I can almost guarantee with 100% certainty that the Olympic athletes breaking all those records did not train using the machines found in the gym.  Even more so, I can almost guarantee with 100% certainty that those machines are not even found in the gyms they train in.

I certainly do not have any machines in my studio, granted it is small and machines would make for a tight fit.  But even if I had a gym this size of a football field, I still would not have any machines.  At one point in time machines had their purpose and to an extent still have a small purpose.  (I will get to that in a bit).  Even in the 60's and 70's as crazy as they were those belt generated jiggling machines had their purpose.

My husband just had his ACL replaced, I have him doing leg extensions and hamstring curls on a machine at a gym.  Rehab situations are a perfect use for machines.

So what's the problem with them?  For starters as I stated earlier our education and technology has allowed us to create far better exercise equipment and the knowledge we have gained allows us to create much more effective workouts.  Workouts that do not utilize machines found in a gym.  With the direction we are headed, you will even begin to see the treadmill and elliptical machines becoming obsolete.

With that being said, then why is it, when someone signs up for a new gym membership their free orientation session involves nothing but the machines.  The personal trainer (may be qualified, maybe not, more on that another time) in charge of new client orientation, gives the same bland machine circuit to every new client regardless of the clients goals, experience or even the shape the clients body is in.

This happens for multiple reasons, it is safe, easy, gets people using the expensive machines (that would otherwise sit idle) and people feel comfortable starting out on machines. 

Regardless of right or wrong, if you want to train to see results get off the machines and start hitting some of the other equipment found in your gym.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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The video for today is an ankle mobility exercise. 

In the video I am working one ankle at a time, it is OK to work both at the same time if you prefer.  I like to keep them separate because the mobility is much worse in my left ankle.  Set your foot about 6 inches off the wall and then just use a rocking motion back and forth until you can touch your knee to the wall.  As you get better move your toe a little further from the wall.

As you rock be sure to keep your heel planted to the ground.  In the video you will see where my heel comes off the ground a bit.  When that happens just keep working it until you can do it without the heel coming up.  You may have to move the foot closer to the wall.

The other piece you will notice in the video is the movement in my hips.  I am rocking my knee in to the left, to the middle and to the right.  I want to get as much mobility and movement back in the ankle as possible.

Perform 2-3 sets of about 30 seconds for each ankle.  Mobility drills can be done 5-6 times a week if you would like.  Good luck!

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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When people refer to mobility generally speaking we are talking about the joint and the joints ability to move through all of its desired range of motion.

When we refer to flexibility we are talking about the muscle and its ability to allow the joint to move to little or to much.

Let me give you some examples.  For instance, I had an ankle injury in high school, because of the injury I do not have full range of motion in that ankle, a bony impingement will not allow it to flex all the way.  The muscles surrounding the area have nothing to do with that problem.  This problem is not correctable.

On the other hand my shoulders will not move through a full range of motion.  In this case my external rotators are extremely tight.  The joints are fine.  With a good foam roller/stretching program this problem could be greatly reduced if not fixed all together.

Hopefully you are with me so far because I am going to take it a step further and talk about stability now.  Stability is anti-movement it is the ability to keep a body part from moving in way we do not want it to.

The 3 words are all interrelated and very important to each other.  Gray Cook was the first person to really break down mobility and stability.  He discovered that certain joints in the body had to be very stable and limit movement while other joints had to be very mobile.  Mike Boyle was the second person to really piggy back off of Gray and develop some real solutions to the problem.

Basically he said your body is like a stack of blocks starting at the ankles and working up:

• ankles – mobile
• knees – stable
• hips – mobile
• lumber spine - stable
• thoracic spine – mobile
• cervical spine – stable

With that information they both came to the same conclusion, that the majority of us live opposite.  Ankles in-mobile, knees unstable and etc all the way up.  If the hips are in-mobile you may have knee pain, but almost always have low back pain.  An in-mobile thoracic spine will almost always cause pain in the cervical area.

The answer to all of this is really pretty simple make the in-mobile, mobile and the unstable, stable.  How you accomplish this is also pretty simple.  Use various mobility drills to add some mobility to the in-mobile joint and add in some stability work to the unstable areas. 

