Mike Hendricks - NASM certified personal trainer
Why exercise? It may be hard enough just to get dressed every day if you're feeling bloated and sick to your stomach, but believe it or not, a little effort can leave you feeling energised and perhaps a bit like your pre-pregnancy self. Because exercise promotes muscle tone, strength, and endurance, it can help you carry the weight you gain during pregnancy, prepare you for the physical stress of labour, and make getting back into shape after the baby is born much easier. Before beginning any exercise programme, make sure you follow safety advice, especially now that you're pregnant.
Exercising now will: Give you more energy
Pregnancy can rob you of energy, but regular bouts of exercise, such as brisk walking will make you feel able to tackle your daily tasks. Exercise strengthens your cardiovascular system, so you don't tire as easily. With muscles that are strong and toned, you need less effort to engage in any activity, be it shopping for food or sitting through meetings at the office.
Help prepare you for the rigours of childbirth
It makes perfect sense: the better shape you're in, the stronger you'll be to cope with labour and the delivery. Giving birth is akin to running a marathon -- it requires stamina, determination, and focus. Keeping physically active during pregnancy is good preparation for the hard work of labour. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) states that weight-bearing exercise throughout pregnancy can reduce the length of labour and decrease delivery complications. Additionally, some research has shown that fetuses of women who exercised during labour may tolerate labour better than those of the non-exercisers.
Reduce pregnancy discomfort
Exercise stretches and strengthens your muscles, which helps your body cope better with the aches and pains of pregnancy. Stretches ease back pain, walking improves your circulation, and swimming can strengthen your abdominal muscles.
Fend off the pregnancy blues
Pregnancy is a nine month rehearsal for a big event -- childbirth -- and, after the initial excitement of telling everyone is over, you're left with a lot of waiting. By the sixth or seventh month, pregnancy can become downright tedious. And boredom may result from the increased weight gains and tiredness restricting your social activities. Finding a new activity appropriate for pregnant women may be one answer. "The best thing I can do at the moment to get some relief from feeling as big as a house is to do aquarobics... I find the relaxation session at the end -- when we float to music -- very therapeutic. It also gets you out of the house," says Kim.
Help you sleep better
When you're carrying all that extra weight in front of you, finding an ideal position to sleep in at night can be a real challenge. Exercise will help you work off any excess energy, and will tire you enough to lull you into a deeper, more restful slumber.
Reduce stress and lift your spirits
Pregnancy and having a child is a life-changing, momentous event which can leave you feeling ecstatic yet overwhelmed and anxious at the same time. One good way to shake the blues is by dancing to the beat of a happy tune. One study found that exercise can boost your levels of serotonin, a brain chemical linked to mood, putting you in better spirits. When you're feeling a little down, try putting on your favourite CD and kicking up your heels in the living room, or sign up for a low-impact dance class. Make sure you follow low impact aerobics and let your trainer or teacher know that you are pregnant.
Improve your self-image
Face it: your body's not the svelte thing it used to be, and although you know it's for a good cause, watching the scale creep its way up to numbers you've never seen before can be disheartening. Staying active can make you feel less frumpy. It can also help you shed weight faster postnatally.
Help you get your body back faster postnatally
This alone is reason enough for many women to embark on a pregnancy exercise regime. As Angela puts it, "I am ready to get back to an active lifestyle and reclaim my body!" If you've managed to maintain your strength and muscle tone all through your pregnancy by staying fit, your body will have an easier time bouncing back after you give birth.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
What to Stretch & what to strengthen
Most people make the mistake of never scientifically deciding which muscles they need to stretch and which ones they need to strengthen.
Typically, we stretch everything (or nothing) and mindlessly go down the line of exercise machines without thinking about which muscles we are working and why. Unless you have had a thorough musculoskeletal assessment, you are undoubtedly ignoring many muscles that are relatively weak and strengthening muscles that are already too strong relative to their partners working at the same joint.
For example, if you have rounded shoulders you probably should be doing fewer chest and lat exercises and more mid- and lower trapezius exercises. (Don’t waste your time looking; middle or lower trapezius machines do not exist.)
Another example of an overworked muscle is the upper rectus abdominis (six pack). One of its partners, the transverse abdominis, is typically ignored. Again, not only do transverse abdominis machines not exist, but overuse of other machines will actually lead to weakening of this muscle due to lack of use.
Moreover, the greater the imbalance between rectus strength and transverse abdominis strength, the greater your chance of low back pain. Ab machines only worsen this imbalance.
We also tend to ignore some muscles that need to be stretched (if you're stretching at all) and sometimes stretch muscles that we don't need to stretch.
At best, you are wasting your time with unnecessary stretches and redundant exercises. At worst, you are exacerbating muscle imbalances that can lead to joint dysfunction, pain and chronic injury.
Since we all have to deal with the constant gravitational pull of the earth, we all have naturally occurring musculoskeletal imbalances that are caused by how muscles are designed to work.
