Muscle imbalance and the nervous system

Muscle imbalance is characterized by developing a musculature that is asymmetrical meaning that some muscles may overdevelop while others under develop in relation to one another. You are still experiencing muscle growth, but you are growing at different speeds. A simple method for dealing with this issue maybe to just alter your training program, using a bulk lifting program for under developed areas and lighter weights and more stretching for those areas that are overdeveloped. Your diet cannot target specific spots. Upping your intake will still lead to muscle growth but that growth will remain proportionate. Lowering your intake to lessen over developed areas will also reduce the size of the under developed areas, also proportionally. In other words, a change in diet will cause all muscles to either grow or shrink proportionate to one another leaving you with muscle imbalance.

Muscle Imbalance and the Nervous System

The issue may be deeper though than can be solved by altering your training program and taking corrective steps. Instead you may want to look at how your nervous system is operating.

You have your central nervous system, which is comprised of the brain and the spinal cord. From this originates the peripheral nervous system, which can be understood as branches leading from the trunk of your spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system controls (and receives feedback from) specific parts of our body; some branches will control our arms while others will look after our legs. These branches feed information to different areas exclusively. Those branches controlling our arms cannot also control our legs; similarly they cannot send feedback from different areas to the brain (via the central nervous system).

The branches of the peripheral nervous system pop out between the vertebrae along the spinal column. Here lies the potential for problems. If the vertebrae are too close and pinch a branch of the peripheral nervous system then communication between the spinal column / brain and the extremities of our body as well as other organs can be cut off. Indeed, if there is damage anywhere along the branch then the feedback loop is broken. The brain cannot send messages, nor can it receive input from areas beyond where the damage has occurred.

At the very top of the spinal column at the junction with the brain is the vertebrae known informally as the Atlas, so-called because it holds everything up. The Atlas floats. It is not locked into place as are the other vertebrae. If there are any problems with the Atlas vertebrae then your entire body can become severely messed up. Your brain is no longer able to communicate effectively with any other part of your body.

Now imagine that your Atlas is positioned in a suboptimal way; that it only allows reduced communication between one muscle group on one side of the body but full communication with the corresponding muscle group on the opposite side of the body. The brain, given the reduced ability to communicate with one muscle, will be impaired in sending messages and receiving feedback. This in turn will lead to irregularities in the growth of that particular muscle. Furthermore the brain is continually trying to achieve symmetry but because it is misreading the information from one muscle group the messages it is sending to other parts of the body (where it is trying to achieve symmetry) will also become skewed as these other muscles are trying to become symmetrical with a muscle that is no longer growing the way it should be (but the brain doesn’t know this owing to the poorly positioned Atlas). The result is warped growth.

So, if corrective strategies to create muscle balance continue to fail then you may want to look into checking if your nervous system is fully functioning. A chiropractor may be all you need here. If the problem of muscle imbalance persists then look at finding an Atlas Orthogonal / NUCCA practitioner.

Shorinji Kempo

Shorinji Kempo is a wholly Japanese striking art, unlike Karate whose origins lie in Okinawa prior to influence from the mainland. That said, the claims of pedigree of Shorinji border on the fantastical, claiming a wholly Chinese influence from no less an institute than the Shaolin temple and a lineage traceable back to Bodhidharma. This figure is of huge importance to East Asian martial traditions. He was an Indian Buddhist that introduced a form of his religion into China that would amalgamate with Taoism and later be transmitted to Japan and take the name Zen. He is also widely reported to have introduced the earliest systematized martial arts from his homeland into the Shaolin Temple in order to keep monks in good physical shape, his techniques being first understood as a system of calisthenics (this is not in fact true and originates from the Shaolin Temple itself who sought to legitimize their practices).

