Almost every day you will see lunges being performed in the gym.  And, almost every day you will see lunges performed incorrectly resulting in knee pain and possibly knee injury.  I thought this was a great time to do a review of this very versatile exercise.  So here goes:

ANATOMY OF A LUNGE

The lunge is probably one of the most versatile exercises in our strength training tool box.  It gives you the biggest bang for your buck.  It is also the one exercise that is most often performed incorrectly.  Lunges can be an issue for knee health, especially when you lack the glute, hip and posterior chain strength to perform this movement correctly.

Some of the benefits of performing lunges are:

• strengthening the glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings

• improves posture

• develops core strength and stability

• improves balance and coordination

The lunge is one of our primal patterns.  This is a movement that is stored in our brains from early development.  Unfortunately even though we are born hard wired with this movement pattern, over time we lose the ability to perform it correctly.

How to Perform a Lunge Correctly:

Start with an upright posture.  Think of making yourself as tall as possible.  This will engage the core muscles.  Keeping tight, take an long step out landing on your heel.  Lower yourself under control until the back knee almost touches the floor.  Once again keeping tight and tall, drive back off the heel to the starting position.  A good lunge when performed correctly should look effortless and smooth.  You should not see jerking movements through the upper body as you return to the starting position.  A longer stride in the lunge will work the glutes, hamstrings and posterior chain more.  A short stride lunge will emphasize the quadriceps.  Personally, I prefer the long stride lunge as this is also safer for the knee.

Some Common Flaws Seen in a Lunge:

his can be caused by tight hip flexors or quads.  Or it can be a simple as being lazy and not working to keep the upper body posture strong throughout.  If you are in a hurry to complete the exercise, you may not be focused on keeping tall and this allows the body to lean.  Take your time and reset your posture before each rep.
Knees Cave In - If a person has weak glutes they are not able to stabilize adequately or decelerate the hip motion  This leads to the knees caving in That is where glute activation exercises (bridges, tube walking) come in.  You see there is a reason to be walking back and forth with those dang tubes around your feet!
Foot Caves In - This often seen along with the knees moving in.  Typically a muscle imbalance in the lower leg will cause this (tight calf muscles) and weak anterior tibilias muscles.  These are the reasons we do the calf stretching, ankle mobility work (specifically the toes up) before and after the workouts
Improper Landing – landing on your toes or pushing off from your toes is usually due to weak muscles around the hip.  If you lack the strength in the glutes and posterior chain to get you back to the starting position, then you will push off from your toes utilizing your quad muscles more.  Focus on pushing from the heel, not the toes.

Variations and Progressions of the Lunge:

The lunge is an exercise that can be started very basic and progressed to very complex and difficult.  Typical progressions of the lunge are:

• static lunge (or split squat)
• reverse lunge
• forward lunge
• walking lunge
• rotating lunges

The progression for load of this exercise is:

• bodyweight lunges
• lunges holding dumbbells
• lunges with barbell on your back
• overhead lunges

I hope this gives you a better understanding of this most beneficial exercise.

Till next time,

Narina

Desk Work = Sore Neck

Who would have thought that office jobs could be hazardous to your health?  A person in a job that requires long hours of sitting in just as at risk for health problems as those individuals doing manual labor or heavy lifting in their jobs.

Some of the risks associated with desk jobs are:

• chronic low back pain
• weak abdominal muscles possibly leading to back problems
• repetitive use injury such as carpal tunnel syndrome
• weak gluteal muscles leading to low back pain, associated knee pain

Two of the best exercises you can do to help alleviate chronic neck and shoulder pain are listed below.  Upper crossed syndrome (tight chest muscles; weak back muscles) accounts for a host of symptoms from neck pain, headaches to shoulder pain and even numbness in hands and fingers.  Just by taking a few minutes throughout the day to do these two simple exercises will go a long way to restoring your posture and alleviating chronic symptoms.

Exercise #1 – Scapular Activation

The scapula or shoulder blade is host to a group of muscles that help maintain overall shoulder position and health.  Shrugging shoulders and scooped neck positions cause a lot of problems with today’s office workers. To perform:

Stand with arms at side; shoulders and head back.  Raise arms out in front so just above shoulder height, with hands in a fist position.  Bring elbows back keeping hands even with shoulders.  Squeeze elbows together.  "Stuff elbows into back pocket.  Relax and repeat 3 times.  Perform every couple of hours through out the day.

