9. March 2021 In Conditioning, Learning & Practicing

Softness vs. Hardness – Polarities

Polarities exist not only in nature (day-night, silence-noise, high tide-low tide) but are prominent in our own personal behavior (team player-lonely wolf, introvert-extrovert, happiness-sadness) or in our daily lives (wake-sleep, work-rest, standing still-running).

 

While in nature polarities will take turns automatically and we perceive this as „normal“ we (I included) often limit ourselves to only act out or focus on only one side of the equation. As I transport my messages on a movement level on this channel I will do do now as well. Please notice that this concept is potentially fitting to many other areas of your personal live as well. When working out, some like to focus on strength – while neglecting flexibility. Others like getting bendy without working on strength and stability.

 

It is absolutely fine to enjoy one side a bit more, the body benefits greatly from working on both ends though. While we perceive strength and flexibility as separate and polar, they will form a unity in the end, when we actually work on both.

 

And that’s the thing in my opinion: First of, you can’t really separate both sides from each other in the long run. Only work out and your body will crash. Secondly, separating both and only working in one direction will only bring you this far. Both sides actually support each other.

 

By working on flexibility you create a base for strengthening your structures in an adequate way (talking full ROM here) – by strengthening your structures in this range you will create a stable joint. The circle continues!

 

I can only recommend to reflect about this for a bit. Where do you work on only one side of the equation? On purpose? Is it beneficial for you right now?

At the moment (2018) I have put my focus on two directions of movement:

 

– Bouldering and everything that goes with it (strength, power, hardness)

– acrobatic ground movements (cutting, loosening, flow, relaxation).

 

I believe that a movement practice should have an “all-out” character on one side, and a “relaxation” character on the other.

 

Full throttle all day at work, then into sport and continuing all-out in Crossfit, bouldering, Freeletics, martial arts etc. – there is a lack of relaxation. My own experience is that Crossfit 5 times a week for 3-4 years is simply quite a lot and exhausting. You can do it for a while, but at some point it becomes too much (at least for me). It’s not for nothing that most of the elite athletes do a compensatory sport like yoga, tai chi or go to the sauna, a massage or a physiotherapist.

 

If you want to step on the gas, you have to be able to switch back.

Since I’m currently bouldering 3 times a week, working a lot on specific strength and hardness, which puts a lot of strain on my muscles and joints, I NEED a balance. Something that lets my body relax again, loosens my muscles, mobilises my joints and calms me down mentally.

My acrobatics practice fits very well here at the moment: lots of rolling movements that massage the muscles, loosening up, creative movements – completely according to feeling and no thoughts of performance.

 

I notice that bouldering makes me “rigid”, acrobatics compensates for that here. Add to that sauna once a week and work with acupressure mats etc. and the body feels much more balanced.

 

Does this mean you should integrate acrobatic movements into your training? YES: of course you can. Correctly dosed and guided, they may very well be a super balance, but they don’t have to be!

 

Whether you go to yoga, press the sauna bench, let yourself pass through, swim slow lanes, etc., you can do it. – The main thing is to find a balance for the STRENGTH and HARDNESS!

9. March 2021 In Finding Flow

Macaco Breakdown

Learn how to do a very basic Macaco in just a few steps. The Macaco is a very cool and not too hard move, that you can play around with. There are many variations to the Macao – just try it out and see by yourself! If you want to really refine this and other moves, get in touch for specific coaching.

20. August 2017 In Conditioning

How much Mobility do you need?

“How much mobility do I need?”

As is often the case, there is no “one-size-fits-all solution”, it depends on several factors:

– your goals (if you want to be able to do the splits, you will need to put a bit more time into mobility training)

– your body type/ the nature of your tissues (person A: constantly tense, hardened tissues, difficult to relax -> focus on mobility training and relaxation measures | person B: very soft tissues, hypermobile joints, instabilities -> focus more on stability and strengthening training)

– Your daily movements (daily movements (work, household, …) should take place without great resistance and evasive movements)

– your training/movement requirements (different disciplines require different levels of mobility: gymnasts need a higher level of mobility than, for example, pure powerlifters (bench press, deadlift, squat) or golfers because of the elements determined by mobility).

In general, mobility does not have to be MAXIMISED, but rather OPTIMISED (on other conditions mentioned above).

