The Value of Exercise to Knee Health

Action and Reaction. Cause:and Affect. Demand and Response.

Rules of physics tell us that our body responds to any stress that we introduce to it – like exercise. This is true for both cardiovascular and strength-building exercise and is referred to as the SAID principle – Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand. Thinking about your knees (crucial elements of the body’s structure), your body responds to stresses placed on the knee joint by strengthening the muscles and connective tissues that stabilize it, thus keeping it healthy, stable and functioning well.

If I ran the Seawall each and every day, I’d likely end up with painful knee inflammation. In contrast, if I just sat around, I’d get “weak-kneed” and sore from having my legs in a bent position all the time. Readers who experience knee pain have learned that it takes an optimum balance of activity, intensity, frequency and rest time to ensure that the knees serve their purpose pain-free.

Have a look at the short video below – it provides a great, non-medical explanation of knee anatomy. (from Sports-Injury-Info.com)

Knee dysfunction is very common today – and has many root causes.   Most however start with the ankles and hips – mobility joints at each end of the leg.

I have much more information on this topic. Meanwhile, here are 4 primary recommendations if you are having knee issues:

1. Check your shoes. Remember that good fitting shoes are your best defence against knee problems.
2. Check your squat. Learn it well and do it. Really, it does make a difference. Knees are designed to bend fully.
3. Check your muscle balance. The strength of your quads, your glutes, your hamstrings and your calf muscles needs to be balanced for the knee joint to align properly and to move through its full range of motion.
4. Check your mobility /flexibility. Knee stability depends on hip mobility which can be improved with flexible hip flexor and hamstring muscles.

Drop me a note for more information, or for a referral to some knee specialists who can help you out. If you already work with a Trainer, show them this article and be sure that you are getting an exercise routine that promotes knee health.

If you are fortunate enough to participate in regular exercise without any knee problems, make sure that you stay vigilant with a balanced program of leg strengthening and flexibility.

Doug at MyTrainerSays dot com

Each day your body performs thousands of physical moves. Most are completed with ease. Others take more effort, or may even introduce discomfort or pain.

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

TIP:  Generally speaking, if your form sucks when doing a specific weight exercise in the gym – by that I mean heaving, hyper-extending, arching, tipping, swinging, working the wrong (not targeted) muscle, it usually means that you’re using too much weight. Take it down a notch and focus your effort on using proper form through the full range of motion and full length of the muscle.

Believe me – it will make a positive difference in the way your muscles respond and recover.  Plus, possibly save you from injury that could back-track your progress.

YouTube has a few great video channels devoted to proper exercise form. Then again, there is a lot of crap too – I trust you’ll be able to spot the difference.

Doug at MyTrainerSays dot com

The conventional Deadlift is a classic exercises that mimics a very common ADL (Activity of Daily Life) – namely, lifting a weighted object from the ground. Both women and men will benefit from including the Deadlift into their gym exercise routine.

Many times in a day we need to pick something up from a stationary position. It may be a very light item (like a dropped pen); it may be a heavier object (a 10 kg toddler); and sometimes it may be something much heavier (a filled BBQ propane tank).

Perfoming Deadlifts in the gym progressively builds back strength. Perfecting Deadlifts trains you to instinctively keep your lower spine rigid against a load while keeping your back in a neutral position. Both are critical to avoiding injury when lifting objects. How many times have you heard of someone who “threw out their back just picking up a sock”?

Unfortunately Deadlifts have a bad reputation, but only from those who have not learned proper technique.

This brief video shows proper Deadlift technique. (Don’t be scared off by the weight that the guy is using – simply substitute the barbell with a pair of dumbbells of a weight appropriate for you.) Watch the starting position, back alignment, knee & hip movement, and the finishing position.

Rounding your back when doing a Deadlift (or when picking up that toddler) significantly increases risk of spinal disc injury. And this is generally the reason why people have sore backs to begin with – lack of muscular strength surrounding the spine.

Try a Deadlift now – just standing where you are, using your own body weight.

Check for these common errors when doing the exercise:

Hips Too High. Use your knees: it’s not a Stiff-legged Deadlift. Beginning height is when the bar is mid-shin and your shoulder-blades are directly over the bar.
Hips Too Low. It’s not a Squat. Again, beginning height is when the bar is mid-shin and your shoulder-blades are directly over the bar.Shoulders in front of the bar.
Bending Your Back. Increases the pressure on your spine thus increasing risk of injury. Keep your chest UP at all times and look forward.
Over-Arching Your Back (hyper-extending). As bad as bending. The Deadlift ends when your hips and knees are locked. No need to arch at the top.
Rolling the Shoulders. Dangerous and inefficient. Your hip muscles move the weight, not your shoulders. Extend your knees and hips, then stop.
Shrugging at The Top. Unnecessary. If you need more trap emphasis do a set of shrugs.
Pulling with your Arms instead of “standing up”. You could tear your biceps by pulling with bent arms. Keep your arms straight, tighten your triceps and stand up with a neutral spine.

And what’s another benefit that comes from doing “Deads” regularly?

A sexy, firm ass and legs!