Exercise #2 – Cervical Alignment

One problem that arises when sitting at a desk or computer for long periods of time is a forward head posture.  The chin moves forward as we look over paper work or the computer screen.  This causes problems with cervical vertebrae and will lead to neck stiffness and pain.  One way to overcome this is to restore the neck to its proper position by realigning the muscles.  To perform:

Start with hands at side.  Stand tall.  Bring arms out from side to shoulder height.  Allowing elbows to bend, bring back of hand to shoulders.  Allow arm to drop back to side.  Relax and repeat 3 times.  Perform every couple of hours throughout the day

Performing these two simple exercises a few times throughout your day will take 1-2 minutes but will alleviate a host of problems either already present or lurking in the background.

Till next time,

Narina

Big things are on their way to http://fitnessexpose.com and you can be among the first to benefit! I have worked for the past 6 months planning this project.  I am currently finalizing a membership model for this site. Do not despair, there will still be great free content available, but if you become a member you will get premier content including interviews, podcasts and videos, among many other things.

The idea will be to provide extra content for paying members. Some of the new features will include video fit tips, PDF workout plans, nutritional advice from top fitness professionals and more.  Members will be added to a special mailing list where they will receive special offers from Fitness Expose.  The possibilities are endless.  If you want to join the fight to end misinformation overload in the fitness industry then you will want a membership to Fitness Expose.  With this membership you will receive a badge for your website or blog that indicates you are part of the movement to end fitness misinformation overload.

The membership fee will be extremely low at first, so keep an eye on this space in the coming weeks. Better still, sign up for our free mailing list to be notified the moment the membership site goes live. You can add your name to the list by using the form in the sidebar.  Members of our mailing list get our free Basic Fitness eCourse and are subscribed to our free eNewsletter.  The information you will receive is invaluable.  Please note that we respect your privacy and will never sell your information to someone else.

These huge changes are coming soon and you are definitely going to want to be a part of them.  Another way to be notified is to join our new Facebook page.   Be sure to “like”  us on Facebook!  To see our Facebook page head over there now — Fitness Expose on Facebook.

I rarely drink fruit juice except on the odd occasion when we are out for a special brunch and then I may have a glass or orange or my favourite – grapefruit juice.  But, we should keep in mind that fruit juices are not the best
source of getting our nutrition.  Fruit juices are basically empty calories loaded with sugars.  The best way to enjoy your fruit is still whole and not juiced.  Let’s compare fruit juice (orange) to the whole orange.  Information provided via www.sparkpeople.com

Calories in Tropicana Orange Juice – Serving Size: 1 serving

Calories 110.0
Total Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 0.0 mg
Potassium 450.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 26.0 g
      Dietary Fiber 0.0 g
      Sugars 22.0 g
Protein 2.0 g    Vitamin A 0.0 %    Vitamin B-12 0.0 %
Vitamin B-6 6.0 %      Vitamin C 120.0 %    Vitamin D 0.0 %     Folate 15.0 %     Iron  0.0 %           Magnesium 6.0 %
  Manganese 0.0 %       Niacin         4.0 %    Pantothenic Acid  0.0 %                Thiamin 10.0 %      Zinc 0.0 %

Now, let’s compare a whole orange:

Calories:  62
Total Fat:   0.2 g               Total Carbohydrates:  15.4g
Cholesterol  0   g                      Fiber:  3.1 g
Sodium       0   g                      Sugar: 12.2 g
Protein     1.2  g              

Vitamin A – 6% of RDA            Calcium:   5% of RDA      Iron:  1% of RDA            Vitamin C:  116% of RDA  

As you can see, the benefits of eating the whole orange as opposed to the juice are:

1)  reduced overall calories
2)  reduced calories from sugar
3)  increase in Protein, Fiber
4)  increase in Vitamin A, Iron, Calcium and Vitamin C

This is just a quick overview of juice vs whole fruit.  The odd glass of juice is not a worry, but try not to make a habit of getting your fruit nutrition in the form of juice – enjoy the whole fruit. 

Till next time,

Narina

Yesterday we had a discussion about consistency in training. That is obviously a key element in successful training, but there will come a time when it isn’t enough.

