September 11, 2021

From podcast: https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/podcast/shawn-sherman/ 

[00:00:00] Introduction

[00:00:46] Podcast Sponsors

[00:03:00] Guest Introduction

[00:05:35] What is the “Square 1” system?

[00:12:32] Pre-Treatment Checks on Ben 

[00:29:12] Ladder App Announcement

[00:31:52] Podcast Sponsors

[00:34:30] How Basic, Seemingly Simple Patterns Can Cause Problems

[00:44:06] Customizing Triggers for An Individual

[01:02:19] What Is Going on During Corrective Exercise to Fix The Movement

[01:18:09] Test After Using a Functional Activity Equipment (Bow)

[01:20:09] How to Identify Activities That Produce Pain

[01:24:13] The Gathering at Runga

[01:26:48] End of Podcast

Ben:  Health, performance, nutrition, longevity, ancestral living, biohacking, and much more. My name is Ben Greenfield. Welcome to the show.

Alright, folks. I had a really smart cat fly out to my house and teach me a whole bunch of stuff about repatterning my body neurologically. It's hard to explain in the intro. So, you just want to listen to this episode with Shawn Sherman from Square 1 Systems. It's a great, great experience. And, I think you'll really dig it. I have a video, too, in the shownotes, which I'll give you shortly during the episode.

In the meantime, this podcast is brought to you by the Kion Dark Roast Coffee. So, a lot of people already know about our original medium roast and decaf and pre-ground coffee, but we had a lot of people, including myself, asking for sweet, bold, dark, muddy perfection, because I like my coffee strong, strong. So, if you're a serious diehard black as freaking mud coffee drinker and you put coffee in your coffee type of drinker, this Kion Dark Roast is the most robust strong stuff you're ever going to taste. Still full organic, still mold and mycotoxin-free, pesticide-free. It's all the same quality that you get from Kion. But, we just basically worked with the roaster to nail an amazing dark roast flavor.

You get 10% off of a bag of Kion Dark Roast. And, this code will also work for the original medium roast or the decaf or the ground coffee. You go to GetKion.com/BenGreenfield. That's Get-K-I-O-N.com/BenGreenfield. Grab a bag of this dark roast. It just smells amazing when you open it, chocolaty, floral, dark coffee aromas. Oh, my gosh. GetKion.com/BenGreenfield.

And, this podcast is also brought to you by something that appears in my new cookbook that I use as a meat rub. Most people drink it as a juice, like a free radical-quenching, blood-boosting juice, but I love it as a steak rub, too. It's called the Organifi Red Juice. It's reishi mushroom, cordyceps, Siberian ginseng, plus, rhodiola, acai, beets, pomegranate, raspberry, cranberry, blueberry, strawberry, but super low sugar, all these natural herbs and medicinal mushrooms and berries. If you want to make a juice cup of this stuff, it takes 30 seconds with no shopping or chopping or juicing or blending at a fraction of the cost of what you pay at a juicery.

You get another 20% off of it. So, it's a no-brainer. You go to Organifi.com/Ben, you get 20% off. That's Organifi (with an “i”).com/Ben, 20% off. And, that was the red juice that I just told you about. It's stellar.

Alright. So, this is the beginning of what could be a quite interesting podcast. I had a guy named Adam McDowell, also known as @MovingMuscle on Instagram, reach out to me on Instagram, I think, right, Adam?

Adam:  Yeah.

Ben:  And, he's like, “I know this guy, Shawn Sherman. He's amazing. He's got this new bodywork technique that just resets the way you use your muscle.” Enough stuff to where I was intrigued because I'm always tuned into new forms of bodywork therapy or muscle activation, whatever you want to call it. But, Adam introduced me to this guy named Shawn Sherman from a company called Square 1 Systems.

And, the shownotes for today's episode is actually going to be at BenGreenfieldFitness.com/Square1, Square, the number “1,” BenGreenfieldFitness.com/Square1.

So, I told Adam, I'm like, “Well, if I've got a free couple of days, why don't you guys fly up, and we'll put a massage table out in the sunshine like we have right here, and we'll record some content and see if this is something that could be helpful to my audience,” because I know a lot of you are weekend warriors, exercise enthusiasts, recreational athletes, pro athletes, people who just want to keep their bodies put together for healthspan and lifespan for a period of time.

So, anyways. So, Shawn and Adam showed up at my house yesterday afternoon here in Spokane. We got my massage table out here in the sunshine. For those of you listening to the audio, we're actually recording a video version of this as well, which I'll make available where the shownotes appear. But, we had a fun time last night.

Shawn:  Sure, yeah.

Ben:  There's a chiropractic convention in town, so I got a bunch of friends in town, like Peter Martone and Mindy Pelz. We have people over. We had some Traeger Grill lobster and some salmon and a big feast. Then, I got my butt kicked at cornhole. And then, we woke up this morning. And, we're about to dive in, and I'm about to turn things over to Shawn to show us his magic. And, you're at Square 1 Systems.

Shawn:  It's singular, so Square 1 System.

Ben:  And then, it's Square1Systems.com?

Shawn:  Exactly.

Ben:  Square 1 system or Systems.

Shawn:  Singular, yeah, System.

Ben:  System, singular. And so, if you guys have questions, comments, or feedback on what you see or what you hear, again, you can go to BenGreenfieldFitness.com/Square, the number “1.” And, I am a total virgin. I have no clue what I'm getting into. I literally purposefully did not ask many questions and figured Shawn would show up and just take things away. So, Shawn, welcome to Spokompton.

Shawn:  Spokompton?

Ben:  Spo-Kazakhstan.

Shawn:  I love it so much.

Ben:  It used to be that way. Spokane is pretty cool now.

So, Shawn, give folks just a–I don't know if you want to give them a touch of a background as you start to do what you do on me, or if it'd be helpful for you to spend a couple of minutes giving people a background first.

Shawn:  Maybe, we get that out of the way, and then it comes more natural to start going to the floor and actual session.

Ben:  Alright. So, what is this?

Shawn:  So, Square 1, that's the hardest question for me to answer because if 100 people ask me that, I gave you 100 different answers. But, in a nutshell, what we're going to do is we're going to find out where you're having a flawed perception of ground forces. So, that's where movement and where posture starts. So, it's a subconscious perception of where the ground is and how you're oriented in relationship to the ground. And, past stress, trauma, injury that will alter your sensory motor signaling, so that'll make your perception skew where you're perceiving you're a little bit tipped to the right or left, forward or back, or a little bit rotated. So, it means three different planes of movement. And, everybody is off on some level.

Ben:  And so, obviously, for ground reaction force athlete, like a football player or soccer or something like that, this would be incredibly crucial.

Shawn:  It could be, yeah.

Ben:  What about for a guy like me who's just walking 20,000 steps a day.

Shawn:  Sure.

Ben:  Now, I'm in just enjoyment fitness, just to keep myself put together. Where is the link there?

Shawn:  Well, the link is that all human beings were all movers. So, efficiency is always going to beat the tar out of inefficiency. So, what we're going to do is we're going to clean out these inefficiencies, so that every time your foot strikes the ground, it hits it more optimally. So, you're talking less wear-and-tear in your joints. You get more out of your workout sessions or whatever you're doing. So, for fitness enthusiasts to elite athletes, there's something for everybody with this.

Ben:  So, if you engage in chronic repetitive motion, it's essentially the patterning that you're trying to adjust that someone is more biomechanically appropriate with toe-off, gait, anything like that?

Shawn:  With everything. So, what we're really doing is we're boiling down all human movement to two base patterns of getting upright and locomotion. So, this getting upright is, really, you call that posture. So, there's two phases: getting up and going down. So, it's complete full-body supination, overcoming gravity, or complete full-body, pronation, where you're collapsing and absorbing shock into the ground. So, up and down is our static balance pattern or posture, and the dynamic balance or locomotion is what happens when the right foot strikes the ground, ground reaction force to come up through the whole kinetic chain in three planes of movement. Same thing with the left. So, it's right versus left, up versus down. We're looking for where you're leaking energy in those.

Ben:  Why on God's green Earth should people trust you? What's your background?

Shawn:  That's great. My background, if you go back really far, I have a four-year degree from Penn State. I was an early adopter of a system years ago, 18, 20 years ago, Muscle Activation Techniques.

Ben:  Is that Craig Buhler?

Shawn:  Craig Buhler is one of his students. Greg Roskopf is the guy who came up with that system.

Ben:  Craig's advanced muscle integrative technique, is that what he does, AMIT?

Shawn:  I've been loving [00:08:21]_____.

Ben:  Now, the only reason I ask is, way back in the day, Tim Ferris, in his book, “4-Hour Body,” talked about Dr. Thumb, I think he called him, who would put his thumbs in different areas of the body, do muscle testing, release certain muscles, activate certain muscles. This guy's name was Dr. Craig Buhler. I wound up actually through mutual acquaintance, meeting Craig down in Utah, and have since been down to see him a few times. And, he lays me on a table. He does some muscle testing, even, actually, it's a digitized device where he can test the muscle and then he activate some stuff. You get up. You walk. You get back on the table. So, that's, essentially, my experience with this, was with Dr. Buhler in Salt Lake.

Shawn:  Got it. So, that style of testing, I'm assuming that Dr. Buhler is still using. He's a chiropractor. I believe he has background in clinical kinesiology. We're using the exact same style of muscle testing. So, that's what I've borrowed from my years when I was doing MAT. Everything else that I learned back then has pretty much been abandoned. So, instead of looking at muscles as the source of this piece of the puzzle that we're going to manipulate, we're actually looking at joint actions because my problem with trying to break down posture and movement for the muscular level is, the way we're designed, there is no muscle that functions in isolation by itself. But, a joint action, we can isolate those.

So, we're looking at how joint actions create patterns because we get a lot of definitions of a pattern, but there's no mention of muscles. It's really multiple joint actions working together to accomplish a task. So, I'm going to try to find out where your brain says, “Hey, I can't handle ground reaction forces in this joint action.” When the brain perceives that it can't tolerate load, it has to work around it. And, that's compensation. So, we're looking at neural compensation.

Ben:  Got you. And then, one last question before, I guess, we dive in and you start to show what it is you're doing, because I feel like this leads itself well to demonstration, which is why we're doing the video and everything, too.

Shawn:  Absolutely.

Ben:  When people hear muscle testing, many folks, especially, those of the scientific vents, will bristle because they associate it with how you hold the ginger in one hand and you hold the digestive enzymes in the other hand. And then, you hold out your arm and the person presses down on it. And, you put on the magic balance bracelet from the County Health Expo. And so, a lot of people think that's total woo.

Shawn:  Sure.

Ben:  How is your style any different than something like that?

Shawn:  I think it's the exact same style, but it's how we're using that positive or negative response or that safety versus threatening response and interpreting it in regards, again, to load and mechanics and the ground itself. But, what I'd like to do on the front end of a demo is I'm going to find some flawed outcomes, like a restriction in range of motion. So, we have a secondary way to check that what we're doing is not bogus. So, I'm going to show, hopefully, some range of motion improvements.

Ben:  Cool. And, this is going to be interesting because I really haven't told you anything at all about my body. Adjust your microphone here.

Shawn:  Sure.

Ben:  We got Shawn, just for listeners, who are this MacGyver-it-up. We got his receiver duct-taped to him. We got Adam running technical backups. So, audience, be kind because we're literally just three muscle-heads here trying to figure out how to use audio equipment.

So, anyways, well, this will be interesting for people to see because it's something I'm intrigued about. And, I haven't told you anything about my body at all. 

Shawn:  No. And, I like that you haven't even asked what we're doing till right now.

Ben:  I don't even asked you a single question.

Shawn:  It's more natural this way and we're getting response.

Ben:  Dinner last night, I was joking with you about this. We haven't talked about this stuff at all.

Shawn:  No.

Ben:  So, this is going to be interesting. You know nothing about me.

Shawn:  Correct.

Ben:  It's like a magic show where you go to.

Shawn:  Exactly. I love it.

Ben:  It's like, “Do you know this person?” 

Shawn:  Totally.

Ben:  “Have you ever seen each other before in your life?”

