How do you organize your workout

For body builders there might be 9 or 12 areas to work on, biceps, triceps, deltoids, lats, pecs, quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, abs, they might add on forearms, traps, inner thigh, etc. A bodybuilder, who is interested in isolating and maximizing size and shape needs to isolate and maximize the pieces of the machine. This is right within the framework of their goals.

One of my compatriots is an Olympic and power lifter (please don’t confuse the two) he looks at moves, pulling off the ground, pushing overhead, pressing forward, etc. Within the framework of his goals he is correct. To break the moves down into the body parts would lose the connection of the parts and sacrifice function.

I OFTEN (though not always)design programs for my clients breaking the body down into four parts or movements, those that push, those that pull, moves for the legs and something for the core or abs. This splits the difference between the two extremes listed above. It allows my clients to focus on a single area rather than a whole complex move but since it involves multiple muscle groups it keeps a quality of functionality by using chains of muscles rather than isolating each.

I need to stress, as I have in most of my blogging articles that none of these lifting styles is superior it’s just a matter of agenda.

If you can clearly define your agenda it will go a long way to helping your define your training.

Fight, Flight and the unexpected curse of opposeable thumbs

The Good News: We have been evolving away from our primitive animal survival instincts for the past thousands of years.

The Bad News: We really have not traveled that far.  Our bodies respond to mental stress (getting cut-off in traffic, unexpected car repair bill, boss putting an unmanageable deadline over your head, family interaction, etc.) the same as it did thousands of years ago when a saber-toothed tiger attacked.
That response is, in a nutshell, adrenalin.  We are all familiar with the shock/jolt to the system adrenalin gives us; yet, many of us probably don’t know about the cascade effect.

When adrenalin superchargers your system--speeding your heart, adding strength to your movement, diminishing the effects of pain, narrowing your mental focus--there are a lot of other hormones dumped into the body’s bloodstream as well.

The Good News: Action/Movement uses this orchestra of hormones, so when the tiger attacks and the body is hit with high octane super-charging chemistry, we run; and the act of running starts the reversal of the effect. Many people reading this have heard of ‘runners high’--  Endorphins.  Guess what?! THEY are your reset program.

The Bad News: When you get cut off in traffic, have an unexpected bill or insane deadline, how often do you get a chance to run, climb, jump or otherwise set into motion the decoupling of adrenalin?

While you are answering that I have to give you more Bad News (I know I have been alternating them but sometimes It Is What It Is): the effect of stress, without release, is cumulative, meaning if you don’t find the Off switch the body stays in red alert a long time. So those “Danger Will Robinson!” chemicals are roaring through your body while you are buying bread, working at the computer or playing with your kids;  and if you should have several stressors in a day, you go from Red Alert to Super Red Alert without the downtime of a nice Amber.

And . . . sorry to say . . . there is more Bad News, but this one also leads to our upside.

Our bodies are adaptive. If we are in mild-to-high states of stress arousal a lot of the time, our bodies reset to a degree without the aid of Endorphins and this becomes the norm—the body assumes it is now to operate in medium- and high-stress modes and so it is constantly pumping out adrenalin.  Think that is good for you?

Okay, so here is the upside, and it’s a biggie. In fact it cleans the slate, and I know you know what is coming . . .

                                                              M O V E.

That means run if you are a runner, push weight if you are a strength trainer, stretch and focus if you are a yoga-body mind enthusiast, or if you aren’t any of these find your flavor.

Movement, focus, exertion, these are the elements (sans the science which is VERY interesting) to reset the body, by association the mind, and improve your life.

Questions?  I HOPE you have a few.

That’s what I’m here for.

By design

We are taking a trip down South for a few days to see the family and indulge in Faux Thanksgiving (Faux Thanksgiving is doing the whole turkey day thing the weekend beforehand so no one stresses about stuffing and football games on the actual Thanksgiving.  Oddly there is not yet a greeting card for such a thing)

It's a long drive which means a lot of sitting.  This often drive me nuts.  Sometimes I think I can feel my muscles and joints crying out "use me".

Over the years I have toyed with the most effective rest stop stretches and mobility moves to take the edge off the forced inactivity.  twisting the spine, extending and flexing it, stretching out the hips, glutes, and hamstrings. 

The mechanics of what works for me are not that important since they may not be the same for you (or they might and if you want to know more contact me). Rather I wanted to cover, again but in different words a little bit about design.

We were built to move, just like a cars oil can get thick and stagnent if it's let sit to long, or the rubber on the tires drys and cracks if it just sits, we work best when we move. 

