Tag Archives: Exercise

Exercise, Health Assessments, Nutrition

THE GREAT DEBATE: CAN YOU SPOT REDUCE FAT?

A new technology is reigniting the age-old controversy.

Whether you can or cannot choose where you lose fat in your body is one of the most polarizing topics in the fitness field. Anecdotal evidence has surfaced over the years suggesting that various forms of programming, supplementation and technology may in fact be able to target specific areas in the body where fat is stored. But science holds firm that the answer is a resounding no—a safe bet as there is no peer-reviewed clinical research suggesting otherwise.

“Body fat is lost in the same way that you put it on—slowly and all over,” says Dr. Justin Mager, an exercise physiologist in Mill Valley, CA, and founder of Health Incite, a holistic wellness clinic. “You can spot-reduce, but it has nothing to do with exercise and diet. It’s called liposuction.”

Besides surgical liposuction, there’s a newer, non-invasive “laser lipolysis,” which uses a laser to effectively ‘melt’ unwanted fat, which is then metabolized by the body. But neither addresses the underlying diet and exercise lifestyle issues that led to the fat build-up in the first place. Enter: red light lipolysis.

According to Rolando Garcia III, manager of the Columbus Circle location of E at Equinox, the combination of a structured workout plan and red light lipolysis treatments via a device called Pure Light seems promising for problem areas. Used in physical therapy environments for years to break up scar tissue, red light lipolysis aims an external infrared light generated by an LED (light-emitting diode) system at unwanted fat stores. “This breaks the bonds between fats, which allows you to utilize fat as fuel when you exercise,” he says.

Intrigued, Garcia tested the system himself for 8 weeks, targeting belly fat. “I focused little on my diet and reduced my training to 3 times a week, and I lost an inch off my waist after 10 sessions. Screenings showed that all my other measurements—arms, chest, shoulders—were the same. But because of my stomach, my total body fat went from 13.3% to 12.2%.”

Next up: E clients. In the protocol Garcia has developed, participants will follow a red-light lipolysis treatment (which involves wearing a belt of 8 cell-phone-sized LED pads each for 15 minutes). They will then exercise until they’ve burned 350 calories—enough to burn up those excess fatty acids before they get stored as fat again. “No research papers and clinical trials have validated this approach yet, “ admits Garcia, “but we have to start somewhere.”

Until there is, Dr. Mager suggests his approach: “First, I recommend that people de-stress their lives, which reduces the production of stress hormones like cortisol that cause fat to accumulate around your vital organs to protect them,” he says, “Then do strength and posture work,” which serves to properly line-up muscles and joints, often de-emphasizing fat stores.

A safe bet for now, but there’s no harm in a little experimentation.

To see full article go to http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/02/spot-reduction?emlcid=EML-newsletters_2015_02_04&emlcid=EML-QWeekly-0204242015.  Article written by Roy M. Wallack, Photography by Trunk Archive
Exercise, Health Assessments, Nutrition, Rehabilitation, Sports

VIDEO: WHY I TRAIN PREGNANT

 

Like so many expectant mothers who exercise, Linda Baltes deals with criticism. But she hasn’t let it stop her.

Despite the near-total eradication of gender lines in fitness, to this day, when a pregnant woman walks into the gym, eyebrows inevitably raise.

“When you’re training pregnant, you get a lot of people questioning you,” says Linda Baltes, who is expecting her first child later this month. “They’re questioning whether you’re doing this because you’re vain.”

For Baltes, it made perfect sense to continue training through her pregnancy. The Santa Monica-based triathlete—who serves in the Air Force Reserves and works for a molecular diagnostics company—has been active and athletic her entire life. But that didn’t make her immune to this specific brand of fit-shaming.

“Pregnancy is not a disease,” says Jacques Moritz, M.D., director of the division of gynecology at New York City’s Mount Sinai Roosevelt and Mount Sinai St. Luke’s. “It’s a condition. As long as one doesn’t go overboard, pregnant women not only should, but are encouraged to work out.”

Watch the video above to glimpse Baltes’ prenatal routine and hear why she believes that fitness has a place of utmost importance in these nine months of her life, and even more so in the months and years that follow.

For full article please visit http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/02/pregnancy-workout-video?emlcid=EML-newsletters_2015_02_11&emacid=EMA-QWeekly-02112122015.  Article written by Sheila Monaghan
Exercise

IS THIS HOW TO HANDLE YOUR CRAVINGS??

Suppressing those less-than-healthy urges? This psychologist has some surprising advice.

Juno DeMelo

Resistance isn’t futile when cravings strike, but it’s not the only outcome. “The best way to deal with a craving is to try riding it like a wave, or ‘surfing the urge,’ until it passes,” says Stanford psychologist Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., the author of The Willpower Instinct. Should that fail, however, these surprising techniques can help you learn from your capitulation so it’s less likely to happen again. 

Go ahead and give in. “If eating a cookie really made us happy, we’d stop after one,” says McGonigal. “But we tend to check out as we indulge, which is numbing, not satisfying.” To change your behavior, give in mindfully, chewing slowly and paying full attention to the taste and texture of your food.

