Jon Messner Performance

I Hate These Shoes

Sat, 12 May 2012 09:39:13 -0400

Hate is a strong word.
I really hate these shoes though.
There are so many reasons I hate these shoes.
They represent the worst in what we have to offer one another, with both the words “stupidity” and “greed” coming to mind.

My Secret

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:51:56 -0400

Our culture loves research because it very much appears to simplify the complex. Demonstrating in a study that x-muscle has only x-number of degrees of movement before y-muscle is impacted by that movement gives us some level of comfort in understanding the limits of the human body.

Training Swimmers

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:06:49 -0500

I have been fortunate to work with some incredibly talented swimmers in the past year. I have compiled the following notes based on the training we have done.

The Downward Spiral

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:16:31 -0500

It always starts the same way.
Subtly, yet still shocking. Probably because it wasn’t there before.
It is a little nagging sensation in the knee, hip or the buttock. It’s like it needs to get stretched or strengthened, right?

Featured Testimonial - Drew Seaver

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:07:22 -0500

“Jon Messner is onto something here. Read on.
Before I start speaking volumes about Jon Messner's "Core Training for Distance Runners", a little bit of history about myself first needs to be shared. I was a Division 1 collegiate distance runner for four years and have been out of school now for roughly two years. While in school, I was injured two to three times a year - knees, IT band, hips, achilles, shins, and overall burnt-out-ness (you know what I'm talking about)."

A Rant About the Sit-Up

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 09:45:31 -0400

Is the sit-up a good exercise?
The way you are doing it? Probably not.
The truth is, at JMP, we have our bad-back clients perform crunches with the goal of mobilizing the thoracic spine. This is an advanced exercise, and if you are unable to get a high amount of isometric activation in and around the abdominal musculature, you should not perform it.

The New Stretching Protocol

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:52:05 -0400

If you move up the human body starting from the ground, joints alternate roles between a stability role and a mobility role. The feet work in a stabilizing fashion, the ankles are more mobility oriented, the knee joint functions best when it is stable, the hips when they are mobile, and so on and so forth up the kinetic chain.
This concept alters the way in which we have traditionally looked at stretching.

Protecting Your Patterns

Sun, 08 May 2011 15:33:07 -0400

My typical client looks something like this:
- The retired athlete who used to beat the crap out of him or herself doing stupid exercises and now needs me to try and fix them
- The high school athlete who I am trying to prevent from doing stupid exercises so that they don’t turn into aforementioned individual
- The housewife (Score! They bring me food!)
- The competitive masters powerlifter
That last one may seem a bit out of place; my personality type and the “old school lifting” mentality does not really mesh all that well.

Kathie Testimonial

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 19:15:07 -0400

A big part of why I am writing this testimonial is because of how much I believe in Jon and his ability to help others as much as he has helped me.
I’ve been working out on my own for the past 25 years, and by “working out” I mean running 25 to 30 miles a week with an occasional aerobics class thrown in and very little strength training. While my routine allowed me to maintain my weight I could never seem to get my body to look the way I wanted.

Bacon Cheese Fries

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:01:29 -0500

I could never give up bacon cheese fries. (Editors Note: Jon is both Jewish AND vegetarian. Hilarious, we know.)
But that’s not to say I am not going to try.
And I think this is where most people falter. Some give up before they begin and others give up after they have already tried. We can speculate all we want as to why, but it probably has something to do with being too complicated and brain numbing to realize that the world doesn’t fit into something easily understood where everything can be solved and quantified.
I know, I know, I go off on these rants. But it is this universal truth that must be understood at some level to understand what I am talking about.

Popularity Contest

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:53:28 -0500

When I was young, we had strict guidelines that dictated who we could and could not hang out with. These “guidelines” were based on what many would consider very important societal traits… the manner in which one dresses, the level of comedic value one has, and so on and so forth. (I’m laying on the sarcasm pretty thick here.)

