Recent Blog Posts
Exercise
September 16, 2009
It’s amazing to me how many women refuse to perform exercises that target their chest muscles (pectorals) under the mistaken believe that it will reduce breast size. Hogwash!
It is important to realize that breast tissue is comprised mainly of fat and, as you hopefully know, it’s impossible to spot reduce fat. Just like abdominal exercises won’t make your stomach any flatter, training the chest will have no direct influence on decreasing breast tissue. Now it’s true that exercise in general will decrease the amount fat throughout the body. But, if anything, cardiovascular exercise will have more of a direct effect on reducing breast size than bench presses or chest flyes. It should therefore be apparent that avoiding chest training to preserve breast size is backwards reasoning.
In fact, targeted exercise can significantly improve the appearance of your chest and make it appear as though “you’ve got more than you’ve actually got!” By utilizing different movements and working the muscle from a variety of angles, you can target various parts of the chest to achieve complete development. For example, rounding out the upper pectoral region gives fullness to the bustline; adding to the middle aspect enhances the overall shape of the chest; and with consistent training, you can develop a line down the center of your chest that actually creates the illusion of cleavage.
It’s also important to realize that muscles function holistically, sharing an agonist/antagonist relationship. When one muscle is contracting (the agonist), another is opposing the action (antagonist). If you train an agonist without working its antagonist, imbalances ultimately will be created that have a negative effect on posture and physical function. A very undesirable outcome, to say the least.
So if you’re a woman who’s afraid that chest training will reduce your breast size, don’t be. By understanding the fine points of body sculpting, you can develop a chest that defies gravity and remains shapely over time. If you’re a beginner, choose mostly multi-joint movements (such as presses and push ups); when you become more advanced, add various types of flyes to the mix. Make sure to utilize variations of angles of inclination (i.e. decline, flat and incline) as well as hand spacing for optimal benefits. Remember, variety is the spice of fitness!
Stay Fit!
Brad
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Exercise
September 9, 2009
Kudos to Scientific American, a terrific magazine that consistently publishes quality, unbiased science-based articles in language that can be understood by the general public. The issue of July, 2009 with an article called Fit Body, Fit Mind? Your Workout Makes You Smarter was particularly enlightening.
As you probably guessed from the title, the article explores the role of exercise in improving brain function and preventing the age-related loss of mental acuity. It’s a fascinating and important subject. While most people realize that exercise provides a multitude of benefits on physical capacity, the impact on the brain often goes unheralded. But without question, a healthy body does, in fact, translate into a healthy mind. This isn’t opinion: it’s backed up by a large amount of peer-reviewed research.
The article poses several theories as to the correlation between exercise and brain health. First, it’s believed that simply reducing the incidence of major diseases (such as diabetes, hypertension and various forms of cancer) is a factor in and of itself. These diseases have been shown to impair cognitive function, so it stands to reason that reducing their prevalence should necessarily confer a positive effect on cognition.
Exercise also seems to have a direct effect on the nervous system, which is of course largely controlled by the brain. Given that muscles are activated by nerves, neurologic improvements shouldn’t come as a surprise. Although most of the research in this area has been conducted on animals, exercise has been shown to increase the formation of various types of nerve cells responsible for sending and receiving communication signals, as well as expanding the density of capillaries which supply oxygen to the brain. The article documents the research on this quite nicely.
The only major issue I had with the article was the author’s focus on aerobic exercise while neglecting to mention the cognitive benefits associated with resistance training. This is a glaring omission, and one that needs to be publicized. Multiple studies have shown that lifting weights does, in fact, confer significant effects on mental health. A recent paper by Liu-Ambrose and Donaldson (2009) examined this topic in detail, providing an extensive evidence-based review of the research. Interestingly, the potential mechanisms for resistance exercise improving brain function seem to be different than those associated with aerobic exercise, potentially involving the actions of IGF-1 and homocysteine. If true, this suggests that performing both aerobic and resistance training might have a syngergistic effect on brain function, combining to optimize mental health better than either modality alone. It’s why Liu-Ambrose and Donaldson concluded their review by emphasizing the importance of undertaking “both aerobic-based exercise training and resistance training not only for “physical health” but also because of the almost certain benefits for “brain health”.” Powerful words!
