Q: I just went through it a couple of days ago: Post-workout soreness (How to avoid it or how to best recover
from it). For example, do protein shakes help you recover better? Is there anything I could eat or drink to help alleviate the soreness?
I worked out my legs after about 3 weeks of time off and I was so sore 2 days later I thought I was going to cry. Seriously. I don't think I ever hurt that much. I even got muscle cramps at night while sleeping. While I was working out it didn't feel like I was overdoing it or anything. All I did was was 3 sets of lunges and 3 sets of leg presses and I did stretch.
A: I felt it would be better to do this article as a Q&A so you better understand the direction of my response. We're looking at a very common occurrence in exercise, and I will address the scenario, then directly answer the questions.
The first thing to look at is the time frame in which exercise was not performed: 3 weeks. Many research studies have proven that lack of exercise over a 2-3 week span already starts to have a negative effect on a person's health. Individual results may vary due to metabolism and genetic factors, however, a loss in strength, endurance, flexibility, etc are typically seen.
Despite the lack of exercises (limited to squats and lunges), 3 sets of between 10-15 reps, assuming 30-90 secs of rest, could easily result in 24-72-hour muscle soreness, or delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS). This is a normal thing due to small muscle damage (which can be harmless), and typically a symptom of eccentric exercise, or the negative phase in an auxotonic lift (changing tensions caused by altered velocities and joint angles). An experienced exerciser will more than likely not feel the difficulty while performing the exercise, however, in the 24-72-hours to follow, muscle soreness will occur. DOMS can also occur as a warning sign to allow an exerciser to know that reduced activity can prevent injury.
The absolute best way to prevent severe DOMS is to stay consistent in an exercise program. Taking time off, as I've already explained, can have negative effects, which include susceptibility to an increase in muscle soreness. A proper warmup beginning with total body stretching and cardiovascular activity from 5-10 mins prior to resistance activity may help prevent soreness, as well as a cardiovascular cooldown and post-workout stretch. However, studies have not shown that there is a great significance, if at all, to prevention of muscle soreness as opposed to prevention of injury by completing a proper warmup. Being aware that time off from exercise is not a "pick up where you left off" situation, and adapting your program to start with a lower intensity will help prevent that soreness that makes you not want to sit down or lift your arms up. Consuming a balanced diet of protein, carbohydrates, and fat will help by nourishing the muscles and aid in the recovery process, but there is no secret food to preventing soreness altogether. Studies have shown that light muscle work such as low intensity cardio, stretching, and getting blood flow to the muscles will help alleviate symptoms.
All-in-all, there is no fix all for muscle soreness, but it can be prevented through consistency in your exercise program.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Importance of Proper Form in Exercise
Plenty of people, whether beginners or "experienced" exercisers, display improper form when performing exercise. Exercise is truly an art, and those who fail to seek professional guidance or education on correct use put themselves at a high risk for muscular imbalance, injury, and even death. Everything from walking to high intensity strength training involves correct form in order to prevent any negative side effects.
The human gait, or way of locomotion with limbs, varies by gender, but also can be affected by muscular imbalances and injuries. We have all seen common gait abnormalities which include pigeon toe, waddling, toe walking, etc. Because walking is learned at an early age, certain muscles can become tight while others very flexible, which may result in an imbalance. The imbalance will only reinforce the improper locomotive pattern and likely carry on into adulthood. However, gait can be corrected through proper instruction, stretching methods, and strength training to reverse the imbalance. A typical walking pattern exhibits a heel or midfoot strike, whereas a typical running pattern exhibits a midfoot or forefoot strike. External or internal rotation of the foot is likely a result of an imbalance in the lower half, as well as pronation or supination of the feet.
If there are already discrepancies in the normal walking pattern, one may find certain resistance training exercises difficult, such as squats, lunges, or anything that involves the lower extremities. An overhead squat assessment test, administered by a trainer, can help discover any imbalances that may exist throughout the body. This test will allow the administrator to see what muscles are tight and what muscles are weak in both the upper and lower extremities. Because the body works together as a synergistic unit, one cannot assume that the legs work independently from the upper body. An overtightness of the chest or back muscles can greatly affect a squat assessment.