Though it is highly unlikely that these claims will ever be verified, nevertheless Shorinji Kempo does keep to the spirit of the romantic notions of the origins of East Asian fighting arts and preaches non-confrontation and a spiritual path along with combat techniques should all else fail. Shorinji is the Japanese term for Shaolin temple, while Kempo refers to an unarmed fighting method. These terms are rather lazily applied to give credence to a long history of the art, when in fact the techniques employed, despite the title, bear closer resemblance to the strikes of karate, the locks of aikido and the throws of judo than strictly Chinese arts. The art was founded by Doshin So, a Japanese national that traveled through China in the period before the Second World War, learning Kempo. Upon his return he systematized the techniques that he learned and created Shorinji Kempo. While certain Japanese nationals did learn Chinese kung fu in the pre-war years, it should be considered that Japan pursued an aggressive foreign policy in mainland China from 1931 onwards, including the infamous Rape of Nanking. Distrust and mounting xenophobia on the part of the Chinese would make it seem unlikely that a direct transmission of historical, secret techniques would have been made to foreigners identified as colonizers, if indeed such combat methodologies were even still known. Reference to the histories of other arts suggests very strongly that Japan’s imperialistic intentions would have been more likely to drive fighting arts underground.

Shorinji Kempo and Diamond Zen

However, the overt acceptance and promotion of religious undertones is what separates Shorinji Kempo from other fighting arts, with a pronounced emphasis being placed on the spiritual aspects of training. That said, in typical Japanese fashion, the spiritual message is very confused and borrows widely from different religions to create a basic message that self-understanding leading to unity and brotherhood will save mankind. Central to the teaching is Kongo Zen, or Diamond Zen. This new form of Zen holds that reality as we perceive it is an invention of our imagination, along with morality, guilt, fear and so on. Man, instead, must gain knowledge of a deeper ideal where true morality and knowledge can be found. This essentially puts the responsibility of the development of mankind in the hand’s of man himself. As is common in Japan, there is a general uneasiness in trusting a deity, however supreme he may be, that is understood to be divorced from the individual.

Shorinji Kempo then is a reflection of Kongo Zen, a way of communicating and expressing the message understood through meditative practice. Physically this is achieved through the practice of pair work where each participant helps the other to better function, without either quelling the others individuality. In this manner strikes, kicks, locks and throws are all practiced with the intention of training not only the body for combat, but the mind and spirit in harmonizing with another. The art was originally intended also to be non-competitive, though recent years have seen an increase in tournament fighting.

Though not touted as the most effective martial art for fighting, Shorinji Kempo is nevertheless concerned with both the protection of self and the protection of society. The combat doctrine is therefore mainly defensive in nature but potentially violent. If called upon to fight, the master will employ a series of techniques very similar in appearance to those of other methods popular in Japan: Aikido, Judo and Karate. In fact a strong point of this art is that it does not concentrate on one range only of combat, and employs kicks, punches, locks and throws. However, groundwork is lacking from the range of techniques employed.

Pankration

Pankration originated in Greece and is widely held to be the forerunner of all martial arts. It is certainly the oldest art yet discovered with a corpus of recorded techniques, at least in the West. The Indian art of Kalaripayattu may well be older though an alternative theory is that Alexander brought the art to India from where it spread into China, Japan and Korea.

Pankration in the Olympics

Like other events that made up the roster of games in the ancient Olympics, Pankration was a warrior skill first, used by the Greeks on the battlefields of yesteryear if, like their Asian cousins, a soldier should ever find himself without a weapon. In the Olympics (introduced as an event in 648 B.C.) it became a competitive, if brutal, sport in which highly trained competitors sought to better their peers. Apart from biting and gouging, the art was effectively a no-holds barred fighting style, though we can surmise that certainly gouging would have been part of the arsenal of techniques used against an enemy in life-or-death combat.

Many of the techniques practiced in the art are similar to those found in Asian fighting methods (again, note the theory that the art may have been adopted in India from where it spread to China). Whether this is because of a direct influence or the finite number of ways punches, kicks and locks can be applied, thus leading to repetition, has yet to be established. Other similarities do exist, such as the striking of weak points of the body, the importance of balance and the use of a shout to both energize the practitioner and scare the opponent. Experts were even known to publicly smash rocks to demonstrate their skill, a practice replicated in many Asian arts.

