Gravity Fx Fitness

Do your feet need any specific workouts or just a nice, cushioned shoe to train in?

Wearing shoes with minimal support can actually strengthen your feet and ankles, as well as improving postural alignment.  The body is a series of links that all work together and a problem with one link (joints) can affect those above or below it.

About 3 years ago I got a pair of Nike Free’s and soon noticed an improvement in my posture.  My walking became more efficient, as my feet now were working harder and “doing their job.”  I wore them around as much as possible and did most of my workouts in them.

They provide very little stability and are very flexible – perfect for strengthening your feet, as they now have to work harder.  Recently, I bought a pair of Vibram Five Fingers.  They are kind of like a surf sock with individual pockets for each toe.

I’ve always had flat feet and also balance issues when standing on one leg.  I could squat with decent weights but had problems when I tried to do balance exercises at different fitness seminars, feeling a little embarrassed.

I really like how the Five Fingers separate your toes so each one has to do their share of the work.  Using them while doing resistance training will help strengthen your lower leg, too.  Since there is a neurological link between your foot/ankle and your hip, you may see improved glute function.  Coach Dan John has reported decreased hip pain from wearing these unique “shoes”.

Those who do martial arts, yoga, and pilates will frequently go barefoot to train their feet and this will give you that barefoot feel with some added traction.  I’m not sure if I would do much running on concrete with them, but softer surfaces would work okay.

I did talk to one guy who wore the Nike Free’s while completing the marathon portion of the Hawaii Ironman and his feet help up very well, with minimal blistering compared to others – according to his post-race massage therapist.

Shoes with excess cushioning – most athletic shoes – can keep the receptors in your feet from sending the appropriate signals to your nervous system.  A strong stimulus to your feet can strengthen the signal to the muscles further up the chain, making them contract a little more.

This is why some lifters wear flat soled shoes like Chuck Taylor’s or occassionally do some lifts while barefoot.  Besides when doing resistance training, I like to just wear them around when at home or when doing joint mobility work or creative movement.

Get moving!

Brian

Tweet This Post

I’m in the process of lowering my bodyfat levels in preparation for Summer, so I’m trying to be a little stricter with my diet, but also training a little more.

Yesterday I did a light workout.  I went to a nearby track for a walk, but decided to throw in a twist.  After each 1/4 mile lap I threw some core training in.

For example, the first time I did an inchworm exercise in the forward position.  You start with your hands and feet on the ground, fairly close to each other and then “walk” your hands out in front of you as far as possible.

Then you “walk” your feet in towards your hands and repeat.  Its great for your core and also good for shoulder stability.  Next lap I did the inchworm backwards until fatigued.

Next lap I did a lateral bear crawl on all fours.  Again, plenty of tension on the core and shoulders, great for adding stability to my rotator cuffs, which have seen their share of problems in the past.

So 2 miles walked and some core training to boot.  Today I alternated between Ropes Gone Wild and some interval sprints.  Interval training is a great way to burn fat and keep your metabolism elevated for several hours.

My upper body was fatigued from previous workouts so I did some grappler’s throws and side to side movements with the ropes, which puts all the emphasis on the core and minimal work for the arms.

I ran 75 yards at about 80% and alternated the runs with the rope work.  These kind of workouts get you breathing hard and burn more calories overall than steady pace cardio, especially those done at moderate intensity.

Elliptical machines are great if you have joint issues, but not that great for fat burning – the movement is too easy and efficient.  If fat loss is the ultimate goal turn up the intensity on your workouts.

Tweet This Post

The ancient art of swinging Indian clubs has made a small comeback here in the US, with those involved in  martial arts particularly.

These are clubs that resemble skinny bowling pins and weigh about a pound or two, making them ideal for increasing or maintaining shoulder range of motion.  You can find many testimonials on the web of people who have increased their mobility or reduced pain in their shoulders.

I was introduced to them by Dick Thomas, the owner of Motion Rx.  He had a frozen shoulder when his brother Ed, a PhD in physical education, recommended he try swinging the clubs.  At first all he could manage was to swing them back and forth in an arcing movement, like a pendulum.

