R Phase Weekend #2; Maryland Personal Trainer

Just came back from the z-health R-Phase weekend #2 certification in Denver. I am officially R and I phase certified!


While we covered a lot of material over the 3 day course, the biggest impression I could not help but carry was how valuable it is to have someone look at your form. Even good movement patterns can degenerate over time. Injuries, stress, changes in load, and a host of other factors can all alter motor patterns. If left unchecked, these compensations will become the brain's preferred pathway for executing a certain movement, and that is no way to train. Practice makes permanent!

While there is no replacement for a good coach or trainer, a workout partner is a great start. If you do not have one now, make friends with someone at your gym. If you hate your gym, try looking on a local forum. Even if your friend does not follow your exact routine, being able to grab someone to check out your form, especially on more complex movements, is a great asset. Just make sure they know what they are looking for.

If you absolutely can not get a workout partner, video taping your form is another option. Digital cameras are cheap, and many cell phones have cameras on them. Just make sure you set up the angle of the camera right. For example, if you have a history of knee valgus (knees collapsing inward) during your squat, make sure the camera is directly in front of or behind you as you will not be able to clearly see knee valgus from a different angle.

While it is not quite the same as instant feedback, it is certainly a lot better than assuming your form is good. Watching how your form has changes from video to video can also promote motor learning. So, if you do not have a training partner, find one! And even if you are not very good at making friends, you can always buy a camera.

A Healthy Sweetener Alternative - Cocoa Powder; Maryland Personal Trainer

As a personal trainer, I'm often asked for healthy ways to sweeten foods. While I am no chef, one of my favorite things to add to my post workout smoothie is a bit of cocoa powder.

Cocoa powder has been studied a lot over the last decade. Recent research has shown that consumption of cocoa powder can reduce blood pressure, improve insulin sensitivity, and improve the capacity of blood vessels to dilate (1, 2, 3). Additionally, cocoa powder makes things taste like chocolate (no research needed)!


When buying cocoa powder, there are two options - raw and processed. Thanks to the increasing popularity of organic foods, the health-conscious consumer might leap for the raw cocoa. However, I do not think that this is a good idea for most people. Not everything is for humans to eat raw (like really bitter plants, which cocoa is), so your best bet when picking a cocoa powder is an organic but processed powder. Anecdotal evidence suggests raw cocoa powder results in some digestion problems for quite a few people.

However, processing can reduce the amount of compounds known as flavanols in cocoa powder. These compounds are associated with many of the positive benefits of cocoa. Food companies such as Mars have been working on new processing techniques for cocoa powder which do not remove or damage the flavanols. The Mars product line is not complete currently, but Acticoa claims to have a powder with a high flavanol content. Normally I would be quite skeptical of a "brand new processing technology that improves the healthiness of a food", but the early research has shown one of these high-tech cocoa powders to effectively lower blood pressure (2). However, I am sure these products are very expensive, for now I am okay with normal organic cocoa powder.

Since right after a hard workout is the best time to get some fast digesting carbohydrates and protein, I like to add sweetened cocoa powder to a shake of fruit, oatmeal, and whey protein. Sweetened cocoa powder (as long as it is not sweetened with high fructose corn syrup) is fine right after a workout (within 45 minutes or so) since a post-workout insulin spike is not a bad thing. Cocoa powder also has a very strong taste; usually a tablespoon of cocoa is enough for a 20 oz smoothie. Like all things, cocoa is best in moderation; flavanols may reduce blood pressure, but eating 20 candy bars will certainly raise it. With that said, next time you need a little bit more flavor in a smoothie, reach for some cocoa powder!


In other news, the Harford County Personal Training website should be up very soon!


References

1. Grassi D., et al. (2008). Blood pressure is reduced and insulin sensitivity increased in glucose-intolerant, hypertensive subjects after 15 days of consuming high-polyphenol dark chocolate. Journal of Nutrition, 138(9): 1671-6.

2. Cienfuegos-Jovellanos E, Quiñones Mdel M, Muguerza B, Moulay L, Miguel M, & Aleixandre A. (2009). Antihypertensive effect of a polyphenol-rich cocoa powder industrially processed to preserve the original flavonoids of the cocoa beans. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 57(14): 6156-62.

3. McCarty, M.F., Barroso-Aranda J., & Contreras, F. Potential complementarity of high-flavnol cocoa powder and spirulina for health protection. Medical Hypothesis, epublished ahead of print.

Exercise Spotlight - The External Rotation; Maryland Personal Trainer

This week's exercise is the external rotation, depicted in the video below:





Targeted musculature: Teres minor, infraspinatus.




Why: Increased performance!


How the External Rotation Can Increase Performance

Despite the over-prescription of the external rotation in the physical therapy arena, external rotations are one of the most useful (and overlooked) exercises for healthy people participating in regular resistance training.

