Fassination

I Know Kung Fu

2009-08-29T09:42:00.008-04:00

Kevin at The FitCast has been reminding me every week that I haven't updated my blog in months. Even Tony called me out for not updating, and he's the guy that hangs out at Lord of the Rings festivals...allegedly.

I've been hard at work with my Orthopedic Residency at the University of Delaware, but unfortunately my 60-70 hour work weeks leave me little time for much more than recording the show once/week and updating my Facebook page. The good news is that I'm learning a lot, so it will definitely be worth all of the long hours, sleepless nights...and dusty blog posts.

With all of that going on, I did get the chance to unwind with one of my favorite movies, 1999's groundbreaking instant classic, The Matrix. Taking cues and inspiration from religion, classic literature, modern cyber-culture, Hong Kong martial arts and Japanese anime films, and even a healthy dose of Alice in Wonderland, The Matrix redefined how we create television and cinema.

Neo, the protagonist of the film, transforms from a simple 9-5 computer programmer and hacker into a modern-day super hero capable of amazing abilities, learning how to move faster than a speeding bullet and leap tall buildings in a single bound. But just like a certain blue-and-red suited crusader for Truth, Justice and the American Way, Neo didn't need to work hard for years and years in order to perfect his skills and abilities: all he really needed to do was plug himself in and download the information! I can't think of anything easier than that...except maybe just stepping outside and being able to fly Under a Yellow Sun.

The idea of achieving an amazing life without an equally amazing dedication towards achieving it is littered throughout our culture, unfortunately. We play the lottery so that we can become instant millionaires and we cram the night before an exam so that we can pass a test.

The fitness field is rampant with "Instant E-Gurus" that announce themselves as experts, producing sloppy YouTube videos and e-books in order to make a fast buck without the slightest bit of education or experience (insert Tracy Anderson joke here). In turn, they feed into our own "something for nothing" instincts by promising the world for as little as 10 minutes a day and 2 low payments of $39.95

And you won't even get bulky!

As you might have guessed, the solution to any problem is rarely as simple as this, and it usually only works in the movies for people named Morpheus and Trinity. By feeding into these impulses, we often end up wasting more energy and time by not achieving our goals than had we simply dedicated ourselves to performing the hard work that we should have done in the first place. It's almost always better to do something rather than nothing, and if you can dedicate yourself to even 10 minutes of exercise each day, I'd much rather see that you do; however, if you're just making excuses to yourself and trying to "cheat the system," at the end of the day you're likely to end up with exactly what you've put in: excuses.

In the last three months, I've averaged 65 hours/week at the clinic. I've worked as much as 17 hours in one day, and average 13-14 hours each day. In the end, I will have learned an enormous amount of information, acquired a huge amount of experience and become a better therapist because of it...and that's why I wanted to do this. When it's done, I will be applying for Fellowship training in manual physical therapy, another year of advanced training and education. When I say that I want to be "the best," I mean it. But unlike Neo, I know that if you want something, you have to work for it. Sometimes, you really have to work for it. But if you do, good things will come of it, too.

Whatever your goals are, keep at them. Resist the temptation to take the easy way out or the quick fix. Earn your results through your efforts and your dedication, and you will be better for the experience.

Trust me.

-Jonathan

I've been unfaithful...

2009-05-07T21:02:00.003-04:00

I cheated on the Fitcast!

Have a listen: In the Trenches Fitness: Episode 3 with Mike Robertson

Mike and I talked about physical therapy and sports performance settings, what I learned from Bill Hartman, what strength coaches can learn from PT's, what MMA fighters, from beginners to advanced, need to focus on to improve...not to mention just what I've been up to for the past two months!

It's always awesome to catch up with Mike, and we had some great discussions. Have a listen and enjoy it!

-Jonathan

Turn to "Hire" Education

2009-05-05T06:00:00.002-04:00

The last few months have certainly been busy for me, as any of you who routinely listen to The Fitcast (and really, isn't everyone?) already know.

Who's that handsome Devil addressing his graduating class?

Unfortunately, of course, as my workload increases, my time to focus on things like the blog gets cut short. Luckily, I have some great readers such as Katie Wilson that offered to help keep the blog warm until I get back.

Katie writes her own website, AdvantageEDU, which is an excellent resource for navigating the many choices for continuing education and online degrees. For those of you interested in learning more about health and wellness, or hoping to advance your clinical skills as trainers, take a look below, then make sure to check out her website for more information.

Thanks Katie!

Educational Opportunities for Personal Trainers

The road towards becoming a personal trainer does not have to be restricted within one realm of health and fitness, nor end with simple aerobic instruction. To begin with, most trainers will have typically graduated with a degree in kinesiology, although this is not necessarily a required major; there are many personal trainers who majored in a degree as unrelated as geology. Additionally, many gyms will also offer continuing education packages to their trainers in order to allow them to grow within the gym. There are many different educational opportunities available in separate sectors of personal training, depending on what field you are most interested in or have the most experience with.

For example, should you wish to remain within the realm of actively teaching a type of fitness or recreational activity, there are many different kinds of classes available to become certified in. Most fitness centers require Yoga and Pilates instructors, as well as instructors who are more centralized to particular groups, such as senior fitness, water aerobics or even kindergarten aerobics. These specific types of certifications require knowledge about the target group, as well as experience with instructing.

However, if you wish to deal with a field outside the typical personal trainer arena, there are other opportunities available, such as nutritional consultants, weight management specialists, or physical therapy/rehabilitation. Many of these programs offer online courses or home study programs which grant you with a new certification at the end of the course, although advanced degrees are usually preferred in rehabilitation certifications. These correspondence courses allow you to leap ahead in personal training without disruption your current job or location, as well as hone in to your specialty in order to perfect teaching methods.

More and more personal trainers have been acquiring advanced certifications in order to keep up with the rest of their colleagues. Health and fitness has begun to make an impact on the corporate world, and in order to keep up with this merging of the two realms, personal trainers have become an entity which Corporate America uses in order to fulfill their fitness needs. This requires many different types of specializations to keep up with modern advances in aerobic technique, which is why the educational opportunities offered are constantly changing and will never be lacking.

All in all, no matter what type of personal training you wish to go into, whether it be advanced specializations, or rehabilitation techniques, there will always be a need for further education should you wish to advance in your field. Personal training is all about providing that ounce more of motivation to your clients, and with the proper motivation you can also leap ahead and find what you truly enjoy doing in your field.

This post was contributed by Katie Wilson, who writes about the trade schools online. She welcomes your feedback at KatieWilson06@gmail.com

-Jonathan

Starting Strength

2009-03-03T22:33:00.015-05:00

Q: I'm a brand new personal trainer. I don't want to be an average fitness professional, but my background is geology; I studied at home for the NSCA-CPT and passed, and have been working in a pretty decent gym for a year now, while I was studying, but that's it for my background. What are the biggest things you've learned (to do or not to do) as a trainer?

-Giz

A: Congratulations on the start of your new career, Giz!

Beginning a new profession can be fairly intimidating, especially a career as dynamic and detailed as health & fitness. The truth is, I continue to learn more and more every day. Rather than try and give you a giant list of do's and dont's, here are my top three areas to focus on as a new trainer:

1. Anatomy is the lyrics written to the music of kinesiology that we sing to our clients.

If you're still reading this post, that's good. If you were able to tolerate my horribly corny analogy, you should have the mental fortitude to dedicate the hours of study required in order to know your anatomy and kinesiology expertly. Studying anatomy can be pretty dry at times, and kinesiology can be fairly intimidating to the uninitiated, but these subjects are the basis of everything that we do as trainers. Without a firm grasp of these sciences, you're going to have a difficult time truly understanding anything else in your job description.

Always remember: the client exercises his/her muscles; the trainer understands the muscles.

You've got your ubulus muscle, which connects to the upper dorsimus. Its boring, but its part of my life.

2. Don't fall in love with only one "method"...be a swinger!

When I first began training clients, I generally used one approach with everyone, which had been taught to me during my first certification coursework. The truth is, it worked well enough and my clients got leaner and stronger. But that was really all that I knew. Programming for performance enhancement, weight loss, increased strength...it was basically all the same! As I developed and learned more about training, exercise and the science behind them, I started incorporating different methods and techniques into my "bag of tricks," while at the same time removing some of the things that I felt were no longer effective.

So while you search to find your own niche, discovering what works for you and within your particular skill-set, don't be afraid to venture out at times, observing others and incorporating different methods to make you a more well-rounded and more effective trainer! A few great places to start might be podcasts such as The FitCast or Mike Robertson's new podcast newsletter, In the Trenches Fitness, as well as excellent resources such as Mark Rippetoe's "Starting Strength" (you didn't think that I made up the title of this blog by myself, did you?) or the growing collection of free information at places like FLZine (where, if you search hard enough, you might even find an interview with yours truly!).

Leigh and I sit down for a little quality time at FLZine.com

3. Be good at what you do, but know your limits.

It can be pretty overwhelming when you're a new trainer, especially when you don't have a background in exercise science. At first, it might seem that you're woefully under-prepared or unfit for the job. But the truth is, you are prepared. Are you as good now as you might be in another 5 years with more experience and education? Of course not. But that doesn't mean that you aren't able to help your clients and make a positive impact on someone's life right now.

However...

Even with 50 years of experience, you'll never know everything. No one does (except maybe William Kraemer,PhD). So focus your efforts on getting really good at a few things, but don't get caught up in trying to figure out everything, especially when it's a subject outside of your scope of practice as a personal trainer.

For instance, I'd like to think that I have a fairly decent grasp of the basics of nutrition. I've even dedicated a few blog posts to questions about eating healthy. However, I'm far from being an expert like my friends Cassandra Forsythe and Leigh Peele are, and I always turn to them when I need information about diets and nutrition. Conversely, both Leigh and Cass are excellent trainers as well as experts in nutrition; however, when they face an issue in training or rehab that they're unfamiliar with, I'll happily return the favor and try to help them with their training question (and if I don't know the answer, I just ask Bill Hartman!).

Sure, all three of us could dedicate ourselves to actively learning more about other fitness-related areas such as nutriton (for myself) or rehabilitation (for Cassandra and Leigh), but that wouldn't make much sense, either. We are all good at what we do because we chose to be good at those particular things. Too much "Career ADD" won't make you particularly good at anything, even if you feel like you're expected to know everything as a new trainer.

You're not!

Wait, where was I going again?

I hope that this gave you a good place to start in your new career. Best of luck!

-Jonathan

The Emperor's New Clothes

2009-02-25T17:23:00.005-05:00

The blog just got a major facelift thanks to my friends at Local Wisdom, and I have to admit that it's a significant upgrade! The brilliant minds at LW have been my go-to computer experts since I started, and without them, I would barely know how to turn my laptop on.

No, seriously.

Teh coMput3rz maiks my heAd hurTz

I think the blog looks great, and I hope that you do too. Let me know your opinion in the comments!

-Jonathan

Winter Wonderland

2009-02-19T19:55:00.003-05:00

Last weekend I took the drive up the NJ Turnpike all of the way to the Mass Turnpike and attended Mike Boyle's 3rd Annual Winter Seminar (yes, it was Valentine's Day: my Jenny is a very understanding woman!). I had a great time, and the presentations were varied and full of great information. I met a lot of talented coaches and trainers this weekend, and a few listeners of The FitCast too (thanks for coming by and saying hi, guys!).

Rather than giving my own review (we're saving that for this week's FitCast episode), I'll let you check out what my friends Brian St. Pierre, Lance Goyke, Mike Robertson and Tony Gentilcore had to say (actually, Tony wrote two different posts because that's how Tony rolls). Check out their reviews, and then check out the rest of their blogs, too...I always find great information (and usually great pictures, too...thanks Tony) when I read them.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

-Jonathan

More from the Mailbag: Shoulder Swagger

2009-02-12T20:57:00.007-05:00

Q: Hey, Jonathan.

I have this question that I have been pondering. It's about shoulder internal rotation and range of motion. First of all, we've got two ways of assessing it, right? Abducted shoulder internal rotation and back scratch test.

With the back scratch test I've not yet seen a clear classification of what arm position corresponds to what range of motion. General classification is : if your arm goes horizontal - that's a good start; if you can't get horizontal - bad; if you can go above horizontal - you have good flexibility. Always look for the inferior border of the scapulae and scapular winging - the easiest way to cheat the test. Other ways are shoulder abduction and thoracic lateral bend.

That one's fine with me, if you say that it's a good test.

The one that's bothering me is the abducted arm internal rotation test.
Here's the thing - I can rarely get anyone to go into internal rotation without scapular elevation and/or anterior tilting.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/what_i_learned_in_2008

What Eric Cressey is showing in his pictures usually corresponds with my observation - on most of the pictures he post, he allows people to hike the shoulder up and get more ROM. Now don't get me wrong - he's a really smart guy, but is that ok with you?

Best of wishes.
TS

A: In general, we've got definite ROMs that we would use for shoulder internal/external rotation that we consider to be "accurate" (90 & 70 degrees, respectively, by goniometric measure according to the American Academy of Orthopeadic Surgeons). Personally, I prefer the supine position (the subject remains on his/her back with the arm brought out 90 degrees), but any position is fine relative to patient needs (from a clinical standpoint, there may be a reason that the patient can't get into the position that you need them to, so you have to use different strategies). That can include the arm held at the side or with the shoulder abducted to 90 degrees, etc. The scratch test is fine too, but it's more of a gross movement test vs. a single, isolated movement test and you won't get a "pure" number corresponding to just one movement. In the gym, this is fine. In the clinic, this may or may not be ok...it just depends on the case.

If we're interested in the technical word of law, then no: you shouldn't allow any additional movements such as scapular tilting (or any other compensation) when taking the ROM of the shoulder. However, it probably isn't that important in a non-pathological shoulder, which is what you're likely to see in a gym client.

In terms of "real world" function, observing compensations by allowing gross movement can be extremely valuable, so I understand why Eric would say that. I generally do the same thing for a non-pathological client, too. I would just add that if there's a difference, you probably need to break down the movement into it's constituents (IR, extension, elbow flexion, etc) and see what's really going on.

Which leads to the last point: how do you measure things in the "real world" outside of goniometers and the AAOS? Compare both sides: it's more important that a client is symmetrical then if they have the appropriate ROM in most (if not all) cases. Problems will occur if there is a difference between limbs, and that's what you should be looking for.

Yes, if a client presents with bilaterally short hip flexors, for instance, you would probably look to address that through various stretching and mobility work, but if you have the case of one hip flexor being significantly stiffer or shorter than the other, that's where you will see non-symmetric, unilateral alterations to the kinetic chain, which can cause major problems over time. That's like driving with one flat tire: eventually, your car's alignment will also need fixing, too.

-Jonathan

Seven Secrets

2009-02-10T12:49:00.004-05:00

My friend and fellow trainer Galya "tagged" me in her blog three weeks ago. The rules of this game are pretty simple:

Link back to the person who tagged you
Share 7 random or weird facts about yourself
Tag 7 people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs
Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

Galya and me at last year's Indianapolis Performance Enhancement Seminar. Mike Robertson took the picture. Apparently, he has never heard of "Head Space."

Normally I hate "chain letters," but this one kind of looked fun (and it's FAR less time-consuming and annoying than that "25 things about me" thing going around Facebook these days!). Considering the fact that I've also been on one of my blogging hiatus holidays, I also thought that it could be a great way to get back to posting up some new articles. After all, I love to kill two birds with one stone! That's not one of my 7 random facts, but these are:

1. I tore my Lateral Collateral Ligament about seven years ago while practicing Russian martial arts (Sombo).

I had been practicing various martial arts since college, and had certainly been hurt before, so I decided that I had simply suffered a "sprain" and did not seek a medical opinion (I was also afraid that if it was something worse I would need surgery and would have to stop fighting...what can I say, I was young and stupid!). It is still unrepaired to this day. I'm able to perform 99% of the things that I would need to do on any given day including work and working out, but competing in sports (specifically cutting movements) can be difficult and my knee will usually buckle if I'm not wearing a supportive brace. At this point, I doubt that I will end up ever having the surgery to repair it.

2. I hated school growing up.

I was far too social in junior high and high school and would have much preferred to hang out with my friends than study or do homework! I was more-or-less a straight "C" student throughout 7-12th grades. If there were 100 students in my class, I was probably #50 exactly. In fact, it wasn't until my high school graduation that I started to see the error of my ways when my parents told me rather directly that they weren't going to send me away to college. "Why would we spend money on a college education for you?" they asked. "You hate school. You'll just fail out!"

My parents agreed to send me away to school if I proved myself by going to community college and doing well there first. I enrolled in classes at Bergen Community College and began my new journey. I realized that I had made a mistake and that I hadn't lived up to my abilities or taken advantage of my opportunities in high school. After earning a 3.9 GPA that first year, I applied to Rutgers University and was accepted.

I still have some difficulty paying attention in a classroom setting (I work much better hands-on), but compared to my early academic days I'm light-years ahead...and it all started at Bergen Community. To this day, standing their ground and sending me to community college was one of the best things that my parents ever did for me. It was a powerful lesson: I finally understood that I was not only accountable for my actions, but also that when I work hard and dedicate myself to a goal, good things can and will follow. That moment in my life is still one of the lessons that drives me today, even as I am about to complete my doctorate.

