Are you a User or Abuser???

In my work I am often in conversations that go a little something like this.

"Yeah my _____________ is really sore, especially after I ____________." Or, "I have a lot of trouble with my ______________, especially after I have _____________."

OK, so now that your mind has filled in the blanks with all sort of inappropriate things, let me direct you towards what I am getting at. Many times I hear about what people have that bothers them and what sorts of activities (or non-activities) aggravate their issues. What I don't hear is what they are doing to solve the problem. And when they do talk about the solving the problem, it is often a last resort/drastic attempt at a solution.

Perfect example, and this did just happen to me today. A friend of mine and I were working out at the same time. He says to me, "man my shoulder is still jacked up!" Then he tells me that after softball season he is going to have it scoped and possibly operated on! So I ask him, "well what are you working on today?" He says "shoulders and arms". He also explains how he has a softball game later that night!!! So I say something about him "stretching it and icing it after all that activity" and he just sort of mumbles something about "yeah I need to do more of that". To add insult to injury, I then see him working his shoulders doing overhead dumbbell presses which are notoriously rough on the shoulders if you do not have adequate flexibility and muscular balance!!!

Bingo! There you have it. You have a guy who has a nagging injury. He plans to have it operated on to some extent but not until his softball season is over. And he is doing nothing in the meantime to see if he can alleviate the pain/solve his problem but is continuing to do exercises that are known problem causers!!! DUHHHHHHH!!!! (And this guy is a doctor!!! Sorry, I love my doctor friends but most of them are the most stubborn of all!)

Time and time again I hear things like this. People are not using their bodies but abusing their bodies. When they can't bare it any longer, their first thought is a doctor and surgery! I also experience a lot of people talking about what happens when they aren't using their bodies enough. Like when people sit at a desk all day or they do activities that cause a lot of repetitive motion as part of a job or hobby. Yet when I ask them what they are doing to counteract that activity or inactivity .... nothing!!!

So now hear this! I do declare that most people are body users and abusers!!! To combat this problem I suggest the following steps:

• When problems develop ... consider the activities or inactivity that has maybe contributed to the said problem over
• Think about what strategies you can use to help alleviate the problem (Stretching, icing, elevating, getting up and moving around every so often when seated for long periods of time, etc.)
• Realize that your methods for solving a problem are not going to work over night necessarily. Time and consistent attention to the problem are going to be needed. You can't treat an area every now and then or when you feel like it ... you have to do it every day and do it after every activity that may involve the problem area

Here is a list of common problems/symptoms I hear people complaining about and what someone should do to treat the affected area:

Low Back Pain: Almost always due to weak abdominals (especially lower) and tight hamstrings

Solution - stretch your hamstrings daily - especially after activity where your legs are being used and work to strengthen your abdominals focusing on the lower portion) If you sleep on your side, put a pillow between your legs.

Shoulder pain: People want to almost immediately blame the rotator cuff and it is true that this is a sensitive area that can be aggravated by a variety of activities.

Solution - Again, stretching this area after most weight training activities, even cardio (due to the jarring motion) and after activities where you have used your arms a lot especially in a repetitive motion (example: gardening). Ice the joint after activity as well. Finally work on warming up the joint with specific rotator exercises (internal, external) before activity and increasing your strength and range of motion in and around the shoulder through weight training and flexibility training. Also with shoulders - pay special attention to sleeping habits.

Knee trouble: If I had a nickel for every person who told me their knees were shot, I would be a rich man! There are several ligaments and tendons here that are susceptible to tears and musculature around the knee that takes a lot of abuse.

Solution - Again! Stretch the muscles of the thigh (front and back) but especially the front. Make sure to stretch the knee through appropriate ranges of motion. Also - work on your hip flexors (front above the thigh). Again - icing after aggravation can help. Avoid activities that cause pounding and avoid locking the knees during activity. Finally learn exercises that strengthen the musculature of the knee as well as help you gain more stability and balance!

Thanks for reading

Andy

I'm So Negative!

Before I get into the point of this blog post - I wanted to share a little with what is going on with me physically. My idea was to work on adding some muscle until Memorial Day weekend and then begin a "cutting" or leaning out process. That hasn't gone so well. Basically, as always, social activities and too many opportunities to splurge has prevented me from keeping my caloric intake and macronutrients where they need to be. So instead of bumming out and "getting fat", I have decided to use this time to work on gaining a little more muscle. Since I know I have been eating a lot of calories - I have tailored my training to use those calories to build muscle. And as you know if you are a reader of my posts - building muscle should be of utmost importance for everyone as I firmly believe that it keep you strong, firm, solid, functional and healthy. But enough of all that ...

Lately I have had a lot of conversations with people about how they are lifting weights. Something that I often think should be or is common knowledge (but I was reminded recently that it is not) is what a repetition consists of. Basically you have a positive (force moving the weight) part of each rep and then a negative (force controlling the weight to opposite position). So like on a chest press - the positive is pushing the weight out away from you and the negative is controlling the weight as it returns towards your body.

