More balance

I was writing about balance yesterday.  Here are four good balance-improving exercises:

 

1.     Single leg squats:  If necessary, hold on to a counter or a sturdy chair at first.

2.     Single arm clean and press:  the asymmetric nature of the exercise helps us recruit the core more.

3.     Single leg deadlift:  Begin using no weight and progress to holding dumbbells

4.     Round lunges:  The change in direction as we lunge front, side, and back makes us very conscious of the core control we need to succeed.

Balance

When we work out, we are constantly seeking balance, literally and figuratively. 

Literally, as we move, we are using our core musculature to stabilize ourselves so we don’t fall, no matter what our arms and legs happen to be doing.  This happens whether we are thinking about it or not, but we can make a conscious effort to do asymmetric exercises to improve our skill more intentionally.

 

We’re also balancing a bunch of abstract concepts as we plan and execute our workouts.  We have to work enough and rest enough.  We need to work the top and bottom halves of the body, as well as the right and left halves.  We need to do our cardio, but also our weight training (oh, yeah:  and flexibility!).  We need to fit all of this stuff in the limited time we have available so we can live the rest of our lives.

 

For both the literal and figurative challenges, the answer is the same:  we need to know where our center is.  When we strengthen our cores and our commitment to our core values, the balance improves.

 

Go play.

Don't Skip

Sometimes life gets a little crazy.  We take on extra tasks at work, or we have family issues arise, or we get a new puppy, or any number of other things.  We get stressed.  We feel like there’s not enough time.  And we seriously consider skipping our workouts.

 

Let’s do them anyway.  Here’s why.

 

First, it’s the oxygen mask thing.  We have to take care of ourselves in order to do all those other things we are supposed to do.  If we neglect our health, we aren’t going to last long enough to finish that important project or help that kid or train that puppy.  Sometimes that might not feel all that motivational because, really, it would be nice if someone else dealt with those things; fortunately, I have another good reason.

 

Endorphins.  When we work out, our body feels better and our brains do, too.  We get all those natural feel-good chemicals flowing and we end up less stressed out, more cheerful.  We may not be able to take things out on our coworkers or family or pets, but we can certainly take stuff out on the weights; they don’t mind.

 

For bonus points, we also get stronger when we work out.  Strength is a useful skill for many tasks in the gym and in the wider world.

 

Go play.

Monday Workout: Planes

This week’s workout has us working in multiple planes.  We’re lunging in every direction, moving the arms up, down, and to the sides, and we’re doing some twisting.  Three rounds.

 

suitcase swing	30
plie bend extend	20
Arnold press	10
woodchoppers	30
rows	20
round lunges	10
jacks	30
bench press	20
Russian twist	10

 

Four for Shoulders

Since I’ve been talking about shoulders all week, I figured I should finish up with my favorite shoulder exercises.  Here are four:

 

1.     Supine arm twist:  I admit that this is one of my favorite exercises, period.  Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor.  Extend your arms straight up over your chest and put your palms together.  Keeping the palms together, move the arms from side to side.  The pelvis stays level the whole time.  Do ten reps keeping the head still, ten more with the head moving with the arms, and a final ten with the head going the opposite direction as the arms.  For bonus points, put a pair of yoga tune up balls between the shoulder blades; it will be uncomfortable, but it will work out a lot of knots.

2.     Spinal extensions.  There are lots of these, ranging from cobra to upward dog to dart to scarecrow.  Any back bend will do.  Whichever one you choose, make sure to inhale as you bend back and exhale as you return to neutral.  Also, pay attention to what the shoulder blades are doing.  Ideally, they stay flush to the ribcage and float smoothly over its surface.

3.     Shoulder flexion in the scapular plane.  This is a variation of lateral raises.  Instead of raising the arms straight out to the side, the arms come up at a diagonal (in the same plane as the scapulae, which point diagonally out from the spine).  This allows more optimal muscle recruitment.

4.     Pushups.  The perfect pushup, from a shoulder mechanics perspective, begins with the hands directly under the shoulders.  The hands should be facing directly forward or maybe a tiny bit turned out.  During the lowering and lifting phase of the pushup, the elbows should point back toward the heels, not out to the side.  Pushups can be done from a floor plank position, from the knees, or against a wall, depending on personal preference and level of training.  Again, the shoulder blades should stay resting against the rib cage.

 

Go play.

The shoulder bone's connected to...

One of the things I love about Pilates is that it helps us understand that our bodies work as a whole.  A problem that manifests in one place may have its origins somewhere else entirely.  And, addressing a problem anywhere in the body will help the whole body work better.

 

For example, the most common shoulder problem is impingement.  It tends to manifest as pain in the front of the shoulder because the humerus rises up too high and squishes stuff into the acromion process at the top of the shoulder blade.  (“Squishes” is a technical term, obviously.)  Resolving the problem, however, involves working with the muscles in the back of the body, specifically the rhomboids, the lats, the serratus anterior, and the lower traps.

