Yoga Is Magic!

[Cindysphinx]

I had another yoga adventure last night.

In investigating the many yoga studios, I have learned they have different personalities. Some are more welcoming to beginners than others.

I found one that has a good reputation. They have lots of level one classes. Best of all, they have free introductory classes! They were having such a class last night. I persuaded Mr. Sphinx to come with me.

I get there and sign in, and the receptionist says, "That'll be $40, please." AQ as it turns out, the last free class was the day before. Since we were already there, I didn't feel like I should leave so I paid.

The class was perfect. Just six students. Instructor fixed even the smallest flaws. The class was 90 minutes, and late enough in the evening to be convenient for Mr. Sphinx. Instructor is going to bring handouts for us to use at home.

Maybe I don't need private instruction after all.

It is expensive (12 sessions for $225), which is a lot when both of us have to pay it.

Then again, Mr. Sphinx is having some back trouble and I have my tennis injuries, so maybe it would be money well spent?

 

[Posture Guy]

if they're good, 12 sessions for $225 is dirt cheap and money very well spent.

 

[autumn_leaf]

i think it's a good price for a small class. after you get the hang of it you can always do yoga by yourself at home, but right now it seems like it would be of more benefit going to class and learning correct form.

how did mr.sphinx like it?

 

[Cindysphinx]

i think it's a good price for a small class. after you get the hang of it you can always do yoga by yourself at home, but right now it seems like it would be of more benefit going to class and learning correct form.

how did mr.sphinx like it?

He liked it, but I think he believes the free classes at the gym would serve just as well.

 

[sureshs]

Then again, Mr. Sphinx is having some back trouble

And he still hasn't figured out who is responsible for it?

 

[EP1998]

Cindy, you should be really careful doing yoga.

I hurt my foot in a yoga class doing something called "crocodile jumps." I was already prone to problems with my feet and this did not help. The croc jump caused pain for a year and I had to forfeit in a tournament resulting in losing to a total bozo and ripping off my doubles partner for her entry fee.

My opinion is that yoga isnt really meant to be a fitness class. If taken as a fitness class, you need to adjust your other training and make sure to treat your body with respect. I totally misread yoga - I didnt see it as any kind of actual training - especially since I am not flexible at all - and as a result I went totally gung ho and got injured in the process.

 

[autumn_leaf]

Cindy, you should be really careful doing yoga.

I hurt my foot in a yoga class doing something called "crocodile jumps." I was already prone to problems with my feet and this did not help. The croc jump caused pain for a year and I had to forfeit in a tournament resulting in losing to a total bozo and ripping off my doubles partner for her entry fee.

My opinion is that yoga isnt really meant to be a fitness class. If taken as a fitness class, you need to adjust your other training and make sure to treat your body with respect. I totally misread yoga - I didnt see it as any kind of actual training - especially since I am not flexible at all - and as a result I went totally gung ho and got injured in the process.

http://www.fitsugar.com/Push-Up-Variation-Crocodile-Jumps-5294725

is that what you did? that looks like it can easily wreak havoc on someone's foot. i don't know of any instructor that would teach that to a beginners class.

 

[Cindysphinx]

See how her toes are flexed when she is doing the push-up part?

That is what hurt my toes. I am used to doing pushups, but I wear shoes so my toes don't overflex.

I have to say, none of the instructors I have seen so far have done anything as demanding and dangerous as that. The toughest thing I have seen is jumping from down dog. It's just not something I should be doing. I am too stiff and too old.

 

[autumn_leaf]

See how her toes are flexed when she is doing the push-up part?

That is what hurt my toes. I am used to doing pushups, but I wear shoes so my toes don't overflex.

I have to say, none of the instructors I have seen so far have done anything as demanding and dangerous as that. The toughest thing I have seen is jumping from down dog. It's just not something I should be doing. I am too stiff and too old.

hmmm can't say i've ever had problems with my toes being flexed, but everyone's different. i would have that checked up though, just seems to be strange to me.

if you don't feel like you can do the full / displayed motion i would recommend modifying it till it's comfortable. respect your limits. other people in your yoga class should be able to respect each other's physical limits, it's not like everyone was born a yogi.

 

[EP1998]

http://www.fitsugar.com/Push-Up-Variation-Crocodile-Jumps-5294725

is that what you did? that looks like it can easily wreak havoc on someone's foot. i don't know of any instructor that would teach that to a beginners class.

