Mirror Imaging, Mirror Image, and Brain "Guessing"

Many of you know that I'm involved in the Z-Health Master Trainer program. I was first introduced to the world of "Z" through my kettlebell colleague Geoff Neupert at an RKC in which both of us were returning assistants (this was the end of summer-ish 2006). Geoff was and is a strong, smart, and ambitious dude. So when he spoke about the SAID principle, I listened. Top it off with Omar Clinton, a Z-Health-er himself, attending the same RKC and literally running circles around the other attendees.

Fast forward to my friend and partner in kettlebell crime, Delaine Ross, calling to tell me she signed up for R-Phase in Durham, NC (it was fall 2007). Geoff's expertise and Omar's performance never left me...with Delaine calling, I saw it as a sign and opportunity. Thus began my trip down the rabbit hole, and a journey much like taking the pill in the Matrix.

I've been through three R-Phases, two I-Phases, one S-Phase, was in the S-Phase dvd so I count that as two total S-Phases ;), two T-Phases, and one 9S course.

An aside for those unfamiliar to the Z set-up: R-Phase (Injury Rehabilitation, Neural Re-education, and Movement Restoration) is Level I; I-Phase (Intergration) is Level II; S-Phase (Sport Phase) is Level III; and T-Phase (Therapy) is Level IV. There is also a 9S model we follow in Z, which focuses on other pertinent elements of athletic performance and development. There have been two (2) 9S courses thus far, covering four of the 9S's: Strength & Suppleness and Sustenance & Spirit.

Do I know all Z-Health (ah-hem Dr. Cobb's education & experience) has to offer? Not by far! One concept I've latched on to, though, is neuroplasticity. It pretty much wraps it all up. What's 'it?' Everything- why and how you act, eat, interact, feel, treat others, perceive, you-name-it. It's endlessly fascinating and mind-boggling to me. "The brain boggles the mind," in deed.

So what is mirror Imaging? Mirror Imaging is a pretty amazing concept that rides on the heels of neuroplasticity. It's basically "monkey see, monkey do." We actually have mirror neurons that allow us to mimics what we see. (Pretty stinkin cool, huh?)

What are the implications of our mirror neurons? The implications help explain why people start to look like one another the longer they live together, or why some people look like their pets :p, and may explain why we really do look like our parents. A personal story to this one: My step-mom raised me since I was nearly three. She introduces me as her daughter and I introduce her as my mom (because other than the whole blood thing, that's the real deal). When we do, people always comment that we look alike. According to the blood thing, this is impossible. However, according to mirror neurons, this is NOT impossible and helps make sense of why I do really resemble her although we share no DNA. Over 26+ years as my primary female role model, I adapted her mannerisms, which in turn helped developed my appearance.

How does mirror imaging impact your training progress? "Monkey see, monkey do" mirroring is why you should train with someone that moves REALLY well and truly has quality posture. Because without fail, your brain will replicate what you see them doing. I said that you can tell which RKC attendees have worked with which RKC coaches because they move like one another! And when I teach at the RKC, I'll tell someone not "getting" a certain move to watch someone that does the drill very well. I've also tested the mirror neuron concept on unsuspecting units I train here on base.

You can get really bogged down with lecturing and explaining what is going on in a basic kettlebell swing. OR, if you execute the movement precisely, you can simply pick up a bell and demonstrate it-then reverse engineer the pieces people in a given group are having trouble with grasping. :) I tested the mirror neuron concept one morning by telling a unit, "Watch what I do." I did five solid swings then said, "Now you do it." It's like the heavens themselves opened up and shed light down onto my little slice of land there on the field. Every single airman did a more than acceptable swing,...many of whom had never even seen a kettlebell. It. was. awesome.

The reverse can also be true and is why you should be very mindful in your selection of trainer, doctor, or coach. Have a fat trainer? Fat chance of you reaching YOUR potential. Have a weak coach? There's not a strong possibility you'll reach your lifting potential. Have a whiny gym partner? Misery loves company...

How is mirror imaging different than mirror image? Mirror imaging is mimicking what we see of others. Mirror image is moving and developing in relation to what we see of ourselves in the mirror. We love to make fun of the bodybuilder that has a super broad chest but the lat spread of Napoleon Dynamite. You can see how this can limit not only your muscular development, but also movement progress. The classic example for joint mobility applies to the cervical spine (C-pine).

Most people think their neck lives below their chin and above their collar bone. And this is reflected in their movement. They're moving only what they see in front of the mirror. However, your C-Spine goes generally from that big bony bump on the back of your neck up to ear level, essentially behind your nose. This provides a very different body mapping image to your brain than simply the picture of that fleshy tube under your chin.

The clearer our perceived body map is, the more information our brain has to work with. The example Dr. Cobb gives is: it's like having a map of the United States, but Utah is cut out. For some people they have information the size of Texas missing. Imagine trying to get from Louisiana to Arizona without any information about how to get across Texas. You would eventually find your way...maybe..but you might end up in Mexico at some point...and what if you didn't have your passport? Yikes! Now you're really hurting.

So in relationship to body mapping and mirror image, your brain has to make guesses, and fill in gaps, and hope you make it from A to B safely- IF you don't have the whole map. Metaphorically speaking, if you wind up in Mexico without your passport, you're broken and injured. If you have a good clean map, Louisiana to Arizona via Texas is a straight trip, no big deal. This can't happen if you always stand in front of a mirror and watch yourself move. We are much more integrated and 3-D than what we see in the mirror. Mirror work can be valuable if you are really awkward and have a super-fuzzy brain map or if your map has a lot of coffee spill stains ;) The mirror is a starting point. But to get the most our of what your body is capable of, you must do your homework and "Step away from the mirror. I repeat: step away from the mirror."

What does Mirror Imaging and Mirror Image have to do with the Brain Guessing I elude to in the heading? Well, our brains are so amazing, that even with all the input, and mis-information it receives, it still is able to fill in the gaps for us. Otherwise we'd be a world full of blind, deaf, mute, and dumb belly crawlers that would have been extinct long ago.

Let's take eye sight as our example of how cool our brains really are. There are parts of your retina that don't sense light. Meaning, that there are literally stutters like old film reels happening in your vision constantly. On top of this, we have TWO eyes. Meaning our brains have imaging coming in from each eye that it has to match-up and combine together to create one interpretation. AND the images come in upside down, so our brains have to further flip and unscramble the incoming information. Add to this all our other senses are still ongoing, AND your guts are trying to decipher what it can extract from that wretched breakfast burrito.

So: multiple ongoing body processes, gaps in information, and interpretation of the information that does come in. All the while you really don't have to think about any or all of it. Your brain just does its job. (About 90% of brain activity never reaches consciousness!)Awwwesome!

Mapping goes beyond your own body. Unfortunately for me, I had a fuzzy body/doorway map from lack of rest...it result in a busted (probably fractured) toe. What'd I do? After I hit the deck, :) I moved what I could: my ankle, wrist, and fingers, to clarify the map and keep the rest of it as clear as possible... I ran four miles, three days later. (P.S. I train an ER nurse, she said it probably was broken.)