Analytical and Segmental Muscular Strengthening of the Abdominal Muscles and the Thoracic Diaphragm

This is a very unique class with detailed relational and fascial anatomy and relative biomechanics where students will start to learn proper mechanics, execution and application from the very beginning. The abdominals (obliques, transverse, pyramidals and rectus abdominus) and the thoracic diaphragm need to be properly trained. These muscles are not only functional but aesthetic.

Over 100 exercises and its variations that can be used regularly in strength & conditioning as well as in the filed of rehabilitation, especially for the spine, lumbo-pelvis dysfunction, abdominal wall separations, hernias and digestive disorders.

Seminar Outline:

• Technical analysis of the movements which are the basis of muscle strengthening
• Learning to perfect the movement (progression factors)
• How to avoid injury with the appropriate preparation
• Types of cool-downs for better recovery
• Dietary factors
• Quality effort in terms of strength, volume, power, speed, resistance, endurance and fitness maintenance
• Planning training sessions
• Multiple strengthening methods
• Muscular re-education programs
• Sports preparation programs

Analytical and Segmental Muscular Strengthening of the Lower Limbs

There are hundreds of specific exercises, which can solicit the proximal, distal, medial, lateral, middle, superficial or deep portions of each muscle in the lower extremities. The thorough details that are covered in this class will allow for an understanding of the numerous exercises that target specific areas of the lower limb. These exercises are applied, based on our goal, to specific conditioning goals, to address muscles imbalances, and a part of addressing specific orthopedic dysfunctions such as various joint dysfunctions, tendonitis, arthrosis, instability etc.

Seminar Outline:

• Technical analysis of the movements which are the basis of muscle strengthening
• Learning to perfect the movement (progression factors)
• How to avoid injury with the appropriate preparation
• Lower extremity warm-ups
• Quality effort in terms of strength, volume, power, speed, resistance, endurance and fitness maintenance
• Planning training sessions with respect to time availability
• Strengthening methods for all the lower extremity muscles
• Muscular re-education programs
• Sports preparation programs

Analytical and Segmental Muscular Strengthening of the Upper Limbs & Trunk

The large muscles (latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, quadratus lumborum…) need to be trained with a lot of specific movements in relation to the specific quality of training that you need (strength, volume, power, speed, resistance, endurance and fitness maintenance) for each muscle group. The spinal muscles need to be trained to improve their ability to provide postural support.

There are also numerous, yet specific exercises, which can solicit the proximal, distal, medial, lateral, middle, superficial or deep portions of each muscle in the upper extremities. Students will learn over hundred different exercises that are invaluable in both performance training and rehabilitation. The function of the shoulder girdle is a major topic of this seminar.

Seminar Outline:

• Technical analysis of the movements which are the basis of muscle strengthening
• Learning to perfect the movement (progression factors)
• How to avoid injury with the appropriate preparation and warm-ups
• Quality effort in terms of strength, volume, power, speed, resistance, endurance and fitness maintenance
• Strengthening methods for all the upper extremities and trunk muscles
• Muscular re-education programs
• Sports preparation programs

Global Movement: The Squat, Posturology, & Gravity Line - Tests & Rehabilitation Exercises

A complete analysis of the squat with respect to the entire body in relation to gravity line and various aspect to be taken into consideration when applying the squat. There are over a hundred progressions that have to be learned before a squat is completed properly. This class will cover all of these progressions and lead to a fundamental understanding of proper progressions leading to the completion of a biomechanically sound squat.

While the fundamentals are the same, the squat should be modified and applied differently to specific goals, which could be to improve one’s posture, to rehabilitate the knee after an ACL injury, to help eliminate back pain or to improve someone’s athletic performance etc.

Posture is the basis for the balanced functioning of all joints and viscera. A good posture leads to an economy of energy expenditure. This course on posture teaches many tests and the main exercises to correct and improve it.

Seminar Outline:

• Technical analysis of the movements which are the basis of the squat
• Learning to perfect the movement with a specific focus on the progression factors
• How to avoid injury with the appropriate preparation and warm-ups
• Quality effort in terms of strength, volume, power, speed, resistance, endurance and fitness maintenance
• Muscular re-education programs
• Sports preparation programs
• Posture is the basis for the balanced functioning of all joints and viscera. A good posture leads to an economy of energy expenditure.This course on posture teach many tests and the main exercises to correct and improve it.

Circulatory & Respiratory Techniques

Circulatory: Numerous people suffer from problems of venous return (varices, varicosities; heavy legs, edema, etc). Simple, yet very precise exercises, allow a stimulation of circulation of the blood in an anatomical and physiological sense for each vein.