That is it. The class was at a studio. I'd been going for awhile so it was probably an upper level class. For a normal person it might have been okay, but I'd already had a case of sesamoiditis five years before that, which I didnt really think about when the instructor suggested that pose. I did a lot of plyometric training as a kid as well as hard court tennis from preschool onward. I dont have good feet unfortunately. Yoga is actually good for me in that I need the stretching and I have to listen to my body, which I am terrible about doing. Again though, I think part of the problem in general is that its turned into a fitness class.

 

[Talker]

This is the position that really was hard for me, I had a tough time with it as the discomfort grew with each passing second. My toe joints there haven't been stretched like this often I guess.

 

[sureshs]

Can someone explain to me why Yoga is needed?

Animals in the wild do plenty of physical activity, and hence never become unfit and obese. But I have never seen them do Yoga. What does that tell us?

 

[RyKnocks]

Can someone explain to me why Yoga is needed?

Animals in the wild do plenty of physical activity, and hence never become unfit and obese. But I have never seen them do Yoga. What does that tell us?

Are you serious?? You do know that animals have a totally different muscle structure and physique, not to mention that their species has evolved them to allow them to live in the wild, unlike humans who normally sit around in an office chair all day and eat fatty foods. A bear can hibernate all winter and still have enough muscle power after it wakes up to kill anything in its path.

Take an intermediate or advanced yoga class and tell me that it wasn't one of the most challenging things you've ever done. Yoga stretches you, helps you work own your core, balance, meditation, concentration, etc.

 

[Posture Guy]

Can someone explain to me why Yoga is needed?

Animals in the wild do plenty of physical activity, and hence never become unfit and obese. But I have never seen them do Yoga. What does that tell us?

that they lead far more motion-rich lives than we do, and they routinely utilize all of their musculoskeletal function.

We do not, and that is the prime reason we grow stiff, sore, and develop painful joints. So things that DO ask us to use more of our musculoskeletal function (like yoga) are a terrific idea provided we are performing movements we can do in a functional manner. The problem with group classes (and in many private sessions if the instructor is not properly trained) is that we will end up doing movements we can not functionally perform and thus we increase our risk of injury. It's not that the movement was intrinsically bad (in most cases), it's that our body was not prepared to handle that demand.

And that serves as a warning sign alerting you to the fact that there is something your body should be able to do but cannot. At which point you can either accept it or set about improving it.

 

[r2473]

Can someone explain to me why Yoga is needed?

Animals in the wild do plenty of physical activity, and hence never become unfit and obese. But I have never seen them do Yoga. What does that tell us?

That we should either do it doggie style or simply f*ck like rabbits?

 

[sureshs]

Are you serious?? You do know that animals have a totally different muscle structure and physique, not to mention that their species has evolved them to allow them to live in the wild, unlike humans who normally sit around in an office chair all day and eat fatty foods. A bear can hibernate all winter and still have enough muscle power after it wakes up to kill anything in its path.

Take an intermediate or advanced yoga class and tell me that it wasn't one of the most challenging things you've ever done. Yoga stretches you, helps you work own your core, balance, meditation, concentration, etc.

I don't think animals have a "totally different" physique. Otherwise, they would not be so useful in medical research.

Humans sitting in chairs has been in place for a negligible period in evolutionary history.

 

[sureshs]

that they lead far more motion-rich lives than we do, and they routinely utilize all of their musculoskeletal function.

I think that is the correct answer.

We also need to move a lot, and do things like climbing, jogging, etc.

Playing tennis is also good.

If we do all these, then do we still need Yoga?

 

[chrischris]

Can someone explain to me why Yoga is needed?

Animals in the wild do plenty of physical activity, and hence never become unfit and obese. But I have never seen them do Yoga. What does that tell us?

Nothing really.

 

[chrischris]

I went to a yoga class this morning. I have been to yoga maybe twice before and found it a reasonable way to spend an hour but nothing special.

I think I have changed my mind.

The reason I went is because my chiropractor, my PT, my OS and pretty much every medical professional I have met in the last five years has told me I am tight tight tight tight. It is the first thing they say when they examine me.

Well, now I'm dealing with a rhomboid strain, a muscle imbalance, muscle weakness, and nerve irritation that sometimes feels like a cell phone is vibrating inside my arm. My PT suggested yoga. Hence the yoga.

I showed up for the class and introduced myself to the teacher, telling her I was a newbie. Unfortunately, the class was crowded and I had to be right in front with the teacher. I am very, very, very inflexible and tight. That's just the way I roll, but it is embarrassing to have everyone witness it.