Thanks mom & dad.

3. I can't type.

I took a typing course my junior year of high school. Unfortunately, I was seated next to a very attractive girl who was a year younger than I was. By the end of that semester, we were dating...and neither of us knew how to type. Oh well! I make due with a fairly advanced "hunt & key peck" method.

4. I won the dorm awards for "Funniest," "Loudest," and "Best Smile" my first year at Rutgers.

Quite a combination, if I do say so myself.

5. I had my interview for PT school at the City University of New York on November 15th, my mother's birthday. I received notification that I had been accepted into the program on December 1st, my father's birthday. I started classes on January 25th, which is my uncle Bob's birthday, and I will finish the last day of my final clinical rotation, thus finishing grad school, on March 27th, which is also my parents' anniversary. You just can't make stuff like that up!

6. I was terribly shy as a child.

I tend to still be a little shy, although most people don't believe me when I tell them that now. I find myself sometimes (ok, a lot of times) getting that familiar little "jump" in my chest when I first walk into a situation with people that I don't know or don't know well, even now. Without even realizing it, I'll try to hide with a group that I do know in order to avoid "strangers."

I've gotten much better at becoming more outgoing and social, and I've trained myself to seek out new people and get conversation going in unfamiliar situations, but it still shows up from time-to-time (and it probably doesn't help that I hate shmoozing and small-talk, either). It doesn't happen too much, but it's more often than I'd like it to. Admittedly, I probably look like I'm ignoring people and that I'm a rude jerk, but I swear that I'm not...I'm just a little shy sometimes.

So consider this a public apology to anyone that I may have inadvertently avoided at a party or gathering over the years: I didn't mean to!

7. I'm horrible at time management...which is why this post took two weeks to finish!

And now...

1. Kevin Larrabee. See? I told you I was going to post something!

2. Cassandra Forsythe. If all she writes about are 7 protein studies, I'll :heart: her

3. Leigh Peele. We already know that you're a fat Kim-Kim...but what don't we know about the elusive Ms. Peele?

4. Ben Smith. His blog is an amazing round-up of information and blogs from others. Now to learn a little more information about the man himself.

5. Tony Gentilcore. Tony loves this crap.

6. Keith Suthammanont. Keith is a good, young trainer full of energy and talent. He just started up writing on his blog again, too...now here's something else that he can write about!

7. Stephen Antel. Steve is a buddy of mine from my old days at the Men's Health and JP Fitness forums, and now at Training Anarchy. He now owns his own gym in Kansas City.

**Bonus**

8. John Gesselberty. John's "Monday Motivators" are the stuff of legend around the fitness boards...go check it out and see why.

-Jonathan

Ho, Ho, Ho...?

2008-12-22T00:08:00.003-05:00

Jennifer and I braved the traffic and the crowds at the mall for a little last minute shopping today, and I realized a few things:

1. I hate the mall
2. I hate crowds (see #1)
3. Online shopping is definitely the way to go (see #1 & #2)
4. There are a lot of overweight and out of shape people in this world, and they all congregate at mall food courts.

From my observations, the mall Santa was actually looking pretty slim and fit compared to some of the people that I saw today, and it was honestly pretty sad. At a time of the year where people are thinking of which gifts to buy for their loved ones, no one seemed to understand that the most important gift wasn't one that they were going to find on a sale rack.

In another week, thousands and thousands of people will be making New Year's resolutions to "lose weight" and get in shape. Unfortunately, most of them will fail after a few short weeks and fall back on the poor habits and lifestyles that they swore to change at the drop of the New Year's ball.

So why not change things this year? Instead of promising yourself that you're going to go to the gym (just like you did last year, and the year before, and the year before that...), why not give your health as a "gift" to someone else? Promise your spouse that you will faithfully exercise 2-3 mornings every week. Promise your children that you will go to your favorite bootcamp every Thursday after work. Tell your parents that this year, along with the tie and scarf tucked away under the tree, you're going to give them the most important gift that any parent could want: a healthier, happier child. Hold yourself accountable not only to yourself, but to the people that you care about the most...because they care about you too, and want you to be the best that you can possibly be.

This year, make it a holiday season to remember. Show the special people in your life just how much you care about them by letting them know that you "get it." What better gift could there ever be than to ensure that you will be happier, healthier and active for a long time to come, not just for yourself but for the people that love you, too?

...And stay away from the malls. Trust me on that one.

Happy holidays, everyone. Be safe and be healthy...and the happiness will follow.

-Jonathan

How About a Quickie?

2008-12-15T20:47:00.001-05:00

...Post, that is.

Ok, I'll admit it: being too much of a perfectionist at times can be, well, problematic. That's why, when I'm low on time and don't feel like I'll be able to write up a good blog post, I'll let the blog, um, well, languish.

Kevin calls me out on a weekly basis about this, and I have to admit: he has a point. So here's a little something that I recently ran across on a forum that I thought was just about perfect. If this doesn't get you excited to lift, you need to have your heart examined!

Have you ever done deadlifts? I mean, have you gone into the gym thinking like. "ok today is deadlift day!"? No?

I do.

I think that there is no other exercise like it in the world. I fear it, hate it, and love it. I look forward to deadlifts like a child looks for candy. It is a drug and I am hooked. Tonight I go forth to do battle with it.

I feel nervous, like I was before my first real kiss. I will be singularly focused tonight to get a certain weight for 1 rep. This is the key for future deadlift workouts. I feel that this exercise could in fact have its own day if I could find the time. I must hit this weight, there is no question I am ready for it, just a question if my mental state will be strong enough to get it done.

I picture it now as I sit here waiting for the time to go lift to appear. The bar is loaded 4 plates on each side, it is resting on the floor. I see a face from a nightmare on the bar, it appears to be laughing at me, mocking me, taunting me to try to lift it. I walk over, squat down and set my hands. I breath deeply eyes not really in the present, mind tightening down to a narrow laser sharpened beam of utter concentration.

I take another breath, and lift it off the floor. I struggle, feeling the bar scrap my shins bloody. I feel the titanic strain on my arms, grip, shoulder, all over as the bar clears my knees. I stand up and pull the shoulders back, sweat running in a flood down my face, veins bulging on my neck. I lock it out and lower it to the floor.

It is done! The battle is over and I have beaten the demon, it no longer taunts me but rather sulks away to wait till next week. It never really is defeated, just beaten back for a time. I wipe my brow, my whole body is afire with a righteous blaze of accomplishment. Then, I realize that next time...next time is fast approaching for battle. I must stand ready each time to defeat the deadlift.

Good stuff!

-Jonathan

Sex, Lies and Photoshop

2008-11-16T20:20:00.004-05:00

What if I told you that Micheal Jordan never really made all of those incredible shots, or that Jerry Rice never actually caught all of those amazing throws from Joe Montana? Imagine if almost everything that you have seen in pictures and t.v. were...lies!

A month ago, I wrote about how the pictures and images of our favorite athletes and models that we see in magazines and even on television are distorted and manipulated through various methods, including water depletion, lighting, tanning and even drugs. However, there was one enormously important piece of the image-manipulation puzzle that I left out: photoshop. Here's an amazing demonstration that I found from diet.com that shows how every image that we see in magazines and advertisements can be instantly "improved" with nothing more than a left-click of your computer mouse:

Not only is this a fascinating expose into just how simple and commonplace image manipulation is in everything that we are shown through popular media, it gives us a glimpse into how easily it can be to become dissatisfied and discouraged with our own bodies and the hard work that goes into creating them when we aspire to look like an airbrushed and photoshopped lie.

Altering an image may not be as simple (or as silly) as drawing muscles on yourself with a magic marker (I really am a sucker for a woman with an accent), but the fact is that drawing cartoonish muscles on doctored photos is much more common than you might realize. If you don't recognize this fact every time you reach for the latest issue of your favorite fitness magazine, you'll find yourself in a never-ending cycle of frustration trying to accomplish a promise that was never based in truth.

But don't worry: I swear that none of the before-and-after pictures on my website have been doctored! That was all hard work and effort, not MacBook.

-Jonathan

Incredible Success

2008-11-14T07:00:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to add a video that I came across while researching yesterday's presentation. It's of a young woman's journey through rehabilitating a T12 ASIA C spinal cord injury:

An inury at T12 will involve her entire lower body from the waist down, including hip and knee flexors and extensors, the hip abductors and the hip adductors. The grading of her injury as "ASIA C" means that, fortunately, there is some preserved muscle control and strength of these lower body muscles, although there will be deficits in at least half of the muscles that you and I will take for granted every time we walk, sit down in a chair, or even simply stand still and maintain our balance.

Rechelle's example of hard work and dedication is both inspiring and humbling at the same time. Be grateful not only for the ability to improve yourself, but for examples like Rechelle that show us that with enough effort and dedication, anything is truly possible.

-Jonathan

Achieving Your Goals

2008-11-13T10:13:00.004-05:00

Obviously, I've been quite busy this month (and if you've been listening to the FitCast, you know why!). Today, however, all of the work that I've been putting in, not only this past month but the past 34 months, will finally pay off.

Today I will be attending my final scheduled lecture in graduate school.

I'm not quite finished with school entirely, of course: we've got research presentations and submissions for publication taking place in January, as well as our final two clinical rotations which will take us through March of '09. But this is still a major milestone, and it feels terrific!

Achieving predetermined goals is an excellent way to maintain our motivation and focus, not only in school but in the gym as well. In order for these goals to be effective, they need to be realistic and achievable, which unfortunately hasn't always been the case with many of the individuals that I have consulted in the past.

While "I want to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks" might sound like a great goal to set before a family reunion, or "I want to increase my bench press by 50 pounds before Spring Break" might be every male college sophomore's sure-fire plan to not get sand kicked in his face in Cancun, they may not be. The problem is in the achievability of those goals. There are a number of factors that will play into accomplishing these weight loss or strength gains within a given time-frame, and it can be devestating not to achieve those goals, especially when you did everything right.

For athletes, this is a normal aspect of sport. Top-level athletes have their entire training schedule built around peaking at the exact time for an exact event during their training cycle: for Micheal Phelps, that might be every 4 years at the Olympics; for Eli Manning it might be the playoffs every January. For the rest of us that don't make a living from our on-field (or in-pool) performance, it doesn't always make sense for us to base our goals on the same parameters.

Build your goals around the things that you can control throughout your day, such as committing yourself to going to the gym 3x/week, or sticking to your diet for a week without cheats, or going to sleep every night by 11 p.m. and not staying up late. These are realistic and achievable goals that, when adhered to and accomplished, will help you towards achieveing the bigger goals: losing 10 pounds so that your Aunt Edna doesn't raise her eyebrow at you when you reach for seconds at dinner!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to finish my last presentation for class, due this afternoon. I'm going to miss grad school...but I won't miss writing papers!

-Jonathan

Weighing in on Rapid Weight Loss

2008-10-13T21:35:00.012-04:00

Q: I was watching Ms. and Mr. Olympia last night on a webcast. I heard that Jay Cutler lost 15 lbs in one evening....how?!!! I know water pills can do some, but really? How healthy could that be? - Y.R.

A: Hey Y.R., thanks for the interesting question. Although rapid weight loss such as Cutler's isn't a good idea, the fact is that it's a fairly common practice in a number of sports. The rapid drop in weight is known as "making weight," and athletes such as wrestlers, boxers, mixed martial artists and Olympic Weightlifters, among others, will normally lose weight quickly and then gain it back almost as quickly before their events as a tool to gain a competitive edge.

Making weight stems from the use of weight classes, such as those used in boxing, which separates fighters into 17 different classes and weight divisions. In contrast, the UFC, which is the premiere Mixed Martial Arts promotion, uses five distinct weight divisions, although there are nine official divisions according to the state athletic commissions where MMA is sanctioned. In order to compete, an athlete must weigh no more than the pre-determined upper limit (normally within a pound) of the given weight class that the competition is set to occur.

In theory, this improves the competition and safety of sports where a larger athlete would have a distinct advantage over a smaller athlete. However, there is a loophole: by qualifying for a lower weight class through rapid water loss and dehydration techniques and then regaining some or all of that weight by the time of the competition, the athlete can enjoy an exceptional advantage over his/her opponent.

The recent EliteXC: Heat MMA weigh-ins. Noted female fighter
Gina Carano had difficulty making weight

While this certainly presents itself as a potentially dangerous practice for an athlete about to compete in a vigorous and demanding sport, when done under the supervision of a knowledgeable coach and doctor, the risks to the athlete's health can be minimized (but not eliminated). Obviously, the more weight that must be dropped, the more dangerous cutting weight can be. As you might expect, there have been a number of attempts to curb this practice, especially with younger athletes.

However, Jay Cutler certainly didn't drop his weight in order to make a weight limit. Although bodybuilding also has weight classes, Jay's reasons were more directly related to his performance on the stage: by dropping as much water weight as possible, a bodybuilder will appear to be leaner with more visible definition, helping his/her chances in the contest.

Quick: somebody get this man a Gatorade!

There's something else to consider about Jay's single-day 15 pound water loss, too: when you weigh about 300 pounds in an off-season, 250 in-season, 15 pounds is still around 5 - 6% of your weight, so it's not as startling of a drop as it may seem. Drops of 5-6% still would not qualify as being "healthy,' of course, but it's not the same as a 185 pound mixed martial artist attempting to make the 170 pound Welterweight class (although between the option of facing either Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva or Welterweight Champion Georges St.-Pierre, I'm not sure that either is a very good option for your long-term health!)

However, this still raises a good point, and one that I think that a lot of people miss out on: Bodybuilding is about attaining a certain look, nothing else. Not health, not performance at a sport, and not even strength...just large, proportionate muscles at a low body-fat level. Which means that, just like any athlete in any sport, some things that bodybuilders do will be healthy while other things will be anything but healthy.

Unfortunately, I think this point escapes many of the people that not only enter the sport of bodybuilding, but for those that try to "look like a bodybuilder" without understanding just what goes into that process or in turn what the process might do to his/her body. Especially for women, attaining such low levels of body-fat is impossible to maintain for long periods of time without serious health consequences including detrimental effects on a female's hormonal/menstrual cycles. The pictures that you see in magazines and from the stage are quite literally "snapshots" of that individual at the peak of their weight loss and physical appearance. Unfortunately, many of the fans of the sport who aspire to look like their favorite fitness model(s) year-round don't understand how difficult this can actually be without causing serious health issues.

I have worked with and consulted a number of individuals who have competed in the sport of bodybuilding/fitness, as well as individuals that have simply wanted to look like they did. I have always been careful to try and make them aware of the difficulties that may be ahead of them and the reality of what they think that they are seeing when they thumb through their favorite magazines.

It's pretty amazing what extreme dieting, good lighting, hair and makeup,

tanning, plastic surgery, and steroids can do for your physique!

The fact is that bodybuilding can often be a very difficult and unhealthy lifestyle (certainly healthier, by most standards, than sitting on a coach eating donuts, of course, but still with its own risks nonetheless), and the majority of people with "real" jobs and "real" lives will find themselves having a very difficult time achieving these "unreal" physique goals. Just like facing a boxer that cut weight to make a fight and who now outweighs you by 15 pounds, you might find that you are at a distinct disadvantage when trying to step into this ring. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't aspire to look better and to be healthier, but always be aware of what that actually means...and looks like!

Thanks for the letter, Y.R., and for reminding us that seeing isn't always believing!

-Jonathan

The FitCast Insider

2008-10-11T15:33:00.006-04:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that Kevin decided to re-release The FitCast Insider for a limited time, at $30 off of the original price...sweet!

If you haven’t heard of The FitCast Insider, it is a set of 19 audio interviews as well as a high quality version of the tremendously popular Dan John Squat and Olympic Lift video. It's an awesome compilation of interviews and information ranging from weight loss tips, nutrition, rehab/performance enhancement and strength training.

You get 1 Gigabyte of fitness and nutrition information for less than the cost of a single personal training session with information that would make any typical personal trainer's head spin right out of his underarmour dry-fit t-shirt!

-Jonathan

Bigger, Stronger, Blogger*

2008-10-08T15:20:00.008-04:00

If you haven't listened to this week's episode of The FitCast (Bigger, Stronger, Faster*), you missed a fantastic interview with the Chris Bell, the writer and director of the documentary Bigger, Stronger, Faster*

Simply put, I was able to see the movie, and it was fantastic. Steroids are, of course, currently a hot-button topic and has seen an increase in media and cultural interest recently. Chris forces us to look at ourselves as a "culture on steroids" and challenges us to see that even as we damn the use of performance enhancing drugs in the media and in polite conversation, we applaud it and encourage its use in our society. This deleted scene, featuring among others current Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler, demonstrates this perfectly:

Have a listen to the interview and then do yourself a favor and get a hold of the dvd to watch it for yourself. The movie looks at more than just a drug or even a "drug-culture," but rather at America as a "culture on drugs." In fact, even as I write this, I am guilty of being part of the culture as well, have already used drugs today: two Tylenol Cold multi-symptom tablets to help me with a stuffed nose and sore throat that I woke up with this morning. I also used protein powder in my morning breakfast shake, took a handful of fish-oil tablets and of course a multi-vitamin, along with the caffeine in my tea.

