Many exercisers turn to personal trainers, yoga instructors, boot camps and group programs alike for guidance and to take the ” thinking” part of exercise out of their daily responsibilities.  Time and time again I’ve had clients tell me to ” just work me hard,” or ” I don’t want to think about what I have to do, just take me through a workout.”  The responsibility of thinking about exercise shouldn’t be completely surrendered to your hired professional.  The mental aspect of exercising is equally important as the physical aspect.

What should I do for a workout today?

      Think about each rep, set and exercise during your workout.  Focus on recovery time and getting the most out of the 30 or 60 seconds you have between sets and exercises.  All these components comprise the training effect you are training to achieve.

I worked with a client for a couple of sessions a couple weeks back.  He is pretty fit, fairly strong and knows his way around the weight room.  But there was one thing that he couldn’t figure out on his own and was frustrated by.  Every tie he would bench press he would feel a pain in the front of his shoulder.  My immediate response was ” Why do you need to keep using the barbell bench press?  Why are you so concerned about being able to lift so much on this exercise at this point in your life?” This gentleman is in his late 40′s.  He’s been doing the bench press snce his teen age years.  It’s what he learned, what he was taught, it’s all he knows.  Any way, I had him perform two sets of an external rotation exercise with a rubber band with a supinated hand holding the band.  My sense was he hadn’t paid any attention to small supporting muscles like the rotator cuff group for so long, and that was the route of the problem.  After doing the two sets of external rotations he went over to the bench press and started performing his sets.  he immediately yelled in happiness, “ Oooohh there is no pain!!! “  This guy couldn’t have been more excited if I told him he had just won the lottery. 

Moral of this blog.  Don’t ignore small supporting muscles, in this case, of the shoulder when performing bigger muscle movements like the bench press.  

Here is another great, common question I get from mostly beginner level clients, but also intermediate level exercisers as well.  This seems naive, but it really isn’t.  My answer to this woman who is in her late 50′s, early 60′s was the following:

” Start with a weight and perform 8 repetitions with it for the first week.  The second week perform 2 sets of 8 reps.  Third week do a set of 10 and then a set of 8 reps.  4th week 2 sets of 10 reps.  When you performed 2 sets of 10 reps with relative ease of a weight, increase and start back at 2 sets of 8 reps. ”

This may seem slow and conservative.  But, for this woman’s ability, strength and most importantly comfort level with the exercises.  I think this is exactly the prescription will suit her.  Because she is so new to strength training and exercise in general, and her age her body needs to adapt slowly to resistance training.  excessive muscle soreness will certainly be a deterrent to her continuing on with strength training.  In turn, putting her at risk for strength deficit related conditions.  Osteoporosis, arthritis and others.

I’ve had lateral epicondylitis since the end of August now.  I got it from playing racquetball, not very well.  Anyway, it has left my upper useless as far as exercise.  I can’t do ANYTHING with my upper body.  It has been getting better very slowly.  This has left my workouts being very cardiovascular based.  basically all I can do is aerobic intervals, steady state aerobics and core exercises.

The results have been very noticeable.  I have been averaging 3-4 aerobic workouts per week between 20 and 60 minutes.  Some interval style some steady state.  I haven’t measured, but there is a noticeable difference in the appearance of my upper body.  Much less lean that it has been in awhile.  Obviously.  But, some less obvious differences that are having a big impact on my waist line are my dietary choices.  I have much more of a tendency to reach for things that I never used to.  Processed foods, crackers, cheeses, other processed snacks that I wasn’t really consuming when I was strength training regularly.  This has lead to weight gain and a larger waist measurement.  Another less obvious effect is I feel a little more sluggish between workouts.  I get some initial energy from the workout and then the next day also.  But after that I start to dread the next aerobic workout and feel sluggish. 

There is both a physiological and psychological effect of a complete fitness program.  Including strength training and cardiovascular exercise.  Strength training leads to increased muscle mass, which burns more body fat and calories.  This will lead to increased self esteem and confidence.  A leaner stronger body looks and feels better about themselves.  There is a greater tendency to want to eat healthy when you feel better about how you look.

Programs consisting of long duration workouts on the elliptical or other cardio machines are counterproductive.  Many exercisers, especially females think the key to losing weight is logging minute after minute on machines.  Metabolism slows down when you do not strength train.  Training your body to store glycogen with long duration workouts will effect body weight also.

Uneducated exercisers will hire a Boston area personal trainer to help them understand the benefits of strength training, and how to implement it into their routine.

A new client of mine has only picked up exercising in the last 10 years or so.  He is pretty fit for his age.  He is 82 years old.  It is never too late to start improving your life through the power of exercise.