In simple terms, there are two basic types of muscles.
Tonic muscles tend to become shortened if we do not specifically stretch them.
Phasic muscles tend to become elongated (too long is as bad as too short) and weak.
Tonic muscles are basically designed to work to maintain posture and tend to work most of the time.
For example, the psoas, the major hip flexor, works constantly while you're standing. The upper trapezius, where you may feel tightness or knots in your neck and shoulder area, works whenever you move your arm.
Phasic muscles, on the other hand, tend to become weak if not specifically strengthened.
Our muscles never work in isolation; they function in groups often termed force couples that must be balanced in all three planes of motion (saggital, transverse and frontal).
If one muscle is too tight, it dominates the force couple and disrupts the natural movement of the joint. On the other hand, a muscle that is too weak will not do its share of work. This also disrupts the natural movement of the joint and overworks the muscles that act as assistants in the movement.
A prime example is the gluteus medius, the muscle that brings your leg out to the side, commonly and mistakenly referred to as the outer thigh. When this muscle becomes weak, the piriformis often implicated in sciatica - and the tensor fascia latae often implicated in pain on the outside of the knee become overworked.
Tonic muscles tend to become facilitated, that is, they work even when they are not supposed to be working. In addition, even when you are trying to work other muscles, facilitated muscles will try to take over. Thus, you will never get rid of a muscle imbalance if you do not stretch and relax the tightened muscles before you try to strengthen the weakened muscles.
For example, if you do not stretch the hip flexors (psoas) and back extensors (spinal erectors) before you work your deep abdominal muscles, you may not get the full strengthening effect of your ab exercises. The short, tight, overworked muscles will "intercept" the nervous system signals from the weakened, inhibited muscles. This is a common reason some people feel strain in the low back while doing stomach exercises even if their form is perfect.
Just like a car with poor alignment, trouble - possibly severe is imminent if the alignment and imbalances are not corrected. In order to design a fitness program that's right for you, it's imperative that you know which muscles are which.
Tonic Muscles Phasic Muscles
Upper Trapezius (neck and shoulders) Serratus Anterior (fingerlike muscles near armpit)
Levator Scapula (neck to shoulder blade) Rhomboids (between shoulder blades)
Short Cervical Extensors (back of neck) Middle and Lower Trapezius (mid-back)
Pectoralis Major (chest) Triceps (back of arms)
Pectoralis Minor (deep chest muscle) Gluteus Maximus (butt)
Lumbar Erectors (low back) Gluteus Medius (hips)
Psoas (hip flexor) Transverse Abdominis (deep abdominals)
Rectus Femoris (one of the quadriceps) Rectus Abdominis - lower segments (abs)
Piriformis (deep hip muscle) External and Internal Obliques (abs)
Short and long adductors (inner thighs) Vastus Medialis (inner/front of knee)
Hamstrings (back of legs)
Gastrocnemius (superficial calf muscle)
Soleus (deep calf muscle)
Remember, unaddressed muscle imbalances will lead to joint dysfunction and pain.
A musculoskeletal assessment and subsequent, logically based program of stretching the right muscles and strengthening the right muscles in the right order will lessen these naturally occurring imbalances and lead you to a better functioning and more attractive body. If you'd like to find out more about having a complete postural and functional review then speak to one of our specialists.
Typically, we stretch everything (or nothing) and mindlessly go down the line of exercise machines without thinking about which muscles we are working and why. Unless you have had a thorough musculoskeletal assessment, you are undoubtedly ignoring many muscles that are relatively weak and strengthening muscles that are already too strong relative to their partners working at the same joint.
For example, if you have rounded shoulders you probably should be doing fewer chest and lat exercises and more mid- and lower trapezius exercises. (Don’t waste your time looking; middle or lower trapezius machines do not exist.)
Another example of an overworked muscle is the upper rectus abdominis (six pack). One of its partners, the transverse abdominis, is typically ignored. Again, not only do transverse abdominis machines not exist, but overuse of other machines will actually lead to weakening of this muscle due to lack of use.
Moreover, the greater the imbalance between rectus strength and transverse abdominis strength, the greater your chance of low back pain. Ab machines only worsen this imbalance.
We also tend to ignore some muscles that need to be stretched (if you're stretching at all) and sometimes stretch muscles that we don't need to stretch.
At best, you are wasting your time with unnecessary stretches and redundant exercises. At worst, you are exacerbating muscle imbalances that can lead to joint dysfunction, pain and chronic injury.
Since we all have to deal with the constant gravitational pull of the earth, we all have naturally occurring musculoskeletal imbalances that are caused by how muscles are designed to work.
In simple terms, there are two basic types of muscles.
Tonic muscles tend to become shortened if we do not specifically stretch them.
Phasic muscles tend to become elongated (too long is as bad as too short) and weak.
Tonic muscles are basically designed to work to maintain posture and tend to work most of the time.
