The TB12 Method Read online

  2. Place your weight on your elbow as you begin rolling up and down your lower left spine.

  3. Press deeply into the roller, angling and adjusting your lower left back to target tender spots. Repeat on the other side.

  MID TO UPPER BACK (PARASPINAL (ERECTOR SPINAE) MUSCLES)

  WHAT IT IS: The large paraspinal muscles are a group of muscles on either side of the spine, and are generally referred to as the mid to upper back. From a functional standpoint, the paraspinals help to stabilize the spine so it can perform its normal curvatures.

  REASON FOR PLIABILITY: Decreased pliability in the paraspinals may lead to poor biomechanics, imbalances, and even scoliosis. This can lead to increased stress on other joints, muscles, and/or vertebral discs, leading in turn to lower back pain, disc injuries, and increased stress on the knees and ankles.

  NOTE: When foam-rolling your mid to upper back, make sure you trace the entire length of the muscles. Start at the base of the tailbone and slowly work your way up through the midback to the top of the shoulder. Adjust your body as needed to get even deeper into the muscle. It’s a good idea to work through the range of motion slowly, in order to find trigger points or other specific tight spots.

  1. Lie on your back with both legs extended. With your knees bent and your arms crossed, position the foam roller on the base of your tailbone.

  2. Bending both knees, roll forward, making sure the foam roller progresses to the top of the shoulder and back down again. Instead of rolling directly along your spine, angle your body so the roller targets both sides of your spine.

  UPPER BODY

  CHEST MUSCLE (PECTORALIS MAJOR)

  WHAT IT IS: The pectoralis major muscle is situated in the front chest, and makes up the most dominant chest muscle.

  NOTE: When foam-rolling your chest, there are two techniques. The first is to place the roller or sphere against a wall and roll against the chest muscles by moving your torso side to side and up and down. As with some other muscle groups, moving through the muscle slowly and forcefully allows you to find tight spots. To create the deepest possible contact with your muscle, place the roller on the ground and use your body weight to hit all the tender spots within that muscle.

  1. Lie facedown with your left arm on the floor and the foam roller positioned between your elbow and your right shoulder.

  2. Your weight should rest on your body, not on your arm.

  3. Using your left arm as a brace, move your torso side to side and up and down atop the roller, targeting your front chest muscles. Repeat on the other side.

  IN BETWEEN SHOULDER BLADES (RHOMBOIDS AND LEVATOR SCAPULAE)

  WHAT IT IS: The rhomboids are rhomboid-shaped muscles in between our shoulder blades that are vital in throwing and in any overhead arm motion.

  REASON FOR PLIABILITY: Decreased pliability in this area can lead to stress on the shoulder and neck and cause asymmetries in the arm and back.

  NOTE: When using the foam roller between your shoulder blades, consider adjusting your arms in a variety of positions. This allows access to certain muscles while changing their length. For example, crossing your arms or raising your arms overhead while rolling allows better access to your muscles while extending the length of the muscle. You can then rotate your trunk to find tender points within those muscles.

  1. Lie on your back, bend your knees, and cross your arms so that your hands are gripping the opposite shoulder.

  2. With the foam roller positioned beneath your left shoulder blade, begin rolling up and down.

  3. Adjust your upper trunk to target your muscles more deeply. Repeat on the other side.

  WHAT IT IS: The levator scapulae is a muscle located at the back and side of the neck, whose main function is to lift the shoulder blades.

  1. Still lying on your back with your knees bent, position the foam roller under your left shoulder blade.

  2. With your hips elevated six inches above the floor, roll from your shoulder blades up toward your neck.

  3. Cross your arms tightly to access the muscle deeply. Repeat on the other side.

  SHOULDER MUSCLES (DELTOIDS) (FRONT/MIDDLE/BACK)

  WHAT IT IS: The deltoid muscles are located on the upper area of the shoulder and are attached by tendons to the shoulder and upper arm bone.

  NOTE: When foam-rolling your deltoids, you can choose between two different approaches. In this case, the vibrating sphere is the optimal tool for this muscle group, as the smaller, more direct surface of the sphere will allow you to get deeper into the muscle. Place the sphere or the roller against the wall, and use your body weight to access the closest possible contact with the muscle. Optimally, you might try a variety of positions to locate trigger points within the muscle. For an even more active release, reach across your body while rolling to get deeper into the muscle.

  1. Position the vibrating sphere against a wall, leaning into it to achieve maximum depth.

  2. Begin rolling back and forth between your upper arm and the top of your shoulder.

  3. Angle and adjust your stance—and even raise your arm—to target tender points within your deltoid. Repeat on the other side.

  NOTE: The advantage of using the vibrating sphere is that it can access smaller, harder-to-reach points within any muscle group. In this case, as you roll out your shoulder muscle, let the sphere target points of tightness or weakness from the top of your shoulder to below your armpit.

