Fitness Tip #2 of #31 Take A One Hour Walk

Moderate physical activities will yield tremendous physical benefits. Those benefits include decreased risk of heart disease and certain cancers. Improvement in blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The increase in physical activity will result increase energy (caloric) expenditure which will help to decrease your body fat percentage. Your metabolism will improve not only during exercise but also for a short period after activity. Improvements in aerobic capacity will help to make all of your activities of daily living easier, resulting in more energy throughout the day.

Here’s the deal…

Take a one hour walk today and every single day for the next 30 days. Push yourself a little. Select a pace that increases your breathing to the point that you’d be able to carry on a conversation, but you’d be unable to sing. Here are some modifications. If you can’t walk for 60 straight minutes, break it up into two 30 minute walks or four 15 minute walks. Or walk as long as you can and add 1-2 minutes each day. If you aren’t certain that you can  walk for 60 minutes please walk laps around your block (or a couple blocks), do not attempt to walk away from your home for 30 minutes only to find you can’t make it back. I’m not coming to get you!

 If you already do cardiovascular exercise of any type simply add a 60 minute walk on the days that you don’t participate in more vigorous exercise.

 If you can do vigorous aerobic activity for 60 minutes every day, then you already appreciate all the benefits of cardiovascular fitness. Rock On!

              Here is a short list of more benefits of Cardiovascular/Aerobic Exercise

1. Instant feel-good. You will feel invigorated for hours after training
2. Train your heart. The heart is a muscle and cardio is its strength training
3. Increased endurance and stamina. Get through your day without a cat-nap.
4. Increased confidence right away!
5. Healthy lungs
6. Increases metabolism for up to 24 hours
7. Improves immune system. Being sick less equals more days to work out!
8. Reduces stress
9. Improves circulation. You will be less sore after weight training
10. Sleep better
11. Relief from depression and anxiety
12. Reduced risk of some cancers
13. Reduced risk of heart disease
14. Lower blood pressure
15. Lowers cholesterol
16.. Live longer

Enjoy your walk! See you tomorrow for Fitness Tip #3

Fear Of Fitness

OK, I was working at the Women’s Expo this weekend and I shot this really short video (31 seconds). But I ask a super important question at the end. After watching it please answer my question below in the comments section. I’d love a ton of feedback on this question, so forward, share or email everyone you know and have them answer the question too. The more the better….

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4WxcUGAGLQ[/youtube]

Now that you’ve watched it please put your answer below in the comments section.

Oh, don’t forget to forward, share and email it. Thanks for your help!

Abdominal And Core Training

Abdominal and Core

Abdominal and Core Training have been around since the development of structured exercise programs. Ab exercises are nothing new they’ve been around forever. But the term Core Training has become very popular in the last ten years.

Abdominal and Core training is the foundation to your success. Here’s why…

To help explain the importance of Ab and Core Training it’s important to first understand what your Abs and Core are.

Abdominals

Abs are simple, they are your four Abdominal muscles

  1. Transverse abdominal
  2. Internal Obliques
  3. External Obliques
  4. Rectus Abdominis (six pack muscle)

The Core is open to a bit more interpretation.

The most common interpretation of the Core is to divide it into an inner and outer unit. The inner unit being the muscles that stabilize the spine and pelvis (this includes the transverse abdominis). It’s accurate to define this as a “unit” because this group of muscles has an single nerve input. Therefore the muscles that make up the inner unit all contract simultaneously to stabilize the spine and pelvis.

The outer unit is the Abdominal muscles that move the spine (listed above).

In General, this definition of the Core is the most widely used and accepted in the fitness industry. And I can almost agree with it. Except the “outer unit” really isn’t a unit the way the inner unit is. The “outer unit” has multiple nerve inputs and we can consciously decide how to move our spine. The different movements that we’re capable of, engage a different combination of muscles (so it’s not really a unit).

Other definitions of the core also include the muscles that stabilize and move both the shoulder complex and hips. The muscles that stabilize and move the spine, pelvis, hip and shoulders make up the majority of our muscles and a huge majority of movement we are capable of.

If you look at the general definition of Core; “The central, innermost, or most essential part of anything“. Then including the hips and shoulders makes absolutely no sense.
So here is my definition.

Core

The Core is made up of the muscles that stabilize the spine and pelvis. This fits the definition of core, they are the innermost muscles. It is also essential to focus on developing Core strength when beginning a workout routine, as well as maintaining core function throughout your training program and life.

When functioning properly the muscles of the core contract a fraction of a second before your intended movement begins. This contraction is subconscious and serves one purpose. Your Core contracts to stabilize and support your spine and pelvis before movement to protect your spine from injury.

