Stress: Relation to performance, sleep, weight loss, and quality of life.

Thanks to a recommendation from my friend Patrick Ward, I picked up the book Why Zebras Don't get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky. Needless to say, the book really opened up my eyes as to how the human stress response works and how it effects everything. The word stress as we know it is referring to allostatic load. We have all heard the term homeostasis in basic biology. The body will always tend to go back to normal. There are millions of reactions every second that mediate responses not only in the endocrine system, but also the cardiovascular system (heart, lungs, blood vessels), immune system (defense mechanism), cell metabolism etc. All of these systems are connected and play off of each other. A lot of times in science we like to compartmentalize things. There are different doctors for every system and organ that specialize. They know a lot about that system but sometimes may lose sight of how they all play together. I am by no means saying that we should restructure the whole medical field, but as we learn more about how the body works and moves, it is important to take into account a bigger picture. I believe this is where a better understanding comes from.

This post can be viewed as a very brief summary of the book. I took my favorite parts of the book to relate to my field which is human performance.

I am going to give a very brief explanation of what stress is but I encourage everybody to buy the book. First off a couple of key terms:

Homeostasis: The property of a system, either open or closed, that regulates its internal environment and tends to maintain a stable, constant condition.

Allostasis:  The process of achieving stability, or homeostasis, through physiological or behavioral change.


Those terms are very basic (Wikipedia did a fine job), but they really take meaning when we apply them to the most complex system known to us: the human body. They take even more meaning when we see how the two processes interact to keep us living. I will use a quote from Gray Cook, "The body will always sacrifice movement quality for movement quantity." He was talking about movement patterns, but this can be applied to a lot of things in the body. Here is an example from Sapolsky's book of the interplay between homeostasis and allostasis. "Suppose there is a water shortage in California. Homeostatic solution: mandate smaller toilet tanks. Allostatic solutions: smaller toilet tanks, water conservation, buy rice form Southeast Asia instead of doing water-intensive farming in a semi-arid state."

As you can see, allostasis takes a more global approach to a solution. Saplosky states that "Allostasis is about the brain coordinating body-wide changes, often including changes in behavior."

Now that we can acknowledge that the body is a complex system, made of smaller systems performing regulating tasks to keep us going. If the body did not have these systems, we would not be around long. Even drinking 2 cups of coffee would throw the body into a frenzy. Caffeine is a diuretic and it flushes water of of the system through urine. The brain senses this (through many pathways) and releases a hormone, that signals another hormone to tell the kidneys to re uptake water into the system because more water has left the body than usual in the past 2 hours since drinking the caffeine. You will not be thirsty right away but if you do not drink any water for a while, you will get very thirsty much quicker than if the caffeine had not been ingested. If the body did not regulate even this simple act that many of us partake in every day, we would die from dehydration from 2 cups of coffee. That would suck.

A stressor can be defined as anything that throws your body out of allostatic balance, and the stress response is your body's attempt to restore allostasis (Sapolsky). A very important concept emerges: regardless of the stressor-injured, starving, hot, cold, fight with spouse, boss wants to talk with you, upcoming test, cat is getting hair plugs, the body turns on the same stress response. Glucocorticoids (the stress hormones released by the adrenal gland) are released and mobilize glucose, fats, and proteins (varying degrees of each) go to the working muscles to run. In the Zebra running from the Lion's case, this is a good thing. You get to live (maybe). In the lion's case, catching food will save them from starving and coming back to their pack with nothing. See how the general stress response can respond in context? You would think the body would release a different chemical for every different psychological thought or experience right? Isn't the brain so complex that it should be able too? Well yes the brain is extremely complex but the beauty of the system comes in the regulation of these hormones and systems.In this case, the stress response is primitive and general, but how the body handles it is very complex.

The main point of the book is that we can release these glucocorticoids in reaction to a psychological stressor. Have you ever been up worrying about a test you have the next day? Ever been in a near accident at an intersection and your heart was beating for many minutes after the event? These are the same response. They are not bad. In fact, they are in part a primitive protective mechanism. Although we do not encounter many black bears or lions in our suburban cities, if we had to run, we would be able to because of this response.

So how can the stress response turn negative?

