Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Intelligent Strength Training: No more crunches pt. 2
Intelligent Strength Training: No more crunches pt. 2: " I will preface this post by stating that no, crunches will not kill you, nor will they give you cancer, diabetes, or stood up on a dat..."
No more crunches pt. 2
I will preface this post by stating that no, crunches will not kill you, nor will they give you cancer, diabetes, or stood up on a date. Again, there are better options that I will go over later. Training for spinal flexion is probably not the best idea in today's Western society for a couple of reasons.
First, many career jobs are spent at a computer or at a desk all day. Sitting loads of the lumbar erectors. The "core" muscle fibers contain more slow twitch fibers, which indicates that they are geared for endurance. Sitting for 3 hours is like a marathon for these muscles. In Stuart McGill's book Ultimate Back and Fitness, He states that we often form a hinge on the back where it can bend. One area of the back tissue is stiff, and the other is mobile (2010). Often times there is back pain where this hinge is. Crunch movements seem to promote some sort of hinge in the back. This is obviously not the function of the back musculature.
Another study by Beach et al., showed that sitting in flexion for as little as an hour can cause passive tissue stiffness (2005). They then say that performing spinal flexion movements after sitting for long periods of time can add danger to an already dangerous sitting posture. That sounds a lot like 7 hours of sitting at work followed by some crunches and treadmill running to stay in shape. If you think that one's posture is bad during sitting, imagine what stress it is going through in an activity like jogging or running. Trust me, they will take the path of least resistance and head to the comfort zone in which they have been in all day. More on running in my next post.
More importantly crunches (and similar movements) do not train the true function of the core. This goes ESPECIALLY for athletes, and if you run or are training to run long distance go ahead and count yourself in as at least a wannabe athlete. While a crunch is not anywhere near the first exercises I teach someone, I have no problem with someone doing a CORRECT crunch. A good crunch does not allow abnormal neck flexion, flexing the spine from anywhere near the lumbar (low back) region, or rotating anywhere near the lumbar region. More on this later.
The most important reason why I believe we should edit crunches out of our training is because of our scientific knowledge of hypertrophy. I have discussed before that hypertrophy, or muscle growth either by increasing the size of the muscle fibers or by increasing the amount of muscle fibers (<--still highly debated) is what everybody is striving for in the gym. Even women, females, chicks, and girls strive for this without knowing it. EVERYBODY wants muscle, not fat. That does not mean you will be bulging out of your shirt, but hypertrophy stands for increased tone in the muscle. I know we all just want to tone up right?
In Supertraining, Dr. Mel Siff states that, "under conditions of rest or recovery, most of the energy is directed to protein synthesis, whereas most of it is devoted to muscle contraction during intense exercise. The lack of energy for protein growth and maintenance during heavy exercise apparently produces protein catabolism (breakdown), which stimulates protein supercompensation during later rest periods (2003). Basically, we break down muscle (protein) as we strength train, and we rebuild muscle proteins that were broken down during lifting as we rest. Supercompensation means that when we perceive a stress to a tissue, we will rebuild it to be stronger, bigger, or both. We must accommodate the past stress to the impending stress that the body thinks we will have in the future. Siff goes on to explain that, "hypertrophied muscle contains fewer sarcoplasmic organelles, myofibrils, and mitochondria, so that the increased diameter of muscle fibers is due largely to an increase in the volume of sarcoplasm (2003)". Increased diameter sounds a lot like that six pack, flat stomach, or big chest that we have striving for. That paragraph was so boring that I think I will insert a picture:
So know that we know how a muscle grows, lets go ahead and apply it to the abdominal musculature. Normally at my gym I see people doing multiple sets of some variation of crunches without weights. I can make an educated guess that they don't have a six pack. People assume that because they feel a burn in the muscle, that a six pack or flat stomach will emerge. People assume that a burning muscle will "burn" away that fat that is over it. Nice concept, but it could not be any farther from science.
To increase muscle size, we must increase resistance to the given muscle. This means that we must add weight. Lets say that doing 3 sets of 30 crunches has now become easy to you. Whats next? Add more crunches or crunch like movements? Sounds like more repetition. Ah yes, lets add some weight. Why not, we add weight to just about every other exercise. We also know that increasing resistance will increase muscle size right? Increasing muscle size will allow us to tone right? Yes. Should we add weight while FLEXING the spine forward? No. Our core muscles are not like the extremity muscles. They serve a different purpose of transferring load from legs to arms (done in almost every sport and compound movement), holding the spine erect, protecting our vital organs etc...