Most first time exercisers will not correctly perform the majority of the exercises they attempt without proper instruction. The best advice is to seek a knowledgeable, skilled, and certified trainer to assist in your exercises program. You can read my article on Choosing a Personal Trainer.
The human gait, or way of locomotion with limbs, varies by gender, but also can be affected by muscular imbalances and injuries. We have all seen common gait abnormalities which include pigeon toe, waddling, toe walking, etc. Because walking is learned at an early age, certain muscles can become tight while others very flexible, which may result in an imbalance. The imbalance will only reinforce the improper locomotive pattern and likely carry on into adulthood. However, gait can be corrected through proper instruction, stretching methods, and strength training to reverse the imbalance. A typical walking pattern exhibits a heel or midfoot strike, whereas a typical running pattern exhibits a midfoot or forefoot strike. External or internal rotation of the foot is likely a result of an imbalance in the lower half, as well as pronation or supination of the feet.
If there are already discrepancies in the normal walking pattern, one may find certain resistance training exercises difficult, such as squats, lunges, or anything that involves the lower extremities. An overhead squat assessment test, administered by a trainer, can help discover any imbalances that may exist throughout the body. This test will allow the administrator to see what muscles are tight and what muscles are weak in both the upper and lower extremities. Because the body works together as a synergistic unit, one cannot assume that the legs work independently from the upper body. An overtightness of the chest or back muscles can greatly affect a squat assessment.
Most first time exercisers will not correctly perform the majority of the exercises they attempt without proper instruction. The best advice is to seek a knowledgeable, skilled, and certified trainer to assist in your exercises program. You can read my article on Choosing a Personal Trainer.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Common Misconceptions about Fitness and Nutrition
In reply to some recent suggestions for my next article, I chose to focus on a few select topics that involve common misconceptions in regards to fitness and nutrition.
First, I will discuss the misconception of spot training. Spot training is the theory that you can lose body fat in one particular area by doing isolation training on it several days out of the week for a period of time. Well, adequately exercising that area throughout the week will only help increase muscular strength and endurance. Fat loss comes from creating a deficit between calories in (food) and calories out (metabolism, daily activity, exercise). By creating a healthy deficit and participating in a structured resistance training program, these problem areas will begin to show changes, but in some cases, starting too late in life may only result in small changes due to metabolic and hormonal differences.
Moving on. People seem to think that once they've started exercising, they can cram just about anything they want down their piehole. Exercise is about creating a lifetime habit that contributes to a healthier lifestyle, but if you are truly trying to live a healthy lifestyle, nutrition is a greater part of the battle. Ultimately, weight loss is always going to be a result of a caloric deficit, as mentioned earlier, but eating heavily processed foods, high saturated fats, excess sugar, cholesterol packed items, and foods with more sodium than the salt lakes can take a heavy toll on the body. I won't even list the amount of problems related to these (for the sake of you not having to read this article for an entire day), but adopting a healthy lifestyle includes fitness AND nutrition.
Lastly, I will cover the hot topic of energy drinks. Studies throughout the recent years have gone back and forth on the debate of whether or not these things are healthy and effective. To make this short, anything in excess can have great risk. With that said, energy drinks should probably not be consumed on a regular basis, but many of the ingredients, in moderation, have not been proven to have any negative effects on the body. In fact, caffeine has been shown to aid in anaerobic capacity when engaging in activities such as sprints, weight lifting, or any other non-aerobic activity. Although it's just a temporary aid, it can help one get through an intense training session, if needed; however, due to lack of research, I'd still recommend using them in great moderation.
First, I will discuss the misconception of spot training. Spot training is the theory that you can lose body fat in one particular area by doing isolation training on it several days out of the week for a period of time. Well, adequately exercising that area throughout the week will only help increase muscular strength and endurance. Fat loss comes from creating a deficit between calories in (food) and calories out (metabolism, daily activity, exercise). By creating a healthy deficit and participating in a structured resistance training program, these problem areas will begin to show changes, but in some cases, starting too late in life may only result in small changes due to metabolic and hormonal differences.