Respiratory
-There are many exercises to improve the quantity of respiration.
 -The techniques taught in this course are qualitative in nature, allowing a very precise recruitment of each pulmonary segment in order to address any respiratory insufficiency that is frequently encountered (asthma, smoking-related issues, etc).

ELDOA™ (Longitudinal Osteoarticular Decoaptation Stretches, from the French Etirements Longitudinaux avec Decoaptation Osteo-Articulaire)

Lots of pain, arthrosis, neurological pinching, disc compression and articular lesions result from compactions, compressions and/or articular blocks. There is an effective solution to these ailments: ELDOA™. ELDOAs™ consist of very precise postures which target relief in a specific articulation. The advantage of these postures is that once you learn them, they take only a minute a day to perform.

Seminar Outline:

• Background and methodology
• Lumbar ELDOA™ practice
• Thoracic ELDOA™ practice
• Cervical ELDOA™ practice
• Pelvic ELDOA™ practice (sacroiliac joints and symphysis pubis)

For a long time now we believed that we knew how to stretch muscles; however, how do you stretch a muscle when it is sheathed in a leather casing? Muscles are three dimensional in shape with multiple sites of attachment and fascia is the thin ‘skin’ weaving into and surrounding structures like the muscle tissue, ‘linking’ various structures together in a chain that includes the joint or joint capsule.

Stretching a muscle is only effective once the “skin” that covers it is no longer dry and retracted. Myofascial stretches respect the anatomy of the muscles, their aponeuroses as well as their function. At this point, the analytical study of the fascial chains allows for an incredibly effective stretch position.

All the connective tissue in the body is made of water and this water is arranged in microscopic tubules. Perhaps even more amazing is that the fascia is continuous upon itself: it is one single entity. In order to stretch a specific muscle it is better to consider it as a link in a specific chain extending from the toes to the back of the knee, inserting into one or more of the ligaments of the pelvis. This is the ‘real anatomy’ of the body and respects the global organization of its tissues. A stretching posture will be chosen to solicit the tension of the whole fascial chain in order to correct the specific muscle link.

With myofascial stretching (MFS), the goal is not to gain flexibility of a muscle, but to improve the quality of the movement of the tissues in relation to one another. MFS is the only type of stretching that respects this organization.

This seminar will systematically review the proper method of stretching for all major muscles of the trunk, the upper and lower limb giving close to 100 different stretching exercises.

Seminar Outline - Specific myofascial stretches for the noted muscles:

Myofascial Stretches of the lower extremities: iliopsoas, biceps femoris, semimembranous, semitendinous, superficial gluteus maximus, deep gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, obturator internus, piriformis, quadratus femoris, rectus femoris, vastus internus, vasatus externus, graacilis, pectineus, tensor fascia lata, superior fascicle of adductor brevis, inferior fascicle adductor brevis, adductor longus, superior fascicle of adductor magnus, middle fascicle of adductor magnus, inferior fascicle of adductor magnus, medial gastrocnemius lateral gastrocnemius, soleus, tibialis anterior, extensor digitorum, extensor hallucis.

Myofascial Stretches of the upper extremities: long head of biceps brachii, short head of biceps brachii, posterior deltoid, anterior deltoid, middle deltoid, subscapularis, teres major, coracobrachialis, long head of triceps, medial head of triceps, lateral head of triceps, teres minor, infraspinatus, supraspinatus, pectoralis minor, deep pectoralis major, superficial pectoralis major, short supinator of the forearm, long supinator of the forearm, pronator quadratus, pronator teres, flexor digitorum communis, palmaris longus, anterior cubital, extensor digitorum communis, posterior cubital, first radial.

Myofascial Stretches of the trunk: middle intercostals, posterior intercostals, anterior intercostals, the crus of the diaphragm, the domes of the diaphragm, the intermediate part of the diaphragm, rectus abdominis, external obliques, internal obliques, latissimus dorsi, superior trapezius, middle trapezius, inferior trapezius, rhomboid major, rhomboid minor, levator scapula, quadratus lumborum, transverse spinous, longus, iliocostales.

Proprioception: The physiology that controls an articulation depends on numerous control mechanisms located in the muscle tendons, ligaments and articular capsule. Therefore, it is advisable to train these "micro-computers"to increase or revive control of a joint. Following a sprain, to treat arthrosis, to recover articular mobility, and to improve efficiency of movement, these various aspects of proprioception must be trained.
“However, this work must be very precise. Because it is not the joint that is trained as a whole but a specific ligament or part of the capsule within that joint.”
This class will teach the hundreds of exercises that may be used throughout the body for this proprioceptive work.

