Tuesday, March 06, 2007

You're Not Doing It Right...

I recently read a post on a forum about Z-Health by somebody who's been through R-Phase but doesn't have the support system I have--i.e. no band of Z brothers surrounding him. I have tremendous respect for this individual who I will not name. But his response was something like this: "...I met with Dr. Cobb twice about my elbow. It got worse, not better. Sorry, no Z miracle for me."

I didn't post on the forum to his response--my response wouldn't have mattered so I thought better of it. I can unequivically (sp?) say that he was not performing his Z correctly. How do I know? Because I saw his DJM work at the R-Phase cert: It was fully compensated. When he did his neck cloverleafs, his lumbar spine moved. Now he's performing Z without the accountability and support that I have, which is my former company. He also has very high mileage on him from his sport and a lifetime of sport--sports that produce injuries. He's very, very tough and can move in spite of pain. So if Z doesn't work for him, I can only conclude based on his background that he's doing it wrong. Bold statement, I know. But Z is a binary process. The question you ask the body is, "Do you like this?" The body responds only "yes" or "no." This shows up during the assessment and re-assessment.

How can I say this? Because one year ago I was physically broken. Today, for the first time in 2+ years, I pulled myself under 140kg in the clean (twice) with minimal warm-up--no foam roller, no stretching, no movement prep, no activiation drills (well, not exactly true--I did one new one with Dr. Cobb--but I had already been moving so it was more of a "tweak"), no dynamic warm-up. pain-free. In September of last year, I had abandoned the hope of ever doing so. So, how did I get here? I studied the system, bought into it (drank the Kool-Aid, if you will), understood the principles of the system, applied those principles correctly, had a group of like-minded people around me, and I asked for help--frequently.

I can wholeheartedly say this: If you're not getting the results you want from Z-Health, or any training program actually, then you are either asking your body the wrong question, or misunderstanding the answer it's giving back to you. The body is never wrong. Our interpretations of what the body is trying to tell us frequently are. It does the best it can in any given circumstance.

If you have the R-Phase manual and aren't getting the results you want, pony up the cash and attend the 6 day R-Phase Cert. It's 6 days for a reason. Think about. How many other certs. are that long? And there's not a day, hour, or minute of wasted time. It's all packed with juicy information about how the body, your body, really works. Your bottom line will increase; your clients results will increase; your credibility will increase.

I'd tell you not to take my word for it, but then again, that's the point of many of these posts. Do take my word for it. Who am I? Just a guy with multiple tears in his hip labrums, arthitis in his hips, articular cartilage missing and damaged in his hips, a dislocated knee that was never rehabbed, a torn oblique, a broken arm that was never rehabbed, two fatty hernias, who was told to give up weightlifting or be faced with joint replacements who can now lift almost as much now as he could when he was in his prime with one year of Z-Health under his belt and only four months of lifting on the platform (performing Olympic weightlifting movements). If you're a fitness or rehab professional, you won't be disappointed. And if you are disappointed, just remember, you're doing it wrong...

5 Comments:

Blogger Franz Snideman said...

Geoff, I must say that it is hard to really understand Z unless you have been with Eric personally. So in that sense you are correct. You have to go the guy who really understand Z and how to apply it. Z definitely helped my neck, ALOT! It has not helped my low back, in fact it made it worse. IS that the fault of Z-health, NO. My body couldn't handle it at the time. Overall a great system, although I can relate to people and there frustrations about not getting the results they desire. Going to the cert would be beneficial to learn from Eric himself.

Like we have discussed before one of the potential drawbacks to Z is that it is very technical and not always easy to learn. It looks easy while observing someone do the R-phase drills, but as you know, they are not. Like anything worthwhile in life, what you put into it you will get out of it.

I still think Z is worthwhile and effective for most people. A great tool to have the toolbag!

11:35 AM  
Blogger Geoff Neupert said...

Franz, Good points as always. I believe the reason Z didn't help your low back is because you asked your body the wrong question/didn't know the right question to ask. Is that your fault? Yes, if you don't know how to use the system. If you haven't been to the R-Phase cert. than you haven't seen "behind the curtain" so-to-speak.

Am I advocating that every trainer/PT go to the R-Phase Cert? Absolutely! Why not?! Everything else failed me. The reason I'm a "Z success" is because the principles of R-Phase make perfect sense to me based on all the failures I've experienced. Plus, I treated the last year as an experiment: Z only. No other modalities. And it paid off big time. Was I skeptical? You bet! Did I have any other choice? Not really.

Have a spent a ton of money on Z between my wife and I? How much is a ton? Has it been worth every penny? A resounding YES!

Is Z very technical. Actually, no. It is very precise though. It's a principle based system, not a system of exercises. While Dr. Cobb was working on me last night, I knew exactly what he was after without him telling me because I understand most of the principles. Have I been helped by studying under Dr. Cobb? Without question.

I absolutely agree with you, though, like anything in life you get out of it what you put into it.

Thanks for chiming in. Good points/questions as always.

11:57 AM  
Blogger Brett Jones said...

2 cents worth from someone that has very minimal Z knowledge - I have a client to whom I recommended Z and at first it was not helping and I reminded him of what Geoff said - you are asking a question - if the answer is no - you are not doing the right thing - I advised him to perform 1 drill and see what the effect was - if good - go no further - use that drill.

I think something that happens when you have traditional joint mobility experience you just want to use the Z as your joint mobility work and this is not what you want to do when you have an active restriction/pain - it is more like - drill > yes or no> if yes stay here > if no - move on to the next drill (or re-evaluate how you did the drill) - treat the area and resolve the issue before you begin using Z as a daily mobility practice.

At least that is my understanding of it...

Brett

5:08 PM  
Blogger cayenne said...

Hello Geoff,

What would you suggest to someone who has a sincere interest in Z but is nowhere near trained instruction, and is limited to DVD & manual guided self-study ?

Thank you

Eddie Friedman

6:43 PM  
Blogger Geoff Neupert said...

Cayenne,

I recommend thorough reading of the manual and study of the DVDs. Also find a Z certed. trainer near you.

7:14 PM  

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