Jorg Mardian CPT, CKS, MT, RHN

It’s surprising how outdated some training methods still are today, what with all the new advances in techniques. Gyms usually have rows of machines, but this type of training lends itself to slow muscle building, not rapid fat loss. So the average person hopes a brisk walk on the treadmill or the elliptical machine will do the job. But it doesn’t and they never change, they eventually lose interest and begin to believe that reaching their goal is nothing but a pipe dream!

Now what if the gym trainer tells you he has the answer? Here’s the truth – most trainers at these gyms are paid by the hour and are unmotivated to see rapid change in your physique. Many are young, inexperienced and fail to upgrade past their minimum requirement. You’ll see them socializing with clients while sitting them on a ball for core strength and doing a few arm curls. With the wrong methology, it’s hardly surprising that change remains elusive.

Confused, lost, and unsure, these people look to find someone to help and lead them in the right direction. Of course no one does and they simply watch others and copy their exercises without any rationale, reason, or direction.

You could of course join a smaller studio which offers yoga, spinning or cardio classes. And though these are more intense and can condition, they fail to build a solid base of lean muscle, so critical for long term weight loss. And further , without proper nutrition added to the mix, they fail to achieve optimum results.

So if unmotivated, or if good health has eluded you, here’s the truth. Becoming stronger, burning fat and feeling better begins with a competent trainer who knows how to achieve results. Be ruthless in asking tough questions that lead to your success – how many clients has he/she trained and how long have they been in business, how effective are the methods used (ask former clients), and how quickly can this trainer get you to your goals. In our time starved and sedentary work forces, safe, effective and rapid fitness and nutrition results are critical.

Having established this criteria, jump into the deep end and make the decision to get into shape. Good health leads to more energy, strength, job performance, less stress, less disease, longer lifespan and so on. Ultimately, this also leads to greater success because it’s an investment in yourself.

So if you’re less than motivated by yourself, this should not even be a debate; it’s a smart decision.

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Cardiovascular exercise is crucial to having a flat stomach, but abdominal crunches are a great way to tone the stomach muscles. This is the go-to exercise for people with surplus belly fat.

The reason the crunch is such an effective flat stomach exercise is because when done correctly, it uses the stomach muscles to raise your upper body off the ground. When done incorrectly, the abdominal crunch leaves you with a stiff neck and sore shoulders.

How to do it properly

Lay face up on the ground with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Cross your arms over your chest or rest them at the base of your neck and tighten your stomach muscles as you lift your body off the ground until your shoulder blades are no longer touching the floor.

By adding a pair of dumbbells to this movement (holding them straight up towards the ceiling), you can ramp up the intensity, as the amount of work your abs are now faced with is dramatically increased.

Mistakes to avoid

Don’t pull on your neck with your hands, and don’t let momentum carry you through the set; make your abs work on each and every crunch. Also, avoid holding your breath and don’t let your lower back arch off the ground.

Crunches are also the best flat stomach exercise because there are tons of variations. There is the reverse crunch, the oblique crunch, the ball crunch, the bicycle crunch, or even the vertical leg crunch just to name a few. The abdominal crunch allows you variation to avoid boredom and to work all the abdominal muscles and create the flat stomach you’ve always wanted.

Just remember that exercise alone won’t give you a flat stomach. You also require the following:

1. Cardio to burn body fat.
2. Flat Stomach Exercises
3. A healthy diet to show off that flat stomach.
4. Consistency in working out.

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A 2010 study from Truman State University looked at the metabolic effect of kettlebell training, where subjects were asked to swing a kettlebell as many times as they could in a 12 minute period.

All participants completed between 198 and 333 swings in the allotted 12 minutes and worked at an average heart rate of 86% of max and at 65% of their previously measured oxygen consumption [VO2max].

The research concluded that continuous kettlebell swings can impart a metabolic challenge of sufficient intensity to increase Vo2max, where the heart rate is substantially higher than Vo2 during kettlebell swings.

What this should tell trainers is that non-traditional metabolic training can easily provide cardiovascular training benefits with similar metabolic effect, heart rate, oxygen consumption (and therefore calories burned) while reducing the total reps and joint stress in deconditioned clients, than traditional cardio.

Another study split 40 participants with a high prevalence of reported musculoskeletal pain symptoms, into two groups- a kettlebell training group and a control group (no exercise).

