Why Resolutions Fail

Watching the crowds dwindle in gyms across Lakeland, it doesn't take a personal trainer to tell you the holiday season is here in full swing.

In my experience, even the most dedicated gym goer has trouble summoning the strength to perform squats, burpees and push ups before sunrise without a break now and again. In fact, a pre- January break is exactly what I suggest for the majority of gym goers.

Known as a "deload" in weight lifting circles, this is a period where we back off of our normal routine to allow our body to heal and develop to it's fullest potential (though full should not necessarily involve multiple trips to the buffet). From a psychological standpoint, this time of year should also serve as a period to collect our thoughts and set goals for the new year.

For many of us, these goals will involve weightloss and hitting the gym hard in January. But while you will undoubtedly summon all the motivation and energy necessary to crush these goals during the first several weeks, the question remains whether you can endure for the long haul.

More often than not, the factors which tend to stall progress are the logistics of how to get this done at all. These typically include:

• Penciling in a workout schedule
• Picking out a diet
• Committing yourself to a basic fitness program
• Getting the family on board

Beyond these issues, we also have fitness related issues which are the focus of this article. In my experience, the factors I will describe are the top three reasons why clients with another-wise flawless workout program fail to meet their goals. By considering and addressing these issues now, you are set up for success for months (versus days or weeks) to come. 1.

1. Hormonal/adrenal fatigue

The adrenals are walnut-sized glands located on top of each kidney, where they serve as important manufacturing centers for many of the body’s hormones. Whenever our bodies perceive we are under threat, our adrenals produce a "fight or flight" response by producing the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol.

While these hormones enable us to achieve amazing feats such lifting cars and leaping over buildings (maybe that is just me), problems arise when this stress lasts longer than a few hours. Because many of us spend years in stressful situations and relationships, a constant exposure to these hormones means a breakdown of elements such as the metabolism, immune system, digestion and cognitive function.

If you feel jittery, on edge and chronically tired on a regular basis, chances are this pertains to you. Because this is issue has a detrimental effect on both metabolism and attention span, the first order of business in preparing for weightloss is managing this condition.

Some factors to consider include:
• Enrich your nutrition, reduce refined carbohydrates, and cut back on stimulants- These include white bread, processed coffee and sugar.
• Consider nutritional supplements that support adrenal function. Start with a high-quality multivitamin–mineral complex rich in stress vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.
• Reduce stress, exercise in moderation, and take more time for yourself. It’s helpful to make a list of your stressors, especially those that are ongoing or self-imposed.

2. Too much cardio

Though we have all heard a thousand times that we need to change up our cardio to achieve results, this statement goes deeper than switching from outside to the treadmill. The reality is that if you are running long distances or only doing intervals (think bootcamp) then you are only feeding the body one stimulus for adaption.

Because we need both aerobic endurance (for better recovery and fat utilization) and anaerobic endurance (to go as hard as possible and help our bodies deal better with carbohydrates), a mixture of both is a necessary evil.

But before wrapping your mind around this equation, I want you to consider the difference between the two:

Aerobic characteristics:
• 60-70% of maximum heart rate
• Ability to talk comfortably during exercise
• 4-6 out of 10 on perceived exertion scale

Anaerobic characteristics:
• 85-100% of maximum heart rate
• Inability to talk comfortably during exercise
• 7-9 out of 10 on perceived exertion scale

With interval training in particular, the goal is truly to go hard as hard as possible. If you find that you are sandbaging or talk to friends during a 30-60 second interval, chances are your workout is primarily aerobic.

While these values are best monitored via a heart rate monitor, I find simply measuring pulse after a good run or circuit helps me to determine whether or not I am "in the zone".

3. Failure to recover

Though I feel all gym goers should perform to fullest potential for the day, we cannot simply hammer ourselves day after day and expect better results. In fact, one of the main reasons exercise junkies fail to achieve better results with more effort is a failure to allow their bodies to truly recover and develop.

While I have touched upon recovery techniques in previous columns, my go to option is staggering my workouts so progress is made on harder days while easier days allow for recovery and development. This strategy pertains to both strength training and cardio and becomes increasingly important as we become more experienced in exercise.