This teacher was the best. She kept coming over and giving me extra equipment and little tricks to have better form. After one hour, my arm, shoulder and back felt better than it has in months.

I have only one quibble. The lady next to me kept looking at me with evident disapproval. After a while, she couldn't restrain herself anymore and started correcting me: "Put your weight on the outside of your foot." I thanked her and all, as she was correct. But still. I thought you were supposed to focus on your own deal in yoga. Don't judge me!

I have recruited a friend to do yoga with me, and I can't wait to do it again!

I enjoy it a lot and it has certainly helped my balance and flexibilty. Try Bikram if you can .. the heat and sweat gets you to improve even faster imo.

 

[origmarm]

Try Bikram if you can .. the heat and sweat gets you to improve even faster imo.

Chris what's your take on Bikram as a whole? I'm going to try one next week. Jeebs seems keen on it and it sounds interesting. I've never done anything like that so I can't really compare to regular yoga.

 

[chrischris]

Chris what's your take on Bikram as a whole? I'm going to try one next week. Jeebs seems keen on it and it sounds interesting. I've never done anything like that so I can't really compare to regular yoga.

My take on it is that for me its done wonders. Simple as that. Im a big guy so i think that is a factor that is mostly a disadvantage on court since movem,ent can suffer somewhat. The sessions are longer run like 90 minutes and you tend to really sweat a lot. I bring 3 liters of water.
Its more taxing than regular yoga but in a good way imo.
Be prepared to 'suffer' a bit but the rewards are well worthwhile i think. Enjoy!

 

[Posture Guy]

I think that is the correct answer.

We also need to move a lot, and do things like climbing, jogging, etc.

Playing tennis is also good.

If we do all these, then do we still need Yoga?

The answer to that question would depend on what benefit the person is getting from yoga. if they're doing it to stay stretched and limber, or reasonably conditioned (if doing a more intense form like ashtanga), then probably not.

if they're doing it because they simply enjoy the movements and they just feel good, or perhaps they like the social aspect or maybe the meditative aspect of the movements, then those benefits will still be there.

At Egoscue we don't "do yoga" but we use derivatives of several yoga postures in our exercise library. Bottom line, the more motion-rich a person's daily environment is, the more they can move with ease, grace and without pain or restriction, and the less they need supplement movement to restore postural balance and function. The less motion-rich, the more movement tends to feel restricted or painful, the less efficiently their bodies work, and the more they need supplemental motion.

 

[sureshs]

What is Egoscue?

 

[Posture Guy]

it's a form of therapy that helps people eliminate pain and restore normal joint function using corrective exercises to restore postural balance. I used it as a client after a near fatal car accident to be able to return eventually to tennis. Ended up going through the training and became a practitioner and operator of a clinic, here in Austin Tx.

I'm a big fan of yoga and I recommend it to clients, but I'm not a big fan of classes. Actually, I'm not a big fan of exercises classes in ANY discipline. I said this I think on another thread, but in any class about a third of the people will get great benefit, a third will do just ok, and a third will have a negative experience of some kind, and that's almost irrespective of how good the practitioner or modality is. Just the nature of the thing. Even a terrific instructor can't individualize exercises for limited individuals when she has 15-30 people in a class.

I'm a big fan of yoga with a quality instructor in a one on one setting. It has a LOT of benefits, and has been discussed on this thread, there are varieties of yoga to suit just about everyone.

 

[EP1998]

Chris what's your take on Bikram as a whole? I'm going to try one next week. Jeebs seems keen on it and it sounds interesting. I've never done anything like that so I can't really compare to regular yoga.

I like Bikram. I dont think you can get injured as easily in that although when I went, i felt kind of sick at times from the heat. At my local studio the instructor is quite strict, if she catches you looking at someone else's mat, she will make a comment. I actually like that concept. but it is hard to not look at someone else's mat if you have no idea what you are doing. Maybe the London studios dont have that rule. Anyway, the poses are slow and controlled so the stretching aspect is great. I could see it being very appealing on a rainy London day.

 

[Cindysphinx]

Can someone explain to me why Yoga is needed?

Animals in the wild do plenty of physical activity, and hence never become unfit and obese. But I have never seen them do Yoga. What does that tell us?

I'll give you my take.

I am stiff and inflexible. I was born that way. The first thing PTs and OS's say when they examine me is, "Goodness, you're really tight."