The exercise group consisted of “ballistic full-body kettlebell exercise 3 times per week for 8 weeks” The main outcome measures were pain intensity of the neck/shoulders and low back, isometric muscle strength, and aerobic fitness.

After 8 weeks the exercise group had reduced pain levels significantly in the neck/shoulders and low back and increased muscle strength of the trunk extensors.

This was one of the first studies to look at power training or ballistic movements and their effect on reducing pain. The researchers mentioned “Our study is the first to demonstrate that ballistic cyclic training with high peak forces markedly lowers pain symptoms in both the neck/shoulder and low-back region.”

Source: Scand J Work Environ Health. 2011 May;37(3):196-203. Kettlebell training for musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health: a randomized controlled trial. Jay K et al.

So the results are great as it proves fitness experts don’t have to shy away from high speed ballistic training in a clientele reporting pain (within reason and tailored to the client, of course). And a lot of my clients hate doing traditional cardio (running, cycling, etc), so it is reassuring to know that I can we give them similar or better benefits  with bodyweight circuits, sleds, sandbags, etc. And in reality, these keep the client busier and more motivated, without being bored.

So here’s some advise to all you diehards out there – studies show that explosive training burns 13% more calories during training than slow controlled reps, and 7% more calories post training. And ballistic or explosive training can create a high metabolic demand, which makes them great for even older adults, at low external resistances.

Source: J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Dec;24(12):3369-80. A comparison of high-speed power training and traditional slow-speed resistance training in older men and women. Sayers et al.

In fact, there is a growing trend from cardiovascular training toward weight and strength training. According to a study by the Fitness Products Council and Sporting Goods Manufacturers, the number of people lifting free weights has increased 76% in the past decade.

However, your cardiovascular training effect is determined more by how you do the exercises, than by what type of exercises you choose. Cardiovascular activity combined with weight training will result in much more effective fat loss as this raises muscle metabolism during the activity and for a short time after the exercise session. Some examples of this type of training include:

• Using multijoint exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench presses and bent-over rows to involve as much muscle mass as possible. Some non-traditional exercises like the tire flip, farmers walk, bench steps and sledgehammer smashes on a tire are other great options.
• Training circuit style to fatique the body rapidly. Minimize rest between sets to keep your heart rate up and to force your body to use the aerobic system.
• Using circuits lasting 2-5 minutes. It takes two minutes for the aerobic system to kick in, so sets of up to 5 minutes are unbelievably effective. Use 6-8 exercises for 10 reps each with a controlled, slow tempo of about 45 seconds. When done your circuit, take a 2 minute rest to make the workout similar to interval training on the treadmill or bike. A 20-30 minute workout will mimic cardiovascular benefits of cardio, while making muscles more dense. Do this for 6-10 circuits, three times per week.
• Making sure your weight is lighter than a normal strength or mass lift and don’t go to failure. You don’t want to be overly fatiqued and not be able to complete your circuit. Don’t worry, you’ll still gain strength and size once your endurance and cardiovascular fitness improves.   
• Determine your priorities. If you’re after pure strength and size, rather than burning fat, this style of training is probably not your best option. But having just said that, you can still develop a healthy, muscular base simply by going heavier on the weights as you get stronger and increase your endurance.

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The body learns postural alignment through the central nervous system early in childhood. Visual and proprioceptive input supplies the brain about information where the body is in space, helping with posture and distribution of body mass around its center of gravity.

Posture is  something we take for granted, but it is actually a rather complex issue done automatically by the body. It can be both structurally static (in its alignment of body mass in relation to gravity) and functionally dynamic (constantly adapting to changing postural demands).

Complex demands upon our posture over time result in connective tissue changes. Body alignment can also be altered from cumulative functional demands placed on it by static and dynamic postural conditions, which can be the result of soft tissue functions or can even influence them.

The body compensates for structural changes in altered body alignment or function with a counter-balancing  of our posture. Although this is not an ideal homeostatic mechanism, it allows the body to live with less than an ideal posture. The brain also compensates by giving information which allows the person to operate as efficiently as possible in less than perfect circumstances.

