What do professional martial artists, breakdancers, and yoga teachers have in common?
They all have an excellent balance of both stability and mobility. So what does that mean?
Stability and mobility are two of most of the important foundations in human movement. Some personal trainers and coaches associate them with "core training"; tai chi instructors would associate them with "ying" (形), or patterns of movement. As you can see, stability and mobility can mean different things to different practitioners.
By definition, stability refers to the ability to control movement and maintain equilibrium (your center). Stability is also the precursor to strength, which is the ability to produce movement. Without a strong base, strength can not be produced efficiently. Imagine that you are about to pick up a thirty-pound, squirming toddler by squatting down first. If your core (spine, trunk, and hip stability) is not strong, then your legs and arms can not efficiently and safely squat back up (strength) with the thirty-pound, squirming weight in front of you.
Mobility is the ability to move freely involving muscles and joints. This is not to be confused with the term flexibility which is the elongation of muscles. Hence, mobility is a broader term describing range of motion in human movement.
In sports and everyday activities, stability and mobility work and move together like Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen dancing in White Christmas (1954). When you twist your spine and hips to reach for something behind you, the stabilizers in the spinal column and trunk are the first to activitate to hold the spine, shoulder, and pelvis in place as the body moves. These stabilizers do not produce a lot of force compare to the external movers (EX: surface back and abdominal muscles) which moves second. The spine, shoulder, and pelvis must also have adequate mobility in order to for you reach around without dislocating a joint or tearing a ligament or tendon.
Improper movement pattern from poor posture or single-sided sports (baseball, golf, bowling) can affect the balance of stability and mobility. This can result not only in lower performance, but also unnecessary stress which leads to injury. A good exercise training program must address a person's lack of stability or mobility or a combination of both.
Here is one of my favorite Youtube clip demonstrating extreme stability and mobility: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m22NECVD_dE&feature=related
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Who, What, How?
Occasionally, I get questions from friends and gym patrons who come up to me and show me a copy of a some workouts from a magazine or newspaper. They would ask me, "Is this good for my thighs or trim down my waistline?"
When I look at the pictures, the copy often depicts the same type of fad exercises that we often see at the gym. Only these pictures have a different model with different equipment and a different name. In other words, same exercises, different package.
I often reply, "Well, what are your goals? How would these exercises help you?"
When choosing exercises and strategies, always ask the following questions to yourself:
1. For whom is this exercise for?
2. What are my goals?
3. How would this help me achieve my goals?
Many exercises depicted in "fitness" magazines may not be suitable for certain populations who have low back pain (LBP), knee pain, poor posture, and weak core. In fact, they do not address much of the common problem associating to these aforementioned issues which plague more than 74% of the American population. However, if you are already physically fit and have no pain and good overall performance, then these exercises may be incorporated into your existing regiment. Otherwise, you must go back to the basics and build a strong foundation before progressing to higher levels of training.
What are these foundations?
Details will be posted in the next article under: What Type of Athlete Are You?
Ask yourself those three questions the next you determine what exercise and strategies are best for you. It will help you avoid mindless wanderings at the gym.
When I look at the pictures, the copy often depicts the same type of fad exercises that we often see at the gym. Only these pictures have a different model with different equipment and a different name. In other words, same exercises, different package.
I often reply, "Well, what are your goals? How would these exercises help you?"
When choosing exercises and strategies, always ask the following questions to yourself:
1. For whom is this exercise for?
2. What are my goals?
3. How would this help me achieve my goals?
Many exercises depicted in "fitness" magazines may not be suitable for certain populations who have low back pain (LBP), knee pain, poor posture, and weak core. In fact, they do not address much of the common problem associating to these aforementioned issues which plague more than 74% of the American population. However, if you are already physically fit and have no pain and good overall performance, then these exercises may be incorporated into your existing regiment. Otherwise, you must go back to the basics and build a strong foundation before progressing to higher levels of training.
What are these foundations?
Details will be posted in the next article under: What Type of Athlete Are You?
Ask yourself those three questions the next you determine what exercise and strategies are best for you. It will help you avoid mindless wanderings at the gym.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Recovery Sessions
Post-exericse tips to help recover fatigue and reduce chances of injury.
Many athletes and exercise enthusiasts tend to over-train and do not allow their body to properly recover and heal. This leads to compensations in which your body uses secondary muscle groups to perform the work of the primary group. A good example would be weakness in the gluteus complex (buttocks) and pelvis floor muscles causes secondary muscle groups, such as hamstrings and lower back, to substitute the job of the buttocks during running, hiking, and squats. Overuse of these secondary muscles can lead to stiffness, micro-trauma, and injury. Therefore, active recovery is a necessity component in your exercise program.