Gradually, his shoulder movement increased and over time he could swing them overhead in many different circular patterns.  Club swinging is great for upper body coordination because they integrate the elbow and wrist in all the movements.

Dick demonstrated some of the different patterns and told me that he could go out and throw a baseball with his adult sons once or twice a year and throw as hard as they could, with no soreness the next day.  As anybody who has thrown a baseball will tell you, that’s no small feat for someone over 55.

I like to use them for a few minutes as part of my warmup before doing any upper body exercises.  Its a great way to get blood flow to the shoulders and rotator cuff, and good for prevention in my opinion.

Others are using heavier clubs and “maces” for strength and stability.  These lighter clubs are more for mobility.  The different rotational patterns are important for coordination and swinging them overhead helps expand the ribcage, which can become tight with lack of overhead movement.

One local mixed martial arts legend has successfully used them to help with his shoulder rehab after he hit a sticking point with traditional exercises.  I have several pairs of both the (approximately) 1 and 2 pound clubs.  For those with decent upper body strength, the 2 pounders work nicely.

You know what they say – use it (move it) or lose it!

Get moving

Brian

Tweet This Post

I had a great ab workout yesterday without doing any crunches or situps, which are mostly a waste of time.  So what exercises did I do for my abs?

Simple, I did complex movements like front/Zercher grip sandbag squats and handstand pushups with my feet against the wall.  These exercises require intense stability work for your abs, and are pretty good for your back too.

When you do squats with a fairly heavy sandbag in front of you, it requires your abs and low back to work hard to stabilize your spine and maintain good posture.  It also works your mid back muscles along your thoracic spine, again, great for your posture.

For the handstand pushups I place my back to a wall and put my hands on the floor about two feet or so, in front of me on the ground.  Then I walk my feet up the wall until my body is fairly straight and then do some pushups.

Not just a great upper body exercise (if strong enough), I also really feel it in my lower abs and internal obliques.  Those muscles are working hard to provide stability.  This is how these muscles work in real life settings.

These exercises provide a lot more intensity than lying on the ground and doing crunches, which are pretty much a waist of time in my opinion – because they lack proper intensity and require too much time (inefficient).

Doing squats or stepups with a sandbag on one shoulder is also a great ab workout.  They force your obliques (sides) to provide plenty of stability for your spine since all the weight is positioned on one side.

Do you see a theme happening here?  Training your abs with exercises that involve other muscles not only saves you time but gives your abs a more intense workout.  It also builds total body coordination which is important for playing sports but also for avoiding injury in everyday life.

Think of a fireman carrying someone from a burning building.  He either carries that person in front of him or on his shoulder.  Doing crunches won’t help him accomplish this…..

but training with sandbags will!

If short on time, work your entire body in one session – building strength and cardio at the same time.

Get moving!

Brian

Tweet This Post

Is it possible to lose fat AND have fun while doing so?  I guess it depends partly on your definition of fun, but I believe you can definitely enjoy what you are doing while training…..

and if not, how likely is it that the “average” person will stick with it?  I receive many different newsletters from others in the health and fitness field – some of which train totally different from each other – from bodyweight exercises to kettlebells, sandbags, and some that lift insanely heavy weights.

A recent newsletter stated that if you are having fun than you just aren’t working hard enough.  Now, I agree that if you want great results you have to push your body out of its comfort zone and that calls for some hard work.

At the same time, most people won’t stick with it or even start in the first place, if its not at least enjoyable.  I work out fairly intensely, more so than most, yet I enjoy the way it makes my body feel.  For me this is “fun.”

Not quite the same as riding a roller coaster or a day at the beach, but I actually like it.  Most of these fun workouts involve more creativity than the typical healthclub patron who does the circuit on the weight machines and then grabs the headphones as they put their mandatory time in on the treadmill or elliptical machine.

Pretty mind-numbing if you ask me.  So I see it as adding more creativity in your workouts – workouts that keep you focused on the task at hand, whether thats sandbag training, ropes, resistance bands or bodyweight exercises.

The kind of training that doesn’t take hours to accomplish.  Then again, we all need less intense activities like taking a nice relaxing stroll or casual bike ride, whether alone or with someone else to “talk” about the things going on in our lives.  This is healthy for the mind and soul.