Shawn:  Cool. So, the biggest thing I want to do or ask you is, you don't need to give me too many details, but if there's any recent trauma, I just got to be careful with it, because I always tell people, MRI or X-ray eyeballs, I don't damage anything, or ear–

Ben:  Like I was telling you, my wife jumped my bones this morning and I was traumatic. It woke me up super early. Aside from that, though —

Shawn:  External fatigue, whatever. That was good.

Ben:  –that psychosomatic trauma, possibly, some psoas fatigue. The main thing would be, if I could name anything, a little bit of left lower limb issues, primarily, a little bit of left toe pain on toe-off, and then some left knee pain that I–

Shawn:  And, more is, if there's anything we do that irritates, just speak up. Don't be a big wimp on the table. I'd rather you overreport something ugly.

Ben:  So, just when someone is getting work like this done, talk. Anytime something feels funny or you just, “Well, that's an interesting spot.”

Shawn:  Yeah, exactly. I just don't want to create further irritation, in case you have something diagnosed structural damage.

Ben:  Left toe and left knee —

Shawn:  Alright, no worries.

Ben:  –I'm a little bit buggy, but that's about it. Other than that, I'm healthy as a horse.

Shawn:  Perfect. Alright, man. So, let's get you laying on your back, with your feet hanging off the edge. And, slide down here. And, I don't do a whole lot of functional assessment before and after. It's actually probably one thing that maybe holds our system back. But, my thing is I'd rather give people what they need. And, all that's window-dressing to me. But, I do a couple range of motion pieces to get the client come along for the ride. But, I don't want to waste five, 10 minutes with all this pre-assessment stuff. We do our thing. They got to do another 10 minutes at the end. So, I'm just going to check a quick range of motion deal on you, just to have a starting point or reference point. 

Ben:  Alright, cool. It's nice and warm in the sunshine.

Shawn:  I don't know what you stepped in, but you stepped in the same thing as everybody else. There's this common thing where the right leg doesn't turn in.

Ben:  My right leg doesn't turn in.

Shawn:  Not yet, as well as the left, I'll show you in a sec what it's like. It's probably something like organs. We're not really symmetrically structurally or functionally. I don't even care.

Ben:  If we got liver on one side and the liver on the other side, hopefully.

Shawn:  You'd feel the difference. You can feel that I'm actually pushing harder with the right than the left.

Ben:  I could feel that. My right leg won't go into internal rotation.

Shawn:  Bad, I'm going to get some longitudinal shot of that. And, literally, I'm shoving him on this side. So, I'm actually being gentle on his left.

Ben:  And, for those of you listening, it will be really cool for you to check out the video, too, if you want to visualize this stuff, it'll all be at BenGreenfieldFitness.com/Square1. That's BenGreenfieldFitness.com/Square, the number “1.”

Shawn:  And then, for your listening audience, instead of viewing audience, right now, your left leg, I'm creating a little passive internal rotation on your left leg. We probably got, I don't know, 80 degrees, 85 degrees, nearly flushed with the ground. On the right side, I'm going to say 30, 40 degrees, roughly.

Ben:  So, noticeably, different than [00:14:32]_____ internally rotating.

Shawn:  Good 40 to 60 degrees difference. And, a lot of times, if I have an audience, like strength coaches, I usually tap out right there and say, “Hey, guys, what should we do to fix it?” And then, I let them give their answers. And then, we do those things. And, very often, nothing happens. Do you want me to hit with the crossbar?

Ben:  Or, stretch the [00:14:51]_____ something like that.

Shawn:  Yeah. So, we can try some of that, really. So, if we could do little massage in adductors, that might be something they might say, “Hey, we got to release it to allow that moving to occur.” And, I'm the world's worst massage therapist. 

Ben:  Oh, man. I thought I'd just be [00:15:06]_____ and get a massage. Adam, you lied to me, bro. You told me I could just get a massage in the sunshine.

Shawn:  And, no change right there, right?

Ben:  Yup.

Shawn:  So, then, we do this again here, Adam?

Adam:  Yeah.

Shawn:  There we go. Perfect. So, that's really no change. But, we could go through all kinds of stuff. And, it doesn't mean anything else is garbage. That's not what we're trying to show. But, just the common corrective approach, a lot of times, doesn't really do a whole lot.

But, we're going to leave this open for now. I'm going to do a muscle test. I know you've been tested by Buhler and probably a bunch of other people. But, I'm just going to refamiliarize you with how I test.

Ben:  It's been a while since I've done muscle testing.

Shawn:  So, I'm going to start with the test that just about everybody passes, so that you get a sense of how abrupt testing, and also, see that's not a force we're dealing. So, I'm not going to wrestle with you. It's just a rough deal. So, what we're going with this left leg, you're going to maintain this position. I'm going to try to push you in the midline, just stabilizing. Stop me from push right there. That's about all I'm going to do.

And, you're good. I'll bring the left leg back in. Right leg out to the side. You're going to stop me from pushing here. Beautiful. So, now that you know I'm not trying to wrestle you.

Ben:  It's pretty subtle muscle test.

Shawn:  Yes, exactly. So, now, I'm going to put you in a couple of different positions.

Ben:  And, I don't want rhabdomyolysis after this thing.

Shawn:  That happens when we're doing something wrong. But, I'm going to do a couple of test positions that are commonly some weak links. So, with this left leg, I'm going to externally rotate maximally. So, two things that I want you to do is, I want you to keep your brain thinking about turning outward and, also, you're going to be resisting as I push in. So, here we go.

So, turn out. And, as you keep turning, you'll stop me here. And, that's a nice grab as well. So, bring this left leg back down to midline. And then, we'll go here. Two things: keep turning out as I go to push in. And, I'm going to give you [00:16:42]_____.

Ben:  Oh, right leg is noticeably weaker.

Shawn:  Yeah. I'll do it again. Ready?

Ben:  Okay.

Shawn:  Right here. I'm not really pushing it hard [00:16:48]_____. It's just a little bit sloppy. Now, I'd like to show people back to your question about how can we trust the test. I'm going to show you that you're actually strong there. It's probably a lag in the muscle spindle, or it's got to generate some slack and just can't do it right away. But, if I do the test a little slower, less abrupt, and I gradually ramp you up, I can actually–You're actually strong.

So, it's not about force production. It's about, “Hey, can you respond to the load right now?” 

Adam:  So, before this ground, it's not like, “Hey, hold on. I'm going to take 10 seconds to break this.”

Ben:  It's like my right leg is little sluggish and being able to react to the force you're putting.

Shawn:  Perfect. And, now, what we're not going to do with this, I'm not thinking, “Hey, what's going on with this guy's right leg?” I'm literally, this isn't zoned box. It's just my red light, green light, which uses this as a change detector. So, we talked briefly earlier about right versus left, locomotion. So, what I'm going to do is I'm going to mimic ground reaction forces at a joint action level on you. So, I'm going to shove your right ankle in dorsiflexion. And then, we'll reference back that muscle test and see what happens, does it stay the same or does it change? Let's start to do this little dorsiflexion.

Ben:  Alright, dorsiflexion, to those of you listening in, that's the knee up towards, or the toe towards the shin.

Shawn:  And then, we go back to our test position. And, stop me here. And, there's no change. Left ankle dorsiflexion. So, the chest deal. And then, I will break. You break there, but showing you what happens here. Alright. So, we got that grab.

Now, again, if someone's watching, I'm always pushing hard. He's not pushing hard. It's easy to–I don't know.

Alright. So, then, what's cool is, when I shoved your left foot back here, turn it out, again, to just pick up where we left off, you're solid.

Ben:  That's interesting. My right leg is stronger when you shove my left foot into dorsiflexion.

Shawn:  Yup. And then, go back to this first one, right dorsiflexion. Turn it out. And, it lose a little bit of capacity there. What's really cool is, when I make you weak like that, we have that restriction. But, when I shove you into the good spot, watch your leg turn in. So, we just picked up 40 degrees of running to motion by encouraging this.

So, what I'm interpreting all this as right now is, when your left foot strikes the ground during locomotion, that helps your nervous system get more organized. When I shove your right foot in dorsiflexion, in the real-time right now, it's helping, or it actually promotes disorganization. You're going to want that.

Ben:  Interesting.

Shawn:  So, we don't want to say, let's just practice landing here and there. We don't want to be so generic about it. We want to be very specific. So, we try to find out, where is this coming from?

So, the second piece that I borrowed from AK/CK, muscle testing, but also, it's therapy localization.

Ben:  What's AK/CK?

Shawn:  AK is applied kinesiology, and CK is clinical kinesiology. AK is an offshoot of chiropractic. That was Dr. Beardall. I believe he was out of Detroit back in the '60s, I would say. One of his students is an acolyte of Beardall, [00:19:33]_____ CK. So, AK/CK is, I would say, it's Chinese medicine applied to Western world. But, those are two tools that we have borrowed.

Ben:  Applied kinesiology.

Shawn:  And clinical.

Ben:  And, C is clinical kinesiology.

Shawn:  [00:19:45]_____ that guy's name. So, those are two tools we've borrowed. But, all the MATs that were going to mess with and show you is what I've learned just from experimenting.

Ben:  Alright, cool.

Shawn:  So, we're going to find out where's the signaling issue coming from. So, I'm going to just tap the knees. I'm going to check the muscle test. Stop me, if you can. [00:20:02]_____ this as a reference. You're good. Check your ankles. So, what I'm doing is a touch-and-go.

Ben:  In the past, when I've done muscle testing, one thing that happens is I always forget when people pick it up. So, always remind me.

Shawn:  No worries.

Ben:  I do might have muscle testing amnesia.

Shawn:  And, I've done enough testing. I can usually tell when a person is just excusing on you.

Ben:  When they forgot [00:20:22]_____.

Shawn:  Perfect. So, we test the knees with every localization. There's no change [00:20:25]_____ strong test. We just touched their ankles. There's no change there. So, it's telling me to look elsewhere for the issue. And then, your hips. Excellent. Ben, go touch your belly and your chest for me, please.

Ben:  Touch my belly, both hands?

Shawn:  One hand on the belly, one in your chest. Touch them simultaneously. And then, what I'm going to do is I'm going to do a muscle test and see if that's housing the most recent reason you overcompensate. And, it is. So, we got to narrow down to the lumbar spine or T-spine. So, just release the hand off the chest. Just touch the belly. And, right here, solid response. How about only touch your rib cage, please?

Ben:  Only touch my rib cage back where I was before, up here?

Shawn:  Yeah, perfect. Then, we go right here. So, with all these joint actions, possibilities of what's causing you to compensate, we got to narrow down when we found this right leg, which is left leg positive, negative, or organized, disorganized, they cut our options in half. So, now, there's 99 joint actions. We touched your hips, your knees, your ankles. It's not there. You get your [00:21:25]_____. There's only three options here. So, we go from 212-plus options to three.

Ben:  That's interesting. When I go in for chiropractic adjustments, because I go into my buddy, Mike Valente of Valente Chiro, once a week, once every two weeks. He always has to adjust the T-11, T-12.

Shawn:  There you go.

Ben:  That's how he usually stop.

Shawn:  So, let's have you let go the hand off the chest. I'm going to buy us this test, so that your brain perceives that you're landing with your left foot striking the ground. So, I'm going to cock your left foot back. But, just give me a big chest, a thoracic extension, for one or two seconds.

Ben:  What do you mean?

Shawn:  Aim your chest to this guy.

Ben:  Aim my chest to this guy, just like inhale?

Shawn:  Not even a breath, more of arch the back. Perfect. And, take a break, then march in. That's it. And then, I go back and check your test. You're great. Now, we're going to go T-spine flexion. So, just bring your head and shoulders off the ground for a split second. Take a break.

So, what we're doing, we're mimicking ground forces and find out where the break is. Turn around here.

Ben:  Interesting.

Shawn:  So, the most recent reason that Ben Greenfield has to compensate your brain is perceiving T-spine flexion as, “I'm not so sure about if this is correct.” So, instead of rubbing with oils and popping this and that, all you're going to do is we're going to direct conscious intent and do T-spine flexion. And, it's fancy for all. We're just doing a symmetric disposure. Just hold your head and shoulders off the ground for three seconds. One, two, three. Alright.

