Gravity Fx Fitness

There’s been a lot of discussion lately on whether or not you should be doing crunches or situps if you want a healthy spine.  Spine researcher Stuart McGill has been at the forefront of much of this debate and if you haven’t heard, he doesn’t believe that most people need to include these exercises, especially if you have a past history of low back pain.

I don’t have my clients do them for two reasons :

first, most people over 40 already have some slight posture issues going on and don’t need to spend any more time in a flexed position and second, they are just too inefficient – they take too much time for what you get.

I recently attended the Midwest Performance Enhancement seminar and the strength coaches and physical therapists who were the speakers, were all against doing repeated spinal flexion in an exercise or rehab program.  Abdominal “bracing” is their preference (like bracing for a punch to the stomach).

The article 3 Surprisingly Strong Ab Exercises talks about doing an estimated 250,000 crunches to burn a pound of bodyfat, bringing up the point that its a waste of time to try and trim your waistline this way.  Last week I had a man who looked to be in his mid to late 40’s stop in while I was training some clients.

I didn’t have time to talk to him for very long but gave him a brochure and he gave me a business card.  I called him to see what he was looking for in an exercise program and he stated that he had been doing 1000 situps a day and not gotten rid of his belly. I told him that this was not the best way to solve this problem and that he might have been putting his back at risk of injury.

He didn’t seem to get my point but this man DID NOT have a flat stomach despite his routine.  In fact, he looked like he hadn’t been doing any work for his belly at all.

Strength coach Mike Robertson addressed this issue recently in his article Should You Crunch? part 2.  One of the points that he brings up is the effect on the upper body and shoulder function.  While standing, lean your upper body forward in the position that you end up in while doing crunches.  Now, raise your arm overhead and see how far it goes.  Then, stand completely upright and see how much higher you can reach.

A long-time massage client of mine passed away two months ago at the age of 79.  She routinely did about 700 situps daily when I first met her in a chiropractic clinic.  She had painful neck spasms then and dealt with chronic neck issues thereafter.  I tried to get her to break this habit but the last 3-4 years she also had a lot of shoulder issues which I believe was related to all that spinal flexion exercise.

If you would like to listen to an interview with Dr. Stuart McGill click on this link McGill Takes on Crunches…Again and here is a review of a one day seminar with McGill that I attended at Palmer Chiropractic College about four years ago Are Situps Causing Your Back Pain?

Also, if you have had some back or posture issues one of the first places to start is with diaphragmatic breathing.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

Tweet This Post

I’ve been using the inversion table for a week at this point and really like it.

I’ve also had several of the clients on it and they enjoy it, also.  The key is to let your body GRADUALLY adapt to inversion, starting off with only a few minutes and maybe at 20-30 degrees.

It’s just like anything else, too much right away can be a bad thing.  You don’t go into the weight room the first time and start lifting heavy weights.  You start off conservatively and progress from there as your body adapts – same with the tables.

I’ve had all the clients practice deep abdominal breathing and they really feel it in their lower abs, where they attach to the pelvis.  This area is already put on stretch and then the deep breathing with the diaphragm hits those muscles quite nicely.

In his book, Dr. Robert Martin mentions that inversion can help flatten your stomach. From what I have felt so far I would think that those with lower abs that seem to bulge, this would help to get those muscles to fire more efficiently.

I have been combining it with the Turkish get-ups and half get-ups and noticed some difference in myself.  Saturday I did about a minute of light stretching for my clients’ necks while they were partially inverted and they loved it.  I then had them stand with their back to a wall and do a posture exercise to help you stand straighter.

They all felt like they were a couple inches taller when they left.  Combined with the Indian clubs and joint mobility class before, and they all felt relaxed and were moving more efficiently, which is a sign of good health, in my opinion.

I plan on regularly continuing to use the table and as we all get accustomed to it we can go a little farther in the inverted position.  There is a strap which can limit the amount of inversion and even if you only did partial inversion you would likely see benefits.

This would definitely help to decompress the spine and bring fluids in and out of the discs, while allowing the vertebrae to elongate and shorten slightly.  Those with very high blood pressure might not be candidates for inversion therapy – check with your doctor first.

A healthy person should be able to enhance their posture and health with the regular practice of inversion.  For additional reference, you can read the book Gravity Guiding System by Robert Martin, MD.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

Tweet This Post

Deandra has taken 4 inches off her waist without doing any crunches or sit-ups.

She has done planks, pushups, exercises with sandbags, bands and the TRX suspension trainer, but very little isolated exercises for the abs.  The best way to describe these workouts is cardio strength training.

In this photo she is doing a pushup with a rotation, where you come up from the bottom and then rotate to one side, do another pushup and rotate to the opposite side.  This isn’t easy for many women to do and it challenges both your upper body strength and stability, as well as your core.

Dee has been training with us since Feb. 20th and made great strides.  She works hard 3 days a week and trys to stay active the rest of the week.  This type of training takes hard work, builds lean muscle tissue and raises your metabolism.

This is a sandbag deadlift with one leg doing most of the work.  Besides the glutes and hamstrings, her obliques (side abs) are working hard as well.  We like to do exercises that work multiple muscles at one time – exercises that force your abs and low back to stay tight while you are moving other muscles and joints.

