Rotator What???

People workout for a variety of reasons: weight loss, feeling good and being fit among many. But let’s face it, vanity is also a popular reason people choose to begin, and continue to work out. We all like to work out the muscles that help us look good.

Depending on our gender, our focus many be different. Men often train the pecs, biceps and shoulders while women often prefer to train the butt muscles like the glutes and legs.

But what about the muscles that are essential for us to perform daily activities, stabilize our shoulders, hips and spine and assist in sports? These are the muscles that also HELP those big muscles like the pecs, glutes and legs! I’m not saying you shouldn’t be working these ‘common’ muscle groups. However, there are some smaller muscle groups that are arguably more important.

Most people don’t even know about these muscles until they suddenly have an injury. I can assure you that if you haven’t experienced this, these muscles will not allow you to ignore them for too much longer.
There are many little stabilizer muscles that need to be kept strong in the body, many that I have found to be weak on most people. The rotator cuff group, the scapular muscles, the gluteus medius, transversus abdominis and the multifidi muscles.

The rotator cuff consists of four muscles that are located in the back of the shoulder and are crucial at maintaining shoulder stability. Many people suffer from a weak rotator cuff which can lead to shoulder weakness and poor posture. Severe weakness of the rotator cuff can lead to a rotator cuff tear. This is actually a tear of the rotator cuff tendon. The rotator cuff muscles can be strengthened to prevent injury to the rotator cuff.

The scapular musculature is often overlooked but plays a pivotal role in shoulder function, shoulder injuries and shoulder rehabilitation. The scapula (shoulder blade) not only articulates with the upper arm and collarbone, it is also the attachment site for many muscles in the shoulder itself, as well as the back, the chest, the arm, and even the neck. Therefore it is easy to comprehend how a weakness in this area could affect many others in the body.

I know what you’re thinking – you barely have time to do the workouts you are currently doing! Why should you add to the overwhelming list of exercises? When you work these muscles, you are protecting the larger muscles and helping them maintain their function. By not working these muscles you are definitely more at risk for injury!

I will blog more next week about the other ‘ignored’ muscles that are key to injury prevention.

Pushing Through the Pain?

This is yet another of my ‘soapbox’ topics! Many individuals associate exercise with pain and are under the impression that an exercise isn’t doing anything if it doesn’t hurt. As with any sport or activity, when the intensity of training goes up, unfortunately so does the chance of injury. This is why it's important to know what kind of pain you are dealing with when exercising.

Keep in mind that muscle fatigue is not the same as pain. There is a certain degree of discomfort within an exercise, but that discomfort should not feel like a sharp or shooting pain. If you do feel this type of pain with a movement or exercise, you should stop immediately and evaluate where the pain is coming from and what is causing it. Be sure to contact a doctor if the pain is persistent or if it worsens.

Some discomfort is part of athletic activities and is necessary for the improvement of performance. For muscle strength to increase, the muscle must see some increase in stress over what it is used to seeing, and this stress is usually perceived as the "burn" in muscle during activity. This mild "burn" is what we call "good pain" and is probably what people are referring to when they say, "No Pain, No Gain." This pain should be short-lived and during the activity only.

The post-workout pain that creeps up a day or two after a heavy workout is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). Sitting hurts, climbing stairs hurts, walking hurts, etc. You may wonder at times if it is normal to feel so much pain and if you should work out when you feel like that. I usually tell people to come in and do something light to allow the soreness to dissipate more quickly. Most of the time, post-workout pain is nothing to worry about, but sometimes it can be a sign of injury.

There are many exercises designed to offer strengthening benefits without the mild “burn” being produced at all (e.g., opposite arm and leg on your stomach, bridges). So if you are an individual using the burn as the gauge to whether your program is effective you may be missing a very important component to your training program.

There Is a Way to Burn Calories Doing NOTHING!

(I got your attention, didn’t I?)

Weight training is a great form of exercise for a variety of reasons. It increases your strength, tightens your muscles and gives your body a more toned appearance.