The stress response can turn negative if it never has a chance to turn off. Have you ever met somebody that complains of always being tired or always sounds "stressed out"? They always complain about lack of sleep and how negative everything seems to be. This person could be chronically stressed and even worse, be depressed. I am going to go over a couple of systems in the body to explain the connection of this stress response to our everyday life. Of course I am not a doctor and this should not be taken as medical advice, but my hope is to educate you about what happens. I also believe that we fear the unknown. I used to always think to myself: how can a change in a totally different system of the body affect another? Everything is connected. If we look at the body through these glasses,  the more knowledge we have about the "parts" will make our puzzle (the body as a system) easier to understand and make us able to draw some conclusions to. Maybe knowing a little more of how the body can respond to our everyday problems will help us deal with these stressors.

That was a basic overview of the stress response. I am going to divide the post up into parts because it might get a little long. I will be posting very soon about sleep. Stay tuned!

Sapolsky, Robert. Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers. 3rd ed. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2009. Print.

Ladies: Get off the Stairmaster and do some Deadlifts!

I work at a big-box corporate gym. You know what that means? I see a whole lot of BS going on around me. One thing that always gets to me is why people spend countless hours at the Stairmaster because they think they will tone their backside. But Matt, it was sore last time I did it. First of all, soreness does not necessarily mean that you grew muscle. It is certainly well documented that increasing resistance is a main staple in growing muscle. Second, were you sore after the 10th time you did it? I doubt it. Its called adaptation and when you adapt and don't change anything, you will not adapt any farther. Guess what ladies: YOU WILL NOT bulk up by lifting weights. Doing mostly cardio with a little Bodypump does not allow for barely any adaptation to occur. What does that mean? Your body is not going to change. You would think that the aerobics craze for women should have blown over by now.... but apparently not. It does not mean that you shouldn't do cardio, spin class, kickboxing etc., but they should not be main staples in your body re composition program.

Deadlifts are one of the best and most healthy movements our body can perform. That being said, if you do incorrect deadlifts, they can also be a horrible exercise. You are just asking for hip and back injuries. There are certain progressions and prerequisites to be able to deadlift (being able to touch toes, straight leg raise, single leg hip lift...) and you should learn these before you deadlift.

If you have any questions let me know...

-Matt

How to Improve body composition or running performance: Advice you WILL NOT want to hear

I am going to take a couple paragraphs from Mel Siff's book Supertraining. Siff wrote these two paragraphs after naming 22 different observations on training for hypertrophy (or basically for pure aesthetic reasons). This tiny section of the book is also preceded by 415 pages in 10 pt font about the science of strength and conditioning with like 400 different citations.

Siff:
 "When someone stated that 'People with extreme genetics or those who are using huge amounts of drugs will probably get big no matter what kind of weight training and rep speed they are doing', he is probably far closer to the truth than anyone who religiously propounds simplistic Time under Tension theories. One has to remember that the marketability of a certain fitness figure or group, according to well-established marketing principles, depends on slogans and simply stated formulae.


The public usually feels far more comfortable with cerebrally  undemanding mantras and 'fast food' solutions than with far more accurate, more complex methods. That is a major reason why many fitness figures write as they do and market their catch phrases simplistically as they do - society has been processed by the mass media to behave like that, and they usually do not want to be forced to think too deeply or to have their convenient current beliefs questioned, because that entails a serious threat to their psychological safety. Humankind has always been like that and they receive what they have been processed or educated to want"

These words resonated with me a lot because I always hear about new ways to do this and new ways to do that. When I tell people I am a personal trainer, they usually ask "What is the best exercise for (insert body part)?" When I tell dudes that are bigger than me that I am a personal trainer they just give me a smug look and hit the nearest gym for some invigorating bicep curls.

Truth is that most people are just training for aesthetic reasons and are unwilling to accept their genetics as a key factor in their body re composition. Consciously and subconsciously we all want to look lean like pictures in magazines. Most of those guys are on steroids, and not just the body builders. Somewhere along the way we forgot what the hell it was like to put time into something and get rewarded ten fold with the result. God forbid if that took more than 2 weeks! Tip: think more long term than short term. You do not grow muscle or run longer from 1 training session. It comes from a well thought out program that takes science into account. Our bodies adapt during rest.

It sounds very simple to think more long term than short term but I guarantee some people are already in denial. But FLEX magazine gave me a whole program to increase my bench press and chest size! If they gave any consideration as to how to perform bench press, they wouldn't do it the hap hazardous way they do.