The pectoralis major and the latissimus dorsi (yes linking to wikipedia) attach to the humerus in such a way that when they contract, they create a torque of internal rotation around the humerus. In simpler terms, when doing a bench press and the chest contracts to press the bar up, the chest musculature is also "twisting" the humerus.

To prevent the humerus from over rotating, the external rotators must contract in conjunction with the chest and back in order to stabilize the glenohumeral (shoulder) joint. If the pectoralis major's capacity to produce internal rotation during a bench press exceeds the ability of the external rotators to produce a counteracting force, 2 things could happen:

1. Very rarely, injury could result
2. Much more commonly, the brain prevents the pecs from overcontracting. This leads to less than optimal performance!

So, in order to prevent this from happening, add some external rotations to your program!

Variations

There are multiple ways to do the external rotation. As depicted in the video above, cables offer an excellent choice. Dumbbells, small weight plates, and bands can also be used. Additionally, as I wrote about in the tempo article, tempo can be added to the external rotation to increase difficulty and in some cases specificity.

Furthermore, changing the amount of shoulder abduction can change which of the external rotators is recruited (1). So, it can be useful to incorporate a variety of shoulder positions, such as the arm against the body and the arm fully abducted. A video of an external rotation with the arm against the body is shown at the top of the page. A video of an external rotation with the shoulder abducted can be found below:




Brief Rant on the History of the External Rotation

The external rotation is a popular physical therapy exercise targeting the infraspinatus and teres minor muscles. In addition to externally rotating the humerus, the teres minor and infraspinatus also depress the head of the humerus. This increases the amount of space below the acromion, theoretically relieving any impingement on the supraspinatus tendon. Since a lot of shoulder pain is simply written off as "supraspinatus tendinitis", external rotations are commonly prescribed to relieve shoulder pain. If you are having trouble visualizing this process, this journal article, has some great pictures on page 4 that show typical a "shoulder impingement".

Occasionally, this is effective, but the fact of the matter is that the glenohumeral joint is extremely complicated and nearly the entirety of the upper body musculature is involved in its stabilization either directly or indirectly (by acting on the scapula or humerus). Additionally, the external rotators end up pulling the head of the humerus forward in the socket when they contract, which can cause pain in and of itself.

In short, if you end up at a physical therapist's office for shoulder pain and they give you a band and tell you all that you need is external rotations, run the other way! As a personal trainer, I have worked with far too many clients who came right from a physical therapy clinic with that exact unfortunate experience.

Conclusion

If your bench press has been stagnant, try adding external rotations to your program. If you already incorporate them, try a variety of angles. If you have not used this exercise regularly in your training, you should notice a difference in your pressing strength within a few weeks!



References

Poliquin, C. (1997). The Poliquin Principles. Dayton Publishers & Writers Group.

Tempo for Dummies; Harford County Personal Trainer

A lifting tempo refers to the speed of lifting a given load. Tempo can be used to increase the effectiveness and difficulty of many exercises. Unfortunately, most trainees ignore tempo or always use the same tempo. If you are currently not using tempo in your training, read on to find out how even a beginner can incorporate tempo into his or her training today for improved results!

Some Definitions

Before you get started on the rest of the article, we will have to get some definitions out of the way. Concentric contraction occurs when muscle contraction is paired with muscle shortening. This is the actual lifting of a weight against gravity. Eccentric contraction occurs when muscle contraction is paired with muscle lengthening. When lowering a weight, a muscle working eccentrically. Isometric contraction occurs when a muscle is contracting but there is no movement. This happens briefly (or longer if intentional) with every repetition when the weight changes directions. Every time you do a single repetition, all three types of muscle movement are involved.

Tempo Notation

The most common notation (how you write out tempo on a piece of paper) is a "A/B/C/D" format. "A" refers to the amount of time (in seconds) spent on the eccentric portion of the lift (lowering the weight), "B" refers to the amount of time spent paused at the bottom of the lift, "C" refers to the amount of time spent on the concentric portion of the lift (raising the weight against gravity), and "D" refers to the amount of time spent paused at the top. If an "X" in place of a number, it means "as fast as possible".

An example:

Pull-up - 3/0/X/1 tempo

To execute a pull-up with 3/0/X/1 tempo, you would lower yourself over a 3 second duration(the 3), have no pause at the bottom (the 0), explode to the top (X), and pause for 1 second at the top of the pull-up (the 1).

If you have read my training log at all, you may have noticed this notation next to several exercises.

Uses for Tempo

There are literally endless ways to use tempo in training. Since most muscle damage occurs during the eccentric portion of the lift, many bodybuilders routinely slow down the eccentric portion of the lift to increase muscle damage in hopes of spurring on more muscle growth (1). Additionally, time under tension (which is considered by some as an important variable in building muscle) can be increased by slowing down both concentric and eccentric portions of the lift. Furthermore, pauses can be used during repetitions to work through sticking points on certain lifts.

