One of the more striking examples of this is to learn how your body moves and what muscles have to do with it. Because you know that ”making muscles” takes lifting weights, you go to the gym and you lift weights. You mimic what you see others doing, you lift what you can – perhaps in any manner that you can lift it.

As your interest builds, you do some research into what you’re actually doing at the gym.

Through that learning, you begin to understand that the PURPOSE of a skeletal muscle is to move your bones, you learn WHERE certain muscles originate on one bone then attach on another, and you see the PHYSICS behind how a muscles flexes or extends a joint.

At one point a light comes on and you realize “ARGGH!… parts of my routine have been totally futile!!”

Then you adjust your movement. Correct your alignment. Start working opposing muscles. You learn to move the weights against gravity, instead of with gravity.

Voila!  Better results… Bigger muscles. Increased strength. Pain-free joints. Better posture.

Now your’re working smarter, not longer at the gym to achieve your goals

My advice is to take some time to learn more.  This website (along with its embedded links) is a great resource for that. Browse through the categories and you’ll find lots of learning.

Testosterone has been getting a lot of press lately, and not all of it is good.

With hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increasingly prescribed to all types of men—young, old, gay, straight—who just want to maintain their strong muscles and lean midsections, a variety of medical groups have started waving red flags about the many potential pitfalls of testosterone supplementation, from permanent cessation of the body’s ability to produce testosterone on its own, to drops in the “good” cholesterol that promotes heart health.

Increasingly, leaders in the medical community have begun pushing to establish guidelines to use HRT only when it’s medically needed, not as a pharmaceutical fountain of youth.

Higher levels of the hormone have been shown repeatedly to increase muscle mass, reduce fat, increase bone density, reduce depression, and improve libido. Of course, testosterone is produced naturally by all human bodies, and in large quantities by the male body, enabling men to build muscle strength more easily than women.

But those quantities vary between individuals, and over time.

Most testosterone loss is associated with aging—and that loss makes it harder for men to maintain the same levels of lean muscle mass and strength as they age.

Boost Your Testosterone Naturally through Exercise & Nutrition

1. Do Your Leg Work.

Exercise can increase testosterone levels immediately, in the moments during and after completion of a workout. But not just any exercise will have this effect. Increased testosterone is associated with short, high intensity exercise (no more than 60 minutes)—not with long endurance work.

So, to increase your testosterone levels, you want to work the largest muscles in the body to the highest tolerable levels of intensity.

2. Work several and large muscle groups.

The body’s largest muscles are in the legs (quadriceps, hamstrings), butt (they don’t call it the gluteus maximus for nuthin’), and back (the complex of trapezius, latissimus dorsi, and rhomboids). Your best bet is to work as many of these muscles in a single exercise as possible.

3. Exercise to intensity.

Simply, complete fewer repetitions using heavier weight to achieve maximum fatigue (without injury!). One popular method is “super slow,” where you achieve muscle exhaustion by the sixth or eighth rep by counting to ten on the decline (eccentric movement) of a free weight exercise. Do this on a multiple muscle group exercise for maximum gain.

4. Use Interval Training in your cardio workout.

Short bursts of high-speed runs—two minutes at 8, 9, or 10 miles per hour on an incline, for example—tax the muscles to momentary exhaustion, thus increasing testosterone. For evidence, consider the physiques of marathon runners versus sprinters.

==================================

If you want to learn more about adding intensity to your workouts, just drop me an email here.

Of course, most of those hours are spent working to assist clients achieve their personal fitness goals. The other hours are those that I spend staying true to my own.

On any given day I see a number of regular gym goers, as well as a few infrequent visitors. And on occasion, I see a gym patron who really knows what they’re doing.

Whoa!  Did I say “on occasion”??

Yes, I did.

Like the old saying “a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing” – so it goes for your workout.

Without some knowledge of the essentials of exercise, most people flounder in their fitness program. I’m sure you know what I mean, because undoubtedly you can recognize the difference in one person’s workout over another’s.

Moreover, you might critique a particular style of exercise or type of program without understanding how it might actually be the best – or the worst – for moving you toward your goal.