Gauge how it really—actually—made you feel. Then take note of how you feel afterward to see whether the result aligns with your expectations. “Research shows that people who claimed to love chocolate felt worse after they ate it than they did before, and another study found that women felt better after finishing a healthy meal versus something celebratory and supposedly comforting,” says McGonigal. Comparing the actual outcome of giving in to a craving to the perceived one can reduce its power over you.

Forgive, don’t flog, in order to change. While it’s natural to feel some regret after a self-discipline hiccup, beating yourself up leaves little energy for change. “Many type-A personalities have succeeded in life by being tough on themselves or by having a coach or mentor who pushed them hard,” says McGonigal. But this strategy works only when your behavior is in line with your goals and not when you’re struggling or suffering. The more you pile on the criticism after a setback, the less likely you are to take action that will prevent it from reoccurring. Or as McGonigal puts it: “Guilt and shame aren’t motivating, but self-forgiveness unleashes your power.”

Photography by ARTHUR BELEBEAU/TRUNK ARCHIVE

To see full post please visit:  http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/01/cravings?emlcid=EML-newsletters_2014_01_21&emacid=EMA-QWeekly-01211212015
Exercise, Nutrition

THE ONLY WEIGHT LOSS ADVICE WORTH TAKING

For his new book, author Ted Spiker combed the science of successful dieting. Here are his 5 top takeaways.

As Ted Spiker, author of the new book Down Size and former articles editor of Men’s Health magazine, puts it: “When it comes to weight loss, everything is about food and exercise, but nothing is about food and exercise.”

He would know. While Spiker spent his days writing about weight loss—entrenched in depths of information, surrounded by some of the most knowledgeable researchers, scientists, and authors on the topic—he hit his highest weight ever, clocking in at 279 pounds. He knew exactly what he needed to do to drop a pants size or two: eat right, exercise more. But as he says: “There’s a gap between knowledge and action. We can know a lot. We can be inundated with information or be given a plan, but how do we get from knowledge to action? What makes people change in a lasting way?”

With Spiker’s unique perspective on the topic, we asked him to share the most interesting learnings he acquired while writing—and, in essence, living—a diet book:

1

Goals can destroy you—if you set them incorrectly.

“Dieting is one of the only areas of life where we don’t accept mistakes. At work, we make mistakes, we learn, we do better; in relationships, we have fights, we work it out. We don’t expect perfection. But if we fail at a diet—binge or eat something we don’t think we should—we throw in the towel and say: ‘Forget it. I ruined it.’ We never accept the fact that we can make mistakes and be flexible. In the long game, you have to have that mindset. But everyone wants to play the short game.

In the book, I include a story about a 440-pound man who set a goal to climb a 14,000-foot mountain in Colorado. He trained and hiked and when it came time to do it, he didn’t make it. He made it to 12,000 feet and had to turn around. A lot of people would view that as failure. But his attitude was: ‘I did something I never thought I would be able to do.’ That’s a healthy look at the whole idea of goal setting. If you didn’t lose the full 10 pounds, you didn’t fail if you still got 6 or 8 pounds down.”

2

Use objective and subjective data.

“Self monitoring can be productive: calories in, steps taken, and weighing yourself weekly—that’s all objective, tangible data. I don’t argue with that. That works for a lot of people. But that can be destructive, too. That’s why Doug Newburg, Ph.D., a sports psychologist who studies elite performers suggests a different concept: it’s called ‘feel.’ Newburg asks elite performers, ‘Does how you feel affect the way you perform?’ And the answer 100 percent of the time is: ‘Yes, of course.’ But ‘feel’ isn’t about feelings.

It’s more that if you’re stretching every day, lifting, and feeling good, energetic, and strong, that should have just as much weight as the number on the scale. When you can get those two things to work together—and reach that sweet spot where subjective and objective data inform each other—that’s finding where you want to be.”

3

You can manufacture motivation through social connections.

“I used to think motivation had to be heaped upon you—that you were a passive recipient to it. But motivation research says otherwise. Beating almost every psychological element—humiliation, frustration, and motivation—comes down to autonomy and social connections. That’s really important for people trying to lose weight. When you’re heavy, you just want to hide. But you can motivate yourself by making the first step to sign up for a class or train with a group. Even though you might be embarrassed, that’s a huge part of motivation.”

4

Speak in if’s and then’s.

“Peter Gollwitzer, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at New York University, studies goals—and how emotions, cognition, and behavior influence them. And when it comes to temptation, he has studied the ‘if-then’ statement—a willpower tactic that serves as an emergency plan: ‘If x happens, you do y.’ If I am going to a party, then I drink three glasses of water between drinks; if I am going to a pizza place, I’ll order a salad have only a slice. People who use ‘if-then’ more effectively handle temptation—it helps them deal with impulses. Have a backup plan before you get into the situation.”

5

Make it about more than the pounds.