For someone seeking fatloss, my optimal training split would consist of the following:

• Monday (Hard): Strength Training + Longer Run
• Wed (Easy/Medium): Mobility Circuit + Jogging
• Friday (Hard): Strength Training + Interval Circuit • Saturday (Easy/Medium): Mobility Circuit + Jogging

While Monday may consist of a strength training session followed by a longer run, Friday's hard could consist of weights followed by interval circuit to ensure both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems were addresses.

For Wed and Saturday, I typically employ a mobility circuit followed by jogging to help to get the blood flowing.

Weekly Fitness Challenge:

The bottom line is that because we are in this for the long haul we must pace our bodies for gradual success. By tackling the "little things" which seem to trip us up, the path is cleared for our journey to begin.

With that said, the other factor in this equation is work capacity. Because this is crucial to anaerobic training, my challenge for you with our video of the week is to perform the following workout 2-3 times this week and attempt to set a baseline and beat your score with each passing workout.

Post your results below and receive a week of fitness classes with you know who. Are you willing to work as hard as possible to achieve your goal? I hope to find out below.

MommyFit Fitness Program

MommyFit is a program intended to empower busy Moms to get back in to pre-baby shape without setting foot in a gym.

Through time efficient, full body workouts and crunchless core training, moms are given all the tools to achieve Peak Fitness in 15-20 minutes per day.

How it works:
• Based upon a thorough fitness evaluation, we create a program which can be performed at home in 10-20 minutes per day
• Performed easily in a small space, this workout requires minimal to no equipment and combines cardiovascular and strength training together
• While you work out at home during the week, you will meet with a trainer for a Saturday fitness class and weigh in with fellow moms

Program Features:
• Weekly fitness plan with easy to understand exercise videos and pictures accessible from your computer or phone
• Crunchless Core Training program to tone hard to hit areas of the body
• Full nutrition plan
• Four group workouts per month with personal trainer

Classes begin January 8th 2011. For more info on the program and/or to schedule a free evaluation, contact Chris at (863)682-8281 or chris@peakfitnesslakeland.com

Think you know Diabetes? Think Again

Interview questions:
Gwen Rogerson,MPH,BSN,RN,CDE

1. First, I found some of the statistics given in your talk on diabetes eye opening to say the least. Could you briefly give a few of the stats on the prevalence of diabetes both nationally and in Polk County specifically?

There are 23.6 million people in the U.S. with diabetes. 5.7 million out of the 23.6 million people with diabetes are unaware they have diabetes. There are an additional 57 million people in the U.S. who have pre-diabetes.

In Polk County alone, there are 55,000 people with diabetes. The lifetime risk of developing diabetes for everyone is now estimated to be 1 in 3.

2. In your work at LRMC, how many diabetics do you see a week and have you seen this grow over the past several years?

On the average we see approximately 60-80 in-patients a week. However approximately 1/3 of the patients on any day in the hospital has diabetes. Due to the large number of diabetics in the hospital, the diabetes educators focus on seeing patients: newly diagnosed with diabetes, new to insulin, wearing insulin pumps, referred by the physician, pregnant with diabetes including gestational diabetes, and admissions with diabetic ketoacidosis.

We have seen a large increase in the number of consults we are receiving for new diabetics as well as patients on insulin pumps. The bedside nurses educate the other diabetics in the hospital. Other than in-patients, we also see out-patients for more intense education on a one-on-one basis as well as group classes.

3. Dealing specifically with children, have you seen the number of new cases increase in younger populations? If so, please speculate on the factors behind this?

Statistics show an increase in the number of children world-wide who have diabetes. The biggest change over the years is the type of diabetes that children are being diagnosed with.

We used to only see children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Now frequently children are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Some of the reasons that have been given for the increased risk of type 2 diabetes in children besides family history are increased weight, nutrition habits, and sedentary lifestyle. 3 major factors of the sedentary lifestyle include limited physical education in school, the amount of television children watch, and the amount of time spent on a computer.