Ben:  [00:22:44]_____.

Shawn:  Alright. I think he's done. That's all he does. So, remember, at the beginning, when I shoved your left foot back, you're solid. I shoved your right foot back, and it was causing disorganization. You're going to approved my work, so let me go back here again. Externally rotate. Stop me here. And, now, you're good. So, now, what's cool with this leg, it turns in, no matter what I do.

Ben:  You just figured out that that right leg grabbing action force dysfunction is related to T-spine mobility and flexion.

Shawn:  Yup. So, your internal rotation issue, for you, not everybody, was T-spine.

Ben:  Interesting.

Shawn:  So, it's like we're all the same, but yet, the customizing because you've got a different set of DNA, different circumstances, different life, different choices. Give your own unique story. So, it just draws your story. So, I think with the stuff that we're doing, it's a reverse chronology.

Ben:  And, you're going to tell me what to do to fix my T-spine issue?

Shawn:  You just fixed it dude.

Ben:  Really? [00:23:31]_____?

Shawn:  Because what we're doing is changing perception. We're not trying to change the hardware. We're trying to change the software to give you a better program to run every time you take a step, every exercise you do, you're reinforcing [00:23:41]_____.

Ben:  It's the software, not the hardware.

Shawn:  That's what we're doing. So, we're indirectly, maybe, affecting tissue or directly affecting software. But, specifically, perception, that you're having a subconscious perception that you have on the ground.

Ben:  Got it.

Shawn:  So, all of us are working harder than I have to in the wrong way. Cool. So, right now, I tell people, I could be a patient [00:24:01]_____ thumbs and wait for it to compensate. That just takes way too long. You and I are both busy guys. We don't want to go through some stuff. So, what I'm going to do is we're going to run some different patterns past your body. And, what's breaking you down that you didn't know.

So, the most common starting point I use with people, we're not just forcing your ribs and only give me a mouth breath [00:24:20]_____ breath.

Ben:  Just breathing?

Shawn:  Yeah, one inhale-exhale. Then, I could say, “That's bad for your nervous system. That's good.” That's just me speaking stuff into existence. Let me check your leg if I know what happened there. So, why guess if you can't test? Externally rotating. Stop me here. So, your brain perceive that little activity as a threat. So, we go back to the drawing board, go back to square one.

Ben:  You need to perceive that breath as a threat?

Shawn:  Yeah. So, that external load on your ribs with the mouth breath combo. So, I just shoved your left ankle in dorsiflexion. We got strong again.

Ben:  Reset the strike that right leg. Every time you put my left leg in the dorsiflexion, my right leg gets stronger. But, in T-spine flexion, also, we've got chest grab that got weaker.

Shawn:  That's rearview mirror, baby. That's already gone. We already passed that, which is awesome, because once–Let me tell people, what the brain doesn't want to go the long way around the [00:25:12]_____, it does so to get the things it has to. You already neutralized that specific threat. And, that's going on [00:25:17]_____. We just want to drop people [00:25:18]_____ garbage. So, where I shoved that left ankle back —

Ben:  All my garbage.

Shawn:  Yup, all your garbage. Everybody's got garbage. Externally rotating. Stop me. So, go with left step. And, hit right step. Watch what happens. Externally rotate. So, we got back in it.

Ben:  [00:25:32]_____.

Shawn:  What's really cool is–and this is the beginning of muscle testing. What's really cool, because I need to check your internal rotation. Because, if it's turn on, turn off, it's one thing. We check it out. Your leg turns in. So, this is [00:25:47]_____.

Ben:  My left leg turns in just as much as my left turn in.

Shawn:  So, even though you're back into slightly [00:25:52]_____ status.

Ben:  [00:25:52]_____.

Shawn:  So, that's not just a trick. There's a lot of things out there that temporary trick the nervous system. But, we're actually making true restoration process here.

Ben:  So, right now, for those of you listening in, we're taking a quick break so that Adam can duct-tape Shawn's receiver to his chest again. These are a bunch of fitness dudes MacGyvering podcast for you all. But, basically, we're getting some extra duct tape turning Shawn into, just like a Navy SEAL, the weighted vest, or he's full of duct tape on his chest. We got sidelined just a little bit, but I figured it opened the kimono for those of you listening in, so you know what we're up to.

Alright. So, you brought me internal rotation, my right leg internally rotated just as much as the left, which it wasn't doing before.

Shawn:  Even when we're in this “weekend status,” right here, turn it out. So, there's give. But, yet, we still have that mobility. So, I'd love to show people we got yet more organized by a degree of one, because we only cleared out one reason you have to compensate. We're now playing around, monkeying around here with level two. [00:26:53]_____ around it.

So, again, we got left foot going back. You're cool. Right foot, not so cool. Our last issue we found in you was your T-spine. So, I'm going to tap your T-spine. I want to see if the next issue [00:27:01]_____.

Ben:  [00:27:02]_____ my chest like this?

Shawn:  Yeah. You touch that.

Ben:  You just tap it?

Shawn:  Yeah, perfect.

Ben:  Do I hold my hand there?

Shawn:  You can, yeah. And, how about stopping with this right leg? So, issue number two is not in the T-spine. How about touching your neck in the front, please?

Ben:  Touch my neck?

Shawn:  Yeah.

Ben:  The back or the front?

Shawn:  Front is great. External rotation. Alright. So, went backwards through your history, the most recent issue was in the T-spine. Now, we're finding something in the neck. So, you have two options here to check. So, you can let go with a touch. But, go and turn your head to the right for me, please. Big external rotation. Stop me here. Perfect. So, one through four, you're good. Guess number two is keep looking right and pick your head off the ground for me. And, stop me here.

Alright, I have three guesses that was wrong. That's why I love to show people how bad of a guesser I am. So, this isn't science because you know it's going to happen. No, I don't. Because, every time I do something to you and you're strong, I was wrong. So, we're looking for the flaw and grounding you.

Ben:  That makes sense. Interesting.

Shawn:  And then, turn right, and smoosh your —

Ben:  Turn my head to the right?

Shawn:  Yeah. And then, smoosh your right hand to the ground for me.

Ben:  Like that?

Shawn:  Yup. Cervical extension. And, stop here. Here's your guy. So, we found cervical extensor is the next issue.

Ben:  So, [00:28:07]_____ when I drive that head into the ground, [00:28:09]_____ extend, the right leg is weak again?

Shawn:  Yeah, your brain is, “I don't like this.” And, the things it doesn't like and it feels threatened by, it has to work around. So, it doesn't mean you don't get to walk again. It just means you have an altered version of [00:28:18]_____.

So, have your neck straight. And, your intervention will be your  choice. Lightly press your head in the ground, so we're going to engage [00:28:26]_____.

Yeah. Just feed the neural motor drive into the cervical extensors. And, have it take a break. Remember, again, this was solid left dorsiflexion. I'm going to go back to our reference point, find out how we're doing when I shove you into the disorganized pattern. And, now, you're organized. Two layers in. I'm going to keep messing with you. I'm going to touch your wrist.

Ben:  [00:28:47]_____.

Shawn:  Yup. And then, all I'll only do is give you a mouth breath again. So, that's an event. I have no idea if your brain perceived it as a threat or safe, [00:28:59]_____. So, I want to speak anything into existence. We just read the story. Dude, you're great. So, now, you graduated from a white belt to like a beige belt, lay here and breathe through your mouth. Piece of cake.

Ben:  Alright. So, I have this new announcement about something I'm super excited to share. I have developed a new training program that allows you to have me as a personal trainer in your back pocket, no matter where you're at in the world. It's a complete fully structured exercise and training program that I made that gets delivered to you every single week. It's on this new app called the Ladder app.

It's launching on September 20th. And, it's unlike any training experience I've ever created. I know I can be expensive to work with as a trainer, but what I wanted to do was open up all my secrets to people who may not be able to afford working with me, who want to be able to tap into my knowledge, see me demonstrating exercises, get all the workouts written out by me using my minimal effective dose of exercise methodology, which maximizes things like cardiovascular endurance and strength and stamina in the minimum amount of time.

This whole thing is based around you burning fat, gaining muscle, getting you in the best shape of your life. And, I've designed the whole thing to be sustainable for your 20s all the way up to your 90s. Every single workout that I make on this app has me guiding you through movement videos, has all the coaching cues in there. You can master every movement. You can stay motivated.

And, it's really cool because there's a whole team surrounding you that are also doing the program along with you. So, you get real accountability, a fantastic community. And, the Ladder app makes it super easy to not only chat with all the other members of what is called Team Boundless, which is the name of my training program. So, you're going to be training along with Team Boundless, But, you get to send me one-on-one messages to ask me training questions to get nutrition tips, to keep me updated on your progress.

So, this type of personalized fitness consultation and training with me usually cost thousands of dollars a month. But, it's 60 bucks a month on the Ladder platform. So, if you have always wanted to work with me but haven't been able to afford it, you want to tap into my secret exercise and training programs, exactly what I do from biohacking to nutrition and beyond, if you're tired of planning your workouts, you want to achieve this incredible physique, you want the accountability of a community, I've got all in there on Team Boundless.

So, it's the latter app, is what it's called. Here's how you can get in, because this thing is going to launch on September 20th. And, you can secure your spot on the waitlist because it is going to fill up fast. Here's what else you get your first week for free. So, you go to Ladder.Fit/JoinBoundless. I'm going to spell that out for you. Ladder, L-A-D-D-E-R, Ladder.Fit/JoinBoundless to secure your spot in the waitlist and get into this brand-new program that I'm super-duper stoked about.

Alright, I want to interrupt today's rollicking show to tell you about bees. I love bees. I don't want to harm bees and kill all the bees, but man, oh man, did they make some amazing medicine that, if it's harvested sustainably, you can use guilt-free. And, it's from this company Beekeeper's Naturals. Beekeeper's Naturals uses clean, sustainably sourced natural ingredients. They take care of their babies. They're not like this alternative superfood hippie company. They make real health solutions, not like what you'd find in your local pharmacy. It's natural stuff.

So, for example, they have their B. Immune Propolis Throat Spray, which acts as the bee's medicine. And, it's got 300 different vitamins and minerals in it that are also beneficial to the human immune system. They've got bee pollen, which I put on my smoothie every morning. They have their honey, but it's way better than regular honey because it's got the propolis and the pollen and the royal jelly. Just everything is wonderful, wonderful honey.

I like the top part of the honey. When it first comes, I open it and I scrape all the good stuff off the top, because I'm like that.

Anyways, though, Beekeeper's Naturals. You got to check them out. You can find them in a lot of grocery stores as well, but they'll ship you a free two-week supply of that propolis throat spray I was talking about. You just pay 5 bucks for shipping. So, that's a no-brainer. To do that, you go to BeekeepersNaturals.com/Ben. That's B-E-E-K-E-E-P-E-R-S, BeekeepersNaturals.com/Ben.

And then, finally, this podcast is brought to you by the organs from nature, nature's multivitamin. Huge source of vitamin A, vitamin B12, B vitamins, coenzyme Q10. Everybody knows organ meats are good for you, but half the folks I talked to don't know how to cook them or hate the taste of them. So, what this company, Paleovalley, has done is they encapsulate liver and kidney and heart. So, you get three different super-nutrient-dense organs, and you don't have to prep any food. You just take it and you pop it.

A lot of people sprinkle them on dog food, too, because it's amazing for pets. It gives pets great energy. It's wonderful for kids. My kids take some form of an organ complex nearly every morning. And, they're made by this company called Paleovalley. Now, don't drink coffee or tea when you take it because coffee or tea can impair the absorption of the iron in the organ meats. So, don't drink coffee or tea with it, but take it with lunchtime or dinnertime the same way you take a multivitamin. And, it's nature's multivitamin. And, they're just perfectly convenient.

So, you get 15% off. You go to BenGreenfieldFitness.com/Paleovalley. BenGreenfieldFitness.com/Paleovalley.

Shawn:  So, now, do a bodyweight squat.

Ben:  Bodyweight squat?

Shawn:  Yeah. All human beings, grandma to pro athletes, we need to be able to breathe in and out of our nose.

Ben:  Straight down and just hold it?

