Random Randomness

I love the first few nice days of the spring, especially when they technically come in the winter. The best part is seeing people running on the streets of Hudson at 5:30 in the morning. Seeing people outside early in the morning getting some good work in really gets me energized and motivated for my day.

I was at the gym earlier this week with a client when I faintly heard "Hey! Help! Help!" I turned and saw some poor sap lying on a bench pinned under a barbell. I ran over and picked the bar off his chest. A couple things come to mind. First thing is, that's really stupid. Good trainers spend so much time and effort teaching proper technique so people don't get injured, so don't injure yourself my attempting to lift too much weight or get one more lift when you know you are fatigued. It's just not worth it. Also, a Dumbbell press is a far better exercise. It allows for freedom of motion at your shoulders, builds unilateral strength, and is much more safe. If you get stuck you can simply drop the dumbbells. You might make some noise but I'd much rather you make a little noise than get injured.

For the past year I have been fully committed to the barefoot bandwagon. I train barefoot. I do most of my running barefoot. I love it. Yesterday I learned the bad thing about training barefoot. When you kick something while barefoot it hurts much more.

Activate your Glutes!

Up until now I've focused on hip mobility when it comes to reconditioning an injured low back. After the hips are properly mobilized then it's time to strengthen the glute muscles. Most good coaches and trainers (like me!) include the glutes as a core muscle. It is possibly the most important core muscle. And it should be our primary hip extender. I say "should" because so many of us sit all day long (at work, in the car, on the couch) that our glutes stop functioning optimally. When the glutes stop functioning then something else has to over compensate...and in this case it's the hamstrings. This leads to hamstring injuries. If you've ever had a hamstring injury take this quick test. Perform a single leg hip extension. Check your bum with your hand. Is it rock solid? Or is it soft? Can you lift one side higher than the other? If it's soft then you need to get your glutes working. If you passed the test it's time to further strengthen your glutes. Even if you didn't pass this is a great exercise to add to your warm-up.

Single Leg Hip Pivot

1. Start by stretching your arms up over your head.
2. Slightly bend your right knee
3. Pivot at your hips. Stretch out with your hands and your heel. Try to keep your arms with your ears. Extend your back knee and stretch. Stretching with your arms and leg will help you keep a natural curve in your back and keep both hips parallel to the floor.

Give this a try and next week I'll show you how to load this movement pattern to really strengthen the glutes.

Encouraging New Show

I haven't ranted about the food we eat in quite some time. Long time readers know I am a big proponent of eating Real Food. Real food consists of meats (eggs, beef, chicken, fish), vegetables, and fruit. We eat far too much processed foods and food products, and it's killing us. Today's children will have a shorter life span than their parents due solely to the crap we are feeding them. I mention this because recently I have seen a couple commercials for a new television show that has piqued my interest. It's Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on ABC starting in a couple weeks. After seeing the commercials I was really hoping it wasn't going to be crap like the Biggest Loser. (Seriously, Jillian Michaels is hawking weight loss pills? What a fraud.) Anyway, after watching this video of a presentation Jamie Oliver gave I am especially encouraged by the show and the good that it can do. I highly encourage everyone to take a mere 20 minutes and check it out.

Have a great weekend everyone!

More About Metabolic Resistence Training

Those of you who I often speak with no how I feel about steady state cardio for weight loss (it's ineffective.) Everyday I see the same people plugging away on a treadmill or elliptical machine for 30 - 45 minutes. Those are the people who never get any results from their training. The goal should be to increase strength while also increasing long term metabolic rate. This is done using Metabolic Resistence Training. Here is a video by Rachel Cosgrove. In it she articulates the reasons for this strategy much better then I can. It's all about utilizing activities that will build muscle, result in an elevated metabolism for hours post-workout, and burn calories during the workout. Metabolic Resistence Training is the best way to accomplish all three things at once.

Stop Doing Crunches

Today's post will be in keeping with the low back reconditioning theme.

There are many popular exercises performed every day by people at the gym that makes me cringe. Probably the worst one is excessive crunches. There simply isn't enough time to tell people how much damage they are doing to their low backs by performs hundreds of crunches or, even worse, use the trunk flexion machine. Here is a good article written about Dr. Stuart McGill, who is a leading back researcher and has been a very influential figure in the fitness industry for some time. "While there are lots of ways to injure a back, the sit-up is an easily preventable one. According to his research, a crunch or traditional sit-up generates at least 3,350 newtons (the equivalent of 340 kg) of compressive force on the spine. The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health states that anything above 3,300 newtons is unsafe." The point is, our lumbar spines only have so many flexions in them before the disks herniate. Why perform hundreds of crunches per day knowing that is a great predictor of future back pain? The problem is often vanity. Everyone wants the six pack. Truth is everyone has a six pack...it's just covered up by a layer of fat. If you truely want a better looking mid-section then you need to turn your focus to your diet and create a caloric deficit while eating the proper amount of protien and dietary fats. One of the great core exercises is the bird dog. This can be a difficult exercise to perfect without instruction. They keys for this exercise are:

1. set up with your hands directly under your shoulders and hips directly under your knees
2. Extend at your hip and opposite shoulder. The key is to press your hand and foot out as opposed to just lifting your limbs up. You should have zero movement in your back.
   

This is another great exercise to add to your daily routine!

If it's Important Do it Every Day

Earlier this week I was talking to one of the women I work with about her recurring neck problem. This isn't a major issue by any stretch. She just feels a little tugging on the side of her neck when performing some exercises like heavy deadlifts. Her FMS shows limited thoracic spine (mid and upper back) mobility. Thoracic spine immobility often will lead to neck pain. We perform some upper back mobility corrective exercises during each session but she still has some lingering discomfort. I was then reminded of a great line I recently learned; If it's Important Do it Every Day! Corrective exercise is important! Foam rolling is important! These things should be done every single day, not only on the days you train. In fact, if you really want to offset the damage done to your body (especially for those office workers out there) you should take just a few minutes multiple times per day to perform some corrective exercises and foam roll.

Obviously this rule isn't limited to fitness. If progressing in your career is important to you then read or do some type of professional development every day. If you want to learn to play an instrument (I want to learn the harmonica) then you must practice every day. You have much more time than you think to accomplish your goals. I wrote last year about budgeting your 112 hours. Check it out!

Everyone have a great weekend!

Oh, and if you suffer from neck pain here are some great corrective and strength exercises to make part of your daily routine:

1. Seated t-spine rotation
2. T-spine Extension
3. Shoulder circuit
4. Inverted Row
   

Choose the right Fish Oil

I was just watching the morning news and came across this story about a lawsuit filed against some fish oil suppliers because of their elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenel compounds (PCBs.) PCBs have been found to cause cancer and birth defects. As many of you know I am a big proponent of taking 4 - 6 grams of fish oil per day. So this report may cause some alarm. This study found that the most contaminated fish oils are Nature Made Cod Liver Oil, Now Foods' Salmon Oil, and Double Strength Cod Liver Oil. These are all fish oil from larger fish, fish further up on the food chain. That's the key. The lower on the food chain the fish oil is from the less contaminated it will be. You should be diligent about reading the labels. Look specifically for sardines, anchovies, and krill. If it simply says "fish oil" then the company is likely hiding something and it should be avoided. Fish oil is a very important part of everyone's diet. The anti-inflamatory and heart health properties have been well documented. Just be sure to read the labels and you will have no worries about taking a contaminated product.