4. Please briefly describe the various types of diabetes and how they are acquired?

The 3 main types of diabetes are type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas quits working and the person is required to take insulin every day in order to live. Type 1 used to be called juvenile diabetes. They really are not sure what causes type 1-some of the theories are that it is an auto-immune disease brought on by a virus.

When a person gets type 1 diabetes, they get very ill very fast and usually end up in the emergency room. Only about 10% of the population has type 1 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, the onset is very gradual and usually runs in the family. Type 2 diabetes occurs in approximately 90% of people with diabetes.

It can take up to 9 years to develop symptoms of type 2 diabetes. This is why it is so important for people over the age of 30 and with a family history of diabetes to get their blood glucose checked once a year. Often by the time a person is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, complications have already occurred.

The other type of diabetes is gestational diabetes. This occurs in pregnant women usually around 24-28 weeks gestation. In gestational diabetes, the blood sugars go back to normal after delivery. Unfortunately, the woman sometimes has undiagnosed type 2 diabetes prior to getting pregnant. In this situation, the diabetes does not go away after the baby is born. Women with gestational diabetes have up to a 60% chance of developing type 2 diabetes 5 to 10 years after delivery.

5. What are some factors which may qualify someone as at risk for diabetes?

The main risk for type 2 is having a family member who has it. Once that risk is present, being overweight and not exercising increases their risk even more. We have a lot of overweight patients and a lot of patients who do not exercise that do not have diabetes.

We also have patients that are the perfect size, exercise every day, and still get diabetes. Diabetes does not discriminate. Family genes seem to play a big part with type 2 diabetes. However if you do have a family history of diabetes, watching what you eat and exercise can often delay and/or prevent diabetes.

6. For those at risk of diabetes, how often do you recommend being checked?

If the person is over the age of 30 and has a family history, at least once a year. And I would recommend being checked if symptoms develop.

7. One stat which stood out to me in your talk were the number of individuals who do not know they have diabetes. What are some of the symptoms associated with this problem?

I cannot emphasize enough not to wait for symptoms to present themselves since it can take up to 9 years to develop symptoms. The symptoms of diabetes are increased thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision, feeling tired all the time, nausea or hunger, wound that will not heal, and with women, frequent yeast infections.

8. How long does it take for "pre" diabetes to become full blown type 2?

This is one of the areas where nutrition and exercise can make a huge impact. Many people develop type 2 within a year. What is really scary is that people with pre-diabetes are at the same risk of complications as people with diabetes.

The guidelines for diagnosing pre-diabetes and diabetes have recently changed. Hopefully people are being diagnosed much earlier now. The earlier a person is diagnosed, the better chance they have of making changes to prevent complications.

9. In your talk, you mentioned that blood sugar is unaffected by food if you are not at risk for diabetes. Could you please elaborate on this idea?

I am often told by people that they were misdiagnosed with diabetes because they had just eaten a huge meal or a large piece of cake or just gotten off vacation. My answer to them is that when you do not have diabetes you can eat whatever you want and your blood glucose is still going to be perfect.

When diabetes is not present, the pancreas makes enough insulin to cover whatever you eat. You could eat a whole chocolate cake by yourself (I do not recommend this!) and your blood glucose would still be perfect if you do not have diabetes.

10. In looking at the way blood sugar is affected in diabetics, talk about the
logic behind counting carbs versus sugars when looking at ones diet?

Advertisements for foods can be very tricky. Carbohydrates raise a person’s blood glucose when they are diabetic. Often labels will read no sugar added but the food has natural sugar that includes carbohydrates. Our nutritionist tells patients to not even look at the sugar part on the label.

A good serving size is going to be approximately 15 grams of carbohydrates. The general recommendation for most people is to eat 45-60 grams of carbohydrates a meal and many men are told as many as 75 grams a meal. A nutritionist, preferably a registered dietitian, can individualize the amount of carbohydrates. Anything that says diet is usually more expensive and the regular food might actually have fewer carbohydrates. We always teach our patients the importance of reading labels.