If your Core doesn’t contract prior to movement or if you don’t have adequate strength in your Core muscle, then you are increasing your risk of injury with every movement
When developing your Core and Abs program it’s important to begin with Core exercises. You should first develop adequate core strength then progress to adding abdominal strengthening exercises.

For examples of some Core and Abdominal exercises please visit my “Photo Gallery” page.

Flexibility

Flexibility

Flexibility is an important component of every fitness program.

Flexibility Programs can be performed everyday. With Resistance Training, you should always take a day off between training muscle groups. And with Cardiovascular Exercise,  you should plan on one or two days of rest each week.

Adding a Flexibility or Stretching element to your fitness program will improve your results in many ways. That’s because there are many benefits to improving your Flexibility, including;

  1. Relaxation of Stress and Tension
  2. Muscular Relaxation
  3. Self-Discipline
  4. Body Fitness, Posture, and Symmetry
  5. Relief of Low Back Pain
  6. Relief of Muscular Cramps
  7. Relief of Muscular Soreness
  8. Injury Prevention
  9. Enjoyment and Pleasure
  10. Union of the Body, Mind and Spirit

There are several common Stretching Techniques that you can utilize to improve and achieve optimal Flexibility.

The first (and most obvious) is Self Stretching.  This is the easiest way to get started, and that’s because you are always available to stretch yourself. Plus you are always with you. So you can Self Stretch any place, at home, the gym, hotel room, etc.  There are  three general sub-categories of Self Stretching.

  1. Static Stretching
  2. Ballistic Stretching
  3. Dynamic Stretching

 

Static Stretch – With a Static Stretch you will move into the stretch and once you feel the stretch, hold that position. Typically the stretch is held for a relatively long period of time (20-60 seconds). To get the most out of Static Stretching you should exhale into the stretch and relax as much a possible. You’ll also notice that after 20-40 seconds the sensation of the stretch will decrease. When that happens you should move into the stretch a little bit more and hold that “new” position for an additional 20-30 seconds.

There are several benefits of Self, Static Stretching. It is convenient. You can do it anytime, and anywhere. It feels good and is very relaxing. And it is very safe.

The downside of Self, Static Stretching is that the improvements that you will experience during the workout are often times transitory. Meaning that you’ll notice an improvement in your range of motion during the workout, but those gains are quickly lost. It’s common to be right back where you started at the beginning of your next stretching workout. While you can improve your flexibility over time, the process with Self, Static Stretching is very slow and will require a lot of patience.

Ballistic Stretching– Ballistic Stretching is also a Self Stretching technique. Its different from Static Stretching in that you will bounce in and out of the stretch at the end of your range of motion.

There is one benefit to Ballistic Stretching. If you are about to perform an activity that requires quick, explosive movements, then ballistic stretching can be used as part of the warm up to prepare you body for that activity.

But there are several downsides to ballistic stretching. There is a risk of bouncing too far into a stretch. This could result in a muscle strain. Which can lead to pain and soreness. Also repeatedly over stretching and straining muscles can lead to damage and scar tissue. Scar tissue, unlike muscle tissue is not elastic (it doesn’t stretch), therefore over the long term you could experience a reduction in range of motion/flexibility. Also there is a nervous system protective mechanism that will cause your muscle to contract if they are rapidly over stretched. This contraction’s purpose is to prevent a muscle pull. By performing ballistic stretches you can trigger this response. If you do, a contracted muscle is more tense than a relaxed muscle, thus you limit your ability to stretch it.

If you plan on integrating Ballistic Stretching into your program, make sure that you are fully warmed up and stretched out. Then perform the ballistic stretches prior to your event (game/practice). Also your ballistic stretches should replicate the activity that you’re going to be performing.

Dynamic Stretching– The final type of Self Stretch is a Dynamic Stretch. With Dynamic Stretching you will move into and out of stretches. But unlike Ballistic Stretching you won’t bounce at the end of the stretch. Instead you’ll move slower and through your entire range of motion into and out of the stretch. These movement are more complex than typical stretches. Think along the line of a flow Yoga class, Tai Chi, or a dancer warming up. These type of movements have been merging into athletics so you might be familiar with some of them.

There are a ton of benefits to Dynamic Stretching. First of all it takes strength to move into and out of the stretches. As you develop an increased range of motion you’ll simultaneously be developing strength in that new found range of motion. That is the key to maintaining flexibility and seeing rapid improvements. It is safe. You can easily replicate the movement patterns of your upcoming activity. You’re body temperature will stay elevated. Being properly warmed up is vital to an effective Flexibility workout.

