Not only does the team at Balance deliver trigger point therapy but we also educate our clients about TrP therapy and how they can do it themselves using Trigger Point Performance kits and individual products.

The more we do it the better the results our clients can achieve for themselves and gain independence with the tools we recommend.

Here is just one comment directed at the TPT page on Facebook:

“Your Ultimate 6 kit helped get me through Boston [Marathon]. Sciatic pains for 2 weeks before. Ran pain free. Thank you!”

Having been at the TPT HQ in Austin Texas a couple of weeks back I have been able to pass on some additional teaching points to Kellie and Trevor (the Balance sports massage team) and Jason Progl (movement, strength and conditioning coach) so they can educate even more effectively the benefits to be had by their clients inducing trigger point release on themselves.

Trigger Point Performance HQ, Austin, Texas

To see the Trigger Point Performance Products online CLICK this underlined link TPT Kits.

for more info contact Jonathan Lewis via our contact page, Twitter, or feel free to look me up on facebook.

Jonathan Lewis and Balance have had a long working relationship with Steve Cotter, one of the worlds best teachers of strength and conditioning, health and fitness concepts, an incredible athlete and an internationally recognised authority on kettlebells. We are therefore very proud to have made our ties even stronger and will now be the UKs exclusive distributor of Steve Cotter products.

Watch this space and the Balance shop as we will soon carry more DVD titles and other information products from Steve and the IKFF.

BBC Science Reporter Victoria Gill’s article is linked to below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8483401.stm

It describes research that came to the obvious conclusion that if you give a human the chance to take the path of least resistance they will take it, even if the consequences are a down turn in long term efficiency. Well thats my interpretation, but to be true to the article here is the opening paragraph:

Wearing cushioned running shoes may have changed the way in which many of us run, new research suggests.

Using slow-motion footage, scientists have discovered that experienced barefoot runners land very differently from runners who wear shoes.

The researchers showed that runners who have trained barefoot tend to strike the ground with their forefoot or mid-foot, rather than their heel.

At Balance we often talk about taking a long term perspective and discourage our clients from looking for the short term quick fix  (whether to be pain free without concern for recurrence, getting fit, getting strong, losing weight, making money etc) but as with all aspects of life its a lot more complicated when you think it through. So once you have read this article dont throw your trainers in the bin and hit Battersea Park for a barefoot 10k using the pose running technique – at least not straight away. There are several more possibilities avaialable to you.

Have a read and if you’d like to share your opinion or ask ours  get in contact with one of the team Paula (author of Running Repairs ), Mick Habgood (podiatrist and running orthotic specialist), Raph (an experienced physio in international athletics and many a “minimal shoe” runner), Frances (triathlon specialist and G-trainer expert) or Sian (currently researching MBT footwear at clinics across London). You can also contact Jonathan (the blog writer) who will happily discuss evolution, sociology, the weakening of human kind and how to prevent it! Send an email by clicking this highlighted link: Contact Page

Mick and Paula will be adding their comments here soon.

click here the highlighted link for news and a thought on Steve Cotters guide to Kettlebell Lifting and also details of the UKs upcoming CKT workshops, one of the worlds most highly regarded and recognisable certifications for kettlebell coaches: http://bit.ly/9cyg82

The Complete Guide to Kettlebell Lifting

Just read a well balanced article from the New York Times on self-massage products. The journalist has consulted a number of sources including sports massage consumers, foam roller users, a triathlon coach, an Ironman triathlete and chiropractor, author of “Self-Massage for Athletes” Rich Poley, and the founder and creator of Trigger Point Performance Therapy products Cassidy Phillips.

The article is based around the following: “Devices for self-massage have become more common as more people compete in endurance sports and, more recently, as the recession has made professional rubdowns look prohibitively expensive. Trainers usually recommend a massage every week or every other week for people who are training for a marathon or triathlon, but the costs do add up: according to the American Massage Therapy Association, the average price of a massage is $63 an hour.”

The article’s quote from TPT founder Cassidy Phillips puts self massage and going to see a professional masseur in the context of oral hygiene. “You brush away some plaque yourself,” he said, “but you still go to the dentist for a thorough cleaning.”

Here’s the article:  http://bit.ly/8lUYu2
click for the Self-massage and Trigger Point range from Balance.

Ultimate 6 package - part of Balance's range of self-massage products

Mick Habgood has written a piece on his approach to what is the specialist area of ski boot fitting and orthotics suitable for ski boots.

Mick is also at the Earls Court Olympia ski show next week to update his knowledge on this seasons boots.

BALANCE’ing Ski Boot Pain and Ski Performance: http://tinyurl.com/ski-orthotics

Its been a busy day here at Balance taking pictures to upload onto our soon to launch (at long last)online shop. We will be making available to the wider world many of the things that clients have had the opportunity of benefiting from here for many years – kettlebells, rehabilitation and fitness bands (from LifeLine and JC Santana), foam rollers, the full range of TPT trigger point self massage tools (including the grid), back care products, joint supplements, wobble cushions, gym balls and many other items.