For example, the psoas, the major hip flexor, works constantly while you're standing. The upper trapezius, where you may feel tightness or knots in your neck and shoulder area, works whenever you move your arm.
Phasic muscles, on the other hand, tend to become weak if not specifically strengthened.
Our muscles never work in isolation; they function in groups often termed force couples that must be balanced in all three planes of motion (saggital, transverse and frontal).
If one muscle is too tight, it dominates the force couple and disrupts the natural movement of the joint. On the other hand, a muscle that is too weak will not do its share of work. This also disrupts the natural movement of the joint and overworks the muscles that act as assistants in the movement.
A prime example is the gluteus medius, the muscle that brings your leg out to the side, commonly and mistakenly referred to as the outer thigh. When this muscle becomes weak, the piriformis often implicated in sciatica - and the tensor fascia latae often implicated in pain on the outside of the knee become overworked.
Tonic muscles tend to become facilitated, that is, they work even when they are not supposed to be working. In addition, even when you are trying to work other muscles, facilitated muscles will try to take over. Thus, you will never get rid of a muscle imbalance if you do not stretch and relax the tightened muscles before you try to strengthen the weakened muscles.
For example, if you do not stretch the hip flexors (psoas) and back extensors (spinal erectors) before you work your deep abdominal muscles, you may not get the full strengthening effect of your ab exercises. The short, tight, overworked muscles will "intercept" the nervous system signals from the weakened, inhibited muscles. This is a common reason some people feel strain in the low back while doing stomach exercises even if their form is perfect.
Just like a car with poor alignment, trouble - possibly severe is imminent if the alignment and imbalances are not corrected. In order to design a fitness program that's right for you, it's imperative that you know which muscles are which.
Tonic Muscles Phasic Muscles
Upper Trapezius (neck and shoulders) Serratus Anterior (fingerlike muscles near armpit)
Levator Scapula (neck to shoulder blade) Rhomboids (between shoulder blades)
Short Cervical Extensors (back of neck) Middle and Lower Trapezius (mid-back)
Pectoralis Major (chest) Triceps (back of arms)
Pectoralis Minor (deep chest muscle) Gluteus Maximus (butt)
Lumbar Erectors (low back) Gluteus Medius (hips)
Psoas (hip flexor) Transverse Abdominis (deep abdominals)
Rectus Femoris (one of the quadriceps) Rectus Abdominis - lower segments (abs)
Piriformis (deep hip muscle) External and Internal Obliques (abs)
Short and long adductors (inner thighs) Vastus Medialis (inner/front of knee)
Hamstrings (back of legs)
Gastrocnemius (superficial calf muscle)
Soleus (deep calf muscle)
Remember, unaddressed muscle imbalances will lead to joint dysfunction and pain.
A musculoskeletal assessment and subsequent, logically based program of stretching the right muscles and strengthening the right muscles in the right order will lessen these naturally occurring imbalances and lead you to a better functioning and more attractive body. If you'd like to find out more about having a complete postural and functional review then speak to one of our specialists.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
the ultimate stomach without sit ups - part 1 of 4
There is so much talk about stomach exercises and it seems to be such a hot topic for people. The problem is that far too many people focus on the appearance of the stomach and not so much the function of the stomach. It stands to reason that getting the stomach working properly will not only improve the finished product but also ensure that your exercises don't come at the expense of your posture.
Firstly, let's get a few things straight. The stomach contains a vast set of muscles yet non are key drivers in human functional movement. This means that exercises like sit ups bear no relevance to your body and are more likely to cause pain or injury over time due to them encouraging supporting muscles to become dominant. With this in mind, get out of the habit of seeing isolated stomach movements or typical 'ab' exercises as any good whatsoever. The stomach works to stabilise the body, provide a crucial connection between upper and lower body and protect vital organs therefore conditioning the stomach in those natural situations is going to be much more functional and effective.
We'll come onto what exercises are good to condition the stomach, but first let's understand how the stomach is designed and what purpose it provides. This is more than worth understanding if you really want to have an incredible washboard stomach. It may not have been necessary as primal man to know this as our lifestyles caused us to constantly engage core muscle but our current lifestyle causes almost the opposite often leaving core lazy and weak. So, the core is made of two distinct elements known as the inner and outer units. The inner is the stabilising unit. This consists of involuntary muscles that work subconsciously to keep us upright, support spine and posture.
The outer unit is made up of bigger and more voluntary muscles that create movement in the body. One problem is that if your inner unit has picked up bad habits, then movement in the outer unit only serves to compound the problem and embed poor neural pathways which become harder and harder to repair.
So let's start at the beginning and get the inner unit working properly helping maximise the benefits of bigger movements. It may sound like we're starting with absolute basics but breathing is the first part of getting this right. As babies we breathe from the stomach and as we develop, we tend to breathe more and more from higher in the lungs. This leaves the inner unit to become lazy and reduces the efficiency of the oxygen supply to the body. Not very good hey - so let's start to improve this situation.