“Pick a goal that’s between something you can do and something that there is no chance you could do—like run a half-marathon if you only run a mile at a time. That way, you’ll stop worrying so much about what the scale says and worry more about making the right lifestyle choices to meet your goal. In Down Size, I write about a guy who wanted to beat his brother in tennis. His weight was holding him back. But he made his goal about beating his brother and working on his game, not his weight. He ended up losing a lot of weight—and regularly beating his brother. ”

 

By:  Cassie Shortsleeve, For original post, please visit: http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/01//secrets-to-weight-loss?emlcid=EML-newsletters_2015_01_14&emacid=EMA-QWeekly-01141142015
Exercise

WHY A SKI TRIP STARTS IN THE GYM

For successful runs, you have to do the (right) work. Steal these moves and tips from pros and coaches.

Slalom skiers sometimes withstand forces that clock in at three times their body weight, says Eirik Hole, U.S. Ski Team Women’s Speed Team Strength and Conditioning Coach. And while you may not be up against that, building a balanced body underneath you—one with good alignment, a strong core, hips, and powerful legs—is still crucial, regardless of skill level.

That’s why planning for a trip to the slopes should begin in the gym: Skiing may be an escape—invigorating and relaxing—but without the proper prep work, indulgence can turn to injury (and that can’t-quite-walk-right soreness). Here, an expert-backed plan for powering through your next day on the mountain.

1

Build a cardio base outside the gym.

Without an aerobic base, skiing for even a straight minute can be exhausting, attests Laurenne Ross, a U.S. Olympic alpine ski racer. But cardio can be boring. “I like to have fun while keeping my cardio up. I go mountain biking a lot—usually for between one and three hours. It builds a lot of leg strength too,” she says. “There are some similar aspects to skiing.”

2

Increase endurance with ski-specific intervals.

No matter where you’re headed, “you need some sort of endurance to be able to withstand forces over time,” says Hole. He suggests intervals in ski-specific lengths. Try this 53-minute workout he uses with the team:

Warmup: Jog slowly for 10 minutes, then for 5 minutes increase intensity to between 72 and 87 percent of your max heart rate. Incorporate 30-second, high-intensity sprints (87 to 97 percent max heart rate) if you choose.
Interval workout: Run for 2 minutes at high intensity, rest for 1.5 minutes. Repeat 8 times.
Cool down: Jog slowly for 10 minutes.

3

Prep for altitude with intensity and hydration.

“If you’re going somewhere with high altitude, the more cardiovascular-ly conditioned your body is, the more efficient it will be using oxygen,” says Beth Giersch, Senior Manager of the Equinox Fitness Training Institute and a skier herself. And besides upping your intensity and hydration, know this: “Your body hydrates more when you’re moving, so get up and move around while you’re hydrating.”

4

Build balance blind.

“Many injuries in skiing happen from loss of balance,” says Scott Weiss, C.S.C.S., an exercise physiologist who has worked with Olympic skiers. “Try doing lunges and air squats with your eyes closed. Not easy but extremely beneficial.”

5

Roll immediately beforehand.

If you have a mini foam roller, pack it on your trip. “Rolling is particularly helpful prior to skiing. It gets out any kinks or scar tissue and brings more blood flow to the muscle and soft tissue,” says Giersch. Ross agrees—that’s why foam rolling is part of her pre-ski routine.

6

Create your own force.

“You have to have enough force to withstand the forces you want to create on the mountain,” says Hole. “The better skier you are, the more forces will be put upon you, the harder you have to work.” That’s why the U.S. ski team practices power cleans: “The point of power clean is to create power—which is a force-velocity relationship where you have high speed and high force, just like skiing.”

7

Build solid legs.

“Regardless of the type of skier you are, you need strong legs and muscular endurance to make it through a full day on the slopes,” says Giersch. “Single leg and multi-directional movements will prepare your body for the dynamic and resilient movement skiing demands.”

Try: Skier Jumps (unloaded or loaded with ViPR) ,
Starting in athletic stance, hands free or holding a ViPR, jump out to the right and land on right foot, quickly sinking into a single leg squat as the left leg sweeps behind to count-balance; if holding a ViPR, reach the left hand toward the right foot before jumping laterally to the left foot and repeating for reps or timed intervals.
(Note: Be sure to master loaded lateral lunges before progressing to skier jumps.)

Try: Mini Band Monster Walks (lateral and diagonal)
Slip a mini band above knees (easier) or ankles (harder); maintaining an athletic stance (feet just wider than shoulders, knees bent, slight bend at the hips, arms grabbing invisible ski poles), step out further to the right and bring your left foot back to the starting stance; repeat 10-15 times and then repeat going to the left. Diagonal: Moving forward first, maintaining that athletic stance; take a wide step about 45 degrees diagonally to right, then tap left toe shoulder-width from your right before stepping diagonally to the left; repeat 10-15 times and the carefully repeat going backwards.

Try: ‘Round the Clock’ Lunge Matrix (loaded or unloaded)
Stand with feet together and imagine you’re at the center of a clock; starting with your right foot, do a forward lunge to 12 o’clock and back to center, then lunge diagonally to 1:30 and back, then do a lateral lunge to 3 o’clock (anchor leg is straight) and back, then another lateral lunge to 4:30 (anchor leg straight again) and back, and then a regular (reverse) lunge back to 6 o’clock; switch to your leg leg and start at 12 o’clock again (then 10:30, 9, 7:30 and 6); repeat 3-5 rounds of the full clock.