Moving on. People seem to think that once they've started exercising, they can cram just about anything they want down their piehole. Exercise is about creating a lifetime habit that contributes to a healthier lifestyle, but if you are truly trying to live a healthy lifestyle, nutrition is a greater part of the battle. Ultimately, weight loss is always going to be a result of a caloric deficit, as mentioned earlier, but eating heavily processed foods, high saturated fats, excess sugar, cholesterol packed items, and foods with more sodium than the salt lakes can take a heavy toll on the body. I won't even list the amount of problems related to these (for the sake of you not having to read this article for an entire day), but adopting a healthy lifestyle includes fitness AND nutrition.
Lastly, I will cover the hot topic of energy drinks. Studies throughout the recent years have gone back and forth on the debate of whether or not these things are healthy and effective. To make this short, anything in excess can have great risk. With that said, energy drinks should probably not be consumed on a regular basis, but many of the ingredients, in moderation, have not been proven to have any negative effects on the body. In fact, caffeine has been shown to aid in anaerobic capacity when engaging in activities such as sprints, weight lifting, or any other non-aerobic activity. Although it's just a temporary aid, it can help one get through an intense training session, if needed; however, due to lack of research, I'd still recommend using them in great moderation.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
The Importance of Nutrition and How to Realistically Change Your Eating Habits
This title was chosen carefully based on some suggested topics for my next blog. In response to these suggestions, I put this entry together to help those understand how important nutrition is when adopting a healthier lifestyle and how to realistically change your eating habits. As a way to put it into a realistic perspective, I'm going to briefly tell you my own story to changing my lifestyle.
All throughout my younger years until the time I was a senior in high school, I never paid much attention to optimal nutrition. Furthermore, I would scoff at anything that said "reduced fat" or something along those lines. I moaned and groaned at the idea of "skim" milk. My parents couldn't force feed that stuff to me! Needless to say, hot dog Mondays, Whataburger Tuesdays, DiGiorno Wednesdays, Domino's Fridays, and fried chicken Sundays didn't really contribute to a healthy nutritional profile, but it's what I wanted to eat. I don't blame my parents though, because I was a picky eater from day one. For the longest time, you couldn't get me to drink water unless it was before, during, and after football or some other sporting event, and of course, in my younger years, I would opt for a sports drink instead.
One day, as a senior in high school, I decided to give up sodas and start reading nutrition labels to be aware of what I was eating. Although I didn't make a lot of drastic changes, I changed what I ate at lunch to chicken based meals instead of getting the bacon cheeseburgers and cheese fries. As a way to cut the sodas, I started drinking sports drinks or sweet tea. Given, these drinks still have a lot of sugar, they lack the heavy carbonation, phosphoric acid, and caffeine content of sodas. I'd say after about a month or two of doing this, I started getting water everyday at lunch and rewarding myself on Fridays with a sports drink or sweet tea. After a couple of months of doing this, I was able to get myself to drink more water and cut the sodas completely. Since my senior year in high school in 2004, I have probably had five 12 oz. cans of soda to count. Basically, it's something I might have once in an entire year, and I typically don't even finish the soda before it gets warm.
So my food intake still hadn't changed a whole lot, but the summer before my freshman year in college, I finally switched from 2% milk to fat free (skim). I also started eating whole wheat bread instead of just wheat or white. One of my roommates got me into eating turkey bacon and choosing the lean ground beef instead of the full fat. By the summer of 2005, the changes started to come along (on a side note, every summer after graduation was spent doing a lot of physical activity and time in the gym; however, once school started back up in 2005, I dropped exercise until the spring of 2006, and it's been permanent since). Upon starting the 2005 fall semester, I started adding Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, Smart Ones, etc as my lunches and dinners. Although they aren't the absolute best, they were tons better than what I was eating back in high school. When fitness started to become a big thing to me, I started buying protein shakes and bars as meal replacements. I have to say, my body fat percentage went from about 20% to 15% just in a couple of months of small changes and more exercise.
