S T R E T C H I N G the Truth

Stretching is one of the key components to preserving your mobility, improving your joint health, and developing ultimate body balance; but it is an exercise tip that is most often disregarded. Over the years I have heard many different opinions on stretching from when to stretch and how often to stretch, to the different types of stretching. And, with so many opinions out there, I want to clear things up and give you the absolute truth about stretching.

When is the Best Time to Stretch; Before, During, or After Exercise? 

I suggest that before every exercise session you do a brief 3-5 minute low impact warm up and then stretch each muscle group for 20-30 seconds. Stretching during exercise can be done if you are feeling tightness in a certain muscle or group of muscles but it is not completely necessary. What about after exercise? This is the most important time to stretch because your muscles have been flexing and working and need to be taken back to their original range of motion before exercising again. This is where muscle and body imbalances can either start or be corrected, so make sure you allow time to stretch after your workout, too.

How Often Should You Stretch?

In an ideal world, stretching would reach its full potential if we did it every day. But, stretching every day is probably impractical and unrealistic for most of us because of our schedules and our lifestyles. A more realistic approach to stretching would be to do a full body stretch at least 3-4 days a week for 10-15 minutes and stretch specific muscles on the same day that you exercise them. Stretching can be monotonous and tedious, but it is absolutely necessary for our mobility now and in the future.

Which Type of Stretching is Best; Static or Dynamic Stretching?

When it comes to stretching there are two main types; static and dynamic. Static stretching means getting to the point where you feel a stretch in a particular muscle and holding that stretch without movement. Dynamic stretching would be getting to the point where you feel a stretch and then immediately return to the starting point, repeating this several times. Basically, dynamic stretching is stretching with movement. I recommend static stretching most of the time especially after exercise but it’s OK to do some dynamic stretching before exercise as a warm up. Just be sure to go slow with your movements to avoid over extending a cold body part or joint.

There are many opinions on stretching but it is absolutely vital that it is included in your fitness routine, even if your routine does not involve resistance training. The best way to look at stretching at the end of each of your workouts is that it gives you a great head start and a great beginning to your next workout. And, that’s no lie.

 

The It’s All Heart Class Has a New Day and Time!

My very first It’s All Heart Class was a huge hit! My trainers and I showed a series of full body workouts including resistance, cardiovascular and flexibility moves fit for anyone and everyone. For just $10, everyone that came out was able to learn some kickboxing, functional movement and core building techniques. Most importantly, they gained new confidence that they can successfully complete It’s All Heart and add more time and quality to their lives! No more joint pain! No more mobility issues!

I hope to see the same energetic faces and some new ones at my next It’s All Heart Class Fridays at 6:30 pm. To complete the same type of exercises conveniently from your home, click here for the complete kit.

 

The Next It’s All Heart Classes:

• Every Friday; next class on May 16th at 6:30pm
• Location – Studio 3 Dance, 2220 Coit Rd, Plano, TX 75075
• $10 per person/per class
• What to bring: Comfortable clothing that allows for optimum movement, a water bottle, and a towel
• To register or inquire about Bobby’s It’s All Heart classes, email Bobby@BobbyWhisnand.com or call 214.926.2639

 

Complete a Short Survey & Get the It’s All Heart DVD Half Off

Are you looking to add time and quality to your life?

Have I got good news for you—I am doing a special promotion for my It’s All Heart program just to prove how effective and doable this fitness program really is! No matter your abilities, inabilities or exercise experience, It’s All Heart is something ANYONE & EVERYONE CAN DO!

A single program kit includes a DVD, resistance band, exercise ball and pump, and daily journals for recording your heart rate and progress. But for just $9.95, I’m offering the It’s All Heart Level 1 or Level 2 DVD set for half price! That’s right, my 30-minute video series is yours to keep for half the price. All I ask in return is that you complete a short online survey to learn how I can better serve YOU.

You can’t fully know where you’re headed until you understand where you are–Level 1 participants have pre-existing injuries or pain, while those completing Level 2 experience no pain or difficulty at all. Either way, I’ve made it possible for both groups to gain REAL results from my fitness program.

Think about it as the ultimate test drive to a better life! This deal is limited to the first 50 respondents only, so they will go FAST. What are you waiting on? Start living better today.

Join My It’s All Heart Fitness Class, May 7th at 8 pm!

 

It’s All Heart 

A Total Body Fitness Class Offered by Bobby Whisnand

 

 What makes this program different? 

Regardless of your abilities, health issues, or exercise experience 

ANYONE & EVERYONE CAN DO IT

What You’ll Get:

• A class specifically designed for those with mobility, balance, energy and joint pain issues
• NO GYM MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED
• Full body workout including resistance, cardiovascular and flexibility
• Options for exercising for 30 minutes or for one hour
• Learn kickboxing, functional movement, and core building moves
• Increase your mobility and reduce joint pain
• One-on-one time with Bobby Whisnand and his trainers
• The classes compliment the It’s All Heart fitness program by Bobby Whisnand

The Next It’s All Heart Class:

• Class starts Wednesday, May 7th at 8:00pm
• Location – Performant Fitness, 4112 Legacy Drive, Frisco TX 75034
• $10 per person/per class
• What to bring: Comfortable clothing that allows for optimum movement, a water bottle, and a towel
• To register or inquire about Bobby’s It’s All Heart classes, email Bobby@BobbyWhisnand.com or call 214.926.2639

 

Can’t attend this class or would like for me to hold a fitness class near you? Call or shoot me an email. Or, try the full It’s All Heart video series here. 

