Who else wants to be shredded, drop inches and pant sizes?

This is a continuation of our last blog – if you missed it scroll below.  It’s a summary of how simply moving better can get you to look and feel your best again.

Not convinced?  Here are three TR members who in addition to consistent exercise and eating habits, tweaked their programs based on the above key.  At the TR, we use the FMS (Functional Movement Screen) to check for movement efficiencies, as well as the subjective observations of our trainers to help us develop efficient fat loss programs.

Tara started with back pain and a below average, asymmetrical score on her FMS.  With a few different corrective exercises and with some attention to detail, her score went to above average and symmetrical.  Her movement improved as did her workouts along with it.

Result?  Tara dropped a pant size.  Tara does not have back pain.  Not a coincidence.

Kerri started with shoulder pain and a below average, asymmetrical FMS score.  With some corrective exercises and more attention to movement quality, Kerri’s score went to above average and symmetrical.  Her workouts improved along with the movement.

Result? Kerri now has a 4 ½ ” smaller waist, and no shoulder pain.  Not a coincidence.

Vinny had a high, but asymmetrical FMS score (a very good indicator of future injury).  With a simple addition of some corrective exercises added to his group training schedule – yes, even our small group members get personalized programming – Vinny’s asymmetries went away.

So did all his body fat.  Seriously.

I was at a Labor Day BBQ/pool party with him.  All I heard all day was “Vinny, you look ripped”, “Vinny I can see your abs”, “Vinny, Vinny, Vinny,…blah, blah, blah”.  It was actually starting to get annoying.

But in addition to showing off the abs at barbecues, Vinny also finished two Spartan races this summer – injury free.

Movement improved, health and performance improved, abs appeared.  Not coincidences.

So if you feel like there’s a missing link in your programming, or if you feel you should be getting more out of your efforts, come down and get a screen done.  Part of what we do is simply point people in the right direction who may be looking at the wrong issues.

The Secret Key to Slim, Sexy and Strong:

Obviously there are many factors to becoming slim, sexy and strong.  But one key seems to be frequently overlooked and quite often is the reason exercisers fail to achieve their fat loss goals.

(Be sure to read the “P.S.” at the bottom to read about TR members who utilized this key to get ripped, drop pant sizes and lose inches off the waist…)

That key is focusing on the quality of your movement.  Laser like focus.  Making sure your body is moving in the manner it is supposed to.  Moving “functionally”, or “with good form” to the non-fitness pro.  Unfortunately, exercisers may accept this idea, but fail to practice or emphasize it in many cases. 

Why would people ignore something that works?  Why would people not do what will get them to their 

health and fitness goals?  I’m not a psychiatrist, but I think…

The reason nobody cares about moving correctly is that it’s not sexy.  It doesn’t sell TV time and magazines.  It doesn’t seem like a quick, simple fix to people.  (Although it is simple to a good fitness professional).

But the reality is, focusing on improving movement works, period.

There are two reasons for this:

1.  Moving better leads to better workouts.

Moving efficiently means more weight can be moved, for longer periods, with quicker recovery times.  The person who moves well gets a HELL of a lot more done in his or her workouts than the people who don’t move well.  The people who aren’t moving well are simply stepping on their gas pedal harder when their alignment is off.  They’re not getting there faster and they’re going to breakdown more quickly…which leads to…

2.  Moving better prevents Injury

The overwhelming #1 cause of orthopedic problems is misaligned joints.  When this is allowed to happen during exercise, it accelerates the injury cycle as added weight, effort and fatigue are put on to the misaligned joints.  Although “pushing through” may be an admirable mindset in other aspects of life, it only leads to diminishing returns in the exercise realm.  (Reminder: the person who coined the term “No pain, no gain” was a learning impaired individual).  When you get injured, you can’t exercise.  When you can’t exercise, you can’t get fit.  Pay attention to how you move – it will keep you training consistently and well.

P.S.  Still not convinced?  Be sure to look for part 2 of this article coming soon to hear about TR members who focused on the above, and got shredded, dropped pant sizes, waist inches!

Deadly Bikes!

