The Fab Five of 2010

We're a tad biased...

But we think some of the nicest people own Shuttles. And they're doing some pretty amazing things with them, too. So, we figured you might like to see what they're doing - and get to know some great people in the process!

Here's the Fab Five for 2010:

JC Santana: Live, Love, Learn, Leave a Legacy 

Kathleen Mangione: Gettin' Old Ain't For Sissies

Casey Robertson: Excited About Balance

Kent Bond: Perturbated, Not Stirred

Lisa Giannone: Let Me See What You Can Really Do

JC Santana: Live, Love, Learn, Leave a Legacy 

If we can say one thing about Juan Carlos Santana, it's that he walks the walk.

Admittedly, walking may be too slow a metaphor... cuz with JC, it's all about get it on, get it done, attack the next thing. JC's not just a teacher - he's a doer. I mean the guy's 51 years old and he's arguably in the best shape of his life!

JC is all about functional training. I still remember visiting his training facility, Institute of Human Performance, a few years back to service his Shuttle MVP Elite. He was showing us a video clip of a sprinter. The camera was zoomed right in on the runner's feet and calves as he took off from the blocks. JC was highlighting to us the unique movement of the runner's legs and explaining how that could translate into exercises on the MVP. Very functional stuff. But it was wonderful to see how JC was always learning, always thinking of ways to improve training for increased athletic performance.

But JC doesn't stop there. He doesn't just teach it. He gets in and actually does it himself. It's almost like he can't honestly teach it unless he's experienced it, felt it, pushed himself through it, and gained the victory over it. Then he shares what he's learned and experienced with everybody. This will give you an idea of what I'm talking about: 

And he's sharing that first hand expertise all over the world. In 2010, he taught in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Great Britain, Portugal, Spain, Russia, and China (just to name a few). Back in America, you'll find JC personally involved in training MMA fighters. In fact, just a few weeks ago he made the big announcement that he was reuniting with long-time friend, Olympian and Judo Champion Dr. Rhadi Ferguson. They're combining their knowledge and competitive experience to provide elite training for some of the top fighters in the world.

Who knows, with the way Juan Carlos Santana approaches life and his profession, maybe we'll see him in the ring sometime soon?!?

Thanks JC!

Kathleen Mangione: Gettin' Old Ain't For Sissies

A recent study showed that after hip fracture surgery, only 6% of patients could walk a half mile, only 8% could climb a flight of stairs, and only 15% could walk across a room independently.

Dr. Kathleen Mangione, Professor of Physical Therapy at Arcadia University, has dedicated her professional life to improving on those statistics. 

Kathleen has focused her research on helping patients return to functionality after hip fracture surgery. Her most recent study focused on home-based leg-strengthening exercise for hip fracture patients. Here are some of the other hip fracture studies she's been involved with.  

In working with her patients, Kathleen uses our Shuttle MiniPress. She likes how she can start their rehabilitation using very low loads on the MiniPress - as little as 2 lbs. of resistance. But, what get's her excited is the MiniPress' ability to provide significant loads for the progressing hip fracture patient. She loves it when she can progress her patients to the MiniPress' upper resistance limits - approaching 100 lbs. of load. It allows her to "kick their butts" - in a kind, rehabilitative way, of course.

Speaking of kicking butts, below, Kathleen demonstrates a hip extension exercise she typically uses on the MiniPress. Whether you've had hip surgery or not, this little exercise provides a big workout:

Thanks Kathleen!

Casey Robertson: Excited About Balance

Unsolicited praise is a wonderful thing....

At the NATA conference, we were minding our own business when Casey Robertson walked by and saw our Shuttle Balance. He stopped and started telling us all the different things he is doing on his Shuttle Balance back at SPort Rehab in Rolla, Missouri. He talked so excitedly that we figured we had to get him on video. I mean, the guy started to draw a crowd (if he ever gets tired of athletic training, there's a bright future waiting for him at Costco with a head mike and the latest slicing and dicing machine).

We've come to see that this excitement of Casey's is just a natural part of his make-up. Since the show, Casey has been recording a series of videos on the Shuttle Balance that you can find on his SPort Rehab blog. He even made a video that teaches others how to create their own videos (We welcome any and all Shuttle owners to send us their videos - we'd love to share them with other Shuttle owners!). Here, Casey shares his Posterior Pelvic Tilt exercises on the Shuttle Balance:

Casey splits his time between SPort Rehab and Rolla High School where he's the Head Athletic Trainer. When not playing trainer, he's a eucharistic minister and Sunday School teacher. Happily married, he and his wife are expecting their first-born son in February!

And with all that going on, Casey still finds time for one of his favorite hobbies - beer! He's a big fan of the home-brewed kind and has even won awards for some of his own make. So, if you're into beer - click here. And if you want to get in touch with Casey, you can always find him - he's a pretty social guy. Check him out on Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare.

Thanks Casey!

Kent Bond: Perturbated, Not Stirred

Kent Bond is another example of one of those wonderful, spontaneous moments.....

Kent started Impact Physical Therapy in Hillsboro, Oregon in 2004. He purchased our Shuttle 2000-1 at that time and added a Shuttle Balance in 2007 (upgrading recently to a Balance Professional). Since Kent practices in the five state region surrounding our company headquarters, and is active in the state and national PT associations, we seem to bump into him from time to time in our business travels.

We were displaying at the OPTA show in Eugene when Kent dropped by and started telling us some of the things he is doing with his Shuttle Balance. He was teaching some pretty interesting stuff, so we started the camera's rolling. It was engrossing enough that he and others skipped their classes. Kent demonstrated some of the different protocols he uses on the Balance for ACL/Total Knee, PNF Patterns, Core Strength, and Back & Shoulder Strength.

This won't earn you any continuing ed credits - but is good stuff to watch and learn:

His work on PNF Patterns and Shoulder Strength lends itself well to Kent's passion for baseball. Having played for the Pacific University Boxers baseball team in his college days, Kent stays active in the sport. He's played on two National Adult Baseball Association championship teams. 

Thanks Kent!

Lisa Giannone: Let Me See What You Can Really Do

For Shuttle Systems, one of the prettiest sights we've seen is the training room at Active Care in San Francisco. Started back in 1989, Lisa Giannone has stocked Active Care with four Shuttle 2000-1’s - sitting side by side in front of a full length mirrored wall.

To us, it's a thing of beauty!

But there's a reason why Lisa has four of our big machines. For one, Active Care sees a steady flow of professional, Olympic, and college athletes, as well as performing artists such as dancers, directors, actors, and stuntmen. Active Care has become a popular place for training and therapy in the Bay area.

But the other reason why Active Care has four Shuttles is Lisa uses them - a lot!

She uses the Shuttle 2000-1 to diagnose a patient's particular weakness, train proper function, increase strength, and progress to power. In other words, she can use the 2000-1 at all points in a patient's therapy and training. But where we sensed Lisa's greatest enthusiasm with the 2000-1 was in the early parts of that treatment spectrum - in the diagnosis and functional training phases.

Lisa likes how you can put a patient on the Shuttle 2000-1 and take them down to near weightless loads to really determine the stability or strength of a patient's joint or muscle. She describes the process here:

Interesting stuff....  

Thanks Lisa!