| Author | Message | ||
     Robbie L New member Username: Robbie Post Number: 1 Registered: 04-2009 |
Ex.5 is the exercise i have been wishing for since i started looking for face exercises about 2 years ago. None have managed to workout the muscles at the back of the head and i was wondering if there was such an exercise, I was even considering going for an open browlift. I found this site a couple of weeks ago and have been doing only ex.5 and ex.1-part B for about 4 days and i am really pushing it with the ears back part (holding for about 10 sec) then straight up with the frontalis, i may be over doing it with 1 hour in the morning and another hour at night but im feeling and seeing the benefits already (only slight changes i can see but i can feel the tightness of the muscles around my scalp and it feels good. I will be buying the dvd though as i want to make sure that i am doing it exactly the right way and a video aid would be great, uhm just a couple of questions to Tom, 1. Is it ok to hold the ears back part of ex.5 for 10-15 sec? 2.Is it a smooth motion from frontalis up for about 1 sec then as im lowering the frontalis i go staright into the ears back part and hold, then same again? also thank you for this site Tom its givin me an alternative to dreaded surgery. | ||
| Thomas Hagerty Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 148 Registered: 05-2006 |
Robbie L: I probably should have written more enthusiastically about the benefits of the scalp exercise on that page of my website. I think this is the most productive of the exercises because it keeps the eyebrows from drooping, keeps hooded eyelids from forming, and keeps the eyes expressive. This exercise is effective if it is done right. I have many testimonials of its effectiveness, mostly from women. "i may be over doing it with 1 hour in the morning and another hour at night but im feeling and seeing the benefits already..." It won't hurt you to do the exercise that much but you really don't need these marathon sessions to see results. I think 15 minutes a day is enough. 1. I think a two or three second hold is enough to build up the occipitalis muscles. 2. I would not hold the frontalis contraction even one second. Your frontalis muscle is probably already well-developed. And holding the contraction of this muscle might contribute to horizontal lines in the forehead. I prefer a smooth, fluid motion in doing the scalp exercise. Since the frontalis and occipitalis muscles are antagonistic muscles, when one contracts, the other relaxes automatically. In other words, you don't have to work at relaxing the muscles. Just concentrate on getting an even contraction, perhaps holding the occipitalis contraction a bit. One side effect of the scalp exercise - your hair quality will improve. You will not notice this for at least six months though. From your description I assume you already are doing the scalp exercise correctly. If this is the case, buying my DVD would be a waste of money. | ||
| Thomas Hagerty Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 150 Registered: 05-2006 |
Robbie L: One more thing - if you do the scalp exercise for too long a period of time (like one hour), you might get bored and give up. The best strategy is selecting a schedule you can stay with for the long haul. | ||
| Robbie L New member Username: Robbie Post Number: 2 Registered: 04-2009 |
thanks for the quick reply, uhm I know you said theres no point in me buying the dvd but I would prefer to have the visual aid and I have the money in my paypal account now to get the dvd so can you give me a link to where i can buy it, thanks | ||
| Robbie L New member Username: Robbie Post Number: 3 Registered: 04-2009 |
another thing i forgot to mention was when doing the scalp ex is it ok when tensing the occipitalis to lift the outer corners of the eyebrows slightly but not the centre as when i am doing this i feel i am realy working the temporalis muscles, this realy gives me an extra feeling of tightness in the sides and of the scalp. Also i when i tense the occipitalis i feel a tightness in my forhead (about half way between my eyebrows and my hairline). Do you get this sensation with this ex too? oh and another thing lol, My right side of my face has always been the weakest and when im doing the ex i realy need to focus on tensing the posterior auricularus as well as the occipitalis will the strenght even out in time? | ||
| Thomas Hagerty Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 151 Registered: 05-2006 |