You might be able to do a correct crunch and not feel any neck or back pain. Driving a car can be dangerous, eating meat can be dangerous, and drinking alcohol can be dangerous but we still do these things. They will not kill you, but I would highly suggest that for the normal gym goer, that there are better options out there for you. Before a crunch, one must exhibit a prerequisite movement before one can safely say that that crunch will benefit more than anything else. Just because you read them in a magazine routine or that Jillian Michaels advocates them does not mean they are good for you ( See my connotation and denotation post).
Before I list some recommended exercises, I will say that every person has individual needs. Yes, you are special. Depending on your body type, appendage lengths, muscle fiber type, job, height, hobbies, sports, previous injuries, and pain, one can begin to program some exercises that will be most beneficial to you. Please ask any questions if you have any. These are not progressions and some might be easier than others. I have my own way of teaching these which I will try to outline under the picture. Nothing substitutes a trainer with keen eyes for form, goal of exercise, and progression.
Longer video, but watch, listen, learn, and practice. Gray Cook is the man.
Emphasize scapula motion and spine stiffness. Keep shoulders back and the lat muscle engaged.
Funny mustache but I can tell he has read Stuart Mcgill. I don't know about that cat camel stretch but try the birddog.
The Mcgill curl up. Yes this is a safe alternative to a crunch.
Siff, Mel. (2003). Supertraining. Denver, CO.
McGill, Stuart. (2010). Ultimate back and fitness. Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: Wabuno Publishers.
Beach, T, Parkinson, R, Stothart, P, & Callaghan, J. (2005). Effects of prolonged sitting on the passive flexion stiffness of the in vivo lumbar spine. The Spine Journal, (5), 145-154.
First, many career jobs are spent at a computer or at a desk all day. Sitting loads of the lumbar erectors. The "core" muscle fibers contain more slow twitch fibers, which indicates that they are geared for endurance. Sitting for 3 hours is like a marathon for these muscles. In Stuart McGill's book Ultimate Back and Fitness, He states that we often form a hinge on the back where it can bend. One area of the back tissue is stiff, and the other is mobile (2010). Often times there is back pain where this hinge is. Crunch movements seem to promote some sort of hinge in the back. This is obviously not the function of the back musculature.
 |
| Bad sitting posture |
Another study by Beach et al., showed that sitting in flexion for as little as an hour can cause passive tissue stiffness (2005). They then say that performing spinal flexion movements after sitting for long periods of time can add danger to an already dangerous sitting posture. That sounds a lot like 7 hours of sitting at work followed by some crunches and treadmill running to stay in shape. If you think that one's posture is bad during sitting, imagine what stress it is going through in an activity like jogging or running. Trust me, they will take the path of least resistance and head to the comfort zone in which they have been in all day. More on running in my next post.
More importantly crunches (and similar movements) do not train the true function of the core. This goes ESPECIALLY for athletes, and if you run or are training to run long distance go ahead and count yourself in as at least a wannabe athlete. While a crunch is not anywhere near the first exercises I teach someone, I have no problem with someone doing a CORRECT crunch. A good crunch does not allow abnormal neck flexion, flexing the spine from anywhere near the lumbar (low back) region, or rotating anywhere near the lumbar region. More on this later.
The most important reason why I believe we should edit crunches out of our training is because of our scientific knowledge of hypertrophy. I have discussed before that hypertrophy, or muscle growth either by increasing the size of the muscle fibers or by increasing the amount of muscle fibers (<--still highly debated) is what everybody is striving for in the gym. Even women, females, chicks, and girls strive for this without knowing it. EVERYBODY wants muscle, not fat. That does not mean you will be bulging out of your shirt, but hypertrophy stands for increased tone in the muscle. I know we all just want to tone up right?
