Go Deep

My clients don’t need to understand the anatomy that underlies the exercise choices I make for them, but sometimes some context helps.

Much like onions, we humans have layers.  The different layers of our muscles have different functions, although they need to work with each other to create optimal movement in our bodies.

 

The fun ones to work are the big, superficial muscles.  Those are the ones we see bulging on body builders and the ones that give us the sense that we’ve done some real work.  That’s awesome and I’m not going to tell anybody not to do their heavy lifting and their impressive planks and bridges and all.

 

Underneath those superficial muscles are the ones responsible for our stability.  Working those muscles feels a lot more subtle, or, in other words, like we’re not doing much at all.  However, working the deep guys improves our work on the superficial guys.  It’s worth spending some time doing quadruped hand hovers and swan to see the difference it makes when we attempt our side plank or Pilates twist.

 

Experiment and see how it works for you!

Fun with Gravity

When I drop something, I’m likely to remark, “Gravity still works!”  (This is a more acceptable reaction than, say, swearing loudly.)  I am always right.  Gravity does still work.

Interestingly, when we change our body position, gravity works in different ways.  Lifting a leg, for example, is different when we’re standing up versus when we are lying on our backs.

 

In a similar way, the direction we move changes the way gravity works.  When we are working against gravity, our muscles have to contract to do the work.  This is called a concentric contraction.  But in the lowering phase of an exercise, we are working with gravity and our muscles need to control and stabilize the motion.  This is called an eccentric contraction.  (Note:  in a fitness context, eccentric is pronounced with a long initial e.  This bugs the heck out of me, but I am not in charge of fitness terminology.  On the other hand, it does distinguish an eccentric contraction (long e, lowering phase) from an eccentric contraction (in which we do it in a weird way unique to ourselves).) (Apparently I am in a parenthetical mood.)

 

One consequence of the long e eccentric contractions is that we might be doing a good chunk of work and seeing little to no movement.  That’s all right; we’re still getting stronger.

Bonus:  Schoolhouse Rock for the Win.

Monday Workout: Transverse

We’re working in the transverse plane with our skater jumps or curtsies (jumping adds impact, which is good for bones, but can be troublesome for other body parts, so choose what is best for you).  Life gets twisty, so we can practice.  Three rounds.

 

skater jump or curtsy	30
flies	20
pushups	10
suitcase swing	30
bench press	20
lateral raise	10
mountain climbers	30
rows	20
brains	10

 

Thursday List: 3

Ligament fun facts:

 

1.     Their primary job in the spine, hip, and shoulder is to provide stability.

2.     They do this by restricting movement.

3.     Stretching ligaments is a Bad Idea because they are made of collagen, which is not an elastic substance.

More Feels

Recently, I learned that the message our bodies send us is the same whether we have a muscle locked long or locked short.

Quick review:  muscles have an optimal length and tension at which they are strongest.  Sometimes we over contract muscles and they get stuck in a short position.  The muscles that oppose those muscles then get locked in a long position.  Both muscles are then less strong and less able to work at their best.

 

We all know that feeling of “tightness.”  We assume that what we should do to alleviate the feeling is stretch.  That is a great answer if we have a muscle locked short, but if we’re getting the same feeling from a locked long muscle, we might do better to take a different approach.

 

Instead of stretching a muscle that is already stretched more than it should be, we can increase blood flow to the muscle by working it.  A good example of this might be our upper back muscles.  I think we all feel tight in our back muscles, but if we have the all too common shoulders-forward posture, the muscles might actually be stuck long and we can wake them up with, say, some nice rows.

 

Try it and see what happens!

Feels

Sometimes we just have to talk about feelings.  From time to time, I will ask clients about what they are feeling in their bodies while they are doing a particular exercise, or I might suggest a body part where sensation might be occurring.

 

The thing is, though, that sometimes what we’re feeling can have less of a relationship with reality than we might prefer.  (Anybody who has had an unrequited crush can speak to how the other kind of feelings has the same problem.)

 

Some clients love big feelings.  They want to feel the burn.  They want there to be absolutely no doubt that they are working and working hard.  There is nothing wrong with that.  However, there are times when we need to do things that are important that don’t have a big “feel factor.” 

 

One example is when we need to activate our deep back muscles.  A great way to get them to wake up is to get on our hands and knees with our wrists right under our shoulders, our knees right under our hips (ok to pad them up), our spines nice and straight.  From there, we hover one hand just off the floor.  Then we try the other side.  That’s it.  It doesn’t feel like much of anything.  And yet, if we try a one foot balance before and after, it makes a difference.

 

The takeaway:  feelings aren’t everything. 

Monday Workout: Kettle Bell

Kettle bells are always fun, right?  Three rounds.

 

db circles	30
rows	20
kickbacks	10
kb swings	30
kb twists	20
kb 8s	10
1 arm clean and press	30
(lunge to) curl	20
pretty princesses	10