Something special happened at the end of an online session with my client Elvira recently that I think is worth sharing because there’s a message that just about everyone who’s experienced aches, pains, and tightness should hear. Luckily she agreed to let me share her moment with you.
My hope is that this will give you some perspective on what to expect when you start mobility training, how soon you can see results, what hurdles you may need to work through and most importantly, inspire you to keep moving! You are not broken and I hope Elvira’s story shows you that.
She went from being paralyzed in pain to doing her happy dance once she realized the progress she had made but it didn’t come without it’s challenges so let’s dive in to Elvira’s story of how she relieved hip pain in just 2 months.
ELVIRA'S STORY
When I met Elvira she was at the point where many years as a chef and being a pretty active person had taken a devastating toll on her body. She was struggling with neck and hip pain on both sides. Unfortunately, those two big issues were robbing her of her passions… cooking, yoga, and skiing.
Desperate for help, she started doing some Kinstretch and other mobility modalities from videos she found online. They were great but too advanced for what her body could handle.
After her husband had a session with me, he realized she needed some fine tuning and training that was tailored to her body and where she was at, so we got her scheduled right away for an assessment.
THE ASSESSMENT
I like to say “If you’re not assessing, you’re just guessing” which is why the first step in anyone’s mobility training journey needs to start here.
During Elvira’s initial assessment the two biggest issues we discovered were that her hips actually had decent range of motion, but unfortunately she was extremely weak and unstable in all those ranges. You can be flexible but if you aren’t stable, problems will start. I go into detail about this, in this blog. As for her neck, she had extremely limited range of motion and had a hard time just finding pain-free ways to move it.
Without getting into too much detail on her programming, here’s what we focused on:
Opening up new pain-free ranges of motion in her neck while also making the tissues of her neck more resilient.
Developing strength and control in all the way her hips can move.
Establishing better awareness, strength, and control in the all the other joints of the body.
HER FIRST 2 WEEKS OF MOBILITY TRAINING
Believe it or not, one of the most challenging skills to learn when you first start with mobility training, isn’t getting the exercise correct, it’s finding that sweet spot for the proper amount of intensity to use.
Too little, and you’re not providing enough stimulus to create change. Too much and boy oh boy will your nervous system throw a hissy fit.
In the beginning for Elvira this was the exact situation she was challenged with. She had to go through a feeling out process for a couple of weeks to figure out what that sweet spot was. If you’ve ever done anything physical and thought, “I’m not getting a huge stretch or feeling “the burn” so I must not be doing enough” then you’d be in the same boat as Elvira and so many others.
Understandably, when she got too aggressive, it resulted in setbacks like feeling new pain-points and tightness which triggered thoughts like, “Am I making things worse?”
The reality is that when you first start, you’re asking the body to move in ways it probably hasn’t done in a very long time. Add into the mix pushing it too hard and this make the tissue and nervous system respond very poorly, resulting in more tightness plus more aches and pains.
After the first two weeks, Elvira wasn’t feeling much of a difference. Most people would have simply given up. However, Elvira is special and she persisted. She stayed super consistent in her daily homework and by the next week something clicked and she realized the following:
Providing the body with a pain-free, low intensity stimulus and doing it consistently, results in permanent, positive gains.
Let me repeat that because this is the magic. Pushing your mobility exercises super hard does not equal faster gains. Providing the body with a pain-free, low intensity stimulus consistently, results in permanent, positive gains.
Once this clicked for her, every week she would get so excited to show me how much her neck improved in range of motion, or how good her hips felt. Also, you could start to see her demeanor on camera change as well, because she was realizing for the first time in a while, improvements were being made.
And as you’re about to see, the pure joy that comes with realizing better days are on the way, is indescribable.
Enjoy and hopefully watching this brightens your day and gives you the motivation to stay consistent with your mobility training so you can get back to your active pain-free life!
WANT PAIN-FREE HIPS?
If you want the full system to unlock tight, sticky hips, then I’d definitely recommend checking out the Healthy Hips 10 Day Challenge where you get step-by-step instruction on what to do and when. Hope to see you inside!
ABOUT COACH MATT PIPPIN
Matt is a Strength and Mobility Coach with over 15 years experience in his field and has coached over a thousand professional, collegiate and everyday athletes with the goal to help them move, feel and perform at their highest level. He's incredibly passionate about bringing simple and effective online mobility training programs to everyone who wants to take control of their self care and make lasting change. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Certifications:
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Level 3: Fascial Stretch Specialist
Level 1: Institute of Motion Health Coach
Certified FRC Mobility Specialist (FRCms)
Level 1 Kinstretch Instructor
Weck Method Qualified