Otherwise, the Scientific American article was well-written and balanced in its reporting — something other supposedly reputable publications should take note of. I’d encourage everyone to give the article a read if you haven’t done so already.
Stay Fit!
Brad
Liu-Ambrose T, Donaldson MG. Exercise and cognition in older adults: is there a role for resistance training programmes? Br J Sports Med. 2009 Jan;43(1):25-7.
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Exercise
August 13, 2009
I wanted to extend a big thanks to Amby Burfoot, editor at Runner’s World, for embracing and linking to my blog post, Is Exercise Derailing Your Efforts to Lose Weight . It’s heartening to know others are joining in the endeavor to discredit Time Magazine’s recent article titled, Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin. You don’t expect such irresponsible journalism from a publication such as Time (at least I don’t), but apparently all ethics and morals fly out the window when it comes to stirring up controversy to sell a few more magazines. It’s the old adage that any publicity is good publicity.
Hopefully there will be enough of a backlash against Time and the article’s author, John Cloud, to discourage such underhanded attempts in the future. More importantly, hopefully the public will see this article for what it is: a combination of faulty science and skewed research. Exercise confers so many positive benefits (including aiding in weight loss and improving body composition) that it would be tragic if even one person is swayed to stop exercising by Mr. Cloud’s drivel. Spread the word: Exercise is good for your waistline. Really!
Stay Fit!
Brad
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Exercise, Uncategorized
August 12, 2009
“In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless…”
I must say, I was pretty much speechless after reading this statement (and it isn’t easy to leave me speechless!). After all, this wasn’t some weirdo quack making the kind of absurd comments you often see on the Internet. Rather, these are the words of a man named Eric Ravussin, chair in diabetes and metabolism at Louisiana State University. If nothing else, the man has credentials.
The statement by Ravussin appeared in a recent Time magazine article written by John Cloud and titled, Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin. As you may have guessed, the article attempts to make a case that exercise is unnecessary for weight loss. In fact, Mr. Cloud, infers that an intense workout might actually hinder your weight loss efforts! Could this actually be true? Should we ditch the gym and go back to being a country of interactive couch potatoes in our quest to be lean? Let’s take a look at the major points made in the article and see what conclusions can be drawn from actual research…
A primary contention of the article is that working out is ineffective in promoting weight loss because exercise makes people hungry. Here is the author’s claim:
The basic problem is that while it’s true that exercise burns calories and that you must burn calories to lose weight, exercise has another effect: it can stimulate hunger. That causes us to eat more, which in turn can negate the weight-loss benefits we just accrued.
Let’s say for a moment that this claim is actually true and that an exercise session sends us straight to the fridge for that leftover piece of cheesecake. Do we thus conclude that exercise is superfluous for those trying to lose weight? If so, I guess we shouldn’t go to the movies since people tend to fill up on buttered popcorn and Bonbons when they’re watching a flick (blame Hollywood for our beer guts and saddlebags!).
Really now, just because you’re hungry following a workout doesn’t mean you have to binge on junk food. I don’t think I’m breaking any new ground in stating that there are many nutritious food-choices available that won’t pad your love handles. It’s is well known, for instance, that consuming protein has a satiety-inducing effect. High protein foods such as lean poultry, fish, and/or eggs not only help to fuel training (those involved in exercise have been shown to need about double the protein of sedentary individuals), but also to aid in quelling hunger. Ditto for fiber rich foods, which fill you up without filling you out. A hearty chicken or tuna salad eaten post-workout will provide a terrific source of nutrients and abolish any thoughts of downing that pint of Ben and Jerry’s sitting in the freezer (and why do you have ice cream in your house when you’re trying to lose weight anyway?).
