Fitness, Training, Health & Conditioning

I spoke with a client the other day who had started running again for the first time in a long time. She used to run quite a bit in the past but has not done any now in over 4 years. She tried to go for a few runs this past week and said that it seemed as though she had never run before. She was frustrated, not that she could not run for long distances but that she felt like she had no ability to run with any kind of a stride that resembled what she used to have.

This brought up the topic of muscle memory and if such a thing existed. There is no doubt that our body can develop patterns. I would even argue that we inherit some of these patterns when we are born. Genetic factors play a major role in the development of our muscular systems. I do not have major study results to prove it but raise your hand if you physically resemble one or both of your parents is some way.

How we develop these patterns I think can be attributed to the 4 Laws of Training. If you have not read those posts I recommend that you do. We feel it is the framework for understanding how to train the human body for maximum results. Law #2 states that the more of a specific stimulus our bodies get, the greater the anatomical change you will create. For instance the more heavy weight training you do, the stronger and more dense your muscles will become. In the example of running, my client had developed a pattern in her past when she ran all the time that created what she believed to be her “normal” stride.

Law #1 states that our bodies are designed to respond to stimulus. So the running she was doing was the stimulus that her body responded to. She ran very frequently so the constant supply of the same stimulus created a pattern. I believe this patterns to be what many refer to as muscle memory. The body has no choice but to react to the stimulus you give it. This can be a positive like building a consistent stride to run with, however, it can also be a negative if the stride you are building is not very efficient which will lead to poor performance and ultimately injury.

Our bodies are constantly changing, there is no staying the same. Think of everything you do during the day and the impact it will have on your body. The way we eat, the amount of water we drink, the amount of sleep we get, and of course the type of physical stimulus our bodies receive are constantly changing us. Depending on what type of stimulus you are giving it this can mean a change for the positive or negative.

So I believe there is such a thing as muscle memory. It exists in the form of a pattern that develops from consistently supplying the same type of stimulus to the muscles. If you do it long enough and with enough consistency you will create a pattern. The longer this pattern sets in, the more the body will use this pattern to perform the given task.

EXERCISE OF THE WEEK #40

HANDSTANDS FOR KIDS

The second exercise for building strength in younger kids is my Son’s and I personal favorite, the Handstand. All three of my children have or will be doing gymnastics. I love the training it provides for younger kids as they are able to do some great obstacle courses on a bigger scale than what we can do at home. I also like the way kids are challenged to create more power in their bodies allowing them to perform more difficult moves.

The handstand when done by pressing off of both feet evenly allows you to generate equal power through both hips, and shoulders. Personally I prefer this over the standing option where momentum plays a large roll in the kids ability to get up into a vertical position. Try these out with your kids, they will learn to love them quickly as their bodies develop the power to get all the way up.

Another great example that we get asked all the time. How do I increase flexibility in my hamstrings? It comes from many different sources when people ask us. “My Doctor tells me I need better flexibility in my hamstrings to help with my low back pain.” “My Golf Instructor tells me that increasingly my hamstring flexibility will improve my swing plane.” There are thousands of reasons you want to maintain flexibility in your hamstrings but rather than list what you already know, let us take a few minutes and show you some simple steps to get started.

First remember that there are multiple ways to stretch a muscle. The way we are going to discuss and to be honest is the best option in our opinion is to lengthen the muscle by contracting the antagonist or opposite muscle. What is the opposite of the Hamstring then is what we need to determine. The obvious answer is of course the quadriceps. We also want to make sure that the hip flexors are included in this as well. The reason for this is that just like the hamstring, the hip flexors and quadriceps are responsible for the anterior movement of the pelvis.

Since your hamstrings attach at the back of your pelvis, the movement of the pelvis forward or anterior then will pull on the hamstrings causing them to lengthen. Lengthening of the hamstrings then involves not only getting the body in a position to attempt to completely straighten the leg, it also requires the contraction of the quadriceps and hip flexor muscles.

Here are a few examples of some moves that will do this for you.

The basic leg lift is actually a good way to start when gaining flexibility in the hamstrings. To perform the move make sure that before you begin to lift the leg you have contracted the muscles of the quadriceps as hard as you can and pull your toes back towards you. Now lift as high as you can until the knee wants to bend, then lower it back down.