Remember – THERE IS NO “BEST EXERCISE”.

There is only exercise that is SAFE. Exercise that is EFFECTIVE. Exercise that is APPROPRIATE.

My intent is to use a series of blog posts to help you discern whether the elements of your workout are meeting those standards.

“Do THIS, not THAT.” is based on observations that I have made in the gym.

Through my posts I’ll strive to improve the quality of everyone’s workouts.

Meanwhile – keep on working out!

Doug

“Once you accept how HARD it is to lose fat and /or gain muscle, then it becomes Easy.”

Whaaaat?!!

Read it again. And think it through – do you understand what it means?

Compare it to saving for your next big vacation… once you understand and accept how much discipline it takes to save that money, then it becomes easier to do. When it’s important for you to achieve… it just seems to”gets done”.

So, it’s the same with your fitness goal… once you accept that it’s HARD to achieve it, then your realize what you must do – and it becomes easier.

How?

1. Plan, shop, and prepare in advance how you’re going to eat for the week… I spend time each Sunday doing exactly that – and I actually look forward to doing it. Menus. Cooking. Storing. A 2 hour investment of time.
2. Do at least three high-intensity workouts per week… prioritized based on your fitness goal – muscle mass and /or fat loss.
3. Keep yourself active on off days and avoid sitting in front of the TV or computer for at least 30 minutes less a day… in our house, it’s “All Screens Off” no later than 9 pm, at which time we usually go for a short “family walk”, or you could gently stretch those muscles you worked out.
4. Develop strategies to avoid bad night-time eating habits… keep some crunchy fruit or vegetables handy to settle cravings. If you’re on a “muscle-up” program, try protein powder mixed into plain yogurt with some nuts. Just lay off those empty carbs… (which I see that our cupboards have filled up with over the winter!)
5. Set strategies to overcome every sabotage behaviour that gets in the way of your success each week… notes, scheduling, whatever.

Now, it’s almost 9pm – time to abide by my own rule.

Doug

Better sex!

Infomercials promise it. Pop-up ads promise it. Magazines, too. There are love universities for it, and more how-to videos than you can count. And, of course, it all comes at a price.

Wouldn’t it be nice if it were easy to improve your sex life, for free? Actually, you can get more sizzle in sex, and all you have to do is get a little sweaty — with exercise.

All kidding aside, guys, some exercise really can give your sex life a lift. As a bonus, exercise also ramps up your muscle tone, strength, and sexual endurance. So which exercises can help put the vroom back in your sex life?

5 Exercises for Better Sex

To “keep your sex life awesome,” exercise physiologist Rich Weil, MEd, CDE suggests these top five “sexercises.”

• Pushups. If you’re going to pick just one exercise to do, this is the one to go for, Weil says, “for all the obvious reasons.”

If you can’t do basic training-quality pushups at first, start with wall presses (essentially pushups done against the wall), aiming for 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions. When you’re ready, progress to knee pushups on the floor, making sure to keep your back straight while you slowly touch your nose to the ground. Once you’re ready to kick it up a notch, progress to traditional hand-and-toe pushups.

• Abdominals. After pushups, your abs are the next most critical sex-boosting body area, says Weil, director of the New York Obesity Research Center Weight Loss Program at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center, and an exercise and fitness expert on WebMD’s message boards. “After all, you have to use your abdominal muscles during sex.”

Weil suggests starting your ab workout with good old-fashioned crunches. Lie on your back, hands supporting your neck, knees bent and your feet on the floor, then bring your body up just enough to get your shoulders off the ground. Do 3-5 sets of 15-20 repetitions.

For additional ab oomph, Weil suggests men and women also do bridges (lying on your back, knees bent, lift your hips up and down; 3 sets of 15 reps). Men can also try pelvic tilts (standing up or lying down, straighten your lower back and pull your belly button in until your lower back touches the wall or floor), while women can try Kegels (contract your pelvic muscles (the ones you’d use to stop the flow of urine); squeeze the muscles tight for 3 seconds, then relax for 3 seconds. Do 10-15 repetitions, three times a day).