The only downside to Dynamic Flexibility is that the movements can be complex. It’s easy for people to perform them incorrectly. So you’ll need to take some time and learn how to do the stretches the correct way.

The Second Type of Stretch is an Assisted Stretch

Assisted Stretches utilize a partner to help you achieve a greater stretch. No matter how much you know about Flexibility, a stretching partner will always be able to generate a deeper stretches than attempting to stretch on your own. The obstacle is that you are dependent upon some one else. That person may not always be available.

The three general sub-categories of Assisted Stretching are;

  1. Passive
  2. Active Assist
  3. PNF

Passive Stretch– With a Partner Assisted, Passive Stretch the stretchee should relax as much as possible. The stretch partner will move the stretchee into all of the stretches. Once a full stretch is achieved the Partner will hold that position for a specific period of time. This time is similar to the Self Static Stretching (20-60 seconds).

The benefits of Passive Stretching is that it is very safe. You can experience a deeper stretch than you’re able to on your own. It can be done anywhere.

The only downside is that you are dependant on someone else to assist you who may not always be available. And progress can be quite slow, like the Self Static stretch. It may feel like you’re starting at the same level at the beginning of each workout.

Active Assist– Active Assist is similar to Passive except the Stretchee is engaged in the process. For an Active Assist stretch, the stretchee will move into the stretch (using the opposing muscle group) as far a possible. At that point the assistant will push the stretchee into a deeper stretch. This type of stretch takes advantage of a physiological response in the body called Reciprocal Inhibition. Reciprocal Inhibition can be somewhat difficult to understand. But just know this. In order for your body to move, muscles must contract. To perform a specific movement you have to contract specific muscles, also the muscles that perform the opposite of your desired movement must relax. Those relaxed muscles are neurologically inhibited.

That inhibition results in a deeper stretch. The Active Assist stretch begins to utilized some of the principles of the final type of stretch PNF.

The benefits of the Partner Active Assist Stretch is that you’ll experience deeper stretching and improved results compared to Static and Passive Stretching.

The downside is that you’re still dependant upon a partner.

PNF– PNF stands for Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation. Proprioception is subconscious awareness of your body in time and space. Try this. Extend your right arm out to your side then close your eyes. Slowly bend your elbow and bring your finger in toward your nose. Stop just before you touch your nose. Now open your eyes. Your finger got pretty close to your nose with out touching it, didn’t it? That is because you have proprioceptors (sensory nerves) in every joint in your body, including your elbow. You had a sense of the angle of your elbow and the position of your finger even though you couldn’t see them. That’s proprioception.

So in PNF Stretching the assistant takes advantage of our knowledge of how the nervous system and proprioceptors work. There are several techniques available within the realm of PNF Stretching.  Including;

  1. Repeated Contractions
  2. Rhythmic Initiation
  3. Slow Reversal
  4. Slow Reversal-Hold
  5. Rhythmic Stabilization
  6. Contract-Relax
  7. Hold-Relax
  8. Slow Reversal-Hold-Relax
  9. Agonistic Reversal

The benefit of PNF is that it is very effective at increasing Flexibility within a workout session. It also results in rapid flexibility improvements over time. It has been studied extensively and it is very effective. In addition to improvements in Flexibility it also helps improve strength and joint stability. In my opinion Dynamic Self Stretch and Partner Assisted PNF are the way to go.

Now for the downside of PNF. If you’re interested in improving your flexibility, but you’ve decided to go to school and pursue a career in something other than fitness you are probably unsure about how to implement PNF into your workouts. That’s because it’s complicated. You have to have an extensive background in exercise science and specific training in the administration of PNF stretching techniques. That is a huge downside. You can’t just grab your spouse or a friend and head out to the gym and do PNF stretching.

If you’re serious about your Flexibility and you want to incorporate PNF into your routine, then you should seek out a professional in your area for help. It will be worth it. Otherwise stick to the other techniques I’ve addressed in this post. But do add a Flexibility component to your routine. You’ll feel great and your body will thank you.

For more information about Flexibility Click Here

Resistance Training

Resistance Training

Learn the facts about the benefits of Resistance Training

If you really want to look and feel your best, you will need to incorporate resistance training into your routine. Resistance training will help to increase muscle, improve posture, tone your body, increase your metabolism and allow you to focus on changing the shape of specific areas of your body.

Anytime you pick anything up and set it down or simply move, you are in essence, doing resistance training.  Whether you are moving your body against the force of gravity or moving an object, it requires muscle contractions to complete the task.