The next move is similar to the leg lift but know you use the arms to assist in getting the leg a little higher than you can with just your muscles. Make sure that with the assistance of the hands that you are still contracting the muscles of the quadriceps and hip flexors as hard as you can while you hold the stretch. Like Loren mentioned in one of the Fitness Tips of the Week, hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds to allow the hamstring to lengthen.

We have also done a few moves in our Exercise of the Week Program Like the Runners Stretch that are great examples of moves to lengthen the hamstrings.

Recently I purchased a few weight vests for the weight training classes I teach. Several of the guys in the class were at the point that doing pull-ups and chin-ups were taking all day since they were doing sets of 20 or more. The weight vests provided the perfect amount of resistance to help them achieve higher levels of strength and save time to be able to apply equal demand to the other directions of the shoulders.

I was surprised how many of the people in my classes wanted to wear them to train in. They wanted to go for a run, do some jumping workouts, or even play some basketball in them. The idea makes a lot of sense. If wearing them to do pull-ups will make you stronger, then everything else you do while wearing them should help to make you better as well. The idea makes sense but it is completely wrong.

Have you ever wondered why people complain about pain their joints when they are 20, 40, or even a hundred pounds overweight? The reason is that they are placing more stress into the joints than the muscles can support and the result of this becomes pain. We have mentioned constantly throughout the last year how our muscular systems lack of efficiency causes our bodies to be in an incorrect anatomical position. Postural imbalances of all different sorts are the main reason why it would be very dangerous to train in weight vests.

If you look in the picture to the left, notice the angles that are created in this athletes legs as they sprint. There are a significant amount of muscular imbalances that are forcing the legs to run in a circular motion as opposed to driving the femur straight forward allowing the knee to punch straight up in the air. By adding additional weight to the frame of this athlete will increase these imbalances and put the knees and ankles at an even higher risk for potential damage.

The same could be said for doing jumping routines. I know quite a few trainers like to use this as a tool to help build explosion in an athlete. If you are doing jumping drills with a 180 pound athlete would they not get stronger muscles if they had to now power up 200 pounds by adding a 20 pound weight vest? Technically yes but once again at train2move we always go back to the worst case scenario mentality.

If you are doing jumping drills with an athlete you had better be positive that they do not have any form of inefficiency in their body during the jump. Are they able to do the move perfectly? If there is tightness in the hips that forces more stress into the knees upon landing, the weight vest is going to greatly magnify this. The damage to the knees is going to be much more pronounced.

Weight vest, like ankle weights that we discussed a few weeks ago, are a great tool to add to your current program. However, understanding how to use them is the key. Adding weight to a strong athlete who is very adept at a move like pull-ups can take them to the next level. Adding weight to an athlete with poor muscular efficiency can prove to do much more harm than good.

If you are looking for some good weight vests, we recommend trying these out. The Valeo are a good brand that are reasonably priced.

Get a good breakfast!

A simple tip this week, yet it is very important. Breakfast is the most often skipped meal of the day. Unfortunately, I miss breakfast occasionally due to a busy schedule, but especially if your goal is to lose weight, breakfast is not the meal you want to cut out of your diet. First off, you shouldn’t be skipping meals in order to lose weight, but never skip breakfast if the goal is weight loss.

Breakfast is the meal that wakes up your metabolism. The body has been asleep for a number of hours and your body has slowed the rate of energy usage. Breakfast starts up that whole process again. If you skip breakfast, your body will kick into starvation mode and begin to conserve. This is opposite of what you want it to do if your aim is to lose weight. Now, your breakfast shouldn’t be three doughnuts, two bowls of sugar puffs, and a chocolate muffin. Aim for more like toast with jelly or butter (not margarine), whole grain cereals, oatmeal, fruit, orange juice, all the breakfast classics.

You will feel like you have more energy to start the day when you eat a good breakfast, and that’s because your body is really waking up. If you have a busy schedule like me and have trouble getting up early enough to get breakfast, try finding breakfast items that don’t take long to prepare or you can take with you and eat on the way to wherever you are going. Don’t go another day without getting a good breakfast, and if your breakfast isn’t exactly the healthiest, start small and make changes in what you’re eating. Just like anything else, it has to become a habit. Definitely make this a habit from now on.

