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.

 

Burn, Baby! Burn!: The Truth About Lactic Acid

It seems that almost every conversation about resistance training or anaerobic activity always centers on “The Burn”. I’m talking about that deep burning sensation in your muscles that feels hot or stingy when reaching muscle exhaustion during weight training or short burst energy activities like sprinting. What exactly causes that burning sensation and is it a sign that you’re exercising correctly?

Without getting too technical, that burning sensation is caused by a buildup of lactic acid. When we do exercise for short periods of time (up to 3 minutes), our bodies are in an anaerobic state. Anaerobic means “without oxygen” and means that when we need immediate energy, oxygen is not a readily available source of energy. So, our body relies on another form of quick release energy called glucose. When this happens, glucose is broken down into pyruvate and when we are in anaerobic activity, pyruvate is converted into lactate. When your body has high levels of lactate (lactic acid), there is also an increase in the acidity of the muscle cells themselves which creates that burning sensation. This is exactly why when you are truly in an aerobic state, you do not feel “The Burn”.

Although there are those that believe lactic acid is what causes us to have DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), it has never been proven that this is the case. Muscle soreness is caused by microscopic muscle fiber damage. When you have muscle fiber damage from exercise, your muscles become inflamed and swell which is what causes the soreness you feel from exercise during the next 2-3 days afterwards.

There you have it, the truth on lactic acid. It’s a perfectly natural part of exercise and is the direct result of spent energy during anaerobic activity. So, the next time you hear a conversation pairing that burning sensation with muscle soreness; you can step right in and tell the burning truth.

 

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.”

The Bottom Line

You know that 360 degree look you get of yourself in the dressing room as you’re trying on new clothes and you see angles of your body that you do not see on a daily basis? In most cases it’s really hard to see what your backside looks like and, in my experience in personal training, it’s the number one body part that people (mostly women) want to look good. So, I want to give you my top three tips to keep your “bottom line” in shape.

1.) Squat and lunge – the two best glute muscle builders and shapers. When doing squats, keep your feet wider than shoulder width because when your feet are wide, the emphasis is more on your hips and glutes than your quads. Press off of your heals instead of your toes and go slow during the entire exercise without bouncing. When doing lunges, go slow and press off your heals instead of your toes. Spread your feet out so that your knees are behind your toes when lunging and go slow without bouncing at the bottom.

2.) Stop running or reduce your running time – depending on your body type and genetics, running can cause you to lose muscle mass in your legs and glutes. Instead, substitute a stationary bike or do some kick boxing to replace your running.

3.) Avoid over training – over training can and will rob your body of muscle and this will show up or be noticeable in your legs and glutes. Your legs and glutes are the biggest muscles in your body and are the muscles that will deplete and reduce if over trained. Make sure you are getting plenty of protein and log your training and training durations.

The idea is to keep as much muscle as you can especially when trying to lose weight. The areas of your body with the most muscle are also the areas which will be most affected when exercising too much or the wrong way. We all want to look good in all areas of our body especially those areas we cannot see but others see all the time. And, that’s the “bottom line”

Find Your Groove

It happens in music, sports, business, and all walks of life. People who find their groove succeed at high rates and seem to effortlessly exceed averages and expectations. They make it look so easy and they seem so smooth by the way they master their craft that it seems without challenge for them. It’s true; we all have things that seem easy to us and other things that are very difficult and that’s called predispositions. But, when you truly find your groove, it shows and you feel good.

Your body has a groove too. As a matter of fact it has many grooves called joints and when you treat it right with fitness it rewards you with health and feeling great. But, when you treat it badly, you feel bad and your health suffers.

It all comes down to exercising in a way that is natural for your body; a way that is correct in form and technique and sound in movement. Your body has a natural groove in every one of its joints including all vertebrae and all of these joints are very susceptible to injury. If you have bad form and technique when exercising, your joints will create a bad groove which will cause you health issues and be with you for the rest of your life.

When you exercise, follow these key points to help your body find its best groove:

1. Slow down

2. Take notice of your posture; make sure one side of your body mirror images the other throughout the entire range of motion of every exercise

3. Always keep your neck straight and your head up

4. Control your body and control the motion of the exercise

5. Avoid jerking and popping your joints

6. Warm up and stretch

Finding your groove at whatever you do is a great feeling and your entire life gets better. Finding your groove at exercise is truly amazing and will be rewarding for the rest of your life as long as it is a good groove. Your body has been creating and finding grooves every sense you were born and those grooves will be with you for the rest of your life. Listen to your body, treat it well, and do what you do best; succeed!

Exercise: Train Right or Train Wreck?

Bang! Pop! Slam! Crack! These are the sounds I hear when I go into any gym or fitness center. You probably think I’m talking about the weights and machines making these noises but, I’m not. Oh it’s obvious why you think of machines and weights making these noises but what I hear are people’s joints making these noises by the way they are exercising. And, I instantly think of a train wreck because that’s where most people are headed unless they correct the way they exercise.

I’m talking about incorrect form and technique and over training. Here’s a number for you to think about; 95% of the way I see people exercise is incorrect; both in their form and technique and frequency. From a very early age, we learn by watching, duplicating what we see especially if the source from where we are learning looks beneficial for us. Unfortunately, when it comes to learning how to exercise, watching someone else is the last thing you want to do.

You can’t see what’s wrong, until you know what’s right. So, how do you learn what’s right? I’m going to teach you right now. There are two things you have to do when performing resistance exercise; control your body, and control the motion of the exercise. No matter which resistance exercise you are doing, always count 1 second on the concentric (the flex or lift) part of the exercise and 2-3 seconds on the eccentric (the lowering or release) part of the exercise. In addition, pause for a full second at the top and bottom of each repetition. Control your body and don’t swing or use momentum and keep the rest of your body completely still except for the muscle or group of muscles you are working. Going slow causes you to use less resistance, but exercising this way will keep the stress in the muscle and out of your joints.

Every single resistance exercise in my It’s All Heart fitness program is done in this exact fashion which not only teaches people how to exercise correctly, but it adds time and quality to their lives because it promotes joint health and mobility. Give it a try the next time you do resistance exercises and see how much more effective exercising in this way really is. It’s amazing how much quieter it would be inside the gym if most people exercised correctly. And, all of those trains would stay on their tracks.