Now let’s return to the original supposition that exercise makes you hungry. Is there really evidence to show such a phenomenon? The prevailing body of research says there’s not. In fact, the opposite appears to be true. A study by Martins and colleagues (1) had subjects perform moderate aerobic exercise for an hour and then assessed hunger both by self-reported hunger scores as well as measuring various “satiety-related hormones” (i.e. PYY, GLP-1, PP). The result? Self reported hunger showed no significant changes in fullness (‘How full do you feel?’) or motivation to eat (‘How much do you feel you can eat?’) in response to exercise. Moreover, there was an exercise-induced increase in levels of PYY, GLP-1 and PP, which have been shown to reduce the urge to eat. Bottom line: there was no evidence of either physiological or psychological indices of increased hunger from exercise. If anything, there was a trend for greater satiety.
A more recent study at Colorado State University came to similar conclusions. Ballard and colleagues (2) measured levels of the hormone ghrelin after an 80 minute bout of resistance training. Ghrelin has been called the “hunger hormone” – as ghrelin levels rise, so does the urge to eat. Well, surprise, surprise, ghrelin levels fell 13 to 21% as a result of the training protocol, leading researchers to conclude “weight lifting lowers plasma ghrelin concentrations during exercise and attenuates its rise during the postexercise period in young men.”
So, you might ask, how is it then that some people don’t show significant weight loss from exercise? This was addressed in a very well done study by King and colleagues, appearing in the International Journal of Obesity (3). The study showed that a 5-day-a-week moderate-intensity exercise program designed to expend 500 calories per session resulted in an average weight loss of more than 8 pounds after 12 weeks of training. What was most interesting, however, was that there was a huge variability between subjects, ranging from a loss of a whopping 32 pounds in one individual to a gain of almost 4 pounds in another. The researchers went on to conclude that some people are compensators, most likely choosing to binge out after exercise not because they are hungry, but rather as a “reward” for being active. The problem, therefore, is not in using exercise as a weight loss tool; it’s in educating the compensators on strategies to avoid compensating. Exercise works, just don’t feel you’re entitled to munch out because you spent a half-hour on the treadmill. If you want a reward, buy yourself a new dress that’s two sizes smaller–that will keep you motivated to stay away from the fridge!
Another glaring problem with the Time Magazine article is that there’s no distinction made between the types of exercise performed and their effects on weight management. Specifically, resistance training has been shown to be crucial in accelerating fat loss. During dieting, approximately 1/3 of weight lost is from muscle tissue. Since muscle is highly correlated with metabolism, consistent dieting gradually lowers resting metabolic rate, making further weight loss difficult to impossible. Cardiovascular exercise does little to preserve lean body tissue. Lifting weights, however, not only attenuates the decline in metabolism, it can actually increase it (4-7).
Nowhere is this better exemplified than in a study conducted by Ballor and colleagues at the University of Michigan (8). Forty obese women were assigned to one of four groups: diet only, weight-training only, diet plus weight training, and a control (no diet or exercise). After 8 weeks, the diet only group lost the most weight (just under 10 pounds) while the diet plus weight training group came in a close second at approximately 8.5 pounds. The more important statistic, however, was that lean body mass decreased by 2 pounds in the diet-only group, while it *increased* by over 2 pounds in the diet plus weight training group. This not only means that those who lifted weights lost significantly more body fat during the protocol, but that they had a superior body composition.
The Time Magazine article pooh-poohs the metabolic benefits of muscle, citing a Columbia University study that concluded a pound of muscle burns only about six calories a day at rest. This led the Time author to say:
…Which means that after you work out hard enough to convert, say, 10 lb. of fat to muscle — a major achievement — you would be able to eat only an extra 40 calories per day, about the amount in a teaspoon of butter, before beginning to gain weight. Good luck with that.