I like Siff's quote because there is a little sarcasm there. It's as if he was saying, "I just wrote 7 dissertations on strength and conditioning and you just want to know how to get big?"

Genetics play a large role in why we look the way we do. Nutrition plays a much bigger role in hypertrophy and performance than training does. Yes, at a certain point there is a time when we need to alter the training variables, but fundamentals are always first. That applies to almost anything in life.

We define ourselves by our injuries

You hear it all the time...

I have a bad back! I have a bum knee! My neck feels tight and I need a massage!

It seems that we have become a culture that strives to be more active. Supplementing our sedentary lifestyles with more exercise is the right choice, right? Kinda.

We like to run marathons. We like to do heavy volume arm, chest, and leg workouts without giving any thought to the long term. I want to be bigger and run longer, and I want it now. We take advice from fitness magazines that give us crazy "bodybuilding" style workouts for guys, and exercises for women that include  pink 5-10 lb. dumbbells because they are afraid of "bulking up". Seriously, are any of those workout prescriptions really any different except in the order they are performed in? Not really!

So how does all this insanity and B.S. in the fitness industry relate to our chronic injuries?

Because they only perpetuate them, and not fix them.

And what do some Physical Therapists and M.D.'s prescribe for these injuries?

Knee braces and Motrin. Some never fix the cause of the problem. Most of the time it can be fixed with some simple "movement quality" work. Sometimes it might require the expertise of a soft-tissue therapist, or sometimes just the toolbox of a trainer. It might take 30 minutes or 30 days to fix the problem, but it all comes down to how the human body was meant to function. Motor control, joint mobility, joint range of motion, and dynamic/postural stability are key factors in fixing these problems. Some people do actually have structural problems that our tissues are working around. That needs to be diagnosed and many other options that PT's or trainers should have already been exhausted.

My own previous injuries led me to what I know and continue to study today. It seems the more I learn on the human body, the simpler it gets. We don't need crazy exercise equipment like stability balls and hip abductor machines to get in shape and/or fix ourselves.

C'MON MAN... are you serious?

 It all comes down to human movement. A lot of what we call intelligent training comes from basic movements that we learned as children. Based on these fundamental patterns like creeping, crawling, rolling, and squatting did we learn all the requisite motor control to perform. So why can't we squat anymore? Well actually we SHOULD be able to, but based on our current job descriptions and horrible workout routines and programs, we are only making it worse.

Look at it this way: You are either improving your body's movement function or you are not. Those who are not, are on the road to plateau and most likely injury. Getting injured running or lifting should be unacceptable and one should look at that as a sign that we are doing it wrong.

But what if I just want to run a marathon or have a good looking body?
That's perfectly fine, but one obviously can't train if they are in so much pain. I don't know about you, but that would equal less calories burned and less of a long term chance you will exercise. Just because running is good for you does not mean that you are ready for it. Most successful long distance runners are skinny for a reason. It's not because they ran themselves skinny, but because that is their body type. Not everybody has a thin frame built for running, and you don't see them on the football field either. Maybe that is a case for evolution. The ones who got hurt were weeded out and tried something else.

As Gray Cook says, "You can't put fitness on top of dysfunction". Remember, you are either improving the quality of your body's movement or not. Most people are breaking their joints and connective tissues down until they convince themselves that it was because they worked so hard. Why would you work hard for a broken down body? It is great to be active and want to improve your body or athletic ability, but please do some further reading in progressions for exercises. A lot of people as the question, "why pay money for a trainer?" Now, there are a lot of sub par trainers out their who think that increased work and motivation is all that is needed to sustain a healthy fat loss and muscle gain goal. There is much more to the healthy body than weight loss. Think of all of the people you have met that are injured and cannot work out. Too many. You pay money to a trainer to learn how to move. Once you can move correctly, then add some weights, reps, and intensity!  Don't go out there and try some crazy exercise just because another trainer or magazine was doing it. A good trainer will progress their client to that. If it means that we need to make mobility and stability corrective exercise our priority for 2 weeks then fine. I would rather have somebody know how to address their basic dysfunctions than to learn a couple of new exercises. It is the end result that matters.

Next time you complain to yourself or others about your "nagging injury", always ask was I born this way? If not (and most aren't or else their basic motor functions would be altered forever at a very young age) then you need to seek out the help of someone in the know. There's knowledge, and people out there with the knowledge, you just have to find them.

