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Trigger yourself! Flexible and pain-free with TMX & bellicon
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Trigger yourself! Flexible and pain-free with TMX & bellicon

Sitting too much during our daily life can decondition muscles and lead to reduced mobility as we grow older. The effect on muscles can also result in lack of flexibility, muscular tension, and pain. Many older adults are aware that their movements have become restricted, so much so that just watching people perform gymnastics can be enough to elicit a groan.
Of course, the goal isn't to become the same seemingly indestructible elastic doll that we were as kids, but staying limber and fully mobile is important at any age. To that end, we'd like to show you how to release deeply embedded tension and increase your flexibility by incorporating the TMX Trigger into your bellicon workouts.

Avoid movement restrictions and immobility

Does this sound familiar: the older you get, the more everything seems to crack, pull, or hurt? Not only that, but our posture and stability continue to worsen, increasing the feeling of insecurity in our daily life. Of course, all of this is a gradual process that is usually noticed only when the situation has become severe. However, even for older adults, there are some easy, short exercises you can help to regain stability and mobility.
Restricted movement can lead to chronic pain, tension and further injuries. When this happens, the integrity of our bones can be compromised and our tendons or ligaments can become shortened, leading to even greater immobility. Areas of the body commonly affected are the spine, hip, ankle, knee, and elbow.

What are the health benefits of flexibility training?

Increased flexibility benefits the whole body, including:
  • Muscle strength
  • Metabolism
  • Cardiovascular system
  • Respiration
  • Nervous system
  • Immune system
  • Disease prevention
  • Cognition
Regular exercise is a great way to maintain or regain your flexibility and the TMX Trigger can help you do that. The TMX Trigger can release deep muscle tension, allowing you to experience what your muscles are capable of when they are working to their full potential.

TMX Trigger & bellicon

Release blockages - more movement and less pain

Usually, people struggling with limited mobility are advised to see an osteopath or physiotherapist. Though visiting a doctor can be helpful, it can sometimes become a cycle of waiting while symptoms persist. Not only do you wait for your first appointment, but the relief provided is often short-lived and requires subsequent appointments, which also means experiencing the symptoms while you wait.
Thomas Marx, founder and CEO of TMX Trigger GmbH, wanted to create a product in 2016 that relieves pain and tension conveniently and sustainably, not just for a moment. In cooperation with the Cologne Sports University, extensive studies were conducted in order to be able to design a product that would achieve Thomas's goals. 150 track and field athletes went through different tests to find the ideal shape and dimensions for the best possible muscle-triggering device. Due to the quality and results of their studies, the TMX Trigger has also become a medical product.

The major areas of application

Typical trigger points are the lower back (i. e., lower back pain), the shoulder-neck area, the feet, which are often overlooked. The feet are particularly important because, obviously, we spend our whole lives on our feet, so not only is the musculature prone to difficulties, when problems do occur it can affect other parts of the body causing further tension and pain. The gluteal muscles, lower back, and shoulder-neck area are also heavily stressed by the long hours we spend sitting and being inactive, causing them to stiffen.
There are three phases used in the application of pressure with the Trigger to produce optimal results:
Targeted pressure
It triggers pain relief by inhibiting the transmission of the pain stimulus to the brain.
Long-lasting pressure
The TMX Trigger is applied, and pressure maintained, for at least three to five minutes to inhibit the nerve causing the stress. If the pressure is too short, it is more likely to be stimulated rather than subdued.
Deep Pressure
With this type of pressure, the connective tissue cells are affected and fluid is produced, which loosens the stressed tissue.

Self-therapy as the key to success

Modeled after the shape of the thumb (the original tool for deep tissue massage), The TMX Trigger allows people at home to benefit from therapeutic application like relieving pain, releasing tension, and increasing range of motion. To be safe, always follow these three basic rules when using the TMX Trigger on yourself or others: don't trigger on bones, don't trigger while you have inflammation, and don't trigger on your face or abdomen.
To use the TMX Trigger on yourself, simply apply it to the point of pain or tension while lying on the floor or leaning against a wall. Apply the pressure for three to five minutes until a feeling of relaxation develops. After three to four applications, the loosening muscles and tissues should be noticeable.

Straight from the professionals: Interview with founder and inventor Thomas Marx

Thomas Marx is a physiotherapist, (pediatric) osteopath, chiropractor, and naturopath.
For 16 years he ran his own osteopathic and physiotherapeutic practice in Cologne, Germany, and included work with Germany's Olympic team. In 2016 he founded TMX Trigger GmbH. In our interview, Thomas explains why his triggers are perfectly suited to relieve your pain and improve your mobility.

What are the advantages of using the bellicon and TMX together?

I met Julia von Kaldekerken as a bellicon trainer at the Women's Health Camp. We got to talking and she told me about the bellicon while I introduced her to the TMX Trigger. We were both very excited and quickly realized that using the TMX Trigger along with the bellicon's unique bungee technology and pliable mat produced amazing effects. So, using the TMX, the fascia can be reached in depth, released, and an expansion of movement can be created and then this induced extension of movement can be supported, stabilized and maintained with the bellicon. Through the movement on the bellicon, the fascia can once again be repositioned and activated.

So, is triggering the new massage therapy?

Absolutely. Based on the studies that have been done over the last 15 years, we have been able to conclude that massage balls and rollers don't produce sustainable results. The stimulus used doesn't last long enough and doesn't go as deep into the tissues. As a therapist, we know that tissue becomes soft or loosened with sustained pressure, though the explanation for this has been elusive. My goal has been to understand the reason for this, why tension appears at all, and which points on the body are especially vulnerable. The result of my investigations: TMX. The TMX Trigger is a new phase of massage therapy: sustainable and, above all, accurate.

Should the Trigger be applied before, during, or after using the bellicon?

It always depends on what the individual goal is. In general, I would say that you should do triggering before training on the bellicon. This makes you more supple, more flexible and a bit looser. Then you go on the bellicon and stabilize and activate the muscle groups that should be the focus of the current session. That would be reasonable. Alternatively, you can also say: I have now really stepped on the gas on the bellicon with strengthening and endurance training. Then triggering with the TMX would be a kind of regeneration unit to get back down again. That would also be a possibility and of course both are possible.

How would you summarize the effects of using the TMX with the bellicon?

If you want to sustainably improve your musculoskeletal system, you need a combination of two things: passive stimulation through triggers so that the fascia can be loosened and bouncing exercise that helps the fascia to be realigned. This works most effectively on the musculoskeletal system and can help sustainably and effectively address chronic problems or pain.