Here’s a secret that many people do not realize with regard to weight training:  intense workouts such as those often performed with weights can definitely help to increase your metabolic rate (the rate at which your body burns calories). Not only do they help you to burn calories, they also create what is known as an “after-burn effect.” This can continue for as long as 24 hours after a fitness program and it enables your body to burn calories and fat while at rest. Isn’t that wonderful!?

Training with weights that are heavier than what you typically utilize will help to expend more energy and lead to after-burn. Why? Because muscles need time to repair and the body needs energy to make repairs to the muscle tissues. Sometimes I hesitate giving this information as I know many individuals will interpret this as me suggesting you use heavy weights. ABSOLUTELY NOT! This does NOT mean you should lift weights that are far too heavy for you, but you SHOULD lift weights that push you just slightly out of your comfort zone.

Be mindful about the amount of protein you’re consuming as you begin to train with weights. Protein is CRITICAL to muscle building. You do burn almost twice as many calories while digesting foods that are high in protein than food that is high in fat.

Also keep in mind that these benefits will NOT come with just one weight session. Once you make a commitment to a healthier lifestyle and combine it with the appropriate amount of exercise your body will eventually follow!

Melissa’s Journey to a New Self – February 2012, Entry #3: Battling the Mom Guilt

In talking to moms, I realize that we all struggle with feelings of guilt from time to time. Although it’s a positive sign that we’re trying to do our best, we need to learn to let it go so that we can be our best! As a mom, Melissa is no different:

"The concept seems so easy: Eat right, burn calories and loss weight.  Why in reality is it so hard?  Well, I really hate to admit this but I am human and I am not perfect (shhh…don’t tell my husband). I also have emotions that sometimes get in the way of my goals.  I also have a hard time to sticking with a plan.

"Now this being said, my emotions have gotten in the way of my goals.  It really comes down to feeling like I have other things I should be doing besides exercising. I feel like I should be cleaning or spending time with my children. I actually feel a bit selfish if I take the time to go exercise. I know I should not feel this way, that I am a happier person when I exercise because I took an hour for myself.  Also, I know my kids will be happier because I will have more energy. I just need to take 3 hours a week for myself.  It really is better all around.

"Eating seems to go alright during the day for me but once the kids go to bed I feel like I deserve a treat. My goal is finding another treat besides food. Too bad I can’t get excited about stickers like my two-year-old!  I have been struggling to figure out something to keep my mind off of food late at night.

"The plan this month is too make it easy so I can stick with it.  I know once I am at the gym I have more motivation.  I just plan to go three times a week every week in February and run/walk a mile.  It’s simple, it’s easy, and I can build on it each week."

Spot Reduction

Following my blog about proper abdominal strengthening, I thought this would be a good time to discuss a common myth about your midsection. SPOT REDUCTION. Spot reduction refers the belief that you can burn fat in only certain areas …the problem is that this cannot be done.

Why doesn’t spot reduction work? The easiest way to explain why it doesn’t work is by telling you that the only thing exercises target is muscles – not the fat surrounding these muscles.

So how do you lose the fat in the areas you want? It’s actually very simple but unfortunately doesn’t happen quickly. You need to take in less calories than you burn. This creates a deficit of calories, and that causes your body to burn your own stored body fat for energy. You can do this through either a proper diet, exercise, or a combination of both.

I’ve been working out for a long time and the area I want to lose fat looks the same! Why? The order in which specific body parts begin to lose fat is predetermined by your genetics and is impossible to change. This means most men will typically lose fat from their lower abs last (and gain it there first) just like most women will typically lose fat from their thighs and hips last (and gain it there first). Nothing you do can change the way your body stores and loses fat.

Does this mean that I’m not losing fat? No. As long as you have a proper diet and/or workout routine that causes a caloric deficit to exist, then fat will ALWAYS be lost. And at some point it will eventually start to come off from the specific body part you were hoping.

So the bottom line is this: Only performing leg exercises will NOT help you lose fat from your legs. Only doing ab exercises will NOT get rid of your belly fat. The fact remains the same for every other muscle group and body part you can think of. Does this mean you shouldn’t do these exercises? Of course not. Weight training is a great addition to your exercise program and I will blog about that next week!

Are You Really Strengthening Your Abs?

