Saturday, January 30, 2010

Here’s my response to the flexibility article noted last week:

If you didn’t see the article, it’s right here: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/phys-ed-how-necessary-is-stretching/

I’ll also post some of my clients’ and readers’ responses next week too – I received some good ones.

You have to bear with me: This may be the 700th time I’ve had this discussion, so I apologize if I seem curt. Here’s the short version of my take on stretching and flexibility 1st, then my thoughts on the article we saw last week…

1. Flexibility is a FAR more expansive and complex topic than people realize. The overwhelming majority of exercisers think “stretching = loose muscles. Loose muscles = good.” That is a VAST oversimplification. Flexibility is nowhere NEAR this cut and dried.

2. Stretching, as it performed 99.99999% of the time is performed incorrectly.

Because of the above, I don’t think STRETCHING should be performed very often.

FLEXIBILITY should be.

“Stretching” and “flexibility” ARE NOT SYNONYMS.

Confused? Sorry, gotta’ move on. (I told you it would be the short version – I’ll get the longer one out soon…again…)

Now on to the article…

I have a few problems with it:

1. Physiology and biomechanics are not the same thing. Physiology deals primarily with cardio-respiratory, pulmonary and oxygen uptake/output issues. Bio-mechanics deals primarily with muscles, joints, tissues, ligaments etc, and how they interact to produce movement. Why physiologists were performing a study regarding bio-mechanics was the 1st thing to wrinkle my eyebrows. This is like a heart doctor advising you on your shoulder pain. Not completely clueless, but probably not the best person for the job.

2. The “classic sit and reach test” is called a “well established measurement of hamstring flexibility”.

I’m sorry, by whom…a gym teacher in 1964?

Anyone with even a marginal sense of bio-mechanics can see it doesn’t test hamstring flexibility. Just look at the picture in the article: the runner reaches his feet because his back is in the shape of a letter “C”, meaning the motion came from his spine, not from his hamstrings. And, his knee is bent, i.e., his hamstring is NOT elongated. Stay with me folks, this isn’t rocket science here…

3. This is not “new research”. This debate has been going on FOREVER.

4. Distance runners are not athletes.

I know I’m going to get killed for this, but bring it on.

Are distance runners tough as nails? Absolutely. Do they have insane levels of commitment and perseverance? Definitely. Do I admire them? Yes.

Are they athletes?

Puh-leeeeze…

People that express zero speed, power, or reactive neuro-muscular control are not athletes.

Period.

A study that measures stretching as it relates to speed and athletic performance needs to be performed on athletes. Tight hamstrings on a distance runner are irrelevant. Distance runners’ strides are barely longer than a walking stride, negating any need to extend the leg.

However, show me a sprinter with tight hamstrings and I’ll show you a slow sprinter.

5. Treadmills contribute to restricted hamstrings.

Without getting into too long a discussion about it, the moving belt (ground) means the person almost never extends the knee when running, because the treadmill does it for you. This means the hamstring is never stretched when on the treadmill. This typically leads to tight hamstrings, which was not taken into consideration in the study.

Again, the discussion of flexibility is far too expansive to get into here. But with regards to the article, the research was absurd and the author wasn’t much better.

Send your hate mail to the trainingrim@gmail.com.

And again, as with most of the cool stuff I find, I got the article from strengthcoach.com.

Monday, January 18, 2010

P90X thoughts...

The P90X has now replaced Suzanne Somers/Atkins Diet/CrossFit/Biggest Loser/etc in the ‘I get asked about this 500 times per day’ category, so I should probably write this down so everyone can be enlightened by my knowledge simultaneously (ha!)

Similar to other methodologies of training of which I’ve already written about (like CrossFit for example), the concept of P90X is a good one. Its implementation, usage and instruction is misguided however.

If you’re asking me if it’s good to be up and moving around (as opposed to sitting on machines), using different tools, performing varying exercises, etc is a good thing, then my answer is “yes, absolutely.” I’ve been saying that for years now – far from a new concept.

But, like many training modalities, P90X is FAR too advanced for the overwhelming majority of people who will use it.

A huge training pet peeve of mine is choosing the appropriate progressions and regressions of exercises to fit the one that’s most appropriate for your training goals. Performing exercises that are far too advanced of progressions is a very common mistake among exercisers and trainers, that ends up inhibiting the client’s progress either through ineffective technique delivering less than optimal results, or causing an injury outright, either acute or chronic.

For example, if you can’t squat perfectly with two feet on solid ground using only your own body weight, you shouldn’t be squatting with any weight added.

And you certainly shouldn’t be JUMPING. Remember: a jump is simply a squat done extremely fast, with a landing that will be fast as well. So this is logic that needs to be examined closely: If you can’t do the most simplified version of a movement, why would you make it even a little bit more advanced, let alone much more advanced?