Abdominal breathing exercises are an excellent way to engage inner units and work the core. Eventually, the techniques of this can be applied into exercises but nail the basics first.
Ideally, these should be done standing up. Slightly softened knees, stood tall with stomach drawn in. Take a big breathe in through the nose and at the same time, inflate the stomach. Then breathe out a concerted breath through the mouth and draw the stomach back in tight. Look to do 10 of these, 2-3 times daily for at least 10 days to start embedding the habit of doing this without having to think about it.
Refer to this training video for a demonstration, notice after how just a few days of performing this drill make you much more conscious and in control over core stabilisation and get ready for my next blog on taking this to the next level.
Firstly, let's get a few things straight. The stomach contains a vast set of muscles yet non are key drivers in human functional movement. This means that exercises like sit ups bear no relevance to your body and are more likely to cause pain or injury over time due to them encouraging supporting muscles to become dominant. With this in mind, get out of the habit of seeing isolated stomach movements or typical 'ab' exercises as any good whatsoever. The stomach works to stabilise the body, provide a crucial connection between upper and lower body and protect vital organs therefore conditioning the stomach in those natural situations is going to be much more functional and effective.
We'll come onto what exercises are good to condition the stomach, but first let's understand how the stomach is designed and what purpose it provides. This is more than worth understanding if you really want to have an incredible washboard stomach. It may not have been necessary as primal man to know this as our lifestyles caused us to constantly engage core muscle but our current lifestyle causes almost the opposite often leaving core lazy and weak. So, the core is made of two distinct elements known as the inner and outer units. The inner is the stabilising unit. This consists of involuntary muscles that work subconsciously to keep us upright, support spine and posture.
The outer unit is made up of bigger and more voluntary muscles that create movement in the body. One problem is that if your inner unit has picked up bad habits, then movement in the outer unit only serves to compound the problem and embed poor neural pathways which become harder and harder to repair.
So let's start at the beginning and get the inner unit working properly helping maximise the benefits of bigger movements. It may sound like we're starting with absolute basics but breathing is the first part of getting this right. As babies we breathe from the stomach and as we develop, we tend to breathe more and more from higher in the lungs. This leaves the inner unit to become lazy and reduces the efficiency of the oxygen supply to the body. Not very good hey - so let's start to improve this situation.
Abdominal breathing exercises are an excellent way to engage inner units and work the core. Eventually, the techniques of this can be applied into exercises but nail the basics first.
Ideally, these should be done standing up. Slightly softened knees, stood tall with stomach drawn in. Take a big breathe in through the nose and at the same time, inflate the stomach. Then breathe out a concerted breath through the mouth and draw the stomach back in tight. Look to do 10 of these, 2-3 times daily for at least 10 days to start embedding the habit of doing this without having to think about it.
Refer to this training video for a demonstration, notice after how just a few days of performing this drill make you much more conscious and in control over core stabilisation and get ready for my next blog on taking this to the next level.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The Perfect Circuit
After spending a great deal of energy over the last few years writing courses and programmes for various providers, a lot of good things have come out of this work, one being how to shape the perfect circuit.
If you're not familiar with circuit relative to exercise then it is simply a cluster of exercises put together to be done with short rest periods in between. This style of exercise is typical to classes and a great way to get an effective work out in a shorter space of time.
Having spent 6 years in the forces before my time in the fitness industry, I've got a great deal of exeperience of different approaches when it comes to circuits, some good and some pants. Particularly whilst developing our Primal Pattern course, we developed a simple structure for all body movements. This was intended to organise patterns that were low, moderate and high impact to help coaches clearly understand the complexity of movement upon the body. The fantastic and coincidental crossover that arose from this was that our categorisation translates to energy demands on the body for the movements making it and excellent matrix to base circuits from as you can keep a flow in the circuit whilst alternating between low and high demand exercises.
So, how can you use this? I would start by ignoring the columns and just using the rows. Plan 3-4 circuits, each one with one exercise based upon a movement from each row (advanced being high demand, basic being low demand). Perform 3-4 cycles of each circuit before moving on to the next. 15 seconds between exercises and 60 seconds between circuits. Try the following times depending on your ability (30 seconds - beginner / 45 seconds - intermediate / 60 seconds - advanced)
For example:
Why not enjoy 30 days FREE of our online tailored fitness programmes giving you completely personalised video programmes and nutritional guidance. Click here to get started.
Let me know how you get on with the exercises and fire any questions straight back
If you're not familiar with circuit relative to exercise then it is simply a cluster of exercises put together to be done with short rest periods in between. This style of exercise is typical to classes and a great way to get an effective work out in a shorter space of time.
