Gladwell

Several weeks ago I finished reading The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.  If you’re a regular reader of my blog you’ll know that I love his stuff and this is no exception.  I’m just finishing up his newest book What the Dog Saw which is a collection of shorter articles that he’s written for the New Yorker over the years.

 
Most interesting was an article which talked about the fact that women in North America have about 400 periods in a lifetime whereas women in some tribal cultures have as few as 100.  In other words, the average number in a year is 7, but women have been lead to believe that they need to have one per month to be healthy.  You might guess that the birth control pill has something to do with this, but it is interesting to see how religion also plays a role and how all of these changes may have to do with the incidence of breast Cancer. 

 
Gladwell also has an article on homelessness, the Enron scandal, why people choke in pressure situations, and many more.  Of course, if you read Gladwell you know that the subject of the story is usually only a tool to illustrate a point.  The more I read the more I enjoy his stuff.  I’d highly recommend you check it out as many of his points apply to fitness, nutrition, and life in general.

Sahrmann

If you’re a regular reader you’ll also probably know that I’m a Shirley Sahrmann junkie and her book Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes is one of my top 3 books. If you’re in the same boat you’ll be excited to discover that she has a brand new book coming out called Movement Impairment Syndromes of the Extremities, Cervical and Thoracic Spine and Soft Tissues. Apparently if you preorder you can save a few bucks.

Buchberger

I recently had a chance to review the Buchberger 12 by a bright guy named Dale Buchberger.  In essence, the Buchberger 12 is a series of exercises to be performed (6 per day on alternate days) to prevent or eliminate pain in the shoulder.  What I liked was that the exercises were clear and that the muscles targeted by each were thoroughly explained.  The downside, to me at least, was that it was pretty much a shotgun approach to shoulder health with no means to assess and determine which exercises were best for a given condition.  There were also no regressions for those in pain or much in the way of progressions for those moving forward.

In Buchberger’s defence, I’ve seen him speak in person and he’s a really smart guy.  He knows more about the shoulder than I’ll probably ever know.  He also mentions several times on the DVD that you should consult with your treatment professional to ensure you’re doing the right exercises.  Unfortunately, if you ARE the professional, you’re not going to get a lot of information about what to use and when.  If you are an individual in pain, doing the 12 movements may work, but it certainly isn’t the most time efficient way of treating or preventing issues.

Even though I’ve yet to watch it, I am far more apt to consider Eric and Mike’s Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD on the basis that they talk about how to determine what should be done and when.  To me, this is the most critical element.  Moreover, the fact that they provide progressions, regressions, AND how to maintain a training effect while injured is worth its weight in gold.

Z Health

I also recently had the opportunity to check out the Z Health R Phase DVDs and book.  While the book provided a description of what the Z Health drills would do for me and the DVD had incredibly detailed instructions on how to do all of the specific drills there was no way to determine which of the drills would be most useful for me.  Granted, this is an entry level product, and I’m sure there is something to be said for mastering all of the movements involved before moving to specifics, but I’m not a fan of using the shotgun approach for anything as I’m much too busy for this (as I’m sure most people are).  I want to do only the movements that I absolutely need to do and get back to my life.

Perhaps the higher level Z Health products teach these self assessments (or maybe not), but having to purchase a product to see if you’re going to get what you’re hoping for is not exactly my cup of tea.  I’m inherently a sceptic so it isn’t easy with me to part with money with blind faith.

 
I know that there are a few Z practitioners who read this blog (and possibly a few who have purchased these products as well) so it would be cool to hear your input so you can straighten me out.  Maybe I can even get Dr Cobb on here.  What do you think?

NOTE

If there is an affiliate link to a product on this (or any) page on my website it is because I think the product is worth investing your hard earned money on.  I strongly detest those who link to products solely in the interest of dollars.  Moreover, if you choose not to use the link I provide and just buy the product direct from the seller I certainly won’t be offended.