Often times in the gym, you will see people that focus very little attention on the negative. Instead of controlling the weight as it returns to position - they let gravity take hold and it drops. They control it just enough not to let it land - but actually that does more harm than good because stopping a weight from falling with little or no control is hard on the joints and connective tissue (tendons, ligaments).

In each rep or movement with a weight you have the opportunity to take advantage of both the positive and the negative. Failing to "work" the negative means failing to benefit from half the rep. That means you are only accomplishing HALF of the work you think you are doing. In fact from what I understand, the negative or working against gravity portion of the rep is actually responsible for greater muscle fiber recruitment and thus can lead to more "gains".

So what does this mean to you? Next time you are working with weights be it machines or free weights ... think about the movement you are doing. Where are you exerting a force to move the weight and then where is gravity taking over and the weight is falling. On that second part - control the weight - don't just let it fall. In fact - go a little slower like take 2 to 3 seconds to lower the weight versus the one second it usually takes (or less) to move the weight initially. Doing so will not only help you get way more out of the movement but will most likely leave you feeling as if your muscles accomplished so much more (usually from a little extra soreness).

Thanks for reading ...

Andy

I'm a "Bodybuilder"!

Lately whenever people ask me what I do for work, I hesitate to answer. Although my certification labels me a personal trainer, I have begun to think of myself in different terms. True, some of what I do is simply put people through workouts. But even then, my work with those individuals has sort of taken on a new life. I feel like my real goal is to build their bodies into stronger, more flexible, more functional, more efficient, healthier machines.

When I first get a client or even when I am working with clients on a regular basis, I try to keep one thing in mind. What can we do with this individuals body to make them work, look, and feel better. As such, my training has evolved into a more comprehensive process. Sure I want to make sure that we get our heart rates up some and work our muscles (I don't do a lot of cardio with my clients because, although it is good to a point, eventually it breaks a body down.). But now it isn't just about working the muscles. It is about making them more functional. Making them work in conjunction with other muscle groups so there is more balance. Creating balance though addressing areas that need to be improved and enhancing strengths is my focus now.

When I look at a individuals physique. I often watch how they move and what sorts of ranges of motion they have. Then I look at their aesthetic balance. People always say to me - "I am not trying to look like Mr. Universe" as if adding muscle in all the right spots will morph them into some muscle bound freak. I always respond with a giggle because I know what it takes for those muscle bound freaks to look like that. The fact is though, more often than not - an aesthetically pleasing physique with developed musculature in the right places is also a functional physique.

I often get a little self conscious when I start talking about building bodies and well developed musculature. I always worry that I don't embody the picture of ideal physical development. But for those of you have read previous posts - you know that what I look like now is a far cry from what I was given to work with genetically. Sure I had a decent sized frame, but my muscle bellies were long and not prone to growth. So I have had to work hard and long for years to develop a body that is finally functional and that I am happier with. With all that said, I also get a little self conscious because I wonder if people think it odd that I talk all this talk about physical development but then see me eating and drinking a little too much at times. Well, all I can say about that is that I try my darndest to pay the piper every day in the gym. Even though I might enjoy myself a little too much which may sometimes mask what I do with my body in the gym - the fact is - I still practice what I preach in the gym every single day. Because of this I can honestly say that I believe this is why I remain relatively injury free and feel strong and healthy.

“I always heard that …”

I have worked with some folks lately that have made statements to the effect of “I always heard that …” and then fill in the blank with some little nugget of information related to working out and/or dieting. Which makes me ponder, where do all these little pieces of information come from. After thinking about it for a while, I realize that there is a ton of talk and most likely literature out there filling peoples minds with tidbits of information. When I open our local paper on Wednesdays I always chuckle at the “exercises” so called trainers are demonstrating as ways to “fight the bulge” or “tighten those areas”. The trainer in me screams out … “NO – you can’t just randomly tell people to do those exercises, they need to make sure they are paying attention to this variable and that variable”. But then I take my chill pill, realize that if it gets people out there and moving, then it must be some good. But I digress.

To me there is science and/or fact in the training world and then everything else. With that said, I also KNOW that everyone is different. So “I always heard that …” statements really are ambiguous as everyone responds slightly differently to various strategies. The following list is a set of things that I think get floated around gyms that can lead to confusion. Hopefully the following provides some clarification so you can be more confident when you say, “I always know that”!

1. Amounts of cardio, types of cardio, and intensities of cardio should be varied and definitely vary from person to person. But there is one thing that I can say after years of being in this field is a universal. Cardio should be done after weights! If your goal is to burn fat, gain muscle, tone, etc. … Even if it is to bulk up – cardio should always come after weights. I will not go into a diatribe about the science behind this. But just know that your body needs to use the stuff most available at the beginning of your workouts to get the most out of your weights. After that, the cardio will use the “stuff” that you want it to use to complete your cardio!

2. Rep ranges are not universal. There are common ranges that are used to accomplish certain goals when working with weights – lower for strength, moderate from muscle building, and slightly higher for maintenance and “toning”. But everyone responds to rep ranges a little differently depending on the composition of their muscle fibers. As such everyone should experiment and rotate rep ranges.

