Understanding Postural Fatigue

OK, here goes a difficult and mostly misunderstood concept, POSTURAL FATIGUE. When exercising, assuming that you have achieved the ability to maintain 'normal' posture, there is a point you may/should reach that your body simply says 'no more'. This 'no more' threshold is much easier to reach when rehabilitating an injury or beginning a fitness regimen, the more fit you become the longer it takes to reach. The fatigue point is reached when you loose control, and I don't mean emotionally. When you can no longer maintain proper technique, hold your breath, shake, twist or lean...you are done. Let's take a common spine/AB exercise an an example, the plank. When your head falls, you shrug your shoulders, back drops, glutes relax you have reached fatigue and need to stop. This premise holds true for all exercises, there is a threshold that you body will reach and anything past that point merely transfers strain to the joints and supporting soft tissue structures. Try performing just about any exercise in a mirror, can you maintain neutral, do you sway or round/arch your back?
A basic rule I teach is that when you can no longer maintain your postural check points (chin tucked-ab's braced-neutral posture) try to re-find it, if you are unable to re-establish Neutral than stop. The is no benefit in training past the point of postural fatigue.
As you can tell this can go on and on, I will elaborate further later...stay tuned.

Stabilize before you Strengthen

I got my hands on another post rehabilitation client today and after a thorough assessment I taught them some simple stabilization exercises. After going through the stabs. it became immediately apparent that this concept was never re-enforced to them. We basically went through the beginning program in the book (Back to Feeling Great) and thoroughly learned to Brace, Bridge, Segmentally Stabilize and Side leg raise (hip abduction). It never ceases to amaze me that when taught with total control these 4 exercises will safely make you stronger, but they unachieved it from the inside out...stability before strength.

Simple fix to Back Pain

No matter how many times I see it, nor how many times I teach it, I continue to be amazed by how powerful 4 simple exercises can be at helping to correct spinal issues and back pain. In my book Back to Feeling Great is a protocol I developed over the years that just keeps on proving to me and my clients that it works. I had 2 new clients recently, on is 48 yrs. old, has a bulging disk with pain down the leg, he also smokes but is an avid cyclist and rides a desk for a living. The other is a 30 something with disk/vertebral degeneration, she has had numerous injections, and surgery with the next step being fusion. Both have similar but different issues and both have had a significant reduction in pain and consequent increase in activity levels. No matter what we did the same 4 simple exercises to re-educate the ab's, gluteals, lateral hip and spine segmental stabilizers. This protocol works and if done correctly will help you get better. By the way both of the examples above were referred in by spine surgeons who will send to us a last resort before surgery. Go team.

Exercise induced whiplash

I understand that the majority of folks reading this are not "the gym guy" you know the one, weight belt, gloves, elbow wraps. They must lift HEAVY ALL THE TIME. They have poor posture (rounding of the shoulders, foreward head position, sway back and little tiny legs. Bad form and bad body, no pain no gain!. The other day in the gym I watched a guy, in horror, do what I believe was a dumbell row. He leaned on the bench (with all the above mentioned gear, including wrist straps because the weight was too heavy to hold) and pulled so fast and hard that the weight, which moved only a few inches, forced him into a self induced whiplash. His neck moved so violently that when he was finished he was dizzy. The strain was so severe that a limp developed tht got progressively worse as he completed all 3 sets, with a 130lb dumbell.

So, what is my point. If you used to be that person, or played sports in school or you were just a normal kid, you have pain and stiffness for a reason. Please understand that proper exercise needs control, you can not have control without stability, and if you have no stability you will have pain from lack of the above. As I explained to a physician the other day about the books we have published, there is a sequence that needs to be followed to re-program the body, you did not get this way overnite and fixing it will take some time as well. Muscles have memory and are quite stubborn, if you reinforce the bad patterns/memory through poor posture or continually exercising wrong you will never acheive a permanent resolution to your pain or lack of performance.

Simple is Better

Simple is better, really? i thought complex technology was the answer to all. But seriously, while down here is Florida avoiding the snow back home I had a lady who lives in the building perform one of my favorite (safe & effective) stabilization exercises. I asked her to do it daily until fatigue and no further. Now, this woman has had balance issues, back pain and ankle problems ( she does not know the name of her condition). After just 5 days of performing this exercise she reported a significant decrease in back pain and feels more stable walking. Happily this is just one exercise, imagine if she went through the entire protocol! And by the way this exercise is a contralateral-extension aka. bird dog. I would include a picture but I do not have one on my hard drive so go buy the book, it's in there.

Joining The inmates in the Asylum?

