The KRUSE ELITE Podcast

Join Tony Fowler, a podcast producer and coach with expertise in strength and conditioning, as he unpacks the fascinating world of interoception. Discover how this hidden sense connects emotions and physical sensations, directly impacting training and daily life. Hear stories illustrating the challenges of recognizing internal signals, and learn practical techniques like breathing exercises and tongue movements to enhance bodily awareness. This insightful discussion is a must-listen for anyone seeking to better understand their body's signals and improve performance.

What do applied neurology professionals do when they injure their back?  In this episode, I speak with my podcast producer, Tony, about Alisha's recent back injury and the tools we used immediately to start to fix her pain and get her back to training.  I talk about how she got injured while we were moving, and then go step by step and detail what we did on day one and then throughout the first week to help get her back on track.  I discuss how we used the assessment process, combined with some clues from her training history, to find her high-payoff drills, and how we stacked them and drilled them repeatedly until we were able to majorly improve her mobility, relieve her pain, and get her back to her normal self.  I also discuss some of the dead-ends we embarked upon that sounded good in theory, but didn't pass the assessment process.  This is a case-study in applied neurology, and covers a plethora of concepts, including threat assessment, stacking, closed chain vs open-chain positions, the table dilemma, inhibition tools, isometrics, audio stimulation, tractioning and more.  I also talk about my balance-board, and whether or not I consider it valuable as a tool for vestibular training. Thank you to my podcast idea man and coach, Tony Fowler (Instagram: @tone_reverie) for helping me put together this episode! Free Resources: Join our mailing list HERE to stay up to date on the latest updates from Kruse Elite Join our free Neuro Masterclass here to get a taste of how neurology impacts your movement and pain issues Subscribe to our YouTube HERE for in-depth educational videos and tutorials Whenever you're ready here's how we can help you: Become an expert in problem solving movement and pain issues with our beginner neuro course, Neuro Foundations Master applied neurology so you can feel confident you can help anyone who walks through your door by joining our advanced neuro course, The Neuro Dojo

What if you could decrease your pain by covering one eye? In this episode, I speak with my podcast producer, Tony, about inhibition tools and how removing stimulus can actually be the key to success when it comes to decreasing pain and improving movement.  I talk about overactivity in different systems of the brain, and why sometimes staying in that elevated state of activity can lead to pain, anxiety, lack of focus, training imbalances, and more.  By inhibiting some parts of the nervous system, we can focus our training away from areas that are increasing threat, or are simply doing too much of the work so that we can target a weaker system that isn't properly doing it's job.  I relay the stories of several clients that benefited from inhibition tools, and give concrete examples of tools that you can easily purchase or make at home. This is a powerful concept that can be useful for those who keep trying to "train" their problems without success, or have "tried everything" and nothing works. Thank you to my podcast idea man and coach, Tony Fowler (Instagram: @tone_reverie) for helping me put together this episode! Free Resources: Join our mailing list HERE to stay up to date on the latest updates from Kruse Elite Join our free Neuro Masterclass here to get a taste of how neurology impacts your movement and pain issues Subscribe to our YouTube HERE for in-depth educational videos and tutorials Whenever you're ready here's how we can help you: Become an expert in problem solving movement and pain issues with our beginner neuro course, Neuro Foundations Master applied neurology so you can feel confident you can help anyone who walks through your door by joining our advanced neuro course, The Neuro Dojo

What if you could fix your tight hamstrings by gargling water? In this episode, I speak with my podcast producer, Tony, about how we can better understand movement by learning about the structures of the brain.  I go over the main areas of the brain associated with movement, and discuss their location, their function, how to assess them, and how to train them.  This episode ties together a bunch of concepts previously discussed on the podcast, like threat, the opposing joint theory, posture and gait assessment, and more, but with a focus on the brain areas that drive many of the inputs and outputs for the rest of the body.  We also have a free-ranging discussion around our recent experiences with applied neurology in our own training, and discuss the real-world impacts that gargling, humming, pencil pushups, finger tapping, and vestibular drills are having on our lives today.  Thank you to my podcast idea man and coach, Tony Fowler (Instagram: @tone_reverie) for helping me put together this episode! Free Resources: Join our mailing list HERE to stay up to date on the latest updates from Kruse Elite Join our free Neuro Masterclass here to get a taste of how neurology impacts your movement and pain issues Subscribe to our YouTube HERE for in-depth educational videos and tutorials Whenever you're ready here's how we can help you: Become an expert in problem solving movement and pain issues with our beginner neuro course, Neuro Foundations Master applied neurology so you can feel confident you can help anyone who walks through your door by joining our advanced neuro course, The Neuro Dojo

