Leah Drew is a friend and healer I connected with at a silent disco of all places! She has a functional movement background on top of being a licensed massage therapist and I found so much value in my discussion with her. We get real deep into trauma and it’s inner workings anatomically as well as mentally, emotionally, etc. Of course I had to ask some personal questions to satiate my own infinite curiosity. Leah is moving out-of-state and I milked this conversation as much as I could while I had her in front of me. Enjoy!

I recently attended a workshop taught by brain injury specialist Adam Poock. The workshop was titled “Hip Rescue” which ironically has been the general theme within my own practice these last few months. Adam gives a beautifully nuanced approach to anatomy and biomechanics with his background studying Anatomy Trains. I truly believe he has found the “Golden Ticket” to setting the stage for proper functionality in the human body. It is always very nice to have confirmation on our own beliefs and theories so listen in as I recap this awesome experience on a solo episode.

Grant Thomas is the creator of Smoov Moves and an informative movement coach using a compilation of multiple movement systems combined with his own moves. His backstory involves a nagging back injury, massive body transformation and a transcendence of the ego we all struggle to manage. A big takeaway for myself personally is the language Grant uses to draw his clients away from the "get out of pain" mindset so he can nudge them towards a more fruitful goal standard. We touch on one of my favorite topics (movement experience vs theory) as well as back pain, tongue posture and getting back to the "playing" mindset. Grant has created a line of his own custom foot bags AKA hacky sacks and utilizes those as well as the Swiss ball (plus other fun tools) which add a fun yet challenging dynamic to functional training. I asked Grant to give us his favorite tongue posture exercises to bolster this episode with some utility and he does not disappoint. All in all, I enjoyed the conversation thoroughly and can't wait to have him back on for a another episode.

Instagram: @grantsthomas, @smoovmoves

Youtube: SMOOV Moves

Alex Lukens is the creator of a unique system called Forty Seven Style which is based in the principles of martial arts. Alex is a 2nd degree black belt in karate with over twenty years of experience in a composite niche of Kung Fu and he is one of the few peers I've met in this industry with zero background in fitness. We met at the Rotational Movement Certification held at Weck Lab in San Diego last month and I was instantly intrigued by his martial arts perspective on human movement. In the conversation my main focus was getting Alex to elaborate on some "taboo" statements he's made online about posture and movement. I was not disappointed with his answers and I believe everyone has something to gain from this conversation.

I want to apologize ahead of time for the minor echo in my voice caught in the recording of this episode but please enjoy this fascinating conversation I had with a pioneer of his industry. Dr. Will discusses his unique education and approach to chiropractic care. I raise the question ”are the adjustments and cracking really all that effective in the long term?” Will goes in-depth on his answer and explains his alternative approach. Other topics include movement theory versus the reality of applying movement into training, why we think not all workouts should be done in the gym and so much more.

Hypermobility is just one term I’ve heard used over the years. Some others include double jointed, bendy people and Ehlers Danlos syndrome. If any of these sound like you then you may benefit from this talk quite a bit. I grew up extremely “bendy” and the chronic joint pain started for me when I was only 15 years old. I spent 10 years training in the gym with conventional methods which I now believe were perpetuating the symptoms of my hyper mobility as well as the chronic pain (I felt my worst when I was at my heaviest). Through alternative fitness and multiple training systems I’ve been able to alleviate and dissipate a majority of the dysfunction that used to plague my every day life. In this transition though I lost thirty pounds and much of the muscle I gained over the years, but, my joints never felt better. So I always hoped eventually I could hit a baseline of optimal joint function and get back to building some mass without accruing any more negative side effects. On my Instagram, @thepostureprince, I recently announced my reintroduction of training with heavier weights and the weight gaining mindset which contextually is a stark contrast to my previous five years of training and nutrition. I’ve put on five pounds in the past week and have experimented with all the “forbidden fruit” including bench press and deadlifts. This episode explains some important anatomical differences found in hypermobile individuals as well as traversing into why I think gaining weight (on an animal-based diet) may have a positive impact towards my training. I also touch on what foods I’m eating and how I disperse them throughout the day. Enjoy!

On this episode of beyond the gym myself and Dr. Kris explore the world of functional and alternative fitness. We also talk about the benefits of creating your own movement practice and pursuing pain-free movement, especially in the modern lifestyle. Dr. Kris Nguyen is a BLAIR Upper cervical specialist who owns and facilitates Infinite Life Chiropractic out of Santa Ana, California. BLAIR is a focus on realigning the atlas of the spine without the same intensity as typical chiropractic adjustments. We also touch on the importance of what we do and why we love helping others gain their quality of life back. Enjoy!