Gravity Fx Fitness

Runners need to do resistance training for improved running efficiency and this time of year is perfect for it – a combination of strength, balance and coordination is definitely a good thing.

Not just for runners, these moves are beneficial for many people who want to move better, with greater strength.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

Tweet This Post

This was a question I got recently from a 15 year old who had tagged along for his aunt’s training session. She was training with another 50 something friend and another man in my studio on a Saturday.

He is currently doing typical barbell lifts such as the bench press and squat and didn’t quite understand my training methods, which make use of sandbags, suspension trainers like the TRX, resistance bands, ropes and dumbbells.

I have a barbell tucked in a corner, which I use with some clients as a leverage press, but other than that, no barbell lifts.  At one point he asked her if they bench.  We do some dumbbell bench presses on a flat bench or on a stability ball, but my preference is some kind of pushup variation or presses using a flex band, in a standing position, which trains core stability.

Many people tend to think of barbells and dumbbells when “lifting weights” or some weight machine, like a lat pulldown.  When you realize that the point is to challenge your muscles with some type of resistance, than that resistance can take the form of your own bodyweight, sand, flex bands, or whatever.

He talked about doing weight training and I mentioned using heavy sandbags and how they can feel much heavier than a barbell.  He then picked a 140 pound sandbag off the floor using the parallel handles and found out what I was talking about.

A little later he asked me directly, “do you lift weights?”  Presumably, because I look like I do some resistance training (hopefully).  I told him I used to do all my training with barbells and dumbbells but now stick to what you see in my studio and think the results are about the same, with fewer injuries.

Obviously, if you are training for some type of strength competition that involves lifting weights, you need to train that way, but if you are just training for general fitness, general strength and fat loss, the previously mentioned tools work just fine, at least my clients think so.

When using sandbags, suspension trainers, bands and ropes, there are an almost unlimited number of exercise combinations that can be used.  Besides getting great results, this also prevents boredom from setting in.  Lack of time and boredom are the two biggest excuses people have for not exercising, so this is another reason for these methods.

Here are some of my 50 something clients who have lean, muscular bodies and can do all the physical activities they want with no problems.  They are happy with the results they get and it doesn’t hurt when someone in a store asks them how they got their arms in that kind of shape.

When they tell them about my studio it makes me feel good as well.  Proper nutrition goes a long way, also, but resistance training does a body good no matter what your age or gender you are.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

Tweet This Post

One of my clients gave up her jazzercise routine at the first of the year for cardio strength training and hasn’t looked back since.

This fabulously fit 50-something did her previous workout routine for quite some time and it helped her get in pretty good shape…..but her body had gotten used to it and she needed something new to challenge her.  (Vicki in action)

Her sister-in-law had recently started working with me and recommended it to her and her husband.  After the free trial, she decided to give it a try and see how she liked it.  She went from good shape to even better shape.

She has maintained her cardio conditioning and increased her strength at the same time.  All the upper and mid back exercises have reduced some occasional neck problems, giving her increased posture and alignment.

After doing the same exercise routine over and over you need to give your body a new stimulus in order to see improvement.  Besides keeping your body guessing this also keeps your mind fresh, which is also important for avoiding plateaus.

This is why you see so many gym members hit plateaus – you get used to your routine and need a new stimulus.  Recently, a young woman came in to try and make some additional progress.

After doing the elliptical machine 5 days a week, she is in good shape but wants to keep improving.  Your body gets very efficient at doing steady state (pace) aerobics and high intensity intervals will shock the body and increase your metabolism.

Resistance training will help build lean muscle tissue and keep your burning more calories after you have stopped exercising.  It also accentuates a woman’s natural curves while building or maintaining bone mass – a win/win situation!

The increased strength  makes everyday activities much easier.  The time efficient nature of these workouts doesn’t hurt any, either – about 2 hours a week (3 sessions) is all she does with me and then some walking on her own.

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

Density training is a way to increase your fat burning potential while building lean muscle tissue.

Resistance training is important for elevating your metabolism.  When you build lean muscle tissue, you end up with a faster metabolism, as you now have more muscle tissue that burns more calories.

When you first start lifting weights, you quickly increase the amount of weight you can use and/or the number of reps you are capable of.

This is due to your nervous system learning how to move the weights more efficiently – your muscle coordination increases quickly, for a while…..over time, the strength gains slow down and you sometimes struggle to lift more weight.

Typically, you either increase the amount of weight (load) and/or the amount of sets and reps.  For example, if you lift a 100 lb. weight for 2 sets of 10 repetitions, you can increase the amount of work you do, by doing 3 or 4 sets of 10 with the same load (weight).

With density training, you would seek to do more work in a set period of time.  Say it takes you 10 minutes to lift the 100 lbs. for 4 sets of 10 reps (40 total reps).

If you now do 45 reps in the same time period (10 min.), your muscles did more work.  More work = more gains/better benefits.  Density training will have you choose two opposing exercises for a set period of time – usually 15 to 20 minutes.

You might do a pushing movement paired with a pulling movement, like a bench press with a seated row, or a leg movement paired with a shoulder exercise.  Pick a weight that you can do 10 reps maximum and do only 5 reps of the first movement before doing the alternative exercise.