While this makes good copy, other studies seem to show that muscle possesses greater metabolic properties than those found at Columbia. Much greater. In a study done at Tufts University (9), Cambell and colleagues reported an increase in lean body weight of 3.1 pounds after 12 weeks of strength training increased resting metabolic rate by approximately 6.8%. This translated into an additional 105 calories burned per day. Do the math, and that equates to approximately 35 calories burned for each pound of added muscle. A study by Pratley and colleagues (10) came to a similar conclusion on the topic. A similar four month strength training protocol resulted in a gain of 3.5 pounds of lean muscle. Metabolic rate showed a resulting 7.7% increase, correlating to a metabolic-heightening effect of muscle of approximately 34 calories.
Taking the results of these studies into account, that same 10 pound gain in muscle cited in the Time article would conceivably help to burn an additional 350 calories a day, which would translate into a weight loss of about 36 pounds in a year by simply maintaining this level of muscularity. Even if the actual effects are only half those found in these protocols, that’s still pretty impressive in my book…
Perhaps most importantly, what the Time article seems to completely ignore is the fact that exercise has been shown to be extremely important for maintenance of goal weight after weight loss. Clearly, those who exercise show an improved ability to sustain lower levels of body weight and avoid weight regain after dieting (11-13). And ultimately the most important aspect of weight loss shouldn’t simply be to lose the weight, but rather to keep it off over the long haul.
Summing up, there is compelling evidence that exercise is not only a beneficial aspect of any weight loss program, but it’s crucial in long-term weight maintenance. Despite what you might have read in Time, don’t ditch your gym membership just yet…at least if you want to stay lean!
Stay Fit!
Brad
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1) Martins C, Morgan LM, Bloom SR, Robertson MD. Effects of exercise on gut peptides, energy intake and appetite. J Endocrinol. 2007 May;193(2):251-8.
2) Ballard TP, Melby CL, Camus H, Cianciulli M, Pitts J, Schmidt S, Hickey MS. Effect of resistance exercise, with or without carbohydrate supplementation, on plasma ghrelin concentrations and postexercise hunger and food intake. Metabolism. 2009 Aug;58(8):1191-9.
3) King NA, Hopkins M, Caudwell P, Stubbs RJ, Blundell JE. Individual variability following 12 weeks of supervised exercise: identification and characterization of compensation for exercise-induced weight loss. Int J Obes (Lond). 2008 Jan;32(1):177-84.
4) Bryner Rw, et al. Effects of resistance vs. aerobic training combined with an 800 calorie liquid diet on lean body mass and resting metabolic rate. J Am Coll Nutr. 1999 Apr;18(2):115-21.
5) Donnelly JE, et al. Muscle hypertrophy with large-scale weight loss and resistance training. Am J Clin Nutr. 1993 Oct;58(4):561-5.
6) Ryan AS, Pratley RE, Elahi D, Goldberg AP. Resistive training increases fat-free mass and maintains RMR despite weight loss in postmenopausal women. J Appl Physiol. 1995 Sep;79(3):818-23.
7) Hunter GR, Byrne NM, Sirikul B, Fernández JR, Zuckerman PA, Darnell BE, Gower BA. Resistance training conserves fat-free mass and resting energy expenditure following weight loss. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008 May;16(5):1045-51.
8 ) Ballor DL, et al. Resistance weight training during caloric restriction enhances lean body weight maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988 Jan;47(1):19-25.
9) Campbell, W., M. Crim, V. Young and W. Evans. Increased energy requirements and changes in body composition with resistance training in older adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 60: 167-175, 1994
10) Pratley, R., B. Nicklas, M. Rubin, J. Miller, A. Smith, M. Smith, B. Hurley and A. Goldberg. Strength training increases resting metabolic rate and norepinephrine levels in healthy 50- to 65-year-old men. Journal of Applied Physiology Jan;76(1):133-7.
11) Wang X, Lyles MF, You T, Berry MJ, Rejeski WJ, Nicklas BJ. Weight regain is related to decreases in physical activity during weight loss. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2008 Oct;40(10):1781-8.