In Supertraining, Dr. Mel Siff states that, "under conditions of rest or recovery, most of the energy is directed to protein synthesis, whereas most of it is devoted to muscle contraction during intense exercise. The lack of energy for protein growth and maintenance during heavy exercise apparently produces protein catabolism (breakdown), which stimulates protein supercompensation during later rest periods (2003). Basically, we break down muscle (protein) as we strength train, and we rebuild muscle proteins that were broken down during lifting as we rest. Supercompensation means that when we perceive a stress to a tissue, we will rebuild it to be stronger, bigger, or both. We must accommodate the past stress to the impending stress that the body thinks we will have in the future. Siff goes on to explain that, "hypertrophied muscle contains fewer sarcoplasmic organelles, myofibrils, and mitochondria, so that the increased diameter of muscle fibers is due largely to an increase in the volume of sarcoplasm (2003)". Increased diameter sounds a lot like that six pack, flat stomach, or big chest that we have striving for. That paragraph was so boring that I think I will insert a picture:
 |
| Even Leonardo Da Vinci knew what hypertrophy and muscles were |
To increase muscle size, we must increase resistance to the given muscle. This means that we must add weight. Lets say that doing 3 sets of 30 crunches has now become easy to you. Whats next? Add more crunches or crunch like movements? Sounds like more repetition. Ah yes, lets add some weight. Why not, we add weight to just about every other exercise. We also know that increasing resistance will increase muscle size right? Increasing muscle size will allow us to tone right? Yes. Should we add weight while FLEXING the spine forward? No. Our core muscles are not like the extremity muscles. They serve a different purpose of transferring load from legs to arms (done in almost every sport and compound movement), holding the spine erect, protecting our vital organs etc...
You might be able to do a correct crunch and not feel any neck or back pain. Driving a car can be dangerous, eating meat can be dangerous, and drinking alcohol can be dangerous but we still do these things. They will not kill you, but I would highly suggest that for the normal gym goer, that there are better options out there for you. Before a crunch, one must exhibit a prerequisite movement before one can safely say that that crunch will benefit more than anything else. Just because you read them in a magazine routine or that Jillian Michaels advocates them does not mean they are good for you ( See my connotation and denotation post).
Before I list some recommended exercises, I will say that every person has individual needs. Yes, you are special. Depending on your body type, appendage lengths, muscle fiber type, job, height, hobbies, sports, previous injuries, and pain, one can begin to program some exercises that will be most beneficial to you. Please ask any questions if you have any. These are not progressions and some might be easier than others. I have my own way of teaching these which I will try to outline under the picture. Nothing substitutes a trainer with keen eyes for form, goal of exercise, and progression.
Longer video, but watch, listen, learn, and practice. Gray Cook is the man.
Emphasize scapula motion and spine stiffness. Keep shoulders back and the lat muscle engaged.
Funny mustache but I can tell he has read Stuart Mcgill. I don't know about that cat camel stretch but try the birddog.
The Mcgill curl up. Yes this is a safe alternative to a crunch.
Siff, Mel. (2003). Supertraining. Denver, CO.
McGill, Stuart. (2010). Ultimate back and fitness. Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: Wabuno Publishers.
Beach, T, Parkinson, R, Stothart, P, & Callaghan, J. (2005). Effects of prolonged sitting on the passive flexion stiffness of the in vivo lumbar spine. The Spine Journal, (5), 145-154.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Intelligent Strength Training: Intelligent Strength Training: No more crunches
Intelligent Strength Training: Intelligent Strength Training: No more crunches: "Intelligent Strength Training: No more crunches: 'Are you serious Matt? You have been ranting about this junk and now you are telling me I c..."
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Intelligent Strength Training: No more crunches
Intelligent Strength Training: No more crunches: "Are you serious Matt? You have been ranting about this junk and now you are telling me I can't even do CRUNCHES?! But how do I get my flat s..."
Friday, December 10, 2010
No more crunches
Are you serious Matt? You have been ranting about this junk and now you are telling me I can't even do CRUNCHES?! But how do I get my flat stomach or six pack?
Hold on a minute there...
A couple of months ago I started to do research on strength training knowing that I knew almost nothing about the profession. Yes, I do have a job as a trainer, but I wanted to get deeper into why and how we execute. I started this blog almost as a medium between research and practical use. I admit I have not referenced research articles much, but I will try to in this post.
As I have touched on many times, I lean towards a movement based approach. I think that looking at anything in isolation, especially the body, is a mistake and short sighted. There has to be more. I have used the analogy of the way we maintain our body to the way we maintain a car. They both have many components to them. Just because you put new tires on a vehicle, does not mean you will fix your bumpy ride. What about your suspension with the shocks, struts, boots etc. (I know nothing about cars).
There is always upstream and downstream effects to any part. If one's posterior neck musculature (back of neck) feels tight, then what is the cause? Will getting a massage on the area help with the uncomfortable feeling or pain in the area? Yes. Will a massage change the actual way we move our head, shoulders, back, arms, hips, knees, and ankles? No. Any one of these joints and all of the tissues that surround these joints have upstream and downstream effects that might be causing the tight feeling in your neck. Your body will always look for stability. Maybe your scapulas are rounded up so high towards your neck to stabilize your head (kind of important), that your neck protrudes forward just to keep normal function. Unfortunately for somebody who has this upper crossed syndrome, that is a bad and inefficient position for the neck. This is just a simple example.