Love Story

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:05:52 -0400

I have the coolest clients on the face of the planet. They cook for me. They hang out with me. They try and set me up on blind dates (actually not so cool, sometimes.) My clients can beat up your clients.

Playing God

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:31:55 -0400

This whole new business thing is STRESSFUL. I was told that opening a personal training studio was like having a party. Only it was not like a party. Except for the booze… What?
Dude I’m kidding. Sort of. Funny story. We had so much wine left over after the grand opening we forgot to bring it home and left most of it in the fridge at work. Oops. That really isn’t a funny story. It is more like a story about booze in a refrigerator.

Featured Athlete - Jimmy Aridas

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:56:16 -0400

“I came to Jon at the end of my freshman year of high school. I had just finished my first year of playing varsity tennis at the second singles position, the second best spot on the team. As a freshman, that’s a huge spot to take over, knocking off upperclassmen who thought that this year would be theirs to get a good spot on the team. What made it even more monumental was the fact that I had to serve underhand, which is un-heard of in the tennis world, due to a stress fracture in the growth plate of my shoulder. This wasn’t the only thing that was wrong with my shoulder. My back muscles were not developed enough to withstand the amount of tennis I was playing, at the level I was playing at. Jon drilled this into my head and helped me out.

My Progressive Thinking

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:49:18 -0400

I think it is important to admit when you are wrong.
I do it all the time.
“Daisy, I’m sorry. I thought by ‘double date’, you meant that I was taking both you and Chastity out.” You know, that sort of thing.
As a trainer, I have probably apologized more to my clients than any other trainer in the history of man. I have told my clients on numerous occasions so-and-so exercise that we did sometime in the past was probably not the best for them.
What makes my job so difficult is that I am trying to create a “training norm” (or template, or system, or whatever you want to call it) in a profession that continuously shifts what it considers its norms on an almost daily basis. It seems as though every other week you have another expert throw something new on the table, which, don’t get me wrong, is great. It’s just that it was so much easier when everything could be solved with gluteal activation.
And this leads to confusion, which makes me sound like a trainer with a split personality disorder:
Yesterday-Jon: Eden is not going to squat today because it might exacerbate her already very-lordotic posture.
Today-Jon: What was I thinking yesterday? Why didn’t I ask that chick out? Also, Eden will squat today because IF I COACH IT RIGHT (another article maybe? Hmmm?) it should help straighten out her spine a bit.
Now, contrary to popular belief, I was not born with dumbbells in my hands (that’s impossible really) or this split-personality disorder. It all started long ago, in a galaxy far, far away. Eight years ago at The Atlantic Club, to be precise…

It's the Little Things

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:29:23 -0500

This article is a summary of how I currently coach and implement the squat.
I am not doing anything radically different today compared with a few years ago, however, I am achieving superior results when it comes to pain management and performance. One could attribute the improved results to smarter program design, better coaching, and my ever-improving good looks. I am sure that it is a combination of those things and then some, but what really stands out in my mind is attention to detail. Focusing on the smallest, most minute changes in lumbo-pevlic alignment, ankle mobility, and even shoulder stability while squatting can make or break someone, especially those who have very small pain tolerances.
We don’t squat for the sake of squatting. We squat to try to perfect that pattern, which takes patience, intelligence, and common sense.
God is in the details.

Training Superwoman

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:29:42 -0500

This is what I call a reverse-testimonial. That’s right folks, you heard it here first, REVERSE-TESTIMONIAL.
What is a reverse-testimonial you ask? It is when a business raves about a particular client. In this case, the business (mega-corporation to be more precise; think Globo Gym) is Jon Messner Performance, and the client is Jill. I don’t consider Jill my client, however, I consider her family.