I've never cared. I figure some people are born flexible, but unless you're a gymnast flexibility is kind of a useless trait. Foot speed is useful. Balance is useful. Coordination is useful. Flexibility? Mostly a parlor trick. Heck, I've even wondered if extremely flexible people have more slow twitch muscles and are therefore slow around the track.

Now that I'm old, I feel like I need to work on my flexibility. I don't want to spend the next 50 years struggling to unfold myself. I feel like I have reached the point where I am fighting my own body, and I'm losing. I also feel like extra range of motion would help with a lot of tennis strokes.

I've tried stretching on my own, and it hasn't gone well. I get bored and wander off, and I never get anywhere. So I will try yoga.

 

[Posture Guy]

Cindy, you keep calling yourself "old". Just how old are you? I'm 50 and I'm nowhere near old. Age is a mindset to a very large degree. I've seen on a number of threads where you seem to experience a lot of different issues. With my clients, I see a huge correlation between how they view their bodies and how their bodies perform. Those who feel they are still youthful and vibrant (which you can be at ANY age) have a MUCH better physical experience than those who look at the passage of another year on the calendar and say "dang, I'm old, guess I'm going to break down."

re being born stiff and inflexible, to a large degree that is absolutely false. Have you ever seen a "stiff and inflexible" baby? Ever? Our birthright is to have bodies that can perfectly support us in the movements of our choice. Now, some people are inherently more flexible than others, especially if we're talking hips. Some people have relatively shallower hip sockets (the acetabulum) and that leads to a more mobile hip, some have deeper sockets which leads to more stability but less mobility. I'm of the latter variety. I've never been able to do a full lotus position, for example. My mom enrolled me in a yoga class when I was 10 and I couldn't do it then, can't do it now.

So there IS that kind of intrinsic limitation. But in terms of being tight and inflexible overall? No. In my clinical experience, chronic and significant inflexibility is a problem that can be remedied. Usually the problem is twofold. First, the person isn't moving enough so they've lost postural balance. If a joint is out of position, then the muscles that attach to it are under duress.

Think about someone who complains about "tight hamstrings". They stretch and stretch and stretch and never get anywhere. Why does that happen? Were they "born that way"? No. In many cases, the problem is their pelvic position. Imagine looking at someone from a side view and their belt line slopes significantly down to their front, so that the back of their pelvis is higher than the front of it. Well, the hamstrings attach to the bottom of your pelvis. So what is this posture doing to you? It's putting your hamstrings into a constant state of being elongated (stretched). So now the person tries to stretch a muscle that is already being CONSTANTLY stretched and they wonder why good things aren't happening. The problem isn't that the hamstrings need more stretching, they are being stretched constantly. The problem is what the hamstrings attach to is fundamentally mispositioned. Fix that, and now the hamstrings work as designed.

In terms of the body's ability to feel and function as designed, postural balance and alignment is one of the key determinants. Mispositioned joints can't work as designed, and they adversely impact the ability of the muscles that attach to them to function properly.

the other variable I see that impacts people feeling 'tight and inflexible' is diet. Often they're eating diets that are producing systemic inflammatory responses in their body. We clean that up and life often gets WAY better.

re your statement that flexibility is "mostly a parlor trick", depends on what you mean. If you mean extreme examples of flexibility, like a person who can bend at the hip and put an ankle behind their head, then yes, I agree. And you're on the right track in thinking there is a price they pay for that. Every joint strikes a balance between mobility and stability. The person who is hypermobile is usually unstable. I've worked with a LOT of yoga instructors who developed serious stability issues. But normal flexibility, the ability to move a joint through it's normal design range of motion, is absolutely no parlor trick and is a very important aspect of musculoskeletal health. If you lack it in certain important joint structures, it's a great idea to work on it. So from what you've described, yoga sounds like a good choice for you in the hands of the right practitioner.

I honestly doubt you're "old", and I certainly don't believe you were born with a dysfunctional body. But if those are beliefs you choose to embrace, I wish you all the best with them.

 

[FastFreddy]

The only dudes doing yoga are married dudes with 3-4 kids not getting any do yoga for a cheap thrill. They go check out some hot chicks and dudes for the married bi dudes on the down low. Iam sure some dudes are doing it for one reason like Will Farell was on the SNL show.

 

[autumn_leaf]

The only dudes doing yoga are married dudes with 3-4 kids not getting any do yoga for a cheap thrill. They go check out some hot chicks and dudes for the married bi dudes on the down low. Iam sure some dudes are doing it for one reason like Will Farell was on the SNL show.

i'm 22 yo and male... i actually started doing it when it was apart of the 90x workout and i took a class during college.

any other stereotypes you want me to break?