So before you condemn me for not liking crunches, keep a whole body approach to theory.Let me first describe what I mean by crunch. A crunch is any movement in which the spine is flexed in relation to the hips. This includes bicycles, v-ups, oblique crunches, sit ups, reverse crunch, straight leg crunches, exercise ball crunches, etc. It also includes some hip movements like a leg raise, hip lifts, and basically anything in Pilates. Yeah that's right, I just used the word crunch to get your attention (David Putty voice).
The first reason why I don't prescribe or perform crunches is because they do not train the true function of the core muscles. I have stated here before that the trunk muscles are different than extremity muscles. We have these little things called our heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, digestive system, and our spine in the trunk. You better believe that we need some stability and protection in this area.
The only way to properly do any compound exercises like bench press, pull up, squat, or deadlift is to keep a strong, neutral and erect spine. But Matt, in a deadlift aren't you bending forward and in essence collapsing the trunk? Yeah, in a really bad deadlift that will cause you disc herniation. Contrary to popular thought, the core muscles should not be used as prime movers. When I am training somebody, I need them to keep a strong core and upright position in any exercise. Sometimes people can keep a strong core posture during a pull up, but not in a squat. Every movement is different. Unfortunately we have been thinking in isolation terms so long that we isolate the core for strength or stability and believe that it will maintain its function during anything. This theory could not be farther from the truth.
Just think, if one cannot keep there trunk erect during a large movement such as the squat (which works the quadriceps and glutes as prime movers), then you will look for some compensation. What could that compensation be? Some people tend to round their shoulders and upper back forward or arch their lower back for stability. These compensations are not normal. If you add weight and reps to these movements or keep squats as a training tool for a decent period of time, and your body will present pain. If it doesn't present pain right away, some other dysfunction might develop. Your knees might start caving in or you neck might start protruding forward. Not good.
This is where a simple sounding solution plagues our industry. The solution is to strengthen the anterior core (stomach and side area). Do crunches strengthen the anterior core? Yes, but there are better options. It is a risk to reward ratio. I would rather spend my time training the true function of the core and be able to maintain core stability through big exercises that raise metabolism, work the prime movers (the ones we like to show off), make us stronger, faster, bigger, and perform better in athletic activities. The reason "core" became so big in the industry recently is because we realized that few have it anymore. The word "core" also connotes a flat stomach and six pack. Gaining a flat stomach is achieved by taking fat off the top rather than adding muscle under.
The following exercise is not the end all be all of core exercises, but it is a great place to start in finding out your level of trunk control. I did not title this video either...
The second reason why I don't prescribe or perform crunches is because spinal flexion is unhealthy. I know what you are saying: But Matt, I do not lift my low back off the ground and only bring my shoulders up with my abs. In my experience, people do not perform a crunch how I just stated it. They lift off leading with their neck.
The principle of overload in fitness means that to increase muscular strength, power, size, and endurance, we must increase the volume and resistance to give the muscle new reasons to grow. We must stress the muscle. When I used to do crunches, my abs would hurt for the first couple of weeks having them in my training, but after a while I needed more. I would use weight and more range of motion to try and achieve more burn in the abs. My futile attempt at getting a six pack failed and I ended up with a sore back. In this study by Wang et al., the first sentence cites other studies by saying, "the results of epidemiologic studies have identified
frequent dynamic loading, sudden forceful exertions, exposures to vibration, lifting frequency, and extreme
trunk angular position and velocity as factors related to low back pain (LBP) disorders and symptoms (2000)". Sudden forceful exertions in relation to spinal flexion sound a lot like crunches.
In this study by Marras et al., figure 3 (page 8) shows that increased velocity and flexion range of motion put the workers they studies at a higher risk of injury. Increasing the weight, range of motion, reps, per week frequency can put you at risk for low back pain. Remember pain is a symptom that something is wrong. Increased pressure on disks can definitely cause pain. Again, there are better options out there to crunches.
McGill and Karpowicz (2009) compared electromyographic (EMG muscle activation) readings in 4 different core exercises. In the EMG studies, he notes that corrective teaching of these exercises improves muscle activation. In doing these, try not to focus on feeling a lactic acid burn, but rather a stiff and stopping motion type of feel. Remember, the core muscles are not like the muscles in our arms and legs. In defense of a crunch type exercise, McGill actually recommends doing a curl up. A curl up is supporting the lower back by sticking ones hands under it.
