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My take on: The Reasons You’re Not Getting Stronger | Greatist.com

April 24, 2012 — Leave a comment

The Reasons You’re Not Getting Stronger | Greatist.com.

I just had to re-post this, even after tweeting it. Why? Because most of you fall in either one of two categories, myself included. You’re either an UNDER-LOADER or OVER-DOER. And if I’m wrong, then you’re the Goldilocks of fitness … you found the program that’s “just right”. ;)

UNDER-LOADER

These women under-load so they can “tone” and not bulk up … that’s why they’re happy, can’t you tell?

As the article says, these are the folk that don’t use “progressive overload“. Simply put, it’s the:

  • female (and sometimes male) client that doesn’t want to lift heavy out of fear of bulking up.
  • routine-bound student that takes the same classes and uses the same weights, performing the same exercises the way they’ve grown to know it, whether with good technique or not.
  • mindless gym-goer that uses the same 8-10 machines their trainer showed them during their intro workout a few years ago

Under-doers tend to achieve so-so results, and sometimes believe that what they’re doing is “more than enough”. Many times, the under-doer is simply the type of person who is set in their ways, and it takes a lot to shift them out of their known and comfortable paradigms.

My best advice to under-doers is to allow a few expert opinions to assess their current program. Try, for one day, to be shown a different way to do what you normally do. Work with a trainer/instructor to “check your program” and see what you can change. If you loosen up your grip on your own stale routine, you may just find more effective ways of going about your workout. Just remember, in a few weeks, you’ll probably need to change things up again.

OVER-DOERS

Not sure if he’s a true over-doer, but in my defense, this photo was in a web article on that very topic.

Your honor, I plead guilty for this charge. My evolving years in fitness heralded the message:  ”harder, faster, stronger = better”. And I’m not alone. Many of my peers in the field have fallen into this notion that being a workout fiend is the only way to go. Today, you’ll see over-doer mentality in:

  • some avid CrossFitters that crave constantly punishing workouts
  • students caught up in ONLY the hard classes, taking all forms of HIIT: Tabata, MetCon3, metabolic boot camps, and interval-based classes. They “pooh-pooh” the easier classes/instructors.
  • home-workout fans that need the latest and greatest (read: hardest) versions of BeachBody‘s multi-month DVD programs

For the record, I’m guilty of this myself when I get carried away in teaching my own classes.

Yep, that’s me!

It’s easy to overdo when the endorphins are rushing and body heat is urging you to do more. People like us love the feel of sweat, and we love to feel strong. We crave the sense of achievement that comes from these high-intensity workouts.

My best advice for people like me is to BE SMART about when to pull back. These days, I take every chance I can get to call it a rest day. And even with my class program design, there’s 1 out of every 3 or 4 weeks that’s on the easier side, so even the regulars get a breather.

I also take a lot of preventive measures, especially foam rolling, active stretching, and Active Release Technique (ART) sessions with my chiropractor and licensed ART provider.

CONCLUSION

The article above recommends focusing on the basics of exercise and lifting a lot of heavy weights. Personally, I do a lot of basic exercises myself, but I don’t think it’s necessary to just focus on those. Do the exercises that you like and those that you need, no matter how simple or fancy. As long as they’re aligned with what you need to do, so as not to be an under-loader or over-doer, you’ll be okay.

As far as heavy weights go, that’s a great suggestion for the under-loaders. Over-doers, however, may actually be best off trying easier movement formats that their bodies may actually benefit from. As a perfect example, I am a prime candidate for Pilates. My over-doer body uses much of its global muscles to compensate for the weakness of my deep core musculature. If you’re an over-doer, is this true for you, too?

The summer’s fast approaching … think of what changes you want to make, to have your best-feeling, best-looking summer body ever!