OK, maybe biking isn’t deadly, but there are deleterious aspects of being on a bike of which you may be unaware:

1. Bikes place you in an anatomical position that’s conducive to back and shoulder problems.

You know that hunched forward, rolled shoulder look that we (most of us anyway) try to avoid like the plague?  Not only is that look undesirable to most from an aesthetics standpoint, but it’s a recipe for back and shoulder problems.  That position – it’s called spinal flexion – places abnormal amounts of compensatory stress on the low back and shoulders, and it’s exactly the position you’re in the majority of time you’re on a bike.  Add long durations and increased workload to that position and you’re asking for an orthopedic issue.

2. Like any long duration activity, it burns very few calories.

Similar to jogging, walking, using the elliptical, etc., when performed for long durations it becomes an inefficient calorie burner.  By definition, anything done for 20, 30, 40 minutes or more has to be low in intensity.  This isn’t a bad thing…unless you’re trying to lose body fat. 

Unless you’re doing some serious sprint intervals on the bike (which I don’t think I’ve ever seen), you’re better off choosing something shorter in duration and higher in intensity if lean, slim and strong are the goals.

Not sure why these guys are smiling.  Spinal flexion like that should be making their physical therapists and chiropractors smile real wide.

Yes, I can beat you up...

Sure I can beat you up.

I get that request often, actually.

“I need you to kick my butt!”

“I need to take it up a notch…”

“I need to get in there and get a sweat going…”

The words are different, but the message is all the same:

“Jon, I want to come to your facility, and with your help, I want to beat the crap out of myself because I think that’s going to make me lean, fit, and healthy.”

Of course those words aren’t used, but at the heart of the matter, that is what people are actually saying to me.  Yes, for years now…

This is somewhat silly on several levels.  I’m not sure why you need to pay someone to just beat you down with workouts.  And even if you did, you can go to the 20 something at Retro Fitness who thinks flipping tires is cool, and just finished his weekend certification.  He’d love to beat the crap out of you, and he’s probably cheaper than me. 

Of course the damage that he does to your joints will negate the savings as you’ll have to pass them along to your chiropractor, orthopedist, and physical therapist.

I had a guy say to me once that he needed to get in better shape before he signed up with me.

That was about six years ago and I’m still waiting to hear something dumber, but I haven’t yet.

In fact, as I recently responded to an email with similar requests, I’ve heard different versions of the same request thousands of times in my career, and here’s the bottom line:

When someone says they need things like "my butt kicked", "kick it up a notch", etc. in my experience THEY ARE WRONG 100% OF THE TIME.  Invariably, the person actually needs to take it down a notch and check their form, posture and movement.  Laziness or lack of intensity aren't the issues in cases like these - moving incorrectly is.  And unless you're training with a qualified trainer, you're probably unaware of the issues. 

Continuing to push - or push harder as most people suggest when they say things like this - is the same as stepping on the gas pedal harder when your car's alignment is off.  You're not getting there any faster and you're breaking down and wasting energy as you do it.

Except you’re not a car.  When you push harder in your workouts when your knees, back and shoulders are in the wrong position, your breakdown is different:

Knee injury.

Low back pain.

And even if you are lucky enough to avoid joint pain and injury, if you are moving incorrectly you’re wasting energy.  You will run out of gas and have to stop your workout before the person next to you who is paying attention to details, does.

Who do you think is more likely to burn fat, stay strong and stick to their program?

And who do you think is going to always be going to the chiropractor, orthopedist, physical therapist, etc.?

Go to a facility that screens and evaluates movement regularly.  If you’re not close to us, let me know I’ll recommend one.  It's why places like ours get results for our members and the 20 somethings with the weekend certifications who just beat the crap out of their clients don't.

I'm Not Anti-Crossfit

Seriously, I’m not.

It’s more that I am in favor of other things:

1. I am in favor of having a systematic plan and program to follow.

I’ve yet to meet anyone anywhere who disagrees with me on this point.  If you do, please stand up.  It’s pretty much universally agreed that having a goal, then setting a plan and program to go about getting it is superior to just winging it with a mixed bag of exercises. Performing indiscriminate workouts is unlikely to get you to your goal.  Randomness and varied "workouts of the day" with mixed training modalities is NOT the best way to get a lean, strong physique.