The style is a complete martial art in that it does not specialize in one aspect of unarmed defense but teaches techniques at all ranges, from kicking to groundwork, thus betraying its roots in classical Greek boxing and wrestling. Utilizing low kicks, vicious punches, jarring elbow strikes and sweeps, the pankratiast would hammer an opponent to the floor, attack the other in a prone position, then grapple to force a submission. On the battlefield any such strangle holds or joint locks would have been fully executed, resulting in death, paralysis or very serious injury. These skills were, and still are, developed by shadow boxing combined with heavy body conditioning and a lot of sparring. Sparring can take two forms: concentrating on striking or focusing on grappling. Training today is far, far less bloody and makes use of contemporary scientific knowledge to enhance training methods. That said, Pankration remains a highly effective art. The modern day version of this art is the result of academic inquiry into its origins and does not exist as the end result of being passed down from successive teacher to student relations.

There are hopes that one-day soon a sanitized form of the art will once more grace the list of events in the Olympic games.

BJJ solo training

BJJ solo training is an important element in Andre Galvao's regimen. Galvao is regarded as being one of the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitors in its history. He is a multiple BJJ world champion at different belt levels and has now transitioned into mixed martial arts. He is also an instructor and author of the book Drill to Win. In the video below he offers some insight into how he approaches training by himself. The drills and ideas are applicable to any form of grappling.

BJJ Solo Training Main Points

* Andre Galvao trains to get a submission.

* Rope work (without the aid of using the legs) builds both phenomenal upper body strength and improves the grip, vital for BJJ.

* Do stamina work after the main workout. Practice technique first when you are fresh then move onto conditioning when you are fully warmed up. Practicing technique when you are tired can lead to developing poor form.

* The application of force in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will not always be equal (unlike when lifting weights). Sometimes your right arm will be exerting more force than your left arm and vice versa. This will affect your core strength and balance too in different ways. (See Ultimate Warrior Workouts for more information on this and why partner training is so important to replicate the asymmetrical application of force in a fight or tournament).

* Work on loosening and strengthening the hips. The correct use of hips is as crucial in BJJ as it is in other martial arts.

* Train to build explosive strength and movement.

* Andre Galvao applies the idea of looking for a submission in a tournament to his wider life. The same can be said for the concepts of timing, efficiency and so on.

Muay Thai

The origins of Muay Thai lie in the predecessor battlefield art of Krabi Krabong. This art encapsulated both weapons and unarmed fighting techniques and was practiced by the warriors of Siam (now Thailand). This battlefield art can still be studied today though it is far less popular than its sporting child.

More contemporary than Krabi Krabong is Muay Boran. Muay Boran is a generic term meaning Ancient Boxing and represents an evolutionary step between Krabi Krabong and Muay Thai. While some techniques were banned over the centuries (groin kicks, gouges, hair pulling and so forth) head butting was allowed (note that head butting is still allowed in Lethwei), which is banned in the modern sport version. Other Thai Boxing arts such as Lerdrit ('Extreme Power', the art used by the Royal Thai Army) were developed from Muay Boran.

Muay Thai and Muay Boran

One of the most interesting anecdotes in the history of Thai Boxing occurred during the heyday of Muay Boran. During the Burmese invasion of Siam in the mid eighteenth century a group of Thai were taken prisoner in a village and sent back to Burma where they awaited their fate. Hsinbyushin, the Burmese King, organized a festival in which various performances would be given, including a display of a Thai boxer against a Burmese Lethwei expert. A man named Nai Khanom Tom was selected to represent the Thais and he quickly demolished his opponent. He next faced nine more opponents and quickly defeated them with no rest periods in between. In return Hsinbyushin granted Nai Khanom Tom his freedom (along with the other captives according to some sources).

The still brutal art of Muay Boran went into decline in the early decades of the twentieth century and in its place, with new rules and codes of practice, emerged Muay Thai. No doubt influenced by the growing popularity of Western boxing, Thai boxers were required to wear gloves and groin guards and head butting was finally disallowed. With rules and better organized competition, the art has spread worldwide and is currently experiencing an even greater rise in its popularity as it is considered to be one of the four essential arts comprising the arsenal of many MMA fighters, along with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), Boxing andWrestling.

