Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Are you sucking in your stomach?

Why are so many people sucking in their stomach while working their ab muscles? Most likely because their trainer told them that this was the best way to target the transverse abdominus. I too fell into the ab hollowing fad, but quickly noticed that you might put yourself at risk of injury with this technique. Stuart McGill, a renowned expert on the back has found ab hollowing to put the spine at risk. It makes since because when lifitng heavy weights or running ab hollowing puts the spine in more of a flexed position, which is the position that is most responsible for low back injuries. I have included a piece of an article from the New York Times, which goes into detail as to why you should avoid sucking in your stomach.

“If you hollow in, you bring the muscles closer to the spine, and you reduce the stability of the spine,” said Stuart McGill, a professor of spine biomechanics in the department of kinesiology at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. Try rising from a chair with a hollowed out stomach; not only are you “weak,” he said, but “it’s very difficult.”
Dr. McGill, who has treated patients with back disorders for 25 years, has measured spinal loading forces and their effects on spinal stability with computer models and in test subjects wired to computers.
His findings dispute not only the validity of drawing in, but also the very notion that the transverse abdominus plays a pivotal role in stability. All abdominal and back muscles are important, not just this one, Dr. McGill said.
Some trainers who once thought that drawing in was the key to protecting their lower back and building a strong midsection are now having second thoughts. Vern Gambetta, the author of “Athletic Development: The Art & Science of Functional Sports Conditioning,” now thinks the move is difficult to teach and too unnatural for athletes to maintain while being at their competitive best.
“In most sporting activities, things happen too fast to consciously think about contracting a specific muscle,” Mr. Gambetta said.
He and others have also seen that no matter how many times people hollow out their stomachs, firing the transverse abdominus rarely becomes second nature.
“I don’t know of a study that shows that drawing in becomes a subconscious reflex,” said Shirley Sahrmann, a professor of physical therapy at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Some say the problem is the way people are taught to fire their transverse abdominus. Most of the time, exercisers are lying prone when they are told to consciously fire the muscle. Less often they are taught to perform an exercise that engages the transverse abdominus.
“I would rather facilitate the motion that turns the muscle on all by itself,” said Gary Gray, a physical therapist in Michigan who has been trying to re-educate other therapists to abandon the drawing-in technique. “Motion is the thing that turns on muscles, not the mind.”
Dr. McGill said there is a better way than drawing in to protect the spine and build the core. For those about to lift something heavy or, say, leap for a rebound, he recommends bracing all the abdominal muscles — something he said the body does more naturally during exertion.
“Bracing is stiffening the abdominal wall,” he said, explaining the difference. It’s a neutral position. “It’s not sucking in and it’s not pushing your belly out,” he said.
The easiest way to teach it: “Pretend you are going to get whacked in the belly,” he said. The body’s natural response is bracing.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

The power of the mind

There has been a lot of talk of positive thinking lately in the news. The new book " The Secret" has sold close to 2 million copies emphasizing how positive thinking can make things happen in yur life. In this book the author describes what she calls the law of attraction, in which thoughts good or bad attract more of whatever they are about. Could there be some truth to this?

I believe that what " The Secret" is writing is nothing new and has been discussed in the bible since the beginning of time. In Proverbs chapeter 23 and verse 7 it says as a man thinketh so is he. What are you thinking about these days? Are you thinking how bad of a day this is going to be? Well, do not be surprised if you do have a terrible day.

The more that I look at people that society have deemed successful the more that I see that they all shared a powerful mind. I am not talking about being knowledgeable, but having an inner belief that what they were attempting was great and would come to fruition. Maybe we have little because we think small. Someone said never consult a small mind with big visions. Again, what are you thinking and who are you talking to?

I know you all are probably thinking what does this have to do with losing fat and gaining muscle. There goes those thoughts again. I have compiled a list of what I believe are ways that the mind can be beneficial in achieving the best fitness level possible.

1) Speak things as though they already happen. What you say with your mouth only confirms what you believe. Speak well of what you are attempting and see if that doesn't help your outlook as well as your results.

2) The central nervous system controls how efficient we are at recruiting muscle fibers to perform the different tasks that we require. I believe if our thoughts are positive we have a better chance of our CNS working optimally.

3) In athletics, as well as any fitness programs mental toughness is one of the biggest difference makers in success. It is also one of the least trained part of many programs.

4) Stress which is controlled by negative thinking can be detrimental to a fitness program. Studies have proven that stress increases cortisol, which is a hormone that negatively effects muscle growth.

I hope that this has made you think about what is going through your head, as well as what you say. Stop saying that this day is going to be awful and that you hate your job. If you continue to be negative I would hope that I am not around you because I do not want to receive what you are attracting.

Monday, February 26, 2007

Why can't I Iose weight?

Many people asks themselves this question on a regular basis. But few have the commitment, support, or knowledge to make it happen. I can't tell you the amount of times I hear this statement. It may be at locker room at the gym, the break room at work, or from countless friends. The truth is that it is not as easy as the diet pill commercials would like you to think. You are not going to change overnight because let's face it. It took years to pack on that weight. By now, you are probably saying enough of the talk let us know how we get there.

1) Clean up your diet. Say goodbye to the processed foods, high glycemic carbs, and saturated fat. Start adding lean protein, plenty of vegetables, and good fats like fish oil, cashews ....

2) Drink plenty of water and green tea. Leave the sodas in the machines and stop drinking the coffee with all that sugar and cream.

3) Use interval training instead of the hour long boring elliptical and tredmill sessions. Studies have shown that strength training coupled with interval training burn more fat throughout the day after you are done working out than steady state cardio. Gain some muscle and lose some fat.

4) You do the same things and expect different results. Your strength training look the same as they were years ago. Who invented the 3 sets of 12 reps rule. If your goal is losing fat there is nothing better than supersets and circuits. There are many ways to lose fat, but use one that works please.

5) Get a support group. There is nothing more powerful than many people working towards one goal. Studies have shown that people burn more fat on the average working with a group than alone.

6) Commitment is the biggest key to achieving your goals. Anything that is not believable by you is not achievable by you. How many New Years resolution are you going to make without seeing any progress?

7) There are no indicators in your fat loss program. You must have certain indicators that tell you whether your program is working. You might track your progress by taking your body fat percentage periodicly, monitoring your strength in different exercises, or taking before and after pictures.

I have listed several reasons why many people do not succeed in their pursuit of weight loss. The rest is up to a made up mind and a relentless effort. Life is much more enjoyable when we are as healthy as we can be and doing something fun. There is nothing worse than when a man or woman is carrying a front butt in their mid section. If you have any questions please email me at jimmyl@camco.net.