2. I am in favor of focusing on the quality of work instead of the quantity. 

Again I’ve yet to meet anyone who disagrees with me on this.  If you know me you probably know I live with a high school math teacher.  I usually use her situation to make an analogy here:

If she had a student who bragged about doing 72 algebra problems in under 3 minutes, we all would probably have the same reaction: there’s a pretty good chance a lot of those problems were done incorrectly, meaning the student probably wasted his/her time.  The reason the student would do that is certainly ego driven in some way as we all know doing math in that manner certainly won’t make he or she better at math.  Should the student try to move on to trigonometry there surely will be a problem and he or she would probably fail that class, assuming he or she passed algebra in the first place.

The same rationale holds true for exercise: doing 264 barbell snatches and 82 pullups in a short period of time only assures you’re doing some pretty crappy snatches and pullups.  You’re certainly not going to get stronger, and you certainly will never be able to move on to more advanced stuff.  If you try to progress, you'll probably fail just like the dunce in the aforementioned math class.    Except in this case it’s more likely you’ll be injured.  Performing workouts and exercises while focusing on quality of movement and exercise is what yields progress.

I’m not anti “crossfit”.  I’m anti random workouts like “workout of the day!”, and I’m anti picking an arbitrary number to measure success as opposed to exercise quality.

Having a plan and a program is better than doing random workouts.

Doing high quality work is better than doing high quantity work.

If you need help with those two things, you know where to find us.

Treadmills = Useless

Treadmills are tools used to sell gym memberships.  That is all.

Look how easy. 

Watch TV.

Lean on the rails.

Lose weight.

Sold.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way for a few reasons:

1. It’s low in intensity.

The only way to maximize calorie expenditure and raise your metabolism to get that slim and lean look is to train intensely.  The aforementioned amenities make that impossible on a treadmill.  Then there’s the fact that the ground is moving for you negating the necessity of you having to drive yourself forward, essentially reducing the intensity by 50%.  And even if you were a brave enough soul to try to sprint on a treadmill, it’s pretty dangerous.  Go to YouTube and search “treadmill fail” if you don’t believe me.

2. It creates muscle and joint imbalances.

I know this is boring to most people, but it’s a reality that will catch up to you eventually if you use a treadmill more than once in awhile.  Because of the moving ground, your body is forced to lift your leg at a normal force and pace, but it never has to drive the leg back as it would on the ground or anywhere in real life.  This excessive repeated flexion of the ankle, knee and hip in the absence of equal parts extension results in muscle imbalances around the joint.  You don’t need a degree in bio-mechanics to see this will lead to an orthopedic issue at some point at one of those joints.

If you enjoy running or walking, stick to doing it outdoors.

If you’re goal is a strong, sexy physique stick to fast paced total body strength training.

Do We Scare You?

If you follow my stuff, you’ve probably heard me mention that I read Daniel Coyle’s latest book, “The Little Book of Talent: 52 Tips For Improving Your Skills”, recently.

It has tons of great tips that we’ve applied at the TR but one of the tips was a section on choosing the right coach.  Choosing the right coach according to Coyle, is imperative to your success.  In Coyle’s travels around the globe, only those who had top level coaching rose to the top.

One of his suggestions was the following when choosing a coach:

“Seek Someone Who Scares You A Little.”

He continued:

“Look for someone who is honest, sometimes unnervingly so.  He will tell you the truth about your performance in clear language.  This stings at first.  But you’ll come to see that it’s not personal – it’s the information you can use to get better.”

That quote may hit a little too close to home for TR members.

But I write it as a reminder that when I write to you and tell you something you don’t want to hear, it’s not personal – I’m just doing my job. 

Along those lines here is today’s tip for you: (and I’m sure you’re not going to like it).

YOU ARE NOT TOO BUSY.

There.  I said it.

Time and money, or lack thereof, are the runaway leaders in excuses – sorry – “reasons” (coughcough) given to not commit to an exercise program.

Well I’ll say it again:  You are not too busy.

