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    • 01/30/2014 at 10:33 am #70758
      AvatarVirginie Lehmann
      Participant

        After having thoroughly read the website info and watching a few videos I am considering the purchase of a Marc Pro. It’s a rather large purchase for me at this time so, I would appreciate any input from experienced users here…even just a simple “go, no go” would be helpful. 

        I used a TENS unit quite extensively years ago during the dark days of horrendous low back/SI joint issues. For me, at that time, it was simply a functional pain killer to keep me on my feet and moving through the massive spasms and splinting that were telling me to stop, chill out, recover and correct my poor body mechanics. Yeah, not smart… Somehow, I managed to survive it without completely destroying myself <lol> and apply the wisdom of experience and that of those with broader knowledge and experience. My Dad used to grumble about youth being wasted on the young…I think now that he was on to something :o).
        I understand that this is an improved technology and if the claims are accurate, could be a real help for my dilemma…recovery. My work is very strenuous and requires that I be in a statically loaded, trunk and hip flexed, valgus knee position (kind of a hunched, poorly executed semi-squat) for anywhere from one to five minutes at a time, repetitively. I know, sounds bizarre…but that is what is required to get a horses’ foot trimmed and a shoe nailed on. Think of that position while holding a 45# plate on your knees with both hands…oh yeah, that plate wiggles, moves about of it’s own accord and tends to increase or decrease it’s weight bearing intermittently…and, it’s not unheard of to have it snatch you right out of your boots. Could make for an interestingly effective WOD except for the body mechanics being utterly compromised… Bad Juju :o)
        Currently, I balance the compromised things I have to perform with a heavy lifting program, functional joint mobility techniques and dynamic mediation practice. This website has truly been a Godsend in that through the mobility WODs and the thorough, common sense explanations of simple, proper body mechanics, I have been able to return to full ROM in my hips and trunk (still working on the pistol but the ankles are making solid progress)…and am pain free most of the time, sans the residual soreness/stiffness… In short, things are progressing pretty well except in the area of recovery. Because I, some days, ‘overuse’ the primary engine, the recovery process slows me down or keeps me from pushing through a plateau. If this device can help give me an edge to bounce back more quickly and actually improve muscle recovery and efficiency…then it will be money well spent for me.
        Thanks for any and all thoughts.
      • 01/30/2014 at 10:46 am #73982
        AvatarNathan Richer
        Participant

          i actually use an electrostim unit for training called the ARPWave POV (http://www.arpwave.com) through EVOUltrafit (http://www.evoultrafit.com) and it helps you recover but not in the way you would use the marc pro. so it took me a while to figure out what kind and how to use an electrostim unit for recovery.  however it is probably out of your price range if you think the marc pro is expensive.

          but i also wanted to check on other recovery limiting things, like:
          how much sleep are you getting?
          are you eating enough? hard training athletes should be consuming 1g protein per lb of bodyweight. if you’re older, ie. 40+ you may need to up that to 1.5g protein or more per lb bodyweight to ensure good recovery.
          are you eating the right things and not junk – ie. grass fed beef vs. mcdonalds hamburgers? vitamins?
          have you had blood work done? if your other blood numbers are out of balance that could inhibit recovery.
          so lots of things to consider – you may find success without needing a marc pro or similar….
        • 01/30/2014 at 11:18 am #73984
          AvatarVirginie Lehmann
          Participant

            Thanks David. Good points all. 

            Sleep habits are good. Bed is good.
            Work to keep the stress levels low (although, some days are better than others <lol>).
            Diet is healthy and solid, could prob increase protein intake a notch (Yes, I’m on the shady side of 50 :o)). No junk/processed intake. Always room for improvement here though.
            Up to speed on quality vitamins/ minerals and such. Work with an herbalist friend who advises me on what, how much, and when.
            Anal retentive about proper hydration…
            Has been awhile since I’ve had a blood panel done. Should do that and establish a baseline for sure. May shine a light on something I’m missing. Thanks for that…
          • 01/30/2014 at 11:33 am #73985
            AvatarNathan Richer
            Participant

              if you’re 50 (i’m 48) you’ll most likely need more protein.  i was doing 1g and not recovering for the next day.  i upped that to 1.5g and instantly i was ready the next day!  see this article:


              you might also take some protein powder in drink midday as well. that may help.

              get your adrenals, ferritin, and full thyroid panel done. might also want to check with a functional medicine doc on systemic inflammation.  all of this can inhibit recovery….
              reading back to your initial post, do you do any of the mwod tips on improving position?  bad position will wipe out muscles faster, good position will use the right muscles more and improve efficiency…
            • 01/30/2014 at 12:14 pm #73986
              AvatarAnonymous