11. Please describe treatment procedure for someone who has been newly diagnosed with diabetes.

When they are newly diagnosed at the hospital, they are usually seen by a diabetes nurse educator as well as nutritionist. We are more concerned with the basics at that point including how to test their blood sugars, medications they will be on, what to eat, importance of exercise, how to take insulin if needed, and when to call the MD with blood sugars.

Then when they are feeling better, we encourage them to attend out-patient diabetes class for a more in-depth education. Our out-patient classes consist of a 1-hour individualized appointment with the diabetes nurse educator and dietitian, followed by a 9-hour group class. We offer out-patient group classes twice a month. Times vary including three 3-hour sessions in the morning, afternoon or evening, as well as an all day class.

12. Please give some general recommendations for controlling diabetes with fitness/nutrition?

We are thrilled when our patients are already exercising when we see them. We encourage some type of activity for at least 30-45 minutes at least 3-4 times a week. Some of the cardiac groups are encouraging at least an hour 7 days a week.

Our major push at the beginning is just to increase their base-line activity. Exercise has many benefits for our patients with diabetes including: lowered blood glucose for up to 24 hours, reduced stress, increased weight loss and improved cardiac function. As for weight loss, just losing 5-10 pounds improves insulin sensitivity of the body which usually results in less need for medication.

13. For those who may be at risk of diabetes, please provide some information on
the services offered at LRMC and how they may be of benefit to readers?

The out-patient classes previously discussed are recognized by the American Diabetes Association which means we have strict guidelines that we adhere to. Most of our educators are certified diabetes educators. We also offer individualized classes for gestational diabetics, diabetes with pregnancy and Spanish speaking patients.

We offer a Diabetes Support Group in collaboration with Watson Clinic that is held once a month from October through May and alternates between Lakeland Regional Medical Center and Watson Clinic. There are approximately 100 people who attend each support group meeting. More information on diabetes class and support group can be obtained by calling (863) 284-1604.

What I learned this Week V1- Breaking down the foot and ankle:

Subject #1: Vertical Core Training:

Source: http://www.train4thegame.com/sites/default/files/Vertical%20Core%20Training%20Revisited%20Final_0.pdf








1. Vertical Core Rules
These Joints must have proper motion:
– Foot/Ankle
– Hip
– Thoracic Spine/Scapulae
– Cervical Spine

2. The Foot, Ankle, and Hip- affect pelvic
motion. The Thoracic Spine, Scapulae, and Cervical Spine affect Rib Cage motion.

3. Functional Density- More things accomplished in the same amount of time. Vertical Core training gets more out of the effort put in. Dysfunction is often coupled.

4. Example: Only mobilizing a limited hip that has now influenced foot or thoracic mechanics. Cause and compensation become irrelevant because now they are feeding off each other address limitations simultaneously and prevent the vicious cycle

5. What is locomotion? The ability to go from A to B using a variety of specific movement patterns that will allow you to accomplish the task most efficiently
- Specific to individual limitations (kids, elderly)
- Specific to the environment
- Specific to the task (linear-lateral-multi)
- Subsystem of training system (where does it fit in?)

6. Fundamental Definitions
- Lunge – falling onto one leg and returning to the beginning position
- Step – falling onto one leg and continuing to the other leg on the same vector of movement
- Jump - leaving the ground on two feet and landing on two feet
- Hop – leaving the ground on one foot and landing on the same foot
- Leap – leaving the ground on one foot and landing on the other foot.

7. What are the Fundamental Locomotor Patterns?
- Walk - a step followed by another step (no flight phase)
- Run – a leap followed by another leap (flight phase)
- Shuffle – a step followed by another step, but the feet do not cross each other
- Skip – a hop followed by a step followed by a hop

8. What are the Secondary Locomotor Patterns?
Carioca Series – pattern in which the feet cross once in front and once behind each other
- Walkioca – carioca pattern while walking
- Skipioca – carioca pattern while skipping
- Carioca – carioca pattern while running (flight phase)
- Skuffle – a shuffle pattern while skipping

9. What are the directions?
Sagittal Plane
– Anterior
– Posterior
Frontal Plane
– Right Lateral
– Left Lateral
Transverse Plane
– Right Rotational
– Left Rotational

10. Secondary Directions
S – Sagittal/Transverse
O – Transverse
Z – Frontal/Sagittal/Transverse
8 – Frontal/Transverse
Square
Triangle
T

11. Movement Acquisition
- Examining sport specific patterns
- Breaking down complex movements into locomotor components
- Speed Acquisition - linear, lateral, multidirectional speed acquisition.

