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.

 

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. 

 

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.”

Mobility 4 Life

I want to live as long as I’m alive. I want to keep moving freely, run when I want to, play sports, exercise without pain, and enjoy life for as long as I possibly can. And, by the means and methods of which I use to exercise, eat, and manage my stress, I will most certainly enjoy the rest of my life to its fullest and I want the same for you.

I have listed my top four things you need to do STARTING NOW to ensure you too will live well for the rest of your life.

1. Become Educated in Exercise – The single most valuable thing you can do is to start learning about your body, your muscles, and your joints; not only the different muscles but more importantly how these muscles, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage work during exercise. As many of you have heard me say, “Over 90% of what I see in our exercise arenas is not only incorrect, but detrimental to future mobility and quality of life”. In most cases, I see the gym as a waiting room for orthopedic surgery and joint replacement. If you want to learn how to exercise the right way, come see me and I will teach you exactly what it looks like and feels like to exercise correctly.

2. Prepare and Recuperate – These two things are the most common elements missing in fitness. Most of your success in fitness will come from what you do OUTSIDE of your exercise routine. You have to prepare the body for exercise with the right nutrition, timing of your pre workout meal, plenty of rest, and positive productive thinking. The exact same things apply to recuperation; good food¸ timing of food, rest, and positive mental attitude are the keys to full recuperation. Plan ahead, be ready, produce, and seal the deal.

3. Become Educated on Nutrition – The absolute best thing you can do when starting to eat healthy is to get educated on nutrition. Not diets and eating plans but good old basic food. Learn what different foods do for you, how your body uses them, timing of digestion of different foods, and how certain combinations of foods affect your body. This is where it’s at; there are far too many of us with different genetics, needs, goals, and lifestyles to pin down any one eating plan that works best. Once you truly learn about nutrition, you can write your own plan. To start with, get rid of those fried foods and those sweet things we call deserts; Ok, maybe a little desert every now and then.

4. Toughen Up; There’s a Fight Comin” – Getting healthy and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not easy. It’s a daily, weekly, monthly, and lifelong battle. It is easier for some than others but over all, it’s a fight. You must understand that there will be many ups and downs and this is all natural. EVERYONE goes through this but it’s the tough ones that prevail and succeed. There will be obstacles and stress around every corner so be prepared. Stress is a part of life; managing stress is the key so learn to train your mind as well. Find a partner who has similar fitness goals as you and keep each other in check by providing accountability.

The key to living as long and as well as you can begins with education; education on correct exercise and nutrition. And, as with anything in life, being prepared is always the best way to go but don’t forget the recuperation side as well. And last but not least, get tough, stay tough, and power through life’s challenges that will always be along your road to a better longer life.

“To live is the rarest thing in the world, most people exist; that is all.” – Oscar Wilde

Time for Change

If you were to ask people where I work out, what are the most common things they see me do during my workouts. They would most definitely tell you these two things; I write down EVERYTHING I do and I always use my stopwatch. That’s it, that about sums it up. I do write down everything I do including the exercise performed, sets and repetitions, amount of weight used, and what I consider the most underused tool in the gym that could change not only the way people work out, but their results as well.

I’m talking about time, or more specifically, timing. How long do you rest between your sets when doing resistance exercises? Do you really know? One of the best ways to improve your resistance program is to start timing your rest between sets. It’s that easy, but you have to do it for every single set on every single day you exercise. When you do this, you can very consistently manipulate and completely change your workouts without changing the exercises. I do suggest you change exercises often but let’s talk about timing your rest between sets for now.

When you start timing your rest, your body begins to read you loud and clear about what you are trying to accomplish. You might be resting 1 minute between some sets or 2 minutes between others on the same exercise you are doing on that day which sends conflicting instructions to your body. To give you an example, I’m going to show you my exact repetitions and rest time for my weight training regimen.

Week 1

I do 4 sets of each exercise and the repetitions are as follows: 10-10-10-10 with 1.0 minute rest between each set, no more, no less. As soon as I get done with the set, I start my stop watch and when it gets to 50 seconds, I get into position and start the next set right at the 1 minute mark.

Week 2

I do 4 sets of each exercise and the repetitions change as follows: 8-7-7-6 with 1.5 minutes rest between each set.

Week 3

I do 4 sets of each exercise and the repetitions change as follows: 7-6-5-4 with 2.0 minutes of rest between each set.

Week 4

I repeat my week one sets, repetitions, and rest times and the same for week 2 and 3.

Your fitness goals and your predispositions may be different than mine and so your workouts should be too. But, changing your repetitions and your rest time between your sets can and will work for everyone. Consistency is the key and be sure to write everything down including sets, reps, weight used, and your rest times between every single set. I’m sure you and your body know it’s “Time for Change.”