This was originally published in Magnolia Magazine
We will now start discussing the elements of the actual exercise program. Although nutrition is definitely a key element for fat loss, it alone will not create fitness. True fitness is what enables one to radiate vitality, function better in every aspect of life, minimize pain and maximize well being. To achieve this level of fitness, exercise is the IT factor!
Warm-up and Cool-down
Unfortunately, folks are often in such a rush that they neglect performing a proper warm-up and/or cool-down.
From a cardiovascular and musculoskeletal perspective it’s important to allow the body to move into and out of exercise gradually.
Here are some benefits of a proper warm-up:
• The blood is gradually “shunted” from the core of the body to the extremities, more safely preparing the body for exercise. This directs more blood flow to the exercising muscles, providing them with nourishment and helping to remove waste products.
• Heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen consumption are gradually increased.
• Lessening of premature onset of blood lactic acid accumulation (helping reduce the burning sensation in the muscles).
• Warm-up helps reduce fatigue during higher level aerobic exercise.
• Increased elasticity of the active muscles.
• Gradual increase in heat in the active muscle groups (reducing the likelihood of muscle injury)
• The nervous system is primed to help recruit more motor units within the muscles, enhancing exercise performance.
• Prepares muscles for pre-exercise stretching.
• Provides early awareness of potential musculoskeletal or metabolic problems that may increase at higher intensities. This can help one avoid a potentially dangerous health situation.
• Mental preparation for exercise.
Length: Warm-ups are generally recommended for at least 3-5 minutes. However the duration should be adjusted depending on the level and intensity of the primary conditioning activity as well as the person’s fitness level.
General and Specific Warm-ups:
A general warm-up is one that is non-specific to the activity at hand. Examples are riding a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill before performing resistance training.
A specific warm-up would resemble the primary exercise activity. For example, bodyweight squats before leg presses, push-ups before bench presses, or walking to prepare for running.
When performing resistance training, I highly recommend continuing the warm-up process by doing at least one warm-up set of about 15 or so repetitions of each resistance exercise before moving on to heavier loads.
With my personal training clients I incorporate “Three dimensional warm-ups”. These utilize primary functional movement patterns, giving many benefits of both general and specific warm-ups. They also enhance their overall movement efficiency, making one less vulnerable to injury both during exercise and daily life.
Cool Down
The Cool-down is extremely important on so many levels.
• Gradually decreases the heart rate and overall metabolism.
• Reversal of the blood shunt, helping to prevent post exercise venous blood pooling and too rapid a drop in blood pressure. This reduces the likelihood of lightheadedness or fainting.
• Reduction in incidence of post exercise muscle spasms or cramping.
• Reduction in the concentration of exercise hormones, thereby lowering the probability of post-exercise disturbance in cardiac rhythm.
For Cool-downs, low level activity, similar to that of the conditioning exercise is recommended.
The length should be proportional to the intensity and length of the primary conditioning phase. A 30-40 minute conditioning phase at moderately high intensity should warrant a 5-10 minute cool-down. Stretching is also recommended after the cool-down focusing on the muscle groups most utilized in the conditioning activity.
This is an updated version of an article that was original published in Magnolia Magazine
An Exercise In Patience
One scenario I’ve seen far too often is when folks, who haven’t exercised in a long time, get inspired to suddenly put on their athletic shoes and go for a jog or run. Chances are the next few days are going to be filled with aching muscles and tender, painful joints. In some cases a moderate to severe injury can occur, especially in vulnerable areas like the knees and lower back. Even more serious are the consequences that can result from cardiorespiratory issues exacerbated by inappropriate exercise.
When it comes to beginning an exercise program it’s extremely important not to be too impatient. It takes time for the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems to adapt to the stresses placed on them. You need to build a strong foundation and move from there. But before even starting there’s something else to consider.
Medical Clearance
It is always very important to make sure that you don’t have any pre-existing conditions that would make certain types (or intensities) of exercise contraindicated. Before any client of a Fitness Professional can begin their exercise program, they are required to fill out, in the minimum, a form called a”Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire” ( PAR-Q ). If someone answers yes to any question on the Par-Q, then often medical clearance and guidelines would be required from their health care provider.
Unfortunately many people starting an exercise program don’t consider this important first step. They just assume that it’s safe to start. I’d highly recommend checking with your physician before starting to exercise on your own to make sure you are good to go!
Assessing Before Progressing
For the sake of illustration I will describe how I progress a client in the beginning. This may give you an idea of how to begin.
I always start each session by having them work on their overall body alignment from the ground up.
We start with the soles of their feet, making sure they aren't distributing their weight unevenly and then work up to the knees, hips, torso and neck and head. The reason we do this each time is because many factors can change a person's alignment from day to day and we always want to establish good posture.
This is also an opportunity for my clients to get centered and create a high level of body awareness (i.e. kinesthetic awareness). This in turn helps them create more conscious movement patterns rather than just "going through the motions" unconsciously.
