Top 5 Weight Loss Myths

There is a GREAT interview with a young and bright personal trainer, Drew Strube, in the Des Moines Register, Weight loss myths debunked. In this article he debunks 5 pervasive myths that hold people back from weight loss.

Myth #1--Resistance training is not as important as cardio.
Actually, it's more important since muscle takes up less space and is a more efficient energy user. "One pound of muscle burns 30-50 calories a day at rest. One pound of fat? Maybe 10 calories. Replace five pounds of fat with muscle and you'll burn more calories doing nothing. That means you can EAT MORE and stay the same weight."

Myth #2--Resistance training is dangerous.
If you have no idea what you're doing and no instruction anything can be dangerous. But resistance training helps strengthen muscles & bones which is a good thing.

Myth #3--My thyroid is the problem. I have a glandular issue.
Only about 4% od people really have this. The rest of us just need to work harder.

Myth #4--"Carbs are bad."
Carbs give us energy, especially our brains, and are therefore NOT bad! Just choose your carbs wisely.

Myth #5--You must eat less, regardless of what you eat.
"1 gram of fat = 9 calories

1 gram of protein = 4 calories

1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories

It's all about making smart choices... And as you've probably heard before, eating six small meals a day will give you a constant energy source that keeps your body from feeling starved or overloaded."

Nothing new here folks, just the same advice I've been giving you all along.

Tags: weight loss, Weight Training, Diet, carbs, fitness, exercise, myths, news, lynda lippin

Elbow Twinge on Bicep Curls

Question:
hey quick question when i am doing curls standing like reverse barbell or even hammer curls the muscle in my right forearm on the outer right side sometimes will have a short twitch of pain sort of like pin pricks any ideas why? it doesn't happen every time but mainly when i l keep my arms tight to my side

Answer:
Thanks for your question.

What you are experiencing is a little bit of nerve impingement, probably related to the position of your arm when curling. Make sure that you are not over-gripping your weight, that your wrist is at a neutral angle, and that your shoulders are not rolling forward. You also don't need to lock your arms to your sides (especially since that's obviously causing the problem)--just make sure that you are not moving your upper arm when executing the curl.

If this is your dominant hand (your mouse hand, as it were) you may want to try stretching your wrist backward and forward and side to side to keep those muscles mobile.

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Tricep Exercise & Elbow Pain

Question: I have been experiencing a sharp pain in my elbow after doing tricep exercises. It started with doing skullcrusher exercises and now it's grown into any kind of tricep exercise.
I went to the doctor two months ago and he told that it wasn't tendonitis and that I have torn a ligament. He said to ice it and to go really light on the weights. I took his advice and only did light workouts for two months. However, the pain has come back and I was trying to find out if you have any experience with this predicament?

Answer:

Thanks for your question.

First, stop doing the exercises that cause the pain! If you have re-injured your elbow you may need surgery to repair the torn ligament, so I would go back to the doctor. Or you can try icing and light weights (although I would avoid tricep work for that time) to see if it helps.

Now, if I had to guess your form on your tricep exercises is the problem. You should NEVER be bending your elbow more than 90 degrees and MUST keep your upper arm and wrist stable and immobile in any and every tricep extension no matter what relationship to gravity you are in (on back, stomach, standing, dipping, etc). To do this places undo stress on that joint and will cause this kind of injury.

So when you go back to the tricep work please lower your weight and be strict about form--you will avoid further injury and get stronger!

Tags: Weight Training, Exercises, Pain, Injuries, Sports, reiki, pilates, lynda lippin, caribbean, turks, caicos, turks and caicos, providenciales, energy, healing, fitness, exercise

Squats and Lumbar Disc Herniations

Question: I'm a weightlifter and I have now a lumbar herniated disc (I think it's the L5 or something). I've been under physical therapy for months and I got better. But when I returned to the gym, there were exercises that made it hurt again. I'm seeing a new doctor and he said that squats are forbidden for me. I would like you -if possible- to tell me which exercises I can do and which ones are officially forbidden for me (do you think I could squat again?). Thanks a lot!

Answer:

Thanks so much for your question!

Given your situation I am going make a few suggestions that will help you if you are consistent with your work.

First, you MUST start with core ab/back/glute and pelvic floor strengthening. You need to learn how to keep your pelvis in neutral, maintain your lumbar curve, and strengthen your internal musculature to hold you there. This will require smaller more targeted exercises that will do wonders if you take the time. In doing this you will build a foundation of strength around the injured area that you can then rely upon when doing weightlifting and other activities.

