This week we are doing some work with our obliques and our back muscles while we happen to be working other stuff. Core work goes way beyond crunches! Three rounds.
woodchoppers | 30 |
flies | 20 |
YTA | 10 |
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1 arm clean and press | 30 |
bench press | 20 |
curls | 10 |
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overhead curtsy or march | 30 |
deadlifts | 20 |
pretty princesses | 10 |
I am big on compound exercises, which are exercises that use multiple joints and muscle groups at the same time. Here are some reasons why:
1. They’re efficient. We get more workout in less time when we do compound exercises.
2. They amp up our metabolism. Whether that means increased weight loss or an extra cookie is up to the person working out.
3. They’re practical. Anybody who has ever moved understands that very few things in the real world are shaped like barbells and dumbbells. When we need to use our strength in our regular lives, we don’t often use just one muscle group all by itself.
4. They’re more fun. This one might be debatable, but I’m going with it. When we have to coordinate the movement of multiple body parts, we have to use our brains and that’s way more interesting than just waving some dumbbells around.
We get better at what we practice. Thanks, Captain Obvious! I had no idea!
Yeah, I know. We all know that, but sometimes we forget that it applies to fitness.
This means that if we always spend half an hour on the cardio machines, we will get good at doing half an hour of cardio, but we are not getting better at doing anything longer. And, unless we are actively choosing to vary the speed and incline and resistance levels on the machines, we are not getting better at adapting to varied environments.
When we stick to our old favorite weight training routines, we get stronger at those specific exercises. Depending on what those favorites are, we may be building endurance or strength or muscle size or power, but if we don’t switch things up, we’re not building the other ones.
The implications are twofold. First, we need to know what we want to get out of working out and then choose exercises that help us practice for those outcomes. Marathoners need different workouts than sprinters and power lifters are going to choose different exercises than folks just figuring out the difference between dumbbells and barbells.
Second, variety is good for us. Even when we choose a workout in line with our goals, we will need to mix things up so we can practice adapting to different circumstances. Adaptability is a basic skill that underlies all our movement in the world, fitness and regular.
I’m here to help anyone who needs to sort out the best kinds of workouts.
We all have the same muscles, but we don’t all need to work them in the same way. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to vary exercises to get each of us the right kind of work.
For example, let’s take pushups. I think most of us are familiar with regular pushups and the version with the knees on the ground, which are usually called modified pushups. Those of us who have a hard time getting up and down from the ground can do wall or TRX pushups. Those of us who want additional challenge have lots of choices: we can raise our feet, add instability with a BOSU, add asymmetry with a medicine ball under one hand, add a renegade row between reps, and so on. Additionally, we can choose to work the same main muscle groups in an entirely different way by doing bench presses (or any of the many variations of them) instead.
Even if we have a favorite version of an exercise, it can be interesting to try a subtle variation just to see how our muscles work slightly differently. This would be the case when we keep our elbows next to our bodies when we do whatever pushup version we like and we find our triceps working more.
One of the things I offer my clients is tons of options, variations, modifications, and choices.
Go play.
This week we’re trying a variation on kettle bell swings: the alternating arm kettle bell swing. It works like the usual version except that we hold the kettle bell in one hand and at the apex of the forward swing, we swap it to the other hand. Of course it is all right to substitute regular kettle bell swings as desired. Three rounds.
jacks | 30 |
squats | 20 |
pushups | 10 |
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alt arm kb swing | 30 |
rows | 20 |
reverse flies | 10 |
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mountain climbers | 30 |
skullcrushers | 20 |
femur arcs | 10 |
Some of us are better than others at going outside. If we need a little inspiration to make it out the door, here are three reasons to do it.
1. Vitamin D. The sun is our best source of this essential nutrient. D helps keep our bones strong, reduces inflammation, supports our immune system, and keeps our brains working.
2. Forest bathing. Spending time in nature has been shown to reduce heart rate, lower blood pressure, and zap stress.
3. Variety. Our brains and bodies like novelty. That’s where the growth happens. The world outside changes more than the world inside where we control everything from the temperature to the light.
Still not working? All right. Mom says we have to go play outside.
Yesterday I wrote about pain not being the same as damage, among other things. However, we don’t really want either one, so today I’m going to discuss ways to avoid damage.
Maybe the best piece of advice in this context is that we need to use our good judgment. I mean, that’s always good advice, but what I mean is that we need to engage our critical faculties when we go do our fitness things. This might mean realizing that we are not twenty anymore, or that it has been a while since we lifted weights. It might mean that we warm up even if we think warming up is boring. While we are in the middle of whatever it is we are doing, we need to check in with our bodies to see if we’re getting tired or if we’re starting to feel the strain. A lot of the time, we get plenty of warning that we’re pushing things too far before we actually injure ourselves. Oh, yeah, and that safety precaution stuff? Like wearing a helmet or a life jacket or appropriate footwear? Do it.
The other big piece of the solution is building good habits. Coming to our workouts rested and fed and hydrated is a good start. Practicing balance, building a strong core, and enhancing our flexibility are also important.
Sometimes injuries happen anyway, but we don’t want to create situations in which it is easier for them to occur.
Play nicely.