So the question that Chris ultimately asks is an important one: if we are a culture and society where supplements and drugs are woven into the fabric of our existence, where do we draw the lines between acceptable and unacceptable substances? In fact, am I, in this sense, being hypocritical by using a powerful stimulant (caffeine), dietary supplements (whey, vitamins, fish oil) and even an assortment of drugs (Acetaminophen, Dextromethorphan and Phenylephrine, the active ingredients in Tylenol) while at the same time deciding that steroids are not only a "bad thing" but in the past being guilty of passing judgment on those that choose to use them?

While we may feel that there is a big difference between a Tylenol and a steroid, ultimately it's not the differences between the two drugs but the similarities that bind them that is so important in understanding the current issues with performance enhancing substances, whether they help us to compete in sport, stay awake for an early morning meeting, or help us to suppress the discomfort of the common cold. It is our society that produces these issues and not the other way around, and ultimately we as a society must take a hard look at who we are as a people and not just at the people themselves who use these substances.

I hope that you'll agree that it was an excellent interview! Tony, Leigh and I will be returning this weekend for the round-table discussion with all-new listener questions and discussions. We're working on some cool new segments for future episodes, so I hope that you'll continue to enjoy listening!

-Jonathan

Dysfunctional Definitions

2008-10-04T17:28:00.011-04:00

Q: I just listened to the Fit Cast episode with you (and glad to know you will be a regular contributor, you were great) and was wondering how to find a therapist that can help with imbalances. I'm most certain I have more than your average bear (I've had ACL replacement on both knees - when I squat, my right foot turns out almost 45 degrees, but my knees and thighs are parallel. That's imbalance, right? ;)

Anyway, what are some good resources to find a good pro? My therapist for recovery was great, but she's not that kind of trainer.

A: Hey AT, thanks for the question. It was a busy couple of weeks (funny how that keeps happening in your last semester of grad school...go figure!), but I definitely wanted to respond to your excellent question!

Unfortunately, most often a physical therapist is chosen by a patient not because of his/her qualifications or experience but whether or not that therapist accepts the patient's insurance and how close the office is to the patient. Finding a qualified and expert physical therapist (just like finding a great trainer, physician, massage therapist, etc) can be difficult depending on your location and/or your particular needs, but there are definitely some things that you can look for to help.

There are unfortunately very few resources on the internet which actually rate physical therapists, such as Angie's List. However, Angie's List is also a pay site, requiring either a monthly or annual fee for access. If you're willing to pay for it, you might find this service helpful.

Other than that, it's pretty similar to finding any good health-care professional: look at their credentials and experience!

Although it's not a requirement of practice, it's not a bad idea to seek out a physical therapist that chooses to enrich his/her knowledge by earning additional credentials beyond their degree. Of course, a good place to start would be looking for the Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist credential, the CSCS. Other credentials include the Sports Certified Specialist (SCS) and the Orthopedic Certified Specialist (OCS), which indicate a therapist that has achieved advanced clinical knowledge and skills, being recognized by the American Physical Therapy Association as a board certified expert.
Of course, Certified Athletic Trainers (ATC) can also be a great option, and a number of physical therapists have their ATC as well. Other credentials following a PT's name that indicate expertise in manual therapy, such as CMPT or MPT (Certified Manual Physical Therapist) or the prestigious FAAOMPT (a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists) are also good indicators of a highly experienced and expert practitioner.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't also mention Active Release Techniques (ART) here as well. Although I would not consider ART to be a complete system of treatment by itself, it is a very effective complimentary skillset when used properly as an adjunct treatment. An experienced therapist that has this credential is often very good at properly diagnosing and treating dysfunctions.

After narrowing your search, take a look at who the therapist has worked with (athletic populations in performance enhancement would be my first choice) and how long he/she has been practicing in orthopedics/sports rehabilitation. Experience goes a long way, of course, but make sure that you're getting a therapist with the the right kind of experience.

Finally, a word on education: at this point in PT training, there are a number of different degrees that a PT might have earned. You may find therapists that practice with an undergraduate degree in physical therapy, a Master's degree (MS or MSPT), or the Entry-Level Doctorate (DPT). In addition, there are a number of Terminal Degrees that a therapist may have earned as well, including the EdD., ScD., and of course the PhD. While it might be tempting to simply assume that a PT with the most educational letters behind his/her name is also going to be the best therapist, this might not always be the case. The terminal degrees are research-related and therefore do not necessarily translate into better clinical skills, and the difference between a DPT and a therapist with his/her Masters or even Bachelor's degree isn't as great as you might expect, either. The major difference between these entry-level degrees is primarily the amount of time in school, with the DPT student taking an expanded curriculum when compared to the other degrees. However, this doesn't mean that the DPT is a better clinician, which is even acknowledged by the American Physical Therapy Association itself.

In this case, I would recommend experience and additional qualifications over simply the type of education when looking at a PT's abilities. As an aside, the DPT is now the standard entry-level degree of all new physical therapists, and most programs have already switched over from the MSPT to the DPT, so as the profession of physical therapy continues to move forwards, there will be fewer therapists that are practicing without the DPT (at this point, bachelors programs no longer exist by themselves, although there are some programs that offer undergrads the option of entering an accelerated 4+2 year bachelor/doctorate degree).

Now that you (hopefully) understand physical therapy a little better, let's take a look at what you're describing as your problem: a turned-out foot when squatting. This isn't actually an imbalance. It's a potential dysfunction or movement impairment. That means that there is a departure from what would be considered the standard, or normal, position or motion of part of the body during an activity. This is not, however, an imbalance by itself.

An imbalance refers to the interaction between either opposing muscle groups (such as the quadriceps on the front of your leg and the hamstrings on the back of your leg) or muscles that work together as synergists, such as the actual muscles that make up the hamstrings: the semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris muscles. When the natural relationships between muscles are changed and one or more muscles become weaker or shorter than the other(s), this is called an imbalance. For example, the normal and healthy strength ratio between the quadriceps and the hamstrings has been examined quite a number of times in the literature, such as in this study from the journal Physical Therapy. Most of these studies find a natural strength ratio somewhere around 2:1 quadriceps:hamstrings, depending on the study and the methods.
As you might expect, these two concepts are, of course, related. Our current model for the cause of chronic injury/pain is based on muscle dysfunctions and imbalances. If we take the example of the 2:1 strength ratio and change it to make the quadriceps much stronger than the hamstrings, for instance (perhaps 2.5:1 or 3:1), this will change the forces occurring at the knee and the way that we move, which can lead to chronic issues. However, the terms imbalance and dysfunction do not describe the same concept, but rather two aspects possibly having an effect on the same overall issue.

The truth is, the reason that your foot turns out even if your legs and knees appear to be lined properly could be happening for a number of reasons, some of which would be structural (meaning that the actual alignment of the bones and joints are to blame) while others could be functional (meaning that there are adaptations to your muscle lengths, strength and movement that causes this to occur). To make it a little more complicated, there is very rarely any single cause for a problem, and it is far more likely that you are dealing with both issues to some degree: there may be muscle strength and length issues that have resulted in structural changes (imbalance leading to dysfunction), or you may have structural issues that have contributed to changes in your muscles that are contributing further to the problem (dysfunction leading to specific imbalances).

Usually, dysfunctional movements such as the kind that you're describing can be improved if not entirely corrected, but understanding what is actually contributing to the problem is just as important as being able to identify the problem in the first place. For example, I would take a guess and suggest that what is actually occurring when you are squatting is probably a relatively common issue such as an over-pronation of your right foot. This can be caused by a number of issues including structural changes in the foot itself due to muscle weakness and/or shortness in the hip extensors, leading to changes in the kinetic chain from the ankle up to the low back and even beyond.

In this example, muscle weakness and subsequent poor dynamic control of the knee leads to compensatory strategies in the lower leg, foot and ankle. Normally, the biceps femoris muscle acts as a strong lateral stabilizer of the knee, preventing your leg from falling inwards (adducting) during a squatting motion. In your case, there are a number of reasons that would lead me to suspect that this might not actually be happening. Although I don't know how you actually injured both of your ACLs, muscle weakness in the hip extensors such as the biceps femoris can be one of the causes for such injuries, especially in non-contact ACL injuries. I'm also assuming that your ACL injuries were in fact non-contact (meaning no direct trauma to the knee itself) since bilateral ACL ruptures would be a pretty rare thing...even for a football player! Non-contact ACL tears occur 2-4x more in female athletes than they do in males, based on the sport and activity, which also leads to my assumption concerning the mechanism of your injuries.

If there is a weakness of your lateral (outside) hamstrings, the biceps femoris specifically, we would normally expect to see a dynamic valgus where the knees fall inwards towards one another. However, in order to prevent this, your particular strategy may be to laterally rotate your tibia (turn the shin/lower leg outwards), resulting in an improvement in the biomechanical ability of the biceps femoris muscle to exert force and maintain the position of your knee, disguising the actual weakness that exists. Because of this, there would be an increased pressure on the outside of the foot (the little toe and the "fifth ray"). This is not how we would normally walk or place pressure on our feet, so in order to balance out the contact forces of the foot your body has responded by pronating your right foot, allowing contact to once again be placed closer towards the inside of the foot (big toe and "first ray").
Of course, I could be completely wrong, too! But by putting the details together like my attempt above, coupled with a complete physical examination and evaluation of movement, a good therapist will be able to "read" the signs of your body and correct the issue.

Thanks for the great question, and thanks for listening to me ramble on the FitCast! I'm glad that you like it.

-Jonathan

Thoughts

2008-09-11T23:50:00.010-04:00

1. Having any knee pain associated with arthritis? According to a new study published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine, you might want to consider physical therapy before electing to undergo arthroscopic surgery.

The study evaluated 178 patients over a two-year span with mild to severe arthritis, half of which underwent surgery followed by treatment with physical and medical therapy, while the other half received physical therapy and medical care without first receiving surgery. After two years, the investigators found no difference between the two groups. In other words, physical therapy alone was equally as effective as was surgery + physical therapy for these patients in terms of pain levels, physical function and quality of life.

2. There is more to health and fitness than just what's on the outside. Exercising just what you can see in the mirror is only a small part of a becoming a total and complete individual. Always remember that true strength comes from within. As you strive to improve your form and function, don't forget that it's equally as important to challenge yourself personally. Learning how to better relax your mind and alleviate stress has been shown to help in decreasing physical pain and headaches, improve immune system function, and help to feel more energetic with better recovery from exercise. For some quick tips on how you can decrease stress with simple relaxation techniques, check out this link.

3. Speaking of improving your inner-peace and harmony, there's no better and more meaningful way to do this than to adopt a pet in need. Anyone that knows me knows just how much I love animals, and I couldn't imagine a day without my best friends.

Jessica Biel loves dogs...you should too

Even if you are unable to take an animal in need into your home, please give anything that you can in order to help with the supply of food, veterinary medicine and care for those that are still waiting for adoption.

4. Cassandra is funny. She's really smart too...have a look at the link to find out one reason why. Then stand up and stretch!

5. By the way, owning a pet may help to improve your physical activity and fitness as well as your overall mental health. You know, in case you were thinking about adopting a pet in need...

Jessica Alba loves dogs too. You love Jessica Alba. Do the math...

6. Today was the anniversary of 9/11. Please hug someone that you love, and never forget.

Be well everyone, and have a safe and healthy weekend.

-Jonathan

Zen and the Art of Running

2008-09-09T23:25:00.007-04:00

Q: I'd like to ask a question about your two posts on running - what do you think of the Chi Running technique?

A: That's an interesting question...mostly because I had never heard of ChiRunning before! I train people to perform better with improved technique and explosiveness, but I'm not exactly a world-class runner myself. If I had been meant to run, I would have been blessed with longer legs!

For those of you that have never heard of this technique before either, you can familiarize yourself with it by visiting the ChiRunning website or by reading this synopsis of the technique that I personally found to be very helpful in understanding what ChiRunning is all about.

Because I've never seen or tried this form of running before, I unfortunately can't give you a complete, informed opinion on it; however, there are a few things that stood out for me:

1. There's no such thing as "injury free." Of course, I realize that it is an exaggeration as part of a larger ad copy, but I think that it's still worth taking note of. A technique or kind of workout may reduce the likelihood of an injury occurring, or it might help in reducing the impact of an injury once it happens, but there is nothing that can guarantee that an injury won't happen...not even falling asleep! So if you're hoping that ChiRunning will be your answer to ending any pains, aches or difficulty with running...it might. But then again, it might not. In any case, I'd always be skeptical of such a claim.

2. Proponents of the method also claim that ChiRunning will improve your runs by teaching core muscle integration, enhanced running posture and forward lean, muscle relaxation and better breathing. These are all good things, if these claims are true . Again, I have never tried ChiRunning, so I can't tell you if this is actually accomplished by people that use the method. But these are all aspects of good running technique.

3. Speaking of its proponents: in my web-searches for information on ChiRunning, I was able to find lots of interviews of its founder, Danny Dreyer, as well as his personal articles describing the method, but very few first-hand accounts of anyone other than coach Dreyer actually using this technique (other than the testimonials found on the website)! This doesn't necessarily mean that no one is really using ChiRunning (maybe I just didn't search the right places, after all), but I would be curious to hear accounts from "real" people vs. articles written by its "inventor" before ultimately casting my vote for or against it.

4. I don't know if ChiRunning lends itself well to sprint techniques, or if it's better suited for long-distance running (Danny Dreyer is an ultra-marathon runner, which also seems to be the focus of the technique: long, steady-state running). If not, I would say that for individuals that are using running as part of their overall weight-loss approach, it will therefore be limited (perhaps still valuable, but not always usable). Also, without using a complete hip extension or full running stride, there would be at least a potential for muscle imbalances including the hamstrings, glutes and hip flexors without additional training to correct for this possibility.

Having said all of that, I studied a number of martial arts in the past, including Tai Chi Chuan and Pa Kua Chang (which are both internal styles of Chinese Kung Fu). There are very few activities, in my experience, that compare to these forms of martial arts in terms of improving your balance, focus, movement and overall well-being. Personally, I would always be interested in learning more about a technique that claims to base its methods on Tai Chi. So if you feel that ChiRunning could help you in your fitness pursuits, give it a try and see for yourself!

-Jonathan

This Week's FitCast

2008-09-07T22:24:00.004-04:00

I've been a little behind with the blog this week, but the good news is that I did get a chance to sit in on this week's FitCast along with my friends Kevin Larrabee, Leigh Peele and Tony Gentilcore.

We discussed High-Frutcose Corn Syrup, Fish Oil, and new advances in ART treatments. Enjoy it!

-Jonathan

This and That

2008-08-26T23:58:00.004-04:00

Just a few random thoughts:

1. There are currently two large-scale studies investigating the effectiveness of stretching. The investigators hope to evaluate how a standard stretching routine will influence performance, injury rates, and how the study participants feel from stretching.

With just a casual and quick review of the article, a number of major flaws stood out to me: both studies appear to be so general that it's hard to believe that any significant findings and real-world, usable data could possibly come out of it. This is because both programs chose to use a general stretching program for all study participants, regardless, it would seem, of the actual presentation or individual needs of the participants. A more useful approach, for example, might be in using a stretching routine that involves the hip flexors used by participants that present with an anterior pelvic tilting, or with limitations in hip extension, such as this research paper published in the Journal of Physical Therapy.

The stretching protocols, by nature of the study methods, are also performed without supervision by the researchers and therefore cannot guarantee that the protocol was even performed properly by any and all participants, also casting a significant amount of doubt on the validity of the information collected (which is also self-reported, and therefore also subject to scrutiny and questionable reliability.) This is a also a glaring weakness of the study design.

The studies may have been a good idea on paper, but their obvious weaknesses would appear to make them almost useless. Good research is the cornerstone of our decision making and practice choices as coaches, therapists, and health professionals. But bad research is just, well, bad.

2. I hear people talk about exercises that focus on the "upper abs" or that some exercise targets the "lower abs", but why no love for the middle abs? I mean, if everyone's after a six-pack, there's 2 abs in the middle that need work too, right?

Of course, if that sounds dumb to you, talking about separating the rectus abdominus into upper and lower "parts" should sound pretty silly, too.

3. You like me! You really like me!

4. Expert Village sucks.

5. Tomorrow is the first day of classes, but this time will be a little different. It's my last semester of grad school! It's hard to believe that it's been nearly three years since I started. Time really does fly sometimes...so don't forget to stop and appreciate your journey, no matter how focused you might be on the destination.

-Jonathan

Ramblings and Rants

2008-08-24T23:09:00.004-04:00

The FitCast is all finished and already up on the website! I hope that you enjoy it...it's always a blast hanging out with Kevin. We discussed a number of topics, including beta-alanine, the P90X and CrossFit programs, and protein powders. Have a listen!