The art utilizes punches, elbows, knees and kicks, with the low round kick to the thigh using ones shin to make contact being a staple of the art. Training works on these attacks, first singularly, then in combination against the heavy bag, focus mitts and the Thai pads as well as in various sparring drills and free sparring (which tends to be carried out in a safe, controlled manner with the heavy contact saved for the ring, but this will vary from school to school). Obviously professional fighters must walk a thin line between being injured and being unprepared for the contact they will experience in a fight. For the amateur enthusiast there is no need to train without protective equipment or controlled contract. Practitioners tend to focus more on aerobic fitness than anaerobic, and strength training is designed to be functional rather than being done to become buff. MMA fighters however tend to display far more musculature (and are therefore heavier) as they must also be prepared for wrestling and other groundwork.

Lerdrit

Lerdrit is Thailand's military martial art adapted from Muay Boran, or the traditional arts of Thailand that also spawned the more famous Muay Thai.

Muay Boran is an umbrella term used to describe the different regional fighting arts of Siam that gradually emerged into styles with different footwork, stances and even differing methods of wrapping the knuckles in hemp rope prior to a bout. In times of war glass shards or sharp shells would also be glued into the hemp rope to ensure a bloody result if and when techniques connected.

Royal and upper class interest in Muay Boran led to the creation of a new form:Muay Luang. This latter style was considered appropriate for the Siamese aristocracy but of course such people, and the royal family in particular, needed well-trained warriors to protect them and so these bodyguards also innovated their own style and this spread throughout the armed forces.

This martial art based on traditional fighting systems is used by the Royal Thai Army as its method of unarmed combat. The name means 'extreme power' and it is characterized by the use of palm strikes, kicks, knees and elbows as well as grappling in the clinch.

The wider variety of techniques compared to Muay Thai gives the practitioner more versatility and of course betrays its origins as a battlefield art, a history and combative culture to which it continues to adhere to. These techniques can also be applied to target areas declared illegal in the sport of Thai boxing. The groin, for example, is fair game. Headbutting is also included, but the system is notable for its lack of developed grappling techniques. Generally speaking grappling systems developed to give a warrior options if or when he lost his footing or found himself without a weapon and was forced to take his opponent to the ground to execute some kind of finishing technique. This suggests to me at least that this military form grew essentially from hand to hand fighting techniques rather than those strictly employed by the Siamese warriors.

Despite being related to traditional martial arts, the Thai army today cross-trains in various disciplines in order to continually update and improve their arsenal of techniques.

Kuntao

Kuntao has no true form, varying from instructor to instructor and from community to community and indeed from country to country. The term rather is generic, meaning 'Way of the Fist', and is used to describe Chinese martial arts practiced in South East Asia (primarily Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines) to distinguish them from the indigenous arts. In each locale the Chinese faced different fighting techniques and different weapons and had to adapt their own skills to combat the new threats, hence the wide variety of styles.

Traditionally martial arts were of concern only to the warrior elite, in the centuries before mass conscripting. Otherwise an art was passed down within a family, usually in great secrecy, owing to the fact that before laws were stipulated and a police force available to enforce those dictates, fighting was often grossly violent, even to the extreme of one or another of the antagonists being killed. Advertising to potential attackers your knowledge of an art was to surrender one of the greatest military advantages one could hope to enjoy: surprise. This martial art then also broadly describes all those Chinese arts that were passed down from father to son. Obviously in such circumstances there would also have been enormous stylistic variation.

Despite heavy personalization, certain elements are however witnessed to be repeated from one form to the next. First, it is a defensive style, emphasizing avoidance and circular blocking rather than a direct approach. That said, a practitioner will learn limited offensive movements. These movements keep with the Chinese approach of often simulating the postures and actions of animals, though there is no stipulation as to which animals may be used as models.

Training in Kuntao

Training involves the repetition of basic techniques until they become second nature. Stamina and strength are built up through the practice of forms and basic sparring exercises, rather than using supplementary methods to bring about development.