Having spent 6 years in the forces before my time in the fitness industry, I've got a great deal of exeperience of different approaches when it comes to circuits, some good and some pants. Particularly whilst developing our Primal Pattern course, we developed a simple structure for all body movements. This was intended to organise patterns that were low, moderate and high impact to help coaches clearly understand the complexity of movement upon the body. The fantastic and coincidental crossover that arose from this was that our categorisation translates to energy demands on the body for the movements making it and excellent matrix to base circuits from as you can keep a flow in the circuit whilst alternating between low and high demand exercises.
 |
| Bodyweight movement |
For example:
- Circuit 1
- Exercise 1 - Press Ups
- Exercise 2 - Alternate lunges
- Exercise 3 - Tuck Jumps
- Circuit 2
- Exercise 1 - Pull Ups
- Exercise 2 - Farmers Walk
- Exercise 3 - 30 metre sprints
- Circuit 3
- Exercise 1 - Squats
- Exercise 2 - Woodchops
- Exercise 3 - Burpees
Why not enjoy 30 days FREE of our online tailored fitness programmes giving you completely personalised video programmes and nutritional guidance. Click here to get started.
Let me know how you get on with the exercises and fire any questions straight back
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Using your body
Its been a manic week of travel this week and all very exciting.
Starting some research on kettlebells with Sheffield Hallam, we've been working with some of the GB olympic strength and conditioning coaches showing them how to use kettlebells properly and discussing the training benefits.
It's very interesting working with coaches from different backgrounds as we all have very unique and different experiences as well as expertise which can often lead to very different opinions but essentially all working towards the same single goal: what works the best!?!?
If you've been tuning into my blogs then you'll already be aware of our unique bodyweight training appraoch that we call Primal Flow. We've arranged to take it to some of the national coaches who'll be giving their feedback on it which will be fantastic.
This week Jenny, myself and two very experienced coaches took on an almighty Primal Flow circuit. James Walker, a Kettlebell Master Trainer and tutor joined in as well as Ben Hockman, an MMA and kickboxing conditioning specialist who runs Martial Arts Company Beyond Fighting. Both coaches have years of both competitive and coaching experience behind them and have a wealth of experience in having sampled many different types of fitness training. With their seasoned expertise, we were keen to get their thoughts on our sytem.
The session was simple and had two waves. Both had 4 work stations each focussing on different areas - upper, lower, core and movement. The first wave was geared towards stability & strength and had 4 layers, each progressive to the last in movement and duration. The second wave only had 3 layers but was aimed at power and anaerobic capacity. Despite the session taking just 45 minutes, it was fair to say that we were all well worked by the end.
Here's what they had to say:
James Walker "A new era of bodyweight training!, takes what you thought you knew about bodyweight training and flips it on it's head..."
Ben Hockman "Having been a martial artist for 13 years, I've done a lot of bodyweight focussed training. But this is different and you have to try it! The primal movements force you to stabilise whilst also requiring far more strength than you would for the standard push-up or squat. The constant and rapid variation between exercises also ensures a great functional conditioning workout without exhausting one particular muscle group to the extent of needing days off to recover. Great system and if you still believe in the need for equipment to get a good resistance and cardio workout, think again!!!"
Very kind words and obviously, they were both well paid for that. If you'd like to become qualified as a Primal Flow specialist then look at our next course dates and if you'd like to experience this type of training then look at your nearest class of our OutFIT sessions.
Starting some research on kettlebells with Sheffield Hallam, we've been working with some of the GB olympic strength and conditioning coaches showing them how to use kettlebells properly and discussing the training benefits.
It's very interesting working with coaches from different backgrounds as we all have very unique and different experiences as well as expertise which can often lead to very different opinions but essentially all working towards the same single goal: what works the best!?!?
If you've been tuning into my blogs then you'll already be aware of our unique bodyweight training appraoch that we call Primal Flow. We've arranged to take it to some of the national coaches who'll be giving their feedback on it which will be fantastic.
This week Jenny, myself and two very experienced coaches took on an almighty Primal Flow circuit. James Walker, a Kettlebell Master Trainer and tutor joined in as well as Ben Hockman, an MMA and kickboxing conditioning specialist who runs Martial Arts Company Beyond Fighting. Both coaches have years of both competitive and coaching experience behind them and have a wealth of experience in having sampled many different types of fitness training. With their seasoned expertise, we were keen to get their thoughts on our sytem.
The session was simple and had two waves. Both had 4 work stations each focussing on different areas - upper, lower, core and movement. The first wave was geared towards stability & strength and had 4 layers, each progressive to the last in movement and duration. The second wave only had 3 layers but was aimed at power and anaerobic capacity. Despite the session taking just 45 minutes, it was fair to say that we were all well worked by the end.
Here's what they had to say:
James Walker "A new era of bodyweight training!, takes what you thought you knew about bodyweight training and flips it on it's head..."
Ben Hockman "Having been a martial artist for 13 years, I've done a lot of bodyweight focussed training. But this is different and you have to try it! The primal movements force you to stabilise whilst also requiring far more strength than you would for the standard push-up or squat. The constant and rapid variation between exercises also ensures a great functional conditioning workout without exhausting one particular muscle group to the extent of needing days off to recover. Great system and if you still believe in the need for equipment to get a good resistance and cardio workout, think again!!!"