12) Miller WC, Koceja DM, Hamilton EJ. A meta-analysis of the past 25 years of weight loss research using diet, exercise or diet plus exercise intervention. Int J Obes 1997;21:941–947.
13) Curioni CC, Lourenço PM. Long-term weight loss after diet and exercise: a systematic review. Int J Obes (Lond). 2005 Oct;29(10):1168-74.
Exercise
July 23, 2009
It’s pretty much common knowledge that exercising is a great way to boost your metabolism. But while virtually any type of physical activity will provide a metabolic lift, some routines are better than others in terms of ratcheting up your body’s ability to burn fat.
If you’re interested in reducing body fat (and really, who isn’t?), I’m going to make things easy for you. Okay, well maybe the actual workouts won’t be easy, but the template for success certainly is. So without further ado, here are three high-energy fitness routines guaranteed to stoke your fat-burning furnace—all you need to do is put in the necessary sweat and effort to achieve terrific results.
1) HIIT: HIIT is an acronym for high-intensity interval training. The premise is simple: intersperse bouts of high-intensity aerobic with lower intensity bouts. Studies have consistently shown that this style of training helps to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system to burn more fat as compared to steady-state exercise. Better yet, you achieve these superior results in less time! How cool is that?
But wait, it gets even better from a fat-burning standpoint. Not only does HIIT optimize fat burning during the exercise session, it actually keeps your metabolism elevated long after you’ve stopped working out. This is due to a phenomenon called EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption)—sometimes called the afterburn. A high EPOC level is associated with elevated metabolism and increased secretion of growth hormone and noradrenaline. These hormones help break down stores of fat and increase their use as a fuel source. In a nutshell, there is a significant caloric cost for the body to return the body to its resting state. This includes replenishing depleted energy reserves, repairing cellular damage, clearing metabolic byproducts and facilitating tissue growth. The net effect lasts as long as 36 hours after exercise, burning as many as 150 calories a day beyond resting levels. The catch: you need to work out intensely to maximize EPOC. That makes HIIT a homerun when it comes to slimming down and shaping up.
2) Circuit Weight Training: The usual way that most people lift weights is to perform a set, rest for a minute or two, perform another set of the same exercise, rest another couple of minutes, and continue along in this fashion until the desired number of sets of a particular exercise is completed. Then it’s time to move on to the next exercise for a given number of sets. Certainly there’s nothing wrong with training in this manner. In fact, it’s an excellent way to build strength and develop muscle. But if you want to rev up your fat burning potential, circuit training can provide a better bang for your workout buck.
Circuit training is carried out by performing a set of an exercise then moving directly to a different exercise and then another and then another…all with little or no rest between sets. The idea is to keep your heart rate elevated so that you continue burning a maximal number of calories as you lift. It’s a good way to tone your muscles as you strip away fat: a win/win proposition.
The best way to approach circuit training is by structuring the workout so you work an agonist muscle and then its antagonist. Thus, you could set up the routine like so: perform a chest exercise, follow it with a back exercise, then a shoulder exercise, then a bicep exercise, then a triceps exercise, then a quadriceps exercise, then a hamstring exercise, then a calf exercise, then an abdominal exercise. After going through the circuit, you can perform the entire sequence again another time or two for a terrific metabolic kickstart.
3) Compound Training: You might not have heard the term “compound training” but I’ll bet you’re at least familiar with the concept. Simply stated, compound training involves combining two different exercises into one movement. While technically any two exercises can be employed, it’s generally best to pair a lower body exercise with an upper body move. A squat into a shoulder press, a lunge into a biceps curl…get creative and you can come up with an almost endless array of moves.
Why is compound training such a good way to burn fat? Because it increases the amount of muscle mass used in the exercises. The number of calories burned is directly related to how much muscle is stimulated during training: more muscle equates to a greater caloric expenditure. Ideally you should strive to include as many multi-joint movements as possible. These are exercises that involve more than one joint, which necessarily will increase the amount of muscle stimulated. For example, a dumbbell row is a multi-joint movement since the shoulder joint and elbow joints are needed to carry out performance. Ditto for the squat, which involves the hip, knee and ankle joints. String together a few compound moves with short rest intervals and you’ll burn hundreds of extra calories while simultaneously cutting your workout time in half!
