Squats: Technique and Injury Prevention

Squats are a fantastic exercise to improve athletic performance as well as daily quality of life. Performing squats activates over 200 muscles in your body and rarely causes injury when executed properly.

Correct technique, though, is crucial.  Squat movements are complex with many variables involving ankle, knee, hip and spinal joints. Improper technique and incorrect exercise prescription can cause muscle and ligament strains plus ruptured disks as well as instability, slipping or displacement of a vertebra.

 I was happy to find a recent study investigating how to optimize muscle development while minimizing injuries.

Findings: 

• During the squat, the spine is most vulnerable to injuries
• To maximize development of your quadriceps, squat down to parallel, i.e. your thighs are parallel to the floor and hips do not go below knee level; going lower provides no extra benefit
• Take a wider stance to optimize your hip adductors and extensors; this also reduces shear forces on your knees
• A front squat will place noticeably lower compression on the knee and lumbar spine compared to a low or high bar back squat

Technique:

• Position your feet in a comfortable stance that lets the knees move in line with your toes
• Sit back into the squat while descending and don't push the knees forward over your toes
• Your descent should be controlled with a two to three second tempo
• Align your spine properly by gazing straight ahead or upward, keeping the spine as upright as possible and avoiding any movement from side to side
• Avoid going deeper than 90 degrees (thighs parallel to the floor) to protect your knees, unless you have athletic goals that benefit from a deeper movement
• If you have knee injuries, descend only 50 - 60 degrees
• If your heels rise off the floor during the downward movement, try placing a barbell plate under the heels to help with stability

Source:  J Strength Cond Res 24(12): 3497-3506, 2010

The Positives about Negatives

Want to add variety to your resistance training program, increase results and protect against injury?

Try eccentric (negative) weight training.


Description:
Resistance is applied primarily to your muscles during the lengthening phase of a repetition.  Eccentric muscle movements act a brake against the concentric (shortening / contraction) action to protect joints from damage.

Examples:
With the Back Row, the eccentric movement occurs after pulling the weight to your torso (the concentric phase) while resisting against the weight as your arms straighten back to your starting position.

Walking down hill is also an eccentric action.

Technique:

• Perform the concentric movement in one second and the eccentric movement over 3-5 seconds.

• As you approach the end of the set and start to fatigue, you may need help lifting in the concentric phase.

• To progress, increase the amount of time you spend on the eccentric phase.

Interesting Facts:

• Because eccentric training uses little energy while producing markedly high force, “muscles respond to eccentric training with meaningful changes in strength, size and power,” according researchers.
• Total body eccentric training will burn more fat by increasing your resting metabolic rate 9%, with the highest fat burn occurring during the first two hours.
• Adding periods of eccentric training to your conditioning program helps protect against injury and/or re-injury.
• Most people can use heavier weight with an eccentric exercise.
• Eccentric training is a good post rehabilitation program for lower-body injuries
• Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) often presents as tenderness rather than soreness

Source:   IDEA Fitness Journal, October 2010

Keep in Mind:   When starting eccentric training, regardless of fitness level, I strongly recommend consulting a certified personal trainer for instruction on proper technique! -- Jeanie

Toning Shoes: Do They Actually Tone?

Toning shoes are all the rage in the fitness products industry. They promise extra toning benefits by having unstable soles, forcing your body to constantly work for a balance point.  But do they really deliver?  The answer is no, according to a new study just released by the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

When wearing these sneakers, people report tired and sore muscles; feelings they don't experience with other shoes.

Reebock, Skechers and MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology), citing their own studies, advertise the following benefits:

• Increased muscle activity
• More calories burned
• Toned butts, hamstrings and calves
• Eased joint pain

Questioning the validity of these claims and the studies backing them, ACE put the allegations to the test.  ACE hired a team of exercise scientists from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse (UW), to examine Skechers Shape-Ups, MBT and Reebok EasyTone shoes.

During the UW trials, the team compared the toning shoes to a New Balance running shoe on treadmill tests.

The researchers did not find any statistically significant increases in:

•  Exercise response -- researches monitored oxygen consumption, heart rate, ratings of perceived exertion and calories burned
•  Muscle activation --electromyography was used to record muscle activity in the calf, quadriceps, hamstrings, buttocks, back and abs

 So what about those people who have sore muscles from wearing the shoes?

As the  researchers pointed out, you may feel sore when first wearing them because you're muscles are working differently.  But this doesn't mean you are toning those muscles.  As your muscles adapt to walking with the shoes, the challenge will disappear.

What about the long term effect on walking gait and balance?  Both will have to be studied in longer-term clinical trials, the researches explained.


Source:  Will Training Shoes Really Give You a Better Body? by John Porcari, Ph.D, John Greany, Ph.D., Stephanie Tepper, M.S., Brian Edmonson, B.S. and Carl Foster, Ph.D., with Mark Andrews, www.acefitness.org

Keep in mind:  This is the first independent clinical study looking at the effectiveness of toning shoes.  For findings to qualify as "scientific facts," they need to be tested in additional clinical studies with matching results.  This is a quality study that provides helpful information. -- Jeanie

Rock Climbing: Great for Aerobic Conditioning

Even for beginners, rock climbing offers similar cardio conditioning benefits as running, swimming and biking.