Still, I believe somebody must graduate to this exercise. I am biased in that I deal with a lot of clients with previous back pain, but to be able to lift the trunk without putting the neck in a bad position is tough. Again, there are better options. To reiterate my philosophy, my main goal is for a client to keep core stability through many movements. Being able to keep core control not only reinforces good movement by other muscles, but it allows me to speed up a workout and add weight and reps to promote muscle growth.
Part 2 next time!
Hold on a minute there...
A couple of months ago I started to do research on strength training knowing that I knew almost nothing about the profession. Yes, I do have a job as a trainer, but I wanted to get deeper into why and how we execute. I started this blog almost as a medium between research and practical use. I admit I have not referenced research articles much, but I will try to in this post.
As I have touched on many times, I lean towards a movement based approach. I think that looking at anything in isolation, especially the body, is a mistake and short sighted. There has to be more. I have used the analogy of the way we maintain our body to the way we maintain a car. They both have many components to them. Just because you put new tires on a vehicle, does not mean you will fix your bumpy ride. What about your suspension with the shocks, struts, boots etc. (I know nothing about cars).
There is always upstream and downstream effects to any part. If one's posterior neck musculature (back of neck) feels tight, then what is the cause? Will getting a massage on the area help with the uncomfortable feeling or pain in the area? Yes. Will a massage change the actual way we move our head, shoulders, back, arms, hips, knees, and ankles? No. Any one of these joints and all of the tissues that surround these joints have upstream and downstream effects that might be causing the tight feeling in your neck. Your body will always look for stability. Maybe your scapulas are rounded up so high towards your neck to stabilize your head (kind of important), that your neck protrudes forward just to keep normal function. Unfortunately for somebody who has this upper crossed syndrome, that is a bad and inefficient position for the neck. This is just a simple example.
So before you condemn me for not liking crunches, keep a whole body approach to theory.Let me first describe what I mean by crunch. A crunch is any movement in which the spine is flexed in relation to the hips. This includes bicycles, v-ups, oblique crunches, sit ups, reverse crunch, straight leg crunches, exercise ball crunches, etc. It also includes some hip movements like a leg raise, hip lifts, and basically anything in Pilates. Yeah that's right, I just used the word crunch to get your attention (David Putty voice).
The first reason why I don't prescribe or perform crunches is because they do not train the true function of the core muscles. I have stated here before that the trunk muscles are different than extremity muscles. We have these little things called our heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, digestive system, and our spine in the trunk. You better believe that we need some stability and protection in this area.
The only way to properly do any compound exercises like bench press, pull up, squat, or deadlift is to keep a strong, neutral and erect spine. But Matt, in a deadlift aren't you bending forward and in essence collapsing the trunk? Yeah, in a really bad deadlift that will cause you disc herniation. Contrary to popular thought, the core muscles should not be used as prime movers. When I am training somebody, I need them to keep a strong core and upright position in any exercise. Sometimes people can keep a strong core posture during a pull up, but not in a squat. Every movement is different. Unfortunately we have been thinking in isolation terms so long that we isolate the core for strength or stability and believe that it will maintain its function during anything. This theory could not be farther from the truth.
Just think, if one cannot keep there trunk erect during a large movement such as the squat (which works the quadriceps and glutes as prime movers), then you will look for some compensation. What could that compensation be? Some people tend to round their shoulders and upper back forward or arch their lower back for stability. These compensations are not normal. If you add weight and reps to these movements or keep squats as a training tool for a decent period of time, and your body will present pain. If it doesn't present pain right away, some other dysfunction might develop. Your knees might start caving in or you neck might start protruding forward. Not good.
This is where a simple sounding solution plagues our industry. The solution is to strengthen the anterior core (stomach and side area). Do crunches strengthen the anterior core? Yes, but there are better options. It is a risk to reward ratio. I would rather spend my time training the true function of the core and be able to maintain core stability through big exercises that raise metabolism, work the prime movers (the ones we like to show off), make us stronger, faster, bigger, and perform better in athletic activities. The reason "core" became so big in the industry recently is because we realized that few have it anymore. The word "core" also connotes a flat stomach and six pack. Gaining a flat stomach is achieved by taking fat off the top rather than adding muscle under.
The following exercise is not the end all be all of core exercises, but it is a great place to start in finding out your level of trunk control. I did not title this video either...
