There are a variety of exercises that you can choose to incorporate into your fitness program - some better than others. While there are definite considerations you should take when creating your routine (exercise experience, goals, current muscle imbalances, etc.), there are a number of exercises that are generally viewed as poor in nature due to their ineffectiveness and propensity towards creating injury. Let's examine a two of these commonly referred to contraindicated movements:
1. Behind-the-neck Lat Pulldown
MOVEMENT: Seated in Lat Pull cable machine, exerciser pulls bar down behind neck towards upper back.
PROBLEM: Performing this movement causes your shoulders to externally rotate at an odd angle while resistance is being applied. The small muscles in the rotator cuff are put in a position where it is difficult to stabilize the joint and leaves them prone to injury. In addition, most individuals in this position will have to lean their head forward to get the bar down, causing extension of the cervical spine, resulting in nerve and facet joint compression around the vertebrae.
2. Leg Lifts
MOVEMENT: Lying flat on a mat, exerciser lifts legs straight off floor towards the waist and then lowers them all the way back to the floor.
PROBLEM: Most people perform this exercise in an attempt to train the abdominals; the problem is that without being able to create and maintain a pelvic tilt, this exercise results in a strain to the lower back and engagement of the hip flexors. Lifting and lower the legs is created by hip flexion and extension (or gravity if your not controlled). Therefore it is the muscles in the hips that do more work than the actual abdominals. Also, stabilizing and strengthening the core requires that in such a position on the floor, the exerciser is able to tilt the pelvis and keep the lower back flat and secure to the floor. Very few people do this as they attempt leg lifts, and even worse, try to make the exercise more challenging by having a partner push their legs back down! Either way, the strain to the lower back and lumbar spine is more often the result.
The best way to ensure proper exercise selection in your program is to consult with a qualified, certified personal trainer and have them create a specific exercise prescription for your body and your goals.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Get Skinny with Airbrush Tanning!
That was the message tiled across the outdoor sign of a salon that I passed over this past weekend. The message conveys two key points that in part define the issues our society and population are currently having in regard to health and the obesity epidemic:
1. Quick-fix mentality
2. Aesthetic-focused culture
The quick-fix mentality is the magic pill concept; the idea of getting something without putting in any effort. This sign and message though, seemed to go even beyond that. It implied not even achieving some desired end-result, but faking it - using some form of artificial enhancement to not actually change appearance, but simply the perception of appearance. It's the band-aid approach: mask the reality of things with something that brings temporary change (or the perception of change to the outside world) while the real underlying problem remains. As a culture and a society, the only way we will be able to stem the tide of obesity, reverse it, and change the course of the health & well-being of our population is to adopt the mentality of old - where hard work and determination guided our thoughts, actions, and behaviors. If we want to create real change in our lives, not simply the facade of change, we have to work hard and strive for success by the means in which American physician, author and running enthusiast George Sheehan eloquently stated:
"Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be."
Perhaps even more alarming about this message was the idea that you could "get skinny" with this approach. Even with myriad of health-related conditions that are prevalent and the mounds of scientific evidence that link lifestyle to the prevention or acquisition of disease, many parts of our culture are still focused on pure aesthetics. Now everyone wants to look good, but how often do we really focus on how we feel and function? When creating goals for a fitness program, goals that include statements like "tone up my arms" or "flatten my stomach" are often at the top of the list, but these measures are subjective and often result in disappointment and frustration when they're not achieved or perceived to have been achieved. What about these instead:
"Improve the range of motion in my shoulders and increase the muscle endurance in my arms so that I can paint around the house without pain" or "Decrease my waist measurement and strengthen my core so that I can alleviate my lower back pain and reduce my risk for cardiovascular disease."
Even setting weight loss as a primary goal can be setting the scene for frustration. Weight loss as a goal is fine, it can tie in to decreasing Body Mass Index and reducing factors for chronic disease; however, it should not be the primary goal of a fitness program. Instead of being aesthetic-focused, or scale-obsessed, why not set the main goal as "improving overall health".
When health is the focus, then how one feels and functions comes into play. Being healthier means considering things from a more holistic perspective and taking into account things such as cardiovascular health, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, sleep patterns, stress levels, metabolic efficiency, joint stability/mobility, balance, and functional strength.
Developing a fitness program focused on health provides the opportunity to create a healthy lifestyle - not just a series of actions to reach a singular outcome. It's an ongoing process to improve the way your body feels, heals, functions, and performs in all aspects of your life. Weight loss can then be achieved as a secondary goal - derived as the natural byproduct of becoming more physically active, eating more nutritiously, and improving one's health.
Remember the words of the proverb: "He who has health has hope. And he who has hope, has everything."