Almost all of us live our lives with imperfect postural function, aggravated by chronic unrecognized muscular imbalances. In simple terms, a muscle imbalance occurs when you have overdeveloped and tight muscles in one area of your body while the opposing muscles are weak and stretched out of their normal position. These imbalances can happen anywhere on the body and often develop as the result of the routine things you enjoy.

Muscular imbalances can be seen in the abnormal position on the pelvis, head, neck, shoulder and even in the curvature of the spine. Things may work half-decently for a while in this state, though some may have a greater degree of compensation  just to carry on in a productive manner. But it’s when these structural compensations overwhelm homeostatic thresholds that strain patterns appear throughout the body to help with daily function.

Treatment for these usually require postural and functional re-education and retraining through Muscle Balance Therapy and therapeutic exercises. These are most effective when specific physical and visual assessments are undertaken to ensure an accurate confirmation of any dysfunctions that affect the stability of the hips, pelvis, and spine – from both a strength and a flexibility perspective. Often an intelligently designed and targeted program of corrective stretches and exercises will help take the stress off muscles, joints, and ligaments in order to achieve a more balanced body and eliminate the cause of the pain.

http://www.umm.edu

A herniated disc may be labelled a slipped, prolapsed, bulging, or ruptured disc. It may even be called degenerative disc disease. All are essentially the same thing, but the terminology depends on who you’re asking.

A disc herniates or ruptures, when part of the jelly center pushes through the outer wall of the disc into the spinal canal, and puts pressure on the nerves. A disc bulge is when the jelly substance pushes the outer wall but doesn’t completely break through the wall. Technically, a herniated disc occurs when the outermost part of the disc begins to weaken and the inner soft part starts to press outward.

Many people have no pain and are unaware of having a herniated disc until the herniation touches a nerve. But based on MRI studies, some 60% or more of adults without pain suffer from this condition. As little as a 1mm movement may make the difference between no pain and agonizing pain. (Jensen MC, et al. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Lumbar Spine in People without Back Pain. New England Journal of Medicine. 1994 Jul 14; 331:69-73. 3)

Herniated discs can have a wide range of pains from person to person, ranging from local to radiating pain. It can even include pain in the arm or leg. Sciatica also may be associated with this conditon as it presses on the sciatic nerve. This can lead to sharp, shooting buttock pain which may travel down the back of one leg. Numbness and tingling is often associated with the symptoms, as is a burning pain centered in the lower back, weakness in one leg or both legs and loss of bladder or bowel control.

Rather than take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cortisone shots, or pharmaceutical drug alternatives, it is imperative to address the real problem. By treating the underlying cause as well as the symptoms you’ll have a greater likelihood of both ending the pain and preventing its recurrence.

Outside of cases of trauma, a herniated disc is likely a process of weakening over time that allowed the disc to become noticeably problematic. Aging, excess weight, improper lifting and a decrease in water in the discs all contribute to this breaking down. However, the primary cause of a herniation or bulge is often uneven compression and torsion that’s placed on the discs and caused by imbalances in muscles that pull the spine out of its normal position. This forces the body into unnatural positions leading to painful conditions.

Four Types Of Pain Relief

Supproteolytic systemic enzymes are a good choice to actively reduce inflammation and help your body recover from injury. Spinal decompression also works as it relieves the pressure your vertebrae place on your spinal discs. An inversion table or the Nubax® Trio work by relieving pressure on these disks.

A third method is muscle balance therapy which identifies imbalanced muscles: where one muscle is extra tight and overpowers the opposing muscle which becomes weak and stretched out. Specific stretches to relax the overly tight muscles combined with targeted exercise of weak stretched out muscles restores the natural balance of tension between them. Once that balance is restored the muscles will maintain your spine in proper alignment allowing your herniated disc to heal – and stay healed.

And last, you need to strengthen the back through corrective, therapeutic exercises, as well as stretch daily so that muscles will become strong and subtle. A knowledgeable trainer can guide you in this area.

Remember, when you’re talking about correcting conditions that took months or years to get bad, it may take a little longer to work through the healing process. So if you want to get back to a pain-free life, you might have to invest a little effort and a few different methods. Too many people never get pain relief simply because they give up on a treatment approach too soon. Give your body time to heal and don’t quit until you get the relief you’re looking for.

Core training focuses on the deep and superficial layers. (Photo: Flickr user, mygymworkout)

Most people suffer from some type of low back pain during their lifetime. However, regular core stability exercise can improve your back muscles and your posture.

