Week ONE - intro to tension r&r + CARs
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Full Saturday Class
This is the full, uninterrupted class, where you’ll get lots of details and options. For a more concise practice, try the shorter video clips + Q&A below. Enjoy the movement! Remember: you can’t do too many CARs so get’em in.
Time stamps:
00:00 - 17:20 — Welcome, intro to me (Asia), foundational information about the movement we’ll be doing in this challenge
17:20 - 25:29 — Guided tension ramping & releasing (r&r) exercise
25:30 - 40:12 — Guided shoulder CARs (controlled articular rotations) single and double arm
40:12 - 01:01:27 — Q&A
Practice Videos
Tension ramping & releasing (r&r)
Tension ramping & releasing (r&r)
This is your foundational action to generate and control the amount of internal force you’ll pour into your joints. Force is the language of your tissues — not enough and they degrade/atrophy; too much and there’s wear, tear, and injury. So learning to be like a dial (gradually increasing/decreasing tension) versus a flip-switch (all or nothing) is Joint Health 101.
Learn to find your percentages. It’s subjective of course, but the more you practice the more refined you’ll get at it:
1-10% = enough tension to hold the shape or create movement; it should feel like your moving part (arm/leg/etc) is floating through like a feather in the wind. Best when first learning a movement, or if injured/in pain.
10-30% = enough tension to feel it pouring into surrounding tissues. So if you’re doing shoulder CARs at 30%, you’ll feel your whole upper arm and core ‘stiff’ around that moving shoulder joint. A great tension level when you’ve mastered the basics, or are actively recovering from an injury (not in pain).
30-60% = enough tension to feel the joint you’re working having to fight for the movement a bit. This is the “feel like you’re moving through honey” level. Once you’ve learned how to do CARs and have no active pain/injuries, this is where you’ll spend most of your time.
60-90% = enough tension to really challenge that joint and start building health into it. Like lifting enough weight to build muscle, pouring this much tension into a joint is where the gold is for building more space and a better capsule. This is the “feel like you’re moving through wet cement” level, and it should be HARD.
90%+ = maximum effort, you’re greatest, safest level of internal tension; you’ll be sweating, grunting, shaking … I mean, this level ain’t pretty but it’s damn effective. Don’t dive right into this kind of work, take it gradually.
The more pain or discomfort you feel in a joint, the less tension you apply to it. The better/healthier your joint gets, the more tension you add until you’re at your max.
From max internal effort you’d start to add external weight, but you’re about 108 reps of basic CARs away from that yet. First, master this force control (oye, that got really Star Wars).
Shoulder CARs
Hip CARs
Shoulder & Hip CARs (controlled articular rotations)
Controlled = using tension r&r to pour the amount of force into the joint you need to stimulate growth/healing
Articular = “related to joints” but more specifically here about “articulating” or moving around the outer edge of your joints
Rotation = that internal/external action (EG turning the eye of your elbow into/away from your center) that moves your bones in the capsule almost like polishing a car (for my GenXers this is kinda like the “wax on wax off” work of joints)
Class Q&A
Class Q&A
00:00 - Should I keep my shoulders ‘down’ during CARs?
00:29 - What if I feel a ‘pinch’ while doing CARs?
02:50 - I’ve been told my elbows are “hyper-mobile”
04:36 - Do I have to stand to do CARs?
05:01 - Should I be pulling my shoulder blades into my spine?
05:56 - What if I feel numbness down my legs when I bend forward (re: hips)?
08:19 - My fingers tingle while doing CARs; is that ok?
10:11 - How many CARs should I do?
11:30 - What does “CARs” stand for again? (a bit more of a deep-dive into CARs)
13:12 - What can I do about tension in my jaw? (I give some movements here, for anyone also dealing with this)