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CONCLUSION: The 2011 IDEA Fitness Expo: What’s Trending and Why (Part 6 of 6)

August 22, 2011 — 2 Comments

Well, after noting 5 unique trends that I personally observed at the 2011 IDEA Fitness Expo, I want to end this blog series with the products/concepts that I know will make a big splash in the coming months (unless they already are).

These, to me, have solid underlying principles that support their product/program design, and for that reason, I’m confident that their success is a matter of “when” and not “if”.

ViPR, to me, deserves the #1 spot in this part of the blog series.

It’s no secret that from my tweets and Facebook posts, I’m a big fan of ViPR. With the initials representing Vitality, Performance, and Reconditioning, the power in this modality isn’t just in shape of the rubber tube, it’s in the programming concepts applied by inventor Michol Dalcourt.

As a movement specialist, Michol’s principles treat the body’s movement as an integrated whole, such that his program design concepts can actually be applied to any resistance tool. My thought is that he created ViPR in response to the need for something that had it’s shape/size/features that no product in the market could deliver today.

Here's what may be considered an "easier" ViPR exercise, it's one you can do with a BodyBar or medicine ball, really.

ViPR is as easy or as hard as you make it. The Vitality and Reconditioning aspects of the program address movement improvement, thus requiring great awareness of your body’s mechanics. The truth is: Your body’s motion/action is only as strong as its weakest link, so reconditioning your movement toward proper muscle firing patters is key to great technique aka “good form”.

With my “niche” kind of audience/clientele, however, it’s the Performance aspect with more dynamic/athletic moves that have people wanting more. ViPR is able to deliver this next step, and those who’ve grown to love the feel of managing a kettlebell‘s momentum have shown the same love for manipulating the ViPR. And just as some moves can only be done with a kettlebell, some moves can only be done with a ViPR.

There’s so much substance to the program possibilities with ViPR, I highly encourage all my fitness friends to learn all the program design behind it has to offer.

* * *

Now, THE STICK, to me, represents any and all products and training courses that will address MYOFASCIAL LINES

I posted THE MYO-STICK specifically because it’s a product I’ve personally used and recommended for addressing muscle tension/imbalances, and it’s a proven way to add circulation and blood/nutrient flow to soft tissue.

This isn’t the only tool, by any means. In Part 5, we talked about Trigger Point Therapy, which by the way, I’ve been using the last couple of days. Suffice it to say that I’ve been in “myofascial release heaven”.  Let me put up a photo of the kit I got.

So, so worth the $$!

The concept of addressing myofascial lines; any training or recovery methods is, for sure, the near-future of our industry  In fact, in one of the seminars I attended, my “aha” moment was: “So here we are, training and talking muscles all these years, and we’re now just discovering the importance of this “fuzz” or fascia that paints an even bigger picture of how well we move.”

* * *

I'm sure you're thinking this is "just another instability" tool à la BOSU. Well, it is and it isn't. Each one has their pro's and con's. I think Step360 looked at what they thought the BOSU was missing and added features to give the product a different function and overall appeal.

I’ll be completely honest, the Step360, I was initially leery about. As someone who has been a total BOSU enthusiast for many years, my first thoughts were:

  • Oh, it’s a more stable BOSU (flat on both surfaces, but then, what’s the point?)
  • Oh, it has attachments for using resistance bands (clever, very clever)
  • BOSU is blue, Step360 is red, hmm (but the point is to differentiate, since the products can appear similar)

Well, after trying a couple of classes, reading the website, and toying around with it at Equinox in Woodland Hills, I can confidently say Step360 offers compelling differences, making it a different tool/toy to use for a population that needs those differences. Here’s what I mean, exactly:

  1. Many people don’t like the instability of BOSU’s round surface.
    • As beneficial as the shape is toward improving balance, there’s no point if the client won’t exercise on it.
    • The Step360 addresses that through its flat workout surface.
    •  Plus, having 2 adjustable air chambers allow one to vary the height of the device, giving beginners more options.
  2. The six (6) attachment points for the resistance cables allow for a ton of exercise possibilities, and not just in standing positions. This is a plus point, although in my mind, if you’re using a resistance band and standing on the Step360, the instability aspect is no longer, since you’re basically anchored in and your base of support has expanded to the attachment points of the cables.
    • The true benefit of the cable attachments is really in the way it expands the exercise possibilities.

here's a close-up! Smile, STEP360!

