Exercise of the Week

WALK, seems so simple to just go for a walk. Amazing how few people actually walk each day. The act of walking at a brisk pace will loosen muscles in your back, hips and legs which consequentially are the same muscles that when tight actually contribute to your back hurting. 'Mall Walking' slow and with no purpose has the opposite effect, it actually makes you stiffer, that is why when you shop your back gets stiff. We are creatures of motion, so move. Studies have shown that just walking 20-30 minutes each and every day will significantly decrease pain, halp weight loss and release chemicals that make you feel better. So get up and go for a walk.......Now.

Core Fitness

Core training, core fitness, core strength, core, core, core. Do you know what the 'core' of your body really is or where it is. Does your trainer or therapist know. 'Core' fitness is the current catch phrase in the fitness industry. Hundreds of gimmicks, machines and programs have been marketed to an uneducated population all with the belief of building strong ab's.
The sad fact is that most people do not realize that the core is your entire torso, so if you have no arms or legs all that is left is your core. With that being said does it make sense to just train a single 'core' muscle? NO. To effectively and efficiently train the core (ab's, back, spine) one must engage ALL of the muscles at the same time. This is not that hard to do, simply buy My book (shameless plug) and learn all about it.

www.backtofeelinggreat.com

There are no Handrails in the game of Life!

Last time that I checked, there are no handrails in life. At no time is there any guarantee of balance, stability or control. You and your body must be able to provide the control necessary to avoid injury, this could be from falling, stumbling, poor muscle contraction etc.. So one would assume that exercising while SITTING on a stable surface is not such a good thing, it does not allow you to fire the muscles necessary to stimulate balance or stability, but that's what people still do. Last time I looked working twice as hard as you have to is not a good thing, but that's what people do, work more to get less. There is a way to do less, get more and decrease the chances of injury....what a concept!. Functional training is just that and it allows you to exercise like your body was meant to and actually achieve the results you want, all while limiting or reducing back pain.

Stop the Insanity

Please excuse my rant. It never ceases to amaze me, no matter how many times I go the gym or interview 'trainers' for a job, the amazing lack of understanding in the fitness industry. Almost constantly I see 'trainers' destroying their clients who have entrusted their bodies to them. These trainers, who mean well, just do not have the understanding of how the human body actually works. As I explained to a trainer yesterday, it is easy to provide someone with exercises, it is much harder to provide them with the appropriate exercises that that person actually needs, and for that matter exercises that will not hurt that person. PLEASE make sure that your trainer is Certified nationally( NSCA, NASM,) and take the time to be self informed enough to know if your trainer does not know. The information is out there, it is almost all online, just take the time to learn some of it, please. If not just buy my book and at least learn the basic exercises to strengthen the spine and pelvis....(shameless plug.)

Do you know that you don't know

When was the last time that you were in the gym and just stopped and looked around?. How many people looked lost, how many kept their body still, did not use momentum to perform their exercises. When was the last time that you saw a big guy using ‘little’ weights while standing on one leg. Most people join a health club with excellent intentions and lots of motivation, we happily sign contracts for years and fork over our cash whether we go regularly or not.But there is a sad fact at work here, the vast majority have no clue how to exercise properly. ‘Gym science’ has survived for years and years with absolutely no scientific base at all. We happily go the club and perform exercises that we have done for years and see others doing yet very few know that they do not know how and or why some exercises are better than others.If you are sick we see a Doctor, car is broken we see a mechanic. But for some reason when it comes to fitness the vast majority of us just assume that the machines in the gym will do the trick. The doctor and mechanic both perform diagnostic tests, but most people just jump in to exercise with no realization of the consequences of improperly applied exercise. There is a reason that lower back pain and joint injuries plague society, but we continue to perform the same dangerous exercises over and over?. But hey, the doctors are happy.The few people that know they do not know usually hire a personal trainer, but what if your trainer doesn’t know that he doesn’t know what he is doing. We all know the kind of education a doctor or mechanic must have, sadly there are few standards that trainers are held to. At last check there are only 3 organizations that require a 4 year degree in health science prior to taking their certification exam. It never ceases to amaze me how many trainers actually believe they are at the top of their profession yet they consistently recommend absolutely the most dangerous exercises with no scientific base from which to justify performing that exercise. There are actually three or four home study certifications that have gone bankrupt but those trainers are still out there with no checks and balances.Some of those ‘gym science’ exercises have been proven to cause permanent damage, yet I see them performed daily and encouraged by most trainers. If you contract with a personal trainer please realize that if they do not perform a fitness assessment then they are guessing. This assessment should include health history, posture, flexibility (not a sit and reach test!), balance, and movement analysis. If those tests are not administered than that trainer does not know!. You do not go to your doctor expecting free services and a reputable and well educated fitness professional will not be giving away their services either.

(by the way, the exercise shown above is USELESS)