 

[FastFreddy]

Joke

i'm 22 yo and male... i actually started doing it when it was apart of the 90x workout and i took a class during college.

any other stereotypes you want me to break?

I don't make this sh** up I just call as I see them. Your doing P90x workout enuff said.

 

[sureshs]

I'll give you my take.

I am stiff and inflexible. I was born that way. The first thing PTs and OS's say when they examine me is, "Goodness, you're really tight."

I've never cared. I figure some people are born flexible, but unless you're a gymnast flexibility is kind of a useless trait. Foot speed is useful. Balance is useful. Coordination is useful. Flexibility? Mostly a parlor trick. Heck, I've even wondered if extremely flexible people have more slow twitch muscles and are therefore slow around the track.

Now that I'm old, I feel like I need to work on my flexibility. I don't want to spend the next 50 years struggling to unfold myself. I feel like I have reached the point where I am fighting my own body, and I'm losing. I also feel like extra range of motion would help with a lot of tennis strokes.

I've tried stretching on my own, and it hasn't gone well. I get bored and wander off, and I never get anywhere. So I will try yoga.

So you and Djokovic are the two extremes in flexibility. While his RA is 51, yours is 70.

 

[autumn_leaf]

I don't make this sh** up I just call as I see them. Your doing P90x workout enuff said.

i don't get your point at all. also i stopped the 90x program within 30 days, i found it too repetitive on certain muscle groups and did mostly the poly and yoga.

it is true that i see few men do yoga, but that might just be how it is perceived in western society, maybe it would be different in other cultures.

 

[r2473]

i don't get your point at all.

Freddy has been quite forthcoming about his size, bf%, and the fact that he has not used drugs to achieve this. According to him, he is about the same height as Clancy Ross was, but has exceeded Clancy's size while having (and maintaining year round) these championship bf levels that competitors had in that era (so around 8%). Now, if you don't know, Clancy is regarded as one of the top natural bodybuilders of all time. But yet our very own little Freddy has beaten this guy, seemingly without even trying. Because he is also pretty much Lance Armstrong on the bike and god only knows what else (I seem to recall that he is pretty much Wayne Gretzky as well). Good on ya Freddy!!

Not only that, he takes time to criticize sixftlion, stating that she most certainly used drugs to achieve her competition verified championship build.

In short, the guy is like any delusional POS you meet in internet forums or bench pressing in the gym for hours at a time. He pretty much knows it all.

So year round, Freddy looks something like this (while riding bike like Lance Armstrong)......and doing it all without ever having used PED's of any sort.

 

[maleyoyo]

Can someone explain to me why Yoga is needed?

Animals in the wild do plenty of physical activity, and hence never become unfit and obese. But I have never seen them do Yoga. What does that tell us?

Yoga is invented by human, the same with supplements, diets and what not. People say that if you manage a well-balanced diet, you shouldn’t need supplements, and moderation is the key for dieting. By the same logic, if you take better care of yourself, you don’t need no yoga.
It’s a human thing.

 

[Joe Average]

I don't recall anyone stating that yoga was needed.

There was a very good episode of "King of the Hill" where Hank, because of severe back pain, takes up yoga as a last resort. Johnny Depp lends his voice to that of the flakey yoga instructor. And there's the cultural collision. To make the idea of yoga more palatable to both himself and his friends, Hank renames some of the yoga poses: the warrior pose, for instance, is renamed, "The Roger Staubach."

I took up yoga a few months ago. I was starting to feel tightness in my hips and feared that I would wind up like people we know as "dad" and "granddad" and need a hip replacement. So ... being old enough to have been alive in the 60s and 70s, I had no inhibitions about yoga. I bought one video, which I won't name because it's sold by a retailer close and dear to us, but I didn't like it all. So I bought one by Kathy Smith. Now, yoga people will say that this isn't yoga, that Kathy is an aerobics instructor. True, but she put out a pretty good video. And, besides, I simply wanted to get to know the various poses before -- if I felt so compelled -- taking a class. Anyway, months later, practicing an average of four times a week, no pain or even tightness in my hips. No back trouble from "sleeping on the wrong side of the bed."

