Get Back...

I love people-watching! Malls, baseball games, restaurants, gyms; it’s like a sport! So on a recent trip to Las Vegas, I got an eyeful!
And it’s not what you’re thinking. There are a lot of toned and muscular men and women walking around who spend hours in the gym toning their legs, building their biceps and chiseling their chest, but they rarely train their backs since they can’t really “see” it being worked. But believe it or not, the back is probably one of the most “visible” of muscle groups.
Girls in strapless dresses who might be otherwise fit or even skinny, parade by with layers of “Bra Schmutz” (a phrase coined by Judy, a trainer I used to workout with) over the top of their satin minis. Guys with pecs you can bounce a coin off of and big “guns” walked hunched over with little or no strength in their back or shoulders. And the weird thing is, the back is what shows off your hard work. In suits or T-shirts, even sweaters and coats, a strong V-shaped back (which accentuates a small waist), in conjunction with our other muscles, is a testament to all our hard work.
The muscles behind help assist your efforts with the muscles in front. So not only will it help you develop a great-looking physique, it will also improve your posture. Also, regular back exercise can actually prevent and/or alleviate back pain better than traditional methods like spinal manipulation, traction, or medication. In his book Back Works, Dr. Timothy J. Gray, D.O., says that an exercise program that strengthens the abdominal and back muscles can help back pain sufferers. With this in mind, you need to make regular, intense back exercise a priority.
There are three primary muscle groups in the back - the trapezius muscles in the upper back, the latissimus dorsi muscles in the mid-back, and the erector spinae muscles in the lower back. There are several other smaller muscles in the back, all of which will be developed by performing exercises that work the three main back muscles.
Some basic back exercises you can start with are a lat pulldown (upper), low row (lower), one arm dumbbell rows (mid). Do 3 sets of about 12-15 reps of each exercise.

Lat Pulldown-Sit on a Lat Pulldown machine so your torso is positioned directly beneath the cable (sitting too far away causes you to pitch forward which can strain your neck and upper back). Pull the bar to your collarbone, leaning back slightly. Pause in contracted position before slowly returning to start.












Seated Row-Sit on a seated low back machine or low cable row. Reach forward to grasp handles. Sit straight without leaning forward. Squeeze shoulder blades together, then bend elbows, driving them back toward your waist without changing your torso position. Slowly straighten your arms, being careful not to lock your elbows.










One Arm Dumbbell Row-Put your left knee and hand on a flat bench. Grasp a dumbbell with your right hand, keeping your arm straight and back parallel to bench. Pull the dumbbell to the middle portion of your chest in one smooth motion and then lower to the start. Switch to right knee and hand on bench; dumbbell in left hand.








Other back exercises like pull-ups (assisted), back extensions, and straight-arm pulldowns are very effective once you have built up some strength, however, because exact form is so important, it would be wise to work a few sessions with a personal trainer who can watch and guide you to the correct form.

"Hit The Road 'Fat', and Don't Ya Come Back No More.."

I’ve never been a huge fan of supplements. While other trainers were taking creatine or glutamine to optimize muscle growth, I kind of steered away from anything stronger than a calcium chew or a multi-vitamin.
But, about 10 years ago, I read about a supplement thought to decrease body fat while increasing muscle tone. Having spent a lot of time working on my fat loss and muscle gain with diet and exercise, I figured it couldn’t hurt to try and keep things working!
CLA (Conjugated Linoliec Acid) is a special form of the fatty acid, linoliec acid. Scientists believe that it helps you keep body fat off once you have dieted or exercised it away. CLA occurs naturally in meat and animal fats and in dairy products, such as milk (not skim) and some cheeses, but most of us don’t really get enough from the foods we eat. A University of Wisconsin study showed that a group taking a CLA supplement (3 grams a day of 80% CLA) had a 5 % drop in fat mass in seven months over a group taking a placebo. It works by inhibiting fat cell filling, meaning it prevents fat cells from getting larger, but doesn’t actually cause the loss of existing body fat.
So, what does that mean for you? Well, CLA is useful for preventing fat gain once you’ve lost it, and it spares lean muscle typically lost when dieting. It helps reduce your whole body fat percentages and preserves and aids the growth of lean muscle. Several studies have also touted the antioxidant, immune-enhancement and anti-cancer benefits of CLA, but the test groups are limited.
CLA is typically sold in a softgel form and sometimes called Tonalin, a patented vegetarian source of CLA. Aim for 3-4 grams per day to retain muscle and prevent rebound after dieting.
Also, I’ve tried different brands and there IS a difference between high quality health food or supplement store brands and the ones at the drug and discount stores (Be especially careful of fillers some brands use). My current favorite is Iron-Tek CLA soft gels.
However, if you hate pills, Old Home Foods in St. Paul, Minnesota has just launched a new product called Safflower Power Yogurt with Clarinol CLA, with the benefits of both yogurt and CLA. A 6 oz. serving is 160 calories and contains 1.5 grams of CLA. Eight different flavors are currently available in Minnesota. To read more about the product, go to http://www.safflowerpower.com
As a CLA guinea pig myself, I can say that the softgels have worked for me, but the jury is still out on the yogurt! I’ve not read of or experienced any negative side effects either. If you’ve worked hard to get in shape, it might be worth a try.