My Second Favorite Exercise

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:28:46 -0500

My love for the row is second only to my love for the squat. Many other exercises are jealous of the relationship I have with the row. I frequently receive nasty phone calls from the pushup, pullup, and lunge. They say I ignore them. They say I don’t give them what they want. And for good reason…

Walking on Rail Road Tracks While Checking Yourself Out

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:27:50 -0500

It seems as though I am always reminding my clients to pretend they are walking on railroad tracks (usually right after I tell them to fix their posture). Yes, I agree there is only so much coaching that you can possibly do in one day, and that row-variations and squat-variations are probably the absolute best exercises for postural restoration. However, I can’t help but feel that trying to keep your chest up and trying to keep your feet straight during the course of the day might help a little bit.

Things I Love For Me But Hate For You

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:26:39 -0400

Exercise, human nature, and western culture are very much like Jon, alcohol, and people asking Jon about exercise: a bad combination that doesn’t end well.
I have spent nights racking my brain as to why most people don’t get it. The best reason I have come up with so far is that it is beyond what we know and what we admit we don’t know.

Now Hiring

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:25:27 -0400

When Jill gave me the idea for this article, I thought, damn, why didn’t I think of that? I tried to concoct a way of writing it without her knowing, however locking both the article and myself inside a room is a bit shortsighted due to the apparent lack of audience. So I guess I have to give credit where credit is due, thanks Jill!

Five Short Stories

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:25:05 -0400

Hello all. I have taken down my blog for now because for whatever reason, I am not pleased with the quality of writing that was up on it. I know, I am crazy.
Posted below are the five blog entries for those of you who would like to read them.

You Pain In The Glute: Part 2

Fri, 01 May 2009 13:23:33 -0400

Soft tissue manipulation (STM) is a fancy term for massage-work. It is important that I try to get the client to understand what I believe is going on inside their bodies. Faulty movement patterns have caused muscles to bleed and scar. STM helps break up that scar tissue. It also helps manage pain and can also be used to “warm-up” the nervous system before we workout.

You Pain In The Glute: Part 1

Fri, 01 May 2009 13:22:05 -0400

Let me take you through a typical conversation I have had with someone who has back pain.
Me: How are you today Bob?
Bob: Not too good Jon, my back is killing me!
Me: Why is that Bob?
Bob: Well I am getting old, and so-and-so says it is hereditary.
Me: Ok Bob, what sort of job do you have.
Bob: Blah blah blah (doesn’t really matter what he does because it always involves sitting. Even the guy who swears he doesn’t sit at work has to sit to get there, unless he has one of those cool two wheeled thingys that all the cool people in New York City ride around on.)
Me: Ok Bob, do you workout?
Bob: Yeah man! I do crunches and back bends and that rotary machine for my core. I need to protect my back by working out my abdominals and my ability to twist under load because I need to strengthen my core.
Me: …

Common Sense

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:16:15 -0400

I am self-appointing myself to the position of “the guy who makes the rules” in the exercise world. Now I know what you are thinking, that this job is too big for me, but fear not, I am prepared and eager to help the people.

Chin Up Or Chin Down

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:15:36 -0400

A long time ago, before the invention of the wheel and the internet and when we thought knee extensions were part of leg workouts, it probably sounded and looked like a good idea to tell clients to get their heads up while lifting to correct sloppy technique: specifically, thoracic and lumbar rounding. This simple fix was reflective of our simplistic thinking of the day. Unfortunately, we still have caveman walking around with us who have automatically adopted this mentality without question. I think this teaching cue may work well with weighted-bending (not so much with weighted-squatting.) However, we have carried this thought process over to bodyweight training, and when it comes to teaching someone how to move for the first time with only their bodyweight, I’m not convinced that keeping your chin up is the best way to groove a healthy movement pattern.

Random Thoughts

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:09:53 -0400

Writers block has just hit as I near completing the end of the first chapter of my book, so in an effort to spur some creative juices, I am going to go off topic on some random thoughts:

Functional Anatomy For The Rest Of Us: Part 3

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:05:26 -0400

In part 2, we discussed how the thoracic spine, scapula, and glenohumeral joint can be affected, to a great degree, by manually fixing posture; protruding the chest and depressing the shoulder blades. The hips and the lumbar spine, on the other hand, cannot be consciously moved in the same manner. If we try to reposition the pelvis during movement such as walking, we would probably cause more harm than good.

