https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/ELDOA

Four months ago, a guy knocked on my front door. He'd flown all the way up from Alabama to my house to train me in a new method of movement and deep fascial stretching that I had never before encountered…something called the "ELDOA Method". Now don't get me wrong: I've done my fair share of mobility training. For example, in the article "The 5 Essential Elements of A Training Program That Most Athletes Neglect – Part 3: Mobility", I delve into how, on a weekly basis, I engage in everything from active stretching to yoga to foam rolling to traction to deep tissue massage and beyond. But Jacob Schoen, the guy who showed up at my house (and my guest on today's podcast) and trained me for eight solid hours over the course of a weekend, introduced me to this new form of extremely intensive "stretching", and helped me discover something I now take breaks from work to do each day and one of the best ways to eliminate low back pain, heal the spine, and get a full body myofascial stretch. It looks like this: Jacob Schoen is the owner and founder of SHIFT Sport and Wellness in New Orleans, La. Jacob is currently studying in the programs of a guy named Dr. Guy Voyer and is using this education to change the way people approach and associate with their pain or performance. By focusing on the purpose, precision, and quality of exercise Jacob inspires people to “move more aware” in the gym and in life. He hopes that by creating awareness in the individual through movement that he can create momentum towards a more connected and conscious culture of health.

During our discussion, you'll discover:

-How Jacob discovered ELDOA after a series of injuries and poor movement patterns developed from cycling and triathlon...[9:47]

-Why ELDOA is like using an inversion table on your whole body...[15:15]

-What it means to create space within your joint s (and why joints aren't "stacked" the way you would think they are)...[18:30]

-On a physiological level, what does ELDOA do, exactly? [22:45]

-Why most stretching practices or techniques don't actually target your myofascia, and how ELDOA does...[25:30]

-How stretching your wrist and big toe at the same time can, surprisingly, decompress your actual spine...[29:20]

-What a sample ELDOA session actually looks like...[31:45]

-What it means to "normalize" your muscle tone...[41:12]

-What you probably don't know about the bones in the skull and why your jaw and skull bones are so important for decompressing your spine...[45:19]

-How to self-adjust your jaw with a dowel...[50:15]

-Why Jake is not a fan of foam rolling and deep tissue work and why Ben is...[54:15]

-The #1 completely natural supplement you can take that is almost free and that vastly decreases back pain...[69:20]

-How often you should do ELDOA...[72:45]

-The best way for you to learn how to do ELDOA yourself...[77:00]

-And much more!

Resources from this episode: -Jacob's website ShiftSportWellness.com -ELDOAMethod.com -Some sample videos of a few of my favorite ELDOA stretches if you want to see what ELDOA training looks like: -T6-T7 -T8-T9 -L5-S1 -Jaw Realignment Therapy -The "Scrolling Under The Skin" video Jacob discusses -Why Foam Rolling is NOT Myofascial Release -Architecture of Human Living Fascia: Cells and Extracellular Matrix as Revealed by Endoscopy -SOMAFinder.com to to find an ELDOA workshop near you

Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Jacob or me? Leave your comments at BenGreenfieldFitness.com and one of us will reply!