Here’s how I know:

I’ve been supervising peoples training programs for a LONG time.  I’ve seen many people attain great results.  And not one of them had a boat load of free time outside the TR.

NOT ONE.

I’ve yet to train a person who was independently wealthy.  One who didn’t have a job, kids, spouse, home, etc.  One who could afford cooks, cleaners, maids, nannys, landscapers, etc.

Nope. Every one of them had other major commitments outside the exercise world, but they figured out a way to get it done.  They didn’t say “I don’t have time”.  They made time and did it.  As a result, they like the way they look, the way they feel and the way they perform.

I’ve mentioned TR member Leigh Stoecker, recently.  Leigh is mother to a one year old, step-mom to two tweens, owns and operates a business, and planned and participated in a wedding (her own) less than two months ago.  She also suffers from asthma and joint pain from pre-existing conditions.  If anyone has excuses to say I’m too busy and skip the gym – Leigh does.

Do you know what Leigh’s done in less than 2 months?  She was one of the winners of our swimwear accountability group where she dropped body fat and weight, but got stronger.  She also completed a Spartan Race in Tuxedo NY on 6/1 with team TR.

So if you find yourself saying you’re too busy, take it from someone who knows better – you’re not.

-         

            Your “unnervingly” honest coach and trainer - JR

Try telling Leigh you're too busy...

The Biggest Fat Loss Exercise Mistake:

Fat loss is by far the most common goal in the fitness industry.  (Have you ever met anyone who wanted to ADD body fat?  Me neither…)

Which begs the question, why do so many people fail to achieve it?  Of course there are several reasons, but when it comes to exercise methodologies that factor into losing body fat, there is a very common yet quite obvious mistake exercisers make:

Mistake: When starting on a fat loss program, many exercisers exercise with the intention of burning calories instead of raising their metabolism.

Your metabolism, or resting metabolic rate, is how many calories you will burn in a 24 hour period at rest.  

Yes, age and genetics are a factor in what your RMR is but yours can always be improved. 

IF YOU EXERCISE WITH THE INTENTION OF RAISING IT. 

With effective exercise, one can raise their metabolism and be burning more calories 24/7/365.

Even a small increase in your metabolism can reduce your body fat levels significantly.  Do the math – if you can get your body to burn only 100 more calories per day (not much), on its own while you’re resting, that’s over 10 pounds of body fat you will lose in one year.  Not 10 pounds total – ten pounds of FAT.

But because of the short sightedness of many exercise programs, many (most?) people focus on the caloric expenditure of each individual workout. 

To me this is like counting your calories at one meal of the day but ignoring everything else you eat and drink all day – just doesn’t make any sense.

The focus should be on what each workout does to improve your metabolism.

Was it intense enough to force your metabolism to adjust and rise?  Or was it of little consequence and you stopped burning calories as soon as you stopped the workout? (Which is a VERY common mistake…)

The way to know the answers to these questions is far too expansive to get into in a blog post, but some good rules of thumb are:

• Was the intensity high and/or was it difficult to complete?  If yes, it probably raised your RMR.

• Was it long duration?  If so, you probably didn’t do much to your metabolism.  By definition, the longer a workout is, the more the intensity has to drop.

• Has it been done consistently?  If yes, then your metabolism is probably on the way up.  If no, then your workout was just a masochistic ass-kicking.

If your goal is to lose body fat - and again, whose isn't - don't focus on the short term caloric expenditure of a workout, which frankly is irrelevant information.  Make the workouts efficient and metabolism raising and you'll see the changes that you seek.

100% Guaranteed Way to Fail:

I’ve been doing this a long time so I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t.  This doesn’t make me better or smarter than anyone; it just means I’ve observed many people try to be more healthy and fit.  Few succeed. Exponentially more fail.  This is a harsh reality, but a reality nonetheless.

And one of the things I’ve noticed is that a GREAT way to fail is to try to accomplish your goals quickly.  

Look for the short term, quick fix.  This is the 100% guaranteed way to not get what you want.

If I’ve learned one thing over the years it’s this: There is no short term, quick fix solution.

Not one. 

