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EMS- intense, effective and time-saving

by with No Comment Performance PackagePersonal Training EN

What is EMS?

Electrical muscle stimulation (or EMS) is a new training method in which the muscles are made to tense up by electrical impulses. A special suit equipped with electrodes directs the impulses to the specific muscle groups and causes them to contract. This principle, in contrast to normal training, allows deeper lying muscles to be accessed. Sports scientists and physiotherapists use this method to build up strength, increase performance or to recover after an injury.

 

How does EMS work?

With every movement we make in everyday life, the brain sends a command to tense the corresponding muscles by means of bioelectric impulses. During EMS training, this principle is amplified many times over, meaning that the muscles are put under much greater tension. Various training modules can be used to train individual muscle groups or stimulate the metabolic process. When used regularly, this time-saving and highly effective whole-body training does not only have a positive effect on general fitness and performance, but can also strengthen the back muscles in a targeted manner. The skin and connective tissue also benefit from EMS training. The contractions stimulate the blood circulation and thus demonstrably reduce cellulite.

 

How often is training performed?

Only twenty minutes of EMS training per week are sufficient to achieve training success. The pulse strength can be gradually adjusted according to the fitness level. To increase the training effect, we combine conventional training with weights or TRX bands with EMS training in a wireless suit. This allows freedom of movement and expands the training possibilities a lot.

 

What are the advantages of EMS-Training?

EMS-Training is versatile and is particularly suitable for strengthening back muscles, which are often neglected in everyday life. It can also be used to eliminate muscular imbalances. Through targeted training of the deep muscles, EMS-Training loosens tension and stimulates blood circulation. This in turn strengthens the connective tissue and ensures a finer skin texture – and all this with only 20 minutes of training per week.

Have we aroused your interest? Then book an appointment for EMS training today. We look forward to meeting you!

 

Your American PT Team

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Planking – Strong for the core

by with No Comment Performance PackagePersonal Training ENPhysiotherapy

The plank is considered the supreme discipline of core exercises. As simple as the forearm support may look, if you try to hold it for longer than 30 seconds, you quickly realize how many muscles are working simultaneously to hold the position and how much effort it takes to persevere in a supposedly resting position. What started as a snap idea of two teenagers led to a real mass phenomenon around a strong body core. Today, planking is an integral part of an effective workout and an essential part of personal training.

What does Planking mean?

The Plank has become a pioneer of all core exercises for muscle building, because with only one fitness exercise and without any weights, not only the abdominal muscles are trained, but also the trunk, back, leg, hip, shoulder and chest muscles at the same time. So one exercise is enough to keep the whole body fit and at the same time train coordination and endurance. Planking is great for preventing back pain or strengthening overall fitness. Sit-ups, on the other hand, train only dynamic strength and are therefore unsuitable for back training. Planking is therefore the ideal exercise for a healthy spine.

Why is planking so effective?

The forearm plank is an isometric exercise. It is therefore performed without movement. Isometric exercises strengthen the so-called maximum strength and endurance. Due to the continuous muscle tension, which is held as long as possible, the muscle is under maximum permanent tension (isometric contraction). Back pain is often the cause of a too weak trunk or a permanent incorrect load on the spine, for example due to long periods of sitting in the home office. The result is pain. Planks help to compensate for imbalances in the spine and can improve posture. Not only is the core strengthened, but the entire body – especially the back.

What muscles are used in planking?

Planking strengthens the entire body, especially the core, back, leg, hip and gluteal muscles, as well as the shoulders and chest. The longer the position is held, the greater the endurance and maximum strength is increased at the same time.

How does the Plank work?

When doing the exercise for the first time, care should be taken to perform it without pain. Therefore, it makes sense to approach the exercise gradually in order to avoid injuries. The starting position of the Plank is in the prone position and supported on the elbows. The shoulders should be placed just above or in front of the elbows. The easiest variation is to lift the pelvis and support yourself with your knees. If that is too easy, you can straighten your knees and support yourself on your feet. It is important that the knees, hips and shoulders form a straight line, that there is no hollow back and that the pubic bone is drawn towards the sternum. Now it’s time to persevere! First, try to hold the position as long as possible without losing tension. After that, you can progressively extend the time and gradually incorporate additional movements.

What are the variations of planking?

Meanwhile, there are many variants that target different muscle groups and increase the difficulty of the exercise. The classic variation is a wide base between both elbows and between the feet. You can further challenge the abdominal muscles by progressively pushing the elbows further forward or statically pulling the elbows toward the pelvis. To target the oblique abdominal and back muscles, one can lift either one arm or one leg alternately. If someone wants even more of a challenge, the plank can be performed on an unstable surface. A pezzi ball or exercise ball is best for this. Due to the fact that the forearms are on the wobbly exercise ball, enormous strength and stability is required to keep the balance.