Shawn:  Yeah. Na, just come right back up. [00:34:43]_____ on your back. And, I love showing people how these basic, seemingly simple patterns, extremely low [00:34:52]_____ cause problems for you. You're not the guy squatting whole time. So, we can try to make movement outcomes better through practice, rehearsal, motor learning, these are this more control thing. It's like the software that runs the whole system.

Ben:  Got it.

Shawn:  So, what we're trying to do, we're going to just tighten that up. The answer is I had you some more squats like you squatted before. That's not going to fix it. That's already fixed it. That would not have screwed it. 

So, we can go back here again, and stop me. We're good. Now, I map it out again. And, here's left step. Find out what happens. So, this time, we got to fail there. And then, go right step. Got it.

So, now we're going to chase after the cold right step. So, we're looking in the new right step for the deficiency, the neuromuscular deficiency. Go and touch your neck for me again, Ben. Big external rotation. Stop me here. Alright. So, now we're issue three back in the neck. We're going to do the opposite and turn the left now with an opposite [00:35:47]_____.

Ben:  Neck to the left?

Shawn:  Yup. And then, stop me here. There's the next issue. So, I want you to lightly keep turning your head through the invisible wall. So, gentle contraction. Three, two, take a break. I'll check our work, which is you go neutral neck. I'm going to shove you into the “bad pattern” or the most recent bad pattern, if that's such a thing. And, you're good. So, keep the show going, have a squat again.

My job isn't to make a squat better. My job is to make it work when you do these things. Your brain's like, “I got this. I can take it in stride.” So, just increasing neural resilience. How about laying on your back?

Big external rotation. Stop me here. Still a little bit of a puzzle that the brain hasn't solved efficiently. Left step's solid. Dorsiflexion to the right step. There's our fail. So, we're back to the left step scenario. Ben, touch your neck for me. And, stop me here. Beautiful. How about a chest tap or touch? In here. Beautiful. How about you touch your chin for me, please?

So, now, we're going to go to your jaw. So, what we're going to do here is open wide with the jaw.

Ben:  Open wide, okay.

Shawn:  Yeah, one second. Looks good. Let me check here. Cutting clench your jaw for me. [00:37:09]_____. So, do an isometric jaw clench for about three seconds.

Ben:  Ready?

Shawn:  Yup. One, two, three.

Ben:  Jaw workout.

Shawn:  Let's check the bad pattern. He's good. So, you squat again. So, we just keep exposing you to the pattern that's provoking until it's under control for you. What will happen is, as this clears, we want to go more complicated for us.

Ben:  It's fascinating.

Shawn:  What's cool to me is when I show client, it's like, man, it's just so amazing to me how that is blowing you out. Healthy guy, you've done all this stuff, but there's something about that that your brain is, “Not so good.” And, it's not surprising because I've never actually– I've ever had anybody passed that the first time. So, two exposures, mess with you.

Ben:  Wait, passed what?

Shawn:  When you squat, it doesn't mess you up temporarily.

Ben:  Got it.

Shawn:  But, doing it the first two times, it created little chink in the armor. Over time you're good to go. So, let's keep climbing this ladder, have you stand back up. I'll have you perform the same deal, but I want you to close your eyes. We're going to rob you of [00:38:09]_____.

Ben:  Closed-eye squat?

Shawn:  Yup.

Ben:  Ready?

Shawn:  Yup. So, the estimates 70 to 80% of being upright is visual. So, now, you got to rely upon somatosensation and vestibular inputs. Let's go check you on the table.

Ben:  Closed-eye squat.

Shawn:  Yup, squats, see what happens. External rotate. Here we go. So, left feet, left step. There's a fail. Feet, right step. You're organized. We're going to try to find out what's going on with this right step. There's something missing. I'll touch your chin again, please.

Ben:  Okay, touch the chin.

Shawn:  [00:38:41]_____ here. Touch your neck for me. Alright. So, we're back to right step in the neck. Will you turn your head to the left? Good. Stop me here. Good. Keep looking left, but pick your head off the ground, please. Stop me here. So, [00:38:55]_____ flexion. So, you go straight neck in neutral. So, you come back to home base and just put your head off the ground for about two or three seconds. And, take a break. And then, our proof is the feet in the opposite pattern. Good, good. Blind squat. Chin. So, there's trigger. And, reorganized.

Ben:  We call this the visually challenged squat, Shawn.

Shawn:  Visually challenged squat, there we go. Perfect.

Ben:  Let's [00:39:21]_____.

Shawn:  Sure. [00:39:25]_____ external rotation.

Ben:  [00:39:27]_____.

Shawn:  What the hell it goes. Perfect.

Ben:  That was it, folks. [00:39:30]_____.

Shawn:  So funny, one of my clients said, “Hey, don't say anything too controversial when you go there.” I always just be real people and whatever, man.

Ben:  My shows, my podcasts, we're just shooting the [BLEEP] with friends and learning from amazing people. And then, a bunch of folks who are flies on the wall with, I think, the cool thing being people who go in and comment, leave questions, and generate discussion.

Shawn:  Alright. I love it.

Ben:  But, no —

Shawn:  Would be thrill.

Ben:  –I always push my podcast as just [BLEEP] with somebody.

Shawn:  I love it. I love it. So, your [00:40:01]_____ squat was cool. Alright. So, let's mess with you. Let's get you back up.

So, this time, we can come out, go to [00:40:08]_____ squat. You can keep your eyes open and do [00:40:10]_____. So, you're going to follow my fingertip [00:40:12]_____.

Ben:  While I'm at the bottom of the squat?

Shawn:  Yeah. Hold me three seconds. See my finger. I'm just going to go in and out. [00:40:19]_____ you over here on the table. So, [00:40:21]_____ these challenges. So, if this stuff doesn't throw the brain off, cool, there's less reasons that it has to be inefficient.

Ben:  Sounds okay.

Shawn:  Dude, awesome. Stand back out. So, you get more resilient. It's getting harder and harder to screw with you, dude. So, let's go–how about stand on one foot, and then close your eyes, if that's easy. Alright. That's good. Let's get you on the pattern. So, it's really just a matter of setting up puzzles for your brain to solve, isn't it? That's what life is.

Alright, man. So, feet left step. Your body is like, “I'm organized.” We'll go right step. Your nervous system is like, “Hey, I'm disorganized.” Tap your neck for me, or touch your neck. Perfect. Then, how about touch your chest? Alright. So, we're just pulling out your history. So, you might be too young to remember Simons, what was that little game back in the '70s.

Ben:  Simons?

Shawn:  Simons.

Ben:  I wasn't even born in the '70s.

Shawn:  So, you're '80s. They're, probably, out of old, by about '79, '80. The blue line. We hit the blue. That's blue-red. Blue-red. Blue-red-green. It's like this whole sequence. But, your sequence, this is really this is for the old folks, 48 and up, who were listening. The most recent reason you had to compensate is T-spine. Then, was your neck. And, that was, I think, another neck. And, it was jaw, then neck, then back in the T-spine. So, just retracing your history. But, about five or 10 layers down. I don't know if you're cleared man was clearing stuff.

Alright. So, all you do is give me a big chest.

Ben:  Big chest?

Shawn:  Yeah.

Ben:  What do you mean?

Shawn:  Thoracic extension, chest to the sky. And, a break. [00:41:53]_____. Perfect. Give me a crunch again, head and shoulders off the ground, and a break. Alright. Crunch and hold.

Ben:  Crunch and hold?

Shawn:  Yup. Three, two, one, take a break. Check your work. You're solid. Have you stand up, single leg, wind [00:42:08]_____?

Ben:  Same leg?

Shawn:  Same leg. I'd like to do —

Ben:  Closed eyes?

Shawn:  Yup. That's crazy.

Ben:  Alright.

Shawn:  There's the visual challenge, man, visual challenge.

Ben:  Yeah.

Shawn:  On your back.

Ben:  [00:42:23]_____. Right leg with my eyes closed.

Shawn:  Mm-hmm.

Ben:  Get it.

Shawn:  Stop me if you can. Now, what's cool about that is you perform that little skill, little wonky. When you're in table, you're fine. So, all that tells us is that's just a skill that you haven't broadcast. It doesn't mean you need to practice it.

Ben:  Right leg, eye closed in?

Shawn:  Yeah. But, it's like, right now, it's not from the brain. Also, I'm okay with it. So, I'm going to just take it with something else. Let's do a few different things for your audience. We can throw all kinds of stuff. We can mess with mental triggers.

So, our nervous system does not or cannot distinguish between different types of stress: chemical, emotional, thermal, nutritional, chemical. It just knows either safe or threatened. So, as you're laying here, I'm just checking [00:43:10]_____ for a sec, just make sure we're in a good place and the cocky left foot back. You're good. Get that foot back. Beautiful.

I want you to think about, if I just said “fear,” you don't need to verbalize what it is, if I just said “fear,” whatever that is for you, don't dwell on it, but just think about it for two seconds. And then, you turn on here. We robbed you of neurological resources. But then, think about, if I said “love,” after two seconds. Solid.

Ben:  Holy cow, it's amazing. Wow.

Shawn:  So, all the stuff that you monkey with and tinker with.

Ben:  It's interesting when you say “fear,” the first thing–because sometimes I'll form immediate statements. But, when you said “fear,” it was fear of losing control because I'm a control freak. And then, when you said “love,” immediately my wife and my twin sons came — 

Shawn:  It's awesome.

Ben:  –like pouring in imagery in my head.

Shawn:  And, things like Blue Zones, people, they live in these places that are, whatever, like food.

Ben:  [00:44:04]_____.

Shawn:  So, a big part of it is family and love ones.

Ben:  Relationships, yeah.

Shawn:  It's huge. So, that's just a little, everybody there you're my next lab rat. Everybody's a lab rat. You're your own lab rat. You always mess around yourself. But, these are things we've checked —

Ben:  I like to think of myself as a yeast or fruit fly, more than a lab rat. But, thanks.

Shawn:  [00:44:20]_____ more modern interpretation of analogy.

Ben:  [00:44:23]_____.

Shawn:  Alright. So, what we'll do is, sometimes, we'll use this with a baseball player. And, we'll put him in mental situations where they fail. You picture. It's three, two count. The other team is tying run on third and [00:44:38]_____ pitched. I don't want them to dwell and make that happen to try to create that happen. But, I'm like, negative things are going to happen. I need to bring [00:44:47]_____.

Ben:  Got it.

Shawn:  [00:44:51]_____ all the positive things you want. My job is to make it sound bad. Then, the negative creeps in. [00:44:56]_____. Makes sense?

Ben:  Mm-hmm.

Shawn:  Good answer. How about think of fear for one sec. I want to check cleared of fear or that specific fear as a trigger. Big instrumentation [00:45:07]_____ here. [00:45:10]_____ foot back, on the right side, solid. Left side, that's cool.

So, I talked to you earlier about up down, right left. I've only been checking the locomotion, the right versus left. The thought of fear made you fail. Right step organized, left step organized. The problem right now is not locomotion. It's in the squat, man, upright posture. So, we're going to check that.

Ben:  That upright posture is what seems to be triggering the weakness in that left or right [00:45:34]_____.

Shawn:  Right now, presently, yeah, exactly. So, I want you to clinch your jaw, this one right here. So, there's our pronation solid. Open your jawline. Fall here. [00:45:46]_____ fail. So, [00:45:47]_____ small reaction, we're going to look for this line. We're going to prove the issue on pronation and your axial skeleton rise to your tail. So, head's neutral. I've always looked down towards your toes. In here, stop if you can. You got it. And, tuck your chin into your throat. So, cap this for head flexion. Beautiful. Head off the ground. Stop me here. Good. Shoulder blades off the ground for a second. Go back down. I'll check in the neutral. Good.

How about abs tight, back flat on the ground? Take a break. Lumbar flexion is the next little missing piece. I'm going to just contract, create a little tension there for three, two, break. We're going to prove our work in that big open mouth. You got it. And then, back to the trigger of fear.

Ben:  It's got the same thought, the control thing

Shawn:  I'm going to break. Alright. So, let's play on that. You say you're a control freak. Think along with fear, but say, really, got to hand, someone comes in. I'm going to take that for me, Ben. I got that. And, just know, “You're going to screw it up,” or whatever it is. So, just really amp that up, like, I don't know, a project you're on and one of the friends comes in and throws you off hard.