Social interaction and group accountability is part of the success of bootcamp classes and why they have taken off.  I’m guessing that most of these people would say that they worked hard and had some fun.

Get moving!

Brian

Tweet This Post

Ever seen a pontoon boat on wheels?  Since the weather was fairly warm I decided to get my bike out and do a little pedaling to mix things up.

While I was riding along the Mississippi River I came upon an interesting sight – 4 people linked together on bikes with a small canopy between them – kinda like a pontoon boat on wheels.

I think it was 2 tandem bikes linked with some type of frame that had a tarp for a roof.  On the “floor” was a cooler and they were enjoying beverages of some type and appeared to be having a lot of fun, maybe a weekend long St Patty’s Day celebration.

It was something I had never seen before and definitely made me smile.  I did an hour ride and got my heart rate up a little and a good workout for my quads, too.

I don’t normally do cardio sessions for this length, but enjoying some time in the great outdoors is good for the soul, especially after a long Winter.  Lots of people out walking, jogging, or bike riding.

Saw plenty of people with stiff joints, some that didn’t move as much as the other side and one shoulder was elevated.  Definitely some folks that could use some corrective exercise and mobility work.

Most people were moving at a leisurely pace, which is fine, but if fat loss is your goal than more intense exercise is necessary.  Mixing in lighter work is good for recovery and for keeping your nervous system fresh.

If you’ve constantly got the gas pedal pressed to the floor you’ll likely burn yourself out or become injured.  So easy movement is definitely healthy, just make sure you add in adequate resistance work to keep your metabolism elevated.

Get moving!

Brian

Tweet This Post

If running injuries have been getting you down you need some specialized work.  One thing you can do is some resistance band stretching.

Plantarfasciitis and shin splints are a few of the injuries that can occur with running and the bands are a great way to both stretch and strengthen at the same time.  With some additional strengthening, IT band injuries can also be dealt with.

I first heard the term speed limping from strength coach Mike boyle at a seminar presentation.  I knowingly smiled because I know that many runners won’t quit running no matter how much they hurt.  They just run a little slower and with a shorter motion – speed limping.

One I talked with actually wore out all the cartilage in his knee before the pain finally got too bad.  While I admire the dedication, a little common sense should tell you that something needs to be done to prevent this.

Both of the chiropractors I have worked for treated many athletes, including runners, so I have done plenty of massage therapy and stretching with them.  Many told me they stretched all the time yet they were stiff as a board.

Getting regular massage can help, but since money is at a premium these days, learning some self massage is one thing you need to do.  Stretching with flex bands is a great way to increase flexibility.  They can help make your muscles more elastic and increase your strength a little, too.

A little strength work for the legs and core will also do the trick.  Doesn’t mean you have to go to the gym, but some lunges and step ups with dumbbells or sandbags are good.  You can also use the resistance bands for your lunges and core training.

I was at a seminar where the presenter was seeing a triathlete for some physical therapy.  By strengthening his glutes and concentrating on his core, the patient greatly increased his ranking while doing less training!

I can definitely recommend the Total Flexibility Training program for increased flexibility and greater running efficiency.

Get moving!

Brian

Tweet This Post

Can rope training be a part of rehab for shoulder injuries?  I think so.  Having worked with many shoulder injuries and having my own rotator cuff problems in the past, gives me a little insight on this issue.

If you’ve never heard of rope training before, you probably will see plenty of it soon.  It was just voted Best Cardio Equipment 2009 by Men’s Health magazine.

I recently added it to my own workouts for some upper body cardio and love it.  They are a fun and creative way to train…… and pretty effective, too.  The movements are very rhythmical in nature and involve up and down, side to side, diagonal, and circular movements.

Something that doesn’t irritate my shoulders in any way, gets plenty of blood flowing to the upper body (great pump), as well as helping with coordination and quality of movement – something very important for healthy shoulders.

Several years back, I worked in a physical therapy clinic.  There were plenty of shoulder injuries being treated and they would often use an overhead rope pulley system to increase shoulder range of motion.  Another tool used was the Bodyblade.