Awareness: How can an articulation be trained, a muscle strengthened, or a posture corrected, if the brain does not know the area being treated? How does a spine remain straight, if the feeling of being straight is skewed? The cortex must be trained to become acquainted with and recognize every area of the body. A strict methodology involving four progression factors is indispensable to really becoming familiar with the pelvis; the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine; and the various diaphragms.
You will learn how to apply the very important and often neglected aspect of awareness in your daily practice.

After learning to treat the centralized joints of the body with the general ELDOA™ class, you will learn to treat the joints in the periphery with very precise postures, which target relief in these specific articulations. The goal will be to decoapt and normalize the peripheral joints. As before, once you have learned these, they take only a minute a day to perform. 

Seminar Outline:

• Background and methodology
• Thoracic-Cage ELDOA™
• Coxo-Femoral ELDOA™
• Shoulder ELDOA™
• Sacral and Sacro-Coccygeal ELDOA™
• Cranial ELDOA™

A client wants to progress, so we must constantly test them to give them exactly the level of exercise they need to improve.For a specific muscular quality (strength, volume, power, speed, resistance, endurance or maintenance), it is necessary to prepare this training precisely by progressions by linear, pyramidal programs, etc.

Similarly, the seasonality of a sports year or a post-trauma or post-surgical rehabilitation program requires a refined periodization. The Guy VOYER, DO training method is always supported by experimental evidence, biological rules, physical laws, mathematical calculations and biomechanical formulas. This allows you to convince yourself, and to explain what you are doing to your clients.

Numerous exercises and movements will be used to teach the proper progression that is necessary to achieve specific goals.

Seminar Outline:

• Quality: strength, volume, power, speed, relaxation, resistance, endurance and fitness maintenance
• Quantity: repetitions, number of series (sets) and rest time

It is advisable to increase cardio-vascular and cardio-respiratory capacities. Whether for a beginner, to maintain general conditioning, preparatory training for sports, or to improve the performance of a high caliber athlete, only a program adapted to the individual needs can respond to the specific objectives.

This course will study the elements that will permit progress in endurance, as well as cardiovascular and cardio-respiratory abilities according to the individuals needs.

Whatever your methods of preseason conditioning, training, or re-education, it is necessary to place the body part being solicited, into a global posture. To rediscover the efficiency and fluidity of a movement, the GPS allows a perfect linking between the joint, the muscle and their fasciae. These specific postures must be meticulously performed and are adapted to each part of the body.

The positions can be used in training and conditioning as well as in pre-season training. They are equally of indubitable efficiency for all re-education programs. For example, after an accident or an illness, all therapeutic treatment must be completed by a rehabilitation of all activities of daily life, in the personal life; the sporting life; and the professional life.

There are thus four big stages to follow:

• The first is curative; by the surgeon, doctor, osteopath; or chiropractor according to their methodology.
• The second allows the patient to validate the therapeutic action above by analytic auto- normalization exercises such as myofascial stretching, ELDOA™, circulatory or respiratory exercises, proprioception exercises, awareness training, etc
• The third stage brings in global postural exercises to give to the patient a general integration back into daily life, and sporting and professional activities. It is these global postural stretches of the trunk; and upper and lower limbs that are included in the program of the advanced personal trainer. 
• The fourth stage is the return to normal activities of the individual in question.

This course will cover a specific methodology and strapping techniques for common sport and overuse injuries; such as sprains, subluxations, tendonitis etc., that should be used as a therapeutic intervention along other therapies. Very frequently, to assist in the ability of movement or strength performance, the trainer must apply a therapeutic tape job for a ligament, tendon, muscle or a specific articulation.

This 4-day full time theoretical and practical course is given exclusively by Guy VOYER, DO.

Biomechanics & Techno-Methodology of Functional Reinforcement of Transverse Abdomen (TVA)

The TVA (Transverse abdominis) is not a simple muscle of the abdominal group. Its anatomy is very precise. It is the deepest, directly related to the peritoneum, thus all the abdominal and pelvic viscera. It is synergistic with the thoracic diaphragm, and therefore acts on the thoracic and mediastinal viscera.

The TVA's specific biomechanics allows us to have over 100 specific exercises to act on the posture, the plasticity of the abdomen and the different visceral functions of the abdomen, the thorax and the pelvis.

This course is exceptional.

After 3 years of courses and hands-on exams with Guy VOYER, DO, the student walks away with a Diploma in SomaTraining and many toasts of congratulations.