Instant Karma's Gonna Get You...

Although I'm usually open to trying many different types of workouts, I kind of avoided taking yoga classes over the years. I mean, I knew there were lots of benefits like improved flexibility, increased strength and even better posture, but since yoga is not typically focused on aerobic fitness, I wasn’t sure I wanted to put in the time. I vividly remember my mother taking yoga over 40 years ago when she wanted to quit smoking. Because of the deep and mindful breathing involved, she was able to give up the cigarettes and her lung capacity improved. She continued the practice and when my kids were little, she even taught them to do different yoga poses as a game when she babysat. It must have worked for her since she’s about to celebrate her 91st birthday.
However, since I’m usually stuck on hyper-drive throughout the day, I never allowed myself to be open to the mind-calming and heart health benefits of the practice.
I tried a “yoga-lates-boxing-fusion” kind of group fitness class a few years back, but I left with a sore back and a stomach ache. So when my daughter convinced me to go to a free yoga class at the lululemon showroom, I was a little skeptical. We arrived early, rolled out our mats and took off our shoes. I was convinced I was the only one there who wouldn’t even be able to bend from the waist and touch the ground or hold a pose or stand steady, and… I kind of was. But it was OK, because our instructor, Danielle (Danielle Tridenti -www.dyogahome.com and lululemon ambassador), amazingly was right there to quietly help me “re-adjust” my moves and modify ones that were too difficult. I felt great afterwards and even a little sore (in a good way).
We returned to lululemon another week and took a yoga class with Emily (Emily Goble, who teaches at Wellbridge and other places around St. Louis). I felt a little more confident this time, but it didn’t take long to see I had quite a way to go. Still, like Danielle, Emily would walk through the room gently moving and assisting us to position ourselves correctly. The hour flew by (unlike some grueling fitness classes I’ve taken) and I actually felt sort of relaxed. No small feat for someone with my type A personality!
Again, I’ve only taken two or three yoga classes, but from what I have gleaned, there are apparently many different styles of yoga being taught and practiced today and generally, all of the styles are based on the same physical postures or poses called asanas.
Hatha is a very general term that can encompass many of the physical types of yoga, and like Hatha, Vinyasa is a general term that is used to describe many different types of classes.
Vinyasa, which means breath-synchronized movement, tends to be a bit more vigorous. It uses a series of poses called sun salutations, in which movement is matched to the breath.
Ashtanga yoga is a fast-paced series of sequential poses beginning with sun salutations where students move from one posture to another in a continual flow and link movements to breath. It is more physically demanding to build strength, flexibility, and stamina. Power yoga is based on Ashtanga.
Bikram Yoga is practiced in a 95 to 100 degree room, which allows tight muscles to loosen and causes profuse sweating, thought to be cleansing. The Bikram method, developed by Bikram Choudhury, uses a set series of 26 poses. The heat is supposed to allow you to go deeper and safer into a yoga pose, while lowering the risk of injuries.
Although my gym (Lifetime Fitness) doesn’t offer Bikram Yoga, I did take a Hot Yoga class taught by Karen Fairchild. The class offers the benefits of the hot room, such as safely stretching your muscles, and releasing the lactic acid and other toxins that build up with muscle use, but it isn’t regimented to the specific series of poses in Bikram. Karen, like Emily and Danielle, helped guide us through the poses gently, but the heat really got to me (I'm told you get used to the heat after a few classes). I made it through most of the session, and I loved how Karen advocated lengthening of the muscles versus the contracting I usually do when I lift weights. She likes the balance yoga brings to a workout program and believes it’s a complement to all other types of exercise.
So...., will I continue to take yoga classes? I’m pretty sure I will. It’s a new challenge and I’m hoping it will help my flexibility. Best of all, I actually felt calm after each class (Maybe it was short-lived, but I’d like to extend that!).
As my friend Robyn said when I asked her why she takes yoga:
“I just feel like it’s good for me!”
And isn’t that what we’re all looking to find?
Check your gym’s schedule for yoga class times. Also, Lululemon Athletica has information on local instructors and offers weekly complimentary yoga classes (and they are sooooo great about giving you information). Log onto http://www.lululemon.com/stores/ to see if there is a store near you.