  1. Position the vibrating sphere against a wall and press into it to access the muscle.

  2. Roll back and forth between your upper arm and the top of your shoulder.

  3. Angle and adjust your stance and raise your arm to target the deltoid’s sensitive points. Repeat on the other side.

  BACK OF SHOULDER (POSTERIOR ROTATOR CUFF)

  WHAT IT IS: The posterior rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that stabilizes your shoulder joint. It’s critical for any and all shoulder movements, including—in my job—throwing a football.

  1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and raised, and position the foam roller between the underside of your upper right arm and your shoulder.

  2. Using your knees to elevate your body and lift your hips off the floor, move your body up and down atop the roller.

  3. Contract and relax your arm and shoulder muscles to access tender points. Repeat on the left side.

  BACK SHOULDER MUSCLES (LATISSIMUS DORSI AND TERES MAJOR)

  WHAT IT IS: The latissimus dorsi is a wide, flat muscle that runs through the back and armpits and connects to the upper arm. We use our lats when we’re doing pull-ups, chin-ups, or extending or swinging our arms. The latissimus dorsi and teres major atach to the humerus and are responsible for inward and backward movement of the torso and arms.

  NOTE: When foam-rolling your back shoulder muscles, trace all the way up your side from your lower side to your armpits. Continuously flexing and rotating your shoulder will help lengthen the muscle as much as possible. Using the roller against the wall can be an easy, efficient way to locate tender spots within the posterior shoulder.

  1. Assuming the same position as the previous exercise, position the foam roller underneath your armpit.

  2. Angling your knees together and to one side, roll from the armpit all the way down your lower back.

  3. By moving, adjusting, and flexing your shoulder, you can lengthen and soften your muscles even more deeply. Repeat on the other side.

  BETWEEN YOUR SHOULDER AND NECK (UPPER TRAPEZIUS)

  WHAT IT IS: The upper trapezius muscle extends from the upper regions of the back on the posterior side of the neck and trunk. Its functions include elevating, rotating, and stabilizing our shoulder blades and supporting our arms.

  1. Position yourself next to a wall, with the vibrating sphere pressed against your right upper back.

  2. Use your upper back to roll the sphere up and down and side to side.

  3. Lean in deeply to target the muscles between your armpit and your upper shoulder. Repeat on
the other side.

  INSIDE OF YOUR FOREARM (FOREARM FLEXORS)

  WHAT IT IS: The forearm flexors are a group of five muscles that are wrist and finger flexors of the forearm. They allow us to move our wrists toward or away from our bodies. Both tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow are signs you need to focus on forearm pliability.

  1. With your knees bent, lean forward and place your left wrist on top of the foam roller. Your hand should be facing down.

  2. Leaning back onto your hips, roll your wrist forward atop the roller, targeting the entire forearm.

  3. If necessary, use the right arm to steady the left. Repeat on the other side.

  OUTER FOREARM (FOREARM EXTENSORS)

  WHAT IT IS: The forearm extensors comprise more than half a dozen muscles on the back of the forearm that allow us to extend our wrists and fingers.

  1. In the same position as the previous exercise, place your left wrist on top of the foam roller, this time with the hand facing up.

  2. Leaning back onto your hips, and using your right arm to steady the left, roll from your wrist to your elbow joint.

  3. As you roll out your forearm extensors, rhythmically contract and relax your outer forearm muscles. Repeat with your right outer forearm.

  SELF-PLIABILITY—UNASSISTED

  When I don’t have the benefit of the highest form of pliability by working with Alex, I do self-pliability. The impulse is to tense up, but I try to keep my shoulders relaxed and apply tension with my hands only. (I should be even more relaxed in this photo!) Instead of going from 0 to 100, with self-pliability, start slowly, and you’ll gradually get used to it.

  Sometimes during the off-season, when I don’t have the benefit of working with Alex, I’ve found ways to do self-pliability. The advantage of self-pliability is that you can lengthen and soften at least some of your muscles, anywhere you are, both pre- and post-workout. The obvious disadvantage is that self-pliability limits the parts of the body you can reach. It can also be tiring! Still, if you’re committed to it, unassisted self-pliability is a great thing to be able to do—but you need to start slowly, staying relaxed in your upper body as you stroke through the muscle. I do self-pliability on seven muscle groups—my tibialis anterior, calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, forearm, biceps, and triceps—and in the pages ahead I’ll show you the method I use on three of those muscles.

  ADVICE TO THE GYM-GOER

  I don’t play a particular sport. How much pliability do I need?

  Whether you’re eighteen years old or eighty, the same principles of pliability apply to everyone. If you’re not an everyday athlete but you go to the gym to work out, I recommend you do pliability both before you go and as soon as you finish your workout. I would target hamstrings, calves, quads, IT bands, and glutes. The entire self-pliability session should last around twenty minutes.

  Even if you don’t go to the gym, what are your daily acts of living? Do you stand and sit a lot? Climb stairs? Carry bags? Work in the garden? No matter what your level of activity is, you’ll still be contracting your muscles—and without lengthening and softening your muscles through pliability, they will become tight, dense, and stiff. Over time they will lose full muscle pump function and the ability to rejuvenate and regenerate—which, in the end, decreases overall health and vitality.