As we begin slowly working through various simple movements I am carefully observing and assessing their fluidity and/or any noticable asymmetries. I also listen to the verbal feedback they give me about how each movement feels so I can make note any tightness or pain they experience. I also scan for any postural deviations that need to be considered. One common concern is an over exaggerated arch (lordosis) in their lower back.
Let’s consider this particular physical issue in relation to jogging. Often tight hip flexors are the culprits that pull the top of the pelvis forward into an anterior pelvic tilt. This creates an exaggerated curve in the lumbar spine. Two of the hip flexor muscles (called the Psoas major and minor), attach directly to the Lumbar spine so if they are tight there is already considerable tension there (imagine a “tug of war” with muscles pulling against your spine).
Now picture the additional forces that jogging or running would place on that badly misaligned pelvis. Every step creates potentially hazardous impact not only in the lower back itself but throughout the whole body (ouch!). So here we have what would appear to be a “healthy activity” fraught with potential danger!
It’s important never to ignore and push through pain. Well known Physical Therapist Grey Cook refers to this as “Putting training on top of dysfunction”. Yet so many people do push through, assuming that once they “whip themselves into shape” they’ll be okay.
Let’s consider a better strategy. Instead of moving straight into a high impact activity such as jogging, we would first release the tight areas and start to strengthen overstretched areas. From there you build a strong physical foundation by increasing the stability and strength throughout the body. We would also use very low impact movements, gradually progressing the intensity as appropriate. This gives the body time to properly adapt through each level of intensity.
Becoming a certified personal trainer was a dream come true for me. It's something that I'm passionate about in a way that is hard to even express.
For me it's an honor and priviledge to be entrusted with my clients health and well being in the capacity in which I can serve them.
Unfortunately the way personal trainers are often portrayed in the media, there is a misrepresentation of what personal trainers do and/or how we treat the people we are there to serve (i.e. "The Biggest Loser").
I wanted to share some thoughts on what being a personal trainer personally means to me:
Being a certified personal trainer is not just about creating programs or exercise routines. It is about the careful consideration of each client’s unique physical, mental and emotional qualities, therefore it’s holistic in nature.
It’s about having a laser-like focus on each client’s movement patterns and helping them make the proper adjustments. In a sense, EVERY moment of the session is an assessment.
It’s about teaching clients in a way that helps them develop their kinesthetic awareness so they can better function not only during their training sessions but in all the activities of their lives.
It’s about proper and appropriate progression that safely allows for positive adaptations to occur.
It’s about weighing the “risk versus reward” of any exercise or movement pattern and especially as it relates to the individual client(s) we are working with.
It’s about understanding how to help our clients develop confidence in their abilities to get healthier, more fit, and develop self efficacy through a love of fitness.
It’s about having the flexibility that enables you to modify or entirely discard the intended program you had planned in order to meet the needs of the client in that moment.
It’s about providing the highest level of excellence possible in the services you provide.
It’s about a commitment to continuing education that goes well beyond our CEC requirements.
Finally every personal trainer, regardless of the organization(s) they are affiliated with, should realize that their individual actions represent our profession as a whole and should act accordingly!
Scott Fishkind
http://www.time4youfitness.com/
Aging Redefined
I once heard a very wise saying which went something like:
“Don’t let an old person move into your body”.
I really took this advice to heart. I truly believe that “rather than letting age define you, you can redefine what aging means”
For example, I am 50 years old yet I feel like I’m 20!
This is true on so many levels from a psychological as well as physical standpoint.
The Fountain Of Youth?
It's often said that “Exercise is the fountain of youth”, and while in many respects this is true, it’s an incomplete statement. It would be more accurate to say that a healthy “lifestyle” is the fountain of youth.
This lifestyle must include exercise, but also nutrition, proper rest and trying to avoid putting substances in your body that will have a "toxic" effect on your health.
I would also put “toxic thoughts” into the category of things that need to be limited as much as possible as well!
Aging and Exercise
Although I stated above the importance of an overall healthy lifestyle, I would like to focus specifically on the role exercise itself can play as an extremely potent positive force.
Below are some bullet points I've organized based on information from the ACE Personal Trainer Manual, 3rd edition:
- Quality of life may be measured by the individual’s ability to perform activities of daily living.
While someone may be 65 years of age (chronological age), they may have a biological age of 45 based on their fitness and health status. The importance of regular exercise and health promotion cannot be emphasized enough when looking at the association of chronological versus biological age.
How exercise can help: Even though exercise heart rate declines with age, stroke volume (the amount of blood pumped with each beat of the heart) can increase or be maintained in healthy older subjects who exercise, thus overcoming the effect of a lowered heart rate.
Endurance training can significantly reduce the mean blood pressure and the systemic vascular resistance in older individuals.
With age, loss of calcium results in decreased bone mass, but weight bearing and resistance-training exercises are known to help maintain bone mass.
