Gravity Fx Fitness

I write a lot about high intensity exercise and getting your heart rate elevated for fat loss…..

but some times you need to dial the intensity down a little bit and just enjoy some lower intensity activity or recreation – stopping to smell the roses, so to speak.

I did that the other day with my bike ride.  A couple weeks ago I rode for an hour and forty minutes at a pretty intense pace – burning a touch over 1500 calories, according to my HR monitor.

It seemed like my metabolism was elevated for the next few days, which it probably was.

This time however, I needed a slower pace and forced myself to just take it easy and enjoy the beautiful weather, taking in all the scenery of the mighty Mississippi.  The “geek” in me decided to wear the HR monitor anyway, just to see how much difference in calorie burn there was.

I pedaled for an hour and a half, taking a few minutes break once or twice.  My average heart rate percentage was 68%, with a max of 80%, compared with the previous bike ride at 82% average.

I burned just over 1000 calories, which is still fairly significant – another benefit to having a large frame, more calories burned, when comparing the same pace to someone lighter in weight.

So while I still like high intensity exercise for losing fat, you can’t go all out all the time.  You will get burned out one way or the other – physically, mentally, or hormonally.

Bottom line – to get the best results you have to mix things up once in a while.  Your body will adapt to doing the same thing all the time and you might not get the same results as you once did.

You know what they say, variety is the spice of life.

Get moving!

Brian

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Is there a difference between core strength and core stability?  If so, which one is more important?

During core stability exercises there is little or no movement in your abs, generally, while your arms or legs are moving – or, your entire body is holding a static position, such as the plank.

Many times you will see people do hundreds of crunches or situps to train their abs, but this isn’t how they function in most sport or work situations.  Their main job is prevent movement in order to protect and support the spine.

According to physical therapist Shirley Sahrmann, in her book on movement and postural disorders,

“during most daily activities, the primary role of the abdominal muscles is to provide isometric support and limit the degree of rotation of the trunk…. A large percentage of low back problems occur because the abdominal muscles are not maintaining tight control over the rotation between the pelvis and the spine at the L5-S1 level.”

Your lower back (lumbar spine) is only designed to rotate about 14 degrees and so you should get your rotation from the areas above and below it – the hips and the thoracic spine.

Core strength would include exercises that create movement, like situps, crunches or weighted versions of these type of movements.  You need to train for core stability before you train for core strength.

Too much flexion (crunches) can place your spine at increased risk of injury, according to spine researcher Dr. Stuart McGill.  Instead, focus on creating isometric tension on your abs and low back in multiple positions.

I like to choose exercises that challenge my core stability at the same time I work my other muscles, like you do when using flex bands, sandbags, or rope training.  This is a more time efficient way to train.

One of the few exceptions to this, is the reverse crunch, which can be good for your posture.  It hits your external obliques, which can help tilt your pelvis, keeping your lower abs from bulging too much.

If you have had past back problems, check with a professional first before starting an exercise program.  You also might want to read my article on proper breathing and chronic pain.

Get moving!

Brian

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Burned just over 1500 calories on my bike ride last week, according to my HR monitor.  On a beautiful day I pedaled for an hour and forty minutes.

My average heart rate percentage was 83%, with a max of 98%, no doubt as I was fighting the wind on my way back.  I don’t generally ride for more than an hour at a time, but decided to push it a little farther this time.

I wore the HR monitor to get an idea of how many calories I usually burn.  I think getting a long ride in once a week will help get me ready for Summer.  A few days later, I definitely noticed a difference.

This bike workout combined with a few other training sessions a day prior and after, really gave my metabolism a boost – which was good, considering the amount of food I ate this past weekend on my mini vacation.

An hour or hour and a half ride might not be much for an endurance cyclist, but I don’t ride a sleek racing bike, I have a big mountain bike that weighs plenty.

I’m also well over 200 pounds, so I get a pretty good workout this way.  By alternating my regular training with these bike rides I will burn off enough calories to see my abs by July.

If you haven’t noticed, I prefer intense total body sessions over longer, isolation work.  If short on time, more intense workouts are the way to go, provided you are healthy enough.

Using a monitor is a great way to keep track of exercise intensity.  It also lets you know if you should up your intensity.  With short, intense workouts you can burn fat after you have stopped exercising, sometimes for several hours afterwards.

If you can’t exercise intensely, you will still burn some calories, but will have to pedal or walk for a long time.  Either way, mixing things up a little keeps your body guessing and your mind fresh.

Get moving!

Brian

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Friday nights’ workout was shooting several exercise videos at my new studio.  Lots of new stuff coming up which is great for fat loss and core stability for runners, golfers and cyclists.

Saturday’s workout was a run-walk.  I alternated a fast jog with walking.  I went to a local track and alternated running about 100 yards at a moderate pace with walking, keeping my heart rate at a fairly high level.

The workout lasted 22 minutes, burning 350 calories, with an average HR of 85% according to my monitor.  So if lack of time has been your excuse for not working out, that excuse has just been busted!

If you have joint problems, you can probably do the same thing with a stationary bike or Airdyne.  After warming up, alternate periods of higher intensity pedaling with lower intensity work.  Again, gradually increasing your intensity or time pedaling as your fitness increases.

I’m a little ADD and prefer shorter, more intense workouts, but if you enjoy longer, less intense training – by all means, keep doing what you’re doing.  I like doing bike rides or walking as my low intensity activity.

I weigh a little more than 240, so I burn a lot more calories than someone 100 pounds less who’s moving at the same pace.  This makes walking a great place to start for those who are significantly overweight, just start off slow and gradually increase your duration.