• Deadlifts. This exercise will keep your back as strong as it can be, says Weil, and give your legs and torso a workout, too. Deadlifts, where you raise a weighted barbell or dumbbells from the ground, starting in a neutral bent-over position, is easy to do — and easy to do wrong, so technique is important, according to the American Council on Exercise. Get some pro tips online or at your gym to be sure you’re getting the most out of doing deadlifts.
• Torso side bends and twists. And to get the most from this exercise, as well as the next one, head to the gym. The effort is worth it, because torso side bends and twists will keep your upper body strong, says Weil, and give you stamina. “Do them on the cable crossover machine for maximum effect.”
• Pushing or pulling exercise in the gym. While you’re at the gym, rows, flyes and lateral raises on that same cable crossover machine will do a great job for your performance in the bedroom, says Weil. Remember to get a few quick tips from a pro on how to do these exercises most effectively.

OK, so great muscle tone, more endurance, and better sex: What’s not to love? But wait, there really is more. If you want even more sizzle, exercise for 20 minutes right before sex and Weil promises “you’ll never do better!”

And who doesn’t want to have better sex?

At any age.

Doug

If you’re running to stay in good shape and to achieve better heart health, a good way to determine your effort level is the ‘Talk Test‘.

Try this:

If while running you can talk and carry on a conversation with marginal difficulty, you are running at a good pace (that means one or two sentences between heavy breaths; no gasping). This probably represents about 60% of your maximum heart-rate.

When you are running so hard that you have great difficulty speaking, maybe slow it down a little bit. This indicates 80 – 90% of your maximum heart-rate. However, if you are doing Interval training, this IS the appropriate effort level for your high intensity interval sprint.

If carrying on a conversation is quite easy, allowing you to gently thumb through the latest issue of Vanity Fair while describing your past weekend’s triumphs in full detail, then you’d better push yourself a little bit more to get anything of value out of your running session.

Although I always recommend that my clients invest in a Heart Rate monitor (< $70) to track cardio output effort, the “Talk Test” does provide a very simple, and surprisingly accurate self-check.

Once you do acquire a HR monitor, it’s then fun to compare your estimated effort level against the actual HR rate… before long you become very self-aware.  And that’s an important skill for sustaining life-long fitness.

Doug

http://tinyurl.com/28bqf9g

Doug at MyTrainerSays dot com

Recently recovered from a back injury, he told me that he’d now GIVEN UP all sports activity that traditionally emphasize “1-sidedness”!

For him, that meant activities such as snowboarding, golfing and tennis – a sport that he said he was pretty darn good at. What he’s replaced those “1-sided” activities with has been skiing, rock climbing, weight-lifting and yoga. Not unhealthy alternatives by any means.

Certainly there is merit in what this guy is discovering for himself… that symmetrical movement patterns within muscle groups is extremely important to body balance, joint health, posture, proper body composition and injury prevention.

However, there was really no need for him to totally give up his other favourite pursuits – what this guy could have done is assess which specific muscle groups were performing during an activity (e.g. his racquet arm, shoulder, upper back), and which muscle groups were non-performing (the other arm and shoulder), then design a gym training program accordingly.

That would mean a few more repetitions of some exercises on the lesser used muscles along with a few more stretching sequences on the over used muscles.

Such a strength and conditioning prescription would facilitate a body in balance, without having to give up activities such as racquet sports and (my fav) snowboarding to achieve it.

Doug@MyTrainerSays.com

Exercise – done hard, almost every day.

Nutrition – quit eating things that you already know are bad for you.

Commitment – you have to care enough about yourself to do it.

Doug

Doug at MyTrainerSays dot com

Can you guess what they are?

Doug

Doug at MyTrainerSays dot com

“Working your core” is generally bandied about to describe traditional crunches and sit-ups – but of course it means SO much more than just working your Abs.

Similar to an apple – the core lies deep inside your body. Core exercises refer to those that target the multi-layered muscles of the abdomen and low back area.

A strong core supports your spine, enhances posture, secures internal organs, enhances mobility and prevents the development of back ache.

Remember – the core is about stability, NOT necessarily about movement. Pilate’s specializes in the core – with exercises like the plank, roll-outs and pointed dogs really enhancing core strength, thus stability of the torso.