Ben:  I got it.

Shawn:  So, right now, that thought of control, hey, that's your personal thing you can work with it. But, I love right now is when that creeps in, your nervous system [00:47:08]_____.

Ben:  [00:47:08]_____ my right leg strong.

Shawn:  Yeah. So, all we can do is we can customize all the triggers for you, the individual. Alright. So, a lot of times, in the first session, people are trying to [00:47:17]_____ breath and squatting. And, it depends on the person. If something comes in, they're seven years old, and they've had 14 surgeries, that might keep me busy for an hour. Healthy guy, we got through this stuff quick. So, we can start getting more and more and more into things you want to be able to do and need to go [00:47:34]_____. So, how about different drills you do, like all kinds of self-preservation thing, whether it's a Pilates pose or a yoga pose, or there's certain little resets of the things you do. Let's check those, make sure that your brain is getting all the goodies [00:47:43]_____.

So, if you hug your knee into your chest, or I don't know what you're doing, just things that you do in daily basis, let's play with [00:47:51]_____.

Ben:  Some kind of stretch or something that I do on the regular?

Shawn:  Yeah, let's do that.

Ben:  Alright. Off the table, on the table, does it matter?

Shawn:  Don't matter to me.

Ben:  Let's do–Geez. One thing that I'll do sometimes during the day is I'll go like that and like that, touching my right elbow to my left knee.

Shawn:  Love it.

Ben:  My left elbow to my right knee.

Shawn:  Love it.

Ben:  I take little breaks during my workday and do that, just to keep the left and right hemispheres of the brain connected.

Shawn:  I love it. I love it. And, I'll go right here.

Ben:  A good theory.

Shawn:  Yeah, it's a good theory. And, big external rotation. But, your brain right now says, “I'm not so sure about that.” Now, the message isn't, “Hey, better stop. That's bad for you.” The message is, “Hey, let's just give your brain little help so that it can get all the goodies on there.” Just challenge a little bit. So, I'm just going to cock your right foot back. We got to map it out. Right knee, great. Left knee, great. So, we're going to go back to upright, up and down deal. So, go ahead and clinch your jaw. Open glide. So, the next little organizational flaws and flexion of that. So, have your eyes down, chin tucked, head off the ground. Head off the ground. Should maintain that posture for three, two, take a break. Open jaw. Alright, man. Stand up, elbow to knee or elbow to [00:49:14]_____.

Ben:  Stand up, do the same move?

Shawn:  Yeah. So, I'm going to clear this for you. And, now, what's cool, too, is whether this clears after one or five exposures. If I were to check you in two months, six months, this shouldn't trigger you, which is really cool. That's what we've experimented with a lot of people. I want to see how it affect us. It's really more matter of just exposing your everything, check you along the way, and just make sure that it's clear.

But, usually, these exposures, once it's in the clear, it stays that way for, sometimes, [00:49:43]_____. Can you do that same pattern again? Because, sometimes, we don't capture the moment. I want to do that elbow to knee thing again. Because the body and the brain will self-regulate it. And, we found that, if we don't capture that moment, some muscle testing and some patterning, we lose that moment. Let's check you here. I don't want to skip something here.

Ben:  And, you're here. You're doing great using the duct-tape [00:50:05]_____.

Shawn:  Exactly. Big turn here. Ben, you're rocking. Is there any other things like that you do? I know you're doing all kinds of stuff.

Ben:  Yeah. [00:50:12]_____.

Shawn:  Let's check them off. Check them off, whichever to.

Ben:  [00:50:15]_____.

Shawn:  [00:50:16]_____ 150 of them.

Ben:  Alright. So, another thing that I'll do sometimes during the day is I'll crank out a few pushups.

Shawn:  Perfect.

Ben:  Alright. Just do a few pushups?

Shawn:  Sure, two, three, whatever. And, this next test, we'll test you upright. So, get off the table and stand up and face me. We're going to do this right arm, any issues with the shoulder?

Ben:  No.

Shawn:  Well, a little bit higher than 90. Internally rotate. I'm not going right here the first time here. Now, it's cool, if I go here, I can go really hard. [00:50:49]_____.

Ben:  Alright.

Shawn:  [00:50:51]_____. So, we can map it right here. Eyes up. [00:50:58]_____ look at T-spine. Eyes down, [00:51:00]_____ here. So, up organizes, down disorganizes. So, what we want to do is organize. So, the table, you're going under the joint action level. So, now, recent discovery, we don't even need to go over that level. It's nice to customize if you want to get some detail what's going on with the person. But, we can just organize the pattern.

So, right now, we want to work on up. So, we're going to sync up nasal breath. So, it'll be parasympathetic breath with this [00:51:26]_____ into cervical extension and breathe through your nose. Neutral. Eyes down, note how that was disorganizing, that's our proof right here.

That was the same thing. It's just a streamlined version. So, this is actually the–we've been teaching this since 2011, 2012.

Ben:  2012?

Shawn:  This could be part of a new course, since we have streamlined stuff.

Ben:  You're going to teach trainers?

Shawn:  We've been teaching this. So, we have people out there who use the system.

Ben:  Therapists, [00:51:56]_____ this?

Shawn:  Yeah. But, now, we got a streamlined version because, now, it's not just learning muscle testing, or I should say, instead of having to learn the muscle-testing and the system and all the joint actions, it's a lot for people that jump on the [00:52:08]_____ exposure. Where, now, I just teach them the muscle test. The system and this form right here, we don't need to go to the joint action. We can just go to the cervical and then get this vestibular and the breathing.

Ben:  Got you. If somebody doesn't have a background or personal training, how [00:52:23]_____ and they go and try to learn this stuff, [00:52:27]_____ at the moment?

Shawn:  They are because actually, we present it in a way that we're assuming they can do nothing. So, I've actually had clients that are housewives or history teachers.

Ben:  I like that. So, you teach people [00:52:37]_____. 

Shawn:  No, we'll teach them all that stuff. And then, we also, as of last week, I've been wanting to get a self-administered version. And, what's been holding back is this massive test. It's hard to test yourself. But, I experiment with that last 10 days [00:52:52]_____.

Ben:  Sounds like you need somebody on hand doing [00:52:56]_____.

Shawn:  Exactly. And, there's just not that many of us.

Ben:  You guys, you do it yourself yet.

Shawn:  Right. So, we're actually going to progress this whole thing to that. So, we went the long way around the barn. Not the long way. We went all the details, all the side streets, and all the detail. Now, we're doing a little bit more general. And, once this really clicks with you, then I'm going to teach you how to test yourself, so you can keep to carry on the work after we're out of here. That's how you do a pushup or three as the next exposure.

Ben:  Eight pushups or three, eight or three.

Shawn:  And then, we just go back and check your arm. Alright, turn them in. This one right here.

Ben:  Awesome. 

Shawn:  So, all we can do is think about when you're doing your workout. So, it's one thing if you're doing some kind of circle one after another. But, there's a little downtime, dude. I want to show you how to check yourself in between sets. So, get that [00:53:44]_____ there. You probably put that in your circuit. You might want to [00:53:47]_____ some of this, how am I doing? And then, if you did three exercise and you lost it, you can then figure out which of the three, which two of the three. And then, it says, “I got to avoid it. It's a bad exercise for me.” Get your nervous system [00:54:02]_____.

So, I got another drill, another exercise, [00:54:04]_____.

Ben:  A lot of times, I'll do this stretch, if my hip flexors are tight during the day. And, it works my balance a little bit. I'll get down like this.

Shawn:  Quad stretch like this.

Ben:  Yeah, like a quad stretch, almost like a standing version, [00:54:18]_____, couch stretch type of thing. So I'll do something like that.

Shawn:  Perfect. Face me. Let's check that right arm. Internal rotate. Eyes up. [00:54:29]_____. Good. Eyes down. So, there's disorganized. We don't want to feed that. We want to feed the organizing pattern. So, eyes up correlates with cervical extensions. Neck back or head back, nasal breath. Do just one big inhale-exhale through the nose. So, that's the intervention.

What's cool is you're going into your nose out through the mouth. This is great because it's another test. So, we've actually been playing with it. And, we start off with two nasal breaths that was working and went to one. And, we've been messing with this, just to inhale.

Ben:  Got it.

Shawn:  So, it seems like the inhale [00:55:02]_____ not the exhale. So, the eyes is down. Do this quad [00:55:06]_____.

Ben:  Do that stretch again?

Shawn:  Yup, just want to make sure that it's clear. And, if it's not, we'll just hang out in this one.

Ben:  Both sides like we did before.

Shawn:  Yeah, mixing circumstances. So, any experiment has eight billion variables we want to try to control, the best we can. And, we want to do the next one. The same thing, but just do the first side, because, a lot of times, when we do this test, it's just going to pick up the last thing you did. So, let's just get the first one and check it, just to be thorough and the other eye is across our [00:55:37]_____. So, just find something else. It's [00:55:40]_____, turn your head. You're doing visual balance, whatever.

Ben:  Let's try another one that I'll do a lot for breaks during the day, some tai chi-esque slapping up and down the body side-to-side like this.

Shawn:  Love it.

Ben:  Nasal breathe, does it do it?

Shawn:  Love it. Let's check it. Love it. It happens. [00:56:05]_____ I go into situation I'm open-minded. I'm not rooting for that to be good or bad for you, or a threat or a safety. I'm just here to read it. And, I'm not going to say, “Ben, stop doing that.” Again, my job is let's clear this, so your nervous system gets all the goodies out of that, not just some of the goodies. So, on we go, eyes up. Beautiful. Eyes down.

So, we have organized and disorganized. Remember, on the table, I'm shoving a foot back. We're going to check right and left while you're up there. So, shoving your left foot back to check less stuff. Showing you how you do this. But, we can check it through the eyes, with head still–Eyes left. Show me [00:56:42]_____. So, right now —

Ben:  Eyes right, a little weaker?

Shawn:  Yeah. So, up and left organized; down and right disorganized.

Ben:  Disorganized.

Shawn:  So, we could drill the heck out of left eyes and up. Let's just get synced up with the neck or the vestibular system and then the nasal breath. So, we've already shown you off its head back and nasal breath, but if we want to reset eyes left, we need to do two things [00:57:10]_____. Nasal breath now. And, turn your head right and nasal breath. Because, these are joint action responsibilities that occur during the [00:57:22]_____. Take a break. [00:57:25]_____ down, or right or disorganized. Let's check it down.

Ben:  [00:57:32]_____.

Shawn:  [00:57:33]_____ vestibular, visual. And, it's great to me. Breathing is expansion, supination. Pronation is [00:57:44]_____.

Ben:  Got it.

Shawn:  So, we get that synced up with breath and vestibular positions. Life's pretty good. So, we just messed, you used your slap, your tai chi. Probably, we just have to do that again.

Ben:  Which one, the twisting and slapping?

Shawn:  Yeah. Your most popular things you do all time. Let's make sure the nervous system says, “Hey, baby, this is great.” Check it. Rocking, man. So, what's cool with you, everything only triggered one or two times. Probably, a lot healthier than the average [00:58:14]_____.

Ben:  Body is learning fast.

Shawn:  It is, man. It's just getting a little help.

Ben:  I ate my salmon this morning.

Shawn:  Ate a salmon.

Ben:  [00:58:19]_____.

Shawn:  Actually, we could check [00:58:21]_____. You can check, against the food —

Ben:  [00:58:25]_____ supplement, stuff like that?

Shawn:  Yeah. Not that we have to do right now, but you can check on it, with your thoughts, with your movement.

Ben:  That's super interesting.

Shawn:  I like driving towards movement, because I don't want to have people coming in, and I'm like, “I'm not a therapist.”

Ben:  I could see a great deal of efficacy for this, especially, for either a chronic repetitive motion athlete or, like you mentioned, baseball pitcher, straight tennis racket. Because, then, let's say it was a tennis. So, I like to play tennis, actually, occasionally, [00:58:49]_____.

Shawn:  Sure.

Ben:  I'd love to. So, you test some by swinging forehand.