Muscle mass declines with age (creating less strength and endurance) primarily due to changes in lifestyle and decreased use of the neuromuscular system. However significant strength gains in previously sedentary older adults can be attained by a program of regular exercise.
As lean body weight (muscle and bone) declines with age, body fat increases. This change in body composition is primarily due to decrease in muscle mass, basal metabolic rate (BMR- which is basically your metabolism, the slower it is the less calories are burned), and lack of physical activity.
- Regular physical activity preserves lean body mass, decreasing fat stores and stimulating protein synthesis which may reverse these adverse changes in body composition associated with aging.
Note: Older adults need to be fully cleared to participate in physical activity by their physician.
(S. Fishkind 8/1/2010 50 years old)
Scott Fishkind http://www.time4youfitness.com/
When Mike Boyle Speaks We Should All Listen!
Not long ago, I was listening to a conversation with Mike Boyle on his "Strength Coach Podcast" episode 32:
http://strengthcoachpodcast.typepad.com/the_strength_coach_podcas/2009/03/episode-32--strength-coach-podcast.html.
For those who don't know Mike Boyle let me list some of his accomplishments:
- He is the owner of "Mike Boyle's Strength and Conditioning" (MBSC) which is one of the top athletic training facilities in the world.
- He founded "Strength Coach.Com", the undisputed top forum in the field which attracts world class strength and conditioning coaches, physical therapists and personal trainers as contributers.
- He is an internationally recognized speaker as well as author in the field.
- As if that isn't enough, Mike is also the Head Strength and Conditioning coach for the 2009 National Champion Boston University Terriers hockey team.
In this particular discussion, he was speaking about the importance of strength related to the success of the B.U. hockey team. However he was not stressing its importance in terms of how it would enhance performance skills but rather it's impact first and foremost on injury reduction.
Less injured players means having greater roster depth which enabled them to have their best athletes available on the ice deep into the post season.
The strength he was referring to in particular was the development of high levels of contractile strength. This type of muscular strength helps maintain the integrity of the joints enabling them to withstand the punishment of constant high speed impact!
Do You Need Contractile Strength?
Most people reading this blog post may be thinking, “But I am not an athlete so what does this have to do with me?”
Well even for non-athletes, having a good amount of contractile strength can help make one more resilient to the demands of daily life and the unpredictable circumstances you may encounter on any given day. It may be the difference between sustaining a significant injury or walking away relatively unscathed.
Dogs, Rabbits and Contractile Strength?
A great example of how contractile strength can protect one’s joints has been made clear to me several times when I’ve been out walking my golden retriever.
My Dog During One Of Our Walks
We walk almost every evening before dusk. At that time there are always lots of rabbits visible around the community where I live happily munching on the grass.
There have been several occasions where my head has been turned and my dog decided to take off suddenly in his determined but futile attempt to chase one of these bunnies.
When this occurs I usually have a split second between feeling the sudden tug on the leash and stopping him in his tracks.
He’s a fairly large, powerful dog and he creates quite a lot of force when he decides "it's go time!" That force is not only placed right into my shoulder capsule but down through my torso and ultimately into my legs and feet.
There is no doubt in my mind that if I didn’t have good contractile strength from my core outward, I would have sustained several injuries by now because of that very sweet but "rabbit crazy" pooch.
Ground Based Training
A good deal of the training I do is "ground based". This means that I may work with resistance tubing or cable apparatus from a standing position. So the training actually builds strength in an integrated manner from my feet upwards. The muscles have learned to fire in an optimal pattern from this standing position as opposed to sitting on a machine or lying on a bench.
Certainly for pure contractile strength around certain joints those other types of training can be useful, but for more "functional" strength it is very important to spend some time doing ground based training.
Bumps, Groceries and Gardening?
The above scenario with my dog is just one situation where having this integrated contractile strength can prevent injury. There are many other scenarios where having this type of strength can help you stay safe.
For example, people commonly encounter situations where someone may bump into them unexpectedly. Having good strength in one's hips, legs and core (as well as balance), can mean the difference between having a potentially harmful fall and merely being thrown temporarily off kilter.
Not only can this type of strength prevent injury in terms of an unexpected force being placed on your body, but it can help you be more capable of handling the various physical stresses of daily life, from carrying a child or groceries, to weeding in your garden or playing recreational sports.
So please don't ignore the importance of contractile strength and ground based strength training in your fitness programs, it can really make you less vulnerable to injury as well as help you function better in every activity!
Note: I just wanted to clarify that when I'm referring to core strength, this refers to muscles from the hips to the shoulders that surround the front and back of the body. I am not speaking specifically about the abdominals (or doing exercises like crunches or any spinal flexion in fact).
Rather along with the ground based training which utilizes the core as a stabilizer during pushing and pulling movements, I also do specific core work using various types of stabilization exercises such as plank variations, Bird-Dogs and various exercises that create resistance against rotation.
