Last newsletter, we presented a simple way to eat right. Now we present the way to exercise properly and most effectively.
Where do I start?
The human body is a very complex machine structured as an intricate lever and pulley system fueled by what we eat. We are designed to move in various ways at various speeds with our brain, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and bones acting as one unit to produce any movement.
Throughout the day we lift and move objects, we sit, stand and walk up stairs sometimes carrying heavy items all requiring us to use multiple muscles in order to stabilize force, reduce force and produce force.
Whether you are training for a specific sport or just trying to get into shape you should always train for movement and function and not merely for strength and power. The use of machines often seen in fitness centers and gyms is not a recommended method of training simply because of 2 major factors.
- Machines often place our bodies in positions that will do major damage to the connective tissue and joints over time.
- Machines have no way to mimic real life movements. Meaning if you have to pick up your child or a bag of groceries you must first perform a squat then in order to lift weight you have to contract your core muscles and perform a curl to row movement and finally after all of that you have to do a leg press while maintaining proper spinal stability in order not to fall over. (Have you seen a machine that can do all of that?) The next time you have to pick something off the ground try paying attention to the muscles that you use to get the job done.
Because of the way we are structured we have the ability to move in many directions and at varying speeds. We should train using the basic patterns that we use everyday in our normal lives. Not only is it a fantastic way to boost any current exercise routine but will also improve function for your everyday living. We focus on the seven primary movement patterns below.
7 Primary Movement Patterns
Spinal Flexion
Spinal Extension
Spinal Rotation
Squat
Push
Pull
Lunge
What about aerobic exercise?
If your goal is to lose fat, then aerobic exercise should follow the muscle building section of your program unless it is a day in which you are only doing aerobic exercise. When the body is in an anaerobic state (meaning the body is working with very little supply of oxygen) it uses glycogen in the muscles as its source of energy. When the body is in an aerobic state (meaning working with a good supply of oxygen) the body can use fat or glycogen as its energy source. To ensure that you burn fat during your aerobic exercise, we deplete the muscles of glycogen by completing muscle building (anaerobic state) first.
It does not have to be an overwhelming all consuming effort when doing aerobic exercise. Many people think they have to spend several hours a day performing cardio exercise. The truth is that in 12-20 minutes you can receive greater benefits than from an hour or more of the same exercise.
In short, muscle building should be done using real world movements at various speeds and in different planes of motion. Aerobic exercise should be done following muscle building. Perform 12-20 minutes to produce a positive physical change.
©May 2006 Blue Star Fitness