This is good news for current rock climbers.  For those of us who belong to gyms with rock climbing walls, a growing trend, we have a new exercise to try.

For aerobic conditioning, climbing's most important aspect is the amount of time spent moving on the rock face.

If climbing is your only aerobic exercise, time should total about 150 minutes a week on routes with a vertical displacement equivalent to 500-750m to meet American College of Sports Medicine recommendations for cardiorespiratory fitness.

Otherwise, climbing time can be added to your other aerobic activities to reach the 150-minute goal.

The difficulty of the rock face is not a factor in all of this.

What's important:

• the grade of the wall is climbable at a comfortable speed for the climber 
• rapid movements are avoided that may compromise safety

This means that climbers with little experience or skill can still maintain health and physical fitness.

Source:  J Strength Cond Res 22(2): 359-364, 2008

Keep in Mind:  Don't follow resistance training with a climb.  Your muscles will be spent, and you won't get very far on the wall--I speak from personal experience!

Happy climbing! -- Jeanie

Warm-Ups, Cool-Downs and Stretching: Myths v. Facts

True or False: Skipping a warm-up is okay if you want to save time

True or False: Stretching before hopping on your bike is important

True or False: Cool downs are optional



All of these are false!


I see people making these mistakes all the time simply because they are misinformed.

So here is the truth, based on applied scientific research:

• It is imperative to warm up your body before exercise
• Stretching is not the same as warming-up
  
• Stretching cold muscles can cause injury (muscles can be cold even if the temperature is hot)
  
• Static stretching before exercise can inhibit performance and may cause injury
  
• Static stretching is important after your workout
  
• Skipping a cool down is unhealthy
  

Warm-ups 
Warming up before exercise is essential because it prepares your body for work and improves your workout performance by:

• Increasing blood flow to deliver nutrients and oxygen to your muscles
• Enhancing the pliability of your tendons to prevent injury
  
• Boosting the mechanical efficiency of your muscles
  

Warm-ups should include at least 5 to 10 minutes of moderate intensity cardio; you should feel warm before starting your workout, maybe even breaking into a light sweat.

For example: a walk or slow jog outside or on a treadmill. If you are preparing to play a sport, sport-specific drills can follow the warm up.


Cool-downs 
Cool-downs ease your body back to a resting state and: 

• Disperse metabolic waste products from the muscles
  
• Bring heart rate and blood pressure to normal
  
• Lessen the chance of dizziness or fainting due to blood pooling in your extremities
  

Cool-downs should include 5 to 10 minutes of walking or slow jogging, depending on your fitness level and preferences, followed by 5 to 10 minutes of static stretching (see Stretching below).

Stretching 
A recommended stretch after exercise is the static stretch-- a hold with continuous tension on the muscle for 20 to 30 seconds (do not bounce).

• helps muscles relax and ease into position

• improves the range of motion of your joints.

Remember--static stretching should be done at the end of your workout as part of your cool-down!


A couple of other great stretching techniques are dynamic stretching and PNF stretching. If you'd like more information, I suggest reading, Stretching: A Research Retrospective by Len Kravitz, Ph.D., at www.drlenkravitz.com


When you're putting the time and energy into a good workout, make the experience more effective and safe with these tips. Keep yourself healthy! -- Jeanie

  

 

Exercise Technique: Lat Pull-Down (Behind v Front of Neck)

As a personal trainer spending a lot of time in a gym, I often see people performing the lat pull-down behind the neck ("BN") rather than in front of the neck ("FN").

The lat pull-down strengthens both back and chest muscles, but BN risks injuring the shoulder joint.

While many people believe BN recruits more muscle fibers in the latissimus dorsi (the large back muscles extending from the low back to upper-mid back), a recent study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research refutes this assumption.

It turns out that FN and BN recruit the same amount of latissimus dorsi muscle fibers.  Adding to the good news, FN uses more pectoralis (chest) muscle fibers than BN.

And finally, there is no functional advantage to BN since pulling a load behind the neck doesn't mimic any movement patterns existing in daily activity or sports.  So why do it?

Bottom Line:  Performing lat pull-downs in front of your neck will protect your shoulder joint while providing a great workout for your back and better workout for your chest.

Source:  J Strength Cond Res 23(7):  2033-2038, 2009

Reduce Breast Cancer Risks

As October Breast Cancer Awareness Month closes, I'd like to pass along this information.

To limit your risks of breast cancer, essentially you need to control your estrogen levels to limit or slow cancer cell growth and boost your immune system to fight disease.

Achieve a healthy body composition

• Extra body fat produces more estrogen which can stimulate cancer cell growth in the breast.  Estrogen levels tend to be lower when you are at a healthy weight, and loosing weight will lower the risk of developing breast cancer.

Exercise regularly

• Activity helps control body weight, lowers estrogen levels, and supports your immune system.