How to use Tempo in your Program

All this may sound pretty complicated, but it does not have to be! There are several ways which you can immediately use tempo in your workouts today.

1. Tempo can be used as a means of progression

By adding tempo to a lift, the difficulty of movement can be increased without the need for additional weight. This is great for people who are working out at home with limited equipment or people recovering from injury that can not tolerate excess loads. Here is an example:

Push-up

Even for relatively casual trainee, or a more serious female trainee, doing a push-up gets easy pretty quickly. However, the push-up is great for increasing shoulder stability and is an excellent way to work the pecs, triceps, and anterior deltoids. On top of that, when done properly, push-ups result in little strain on the shoulder. One way to make the movement more difficult is to add weight and bands. However, this is not always convenient or possible with a lack of a training partner. Additionally, some shoulders may not tolerate the increased load. Fortunately, the difficulty of a push-up can be increased without equipment by adding tempo.

If you can do 10 good push-ups, try using a 3/1/X/0 tempo. This would involve taking 3 seconds on the way down, a brief pause at the bottom (with the chest barely off the ground), exploding to the top, and repeating without rest. From week to week, rather than increasing the amount of reps, the length of the pause can be increased. A 5 second pause for 10-20 reps will be challenging for even the most fit individuals, especially if done towards the end of a workout. This can be a great way to get some blood flowing to the muscles after some sets of heavy pressing.


2. Tempo can be used to learn new lifts

Doing a bodyweight chin-up can be a daunting task for many female (or male) trainees. Accentuated eccentrics can be used to help speed up this learning process. Start by jumping up or getting assisted to the top of a chin-up bar. Now, lower yourself as slowly as possible to the bottom. Jump back up to the top and do this for several reps.

From workout to workout, add a rep to each set. Eventually, you can drop the reps down and increase the eccentric duration. For example:

Workout 1: 10 sets x 3, 2 second eccentric
Workout 2: 10 sets x 4, 2 second eccentric
Workout 3: 10 sets x 5, 2 second eccentric
Workout 4: 10 sets x 3, 3 second eccentric

Progress like this for 4-8 weeks. If done properly with enough frequency (at least twice per week), a normal chin-up should result (depending on base strength levels and bodyweight). This can also be used for learning to do a "guy" push-up, a pull-up, or any other challenging body-weight exercise.

3. Tempo can be used to enhance functional and prehabilitative exercises

This is one of my favorite uses for tempo. The term prehabilitative exercise is used to describe typical physical therapy exercises applied before injury takes place. After all, why wait to get injured to strengthen important stabilizers or mobilize stiff joints?

Functional exercise was originally intended to describe exercise with carryover to real life or sporting activities. Lately, the term "functional" has been applied to just about everything under the sun, despite lack of carryover. In this instance, I am referring to the former definition.

Many muscles typically targeted by rehabilitative exercise do not take into account the way the muscle functions in the gym or in every day activities. For example, the lower portion of the erector spinae musculature is not used to extend the back but rather to prevent the lumbar vertebrae from shearing forward (literally falling towards the ground when bending over) (2). For many lifts and every day activities, this generally involves isometric contraction, or very small concentric and eccentric contractions of the lumbar erector group. Additionally, high levels of endurance of the low back musculature has been shown to decrease injury risk, where differing levels of strength has not (3). In other words, people with high low back endurance were less likely to experience back pain and injury, but the raw strength of low back muscles has not been linked to injury prevention.

Therefore, an exercise using the lumbar erectors can be more functional (or have more carryover) if performed with a slow tempo.

So as an example, with the back extension, if you normally grab a weight and do a lot of fast reps, try leaving the weight behind, and adding a 2/0/2/0 tempo. Once you increase the repetitions to 15, slow the tempo down and drop the number of repetitions. At a point, you can even add in pauses at the top and bottom. So one month you might do 2/0/2/0, the next month 4/0/2/0, then 4/1/2/0, and finally 4/2/3/1.

The same thing can be done for the upper body. The external rotation is one of the most commonly prescribed exercises for shoulder pain. The infraspinatus and teres minor muscles, which are targeted by this exercise, often do not contract rapidly during gym lifts. For example, during the bench press, one of their main functions is to prevent the head of the humerus from over-rotating, as contraction of the pecs and lats results in internal rotation. Strengthening the external rotators of the humerus with varying tempos can increase their capacity to act as stabilizers, resulting in more force production during lifts which require these muscles to act as stabilizers (like the bench press).


*Side note: Using tempo for assistance exercise is not always ideal. For example, in a baseball pitcher, the external rotators must eccentrically contract at high speeds to slow down the pitching arm once the ball has been released. For this population, it is not be appropriate to always do upper body assistance work with a slow tempo.