Scott Fishkind Time4You Fitness
Please contact me at http://www.time4youfitness.com/
Familiar Memories
"STOP SLOUCHING!"
"STAND (or "SIT") UP STRAIGHT!"
Sound familiar? You probably heard these words from your parents, teachers, coaches etc.
More often than not, this probably went in one ear and out the other. We often chalk it up to stuff that the adults in our lives used to tell us along with things like "Eat your vegetables", "Do your homework!" etc.
"Boy those adults sure were annoying!" right?
However behind these words related to posture is actually very important wisdom.
Thinking about it, eating your vegetables and doing your homework weren't such bad ideas either :)
All Exercise is Good Right?
Even if one is diligent about exercising, bad posture can wreak havoc on our bodies and lead to debilitating injuries over time.
This all falls under the topic of biomechanics which has to do with the principles of mechanics applied to a living organism. In this case that living organism is you!
This also doesn't just apply to just how you stand or sit throughout the day but to exercise itself.
Run Forrest Run!
I was driving to the gym this morning and saw someone jogging down the road.
A healthy activity one would think right?
Well, it depends!
The way this fellow, and in fact the way I've seen "most" people jog, their running mechanics are so far from optimal (to put it mildly) that they are placing themselves in a perfect position to create injuries.
This is due to the extreme and repetitive ground reaction forces they are continuously placing on their misaligned structures.
Ground reaction forces mirror right back into the body the forces that are placed into the ground. Imagine what that does to one's body over time, and especially to someone who isn't using good technique!
The folks that benefit the most from this type of activity are the orthopedic physicians and other doctors that will be billing you for the services they provide after you hurt yourself (not to mention the companies who produce the drugs they'll most likely be prescribing for you).
Day to Day Posture
Even in less intense activities, having good posture is critical to one's health. People often don't think of "health" from a musculoskeletal standpoint. Rather, these types of pain are written off using colloquial expressions such as "tweaking their back", having a "stitch in their side" or "Crick in the neck" etc.
But any imbalance in the body is ultimately a "health" issue, it doesn't always have to involve an obvious illness or disease of some sort. For example, imbalances or impingements that effect the spine can directly impact the ability of the nervous system to communicate with certain parts of the body. Over time this can have drastic consequences for those parts affected.
Additionally, the body is a single interconnected unit so inevitably any dysfunction can end up snow balling into other problems that would seem totally unrelated to the initial injury.
To illustrate, you may hurt your back, which keeps you up all night from the pain, which causes you to become exhausted, which in turn causes your immune system to become compromised, which leaves you more vulnerable to getting sick etc.
While it's true that anyone can get hurt whether they use good posture or not, doesn't it make sense to try and lessen the chances of having to deal with this type of situtation if you have the option?
Starting From A Strong Foundation
Posture is such an important issue with me as a trainer that we spend a few minutes during each training session to make sure we have good alignment before we move into the more active part of the session.
I have my clients start from their feet and work their way up segment by segment through the "kinetic chain". The "kinetic chain" consists of all the interconnected parts that are used to create movement. Like any chain, it's only as strong as its weakest link.
Remember that old song "The foot bone's connected to the ankle bone, the ankle bone's connected to the... etc..." Well, there was a lot of truth to that song. What happens in your feet can ultimately affect your neck.
I lived through this experience personally in a way that was very vivid. I broke my big toe. No big deal right? Well, after a week of hobbling around and not being able to walk properly, my lower back, upper back and neck were totally out of whack. Trust me, it's all interconnected!
If clients discover certain areas of concern, we'll need to put emphasis on specific flexibility and strength exercises to address those issues. This will help to create a more balanced structure from which to work from.
A common issue with people is having tight hip flexors that creates an excessive lordosis (lower back inward arch) from the top of their pelvis being rotated forward. This often shuts down their glutes which affects how they walk. So we'll want to create flexibility in the hip flexors and get them to be able to fire their glutes.
Without addressing this first we'd be putting training on top of a misalignment which could lead to injury.
Now if there are real pain issues that are present, a health professional will most likely need to get involved. But in all cases this initial "body scan" is a critical first step before moving into anything resembling training.
We are not only trying to create good alignment for the session itself but to build good postural awareness.
This awareness carries over throughout the session and ideally (and more importantly), through the rest of the day into each client's lives.
You can start creating this awareness right now by being aware of your body position as you are reading this blog. Then try to continue to do this during the rest of your daily activities.
Assessing Not Guessing
Ideally it pays to have someone with experience do a postural assessment of you. This way you'll know specifically what to concentrate on in terms of your posture.
The thing is, as people get used to being out of alignment, that misaligned position feels normal to them. In fact, "correct" alignment may feel strange at first. But you just start a little at a time and try to learn healthier patterns related to your overall posture.
