Is your homemade exercise routine doing you damage?

It was only the other day I found myself down at the local park observing, as I do other PT's, their clients and other people with what was very obvious to be a home made exercise routine. This is what I unfortunately witnessed...

I'm going to start with the PT I observed training a middle aged woman who was approx 20kg overweight. The PT (he) was taking his client through some boxing and she was putting in a very big effort which was great to see. The PT on the other hand showed shocking technique as he slapped the focus pads whilst holding them only putting his client at an increased chance of wrist injury. The combinations were boring and can be best described as group fitness boxing. (lots of punches with next to no technique).

Moving on I witnessed a male for approx 15min cycle through an obviously home made exercise program. Pushups in a very shoulder dominant position, behind the head chinups, crunches all the way to upright, hanging 90* leg holds just to name a few. Now at a quick glance his postural analysis determined very easily that he had rounded shoulders and lordosis (tight traps, delts, chest, lats, hipflexors, and quads etc).

The exercises he was performing also with bad technique were hitting all the above muscles and only contributing to his worsening posture. Also increasing his chance of pain and injury in the future.

Word of advice don't set yourself up for failure. Far to often I see people with obvious postural conditions following a program that is only making their condition worse. If you have a trainer question them, if you haven't sought advice then do so... If your program consists of mostly the following then best you change it.
- chinups, pushups, situps, bicep curls, squats, bench press, front raises.

Any questions shoot them through and as a final note please NEVER EVER especially if your a trainer have people doing pushups whilst boxing. It increases the chance of injury, is very boring and only encourages poor boxing technique.... Come on people it's one of the first things we ever learn !!!

Shoe selection and exercise

There are more and more fancy looking shoes entering our stores moving towards 2012. Many of these are offering more support and dynamics designs. Can the need for a fancy looking shoe offering more support contribute to incorrect technique, increase the chance of injury and leave out wallet feeling empty? 

Let's look at resistance or gym based training first. Bare foot training has been proven to be the most effective as it allows for more sensory contact with the ground and therefore better balance. Muscle recruitment through the lower limbs is higher and therefore overall better results can be achieved. Gyms however require footwear to be worn at all times and Vibram five fingers lead the way in shoe design allowing for barefoot training in gyms to be possible. If your a serious gym nut go get a pair and see the difference. If you happen to feel weird wearing them in public then a flat sole shoe such as volleys or converse are the next best thing.

Training in runners will make stability increasingly difficult to maintain due to their cushioning nature and therefore cause an exercise in some cases to become less beneficial and potentially more dangerous.

Whilst running at higher speeds the body naturally rises up to running on the ball of the foot or toes. This allows for a faster more efficient stride and is the bodies way of reducing shock up through the skeleton when making contact with the ground. Commonly whilst running at slower speeds people generally fall back to planting the heel first which can cause shin splints, knee and lower back pain.The need for more cushioned footwear therefore increases. Barefoot running causes the individual to maintain striking the ground even at slower speeds with the ball of the foot or toes and therefore once the style is adopted is considerably more effective and results in less wear and tear on the body. 

So the question remains is a more cushioned runner only really masking an incorrect running style and should I move towards barefoot training . . .? 

Why diets fail?

Diets fail mainly due to the fact they are entered as a short term commitment for long term results.

It's easy to lose 5kgs. But try losing 5kgs where the majority of weight lost is body fat. It is a very common occurence that when dieting the majority of weight lost is through water, muscle, bone density and lack of food in your system. This is also why in most cases you will eventually put the weight back on.

Another important factor when looking at why diets fail is the physiological aspect of the term "diet" itself. In order to succeed with healthier changes to your eating plan you will need to start viewing your eating habits as what you should already have been eating. Try to see your new eating plan as an old one you just haven't used for a while.

When the time comes that you break your healthy eating, which let's face it happens from time to time, it is only viewed as a short term stray to which you will then return to the your normal healthy eating.