Over the next few weeks in my upcoming posts I am going to give you some of my favorite mobility drills, I am going to try and give you one for at least each area where mobility is needed. 

If you want stability drills for each of the unstable areas you will have to let me know in the comment box.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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The purpose of this exercise is to help open up the tight muscles in the chest and shoulder and relieve the knots found in the upper back and around the shoulder blade area.  Lay on the roller and go through the angel motion twice,  just as you did when you made your angels in the snow as a child (arm part only, keep the legs still).  Note any areas of tightness as you go through the motion. 

The third time through you will begin to move a little to the right and left on the roller stopping on any pinpoint (trigger points) painful areas.  Roll back and forth on the spot gently until you begin to feel the spot loosen.

Continue this process until you have hit and relieved as many trigger points as possible.

I hope it helps, have a wonderful weekend.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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"Why in the world would I want to roll around all over the ground over top this piece of foam?  That has got to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard".

Does that sound familiar to anyone?

Whenever I  recommend to someone that they need to begin to use the foam roller, I generally get all sorts of funny looks and comments about how a piece of foam couldn't possibly help them.

If you will bear with me for just 1 or 2 paragraphs I am going to give you a quick anatomy lesson.  Over top of our muscles sits a layer of fascia.  Fascia is made up of a very strong connective tissue, its jobs are to surround, protect and offer some support to the muscle.  The fascia also helps to divide the muscle keeping it separate from other muscles.

Over time through injury, overuse, neglect, inactivity and faulty movement patterns the fascia can become tight, knotted or actual adhesions can form.  All 3 things will cause what we call a trigger point or knot.  A very painful spot in the muscle that can usually be pinpointed with a thumb.

If the trigger points become severe enough typically a visit to the doctor will ensue.  Unfortunately, no amount of medicine or the typical trauma care given at the doctor's office will cure this particular problem which leaves most people very frustrated when they leave the doctor.

Usually the first treatment you will be given is to go home and stretch the tight knotted muscle. 

So let's break this treatment down.  First of all we have learned it is not the muscle that is tight it is the fascia.  Second, go and perform this little experiment for me.  Take a piece of rope or an old worn out t-shirt rolled up and place a knot right in the middle of it.  Now grab both ends and stretch the heck out of it.  Finally take a look at the knot is it tighter or is it looser?

If you performed the experiment correctly the knot will be tighter.  Translate this information over to the fascia, if I am stretching a tight and knotted spot am I helping or making it worse?  Obviously you are making the problem worse.

The Solution – the foam roller and changing the density of the knotted area before you stretch allowing you to break up the knot as opposed to making it tighter.

Many people complain that rolling over the knotted area is very painful, yes that can happen but, what you will notice the more you roll is the pain will begin to diminish.

Check out this page if you are in need of a good foam roller.  Later in the week I will share a few of my favorite exercises on the roller.

Stay Motivated,

Karen 

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People lift weights for many reasons, to increase health, to lose weight, to look better, to get stronger or maybe to increase muscle mass.  If I want to get better at tennis I am not going to swing a golf club.

The same is true for weight lifting, if my number one goal is to increase my stamina I am not going to workout the same way a bodybuilder does. 

How you workout plays an important role in the results you get.

The number one shortcut for building muscle relates directly to the amount of weight you are lifting.  You must lift enough weight to impose a demand on the body.  (The SAID Principle specific adaptations to imposed demands).  If you are not lifting enough weight to challenge yourself or you are keeping the same weight (or close to it) on the bar for 3 weeks you are not going to build muscle.

You must place a demand on the body at all times for the body to change.  If building muscle (mass) is your primary goal.  Increase your intensity (the amount of weight you lift) and stick with the 8-12 rep range 3-4 sets.  Remember, you are not going for a metabolic effect here so you will want to take your rest breaks in between each set, 2-3 minutes.

Good luck building that muscle!

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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When was the last time you just played with your kids?  Basketball in the driveway, soccer in the backyard, tag on the side of the house and hide-n-go-seek all over.