12 Benefits of Retro walking - As we get older and without proper training, we lose the ability to move posteriorly.
- Study by Laufer Y.: older population can not increase their speed when walking retro. The reason is they can not increase their stride length.
- Why? Lack of ankle mobility, hip extension, trunk extension, or proprioceptive training (no eyes in the back of our head).
- Since there is less hip rotation and frontal plane motion of the pelvis with retro, the lumbar spine is spared and the thoracic spine is required to move more

13. Analysis of “Retro” walking
- Retro Locomotion loads the anterior core more effectively than forward locomotion.
- Forward Gait: shock absorption through knee flexion, hip flexion, being absorbed by the posterior chain.
- Retro Gait: shock absorption through calf (gastroc, soleus, TP, PL), anterior core.
- Retro Gait forces more T-Spine extension with less comparative lumbosacral stress

14. Locomotion progression
Level 1 - complex moves in to matrixes
- Walk
- Skip
- Shuffle
- Run
Level 2-
- Walkioca
- Skipioca
- Carioca
- Skuffle

15. How to use it
- Always progress walk, run, skip/shuffle, carioca
- But how you progress is to each is up to you
–Directionality
–Bottom-up
–Top down
–Dimension (speed and range)















Subject #2: Breaking Down the Foot

Source: http://www.train4thegame.com/sites/default/files/Foot%20Cliffs%20Notes%20101.pdf

1. Over one quarter of your bones are in your feet. The initial mobility joint of the foot is the ankle or talocrural joint. While the ankle often serves as a catch all term, by definition it constitutes the interaction between the talus bone and the bones of the lower leg.

2. The setup of the ankle allows it to act somewhat like a hinge to give it front and back motion.

3. The subtalar joint is made up of the Talus bone and the heel bone. Unlike the ankle, this joint doesn’t just move front to back but allows the rear-foot to move in three dimensions, which is why it’s so important.

4. See, I consider the subtalar joint to be the trigger of the body. If the trigger is working right, the gun fires and amazing things happen throughout the rest of body. But, if that trigger gets jammed up, bad things happen and the rest of the body can’t do its job. The subtalar joint converts motion of the heel up the chain of the body, allowing other joints to move and muscles to activate.

5. The mid-tarsal joint is interesting, because it’s actually two joints 1. Talonavicular joint (Talus bone + Navicular bone) and 2. Calcanealcuboid joint (Calcaneus bone + Cuboid bone). The subtalar joint gives the rear-foot 3D motion while the mid-tarsal joint gives the forefoot 3D motion.

6. The often overlooked MTP joint or metatarsophalangeal joint (metatarsal bone + Phalange bone) aka… The Big Toe! BigToe??? Can the big toe affect the rest of the body??? You’re damn right it can! If the toe doesn’t flex upward or go through hallux dorsiflexion (as the people smarter than me called it,) when the foot pushes off the ground, that trigger can get jammed up again. A locked up trigger means the rest of the body (hip, knee, back) can’t work right. Back pain from the big toe

7. Gary confirmed my intuition, I remembered him telling me that the foot not only has to function as a “mobile adapter,” to react to gravity, ground reaction and the momentum of the body, but also as a “stable propulsive flipper,” to allow the foot to explode off the ground. They told me to think of the foot as a wave… It flows from, mobile to stable, mobile to stable, mobile to stable... Load then explode, load then explode, load then explode.