First, active recovery does not mean lying on a couch and doing bicep curls with beer cans, metaphorically speaking. The idea of active recovery is to increase circulation within the body to remove waste generated by high-intensity activity. It does not speed up the healing process, however, not doing so would slow down your healing process.
Treading Water
If you have access to a swimming pool, this is a good method for most beginners who are not hydrophobic. You may choose to walk back and forth in waist or stomach level water or swim to the deep end and keep afloat using your arms and legs or any floatation device. Deep breathing and slower, relaxed control of your arms and legs movement will help conserve energy and exercise continuously at a low intensity. Do this for about 15-30 minutes, depending on your endurance and preference. Keep in mind that you are not swimming.
Dry Sauna
The use of a sauna can elevate your metabolism to almost the same degree as low-level aerobic exercise. A hot tub or steam room will also elevate your body temperature, but it will not induce the intense perspiration that dry heat does.
Dry heat causes all blood vessels close to the surface of your skin dilate, moving heat away from the center of your body to the surface. The heat then leaves your body through evaporation into the sauna’s dry atmosphere. This process causes your heart to work harder to pump blood to a similar level to low-level aerobic exercise. This method can also be used to relax stiff joints and muscles, especially after high-intensity activities or exercise. If there is enough room, you may do a few simple stretches once your muscles are very warm and lax.
The benefits of sauna has been used for centuries in many different cultures as a form of recovery, manage stress, and detoxification. Please follow the sanitary guidelines of using the dry sauna so that the risk of infection is nil. Always shower and lather thoroughly before using any dry sauna. If you are in doubt, please consult with your physician or healthcare professional before using the sauna. Otherwise, educate yourself prior to usage.
Many athletes and exercise enthusiasts tend to over-train and do not allow their body to properly recover and heal. This leads to compensations in which your body uses secondary muscle groups to perform the work of the primary group. A good example would be weakness in the gluteus complex (buttocks) and pelvis floor muscles causes secondary muscle groups, such as hamstrings and lower back, to substitute the job of the buttocks during running, hiking, and squats. Overuse of these secondary muscles can lead to stiffness, micro-trauma, and injury. Therefore, active recovery is a necessity component in your exercise program.
First, active recovery does not mean lying on a couch and doing bicep curls with beer cans, metaphorically speaking. The idea of active recovery is to increase circulation within the body to remove waste generated by high-intensity activity. It does not speed up the healing process, however, not doing so would slow down your healing process.
Treading Water
If you have access to a swimming pool, this is a good method for most beginners who are not hydrophobic. You may choose to walk back and forth in waist or stomach level water or swim to the deep end and keep afloat using your arms and legs or any floatation device. Deep breathing and slower, relaxed control of your arms and legs movement will help conserve energy and exercise continuously at a low intensity. Do this for about 15-30 minutes, depending on your endurance and preference. Keep in mind that you are not swimming.
Dry Sauna
The use of a sauna can elevate your metabolism to almost the same degree as low-level aerobic exercise. A hot tub or steam room will also elevate your body temperature, but it will not induce the intense perspiration that dry heat does.
Dry heat causes all blood vessels close to the surface of your skin dilate, moving heat away from the center of your body to the surface. The heat then leaves your body through evaporation into the sauna’s dry atmosphere. This process causes your heart to work harder to pump blood to a similar level to low-level aerobic exercise. This method can also be used to relax stiff joints and muscles, especially after high-intensity activities or exercise. If there is enough room, you may do a few simple stretches once your muscles are very warm and lax.
The benefits of sauna has been used for centuries in many different cultures as a form of recovery, manage stress, and detoxification. Please follow the sanitary guidelines of using the dry sauna so that the risk of infection is nil. Always shower and lather thoroughly before using any dry sauna. If you are in doubt, please consult with your physician or healthcare professional before using the sauna. Otherwise, educate yourself prior to usage.
Train Harder and Smarter, Part 3
“No Yakking Sessions!”
One of the most common things we see in gyms is people talking and sitting between sets. Sometimes these “yakking sessions” can last for several minutes, justifying 2-3-hour training sessions. Although extended rest periods may be necessary in some extreme cases such as power training and Olympics lifting, they can kill the effectiveness and efficiency of a workout.
To maximize your time and energy in your workouts, try alternating movement patterns and muscle groups to maintain a higher training intensity. A good example would be to alternate pushing and pulling movements with very little or no rest in-between. Another way would be to alternate upper-body-emphasis exercises with lower-body-emphasis exercises. This allows one muscle system to rest while the other system works.