8

Stabilize your core.

“When skiing, your upper body should be relatively stable as your lower body shifts left and right and rotates,” says Giersch. “Focus on similar, anti-rotation exercises. This dynamic stability will help you react and recover quickly when the mountain or another skier throws you off balance.”

Try: Superman Planks
Start in plank position on your hands; lift your right arm up as if asking a question in class, then return it to the ground; then lift your right leg off the ground without moving the rest of your body, then your left leg, then your right arm; once you’ve mastered the single-extremity lifts, progress to lifting your right arm and left leg simultaneously for a few seconds and alternate for reps or timed intervals.

Try: Chops and Lifts (with cable or medicine ball)
From a standing or half-kneeling position, remaining tall from tail-bone to the top of your head, shift a weighted cable or medicine ball diagonally from one hip to the opposite side of your body overhead (“lift”), or in the opposite diagonal direction from overhead down to the opposite hip (“chop”); do chops and lifts in both directions for reps or timed intervals

Try: Warding Patterns (with cable or partner)
Using either a weighed cable or manual resistance from a workout buddy, start in athletic stance with arms extended in front of you, hands together, shoulders down, and resist allowing the external force to pull you left, right, down, or up (depending on which way the cable or buddy is pulling/pushing); from this starting point, keep your arms and upper body stable while repeating simple foot patterns such as side steps, cross-over steps, external rotation steps or small shuffles; switch up the direction of the external force and repeat for reps or timed intervals.

 

By:  Cassie Shortsleeve
For original post, please visit:  http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/01/skiing-workout?emlcid=EML-newsletters_2015_01_14&emacid=EMA-QWeekly-01141142015
Exercise, Rehabilitation, Sports

FIT BODY SECRETS: ANKLE MOBILITY

Master trainer Josh Stolz shows you how focusing on forgotten areas unlocks a fitter physique.

Monday, January 19, 2015 | Sheila Monaghan

“Let’s start with ankle mobility—your foot and ankle contain a relatively large percentage of bones in a relatively small area,” says Stolz, “so if there’s something that’s not moving correctly, it’s going to affect the rest of your body. More specifically, your foot creates internal rotation up into your hip, which lengthens the glute and allows you to propel forward. So if you’re lacking mobility in your arch and foot, you’re going to limit the movement up the chain, and that’s when your body gets out of balance and overworks certain areas.”

Stolz’s approach to mobility training breaks down to three phases: Melt, mold, and move. For each phase, he employs specific tools, too. How he explains it:

Melt: “I’m going to melt the connective tissue – basically roll it, massage it, and reduce the adhesions. This smooths out and helps hydrate the tissue.”
The Tools: ROLL Recovery R8, VYPER vibrating roller, Supernova
How They Help: The R8 may resemble a recycled Rollerblade, but it’s much more hardcore. “This tool allows you to move the tissue in multiple directions—I can rotate, I can add friction—and I can increase or decrease the pressure.” The VYPER vibrating roller is another gadget garnering serious buzz. “Vibration is being researched, but it is purported to increase range of motion and bone density. You can use different settings, too: 1 would be for recovery, post-workout, and 2 and 3 would be a faster movement better suited for pre-workout.” The Supernova is like a lacrosse ball for masochists, but Stolz likes it because of the notches, which allow you to create changes by manipulating your skin.

Mold: This phase furthers the hydration; Stolz favors the analogy of a sponge: “If I drop a sponge in water, it soaks up a certain amount of water. But if I squeeze the sponge, it pulls in more fluid, which, in terms of your body, hydrates tissue and also pulls in nutrients and oxygen.”
The Tool: Voodoo Bands
How It Helps: These bands, Stolz explains, offer an extremely easy way to increase range in motion—you can grip and pull, press, compress, and elongate tissue. They also help recycle and pull in fluid, oxygenate the tissue, and reduce pain by increasing the amount of nutrients coming into a specific area.

Move: “This is to stabilize the mobility you just obtained. In the Melt and Mold phases, you’ve increased range of motion and added more freedom of movement. Now, with Move, you want to be able to stabilize that extra range of motion to reduce injury risk.”
The Tool: Monster Bands
How It Helps: You’re likely familiar with this standard, but it’s incredibly useful for creating joint capsule flexilibilty, says Stolz. “Sometimes the joint capsule gets stuck, and that’s the root of the movement problem. But since you can’t stretch or foam roll in there, you need a way to manipulate.”

Stolz begins this three-part series with an ankle mobility workout, which he demonstrates in this slideshow. “These moves can be done as a set,” he says. “And it doesn’t hurt to do them every day.” For this workout’s Melt phase, Stolz recommends choosing one or two of the moves to start. And make sure you don’t rush. “When you’re rolling, think of covering one inch at a time for a minute or so,” says Stolz. “A regeneration day should be slow.”