When I told a friend of mine, who also does yoga, that I was having trouble getting into the bow pose, he said that was too bad, because he found the pose very good for easing hemorrhoids. I scoffed at that. But, after a few weeks, I did manage to learn the bow pose ... and, you know, my friend may be right! So, yes, the body is getting more flexible. And this is a good thing. I still can't do the wheel pose. But I haven't given up trying. Maybe some of you big strong men who dismiss yoga can show us how it's done.

Seriously. Don't just try it for the sake of showing me up. You can hurt yourself!

 

[Cindysphinx]

Cindy, you keep calling yourself "old". Just how old are you? I'm 50 and I'm nowhere near old. Age is a mindset to a very large degree.

I am also 50, and yes, I feel old.

What is "old?" Well, if you define it as being on life support, then I'm not old.

If you define "old" as, "Able to think of a whole lot of physical things I used to be able to do that I can no longer do but wish I could still do," then yes, I am old.

My sprint speeds are the slowest they have ever been -- it is getting hard to call them "sprints." I can no longer run 10 miles -- my knees and feet can't handle it. My pushup form is getting sad. If I try anything knew, I will probably hurt myself. The list is getting longer every day, and it has accelerated in the last couple of years.

I could wish all of this away with happy thoughts, but I think it makes more sense to just accept it. No more singles -- I keep getting hurt. No more 8.0 mixed -- too demanding. No more running longer than an hour, no more pushing if something hurts.

re being born stiff and inflexible, to a large degree that is absolutely false. Have you ever seen a "stiff and inflexible" baby? Ever? Our birthright is to have bodies that can perfectly support us in the movements of our choice. Now, some people are inherently more flexible than others, especially if we're talking hips.

I dunno.

I think time takes its toll. Maybe all babies are flexible, but we can tell who will make an elite gymnast very early on. I don't see why all joints should be able to support us perfectly in the movement of our choice when other body parts (eyes, ears, digestive system, etc.) do not perform uniformly or perfectly.

So there IS that kind of intrinsic limitation. But in terms of being tight and inflexible overall? No. In my clinical experience, chronic and significant inflexibility is a problem that can be remedied.

Why is it so hard to believe that someone is tight and inflexible overall due to intrinsic limitation? People have lots of intrinsic limitations. I would imagine flexibility is a bell curve like many other things. I am on the tail end of that curve. Someone has to be.

Can my flexibility be "remedied"? Probably not. Can my flexibility be improved a small amount, an amount that will feel very beneficial to me? Yes, maybe. Through yoga, I hope.

 

[onehandbh]

This yoga instructor is pretty "hands on." One of his strong points is that
he really goes out of his way to makes sure his studio has a quiet
ambiance. Check out his video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0LxzYxox8Q

 

[sureshs]

I don't have time for both tennis and yoga.

 

[sureshs]

I am also 50, and yes, I feel old.

I am 3 years younger, but in the best shape of my life. My tennis has been the best it ever was, and my endurance and stamina (due to my tennis) are also the best they ever where.

Mentally though, I am very old. But that is due to the sad state of the world, not me.

 

[FastFreddy]

Wtf

Freddy has been quite forthcoming about his size, bf%, and the fact that he has not used drugs to achieve this. According to him, he is about the same height as Clancy Ross was, but has exceeded Clancy's size while having (and maintaining year round) these championship bf levels that competitors had in that era (so around 8%). Now, if you don't know, Clancy is regarded as one of the top natural bodybuilders of all time. But yet our very own little Freddy has beaten this guy, seemingly without even trying. Because he is also pretty much Lance Armstrong on the bike and god only knows what else (I seem to recall that he is pretty much Wayne Gretzky as well). Good on ya Freddy!!

Not only that, he takes time to criticize sixftlion, stating that she most certainly used drugs to achieve her competition verified championship build.

In short, the guy is like any delusional POS you meet in internet forums or bench pressing in the gym for hours at a time. He pretty much knows it all.

So year round, Freddy looks something like this (while riding bike like Lance Armstrong)......and doing it all without ever having used PED's of any sort.

Sounds like you are delusional if you think any bodybuiders are natural! I have aleast 8 friensa who done "natural" shows and I went to a few of them and I can tell you first hand these people are juiced. The pros train more and and take more but all these natural bodybuilders have done aleast one cycle. They would calim I never juiced once one cycle at 15 yeah right. First they use to deny then they were gentically gifted now it was one cycle at 15 what a bunch of crap.