By the fall 2006 semester, my diet started to go into full swing by adopting homecooked meals with things like chicken breast, lean turkey, brown rice, black beans, whole wheat or corn tortillas, egg whites, and many other variants of healthy alternatives. After getting to a body fat percentage of around 6%, I achieved what I wanted, and from then, I have been maintaining between 8-12% body fat. My diet currently consists of whole grain cereals, skim dairy products, fruits, vegetables (I won't lie, I still have a hard time getting these in, but I try), the healthier microwaveable meals, protein shakes, meal replacement bars, whole wheat bread, lean turkey, and when I cook, chicken breast, whole wheat pastas, etc.
Without adopting a healthier diet, I would not have achieved the same goals I did over that course of time. My weight and health has changed drastically in those times when my diet changes. I understand when my body is not reacting the way it should be because of years of conditioning the body to understand what homeostasis feels like. How could we ever know what's wrong if we haven't experienced what's right?
All throughout my younger years until the time I was a senior in high school, I never paid much attention to optimal nutrition. Furthermore, I would scoff at anything that said "reduced fat" or something along those lines. I moaned and groaned at the idea of "skim" milk. My parents couldn't force feed that stuff to me! Needless to say, hot dog Mondays, Whataburger Tuesdays, DiGiorno Wednesdays, Domino's Fridays, and fried chicken Sundays didn't really contribute to a healthy nutritional profile, but it's what I wanted to eat. I don't blame my parents though, because I was a picky eater from day one. For the longest time, you couldn't get me to drink water unless it was before, during, and after football or some other sporting event, and of course, in my younger years, I would opt for a sports drink instead.
One day, as a senior in high school, I decided to give up sodas and start reading nutrition labels to be aware of what I was eating. Although I didn't make a lot of drastic changes, I changed what I ate at lunch to chicken based meals instead of getting the bacon cheeseburgers and cheese fries. As a way to cut the sodas, I started drinking sports drinks or sweet tea. Given, these drinks still have a lot of sugar, they lack the heavy carbonation, phosphoric acid, and caffeine content of sodas. I'd say after about a month or two of doing this, I started getting water everyday at lunch and rewarding myself on Fridays with a sports drink or sweet tea. After a couple of months of doing this, I was able to get myself to drink more water and cut the sodas completely. Since my senior year in high school in 2004, I have probably had five 12 oz. cans of soda to count. Basically, it's something I might have once in an entire year, and I typically don't even finish the soda before it gets warm.
So my food intake still hadn't changed a whole lot, but the summer before my freshman year in college, I finally switched from 2% milk to fat free (skim). I also started eating whole wheat bread instead of just wheat or white. One of my roommates got me into eating turkey bacon and choosing the lean ground beef instead of the full fat. By the summer of 2005, the changes started to come along (on a side note, every summer after graduation was spent doing a lot of physical activity and time in the gym; however, once school started back up in 2005, I dropped exercise until the spring of 2006, and it's been permanent since). Upon starting the 2005 fall semester, I started adding Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, Smart Ones, etc as my lunches and dinners. Although they aren't the absolute best, they were tons better than what I was eating back in high school. When fitness started to become a big thing to me, I started buying protein shakes and bars as meal replacements. I have to say, my body fat percentage went from about 20% to 15% just in a couple of months of small changes and more exercise.
By the fall 2006 semester, my diet started to go into full swing by adopting homecooked meals with things like chicken breast, lean turkey, brown rice, black beans, whole wheat or corn tortillas, egg whites, and many other variants of healthy alternatives. After getting to a body fat percentage of around 6%, I achieved what I wanted, and from then, I have been maintaining between 8-12% body fat. My diet currently consists of whole grain cereals, skim dairy products, fruits, vegetables (I won't lie, I still have a hard time getting these in, but I try), the healthier microwaveable meals, protein shakes, meal replacement bars, whole wheat bread, lean turkey, and when I cook, chicken breast, whole wheat pastas, etc.