-Jonathan

The FitCast 2: The Next Chapter

2008-08-23T12:19:00.003-04:00

I'll be returning to the The FitCast this Sunday where, along with Kevin and the rest of the crew, will be answering listener questions, waxing philosophical (and hopefully poetic) on all things fitness-related, and if I learned anything from the first time that I was a guest on The FitCast, having a great time!

If you have any questions or comments that you'd like for us to answer for you, feel free to leave us a message and we'll do our best to fit it into the show!

-Jonathan

Anatomy of an Injury: When Pain isn't the Problem

2008-08-22T11:32:00.002-04:00

I woke up last Saturday with a sharp pain in the middle of my back. After four days of Jennifer digging her elbow into my left lower trapezius to work out an enormous knot, I had nothing to show for it but a slight bruise and a stiff, painful, and very persistent spot of tension in the muscle. So instead, I performed a quick ART release to the upper trap, and a day later I'm feeling 100% better.

Huh?

When a strain persists even after treating the area of the muscle tension, chances are that the strain is a result of something else, and not a direct trauma to the tissue itself. In my case, Jen and I had just made the trip up to Boston to visit with her brother and his family, and 4 hours in the car doing little more than sitting probably affected my posture in subtle ways. Because treatment to my lower trap, where I was feeling the pain, wasn't actually resulting in any long-term relief, I looked in other directions.

Normally, the first place that I would look would be for an underactive synergist (muscles that would assist in the actions of the lower trap). However, I didn't injure myself from a sport or exercise...I injured myself from driving and then sleeping wrong! I can't believe that I just admitted that. Anyway, another possible place to investigate could be in an overactive antagonist (muscles that opposes the actions of the lower trap). There is one muscle, in particular, that can do both: the upper trapezius.

The upper trap will work in combination with the serratus anterior and lower trap to produce upward rotation of the scapula/shoulder blade (the action that occurs to your shoulder blade when you raise your hand overhead). The upper trap will also oppose the lower trap's ability to depress (lower) the scapula by elevating it. If the fibers of the upper trap were stiff (from driving with an elevated shoulder for 4 hours, for instance), this would do three very important things: first, it would keep the shoulder blade in an elevated, lifted position, causing the lower trap to be weaker and over-excited as the body attempted to re-stabilize the normal position of the shoulder blade. Secondly, it would also weaken the upper trap's ability to assist in upward rotation, leaving more of the burden on an already weakened lower trap. Lastly, my ability to stabilize the shoulder blade during any motion would be severely compromised as two very important muscles would be weak and ineffective in resisting unwanted movement of the scapula.

Sure enough, when I examined the muscle texture of my upper trap close to the neck, there was a second palpable mass of tension (technically, called a "trigger point"). As might be expected, there was also increased tension in my levator scap, an antagonist muscle in not only scapular elevation but in downward rotation of the shoulder blade as well (therefore directly opposing two of the lower trap's three actions: scapular rotation, depression and retraction).

After clearing the muscles with a few ART treatments, my shoulders were finally able to relax, and my lower trap returned to its normal resting length and alleviated the pain. A little bit of soreness from four days of tensing the muscle was all that was left.

When we feel persistent aches and pains in our muscles, our body is trying to tell us something. Often enough, the pain or discomfort that we feel is only a sign that something is going wrong. Like a detective in a mystery novel, a therapist should be able to follow the clues and discover the true cause of the problem and correct it so that it is permanently addressed.

-Jonathan

Happy National Chest & Biceps Day!

2008-08-04T12:18:00.005-04:00

If you've ever held a membership at a commercial gym, you're already familiar with the weekly pilgrimage of the North-American gym-jock towards the weight room as he endeavors to squeeze just one more rep out of his bodybuilder approved Monday workout. Yep, it's that time of the week again: Chest & Biceps day!

If not for the infuriating monopolizing of every bench in the gym and every dumbbell on the rack, and the large crowds of young males shouting words of encouragement ringing in your ears and interrupting your workout, it'd probably be pretty harmless. It'd at least be pretty funny to watch.

So what to do when every Tom, Dick and...actually, just Dick, is taking up every other piece of equipment in your weight room? Squat! Besides the occasional misguided bodybuilder wanna-be curling in the squat rack (latest issue of Muscle & Fitness on the ground next to him) to deal with, the rack will always be free! You can be certain that whether your goal is to get big and strong (I promise you, there's no rack curls going on in that gym!) or lean and fit (hmmm...she's wearing pink, too), squats need to be part of your workouts!

And no, these aren't squats...they just suck. Hmmm, I wonder if this "expert" is an example of what I talked about here? I'm thinking yes...

Worst-case scenario: even if there's just no room to work, just ask if you can work-in and share whatever equipment you need. On National Chest & Biceps Day, there's plenty of down-time that you can take advantage of between their sets of biceps curls during the obligatory mirror posing!

Have a good workout!

-Jonathan

Alternative Fuel Sources

2008-08-03T16:55:00.002-04:00

Q: Hi Jonathan! I noticed a co-worker eating three pieces of fruit while dressed in sweats and holding a bottle of water. I quickly and correctly deduced that she had just been exercising and asked her about her choice of food. She said that her trainer told her to carb up both before AND after exercising (and to do it within half an hour after exercising). I thought you were supposed to have carbs first, then the protein?

What kind of foods should she eat both before and after, how soon, and if protein is involved, what kinds (cheese, milk, meat, fish, etc)? My co-worker is trying to lose weight and get in better shape. Thanks!

A: There is so much information, mis-information and different "rules" concerning nutrition, it's enough to make your head spin!

Although there is still a great deal of controversy concerning how much protein is really needed for muscle growth, the more practical and logical approach is that protein should be eaten throughout the day, and there really shouldn't be any meals that do not have a portion of protein in them. For instance, if you need 200 grams of protein per day and you eat 5 times a day, you should be shooting for roughly 40 grams of protein/meal.

While cheese is certainly a source of protein as you suggested, this may not be the best choice for a post-workout protein source because most cheeses are going to be higher in fat than protein, other than cottage cheese. However, given the high bioavailability of the milk proteins found in cheese (the measure of the how easily and efficiently the protein is delivered, or the ability of the body to digest and use the amino acids in the protein), a glass of milk or even chocolate milk can both be excellent choices for post-workout "meals."

There has been a great deal of interest in pre-workout nutrition in recent years, and a growing amount of evidence that supplementation with amino acids (the basic building blocks of protein) before your workouts can help to improve performance. Of course, coaches and athletes alike have known this for years, but it's nice that there is finally evidence to support the practice! In these studies, participants normally ingest a mixture of carbohydrates and proteins before engaging in exercise. Even if you choose not to follow the study methods exactly, a more "normal" meal of protein plus carbohydrates and healthy fats would still be a better choice for pre-workout "fuel" than simply ingesting carbs alone. There is also evidence that suggests that both carbohydrates as well as fats are effective at reducing protein catabolism which is a normal byproduct of exercising (and something that, if reduced, can improve muscle retention). Adding protein and/or fat to a carbohydrate-heavy meal improves blood-sugar response over longer time periods, which will allow for longer lasting energy levels.

Of course, it will also depend on goals: for an endurance athlete, more carbs and total calories throughout the day might be in order (For instance, Michael Phelps, a multiple Olympic gold-medal winner and multiple world-record holder in swimming, consumes over 10,000-12,000 calories per day during his heaviest training periods, with a huge portion of that coming in carbs. At 6'4", he's only 15-20 pounds heavier than I am, yet I eat somewhere around 1/3rd of his intake because the energy requirements of my workouts aren't even close to those of an Olympic swimmer!). On the other hand, for someone trying to lose weight and body fat, carbohydrates in the diet are best absorbed immediately after a strenuous workout because of exercise-induced changes in carbohydrate tolerance.

Timing, to some extent, is relative to the individual and the size of the meals. Some people have difficulty working out within an hour of eating and will feel nauseous from it, while others (like me) can eat something while walking through the gym doors without issue. In general, you should experiment with nutrient timing with your pre-workout meals to determine your individual best response. Depending on the form (liquid vs. whole foods) digestion can occur in a range of a 10-20 minutes to 2-3 hours. Usually 1-2 hours beforehand is a good place to start. As mentioned above, ingesting a protein + carbohydrate meal as soon as possible after your workout has repeatedly been shown to be the best strategy.

Of course, all of this is honestly only the tip of the nutritional iceberg! That's why when I have questions about nutrition, I turn to my friends Cassandra and Mike to sort through the food confusion and give me the best information available...I prefer biomechanics and exercise anyway!

-Jonathan

Keeping Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer

2008-07-30T23:45:00.003-04:00

It would be hard enough to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle if the only person that you had to worry about was yourself. The fact is, this is rarely the case. Every person that you interact with during your day has the potential to either be a positive influence or a negative one.

For instance, your mother might happen to compete in Ironmen events...or your dad might be a benchwarmer in the Coney Island Hot Dog Eating contest. Your brother might have been the starting quarterback at his college...or the first drafter in his Fantasy Football league on Yahoo Sports. Your significant other's idea of a perfect date could be rockclimbing and a Cliff Bar, or sitting on a stool in a bar where the bartender's name is Cliff.

It's a simple concept: you are either moving closer to your goals, or you're moving further away from them. Our day is filled with people that have the ability to push us in either direction...So which way are you heading?

By relying on your positive influences when you're not feeling motivated or when you're having trouble sticking to your plans, you can create a strong support system to help you to lift your spirits and keep yourself "in check." That doesn't mean that you need to drop any and all friends and family that might not be a perfect cheerleader for your team of one, but it is important to recognize the people in your life that are more likely to sabatoge your efforts than to help them.

-Jonathan

Tribute to a Tigger

2008-07-25T19:50:00.005-04:00

You just have to decide if you’re a Tigger or an Eeyore.
~Randy Pausch

Professor Randy Pausch, PhD, passed away today. He was 47 years old.

It’s not about how to achieve your dreams. It’s about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you.
~Randy Pausch

Made famous by his "Last Lecture" at Carnegie Melon University, Dr. Pausch inspired millions with his heartfelt, honest and inspiring strength in the face of overwhelming odds. If you have never watched Dr. Pausch's "Last Lecture," or if you would just like to watch it again (and you really should), please take a moment to enjoy it now:

We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.
~Randy Pausch

Like so many others, even though I never had the honor of meeting Dr. Pausch, I was immediately touched by his story, inspired by his fortitude, and now, finally, grieve in his passing. But to truly honor the man, we must exemplify his lessons: to always find the joy and pleasure in the things that we do, to appreciate the time that we have...and to always be a Tigger.

Don’t complain. Just work harder. That’s a picture of Jackie Robinson. It was in his contract not to complain, even when the fans spit on him.
~Randy Pausch

Fight for what you believe in, push yourself to achieve each and every one of your goals, and always remember that no matter how hard you're working, there's always room to work harder. When you believe in something, there are no limits to what you can achieve.

The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough.
~Randy Pausch

-Jonathan

Running Right, Part 2: Get Activated!

2008-07-22T18:54:00.006-04:00

Following up my last post, did you take a critical look at the joggers in your gym today? I did. Even though I always have a quick look around the gym to see what people are doing (and doing wrong), what I saw today, quite frankly, was something that I had never seen before...and it was scary!

So what happened? Today I saw a young girl, probably 19 or 20, running with such poor hip and ankle control that she was actually hitting her knees together as she ran! Every time that her foot hit the treadmill, the muscles in her hips were so weak that she wasn't able to stabilize her leg, and her knee rotated inwards with such force that it would knock against her other leg as she ran. Remember my comments on hip control and dynamic knee valgus? This is exactly what I saw today, but far, far worse. I honestly don't think that I've ever seen such an extreme example of weakness and poor conditioning before. It really was frightening, and without improving her strength, muscle coordination, function and activation, she's unfortunately an ACL tear waiting to happen.

Incidentally, she was also wearing pink. I'll assume that was purely coincidental.

While I could give a list of exercises to perform to improve muscle coordination, activity and strength, the fact is that by now you already know them: squats, bridges, lunges, deadlifts, etc. The problem isn't solved by some "exercise secrets," it's solved with careful attention to exactly how you move. Exercise by itself is a good thing, but exercise done properly is the right thing.

Never take for granted that you're doing something correctly, whether it's in the gym or outside the gym: challenge yourself to move better with more control, purpose and fluidity of motion. Always check your movement...better yet, have someone qualified check it for you.

As I saw first-hand today, even something as simple as running isn't always so simple after all!

-Jonathan

Running Right

2008-07-21T12:28:00.003-04:00

"We all have dreams. In order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort."
-Jesse Owens

Running is a natural movement. It's one of the most basic and easiest ways to exercise, and besides a good pair of running sneakers, you don't need anything but the ground. A good, hard run helps to burn calories, improve cardiovascular function, increase your coordination and balance, and it can even be a fantastic stress reliever after a hard day at the office.

The problem is, not many people do it properly with good form and good muscle activation. Case in point: The next time that you go to the gym, take a moment to watch the "Afternoon Crew " sweating it out on the treadmills. Specifically, watch the movements of their legs and hips: I doubt that you'll see anyone producing a full hip extension during their run, where the "power leg" is extended behind the hips at a 45 degree angle, propelling the runner forwards with a stiff core and good thoracic rotation, like this:

Instead, you're more likely to see a very leisurely jog without any power in the stride and a stiff thoracic spine (upper back) while running, like in the example below (matching pink outfit and pink headband optional, of course):

This can be caused by a number of things: shortness or stiffness in the hip flexors, usually from a combination of a sedentary job/lifestyle where sitting is the main activity, weakness in the glutes and hamstrings (the other result of sitting too much), or even from the leisurely pace of most hour-long treadmill marathons itself (where the additional effort of a full stride isn't needed, and is typically avoided).

All of this can add up to what you see above: a lack of hip extension and power during the running stride, which can easily lead to a further weakening of the glutes and hamstrings, which can in-turn eventually lead to a number of back, hip, knee and/or ankle orthopedic issues. In the picture, our pink-armored gym warrior is using knee flexion in compensation for hip extension because she already has weakness in her glutes. You should actually be able to see this by evaluating the muscle bulk in her quads vs. the rather flat looking back of the thigh/hamstrings and glutes.

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, and Miss Pink Hot-Pants is happily jogging along that road. Running can be a great form of exercise, but poor running is going to end up getting you nowhere fast. When you engage in an activity, whether that's running, weight lifting, sports, etc, make sure that you are actually doing it correctly! Consulting with a qualified coach to evaluate your running form and help you to improve your mechanics can make all of the difference in the world...and your hips, knees and back will thank you for it!

By the way, the black-and-white picture above (the 1st picture) is of Wilma Rudolph. She was diagnosed with Polio at the age of four years old and walked with braces until she was 12. Wilma endured not only the early struggles of her condition, but the daily suffering of segregation in her home state of Tennessee during her youth as well. Despite these obstacles, Wilma persevered and went on to represent her country in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games, winning a Bronze medal in '56 and three Gold medals in '60. She was named the winner of the James E. Sullivan award for top amateur athlete in the United States following her miraculous achievements.

Wilma Rudolph has inspired countless female athletes of every color, heritage and condition looking to fulfill a dream and to fight for what they believe in. Running can change your health, but sometimes, in that rare instance, running can also change the world.

Do something special today, everyone.

-Jonathan

"Functional Training" and other Jedi Mind Tricks

2008-07-17T20:23:00.005-04:00

I was wrong, and I'm not too proud to admit it: there are some things that make less sense than a single leg deadlift and overhead fly with a leg lift while holding pink dumbbells, and it looks a little something like this (kids, don't try this at home):

Thanks to my brother from another mother (or something like that) Tony Gentilcore for sending that over. He said that he was going to use it in a "random thoughts" blog post himself, but I beat him to it.

HA!!!

Jonathan - 1
Tony - 0

-Jonathan

A Beautiful (and Strong) Mind

2008-07-15T19:42:00.002-04:00

Reader Kelly S. recently sent me a link to a great list of 50 Ways to Maximize Your Brain Fitness that I thought many of you might enjoy.

Remember: a healthy and strong body needs to be complimented with an equally healthy and strong mind. Have a look at the list and see how many different suggestions that you can add into your day to improve your brain power, even as you improve your muscle power!

Thanks for the link, Kelly!

-Jonathan

Balancing Act

2008-07-05T16:25:00.002-04:00

Wow, has it really been two months since my last post? Time sure does fly when you're busy!

Luckily, I have a good excuse: I was completing my clinical rotation in orthopedics this summer, and as you might expect, it was pretty involved! Unfortunately, I found little time to answer an excellent comment left in a previous post…hopefully, my response below will have been worth the wait:

Q:Hi Jon

I understand what you're saying about the principle of specificity, and I agree that way too many people do way too much training on unstable surfaces... but wasn't that pink dumbbell guy doing some balance/core stability work?

A less difficult version of this exercise is shown over at SparkPeople and it says "This is a very good balance exercise and works your core stabilizer muscles as well as your leg muscles."

http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/ex/exercises.asp?ID=18

I would be interested in your thoughts.