All of our movements are powered by the torso – the abs and back work together to support the spine when we sit, stand and bend over, pick things up, exercise and more. Core stabilizers are a crucial component of the torso and assist us with endurance and proper firing, to contract at low force levels for a long time, to activate prior to any arm and leg movement, stabilize the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex and efficiently transmit force from the upper and lower body and vice versa. As you can see, the torso is the body’s center of power, so the stronger each component within it is, the easier and more pain-free your life will be.

When we ignore core stability muscles, they become weak and the risk of lower back pain and instability greatly increases. Understanding that core stability is an important component of almost every motor activity, many experts have implicated the core musculature in the cause and treatment for a variety of injuries. In addition, core function has been evaluated as a cause for injuries in everything from the lower back to the ankle.

The core is made up of two layers — deep and superficial. Deep layer muscles are attached to the spine and pelvis providing support to them when active and contracting. The superficial layer are muscles that we can see and feel, wrapping around the lower back. Core training focuses on the deep and superficial layers. Crunches or 6-packing training only focus on one of the superficial muscles and ignores the deep muscle layer and all the other superficial muscles. For a strong and pain-free core, you need to work both the deep and superficial layer muscles and no one exercise targets all these muscles.

Also standing in the way of a strong back may be too much adipose tissue, which is between your skin and your abdominals. These are cells that store fat so your body has storage of energy in a time of starvation. Some people seem to store up enough of to last an extra lifetime, so a well designed exercise and nutritional program with a knowledgeable trainer is crucial to tighten and tone the mid-section.

Remember, core stability and strength is a main piece of the puzzle for a pain-free back. Achieve the formula and you achieve pain-free movement for life.

Due to wear and tear, symptoms of degenerative ankle arthritis usually appear later in life, manifesting as pain throughout the ankle joint. This condition (also referred to as osteoarthritis) is an inflammation in joints. The best course of action is usually a strengthening and stretching program. If the pain is intense, then modalities like ultrasound, laser, or manual therapy may also help to reduce the symptoms.

As a post-rehab strategy, strengthening the ankle joint throughout all planes will help to increase overall muscular strength and build support for absorbing shock around the joint. There is little doubt that strong muscles help to support the joint and make it more stable, enabling the client to move with less pain and more comfort. Stretching is also an important aspect at this time, as it will help to improve the client’s joint range of motion. A warm-up of about 10 minutes is recommended with activities including biking, walking and water exercise, followed by stretching.

• 30 second calf stretches.
• 20-40 up and down ankle pumps.
• 10-20 ankle circles in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions.

Water exercise is generally most comfortable for people with arthritis, due to buoyancy being less stressful on joints. Appropriate water exercises include the following:

• Calf raises (3 sets of 10–15 reps)
• Cross-over walking, back and forth (3 sets, 1 minute each)
• Single-leg stance (3 reps, holding for 15–30 seconds each)
• Toe raises (rising on the heels while maintaining upright posture), with 3 sets of 10–15 reps.

For land-based strengthening programs, it’s best to use elastic tubing or seated weight machines for ankle dorsiflexion and plantar flexion. The program should be gradually built up, with no sudden increases in intensity. If a joint feels hot, avoid exercise as it can make the joint feel worse.

The mind plays an incredibly active part in an overall exercise program. Today’s society greatly focuses on the physical payback, such as weight loss, toned muscles and “six-pack abs.” Although these are remarkable attributes, the psychological benefits can be just as, if not more significant than the physical benefits depending on your needs and goals.

Many theories about the psychological benefits have surfaced from exercise physiology and sports psychology. One common area of study is neurochemistry. Scientists believe that when exercising, brain chemicals are produced and released into the body. Serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and endorphins, are known to have strong effects on mood, helping reduce feelings of anxiety, stress and depression, while also helping to strengthen your immune system.

Twenty different types of endorphin have been discovered in the nervous system, and the beta-endorphins secreted during exercise have the most powerful effect. These are thought to relieve stress and pain naturally, giving one a euphoric and invigorating feeling. This is also known as “runner’s high.”