By Scott Fishkind/Time4You Fitness
http://www.time4youfitness.com/
GETTING THE BURN
There was a time when I was definitely NOT in the kind of shape I’m in today. I carried about 40 pounds of extra fat on my body and a large portion of it seemed to settle around my mid-section.
So like anyone else in my position I figured I’d better start doing some ab exercises so I could “burn away the fat”.
While I’d feel the “burn” in my abdominal region from the exercise, it didn’t actually melt the fat away from that area (it was just lactic acid accumulation).
I later learned that spot reduction, from exercise, doesn’t actually exist. The only way to spot reduce fat is from a surgical procedure like liposuction.
SO WHAT DOES WORK?
What I also came to learn was that it took a combination of things to achieve the results I wanted.
First and foremost, I had to face the fact that I had to change how I was eating. I was on the classic “See Food” diet where “If I saw it, I ate it!”
Second I had to start on a consistent exercise program.
This plan worked and I not only lost almost all 40 lbs in about 6 months but I also got extremely fit!
I WANT TO PUMP YOU UP!
Interestingly enough, what worked for me was not the typical cardio approach that so most people believe is key to losing weight (i.e. body fat).
I intuitively discovered that it was about building muscle!
This was lucky for me since I enjoyed resistance training more than cardio.
I did supplement occasionally with cardio, just because I figured I should do some cardio, but it was really a minimal amount.
Years later I learned that the reason resistance training was so critical to the success I had is because muscle is “metabolically active” tissue.
This means it requires a certain amount of energy in the form of calories in order to maintain itself.
Fat doesn’t use much energy and in fact it is a form of stored energy, so it’s not metabolically active in the way muscle is.
FAT LOSS PATTERNS
One thing that really surprised me throughout the process was that as I started losing fat, it came off pretty much everywhere else before my abs.
When it did start to come off there, it started with a 2 pack just below my sternum, then a 4 pack and eventually a 6 pack in the lower abdominal region.
I eventually learned that people tend to lose fat in a certain pattern . On most men it seems that the waist is the last place fat tends to come off, with women it’s usually, the hips and thighs .
Certainly some folks have different genetic patterns and I’ve actually seen the exact opposite scenarios between men and women.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
Even after all these years that I’ve been involved with fitness, first as a “layperson” and then as a fitness professional, the only difference my physique undergoes these days in terms of fat loss is primarily as a result of how I eat.
This is because my fitness program is extremely consistent in terms of the way I cycle intensity.
In the winter months I like to carry about 5 extra pounds because I find being too lean in the winter doesn't work for me (as I can't stay warm), but as spring approaches I shed them.
This is always accomplished by gradual reductions in my overall caloric consumption, small changes that get me to where I want to be pretty easily and painlessly.
And what do you know, those lower abs come back where I want them to without any extra ab exercises. :)
IN SUMMARY
So in Summary. No matter how much time you spend working on your abs. butt or thighs, it won’t burn off the fat in those specific areas.
What will work for most people is to first clean up your nutrition, add a resistance training program to build lean body tissue (i.e. muscle) and supplement it with cardio as the "icing on the cake" (pun intended! :)).
A caveat: I wanted to clarify that I am not against cardio training and I do include training that I call "conditioning" work. This includes modalities like kickboxing, aerobic stepping and agility work among others.
I also do metabolic strength training which are intense circuits (or complexes) which create a great metabolic disturbance. This type of training does give cardiovascular and weight loss benefits.
Primarily, I'm just not a big believer in the efficacy of "steady state" cardio such as typical machine training on treadmills, bikes and ellipticals, as a primary weight loss tool (note: for severely overweight or deconditioned individuals, this may be a good starting point but not to the exclusion of nutritional modifications-the most important element- and resistance training).
If one wants to use those types of modalities, then interval training, in particular high intensity interval training, can give great benefits and will certainly produce caloric expenditure both during and after the workout.
The problem is that often people do that type of training as their sole source of fitness and often additionally neglect the nutritional element, and therefore don't get the fat loss benefits they are seeking.
Scott Fishkind
http://www.time4youfitness.com/
"So you’re a personal trainer?" I am commonly asked.
"Yes" I say.
"Like those folks on “The Biggest Loser?"
"Well, to be honest, nothing I do remotely resembles what is portrayed by the trainers on that show!"
This type of conversation happens to me on a regular basis. I’m put in the position to explain that what folks see on their TV is the polar opposite of how I treat or train my clients.
I’m sure it’s a pretty common scenario for most Personal Trainers ever since the phenomenon of “The Biggest Loser” ("TBL") came on the scene.
Before I continue, I do want to say that I'm sure there are a percentage of viewers who may be motivated to start exercising and trying to clean up their eating as a result of the show and that is great, but there is a lot about the show that concerns me on many levels!
PERSONAL TRAINING?
First of all, even though they have personal trainers leading the workouts on the show, what they are doing on the show is not actual personal training.
What makes Personal training “personal" is the idea that programs are custom designed to meet the specific, individual needs of each client. However on the show there seems to be a general plan that each trainer uses and some contestants survive it and some don’t.