  SELF-PLIABILITY: CALVES

  In my job, I’m always on my feet, running and shuffling in the pocket. That’s why, when I don’t have the benefit of Alex, I maintain a lot of pliability in my calves. You should determine where you need pliability based on your daily acts of living.

  Apply a nonsticky lotion to your calf. (I recommend lotion for all our self-pliability treatments.) In a seated position, bend your knee in front of you. Using both hands, grab your leg just above your ankle. With both thumbs pressing down on your anklebone, stroke through your calf muscle, toward the heart, for twenty seconds. At the same time, rhythmically point and flex your foot. Repeat on the other side.

  SELF-PLIABILITY: TRICEPS

  Obviously, I need to maintain pliability in my arms—especially my right arm.

  Raise your right forearm and grasp your biceps just above the elbow joint. Press your thumb against the underside of your elbow. Firmly stroke through your triceps muscle with the thumb of your left hand as you rhythmically contract and relax the muscle. Repeat on the other side.

  SELF-PLIABILITY: INSIDE OF YOUR FOREARM

  My forearm used to give me a lot of trouble—that’s why I developed tendonitis before I met Alex. As I do self-pliability, notice that my left thumb applies pressure as I stroke up the muscle with my hand, always toward the heart.

  With the underside of your right arm facing up, grasp the forearm with the left hand. Using consistent pressure, stroke the muscle from the wrist to the elbow joint as you rhythmically contract and relax your forearm. Make sure you target the entire length of the muscle. Repeat on the other side.

  SELF-PLIABILITY: OUTER FOREARM

  More self-pliability on my right forearm, lengthening and softening, always toward the heart.

  With the outside of your right arm facing up, grasp the forearm with the left hand. Using consistent pressure, stroke the muscle from the wrist to the elbow joint as you rhythmically contract and relax your forearm. Make sure you target the entire length of the muscle. Repeat on the other side.

  PARTNER PLIABILITY: THE BASICS

  On the rare occasions when I don’t have the benefit of working with Alex, I’ve found ways to do partner pliability. As I’ve said, the highest levels of pliability come from working with one of our TB12 body coaches, who’ve undergone a rigorous certification program to master the TB12 Method of pliability through an in-depth understanding of biomechanics, muscle physiology, and proper muscle function. We’re also excited to be launching a new training and certification program that we’ll be rolling out soon to create a network of world-class TB12-certified body coaches across the country. In the meantime, the methods ahead can offer some of the benefits of in-person targeted deep-force muscle work. While your partner may not be able to replicate the targeted deep-force muscle work I get working with Alex or the same degree of force he exerts to create optimal muscle pump function, he or she can still lengthen, soften, and prime muscles, no matter where you are, both before and after a workout or activity.

  By now, you know the technique: Using a consistent but tolerable force, your partner lengthens and softens the muscle, always stroking in the direction of the heart. I repeat: always in the direction of the heart. Meanwhile, the person who’s getting pliability contracts and relaxes that muscle rhythmically, up and down or back and forth, for around twenty seconds.

  Many muscle groups are optimally done only with the assistance of a certified TB12 body coach. But in the following pages are a half-dozen techniques that you and a partner can perform together safely.

  1. If you’re wearing shorts, before starting I recommend applying a non-sticky lotion to the muscle you’re targeting. You’re going to need to be right up against the skin. I use coconut oil, but you should use anything you have on hand.

  2. Always stroke upward as you lengthen and soften your partner’s muscles, toward the heart, to facilitate optimal blood circulation.

  3. Try to target all sides of the muscle, including the inside, middle, and outside.

  4. Pliability is active, never passive. As you lengthen and soften a muscle, the person receiving pliability contracts and relaxes that muscle rhythmically, about two times per second. However, speeds will vary, based on the ability and pliability of the person who’s getting the treatment.

  5. Unless otherwise noted, partner pliability should be done in a relaxed, prone position. If you have a massage table at home, great. If not, you can do partner pliability on a bed or any flat surface, in order to give the person giving pliability the proper leverage.

  6. Begin with the lower limbs, then move up to the torso and the upper limbs.

  7. Pliability should be done on all the
muscles in your body for around twenty seconds. However, if an area of the body is more sore or is giving you trouble, continue with the treatment until the muscle starts to lengthen and soften.

  8. The most challenging part of partner pliability is that the person giving pliability is stroking through the muscle in an upward direction, toward the heart, at the same time the person getting pliability is contracting and relaxing the muscle rhythmically—sometimes up, sometimes down. With practice, this will become automatic. The goal is to lengthen and soften through the stroke.

  BOTTOM OF THE FOOT (PLANTAR FASCIA)

  1. The person receiving pliability is in a comfortable seated position, legs and feet extended, as the person giving pliability presses both thumbs against the heel.

  2. The person giving pliability strokes through the plantar fascia slowly and forcefully, always in the direction of the heart.