Just remember, that walking by itself will not get optimal results for most people.  You need to add in some resistance training, especially if you want to elevate your metabolism in between workouts.

Get moving!

Brian

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Eating chia seeds has helped a local resident lose weight, according to a recent article.

Besides being high in fiber, Omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants, they can also be a part a weight loss program.  The high fiber can make you feel fuller and it can help lower your blood sugar levels.

One local woman has lost 31 pounds since she started using the seeds in February.  She adds the seeds to about 4 ounces of tomato juice before a meal to help fill her up.

I’ve been using them off and on since January, mixing them in with my protein drink in the morning.  Besides making you feel full, they can help slow down the breakdown of carbohydrates, again, helping with blood sugar levels.

I have also been eating some raw almonds before some of my meals for the same type of benefit.  Most of us could use more fiber in our “diets” because of the tendency of many to consume highly processed foods, that are lacking in fiber content.

Besides the fiber, I think that the good fats also help with fat loss, in my opinion.  I’ve been also doing a weekly fast of about 24 hours to help get ready for Summer.  All of the above seem to be helping, as I’m starting to see more definition in my abs.

Not quite a six pack yet, but maybe in 4-6 weeks.  Definitely getting leaner, which is the big goal anyway.  Still don’t eat perfectly, but making baby steps.  The healthy fats seem to decrease sugar cravings.  Like everything else, a gradual increase is probably advised.

For more info you can read my previous article on chia seeds.

Don’t forget to add more movement into your daily activities.  Sweat is good!

Get moving!

Brian

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Is pain a necessary evil or can deep tissue massage be unnecessarily painful?  As a massage therapist and former instructor of massage therapy, I’ve had some interesting discussions on this matter.

Recently I was talking with a fellow therapist who uses deep pressure with her massages and usually people tell her that the results are much different than light, relaxing massage.  Sometimes, the clients are amazed at how it can make them feel.

The pressure that I use and that I enjoy, is firm to deep pressure.  Sometimes this can be uncomfortable to receive and often, a little painful for a brief moment.  I’ve had some pretty good results, though, and don’t have much problem putting up with some momentary discomfort in exchange for lasting results.

I’ve also had some students tell me that they have come across people that have had bad results with deep tissue work and endured too much pain.

So this made me think about this little dilemma and I think I have some answers.  One, the therapist may have used very deep pressure without adequate skill.  I’ve had a few therapists use lots of pressure, but it wasn’t applied skillfully and the results weren’t what they could have been.

I have a very high pain threshhold and generally need plenty of pressure to make a change in my muscles.  I also push my body to its limits when I exercise, so my muscles are fairly dense and used to a lot of stress, so I can handle deep pressure very well.

My first massage was about 13 years ago.  At the time, I was doing concrete construction, which included plenty of digging and pushing a wheelbarrow full of dirt or wet concrete – a pretty demanding job.  I didn’t experience any pain, but my muscles got stiff after a while.

So I decided to try massage therapy and had a half hour session with a chiropractic student.  He used deep pressure work, along with triggerpoint and stretching.  The session left me with some bruising on my backside and some spot tenderness – lots of pressure!

But it wasn’t really painful and really loosened my hips and I felt much better – I played softball a few hours later and hit a homerun my first time up – mission accomplished.  There again, I had spent lots of time lifting weights and doing manual labor, so my body was used to being stressed.

Maybe those that don’t do anything physically demanding can’t tolerate a lot of pressure in their massage.  Those with high stress levels – your issues end up in your soft tissues – often seem to need and want more pressure.

The deep tissue massage is designed to release tension in overworked muscles or reduce or realign scar tissue, which may be restricting the muscles’ ability to stretch.  This can include cross fiber friction massage, which is frequently painful or at least, uncomfortable.

This technique is often used by physical therapists in dealing with an injury and can be used by massage therapists, as well.  I’ll finish for now and discuss this more in a second article next week.

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Lifting three pound dumbbells won’t help you lose fat  and it sure won’t keep you from losing bone mass!

There’s a common misconception that lifting light weights for high reps is good for “toning” or “shaping.”  This is a myth that needs to be forgotten.  Lifting weights lighter than your gallon of milk is not enough resistance to make a change in your muscles.

You need to challenge your muscles with some type of resistance training.  This doesn’t mean you have to lift heavy barbells – it could be something like the weight of your own body, resistance bands or sandbags.

If fat loss is your big goal, than doing some type of circuit or interval training will do the trick.  You don’t need to isolate muscles like a bodybuilder, instead, choose exercises that let you work several muscles at the same time.

Not only is this more time efficient, you increase your muscular coordination, making everyday tasks easier.  Not long ago, I had a female client in her early 50’s work up to using a 25 pound dumbbell for one arm rows after 3 months of training.

So not only did we increase her grip, arm and back strength, we also strengthened her bones, decreasing her risk of osteoporosis.  And her muscles didn’t grow too big or look masculine. 

If you think lifting the pink dumbbells will do anything for your bone mass, I wouldn’t bet on it.  A couple years ago I watched a special program on aging.  One of the participants was a 101 year old woman who was still vibrant, had her mobility and sang in the church choir.

She was a regular exerciser and they showed her lifting weights.  The dumbbells looked like they were about 8 pounds a piece, which is reasonably heavy and maybe a big part of her youthful appearance!

Actress Jessica Biel isn’t afraid to do higher intensity exercise and it shows.  I’ve read that she does plenty of athletic movements like running sprints and such.  She appears to be in pretty good “shape” to me. 

Many in the entertainment field were lucky enough to be born in the upper end of the gene pool and can do almost anything and look better than you or me….but doing some type of interval strength training will help you get the body you want without looking bulky.

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