Also no responsible personal trainer would ever risk putting a severely deconditioned and morbidly obese individual through those types of grueling workouts. It takes time for one's body to adapt to safely handle the stresses of exercise both from a musculoskeletal and cardiorespiratory standpoint.
Maybe they can get away with it because they have medical staff "in the wings" on "TBL", but it's not the way personal trainers would typically handle a client with that type of physical profile.
Second, I can’t imagine any responsible trainer who would even consider, let alone get away with, the type of verbal abuse seen on "TBL". It also should go without saying that no paying client would tolerate that sort of behavior for a minute.
Both of those issues go against everything our education as trainers (not to mention "common sense") teaches us. Rather what I have seen on that show would be considered reckless and abusive, plain and simple.
In fact if a trainer used those types of tactics and a client was injured, they wouldn't have a leg to stand on from a legal standpoint because it would be so far outside of what is considered the "standard of care"
Train Wreck?
Fairly recently I was listening to a podcast interview with Coach Robert Dos Remedios (2006 NSCA Collegiate Strength Coach of The Year). In it, Coach Dos (as he is called) referred to “The Biggest Loser” as a ”train wreck”.
This is because it has the same effect on people as a terrible accident that people can’t turn away from out of morbid curiousity. He continued by saying something to the affect of "And this is coming from a guy who works his athletes so hard that most people would consider what I do abusive!"
He said that if he treated his athletes that way the folks on "TBL" were treated, he wouldn’t have a job very long because no one would tolerate it!
Is It All An Act?
The irony is that I wouldn't be surprised if in "real life" the trainers on "TBL"are completely different in how they would train or treat real clients "off screen". In fact they may be the kindest, most compassionate people in the world, but regardless of what the truth may be, that isn't what "TBL" viewers get to see so all we can go by is what we're given.
Bottom line, whatever they're doing is working to attract viewers and sell products so I don't see a change anytime soon.
And The Winner Is!
The only reason the trainers on 'TBL" get away with all of the above on the show because ultimately it’s a “game” and the "contestants" know that they've got no choice but to deal with it in order to have a chance at winning the prize money!
Sadly, it has been reported that in numerous cases, many of the contestants on "TBL" don’t end up keeping the weight off (in fact an NBC exec said about 50% ) because they lost it in an environment they cannot possibly duplicate in their real life.
Also, the backlash of going through an extreme process like that is analogous with what happens when someone severely deprives themselves on a diet and then goes on uncontrollable eating binges.
Getting Real!
Ultimately, REAL transformation happens both on the inside as well as the outside. What I mean by “Real” is a change that will last indefinitely. That is unlikely to happen if one's primary motivation is coming from a combination of prize money and the prodding of overly aggressive trainers beating them senseless with exercise.
For example, when I train my own clients, I challenge them to find their edge but not go over it. They know I "want" them to stop if they start to feel overwhelmed. Within a fairly short amount of time, every client I've worked with ends up pushing "themselves" because they learn where their personal safe threshold is.
A big part of the reason people may not work hard initially is because in the beginning they can't tell the difference between discomfort and fatigue or when they are actually moving into the danger zone.
Once they learn to judge that difference internally, they are self motivated and actually seem to enjoy the challenge of pushing to their personal edge. I've never once had to yell at a client and in fact I'm more likely to be reminding them to be mindful of not crossing the edge rather than trying to force them over it.
It's the difference between "extrinsic" (outer) and "intrinsic" (inner) motivation. Intrinsic motivation is ultimately more powerful!
The truth is, it really doesn't take more than a few sessions for this to start to happen and they could easily employ this approach as well on "TBL" but I guess that wouldn't get ratings!
Who Are Really The Biggest Losers?
Ultimately, I really believe that the real “Biggest Losers” are many of the people watching the show, in particular those who may have a lot of weight (i.e. bodyfat) to lose themselves.
I say this because those viewers see the contestants losing insane amounts of weight each week and may feel that if they can’t accomplish the same that they are somehow failures. This can lead to them just give up in frustration!
Even if they are fully aware that the “contestants” on the show are in an unrealistic situation, with nothing to do 24-7 but concentrate on losing weight, it doesn't help them feel better about their own predicament. The show has led to unrealistic, not to mention unhealthy expectations regarding achievable weight loss.
Where are they now?
MSNBC Interactive did an article about the show called "Where are the biggest losers now?" Erik Chopin, the overall wnner of season 3 was interviewed. He revealed that he has put almost all of the 200 lbs that he lost on the show.
When he spoke with Bob Harper, his trainer on "TBL" Bob recommended that he use a more balanced approach that he can do for the rest of his life" in order to take the weight off again.
In fact Bob said (direct quote from the article) “You know how to take it off and you know how to put it on — what you don’t know is how to live your everyday life”.