Very kind words and obviously, they were both well paid for that. If you'd like to become qualified as a Primal Flow specialist then look at our next course dates and if you'd like to experience this type of training then look at your nearest class of our OutFIT sessions.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tight hamstrings??
One of the main issues in posture and exercise can be tight / shortened or over active hamstrings.
It's not suprising really. We have all conditioned ourselves to sit in this very unhuman and abnormal positing of seated. As a recent creation, sitting on a chair distorts the body position over time. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem but our evolvement into creatures spending often over a third of our time in this position, ramifications ensue. If you think about it, when you're sitting, your hamstrings are remaining in a shorter than normal position with the knee being flexed. For arguments sake, we'll assume that normal is standing for the purpose of proving this point. The front of the hips (hip flexors) are also in a shortened position, the lower stomach muscles are elongated and remain redundant whilst sitting and the glutes are also stretched out.
With all of this going on, the profile of the hips, the alignment of the spine all the way into the shoulders and head position are all disaffected. So, what do you do to avoid back pain, constant shoulder ache and a weak core?
Here are some simple suggestions to help you self help if you feel the above is relevant to you or anyone you know:
It's not suprising really. We have all conditioned ourselves to sit in this very unhuman and abnormal positing of seated. As a recent creation, sitting on a chair distorts the body position over time. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem but our evolvement into creatures spending often over a third of our time in this position, ramifications ensue. If you think about it, when you're sitting, your hamstrings are remaining in a shorter than normal position with the knee being flexed. For arguments sake, we'll assume that normal is standing for the purpose of proving this point. The front of the hips (hip flexors) are also in a shortened position, the lower stomach muscles are elongated and remain redundant whilst sitting and the glutes are also stretched out.
With all of this going on, the profile of the hips, the alignment of the spine all the way into the shoulders and head position are all disaffected. So, what do you do to avoid back pain, constant shoulder ache and a weak core?
Here are some simple suggestions to help you self help if you feel the above is relevant to you or anyone you know:
- Firstly, look at your habits and think how you can avoid over sitting. Avoid gym machinery, have breaks when sitting at a desk. Rather than trying to fix a symptom, think about changing and adjusting the cause.
- Use a foam roller. This can release tension in soft tissues that simple stretching wouldn't get near. If you haven't seen one or don't know how to use one then visit the Creating Chaos shop and take a look at our online fitness area. Focus on releasing tension in your thighs, front of hip, side of thigh and inner thigh.
- Stick to compound exercises where possible, the more of your body engaging in movement, the better and more naturally efficient your kinetic chain will become. (assuming good technique)
- Wake your glutes up (your backside). By far the laziest muscle in the body but the most important. Get this muscle active, dominant and firing like a piston and you're well on your way.
- Practise breathing from your lower abdominals. As babies, this is natural and we unlearn this great habit as adults. Practise daily for a few weeks before noticing how it starts to become natural. While standing is best, draw large breathe in through the nose and inflate the stomach in the process. Then draw the stomach back in and exhale whilst tightening the lower stomach muscles to the spine.
- Incorporate simple motor skill exercises or balance work into your exercise. These seemingly simple activities will force your body into situations where stability through movement and function are crucial and you have to do it. It's all very good being able to hold a plank for 2-3 minutes but what use is stability if it isn't functional.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Beat the cooler weather
With temperatures dropping in September and nights drawing in, there is no need to feel that you can't continue to enjoy being outdoors, active and making the most of our natural surroundings.
That said, there are some considerations that you should take into account to ensure that your experiences remain safe, enjoyable and fun:
That said, there are some considerations that you should take into account to ensure that your experiences remain safe, enjoyable and fun:
- Visibility - if you're looking to head out in the evenings or early mornings, stick to areas well lit or make sure that you are visible and that you have good visibility. This may be in the way of a head torch or some luminous clothing. If you are heading off the beaten track where traffic isn't a problem, ensure you have a headtorch or stick to areas where there is little in the way of tree canopy overhead. You'll be surprised by how quickly your eyes adapt to ambient light.
- Footwear - Make sure the tread of your footwear is suitable for the surface you're on. This is something important for all year round but as the flip flops hibernate for autumn and winter, it is more important that in the more inclement weather, you're as sturdy as can be on your feet. Good cushioning for hard surfaces is crucial and sturdy non-slip tread for off-road is a must.
- Warmth - If you're exercising then you should generate a fair amount of heat but in winter, it can take longer for you to feel this benefit. Thermal layers are great and the options these days are fantastic. You'll know your own body better than anyone else but it's better to have more than less. Remember this - anyone can be a cold and wet fool. Multiple breathable layers will help hugely and there are some great shower proof light jackets available that don't restrict movement.