What if you could design your training program based on how you walk?  In this episode, I speak with my podcast producer, Tony, about gait assessment, and how the way you walk can reveal the health of your brain and give you clues about how to improve your movement and decrease pain.  I discuss the difference between running gait and walking gait, the biomechanical rabbit hole, and why gait assessment is one of my most important assessment tools.  I break down four common patterns to look for when assessing gait and give details on how to recognize them, what they mean for the brain and higher order systems, and starting points for training based on each pattern.  I also talk about my earliest experiences with gait assessment, why people on Instagram think I'm crazy, and why my current training program revolves around improving my own walking gait.   Thank you to my podcast idea man and coach, Tony Fowler (Instagram: @tone_reverie) for helping me put together this episode! Free Resources: Join our mailing list HERE to stay up to date on the latest updates from Kruse Elite Join our free Neuro Masterclass here to get a taste of how neurology impacts your movement and pain issues Subscribe to our YouTube HERE for in-depth educational videos and tutorials Whenever you're ready here's how we can help you: Become an expert in problem solving movement and pain issues with our beginner neuro course, Neuro Foundations Master applied neurology so you can feel confident you can help anyone who walks through your door by joining our advanced neuro course, The Neuro Dojo

Are you or is someone you know hypermobile and dealing with pain?  In this episode, I speak with my podcast producer, Tony, all about hypermobility, and how it's often connected to chronic pain, injury, and even autonomic issues.  I use neurology to explain why this might be, as well as discuss how I approach training hypermobile individuals to decrease pain, optimize interoception, and improve strength in end-ranges of motion.  I also discuss how hypermobile individuals are often attracted to modalities centered around flexibility, why this might not be the best training tool for them, and why hypermobility can lead to mapping with pain instead of proprioception, especially at end-ranges of motion.  This episode is a great starting point for tackling common issues associated with hypermobility and lays out practical training tools that you can implement right away to start to assess and improve movement and decrease pain in hypermobile individuals.  Thank you to my podcast idea man and coach, Tony Fowler (Instagram: @tone_reverie) for helping me put together this episode! Free Resources: Join our mailing list HERE to stay up to date on the latest updates from Kruse Elite Join our free Neuro Masterclass here to get a taste of how neurology impacts your movement and pain issues Subscribe to our YouTube HERE for in-depth educational videos and tutorials Whenever you're ready here's how we can help you: Become an expert in problem solving movement and pain issues with our beginner neuro course, Neuro Foundations Master applied neurology so you can feel confident you can help anyone who walks through your door by joining our advanced neuro course, The Neuro Dojo

Did you know that applied neurology isn't actually the goal?  In this episode, I speak with my podcast producer, Tony, about the importance of a balanced strength and movement practice as the foundation for a healthy, fit, and pain-free life.  I discuss my own training practice, the pros and cons of following a strict regimen vs following your intuition, why interoception is one of the most important things I teach, why I prioritize balance and coordination over strength, free weights vs machines, gait cycle, rate of perceived exertion and more.  I outline the programming we follow in our Strength Dojo and how we integrate applied neurology throughout while still building strength, mobility, and resilience.  I also caution the applied neurology enthusiasts against seeing everything in terms of targeted interventions when focusing on the fundamentals may be the solution they are seeking.  This episode will empower you to better understand how your body responds to training, and to think about training in a more comprehensive way than just getting faster or stronger.   Thank you to my podcast idea man and coach, Tony Fowler (Instagram: @tone_reverie) for helping me put together this episode! Links: Learn how Karen solved her plantar fasciitis with strength training and mobility drills Free Resources: Join our mailing list HERE to stay up to date on the latest updates from Kruse Elite Join our free Neuro Masterclass here to get a taste of how neurology impacts your movement and pain issues Subscribe to our YouTube HERE for in-depth educational videos and tutorials Whenever you're ready here's how we can help you: Become an expert in problem solving movement and pain issues with our beginner neuro course, Neuro Foundations Master applied neurology so you can feel confident you can help anyone who walks through your door by joining our advanced neuro course, The Neuro Dojo