Resistance training  is a structured and planned workout routine designed to fatigue your muscles.

 Fatigued muscles adapt to the workouts by becoming stronger. So that the next time certain demands are placed on the muscles they are capable of completing the task without experiencing fatigue. In other words, you’ll be able to complete all of your daily activities with less effort.

The goal of weight training is to improve muscle endurance, muscle strength, muscle growth (hypertrophy), or some combination of those three.

Muscle endurance is your muscles’ ability to perform an activity or movement many times without experiencing fatigue or exhaustion. Think of hiking out of Grand Canyon with a 30lbs. back pack. Not only will you have to take thousands of steps uphill to move the weight of your body but you also have to carry additional resistance (the back pack). If your muscles don’t have adequate muscular endurance to complete the hike, you end up stuck in Grand Canyon (and that’s not good).

Muscle Strength is your muscles’ ability to move a maximum amount of weight a single time.  Rarely do we pick up or move the maximum amount of weight that we’re capable of. If fact when it happens, injuries usually occur. An example of this is when a parent picks up something really heavy (a car) to save their child. The good news is you’ll never have to do anything like that during a workout. That’s because there is a correlation between muscular endurance and muscular strength.

Here’s an example of how that works. Let’s say that you begin a new workout routine and at the beginning you perform an exercise 10 times with 100lbs., but the most you are able to lift for a single repetition is 175lbs. Six weeks later you are able to lift 150lbs 10 times, and 150lbs. was the heaviest weight that you worked out with during the six week period. Now when you re-test your single repetition maximum you can  lift 225lbs. So in this example you increased your strength by 50lbs. by increasing your muscle endurance. Even though you never actually attempted to lift anything over 150 pounds (during your training), your strength gains resulted from your improvements in muscle endurance.

NOTE: There is scientific research on how to gain muscular strength and/or endurance by working out with very specific weight relative to your maximum strength. I didn’t follow that information in my example. I simply chose random whole numbers to keep it simple for you to understand.
 
Muscle Growth or hypertrophy is an increase in the size of your muscle cells. When you begin a resistance training program you will experience an increase in the size of muscle cells. At first you won’t notice an actual change in the shape or size of your muscles (i.e. the way your body looks). Instead you’ll notice that your muscles are more firm or toned. I like to call this an increase in muscle density, meaning that your muscles are more firm even though they are taking up the same amount of space that they did prior to starting your new resistance training program.
Muscle growth is the primary objective of bodybuilders. When they are on stage being judged for their physiques neither they nor the judges care how much they can lift or how many times they can perform an exercise before failure. It’s all about how they look at that moment. But there is also a correlation between muscular strength, muscular endurance and hypertrophy. So bodybuilders do pay very close attention to weight and repetitions during their training.

Most people do not have the goal of being a competitive body builder. In fact, more often than not, people fear becoming too bulky. What people typically want is to shape their bodies or become toned, firm, and sculpted (ok some guys do want to get jacked). The good news is that muscle development is a slow process. You aren’t going to wake up huge one morning because you accidentally worked out too hard. In most cases people are too bulky because of excess body fat, not excess muscle.

It’s time for a reality check!

If you want to be toned, firm, sculpted, or to reshape your body, you have to first increase your muscle density. And then you have to increase the size of your muscles. Remember the section above on Muscular Growth? Muscular growth is initially an increase in density, then an increase in size of your muscles. So if you have any goals to improve your appearance, you are going to have to adapt some of the training principles that bodybuilders follow. In other words, don’t fear weight training.

Click Here for more information about Resistance Training.

Functional Training

Funtional

Functional Training is hot right now!

You read about it in almost every magazine, But what does Functional Training mean? What makes an exercise or a training program functional?

If you interpret the term functional loosely then every exercise and/or training program should be functional. What I mean by that is, if the exercise that you’re engaged in or the workout routine that you’re following doesn’t serve some function, then you are wasting your time.

Something tells me that the term functional training wasn’t intended to encompass all exercise programs. But instead the term was probably developed to defined exercises that help to improve the way our bodies function. That I can buy.

But I also think the definition needs to go a little deeper and be even more specific. After an internet search I found this definition; Functional training is any type of exercise that has a direct relationship to the activities you perform in your daily life. Now we’re getting somewhere.

I found a whole bunch of different definitions on the web, but this one summed up the essence of each definition succinctly. One component of this definition really stands out to me, and that is “…activities that you perform in your daily life.” What’s important about that portion of the quote is the fact that it addresses the fact that one person may not be performing the same exact daily activities as the next person. There is built in flexibility, which is good. But that leaves me with two issues with this definition.