- Emergencies - It sounds like common sense and something you wouldn't need telling but think about safety. Who are you telling your route to? Are you near to any phone facilities if things go badly or will you be carrying a mobile? What time do you anticipate returning?
- Fuel & Hydration - In cooler weather, the body burns more fuel to maintain core temperature. Making sure you are fully fuelled at the beginning and well hydrated is vital. Carrying water and sipping helps a lot and if you're planning a long excursion, are you going to take some additional fuel. I'm not going to promote what to have on this. We all have different preferences and requirements. If you know you can still perform whilst digesting solid food then have something that gives you the boost you need. One thing to note is that sugary foods or carb gels that sell by the bucket load absorb water and leave you with a dry sticky mouth. I much prefer some protein but this is personal preference. Don't be fooled into thinking that carbs are the only energy source. Fats and protein are just as much a source of energy and anyone saying differently is either a salesperson for carb replacement fads or doesn't understand nutrition. I'm not encouraging eating pies but of all the endurance events that I've ever done (quite a few), the best refuelling I've ever had was by eating a small pork pie midway. Not the healthiest of snacks but the balance of protein and fat was perfect for me!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Angry exercise
As a trainer but more than that, someone who has loved exercise and fitness for a long time, I've seen interesting things in gyms and certain trends that kind of summarise the types of mindsets that people approach exercise with. I'm going to cover a number of them in coming blogs but the first one and sometimes the most entertaining: Angry exercisers.
We all know that doing exercise can be a great way to relieve stress, release tension and just have a bit of a blow out. If you've been in a gym then the chances are you may have seen these types of people.
They're the people that seem to have a permanent grimace, stare into mirrors without emotion, make loud noises when dropping weights and just inject fear into other gym users. It's probably worth me mentioning that it's important not to get these confused with people that properly train with olympic lifting or power lifting. There is a need in this type of training to drop weights fast due to the training mechanics of how they're conditioning the body.
Well, if the description above rings a resonance, it may be nice to know that they're doing themselves no favours strutting their stuff in anger. Levels of cortisol in the body are higher when angry and this restricts growth, metabolism and most internal function which means muscle development is slower, weight loss is slower and it'll take them twice as long doing angry exercise than it would doing calmer and relatively happier exercise.
If the above description feels like a personal statement of your gym visits and you would like to benefit from gym visits or exercise then I'd recommend calming yourself before going? Listen to some calming but inspiring music and maybe include some deep breathing exercises into your warm up.
Having the ability to use a little mental grit within exercise is obviously useful but this should be controlled determination and not the angry teenager gene. Being able to switch it on and then off is a useful skill.
I'm stuck for time but I'll add to this - my next blog will look more at the types of people that just turn up but seem not to actually do very much.
We all know that doing exercise can be a great way to relieve stress, release tension and just have a bit of a blow out. If you've been in a gym then the chances are you may have seen these types of people.
They're the people that seem to have a permanent grimace, stare into mirrors without emotion, make loud noises when dropping weights and just inject fear into other gym users. It's probably worth me mentioning that it's important not to get these confused with people that properly train with olympic lifting or power lifting. There is a need in this type of training to drop weights fast due to the training mechanics of how they're conditioning the body.
Well, if the description above rings a resonance, it may be nice to know that they're doing themselves no favours strutting their stuff in anger. Levels of cortisol in the body are higher when angry and this restricts growth, metabolism and most internal function which means muscle development is slower, weight loss is slower and it'll take them twice as long doing angry exercise than it would doing calmer and relatively happier exercise.
If the above description feels like a personal statement of your gym visits and you would like to benefit from gym visits or exercise then I'd recommend calming yourself before going? Listen to some calming but inspiring music and maybe include some deep breathing exercises into your warm up.
Having the ability to use a little mental grit within exercise is obviously useful but this should be controlled determination and not the angry teenager gene. Being able to switch it on and then off is a useful skill.
I'm stuck for time but I'll add to this - my next blog will look more at the types of people that just turn up but seem not to actually do very much.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
A healthy state of mind
I spoke at an event on Friday about pointers on fitness. Whilst some people agreed, I think others were a little suprised when my first and most important pointer was and is self perception.
Some may have been hoping for some little known or magical exercises to rid stomach fat (which on a generic scale don't exist - you can't spot reduce) but more important than the specifics of exercise is your self perception and your motivation. The reason being really simple, my experience tells me that being fit and healthy doesn't necessarily mean that you'll know you are and be happy. The key is to love yourself and what you are before you start, that way, you'll respect, listen to, treat your body properly and benefit so much more.
Living in a world of false ideals where glossy magazines and TV are suffocated with air brushed, overly tanned and often superficial celebrities, it's understandable to know that many people in modern society have low self esteem, poor confidence and don't like what they see in the mirror.
It's absolutely scandalous that fake idols and images can have such a huge impact on so many. As the marketing industry knows, as a people, we rely heavily on what we see. But actually, many of the decisions we make are based upon feelings. So answer this question, how do you feel when you look at those sorts of images? If the answer is not so great, then don't put those sorts of images infront of yourself.