Never has been, never will be.

If you are looking for an easy, short cut way to your fitness goals I can tell you unequivocally it…does…not…exist.

The people who achieve great successes in the exercise realm are invariably people who seek and attain small, incremental improvements over time.  When consistently applied, the philosophy and application of simply just improving a little bit at a time adds up much more quickly than you think.

People who succeed:

• Understand it takes time, patience and perseverance.
• Think long term
• Stay focused on the goal
• Measure their progress against where they were and where they are now
• Run their own race and compete against themselves
• Exercise and move deliberately, making sure each rep and set is perfect

People who DO NOT succeed:

• Try to do more than they can both in the gym and with their eating habits.
• Think “what can I do in the next “X” number of days?” (i.e., "I'm going to lose 10 pounds in 10 days!)
• Change just for changes’ sake
• Measure their progress by an arbitrary number like “I can bench press X pounds…” “I want to weigh X pounds…”
• Compare their successes and failures to those of others – in most cases very apples and oranges
• Mistake activity for accomplishment and improvement

The late great coach John Wooden once said: “Don’t look for the big quick improvement.  Seek the small improvement one day at a time.  That’s the only way it happens - and when it happens it lasts.”

Great advice coach – that’s been my observational experience as well.

Insane

Like with most of my blogs, this blog comes from having answered a particular question a few thousand times so clearly it’s a large enough issue that I can get it out there for everybody.

Today’s (and yesterday’s, and tomorrow’s) question:

Are all these “extreme” workouts such as Insanity, Tapout XT, Crossfit, etc., effective?

Answer: No.

The reasons for that are numerous and mostly have to do with bio-mechanics, physiology, and programming (or lack thereof, which is the real issue) which bores the heck out of most people.  So I’ll focus on one of the major rebuttals from people who promote these workouts when I say “No”.

Typically, the rebuttal goes something like this:  But the people who do it look great, they have low body fat, they have muscles, etc.

And I find myself saying this often:

The people doing those workouts can do them because they are in great shape.  They are not in great shape because they do those workouts.

Which is why when average John and Jane Doe, who don’t start off in great shape try things like plyometrics to exhaustion, power moves to exhaustion, or anything else that marketing geniuses (not trainers) call “extreme” or “insane”, they invariably attain chronic or acute injuries or reach a state of diminishing returns pretty quickly.

The people you see doing those “insane” workouts are generally young, and generally fit based on their structures.  They can get away with risky exercise behaviors.  The other 99.9% of us cannot.

I know there’s something in our ever transforming society that finds anything “extreme” or “insane” appealing.  When I was doing a little research for this I saw ads for “Extreme Couponing” and “Intense Dance”.

Seriously? Come on...

But that doesn’t mean because there is an appeal that it makes any sense because anything insane is…well…insane.

Does this happen to you?

Cramps or tension in the upper back and neck area?  Shoulder stiffness? Previous injuries in the shoulder area? Acute pain in the shoulder joint(s)?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions you can join the other 80% or so of people who will experience those symptoms at some point.

There are a myriad of lifestyle issues that can cause shoulder dysfunction:

• Constantly carrying items (bags, brief cases, babies) on or in front of your shoulders
• Sedentary jobs
• Improper training, exercise and rehab techniques
• Excessively repetitive and/or unilateral motion (throwing and swinging sports)
• Awkward sleeping positions

In addition to those issues, the shoulder is a complex series of joints that requires a unique combination of mobility and stability in order for you to move efficiently.  The clavicle (collar bone), glenohumeral joint (ball and socket), scapula (shoulder blades), thoracic spine (mid/upper back) among other things all combine to help you move efficiently both in and out of the gym.  If even one of those systems is a little off, your shoulders will let you know.

Because of this complex setup, many shoulder problems are actually coordination issues, not issues with the structures themselves.  Getting the brain to send many messages to many joints simultaneously and efficiently requires much coordination.  Because of this, we need to train the neuro-muscular control of the area as well as the strength and mobility of the area.