1. If functional training has to be adaptable to a wide array of daily activities, then one exercise that may benefit one person could harm another person. And if an exercise is detrimental to someone can it really be defined as functional?

2. If someone is sedentary and/or overweight and that person begins any exercise program and loses any amount of weight, I guarantee you that person will perform his/her daily activities better. So now were back to any and all exercise being functional again.

So let’s tighten the definition of Functional Training up a little more. Here is my definition of Functional Training.

 Functional Training is any exercise or exercise program designed to improve human movement with consideration for the way the body is designed to move.

Ok maybe that doesn’t sound as sexy as “improve the activities that you perform in daily life.” But let me explain. most of the daily activities that we engage in are repetitive and are the very reason we have flexibility and strength imbalances, i.e. pain and dysfunction. To restore proper function (see where the term Functional Training comes from) we need to address the way the body was designed to function and develop a plan based on that.

Before I tell you what makes an exercise Functional I think a brief history of how we got to this place and the reason for the popularity (current trend) of Functional Training in the Fitness Industry.

A huge portion of the fitness industry can be attributed to Personal Training. Personal Training has its roots in body building. In the late 70’s (perhaps even earlier) people who were looking to start an exercise program began to seek out guidance. They naturally turned to the people who seemed to know the most about exercise. The people they turned to were the most muscular people in the gym, i.e. body builders. Body builders shared what they knew with their clients; how to build muscle. An industry was born.

As years went by the personal training industry grew rapidly and it began to attract trainers from varied backgrounds. Trainers who entered the profession with a background other than body building needed to start separating themselves from body builders. As a non-body builder they couldn’t compete with what the body builders were offering (muscle hypertrophy/growth). Through this process it became clear that there was a market for clients who had fitness goals other than body building.

So trainers began to offer an alternative to body building and as it evolved it became known as Functional Training. But like every good thing it’s been taken too far. Functional Training became the anti-body building. If body building is machines, isolation exercises, and single plane movements. Then Functional Training is free weights, multi-joint and multi-plane movements. If body building is stabilized controlled movement, then functional training is unbalanced, unstable movements. The more unstable, unbalanced, difficult the movement pattern the more “functional” and exercise was considered (and still may be).

I’ve seen squatting on a stability ball used as an example of a functional exercise. Please tell me what daily activity does squatting on a unstable rubber ball mimic? To all the trainers out there that will tell me that the ability to squat in an unstable environment will increase strength and performance in a more stable environment, you’re offering anecdotal evidence at best. And yes, I can squat on a stability ball, but I’ve never had a client do it. It’s a circus trick not a functional exercise.

I’ve seen people develop exercises that are so unstable and unbalanced that the person attempting the exercise could only complete one or two reps before losing balance. That isn’t functional, strength and progress are developed through repetition. There also some who think to make an exercise functional there must be rotation. That would be a rotational exercise not a functional exercise (although functional exercises can have a rotational element).

Ok, no more ranting


Now it’s time to learn the truth about what makes an exercise truly functional.

I’m not going to list exercises that are either functional or non-functional. Because the functionality of an exercise is varied due to the needs of each person. But by returning to the definition of Functional Training that will lay the foundation for what constitutes a functional exercise.
Functional Training is any exercise or exercise program designed to improve human movement with consideration for way the body is designed to move.

Here are some basic principles of human movement.

1. We are designed to stand on our feet and move (walk/run/etc.) against the force of gravity
2. We don’t move in isolation. multiple muscles and joints are involved in all natural movement.
3. There is an element of balance
4. There is an element of proprioception (an awareness of our body’s position in time and space).
 This one needs a little explanation. Close your eyes and extend your right arm out to the side. Keep your eyes closed and bring your finger to your nose, but don’t touch it. Stop just before you touch your nose. Now open your eyes. See how close your finger is to your nose. You knew where your finger was relative to your nose without being able to see it. You had a natural awareness of your body position in time and space. That is proprioception.
5. There is an element of flexibility
6. There is an element of stability.
7. We know that our joints, flex, extend, glide, and rotate plus some more technical movements.

So a Functional Training exercise should address at least one of the above mentioned requirements. And a Functional Training program should address them all.

Unless you’re a body builder with a goal of muscle growth/hypertrophy, every exercise you perform should be functional. The good news is, most exercises are.

To learn more about selecting exercises that will help you to improve your health, fitness and life, check out my photo gallery.

Copyright 2013 - Fintess Know How Headquarters