Subject #3: The Biomechanics of Barefoot Running:

Source: http://www.facebook.com/Thespotter?v=wall#!/notes/emily-splichal/biomechanics-of-barefoot-running-by-dr-emily-splichal/483892491188

1. The foot plays a very important role in shock absorption and the translation of ground reaction forces through the rest of the body

2. If we look at the foot kinematics during running shod we see initial contact between the foot and the ground in the form of a heel strike. From heel strike there is a shift in body weight to the lateral side of the foot to the forefoot, ending in propulsion off of the great toe joint. A runner’s heel strike is associated with up to 2-3 times our body weight in ground reaction forces.

3. As speed increases, there was a noted decrease in ankle dorsiflexion, and therefore an associated decrease in ground reaction forces during heel strike. Interestingly, this contrasts with barefoot runners who land with a more plantarflexed ankle with initial contact being on the ball of the foot and ending with great toe joint propulsion.

4. A plantarflexed ankle position significantly reduces amount of ground reaction forces during barefoot running.

5. A 2008 study by Divert et al. found a much higher oxygen consumption by shod runners when compared to barefoot runners. This increased oxygen consumption can be associate by both mass of the shoe and the variance in a heel strike in shod runner and forefoot contact in barefoot runners

Personal Training Principles- Why giving a shit gets clients

As a business owner, I often hear dealing with flakes come with the territory. But while I am used to clients who arrive late (if at all) or show up to the session hungover (in which case they immediately hit the floor for burpees), dealing with bum trainers is another proposition entirely.

Without going in too far in to my experiences with this problem, I will just say that the best thing I have learned from owning my own studio is that professionalism is, by far, the most important element in winning over a client.

I used to ask myself how trainers that employ bodypart splits and bicep curls on stability balls still have clients. Well now I know: they give a shit!

Sure, they may think the Psoas is an amusement park ride, but the very fact that they know the name of their client’s kids and take time to discuss their problems is the greatest selling point of all.

In explaining this situation to new trainers, I always refer back to a great quote I have heard uttered by plenty of coaches and motivators: “Noone cares how much you know, until they know how much you care”

I will spare you to sappy commentary, but I hope you will read the four guiding principals we live by in our gym when training clients:

1. Come passionate or don’t come at all

As someone that hires/fires trainers for a living, I have found the mark of a great professional is someone who can hang up their drama at the door and make each session all about the client.

Regardless of whether you are tired, what bills you have to pay and/or your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend just released incriminating photos of you and a farm animal, you must assume the role of motivator and coach as soon as the session begins. I want my client to feed off of my passion for what I do and this means I coach the hell out of each rep and push them to their limit until their time has expired.

From my perspective, coaching clients reminds me how much I love what I do and takes my mind off of the problems waiting for me at the door.

2. Never be afraid to speak up

One mistake I made early on with clients was not corrective form and cueing even when I observed a clear problem. For me, this came down to uncertainty about the correct cue and fear that my client would become annoyed or put off.

This all changed one day when I finally got up the courage corrected a long standing client’s deadlift and she thanked me and remarked “this is what I pay you to do”. The reality is that our clients hire us as the authority and while we must put things a certain way, they want you to give feedback and correction.

Regardless of who the client is or their station in life, everyone that steps in to our facility is the same. We want them to work as safely and correctly as possible. This means your primary role is coach and motivator. Even if you do not know the exact technical cue, don’t be afraid to adjust on the fly and make a note of what to review.

3. Be on time and organized

A good rule of thumb for a personal trainer is that the session starts seven minutes before the hour or half hour. This amount of time allows you just enough time to set up and cue your client to begin their stretching or pre-workout routine.

The other issue we sometimes must contend with are other trainers or clients working out. Taking the time to coordinate with other trainers and collect your equipment will help to shave several minutes off your session and keep things flowing.

4. Take an interest in each client

While knowing the names of your clients‘ children and where they last vacationed may not seem a requirement for results, the “little things” are what build the bond of trust that keep clients coming back.

Out of the 45 people I currently train, I can tell you something unique about each one of them and you better believe I reference these things as often as exercises to keep them coming back. If we want our clients’ buying in to things such as homework and showing up early to stretch, they need to know how important these things are-- and how much we care that they do them.