Photographed by Mike Rosenthal; Gromming by Marina Gravini; Art Direction + Styled by Ashley Martin

R8 Ankle Mobility

Kneel, resting your left knee on a foam mat or yoga block, keeping your right knee bent 90 degrees. Using the R8 roller, slowly roll the length of your calf. This is best done in one-inch intervals, alternating directions (roll up and down, rotate and roll diagonally, and so on). Switch legs and repeat.

 

Sit with legs extended in front of you, palms flat on the floor. Place the VYPER above your right Achilles, then lift yourself slightly off the ground, resting your left ankle on your right. Slowly roll the VYPER from your Achilles to your calf; again, rolling in one-inch increments is best. Switch legs and repeat.

 

Retinaculum Ankle Mobility

On all fours, hands under shoulders and knees under hips, place the Supernova directly beneath the spot where your shin connects to your foot. Resting your leg there, slowly flex your toes up and down for one minute. Move the Supernova slightly up your leg and repeat. Add some circles of the foot in both directions. Switch legs and repeat.

 

Band-Assisted Ankle Mobility

Sit with legs extended in front of you, your left knee bent and left foot flat, palms flat on the floor. Secure the end of band around something solid, like the base of a machine, and loop around ankle and top of your right foot. Lift and rest your right calf on the handle of a kettlebell. Slowly flex your foot for one minute. Switch legs and repeat.

 

3D Flossing

Place a heavy weight plate on the ground in front of your feet (or use a slant board). Tightly wrap a Voodoo Floss band around your right calf and rest your right forefoot on the weight plate. Hinging from the waist, use both hands to wring or twist your calf as you lunge slightly forward until your knee is above your toes. Continue for one minute, moving up and down your calf. Quickly unwrap the band and repeat on opposite leg. Your leg should be wrapped for no longer than 90 seconds.

 

3D Band-Assisted Ankle Mobility

Place a heavy weight plate on the ground. Secure one end of a band to something sturdy, like a cable column or a machine, and wrap the other end around your right ankle. Step your left foot fully onto the weight plate, and rest your right forefoot on the weight’s edge. Hinge from the waist, holding onto something for support like an weight bench or 24-inch plyo box, and lunge slightly forward until your left knee is above your left toes. This movement should be in all planes of motion, so be sure to move forward and back, but also from side to side and in rotation in both directions. Continue for one minute and then switch legs.

 

Isotonic Weight Transfer

Prior to doing this move, perform an isometric contraction or hold in this position. Focus on driving the ball of the back foot into the ground with as much force as possible without moving the foot; these contractions should be held for about 5 seconds and repeated 2-3 times on each foot. Then, stand in a split stance, left leg forward, right leg back, keeping a slight bend in your knees. With a slight bounce in your step, lunge slightly forward to come up onto your right toes without lifting them off the ground, and back. This should be a very controlled movement. Repeat for one minute. Switch legs and repeat.

 

Dynamic Force Absorption

Stand in a split stance, left leg forward, right leg back, keeping a slight bend in your knees. With a slight bounce in your step, and without leaving this position, lunge slightly forward onto your left toes and then back, transferring your body weight between legs. Repeat for one minute and then switch legs.

 

For original post please see:  http://q.equinox.com/articles/2015/01/ankle-mobility

 

 

 

 

Exercise, Personal Injury, Rehabilitation, Sports

ACL INJURIES – AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS PRICELESS!

Nearly a quarter of a million anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries occur each year in North America in athletes who participate in high demand sports such as soccer, football, and basketball.

A major injury prevention position statement released by the Canadian Academy of Sport & Exercise Medicine (CASEM) and published in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine (CJSM) concludes that youth soccer players and their coaches can significantly decrease the incidence of ACL injuries by incorporating neuromuscular training (NMT) into their warm-up routines. NMT involves doing specific agility and strength training activities.  NMT should be incorporate into routine practices and warm ups and should begin, at the very latest, in the early teenage years.    “These warm up exercises, carried out correctly, will keep the athletes on the field instead of in our offices”, states Dr. Cathy Campbell, co-author of the new position statement and team doctor for the Canadian women’s soccer team.

CASEM recommends a Canada-wide approach and advocates that all Canadian youth soccer players should have NMT incorporated into their programs. The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), the governing body for soccer in Canada, endorses CASEM’s position statement and supports this injury prevention program aimed at protecting athlete’s health and allowing them to perform at the highest level.  Dr Robert McCormack, one of four orthopaedic surgeons authoring this position statement, is also the medical representative on the CSA Medical Committee and Chief Medical Officer of the Canadian Olympic Committee and he agrees that “there is an important need to address the epidemic of these serious injuries”.

FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, has adopted the FIFA 11+ program which mandates a complete warm-up programme to reduce injuries among male and female football players aged 14 years and older.  The use of this type of program has resulted in a 52-72% reduction in ACL injury in girls and an 85% reduction in boys.