My personal favorite is Pilates, but do not just go to any mat class. If you send me your city & state I can refer you to a studio that can help you strengthen after this injury. I am not promising that you will squat again, but your chances of doing what you want to do without pain will be greatly increased.

If a studio isn't your bag then try my 30 minute MP3 of Pilates exercises for back pain. It will seem slow to you, but you will learn how to move properly when doing other exercises and that is the point.

http://stores.lulu.com/pilatestci

Try these to start--

Conscious Breathing--
Lie on your back with your knees bent , your feet hip bone width apart, and your arms by your sides. Pay attention to your breathing and to the muscles in your torso. The abdominal muscles are not just in front, they actually wrap around your torso from your spine to the front, around your
ribs, waist, & pelvis, forming the round sides of a cylinder.

Feel your ribs move to the front, side, and back as you breathe--the abdominals are helping to move your ribs! Now pay attention to your pelvis. Make sure that you are not pushing your lower back into the floor; your pubic bones should be in the same horizontal line as your hip bones--you may have an arch in your lower back and that's OK, you are
supposed to!

Now as you inhale let your ribcage, abs, and pelvis relax. As you exhale contract your pelvic floor as though you had to stop peeing, feel your abs wrap tighter around your ribs and waist like a corset, and feel your diaphragm under your ribcage pull up and under the ribs. Make sure again that you are not flattening your lower back into the mat. Do this
conscious breathing a few times.

Put your hands on your belly and notice that now it pulls in (it may feel soft, but you are going for width and depth, not for tightness!). Repeat 10-15 times.

Do this for about a week 2-3 times per day.

Pelvic Rocking--
Now add a small rocking of your pelvis--tipping it back on the exhale (hipbones back and tailbone up) and forward on the inhale (arching the lower back). Repeat the tilt/arch 10-15 times.

Do both the breathing and the pelvic rock for about a week 2-3 times per day.

Ab Curl--
Then add a curl up of your upper body on the exhale. Nod your head and then pretend you are holding a large egg or small orange under your chin (in other words keep space between chin & chest); then let your ribs drop in and down (don't shove them down!) as you curl up towards your pelvis (do not pull forward from your head at this point--use the ribs).

Stay there for a moment and consciously breathe as above, making sure that you have not tucked your hip bones back to the floor--get your pubic bones back down towards the
mat and see if you can get as deep and wide in your belly as when your head was down. Repeat 4-8 times.

Do all three exercises 2-3 times per day for 2 weeks.

Always work with pulling the belly in and not pushing out!

Arm Circles--
Still on your back with the pelvis neutral, lift arms up to ceiling, overhead, and circle around to the sides and back to your hips. It is important that your ribs stay down; it is not important that your hands touch the floor. Do 4-6 in each direction. This can also be done standing against a wall.

To add back strengthening--

Prone Hip Extension--
Lie on stomach with forehead on hands and do the same breathing as above. On exhale push your pubic & hip bones into the mat and lift one straight leg off the ground keeping the hips still and not moving your back. Alternate legs 6-8 times and then do both at the same time 6-8 times.

Flight--
Then place arms by your sides with palms down. Set up pelvis the same as above but this time lift and lengthen your head & chest while at the same time reaching your hands towards your feet and then lifting your hands/arms. Keep chest open & feet down. Repeat 6-8 times.

Do these 2-7 times per week.

Under definite no-nos I would put dead lifts, hack squats, and the leg press. Other exercises will depend on how you use your core muscles to stabilize your spine and pelvis, but these three have the greatest potential to re-herniate that disc.

I would stay away from regular squats per your physician and avoid any moves that compress your spine until you are stronger and understand how to stabilize.

Tags: Weight Training, Pain, Spine, herniated disc, squats, reiki, pilates, lynda lippin, caribbean, turks, caicos, turks and caicos, providenciales, energy, healing, fitness, exercise

Having Trouble Gaining Muscle? Read this...

QUESTION: I have a question relating to program changing vs. changing of just training principles, but staying with the same workout. Which is better for building muscle? Some people say that you should change a weight training program every 6-8 weeks. Other people say you should use different training principles for max gains. I need to gain something. I have tried different programs from a split routine 3 days/week, to what I'm on now (full body routine "undulating periodization" 3 days/week). I have been on this full body routine for over a year now. With anything I've done, I haven't really gained anything in the way of muscle (I'm still the 160-165 pounds now that I have been for the past 2 years). I've gained some in terms of strength though. What should I try next, a new program, or just use different training principles in my current workout? Why is it so hard to gain muscle? Some people think split routines are the best, and others say full body is the way to go. Some people say high volume, others say low volume. Where's the real science? It almost seems like you have to work out for 2 hours a day/6 days a week if you want to gain anything. Just look at any article on an actor who needs to gain mounds of muscle for a part in a movie. You always hear they do this brutal routine and they really gain, fast. This can't be the only way. Thanks very much for your help.