* * *

So there you have it, my final take on what’s trending, based on the 2011 IDEA Fit Expo. I thought the next video would make it to the list, but let’s just say it has more of a niche appeal. It’s actually been in the industry for a long time, but has only flourished toward certain populations, you’ll see why.

Either way, it’s a festive way to end this 6-part series. Enjoy!!!

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The 2011 IDEA Fitness Expo: What’s Trending and Why (part 5)

August 19, 2011 — 1 Comment

Okay, so my teaser photo from part 4 probably surprised you as much as I did. In case you’ve forgotten, here’s that picture:

I moved to the US in 2001, and the details of the OJ Simpson trial were never all that clear to me. However, this had less to do with the man on my right, and more about the "donuts" under our knees.

Each year, I feel as though the Expo brings in more and more vendors offering products related to making exercise easier for the body to handle. Whether that means tools like these from DoOrDie (DoD) Fitness or the various iterations of foam rollers, therapy balls, and back/neck support devices, this market is growing at an exponential rate.

It makes sense, though. As more people exercise, more is discovered about how we can avoid injury, improve repair, increase circulation, and decrease pain/inflammation. The “toys” we use to improve physical well-being and help us in continuing exercise are a helpful means toward the end goal of ongoing physical activity.

* * *

These knee pads are extremely comfy on the knees, why didn't we think of them sooner? I'm holding up one of the hand wedges, which I've found comfy to align toward the hips as well, when doing supine stretches.

DoD Fitness offers a kit that with donut-hole pads for the knees, wedge blocks for the wrists, and a flatter sphere to support the head. It’s ideal for use on wooden floors and other hard surfaces.

I particularly like the knee units, because my female clients feel more comfortable using them with kneeling exercises, versus folding a mat or towel under their knees. My male clients love to use it with their ab-wheel, and any kneeling stretch I’ve taught them.

* * *

Another booth that caught the eye of many was that of Trigger Point Therapy. The branding, in my opinion, is some of the best I’ve seen, making physical therapy and soft tissue restoration almost cool and on-trend.

Word on the street is that their manual therapists on-site were quite popular as well, but we won't get into that ...

I personally like the most-advanced, “for runners” kit that they offer because even if I’m not a runner per se, guess what? My problem areas that need exactly what Trigger Point Therapy offers are my hips, low back, quads, and calves. I’m sure the bazillion classes a week I teach and utilize as personal workouts don’t help this conundrum.

My purchase from their website arrives in the mail today, you’ll get a more thorough review in a future post.

* * *

Another reason I value the trend toward addressing muscle tightness and resulting aches and pains is that most of the speakers I heard during this convention zeroed in on the need to address the body’s myofascial lines.

We train our muscular system and have studied it inside and out, without paying much mind to what’s known as myofascia, or even “fuzz” as you’d see in the silly seeming yet serious video below, shared originally to me by Lenny Parracino.

I hope I educated you a bit with that one. :)

* * *

I couldn’t really find other “stand-out” products, other than noting the prevalence of vendors of the usual therapy tools. For your reference, and because you deserve to choose from whom you may wish to purchase these, I’ve listed the most known of these providers.

OPTP has tons of tools in their catalog. Foam rollers and balls and wedges, oh my!

OPTP.com. Tools for Fitness. Knowledge for Health

this was the best jpeg i could find, sorreh ...

POWER-SYSTEMS

* * *

The upcoming Part 6 of this post is my last take. I’m featuring the products I personally liked the most at the Expo; the same ones you’ll likely see me use for my own workouts.

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