Shawn:  Exactly. If you got a racket here, we could do stuff like what happens in the tennis. You're laying on one side. We can do that. Let me watch the rocks in the bottom of your feet [00:59:00]_____ feet. It was having just land on one foot, just like you celebrating, boom. I don't want to assume anything. It looks easy, but I don't really know a lot about it. Beautiful. How about land [00:59:14]_____. Cool. Let's check it.

Most things in the first session, first exposure, it triggers. So, you rock it, man. Only about two or three [00:59:26]_____. You do a groundstroke.

Ben:  Try mirrored tennis stroke?

Shawn:  Yeah. Then, do another one. Go, maybe, 50 to 80%, a little harder. Do another one even harder. I'll check your arm. So, that's just a little bit. And, we can turn it up to 11. You can handle 10, [00:59:47]_____ too much, so we can rise up. I just have to [00:59:53]_____. Beautiful. Eyes down. [00:59:56]_____ up-down. Let's go right-left, check these guys out. [01:00:01]_____ right.

So, now, right and up, organizing. Here's our disorganizing. When I come back and checked those after we organized either the right or up, we got to organize up. Let's go head back and nasal breath. If we get up-down organized, right-left you comes along for the party. Down the neutral neck. It will shut down. And, I think there's left [01:00:24]_____ just go left. Go ahead neutral just the eyes.

Ben:  Eyes left.

Shawn:  Yup, you got it. So, you're ground-stroked 50 to 80% effort, light to medium [01:00:32]_____. Let's check it. How about a backhand? Two-hand backhand.

Ben:  Two-hand. I'm a two-hander, baby, and a one-hand slicer.

Shawn:  Let's check it. It's fun we do, we say about slicing, we have on it, good, good. With golfers, just bring your whole bag of clubs. Different shaft length, different weight. They have a unique response to every one of their–

Ben:  Adam's making symbols out as we speak.

Shawn:  We don't speak with sign language.

Ben:  What are you saying?

Adam:  Serve.

Ben:  Try serve?

Shawn:  Serve? Cool.

Ben:  You ready?

Adam:  Charades.

Shawn:  But, they said surfing, right? That would be a surfing.

Adam:  Serving.

Shawn:  Different patterns, different response. We're going to go up, down, and right, left. Your arm's doing okay with all the repetitive. That's one of the drawbacks. I might switch [01:01:26]_____.

Ben:  I took my creatine this morning, bro.

Shawn:  [01:01:30]_____ size of this [01:01:31]_____. Left or right eyeballs, either way. That's right. Organized, solid, solid. We're going to go up and down so there was no option, no correct here. We got to find out positive, negative here. You got it up or down.

Ben:  Eyes up.

Shawn:  Alright, [01:01:45]_____ down just to make sure. So, this disorganized, organized, that's our only option. Head back, nasal breath. Then, check [01:01:57]_____.

Ben:  [01:01:59]_____ this breathing exercises.

Shawn:  [01:02:00]_____ And, it looks cool. What I like with some of this new stuff I've been playing with is the application for everybody now. If you don't even want to learn how to muscle-test, something you do really simple throughout the day, head back nasal breath, head forward nasal breath. We're organizing upright posture.

Ben:  I'm going to ask you a question because I know, I'm wondering a lot of other people are going to be wondering it, too.

Shawn:  Sure.

Ben:  So, let's say that you do the corrective exercise that involves, say, tipping the head back, taking a deep breath in, so we're correcting cervical extension, is there something going on from, either, a neurochemical or a nervous system standpoint that you suspect would be then causing that to fix the movement that I just finished before, or just something as simple as a cervical extension with breath?

Shawn:  So, are you asking what is the neurochemical relationship?

Ben:  Yeah. Could you explain at all, theorize what's going on?

Shawn:  The only theory I would have, and, again, it's above my paygrade, I was reading one time, or I was watching a video on YouTube, and it was neuroscience. And, they're talking about when synapses are formed, we have all the reward chemicals, the dopamine, [01:03:09]_____ and serotonin, all those things are spiked up. And, that got my attention because a common report that people come back and share with me after a session is, and they usually find because of knee pain and, usually, the first or second session, that knee pain is either gone or it's greatly improved. But, a common thing they tell me is, “I don't know what you've done, but I'm [01:03:26]_____.”

So, it makes me wonder if what we're doing is actually making these connections again that were already there, that get lost along the way, and that those synapses are forming, and there's this chemical release. But, I don't know if that's answering your question. I don't know if that's accurate. It seems plausible. It kind of fits [01:03:43]_____.

Ben:  It does seem plausible. I was thinking about, perhaps, the vagus nerve potentially playing a role as well.

Shawn:  People have asked about that.

Ben:  Especially, with the cranial nerves, the movement of the eyes.

Shawn:  And, about the cranial nerves, and then, there's something in chiropractic called Lovett Brother Reactor. What happens at the neck happens at the sacrum. So, if we're getting that stuff just synced up a little better, there could be something going on in there, too. 

Ben:  So, here's a question for you. I get knee pain when I descend stairs or when I walk downhill.

Shawn:  Pretty cool.

Ben:  So, if I walk down these stairs right here —

Shawn:  Perfect.

Ben:  –we can do a test with that?

Shawn:  Do that [01:04:14]_____ people, that's a common question.

Ben:  Alright.

Shawn:  So, a lot of back, hip, and knees are probably three most common [01:04:18]_____ 

Ben:  Just walk down these stairs.

Shawn:  And, check your arm. Internal rotate. So, if we could land single like we did earlier steps there.

Ben:  [01:04:30]_____?

Shawn:  Did you feel the symptoms as you did that, or not so much yet?

Ben:  I felt a little bit more, I think.

Shawn:  So, let's go eyes up. Eyes down. Let's organize that. So, its head forward, nasal breath.

Ben:  Alright. We'd still now go head forward [01:04:44]_____?

Shawn:  Yup. One eyes up with that disorganizing response, and we open eyes down, disorganized. We're going to go to neutral. We'll go eyes up to check your work. Beautiful. I did descend the stairs again.

This is exactly what we find a lot is pain-provoking. This is, a lot of times, a second session deal, I'm trying to clear out this generic trigger, like getting in the chairs, breathing. And then, we customize it late in the first session [01:05:08]_____, in the second session.

Ben:  Makes sense.

Shawn:  What hurts this person, so pain-provoking, we can go and do, I would call the baby pattern, the developmental patterns. You can bring anything and incorporate it into this. You can do massage. You can do foam-rolling, just as inputs in the system. Just monitor [01:05:21]_____. Eyes up. Eyes down. Alright. So, organized, organized. So, now, we got to look right back.

Ben:  Organized up and down?

Shawn:  Yup.

Ben:  So, now, we organize right left?

Shawn:  Eyes right. Disorganized, organized.

Ben:  Do I look to the right and breathe in, or nose?

Shawn:  Yeah, very good. And, there's a second one, too. So, those are transverse plane piece. And then, you look straight at me. Left ear, left shoulder. [01:05:50]_____ as well, the frontal plane, or the nasal breath here. So, it's a lot of time, checking up and down, because it's what exercises it, too. And, I'm so, “Let's go, let's go.” [01:06:02]_____ getting down.

And, we might clear this, and nervous system's okay, and you may or may not have a change in your pain, because I'm not tissue interventionist. Mine is doing organized on the stuff.

Ben:  [01:06:16]_____ cartilage makes you put some movements.

Shawn:  Exactly.

Ben:  It might be cartilage, in general.

Shawn:  Yeah, but the way these crazy stories of people have live, real time. And, I'll find fractional pain, we get the stuff organized, the pain is gone.

Ben:  Wow.

Shawn:  But, I got to be careful, because structural, you get it right, but we got you so organized that pain is such a huge preset [01:06:31]_____ brain. And, we don't [01:06:33]_____. That's a good trigger, Ben. Eyes up. Eyes down. Right or left. Organize, up and down, left, right. So, eyes left. This is lean left and turn right. So, left to your left shoulder. Either way, the order doesn't matter, as long as you get them in sequence, right-left, right-lean, left-lean, or right turn, left turn. Good. Left to your left shoulder. [01:07:02]_____ eyes right to check this recent disorganized. Disorganized, stairs well.

So, it all comes down to trigger or train. You throw pattern at a person. If they accept it, we can now train it. If it triggers you, like no, no, no, we can't progress yet until we get this under control. After that.

Alright. Have you do another one. I just want to see —

Ben:  [01:07:25]_____ stairs again?

Shawn:  Yup, because you're organized. I just want to interview you, what they feel like, is it the same, better, or worse?

Ben:  I would say a little better.

Shawn:  A little better?

Ben:  Six on the descending three stairs. But, yeah, subjectively, I'd say a little better.

Shawn:  So, as long as not, if the pain was the same or better, I might say, “Hey, you know what? We can train this now because that disorganizes you.” Now, if we add more volume and it starts irritating pain, you know what? I don't have X-ray eyeballs, MRI eyeballs. [01:07:53]_____. But, if you're open to it, I think we should do the whole flight to see something that's clear.

Ben:  So, [01:07:58]_____ go down here and descend the whole flight of stairs?

Shawn:  Yeah. 

Ben:  So, I'm standing at the top of the stairs, the longer staircase. You may just descend the stairs.

Shawn:  Yeah. And, let's see how the software handled it, and also, what it feels like, especially, after the trigger software. So, I'd like to get that blind information first. This here. Software is cool with it. Same, better, worse? Don't worry about my feelings. I'm not [01:08:17]_____.

Ben:  Same, better, worse descending?

Shawn:  Yeah.

Ben:  It's the same because that was the first time I descended.

Shawn:  Do it again, because, again, as long as the software is together and it's not getting worse, I feel comfortable progressively with volume, load, and all kinds of stuff.

Ben:  I'd say a little better.

Shawn:  Let's check it. And, it's the left leg. As you strike or as you [01:08:42]_____.

Ben:  Left me, from this striking through downloading page, I'd say.

Shawn:  Yesterday, at dinner, or somewhere last night, toes over knees guy [01:08:52]_____.

Ben:  [01:08:53]_____ Ben Patrick knees over toes, yeah.

Shawn:  Let's do some of the more basic drills that, maybe, [01:08:56]_____.

Ben:  Yeah, I can make a few of those.

Shawn:  [01:08:58]_____.

Ben:  I've actually been doing some of those. Ben's going to come on my podcast. I told him, let me give all your drills, like a 30-day fair trial.

Shawn:  I love it.

Ben:  I'm 10 days in. So, let's just do some of these.

Shawn:  Yeah. [01:09:09]_____ 

Ben:  [01:09:11]_____ is lean against the wall dorsiflexion-type exercises for tibialis.

Shawn:  And, we're going to check after each one of these. Now, if I'm staying here, it's interesting, I didn't notice it's just laying there. But, definitely, more swelling in the left knee, you can see. Your kneecap, it's out more on this side.

Ben:  The reason I have swelling in my left knee is because, four weeks ago or so, I got stem cells injected into it.

Shawn:  Got you.

Ben:  And, the doctor, I don't know if he's aware of this, but when you combine placental matrix or ozone or anything like that with stem cells, it accelerates the inflammatory response. My knee just swelled right up and deactivated the quad a little bit.

Shawn:  Interesting.

Ben:  So, when the knee swells and deactivates the quad, what happens is that any pain that you have begins to become magnified.

Shawn:  Sure.

Ben:  In this case, the quad was no longer supporting the movement of the patella. But, it was a blessing in disguise because it was hurting so much after the injection. But, I'm getting MRI, just in case. So, I get an MRI. And, it turns out that there's actually some significant cartilage degeneration on the femur and on the backside of the patella.

Shawn:  Wow.

Ben:  So much, in fact, that I'm going to do a podcast from down there. There's a procedure, a minimally invasive procedure, called an intraosseous drilling, where a doctor, Matt Cook, and another guy, they're going to go in, and they use ultrasound-guided imaging. They do micro-needling into the surface of the degraded cartilaginous area. It should be the back of patella and the head of the femur. And then, they fill that with a bone marrow aspirate or bone marrow soup.

Shawn:  It's cool.

Ben:  And, apparently, and I interviewed six different orthopods about this. And, every single one was thumbs-up. This should actually be a —

Shawn:  They're very targeted.