My Favorite Mistake...

I’ve been told that we all learn from our mistakes. With that in mind, I’ve learned more than my fair share through lots of trial and error. That goes for pretty much all areas of my life, but especially my journey with fitness and health. We read all of the things we’re supposed to do, but we need to know the diet and exercise mistakes to avoid.
In dieting and good eating, food needs to become our ally; not our enemy. I read an article last week about a woman who termed her relationship with food “bipolar” because of the love-hate nature of her feelings. We have to start thinking of food as a fuel for energy and life, rather than an enemy to overcome or conquer.
When we skip meals and go long stretches without eating, we actually slow the rate at which we burn calories. Skipping meals can also cause us to overeat when we finally do allow ourselves some food.
If we completely eliminate a food group, chances are we are going to forgo important nutrients from that group, or overcompensate with another food group. Better to cut back some on a food group you enjoy than to fight to avoid them completely!
Also, healthful eating needs to be a lifestyle choice; not just something to do for a few weeks or months. You can cut back or add more, but don’t ever get to the point where you’re either only “on a diet” or out of control.
And finally, we can’t be perfect 24/7. If you indulge some, don’t beat yourself up. Just redirect yourself back on track. Like a GPS recalculating your route, your body can find its way back if you let it.
Keep up what you’ve started and let yourself learn from your (and “my”) mistakes!

Ball of (Muscle) Confusion...

Flip through the TV channels most mornings and you can’t miss the infomercials for workouts like P90X or Insanity. Watch for a few minutes and you’ll hear terms like “muscle confusion” or “maximum interval training”. They go from blah to buff in no time with no gym, no trainer and no nutritionist. The promise of quick results has won over many trainers and people looking to get in shape – especially Hollywood stars, who often have very little time to transform their bodies.
But what about us regular people? Do we really need to confuse our muscles or does that just make working out more confusing? And what exactly IS muscle confusion? Put simply, muscle confusion is the principle of changing your routines to keep your body guessing. The human body is very efficient at adapting to its environment. Adherents argue that when we do the same workout over and over, the body's muscles dull to the routine, and any gains made in size and strength eventually plateau. By constantly mixing up exercises, sets and reps, muscles become “confused”, forcing them to work harder and therefore burn more calories. This principle is all about ensuring you have variety in your workouts.
Since I wasn’t quite ready to order the DVDs myself, I decided to talk to one of my former clients who is currently doing the program. Kelley spends about 10 hours a day as a surgical physician’s assistant, so meeting with a trainer or going to the gym became more and more difficult for her. “I’d come home and it was pitch dark, freezing cold and the dog needed to go out. The last thing I wanted to do was leave & go to the gym to work out!” Along with her husband, she began the P90X program this past December.
She described the program as a 13 week (two four-week phases and one 5 week phase) commitment that mixes weights, cardio, ab work, plyometrics, Kempo (kickboxing), yoga and stretching. The “Classic’ phase offers a different workout every day with a larger focus on strength training. The “Lean” phase provides more cardio and less weight training and the “Doubles” phase has some days with two a day workouts and extra cardio. Some of the workouts are 45 minutes, some one hour, with 15 minutes of additional ab training.
All twelve DVDs are included in the set along with a workout and nutrition book. You can also purchase the P90X chin-up bar, bands, push-up bars and recovery formula powder. Kelley uses a preprinted P90X log to set and record workout goals. Since December, she has reduced her hips by 2 inches, waist by 2 ½ inches and dropped 4 pounds. The weight loss might not sound like a lot, but she’s gone down two sizes in her pants and it’s great therapy working out with a partner/husband/friend, too.
I spoke with a few others who have tried the program and seen successful results as well. So does that mean you should try it? Only if you’re willing to commit to the whole plan. It doesn’t work if you only do it sporadically. The program uses the tag line “Just press play..”, but if you also change the channel, you won’t get the same outcome.
Also, a DVD can’t really tell you if you’re doing an exercise correctly, so there is always the potential for doing the exercises incorrectly and not getting good results or the possibility of injuring yourself.
And even if the man on the DVD is yelling and screaming at you to push yourself, a real live trainer will likely drive you harder (I’m just sayin’). As Ross McConnell, a trainer at my gym, says “Until you’ve had your #%@ handed to you by a personal trainer, do not open your mouth and say you can get the same thing from a book or magazine” (or DVD).
Trainer? PX90 ?Trainer? PX90? I’m so confused!!!

