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The RolfingĀ® Ten-Series

NoisyCricket
Mon, 16 Jan 2017 21:12:11 GMT

I figured pre-season would be a good time to get my body back into balance and hopefully a bit more mobile so in addition to mobility exercises I will be starting the Rolfing 10 sessions today and boy am I excited! </sarcasm> Has anyone been through the Ten-Series? I have deep tissue work done pretty regularly, and continually question if that or tattoos are more painful, so I'm prepared for a whole lot of screaming and crying but beyond that, I don't know what to expect. If anyone is interesting I can also give an ongoing review of the sessions and of how they seem to be working.

gregwhite
Tue, 17 Jan 2017 17:32:49 GMT

I have! (Not surprisingly.) I found it to be interesting if not entirely effective, but my goals were perhaps beyond the scope of Rolfing. It's a great anatomy lesson at the very least, and you learn a ton about your body in terms of better awareness and movement. I left my 10 sessions still trying to overcome some mild rounding of the t spine and some other things, but I think that expectation that I would leave 100% perfect was unreasonable.

NoisyCricket
Thu, 19 Jan 2017 05:05:16 GMT

Thanks Greg! I was thinking if anyone has done these it would be you. That first session sure was painful, I mean good, I mean painfully good. It'll be an interesting progression if nothing else.

gregwhite
Tue, 24 Jan 2017 14:26:59 GMT

Yes! Keep us posted.

NoisyCricket
Sat, 28 Jan 2017 00:29:17 GMT

Second session was very interesting. It involved foot (top and bottom), shins, quads and hip flexors. Most interesting was the fact that in this session the right side of my body was drastically tighter and thus more painful than the left side. From a mobility standpoint the same was true. Inward rotation on my left leg (hip) was great but it was much more limited on my right leg. I suspect that outward rotation is just the opposite. Next week is the IT band so we shall see. I don't know if it was a placebo effect but I felt like I had a pretty significant leg strength improvement during the following day's bike session: 10 x 20 all out power bursts that felt stronger than I was expecting.

gregwhite
Sat, 28 Jan 2017 03:34:02 GMT

Awesome to hear. I think a lot of people have a turned out right leg (externally rotated) due to driving. I'm the same way. Keep us posted on the rest!

NoisyCricket
Wed, 01 Feb 2017 04:53:39 GMT

That's brilliant Greg, driving didn't even occur to me as a possible cause. I think this new information means I HAVE to buy a Tesla. I wonder if they'll give discounts with a coach signed note saying it's a medical and competitive necessity.

NoisyCricket
Wed, 01 Feb 2017 04:59:39 GMT

Session 3 is over and thank god it is. Definitely the most painful session yet. This session focused on my sides, top to bottom. Interesting to note that my right side is extremely tight from the knee down and in the chest area while my left side is extremely tight from my knee up and in my glute/hip flexors. I left with much better range of motion in my shoulders and with more openness in my hips. I nearly back handed my massage therapist when she was working on my right chest muscle though. My most recent tattoo didn't hurt as bad as that did.

gregwhite
Fri, 03 Feb 2017 14:47:37 GMT

Haha--yeah I recall those sessions. The stuff that focuses on the lats was, at first, a real rude awakening for me. Now I mash my lats daily, whether it's with a large ball or a rogue roller.

NoisyCricket
Fri, 10 Feb 2017 00:45:12 GMT

Session 4 was super duper fun. Did I say fun? I meant terrible. This session focused on the inside of the leg from the ankle to the pelvis. It was also a bit deeper than the previous 3 sessions have been. I must say, I don't think I'll ever get used to having the bottom of my feet worked on. It is so dang painful but it always works wonders. My massage therapist and I have discovered that all my tightness typically follows my spiral and that was definitely evident in this session. It's a very strange feeling having your calf worked on but also feeling it in your hamstring. These sessions continue to provide amazement, as well as pain and a bit of humor. There is a definite difference in my balance and in the range of motion of my hips, knees, and ankles after this session.

jennifer
Sat, 04 Mar 2017 13:44:53 GMT

I went through the series & found each session helpful for revealing tight spots of course (and my ability to prevent myself from smacking another human being), but ultimately, I had no long term improvement from it. Until muscle imbalances were addressed, I found no relief. I did, however, learn that releasing the fascia around my ribcage and sternum dramatically improved my ability to take a deep breath - and therefore made running nicer. (I do this daily before runs with silicone cups.) So - worth it! Good lessons.

NoisyCricket
Wed, 22 Mar 2017 18:58:52 GMT

Jennifer, I am finding the same. I do believe that if I were not in the midst of training the results would be different but as it is I tend to benefit more from routine maintenance than anything else.