In combat the master seeks to defend his person first and counter strike as necessary. This is perhaps indicative of its origins as an art utilized by immigrants. Should a fight have broken out and the Chinese protagonist had emerged as the victor, local authorities may have been less likely to view this result in a positive light. By doing enough to defend himself, the practitioner could ensure he was safe both immediately and safe from future retribution. At the same time, the art ultimately has its roots in non-competitive, violent street fights and remains effective. This is underscored by the fact that the Indonesian government has banned all practice of this martial art.

How to reduce muscle soreness and pain

How to reduce muscle soreness and pain is an important question to answer for the serious athlete. This is because two commonly encountered problems with training sessions that take you beyond your current comfort level are muscle soreness and muscle pain. According to the theory of Progressive Muscle Overload we need to be continually overloading our musculature in order to break it down and have it grow back stronger. There is a fine line though between training at a level of peak performance and being injured (here in this case meaning suffering soreness and/or pain).

One common misconception to get out of the way is any idea you may have that soreness and/or pain is necessary (and hence desirable) for growth and improved levels of fitness. Certainly you want to be pushing yourself to develop but as I noted above, your new goals should not be leading you to injury. There are exceptions to this and as always professional, elite athletes can and do push themselves beyond the limits of most people. But these are people who have and do dedicate their lives to their chosen sport. They are also more likely to suffer (sometimes very serious) injuries in training owing to their gung ho attitude. Pro athletes are also often surrounded by a support network dedicated to their comfort and improvement. This includes things like the availability of ice baths (useful for recovery), a nutritionist, professional massage, adequate periods to rest in and often access to the latest scientific information and devices.

How to reduce muscle soreness and pain

The average person then should not be training with the intention of experiencing soreness/pain in the mistaken belief that that is automatically equated to growth. Training for growth and training for soreness are two different things. There may be some overlap at times but consistently training to make yourself sore is a good indicator that you are over-training and likely to burn out.

There are three broad areas that we can address when determining how to reduce muscle soreness and pain. The first is the use of supplements, followed by a modified diet and finally by living a healthy lifestyle.

Supplements

Beta-Alinine is a non-essential amino acid (meaning the body can produce it naturally, unlike essential amino acids which must be absorbed). Amino acids help with processing protein, meaning they are important for muscle growth and recovery. In particular beta-Alinine buffers our muscles against lactic acid, which builds up as a workout becomes longer and more demanding.

SOD/Glisodin is, amongst other things, great for overcoming muscle fatigue. SOD (Super Oxide Dismutase) protects against cell damage. It is itself prone to damage from stomach acids and therefore a carrier is used: Gliadin. The combination of the two is known as GliSODin.

Omega-3 will help to reduce inflammation while CoQ10 (Coenzyme 10) promotes a healthy heart (as well as liver and kidneys). Vitamin C is useful for innumerable reasons but is also used up quickly when we workout (and indeed through our daily lives in general) and it therefore needs adequate replacement. One of the things it does is to help us relax, as does Magnesium, which is also recommended. It is a vital mineral and needs to be replaced after a workout. It serves among other things to keep our muscles and nervous system relaxed. Finally Creatine Monohydrate helps to keep fatigued muscles energized.

Nutrition

Nutrition is of course vital in deciding how we reduce muscle soreness and pain.

Blueberries are an excellent post-workout snack as they contain important nutrients that need to be replenished after training. Carbs are important in day to day training (as long as they are good carbs...stay away from donuts, pizza and so on) but need to be limited and you may also experience benefit from carb cycling (eating an above average number of carbs every few days).

Lifestyle

Avoid long layoffs between workouts. Lifting lighter, longer and more often will give you greater benefits than lifting heavy once in a while. You definitely need recovery time but left for too long and your gains will disappear. Drink more water, especially in hotter than normal weather and, even moreso, in the colder months when you may not feel as thirsty. Finally make sure that you are getting enough quality rest. You want to make sure that you are having a deep sleep at night and are awakening fully rested.

These are some key points then on how to reduce muscle soreness and pain. Ice baths, massage and stretching will also help as additional activities.