"Whatever You Do, Take Care of Your Shoes..."

When I first started working out, there wasn’t a huge collection of different shoe types. I went from walking shoes to running shoes to cross trainers over the years, but I’ve kind of stuck with a brand that fits my wide foot and haven’t changed the style much. I can always tell when it’s time for new shoes because my knees and back start to hurt and my workout suffers.
But lately, I’ve seen some really cool shoes around. My daughter first bought a pair of dark grey and neon pink Nike Lunar Lites and then I began to see trainers at my gym wearing Reebok Zig Zag shoes and the green and orange neon Lunar Lites as well. My son picked up a pair too (green, not pink!) and suddenly my white Adidas looked kind of sad.
Before I made a change, I thought it best to figure out just how to find the right shoe for me.
First and foremost is getting the right size, so have your foot measured frequently. Steven Raiken, MD. the director of the foot and ankle service at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia says, “Foot size does change as we get older, so have your feet measured twice a year. Sizes also vary between brands, so go by what fits, not by what size the shoe is."
Also, it’s best to shop for shoes toward the end of the day. Feet tend to swell as the day goes on and as you run and walk, so try on shoes when your feet are the largest. Make sure you bring the same socks you would normally wear while working out, and if you wear orthotics, bring those too.
And don't think you’ll just get used to the shoe after you break it in. Running and walking shoes should feel comfortable right away, Raiken says. Walk or run around the store (better to look stupid now then be in pain later) to make sure they feel good in action.
The heel of the shoe should fit snugly and you should have enough room to wiggle your toes (about 3/8 to ½ inch between the front of the shoe and your big toe).
And believe it or not, some of the cool features like air or gel inserts and zig zag or springy bottoms actually serve a purpose, absorbing shock or adding extra support.
Know when to replace shoes, too. Don’t go by how worn the top of the shoe is. It might not have any scuffs or wear, but once the back of the sole is worn out or the shoe feels uncomfortable or less supportive, it’s time for a new pair. Typically, you should replace running shoes about every 400 miles, workout shoes about every 5-7 months, and aerobic shoes about every 100-120 hours of use.
Personally, I wear the same shoe (a running shoe) for weight training, cycling, aerobics/cardio, and dance, but if you can afford it, sport specific shoes are a plus. The stiffer spinning shoes keep your feet clipped to the pedals for more power while cycling, walking shoes are stiffer than running shoes with greater cushioning in the ball of the foot, and running shoes are created for forward motion and offer ankle support. To find a variety of running shoes:
www.runnersworld.com/topic/0,7122,s6-240-400-0-0,00.html

If dance is part of your routine, you may need “dansneakers; like sneakers with a split side. Although the soles are rubber, they allow rotation on the ball of the foot and don’t stick to the floor.
I’ve also seen the new “toning” shoes that claim to build muscle tone and increase calf and gluteal muscle activity. Whether it’s the MBT, Shape Up from Skechers, or Easy Tone by Reebok (they have a great marketing campaign), the jury is still out on the shoes.
Your best bet is to know your foot idiosyncrasies and the type of activity you’ll be doing. Do your research before buying shoes at a larger chain store or online. A smaller store geared to running, biking or dance can give you more personal attention, but may cost a bit more.
In the meantime, just check out what people who do the same activities as you are wearing. In a TV or magazine ad, a shoe modeled by an elite athlete always looks good. But before you buy, find out what fits and what works for “real” people like you.

"Saved By The Bell(s)..."