1. Quick-fix mentality
2. Aesthetic-focused culture
The quick-fix mentality is the magic pill concept; the idea of getting something without putting in any effort. This sign and message though, seemed to go even beyond that. It implied not even achieving some desired end-result, but faking it - using some form of artificial enhancement to not actually change appearance, but simply the perception of appearance. It's the band-aid approach: mask the reality of things with something that brings temporary change (or the perception of change to the outside world) while the real underlying problem remains. As a culture and a society, the only way we will be able to stem the tide of obesity, reverse it, and change the course of the health & well-being of our population is to adopt the mentality of old - where hard work and determination guided our thoughts, actions, and behaviors. If we want to create real change in our lives, not simply the facade of change, we have to work hard and strive for success by the means in which American physician, author and running enthusiast George Sheehan eloquently stated:
"Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be."
Perhaps even more alarming about this message was the idea that you could "get skinny" with this approach. Even with myriad of health-related conditions that are prevalent and the mounds of scientific evidence that link lifestyle to the prevention or acquisition of disease, many parts of our culture are still focused on pure aesthetics. Now everyone wants to look good, but how often do we really focus on how we feel and function? When creating goals for a fitness program, goals that include statements like "tone up my arms" or "flatten my stomach" are often at the top of the list, but these measures are subjective and often result in disappointment and frustration when they're not achieved or perceived to have been achieved. What about these instead:
"Improve the range of motion in my shoulders and increase the muscle endurance in my arms so that I can paint around the house without pain" or "Decrease my waist measurement and strengthen my core so that I can alleviate my lower back pain and reduce my risk for cardiovascular disease."
Even setting weight loss as a primary goal can be setting the scene for frustration. Weight loss as a goal is fine, it can tie in to decreasing Body Mass Index and reducing factors for chronic disease; however, it should not be the primary goal of a fitness program. Instead of being aesthetic-focused, or scale-obsessed, why not set the main goal as "improving overall health".
When health is the focus, then how one feels and functions comes into play. Being healthier means considering things from a more holistic perspective and taking into account things such as cardiovascular health, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, sleep patterns, stress levels, metabolic efficiency, joint stability/mobility, balance, and functional strength.
Developing a fitness program focused on health provides the opportunity to create a healthy lifestyle - not just a series of actions to reach a singular outcome. It's an ongoing process to improve the way your body feels, heals, functions, and performs in all aspects of your life. Weight loss can then be achieved as a secondary goal - derived as the natural byproduct of becoming more physically active, eating more nutritiously, and improving one's health.
Remember the words of the proverb: "He who has health has hope. And he who has hope, has everything."
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Self-Myofascial Release
Inhibited muscles create myriad of potential problems from discomfort and soreness, to faulty movement patterns, to an increased risk of injury, to compromised joints. Static stretching techniques can be useful, but when the deeper fascia is affected, superficial stretching techniques are often unable to produce the type of release needed to free joints and improve movement.
The answer: Self-Myofascial Release. Self-myofascial release is a specific technique that involves the use of foam rollers or other trigger point tools.
Myo refers to muscle, fascia to the tissue that surrounds the muscle fibers. By putting pressure on tender areas along the muscle tissue, the golgi tendon organs help trigger the relaxation of the muscle spindles, helping to dissipate the adhesions, increase blood flow, and enhance overall movement.
Try this technique during your next exercise session:
1) Use a foam roller to alleviate adhesions by placing pressure on the tense area, holding for 20-30 seconds, then rolling gently back and forth over the muscle fibers. Think of the knots in your muscles as balls of cookie dough - the foam roller acts as the rolling pin to lengthen and relieve the bound-up spot.
2) Follow with a static stretch for the affected muscle, then a mobility exercise to enhance range of motion.
3) Finish with a strength exercise to balance your body.
The answer: Self-Myofascial Release. Self-myofascial release is a specific technique that involves the use of foam rollers or other trigger point tools.
Myo refers to muscle, fascia to the tissue that surrounds the muscle fibers. By putting pressure on tender areas along the muscle tissue, the golgi tendon organs help trigger the relaxation of the muscle spindles, helping to dissipate the adhesions, increase blood flow, and enhance overall movement.
Try this technique during your next exercise session:
1) Use a foam roller to alleviate adhesions by placing pressure on the tense area, holding for 20-30 seconds, then rolling gently back and forth over the muscle fibers. Think of the knots in your muscles as balls of cookie dough - the foam roller acts as the rolling pin to lengthen and relieve the bound-up spot.
2) Follow with a static stretch for the affected muscle, then a mobility exercise to enhance range of motion.
3) Finish with a strength exercise to balance your body.
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