With this in mind, take a few minutes after the first session to identify your client’s basic interests and needs and make a note of these things in their workout chart. These will later serve as points of discussion and potential motivation. Some things to consider include:

 Favorite sports
 Occupation
 Kids names and ages
 Favorite (and least favorite foods)
 Vacation destinations

5. Vary your workouts-

A common practice amongst manner trainers I have encountered is to write on workout for the day. While this may work for relatively fit clients, this will only lead to general results.

If you want to make a believer out of your client, it is important to make sure their unique needs are addressed. Following a basic posture and fitness screening, this means certain exercises, stretches and corrective exercises to suit their individual needs.

The trick with not spending hours on this process is figuring out which parts of the program can apply to most clients generally and which must be specific to the individual. In my experience, we can look at the following:

• Pre-workout- Specific stretches based upon issues identified in basic testing.
• Warm up- Specific movement prep for issues identified in screening followed by generalized total body warm up which addresses total body mobility/flexibility.
• Strength Training- Generalized full body workout which excludes lifts identified as a risk in screening process. For example, if the client cannot reach their arms overhead, stay away from overhead pressing.
• Conditioning- Generalized routine excluding exercises contradicted by screening.
• Corrective Exercise- Exercises specific to needs identified in screening.

Commercial fitness versus Strength and Conditioning

After a great weekend speaking at my first fitness conference for a commercial gym chain, I came away with the impression of how far removed the world of strength and conditioning is from that of commercial fitness.

While lectures were given by myself and Dr. Emily Splical on topics ranging from restoring core function and the Efficacy of HIT (High Intensity Training), the trainers were also treated to an "Abs, Butt, and Back" class and pilates yoga fusion.

While I will hold my tounge for some of the exercises employed in the name of Pilates (imagine a room full of trainers doing Plows for several minutes, here are a few things I took from the seminar:

1. Sit ups and crunches still reign supreme- While I must admit to attend few "abs" classes, it was interesting to watch the way these circuits were executed in comparison to a traditional S & C setting.Performed at an upbeat tempo, I believe I counted 8 crunch variations interpresed with planking and other movements associated with Core training.

My initial impression as a coach is that this type of things done several times per week after hunching over a computer equals mucho repetitive stress, spinal flexion and back pain. On the other hand, everyone was up, moving and having a good time. This leads me to the conclusion that while the S&C world is all about "bang for the buck" in training terms, the perceptual element we encounter with commercial fitness is as much about marketing a "fun" versus effectiveness.

Because we will likely always fight a losing battle to commercial fitness in terms of exposure, it makes me wonder what we, as responsible practitioners, can do to balance perception with reality when training a client fresh from a commercial setting. What comprises in programming (if any) do we allow? I would like to get your take on this.

2. Noone had heard of Gray Cook or Stuart McGill (Aside my good friend Emily and the guy from KBC that is)- One question multiple presenters were asked was what trainers and sources they looked to for information. I found this refreshing because clearly the desire and passion for learning was there, but the "go-to" source for information was lacking.

After turning a few trainers on to Strengthcoach.com, a big takeaway from me with this experience is that sourcing and referencing is a huge part of the educational process. Though we may not know the answer to a question, we should posess a resource that does. For anyone that remembers the first several days of reading everything possible on the site, I feel refferal is an important part of how our profession grows and gives back--given the response from the group, the website should soon have a few new faces.

3. The public fears Kettlebells- Why does everyone call them Kettleballs? Actually, one instructed referenced his fear to being hit in the balls from swinging the bell while others were reluctant to teach the swing for fear of back pain. Going back to the whole reference thing, this reminds me how vital simple things like understanding the hip hinge can be. With this in mind, I refered a few of our friends to Eric's deadlifting video and Franz Snideman's breakdown of the KB swing.

4. What we can stand to learn from group exercise classes- I must admit one of the positive things I took away from my experience with "Abs, Back and Butt" was the "movement section" of the warm up. Here we had a full joint by joint dynamic warm up which took place in multiple planes of motion and was choriographed to music-- all in around 4 minutes! This sequence included Plie Squats (aka Squat to Stand) Instep to elbow insteps, cobras and built up from slow and simple exercises to faster and more complex movement patterns.