 

Your Inner Strength

When you hear the word “strength” or when you hear someone refer to someone else as being strong, what are the first things that come to your mind? It could be that you think that person is emotionally strong, physically strong, or both. Either way, it’s a great quality with which to be associated for anyone. Most often, especially in my line of work, when I hear someone referring to strength, I think of physical strength.

I know a lot of people who are physically strong but I know for a fact that for some, muscular strength has come at a very stiff price. And, when it comes down to it, most of those very strong individuals have a very weak link that goes unnoticed and shows up over time. I’m talking about inner strength or how strong the body is on the inside in terms of joint health, body balance, and flexibility.

Developing and maintaining muscle mass is essential to having a strong body but it has to be done in a way that is not detrimental to your body on the inside. It all comes down to using correct form and technique, not over training, eating a healthy diet, and giving your body what it needs to fully recuperate from exercise. So, the next time you’re exercising and feeling good about your “strength,” make sure it’s more than muscle deep.

Strength -the ability to resist being moved or broken by a force

Fitness Advice: How much of it is good?

The most common thing I see every single day in the gym is people exercising incorrectly. And, the reason for this is, people are learning by watching others and by what others are telling them to do. With so many opinions about fitness and the thousands of overnight “trainers” giving their advice, it’s no wonder why so many people are exercising toward injury and away from progress. For this very reason, I have listed my three points to help you determine whether your fitness advice is good or bad.

1.) Explanation – when someone gives you advice, trainer or not, ask them to explain to you in detail the advice they just gave you. And, don’t take answers like “I read it somewhere”, “my friend is a personal trainer and they showed me” or “it just works, try it.” All of these answers should be red flags to you and are more than likely a great indicator that you should forget their advice.

2.) Don’t judge a book by its cover – the decision to take someone’s fitness advice should not be measured by how good they look physically. Believe me, there are all kinds of ways for someone to look good on the outside: growth hormones, hormone therapy, and many other drugs that are all readily available to enhance the physiques of both men and women. So, be very careful not to associate good advice with good looks. The person giving you advice may well have become physically fit from hard work but we all have different genetics; what works for one person may not work for another.

3.) Educate yourself – this is exactly where it began for me. I was given advice from many people over my younger years, of which most I took blindly, and most was bad advice. After reading, learning, and many trial and errors, I learned the correct ways to exercise, eat, and recuperate my body. Learn about the body and most certainly how to exercise the right way using correct form and technique. Then, you will know what’s right and what’s wrong in terms of advice.

Remember, as with everything in life, “You can’t see what’s wrong until you know what’s right.”

Top Three Mistakes Made When Exercising

I often see people make the same mistakes, whether fit or not, when exercising. Below are the top 3 mistakes made in exercise, but they are not without a remedy. Always use correct from and technique, avoid exercising too much, use a program that is specifically designed for you, and know for sure that better fitness success had arrived and it’s here to stay; just like summer.

Mistake #1 – Bad Form and Technique – Almost everyone I see exercising is swinging, bouncing, jerking, and going way too fast during their resistance exercises. They are using momentum, other muscle groups, and their joints to move resistance instead of isolating the targeted muscle or muscle group. This will only result in joint injury, pain, and immobility in the years to come.

Solution – GO SLOW! There are two things you have to do with any resistance exercise; control your body, and control the motion of the exercise. This means lighten up on your resistance and stabilize your body while you are performing the exercise. Count 1 second on the flex (hard part of the exercise) and 3 seconds on the release. Your joints are for stability during a range of motion, not to use for moving resistance. The goal is to isolate and fatigue a muscle as much as you can with no joint impact.


Mistake #2 – Over Training – This is training and exercising to a point where your body does not have enough time to recuperate and heal up from exercising. This could mean training with too much intensity during a particular workout and/or training too often. Exercise is a controlled physical stress which causes the body to respond by rebuilding itself to a stronger condition than before. Many people I see stop their fitness progress because they put their bodies in a position where it cannot recuperate adequately to become stronger.

Solution – Journal everything you do in exercise including how you feel during and after your exercise routines. Write down your sets and repetitions and look for plateaus and/or declines in strength and endurance. Be aware of prolonged soreness (soreness exceeding 3 days from onset) especially soreness in your joints. I also suggest you take time off from the gym and shorten your workout duration and frequency. When you are trying to build muscle, you should only exercise each muscle group once a week and when you are trying to shape and tone, you should exercise each muscle group only twice a week. You should also not exercise every day. Try taking a day off after every two days of exercise.

Mistake #3 – Giving Up – Unfortunately, giving up is a direct product of the previous two mistakes I have listed as #1 and #2. The reasons people give up on exercise and fitness are a lack of progress or ROI (Return On Investment) from their efforts to become healthier. I see many people “spinning their wheels” in the gym and wondering why their bodies refuse to change. The effort and dedication is there, but the desired results keep eluding them. This is typically the result of several different reasons, but the main one is not understanding how each person should exercise according to THEIR NEEDS and fitness goals.

Solution – As I have said many times before, education is the key to success in anything and everything we do. We must understand our genetic predisposition (physical tendencies), what exercise program best suits OUR needs and goals, how and what to eat, and what it looks like and feels like to exercise the “One Right Way”. To succeed in fitness we have to know from where we are starting, where we need to go, and as many specifics as we can learn on how to get there. We need a very detailed map to let us know we are definitely headed in the right direction to reach our fitness destination. Stop watching what others are doing and start reading and learning about your body and how it responds to exercise.