It has a handle in the middle with weighted ends.  You grip it with one or both hands and shake it back and forth.  The blade is flexible and the weighted ends cause it to oscillate as it moves.  It requires coordination and rhythm to keep it moving properly…..

which is one of the goals – to increase coordination and stability in the muscles surrounding the joints.  Its frequently used to help rehab shoulder injuries and help restore movement awareness (proprioception), with the many oscillations (vibration) sending lots of feedback to the nervous system.

Many of the “average” (non-athlete) patients had a difficult time with these movements and they may have lacked coordination before their injury.  The rhythmic nature of rope training might be an additional component to increase coordination in these patients.

In trying to restore movement awareness (proprioception), movement quality is extremely valuable and should be considered when evaluating progress.  I think that the ropes could definitely play a part in this, though the size of the ropes may need to be adjusted.

The movement also greatly increases blood flow to the injured area, which can help with the healing process.  Not to be forgotten is the grip work that ropes provide.  Your grip is important for helping with shoulder stability.  Something that is discussed in the Secrets of the Shoulder DVD’s.

The Power Plate is another tool that can help with awareness as the multiple vibrations help stimulate your postural muscles – the ones that are important for proper joint alignment and stability.

Soon I will discuss Indian clubs which are one more awesome tool for mobility and coordination.

Get moving!

Brian

Tweet This Post

I just came across some new technology that could possibly revolutionize the fitness industry – something that could appeal to the 85% who don’t use traditional healthclubs.

I recently read an article about a new computerized isometric system called bioDensity.  These isometric
machines allow average people to increase their strength and bone mass in exercise sessions as short as 5 minutes.

Naturally this sounds too good to be true, but they have some strong data to back it up.  The idea is to create a very strong stimulus to the muscles, something powerful that requires little time.

I have done something similar in the past with barbells and other weight equipment, but this is totally different.  There are four exercises that involve multiple muscles and joints, exercising the entire body in one brief session.

This is geared toward those 50 and over who are de-conditioned and want to slow down the aging process. Performance Health Systems opened a test clinic in 2005 and gathered data for a three year period with 500
subjects with an average age of 52.

These participants experienced  an average strength gain of 123%  and an extremely high retention rate, likely due to the limited time required.  Clients can come in their street clothes and leave quickly.  This will definitely appeal to those who dislike exercise or typical healthclubs.

Another group using the technology has opened the Stand Strong Clinics, which incorporates a Power Plate whole body vibration platform.  Part of the goal is to prevent falls in seniors.  Vibration platforms stimulate the nervous system and can help increase balance and bone strength.

The Stand Strong program has increased the strength and overall quality of life for its participants.  They also have seen a significant increase in balance and stability, likely decreasing their risk of falling.

I think the main thing is that it introduced many people to resistance training who wouldn’t otherwise have participated.  I enjoy strength training but most people don’t – yet we all need it to fight the aging process. So this may prove to be a vital option for those who are overweight and de-conditioned.

Definitely something to keep an eye on.

Tweet This Post

Exercise doesn’t have to be long and boring to get results!  Many people start an exercise program only to give up because it just takes too much time.

Boredom can also be a factor, so a little creativity is needed.  That’s one of the reasons I like resistance band workouts.  They work well for bootcamp classes and also for stretching and agility training.

In the amount of time that most people spend on the treadmill or elliptical machine, you can get a full body workout that keeps your metabolism elevated for several hours afterwards.

Plenty of studies have shown the effectiveness of interval training for fat loss.  One in 2002 studied a 31 minute circuit training routine that used multi-joint exercises.  The amount of oxygen consumed after the workout was significantly elevated for 38 hours.

Meaning, more fat burned!  You won’t see this with your casual walk on the treadmill.

Watch this video of Dave Schmitz and BJ Gaddour taking some fitness professionals through a workout…..

These resistance band workouts are a great way to get in a fast, fun workout.  If you just want general fitness and fat loss, do your resistance training and cardio at the same time.  You can also do this at home or on the road.

For more info check out Rapid Fat Loss Cardio or Resistance Band Training.

Get moving!

Brian

Tweet This Post