EX:
1. Push-ups
2. Pull-ups
1. Body squats
2. Standing 2 arm cable row
3. Multi-planar lunges
4. Bent over row
You may also alternate a push-pull-squat exercise with a core-emphasis exercise.
EX:
1. Push-ups
2. Ball cobra or Superman on ball
1. Barbell squat
2. MB rotation or diagonal chop
1. Pull-ups
2. MB slams or one leg balance w/ rotation
(Keep in mind that core-emphasis exercises deal with strength, stability, and mobility in the spine, trunk, and hips.)
This alternating exercise paradigm is like a circuit-style training approach and may not be comfortable to those who are used to those nice two minute rest periods. This system can be adapted to almost any training level, whether you are an active grandparent, a desk jockey, or a college athlete. This system can also help save time and can be done in less than an hour.
One of the most common things we see in gyms is people talking and sitting between sets. Sometimes these “yakking sessions” can last for several minutes, justifying 2-3-hour training sessions. Although extended rest periods may be necessary in some extreme cases such as power training and Olympics lifting, they can kill the effectiveness and efficiency of a workout.
To maximize your time and energy in your workouts, try alternating movement patterns and muscle groups to maintain a higher training intensity. A good example would be to alternate pushing and pulling movements with very little or no rest in-between. Another way would be to alternate upper-body-emphasis exercises with lower-body-emphasis exercises. This allows one muscle system to rest while the other system works.
EX:
1. Push-ups
2. Pull-ups
1. Body squats
2. Standing 2 arm cable row
3. Multi-planar lunges
4. Bent over row
You may also alternate a push-pull-squat exercise with a core-emphasis exercise.
EX:
1. Push-ups
2. Ball cobra or Superman on ball
1. Barbell squat
2. MB rotation or diagonal chop
1. Pull-ups
2. MB slams or one leg balance w/ rotation
(Keep in mind that core-emphasis exercises deal with strength, stability, and mobility in the spine, trunk, and hips.)
This alternating exercise paradigm is like a circuit-style training approach and may not be comfortable to those who are used to those nice two minute rest periods. This system can be adapted to almost any training level, whether you are an active grandparent, a desk jockey, or a college athlete. This system can also help save time and can be done in less than an hour.
Train Harder and Smarter, Part 2
PERFORM SKILL AND MOVEMENT-BASED EXERCISES BEFORE STRENGTH AND POWER EXERCISES
Skill and movement-based exercises do not requirement large amounts of energy to expend; therefore, these exercises do not fatigue as easily. Like movement preps, these are designed to help prepare the body and mind for more demanding tasks and higher degrees of performance.
A sample would be something like this.
1. Perform 3-5 skill and movement-based exercises. EX: multi-planar lunge, squat press, the Chopper. Or if you are a martial art or dance practictioner, you may also use the basic katas or forms as a substitute or complement of existing exercises.
2. Perform 3-5 strength exercises following skill exercises. EX: bench press, pull-ups, dumbbell squats, heavy medicine ball or kettlebell work.
You may do the reverse order only if you are very well-conditioned and have mastered the skill exercises. As for any guidelines, there is always an excpetion.
Skill and movement-based exercises do not requirement large amounts of energy to expend; therefore, these exercises do not fatigue as easily. Like movement preps, these are designed to help prepare the body and mind for more demanding tasks and higher degrees of performance.
A sample would be something like this.
1. Perform 3-5 skill and movement-based exercises. EX: multi-planar lunge, squat press, the Chopper. Or if you are a martial art or dance practictioner, you may also use the basic katas or forms as a substitute or complement of existing exercises.
2. Perform 3-5 strength exercises following skill exercises. EX: bench press, pull-ups, dumbbell squats, heavy medicine ball or kettlebell work.
You may do the reverse order only if you are very well-conditioned and have mastered the skill exercises. As for any guidelines, there is always an excpetion.
Train Harder and Smarter, Part 1
FUNCTIONAL WARM-UP: Not just stretching and doing "light" cardio.
Traditionally, fitness professionals and coaches have recommended stretching and doing light cardio before a strength, power, or endurance workout. The rational is that doing light cardio (jogging, walking, jumping jacks, etc.) helps to improve blood circulation, increase body temperature, and increase oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange. Static stretching helps to increase muscle and joint flexibility, decrease muscle stiffness, and increase elasticity of muscles and other tissues.
However, doing static stretching before a workout can be very counter-productive and can lead to injury. The reason is that when a muscle is stretched, it relaxes and receives less neural stimulation from the central nervous system (CNS). Therefore, it does not help the mind and body prepare for the upcoming exercise or activities which requires active neural stimulation.