Stay Fit!
Brad
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Exercise
July 19, 2009
Think squats are bad for your knees? Think again!
Fact: Studies have repeatedly shown the squat to be a safe, effective exercise; when performed properly, it poses little risk to those who have healthy patellar function. Even elite athletes who squat several times their bodyweight have few reported injuries directly attributable to the activity.
Squatting actually places less stress on the knee joint than leg extensions. This has to do with the way that force is applied during exercise performance. In the leg extension, loading is applied perpendicular to the long axis of the tibia—a fact that creates tremendous shear force in the patellar region. Alternatively, loading during the squat involves a high amount of compression (i.e. a “squeezing” force), with forces applied parallel to the long axis of the tibia. Since a joint is better able to withstand forces from compression as opposed to shear, it therefore follows that squats are more joint-friendly than leg extensions.
What’s more, leg extensions tend to overstress the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). During performance, the quadriceps reacts by pulling the tibia forward (a phenomenon called tibial translation). The ACL in turn opposes the quadriceps by trying to prevent translation of the tibia. These two antithetic actions place a considerable amount of stress on the ACL, and can potentially injure the ligament (and other soft tissue structures, as well).
Squats, on the other hand, have somewhat of a protective effect on the knee ligaments. Due to the multi-joint nature of the squatting movement (both the hip and knee are involved in performance), the hamstrings are activated as co-contractors and exert a counter-regulatory effect on the pull of the quadriceps. The co-contraction of the hamstrings and quads help to neutralize tibial translation, alleviating stress on the ACL.
All things considered, squats shouldn’t be avoided by those with healthy knees. They are a terrific exercise that works not only the lower body, but a significant portion of the torso, as well. It’s estimated that squat performance involves the recruitment of over 200 muscles in total, including the assistance of many stabilizer muscles. Without the active participation of these stabilizers, the act of squatting simply cannot take place. Hence, while the glutes and thighs are the prime muscle movers, synergistic muscle action is derived from the abdominals, spinal erectors, rhomboids, trapezius and other muscles. Squats therefore have a systemic effect on anabolism, helping to promote overall muscular development.
Further, the squat is an extremely functional exercise. It is used in many activities of daily living. Any time you lift an object from the floor (or sit in a chair, for that matter!), squatting is involved in the movement. Consequently, squats can help build the kind of practical strength and kinesthetic awareness that facilitates better performance of everyday tasks. In many cases it can even help to prevent lifting-related injuries at home and in the workplace.
Now this is not to say that squats are appropriate for everyone (in actuality, there is NO one exercise that is appropriate for everyone!). Conditions such as degenerative arthritis and various connective tissue disorders can be contraindications for squatting movements. But it’s not the squat, per se, that is harmful here: any form of loaded (or even unloaded) knee flexion and extension can exacerbate a patellar-related injury. Hence, it you have pre-existing knee pathology, caution must be utilized in both the choice and execution of thigh exercises. But provided no contraindications exist, you should have no problem squatting on a regular basis. It’s one of the best exercises you can do for both your body and your health!
Stay Fit!
Brad
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Exercise
July 15, 2009
I’m often asked if there is a way to target the upper vs. lower aspects of the latissimus dorsi (lats). The answer: a qualified, “Yes.” To understand why, a little anatomy is in order.