3. No one set of diet rules applies to everyone but there are some things that do. Basically, what I mean is that not everyone should be eating the same macronutrient profile and same sorts of foods. However there are definitely themes that should be part of every diet. Get plenty of protein (at least .8 grams per pound of body weight), eat plenty of green and leafy vegetables, avoid foods with high concentrations of sugars and/or “bad” fats … butters, syrups, candies, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, fried foods, etc. and of course eat smaller more periodic meals – at least 5 per day vs. the traditional 3.

4. Body types have a huge influence on what sort of training you will respond to. There are three types of bodies – I call them short and stocky, long and lean, and combination of the two. (Others would call them ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs). The reality is that a lot of people have combinations of these body types. For instance I am longer and leaner but also have elements of the in between type as well as short and stocky. Which I might mention is such a blessing (the tone here is sarcasm) as I have the worst elements of each. I am long and don’t gain muscle very easy but at the same time I can gain fat easily as I tend not to have a high metabolism. What this really get’s at is frames and muscle fibers. Depending on what sort of frame you have and what sort of muscle fiber types you have – this will impact what sort of training your body best responds to. So saying that one sort of training is the way to go just doesn’t work, as we are all so unique!

There is a lot more to discuss when it comes to science vs. gym mythology that floats around there and the thousands of different variables that people read about related to fitness and training. For now though, I will leave you with at least a partial list of what I think everyone should say, “I always know that …”.

Thanks for reading,

Andy

Everything you need to know about your diet ...

Okay folks, here it is! The obligatory New Year’s blog post about what YOU need to do to finally make the changes you want. For this entry I will be focusing on diet. I am on my own quest to finally have my dietary plan in good working order so I thought it appropriate to review the details here. What I am going to share with you is the TRUTH … the science and facts behind what I am writing are there. If you apply these things – you will see the changes you want! As we all know – it is about discipline and motivation, but using this information will help you make the changes you need. I am going to try and be as simple as possible because I think diet information often gets super convoluted. And since it is 2010 I thought it appropriate to also give you a list of 10! So without further adieu:

1. You must eat breakfast and it must be a combination of protein and carbohydrates. Ideally the amounts would be equal. Eggs, turkey sausage, protein powder in your pancakes/waffles (like I do) are just a few ideas. Watch your sugar intake with regards to juices, fruits, and other sugar in breakfast products … which leads me to …

2. Understand the glycemic index. If you eat too much sugar at one setting or eat foods that are highly processed carbohydrates (cereal would be an example) then your insulin will shoot out of your pancreas to “act” on that sugar to regulate it. Sugar and processed foods digest quickly so before the insulin has time to “act” on it, the food is digested. This leaves a lot of insulin floating in your blood with nothing to do. And so it stores itself as fat. Insulin is really good at that. Which is where you get that whole type-2 diabetic thing. (I may not have been all scientifically articulate here – but this is the gist)

3. Eat at least 5 small meals a day – sometimes even six. Small means no bigger than your hand. And at least your palm should be protein in most meals!

4. Base your diet around protein. Lean beef (don’t be afraid), Bison (again, don’t be afraid), chicken, tuna, salmon, eggs, and even nuts and beans are all protein sources. Shoot for more protein than anything else. It keeps you full and keeps your muscles “full”! Every cell in your body is protein. Protein is made of amino acids that help make your muscles. Muscle mass burns fat! Protein will help slow digestion of carbs when ingested together. Protein! Protein! Protein!

5. Try to limit your starchy and processed carbs to early in the day. If you must have anything like pasta or cereal – do it before 1 or 2. A whole grain bread on a sandwich might be okay if you stop there. Remember your portions!

6. Green is your friend! Broccoli, green leafy things, asparagus, etc. These are the best veggies to eat and you can eat all you want without hardly any consequence. But be careful what you dress them up with – or they quickly are negated! Best time to eat these is ALWAYS – but nighttime is a good time to put these in place of other carbs. Fyi – I hate this one and really have a hard time with it!

7. Don’t freak out about all fat. Some fat is good and essential. Fats in fish and nuts are great. A little olive oil is cool. Too much animal fat and things like butter … that is where you get into trouble.

8. IF you lift weights (which you should do at least 3 times a week) – an exception to the “quickly digesting carbohydrate avoidance rule” comes into play. After you have thoroughly worked your muscles – they can benefit from a moderate does of “sugar”. But you must combine this with a protein. This is where a meal replacement shake comes in real handy.

9. Try and get in the habit of consuming at least 1 meal replacement or protein shake a day. This can sometimes be a meal replacement bar. Again, good amount of protein … not too much sugar (less than 15 grams) and moderate fat in your post workout meal.

10. We (as a general population) don’t get enough protein, enough veggies, enough minerals, or enough water. Supplement. Invest in a good quality multi-vitamin (I really like liquid multivitamins), drink at least 8 to glasses of water a day, and focus on eating more protein than you are used to.

That’s it. Nothing earth shattering. If anything, it is a reminder for all of us. Hopefully this is simple and not too wordy. Of course feel free to contact me do discuss this further if you have any thoughts/questions. Print it out and put it somewhere as a reminder of what you need to focus on every day if that helps.

As always,

Thanks for reading,

Andy