My 90 year-old mother’s motto is “You’re never too old to learn something new!” She plays piano, bridge and card games. She takes water aerobics and rides a recumbent bike. She’s on her computer every day and even has a Facebook page. Open to new experiences, she never gets stale or stuck in her ways. I think she tricks her body into thinking it’s starting over and that’s how she stays young. It’s like that with your workout. If you keep doing the same routine over and over, things stay the same. With that in mind, I decided I needed some new tricks up my sleeve and signed up for a training seminar.
Talk about doing something different! The first instructor had us out in the parking lot carrying sandbags, pulling sleds and yes, pushing cars; his rationale being that intervals of work can beat out rhythmic cardio for fat burning. While I agreed with him in theory, I don’t think you’ll see me doing the Plane Pull, Fridge Carry, or the Anvil Carry and Drag in ESPN’s World’s Strongest Man Competition. However, the other workshops introduced me to some new equipment and a better way to use some others.
I learned about a new variation of the stability ball called the Bosu Ballast Ball. Now if you’ve been in a gym in the last ten years, you’ve definitely seen a stability ball, but the BOSU Ballast Ball is the first new innovation to the original I’ve seen that makes sense. The Ballast Ball has about 3-5 pounds of a grainy sand-like material inside which really challenges the core. The ballast also acts as a stabilizer when the ball is on the ground, so you have more options for the exercises you can do on it. Also, the ballast (sand) is loose and shifts around inside, giving you both visual and audible cues for how to do different exercises You can do all the familiar exercises while sitting, lying and leaning on the balls, but the more you use it, the more the advantages of the sand ballast become apparent. The added weight also allows the Ballast Ball to act somewhat like a medicine ball when you perform swinging and rotational movements. The sand makes it really challenging to try and stabilize your body and forces you to tighten your abdominal and core muscles, and the filling can increase the intensity of an exercise when you shift it around in a circular or wave-like motion. You can actually jerk the ball to make the filling fly to one side, then the other, which forces you to really engage your core muscles (or get thrown off-balance).
I bought one of the balls and have been experimenting with it ever since. Because the ball is stable, you can squat and sit on it without it rolling away. The ball stays in place, adding more variety and stability to my workouts. You can also combine exercises for some great functional training. One move we learned in the workshop (also shown in the video that comes with the ball) involves squatting to the ball, hinging back for a crunch, and standing back up to work the core and lower back. The move really hits deeper core muscles from the crunch to the stand. Unfortunately, I have yet to see one of the Ballast Balls in a gym, but it is available to order (with a training DVD) at either:

http://www.bosu.com/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BOSU/itemdetl.html?item=BOSU_Ballast_Pro
or
http://www.power-systems.com/p-3789-bosu-ballast-ball.aspx

In the next workshop, the focus was on something called kettlebells. Kettlebells require you to focus on whole-body conditioning because lifting and controlling a kettlebell forces the entire body, and specifically the core, to contract as a group, building both strength and stability at the same time.
Traditional weights work in just one plane of motion and rely on leverage and static fixed positions, but in daily life our bodies move in three planes of motion. The moment you pick up a kettlebell it triggers instability, which engages all 38-core muscles. When used correctly, kettlebells also engage all four major body systems - Nervous, Cardiovascular, Muscular and Skeletal.
Originally used in Russia, the kettlebell became a tool for strongmen performing feats, The kettelbell's center of gravity is 6-8 inches below the center of your hand. This increases the difficulty and benefit of many of the exercise you do. Kettlebells also offer users a wider range of motion than dumbbells that just sit in the palm of the hand, and they also better simulate the way we carry things in our daily lives. I for one was worn out after the instructor had us doing “pick ups”, “swings”, “push-presses”, and “Turkish get-ups”, along with traditional squats, lunges, and deadlifts (made even more difficult with the bells).
Most gyms have some form of kettlebells available, but you would be wise to spend a session working with a trainer who can teach you how to safely work with kettlebells and show you the various grips and movements. You can also order a set with a training DVD or book at http://www.power-systems.com/s-3-kettlebells.aspx
In the lululemon (I really don't work for them; I just love their philosophy and clothes!) manifesto, they say to “Do One Thing A Day That Scares You”. I guess my mom has taught me the same credo, so I was glad I tried something new. It WAS difficult, and to tell you the truth, the guy making me pull sleds and push cars did kind of scare me. But I ended up really learning and enjoying something different. So, don’t let your fear of the unknown keep you from trying something new in your workout. Who knows, you might actually like it!