The lats are one of the largest muscles in the body with attachments at the spine, scapula (shoulder blade), pelvis and humerus (upper arm bone). Because of these multiple attachments, the lat fibers are arranged in different directions, from almost perpendicular at the upper region to almost parallel with the body in the lower region. Since muscles are maximally stressed when an exercise moves in line with its fibers, the following protocols apply to lat training:
Close grip pulldowns (or chins) target the lower region of your lats. The lower lat fibers are basically straight up and down, running virtually parallel with the body. Thus, using a close grip keeps the line of pull in conjunction with the lower fibers. Wide grip pulldowns (or chins), on the other hand, are best for targeting the upper portion of your lats. The upper lat fibers run in an oblique fashion, fanning out at a sharp angle. Avoid using a hand spacing that’s significantly past shoulder length, though. Doing so restricts your range of motion which ultimately results in suboptimal development.
In final analysis, while both variations of the lat pulldown and chin up are effective in developing the lats and should be utilized in your routine, wide grip movements will focus a little more on the upper portion—the area most associated with back width. As far as performance, make sure to achieve a complete stretch at the start of the movement, bring the weight down in a controlled manner and forcefully squeeze your shoulder blades together at the finish. Focus on keeping continuous tension on your target muscles throughout the movement and you’ll derive maximum benefits.
Stay Fit!
Brad
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Exercise, Personal Appearances
June 18, 2009
Wanted to let everyone know that I will be conducting two advanced training seminars on Monday, July 6, 2009 in NYC. The lectures are geared towards fitness professionals (CECs are accredited for NASM and should translate for other organizations), but anyone with a good knowledge of exercise science can benefit. The courses are as follows:
Maternal Fitness: Safe and Effective Strategies for Training the Pregnant and Postpartum Client: Exercise is one of the most beneficial things a pregnant woman can do for her body – provided proper guidelines are followed. This workshop teaches you how to address the biomechanical and physiological changes that occur in the pre and postnatal period, and develop sound training programs tailored to the unique needs of the maternal client. Programming for strength training, cardiovascular exercise and flexibility training is covered in detail, with insight provided on how to modify exercise based on the individual needs of the client. Contraindications to exercise are addressed with respect to each trimester.
Program Design for Hypertrophy: Muscle development is of primary interest to those who lift weights. This workshop will elucidate the science behind optimizing muscular hypertrophy. It will detail the effects of manipulating intensity, sets, repetitions, and rest intervals on growth, as well as exploring the roles of factors such as exercise modality, training to failure, speed of movement, and recovery. The significance of acute hormonal fluctuations and lactate production as to their effects on increasing protein synthesis will be addressed. Sample routines are offered in the context of a periodized approach to help the practitioner with perfecting program design.
The courses are being offered through Innovative Wellness and Education. To register or learn more about the courses, click on the following link: Innovative Wellness and Education. These are researched-based workshops that really get into the science of exercise. I guarantee you’ll learn a lot!
Stay Fit!
Brad
Exercise, Fitness
June 9, 2009
I’ve posted several exercise demonstration videos on Youtube. These videos are from the DVD included in my book, Sculpting Her Body Perfect.
You can view the videos at the following link: Exercise Video Demonstrations. Feel free to rate the videos if you like them! Exercises include the correct performance of the sissy squat, walking lunge, seated row, and incline press. I’ll be adding more in the future. Enjoy 🙂
Stay Fit!
Brad
Exercise, Fitness
February 24, 2009
The signs are clear: Winter is winding down and the first hints of warmer weather are in the air. Before you know it, Memorial day will be upon us along with outdoor barbecues, pool parties and trips to the beach. That means you’ll be wearing less clothing, showing off some skin. Is your bod ready?
All too often, people wait until the warm weather approaches before they begin exercising, only to be frustrated that there isn’t enough time shed those unwanted pounds they’ve accumulated and tone up. Realize that fitness is not an instant gratification process. If you want to want to look good in that tank-top or bikini by the summer, start training early. This means now!
Here are three tips to set you on the proper exercise path. Follow these tenets and you’ll be well on your way to a hot summer body.