Think long term change for short term results "that can be improved upon and maintained".

What is Tabata Training?

Have you ever heard of the Tabata Protocol? It was created by Izumi Tabata. The Tabata Protocol is simply the most intense cardio workout every discovered. Tabata training was originally tested at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo. Japan used highly-trained endurance athletes in peak condition. They would do 8 (or more) intervals, keeping the RPMs on the bike over 85 RPMs until they couldn't maintain that level of intensity.

It is quite common when performing this type of training to take you heart rate beyond your perceived maximum heart rate. Now if your fit and have progressed into this type of training gradually it is safe however this type of training is not advised for the beginner - intermediate level.

These days you will find people doing a Tabata Workout with weights, kettlebells or other types of resistance. As a result of training at a high intensity it is extremely difficult to maintain correct technique when performing exercises. Therefore using such equipment is not recommended due to the increased risk of injury.

You will need to build up your endurance gradually. Therefore you should not start training using the original Tabata Protocol.

5 minutes of warm-up
8 intervals of 20 seconds all-out intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest
2 minutes cool-down

It's very important that you ease into this type of training gradually because of the increases strain it places on the heart in particular. You need to gradually build your heart and lung capacity over time.

Tabata has a great effect on increasing your cardiovascular ability, increasing your lactic acid threshold. 

Kettlebells - The Ultimate Training Tool

Kettlebells

The Kettle bell has been used as a training tool for over 100 years and still to this day proves to be one of the most, if not the most beneficial training tool available. During the late 1940's it became a competitive sport and has progressed from there into multiple competitions and worldwide events. Kettlebells are thought by many to be the single most effective tool for developing strength and endurance as well as for functional based training. Kettlebells are currently used for Military and Special Forces, Police Departments, top Olympic Athletes and professional sporting teams, as the training tool of choice for producing unparalleled results.

The environment that many of us subject ourselves to daily is heavily responsible for imbalances that allow for poor posture due to being seated for most of the day. The human body is not designed to be stationary in a flexion position for long periods of time however for many of us this is hard to avoid. Common conditions can be lower back pain and inflexibility, rounded shoulders, shoulder impingement, hip and knee pain etc. This is where kettlebells can really take you to a new level.

Due to the kettlebells nature the center of mass is continuously pulling away from the body. Consequently, your whole body has to compensate and stabalise, recruiting just about every muscle-group to work together, in particular the posterior chain. The posterior chain is the group of muscle situated behind you. Some of theses include, Calves, Hamstrings, Glutes, Lower Back, Traps, Rhomboids etc. The increased focus on the posterior chain due to these heavy imbalances that are quite often are very weak, allows for the kettlebell to provide such incredible training results to strength, endurance, stability and posture. "Did You Know, standing to train is the best way to strengthen your core?"

The common Kettlebell swing is just one exercise that will improve your breathing control, core strength, cardiovascular endurance, strength and contribute to improving your posture. However there seems to be many styles of swings when it comes to kettlebells. What I will do below is aim to explain where the true benefits of kettlebells are achieved and the possible risks associated to certain position indifferences.

Correct - Minimal Load on the Lower Back - Increased Strength and swing efficiency - Contributes to improving posture - Targets Posterior Chain due to minimal knee bend - Spine remains in neutral position maximising core strength and stability - Promotes efficient movement patterns

Incorrect - Increased pressure on the Lower Back ( up to 400%) - Decreased strength and swing efficiency - Contributes to incorrect posture, Lower Back pain, internal hip rotation - Incorrect spine position causing rounding of the back/shoulders and decreased core stability - Increases your risk of injury - Promotes incorrect movement patterns contributing to loss of Strength, Power and Range of Motion.

Kettlebells when performed correctly are by far the most beneficial training tool, performed incorrectly they can cause serious injury.

Always seek professional advice before using Kettlebells. Only use Kettlebells if certified and insure your trainer is qualified.