I.e, any DVD titled “Plyometrics – explosive jumping cardio routine…” is probably inappropriate for most people. In fact, I saw Tony Horton squat – jumping is inappropriate for HIM. (Here’s a homework assignment for you: research femoral adduction and internal rotation…)

If you can’t hold planks and push up positions perfectly, you shouldn’t be doing anything else for your core until you can. I.e., the “Ab Ripper” DVD is probably a bad choice – unless lumbar displacement and/or chronic lower back pain are the goals.

And furthermore: have you ever read Tony Horton’s bio? He was an actor, handy-man, gardener, comic, waiter, dancer, and TV talk show host. At no point (other than working out with his friends) does it mention his educational background in regards to training people. I kept reading to find out exactly what makes him qualified to get YOU feeling better and looking better and I just can’t find it.

This isn’t a knock on Tony Horton – he’s far from the only trainer who implies “I look great, so I can get you to look great.” Following that logic, someone who drives a Lamborghini can get you to drive your car faster.

Again, I’m not here to bash anything or anyone. I’m just here to be the messenger and tell you the truth. Being up and moving around and trying different things when exercising = good.

Performing exercises WAY to advanced on the advice of someone who doesn’t know any better = BAD.

Send the hate mail to the trainingrim@gmail.com.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Your time and your money.

You will spend time and money on your health and fitness.

Period.

Sometimes we forget that we don’t have a choice in this matter. YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND TIME AND MONEY ON YOUR HEALTH AND FITNESS.

How you spend that time and money however is a choice.

You have two places to place your time and money:

a) a good exercise facility, a good personal trainer, a good nutritionist, a good massage therapist.

b) cardiologists, orthopedists, plastic surgeons, chiropractors.

I know this sounds harsh, but it’s that simple and it’s very true. You are not going to get another chance with another body someday. You are stuck with the one you have.

You can take care of it now which requires a relatively little time and effort.

Or you can be reactive and take care of it after it fails you. This requires an extreme amount of effort and money.

We all know someone with a bad back or heart problems. I don’t need to ask them how much effort it’s taken to deal with those things, let alone how much money it’s taken to address those issues.

Some people don't enjoy working out. Frankly, I don't most of the time. But try living with back pain and shortness of breath instead and get back to me. Working out won't seem so bad after all.

I know this realization certainly made me think about my priorities. And by no means would I ever be so bold as to tell you where your priorities lie.

But give it some thought.

*(As with the last post, I got the idea for this blog from Mike Boyle, one of the best strength and conditioning trainers on the planet. It hit home to me so I borrowed it. Go to bodybyboyle.com to hear it straight from the horse's mouth).

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Training and farming

I was planning on writing a similar post, since this topic was one of the resolutions I gave you last week. Then I received the following post from Mike Boyle. If you don't know who Mike is, you should. He's one of the most respected strength and conditionng trainers on the planet. Mike expressed what I was going to try to, with far more articulation than I could, so I just borrowed his. It's a great lesson...

"I think I remember Stephen Covey in his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People making reference to what I believe he called “the law of the farm.” The reference was meant to show that most of the truly good things in life take time and can’t be forced or rushed. Covey described the process of farming and alluded to how it requires patience and diligence to grow crops properly. In addition, farming requires belief in the system. The farmer must believe that all the hard work and preparation will eventually yield a long-term result.

As a strength and conditioning coach, business owner and personal trainer, the concept has always stuck with me. The process of exercising is much like farming or like planting a lawn. There are no immediate results from exercise and there are no immediate results from farming.

First, the seeds must be planted. Then fertilizer (nutrition) and water must be applied consistently. Much like fertilizer in farming, too much food can be a detriment to the exerciser. Only the correct amounts cause proper growth. Overfeeding can cause problems, as can underfeeding. As I sit and wait for my lawn to sprout or crops to grow, I feel many of the same frustrations of the new exerciser. When will I see results? How come nothing is happening? All this work and — nothing.

The key is to not quit. Have faith in the process. Continue to add water and wait. Farming and exercising are eerily similar. Continue to exercise and eat well and suddenly a friend or co-worker will say, “Have you lost weight”? Your reaction might be, “It’s about time someone noticed.” Much like the first blades of grass poking through the ground, you begin to see success. You begin to experience positive feedback. Clothes begin to fit differently.

When my friends or clients talk to me about their frustration with their initial lack of progress in an exercise program, I always bring up the farm analogy. We live in a world obsessed with quick fixes and instant results. This is why the farm analogy can be both informative and comforting.
An exercise program must be approached over a period of weeks and months, not days. The reality is that there is no quick fix, no easy way, no magic weight loss plan, no secret cellulite formula. There is only the law of the farm. You will reap what you sow. In reality, you will reap what you sow and care for. If you are consistent and diligent with both diet and exercise, you will eventually see results. However, remember, much like fertilizer and water, diet and exercise go together.

Try to grow crops or a lawn without water. No amount of effort will overcome the lack of vital nutrients.

The law of the farm.

Plant the seeds.

Feed and water properly.

Wait for results; they will happen, not in days, but in weeks and months."

For more of Mike's stuff, go to http://www.bodybyboyle.com/.