Functional Anatomy For The Rest Of Us: Part 2

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:04:30 -0400

Kyphosis is a condition where the posterior chain (backside) is long and weak and his anterior chain (frontside) is short and overactive. In this “gravitational-forced” posture, segmental roles reverse, causing musculoskeletal trauma and pain. Our goal in training is to get someone out of this locked position and back into a tall position where their muscles are in a better position to work.

Functional Anatomy For The Rest Of Us: Part 1

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:03:36 -0500

Anatomy and functional anatomy are two very different sides of the same coin. Anatomy is the individual parts of our musculoskeletal system; bones, tendons, ligaments, muscles, etc. Like the pieces of a puzzle, they all come together perfectly to form the human body. And much like a puzzle, knowledge of the individual pieces and their places is imperative in understanding the whole.

Notes: Squat Analysis Lecture

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:02:19 -0500

Three weeks ago I held a short lecture for my co-workers on posture and the squat pattern (yes-it took me three weeks to figure out how to embed a YouTube video in my web-page). Knee-dominant exercises may be the most widely-used exercise in our arsenal, however, all too often they are performed incorrectly. I am a strong believer that if you don't feel the exercise in your glutes or are sore in your glutes the next day then you are probably doing more harm than good.

Notes: Toms River North Boys Cross-Country Workshop

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:01:37 -0500

I met with the Toms River North Cross Country team on Wednesday and it was a great experience. They are a great group of kids, and I wish them all the best of luck in their upcoming season.

My Success Story

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:55:09 -0500

Before I started training, I was a runner. While I was training in high school a car hit me. It wasn’t too bad though, I was up and running the next day (stupid runner mentality). However, shortly thereafter, I started developing a weird sensation in my knees, which overtime turned into pain. I cursed my own luck time and time again and thought, “This will only end with surgery.”

Strength Training for Distance Runners

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 12:54:28 -0500

There has been much speculation as to why distance runners incur so many injuries. The most common opinion has been the “pounding” the body takes every time it hits the ground (Daniels, Martin). However, this article will take a closer look, and a much less popular look at the reasons why distance runners get hurt as much as they do.

Strength Training from a Purist's Perspective

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 12:52:03 -0500

Most everyone is injured or going to get injured, and strength training can either speed that process up or slow it down.
In my previous writings, I wrote about activation, core strength, and movement. It is in my opinion that it is the pinnacle of health and wellness when clients and athletes are able to train movement using all the right muscles at all the right times in full ranges of motion. It is when we try to progress this to “strength training” where we may find ourselves in trouble, especially in the non-athletic population.

Train Movement

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:51:18 -0500

The body never operates about a single joint (even though we may do exercises to improve joint function). Whether you are standing up from your desk, running up and down a soccer field, or trying to move a lineman out of your way, strength is based on your neuromuscular efficiency and your ability to accumulate energy through the kinetic chain. Simply put, strength is how well the nervous system interacts with the muscles and how well the muscles fire (turn-on) in proper succession so that energy use is maximized. We therefore want to choose exercises that have function.

Real Core Training

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:46:22 -0500

10,000 years of evolution have turned the human body into an engineering masterpiece. Each movement affects hundreds of thousands of systems within the body and each system is dependent on hundreds of thousands of systems all working in unison. This balance is extremely remarkable, and delicate. Musculoskeletal dysfunction occurs when this balance is disturbed, most noticeably by societal stresses.

Step Inside My Head

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 12:36:33 -0500

I believe there is a better way to train athletes and rehab clients, but we are not there because of lack of education. Lack of education leads to misinformation and misinformation leads to the quick fix. The quick fix is everywhere in society, from fast food to health and fitness fads. It is the nature of our impatient society where the quickest solution is the only solution. These fitness fads are not only giving us a mirage of what we want, but doing more harm than good.