A: Well, yes and no! Basically, we’re really looking at the same issue: the specificity of the exercise. While the people that recommend those kinds of exercises with some abstract claim of improving balance and “core strength” (more on that “SparkPeople” example in a moment), once again we have to look at how that improvement might actually be utilized (or in most cases, not utilized).

In clinic, therapists use balance exercises in an attempt to correct a specific group of balance disorders, which is referred to as vestibular rehabilitation (referring to rehabilitation of the centers that control balance in the brain/body). This type of training is designed to correct a condition that is caused by peripheral or central vestibular disorders. For those patient populations, unstable surface training helps the individual to properly interpret vestibular information and to develop more appropriate strategies in maintaining balance.

A mistake that an unfortunately vast majority of trainers and coaches make (and all of the so-called “functional” proponents) is that if a technique works to improve balance in one specific condition for one particular population, it must work for other conditions and other populations, too.

It doesn’t.

That’s because for normal populations, poor balance has to do primarily with decreased muscle coordination, strength/endurance as well as possibly poor joint proprioception, and NOT because of a true vestibular condition. There is a big difference between vestibular patients that may experience dizziness, blurred vision, disorientation and/or lightheadedness in addition to a feeling of loss of balance vs. someone that's simply a bit clumsy.

Once again, this is an issue of specificity: what is the problem that we are trying to correct or improve, why is it occurring, and how do we best address it? Using balance training methods developed for patients with clinical deficits in vestibular function and applying it to a normal, healthy individual is like trying to learn how to Waltz by taking tap-dancing lessons: just because they’re both forms of dancing, it doesn't mean that they're anything alike. So if you find yourself tripping over your own feet, don’t stand on a Bosu or attempt one-legged squats: learn how to walk on solid ground without tripping by using agility/coordination drills and good old-fashioned strength training!

Now here’s the funny part about the SparkPeople example: if you look carefully, even though it’s a crude 5-frame demo, you can easily see that the individual who is demonstrating the exercise that claims to produce “good balance…and works your core stabilizer muscles as well as your leg muscles” actually has significant weaknesses in both balance as well as core and leg strength!

Taking a closer look, you will see his leg swing inwards towards the other knee as he attempts to balance himself as he squats: this is a clear indication of poor knee control stemming from weaknesses in his pelvis/hips, thighs, hamstrings and/or calves. And he’s standing on solid ground! Just imagine what he would look like if he decided that he needed to improve his balance and de-stabilize himself further by performing his exercise on a Bosu: It would be a disaster! Such an obvious weakness means that while he can figure out how to balance himself on one leg, he has actually done nothing to improve his strength, reduce his risk of potential injury at the knee or to improve his overall quality of movement because of his compensation patterns.

In fact, according to a recent Olympic Committee statement concerning non-contact ACL ruptures in females:

"(A)lmost 80% of ACL injuries are non-contact in nature. Injuries often occur when landing
from a jump, cutting or decelerating. A combination of anterior tibial translation and lower
extremity valgus are probably important components of the mechanism of injury in these
athletes."

A dynamic knee valgus occurs when the knee moves towards the midline but the shin moves away from the midline (hip adduction). Now, let’s look again at his knee and hip when he squats: His knee buckles inwards, and his pelvis moves out to the right, increasing the angle between the hip and the knee, which is exactly what is described in the paper. Because our bodies are smart, we are more likely to work around a weakness or improper movement rather than spontaneously correcting weaknesses and poor movement patterns (which is why having access to a knowledgeable trainer, coach or therapist can be so important for injury prevention through appropriate corrective exercise to spot and fix these weaknesses).

In our example’s quest to improve his balance and conditioning, he’s likely made pre-existing muscle/postural weaknesses even weaker by feeding into his natural compensatory patterns of movement, making himself more at risk for serious ACL injury! Can he balance on one leg? Yeah...sorta. Does he do it correctly with good motor control and strength? Absolutely not. And that is a recipe for future chronic injury.

And this really proves my point: exercise without specificity of function or without regard to addressing true dynamic weakness doesn’t help to improve anything other than getting better at that particular exercise...and not even necessarily with proper movement patterns, either! It’s like building an aircraft carrier in the middle of the desert: what’s the point? Yeah, it might represent a challenge, but you could have used the time and effort wasted on a useless motor skill towards something equally as challenging but far more practical and useable.

…Like learning how to properly squat and deadlift, which, according to this recent study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, found that “...activity of the trunk muscles during (squats) and (deadlifts) is greater or equal to that which is produced during the stability ball exercises. It appears that stability ball exercises may not provide a sufficient stimulus for increasing muscular strength or hypertrophy; consequently, the role of stability ball exercises in strength and conditioning programs is questioned.”

So in regard to that second part from the SparkPeople website claiming that their example exercise "works your core stabilizer muscles...?" It might to a point, but it looks like squats and deadlifts do more for core strength and conditioning than stability exercises do, too.

Go figure.

-Jonathan

My Hero

2008-05-11T19:00:00.005-04:00

I don't usually have much time to watch t.v., but I do try and leave room in my schedule to sit down and enjoy a few of my favorite shows every week. Recently, I've been catching up (through the miracle of netflix) with the show Heroes.

Heroes is a really interesting show. It's about people with "superpowers" but it's not exactly like a comic-book. In it, the characters are trying to understand their "gifts" and how to use them. One of the major characters is a Japanese man named...Hiro (pretty clever). He's basically a nerd, and he reads comic books. When he discovers that he can manipulate time (traveling forward, backward, or just stopping it altogether), he ponders what his destiny is. After all, if you've been given an extraordinary gift, he reasons, you're probably meant to use it to help others.

Lately I've been thinking of my own "gifts" and powers. I can't fly (although when I was 6 years-old I tried to off of the second step of the porch), and I can't see through walls (although I repeatedly tried to in high school through the girl's locker room walls...it didn't work either), but I do help people. I help people to get healthier and to feel better. My superpower is that I'm a healer.

But if that sounds impressive, you should hear about another superhero that I know: she's really powerful! She's got so many powers, it can be hard to keep track of: she's got super strength to lift me up whenever I might feel down. She's telepathic and can read minds, because she always knew when I wasn't telling the truth. She's a healer, too, and could always make any pain go away. She's got mind control and gets me to do the right thing with nothing more than a look. And she's got super-human brains, too, and continues to teach me so much about life, regardless of the situation.

No matter how much I may lift in the gym, it's mom that always taught me that true strength comes from within...and that may be her greatest superpower of them all.

Happy Mother's Day, mom. And happy Mother's Day to all of the other mothers that are the real-life superheroes to their children and families every day.

-Jonathan

Consumption Junction: What's Your Function?

2008-04-30T16:09:00.007-04:00

Just like "Jumbo Shrimp" and "Government Organization," the term "Functional Training" as it's used in most gyms and fitness magazines is an oxymoron. You may disagree, but there is nothing even remotely functional about a single leg deadlift and overhead fly with a leg lift while holding pink dumbbells! And unless you plan on playing tennis while standing on a mini-trampoline, using one during training probably doesn't make much sense, either.

In fact, this study clearly demonstrated that training on an unstable surface might actually decrease your performance in sports and athletics (when compared to training on a stable surface). If you look closely, you'll notice that Eric Cressey was the lead author of the study (it was his Master's thesis at UConn), and I'm pretty sure that he knows a thing or two about training for performance...just not about choosing teams to root for.

This will make more sense if you understand the Principle of Specificity. Specificity states that in order to become better at a task, you must practice that specific task. For instance, if you want to become a better free-throw shooter in basketball, you have to specifically practice free-throw shooting! If you decide that you want to practice your free-throws while standing on a Bosu, then you'll only become better at shooting free throws while standing on a Bosu. This is easy to see if you consider how we learn from a neuromuscular standpoint, which I wrote about in this post.

Instead of throwing together some random circus training and calling it "functional," you should instead think like a coach and consider what your particular needs and activities are. In other words, what is your particular "function," and how can your training actually help you to accomplish this? Just as importantly, what can you do in the gym to help you to counteract the potential negative impacts of what you do every day, keeping you healthy and functioning optimally?

For instance, if I'm working with one of my Rugby teams, they will probably perform Olympic weightlifting as part of their workouts to develop power and explosive force which they can use on the field. If I am training a secretary, I will make sure to include plenty of rowing and scapular retraction exercises as well as core postural training in order to undo the affects of sitting at a computer for 8 or more hours each day. If I am training a firefighter, I will utilize exercises that duplicate the job tasks of a firefighter with activities such as sandbag carries and even sledgehammer side-swings into a tire (think about carrying a person from a burning building or breaking open a burning door with an axe).

...And if I should ever find myself in the position of training a Professional Bosu Basketball League player...well, that's when I'll take the Bosu out of the aerobics studio and incorporate it into my programming!

Don't get me wrong: there's nothing inherently bad about unstable surface training...you just need to understand why you would choose to use that form of training. Hopefully, you now recognize that any exercise can be labeled as "functional" depending on what specific activity need it addresses, and not just because someone happens to be doing a handstand on a stability ball while he/she is exercising.

Depending on your goals (weight loss, muscle gain, athletic performance, etc), you can adjust your sets and reps to produce the results that you're looking for (you can have a look at my Men's Fitness article Long Term Fitness for how to adjust your workouts for your particular needs). But always choose your exercises according to your specific tasks and individual needs.

In other words: make functional training actually functional!

-Jonathan

Be Careful What You Wish For...

2008-04-22T22:41:00.006-04:00

This past weekend, I attended the Perform Better 3-day Functional Training Summit in Chicago. It was a fantastic conference, and I was able to see some really informative presentations, as well as meet a lot of great strength coaches and trainers. I also got the chance to remind Eric Cressey that the Patriots lost Super Bowl XLII, you know, just in case he had forgotten.

One of the standout presentations was given by Juan Carlos Santana, MEd, CSCS,*D, FNSCA. In his presentation, JC spoke about what motivates our personal training clients, as well as what their true goals are when hiring a trainer/coach. Our clients may set weight loss or muscle gain as their primary goals, but according to JC this isn't really true most of the time. The fact is, many of our clients aren't just trying to change their bodies, they are really hoping to change their lives.

Let's face it: life isn't always so easy. So many of us may go to the gym thinking that we want to simply "get fit," but in truth we bring so many more issues and concerns through those health club doors, from low self confidence and fear of the gym because of the way that we might feel that we look, unfulfilling personal relationships or marriages, or unsatisfying jobs and careers, to name just a few.

Looking good may not be what a client actually wants in the end, JC argues: that client really wants to be happy, and believes that joining a gym and hiring a trainer will somehow deliver that happiness.

In my own experience, I have seen a number of clients achieve their fitness goals, only to feel even more lost or unhappy afterwards. Without even realizing it, these clients thought that the key to their happiness somehow was correlated to a number on a scale. Instead of being proud of their efforts and accomplishments, they were left only seeing the failings in their lives and the unhappiness that remained after the weight had been lost.

With my own clients, I often warn them about this possibility. I encourage them to enjoy the journey of their workouts and weight loss, and to use the positive experience of their hard work to spread throughout the rest of their day. Losing weight may not actually be the goal that they are looking to achieve, but exercise can become the means by which they ultimately do achieve it.

So what are your goals? Do you know what you are truly hoping to accomplish? Are you trying to lose weight, or are you really trying to gain happiness? By understanding yourself and working on every aspect of your life and not just the physical aspects, you can achieve your goals...all of them. Losing weight is a wonderful experience; Gaining happiness is sometimes something very different. By knowing and understanding that difference, you really can make all of your dreams come true.

-Jonathan

Education Qualification

2008-04-14T23:47:00.006-04:00

CBS News recently ran a report on unqualified personal trainers and the fitness industry's lack of regulation:

While the report is obviously focusing on very extreme examples, it also sheds light on an unfortunate and frightening "dirty little secret": without industry-wide regulations concerning the training and education of personal trainers, there is absolutely no assurance of professionalism, knowledge or even safety when it comes to hiring a "fitness professional."

Think about that for a moment: right now as you read this there are literally thousands upon thousands of people across the country that have entrusted their health and safety in a group of "professionals" that probably know just slightly more about health and basic human physiology than the people that actually hired them...and that is a terribly scary thing.

So how can you tell a good trainer from a bad one? You can take a look at what I've written before about evaluating a trainer, and you can also check out what my friend (and excellent coach) Tony Gentilcore had to say about the subject on his blog at the Boston Herald

In the end, a fitness professional, just like any other professional, requires two basic qualities to be effective: knowledge of his/her field, and the ability to apply that knowledge. Until the fitness industry develops a standardization of knowledge-base and entry-level requirements, it will remain a terribly scary thing indeed.

***

On a more personal (and positive) note, congratulations to my best friend Rochelle: she was just accepted to the City University of New York's Ph.D. program in Speech and Hearing Sciences (where I am currently finishing my own clinical doctorate in physical therapy). She is one of the brightest and most gifted people that I know, and there was never a doubt in my mind that she wouldn't be accepted!

I'm SO proud of you, Rocks!

-Jonathan

Poor Practice

2008-04-05T15:36:00.013-04:00

I have no idea how to tie my own shoes "the right way." As a precocious four year-old, I taught myself how to tie my sneakers one day, but because no one had shown me the "right way" I had to figure it out myself. Unfortunately for me now, I didn't get it quite right, and I am now the master of the "bunny ears" method of shoelace manipulation. Even though I've tried to learn how to do it more efficiently a number of times, I just never could break out of how I had taught myself while sitting on the floor of my kitchen over 25 years ago.

Whenever we try a new exercise or movement, we learn. Just like studying a foreign language will eventually allow us to become fluent in that language, consistently practicing a new technique in the gym will allow us to become "fluent" in that technique, eventually mastering it. However, learning another language takes more than just knowing how to translate your words: to truly become fluent, it takes an awareness of the differences in inflections, tone and even speed of your speech so that you truly learn how to mimic the accent, slang and expressions of that language. This is also true of weightlifting and even in tying your shoelaces: paying attention to the details along the way will make the difference between getting something done and getting something done well.

When we need to move, our Central Nervous System will figure out a way to do it. Whether the resulting movement is technically "right" or "wrong" in terms of muscle activation, recruitment, force or even the resulting movement itself isn't as important as actually getting the task accomplished, "properly" or otherwise. If one muscle isn't doing its fair share because it doesn't know "how to," other muscles will take over in the process. This is known as "Synergist Dominance," and over time it causes strong muscles to become stronger and weaker muscles to become weaker. In turn, this will begin a chronic cycle of altered biomechanics at the joints and soft tissues, and once your body becomes accustomed to moving "wrong," it's a very difficult cycle to break. The problem is that if you don't break this cycle of poor movement, eventually your body will break instead.

To understand why this can be so difficult to do, first we have to look at exactly how our brains learn to move our bodies, a process called "motor learning." Motor learning is a physical reorganization of cortical neurons in the primary motor cortex through a phenomenon known as "cortical plasticity." In other words, your brain actually changes physically whenever you learn something new! This requires a reorganization of synaptic connections in the brain, which takes time and energy. It is a difficult thing to reverse once it occurs, because not only do new connections need to be formed, but the old ones must be down-regulated. You may be more familiar with another form of down-regulation which can occur in our bodies: the down-regulating of motor units in unused muscles, which is what happens when a muscle atrophies and shrinks if you take a very long time away from lifting weights.

This is why "breaking old habits" can be so difficult for people to do, and why *some* of us can't tie our shoes correctly. Rewiring your brain is tough work! Learning a new exercise and proper form can be a challenging experience, but unlearning an exercise because of poor form can be even harder. Paying attention to the details and making sure that you learn how to move correctly early on can make all of the difference in the world, ensuring that you'll be improving your body for a long time to come.

Hopefully you took that time when you first began lifting weights and exercising. It turns my stomach when I see trainers or coaches not take the time to instruct their clients or athletes properly, either because they don't know how to see those mistakes in the first place or they don't realize how important it actually is. Luckily, it's never to late to fix those mistakes, even if it is more difficult to do after the fact. At least half of what I do in a typical coaching session is just that: fixing mistakes and improving movement, form and technique.

So check your form every time you attempt a lift, and make sure that you're able to spot your flaws and to correct them. Even better, find a qualified and expert trainer or coach to help you and ensure that everything that you do is done correctly.

Practice makes perfect, but BAD practice makes imperfect.

-Jonathan

Fitness at any Age

2008-03-28T21:26:00.005-04:00

Stanley Paris, PhD, PT, FAPTA is a living legend in the field of physical therapy. His influence on the way that we understand and practice manual techniques and the hands-on treatments of musculoskeletal injury has literally changed the field.

Dr. Paris' blog, chronicling his experiences as he trains to swim the English Channel to raise money and awareness for much-needed research in physical therapy, is an interesting and inspiring journal and a great read. It's even more incredible when you realize that Dr. Paris is 70 years old. When he completes his journey, he will have broken the World Record as the oldest person to swim the Channel.

It's an amazing story, but the fact is that this is nothing new for Dr. Paris. Twenty-five years ago, he successfully swam the Channel twice. He has also competed in and completed the World Championship Ironman in Hawaii. In other words, Dr. Paris has made a lifestyle around competition, health and exercise. By adopting a healthy lifestyle earlier in his life, he defies the norm now.