Other theories focus more on the indirect effects of exercise. A popular opinion is that exercise may provide an “outlet” from everyday sources of stress, therefore positively enhancing one’s mental condition. Also, another thought is that muscle tension tends to be reduced after a good exercise session and this can promote a feeling of relaxation and calmness.

There’s more of course. A 2000 Finnish cross-sectional study (Prev Med 2000 Jan;30(1):17-25) involving 3403 participants suggests that individuals who exercised at least two to three times a week experienced significantly less depression, anger, cynical distrust, and stress than those exercising less frequently or not at all. And those who exercised at least twice a week reported higher levels of sense of coherence and a stronger feeling of social integration than their less frequently exercising counterparts.

It has also been found that adding exercise to a comprehensive weight-loss program might not only help with psychological distress associated with weight-loss attempts but also may provide other benefits. A 2001 study of 246 individuals (Obes Res 2001 Dec;9(12):770-7) found that  both men and women reported greater restraint, less disinhibition, and less hunger at 1 year than those dieting, but in no exercise program.

Additionally, there are benefits from aerobic exercise in patients with major depression: A pilot study (Br J Sports Med 2001 Apr; 35(2):114-7) indicated that physical activity can reduce the severity of symptoms in depressed patients. People experienced significantly less depression after exercising from between 20 minutes to an hour, three times a week for five weeks. Some data suggest that even a single exercise bout may result in a substantial mood improvement. Why? It is believed that just one workout can release a cache of natural antidepressant chemicals from your body’s medicine cabinet, such as dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine.

But regardless of why or how the body psychologically adapts to exercise, the main point is that exercise not only improves physical health, but also mental health. So if you are feeling like a couch potato, or you are finding stress and worry is becoming a problem, get out there and exercise! The hardest part by far is that initial step, when it can feel like exercise is the last thing in the world that will cheer you up. Try to remember that exercise is one of the very best ways do just that. You’re uniting the physical and psychological benefits of exercise to help enhance the quality of your life. It all starts with a single step.

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There is perhaps no joint in the human body as complex, fascinating, or baffling as the shoulder. Its elegant design provides great range of motion, but not much stability, and pain can be a resultant factor in abuse.

This article addresses shoulder impingement, common in individuals with poor posture and scapula (shoulder blade) movement dysfunctions. These are caused by tightnesses in the chest muscles and weakness in the upper back muscles, particularly the serrateus anterior, allowing the shoulder blade to be pulled forward.

Impingement Syndrome is caused by the tendons of the rotator cuff becoming ‘impinged’ as they pass through a narrow bony space called the subacromial space – so called because it is under the arch of the acromion. By getting repeatedly ‘scraped’ against the shoulder blade, the tendon can eventually become frayed and weak.

This problem can also occur due to arthritis and bony spurs (problems with the bone of the acromion) which are chronically painful. Pain become more evident during activities when the arm is raised overhead and can get worse at night time. A reliable sign of impingement syndrome is a sharp pain when you try to reach into your back pocket, and as the condition worsens, the discomfort increases.

How is rotator cuff impingement syndrome diagnosed?

To help determine the cause of pain, an assessment with a therapist is necessary. This includes:

1. Examining the shoulder for swelling, bruising, muscle wasting/tightness, painful joints or postural issues.
2. Active and passive range of motion, as well as resisted muscle tests.
3. The therapist may use what is called an empty can test, a Neer’s test, and a Hawkins-Kennedy test, to look for impingement of the supraspinatus.

Treatment options

Treatment for rotator cuff impingement syndrome is similar to that for rotator cuff tendonitis. Rest from all aggravating activities, especially those involving overhead movements, but be careful to keep your shoulder mobile so that it does not stiffen up. Apply ice to the painful area for the first few days. 15 minutes at a time, every 2-3 hours, for about a week.

Mobility exercises and stretching should begin as soon as pain will allow and should avoid any areas of movement that cause pain. When lifting the arm out to the side (abduction) above horizontal should be done with the arm rotated outwards. The same applies to movements lifting the arm up forwards (flexion). And after a week of these, a strengthening routine should be started and progressed gradually throughout the program as pain allows.

If rotator cuff impingement syndrome is not recognised and treated promptly, it can lead to excessive wear and tear of the rotator cuff tendon, which can weaken and tear. Impingement is usually aggravated through recurrent injuries or repetitive work, so prevention is always better than a cure.