Dr. James Carson, who is also a co-author of this position statement and a physician for the Seneca College Varsity Athletes program, sums it up by saying, “This is a bad injury which usually requires major surgery.  So it’s important for soccer coaches across Canada to help save kids’ knees.”

The CASEM is an organization of physicians committed to the excellence in the practice of medicine as it applies to all aspects of physical activity.

ACL TRAINING MANUAL – THE COMPLETE WARM-UP PROGRAM TO PREVENT INJURIES

ACL – Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine – Position Statement: Neuromuscular Training Programs Can Decrease Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Youth Soccer Players

Exercise, Personal Injury, Rehabilitation, Sports

The Foam Rolling You Should Be Doing (But Probably Aren’t)

It’s not just for your legs: These rolling patterns address trouble spots from head to toe.

By now, most educated exercisers have joined the foam rolling revolution. But while your IT bands may be intimately familiar with the tool’s hurts-so-good loosening powers, limiting your experience to the lower body minimizes the total-body benefits. To that end, Master Trainer Josh Stolz has designed this head-to-toe rolling regimen. “Each of these rolling patterns address the most problematic areas where personal trainers and coaches find movement dysfunction and pain,” he explains.

In the following images, Stolz demonstrates the better, smarter way to roll. “You should spend 30 seconds to a minute or more on each individual movement,” he explains. “If it’s a regeneration or recovery day, take even more time, between 2 and 3 minutes for each move.”

And there’s more to the technique than you might think—read on for Stolz’s five most critical rules of foam rolling.

(1) Hydrate Ahead of Time. Even though foam rolling helps hydrate your tissue, you should down between 10 and 20 ounces of water beforehand, which helps prep the muscles for the work you’re about to do. “In general, hydrated tissue is resilient and pliable while dehydrated tissue is glued-down and sticky, which creates adhesions and movement dysfunction,” says Stolz.

(2) Roll Before And After a Workout. Most of us wait until we wrap a session to hit the roller. Instead, Stolz suggests scrapping static stretching and using the tool for your pre-workout warm-up. “As much as it’s a recovery tool, the foam roller is also a preparatory tool,” says Stolz. “Think of foam rolling as a way to ‘smooth’ or ‘iron out’ the connective tissue and muscle. Foam rolling actually increases circulation so the connective tissue and muscle are getting more oxygen and water than if you just stretched.”

(3) Slow Your Roll. Foam rolling can hurt, and you’re only human. But speeding through each movement is a wasted opportunity. “The biggest misuse I see is club members rolling extremely fast, most likely to avoid the discomfort of the roller,” says Stolz. Instead, you want slow, purposeful motions. “If we go back to the ironing example, a quick-moving iron will not apply enough heat and/or steam and the article of clothing will still remain wrinkled. The key is to focus on these painful areas because they need the most attention and desperately need oxygen, water, and nutrients.” (Note: Stolz may appear to be rolling quickly in the gifs, but that is an effect of the animation; his real-life movements are slow and concentrated.)

(4) Move In Multiple Directions. It’s not just up-and-down, up-and-down. “If you look at the angle of how the muscle and fascia attach, it’s not straight up and down—some fascial attachments run from front to back or in spirals,” says Stolz. “The key is to not only slow down the foam rolling, but also add side-to-side movements, cross-friction (rubbing the spot being rolled side to side on the roller) and flexing and extending the joint being rolled.”

(5) Make It A Daily Ritual. Even on days that you’re not in the gym, foam rolling should be part of your repertoire. “I try to use the foam roller daily as maintenance for my fascia,” says Stolz. “It’s kind of like flossing—you need to do it every day to make a difference even if it’s only for 5 minutes.” But deep cleaning is necessary, too. “I think an important fact to remember is that foam rolling doesn’t take the place of a great massage or body working session.”

Note the following movements for your pre/post workout foam rolling routine:

Target:  LATS

Position yourself on your right side, with your right leg flat, knee bent 90 degrees, your left foot flat on the floor. Place the center of a foam roller beneath your right arm pit, perpendicular to your body, and extend your right arm straight, resting your left hand on the foam roller. (Reach that right arm as far as possible to create more of a stretch.) From this position, roll from your armpit about four inches down towards your waist, and back again, for 30 seconds to a minute. Switch sides; repeat. 

 

Target:  SHOULDERS AND PECS

Lie face down, resting your left forearm on the floor, legs slightly wider than shoulder width. Place one end of a foam roller under your right shoulder, extending arm straight out at shoulder height, forming a T with the roller. (Again, reach that straight arm as far as possible to create more tension.) In short movements, roll from your shoulder to right pec and back again, for 30 seconds to a minute. Switch sides and repeat.

 

Target:  THORACIC SPINE (mid-upper back)

Lie faceup with feet shoulder-width apart and flat on the floor. Center a foam roller beneath your mid-back or shoulder blades so that it is perpendicular to your body. (Note: You can move the foam roller up and down to target different areas of the thoracic spine while still doing the extension motion.) Extend arms out from shoulders at a 45-degree angle. Reach arms back behind you towards floor and back again for 30 seconds to a minute. Make sure that the lower back doesn’t extend—think about pushing the lumbar spine into the ground as you are reaching back.