 

As we work on the impingement, we are likely to find that posture improves, which can impact everything from lower body alignment to breathing.  Cool, right?

Winging it

I go to continuing education so you all don’t need to.  My most recent classes were about shoulders.  I learned a lot, which will obviously percolate into my training and my blog over the next while, but today I want to demystify a term that I’ve heard a lot in gyms and studios:  “winging” shoulder blades.

 

We all know that’s not ideal, but we don’t really know what it means or what to do about it.

 

Let’s start with a little bit of anatomy.  The shoulder blade is the site of a ton of muscle attachments.  It has true joints with the upper arm (the humerus), and with the collar bone (the clavicle).  While it lies on top of the rib cage, there is no true articulation between the ribs and the shoulder blade.  This is the key fact that relates to shoulder blade winging.

 

If everything is working like it should, the shoulder blade will slide freely along the ribcage, toward or away from the spine or toward or away from the head.  Sometimes it gets stuck or it pops away from the rib cage:  this is winging.

 

To prevent shoulder blade winging, we need to make sure that the rotator cuff muscles are strong, as well as the pectorals, the traps, and the rhomboids.  Also, we need to wake up one of my favorite muscles, the serratus anterior.  Additionally, (and this is the fun part), we need to make sure that none of those muscles are holding on too tightly—that means massage or chiro, depending on what’s going on.

 

Working with a trainer can help resolve any winging issues.  At the very least, having a workout buddy who can see what’s happening with our back when we are doing pushups (for example) can help a lot.

 

Go play.

 

Monday Workout: Lots of ways to find challenge

We are continuing to work with slow repetitions to increase our time under tension.  This, along with our lateral movements and our asymmetric movements, makes our workouts more challenging.  Three rounds.

 

squat to leg lift	30
slow flies	20
kb ball up overhead press	10
(lunge) punches	30
bench press	20
lateral raise	10
overhead high knees	30
kickbacks	20
brains	10

 

I love avocado toast

So I’m not going to go all “Stop spending on avocado toast and you can afford a house” on anyone.  I am going to suggest a couple of ways to save money and promote health at the same time.  Here are four:

 

1.     Don’t meet for coffee.  Meet your friends for a walk or jog or bike ride.  It’s cheaper and better for us.

2.     Eat your veggies.  In season produce is cheaper than meat and we all need the vitamins and minerals in those fruits and veggies.

3.     Drink water.  From the tap.  This might mean we have to plan ahead and bring water with us when we exercise or go places, but it’s cheaper and better for the environment.  Even if we get all fancy and add a slice of lemon it’s still cheaper.

4.     Skip the car trip.  Try walking or biking or public transit to get where we’re going.  Again, cheaper and better for the environment and better for our bodies to get a little bonus movement.

 

Go play.

When we do have to spend

Yesterday I posted about how working out doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.  There are, however, some things where it is probably a good idea not to choose the cheapest or the free option.

 

First, anything that keeps us safe is worth spending the money on.  Buy the helmet.  Get the knee pads.  Wear the supportive shoes.  All of those things are much cheaper than visits to the emergency room.

 

Many gyms offer a free fitness evaluation and/or orientation session.  (I, too, offer assessment and the first workout free.)  It is a great idea for anyone new to exercise or anyone just getting back into the exercise habit.  However, none of us is going to learn everything we need to know to work out by ourselves in a single session.  Paying for a few personal training appointments can be a good investment because we learn a lot about form, about different workout approaches, and about what reasonable goals are for us.

 

After we’ve been working out a while, we can make better decisions about what equipment we might actually like to have.  I rode my inexpensive mountain bike around town for a long time, but as I got into better shape, I realized I wanted a real road bike to get to the next level.  Keeping an eye out at garage sales or searching the local Buy Nothing groups or shopping at used equipment stores can be a good way to get the stuff we want without spending way too much money.

 

One more pro tip:  spend money on stuff that can be used in lots of ways.  The infomercial gadget of the week may look spiffy, but a set of dumbbells is way more flexible and useful.

 

Go play.

Don't worry about the money

Last week, I discussed time as an obstacle for workouts.  Another of the most commonly cited reasons not to work out is money.  Here’s the thing:  while there are certainly lots of expensive ways to work out, there are also a lot of ways that are free or low-cost.

 

Cardio might be the easiest part of workouts to get for cheap.  We all own shoes anyway, so it doesn’t cost extra to put them on and go for a brisk walk or a jog or a run.  It might be nice to do our cardio in an air-conditioned gym, but it isn’t a requirement.  Outside workouts also have the bonus of fresh air, sunlight, and some contact with nature.

 

When it comes to resistance training, our bodies are pretty much all the gym we need.  My favorite exercise, the squat, works really well with just body weight.  (If you are looking for a body weight circuit, check back through my Monday workout posts; there are a bunch to choose from!).