Knowing that we make informed decisions better when we feel good it may be worth answering a few more questions:
What kind of foods make me feel good?
What kinds of activities make me feel good?
Being around who do I feel better with?
I heard a nice metaphor 'you should treat your body like you would an expensive car', give it good fuel, regular servicing, take it for a spin and generally avoid it becoming a rusty bucket.
Hope you've enjoyed my thoughts, why not leave me a comment?
- Posted whilst adventurising using BlogPress from my iPhone
Some may have been hoping for some little known or magical exercises to rid stomach fat (which on a generic scale don't exist - you can't spot reduce) but more important than the specifics of exercise is your self perception and your motivation. The reason being really simple, my experience tells me that being fit and healthy doesn't necessarily mean that you'll know you are and be happy. The key is to love yourself and what you are before you start, that way, you'll respect, listen to, treat your body properly and benefit so much more.
Living in a world of false ideals where glossy magazines and TV are suffocated with air brushed, overly tanned and often superficial celebrities, it's understandable to know that many people in modern society have low self esteem, poor confidence and don't like what they see in the mirror.
It's absolutely scandalous that fake idols and images can have such a huge impact on so many. As the marketing industry knows, as a people, we rely heavily on what we see. But actually, many of the decisions we make are based upon feelings. So answer this question, how do you feel when you look at those sorts of images? If the answer is not so great, then don't put those sorts of images infront of yourself.
Knowing that we make informed decisions better when we feel good it may be worth answering a few more questions:
What kind of foods make me feel good?
What kinds of activities make me feel good?
Being around who do I feel better with?
I heard a nice metaphor 'you should treat your body like you would an expensive car', give it good fuel, regular servicing, take it for a spin and generally avoid it becoming a rusty bucket.
Hope you've enjoyed my thoughts, why not leave me a comment?
- Posted whilst adventurising using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Can too much fruit be bad?
Although I only do limited personal training these days, I always offer to provide nutritional guidance if people want it. Some people are quite happy with what they eat and feel they know what the difference between healthy and not healthy food is. I don't doubt this for a second with most although I recently met someone that got me thinking.
We live in a society that promotes this 5 a day message on fruit and veg. Whilst the fundamentals of this are good direction, it's important to know a few things. A few months back I met someone who swore blind that they ate a super healthy and balanced diet. They never touched package food, it was only fresh, organic, regular and seemingly the kind of diet that have most of us feeling a little bit guilty and possibly inspired.
The problem was that the person in question had quite a history of tooth decay, receding gums and numerous fillings. Looking at the food diary, it was absolutely packed with fruit. In fact, most days had at least 6-7 pieces of fruit which is pretty high and eaten on their own.
On large, fruit is good but the thing to remember is that it is essentially sugar (fructose). Whilst sugar is important and vital towards cellular and brain function, excessive amounts can be extremely bad and can lead to an increased storage of fat. The best way to think of fruit is good sugar when in moderation, not to mention it's provision of fibre and other micro-nutrients.
Here are some simple tips that can help with fruit intake:
We live in a society that promotes this 5 a day message on fruit and veg. Whilst the fundamentals of this are good direction, it's important to know a few things. A few months back I met someone who swore blind that they ate a super healthy and balanced diet. They never touched package food, it was only fresh, organic, regular and seemingly the kind of diet that have most of us feeling a little bit guilty and possibly inspired.
The problem was that the person in question had quite a history of tooth decay, receding gums and numerous fillings. Looking at the food diary, it was absolutely packed with fruit. In fact, most days had at least 6-7 pieces of fruit which is pretty high and eaten on their own.
On large, fruit is good but the thing to remember is that it is essentially sugar (fructose). Whilst sugar is important and vital towards cellular and brain function, excessive amounts can be extremely bad and can lead to an increased storage of fat. The best way to think of fruit is good sugar when in moderation, not to mention it's provision of fibre and other micro-nutrients.
Here are some simple tips that can help with fruit intake:
- Make sure that your fruit mix is predominantly fruit from your home country. Your system is better designed to break down and get the most out of native fruit.
- Drink water or eat a non-sugar based food after eating fruit to flush residue sugar from attempting to assinate your teeth
- Try where possible to get your fruit from good source. The nutrients in the fruit are only as good as the soil it was grown on. Empty Harvest (Jenson & Anderson 1990) is an excellent book on this. Fruit in supermarkets can be upto 9 months old by the time you pick it off the shelf. Freezing and waxing are common ways to store and maintain longevity of the fruit post picking.
- Vary the fruit you eat. Your digestive system adapts to what you challenge it and eating the same fruit will reduce the value you get from it.
- Eat fruit seasonally, again supermarkets can distort and confuse what is ripe at what time of year. There are loads of online resources to help you with this. http://www.eattheseasons.co.uk/ is an easy one that is kept updated with current and seasonal foods.
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