 

Target:  CALVES

Sit with legs extended in front of you, and rest your lower right calf on the center of a foam roller that’s perpendicular to your body. With hands on the floor, press your triceps to lift your butt off the floor, and then place your left foot on top of your right calf. Roll up from your lower right calf to the meat of your calf and back for 30 seconds to a minute. Switch legs; repeat. (Note: Also target the inside and the outside of the calf simply by turning the foot in or turning the foot out.)

 

Target:  GLUTES AND PIRIFORMIS

With your feet flat on the floor, slightly wider than shoulder-width, center a foam roller beneath your glutes. Lift your right leg and rest your right ankle on your left knee. Roll back and forth from the center of your right glute to the bottom of your spine for 30 seconds to a minute; switch legs and repeat.

 

Target:  HAMSTRINGS

Lower yourself onto the floor, extending your right leg out in front of you, and bend your left knee so that your lower leg is behind you. Place the end of a foam roller beneath your upper right hamstring, just below the glute, and place your hands on the foam roller on either side of your leg. Roll your upper hamstring just enough so that your foot flexes down, and roll it back again, for 30 seconds to a minute; switch sides and repeat.

 

Target:  QUADS

Get on the floor, resting on your forearms, and center a foam roller beneath your right quad, your right leg extended directly behind you. Roll from the bottom of your quad to the top, rotating from the outside of your quad to the inside, in one fluid circular motion. Roll for 30 seconds to a minute; switch legs and repeat.

 

Thanks to Equinox.com and Shelia Monaghan, November 4, 2013
Exercise, Sports

A Case For Low-Intensity Cardio

A Case For Low-Intensity Cardio

Yes, you can overdo it with intervals. Here’s how to introduce those necessary easy efforts.

Monday, May 19, 2014 | Lee Walker Helland

You’re already well aware that incorporating intervals into your training gives you the most bang for your workout-buck. High-intensity interval training, or HIIT—alternating between powerful, limit-pushing bursts and slowed-down recovery periods—has been shown to rev your calorie burn, boost fat reduction, increase strength and muscle mass and more. And, for those training for a race, intervals may help you improve your time even as you cut the time dedicated to training in half, according to a Danish study that tracked 5K times as affected by HIIT over a seven-week period.

But as praise for HIIT has reached cultish levels, the real, significant benefits of its counterpart, low-intensity steady-state cardio (or LISS, working at a lower intensity, but maintaining it for extended periods), have increasingly been swept under the rug. With the emphasis on intensity, most exercisers are overlooking the necessity (and benefits) of going easy and instead spending all of their time in this HIIT zone. Is it time to stop dissing LISS?

“People who say steady-state cardio is totally ineffective are usually just selling you a book,” says Adam Duthie, a Tier 4 coach at Columbus Circle in New York City. “You may not be gaining muscle or strength, but it still serves an important purpose.”

The Benefits of LISS: Why You Should Take It Easy

(1) You’ll get more blood flowing: Working on your endurance encourages your heart’s left ventricle, the cavity that pushes blood out to the rest of the body, to increase in capacity. That means that more oxygen gets delivered to nourish crucial tissues and organs, supporting better overall health, Duthie says.

(2) LISS helps you metabolize oxygen efficiently: Not only does more oxygen reach crucial parts of the body, but your circulatory system gets better at transferring it from blood to tissue. That’s because LISS increases capillary density, so more channels are on hand to deliver oxygen to tissues’ cells.

(3) Easy efforts repair tired muscles: High-intensity workouts cause metabolic byproducts—a variety of molecules that result from forceful exercise—to build up in the muscles, wearing out muscles and promoting fatigue. “LISS promotes recovery by increasing blood flow to damaged tissues, shuttling away these byproducts,” Duthie says. Research shows that low-intensity work helps you flush the stuff out faster than you would if you just went a day or two without exercise.

(4) Steady state preps you for another workout: Interval training requires adenofine triphosphate, or ATP, the molecules you need to contract your muscles. Every time you do HIIT, ATP stores are depleted. Enter LISS: “The aerobic system works to replenish the chemical building blocks and enzymes necessary to generate a high-power output” by the muscles, Duthie says. That means you can go even harder next time you hit the intervals.

So where should LISS fit into your routine? Twenty minutes of easy cycling, jogging or brisk walking should follow every high-intensity session to get the repair mechanisms going.

Beyond that, plan what Duthie calls “macro cycles”: Take six to eight weeks to focus on HIIT with a lesser proportion of LISS mixed in, then bridge to an endurance-focused cycle of the same length. There’s no one-size-fits-all breakdown, Duthie says. “Now with that being said, for an average gymgoer who’s seeking general fitness and perhaps a body composition goal, 2 to 3 sessions of interval training coupled with 1 to 2 days of steady state “recovery style” cardio per week would probably be effective. I would spread this out over the course of 4 to 6 weeks. An example could be Monday/Wednesday/Friday interval training with weights and cardio, paired with some steady state work on Thursday/Saturday. After those 4 to 6 weeks you could flip the paradigm and focus more on steady state with a secondary focus on HIIT training. It’s all about balance.”