Loren Sheets

EXERCISE OF THE WEEK #39

PUSHUPS FOR KIDS

For the 5th series on our Exercise of the Week Program we are going to give all of you parents and P.E. Teachers a few tips on strength training young kids. It is important to remember what real strength represents. At any age strength is a representation of body control. This is where your power comes from is the coordination of any movement in the body to generate maximum force.

In young kids body control is in its natural stage of their Natural Strength Progression according to the 4 Laws of Training. Making sure to not interrupt this natural process of strength building is important. We will do several examples over the next few moths and then give you a complete program at the end.

Yesterday Coach S. commented on the new look. We recently passed the 1 year mark for train2move and after over 330 posts and a tremendous amount of information we decided to change things up just a bit. The new look will continue to change as we make the site a bit easier for you to navigate and find the information you are looking for.

We also want to highlight some of the better pieces of information for you. During the year we started several new programs two of which we are particularly excited about. the First is the Exercise of the Week Program. We have now reached nearly 40 different exercises and 4 complete workouts for you to try.

The Fitness Tip of the Week Program is approaching its 20th edition thank to the Efforts of Train2move Athlete Loren Sheets.

Let us know what you think of the new changes as they happen. Our goal is to always provide you with information that can benefit your overall health and exercise performance. If you have not checked out the Store yet, I would encourage you to do so. There are several programs included that can impact your fitness, help with various pain ailments, and even strengthen you core.

Check back often as we continue to offer the best fitness products that will truly make a difference in your life.

The annual eating frenzy is about to begin. Here are a few tips we want to share with you to perhaps lessen the negative side effects of the family feast this year.

First is to realize that the odds of you doing much after your meal are fairly slim so take the time to do a workout before you eat. It does not have to be much but even a little stimulus to the muscles throughout the day can make a major difference. If you are not sure what to do, follow some of these links to free workouts we have given you in the past. Here is a warm-up. Here is a strength training routine. And finally here is a general yoga style routine.

If you have the time, do all 3!

Some other useful tips we can share with you are to drink a lot of water before, during, and after you eat. The amount of food we eat and the types both can be brutal on our digestive system. Water is a major asset to your digestion so do yourself a favor and drink some. Try starting early in the day and shoot for 40-60 ounces before you eat. Then have some water with you as you are eating. When finished have another 15-20 ounces an hour or so after you eat.

Now let’s assume you want to get up and move some after you eat. Make sure to give yourself a good hour before you do. When you do get ready to move choose something light like a nice walk to get away from the In-laws, or take them along, whichever seems necessary. Feel free to do some of the exercise routines we provided above as well.

And one final piece of advice to help lessen the damage to your body today is go easy on the appetizers! If you are like me you will eat a signifcant amount of food long before the main feast arrives. This will drastically increase your calories and make you less likely to take in the better calories to be had later. Look for the fruit and veggies when eating your appetizers!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone.

The Train2move Crew.

How often do you change up your cardio workouts? Every other workout? Every week maybe? Once a year? Here are a couple of great tips on how to change up the cardio routines you do to get the greatest benefit for your body.

Cardio machines take up a lot of space in most gyms due to their popularity and since they generally are easy to use, they are a simple way to get your heart rate up, burn some calories, and work on your lung capacity and endurance.

Remember though, each form of stimulus has both positive effects on the body as well as negatives. Look at the recumbent bike for example. What are the positive outcomes of using one for 20 to 40 minutes a few times a week? Well, it gets your heart rate up and burns calories. From a muscular standpoint, however, there can be some negative effects on your body if you never change up this one repetitive stimulus. For one, the constant seated position it like putting a cast on the muscles of the hips. Yes, the quads are getting lots of stimulus, and it gets your heart rate up, but as you may know, we cannot enough emphasize the importance of balancing the muscular system. Getting out of the seated position and giving your muscles a variety of stimulus will improve your overall fitness.

Change up your cardio routines often to give your muscular system new and different forms of stimulus. There are all sorts of ways to get different forms of cardio training. Treadmills, row machines, elliptical machines, running stairs, going out for a run, getting on the bike, jump-roping, swimming. Try not to choose the most comfortable one and do it over and over. Challenge yourself and change up your routine.

Check out our store at the top of the page, and look for the cardio cheat sheets. In this product we provide a series of cardio options that also include exercises to “neutralize” the negative effects of some cardio equipment to get the most out of your workout.

Loren Sheets