08' is here, and like everyone else it's new years resolution time. Time to make the same old promises to yourself year after year of eating better making better choices exercising. Unfortunately, these so-called resolutions fail year after year.
Insanity is defined as doing the same thing again and again expecting a different result. Waking up January 1 and making the same resolutions year after year and going about achieving them the same way year after year is plain insanity.
Over the past 15 plus years of clinical practice and personal training I've seen people make the same mistakes over and over again. Mistakes that, with a little bit of education, should never have been made! Now, I don't blame these people that set out with lofty goals to make positive and proactive changes in the new year. I blame the misinformation and the lack of scientific data that the public is exposed to when it comes to exercise, fitness, nutrition and wellness.
So, it only seems appropriate that education, debunking myths and exposure to safe and effective exercise is the only way to avoid insanity. What if I told you that the only good thing about the bench press exercise is that without any doubt it will destroy your shoulders. Last time I checked in playing sports and the game of life if you are laying flat on your back staring at the sky you lost. What if I also told you that leg raises, an exercise that most people think strengthens you're ab's, actually only serves to create a muscle imbalance so severe that it will not only inhibit your ability to move but, it will permanently damage your spine never mind doing nothing for your ab's. When was the last time that you sat on a bench and pushed or pulled something behind your head? When you think of it in that context it really doesn't seem like a good exercise does it? So my point is simple, what we know we may very well no wrong. Hopefully we are all smart enough to realize at some point that what we are doing and what we have done has not or is not working. Change, especially for the body, is essential to attaining consistent fitness and wellness-based goals.
Now, for the big question, where does one go to get this information? There are a host of websites and magazines that will provide you with some of this information. There are also countless books, manuals, and programs that you can buy that can help you on your quest. But, and there is always a but, many of these books websites and magazines are also trying to sell you something. So, be careful in your choices.Over the years it has become very frustrating as a fitness and wellness professional that there are very few websites or books that I can recommend in good conscience to my clients. So, on a challenge from a client and friend who just happens to be a physician I went ahead, stepped up, and wrote a book. Now, I know what you're thinking, here comes another plug to buy something. But, in my humble and hopefully professional opinion this book is different from what is on the market. It is truly research-based, safe, effective clinically based exercises designed to bridge the gap between knowledge and application of good exercise science. The exercises and programs that "Back to Feeling Great a proactive approach to combating back pain and stiffness" contains will help you create proper flexibility, balance, effective posture and most importantly spine and pelvic stability.
Now, you may be wondering why those are important. It is usually the lack of stabilization in the spine, pelvis and core that prevents you from ever achieving your exercise goals. So what I did was create a program based on over 16 years of clinical rehabilitative experience that will help you to move better, be more stable, and have better posture which will in turn allow you to move more efficiently. If you are able to move more efficiently while maintaining good effective posture your muscles fire better. And very simply, if they fire better than you will get more out of your exercise. Sounds pretty good do less and get more!, and that is really the secret to a good and effective exercise, and wellness-based fitness routine.
Most people work way too hard when they're in the gym, the "Back to Feeling Great" book will teach you how to work smarter not harder on your road to achieving your fitness and wellness goals. Since the book came out numerous Physicians and Chiropractors have begun to recommend the book to their patients as a safe, effective and easy program that will actually do what it says it will do. I sincerely hope that with some education and exposure to proper exercise and not 'gym' exercises you will find your New Year goals to be effective and lasting without the risk of making the same mistakes over and over again, no sense joining the inmates in the asylum.
The book is available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com
www.backtofeelinggreat.com
www.backtofeelinggreat.blogspot.com

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

The Second Best Back Exercise Ever

Oh my gosh, it's time to let the secret out!. The worlds best second best back exercise. only it's not really a back exercise. This fantastic exercise actually works the abdominal wall or more specifically the obliques and a muscle called the transverse abdominius. These two muscles are directly responsible for giving your spine it's rigid stability and it's ability to move under control. They basically function like a corset around the lower torso. so with out further delay.........the Lateral plank aka the side bridge.

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.

Couch Potatoes unite

It's football season again, and for most that means hours sinking deeper and deeper into the couch. Has anyone ever equated how they feel monday morning to their activities ( or lack their of) over the weekend. Would a walk in the A.M. and some light stretching during the game be so bad (yes you must put down your beer to stretch). If you have bought the book you have realized that TV time is perfect for the foam roller, pain anyone?. Sarcasm asside, we all complain about how we feel monday but who is to blame. Simple exercises done randomly at home are easy to do and continue your advancement on the path toward freedom from back pain. Now get up and go for a walk.

Walk to ease the Pain

Did you know that the simple act of getting off your behind and going for a walk will significantly reduce back pain. Just walking at a comfortable pace while letting the arms swing normally will actually 'lubricate' the spine which decreases the friction between the disk-vertebrae-nerve. Walking also forces the muscles in your glutes, back and ab's to do their job and if they are doing their job they can not spasm and cause as much pain...what a concept, and so simple.!

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.)

Back Pain does not have to change you

It is unfortunate, but for the majority of chronic (greater than 3 months) back pain sufferers the pain alters them. Anyone that has been in severe unrelenting pain for long periods knows that it will change you. Anger, fatigue, depression, inactivity, inattention, presentteism.....are all symptoms brought on by the pain. why does this occur? the simple answer is chemicals. Pain causes the release of chemicals in the brain that make you feel bad, what is the answer?, GET MOVING. The research is clear, inactivity leads to depression, fatigue, weight gain and weakness. Pain causes you to not want to move which perpetuates the problem. As I said before, take responsibility for your pain, do not wear it as a badge. Of the thousands of people who beat back problems the all came to terms with their pain and took it on.

What is the BEST Spine Exercise

Ah, my favorite question. Unfortunately there is no one single best exercise for anything. If I had to choose just one exercise that is safest and most effective for the spine while engaging the abdominal wall and the obliques it would be 'the dog'. Please keep in mind that this is a 7 level progression and what I am talking about is just the first level.