As a follow-up to my previous blog regarding Core, I would like to spend a little time on correct pelvic placement during abdominal strengthening.

Last week when I blogged about what defines the muscles of the core, I was not insinuating that abdominal strengthening is not important. It was simply to inform you on how much more goes into the definition of core.

That being said, abdominal strengthening is a popular request at the gym. Unfortunately, because body fat tends to accumulate around the stomach, it can also be one of the more difficult areas to tone. Often times, many individuals utilize improper form while performing abdominal exercises and end up disappointed when they fail to see results. Appropriate strengthening isn’t just about DOING the movement. It involves proper breathing and postural alignment, keeping the back and neck muscles relaxed and actually contracting your abdominal muscles.

Whether you are an avid athlete or a desk sitter, it is common for many individuals to be tight in the neck, lower back and hip flexors. That being said, tight muscles can also be excessively strong. This affects proper technique for abdominal strengthening because the stronger muscles might try to take over the movement. I cannot tell you how frequently I see abdominal exercises improperly performed in a gym.

So what does correct form look like? If your feet are on the ground, there might be a very small curve in your lower back. This is called neutral spine, and it is perfectly acceptable. However, once your legs are in the air, your spine needs to stay pressed into the mat. If this is not possible, raise your legs higher, or perform the exercise while keeping your knees bent.

Quality is better than quantity. Starting out with exercises that are too difficult (for your current level of fitness) or doing too many can cause back pain.  If you begin to feel back or neck strain you need to stop the exercise. This indicates that these muscles have begun to take over the movement, and the abdominals are no longer working. If you continue, you are actually training your back and neck to be even stronger than your abdominal muscles.

I hope to see you at a CORE class soon! See the Winter Fitness Schedule for details.

My Thoughts on Core

Core seems to be a buzzword in the fitness world today. There are many opinions on what defines the muscles of the core. I find many people think it is synonymous with abdominals. This is but one piece of the muscles that comprise your core. There are many more.

Your core consists of the muscles of the abdomen, back, pelvis and hips. Core strengthening provides the foundation to build upper/lower body strength, whether your primary goal is increasing your running endurance or preventing low back pain. Strengthening these parts of your body will help to provide proper balance and posture and prevent injury down the road and I am ALL ABOUT PREVENTION!

Those that have taken my CORE I class know that I feel as though EVERYONE should take CORE I for general injury prevention as well as for progressive strengthening into any training program. There isn’t a single person that wants to age and be sidelined with injuries. But yet it seems people don’t think about appropriate strengthening UNTIL they are injured. And then they want to be fixed – quickly. Often times the individual seeks rehabilitation and does get ‘fixed’ only to discontinue the exercises they were shown and eventually be sidelined again.

Here’s a secret: If more people performed preventative exercises, the amount of surgeries would decrease, painkillers and drug dispersion from pharmaceutical companies would decrease and the overall health of our population would get better. So why aren’t more people doing it?!

Consider this: Two common seasons for rotator cuff and/low back injuries are autumn and winter. Why? Raking and shoveling. It makes complete sense. If your core is not strong enough to handle the increased workload coming from your arms and/or your legs, you are certainly more at risk for injury. The same can be said for sport-specific training.

Let’s take running as an example. We sit with forward posture. We walk with forward posture. Now add running to that…more forward posture. What are you doing to counterbalance all of that forward posture? Specifically, back strengthening. And if this makes sense…do you really know WHAT to do?

I have had many individuals come in and out of my CORE I class. I still receive strange looks when I tell an individual to swap their 8 lb dumbbells for some 3 lb ones. This usually comes from people that consider him or herself strong or have a history of working out, attending classes, etc. I’m certainly not trying to insult them. I am just very aware that the muscle groups we work are usually NOT STRONG in the majority of people. I will admit I receive a great amount of JOY watching the core strength of consistent class participant’s increase. Nothing makes me happier as I know they have created a foundation of strength that will prevent injuries and allow them to perform a variety of activities they otherwise wouldn’t be able to perform.

I would love to write about all of the exercises I consider to be essential to core strengthening but I would rather you come to a CORE I class and see for yourself!