Muscle helps pump blood which oxygenates tissue, movement of joint especially the trunk and where the limbs meets the torso circulates lymph fluid that does not have a heart to help move it around.

Health is a basic bi-product of movement.  Before getting caught up in what is good, better or best types and amounts of movement, stick to the basics.  Move, it's what we are designed for.

The love hate relationship

Lunges, it's a four letter word 150% more potent than the regular four letter word.

They can hurt (the good hurt of lactic acid build up and delayed onset muscle soreness) they can be tedious, they can be challenging. They never give us a break, if they ever get easier it usually means you are doing something wrong.

And yet this monster is one we must face with stony determination.  It is the fire we must walk through (keeping proper spinal alignment) on occasion to get to the other side.

Why.

Few moves have more real life bang for the buck.  Here is a list of some of the things the lunges does for us.  I suggest copying it onto your hand and keep reading it as you tell yourself the burn in your quads don't burn at all.

* Large muscle groups worked - The shins, thighs, hamstrings, glutes and hips comprise well over half your lean muscle tissue.  Gender and genetics play a large role in the variability.

     Muscle use up calories, fat is the storage form of calories (okay you savvy people I know that's a huge simplification but for practical purposes let us not quibble), hence the more muscles we use in any movement the more calories we burn, hence lunges are near the top of the list for energy consumption moves (fat/calories are just energy. Not something Satan sent to make you feel bad about yourself)

* Way many things going on at the joints - You could say that the lunge is the hat-trick of lower body exercise except it's not, it's better. 

    When doing the lunge you are articulating (moving) the joints of the ankle, knee, and hip.  These three joints need to work together (well) to move gracefully and have coordinated interface with the ground (you cannot imagine how fun it is to use the word interface in a fitness article).  Uncoordinated interface by the way would be akin to walking on stilts.

* Real world - The lunge has a couple of things going for it that the squat does not.  Please don't think I am bad mouthing squatting.  I am not. (in no small part because guys that can squat huge amounts of weight are really really scary)

     When lunging you are balancing yourself, however briefly, on one leg as you transition.  If you have been looking around the fitness world you know that balance itself has become a field into itself.  When holding yourself on one leg there are a lot of stabilizer muscles that get called into play to keep you from tipping or slopping over (okay that was not as much fun to insert as interface, but close).

     Those stabilizer muscles are your best friends when it comes to not getting injured when something unexpected happens (think banana peel, dog wrapping his leash around you legs, missing a step on the stairs).  They are the one the job quick response guys that keep joints from getting dislocated, or tendons getting strained.

* Real world II - Forward momentum.  Ever trip getting up? Standing still?  Well even if you have (please no need to raise you hand) I will bet that you've tripped far more often walking, running, etc.  The moment you begin to move forward your center of gravity has shifted and you are by definition off balance.  That physics talking not me.  Lunging teaches your body to REFLEXIVELY be able to handle momentum, moving weight forward and, if necessary, breaking it's forward motion.

So yeah, a long post to be sure but the lunge deserves it, and YOU deserve the lunge.

All the best,

Steve

     

Think INside Your Box

                                     ...A little more common sense.

What is strength training?

Is it lifting barbells?  Pushing cars?  Getting up off the floor? Doing pull ups?

Short Answer: If getting up off the floor is hard, that is strength training.  If if you are doing pull ups for 15 minutes that is NOT strength training, if you are pushing cars..well leave your phone number please just in case I leave the headlight on when I get home tonight.

What is aerobic/cardio training?

Is it walking?  Is it running? Is it running up hill?  Is it cycling?  Boxing.

If you are running up hill carrying a 30lbs backpack walking is not cardio training (in a meaningful way).  If you are walking and you need to take a rest every few minutes then it is (and stick to it !!)

Forest for the trees Part I

Been there done that?

Ever notice that when you have a sore tooth your tongue won't leave the spot alone. Keeps returning to it even though you already know it's there and sore?

Then throughout the day it becomes the background of everything you do and think.  Good news is a little less good.  Bad news a little worse, etc etc. The day takes a little more out of you.  You know what I mean, we have all been there.

So what does this mean to me?

Think about that and think about what that means insofar as counting calories. In you are constantly thinking about calories and food values, where will you mind be?  Where will you attention be turned.  What will be the color of you mood as a result of this?