Okay, so much for the great tools these folks were given to take into their lives. I guess all those 100 calorie snack bags and Subway sandwiches (no doubt products of the show's sponsers) didn't do the trick..... big surprise!
Unfortunately most people watching "TBL" probably haven't seen that article I referred to above and may mistakenly still believe that the only way to achive weight loss is using the extreme tactics shown on the show.
They may also believe those solutions will bring about long term change, that once you lose it then you are all done and you'll keep it off forever. I mean, who could lose 200 lbs and ever go back. Just ask Erik, and about half of the other folks who lost all that weight on the show. This is a terribly sad situation!
A "Personal" Concern
Besides having unrealistic weight loss expectations, it also greatly concerns me that the viewers may be afraid of hiring a qualified fitness professional who could help them because they are afraid they might be treated like the folks on "TBL".
This is extremely upsetting to me because the main reason I went through the process of becoming a certified personal trainer was because I wanted to make my living making a positive difference in people’s lives. I would never think of treating my clients with anything other than respect, kindness, patience, and compassion!
Most people really don't know how to go about tackling such a complex issue. They don't know where to begin in terms of setting up an appropriate exercise program. Most likely they will need the help of a Registered Dietician or nutritionist along with a fitness professional to help them have the right tools to be successful. But if they think all personal trainers are like those on "TBL" they may never take the first step on what may be a life changing experience!
Scott Fishkind Time4You Fitness
http://www.time4youfitness.com/
A Too Familiar Scene
Roger: “Hey Bill, where are you going?”
Bill: “To the gym”
Roger: “Again? You practically live at the gym”
Bill: "Gotta hit the treadmill again for at least 45 minutes to burn off all the stuff I ate and drank over the weekend!”
Roger: (Thinking to himself) “Sounds like a good plan, but why doesn't Bill ever look any different after all these years of walking on that treadmill?”
This scenario is played out by countless people every single day. They mistakenly believe that the answer to all their fitness and fat loss needs can be solved by logging endless hours a week doing steady state (long moderate intensity) cardiovascular exercise and “burning away the calories with each step they take”. Sadly, they are mostly "burning through countless pairs of athletic shoes" not to mention precious time.
The truth is, while cardio is an important component of a well rounded fitness program , it is only ONE component.
Not only that, but after years of going to gyms and seeing the same people, on the same equipment, actually get bigger (and I’m not talking about bigger muscles or increased height), it’s clear that this is a faulty strategy. Basically, all those miles on the treadmill aren't getting them anywhere and not just metaphorically!
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that if fat loss is the goal, the nutritional aspect is ultimately about 80 percent of the equation but that won’t be the focus of this post since it's not my area of expertise (you should get advice from a Registered Dietician or nutritionist regarding nutrition).
That being said, weight loss in by itself does not equal fitness. There are plenty of people who are "skinny fat". What this means is that they may not carry a lot of body mass, and may not have the same health risk factors as someone who is overweight or obese, but they have limited work capacity. For this type of individual, doing basic everyday tasks like climbing stairs and carrying groceries may leave them out of breath.
So it's the combination of right nutrition with effective, intelligent exercise that equates to true fitness.
It's Better Doing Something Than Nothing Isn't it?
Certainly doing any form of regular exercise is better than being completely sedentary. But doing the same thing over and over again is not only relatively ineffective but it can actually cause musculoskeletal issues over time .
In terms of it not being very effective, the body adapts to any stress placed on it so that it doesn’t have to work as hard. Therefore as your body adapts to the same treadmill routine, it becomes more efficient and hence burns less calories.
From a musculoskeletal standpoint, doing the same exercise over and over, by definition, neglects other movement patterns. This means you are overworking some muscles while neglecting others, which can lead to “Overuse Injuries”.
Third, there is an “epidemic of bad form” that is so rampant it takes every bit of self control I can muster to NOT run over to people at the gym and plead with them to "come down off the machines" in an attempt to rescue them! Okay, perhaps a “slight” over exaggeration, but not by much. :)
Getting Your Props Can Be A Bad Thing
One of the most common form problems is created when people prop themselves up with their arms, often w/ hyper extended elbows.
This pretty much “shuts down” the core and its intrinsic stabilizers as well as the mechanisms responsible for balance of the body (not to mention being an unfavorable position for their arms, shoulders and neck). So they are taking an already repetitive form of physical activity and creating even more potential for injury because the biomechanics of their bodies are so distorted and misaligned.
To use an analogy: If you've ever injured one of your feet and you had to hobble around for any length of time, chances are you probably didn't feel very good in your hips, back and neck due to the misalignment of your physical structure. This is similar to what folks do when they distort their bodies on a treadmill or stair climber. It's more subtle, but over time these awkward body positions are bound to "catch up with them".
Some Ways To Fix The Various Problems
Mix up your program: Even if you insist on doing primarily cardiovascular exercise, at least change the mode of activity. Instead of ONLY using a treadmill, use an elliptical or an exercise bike. Still this is very much one plane of motion (forward and back aka “Sagittal plane”) so it’s not ideal but still better than only using one piece of equipment.