Ben:  –[01:10:47]_____ work compared to a full-on knee surgery or resurfacing or something like that.

Shawn:  You don't have the recovery time and rehab time and all that.

Ben:  Yeah. So, that's what happened.

Shawn:  That's cool.

Ben:  That's why you still see that left knee. You can see it's visible, if you see with the camera here. I'll show people on the camera, too. See that left knee?

Shawn:  It's funny, I'm in the right leg, I'm like, how to swing a little. I didn't notice it, like, notice it here now.

Ben:  Exactly. So, I did some of those dorsiflexion exercises from the knees over toes. Do you want me to do a few more?

Shawn:  Yeah, do, because sometimes, it slipped in there exactly. You have a fair test.

And then, what's cool about this, too, it's like, some people are like, “Hey, how's this compared to such and such?” Look, there's nothing quite like what we're doing, but we're just making sure whatever interventions you're dealing–

Ben:  Yeah, this is different than what they've done on, say, Buhler's.

Shawn:  Let's check this. That's really cool. I can handle that. I want some more knee [01:11:37]_____.

Ben:  Different knee type of drill?

Shawn:  Yeah.

Ben:  So, here's another one. When you go into the wall, defend the knees like this, and it's almost like a seated calf raise machine, except your knees are bent against the wall.

Shawn:  Perfect.

Ben:  Here's another one. And then, I'll do 30 of 1 and then you all 30 of these. But, I won't do 30 of [01:11:52]_____.

Shawn:  It's five or 10, that's perfect. Let's check it. That's what cool, too. We find it's usually the exposure, whether it's one rep or 10, it [01:12:00]_____.

Ben:  There's one I could say that actually does hurt.

Shawn:  That's great because those were good. So, maybe, [01:12:06]_____ ones that are just a little bit [01:12:09]_____ provoking.

Ben:  So, I like this one. And, what Ben told me is, when you do these exercises, actually, you only want to go through range of motion that's pain-free. But, this is one where, even through a baby range of motion, there's still a little bit of pain.

Shawn:  Sure.

Ben:  But, basically, I think he calls this, not a Patrick step, I can share with that one, too. It's like knees over toes lunge, basically. So, we're like this, and then back. And, for this exercise, for example, that he sent to me, I do five reps on one leg.

Shawn:  Sure.

Ben:  And then, five reps on the other leg. And, you do five by five of that. The whole routine you sent me, I'm supposed to do it three times a week, and it takes 15 minutes.

Shawn:  It's nice. How do you feel like you're doing it right now?

Ben:  Little bit of pain. That's the one exercise in the whole series that gives me a little bit of pain.

Shawn:  Internal rotate. Stop me here. Eyes up. Eyes down. Disorganized to organized. My [01:12:57]_____ will check it. Beautiful. Eyes right.

Ben:  [01:13:02]_____ right?

Shawn:  [01:13:04]_____ left ear. Then, right turn with the nasal. So, you can call this a clearing breath versus a [01:13:09]_____.

Ben:  I'm learning. It's all making sense. I know some of my audience members, they'll have their head scratched a little bit. But, as we're doing this, [01:13:14]_____ I'm understanding.

Shawn:  And, I tell people, I'll set up see-saws all day long, up-down seesaw, then right-left. Those of you crashing this, that's not the problem. [01:13:25]_____ to crash [01:13:26]_____. So, it's really like a reset or a restoration process.

Ben:  Now, [01:13:31]_____ out again?

Shawn:  Yeah. And, I was right, because that was the disorganized. Beautiful. And, I would just do one rep of that provoking one.

Ben:  One rep?

Shawn:  Yup. And, if that's good, then we'll go three or five. So, I always try to be as conservative.

Ben:  That's actually a little better, dude. It's awesome.

Shawn:  That's beautiful.

Ben:  It is. I'm not just saying that.

Shawn:  No, I know.

Ben:  [01:13:50]_____ always questioning [01:13:51]_____, etc.

Shawn:  Correct. Alright, let's check it. That was four. That's beautiful. So, now, you get more of the goodies because there's pain. That's a really, really good driver [01:14:04]_____.

Ben:  Now, when I do that exercise in the future, my nervous system has already been retrained.

Shawn:  Exactly.

Ben:  With hypothesizing the real system.

Shawn:  Yeah. And, maybe, let's just stay with that one because that's a pain revoker. Let's do the same thing blind. Because then, if you can clear this, that's like —

Ben:  [01:14:16]_____.

Shawn:  –it will be the same.

Ben:  Got it.

Shawn:  A little balance challenge.

Ben:  A little balance.

Shawn:  How is that pain feeling?

Ben:  I would say it's a little more with the eyes closed.

Shawn:  [01:14:28]_____ here, because the whole thing is, we can get eyes closed and organized.

Ben:  I was weaker there.

Shawn:  Up and down. Check if there's snapping out. Feel map, looking down. Also, get mapped. You're good in here. Right, left. Again, let's see which one is our guy. [01:14:42]_____, I think. I think that's your [01:14:45]_____ turn right. So, I was in shock a little harder, just to make sure.

Ben:  [01:14:50]_____ on that side.

Shawn:  Yeah. So, that's left disorganized, right organized, lean right, and turn left, separately with the navel. Turn left. And, through the nose. I'm going to out through the nose or mouth [01:15:08]_____. So, then, we go eyes left. [01:15:13]_____. Good. How about just one or two of the same [01:15:15]_____ with the eyes closed?

Ben:  Eyes closed [01:15:17]_____.

Shawn:  I'd just say one or two because what if we got to do this 10 times, don't irritate it too bad. You know what I'm saying?

Ben:  I can tell you that that first one felt better already.

Shawn:  Beautiful, man.

Ben:  Nice.

Shawn:  [01:15:27]_____.

Ben:  Definitely better.

Shawn:  I love it. Then, let's stay with this. This is the first time we've come across that irritates. Let's make it crazy on this. Let's go do same lunge, eyes closed. Alright, left head turns [01:15:36]_____.

Ben:  Why do I do the head turn?

Shawn:  The whole time, maybe, start with it just to get your brain warmed up with it, and keep turning, keep turning, head turn.

Ben:  Now, head turn to left?

Shawn:  Yeah, left and right. Keep turning. Just keep turning. Yeah, just doing a little bit of complexity here. That's weird. Beautiful. Let's check your arm. That can fool your brain. That's awesome. How about head up and down as you're doing lunge? Just making that target bigger for your nervous system, like, if you do all this stuff, nothing is getting old person. And, they're out of pain as long as they walk like this. But [01:16:11]_____ nothing it hurts the hip. So, what we're trying to do is [01:16:13]_____ bigger.

Ben:  And, once you think [01:16:16]_____.

Shawn:  Awesome. Here's a weird one. Frontal plane, ear to shoulder as you try to do that. If you can, that's a weird one.

Ben:  Tapping my hand.

Shawn:  It's awesome. It's pretty good, man. Awesome. So, I love that we can use the new [01:16:32]_____ because actually, his name came up three times last month. But it's cool.

Ben:  Here's the good news. He's very, very kind. So, this is called his Patrick step.

Shawn:  Love it.

Ben:  We just lower the heel and push back. This one definitely, historically, almost no pain with it, compared to that knee over toe lunge.

Shawn:  Cool. Let's check it. Big deal for your nervous system there. Any other drills that you do that are either pain-provoking or super challenging?

Ben:  Yeah. This one is like a hip flexor drill, where you sit straight up and down. And, this is also from knees over toes.

Shawn:  Love it.

Ben:  Just go there.

Shawn:  Nice.

Ben:  And then, there.

Shawn:  Let's pick one side and check it, because they'll have an independent response. I can come down on the floor and touch [01:17:18]_____.

Ben:  Obviously, it's the left one that I'm really focusing on.

Shawn:  Good. And then, I'll check it right there [01:17:23]_____. Nice. [01:17:24]_____ because you're going to do both. Let's check it. Right now, [01:17:32]_____.

Ben:  What do you think? So, we did that one, we did that one, we did this the step lunge, we did the Patrick step, we did the seated one. There's one that's just a stretch called the Elephant Walk, which is super [01:17:49]_____ just a hamstring stretch. And then, the last one is the Kelly Starrett style, couch stretch. So, those are really all the exercises in that sequence.

Shawn:  I love it. Awesome. I love it. Any other things you do [01:18:02]_____. It's like, hey, what are the things you're doing? Let's just make sure.

Ben:  Crazy. I'm shoot my bow.

Shawn:  Let's do that. Awesome.

Ben:  So, do you guys want you do the bow?

Alright, folks. So, we moved on to try a functional activity with a piece of equipment. In this case, I'm going to shoot my bow. And then, we test after I shoot my bow.

Shawn:  [01:18:19]_____.

Ben:  How many shots do you want me to take?

Shawn:  Let's take one shot, and we'll check it.

Ben:  One shot? Okay.

Shawn:  Nice one.

Ben:  Just killed the turkey.

Shawn:  Yeah, you did. Disorganization. Eyes up or down. Checking. Eyes down. Left to right. [01:18:53]_____ right. Just lean right and turn left. Left was the fail. Nasal breath. It's cool you're doing the bow because that's what I use as analogy. So, just thinking outside in a weapon.

Ben:  Eyes to the left?

Shawn:  Yup. Head left, actually. So, you had to basically weave your body, then you got there. [01:19:11]_____. You got it.

Ben:  [01:19:20]_____?

Shawn:  Yup. Nice. Trigger.

Ben:  Nice closure. Nice. Great. That's awesome.

Ben:  If I get enough this season, yes. Thank you.

Shawn:  That's right.

Ben:  That was quick. So, all we did was we corrected that left eye dysfunction. I was disorganized on the left. I shot. You shot over disorganized. We did the correction. I reshot. And, [01:19:53]_____.

Shawn:  Yeah, tolerated that activity. So, now you can get —

Ben:  You can pretty much rinse-wash and repeat this with any activity, shooting free throws, stuff like that .

Shawn:  Anything. Sports, life.

Ben:  Wow.

Shawn:  So, then, you have rehab, you have performance, and you have in the middle. So, you can do it [01:20:06]_____ anybody, really.

Ben:  So, I want to ask you a couple of questions.

Shawn:  Sure.

Ben:  Just again, I know we're probably getting close to the end of the demo phase for people. But, help me to wrap my head around. Let's say I'm sitting here, listening to this podcast and I'm like, I don't know if I can learn how to do this myself. I'd like somebody to walk me through it. So, average layperson listening in–

Shawn:  Sure.

Ben:  –how they could actually identify activities that produce pain or that they want to become more proficient or efficient at, and actually go through a protocol like this. I want to ask you what they would do, what the next step for them would be. And then, I also want to ask you what the next step for the professional who's like, “I want to add this feather to my cap as something I could do with my clients.” So, what would be the next best place for people to learn more or be educated, certified, whatever the case may be?

Shawn:  Sure. So, the general question about being educated in the system would probably be to follow us on Instagram. That's where we're most active, putting new information. So, generally speaking, Instagram is the best way to interact with us. For the layperson, we're going to ask that they're just a little bit patient for now.

Ben:  And, Square number “1” System on Instagram.

Shawn:  Yeah. So, add Square 1 System.

Ben:  If you guys go to BenGreenfieldFitness.com/Square1 , Square the number “1,” I'll link to all of this.

Shawn:  And then, so, for the layperson, other than actually working with me or one of my students, and we only have about 300 students, and probably 20 or 30 have been certified so far. Other than that, they have to be a patient for a little bit because we're going to put a new self-administered version to all that.

Ben:  [01:21:41]_____ altogether.

Shawn:  Well, teach me.

Adam:  He just [01:21:43]_____ you as you're — 

Shawn:  Fresh. Good stuff we're doing with you right there at the end in the last 20 minutes here, that's all stuff that's been, I think, last six weeks.

Ben:  Cool. Wow.

Shawn:  The [01:21:53]_____ is back in 2008. So, we start teaching in 2012. So, I've had a system that we teach people that are more in the industry. So, now, for the layperson, we're going to have a product out probably in about three to six months. I'm hoping before 2021 is over. It's probably October, November, December. We're also going to retool education modules, so that we have out in bite-sized pieces because right now, we're making these guys drink through a water hose. So , we're going to have that, again, October, November, December. We're going to have new courses for the moving pro.