There are many ways we go about addressing this at the TR, but one of our cooler looking, more fun methods are Indian clubs.  Indian clubs force the shoulders to move in all possible directions while simultaneously improving coordination.  Most first time users don’t realize how uncoordinated they are in their shoulder complex until they try them out!

But the take home message is that whatever the shoulder issue is (tissue restriction or motor control) using Indian clubs will address it.

Check out TR super member Leigh, demonstrating one of her warm-ups with the clubs in this video:

"Wrong." What your doctor doesn't know:

3/9/13:

I was watching the news this morning and invariably the mandatory segment on a new exercise regimen had to come on.  Generally speaking, these segments are so nonsensical they’re surreal.  Apparently, people who watch the news insist on seeing something “new” with regards to exercise.  FYI: there is nothing new in exercise.

As usual, I digress…

The segment was about a modified gymnastics class that seemed to cater to older people.  Obviously, some questioned the safety of older people performing gymnastics which is a pretty sound concern to me and anyone with a frontal lobe.  Frankly, questioning the safety of ANYBODY performing gymnastics is sound logic.

I digress again…

So the reporter asked a doctor about the safety of the workouts, to which the doctor responded (I’m paraphrasing) that it would be best for the participants to improve their basic levels of strength first prior to engaging in this class.  “The best thing perhaps…” he continued “…is to work on your situps first” to strengthen the abdomen and the lower back.

Watch Jon slow boil…

I’ve had this discussion before with other fitness professionals with whom I place some trust.  I (we) just don’t understand the connection between Doctors and fitness.  More specifically, why are they asked for advice in an area in which they are obviously not experts?

There isn’t a fitness professional anywhere who’s done their homework and who has some experience training people who would have their clients flex the spine in an attempt to improve strength.  I wouldn’t do it with anyone frankly, but older people?!?  Come on…have you ever seen an older person?!? They’re already trying to keep their spines from moving into the letter “C”!  And this doctor’s advice: put your spine in the shape of a “C” over and over and over…

See Jon’s eyes roll…

You don’t need a degree in Exercise Science to understand this.  This is common sense.  Frankly, if you’re a member at the TR you know it’s a bad idea, and you’re more qualified than most doctors to discuss exercise issues.

And I’ve used the term “doctors” because this is not an isolated incident.  As my colleagues and I have noticed, the rule is a doctor being asked for exercise advice, then said doctor giving some REALLY bad advice.

Does this make doctors bad people? No.  

Does this mean doctors are dumb?  Of course not.

It means exercise IS NOT THEIR AREA OF EXPERTISE. 

If you need surgery, go to a doctor.

If you need prescription medication, go to a doctor.

If you have an illness that needs to be diagnosed, go to a doctor.

If you need exercise advice, go to someone who is knowledgeable in the area of exercise – NOT a doctor.

Situps?!? Come...on...

That’s my public service announcement for the day, thanks for listening.

(And yes, this was 1st thing in the a.m. pre-caffeination - thanks for bearing with me!)

Everyone says the same thing...

When I first meet people who have questions about getting started with an exercise program everyone uses different words and terms, but ultimately they’re all saying the same thing.

They want to be happy.  They want a higher quality of life.

Get toned.  Lose weight. Have more energy. Run faster. Climb stairs pain free.

It all means the same thing.  They just want to be happy and enjoy a higher quality of life.

Even with long standing current members, I’m constantly reminding them to keep it simple (TR tenet #2!).  Because whatever your fitness goal is, exercising smart and consistently is the answer.  With that behavioral pattern, things have a tendency to work themselves out for the better.

Along those lines, I recently read “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg.  Essentially, it’s about how everything in our lives, good and bad, is a direct result of a habit.  The key is to identify the bad habits and insert new routines and new habits in their place.

One of the take home messages in the book is that good habits have a tendency to generate other good habits in other areas of your life.  Success breeds success.

More specifically, exercising consistently is a good habit that research has shown to improve other areas of 

one’s life outside of the exercise world.

Take, for instance, studies* examining the impacts of exercise on daily routines. Typically, people who exercise regularly:

• Become more productive at work
• Smoke less 
• Show more patience in interpersonal relationships
• Use credit cards less frequently
• Feel less stresed

It’s not completely clear why.  But for many people, exercise is a keystone habit that triggers widespread change.  “Exercise spills over,” said James Prochaska, a University of Rhode Island researcher.  “There’s something about it that makes other good habits easier.”