ANSWER:

Thanks for your question!

Before I start please note that exercise science is a relatively new field, so there is not a whole lot of "real science" here. This is why you get so many different systems and regimens. Plus, we all have different bodies and some people have a faster metabolism and are not prone to gain large muscles. This doesn't mean you can't, but that it will be more difficult.

I have seen people make gains with many different programs, so instead of changing your whole routine I would just look at some simple things (and these are proven by time & experience)--

1. Lift heavy. Use a weight where you can only complete about 6-8 repetitions of an exercise. The last few reps should be difficult but not impossible. Lifting light and doing higher reps will not give you mass.

2. Since you're lifting heavier, take longer recovery periods between sets (and you should only need 2-3 sets)

3. Take at least 48 hours recovery time between workouts (that's one full day off--If you lift at noon on Tuesday the earliest appropriate workout is noon on Thursday).

4. Use spotters to avoid injury

5. Your heart needs cardio, but keep it at a lower maintenance intensity 2-3 days a week

6. Eat MORE! Gaining muscle weight requires that you ingest more calories than you burn.

Here are some ideas from http://exercise.about.com

* Choose calorie-rich foods like granola, bagels, biscuits, avocados, olives, corn, meat, nuts, peanut butter, milk, yogurt and cheese.
* Add extra calories to your meals by using milk instead of water for soups, sauces and hot cereals.
* Sprinkle powdered milk into casseroles.
* Add calorie-rich foods (like avocado, cheese and dressing) to sandwiches and salads
* Mix beans, meat or cheese into pasta or side dishes
* Snack on yogurt, shakes, crackers and dip
* Keep a food diary for a week or so to get an idea of what you're eating and where you can add more calories
* protein shakes can help

Here's a good sound article on program building to gain mass.

Tags: Diet, Weight Training, reiki, pilates, lynda lippin, caribbean, turks, caicos, turks and caicos, providenciales, energy, healing, fitness, exercise

Smith Squats & Leg Extensions--Just Say No!

I do actually agree with the article regarding these exercises. Here's why--

In my almost 20 years of teaching Pilates I have seen clients come in with all sorts of sports and training related injuries. One of the most common is a dislocated kneecap from an overly tight quad. The biggest culprit? You guessed it--the leg extension! There is no functional movement that relates to the leg extension. The quad does not work in isolation from other leg/pelvic muscles.

Now I am a bit more lenient in regards to the Smith machine, but if possible it is best to do your squats free of support. With the Smith framework you can actually squat more weight than your joints can handle, which will lead to injury, and your stabilizing muscles get no work.

The best leg exercises are squats in all of their variations (narrow legs, wide legs, legs parallel, legs turned out, heels down, heels lifted, barbell at shoulders, dumbbells at hips, with a ball behind you, etc.); lunges in all their variations (forward, backward, walking, sideways, on a step, with barbells or dumbbells, while doing an upper body exercise at the same time, etc.); and step ups using a step or box.

In other words, functional leg exercises where you also have to work your core to stabilize and balance your body (I am also not a fan of belts; strengthen your abs and back and you'll have a built in "belt").

So I don't think we have eliminated every lifting exercise. In fact, we are going back to old hard core free weight work which is still the best!

Tags: Weight Training, Exercises, smith squats, leg extension, reiki, pilates, lynda lippin, caribbean, turks, caicos, turks and caicos, providenciales, energy, healing, fitness, exercise

Weight Training Exercises To Avoid

Here is a great article from ezinearticles.com:

Weight Training Exercises to Avoid if You Want to Build Muscle Fast
When it comes to constructing the ultimate weight training program to build muscle, exercise selection is a very important component. You build muscle fastest with compound weight training exercises. Any bodybuilding program that focuses on machines and isolation weight training exercises is a complete waste of time.

Below are the worst weight training exercises on the planet and should be avoided at all costs if you want to build muscle fast.

1) Smith Machine Squats- Squats are the best weight training exercise you can do in order to build muscle fast. Doing them on a Smith machine however, is a huge mistake. Squatting in a Smith machine is very hard on the knees and causes the lifter to develop what is known as a pattern overload syndrome. The smith machine isolates the legs while taking the trunk out of the movement. In a normal free weight squat your lower back and abs must stabilize the weight and every muscle group must work in unison. This is how the body functions, as a unit, never in isolation. This can lead to severe imbalances and injuries.