I have a long list of core exercises that I use daily in my programs.  Just drop me a line for more information.

Doug at MyTrainerSays dot com

That doesn’t mean that you have to stop going to the gym… it just means to take it easier for a week, working at a lower intensity level.

As we age, this rest period becomes even more important as it takes longer for the muscle fibres to repair and grow.

A good trainer will identify a level of intensity that is most effective for your goals, whether for muscular endurance, muscle /body shaping or power strength.

Doug

Did you know that each of the body’s moves  is founded on one or more of 7 primal movement patterns?

Squat. Lunge. Push. Pull. Bend. Rotate. Walk or Gait.

Once you understand how important these movements are, you will appreciate that a good exercise program includes training for each of them.

While I train for each of the 7 primal moves, it is the Squat, the Deadlift and the Push-up that become staples in each client’s program. These moves are the most critical for walking or GAIT, for the ability to LIFT, and for the ability to PUSH – daily activities that each of us depend on to sustain a high quality of life today and into the future.

As important as they are, most people perform these 3 basic moves improperly.

Take a moment to watch people on the bus or in the office and you’ll see many who have trouble standing from a seated position, or lowering themselves to a seat. People unable to pick things up from a standing position. Even the task of pushing a door open becomes awkward because primal movement patterns have been lost through age, inactivity, atrophy, and injury.

Simple instruction of these three movements is fundamental to progressing your exercise program. And once you re-train and imprint proper form, the rest of them come very easily (pulling, bending, twisting, lunging, walking).

From then on, whether you use cables, free weights, machines or bodyweight in your program, you’ll be performing all 7 moves in ways that protect you from injury while building your strength.

Doug at MyTrainerSays dot com

Power Move training improves our reaction time (thanks, fast-twitch muscle fibres), and also provides important “tendon toughening” action that improves joint stability. And good joint stability means less frailty as we get older.

You can turn many of your regular strength-building exercises into Power moves. Here’s an example of a standard (flat bench) dumbbell Chest Press modified to a Power move.

1. Reduce the usual weight of the dumbbell pair you use by at least 30% – power moves put much more stress on tendons and joints.

2. Tighten the core, press the dumbbells up (the concentric phase) in a rapid, but controlled fashion – always maintaining good form.

3. From the full extension point, lower the weight (the eccentric phase), again in a rapid and controlled fashion – CAUTION: do not over-extend the shoulder joint during the lowering phase – that risks damage to the rotator cuff  (experiment with a light weight first).

4. Perform 10-12 repetitions.

I recommend adding some Power (speed) Moves to your routine every couple of weeks; not only to shake it up a bit, but also to add longevity benefits to your workout.

Doug at MyTrainerSays dot com

Ultimately, any money you spend on a serious, committed fitness routine will come back to you tenfold in health, fitness benefits, happiness, fewer sick days at work, more energy, and better quality of life.

But, if you’re you’re on a tight budget, never fear. A fitness exercise band is relatively inexpensive, as are hand weights. An exercise ball can also help you achieve fitness without asking you to rip into your savings.

And, don’t dismiss the endless natural terrain around for us to use – for running, push-ups, pull-ups, hill climbs, cycling…

Keep it up.

Doug at MyTrainerSays dot com

from Exercise Lifetips

Still, I fully agree with this simple and holistic approach to your strength-building program:

1. Focus on Strength. More strength is more muscle. More muscle is more calories burned. Focus on strength whatever your goal is. Start light and add weight systematically. You should lift more today than 1 year ago.
2. Use Free Weights. Free weights force you to stabilize the weight, allow for natural movement patterns and build functional strength. The bulk of your routine should consist of free weight barbell exercises.
3. Use Compound Exercises. Exercises that hit several body parts at the same time stress your body more. Your routine should include Squats, Deadlifts, Overhead Press, Bench Press, Pull-ups, etc.
4. Use Proper Technique. Decreases the risk of injury and allows for more weight. Bad technique is acceptable on heavy attempts, but build good habits from the start by learning proper exercise technique.
5. Eat Whole Foods. Supplements make your life easier, but whole food is better. Eat proteins, veggies & fruits with each meal. Carbs for energy. Plenty of water. Eat every 3 hours starting at breakfast.
6. Don’t Be Perfect. Junk food is ok 10% of the time and bad workouts happen to everyone. Train hard 45 weeks/year & eat healthy 90% of the time, you’ll be muscular with a healthy body fat.
7. Do It for Yourself. What people think of you doesn’t matter. You have nothing to prove to others. This is your life. Do what you need to do to be who you want to be. Dare to be different. Set trends.
8. Experiment. Don’t take anything for granted from anyone or anything, including this site. Science doesn’t matter, results do. Be open minded, read everything and find what works by experimenting.
9. Master Your Fears. You’ll be intimidated first time in the gym. You’ll stall. You’ll get injured. Don’t fear failure, learn from it. Do what pushes you out of your comfort zone. Your self-confidence will increase.
10. Believe. Listen to those who have walked the path before you. You can achieve anything you want if you copy what they do. Aim high with your goals and believe in yourself. If they can do it, you can do it.
11. Persist. How long it takes you to achieve your goals doesn’t matter, as long as you achieve them. Focus on the long-term. Never give up until you are where you want to be.
12. Keep it Simple. Forget about the details. Focus on the big picture. The most effective way to achieve your goals is often the simplest approach. Stick with what’s proven to work, don’t reinvent the wheel.

source: Stronglifts.com

- male; 5 feet 10 inches
- 165 pounds; 15% body fat
- Goal: “lose fat -gain muscle”

When guys start back to the gym, many think that they need to focus on a fat loss program first, which is usually when I hear “I’m just going to concentrate on my cardio for a couple of months to lose this jiggle“.

Most often though, that is the worst thing they could do, because their bodies do not have enough muscle mass to sustain a fat loss program without losing even more muscle. So the guy starts burning a lot of calories, dieting too much, and then ends up a smaller version of his skinny-fat body.

What should the “skinny-fat” guy be doing?

He needs to be focussed on gaining more muscle and eating a little extra carbs and proteins before and after working out.

Doug at MyTrainerSays dot com

Tip: If your focus is on building more muscle, lift weights 3-4 days per week for 45 minutes. If you need to burn fat too, do 3 full body workouts with some timed interval training using short-burst treadmill sprints. Long, slow, mind-numbing cardio doesn’t cut it.

1 – Behind the neck lat pull-downs (danger: cervical spine strain)
2 – Behind the neck military (shoulder) press (danger: ditto)
3 – Upright rows (danger: shoulder nerve impingement)
4 – Lying leg press machine – deep knee (danger: lumbar spine compression)
5 – Squats using the Smith machine – feet too far forward (danger: thoracic spine muscle strain)
6 – Bad form on cardio machines - particularly leaning forward (danger: spine erectors muscle strain)

7 – Trying to “spot” reduce – endless reps working a “problem” area (time-waster: science just doesn’t work that way)
8 – Using a weight belt (danger: jeopardizes important core strength)
9 – Bad shoes; and I’m not talking fashion (danger: Achilles, arches, ankles, knees, hips… all affected negatively by bad shoes)

Helping you do it well and get better results.

Doug at MyTrainerSays dot com

Right up there with squats and lunges, the move is a common motion that you use over and over in your ADL (activities of daily life).

Deadlifts make your body strong for so many activities. It works directly on your booty, also involving your quads, hamstrings, lower back, abs and most every other muscle in your body.

Good, safe execution of the deadlift requires full range of motion in the hips, knees and ankles – all of which can be trained progressively through proper warm-up, lead-in exercises and post-workout stretching.

Take the time to learn how to do a Deadlift properly, using strict form. Either with dumbbells or with a barbell.

Stay strong. Stay Young.

Doug
MyTrainer Says…

Think: Puppet strings.

FACT: Muscles can excessively shorten (become tight) through vigorous activity (e.g. how the pecs tighten after a bench press), OR through static positioning (e.g. hamstrings lose length from sitting too long, traps shorten from holding tension).

FACT: Muscles can also excessively lengthen through vigorous activity (e.g. running hurdles, swimming lengths) OR through static positioning (e.g. poor posture, awkward sleep positions).