Intelligent Strength Training: Is running bad for you and why did it become a sig...

Is running bad for you and why did it become a sign of fitness in our culture?

Is running bad for you and why did it become a sign of fitness in our culture?

Ok it's the new year and I need to lose weight.... I think I'm gonna go get that gym membership finally. Yeah I have that nagging back pain but I won't let it get in the way of training and I will just work it away...I think once I lose the weight my back wont have to support so much and I will feel better. I'm gonna go get that membership and start a running regimen and use a couple machines....

Unfortunately I think this is the thought process of the average gym goer who wants to lose weight. I can already hear it: is Matt going to tell me I shouldn't even run anymore? Is he going to start a new cult? What a weirdo.

On the contrary I would love for everybody to be able to have a nice healthy run. Humans were born to move. Running (or jogging) makes us feel good. When I say running in this post, it can mean any steady, and long distance cardio. It is not an accident that we feel great after a workout. We pushed our bodies to new limits, burned some calories, and decreased our resting heart rate all at the same time. These are good things.

In his book Supertraining, Dr. Mel Siff explains the "divergence of training philosophies". He states that, "the development of different scientific and educational cultures in the West and the East had a profound impact on the growth of the different aspects of strength and general fitness training." Yes that Rocky IV montage of Ivan Drago getting injected and having his neck being twisted in that cool machine while running laps in a dimly lit gym are true. Just kidding... kinda.

The Cold War

Siff goes on to explain that, "the increasing idealogical isolation of nations and well-protected prestige of sporting success meant that research in all fields, including sport, took different directions." He then explains that the "West" veered sharply towards the direction of cardiovascular fitness, and "assuming great impetus with the running for health and 'aerobics' crazes, associated closely with Swedish endurance exercise and popular fitness books such as Kenneth Cooper's Aerobics."


Cooper's book came out in 1968 and in 1969 Jacki Sorensen came out with her Aerobics dance class aimed at Air Force wives who were stationed in Puerto Rico (that information doesn't need a reference because it is not important). I had to take an aerobics class for my major last semester (yeah we are that far behind) and it was brutal and pointless. Unfortunately women cling to the idea that aerobics is the greatest thing ever. Trust me, it is not. They should be correlating athletics into what they want their body to look like. Athletes are generally skinny and look "in shape". Do they do aerobic dance moves all day? HELL NO. They train with high intensity sprint and agility drills. They train with progressively heavier weights. Having said that, I am definitely not advocating going out to the local football field, setting up some cones, and running suicides. You might not be ready for that.

Running seems like it would be a holistic exercise. It is just a series of single-leg bounds over and over and over. Running is not only determined by your cardiovascular level (heart strength, HR, VO2max etc...) but your movement. Ah yes, Matt's favorite buzzword, movement. Running is just like lifting weights in that it is a stress to one's body. Lets take a common movement dysfunction: knee valgus.

Girl landing from a jump off a box. Hurts just looking at it.

Her problem is pretty common, especially in female teenage athletes. It is NOT that her jumping mechanics are jacked up. She might be able to fix that just by a coach's verbal cue. Her femur is rotated inward from her hip. Her glute muscles have not been used in 15 years. Her low back probably arches in. Next time her coach tells her to go run, she will always default to that movement, especially after fatigue sets in. Looks like she needs some strength training. Oh wait, she has to be game ready so she needs to run more to build up her heart. Dumb.

After screening so many of the general public, I have yet to find one with great movement. The average person has some sort of dysfunction. Just telling clients what they should do and look like while they move is not enough. They must feel it. They must change the quality of the tissue. They must gain mobility in their joints and use that new found mobility. They must reinforce that new mobility with stability. We don't just stretch anymore, we also mobilize. Sometimes people need to see a therapist to release tissues surrounding common "locked" areas such as the hamstring, back, or neck.Simply cueing good running stance does not work. Our body needs to be reset and feel what is correct.

I am not here to talk trash about running. Like I said before, it has many positives. The problems come when people do not supplement their running habit or sport with strength training, stretching, and some tissue work. Running does NOTHING to reinforce good movement. Strength training certainly does and my clients have felt it. It is a common misconception that weights will add bulk to the body and make you slower. That is just not true. Another common misconception is that weight training is hard on the joints. Wait a minute, that is actually true! That sounds like a stress to the body! What ever would your body do to accommodate strength training..... lets see....Oh yeah it reinforces joints and tissues to make them stronger! Do you think that only muscles grow bigger and stronger? Many things in the body do. We adapt, and it is pretty damn cool.