2) Leg Extensions- Compound weight training exercises are the best muscle building exercises there are. Leg extensions are an isolation movement which do very little to build muscle. This movement also creates shearing forces on the knee and should be avoided at all costs.

3) Hack Squats- While squats are the superior muscle building exercise, this movement falls into the exact same category as the smith machine squat and should be avoided for all the same reasons.

4) Abduction/ Adduction machines- This is the one where you sit with your legs spread and strapped into the machine. You perform this weight training exercise by opening up or spreading your legs and then closing them. This is another isolation movement which will do nothing to build muscle. On top of that, you will look like a girl if you do it.

5) Abdominal Crunch Machines- The abs never work in isolation in the real world. In fact, the abs do not ever contract consciously. They contract unconsciously as a way to protect the spine. The abdominal muscles never work without the use of the hip flexors yet these isolation crunch machines are specifically designed to take the hip flexors out of the movement. For these reasons, this is a very ineffective weight training exercise for building muscle.

6) Ab Roller Devices- This apparatus is a version of the aforementioned crunch machines and is another useless piece of equipment. This device takes the neck completely out of the movement which is exactly what you don't want to do. Contracting and or flexing the muscles of the neck during an abdominal crunch is exactly what you want to be doing and is physiologically correct. Another waste of time in the quest to build muscle fast.

7) Smith Machine Bench Press- The bench press is a great muscle building exercise but doing it in the Smith machine is not a good idea. Much like the Smith Machine Squat, this exercise will cause you to develop a pattern overload and will lead to injury. Pressing on the Smith Machine isolates the pressing muscles and completely eliminates the use of the stabilizer muscles, such as the rotator cuff. This will lead to imbalances that can transfer to serious shoulder injuries. You can’t build muscle when you are injured.

8) Bench Dips- This is another weight training exercise that I did for many years and now regret. I routinely did this exercise with four 45 pound plates on my lap. Little did I realize at the time that bench dips put your shoulder in a very dangerous position and can eventually lead to serious problems. While this exercise is useful in building muscle it is also dangerous. If shoulder safety is a concern I recommend that you avoid this exercise and stick with parallel bar dips for building muscle.

9) Concentration Curls- When it comes to weight training and building muscle, everybody’s favorite bodypart is biceps. Chin ups and barbell curls are the best weigth training exercises for building huge biceps. Concentration curls are not. This is a pure isolation movement which supposedly puts a "peak" on your biceps. The only problem with that is the fact that it is physiologically impossible to peak your biceps. Muscles grow evenly along the entire length of the tissue from origin to insertion. When looking at the effectiveness of an exercise one of the key determinants in the results that it may produce is the amount of weight that can be lifted. In a concentration curl it is very difficult to lift a great deal of weight and thus it renders the movement ineffective. If you want to build huge biceps, avoid concentration calls.

10) Bench Press to the Neck- This was a big favorite muscle building exercise of Larry Scott and Vince Gironda. It was supposedly a great muscle building exercise for the upper or clavicular pectoral muscles. The problem with this movement is that it will absolutely destroy the shoulders and can easily lead to a pec tear. This is one movement that you should stay very far away from in your quest to build muscle fast.

11) Old School Pec Dec-This is the supposed muscle building exercise machine which has you bend your arms ninety degrees while externally rotating. You place your arms on the pads and then proceed to bring the pads together in front of your body. This is not only dangerous for the shoulder but is absolutely useless and will not build muscle at all.

12) Knee Break Squats- As mentioned earlier, the squat is the best weight training exercise there is for building muscle. Some trainers and coaches have advocated initiating a squat by first breaking at the knees rather than the hips in an effort to put more stress on the quadriceps muscles. The problem is that this also puts unnecessary stress on the knees and severely limits the amount of weight that can be lifted. Squats should be initiated by first breaking at the hips and sitting back and down, not by breaking at the knees and pushing your knees forward as you descend.

These weight training exercises are listed in no particular order. Unfortunately there are many other weight training exercises that are performed on a routine basis by many lifters that are also useless and dangerous. Those listed above just so happen to be the worst. If a weight training exercise causes pain, you should always avoid it. If a weight training exercise is supposed to target a certain muscle group in isolation and requires you to use extremely light weights it is usually best avoided. The exception to this rule would be prehab and rehab type exercises such as external rotation exercises for the rotator cuff.

Train hard, train smart and focus on the big, basic, compound weight training exercises and you will build muscle fast.

Jason Ferruggia is a world famous fitness expert who is renowned for his ability to help people build muscle fast. He is the head training advisor for Men’s Fitness Magazine where he also has his own monthly column dedicated to muscle building. For more muscle building secrets, check out http://www.thehardgainer.com.

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