 

Yours Michael Boettcher

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Pain in the knees from running

by with No Comment ChiropracticPersonal Training ENPhysiotherapyRegeneration EN
Many of our customers complain about knee pain while running. They often describe the pain as dull around the knee joint or as a twinge at the kneecap. Most often, the pain occurs during running or immediately following exercise. Clients often try stretching exercises or using a fascia roller to loosen the surrounding muscles and get rid of the pain that way. Unfortunately, the pain can be persistent and, in the worst cases, force them to take a longer break.

Causes of knee pain

The most common reason for knee pain is overuse of the lower leg extensor muscle quadriceps. If the muscle is used too frequently, so-called trigger points develop. These are small nodules in the muscle that have poor blood supply and cause a characteristic pain pattern. If there is overuse of the quadriceps, the pain tends to feel dull and is located around the knee. If the fascia is stuck or tight, the pain tends to be located on the sides of the knee or just below the kneecap (patellar tendinitis). In both varieties, the pain occurs during and after running.

Our holistic approach

Our strategy for this situation is first to lower the tension in the muscles by dry needling and massage. This is done by working on the fascia with a special tool to loosen it up and release any adhesions. With special tests we can determine if the connection between the nerve and the muscle is working properly. If this connection is inactive, the muscle will be overloaded or misloaded again and the discomfort will return even after the therapy is finished.

Functional Movement Screen

Once we have the local discomfort under control, we do a Functional Movement Screen and look at the patient’s overall movement amplitude. This gives us the opportunity to identify and target further faulty movement patterns. Through corrective exercises at home, discomfort and thus pain can be prevented in the future. Yours Michael Boettcher
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Nutritional Advice

by with No Comment Nutritional CounselingPersonal Training EN

Food plays a central role in our lives. It provides not only our body, but also the soul and the spirit with nutrients and energy. Like everything else in life, nutrition must remain in balance, which is the only way to achieve optimal health. Healthy eating has been proven to contribute to your health and fitness. In our practice, in addition to therapeutic treatments and personal training, we also offer nutritional counseling. So that you can master everyday life with more energy and zest for life.

MetaCheck

With the new metabolic analysis we can determine the exact meta-type and then create an individual nutrition plan. At the beginning, we record all important data and create a profile. Then we analyze together the previous eating habits, which are recorded in a kind of diary over a period of seven days. Afterwards, we look together at where and how we can optimize your diet and which foods you’d better keep your hands off in the future. In this way, we can work together on good eating habits and change your diet in the long term.

Nutrition and therapy

Healthy nutrition not only affects your figure, it is also an essential part of a healthy and functioning musculoskeletal system. Even in the field of therapeutic applications, nutrition can become an important component. Especially when it comes to the joints, it is important to pay attention to a healthy diet and regular exercise. In general, it can be said that healthy nutrition has a positive effect on the treatment of pain through physiotherapy, physiotherapy, acupuncture or chiropractic applications.

Body in motion

In addition to metabolic analysis and nutritional counseling, we offer a variety of exercise options in our practice that can help with weight loss or musculoskeletal restrictions. Here, we pay special attention to the execution of fitness exercises that are easy on the joints. Our qualified staff will guide you through each exercise. We also have a wide range of training equipment and weights. These factors allow us to offer an individual and varied training and accompany you on your journey to a better and pain-free body.

Yours Michael Boettcher

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The cause-consequence chain

by with No Comment Altitude TrainingChiropracticDry Needling ENPhysiotherapy

The cause-consequence chain describes a state of irritation of the tissues in the musculoskeletal system that is directly related to an injury and has an effect on surrounding structures (a kind of chain reaction).
A general distinction is made between ascending and descending chains. An ascending chain is often triggered by trauma to the lower extremities, such as supination trauma (twisting of the ankle). Thus, there is sometimes a link between an old foot injury and acute hip symptoms.

Accordingly, in sports medicine there are also descending cause-and-consequence chains, such as discomfort or dysfunction in the hip, which can lead to pain in the knee. These are usually triggered by a dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint. This is followed by a protective posture with increased stress on the unaffected structures in order to minimize pain as well as further irritation of the affected structures.

Over a longer period of time, overload symptoms can occur, which are often characterized by local pain. However, these can also manifest globally in adjacent structures. This type of chain reaction can ensure that local therapeutic measures remain unsuccessful, as the actual cause of the pain present is often not included in the treatment planning.

It is therefore even the more important to include surrounding structures such as joints, muscles or ligaments in the initial examination as well as in the treatment and to structure the therapy holistically. Over the long term, better therapy goals can therefore be achieved and the quality of life sustainably improved.