        Something to think about as we move about in the real world

Breathing 101

Yes, I am pretty sure everyone reading this article knows how to breath (of course we are entering Halloween season and I would hate to miss out on the whole Zombie Chic thing), so I am aware that you may think a wee word on breathing is a waste of your precious time, so rather than TELL you things let me ask you things.

1. How many muscles are involved in inhalation and exhalation.
2. Does use it or lose it apply to those muscles
3. Do the breathing muscles need to be stretched like other muscle in the body
4. Are breathing muscles attached to bones or anything else like other muscles in the body

If you are shocked (okay maybe shocked is to strong a word. Maybe we are just talking one of those zaps you get from dragging your feet on the carpet) by what you don't know or never even thought of we need to talk.

The Long List Use it or lose it

      "Use it or lose it"

It's a common enough refrain.  We hear it in the gym often enough, and even in "The real world"

It's pretty obvious on first blush.  Don't use your legs, they get weaker, weak enough and you can't walk.  Same for any body part you care to name.

I would like all of you (especially you who are standing in the back) to take just a few minutes so ask yourself where else could you apply that phrase.  In the gym and out.

If you have read my previous post you already have one answer, now I challenge you to take that axiom beyond it's normal bounds.  Actually the ability to "think outside the box" is an example of this.  The less we do it the less we are able to do it, conversely the more we challenge our mental status quo the more skilled we get at it.

Alright, the gauntlet is thrown,  I want to know what YOU came up with.

Shake hands with your neurons

Show of hands, who has heard it's important to keep your brain active throughout your life by challenging it with activities like crossword puzzles, sudoku, and memory training (Anthony Hopkins memorizes a poem a day).

If you hand went up stay tuned, if it didn't go educate yourself and come back in a jiff.  We all will still be here.

The concept of "use it or lose it" applies to a lot of things in life, and that includes cognitive function (ability to think and remember and make associations.) We have recently been bombarded with the idea to do mental exercises to keep our brains sharp as well as physical exercises to keep our minds sharp.

But let's pull back a moment.  What is exercise but movement?  And what is movement but your brain (a mass of interconnect neuron cells) telling your body what to do and your body reporting back that it did it?

Same movements all the time and there is nothing new under the sun.  The brain says been there done that.  End of story.

My question to you, what happens when you learn a new movement pattern?

Fire up those little grey cells and let's hear what YOU think.

Physics and Chemistry

An object in motion stays in motion.  An object at rest stays at rest.

It hardly seems fair but there you are.  When you don't move it's easy to not move. When you do get moving it's easy to stay moving.

So, insofar as getting moving, working out, taking care of yourself (and by association your loved ones) The first step is an uphill battle.

That would be the bad news..Darn Physics !!

But here's the good news...

We aren't just objects, we are living, adaptable beings that nature has spent tens of thousands of years designing and redesigning to overcome physics.  In particular..Endorphins.

Often referred to as the "feel good hormone" endorphins kick in during a workout, if we hit a certain intensity, and usher in pain relief and a sense of well being.  This is nature's reward for us fighting the laws of physics.

Nature however is a multitasker.  The endorphins do more than just make you feel better and elevate you mood and outlook.  The cascade effect causes positive physiological changes throughout the body making muscles denser, skin more elastic, brain activity more acute.

The domino effect of the injection of endorphins into the system which in turn releases other hormones helps to regulate blood pressure, sugar, and LDL.  In short it's like a mini tune up.  We all know that cars need regular tune ups to run well and increase their life expectancy.  Imagine how well a car would run if it got a tune up everyday, not just every three thousand miles.

Give yourself a daily tune up.  Come to EXPECT your daily dose of endorphins and let chemistry trump physics

Not Black and White

"If I can't do it right no bother doing it"

"If I can't get at least 20 minutes of cardio in it won't do me any good"

"They didn't have spinach for my salad, just iceberg and everyone knows it's not as nutritious as spinach so I got a corn dog"

There are more I, and every trainer I know has heard.  One had to do with not having THE right shoe for walking.

I hope you don't see yourself in the above quotes, or if you do you do some voodoo magic and exorcise that mindset.

Anything is better than nothing, you aren't doing the perfect lunge or push up, don't not do it.  Feel it, learn from it, ask someone who knows more than you.  Nail it next time.

Can't eat perfect, fine, eat better.  Save perfect for when your parents or kids are visiting.  Make them crazy.

Fitness, heck, even living is not an all or none proposition. Shave away at the habits you don't like, move towards the ones you do.  It's enough to move in the right direction CONSISTENTLY.  Moving at the speed of light can give you a heck of a case of whiplash.