I have written several posts in this blog about body posture, particularly “rounded shoulders, forward neck” syndrome.

The culprits in this type of DYSFUNCTIONAL POSTURE are the smart phone, cell phone, laptop, computer screen, car seat, soft couch, airplane seat, yada, yada, yada – ADLs (Activities of Daily Life) that put us into positions that accentuate a slouched upper back, shoulders rotated forward, protruding belly, chest caved in, neck poking ahead.

Think about it –  here you have the spine, the chest, the neck, the shoulders – all doing the same thing – muscles at the front (pecs, sternos, abs, front delts) passively being shortened - while muscles at the back (traps, rear delts, rhomboids) are passively being lengthened. And gravity really sucks when you’re off kilter.

That’s why, when I watch most people go through their ritual of  ”pre-exercise” stretching at the gym, I must say that RARELY DOES WHAT THEY’RE DOING MAKE SENSE!!

From this day forward I want you to stop and ask yourself  WHAT you’re stretching and WHY you’re stretching it.

Get personal with it:

Are you stretching a muscle that’s already spent half of its day in a stretched out position?

Are you stretching a muscle and lengthening it just before you’re about to ask it to lift a 55 pound dumbbell? (Think: stretching the heck out of a bungee cord, then expecting it to shorten and hold something tight.)

1) DON’T stretch what you don’t need to stretch: Muscles that are already stretched out. Muscles that are about to do their job.

2) DO stretch what you need to stretch: Muscles that have been in a shortened position all day. Muscles that have completed their job.

3) DON’T CONFUSE muscle “warm-up” with muscle “stretching“. They are distinctly different.

Does this guy really need to be doing...

... this rear-deltoid stretch? NO!

Your workouts should focus on making sure that you perform exercises that shorten & strengthen muscles where they need to be (for the guy on the left – upper shoulders, mid-back, rear deltoids) and leave stretching for muscles that need to be lengthened & strengthened (in this case, pectorals, abdominals, hip flexors, hamstrings.)

Do you have questions about anything you read or hear – either on this blog or elsewhere?

Write to me at > info@MyTrainerSays.com

]]> http://www.mytrainersays.com/get-personal-with-your-stretching-program/feed/ 0 http://www.mytrainersays.com/creatin/ http://www.mytrainersays.com/creatin/#comments Thu, 13 May 2010 06:09:55 +0000 Doug http://www.mytrainersays.com/?p=214274101 Protein powders and weight gain supplements can certainly help those who’s sole intent is to gain muscle mass – “pack in the calories; pack on the weight”. However, for those who’s objective is to lose fat, firm up and strengthen – which includes many of my athletic clients – I caution you not to over-consume protein shakes. Not only can it be a waste of money – but as you probably know already, you can get most of what’s in a protein product by eating a variety of wholesome foods (and bloat less).

There is 1 nutrition supplement that can build strength and muscularity faster – creatine monohydrate.

Stirred into a sports beverage or fruit juice, creatine works by effectively boosting power and performance during anaerobic activity (such as weight-lifting). And it’s cheap to use.  A 300 gram bottle (60 servings) sells for under 10 bucks at most vitamin or nutritional supplement stores.

If you decide to give it a try, be sure to read the label and use according to directions.

Lift!

Doug

2) You need to stick with a practical, low-fat diet that fills you up, nourishes your body, is well-balanced and includes healthy fats, lean proteins and “good” carbohydrates. Think: Thin-crust chicken panini; olive oil & vinegar salad dressings; oatmeal & fruit; protein shakes.

3) You need to include effective core exercises (NOT countless ab crunches) to release your inner 6-pack. Think: Stability Ball roll-outs, Landmines, Planks & T-Ups

4) You need to work in short-burst intervals that effectively combine a good cardiovascular workout and a good weight-lifting workout. Think: 4 & 2 minute intervals of 80% /40% intensity on the treadmill for 20-30 minutes 3x week / super-sets alternating between 2 complementary muscle groups.

5) Start today. Summer is 6 weeks away.

cheers

Doug

Doug

MyTrainerSays