Doug at MyTrainerSays dot com

I see folks performing these exercises and /or behaviours in the gym and always take the time to inform them of the danger or ineffectiveness. Then I provide a better alternative.

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

From the AUGUST 2, NEW YORK TIMES:
by Jane Brody, New York Times

When you go to the gym, do you wash your hands before and after using the equipment? Bring your own regularly cleaned mat for floor exercises? Shower with antibacterial soap and put on clean clothes immediately after your workout? Use only your own towels, razors, bar soap, water bottles?

If you plan to work out in a gym or use a locker room, Mr. Foley suggested that before choosing a facility, you quiz the management about the cleaning agents used (they should be approved by the Environmental Protection Agency) and daily cleaning schedule for all surfaces and equipment. If exercise mats are not cleaned between classes, he suggested bringing your own. Antibacterial wipes or spray bottles should be provided and used by everyone to clean equipment after a workout.

If you answered “no” to any of the above, you could wind up with one of the many skin infections that can spread like wildfire in athletic settings.

Read the rest of this entry »

As promised, here are 10 ways to improve your posture:

1. Learn what “neutral” spine feels like.

Recognize what neutral spine alignment looks and feels like (it’s that natural “S” curve of the spine that you’re familiar with seeing in pictures). When people first reform into a neutral spine position, most describe it as feeling “unnatural” – only because our muscles have become so trained to hold the spine in mis-alignment. And remember, your neck is a very important part of your spine to hold in alignment.

2. Keep reminding yourself.

When you catch a glimpse of yourself in a window reflection, or in the bathroom mirror, or even in your shadow on the sidewalk, remind yourself to become posture-conscious. Postural muscles that are responsible for holding their contraction will soon do so more easily and naturally.

3. Shift position frequently.

Science is identifying more and more negative health effects of too much sitting. Counter the damage as much as possible by standing whenever you can.  Standing with proper spine alignment is far easier than sitting with proper spine alignment.

4. Strengthen your hips.

Weak hip muscles that attach to your pelvis can affect posture. Particularly if you sit a lot, make sure you’re following an exercise program that includes flexibility and strength training for the hip flexors, extensors, abductors, adductors and rotators.

5. Do appropriate core exercises.

Learn exercises that train the abdominals to hold the pelvis in neutral alignment. Active core stabilization training (like stability ball roll-outs and planks) is really effective for postural correction. Remember to keep your scapulae retracted.

6. Extend your spine to increase its range of motion.

Learn how to correctly perform back extension exercises. On the floor, using a machine or while standing, back extension exercises can significantly reduce or eliminate back pain.

7. Remember to work front AND back sides of your upper body.

Work muscles that you can’t see in a mirror as frequently as you work those that you can. Look around the gym, you’ll easily see what I mean. You need balanced upper body strength front and back to exhibit good posture. Rear deltoids, infraspinatus, rhomboids, latissimus, lower trapezius.

8. Shift exercise style.

Don’t dismiss the occasional yoga or Pilate’s class from your overall fitness program. After all, you’re going to be working out for the rest of your life, so vary it up a bit to keep from getting bored. Full range of joint motion is a key element of good posture.

9. Visualize good posture.

Imagine a hook placed just under your sternum lifting you gently. Notice how your thoracic spine responds to that. Or a puppet string gently attached to the crown of your scalp lifting you straight up. When you walk, concentrate on your posture and imagine yourself moving with a coordinated, symmetrical alignment. Imagine Royalty. Practice your wave.

10. Get checked out.

Besides muscular weakness and muscular imbalance, postural problems can arise from other factors and conditions. Yes, I can help with muscle training. I can also put you in touch with other specialists who can help diagnose and treat any skeletal issues that may be impacting your posture.

Stay strong and upright well into your future.

Doug

MyTrainerSays.com

Using a scale to check if we’re losing or gaining weight is something that we’re all familiar with – but here are two other measurements used as indicators of health – your BMI (Body Mass Index) and your Waist-to-Hip Ratio.

The Body Mass Index uses weight and height to determine body condition – thus indicating a general level of fitness. What the Index doesn’t take into account however, is how much muscle you already have (by volume, muscle weighs more than fat), your frame size (“Hey, I’m not fat, I’m just big-boned!”) or your gender, all of which can skew the results. More importantly, it doesn’t measure how your body fat is distributed, which is the most important factor for predicting your risk of heart disease, obesity-related illnesses and death.

Here is a handy tool for calculating your BMI…

Gender:	Male Female
Height:	ft in
Weight:	pounds
BMI Calculator

Most experts agree that it is your Waist-to-Hip Ratio and Waist Circumference (along with BMI) that provides a clearer picture of your long-term health. That’s because carrying excess fat around the waist puts anybody at a higher risk for heart disease and death.

Click this link for an online tool to calculate your own Waist-to-Hip Ratio.

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Knowing your basic numbers will give you a starting point for making the changes you need to lose weight and improve your health. Tracking your BMI and waist-to-hip ratio over time, as well as your body fat and girth measurements, can help you figure out if you’re on the right track.

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Life-long fitness can start right now.

Doug
MyTrainerSays.com