                David–
                Yes, the Marc Pro improves recovery.
                Here is some info on the differences between a Marco Pro and a TENS unit.
                Each has different goals when addressing a situation.
                A Marc Pro will facilitate and enhance muscle performance and recovery.
                TENS is a pain management device not a muscle performance/recovery device.
                from Marc Pro:
                Since all muscles contractions essentially “look” the same (the muscle contracts) … your observation that the contractions produced by a MARC PRO unit look the same as contractions produced by TENS unit is correct.
                In fact, if you have ever been shocked by a faulty electrically wire in your home … the contraction produced by that encounter would also  “look” the same. That said, the contraction produced by that faulty wire (or a TENS) would not “feel” the same. Additionally, if you continued “shocking” yourself with that faulty wire (or a TENS) you would eventually fatigue/damage the involved muscle. My point is this; if you want to fatigue a muscle, MARC PRO is the wrong tool. MARC PRO will not fatigue your muscle (instead, it will facilitate and enhance muscle performance and recovery).

                Important additional point, since TENS is not designed (or cleared by the FDA) to facilitate and enhance muscle performance and recovery and MARC PRO is, it is unfair to compare results between the two devices (TENS is a pain management device not a muscle performance/recovery device).

                Here is a related article that Gary Rein from Marc Pro and others wrote for the Journal of Exercise Physiology.
                The Marc Pro Device is a Novel Paradigm Shift in Muscle Conditioning, Recovery and Performance

                When you order a Marc Pro recovery device and you mention “Warriors” or “KSTAR” at check out you will get 5% off and the Resiliency Project will get credit for the purchase. The Resiliency Project is a collaborative effort to help our service members. Marc Pro generously agreed to donate one conditioning device for every four they
                sell when buyers mention or use the code Warriors, KSTAR.
                There is a 12 month payment plan and 30 day 100% money back guarantee.

                If you have questions on anything feel free to message or email me [email protected]

              • 01/30/2014 at 1:13 pm #73987
                AvatarVirginie Lehmann
                Participant

                  Yes and it has helped exponentially but there is only so much I can do. I am a big guy (6’3″/200#) trying to fit in a small place, working with a subject that has it’s own opinions of what’s going on. Most that I do are good to work with. In fact, I reserve the right to refuse the unruly ones because I’m no longer willing to risk injury by being jerked and snatched on… Through my 28 yrs in the biz, I have earned my way to the top of the food chain. I do high end hunters and jumpers. They are the Olympic athletes of their realm (in a few cases, quite literally). As such, they deal with injury, aches, pains and mobility issues the same way we do as athletes. Only they can’t verbalize their complaints. When they come home from a lengthy, arduous road trip they will be stiff, sore, perhaps a little tweaked somewhere, or just generally jaded and tired, particularly the older, high mileage horses. That said, I have to compromise my position at times to keep the patient comfortable and standing quietly. If you flex or extend the sore joint too much, best case scenario would be the equivalent of trying to hold up the rear end of a Volvo with the parking brake released…worst case, you get you head taken off :o). Gotta show ’em some respect and they’ll give it back to you.

                  I have made progress with body position for sure and notice immediately when I get tired or distracted and default to bad position. So, that is good. The strength training has helped better than I could have hoped for being able to support good position longer. Frankly, I’m pleasantly shocked at the volume of weight I’m able to lift now. Never expected to be able to do loaded squats or deadlifts again either but, here I am, squatting a solid 250# and deadlifting just over 300#…and still climbing.  
                  It’s a constant and challenging side program to run in my head while working. I’ve got 28 yrs. of faulty neural pathways to over ride and create new, more efficient ones. I’ve only been at this new game of functional levers and pulleys for a short time. Up to that point I had been literally ‘hanging on the meat’. It was the pain, dysfunction and the threat of losing a lucrative career in an already shrinking economy that drove me in the search for solutions. Strange that I could see it in the horses so well but not in myself. I guess because I was “Superman” and my body could buffer the bad habits… Pay attention out there youngsters. The Piper will someday visit you with a bill. How large it is is up to you.
                  LOL…too much coffee this morning. The simple answer to your last question David is…yes. :o)
                  Will def read up on the info you recommended too. Many thanks!
                • 01/30/2014 at 2:23 pm #73990
                  AvatarVirginie Lehmann
                  Participant

                    Thank you Kaitlin. Yes, I am clear on the differences between the TENS and Marc Pro. (See above) I used the TENS to prop up my bad behavior for some time. At least until ‘shocking’ myself into spinal support no longer had the desired effect…lol. 