The second reason why I don't prescribe or perform crunches is because spinal flexion is unhealthy. I know what you are saying: But Matt, I do not lift my low back off the ground and only bring my shoulders up with my abs. In my experience, people do not perform a crunch how I just stated it. They lift off leading with their neck.
 |
| Nasty |
frequent dynamic loading, sudden forceful exertions, exposures to vibration, lifting frequency, and extreme
trunk angular position and velocity as factors related to low back pain (LBP) disorders and symptoms (2000)". Sudden forceful exertions in relation to spinal flexion sound a lot like crunches.
In this study by Marras et al., figure 3 (page 8) shows that increased velocity and flexion range of motion put the workers they studies at a higher risk of injury. Increasing the weight, range of motion, reps, per week frequency can put you at risk for low back pain. Remember pain is a symptom that something is wrong. Increased pressure on disks can definitely cause pain. Again, there are better options out there to crunches.
McGill and Karpowicz (2009) compared electromyographic (EMG muscle activation) readings in 4 different core exercises. In the EMG studies, he notes that corrective teaching of these exercises improves muscle activation. In doing these, try not to focus on feeling a lactic acid burn, but rather a stiff and stopping motion type of feel. Remember, the core muscles are not like the muscles in our arms and legs. In defense of a crunch type exercise, McGill actually recommends doing a curl up. A curl up is supporting the lower back by sticking ones hands under it.
Part 2 next time!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Connotation and Denotation in Fitness/Nutrition pt 2
I have been away for a couple of weeks... but as George Costanza would say, "I'm back baby!" Keep giving me ideas to write about for the blog and invite your friends to follow! Thanks! Back to the goods...
It is obvious that we are a society that is persuaded by images and advertising. We might deny that we are influenced, but we certainly are. Anytime we see a guy with a six pack, we automatically want to know his "routine". Look deeper and examine the true cause of his six pack. Is it the millions of crunches he does every day? Certainly not. Or is it the sodas, bread, chips, sweets, and oversized meal portions that he avoids to keep the lean muscle on and fat off? Yes. Or is it the steroids and Photoshop they use to give just that much more definition to the picture!? Yes that too.
Back to the previous examples of connotations and denotations in fitness:
When you hear the words "bench press", what do you think of?
When you hear the word "squat", what do you think of?
When you hear the word "diet", what do you think of?
When you hear the words "low fat", what do you think of?
To reiterate:
–noun 1. the explicit or direct meaning or set of meanings of a word or expression, as distinguished from the ideas or meanings associated with it or suggested by it.
–noun\
2. the associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression in addition to its explicit or primary meaning: A possible connotation of “home” is “a place of warmth, comfort, and affection.”
Does the phrase "bench press" connote to you powerlifting or something that guys do every Monday to get a larger chest because they think it is their only sign of masculinity? Can women do a bench press? Absolutely. Do 95% of people at the gym bench press incorrectly and usually end up with rotator cuff injury? Yes. A press movement is simply the act of applying force to push weight horizontally (bench press or push up) or vertically (overhead press).
It is a compound movement involving several muscles and correct use of stabilizers (rotator cuff). If those stabilizers aren't set correctly before we begin the press movement, then injury occurs either immediately or over time. Unfortunately, guys tend to keep going up in weight even though they can't even do 20 correct push ups with their own body weight. We are more worried about the number of reps, weight, volume, and rest time than quality bench pressing. The truth is that once one can externally rotate, use the butt instead of the back to drive through the feet, and engage the scapular retractors, one can increase performance much quicker. Compound movement like a press, squat, or deadlift are hard to teach and require more than a sentence to explain and cue. While I like to flatter myself that I know more than most, I only learn from the best. Eric Cressey is one of those authors and here are a couple of articles to improve your shoulder health and bench press:
Seven Habits of Highly Defective Benchers
Shoulder Savers
and basically anything else by him...
Does the word "squat" connote to you aching lower back, something that guys grunt during, I would rather do leg press, putting 780 pounds on a bar and not even dropping the femurs to parallel, or an exercise for quadriceps? Yes, squatting can make your low back hurt and build your quads, but why exactly should you squat instead of doing idiot proof leg machines such as the leg press, leg curl, and leg extension? I have said this before on the blog, squatting was a movement before it was an exercise. Everybody used to be able to squat, for that is how we learned to move as children. Squatting is not easy. Doing it correctly requires a huge amount of core control while having the hip mobility to actually get your legs and hip into position. If you can drop into anything resembling this squat, feel your abs. They will be firing up more than any crunch.