What if your knee pain can be cured by smelling salts?  In this episode, I speak with my podcast producer, Tony, all about the trigeminal nerve and why this large nerve in the face can have far reaching effects on the rest of the body.  I discuss the anatomy of the trigeminal nerve, its primary functions, its connection to the brainstem and cranial nerves, and how these connections can manifest in surprising ways.  I go over how to assess and train different aspects of the trigeminal nerve, using tools that range from touch, to motor control, to vision, to activating the nasal cavity through scent, and how you can use these tools today to improve trigeminal function, increase map clarity, reduce threat, and potentially reduce or eliminate pain or movement dysfunction.  While the focus is on the trigeminal nerve, we cover a variety of related topics from jaw alignment, scoliosis, autonomic function, blood pressure, botox and more, and underscore the importance of not relying solely on biomechanical connections when dealing with pain and mobility issues. Thank you to my podcast idea man and coach, Tony Fowler (Instagram: @tone_reverie) for helping me put together this episode! Links: Check out our podcast episode on the visual system Check out our YouTube Video for jaw tension (includes Trigeminal Nerve Glide tutorial) Check out our YouTube video on cranial mobility Free Resources: Join our mailing list HERE to stay up to date on the latest updates from Kruse Elite Join our free Neuro Masterclass here to get a taste of how neurology impacts your movement and pain issues Subscribe to our YouTube HERE for in-depth educational videos and tutorials Whenever you're ready here's how we can help you: Become an expert in problem solving movement and pain issues with our beginner neuro course, Neuro Foundations Master applied neurology so you can feel confident you can help anyone who walks through your door by joining our advanced neuro course, The Neuro Dojo

In this engaging discussion, Tony Fowler, a podcast producer and health enthusiast, delves into the vagus nerve's intricate connections and its vital role in our bodies. He explains the misconception of 'resetting' the nerve and introduces therapeutic techniques like humming and mobility drills to enhance vagal function. The conversation also touches on the importance of body awareness in recovery and inflammation management, alongside innovative therapies to optimize health. Tune in for fascinating insights into the interplay between our nervous system and overall well-being!

Are you managing chronic pain? Do you have the type of pain that "flares up?" Or, maybe your pain moves from one body part to another and you're constantly playing whack-a-mole with your pain.  In today's episode, I speak with one of my very first instructors of applied neurology, Matt Bush, about signs and symptoms suggesting your brain and body are in need of fuel support. We talk about how your brain needs two things to stay alive - fuel and activation. And, your brain's preferred source of fuel is glucose along with oxygen. We talk about acute signs of a fuel deficit like decreases performance, increases in pain, a decrease in cognition and coordination, and increased emotional volatility. We cover what it looks like when you have a more longstanding fuel deficit that can lead to more systemic dysfunction, neural degeneration, emotional dysregulation and even metabolic disease. We share the physiology behind increasing oxygenation of your brain and tissues through CO2 tolerance training, the most important categories of breath training to consider to increase oxygen utilization at the cellular level, and styles of breathing to stay away from if you identify with having a fuel issue. We also cover how metabolic dysfunction may be the root of autoimmune illnesses, how ketosis is not a sustainable strategy for long term health, and which sources of carbohydrates are ideal, not just for brain health, but for overall metabolic health and wellbeing.  Thank you to my mentor and co-host for today's podcast, Matt Bush, for delivering such an awesome lesson on fueling your brain and your body. Click below to follow and work with Matt and his team at Next Level Neuro. Learn More about Next Level Neuro's Fundamentals of Applied Neurology Course Contact Matt and Kathy to let them know you listened to The KRUSE ELITE Podcast and you'll receive a free gift: Instagram: @nextlevelneuro Facebook: @nextlevelneuro    Email: Office@nextlevelneuro.com   Free Resources: Join our mailing list HERE to stay up to date on the latest updates from Kruse Elite Join our free Neuro Masterclass here to get a taste of how neurology impacts your movement and pain issues Subscribe to our YouTube HERE for in-depth educational videos and tutorials Whenever you're ready here's how we can help you: Become an expert in problem solving movement and pain issues with our beginner neuro course, Neuro Foundations Master applied neurology so you can feel confident you can help anyone who walks through your door by joining our advanced neuro course, The Neuro Dojo