Conclusion

By incorporating tempo into a training plan, a trainee can increase the intensity of exercise an exercise without adding weight, increase the variety of stimuli the body is exposed to, increase the functionality of certain exercises, and learn new exercises that were previously out of reach. With all these potential benefits, what are you waiting for?



References

1. Miles, M.P & Clarkson, P.M. (1994). Exercise-induced muscle pain, soreness, and cramps. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 34(3): 203-16.

2. McGill, S.M., & Norman, R.W. (1987) Effects of an anatomically detailed erector spinae model on L4/L5 disc compression and shear. Journal of Biomechanics, 20(6): 591.

3. Biering-Sorensen, F. (1984). Physical measurements as risk indicators for low-back trouble over a one-year period. Spine, 9: 106-119.

3 Tips for Fitness Goal Setting; Maryland Personal Trainer

How to Avoid Setting Yourself Up for Failure

Goal Setting for the Gym

Jill wants to lose 20 lbs of body fat before her cruise in 12 weeks. Mary has a New Year's resolution to lose some weight. In my experience, Jill will always lose more weight then Mary. Why? Jill’s goal is better than Mary’s. No doubt, goals are important; the first thing I ask a new client is "what are your goals?". Before answering that question, it is important to consider what defines the word "goal”. A good fitness or performance goal has several components:

1. A good fitness or performance goal should be quantitative, not subjective

As a society we love numbers. We obsess over body weight, age, income, the top 10 superfoods, 5 rules to live by, and anything else we can hook a number to (even the title of this post!). However, when it comes to fitness goals, this pattern mysteriously disappears - men want to "get in shape" and women want to "get toned". The problem with these goals is that they offer no direction or definitive outcome - they are subjective and not objective. Rather than simply "losing weight", a goal of "dropping 5% body fat" provides a focal point to strive for. Once this is achieved, the goal is complete, and a new goal can be made.

2. A good goal should match the desired outcome

While it may seem obvious, many people do not choose the right goal. When someone says they want to lose weight, do they really want to lose weight or do they want to look and feel better? Adding a bit of muscle and dropping some fat may result in little weight change on the scale but a big difference in the way you look and feel.

Same thing goes for performance goals; an athlete may train for strength (with the intention of improving sports performance) where explosiveness would have been more appropriate. The opposite happens a lot with younger athletes; I have seen way too many teenagers doing loaded jump squats that can't do a good squat in the first place.

3. A good goal should be attached to a time-line

Having a date in mind on when you would like to complete your goal makes the goal more tangible and creates a sense of urgency. In reality, no one cares whether it takes you 5 or 50 weeks to lose 10 lbs of body fat. However, a date helps keep the goal-setter on track. For example, if you give yourself 12 weeks to complete your goal, at the end of 12 weeks, you can take a look at where you stand - figuring out what you did right and what you could do better. This critical self-evaluation process results in knowledge gained and if properly applied, change. Goals without a date of completion often result in a lack of focus.

With this said, it is important to use your judgment picking time lines for your goals. It is not reasonable (or healthy) to set a goal for 30 lbs of weight loss in a month, nor is it reasonable to make losing 10 lbs of fat a "lifelong pursuit" (not that there is anything wrong with lifetime goals!).

On Motivation:

Many people consider “a lack of motivation” the force that stands between them and their goals. Some experts suggest the 'ransom' approach, such as eating dog food or giving money to an organization you don't like if you fail to achieve your goal. I think the efficacy of this approach depends on the strength of your social support network - I'm sure most people have a couple of friends who would find it very entertaining to see their buddy eating a can of dog food.

However, I don't think promising to eat dog food if you can't lose 10 lbs is a great motivational strategy. At the end of the day, such "threats" are simply extrinsic motivators and not conducive to long term change (which is an internal process). The weird thing about goals are I find the people who talk the most frequently about their goals are the same people that end up looking the same week after week, year after year. Author Paulo Coehlo sums this phenomenon up nicely in The Alchemist: "If you start out by promising what you don't even have yet, you'll lose your desire to work towards getting it". So true.

However, if you spend any time in a commercial gym, especially once you start making progress, there will be no way to avoid the inevitable "what you are training for" question. I really like Dave Tate's answer to this - your specific goals should be limited to yourself and a few others, and a general goal is suitable for everyone else. In other words, while your personal goal may be to lose 5% body fat over the next 6 weeks, when an acquaintance asks what you are training for, "losing some weight" is all they need to know.

Conclusion

A weak goal leads to weak results. For optimal results, pick an appropriate goal, give yourself a number to shoot for and give yourself a certain amount of time to do it in. Write it down and keep it to yourself save a few supportive friends and family members. On your selected day, if you made it, great, pat yourself on the back and set a new goal. If not, try and figure out what went wrong. All the training and nutritional knowledge in the world is of little use if not applied via good goal-setting.