It is easy for trainers to prescribe squats. It is much harder to teach them. Squatting incorrectly is only going to lead to knee and back pain. Period. While a few of us can come off the street and do a perfect squat in jeans (I bet they have no back or knee pain), most people have lost the mobility and stability to get into that position. Simply lowering your body down does not count as a squat. Yes your legs might be burning, but you will be seriously limited as you try to progress to weights and reps. If you do not progress you're exercises, prepare to waste a lot of time. Also, some people are not meant to squat. Generally, taller people with long femurs have trouble maintaining their trunk and knee position while squatting. It all depends... and maybe you should just come see your friend Matt!
Does the word "diet" connote to you cutting calories, lean cuisine, organic food, losing 30 pounds in 30 days, low energy, or being hungry? The word diet simply means "what one eats to meet his/her energy requirement". So how do we get fatter and not maintain the same energy requirements for the rest of our life? If only it were that easy. Our body loves homeostasis.
Homeostasis (from Greek: ὅμοιος, hómoios, "similar"; and στάσις, stásis, "standing still"; defined by Claude Bernard and later by Walter Bradford Cannon in 1926[1], 1929[2] and 1932[3][4]) is the property of a system, either open or closed, that regulates its internal environment and tends to maintain a stable, constant condition.
It doesn't like change and will usually revert back to normal conditions. Just think, don't you think we would have starved ourselves skinny if we could? We don't gain weight by indulging in that cheesecake after your birthday dinner. We gain weight by indulging in smaller calorie surplus over time. That is certainly a simple calorie in vs calorie out argument but it has shown truth in research studies across the board. Counting calories is not everything, but it does have some merit in body recomposition. We have also changed the quality of our food. In the past 50 years or so, we have consumed more grains and corn than ever. Why not? They are cheap and can be made into many foods. America has become a nation of snackers. It only takes a couple of extra calories every day that add up into a couple of pounds over months and years.
I wish I had a solid answer to everyone's question to which diet is best, but don't let that discourage you. This would go against me telling you exactly what a diet is. Strive to eat cleaner foods like poultry, meats and fish, fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts, and any related food. Be aware that they are all different in calories and nutrient content. A 6 oz. chicken breast is much different that 6 oz of beef sirloin. Each of these foods has a different chemical make up and your body will have a different reaction to each one. Being on a diet does not mean we have to be hungry al the time. In fact, eating well should increase satiety. In my experience, the biggest blunders in eating come when we are hungry and grab the fastest and easiest thing to eat. And these days, those include frozen dinners and snacks. It really can be that simple. Stop blaming others and take responsibility for your poor body composition or poor athletic performance.
Does the phrase "low fat" connote to you skinny, lean, non-greasy food, or good health? I recently watched a great documentary on the fallacy of low fat diets. In case you have been in a bubble, in the recent past, everything is marketed as low fat. The phrase "low fat" denotes the calorie content in the food. We connote the phrase "low fat" as people getting skinnier. Big mistake. Low fat foods are highly processed and sometimes contain the same if not more calories than their regular counterpart. It's all about marketing. People are always looking for an easy way out. People are very easy targets for the advertising department at a food company. Here is a great documentary about how the "holy food pyramid" probably was not accurate for maintaining optimal health of our nation... among other things.
Fat Head
Next time:
Why I don't perform or prescribe crunches
Gimmicks in the fitness industry
Feel free to leave comments, questions, and suggestions!
It is obvious that we are a society that is persuaded by images and advertising. We might deny that we are influenced, but we certainly are. Anytime we see a guy with a six pack, we automatically want to know his "routine". Look deeper and examine the true cause of his six pack. Is it the millions of crunches he does every day? Certainly not. Or is it the sodas, bread, chips, sweets, and oversized meal portions that he avoids to keep the lean muscle on and fat off? Yes. Or is it the steroids and Photoshop they use to give just that much more definition to the picture!? Yes that too.
Back to the previous examples of connotations and denotations in fitness:
When you hear the words "bench press", what do you think of?
When you hear the word "squat", what do you think of?
When you hear the word "diet", what do you think of?
When you hear the words "low fat", what do you think of?
To reiterate:
de·no·ta·tion
[dee-noh-tey-shuhn]
noʊˈteɪ
con·no·ta·tion
[kon-uh-tey-shuhn]2. the associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression in addition to its explicit or primary meaning: A possible connotation of “home” is “a place of warmth, comfort, and affection.”
