds, definitely use your Inner Corset while you Hip- Hinge
2. If you are picking something up that is heavier than that, bend your knees more than you might need to with a lighter object (while hip-hinging) AND use the Inner Corset. This way your back will be protected by keeping the J-Spine, but you will have the help of your glute, leg, and IC muscles.
3. Pay attention to your pelvis. Tucking the pelvis will not be beneficial to your back health. So, this includes most versions of "crunch" sit ups, rounded forward standing bends/seated bends, sitting cross-legged on the floor without a wedge, and super-deep squats for most people.
4. Perform a shoulder roll before extending your arms or using weights and maintain a rolled back shoulder position throughout your workout.
5. For standing exercises, it's usually best to keep your weight in your heels.
6. If a twist involved, try and "spiral" the entire body rather than deeply cranking the back at one point. If any twist causes pain, then avoid them.
I hope some of these tips help you!
Very best,
Charlene Hannibal
Gokhale Method Teacher, Palo Alto and San Francisco
1 year 10 months ago
07/03/2015 - 4:12pm
This is just the question I had! I am currently studying to be a Personal Trainer through HIT (High Intensity Training) University. I am also planning to teach the SuperSlow method (similar to Power of 10.) During the lateral pull-down, I was told to curl the back slightly. I performed the exercise, but with modification based on my study of the Gokhale Method. I asked about this in my course and presented Esther's work on the spine and compression, but the instructor didn't think it would be a problem for the two minutes we are engaged in this exercise just once every week or two. I mentioned that it might present problems in the long-term and seemed an unnecessary risk to clients.
Here is a video with my instructor and trainer performing the routine (I did all exercises but the third one, as a beginner over fifty): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvq6wxsWiLg
This works the entire body and does not require additional cardio or supplementary exercises. A week or two of recovery is considered optimal for allowing the body to build muscle. Dr. McGuff also offers an alternative Timed Static Workout, which I have been using since I live far from his studio and do not have access to the preferred equipment for the SuperSlow method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjZV2-aSS50
Would love to hear your thoughts, especially on the instructor's comments about curling the back to work the abdominals on the pull-down. Thanks a bunch!!
2 months 2 weeks ago
06/14/2015 - 8:34am
Hi!
We are happy to hear that The Gokhale Method is on your radar. As a fitness professional myself, I would recommend taking the Gokhale techniques into your workouts....shouler roll, tall standing (which includes having an anteverted pelvis), stack sitting (again, having an inteverted pelvis), hip-hinging, KBS the feet, tall neck, etc. From my experience implementing the GM techniques makes each exercise so much more intentional, challenging and beneficial. I was not familiar with these videos but did take a peak at them and noticed the rounding of the back, I do believe this could be avoided with a simle hip-hinge to avoid loading on the discs. Also, using inner corset will nto only engage the core stabilization muscles but will help with the rounding of the back. In exercise, as with many other things, there are many beliefs and programs. I am a Personal Trainer, Corrective Exercise Specialist, Group Fitness Instructor (through NASM). NASM encourages maintaining proper body alignment and posture but does not tell the trainer how to achieve that properly, that's where The Gokhale Method comes in. Using knowledge from two resources (ie: NASM + Gokhale) will change the way you feel when you exercise and the allow your body to reap many more rewards. My advice, use what you know and put it all together. I hope this helps on your journey! Cheers ~