Running is inherently different than strength training because we have many different types of muscle fibers. Some respond to endurance (slow twitch type I), and some respond to increased resistance (fast twitch type II).

I applaud all of those who are interested in either losing weight or running for leisure and sport. Those are not bad things, but there are safer and better ways to lose weight than just long, steady, slow distance running. But how come all my friends finished the marathon and 5ks and they are OK? I don't know, maybe they train with Matt, maybe they are in denial of their joint pain, maybe they have never sat at a desk for 8 hours, or maybe they were just born to run (I hate Bruce Springsteen). So before you head to the gym and step on the treadmill, put a towel over the digital number of calories and time, strap on your iPod, and start running, always ask yourself: Do I deal with pain, and is running worth feeling that pain? Does running make the pain worse? Would I be better off learning how to squat with one leg for my own health and aesthetic goals?

Next time.... Alternatives to running: the science of fat loss and high intensity interval training!

Predictions for the future of Personal Trainers, Chiropractors, Massage Therapists, and Physical Therapists etc...

I am currently reading a book by Thomas Myers, a massage therapist, called Anatomy Trains: Myofacial Meridian for Manual and Movement Therapists. The book is a great introduction to the commonly forgotten and less taught "fascial net" of tissue that plays a huge role in our development as children and more importantly as the "common pathways for tensile communication."

Myers uses a great example to describe how he treated a woman complaining of neck pain. Including structural anatomy is boring and useless to you so he certainly doesn't dwell on that as he explains:

"A middle aged woman came to my practice years ago, complaining of pains in the right side of her neck. An office worker, she was sure the pain was related to her computer workstation and repetitive strain from her keyboard entry and mouse use. She had run the gamut of healing, having seen a chiropractor, physiotherapist, and a massage therapist. Each of these methods offered temporary relief, but 'as soon as I started working again, it comes back'.

He continues...

"When presented with a situation like this, there are two possible causes: the one offered, that work really is producing the problem, or conversely, that some other area of the client's pattern is not supporting the new position demanded by her workstation. By examining this woman, we found that the rib cage had shifted to the left, dropping support out from under her right shoulder. The rib cage moved to the left to take weight off the right foot. The right foot had not taken its share of the weight since a mild skiing injury to the inner part of the knee three years earlier. The whole pattern was now set into the neuromyofascial webbing."

"By working manually with the tissues of the knee and lower leg, then with the quadratus lumborum, iliocostalis, and other determinants of rib cage position, we were able to support the right shoulder from below, so that it no longer hung from the neck. The woman was able to point and click to her heart's content without any recurence of her 'work related' problem."

This example by Myers demonstartes the mindset we should have in dealing with clients with pain or dysfunction. Instead of treating the neck and it's surrounding structures, he found the cause of effect of the pain. Yes we do have individual muscles, bones, and joints, but they are all woven togther. Compensation occurs over a long period of time. It is shortsighted to only treat the pain.

Most people these days see a manual therapist (massage therapist, chiropractor, or physical therapist) simply because they want to relieve pain. It is that persons job, based on their technique and knowledge, to not only treat the pain, but to find the dysfunction. Unfortunately it takes more time and effort for both parties to do this. This whole pain relief concept fits perfectly with our Western culture of quick fixes. We need to take a more holistic approach. Yeah a massage can feel great after a long day, but if you are in PAIN, there is dysfunction with your body.

Trust me, 98% of people have some sort of dysfunction. Some are in pain and some are not, but it is there somehow. Training over a dysfunction will make it worse. Sitting at your desk over a dysfunction will make it worse. Movement is the precursor to everything we do. Until we take this view piont of fitness and rehabilitation, we will continue to have pain, dysfunction, drugs for every little problem, fat, and the need for quick fixes.

It is our job as trainers and manual therapists to work with these problems. If a trainer (like me) does not have the license  to do manual work on somebody, then I need to refer out to someone who can. This manual therapist should have the same mindset as I do regarding movement. They should know that humans are connected by many different tissues that respond to both short and long term changes.