Does the phrase "bench press" connote to you powerlifting or something that guys do every Monday to get a larger chest because they think it is their only sign of masculinity? Can women do a bench press? Absolutely. Do 95% of people at the gym bench press incorrectly and usually end up with rotator cuff injury? Yes. A press movement is simply the act of applying force to push weight horizontally (bench press or push up) or vertically (overhead press).
 |
| Better form than your bench press... and she has three plates. |
It is a compound movement involving several muscles and correct use of stabilizers (rotator cuff). If those stabilizers aren't set correctly before we begin the press movement, then injury occurs either immediately or over time. Unfortunately, guys tend to keep going up in weight even though they can't even do 20 correct push ups with their own body weight. We are more worried about the number of reps, weight, volume, and rest time than quality bench pressing. The truth is that once one can externally rotate, use the butt instead of the back to drive through the feet, and engage the scapular retractors, one can increase performance much quicker. Compound movement like a press, squat, or deadlift are hard to teach and require more than a sentence to explain and cue. While I like to flatter myself that I know more than most, I only learn from the best. Eric Cressey is one of those authors and here are a couple of articles to improve your shoulder health and bench press:
Seven Habits of Highly Defective Benchers
Shoulder Savers
and basically anything else by him...
Does the word "squat" connote to you aching lower back, something that guys grunt during, I would rather do leg press, putting 780 pounds on a bar and not even dropping the femurs to parallel, or an exercise for quadriceps? Yes, squatting can make your low back hurt and build your quads, but why exactly should you squat instead of doing idiot proof leg machines such as the leg press, leg curl, and leg extension? I have said this before on the blog, squatting was a movement before it was an exercise. Everybody used to be able to squat, for that is how we learned to move as children. Squatting is not easy. Doing it correctly requires a huge amount of core control while having the hip mobility to actually get your legs and hip into position. If you can drop into anything resembling this squat, feel your abs. They will be firing up more than any crunch.
Does the word "diet" connote to you cutting calories, lean cuisine, organic food, losing 30 pounds in 30 days, low energy, or being hungry? The word diet simply means "what one eats to meet his/her energy requirement". So how do we get fatter and not maintain the same energy requirements for the rest of our life? If only it were that easy. Our body loves homeostasis.
Homeostasis (from Greek: ὅμοιος, hómoios, "similar"; and στάσις, stásis, "standing still"; defined by Claude Bernard and later by Walter Bradford Cannon in 1926[1], 1929[2] and 1932[3][4]) is the property of a system, either open or closed, that regulates its internal environment and tends to maintain a stable, constant condition.
It doesn't like change and will usually revert back to normal conditions. Just think, don't you think we would have starved ourselves skinny if we could? We don't gain weight by indulging in that cheesecake after your birthday dinner. We gain weight by indulging in smaller calorie surplus over time. That is certainly a simple calorie in vs calorie out argument but it has shown truth in research studies across the board. Counting calories is not everything, but it does have some merit in body recomposition. We have also changed the quality of our food. In the past 50 years or so, we have consumed more grains and corn than ever. Why not? They are cheap and can be made into many foods. America has become a nation of snackers. It only takes a couple of extra calories every day that add up into a couple of pounds over months and years.
I wish I had a solid answer to everyone's question to which diet is best, but don't let that discourage you. This would go against me telling you exactly what a diet is. Strive to eat cleaner foods like poultry, meats and fish, fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts, and any related food. Be aware that they are all different in calories and nutrient content. A 6 oz. chicken breast is much different that 6 oz of beef sirloin. Each of these foods has a different chemical make up and your body will have a different reaction to each one. Being on a diet does not mean we have to be hungry al the time. In fact, eating well should increase satiety. In my experience, the biggest blunders in eating come when we are hungry and grab the fastest and easiest thing to eat. And these days, those include frozen dinners and snacks. It really can be that simple. Stop blaming others and take responsibility for your poor body composition or poor athletic performance.
 |
| Just because these have no fat does not mean that your body can't put on some winter fat by converting it. |
Does the phrase "low fat" connote to you skinny, lean, non-greasy food, or good health? I recently watched a great documentary on the fallacy of low fat diets. In case you have been in a bubble, in the recent past, everything is marketed as low fat. The phrase "low fat" denotes the calorie content in the food. We connote the phrase "low fat" as people getting skinnier. Big mistake. Low fat foods are highly processed and sometimes contain the same if not more calories than their regular counterpart. It's all about marketing. People are always looking for an easy way out. People are very easy targets for the advertising department at a food company. Here is a great documentary about how the "holy food pyramid" probably was not accurate for maintaining optimal health of our nation... among other things.
Fat Head
Next time:
Why I don't perform or prescribe crunches
Gimmicks in the fitness industry
Feel free to leave comments, questions, and suggestions!
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