Eat a healthy diet

• Good nutrition helps attain a healthy body composision, supports normal estrogen levels and boosts your immune system.
• A daily healthy diet includes at least five servings of vegetables and fruits, three servings of whole grains and restricted consumption of processed meats.  Also, be sure to limit saturated fats, so stick with lean meats (including lean red meats that are not seared when cooked) and fat-free or 1% dairy products--some people prefer to consume hormone-free meats and dairy as well.
• A couple of things to consider:  green tea has been found to slow breast cancer growth by protecting cells from damage and premature aging (I recently heard three cups a day suggested), and vitamin D3 can stop cancer cells from dividing (try 1,000 to 2,000 IUs a day).
• Eating to stabilize blood sugar levels, as promoted by Venice Nutrition, and myself as a nutrition coach, helps to keep your endocrine (hormone) system in balance.  If you're interested in more information, please see the Venice Nutrition link listed under My Favorite Sites--or contact me! (click on: My complete profile (in the upper right corner)).
  

Limit alcohol consumption

• Limit yourself to one alcoholic drink per day to help your liver regulate blood estrogen levels. 
  

Don't smoke

• Research shows that smoking increases the risk of developing breast cancer.

Please know your own risk factors and keep up to date with regular screening with mammograms and breast exams at your annual check-up!  --Jeanie

How to Weight Train to Increase Metabolism

How to take advantage of weight training's fat burning benefits?

• Avoid non-active rest periods between each set of repetitions.
• The idea is to work one muscle group while allowing the another muscle group to rest.  By removing the inactive rest periods, you boost the intensity of the workout.
• You also shorten your workout time!

Here are a few ways to accomplish this: 

Perform your exercises in a circuit. 

• A circuit is a group of exercises performed in a row one set at a time.  A set should consist of 8-15 reps.  Typically, when you complete the circuit once, you will go back to the beginning and repeat the sequence one or two more times.

• For example, an upper body circuit might include the following exercises:  chest press, back row, shoulder press, bicep curl and triceps extension.  You perform one set of the chest press, one set of the back row, one set of shoulder press and so on.

Alternate between upper and lower body exercises.

• You can alternate between upper and lower body muscle groups in a circuit like this:  leg press, chest press, squats, back row, leg extension, shoulder press and hamstring curl.  Do one set of each and then repeat the sequence.
• Or you can alternate sets between two exercises:  leg press with chest press; leg extension with back row; and hamstring curl with shoulder press, and so on.

Perform supersets.

• With supersets, you alternate between two opposing muscle groups for two or three sets.
• For example, you perform one set of the chest press followed immediately by one set of the back row.  Then go back to the chest press for one set, followed again by the back row. 
• When you finish this pair, you move on to two other opposing muscle groups like the quadriceps leg extension and the hamstring curl.

These suggestions are just snippets--they are not complete workout plans.

Don't forget to warm up first and stretch at the end! -- Jeanie

Metabolism & Weight Loss

I recently attended a seminar on metabolism and weight loss and gathered some great information.  Here are some highlights:

Eating breakfast increases metabolic rate by 5% while skipping meals slows down metabolic rate.

Eating too little (=deprivation) triggers your body's survival mechanism, dropping your metabolic rate by an average of 15%. With consistent deprivation over time, the body becomes very efficient at storing body fat, i.e. a larger percentage of the food you eat is stored as fat.

Eighty to ninety percent of weight loss is due to how and what you eat; the remaining 10-20% is exercise.

Exercise is crucial to maintaining weight/weight loss.

The more fit you become, the more efficient you become at burning calories and fat; a fit person will enter the fat burning stage sooner in her or his workout than a non-fit person.

Trained v. untrained individuals use more fat at rest (saving glucose stores), burn more fat at any level of intensity, and mobilize fat sooner and more efficiently while exercising.

Weight training, when performed correctly, prevails as the higher intensity exercise over moderate aerobic exercise.  Studies show that more calories are spent during weight training, and more fat is burned during the recovery period.

An effective workout schedule (for those who have time): Five to six days a week for about 45 minutes; weight training three of those days and aerobic exercise the other three days.

The best combined workout: Research now shows that weight training first followed by aerobic exercise will give the best results. Yes--it's better to have a stronger weight training session and a weaker aerobic session than the other way around.  I suggest 30 minutes of weight training followed by 30 minutes of aerobic exercise.

Please remember that maintaining or increasing lean muscle mass increases your metabolic rate!

The thyroid controls metabolic rate by releasing the hormone thyroxin. For as many as 20% of women, thyroxin may be too low, reducing metabolic rate. This may cause weight gain as well as depression and high cholesterol. When the thyroxin count falls into the normal range, but is approaching outside of normal, doctors have started to prescribe medication with positive results. You need to keep track of your numbers; don't expect your doctor to do this.

Exercising for an hour a day with no other activity (sitting the rest of the day) will burn less calories than not exercising for an hour and spending the rest of your day actively. Bottom line: everyone should increase their activities of daily living.

Happy fat burning! -- Jeanie