We are already starting to get more educated about these topics, but we need to keep pushing the knowledge to everybody. We must take responsibility in our profession. I predict that in the next 20 years, every profession having to do with the human body will become closer. We need to. As I have realized through education, that we can make changes to ourselves. It will take time, effort, money, and a MAJOR mindset change. It is not just about going to the gym and running and lifting weight. The gym should be a place where we bring our bodies together, not become more painful and dysfunctional like most of us have.

Can I be called a movement therapist or does that sounds too pretentious?

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.

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

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.

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..."

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..."

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.

Nasty

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!

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:

de·no·ta·tion

/ˌdinoʊˈteɪʃən/ Show Spel[dee-noh-tey-shuhn]

–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.

 

con·no·ta·tion

/ˌkɒnəˈteɪʃən/ Show Sp[kon-uh-tey-shuhn]

–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).

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.

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.

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!

Connotation and Denotation in Fitness/Nutrition

de·no·ta·tion

/ˌdinoʊˈteɪʃən/ Show Spel[dee-noh-tey-shuhn]

–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.

 

con·no·ta·tion

/ˌkɒnəˈteɪʃən/ Show Sp[kon-uh-tey-shuhn]

–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.” 


I have zero knowledge of advertising, but I think they are striving to connote their products to what consumers want. For example, body wash's main function is to clean our skin and make us smell good. They are denoting that body wash works improves cleanliness and positive odor. It certainly does. In a commercial, body wash connotes a "fresh sexy feeling". Who doesn't want to be sexy? Man, I sure do. The advertisement is playing on our emotions and try to elicit a  positive response. The secondary nature of body wash becomes an aphrodisiac. It is connoting sex, and hopefully attracting (or duping) the opposite sex into making babies with us. OK, I took it a little too far with the Freud reference, but you get the point. 

In today's fitness world, connotation is all around us. A couple examples:

When you hear the word "core", what do you think of?
When you hear the words "whole grain", what do you think of?
When you hear the word "cardio", what do you think of?
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?


What was the initial image you visualized for each of those words?

Does "core" connote to you a flat stomach, hours of crunches, burning and soreness in the abs, or stability ball? The word core CAN denote each of the previous examples, but they are certainly made popular by the media, and not science. The core musculature has a much deeper function than having a six pack. As Mike Boyle once said, "to achieve a six pack, you are better off putting down a six-pack rather than doing crunches." The function of the core is to stabilize the spine and stop motion. The way we currently train the core does not help us with that function. Try planks making sure your abs are keeping your spine erect, and not letting your low back muscles take over and cave in.






Do "whole grains" connote to you fiber, natural or organic grains, cardboard like substance that we have to ENDURE to eat well, or a healthier option to white bread? Whole grains CAN denote these attributes, but not necessarily. I suggest you start reading labels of bread. Most bread is highly processed. When you shop, look for NO high fructose corn syrup, 2-5 g of fiber content, 3-5 g of protein content, and as little ingredients as possible. Remember, just because whole grains sound better than sugary carbs doesn't necessarily mean they are. Read labels.


Does the word "cardio" connote to you rows of elliptical machines and treadmills humming at a slow pace with the murmur of fat loss in the air, something that your trainer or magazine MAKES you do, or some group class with a theme? 

It is great to start moving again with the intentions of improving your cardiovascular fitness level and shed a few pounds. Nothing wrong with that. Cardiovascular work should not take you more than 30 minutes. People tend to think more is better. More time on the treadmill means more calories burned and nicer legs! Not really. Your body adapts very quickly to slow paced work. Also, long distance cardio promotes dysfunctions if they already exist for you (sore back, knees, ankles etc.). Putting in headphones and zoning out while you "move" for an hour is boring and I don't know how we came to doing that. The days of monotonously lugging through an hour of putting one foot in front of the other should be over. Mentally engage yourself in the workout. Try these intervals on an exercise bike, or even in your neighborhood:

3 min light warm up
30 sec sprint followed by 45 sec cruise (walk) x4
30 sec sprint followed by 1 min cruise x3
30 second sprint followed by 1:30 min cruise x 2
3 minute cool down


If these are too easy, just simply alter incline, rest time, or sprint time. That is less than 20 minutes and your metabolism will be going for hours after that. Slow paced work does not stoke the metabolism for nearly as long. Now you have no excuse about time!


I will cover the rest next!
To be continued... 


I encourage you to share ideas, comments, and suggestions! Thank you!