Playing is a form of exercise, it is something our kids are supposed to do for at least 60 minutes a day.  I hear so many conversations about "I hate to jog, I hate to lift weights I just plain hate to exercise and workout.

If you fall into that category, what about playing, do you hate to play?  Think about it, as a kid your parents couldn't get you to come in at dinner time, if you were out running around with your friends.

It doesn't have to be any different now.  Your just a little bit older and maybe a little bit bigger.  Think about the influence you would have on your kids if 2 or 3 times a week you go outside with them and play some of the once forgotten childhood favorites, such as, tag, hopscotch, kickball, red rover and red light green light.

In our yard we play wiffle ball all the time with 3 people.  We use ghost men on the bases, and let the batter keep batting until 3 outs are made.  If you have a ghost man on 1st base when you hit the ball the ghost man is out if second base gets tagged before you make it to first.  We play kickball the same way.  Trust me you get a lot of exercise playing the field with only two people.

I understand it may be getting a little cold for games like wiffle ball, but just wait till the snow comes.  When's the last time you went sledding with your kids?  Think walking back up that hill 50 times isn't exercise, think again. 

Exercise does not have to be boring, dull and nothing but hard work.  Pick a couple days a week to play with your kids and see just how much fun you can have.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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Pushing through an injury is it safe or is it harmful?  I get this question a lot and since I did not cover injuries in my To Exercise or Not, When You Are Sick? post I thought I would give you a few tips.

Whether you exercise or not will really depend on the type of injury you have.  There is an old saying that goes something like this: "let pain be your guide".  With some injuries that saying goes out the window, do not let pain be your guide use your common sense.

In injuries that involve broken bones, ruptures, torn ligaments or muscles exercise is a no, no.  Let yourself heal, the dumbbells will be waiting for you when you come back.  Some of these injuries may even involve surgery.

My husband tore his ACL this past spring, after the initial injury there really wasn't a lot of pain so he never went to the doctors until a few months later when his knee gave out on him.  Against better judgement (from some other people) he continued to play softball over the summer as his surgery had not been scheduled yet.  To make a long story short he now has a significant lateral meniscal tear that can not be repaired, which I am sure will cause him problems later in life.

Muscle spasms can be debilitating especially spasms in the low back.  The first thing most people who have a spasm want to do is go lie down.  This is one of those times you exercise through the pain.  Mind you, you will not be using your normal workout.  You will be doing light stretches and gently working out the body part in spasm.

Swelling is another indicator of injury.  You typically want to try not to increase the swelling as this will delay healing.  For example, you can probably still do some of your workout even if you have a sprained ankle, but be aware of the swelling in your ankle as you work out. 

Bottom line:  use your common sense when exercising, there are things you need to push to be able to get back in the routine where as, others will just need time to heal.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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As promised here is the video for the Advanced Metabolic Workout using the TRX.  In the video to save time I only showed the right leg, remember you need to work both sides of the body.  Do the right and left leg back to back for each exercise.  If you want your pulls and pushes to be harder go more parallel to the ground.

In my very first rep of the pulls I showed you an example of an incorrect rep.  I let me abs go and in turn my back sagged and dropped.  You really have to hold your abs tight and keep your back straight.  Click on the link above if you need to see the parameters for the workout again.

If you feel like the TRX is something you may want to purchase in the future click on the picture below to read up on the product or purchase.

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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To understand today's post you are going to have to take a field trip over to my Living Fit Blog and read the post Are You More Healthy This Year?

What if you answered no to those two questions?  Worse yet, what if you went back in time and asked yourself those same questions last year, and what if the answer was no I am not.

You can't keep going backwards, eventually you run out of real estate.  Take a look at my continuum and see what I'm talking about:

So think about it, if every six months you ask yourself those two questions and each time you answer no, at what point in time are you going to cross over the neutral point and stay there?  The closer you hover towards neutral the closer you are to becoming sick.

I am sure you have heard me say it before, your health should be your first priority, without it you have nothing.

Have a happy and safe Halloween weekend!

Stay Motivated,

Karen

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