Nil

 

20. August 2017 In Awareness & Perception, Learning & Practicing

Trust in ones own Body

A few thoughts on body awareness and trust in one’s own body:

I often talk about the so-called “body feeling”, but sometimes forget to mention what this actually is for me. Body awareness is a rather fuzzy term that includes many components. I want to write a little about one today: Trust in your own body – knowing what your body is actually capable of!

Many people have almost no relationship to their bodies any more. One consequence of this is that the feeling of being able to assess what one’s own body is capable of is lost. Too much is spared, too much is relieved and we forget to listen to the body’s signals.
Often it was in childhood when you last tried to test the limits of your ability and put your body in new situations. Example: When was the last time you climbed a tree? When was the last time you did a forward roll? How long has it been since you balanced on a beam? Etc.

Fortunately, I see a big movement at the moment, for example in some CrossFit boxes, parks or parkour facilities that want to give such a feeling. Confidence in one’s own body is being rebuilt step by step, simply because one moves in a versatile way and pushes oneself to the limit of one’s comfort zone from time to time. I notice this, for example, in the “Gymnastics Class” at CrossFit Munich, which I teach: the participants learn to control their bodies bit by bit – whether it’s rolls on the floor, shimmies or even swings from bar to bar.

For me, I noticed a further boost in confidence in the last acrobatic training sessions when I practised the elements (video). Half a year ago, it was unimaginable for me to perform these movements. Yesterday, however, it *clicked* – the fear was gone!
In my opinion, acrobatic elements in particular have a great potential to increase body awareness, starting with rolls, wheels, handstands etc.

Take Home Message: Get up and try something new! Look around in other disciplines and learn to control your body better in many situations. The fun will come all by itself!

 

20. August 2017 In Artikel

Disziplin im Training?

Heute ein paar Worte zu “Disziplin”:

“Nil, du beweist so viel Selbstdisziplin, dass du jeden Tag Sport machst!” Nachdem ich diesen Satz gehört habe, musste ich dazu etwas schreiben.
Wer mal die Wortherkunft oder Definitionen von Disziplin recherchiert, kann unter anderem folgendes lesen: “die Einhaltung von Regeln”, “Zucht”, “straffe Ordnung”,..
Alles andere ist bei mir der Fall. Ich muss mich nicht motivieren oder Disziplin beweisen um mich täglich zu bewegen. Bewegung ist ein wesentlicher Teil meines Lebens, es ist mehr als nur ein Hobby oder eine Freizeitbeschäftigung. Mich zu bewegen erfüllt mich mit Glück, Spaß und Zufriedenheit! Ich kann dadurch Sachen machen wie in dem video zu sehen! Bewegung kennt keine Grenzen, es gibt immer neues zu lernen (wenn man will) und man lernt auch viel über den eigenen Körper. Dein Körper belohnt dich sogar mit Glückshormonen wenn du dich bewegt oder angestrengt hast – er gibt dir gleich ein Feedback: mach mehr davon! Du fühlst dich energetisiert und fast euphorisch, wenn du zum Beispiel eine neue Bewegung lernst.
In meinen Trainings will ich Spaß genauso vermitteln wie Körpergefühl, Bewegunhsschulung usw. – denn wenn eine Sache Spaß macht, will man sie öfter machen.

Das ganze lässt sich beispielsweise auch auf die Ernährung übertragen (ohne hier jetzt zu tief ins Detail zu gehen): natürliche Lebensmittel einfach zubereitet (nach individuellen Geschmack) oder roh (Früchte etc.) schmecken einfach gut und auch hier belohnt dich dein Körper – zum Beispiel mit viel Energie und einem gesunden und Leistungsfähigen Körper.

Wenn ich für etwas viel Disziplin aufwenden muss, werde ich es nicht langfristig machen. Entweder ich suche mir einen Weg Spaß oder Erfüllung in der Tätigkeit/ etc zu finden, oder ich lasse es bleiben. Ständig Disziplin aufbringen zu müssen, frisst Energie, die ich anderswo verwenden will.

In diesem Sinne: versuche Spaß in deiner Bewegung zu finden oder such dir was anderes- es gibt genügend Wege dich zu bewegen!

Nil

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