Photography by Klaus Thymann / Trunk Archive

via A Case For Low-Intensity Cardio – Q by Equinox.

Exercise, Rehabilitation

Advanced CORE Movements to Build Those ABS!

Our cultural fixation on abs is fairly easily explained: They are the calling card of a dedicated and disciplined workout regimen, the raison d’etre of the two-piece bathing suit, the carrot on the end of a stick of, well, carrots. And since they are in hiding for so much of the calendar year, our obsession peaks in their peak season, the summer. In the pecking order of muscle groups, the abs rank highly, and they always will.

For some people, having a sculpted midsection is a lifelong goal…but this goal does not have to take/be “life-long”.  Sculpting one’s abdominal area abides by the same rules as any other body part – eat well (DIET is ALWAYS of extreme importance), exercise consistently and correctly, and make sure you rest to allow your body the necessary time to recuperate.

As stylish as a flat midsection may be, however, it is also the cornerstone of a fit, strong body. “The core is the link between your upper and lower body, and that includes the back, side, pelvic and butt muscles,” says group fitness instructor Aida Palau.  “It’s the origin of all of your functional movements, and a weak or inflexible core will limit not only the function of your limbs, but the efficiency and power of all of these movements.”

If you take a look at the exercises below, please note that some of them are relatively advanced movements and must be done with care.  Attempt the movements slowly and at your own pace.  If necessary, work your way up to performing the full movement by training parts of the movement separately.  Teaching your body how to perform the movement is extremely important because it will minimize injury.  Give these exercises are try and you may be on your way to the abs you have always tried to achieve!

 

1.  Pike

Sitting at a 90-degree angle, legs extended to the front with spine in upright position, bring your hands flat on the mat right next to the hips. Squeeze legs together, press off your hands (pushing the floor away from you) and lift your entire lower body off the floor (as shown). Hold the position for at least 1 full breath cycle. 

 

2.  Pigeon With Arm Elevation

From a plank position with legs together, exhale and lift tailbone up into a V pose. As you inhale, extend right leg straight up towards the ceiling. In the exhale, with arms straight, bend the right knee, bringing it toward the chest while moving shoulders over the wrists, and lower yourself into pigeon pose, resting right shin on the mat and left leg flat. Inhale, circling right arm to the front and up and behind you while rotating your spine toward the right. Exhale, while bending the left knee to catch the left foot with your right hand. Push the foot into your hand, allowing your right elbow to extend completely (as shown); extend left arm to the front simultaneously. Hold the position for 3 to 5 breaths.

 

3.  Swimming

Lie prone, arms extended in front of you and legs extended hip width apart behind you. Lift belly button up, pressing pelvis into the mat, and lower shoulder blades toward low back. Inhale, simultaneously lifting right arm, left leg and head off the mat (as shown), creating length from finger to toe. Keep head up and stable, and alternate lifting opposite limbs, vigorously inhaling for 5 counts and exhaling for 5 more, for 5 full breathing cycles.

 

 

4.  Teaser With Leg Circles

Lie faceup with knees bent and shoulder-width apart, heels together. Reach arms in front of you, past the hips. Pull belly button in and up, anchoring low back on the mat, and continue reaching straight arms up and behind you. As you exhale, extend legs out to front, keeping low back in contact with the mat. Inhale, extending arms directly overhead, keeping chin to chest and exhale as you rise up until balancing on your tailbone. Clasp hands together above the head (as shown); inhale as you open legs shoulder-width and lower them, exhale as you lift and bring them back together, performing from 1 to 3 circles in each direction. (The reverse would be to exhale as you lower, inhale as you lift). Roll back down to the mat with control, one vertebrae at a time.

 

 

5.  Narrow Push-Up With Hip Adduction And Leg Extension

From a plank position, with hands directly beneath shoulders, inhale and lift and extend your right leg behind you, coming up onto your left toes. In one fluid motion, exhale, and drag the right knee in towards your left elbow, bending your right arm, keeping elbows close to your body, as you extend right knee (as shown) and straighten your leg so that it is at hip height (or higher if strength and flexibility allow). Inhale and reverse the motion to start. Repeat on opposite side. Do 5 to 8 reps.

 

 

6.  Clock

Lie faceup with knees bent, heels together. (You are at 6 o’clock.) With arms at sides, press shoulders into the mat. Inhale and reach shoulders back to the mat and down toward your waist, reaching your arms past hip level. On the exhale, allow the head to lift off the floor and, without moving your shoulders, place hands on your ankles, pulling them gently toward you. Keeping a stable head, neck and shoulders, inhale, extending arms behind you and legs forward (as shown). Exhale, circling arms down to your sides while drawing in your knees and ankles. Inhale as you lengthen the body; exhale as you get tiny like a ball. Make your way around the ‘clock’—your tailbone and lower back will rise up towards the ribs on the exhale, while flexing the torso toward the right to travel your body around the clock.

 

 

Thanks to Equinox and Equinox instructor, Aida Palau, for the above information