The level one will be, what we've done at the end, just eyes up down, right left. It won't get into joint action. That's level one. Level two is all the backroads, all the side-streets. And, that's what we [01:22:32]_____ teach. So, that will still be offered, but we'll just give it to them in stages. And then, the third phase for the industry pro, we're going to show them how to really customize the selection of [01:22:41]_____.

Ben:  [01:22:42]_____ this online and end up together live clinic [01:22:45]_____.

Shawn:  Currently, they could learn it online. They could go online and buy a level two right now. And, I tell people, if they're wanting to do that, they should not hold back on buying it right now. Because what we're going to do is anybody who bought previously, we're going to [01:22:55]_____ that in as a payment on our next group. So, I'm not going to screw anybody over, you have to buy this other product. So, they shouldn't have any reservations about spending the money now, if they're interested.

Ben:  Got you.

Shawn:  Just know, then, three to six months, there are going to be even better course come to out. And, they already had paid for almost all that admission. So, just for the layperson, just have to be a little bit patient. But, we're going to [01:23:13]_____, hopefully, by the end of this year.

Ben:  Early 2022.

Shawn:  Sweet.

Ben:  I dig it. Alright, cool. So, if you guys have questions or comments or feedback about this whole fascinating protocol–And, you just call it Square 1 System?

Shawn:  Yeah, Square 1 System.

Adam:  Neural restoration.

Ben:  What did you say, Adam?

Adam:  Neural restoration.

Ben:  Neural restoration. Go to BenGreenfieldFitness.com/Square1. I got no financial affiliation or whatsoever with Shawn or Adam. I just think this stuff's cool to be able to bring new ways to correct the body to you guys. You can stay active for life.

So, guys, anything else you want throw in for people?

Shawn:  I think you covered it all. Anything you're thinking, Adam, that I need to bring up? I thought you did [01:23:52]_____.

Adam:  I want to say, just do it, obviously. But, this guy is the Obi–He's the Jedi master. He's Obi Wan Shawn.

Ben:  Obi Wan Shawn, I dig it. Alright, folks. So, BenGreenfieldFitness.com/Square1. Shawn, Adam, thanks for making this happen, guys.

Adam:  Thanks for having us.

Shawn:  Thanks for giving us an audience, man. That's awesome, dude. Thank you.

Adam:  Appreciate it.

Ben:  Alright, folks, it is officially happening. It is officially happening. And, there's still room left. There is an event that I will be at in Austin, Texas, October 7th through the 9th, 2021 It's called The Gathering. It's put on by my friend, Do Joe…

So, I'm going to start this one over.

Alright, folks. This is it. It's happening. There's an event in Austin, Texas called The Gathering. It's put on by my friend, Joe DiStefano, runs this amazing event called Runga. And, the dates for this are coming up quick, October 7th through the 9th, 2021. So, this October, a whole bunch of people from around the globe are going to join a team of experts and athletes, and practitioners, and instructors on a pristine Texas ranch for one of the most intimate wellness experiences in the world.

You can choose to stay in one of their coveted on-property suites. You can attend as a commuter. Either way, prepare yourself for a pretty extraordinary experience. It's three full days of immersive wellness programming, chef-prepared meals that are intimate, organic, and amazing. There will be everything from, not only those organic vibrant paleo-inspired meals each day, all-day access to their signature coffee bar, keto-friendly wines from Dry Farm Wines, biohacking with things like hyperbaric oxygen, infrared, and PEMF, along with instructions on how to use all that stuff, classes and everything, from meditation to kettlebells to ice baths. There's yoga there. There's a whole bunch of other speakers, in addition to me and Joe's wife, who's a chef. My wife will be teaching there. My kids will be there. Dr. Chris Shade, Founder and CEO of Quicksilver Scientifics, will be there. Dr. Melissa and Dr. Jason Sonners, experts in hyperbaric oxygen therapy, will be there. Garrett Salpeter, who's also been a podcast guest of mine, who specializes in electrical muscle stimulation, he'll be there. Mike Brooks will be there. He's an anti-aging–

Sorry. Start that over.

Mike Brookins will be there. He's a board-certified anti-aging and functional medicine expert. The list goes on and on. And, there is still time to get in. Just go to RungaLife.com/The-Gathering. I'll also put a link in the shownotes. So, it's Runga, R-U-N-G-A-Life.com/The-Gathering. And, you're in.

Well, thanks for listening to today's show. You can grab all the shownotes, the resources, pretty much everything that I mentioned over at BenGreenfieldFitness.com, along with plenty of other goodies from me, including the highly helpful, “Ben Recommends” page, which is a list of pretty much everything that I've ever recommended for hormones, sleep, digestion, fat loss, performance, and plenty more.

Please, also, know that all the links, all the promo codes that I mentioned during this and every episode helped to make this podcast happen and to generate income that enables me to keep bringing you this content every single week. So, when you listen in, be sure to use the links in the shownotes, to use the promo codes that I generate because that helps to float this thing and keep it coming to you each and every week.

 

As a big fan of bodywork for performance enhancement and general healthspan and lifespan benefits…

…I was intrigued when heard about a new bodywork technique that claims to repattern your body neurologically and retrain your broken muscles for optimal mobility.

I was contacted about Shawn Sherman—the founder of the Square 1 System—by a man named Adam McDowell, a coach and trainer who reached out through his Instagram. After looking into Shawn's work, I thought I ought to try it for myself and flew both Adam and Shawn out to my house in Spokane, Washington for a few days.

Shawn Sherman earned his Exercise and Sport Science degree from Penn State University and operates a private practice in Western Springs, Illinois, outside of Chicago. Shawn holds numerous industry certifications and therefore understands what and how the conventionalists think and believe. Over the past 25 years, Shawn's understanding of movement has evolved from that of an apprentice level to a level of mastery by continually seeking answers to his questions. Because he now intimately and thoroughly understands the most basic components of movement, Shawn brings an unparalleled perspective to the table. Not only does he consistently deliver absolutely amazing results to his clients, but he also teaches his students to be able to do the same. Additionally, Shawn has consulted with hundreds of elite athletes from professional organizations including the United States Olympic Team, the Chicago Cubs, the San Francisco Giants, and many more.

Shawn Sherman's Square 1 System addresses the deep source behind why your body compensates, bringing your movement system closer to where it was designed to be. Most clients experience positive results within the first session, with no pain and minimal soreness. The Square 1 System typically yields much longer-lasting “effects” than conventional approaches to pain. Because you can't actually make a body impervious to all forms of stress, Shawn says that future “breakdowns” are just part of being a living, breathing human being, but with this form of bodywork, you can maintain health and mobility with periodic maintenance.

After a big feast at my house (it's standard practice to put the Traeger Grill to work with guests in town) Shawn worked his magic on me for a couple of hours with a form of therapy that is definitely unlike anything I ever talked about before on a podcast. While it was an awesome experience and I learned a lot, Shawn's approach is kind of hard to explain, so I'm including the video below to give you a firsthand look at what we did together.

During my discussion with Shawn Sherman, you'll discover:

-What is the Square 1 System?…05:30

• Square 1 System
• Find out where there are flawed perceptions of ground forces
• Trauma, injury affects our perception
• Clean up inefficiencies for optimal movement, from elite athletes to casual walkers
• Boil down all human movement into 2 basic patterns:
  • Getting upright – static balance pattern or posture; getting up and going down
  • Locomotion – dynamic balance; right or left
• Shawn's background:
  • Early adopter of MAT: Muscle Activation Technique
  • Greg Roskopf, developer of MAT – Muscle Activation Technique
  • Dr. Craig Buhler
• Episode #137: “Dr. Two Fingers” Reveals His Teeth-Gritting, Body-Healing Secrets. Interview with Dr. Craig Buhler.
• The 4-hour Body by Tim Ferris
• Dr. Craig Buhler working on Ben's Spine and glutes
• Joint actions create patterns of muscle movements

-Pre-treatment checks on Ben the patient…12:30

• Range of motion checks
• Right leg doesn't turn in as well as the left
• The patient's intuition is often incorrect
• Quick muscle test
• Looking for load response more than force production
• Locomotion helps the nervous system get more organized
• AK/CK – Applied Kinesiology/Clinical Kinesiology
  • AK is an offshoot of chiropractic Dr. George Goodheart
  • Dr. Alan Beardall's extensive research developed CK
  • Chinese medicine applied to the western world
• Mimicking ground forces to find where the break is
• Ben's issue was the T-spine; was fixed on the spot with the test
• Continually looking for the flaw throughout the test
• Cervical extension is an issue

-How basic, seemingly simple patterns can cause problems…31:27

• Closed eye squats: 70-80% of squatting is visual
• It is not to make you squat better but to teach your brain to say “I've got this, I can take this in stride”
• The test is to keep on exposing you to the provoking pattern until the brain stops telling you that that movement is “not so good”
• It's a matter of setting up puzzles for the brain to solve
• Patterns/skills you get with practice but doesn't mean you need to; play with mental triggers
• Neural systems cannot distinguish between types of stress – mechanical, emotional, thermal…

-Customizing triggers for an individual…44:06

• Activities during the day that keep the left and right hemispheres of the brain connected
• Once exposures are cleared, it stays that way for a long time
• The body and the brain self-regulates
• Eyes up and left is organizing response, eyes down and right is disorganizing response
• It's good to customize if you want more details but organizing the pattern does the trick most of the time
• A simple corrective exercise is head back nasal breath/head forward nasal breath

-What is going on during corrective exercise to fix the movement…59:20

• Reward chemicals are released/spiked-up when synapses are formed during corrective exercise
• The vagus nerve plays a potential role
• Other activities can be incorporated to customize the response, like foam rolling, massage…
• It comes down to trigger or train
  • If accepted, train
  • If it is a trigger (not accepted), cannot progress until it is controlled

-Test after using functional activity equipment (bow)…1:15:02

• Improved after corrected left eye dysfunction

-How to identify activities that produce pain…1:17:14

• Follow on Instagram

-And much more…

Resources mentioned in this episode:

– Shawn Sherman:

• Square 1 System
• Follow on Instagram

– Adam McDowell @movingmuscle

– Podcasts:

• Episode #137: “Dr. Two Fingers” Reveals His Teeth-Gritting, Body-Healing Secrets. Interview with Dr. Craig Buhler.

– Other Resources:

• The 4-hour Body by Tim Ferris
• MAT (Muscle Activation Techniques)
• Greg Roskopf
• Dr. Craig Buhler
• Dr. Craig Buhler Working On Ben Greenfield's Spine And Glutes
• Dr. George Goodheart
• Applied Kinesiology
• Dr. Alan Beardall and Clinical Kinesiology
• Foam Roller

Upcoming Events:

• Join me and my wife Jessa at Runga for The Gathering. Click here to grab one of the very limited spots we have open to the public for The Gathering at Runga (October 7-9, 2021).
• Las Vegas Keto Expo (October 15-16, 2021). Ben will be speaking at the Las Vegas Keto Expo along with 13 other keto experts. The first 300 guests to register here will get a free drink chip for the poolside party and a free t-shirt.
• Keep up on Ben's LIVE appearances by following bengreenfieldfitness.com/calendar

Episode sponsors:

–Kion Dark Roast Coffee: All you serious, die-hard, black-as-mud, “I put coffee in my coffee coffee” drinkers out there, you can try Kion Dark Roast and save 10%.

–Organifi Red Juice: Enjoy all the benefits of the 11 superfoods and their micronutrients that help increase resting metabolism, support cardiovascular health, and remove toxins to turn back the hands of time! Receive a 20% discount on your entire order when you use discount code BENG20.

–Beekeeper's Naturals: A wellness company specializing in innovative nutraceuticals made from healing hive compounds and plant-based ingredients. Get 15% off your order when you use discount code BEN.

–Paleo Valley Organ Complex: Contains not one but three organs from healthy, grass fed, pasture-raised cows so you are getting a more diverse array of nutrients. Receive a 15% discount off your order when you use discount code BENGREENFIELD15.