She knows that its not what the scale says, its how you look and how your clothes fit.  Four inches off your waist is huge, especially for someone who wasn’t that overweight to start with.

Diet is definitely important, there is no doubt about that.  Building lean muscle tissue is key to lasting changes in your metabolism, not to mention strengthening your bones and joints.  Just goes to show that you can shrink your waistline without doing endless crunches or sit-ups.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

Tweet This Post

Can working on your breathing patterns help with your posture and flatten your stomach?

Yes!!

In recent years, several physical therapists and doctors have recommended breathing exercises to restore proper abdominal function and  reduce low back pain.  In particular, they have had patients start with diaphragm (abdominal) breathing exercises before moving on to other exercises.

While there has been some disagreement about how important this function of your “inner core” really is, one thing is certain, your abdominal and low back muscles function as a unit to help stabilize your spine.

After injury or surgery, or just being sedentary for a long time, your abs may not be functioning as efficiently as possible.  Starting with breathing exercises helps to activate (turn on) your deeper abdominal muscles.  There are different layers of muscles in your abdominal wall that function as a unit, kind of like a “plywood effect,” where the whole is greater than the individual parts.

The strength of plywood comes from the multiple layers crossing in different directions, similar to your abs.  Before moving on to more difficult ab exercises like planks, its a good idea to make sure those inner muscles are functioning properly.  Diaphramatic breathing exercises can help accomplish this task.

Various plank exercises can be progressed from here, as you get stronger, as well as standing exercises that focus on keeping your core stable.  Here is an example of an isometric exercise on the Power Plate to help with ab and back stability.

Kneel on the platform with knees about hip width apart.  “Brace” your abs, keeping them tight without sucking them in or letting them push out.  Keep your spine in a neutral position throughout the exercise.  This should not create pain!

If so, you may need to modify the exercise or choose another exercise as a substitute.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

Tweet This Post

Here is a great video from coach Josh Henkin that shows some exercises you may not have seen before – exercises that really challenge your core.

He has described this video as fighter fitness but it will work equally well for many non-athletes.  I like exercise tools that can provide a great workout for an elite athlete but also work well for “average” people who want to lose weight and be in great shape.

Sandbags and the TRX definitely accomplish this goal, providing results for all ages.

I tried the TRX rotation exercise for the abs this morning and it works great.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

Tweet This Post

Saturday I used only sandbags in my workout and burned 641 calories according to my HR monitor. In one exercise I used a slight assist from a TRX, but the workout took 45 minutes and worked every muscle in my body.

The TRX suspension trainers are supposed to be “all core all the time” because your core is activated to some degree in every exercise.  Same thing with sandbags – you’re always working your abs, low back and hips during an exercise.

Cardio strength training (interval training) is a great way to build lean muscle tissue and burn fat at the same time.  For example, my average heart rate for this workout was 78% of my max, with the peak HR reaching 98%  (pretty intense).

So a 45 minute workout at 78% will obviously burn some calories.  By doing more intense interval training you go into oxygen debt, where you are breathing heavily.  Research has shown that this can elevate your metabolism for 24 hours or more AFTER you have stopped exercising!

That’s one of the things I like about sandbags – improved fat burning efficiency while improving your coordination in different movement patterns.  The exercises train multiple muscles to work together at the same time.

I did step ups, overhead presses, high pulls, partial rotation deadlifts and an overhead rotational lift that is often done with a medicine ball.  I kept the rest periods between exercises minimal which keeps your heart rate up and stimulates your fat burning hormones.

One of the reasons you’re metabolism stays elevated after this workout is because of the fast twitch muscles that are worked with the exercises that focus on either strength or power.  More muscles used equals more calories burned but you also have the “afterburn” effect going on as these muscles are being repaired after the workout.

These workouts can take a lot out of you and need to be progressed gradually.  I have my baby boomer clients doing most of these same exercises and it allows them to get in a fast, efficient workout – letting them spend more time with family and friends.

I really could feel it in deep in my abs the next day, particularly from the overhead rotational lift with the sandbag.  I have taught those 15 minute ab workouts before at a healthclub and would never feel it in my abs like I do with the sandbags, or even the TRX.

Here is a video from coach Josh Henkin that shows a few examples of sandbag training.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

Tweet This Post

You can have great abs without doing hundreds and hundreds of crunches!  I’m not big on marathon sessions of crunches and situps - partly, because it just takes too much time and I’m too busy to do something inefficient.

They take so much time because there isn’t much tension on your stomach and tension is key to training  your muscles, including your midsection.

So how do you get six pack abs without doing crunches?  Simple, you first burn off the fat covering your stomach with multi-joint exercises that use the large muscles in your body and get rid of the “junk” in your diet, otherwise noone can see your flat stomach, anyway!

When doing specific ab exercises, train them with tension – increase the intensity, not the amount of time you train them.  Start off with exercises like planks and bridges to strengthen your stomach and low back.