Better still would be to mix in other, more multiplanar (multiple directions of movement) activities such as kickboxing, aerobic stepping, agility based training, various dance forms, anything that allows your body to move side to side or with some rotation of the hips in addition to forwards and back.
Vary the intensity level: On machines the two main options are to increase the speed or resistance (for example, on a treadmill you can vary the incline to increase the resistance). You can use various types of “interval” training where you vary “work and recovery” ratios (I have a blog post on this which gets into more detail: http://time4youfitness.blogspot.com/2009/08/interval-training-key-to-increasing.html
Strengthening Your Position
Implement some resistance training to your exercise program: Strength training builds lean body tissue (i.e. muscle mass) which in the end will help you burn more calories 24 hours a day. Steady state cardio pretty much burns calories only during the actual activity, not much of an “afterburn” effect (known as EPOC “Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption”). Plus steady state cardio doesn't do much in the way of building muscle (unless one is very deconditioned).
Not The Same Ol' Thing
Try to mix up your resistance training program as well by not always doing the same exercises with the same amount of resistance (weight), in the same order. Again, while it’s certainly better than nothing you’ll severely limit your progress and again risk overuse issues.
Also I recommend that you limit your use of machines that isolate specific muscles (like "leg extensions", "leg curls", "biceps curls"), instead it is best to focus on multi-joint movements such as leg presses, squats, presses and rows. These are infinitely more time efficient as well since you are working several muscle groups at the same time and by all accounts they create a greater metabolic effect as well (which means greater caloric expenditure!).
Getting Informed
Try to be conscious of the form you are using: This applies to both cardiovascular and strength training. As mentioned above, try to avoid propping yourself up on the machines, you should be able to balance from your center of gravity.
This may require you slowing down your pace on the machine as you work on having good alignment in your movement. Also make sure you have good footwear, if your feet aren’t contacting the ground properly because of what you are wearing it affects your entire body in a negative way.
The same holds true with resistance training, get someone who is knowledgeable to help you learn the proper biomechanics of the exercises. You may not be able to afford to have a trainer all the time but if you’re at a health club usually someone there will help you learn the basics of the equipment.
Please STOP Doing That!
The "Bad Form Epidemic" isn't limited by any means to what I see on the cardio equipment. I can hardly workout at a gym without wanting to beg people to stop what they are doing because it hurts my spine just watching them.
An example is the dangerous form folks use as they perform seated long pulley rows. Nine times out of ten, they are using too much weight, their head is thrusting forward with each rep, as their arms "flail back and forth” banging the weight stack each time without any sense of control.
Of course I restrain myself, but it takes a lot of effort on my part not to say anything. I desperately want to help them but since I don't work there I really can't cross that line as a fitness professional.
I promise that what I'm saying here isn't coming from a place of "trainer arrogance" but a real concern for the damage these folks, with the best of intentions, are potentially causing themselves.
Unfortunately they just haven't had the opportunity to learn how to train correctly, often because they haven't had the exposure to good information and proper instruction.
Additionally, it seems that people often workout under the mistaken notion that the machines will automatically correct their alignment, but this is not the case. In fact, often the machines aren't a good fit for their frame which means they are placing a force against a "line of pull" far from optimal at best, injury inducing at worst.
"Applied" Knowledge Is Power
There’s some great books available that I highly recommend regarding resistance training such as “Resistance Training Instruction” by Everett Aaberg or “Effective Strength Training” by Douglas Brooks. Both of these gentlemen are highly educated and respected fitness professionals and authors.
Another suggestion might be to hire a personal trainer periodically to design a program for you and instruct you on proper form of those particular exercises. This way you can have hands-on teaching so you'll know what the exercises should feel like (called "kinesthetic awareness") when done properly.
You will generally want to change your program every 4 weeks or so in order to elicit new adaptations. The price you pay for the trainer will surely be a lot less than almost any treatment you may need if you injure yourself. Plus you are optimizing your time and effort which means better results, which is why you're there anyway right?
In Closing
So in summary, be aware that while some exercise is certainly better than nothing, doing the same thing over and over again and/or exercising with bad body mechanics may not be giving you the benefits you seek. In fact it may be actually be causing you more harm in the long run than the benefits you receive in the short run.
Also, to get the best results, please don't limit your training to only one mode of exercise, be it cardio or resistance training. However, if I had to choose between them, resistance training, especially performed in a circuit training style, would be my choice hands down!
Note: Beyond the elements of Cardio and Strength mentioned above, there are also many other aspects of fitness that contribute to a well balanced fitness program (such as flexibility and balance training to name a couple). Any sound program should address those elements as well and I've discussed them in other blog posts so please refer to those.
2010 Scott Fishkind / Time4YouFitness
http://www.time4youfitness.com