So what will you be doing when you're 70 years-young? Chances are, it will basically be what you're doing right now. Whether you're swimming the Channel or channel surfing...well, that's up to you.

-Jonathan

Getting a Leg Up on Performance

2008-03-20T10:00:00.005-04:00

Q: Jonathan,
At a workshop I attended this weekend, the instructor said that short/tight and weak hip flexors go together a lot and that this will affect your squat ....how do I determine what's a weak hip flexor?
Thanks!

A: Our bodies work best in balance. Any tight muscle on one side of a joint can affect its opposite (antagonist) muscle on the other side. At the hips, a stiff or shortened hip flexor (the psoas) will cause a weakening of the glutes on the opposite side of the hips, a phenomenon called inhibition. When exercise physiologists or coaches refer to muscle dysfunction, this is one of the ways in which a muscle can become dysfunctional.

In the case of a squat, you can easily see how this can negatively affect your movement: a short psoas will cause a dysfunction in its antagonists, the glutes. Normally, the glutes play a significant role in hip extension when you stand out of the deepest point in your squat (the concentric phase). If your glutes are weak, your hamstrings and erector spinae (the long muscles of your back) will overcompensate because of this (called a synergist dominance, which is how your body deals with faulty muscle activity), and this will possibly lead to muscle overuse injuries. Even worse, the psoas (which is sometimes included as half of a larger muscle called the illiopsoas) attaches at your lumbar spine, which can affect your hip mobility and lead to chronic damage in the spine.

None of this is good!

To see how your hip flexors match up, perform this simple self-test: Stand with your back and arms against a wall in order to prevent back extension. Lift your right leg so that the knee is above your hips and hold your leg there for 10 seconds. Repeat with your left leg. If you're unable to hold either leg in that position for 10 seconds due to fatigue or cramping, it's safe to say that you have a hip flexor weakness.

Luckily in this case, the test is also a good way to treat the problem, too. Perform 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps on each leg as part of your accessory work, and along with appropriate dynamic stretching for hip mobility you'll be able to audition with the Rocketts in no time!

-Jonathan

Lazy Lifting

2008-03-07T08:49:00.009-05:00

I used to play a game at my old gym, where there was an elevator that led to the 2nd floor where the gym was located. I would wait by the elevator and see just how many members would use the elevator instead of the stairs to get to the gym...to exercise once they got there.

On most days, it would be nearly 100%. Apparently, exercising in the gym was fine, but for anything outside of the gym, including how they got there, they took the easiest way possible.

I guess that the logic there was that you wouldn't want to exert yourself actually getting to the gym.

...Isn't that the point?

So what's your viewpoint and approach towards your own goals? Trying to lose weight, gain muscle, or otherwise improve yourself by using the path of least resistance won't work terribly well for terribly long, and pushing yourself in the gym but not following that approach throughout the rest of your day will basically get you...terrible results.

Your goals won't be achieved just because you showed up: they take hard work and effort in every aspect of your day...And that really is the point.

-Jonathan

Perfecting Your Deadlift

2008-03-01T12:19:00.007-05:00

The deadlift is one of the most functional and natural exercises that we can use in the gym. If you've ever picked something up from the floor, you've performed a "natural" deadlift technique to accomplish it. Ironically, what should be a highly intuitive and second-nature way to move is one of the least understood and often incorrectly performed exercises seen today. And the only thing worse than not including deadlifts into your routines is by performing these highly effective and challenging exercises with poor form (or in this case, probably the most horrible thing that I think that I've ever seen in my entire life):

One of the keys to performing a perfect deadlift is in keeping your spine in its natural alignment and learning how to move with the hips and not with the low back or even the knees (the knees will bend in a deadlift, but even this is dictated by the hips first. Never try to "squat your deadlift"). By moving your hips backwards and keeping the back naturally arched, holding the shoulder blades tight and depressed down (the opposite of a shoulder shrug), you will train your posterior chain (all of the muscles that span the back of the body) both safely and effectively.

The problem is, most people won't realize that they've got it wrong until it's too late and they've developed back pain and damage from years of bad deadlifts, both in as well as out of the gym. So here's an easy test to see if you've got it right:

Stand roughly 10-12 inches away from a wall (depending on how tall you are) while holding a broomstick in your hands with the back straight and your abs braced tight (i.e. in a deadlift position). Now, try and get your glutes to touch against the wall by moving the hips back towards the wall and keeping your back straight without losing your balance. This is hip flexion. If you can't do this, you're mistaking the motion of lumbar flexion (the bending of your lower back) for hip flexion.

Hopefully you understood this motion and got it right...if not, you've got some lifting homework to do.

-Jonathan

You Are What You Eat

2008-02-27T20:19:00.004-05:00

Whenever I design a training program for a client, regardless of what that client's particular goals might be, I know that a lot of that client's success will depend on his/her nutritional choices. I could write the most amazing, original and brilliantly planned workout ever devised (don't I always?), but without a solid nutritional program backing that up, the results will only be so-so at best.

Just like exercise, nutrition can be fairly simple and incredibly complex all at the same time. As the body changes through the course of exercise and structured eating, the solutions that once worked to keep us moving in the right direction can stop us dead in our tracks or even worse, reverse our progress later on. It can be frustrating, confusing, and make us want to dive head-first into a box of girl scout cookies (at least, that's what I tend to do). Luckily, guys like Mike Roussell are around to make sure that you won't be lost spinning your wheels from nutrition even as you sit spinning your wheels in your spin classes!

Mike recently launched The Naked Nutrition Network as a resource to answer all of your nutritional questions and to give you the latest, up-to-the-minute, evidence-based information on how you can look and feel your best from your time in the kitchen. The best part is that it's all free. No catches, no commitments, and no charge.

And that's a no-brainer.

-Jonathan

Plain Talk About Movement Planes

2008-02-21T08:46:00.004-05:00

I admit it: I love this geeky science stuff. By understanding the “how’s” and “why’s” of what we do in the gym, exercises take on an entirely new meaning and an entirely new world of possibilities opens up before us.

One of the most basic, yet important areas to understand is biomechanics and kinesiology, which is the study of how we move. The first thing that we learn about in any biomechanics class is what we call the “Cardinal Planes of Movement.” These three primary planes, the sagittal (straight out in front or behind the body, like a front delt raise), frontal (out to the sides, like a dumbbell lat raise) and transverse plane (rotation around the center, like a Russian twist) make it possible for kinesiologists (people that study human movement) to break down all of the movements that we are capable of producing in sports and everyday activities alike. From an uppercut in boxing, the breast stroke in swimming, or the swing of a baseball bat, biomechanics is the language of our body and exercise.

Most movements, however, don’t actually occur in only one plane, but are usually a combination of two or even all three of these planes. So why is this important? Take a good look at almost any traditional exercise, and you’ll quickly realize that they only train in the sagittal plane. Squats? Sagittal. Deadlifts? Sagittal. Bench press? Sagittal. Rows? You get the picture! It becomes obvious that most of us have a major imbalance in the up/down, forward/back motions from most gym equipment and exercises in our routines. Even most cardio exercises, such as the bike, stair climber and treadmill use mainly the sagittal plane.

To take this one step further, because we rarely if ever exercise in the frontal or transverse planes against a resistance, we are not prepared for the sudden, lateral movements which are part of most recreational sports, nor are we conditioned for the rotational component of most sports, either. Skiing and racquet sports are excellent examples of how we require the ability to control lateral movements, and anything from the aforementioned swing of a baseball bat or boxing uppercut uses strong rotational forces to produce power. Even in less obvious activities such as jogging, we must stabilize the rotational component of our hips and pelvis as we cycle through our strides to move efficiently and properly. Without adding these aspects of movement into our workouts, we risk decreased performance and an increase in injuries.

So how do we correct this and become more balanced in our workouts? It’s actually a lot simpler than you might think: By moving out of the standard bilateral exercise “trap” (using both arms or both legs at the same time), we are forced to stabilize ourselves not only in one direction (front and back in the sagittal plane), but from side to side in the frontal plane, too. Adding a rotational component to many standard exercises, such as at the end of a lunge or standing overhead press, will force us to control our bodies dynamically in the transverse plane, too, and will also add a diagonal component to our movement as well. Throw in a standing Russian twist with a pulley, or a lateral medicine ball toss against a wall, and now you’ve got a complete and total workout.

This doesn’t mean that we should get rid of those squats, deadlifts and all the other tried-and-true gym exercises; rather, by being aware of our biomechanics and using these techniques as part of our total workouts, we can produce better, more complete results in the gym. Did I mention that love this geeky science stuff?

-Jonathan

Get LOST in your workouts

2008-02-14T19:41:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite shows (and one of the few that I actually make time for in my never-ending schedule) is LOST. If you're not familiar with the show, LOST is the story of the survivors of flight 815 after their plane crashes on an island somewhere in the South Pacific.

As I sat here anxiously waiting for tonight's episode to start, it got me thinking: what would I do if I were lost on a tropical island? I'd probably have lots of time on my hands to spend working out, but without my nice squat cage and dumbbell rack, what would I do with the time between catching fish and trying to get myself rescued?

More importantly, what would you do? If you're like me, then you've already got visions of pushups on the beach and tree-branch pull-ups, lifting rocks and single leg squats, swimming circuits in the ocean and even a jungle obstacle course. If you're like me, you already love bodyweight exercises and mixing up your workouts, trying different things for a new stimulus, a new challenge, and a new way of training to keep things fresh, effective and fun.

So what would you do if you were trapped on a tropical island with plenty of fish, coconuts and time on your hands?

-Jonathan

The Eric Cressey Newsletter

2008-02-08T21:20:00.001-05:00

Speaking of Eric Cressey, I contributed a few tips to his newsletter this week. If you haven't seen it yet, I don't blame you: he's a Red Sox and Patriots fan. But we can't all be perfect, I guess...luckily, Eric makes up for his poor choices in teams to root for by producing one of the best newsletters in the business!

And after you read the tips, don't forget to stop by Eric's blog too for a great cause and great discounts on all of his and Mike Robertson's awesome materials!

Have a great weekend, everyone.

-Jonathan

Making a Difference

2008-02-07T19:42:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note to let you know that Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson are offering 25% off of all of their products...the only thing better than getting their incredible materials on sale is the reason for the sale itself: being able to help support vital research and to save lives.

Together, we can make a difference. Check out Eric and Mike's offer and learn how you can take part in helping to find a cure, and get a discount on some great products, too: Help Charity, Help Yourself: Great Sale for a Great Cause

-Jonathan

Back...to the Future!

2008-02-06T01:06:00.001-05:00

Wow...time sure flies, doesn't it? Ok, ok, so I haven't exactly been great about blogging lately...ok, make that not-so-lately. Sometimes life really can get in the way of our best intentions. That might mean interrupted plans to exercise, or being less-than committed towards keeping our diets...and sometimes it might even refer to updating a blog...yeah, it happens to all of us once in a while.

But that should never mean that you just give up and forget what you had dedicated yourself to before you got distracted from your goals. So here I am: refocused, reorganized and recommitted to keeping this blog fresh and updated...this time on a regular basis! And for those of you that might have given up on those New Year's Resolutions, or had one too many big family meals during the holidays and never really "recovered," now is as good a time as any to recommit yourself to your goals and your healthy lifestyle...it's never too late.

The good news is that in between then and now, there's been a lot of great stuff going on, and I've been working on some pretty cool things that I'm excited about...hopefully you will be too. So thanks for keeping an eye on the place while I was away, busy being busy, and stay tuned: I've got lots of good things to share with all of you in the months to come!

-Jonathan

Back FAQ

2007-08-12T23:37:00.001-04:00

Q: I read somewhere (perhaps in NROL? maybe not) that you should lift 60 minutes after you wake up because your spine fills up with fluid at night and it takes about an hour for it to go away. This fluid supposedly increasing pressure on the spine or whatever.

I hope I didn't just imagine that or something.

A: Your intervertebral discs (the nucleus pulposus specifically) are designed to be shock absorbers. They are filled with a number of different biological materials and metabolites (collagen fibers in a mucoprotein gel with polysaccharides and water) that can absorb compressive forces transmitted through the spine during daily activities. Like all of the structures in our bodies, water is absorbed and released throughout the course of the day, in this case due to the consistent compressive forces that we experience from walking upright. When we sleep, we are lying flat and there is no compressive force on the discs, allowing them to absorb water and materials without compression causing a subsequent loss of fluids. When you wake up, you're actually slightly taller than at the end of the day because of this. However, because of the increased height of the discs, your spine is less stable than when your discs have naturally been weighed down from the weight of your spine (less surface area actually making contact to the vertebrae above and below the disc). This isn't an issue...unless you're planning on performing exercise which substantially increased the forces onto the spine and intervertebral discs, in which case there is an increased risk of injury. Typically the recommendation is to wait 30-45 minutes until engaging in exercise from the time that you wake, which is naturally the minimum amount of time required to digest the morning's breakfast/pre-workout meal anyway, so again this typically isn't an issue unless a person is mistakingly engaging in fasted exercise...

-Jonathan

Muscles in Balance

2007-07-21T20:21:00.001-04:00

It is no mistake or coincidence that the Tan t'ien, the source of the body's energy in Eastern meditation as well as martial arts, is located in the body's core (three finger widths below and two finger widths deep to the navel). The core is the center of our body's strength, the "powerhouse" and foundation for all of our movements. The muscles that comprise the core, which span the lumbar spine, pelvis and hips, must be strong and work functionally with the rest of our bodies to transfer force through our legs to our shoulders in a squat or deadlift, through our feet into our hands in an overhead press, or through our lats into our arms in a pull-up. Without strong and functional core musculature, you simply cannot expect to lift heavy and safely.

However, weight training is only one aspect of the use of our core muscles. The core is the source of a powerful swing of the bat in baseball, a knockout uppercut in boxing, or a cross-court pass in basketball. The core stabilizes our spine and prevents dangerous shearing forces from causing damage to the joints of our vertebrae, helping to keep our backs healthy and pain free.

Ironically, the muscle that we think of first when we hear the term "core training," the rectus abdominis (your six pack...or keg, depending on your diet!), really serves very little importance when it comes to stabilizing the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex. The deeper muscles, such as the transverse abdominis, internal and external obliques, quadratus lumborum, and the muscles of the pelvic floor do all of the work 'behind the scenes' while the rectus abdominis gets all of the press and photo opportunities.

Besides the external obliques, the muscles of the core are often an afterthought in most weightlifter's routines (or not even a thought at all if they're not familiar with basic functional anatomy!). Lucky for us that our bodies are smarter than we are: by using the compound lifts as the majority of our exercise selections (squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, pushups, etc), our core muscles will be active with every rep, developing and improving along with the rest of our lifts throughout the course of our workouts. This isn't to say that you shouldn't worry about core training as long as you're squatting, either; rather, you should choose your additional core work with care to compliment the functional role that these muscles already play in your daily activities as well as your gym work.

So skip the sit-ups and ditch the crunches: they were never going to do much for you anyway (abdominal definition has far more to do with body fat levels than it does with endless amounts of crunches and leg lifts. Don't believe me? Have a look at some of my clients' results: I guarantee you that they have never performed a single crunch while working with me!). Instead, fill your accessory core work with a healthy dose of side bridges, overhead squats and rotational work...

...Or you can just do what this guy does:

As you can see, the muscles of our core work together so that the rest of our muscles can work together too. They are the foundation that our Body Temple is built on, like the chassis of a car or the roots of a tree. So whether you're a breakdancer or a martial artist, never forget that your power stems from your Tan t'ien.

-Jonathan

Running Away From Strength Training?

2007-07-19T23:18:00.001-04:00

When I have the time (which, unfortunately is growing less and less abundant lately!), I enjoy making the "rounds" on some of my favorite fitness forums such as JP Fitness, World Fitness, and of course my own Accelerated Strength private forums, exclusive to my online training clients. Personally, I feel that online forums can be a wonderful place to interact with people that share similar interests in health and fitness, as well as a fantastic resource for information and knowledge (and not to mention the occasional Off Topic oddity).

Last week, I answered the following question posted on one of the forums...I thought that it was a great question that I've been asked a number of times by recreational and competitive runners alike looking to improve not only their running time but their injury prevention as well, and I thought that you might all like to read it too:

Q: My friend, a distance runner, needs some advice. He's lifted before and isn't new to lifting, but he's wondering if there are certain lifts and or programs that he should do to help him for his sport (distance running, cross country) I've heard that weight lifting can help prevent knee pain.

Any advice for him?

A: There have been repeated studies of distance running and the effect of heavy weight training to not only improve short term muscle power and stride power in long distance runners, but the ability of a properly balanced weight training routine, along with appropriate soft-tissue work and energy systems training to improve running times, joint health and stability and reduce overall injury risk.