Without adopting a healthier diet, I would not have achieved the same goals I did over that course of time. My weight and health has changed drastically in those times when my diet changes. I understand when my body is not reacting the way it should be because of years of conditioning the body to understand what homeostasis feels like. How could we ever know what's wrong if we haven't experienced what's right?
Friday, November 5, 2010
High Heels
I can't even count how many times I've heard how much women like wearing high heels because it helps lift their butt and give them better calves. Given that this may be true, wearing high heels all the time can also have negative effects if certain things aren't taken into consideration.
When the foot is placed in the high heeled shoes, the ankle is in a plantarflexed state (pointed toe). This triggers the musculature of the calf to become shortened, or in a contracted state. Of course, this will make the calves appear well formed and cut; however, the muscles surrounding the shin, known as the anterior and posterior tibialis, are placed in a stretched, or elongated state. Overstretching of this muscle results in weak muscles surrounding the tibia, and ultimately, causes a posterior-anterior imbalance. Overactivity, or tightness, of the calves, and underactivity, or weakness, of the anterior and posterior tibialis has a direct relation to the onset of medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints). Shin splints occur as a result of tendinitis, periostitis, stress fractures, and compartment syndrome. Basically, a ton of things that could go wrong in the lower leg and cause a lot of chronic pain unless treated properly.
The fact that women wear heels may point to a reason why females have a higher occurrence of shin splints than males. At the point that shin splints can be diagnosed, treatment should begin by restoring balance to the lower leg. If there is severe pain, please consult a physician before self prescribing yourself with a corrective exercise regimen.
Treatment is simple:
1 set 30 seconds - Foam Roll - Calves
3 sets 30 seconds - Static Stretch - Calves
1-2 sets 10-15 repetitions (2 second isometric hold, 4 second eccentric phase) - Resistance - Dorsiflexion
3-5 days per week
During the treatment period, exercises that exacerbate the condition should be refrained until pain ceases.
Aside from shin splints, wearing high heels all the time can also play a huge role in other orthopedic problems. Click here for a great article from the Washington Post on the effects of high heels.
When the foot is placed in the high heeled shoes, the ankle is in a plantarflexed state (pointed toe). This triggers the musculature of the calf to become shortened, or in a contracted state. Of course, this will make the calves appear well formed and cut; however, the muscles surrounding the shin, known as the anterior and posterior tibialis, are placed in a stretched, or elongated state. Overstretching of this muscle results in weak muscles surrounding the tibia, and ultimately, causes a posterior-anterior imbalance. Overactivity, or tightness, of the calves, and underactivity, or weakness, of the anterior and posterior tibialis has a direct relation to the onset of medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints). Shin splints occur as a result of tendinitis, periostitis, stress fractures, and compartment syndrome. Basically, a ton of things that could go wrong in the lower leg and cause a lot of chronic pain unless treated properly.
The fact that women wear heels may point to a reason why females have a higher occurrence of shin splints than males. At the point that shin splints can be diagnosed, treatment should begin by restoring balance to the lower leg. If there is severe pain, please consult a physician before self prescribing yourself with a corrective exercise regimen.
Treatment is simple:
1 set 30 seconds - Foam Roll - Calves
3 sets 30 seconds - Static Stretch - Calves
1-2 sets 10-15 repetitions (2 second isometric hold, 4 second eccentric phase) - Resistance - Dorsiflexion
3-5 days per week
During the treatment period, exercises that exacerbate the condition should be refrained until pain ceases.
Aside from shin splints, wearing high heels all the time can also play a huge role in other orthopedic problems. Click here for a great article from the Washington Post on the effects of high heels.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Choosing a Personal Trainer
So you've taken the plunge and decided to hire a Personal Trainer to guide you to reaching your fitness goal...
This is a great step to take and will likely increase your retention in an exercise program. However, there are things you should know about your trainer before you choose the one that will work for you the best.