So it’s really not a stretch to say that simply getting an effective workout on a consistent basis can improve your quality of life.  Which is why I always preach to TR members about consistency of training and to future TR members about how simply getting started on the right track can be a game changer for everything in your life.

TR tenet #1 – Time to improve.

*Numerous studies have supported these statements.  If you need to be directed to the specific studies, let me know. – JR

Why Are You Doing That?

I just wanted to take a moment to clarify a training philosophy question.  Admittedly this may be my ego speaking, but it’s a question that’s come up more than a few times so there may be more confusion than I realized.  It’s also a topic on which I want everyone to be clear.  (Well, those who actually read my stuff, anyway…)

Last year I competed in a Spartan Race – one of a few types of outdoor obstacle course races.  I’ve also signed on to do 3 more in 2013 (more on that below).  At the TR we’ve also added a Competition Training Small Group session to our schedule to specifically address the training protocols of regular, non-professional athletes like us who are now competing in ultra-marathons, triathlons, obstacle course races, mud runs, etc. 

If you’re somebody who doesn’t have the advantage of youth anymore, has a job, family, etc. training for these events poses some major challenges.  Challenges that if I may be so bold to say, require the guidance of a knowledgeable fitness professional who can accurately assess injury risk and improve performance simultaneously for this demographic.

The confusion has apparently been borne from my previous discussions (lectures? rants?) where I have made a point of saying those types of events are a bad idea for most of us.

They are.

The confusion, I believe comes not from my answers, but from two different questions.

If the question is the following: “Is endurance training such as distance running, biking, etc. healthy for you or a good way to stay fit?”

The answer is an unequivocal NO.  

Any kind of long duration training is not intense enough to force metabolic changes (which is what burns body fat) and due to the fatigue borne from such training, impossible to do in a correct bio-mechanical position.  The repetitive movement in an incorrect bio-mechanical position will lead to injury either chronic or acute.  This is not a question of “if” it will, but “when” it will.  This is something I believed several years ago and has been confirmed through my years of observing people exercise.

However, if you compete in a sport where some unhealthy occurrences are going to come up (ultra-marathons, obstacle course races, biking, etc) it MAY be necessary to have some less than optimally safe training protocols in your program.  Therefore, if you’re doing an obstacle course race or trail marathon, you may have to get outside on trails for a LONG time to acclimate yourself to the style of competition.

THIS DOES NOT MEAN IT IS HEALTHY FOR OR WILL HELP YOU LOSE BODY FAT.

When I was training for the Spartan Race last summer I actually GAINED body fat in the 6 weeks leading up to it.  And I also have a tissue restriction in my lower leg that still prevents normal movement in training – don’t get me started…

The Better Question to Ask Yourself: Why Do I Do IT?

I do it, and I speak for a friend who does ultra-marathons, because we like the challenge, we like the emotional reward, and we like competition.  We do not do it because we think it’s a healthy habit.

Following many peoples’ line of thinking, a client could come to me and say

“Jon, I want you to include punching me in the face during our training sessions.  Serioulsy, three or four times per session, maybe after our core work, just crack me square in the face. I’ve seen boxers that are in very good shape so I should be doing what they do.” 

Boxers are in shape + boxers get punched = I should get punched, right?

Wrong. They do it because it’s a necessary evil of their competition.

Ditto for any kind of endurance training.

Whenever you take up any exercise program ask yourself “Why am I doing this?”  The answer, whether it be improved health, fat loss, strength gain, athletic performance improvement, whatever – should dictate the type of training protocol you undertake.  Don’t get punched in the face just because boxers do.  Don’t run one gazillion miles just because an endurance athlete does.  All that does is increase your chance of injury with no correlative increase in chance of success. 

If you’re in a competition, you MAY be able to justify some risk in your training.

If your goal is health, fat loss, strength gain, etc.  Keep it safe.

Keep it intense, but keep it safe.