Your friend should be using traditional strength exercises performed at low volumes (1-3 sets, periodized) such as deadlifts and RDL's, as well as unilateral work such as reverse lunges, step-ups and lunges, in a mixture of heavier (4-6 rep range) and somewhat lighter (8-15 rep range) to improve strength and joint stability. He should address soft tissue at the IT band and quads, hip flexors and hamstrings, as well as glutes, adductors and calves, and be mindful not to overstretch (which has no conclusive indication in the literature for being injury preventive and can in fact possibly increase injury potential if it produces hyperflexibility at the joint). He should use at least 1-2 interval sessions and even sprint work as well to supplement his longer runs: he'll see improvements in short-term power and acceleration as well as improved muscular endurance from them.

-Jonathan

Planning for Change

2007-07-16T23:33:00.001-04:00

Accelerated Strength is finally up and running! Even though I had fallen terribly behind schedule with different projects and time demands that came up along the way, in the end I think that it’s turned out better and more complete than I had ever originally imagined. The pros at Local Wisdom truly outdid themselves and I really think that it shows. The feedback so far has been very supportive, and I couldn’t dream of having a better final product than this!*

The fact is that no matter how well we plan, obstacles to our goals are bound to eventually occur and that ‘perfect’ plan or strategy, such as my website launch, needs to be adjusted. After all, as I’ve said before, “life happens!” How we handle those new issues and alterations to our initial approach can sometimes be more important than the original plan itself.

This certainly happens to us as fitness enthusiasts all of the time: perhaps it’s an unexpected lunch meeting when you’re trying to watch your diet, or having to stay late at work to finish a project when you’d normally be leaving for the gym. Whatever that unexpected scheduling conflict or temptation might be, how we handle it can be the difference between overall success in reaching our health/fitness goals, or a string of skipped workouts, poor diet choices and dismal results.

If you find yourself in such a situation, just remember these important rules:

-Whatever the situation, you know what your goals are: keep them in your actions, not just in your head.

-No matter the temptation, whether it’s a sugary snack or a distraction from your workout, these are short term ‘wants’ vs. the long term ‘needs’ of your goals. Be able to recognize the difference between the two and make the better choice. For instance, a bowl of Cap’n Crunch for breakfast because you’re running late isn’t a need, even if it is damned tasty: make the smarter choice of some cottage cheese and fruit or even a protein shake or smoothie, which can be prepared and eaten just as quickly and will be the better choice. If the Yankees are playing the Sox, just TiVo the game and watch it after you get back from the gym. You’ll even get to fast forward through the commercials, meaning that you’ll be able to probably catch up to the game live before Mo Rivera comes out to save it in the 9^th(I’m going to be getting some hate mail from that last sentence for sure!).

-If you’re tight on time, there are many ways that you can shorten your workout and still accomplish what you need to. First you must decide what your goals, as well as the most important aspects of your workouts in achieving those goals, actually are. For example, if you’re interested in fat loss or strength, you can first shorten or eliminate completely your cardio/endurance training for that day. If you still need to squeeze out more time, either reduce the volume of or eliminate entirely any accessory work that you have as part of your routine (this would be any isolation work for arms, shoulders, calves, abs, etc). From there, you can reduce the total number of sets that you would normally be performing for your core lifts. Instead of five sets of five, make it two or three sets of 3-5 reps. That will give you more than enough stimulus and intensity for a good response. Never skip out on your warm-ups, however: these prepare your body for activity and ensure that your workout will be safe and successful!

-When all else fails, get creative! If you absolutely can’t make it to the gym, you still have plenty of options: eight rounds each of tabata burpees and dive bombers will take a total of eight minutes, and leave you gasping for breathe and dripping with sweat! If you have even just one dumbbell, you can perform a circuit of one-armed snatches, suitcase deadlifts, lunges, one-armed bent-over rows and pushups, giving you a quick and effective full-body workout.

By using your head and keeping yourself focused on your objectives, you can overcome any obstacle or temptation that might come your way. Being able to steer around the bumps in the road and finding the alternate route to get you to your destination is what makes the trip challenging, interesting…and ultimately fun!

*On a more personal note, I wanted to send a special thank you to my clients:

When I first contacted my friends Shawn and Mike at Local Wisdom (along with a special thanks to Pinaki, Chris and Maria, who worked so hard to get AcceleratedStrength up and running, as well as to the rest of the Local Wisdom ‘family’: thanks again, guys!), I had just started taking on distance clients and I had maybe a handful of online clients at most. I realized that in order to expand and grow as a business, I would need to have a website acting as a resource for my clients and an opportunity for others to find out more about me and what I could offer to someone looking for online fitness consulting. What I hadn’t planned for was just how quickly my business would actually grow through word-of-mouth alone. My clients were more than happy to recommend me to their friends and family members at every opportunity.

I’m only as successful as you all are, and all of your dedication, hard work and effort towards your programs makes my job easy. I’m grateful for having such excellent people to work with, and your constant support has always meant so much to me.

Thank you.

-Jonathan

The Robertson Training Systems Interview

2007-07-13T18:15:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! I just finished an interview with Mike Robertson for the Robertson Training Systems Newsletter this week, and it was a blast. Mike is easily one of the most knowledgeable and nicest guys in this industry (or any other industry, for that matter), and it's always a pleasure to talk with him. If you still haven't signed up for his fantastic newsletter, what are you waiting for???

Along with the interview is a great tip about balancing orthopedic health and performance from Mike, as well as an awesome cooking/nutrition tip from Mike Roussell!

I hope that you enjoy the interview!

-Jonathan

The Truth About Cardio

2007-07-06T02:47:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone...If you get a chance, take a look in this month's issue of Men's Fitness Magazine: I contributed to a short article titled "The Truth About Cardio" on page 28.

Tiger Woods is on the cover...nice!

-Jonathan

The Pursuit of Happiness

2007-07-05T14:31:00.000-04:00

Jenny came across this article from Yahoo! Health that I think really makes a good distinction in the difference between happiness and the means by which we obtain that happiness (or not...). Whatever your fitness goals are, make sure that they are real and tangible goals, and not just vague concepts of being "thin" or "happier" which are difficult to quantify and even more difficult to recognize and appreciate once they're achieved.

-Jonathan

A Woman's Worth

2007-06-30T02:33:00.000-04:00

I just thought that I'd share with you one of my favorite videos. Absolutely amazing! This should be required viewing for every little girl (and boy) in America, if you ask me. We need to, as a culture, start embracing the concept that a woman can be strong, powerful and feminine, with both beauty and athleticism all at the same time!

For clarification, in case you're not familiar with Olympic Weightlifting or bumper plates:

*White plates: 5 kilos/11 pounds
*Green plates: 10 kilos/22 pounds
*Yellow plates: 15 kilos/33 pounds
*Blue plates: 20 kilos/44 pounds
*Red plates: 25 kilos/55 pounds
*Women's Bar weight: 15 kilos/33 pounds

Never underestimate the power of a woman, fellas...

-Jonathan

All's Fair in Love and War

2007-06-21T11:56:00.000-04:00

Ok, I’ll admit it: I’m definitely not looking my best right now! After a month of schoolwork and stress, I thought that I could finally take it easy for a little while. Instead, I’ve been busier than ever with upcoming projects, clients, and preparation for my clinical residency this summer. Along with a fantastic weekend trip up to Boston to visit my girlfriend Jenny’s brother and sister-in-law, along with a few date nights in New York, it’s safe to say that it’s been a “do as I say, not as I do” past few months for my clients!

Of course, I haven’t been alone, either. Jenny routinely works 60 hours/week or more as a financial consultant and MBA student, and finding time to eat properly and to work out can be more difficult than balancing million dollar portfolios!

In other words, “Life Happens.” All of us go through times where our schedules get in the way of our lifestyles, and for those of us that make health and fitness a priority under normal circumstances, it can be a real disappointment when we realize that we’ve allowed ourselves to lose sight of our personal goals. Even for those of us who are paid to, among other things, look good and exercise, finding time to do everything “right” can be a real challenge.

Trying to get “back on track” with eating and exercise by ourselves can be a daunting task, but by including others in your way back to healthy living and exercise, it can be a lot easier and more enjoyable too! That’s why Jenny and I have started the First Annual “Get Off of Your Ass and Stop Eating Like a Pig” Challenge (a.k.a. GOYASELP)! For the next 2 months, she and I will be making sure to keep each other in line and to get back to our normal, healthy lifestyles.

I’ll be writing our workouts, of course...As for the nutrition, I’m leaving that to Mike Roussell and his outstanding book, Your Naked Nutrition Guide: Nutrition Stripped to the Essentials. What I like the most about Your Naked Nutrition Guide is that it’s easy to follow and full of great information, so that both Jenny (a layperson) and myself (a health professional) can each find points of interest and appeal while reading and learning from Mike’s techniques. More than just another diet book, Mike gives you the tools and knowledge to make real and lasting changes in the way that you eat and feel. If you haven’t taken a look at Mike’s outstanding book on nutrition, body transformation, and health improvement yet, I can’t recommend Your Naked Nutrition Guide highly enough! In the first week of sticking to Mike’s “Six Pillars of Nutrition,” I’ve already lost 3 pounds, and my lifts have improved across the board! That’s real-world results, and I couldn’t be happier or more impressed with how easy it’s been to follow and stay committed to Mike’s teachings.

The rules for our Challenge are easy: 90% adherence to our programs, including my workouts and Mike’s nutritional guidelines, with the person with the greatest adherence being declared the winner. The prize: the loser buys the winner a free meal at a restaurant of the winner’s choosing.

But no matter who wins the Challenge, we both win.

Have a great week, everybody, and good luck with whatever may challenge you.

-Jonathan

Beyond the Norm: Advanced Training Questions for Advanced Trainers

2007-06-14T15:38:00.000-04:00

Recently, I had the opportunity to contribute to another fantastic special report, put together by my friend Leigh Peele as part of bonus gift to all of her newsletter subscribers.

This is a great compilation, and the topics discussed are in-depth and cutting-edge. Beyond the Norm covers all types of unique and important subjects, from postural assessments, allergies in relation to fat loss, increasing fast twitch muscle fibers, whether swimming as cardio can actually make you gain fat (that was my topic), and much more.

The very impressive author list includes:

Lou Schuler
Mike Robertson
Alan Aragon
Tony Gentilcore
Geovanni Derice
John Izzo
Eric Cressey
Jimmy Smith
Robert dos Remedios
Bill Hartman
Christopher Mohr
...and me!

If you aren't a subscriber already, head over to Avidity Fitness. and sign up! You'll get a link to download the manual, as well as receiving Leigh's excellent Avidity Fitness newsletter.

As always, I hope that you all enjoy the report!

-Jonathan

You're Getting Warmer...

2007-06-06T13:29:00.000-04:00

One of the more flattering aspects of my work is that I often get asked for my opinions on exercise and training by people that feel that I can help them. This was part of an email that “Y.K.,” a new and eager trainer, sent to me. I thought that it was an excellent question, one that I’m sure many of you have wondered about in your own workouts (or those of your clients) too:

What's the best way to utilize warm up sets in a program? How many do you do and do you need to do them at the start of each exercise or just for the bigger movements or just for the initial exercises/movement patterns? Also, how do you account for time when working them in? I've read a lot of stuff on program design and almost all of it seems to totally ignore the time required for warm up sets and just focus on filling up the hour with working sets. So drawing from your experience, what is the best way to implement warm up sets in a program and especially in a program with tight time restrictions?

-Y.K.

Honestly, warm-ups can be fairly specific to the program as well as the individual. Normally, I'll write in anywhere between 3-6 mobility/activation warm-ups to start a workout (stuff like scap pushups, glute bridges, etc), depending on the client's needs. Which exercises I use, and how many exercises I chose will depend on what I find in the evaluation (for online/distance clients, I will have to rely more heavily on postural assessment, and understanding what muscles will normally be weak or imbalanced to cause the posture or as a result of the posture itself). It’s almost *certain* that your client will have an issue with scapular positioning and proprioception, as well as hip mobility, so those are usually good places to start.

For the specific warm-ups themselves, I'll usually look at 3 specific warm-up sets for workouts that are 6 reps or fewer/set (possibly one more warm-up set for 1-2 RM loads, but that also depends on the client: some need more warming up than others), 1-2 warm-ups for sets of 8-10, and possibly a single quick warm-up for higher rep sets.

When you write specific warm-ups, you should be steadily increasing the loading while decreasing the number of reps, so that you slowly get to (or close to) the weight desired, but not so slowly or with so much volume that you become tired before your first set. For example, if I’m warming up a client to a 5 rep set using 100 pounds, I might write the warm-up this way:

1x4@75 lbs
1x3@85 lbs
1x2@95 lbs

If it's a full-body workout, I warm to every unique primary movement, but if it's a push/pull routine (all pushing motions one day, all pulling motions the next day), for instance, where I might have them do an upper body push (heavy) in the beginning of their workout followed by an upper body push (light) at the end, I don't always warm to the light sets (they will already be warmed from the previous, heavy lifts)...but of course, that's just a general rule: everyone has the *potential* to be different and I'll tweak the approach to suit their needs.

Remember that specific warm-ups not only prepare the actual joints and muscles for the exercise (by increasing synovial fluid saturation and blood flow/agonist blood vessel dilation, respectively), specific warm-ups also “activate” our Central Nervous System (CNS) in preparation for the movement and weight. In the “real world,” our bodies would become activated through the “fight or flight” response to danger, and all of the goals of the warm-up (increased blood flow, neural activation, heightened sensitivity, etc) would be produced by a hormonal response to an outside stimulus which represented a threat to our well-being (after all, if you’re Barney Rubble and you see a T-Rex running towards you, you want your CNS to be fully “activated” so that it can “turn on” all of your muscle fibers, allowing you to run at top speed so that you can escape from becoming someone’s dinner…or something like that…). In the gym, we don’t have this occurring (probably a good thing!), and so we have to artificially recreate that response with gradual and specific preparation.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the specific warm-up by how your client feels afterwards. If they feel strong and ready for their work sets, then change nothing. If they feel stronger after their first or second work set, then you may want to add in an additional warm-up set (they probably needed more time/warming up in order to be prepared). Conversely, if they felt weak, either remove a warm-up set, or decrease the reps in each warm-up (they became overworked). It can sometimes be a little trial and error, but a good warm-up is worth the effort!

As far as time concerns, I would never want to skip out on the warm-ups. Not only do they aid in activation and general preparation, but they’re an integral part in injury prevention and making sure that you have a safe and effective workout. The majority of your workout effect will come from the first few sets, so when in doubt, I’d rather drop the last set from each exercise (performing a 4x5 or 3x5 routine, for instance, instead of a 5x5) rather than cutting out the warm-ups and risking an injury or even just having to use less weight in the movement because the client wasn’t sufficiently prepared to lift heavier.

Although technically your warm-up and cool-down is not part of actual workout time, in reality it has to be part of your time-management. Using tools like supersets, giant sets, or having the client come in a little earlier to begin their general warm-ups can help you to save time and increase the amount of actual training time that you have available in your training sessions.

Thanks for the excellent question, Y.K.!

-Jonathan

Insight from the Experts

2007-05-21T23:41:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to let you know that I recently contributed to a free special report for everyone who is signed up for the Robertson Training Systems Newsletter (and if you're not, you really should be!!!). Here's a quick author list:

Craig Ballantyne
Chad Waterbury
Eric Cressey
Brijesh Patel
Mike Roussell
Tony Gentilcore
Zach Even-Esh
Craig Rasmussen
Nick Grantham
Joe Stankowski
AJ Roberts
Kevin Larrabee
Jimmy Smith
Keith Scott
Mike Yuhaniak
...and me!

If you're not already signed up for Mike's fantastic newsletter, head over to Robertson Training Systems, sign up for the newsletter and you'll get a link to download it...you can also check out Mike's blog, another fantastic resource and must read!

There are some really great tips and articles in the book, so I hope that you all enjoy it!

-Jonathan

Happy Birthday to Me

2007-05-20T01:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Jay-Z, the rumor is that “30 is the ‘new’ 20.” But with all due respect to Shawn Carter, I’m not sure that I agree. After all, looking at my life right now as compared to when I was 20, there are certainly quite a few things that have changed over the years…

At age 30, I’m stronger than I was at 20 years old. My diet and eating habits are healthier. My body fat is lower. At age 30, my heart rate is lower, and so is my blood pressure. The bottom line is that, ten years later, I’m healthier than I was when I was 20. About the only thing that hasn’t changed is my waistline. Well, that and the number of gray hairs that I have on my head!

Rather than longing for years past and for the days of our lost youth, maybe we’re looking at this “getting older thing” all wrong. Whether this year happens to be your 30th birthday, or your 90th, we all have the power to make our lives happier and healthier, full of vigor and vivacity, at any stage of life! After all, we can’t stop the progression of time, or the inevitably of getting older…we can, however, stop the progression of getting old.

I’m not quite convinced that 30 really is “the new 20.” But maybe it shouldn’t be, either. After all, with some hard work and dedication to yourself and your health, 30 can be, well, the new 30!

…And that’s the best birthday present that I could ever get!