First and foremost, the trainer should be nationally certified through an accredited organization. There are MANY names out there that will pop up when typing "personal trainer" in your Internet search, but not all of these may provide the best qualified professionals to suit your needs. Three organizations have set the standard for providing adequate instructional material, training, and programs to develop health and fitness professionals. If your trainer carries a current certification through any one of these organizations, they are well qualified and knowledgeable in the field to provide you a safe and effective fitness program.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 40,000 international, national and regional members and certified professionals are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine. Founded in 1954, the ACSM promotes and integrates scientific research, education, and practical applications of sports medicine and exercise science to maintain and enhance physical performance, fitness, health, and quality of life. Members of ACSM work in a wide range of medical specialties, allied health professions, and scientific disciplines, and are committed to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sports-related injuries and the advancement of the science of exercise.
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is an international nonprofit educational association founded in 1978. Evolving from a membership of 76, the association now serves nearly 30,000 members in 52 countries. Drawing upon its vast network of members, the NSCA develops and presents the most advanced information regarding strength training and conditioning practices, injury prevention, and research findings. The NSCA brings together a diverse group of professionals from the sport science, athletic, allied health, and fitness industries. These individuals are all in pursuit of achieving a common goal—the utilization of proper strength training and conditioning to improve athletic performance and fitness. Central to its mission, the NSCA provides a bridge between the scientist in the laboratory and the practitioner in the field. By working to find practical applications for new research findings in the strength and conditioning field, the association fosters the development of strength training and conditioning as a discipline and as a profession.
Since 1987, the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) has been a global leader in providing evidence-based certifications and advanced credentials to health and fitness professionals. In addition to its evidence-based NCCA-accredited Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certification, NASM also offers a progressive career track with access to advanced specializations in Sports Performance (PES) and Injury Prevention (CES), Continuing Education courses, and accredited Bachelor and Master Degree programs. The NASM educational continuum is designed to help today’s health and fitness professionals enhance their careers while empowering their clients to live healthier lives.
This is a great step to take and will likely increase your retention in an exercise program. However, there are things you should know about your trainer before you choose the one that will work for you the best.
First and foremost, the trainer should be nationally certified through an accredited organization. There are MANY names out there that will pop up when typing "personal trainer" in your Internet search, but not all of these may provide the best qualified professionals to suit your needs. Three organizations have set the standard for providing adequate instructional material, training, and programs to develop health and fitness professionals. If your trainer carries a current certification through any one of these organizations, they are well qualified and knowledgeable in the field to provide you a safe and effective fitness program.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 40,000 international, national and regional members and certified professionals are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine. Founded in 1954, the ACSM promotes and integrates scientific research, education, and practical applications of sports medicine and exercise science to maintain and enhance physical performance, fitness, health, and quality of life. Members of ACSM work in a wide range of medical specialties, allied health professions, and scientific disciplines, and are committed to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sports-related injuries and the advancement of the science of exercise.
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is an international nonprofit educational association founded in 1978. Evolving from a membership of 76, the association now serves nearly 30,000 members in 52 countries. Drawing upon its vast network of members, the NSCA develops and presents the most advanced information regarding strength training and conditioning practices, injury prevention, and research findings. The NSCA brings together a diverse group of professionals from the sport science, athletic, allied health, and fitness industries. These individuals are all in pursuit of achieving a common goal—the utilization of proper strength training and conditioning to improve athletic performance and fitness. Central to its mission, the NSCA provides a bridge between the scientist in the laboratory and the practitioner in the field. By working to find practical applications for new research findings in the strength and conditioning field, the association fosters the development of strength training and conditioning as a discipline and as a profession.
Since 1987, the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) has been a global leader in providing evidence-based certifications and advanced credentials to health and fitness professionals. In addition to its evidence-based NCCA-accredited Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certification, NASM also offers a progressive career track with access to advanced specializations in Sports Performance (PES) and Injury Prevention (CES), Continuing Education courses, and accredited Bachelor and Master Degree programs. The NASM educational continuum is designed to help today’s health and fitness professionals enhance their careers while empowering their clients to live healthier lives.
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