Getting back to the above, "choreographing" an extended dynamic warm up to music is an example of a programming modification which can spice up our workout a bit while still remaining in the frame of what we do.

5. Evidenced Based Practice- Aside from the above, I also want to recommend everyone to Emily's new Evidence Based Fitness Academy. I took a lot from her presentation on High Intensity Training (HIT) and her organization's mission statement is presentation based upon science and evidenced based practice. In an industry filled with personal bias, this commitment to citing research and understanding the "why" behind what we do is something we can all stand to learn from.

Talking Points on Interval Training- Chris Kelly

One of my goals for our talking points articles is to interview coaches from different settings and perspectives. In our last interview, my friend Mark Young talked about the science behind the value of interval training for fatloss.

Today, I would like to take a look at the way commonly utilize this form of training here at Peak Fitness. As a studio specializing in the general population, our applications of this method span far beyond fatloss and I hope this interview (with me) will give you a few ideas in terms of how this method can carry over in to all areas of your training program.

PS: Yes, ladies I am single. Who wants a ticket to this gun show?

Interview:

1. As a coach, talk about the advantages and disadvantages you have found with utilizing interval training in your programming?

First, I must acknowledge there really is little difference between the two in terms of overall results (See Mark Young’s interview for more info on specifics) With that said, I have found the main advantages of interval training to be psychological and efficiency of time.

I have often heard clients make the comment that it is much easier to push hard to complete a task which takes thirty to sixty seconds versus one that lasts ten minutes a time. And I think in terms of overall effort, this has value in itself.

Moreover, as the economy becomes worse a few trends we see more and more (or least in my neck of the woods) are bootcamp and thirty minute personal training sessions. Both of which must be extremely well structured to get in everything necessary to progress.

With interval training, I can give the client a full body metabolic effect in less time or percieved difficulty than it would take to push them through a run on the treadmill or even aerobic timed circuit.

If I only have around 6-8 minutes to give this to my client (via a thirty minute session), a round of 20-30 second intervals or complexes with various pieces of equipment do the job better than typical aerobic training.

2. Talk about the role interval style training plays in your overall programming for both general population and athlete clients?

In terms of time management, it is important to understand the applications of interval training beyond mere cardio. For example in Functional Strength Coach 3, Coach Boyle talks about utilizing intervals for stretching/mobility and strength circuits as a means of efficiency while keeping his players motivated.

If I have only 10 minutes devoted to each area of programming, this allows me to plan specifically how long I spend on each component within the larger program. The fact that we can dictate time with an interval CD creates urgency and allows us to coach the movement more effectively with larger groups of clients (or Type A personalities).

3. Because steady state cardio often means running or jogging-- a very weight bearing activity-- whereas intervals often change exercise, do you feel exercise selection plays a particularly important role in determining the success or failure of this method?

Absolutely, exercise selection is the opportunity to emphasize certain movements we are attempting to coach or get in extra work in particular area. For example, with someone with upper crossed posture, we may program 2-3 pulling and/or dynamic stabilization exercises which still allow for a metabolic effect.

I also find changing movements every 30-60 seconds avoids repetitive loading on the joints and is a better way to distribute overall training stress.

4. In terms of fatloss or general population, does your interval prescription for clients follow a specific progression as clients get in better shape?

We do, depending on the client‘s FMS score and current endurance capability. With deconditioned clients, we often begin with mobility exercises and progress these to more impactful movements as the client gains proficiency in basic movement. An example would be progressing from an assisted squat in month one to an unassisted squat to press or squat to row by month three.

As we go along, we involve more musculature to create a greater metabolic effect.

5. On the mental side of the equation, how do you feel clients react to performing intervals for conditioning versus longer cardio sessions?

Going back to the first question, I think brief periods of intensity challenge a client within the bounds of their comfort level. It has been my experience that they are far more likely to go all out for 30-60 seconds versus a 10-15 minute circuit.

In this way, intervals can actually been seen as the psychological precursor to longer steady state cardio in the form of circuits and/or running, jogging, etc.