How the???? Intu Flow Report and questions.

[StuMcD]

Hi All,

A few months back, my recovery from my ruptured disk progressed to the point where I was able to start working on joint mobility again. I still need to be quite gentle with my hips and lower back but believe I have progressed to the point where I believe I should be working on the advanced level of Intu after 4 or so months of daily practice.

Anyway, today I gave the advanced level a crack. Usually when I change I find the new exercises very difficult to begin with and it feels like ages until I get them. This time:

1. Neck No probs at all. (Thankyou third exercise level 2 for fixing me up)

2. Shoulder Rolls. A fair bit of tension today but that is to be expected after going ballistic yesterday. Technique wise, not too bad at all.

3. Shoulder Swings. Here is where I came unstuck. I couldn't even begin to co-ordinate the left-right and front-back exercises.

First question: Does anyone have any tips or could someone suggest an exercise progression so I can pick these arm movements up or should I just persist and work slowly with the DVD?

4. Elbows. Few probs. Skills learned in WWII both helped and hindered here. Will have to work a little on the thumb/pinkie finger alignment during the exercises.

5. Wrists. I still carry a bit of tension here and am hoping the new movements will open up my wrists a little.

5. Fingers. Not exactly smooth but ok.

6. Arm Waves. Couldn't make this work off the bat but I can tell I will get them with a little practice. Looks like fun once you've got it.

7. Chest. No probs here. The figure 8's are rather fun.

9. Pelvic-Lumbar. Surprisingly, this one was quite good. This area has received the bulk of my attention lately and I was able to move quite well.

10. Spinal. Again a surprise. On level 2, my Pelvic is better than my Spinal. On level 3, the opposite seems to be the case. All up, not too bad.

11. Legs. No probs coordination wise but I do have problems with a couple of ranges of movement due to my back. These are getting better and I'm hoping the new angles from the advanced level will help me address these problems.

12. 4C.B.D. At the moment it feels like I will never be able to do this. I can barely make the transitions between the movements with my hand in place on the extended foot and it feels as though my arms are at full stretch even though my leg needs to extend another 6 inches or so.

Second line of questioning:
Does anyone have any tips or a progression I can use to get this or is persistence the key? Should I hold my leg further back and straighten it to work on this exercise or should I leave it bent and work on the edge of comfort that way?

I am not currently practicing the rest of Intu-Flow® as my lower back rehab exercises eat up the rest of my time.

All input greatfully received.
Cheers,
Stu.

[JasonE]

Stu -

On the exercises where you are encountering difficulty, step down a level in your practice... all the way to Basic if necessary. Sometimes I will do Basic - Intermediate - Advanced (less reps at each level) all in one go. This seems to help open the ROM, reassociate the coordination (if I have previously owned the movement), and finally allow me to continue at my accustomed level.

If you have not previously owned the movement at an Advanced level, be sure you have the prior levels mastered before attempting it. The same principle applies to all of the movements and to the 4CBD.

If you owned the movement prior to your injury but have not performed it at that level since, go back to Basic level and make sure you have recovered that. If so, next try the Intermediate and be sure to have recovered that. And so on...

Glad to hear you've progressed so far in your recovery! Don't let impatience get the better of you now. You're well along, and this is the time to celebrate where you are at compared to a few months ago.

[rutherford]

Other people have have good success grabbing their ankles or calves on the 4CBD to begin a progression to the advanced level.

Have fun!

[Coach Gostnell]

it feels as though my arms are at full stretch even though my leg needs to extend another 6 inches or so.

Hi Stu,
I had the same problem. I still got much better at the 4CBD for awhile, but then hit a plateau. I would be holding my ankle or heel, but my knee was not straightening out those last few inches.

Second line of questioning:
Does anyone have any tips or a progression I can use to get this or is persistence the key? Should I hold my leg further back and straighten it to work on this exercise or should I leave it bent and work on the edge of comfort that way?

Finally bit the bullet, went back to basic level and focused on always keeping the knee straight.

Other people have have good success grabbing their ankles or calves on the 4CBD to begin a progression to the advanced level.

Once I got rigorous in my practice with it - using the progession Jason Bell mentioned above - in a very short time, I saw great improvement - I'm able to rest the heel lightly on my hand while elevating it higher all the time, and still keep the knee straight, as well as move reasonably smoothly (most days! :wink: ) through the 4 Corners.

[StuMcD]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all your advice.

Stu -
On the exercises where you are encountering difficulty, step down a level in your practice... all the way to Basic if necessary.

I have checked and have had someone watch me perform my Intu-Flow®. In the case of the shoulder swings, I had never reached advanced level before but I really do own the intermediate.

In the case of the 4CBD, your advice has been most useful. I have decided that I will create a level 2.5 and perhaps grip behind my knee and work my way down from there.

Glad to hear you've progressed so far in your recovery! Don't let impatience get the better of you now. You're well along, and this is the time to celebrate where you are at compared to a few months ago.

Yes it's awesome. I won't be doing spinal rocks or triangling or armbarring anyone from my back anytime soon but I am training again which is nice. My therapist says that he is in awe of both the speed of my recovery and my ability to move even when things were really bad. Apart from a little stiffness upon waking and an inability to sit for more than about half an hour at a time I am leading a pretty normal life again. (Well apart from weird hobbies like CST and MMA )

Thanks again for your post Jason, I really appreciate the time you have put in to responding to quite a few of my posts in my time here.

Hi Jason B and Jeanne,

I have given this a go and feel like I can better control the tension by grabbing my heel as I am supposed to and keeping a gentle tension on my leg. YMMV. I think though that I might start playing a little more with my 4CBD and experiment with different holds.
Thanks for the post
Stu.

[JasonE]

Glad to be of help, bro. Thanks for sharing your challenges and your successes with the rest of us.

[KD Jones]

Finally bit the bullet, went back to basic level and focused on always keeping the knee straight.

Pure golden advice. I recently hit a spot like that with relation to a hip problem. Had to have it suggested by a friend (thanks Brian) before I was willing to do it.

I'm still really trying to incorporate what Coach Sonnon says in the FlowFit® DVD: "if you in increase the pressure one pound a day, I guarantee you you'll be going faster than you ever will if you jump ahead." (Paraphrase)