Create a Game Plan
You wouldn’t embark on a road trip without mapping out your destination, right? If you did, you’d be bound to get lost. Yet, in effect, this is often the way people approach their workouts. It is all too common for a person to aimlessly wander around the gym thinking, “What should I do now?” Clearly, such an approach is inefficient. There is an old adage that states: Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. With respect to exercise, never was a saying more apropos. Without a definitive game plan, it is only a matter of time before you hit a plateau.
The first step in creating a game plan is to clarify your fitness goals. Determine what you want to get out of your training efforts. Is it more size? Better symmetry? Enhanced definition? Each of these objectives requires specific training protocols and, thus, a different game plan. By defining exactly where you want to go, you’ll have a much easier time getting there.
Once you have qualified your goals, you then can formulate a routine. It is important to plan out each workout in advance. You must know precisely what you are going to do prior to entering the gym. Decide on the exercises, sets and reps that you will perform. Write them down, if necessary. You can download a free customized exercise diary from my site by clicking on the highlighted link (just scroll down and click on the PDF icon). Account for any possible contingencies. In this way, nothing will be left to chance.
During training, avoid any interruptions or distractions that might arise. Now is not the time to socialize or daydream. Save these activities until after you’ve completed your last set. All of your energies should be focused on carrying out your game plan. Remember, your time in the gym is precious. If you want to make ongoing progress, make sure that every moment is spent productively.
Vary Your Routine
It is amazing how many people go to the gym and perform the same workout from one session to the next. Day after day, month after month, year after year, their routines don’t change. How boring! When training becomes mundane, apathy is bound to set in. Ultimately, motivation wanes and a plateau is sure to follow.
The best way to avoid complacency is by constantly varying your exercise regimen. Variety is the spice of training. Not only does it help to keep your workouts fresh, but it also fosters more complete development of your physique. You see, the human body is a very resourceful entity and readily adapts to a repetitive stress. When the same stimulus is applied on a regular basis, the body doesn’t respond as well to the stimulus. Only by keeping your body off guard will you continue to reap muscular rewards.
One way to vary your routine is by utilizing a wide array of exercises. You should strive to perform different movements every time you train. For instance, if you normally perform seated curls, cable curls and concentration curls for your biceps, change your routine to include hammer curls, preacher curls and EZ curls in your next session. In the following workout, you might employ incline curls, prone incline curls and 21’s. There are dozens and dozens of different exercises at your disposal – make use of as many as possible.
Another way to interject variety is by changing the composition of your routine. If, for example, you work your back and chest on Monday, shoulders and arms on Wednesday, and legs on Friday, switch things around so you train shoulders, chest and triceps on Monday, legs on Wednesday, and back and biceps on Friday. Or perhaps split your routine into four days, performing shoulders and triceps on Monday, back and hamstrings on Tuesday, chest and biceps on Thursday and quadriceps and calves on Friday. You could even employ a total body workout where each major muscle group is trained with only one basic exercise. As you can see, by using a little ingenuity, the possibilities for variation are endless.
Go All Out
When you first start lifting weights, results tend to come rather easily. Virtually anything you do is a new stimulus to your body and, as long as your technique is reasonably sound, you are apt to make good progress. However, after a while, your body becomes accustomed to specific load patterns and results begin to slow down (remember the adaptive nature of the human body). Hence, in order to elicit further gains, you need to train harder and harder. If you don’t, your body won’t change. It’s as simple as that.
To avoid this fate, your muscles must be stressed beyond their physical capacity. By nature, the human body strives to maintain stability – a phenomenon called homeostasis. If your training intensity doesn’t sufficiently tax your body’s resources, there won’t be enough of a stimulus to force your body from its homeostatic state. Only by progressively overloading your muscles will they be compelled to produce an adaptive response and grow beyond their normal potential.
As a rule, you need to be struggling on each set. This means the last few reps should be difficult, if not impossible, to complete. Sure, there will be some temporary discomfort associated with this type of training. However, to achieve optimal results, you must push past the pain threshold and completely fatigue your target muscles. Anything less and results will be compromised. Give it your all and you’ll be rewarded with a better body.
Stay Fit!
Brad
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