-Jonathan

Rethinking the Question

2007-05-10T11:31:00.000-04:00

My father sent me an amazing article the other day about new research in patient resuscitation after a heart attack, To Treat the Dead. The article describes a new way of looking at what “clinical death” really is, and amazing and ground-breaking research that could change how we not only treat patients suffering from myocardial infarction, but in the very way that we view the body itself, as well as what happens when we die. I don’t know about you, but I’d say that this is pretty amazing stuff!

Of course, everything that we learn and every new theory that we develop has come from the ashes of a previous theory, a challenge to a widely-held dogma, or a new way of looking at an old problem. It is the human condition, the thirst for knowledge and the inquisitiveness of our nature that drives us to explore, discover, to learn and to understand.

When was the last time that you questioned your world? Do you know why you do the things that you do, the reason why you believe the things that you believe? Self-discovery is as important to an individual’s development as is eating and sleeping. In the quest for self-improvement, self-analysis and reflection is our compass and map. They are the tools that we use to build a better life.

Perhaps less importantly (but more appropriately to the topic of my blog), when is the last time that you questioned what you do in the gym? When is the last time that you turned a critical eye to your own workouts and methods? Do you know why you are using a certain exercise, or using a certain number of repetitions or sets? Why three sets of eight? Why eight sets of three? Is your workout producing the results that you’re after? Could you be doing something that would work even better? When is the last time that you actually thought about your workouts, instead of just following them?

Learn to question everything that you do…Or risk learning nothing.

-Jonathan

Fun With Technology

2007-05-05T22:07:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update: You can now subscribe to my Blog using an RSS feed or through an email notification service...have a look under my bio to the left of the postings for the "FeedBurner" link and/or for a place to enter your email address.

Have a great weekend everyone!

-Jonathan

Stressing What’s Important

2007-05-03T00:38:00.000-04:00

Lousy title, I know, but I’ve just been “out of it” lately. I’ve felt nervous, uninspired, anxious, unfocused and restless. I’ve had a difficult time staying asleep at night, I’ve been quick to get “snappy” with others, I’ve found myself less interested in my work, and I’ve even been less attentive to my friends, girlfriend, and family.

In other words, I’ve been feeling some serious stress!

Looking at my schedule, it’s pretty easy to see why: with one more month of classes left before we begin our first clinical rotations for school this summer, I will be working on five case studies, two papers, one case study presentation, six practical exams and seven final exams…and I just finished a 103 question comprehensive exam that tested us on the material covered over the entire first year of grad school! It’s a wonder that I haven’t caved under the pressure like Jack Nicholson in “The Shining,” and it’s only going to get worse before it gets better, unfortunately.

In life, we all deal with stress. It’s a part of the human experience, and it’s even theorized to be a necessary and integral part of that experience. However, high levels of stress can significantly impact your health, both physically and psychologically. I’m getting stressed just thinking about it!

While I could turn this into an in-depth discussion of “Glucocorticoids-this” and “Adrenals-that,” simply looking at what stress actually does to our bodies through common experience is enough to paint the larger picture: lowered energy levels, decreased mental focus and attention, a negative impact on our immune system and healing, altered carbohydrate and fat metabolism causing weight gain, and increased blood pressure and heart rates, to name just a few. In addition, chronic stress has been shown to contribute to very serious health problems, such as cardiovascular disorders, gastrointestinal pathologies, insulin-resistance and diabetes. There is even a small (albeit inconclusive) amount of evidence linking stress to tumor growth and cancer.

Obviously, this is hardly a good thing, not only for our overall health and well-being, but for our physiques and weight management as well. Of course, you can't avoid periods of stress in life, but doing your best to get enough sleep, eating properly, and employing strategies to decrease and/or manage your stress will go a long way in building muscle, losing fat and maintaining good health. For some, setting aside time for leisure activities such as reading a book, watching a movie, or working at a hobby will help to stay calm and relaxed. Other proven strategies in combating stress include meditation, Tai Chi and other physical relaxation techniques, listening to calming or soft music…and exercise, of course.

No matter what the problem is, exercise always seems to be the answer, doesn’t it? Exercise helps to keep our minds off of what is causing us stress, unless, of course, the thought of exercising is what’s actually causing you the stress…in that case, you’re on your own, buddy. Exercise also improves our cardiovascular functioning, boosts our immune systems, improves our insulin sensitivity, increases our overall energy, improves cognition and mental focus, and leads to decreased blood pressure and lowered heart rates…in other words, it counteracts all of the acute effects of stress! Exercise really is nature’s perfect medicine, and you didn’t even need to go to your doctor for a prescription!

The simple act of finally recognizing my stress and understanding where it has been coming from has been the key for me in staying in control of it over the last few days, helping me to be more aware of myself and my behavior and feelings. I called up my girlfriend and apologized profusely for not being “there” for her this past week (luckily for me, she has the patience of a saint and is exceptionally understanding and supportive of me), and I’ve been making more of an effort to reach out to my friends and my parents, helping me to keep my spirits up and keep my mind off of the stressful issues.

No matter how you deal with life’s little bumps, remember that no single strategy works perfectly, and the most effective way to deal with stress is to approach it from multiple angles. What works for me may not work for you, and vice-versa, but the important thing to remember is that there is always an answer.

I don’t know about you, but I feel better already!

-Jonathan

My Inspiration

2007-04-25T22:31:00.000-04:00

The following is a post that I made a number of years ago on the Men's Health Fitness forums that I would like to share once again. I didn't realize it at the time, but it is probably the most significant and personally meaningful thing that I have ever written.

---

Like most of us, my father has always been one of my heroes. He’s the type of person that walks into the room, and everyone is glad that he’s there. He is funny and lighthearted, and will laugh until he cries. Everything that he does appears effortless and natural, and he earns your trust without ever needing to ask for it.

At age 57, he has also had a heart attack, had his gall bladder removed, has high blood pressure, is a type II diabetic, and is morbidly obese. I fear for him every day. And although I have made some progress with him and his eating and exercise habits, I know that it’s not enough. I fear that he will not be around to see me finished with school, when I get married, when I have my first child. I fear that he will leave my mother a widow. I fear that he will leave before I have learned everything that I can from him. I fear that I will wake up one day, much earlier in my life than I should, without a father. And therefore, my father is also my inspiration.

We all exercise for many different, equally valid reasons. We want to look good, we want to feel good, we want to be healthy. For me, I have come to understand that good health is a gift, one of the rare gifts that you give not just to yourself, but to everyone else in your life as well. And while I also exercise to look good, to feel good, and to be healthy, it means more to me than that. I want to be around for a long time. I want to see my children grow old. I want my family to feel at ease with my well-being. I don’t want my friends to worry about my health. I don’t want to put my children through a life of fear and worry about me.

I love my father dearly. And this is one of the greatest gifts that he has ever given to me: the understanding of how important being healthy and happy really is. It’s not a slogan, a catch-phrase on the back of a cereal box, or an infomercial. It’s real. And every day, in everything that I do, I use this as my inspiration. I have desperately tried to make him understand this too, but a lifetime spent as a chef, around food, has made it difficult for him to alter his lifestyle. But it has not prevented me from keeping this lesson in my heart and using it to prepare for the future: not only my future, but for the futures of my family, friends, and loved ones as well.

We touch so many lives throughout the course of our own, we lose track of just how valuable we truly are to so many others. Our lives are more than just our own. Our lives mean more than we can ever realize; Greater than the sum of the parts. People rely on us, care for us, and depend on us, and it is our responsibility to be there for them when they do, to earn back the love and trust that they give to us freely. Our own good health and wellness is one of the most special and lasting ways that we can achieve this.

Give this gift everyday, and everyday will be better than the last. For everyone.

-Jonathan

A Personal Problem

2007-04-16T22:15:00.001-04:00

I hate personal trainers. Ok, perhaps not all personal trainers, maybe just 95.45% of them. If you’re familiar with statistics, then that number should make sense to you: it probably takes two standard deviations until you finally get to the “good” trainers, the educated, effective, motivating trainers that will actually make a long-lasting and positive change in their clients’ lives; the true professionals that take pride in their chosen field and who spend their careers constantly seeking improvement and in providing a better experience for their clients.

Case in point: my friend Jen and I were recently talking about her personal trainer and about his techniques. Descriptions of her body-part training and stability ball yoga ensued, complete with high-rep bicep curls, triceps kickbacks and crunches, finished with cautionary tales of the risk of “bulking up” and the need to maintain a “toned” body. Yeah…I wanted to cry. And yet, she really didn’t understand why what he was doing was “wrong.” After all, she was seeing results, and she did feel that she was working hard and having good sessions. Even after I explained what the problems were, she was still unsure of what to do: how would she evaluate another trainer? How could she differentiate a “good” trainer from a “bad” trainer? Funny that she should ask…

The first thing to consider when evaluating a trainer at your gym is the trainer him/herself. What are their qualifications in terms of credentials, experience and knowledge? Have they received certification from a nationally recognized and respected association (the NSCA, NASM, ACSM, etc)? Do they have an educational background in exercise science? Do they have experience in routine design for your particular needs? All of these factors will contribute towards the type of routine that they design for you and the overall quality of that routine. The more they know and have experienced, the better their ability to write a quality and individualized routine. Choosing the right trainer for yourself and your needs will be just as important as the workout itself.

Does your trainer want you to lift weights 6-7 days per week? Your body doesn’t. More than 4-5 days of lifting per week, or more than 3 days in a row without rest, can quickly lead to overworking your system. If you are a beginner and have less than 6 months of experience in lifting weights, 2-3 days of total body workouts per week is more than enough to elicit gains in strength and size. But if you’ve seen more time in the gym than Arnold, your trainer should also consider a four day split, such as an upper/lower or push/pull design. However, if you start to see ‘body part’ splits, i.e. a dedicated ‘arms’ day, a chest/back day, etc., this should throw up an immediate red flag: body part routines are inefficient in terms of the balance of the design, they typically do not provide enough total body rest, requiring 5-7 days per week, substitute big core movements such as squats and deadlifts for smaller isolated movements such as leg extensions and hamstring curls, and will cram too much volume into each day while reducing the frequency. But regardless of your ‘training age’ never forget that in the gym, sometimes less really is more. A full body, 3x per week workout routine is still an exceptional methodology, regardless of experience. Too little time off now will lead to a lot of time off later recovering from overtraining or musculoskeletal dysfunction.

Is the program balanced? Or are there too many pushing exercises vs. pulling, upper body exercises vs. lower body, or too much isolation work vs. compound lifts? Everything must be balanced, not just the trainer’s check book. Something that your trainer should understand is that muscles not only move the body, they act on it as well, directly affecting the health of your joints and skeletal system. Imbalances not only make you look like you were built by Dr. Frankenstein, they will eventually make you move like his monster as well. Imbalances in strength between opposing antagonist muscles will exert unequal forces on joints such as knees and shoulders, which can lead to major problems down the road. You should run away from any routine that is unbalanced and risks damaging healthy proportions and alignment, or you’ll risk not being able to run at all!

Does your workout suffer from the standard ‘3 sets at 8-12 reps’ recommendation of intensity and volume? Simply changing exercises once a month is only one way to modify your workout and infuse variety into a routine. By ignoring the influence that alterations to weight and volume have on a workout and subsequent results, you will never achieve your personal best. By periodically alternating the amount of weight and repetitions performed, either within the week, or week to week, your trainer will be able to get you to break through plateaus and gain strength and size. Along with the changes in reps performed, the volume of a routine will be inversely affected. The higher the intensity, the lower the volume, and vice-versa. Too much volume or too high an intensity for too long will cause your workouts to become stale and ineffective. The weight selection and volume of a routine are some of the most important, and unfortunately most overlooked, variables in a workout. A trainer that doesn’t incorporate this into your workouts is only writing your routine, not understanding it.

Is the program based on solid, functional exercises? A rotating unilateral single leg bosu pulley row may sound pretty cool, but what purpose does it serve? A quality routine should be based on free weight compound lifts: the squat, deadlift, bench press, dip, pull-up, row, etc. When you select an exercise that requires greater balance, i.e. a stability ball press over a flat bench, you are trading some of the resistance that you are capable of using for a larger demand on your synergist muscles and core musculature in keeping balance. This isn’t a problem if the volume of stability exercise is low, but if too much of your routine sounds like the assembly instructions for an Ikea bookcase, you will be limiting how much strength and size you will ultimately be able to achieve out of your routine because you won’t be able to use enough weight to continue forcing your body to adapt and grow. Exercises which test and present a new challenge in balance and coordination are legitimate and valuable additions to a routine and can add variety to an otherwise basic program; however, if you use too many of them too often, you are trading an applicable, functional movement program for circus act training. Unless your job happens to require that you walk on a high-wire, training on one in the gym wouldn’t be the best, most useable option. As a general rule about 10% of the exercises, at most, should focus on improvements in balance and coordination within a basic routine designed to improve strength and muscle size. Too many unconventional or bizarre exercises indicate a trainer trying to look informed and unique, instead of one that actually is.

Does your new routine reflect your goals and do you feel that it’s individualized enough, taking into account your particular strengths, weaknesses, and abilities? A good trainer should be able to assess your condition, make note of any imbalances in strength or abilities, and design a program that will correct those issues while still respecting and addressing your requests and needs. Contrary to popular (and incorrect) belief, regardless of your goals, you should always look to lift heavy. Any trainer that tells you that high reps are for ‘cutting’ and that low reps are for ‘bulking’ has too much bulk in their head and not enough knowledge in their brains! Remember: your trainer’s only agenda should be in improving your health and making sure that you achieve your goals. You are paying for a personalized routine, it should be one!

Finally, when in doubt, ask questions! Don’t just accept the trainer’s recommendations on face-value. If something doesn’t look right, ask the trainer to explain his/her reasoning and ask for the logic or evidence that supports the choice in your routine. A good trainer should always be able to back up an exercise or program design with solid reasoning and science. Program design should be more than just stringing together a group of random exercises to fill up an appointment. Every exercise, weight selection, tempo choice, repetition amount and volume assignment should be specifically chosen with a purpose and a plan. If they don’t have the answers to back up their work, then you don’t have a good routine.

In the end, a good trainer can be a fantastic asset, while a bad trainer is simply an ass. Luckily, Jen took my advice and fired her trainer soon after our talk. She’s now looking for a new, more qualified trainer that will help her to achieve her goals effectively and safely…and not stare at her chest every time she runs on the treadmill. Gotta love that 95.45%...sigh…

-Jonathan

The Perfect Fitness Blog

2007-03-30T20:57:00.000-04:00

Ironically, I’ve had a fantastic episode of writer’s block while trying to think of the “perfect” way to begin this, my first post. After all, this is a big deal, isn’t it? I’ve never done anything like this before, keeping a fitness blog, and I want to make sure that I do it right by creating the “Perfect First Post.”

I have many thoughts that I’d like to convey in this post, and I’ve had the hardest time trying to figure out the best way to do it...I want to express my honest and sincere appreciation to all of you that have chosen to visit my blog and to support me and what I do. It really is an honor for me and quite humbling that others would be interested enough to read the things that I write. I also want to offer a “sneak-preview” of the things that I hope to be able to achieve with this blog and what all of you can come to expect with Fassination: an original and unique blend of information, philosophy, motivational thoughts, humor, and of course my sincere attempt to entertain, educate, and add to the growing body of knowledge in the health and fitness field. Naturally, I would also want to tie all of this together and apply it to fitness…somehow, anyway.

Yet the more that I’ve deliberated over and dissected every thought, sentence, and word, the less that I’ve actually done. In the time that I’ve spent writing and erasing, second-guessing and doubting, I probably could have written five complete entries by now, and that raises an interesting but important point: not everything that we do needs to be perfect…it just needs to get done. After all, what truly motivates this never-ending pursuit of perfection: is it really an innate desire to do this in the best way that I can, or is it a fear of failure? Sometimes those lines really are far more blurred than we realize.

The same holds true with the gym, of course. For some people, this will mean having the courage to just perform an exercise and to stop overanalyzing and micromanaging every inch of movement in their deadlift or squat, for instance. For so many others, it will mean acknowledging that even though they may feel that if they can’t go to the gym 5-6x each week that it’s a failure, it’s still worth going whenever possible, even if it’s not an “optimal” amount. And for those who can never seem to find the “perfect” gym or the “perfect” time to get started with their membership, to recognize that there probably will never be a perfect time to get started and that these are simply excuses to avoid actually getting started in the first place.

I suppose I have been guilty of this myself. It’s always a scary process to do something for the first time, to dive into the unknown. Yet as important as it is to make sure that we do everything to the best of our abilities, safely and efficiently, using this as an excuse defeats the purpose. This is true for just about anything, whether it’s learning how to squat, joining your first gym, or even writing your first blog, eventually you've got to stop making excuses and just get on with it!

The bottom line: We need to stop making excuses and start making progress.

…And so here we are. I stopped analyzing and started writing. I took the plunge, and this is what I came up with. I don’t know if it’s perfect, but it’s finished. I was able to do everything that I had wanted to, and in the end that’s what’s important. I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it…once I got past my fear and had the courage to begin, that is.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to proofread this post another 2-3 times and probably make a handful of changes and edits before I’m satisfied with it…hey, I never said that change was easy: we can’t all be perfect!

-Jonathan