Nowadays, many professionals are beginning to see the value and logic of movement preps--or some may call it functional warm-up--which is a method to help the mind and body prepare for exercise by incorporating cardiovascular training, mobliity, stability, and balance training all-in-one. The purpose of movement preps is also to correct any muscle imbalances you may have, such as one leg or hip may be weaker than the other, or one shoulder is less flexible than the other. Movement preps can help burn more calories than just limping on a treadmill and stretch because they involve all muscle groups and joints in the body.
Compare the following "textbook" method and the "functional" method for an intermediate exerciser. Some of you who have worked with me long enough would recognize some of these functional exercises.
TEXTBOOK
1. Warm-up: 5-10 mins on cardio machine
2. Stretch all major muscle groups: calves, hamstrings, hip flexors, lower back, chest, latissimus dorsi, upper trapezius....list goes on....
3. Exercise on all major muscle groups: Same as above.
4. Cool-doown: stretch all major muscle groups and 5 mins cardio
FUNCTIONAL
1. Movement preps: frog squat and overhead reach; medicine ball chopper series; mountain climber; the iron cross
2. Triple Threat combo: any 3 exercises that emphasizes the trunk and hips
3. Strength: any push, pull, squat, lunge and press with progressions
4. Cooldown: static stretching + movement preps
As you can see, the functional paradigm focuses on movement, not just muscles alone. Also, this method can save you time and increase productivity and results.
Static stretching, however, can be doing AFTER a workout. When the muscles and joints are warm and more elastic, then you may do any static stretching on any muscles that feel tight and fatigued. Functional warm-ups is a great wake-up call to the CNS and gets you prepared to burn and sweat.
One of the fitness industry's well-known and respected professional and entrepreneur is Mark Verstegen, who wrote the following article on movement preps: http://www.athletesperformance.com/spj/article.php?id=2.
Stay fit and strong.
"All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.” --Bruce Lee (1940-1973)
Traditionally, fitness professionals and coaches have recommended stretching and doing light cardio before a strength, power, or endurance workout. The rational is that doing light cardio (jogging, walking, jumping jacks, etc.) helps to improve blood circulation, increase body temperature, and increase oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange. Static stretching helps to increase muscle and joint flexibility, decrease muscle stiffness, and increase elasticity of muscles and other tissues.
However, doing static stretching before a workout can be very counter-productive and can lead to injury. The reason is that when a muscle is stretched, it relaxes and receives less neural stimulation from the central nervous system (CNS). Therefore, it does not help the mind and body prepare for the upcoming exercise or activities which requires active neural stimulation.
Nowadays, many professionals are beginning to see the value and logic of movement preps--or some may call it functional warm-up--which is a method to help the mind and body prepare for exercise by incorporating cardiovascular training, mobliity, stability, and balance training all-in-one. The purpose of movement preps is also to correct any muscle imbalances you may have, such as one leg or hip may be weaker than the other, or one shoulder is less flexible than the other. Movement preps can help burn more calories than just limping on a treadmill and stretch because they involve all muscle groups and joints in the body.
Compare the following "textbook" method and the "functional" method for an intermediate exerciser. Some of you who have worked with me long enough would recognize some of these functional exercises.
TEXTBOOK
1. Warm-up: 5-10 mins on cardio machine
2. Stretch all major muscle groups: calves, hamstrings, hip flexors, lower back, chest, latissimus dorsi, upper trapezius....list goes on....
3. Exercise on all major muscle groups: Same as above.
4. Cool-doown: stretch all major muscle groups and 5 mins cardio
FUNCTIONAL
1. Movement preps: frog squat and overhead reach; medicine ball chopper series; mountain climber; the iron cross
2. Triple Threat combo: any 3 exercises that emphasizes the trunk and hips
3. Strength: any push, pull, squat, lunge and press with progressions
4. Cooldown: static stretching + movement preps
As you can see, the functional paradigm focuses on movement, not just muscles alone. Also, this method can save you time and increase productivity and results.
Static stretching, however, can be doing AFTER a workout. When the muscles and joints are warm and more elastic, then you may do any static stretching on any muscles that feel tight and fatigued. Functional warm-ups is a great wake-up call to the CNS and gets you prepared to burn and sweat.
One of the fitness industry's well-known and respected professional and entrepreneur is Mark Verstegen, who wrote the following article on movement preps: http://www.athletesperformance.com/spj/article.php?id=2.
Stay fit and strong.
"All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.” --Bruce Lee (1940-1973)
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