Robbie L: Go to My Approach Continued and scroll down toward the bottom of the page. You'll see an easy way to order the DVD there. "is it ok when tensing the occipitalis to lift the outer corners of the eyebrows slightly but not the centre?" I can't give you any answer on this because I can't do this trick. When I contract my occipitalis muscles there is absolutely no contraction of the frontalis, but the eyebrows do raise. This is because the whole scalp is pulled up and back with the contraction of the occips. "Also i when i tense the occipitalis i feel a tightness in my forhead (about half way between my eyebrows and my hairline)." I feel a little tightness in that area but I don't know the significance of this. "My right side of my face has always been the weakest..." When the scalp exercise is done for a period of time, the imbalance of the muscles you now feel will probably be corrected without any remedial action on your part. In other words, I don't think you have to concentrate on the weaker side to make it stronger. Just do the exercise concentrating on good form and the current muscle imbalance will take care of itself. The temporalis muscle only contracts when you are clenching your jaws, not when you are doing the scalp exercise. The three auricularis muscles are layered on top of these large temporalis muscles. Very few human beings are ever able to gain control of these muscles that control the direction of the ears. All dogs and cats have complete control of these muscles. | ||
| Robbie L New member Username: Robbie Post Number: 4 Registered: 04-2009 |
"Very few human beings are ever able to gain control of these muscles that control the direction of the ears." I really dont want to end up like this guy lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhm0uG1JUz4 | ||
| Thomas Hagerty Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 152 Registered: 05-2006 |
Robbie L: If you end up like that guy, you can always get a job in the circus. People, especially kids, are fascinated by guys who can move their ears. | ||
| Robbie L New member Username: Robbie Post Number: 5 Registered: 04-2009 |
ive had to spend that money on essentials so it could be a couple of weeks till i can afford the video, anyway im feeling a great tightness in my face since i started ex 5 and it feels great. I cant thank you enough for this ex. | ||
| Tom R New member Username: Dazed Post Number: 7 Registered: 11-2008 |
4 months post Repair and just returning to exercises, and seeing if my password is correct. | ||
| Thomas Hagerty Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 153 Registered: 05-2006 |
Tom R: It looks like it's working. | ||
| Robbie L New member Username: Robbie Post Number: 6 Registered: 04-2009 |
i will be making either a video diary or a daily photo diary to mark my progress and ill post them after about 6 months or so if all gos well | ||
| Thomas Hagerty Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 154 Registered: 05-2006 |
This is a great idea. I think you will see progress especially around the eyes and the front of the neck. | ||
| Roos New member Username: Rosita Post Number: 2 Registered: 05-2009 |
I have 2 questions on the difficult scalp exercise: 1. When I try this one in front of a mirror, I see that my front neck muscles are heavily involved. Should I try to avoid this? 2. Alternating the frontalis and the occipitalis is more difficult than for example do 10x frontalis and then 10x occipitalis. Is this equally effective? NB When I contract the frontalis I feel also some contraction at the back of my head, does this mean that these muscles can contract at the same time (I thought these were antagonists). Thanks! | ||
| Thomas Hagerty Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 157 Registered: 05-2006 |
Roos: When I first had the idea for the scalp exercise, I tried everything in order to gain control of the occipitalis muscles. I tensed my trapezius muscles, shoulder muscles, and platysma muscles at the front of the neck. These things probably didn't do much good but eventually I gained complete control (isolated) the occipitalis muscles at the back of the head. This continual tensing of the neck muscles gave me a sore neck - it was uncomfortable. Once you learn to contract speciffically the occipitalis muscle, you have to wean yourself off the contraction of the other helping muscles. When you are doing the scalp exercise (SE) correctly, all you need to contract is just the frontalis and occipitalis muscles. Even though the auricularis muscles are brought passively into play, you don't have to be concerned about these. "Alternating the frontalis and the occipitalis is more difficult than for example do 10x frontalis and then 10x occipitalis. Is this equally effective?" It might be as equally effective. I never thought about this till you raised the question. I think alternately contracting the frontalis and occipitalis muscles gives a better pump (more blood flow) to the epicranial muscles though. "When I contract the frontalis I feel also some contraction at the back of my head..." I never feel this unless I consciously try to contract both muscles at the same time. Since the frontalis and occipitalis muscle are antagonistic, when both are contracted at the same time the scalp becomes immobile. |