Then progress to exercises like “rollouts” on an ab wheel or do various pushups and pikes on a suspension trainer like the Bandit’s Loops or TRX.  This trains your stomach and low back to provide stability and coordination while your upper or lower body is moving.

Besides adding to your total body coordination and athletic ability, this also is more time-efficient than spending 15-30 minutes on the floor doing a separate ab workout and I’m all about doing efficient workouts.

I also like using sandbags and kettlebells to hit this area with some intensity.  Sandbags in particular are great for hitting your obliques – adding in a measure of back prevention while giving you a more athletic body.

Many of the “gimmicks” you see on TV use professional fitness models to promote their product.  Most of the time, they have never used that product before and got in great shape with other methods – then they might have even had some liposuction done just before shooting the commercial, to look even better.

Besides getting a flatter stomach, you will probably have better posture and possibly prevent back injury at the same time.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

Tweet This Post

I recently switched my workouts to density training to add some lean muscle tissue while losing fat.  This is a little different than “bulking” phases that bodybuilders sometimes use.

In my previous article, I talked about how density training involves getting more work done in a set amount of time.  Most people can increase the weight or reps they do for a limited amount of time.

To get further results you have to make changes in your routine.  EDT has you seeing how many total reps you can achieve in a time period, usually 15 minutes.  Next time you would try to do more reps for the same weight and exercise.

This is a very time efficient way of training and gets great results.  It allows you to delay fatigue and get more work done (total reps) which can simultaneously build muscle and burn a lot of calories.

For example, Saturday I did sandbag squats with 135 pounds.  Holding a large sandbag across the front of your shoulders is a great challenge for your abs and low back, besides the lower body work being done.

I haven’t been doing this exercise recently and am using the density method to strengthen my body with this challenging exercise.  Saturday I did 18 reps in 15 minutes.  The idea is to increase the total number of reps in the next workout and the workouts to follow.

By not going all out on each set, I delay fatigue and am able to do more total reps this way.  By increasing the amount of work with every workout, my body is forced to make changes – increased strength, lean muscle tissue and increased calorie burn (weight loss).

Usually you would switch back and forth between two opposing exercises, but this exercise strongly challenges not just your lower body but your core, as well.

I noticed some soreness in my abs yesterday even though I didn’t do any direct exercises for them – compound exercises (multi-joint) are the way to go if you want a time-efficient workout.

Get moving!

Brian

Tweet This Post

If you’ve tried the Ropes Gone Wild before, you know they are a great training tool!  The intense workouts are great for us ADD types.  In particular I love doing the grappler’s throws.

They hit the obliques(abs) in a unique way.  They also jack your heart rate up pretty quickly, which is much of the point.  Recently, Anthony of Art of Strength unveiled a new grip training attachment for the ropes.

Since I don’t have it yet, I thought I’d show you the 1 arm version without the grip tool.

Besides working the grip very well, this exercise is good for the shoulder too, in my opinion.  It might be something that could be used in shoulder rehab, in the later stages, with a lighter rope.

If not, it might help prevent some shoulder problems – at least, provide plenty of blood flow.  Give it a try.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

Tweet This Post

….that is the question.  Are spinal flexion movements like crunches and situps damaging to the spine, or nothing to worry about?

If you’re familiar with top spine researcher Dr. Stuart McGill, you should know that his research shows that repeated flexion, such as doing 15 minutes of crunch and situp variations, can be damaging to the discs.

I attended one of his seminars on core stability a while back at Palmer Chiropractic College.  Having read some of his articles, I was fairly familiar with his concepts for core training.

Recently, I listened to a podcast with Dr. McGill and he stated his belief that we have a limited number of forward flexion (bending) cycles in each one of us and that doing lots of these type of ab exercises just wastes that number.

He thinks that those who have tempted fate in this manner, may have genetics that allow them to get away with it, up to a point.  He advocates “bracing” the abs isometrically to support the spine and strengthen the abdominal wall……

a wall with different layers of muscles running in different directions, kind of like plywood, where the different layers are stronger together than any of them on their own.

Plank exercises are the starting point for these different “bracing” strategies of core stability.  These can be done in the front and side positions, and bridges can address the glute and back muscles.

McGill recently has done studies with competitive strongmen, like the ones you see on ESPN, lifting massive amounts of weight.

This confirmed the role of the quadratus lumborum as an important spine stabilizer.  These muscles run from the bottom of your ribcage to the pelvis and also attach to the spine.

When you carry a heavy suitcase in one hand, it places a lot of demand on this muscle to keep your back straight – or when you carry a heavy suitcase in both hands, these muscles are working hard to support your spine.

So training your abs and low back to stay tight when lifting heavy objects is one of the benefits to this method of training.  Improved posture is another.

If you are someone who has had disc problems or sciatica, then situps and crunches are the last thing you want to do, as this puts unnecessary stress on your back.

One of the few exceptions to doing flexion might be those with too much curve in their low back.  A few sets of reverse crunches might help keep everything in a more neutral position.

After basic stability is gained, I like to use sandbag exercises and suspension training for increased intensity to your midsection – teaching your upper and lower body to work with your “core” for increased coordination – the way it works in real life situations.

Get Moving!

Brian Morgan

Tweet This Post