 

Similarly, stretching and balance work don’t require any additional spending.   Sure, we can buy fancy straps if we want to, but we probably already own a belt that would work and I know we all have towels.  When we work on balance, it’s nice to have a sturdy chair nearby or a countertop, but again, we already have those.

 

The internet offers gazillions of workouts that we can use.  So does the library.  As I mentioned above, I post a workout right here every Monday for anyone who likes to use it.

 

We can do this.

Monday Workout: Change to Challenge

This week we’re adding a little more challenge to some exercises.  Our usual step-ups get some added weight from dumbbells.  Our single leg deadlift becomes harder when we have to balance and row at the same time.  Slowing down our pushups makes them a lot more difficult.  Of course, if these changes are not appropriate for your body, skip them!  Three rounds.

 

step up with dbs	30
1 leg deadlift row	20
slow pushups	10
woodchoppers	30
side lunges	20
Arnold press	10
plank jacks	30
renegade rows	20
star plank	10

 

Time Out

Finding time to work out is challenging, but here are three places you might be able to find some and one place we don’t want to look.

 

1.     Between the couch cushions.  Ok, not really, but couch time is one of the easiest places to repurpose time.  Do we really need to watch five episodes of that show?  Maybe we could cut it down to four and do a workout.

2.     Looking at you, Facebook/Insta/Whatever.  We all love to scroll, but maybe we should spend some time doing stuff we want to post?  Let’s show our friends that we’ve been to the gym.

3.     Coffee.  Not the drink, the activity.  Of course we need to catch up with our friends, but we don’t have to do it sitting down.  Meet up with buds for a walk or run or swim.  It’s a good-for-us kind of multitasking.

 

Here’s the place we don’t want to take the time from:  sleep.  We need it to be healthy, good humans.

Time IN Workouts

Yesterday I wrote about why working out is good time management.  Today I want to talk about time management within our workouts.

 

When we consider all the things we’re supposed to fit into our workouts, it can be overwhelming.  How are we supposed to get in cardio and weights and balance and flexibility and ever manage to leave the gym?

 

There are a couple of ways.  One is that we plan to do different things on different days.  Maybe we focus on cardio three days a week, weights on two, and flexibility and balance on one, leaving ourselves one rest day.  That’s a workable system, but I have one I like better.

 

The most efficient way to hit all our fitness needs is by circuit training.  By incorporating cardio intervals into a weight circuit that includes asymmetric exercises like single leg squats, we can get everything we need in about 45 minutes, leaving five to fifteen for stretching.  This is the principle behind the workouts I post every Monday.

 

The beauty of a circuit is that it is infinitely adaptable.  Those of us who need more balance work can do it.  Those of us who want to build endurance can choose to do more reps with lighter weights.  Cardio enthusiasts can add more intervals.  Best of all, the easily-bored can change it up as often as we like.

 

Go play.

Time for Workouts

One of the most commonly cited reasons people give for not working out is lack of time.  I get it.  We all have way too much to do and working out seems like one thing too many.

 

For most of us, it is worth finding the time to do it.  (Exceptions:  we are sick or in the middle of an emergency.)  It might feel like a paradox, but working out will actually give us more time. 

 

All right:  it doesn’t literally give us more time.  What working out does do is give us tools that help us use our time better.  One of the most important of those tools is additional energy.  As we build our fitness, our energy levels increase.  We find that we’re not as easily tired out.  For a lot of us, this translates into less time zoned-out on the couch, which is almost always a time-waster.

 

Another time-enhancing gift of working out is improved mood.  When we manage our stress and get those happy brain chemicals moving with our workouts, we don’t lose time because we have to cope with so many negative emotions.  Further, as we get stronger, we increase our sense of personal efficacy, so all those other things we have to do seem more manageable.

 

Give it a try.

Monday Workout: New Stuff!

I spent some of my time off reading (big surprise!) and learned some new exercises, so this workout has a bunch of new fun stuff in it!  Here’s how to do the new stuff:

 

Lateral bound:  It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like.  We start standing with our feet together.  We leap to the right, landing on our right foot.  We bring our left foot over to meet the right.  Then we do the same thing to the left.

 

Kettle bell bottom up press:  Stand with feet about hip-distance apart.  Bend one arm so that the elbow is more or less at the side of the body and the hand is at shoulder height (in other words, in a position to do a single arm overhead press).  Instead of using a dumbbell, we use a kettle bell with the handle pointing down toward the floor and the ball of the kettle bell toward the sky.  It’s challenging!

 

Kettle bell hammer curl:  This works like a regular curl, except that again, we hold a kettle bell instead of a dumbbell.  As in a regular hammer curl, the palm faces toward the midline of the body, not toward the ceiling.

 

Skier jumps:  Begin in plank position.  Jump both feet together to the left and then to the right.

 

As usual, modify as needed.  I suggest three rounds, but you do you.

 

lateral bound	30
kb bottom up press	20
kb hammer curl	10
skier jumps	30
renegade rows	20
pushups	10
step or jump ups	30
1 leg squat	20
pretty princesses	10