Muscle Tightness

After re-reading my last post about tight hamstrings, I realized that I did not clarify the different states that a muscle can be in. I think I even confused myself.

I know that many of you ran the Rock&Roll Marathon yesterday so I will use the hamstring muscle because that area might be causing you some pain. I was reading through a forum post on the Anatomy Trains website and received a little clarification on the idea of  muscle "tightness". Thomas Myers differentiates between a "locked long" muscle and a "locked short" muscle. It should be known that both of these distinctions are abnormal lengths for a muscle tissue and put it at greater risk for injury.

When I say injury, I mean the sore knee and shin that you might feel a couple days out of a MAJOR stress to the human body. It is very rare, unless you were in the Lord of The Rings, that humans are permitted to move at a constant pace for long periods of time. Just realize that running for that long will bring out some dysfunction you have whether it originate at the ankle, knee, hip, back, or neck.

I am not saying that running is the devil, but most of us are not built to run long distance. Furthermore, most of of run to supplement our sedentary lifestyles. Running a long distance to stay active AFTER we have sat on our butts all day long is not normal. Sitting for long periods of time is not normal. I say normal in that the body was not built to handle the sedentary stress we put on it. I believe that we try to treat an extreme sedentary lifestyle with an extreme active lifestyle. It sounds like a lot of pain to me.

Back to the muscle stuff. The hamstring issue I posted last time is not as simple as improving glute function. If fact, during one's journey to find their ass function again, they will feel discomfort in their hamstring. The hamstring is the guy that wants to take over for everything. The hamstring would be called "locked long". It is in a constant stretched and toned state.

muscle tonus ,n the steady reflex contraction that resides in the muscles concerned in maintaining erect posture. Tonus has its basis in the positional interactions of the muscle and its accompanying nerve structure

Think of a muscle that rests in an over toned (hypertonic) state as being "tense". This is why your hamstring might feel tight to stretch. It does not mean that it is short and tight, but rather it exists in  a hypertonic state. Stretching a "locked long" muslce is not the best idea. This is where foam rolling and massage comes in. In simple terms, (I have very little knowledge of massage techniques) releasing a "locked" muscle will make more sense. Instead of stretching, most of us need some form of mobilizing tissues and joints. I am sure that anybody who has ever received a massage on their neck region feels 100% better after that session. Those muscles where probably locked in position because our shoulders and back were rounded all day.

Hypertonic muscles can also be weak. Think of muscle fibers as boards on a wood floor. They also have little ratchets that come off the boards to catch the board around it. These boards pull together to create a muscle contraction. If these muscles are either in a "locked long" or "locked short" state, they are not at an optimal length to create a healthy muscle contraction. Not having a healthy muscle contraction will decrease the muscle's strength and chance to gain hypertrophy. Ah yes, hypertrophy. You may not know it, but hypertrophy (growth of muscle) is what EVERYBODY is striving for when they go to the gym. Whether you lift weights to "tone" a muscle, or do "cardio" to shed fat that lies on top of the muscle, increased hypertrophy of a muscle is the scientific term of "looking good".

Lets take a real world example. A common "locked long" muscle is the hamstring. If anybody was watching the New York Yankees playoff games this year, think of Mark Teixeira's hamstring strain. Professional sports teams have access to the best facilities and medical professionals. I am positive that any sort of pain and he would go see the athletic trainer or team doctor. So how did his hamstring strain after all of this pre-game stretching and medical treatment? Well it might have happened because his muscle returned to that locked state after sitting in the dugout. We also know that some positions in baseball do not move very far to field the ball. It was only when he suddenly burst into hip extension (sprint) that his locked hamstring tore apart. Our tissues are extremely durable. Mark Teixeira did not just suddenly develop Usain Bolt type acceleration. That one hip extension movement was certainly preceded by many other hip extension movements just that day. He probably simply placed too much stress on a hypertonic muscle.

Start to think about these topics when you are training. Does something feel overly stretched or tight? Is your performance hindered from a "locked" muscle tissue? There is only one way to fix faulty patterns of movement, and that is by testing those patterns for dysfunctions. Remember, we are trying to find the origin of the problem, not just where the pain is!

Keep applying your knowledge and lets add some intelligence to our monotonous gym time!
Many thanks to Patrick Ward for helping me understand this stuff. Go check out his blog!