Lance will say I never tested postive since he is doing genetic doping and is always one step ahead. What year is this pic? roids have been around since the 1920's so I doubt he is natural look at his low bf and tons of muscle. You can't be big and lean unless you are roided up or test hgh. If you ever met me you would be singing a different tune since I can back up in person anything I have said.PS: Iam not lance since I am not on peds and put out 375watts for 30 mins. As far as sixftlion goes she knows the truth, she said she was natural but took diuretics go figure. I will and never said I know it all but I know alot about, weightlifting, fitness training, hockey, cycling, running, squash, tennis, drag racing, bowling,

 

[r2473]

http://www.anabolicsmall.com/roida3a.htm

http://www.iron-age-classic-bodybuilding.com/clancy_ross.html

At a height of 5'9" Clancy competed at weights ranging from 185-200lbs.

His physique is impressive even by today's standards and is one of the best of the pre steroid era.

Ross competed in the 40's and early 50's. So, unless he was a super genius making this **** himself, I'm going to say he was natural. I'm sure if he could have been "not natural" he sure as **** would have been, but it really wasn't an option. Further, these guys competed at ~8%. The stats I have on Ross say his competition was 8.5%.

My point Freddy, is that you are claiming 8% and I seem to recall you saying you are ~205 lbs. and 5' 9" or 5' 10", making you actually larger than Ross and slightly leaner.

"If you saw me in person"........Well Freddy just post a pic of your drug-free Clancy Ross build.

I'm not debating the use us steroids in BB'ing (or pretty much all sports. They all have their PED of choice). I'm simply saying that you overestimate yourself GREATLY. I can say this just by knowing what championship drug free stats are and assuming that you are not championship caliber. Either that or you are just humble as **** and like to just "keep it to yourself". But you don't seem like the humble type Freddy. Which means you are a blow hard delusional internet loud mouth POS.

What I'm hearing from you Freddy, is something like this.

1) Ross (considered by many to be one of the very best natural body builders in history) is not natural. He had to have take steroids.

2) However, his stats are actually SMALLER than what you claim to be. He is both carrying less size and he has a higher COMPETITION bf%....something you walk around with every day of the week.

3) So one of the greatest of all time NEEDED steroids to achieve a build that is inferior to what you have built drug free.

4) Finally, Ross had to live and breathe this stuff. Devote his life to it. You did it seemingly "in your spare time" when you weren't playing tennis, hockey, cycling, etc. at a high level.

Man Freddy. Some guys just got it I guess. Seems amazing nobody knows who the f*ck you are. By rights you should be an international celebrity. A true genetic freak.

.....and since when do diuretics make you not natural? Does that mean anyone that needs to loosen their bowls is "jucing"? My Granny is jucing? OK, if this is the standard of "natural" I doubt many people in the world are natural. Well, except you of course.

My overall point by the way is that, while you are criticizing others, you may want to take a hard look at yourself and ask if you can face telling yourself the truth. You may not be quite as great as you think. Not that you will ever believe this. Somehow you will be able to rationalize all of this in your head. But it doesn't make you right. It just makes you delusional.

 

[Posture Guy]

cindy....50 is young.

I don't think either 'thinking happy thoughts' or 'just accepting is' makes a lick of sense. I think you're experiencing what you're experiencing for reasons I see EVERY DAY in my clinic. The more one loses postural balance, the more they have the exact complaints that you have. Mispositioned joints can't possibly function as they are designed to do. Properly positioned joints can function exactly as they are designed to do, regardless of age. I have clients in their 70s who run, and clients in their 20s who can't. Age has NOTHING to do with it. It's not the condition of your body, it's the position.

I hope yoga gives you what you are looking for, but my advice to you would be to absolutely not accept aging as meaning one must necessarily and inexorably decline. It's just not true.

 

[catfish]

cindy....50 is young.

I don't think either 'thinking happy thoughts' or 'just accepting is' makes a lick of sense. I think you're experiencing what you're experiencing for reasons I see EVERY DAY in my clinic. The more one loses postural balance, the more they have the exact complaints that you have. Mispositioned joints can't possibly function as they are designed to do. Properly positioned joints can function exactly as they are designed to do, regardless of age. I have clients in their 70s who run, and clients in their 20s who can't. Age has NOTHING to do with it. It's not the condition of your body, it's the position.

I hope yoga gives you what you are looking for, but my advice to you would be to absolutely not accept aging as meaning one must necessarily and inexorably decline. It's just not true.

I wish I could go to your clinic, but I'm on the east coast. Sigh. After some visits to a very good physical therapist this summer, I believe what you are saying. I went to the PT for a herniated cervical disc, but he corrected some other misalignments and I got instant results. I was amazed.