1.  Injury prevention- The average age in the CORE Boot Camp program is in the mid to late thirties for sure.  Most people at this stage of their lives have acquired some form of musculoskeletal issue, or range of motion deficiency.  Each person’s limitations are taken into consideration and suitable exercise options are prescribed for such limitations.  Reducing the risk of further injury.

www.newtonmabootcamp.com

     It is important to do something you like when it comes to fitness.  If cycling gets your motivation level up and keeps you consistent then go for it!  If it’s running that does the trick for you then hit the bricks.  Resistance training is also a great way to get exercise and stay fit.  Out of these three modalities which one do you think  includes most of the major fitness components, which one is most comprehensive?  Now, before you answer let me explain the criteria of which to base your answer on.  The major fitness components are as follows:

Strength

Aerobic fitness

Flexibility

Muscle Endurance

Body composition

core stability/strength

     We will leave out nutrition and mental well being because they do not apply.  Which one of the modes of exercises mentioned above covers more of the fitness components than the other two?  Which mode will be effective in keeping:

 body fat levels healthy,

 aerobic fitness at a high level

 sufficient flexibility to reduce risk of injury

 adequate strength levels in major muscle groups

muscle endurance

core stability/strength

     If you’ve answered resistance training you answered correctly.  Strength training enhances bone mineral density along with muscles, tendons and ligaments reducing the occurrence of osteoporosis.  Recent studies show competitive cyclist have suffered from bone mineral deficiencies such as osteopenia.  Osteopenia is a precursor to osteoporosis.  Click here to read more about this research.  Cyclists had the worst bone mineral density compared to runners and resistance trained exercisers.  Runners scored highest on the bone mineral density scale.  Weight lifters had the highest body weight.  Body fat percentage was similar in all populations.  The study does not test for flexibility, muscle endurance or core strength and stability.  I am here to state that resistance training protocols can be manipulated to improve all of these components.  Flexibility is improved during strength training exercises that are completed through a full range of motion.  Running and cycling tend to decrease flexibility in certain joints of the body and do not use full ranges at the respective joints involved.  Both running and cycling are performed in the same ranges and planes of motion repetitively. whereas strength training movements can be performed in many different ranges and planes of motion.  Decreasing the risk of overusing certain muscle patterns. 

 

     Strength training protocols can be designed to improve muscle endurance, muscle strength, aerobic fitness and by design as mentioned above, flexibility.  A lighter weight, higher repetition with short recovery periods will improve muscle endurance, body composition and flexibility.  Let’s not forget about it’s traditional purpose of increasing muscle strength with heavy loads and sets of ten repetitions or less.  An even lighter load, higher repetition range and sets that last 60 seconds or more can improve aerobic fitness.  Neither cycling or running can be as ” flexible” (no pun intended) as resistance training when it comes to manipulating results.  Lastly, there is very little core strength and stability involved in cycling comparatively speaking.  Running requires a certain level of core stability to maintain an upright, efficient biomechanical position.  But the core activation is restricted to the sagittal plane.  Resistance training can be performed in all planes of motion yielding by far the most core conditioning response of the three modes of exercise.

     The moral of this blog is to make sure you pay attention to other components of fitness.  exercising solely on the bike can put you at risk for bone density issues.  Not including resistance training if you are a runner can leave you susceptible to flexibility issues and overuse injury.  Optimal fitness is achieved by taking a big picture approach.  Don’t have tunnel vision.  Equal parts of all of the aforementioned fitness components are essential to a happy, healthy life.  Refer to a personal trainer in the Boston area like myself for further assistance.

     Sir Mixx Alot must have had some exercise science in the back of his mind when he was belting out this tune.  I spoke briefly about the importance of glute strength and development on my CORE boot camp fan page.  Which, if you’re not a fan yet it would be great if became one by clicking here.  Now, if you happen to look around at people if you’re sitting at the airport, church, at the mall or wherever it is you are.  It is apparent (to me anyway) that most people don’t have any real glute development.  No strength, no muscle almost nothing.  Pants are baggy on most men and women.  We sit on our butts all day long, most people do anyway.  This atrophies the major muscle of our backside, the gluteus maximus.  And if the gluteus maximus is atrophied then the medius and minimus are atrophied as well.

     Next time you are watching a sporting event no matter what it is look at the lower body development, particularly the glutes on the athletes involved.  All very well developed with some exceptions I’m sure.  It may sound strange but why shouldn’t we know how the human body works?  It’s not like we can replace the body we have when this one breaks down like our cars.  We only get one.  The loss of glute strength and muscle mass leads to a dramatic increase in risk for low back, knee and hip pain.  Check out my CORE boot camp page for one of the more effective exercises to train the glutes. 

 

RESOURCES:

www.strengthcoach.com

Get ready for your sport this summer at Precision Speed and Strength.  Operating inside (and out) of the New England Sports Academy in Westwood Ma.   Top notch coaches on staff will direct you through a conditioning program that will get you prepared for your upcoming competition season.   Check out the website at www.precision-ss.com for registration information. 

THE BIRD DOG

Hold a rubber band in one hand and attach the other end to the opposite foot.  FOCUS on keeping your midsection/core stable as you extend the oppostie arm and leg to which the bands are attached.  Squeeze glute muscle when leg is full extended.  Hold for a 1-3 second count and return to start position, then alternate.  The resistance of the band should help keep the arms and leg from straying out of the intended planes of motion. 

@ Maintain neutral spine.

@  Dorsiflex ankle of extended leg.

@  Core/midsection stable.

@  Head in neutral position.

When done correctly with the band you should really feel core activation on the side of the leg that is being extended.  In the picture it would be my left leg.

If you find you can’t perform correctly with the resistance lose the band and place a dowel along your thoracic/lumbar spine and try and perform without the dowel falling off.