If you have any questions about the cause-effect chain or would like to make an appointment for treatment, please feel free to call us!

Your Michael Boettcher

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Reflexive Performance Reset – not only for competitive athletes

by with No Comment Altitude TrainingChiropracticPerformance PackagePersonal Training ENRegeneration EN

Reflexive Performance Reset, or RPR is more than just an ordinary therapy. It activates muscles that have a key function in our musculoskeletal system via certain reflex points. These key muscles give our body more support, bounce, energy and lead to more mobility in the long term. The Reflexive Performance Reset consists of different breathing exercises and the stimulation of certain nerves in the body, which help to increase the training success and prevent injuries.

When we are under constant stress and give our body little time to regenerate, it is inevitably put into stand-by mode. In this state, the body has little energy and performance is significantly reduced. Reflexive Performance Reset can help to bring the body back to its performance peak, reduce pain caused by compensating for poor posture, improve mobility and increase resistance to injury.

By activating specific reflex points that bring the body out of these damaging compensation patterns and targeted breathing exercises, the muscles can recover faster, you have more energy and are more resistant to stress. Whether you are a competitive athlete, an athlete or simply a sports enthusiast, the RPR concept is so simple and yet so promisingly designed that it can be implemented at any time. Just contact us!

Yours Michael Boettcher

Kettlebells

Kettlebells – dynamic and advanced training

by with No Comment Performance PackagePersonal Training EN

Kettlebells – or dumbbells – have been used as “round weights” for training since the end of the 19th century. Kettlebell training is highly effective: it involves training the entire body and promotes stability, mobility, strength and coordination. At the same time the cardiovascular system is stimulated and effective fat burning is achieved. In order to achieve optimal results, we use Kettlebells as part of the personal training in our practice in addition to other modern sports equipment.

Always in use – the body core

Training with Kettlebells addresses several fitness components simultaneously: strength, endurance, flexibility, speed and coordination can be trained with just one exercise.
Because most Kettlebells exercises involve complex movements that address entire muscle groups simultaneously, coordination and mobility are important components of Kettlebell training. Lighter dumbbells, which allow more repetitions, are also suitable for endurance and cardio training. Even though each exercise has a different focus – shoulders, arms, legs or back – the center of the body is trained each time.

The ideal whole-body training device

In contrast to training with other weights, the Kettlebell has the center of gravity of the training weight outside the hand. This means that the torso-stabilizing muscles always work with it. In addition, the dynamic exercises increase the condition and stimulate fat burning. Therefore the ball weight is also suitable for training units in HIIT or TABATA style. The goal of training with the ball weight is above all to build up functional strength, explosive power and stability and to strengthen the cardiovascular system as well as tendons and ligaments.

Convince yourself of the versatility of the ball barbells in individual or group training. Call us and arrange a free trial lesson!

Yours Michael Boettcher

Nutrition Coaching

Nutritional advice

by with No Comment Nutritional Counseling

Food plays a central role in our lives, not only as a primary source of nutrition and energy for our body, but also for our soul and spirit. Like everything else in life, nutrition must always be in balance. Only in this way, we can maintain our physical and mental health.

As a naturopath, I occasionally reached my limits when it came to pain relief. Although the patients joints, muscles and the musculoskeletal system appeared to be fine after the treatment, some of them still complained about ongoing pain. Notably, it all came down to their body weight, which played a massive role in the outcome of the treatment. Obesity and joint wear and tear are directly related and reduce the effect of a therapeutic treatment, vitamin and mineral deficiency caused by an unbalanced and unhealthy diet als contribute to a negative outcome.

A blood test gave us the necessary answers and made me realize, that nutrition is an important part of the regenerative processes and has a direct impact on therapeutic treatments.
Other patients asked about the influence of nutrition on their wellbeing in terms of exhaustion, lack of energy and difficulties in concentrating. Despite being healthy from a medical point of view, they felt exhausted and often blamed it on their age or stressful lifestyle. Others, however, were aware of their poor diet and obesity, but did not know how to get out of their situation or Weren‘t motivated to start a diet. Often these patients also complained about digestive disorders and were looking for a holistic and natural solution to their problem.

Therefore I decided to attend a 14-month seminar on “Holistic nutritional counseling” for naturopaths and am now looking forward to expanding our treatment offers, adding a new and very important element of health-oriented applications within the practice: Nutritional advice

First we need to collect all the important data around you and create a profile, then we analyze your general eating habits, which you write down for a week in a kind of diary, and then we Are going to show you how you can optimize your nutrition and which foods you should keep your hands off in the future. Following your new diet plan, we can implement and maintain good eating habits for your future self. Our goal is to make you feel more energetic, joyful, Create a better Body image and reduce pain.