At first, the rest periods will be short, then getting slightly longer as you start to get fatigued.  By doing less reps, you avoid getting fatigued early, allowing you to do a lot of total reps in the 15 or 20 minute period.

Keep track of how many reps you do and try to beat that number with each training session.  Over time, you would increase the weight a small amount.  This type of system allows you to set a new PR (personal record) each time out, so you have a goal to beat with every training session.

Besides providing plenty of motivation, this allows you to avoid hitting a plateau as often as the traditional method that most people use.  Obviously, this will lead to greater results.  By choosing exercises that involve compound movements (multi-joint), you end up working a lot of muscle fibers in each workout.

Generally speaking, the more muscle fibers worked, the greater the number of calories burned.  So if looking to build overall muscle and/or burn more fat, you would minimize the number of isolation exercises.

You could use three 15 minute sessions per workout or two 20 minute periods per workout, usually resting about 5 minutes in between.  This system is called EDT (Escalating Density Training) and was developed by coach Charles Staley.

With this method you don’t need to do much, if any cardio to burn fat, but be prepared - you will be working harder than normal and may have a little more soreness!

I am going back to using this system for a while to try and increase my strength and lose some fat at the same time.  Staley’s  clients have seen some great progress with this method.  I’ll keep you updated on my own progress over the coming weeks.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

Tweet This Post

Whole body vibration (WBV) platforms have shown to be useful in reducing some of the “symptoms” of aging, by increasing lower body strength, bone mass, balance, and mobility.

In different studies, post-menopausal women have seen an increase in leg strength, bone mass, mobility, and speed of movement.  One study saw an increase in bone density at the hip and prevention of bone loss at the spine, while a group that performed standard resistance training saw no significant increase.

One study looked at fat loss when doing vibration training.  Group A used a combination of WBV training and resistance training, while group B did resistance training only.  Both groups consisted of previously sedentary post-menopausal women.

Both groups increased lean muscle tissue, but group A was the only group that saw a decrease in bodyfat percentage.  This group used the Power Plate vibration platform, along with other resistance work.

I personally think that using a combination of methods will get the best results when you are looking to slow down the aging process.  I think you get a synergistic effect that is highly beneficial.

WBV platforms have been included in wellness programs designed to maintain or increase strength and prevent falls.  By placing the individual in standing positions, you enhance coordination, as multiple joints are all working at the same time.

I believe that this is where you see the balance increases and probably reduce the risk of falls.  These weight-bearing positions also place greater stress on your bones, which is a good thing when trying to maintain or increase bone mass.

Exercises done on machines while sitting or lying down, won’t have as much carryover to your activities of daily living, either.  Plus, they often place greater stress on your spine than standing exercises.

These platforms can be helpful in activating muscles that were previously “sleeping” due to a sedentary lifestyle.  They also increase circulation, because of all the reflex muscle contractions.  I think that this helps flush out some of the “garbage” in our cells, helping with fat loss.

If you are a busy Baby Boomer who doesn’t want to spend hours in the gym or healthclub,a combination of  WBV training and other strength training methods might be what you are looking for.

Make sure to add in some upper body resistance training to maintain spine strength and proper posture.  You know what they say, move it or lose it.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

Tweet This Post

Does your pet know something about stretching that you don’t?  Watch what your dog or cat does after a nice, long nap.

The first thing they do is stretch, but they don’t hold a stretch for 20-30 seconds like most people, they stretch out while contracting their muscles at the same time – shaking for a few seconds and then moving on.

Same thing with a wild animal, they contract their muscles at the same time they stretch.  I’ve ben re-reading about resistance stretching in a book by Bob Cooley, called The Genius of Flexibility.  Cooley was struck by a drunk driver in 1976 while crossing a street.

He lost quite a bit of his ability to function properly and spent time working with various doctors and therapists.  Stretching seemed to be the only thing that helped.  Over several years he tried different ways to stretch and breathe while stretching.

He discovered that he got the best results when he simultaneously contracted his muscles while stretching.  He had received very minimal results with traditional methods.  After discovering his method he started working with other people.

In 2000, he was working on a Pilates and yoga instructor where Olympic swimmer Dara Torres was also taking a private session and watched the flexibility session very intently.  He ended up working with Torres before she went to the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Long story short, his methods go against tradition, but seem to get great results.  From my perspective I agree that there has to be strength to go along with your flexibility, both for performance reasons, as well as injury prevention.

I had tried traditional methods of holding for 20-30 seconds in a passive stretch wirthout any results in the past and had quit trying, until I found some active stretching which got much better results.  Not having proper strength/stability is probably why most people are tight to begin with.

Your body is smart enough to know that without strength you run the risk of injury, and doesn’t let you stretch far enough to get hurt.  So I’ve been experimenting with this for the last few days and made some improvements.

His methods require a partner for optimal results – someone to stretch your muscles while you resist.  I’d like to go try a workshop to see how it feels.  Probably go up to Chicago this Summer.

I do resistance band stretching and like the results I get from that.  I pull on the band as much as possible to strengthen while working on my flexibility.  Dave Schmitz isn’t just flexible but agile and powerful, too.  That is what you should be shooting for.

Stay tuned as I will be writing about the different types of mobility and dynamic movement in greater detail.  I’ve tried most every method out there and have stretched many people in the last 10 years.

Get moving!

Brian

Tweet This Post