We only offer products that the Balance Team members are 100% confident to recommend to our clients. As many of you will know Balance clients have been benefitting from kettlebells since 2003 as part of their sports injury treatments, rehab and ongoing health and sports programmes. We also have a long association with the Worlds top coaches. Since 2006 we have been working with Steve Cotter (Full Kontact and International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation) and now we are proud to finally have a book of the highest quality to go along with the high quality personal training on offer from the 5 RKC and IKFF coaches we have.

Kettlebell Guide Book and DVD

Steve Cotters “The Complete Guide to Kettlebell Lifting” can be bought here at Balance or ordered over the phone and shipped. The retail price is £59.99 but in conjunction with Steve in the US we are offering it an introductory price of £39.99 – can’t get it cheaper on Amazon! It comes as a combo set to include a DVD  so you can see the drills in motion.

There will be more details and comments about the guide on Jonathan’s Industrial Strength website soon.

attention to detail in this comprehensive guide - good and bad form is highlighted

Running shoes get a thumbs down from various critics (taken a little of context to be fair). Mick Habgood, podiatrist, and running orthotic specialist offers an alternative view in response:

This is the original article published in the Daily Mail:
http://tinyurl.com/cerpyu

Asics running shoes and a very barefoot at Balance

Here is the alternate view from Mick:

Companies like those mentioned seem to create their idea of the ultimate shoe with the perfect foot in mind – A foot that is neither flat nor high arch, functionally stable throughout foot strike and not hypermobile through propulsion. Do we really need a battery powered cushioning unit that adapts after each strike? Do we really need a shoe with a midsole that looks like and mimics the plantar fascia? In reality, probably not. But we are trapped between marketing geniuses and companies that need to continue developing new concepts or they are at risk of becoming the next ‘has been’.

The principles of barefoot running are fairly sound and I’ll be the first to admit that if we never had shoes, I probably wouldn’t be doing what I do. The reality is that we have become accustomed to wearing footwear, our intrinsic muscles and ligaments have become weaker and yes, we have become more susceptible to injuries. But this doesn’t mean we should throw away our favourite running shoes, as an immediate change to running the same distances barefoot, will most likely end with in injury at a statistical rate much higher than any of those mentioned in the article.

The first trick to minimising running injuries is choosing the right shoe for you, and this is where the battle can either be won or lost. A shoe can have all the features in the world but if it’s not right for you, it will probably do more harm than good. For the consumer, purchasing the running shoe that best fits your requirements is a confusing process. Footwear companies tend to categorise their numerous running shoes as either ‘Cushioning’, ‘Structured Cushioning’, ‘Motion Control’ or as part of the newest group, the ‘Guidance’ shoe. The best practice would be to get your foot mechanics and running style assessed by your sports / biomechanical Podiatrist. However, if this is not a viable option, having your running shoes fitted by well-trained staff at a specialist running shop is imperative.

The development of barefoot running shoes has quite possibly made the footwear industry stand up and question the effectiveness of their own products. However, it’s important to keep in mind that some of these brands have been associated with the more fashion conscious runner in the past. Is this development their way of making a comeback statement to the running footwear industry?

At the end of the day, barefoot running is a good concept but adapt wisely as it’s not for everyone. The average runner is a weekend warrior who beats the pavement hard and heavy. Choose the most appropriate running shoe based on its specifications, not looks and if you are unsure, seek the answers from your running specialist.

If you want to share your views or let us know what you think, as well as emailing us you can join us on facebook – http://tinyurl.com/balance-on-facebook or Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/BalancePhysio.com

We have some well used, well loved kettlebells that need to be rehoused into caring homes. They need to make space for some shiny new competition and conventional /fitness cast iron bells we have coming.

It hurts me but some of our more aesthetically fixated clients won’t touch the roughed up ones.

But it presents an opportunity for someone who knows that although not all bells are created equally
It is also true that some things don’t matter:

“the handles are longer than dragon door’s kettlebells!”, “The rough handles hurt my hands!”, “That blue doesn’t match your studio floor and is affecting my progress!”.

Anjum if your reading this let me know asap if you are still trying to make a mace ball.

Here they are…

usual suspects - new homes needed

1 x 16kg only £20
1 x 20kg only £20
1 x 20kg only £20
One more 20kg only £20
1 x 24kg only £25
1 x 25kg only £25
Another 25kg only £25
1 x 40kg only £25

contact Jonathan on 07960 861 267 or click here and email jonathan via the contact page:

We havent gone live with our online Physio retail shop as yet but we still stock a bunch of things to assist people through the early days of sports injury or back pain episode. Then onwards through rehabilitation and ongoing maintenance then you get onto strength and conditioning (at home or an independent gym facility for the best results).

The Power Wheel is an awesome piece of fun…Steff fo

und this review of the power wheel… http://tinyurl.com/awkq3f

Steff contacted us via Twitter, if Twitter is something you use follow Balance at http://twitter.com/BalancePhysio

power wheel pike