 

[Cindysphinx]

Posture Guy, what kind of clinic do you have? Chiropractic?

As for age having "nothing" to do with whether someone can run . . .

To me, that is like saying that Roger Federer can be in the top ten in tennis at 30, but my 14 year old son can barely hit a ball. Therefore we can conclude that age has nothing to do with tennis ability.

I'm sorry, but I cannot buy this at all. I don't understand how anyone can seriously deny the benefits of youth.

 

[Posture Guy]

catfish......you have options. Feel free to email me if you'd like to know more. A herniated cervical disc is sending a pretty clear message that, barring some kind of trauma that caused the issue, your spine is out of position. Temporary therapy can absolutely help but you want to be sure you've corrected the core problem that caused the disc to herniate in the first place. I'm happy to give you suggestions on how to do that if you'd like to contact me directly.

cindy.....I may not have been clear and if so I apologize. Obviously aging DOES take a toll. But I believe we give aging WAY too much credit. Was I faster at 16 than I am now? Yes. Did I recover faster then? Sure. There are absolutely physiological changes that happen as we age.

But here's the key point to understand: those changes do NOT necessarily mean you have to hurt and be limited as you age. But we've been conditioned by the mainstream medical machine and the media to expect and accept that, and to thus embrace expensive diagnostic and palliative care. Play tennis and have aching knees? Well just get on Aleve for the rest of your life. Or start researching knee replacements. Ridiculous.

The foundation for ALL musculoskeletal function is postural balance. Period. If you've lost postural balance your body simply cannot work as it is designed to work. Joints will articulate with many times the normal friction load they are designed to withstand, and thus they will break down.

People say arthritis is an inevitable aspect of aging. I have never once seen arthritis in a properly positioned, normally-used joint regardless of age. I was in a near-fatal car wreck about 20 years ago. Went from 70 mph to 0 in less than a second. Was in PT 6 days a week for almost two years trying to get my body back and was told I would never run again, never play tennis again, and the arthritic change in my spine would be so severe that I would likely be in a wheelchair by the time I was 50 or 60. 6 years later I found the modality I now practice and a year later I was playing tennis again, pain free. I had a spinal xray a few months ago when I turned 50 just to see what it showed. No sign of arthritic change anywhere in my spine. None.

Don't accept and expect physical deterioration simply because you flipped another page on the calendar. Aging is far less a product of the passage of time, and far more a result of our daily habits consistently applied.

If you want to learn more about what I do you can click on my profile. If you'd like to learn more about the importance of postural balance, this is the book I started with that set me on the path to now do what I do professionally. And if I can answer any questions please feel free to email me, I'm happy to do that.

 

[Cindysphinx]

I don't think that arthritis is inevitable. Nor is obesity. Nor is diabetes.

I think these things are associated with age, and although are preventable to a large extent, it becomes increasingly difficult to fight them as we age.

I did click on your profile, and I see that you are a "postural therapist." Is that a chiropractor or something else? What does one have to do to be come a postural therapist?

Cindy -- who bought new yoga capris today because she was boiling in her yoga pants the last time

 

[Posture Guy]

Cindy....if you'd like to learn more about what I do, I would suggest going to our web site and exploring there (the URL is in my profile), or buying the book I referenced above, or emailing me directly so we don't take this thread any more off topic.

We are not chiropractors. Think of it as teaching your body how to become its own chiropractor.

 

[sureshs]

I don't think that arthritis is inevitable. Nor is obesity. Nor is diabetes.

I think these things are associated with age, and although are preventable to a large extent, it becomes increasingly difficult to fight them as we age.

I did click on your profile, and I see that you are a "postural therapist." Is that a chiropractor or something else? What does one have to do to be come a postural therapist?

Cindy -- who bought new yoga capris today because she was boiling in her yoga pants the last time

Many things are inevitable due to genetics

 

[Posture Guy]

genetics also gets way too much credit.

the science of epigenetics has revealed some very cool information. More important than the genetic information is the environment in which the genes are housed, the overall petri dish of our bodies. It has become very clear that we can absolutely change the way genes express based on exogenous environmental input.

 

[Cindysphinx]

Cindy....if you'd like to learn more about what I do, I would suggest going to our web site and exploring there (the URL is in my profile), or buying the book I referenced above, or emailing me directly so we don't take this thread any more off topic.

We are not chiropractors. Think of it as teaching your body how to become its own chiropractor.

Um . . . I didn't want to do any actual *work.*

I was just curious.