                    I appreciate the overview and am intrigued. I’m going to look into the blood panel suggested by David and just see if there may be a missing piece to the puzzle there. Can’t hurt. 
                    I will continue to ask questions and look into the Marc Pro as well. Generally I’m not big on gimmicks and gadgets but I’m sensing that this one may be an effective tool to help get me over the occasional ‘hump’. I’m thinking this may help with the residual stiffness/soreness in my high hamstrings, glutes and, sometimes TFL. (See work history above) I tend to be over stretched in the hip/trunk extensors and shortened in the flexors. Same as sitting but on steroids… The mobility work has been awesome for me and I have returned almost all of the muscle balance and ROM through these techniques and lifting. What I’m interested in is shortening the recovery curve and being able to better maintain the mobility that I am working so hard for. Case in point; When I am a little tight from a busy morning at work, come home, warm up and do a heavy lifting cycle, I am going to be really sore in the hamstring origin at the ischium, the glutes (Particularly glute med for some reason, origin to insertion). Maybe it has to do with form as I’m sure it’s not perfect. I do know it’s not too bad though as I have small window for preventing error/injury. Anyhoo, I’m pretty well shredded back there and I understand the muscles need time to heal before being heavily tasked again. But…I’m back under a horse again bright and early the next morning, pulling on the already stressed tissue. 
                    Now, during this recovery phase I am really tight and def don’t have full ROM. I can however get on a LAX ball or supernova, do some banded distraction work and mobilize myself quite nicely…for about 15 to 20 minutes. Then I’m all stiff and jacked up again. The claims made by the Marc Pro peeps and the theory behind the function of it make sense to me with facilitating the flushing of the tissue and creating space for nutrients to come in. Understand that I am not looking to this as a ‘super fixer’…just maybe an edge to shorten the healing process and, if the claims are true, actually, with proper consistent use make the muscles’ ability to recover more efficient and effective.
                    Am I on the right track here? 
                  • 01/30/2014 at 3:37 pm #73993
                    AvatarNathan Richer
                    Participant

                      hey mark,

                      might also want to just get up and walk around a lot. staying stuck in any one position for too long is bad too. for desk workers, thats sitting in front of a computer screen. for you it’s sitting at a horse.
                      you may also try smashing and mobilizing in between dealing with horses. before you start working on another horse, get up, smash with a ball or do a mob or two with a band, test some archetypal shapes like get your arms overhead or deep squat.  then go on to your next horse.
                      you can test the protein. try eating 200g (for 200lb person) of protein for a day and see if you’re sore the next morning. if still sore, try 250g (1.25g/lb). still sore? try 300g (1.5g/lb). if you are still sore, then this may not be the answer but simply just overuse and/or stuck in one position too long.  also try to self regulate – on days you don’t work – don’t eat that much – your body doesn’t need it so don’t stuff yourself!
                      as a quick rule of thumb there is approx 6g protein in every ounce of beef. so 200g = 32oz of beef or 2lbs!  since you’re a big guy you could probably do that. but i would vary it up with protein powder and other sources like eggs or fish. grass fed lamb is a good substitute also and usually cheaper.  but just try it for a day or two and see if it makes a difference.
                      good luck!
                    • 01/30/2014 at 5:11 pm #73996
                      AvatarVirginie Lehmann
                      Participant

                        You’re right on David. I do most of that between feet …out of necessity. Move around, drink some water, stretch out the anterior chain as much as possible. I could do a video on using an anvil to mobilize…lol. However, I would have draw the line at ball smash mobs because, no matter how I tried to explain it, the wealthy ladies would likely not understand why the Farrier is grinding around on the floor or against the wall and apparently having a seizure of some sort :o). Would be effective though…

                        These days I do less volume and higher quality work. I’m lucky to be able to pick and choose what and how much I do. My clients know of my limitations and take good care of me so, I am blessed in that regard. The rest of this is just about my drive to overcome and excel personally. I don’t do ‘can’t’ well at all… :o).
                        Will def tinker with protein intake and let you know how I fare. Thanks again for your time and thoughtful advise! Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best ones… No?
                      • 01/30/2014 at 7:12 pm #73997
                        AvatarNathan Richer
                        Participant
                          i was going to make a funny comment about women watching you grind but i’ll just let that lie haha.

                          oh if you can’t get a doc to do a blood panel for you, try wellnessFX http://www.wellnessfx.com.  good luck!

                        • 01/30/2014 at 8:05 pm #73999
                          AvatarVirginie Lehmann
                          Participant

                            Oh yeah…it would, no doubt, be quite the scene…lol.

                            A couple of quotes in regard to your wishing me luck;
                            “Luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.”  Seneca

                            “The day you decide to do, it is your lucky day.” Japanese Proverb

                            That’s how I roll with luck :o) 
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