What To Do When You’re Not Motivated

Motivation and inspiration are often thought of as being the same. The fact is that inspiration most often comes from an external source while motivation always comes from within yourself (see articles by Anthony Robbins for more). This is where persistence comes into play.

There will come a time when you will be too tired to hit the gym. It is that very moment that you need to pull out your persistence behavior. Don’t let yourself give in to the urge to skip your training session. Being persistent will build mental strength. Being persistent will take you to the next level.

Coupling this persistence with consistency will simply explode your results.  The persistent behaviors you establish will take your training to places you never dreamed possible.  People have achieved incredible things just by being persistent.  You have to be persistent like the squeaky wheel.

What To Do When You Hit a Plateau

It is here where your persistence pays off te most. Do not give up. Do not be afraid to try some new approaches. Drop your weight lower and start the progression again. With persistence you will see that breaking through your plateau is not impossible.

Too many people simply give up and still too many others just bash their head into the plateau.  This is not the right approach.  A persistent effort to overcome the plateau is required to see progress.  With persistence you will get to the other side of the plateau.

I have a saying that I got from my good friend, Carlos Dejesus.  My saying is “Go beyond!”  This means push past the pain you feel in your muscles.  As long as you can move the weight you should move the weight.  Persistent behavior requires that you endure some pain.  Don’t back down!

If you do both of these things you are going to see improvements purely because of persistence.

In the past, one of the most common questions I’ve been asked is how to be consistent with a training program.  I get asked this question in person as well as on Twitter.  The answer isn’t as simple as you might think.

I admit that this seems like a very simple question to answer, but the reality is that it is an extremely complicated topic.  Consistency takes alot of discipline.  It is difficult to describe consistency without including discipline in the process.  I have 3 steps for achieving consistency in your training.  These techniques will create the consistency habit that you crave.

1.  Read accountability or transformation blogs for inspiration

If you do a Google search for physique transformations you are bound to find several physique transformation contests.  The people who do well with these types of contests are extremely consistent with their diet and exercise.  They also tend to have extremely inspiring stories.  The reason The Biggest Loser is so popular on television is that people get inspired by watching someone lose a ton of weight.  The same is true of most physique transformation stories.  Who can look at those before and after pictures and not be inspired?  Those results scream of consistent behavior.

2.  Implement a reward system

All decisions in life are based upon pleasure and pain.  When we perceive that the pain of doing one thing will be worse than the pain of doing another thing, we are conditioned to choose the thing that hurts the least.  If you want consistency in your fitness regimen set up a reward system.  Reward your consistent behavior.  Make sure that the rewards are sufficient to bring you the pleasure you want.  You have to make it so that what you get for being consistent makes you feel far better than what you get for lacking consistency.  Find that balance and you will see your consistency soar to new heights.  You will soon find your goals are within reach.

3.  Get a training partner

When you know someone will be waiting for you at the gym at 5 a.m. you are going to consistently get up and make the trip to the gym.  Nothing will stop you.  I personally have days where I want to skip a workout and I tend to overcome those urges.  However, the one day that I have the least difficulty in overcoming that urge is Saturday workouts.  What makes Saturday such a consistent day?  There are two things:  (a) my workout partner always meets me on Saturday mornings; and (b) my wife is counting on me to get her a pass to spinning class right at 6:30 a.m.  If I am not consistent I let both people down and that just is not an option.

Conclusion

By reading inspirational stories, setting up a rewards system and having a training partner you will see your consistency rise to new levels.  Another way to be more consistent is to write an accountability blog as well.  As consistency is the main ingredient to a successful physique transformation, you will be on your way to major body changes.  The more consistent you get the easier it will be because you will have developed a habit.  The habit of consistency is a great one to have.

Starting a fitness program? Have you decided when your new nutrition approach should be implemented? I’m sure you or someone you know has been guilty of this. At some point you’ve heard or uttered the phrase “I plan to start working out when…”. Why must you wait? Will the time ever really be right for you to start that weight training program? Just like you should never let giving up be an option, you should never be indecisive about starting your program.

Putting off your workouts because of illness or injury is one thing, but waiting until the time is right is just wrong. If you’re not ready to start now, what makes you think you will be ready to start later? What if I told you that you should just get started? Would you believe me? Remember, there are major benefits to your metabolism.

That’s right. I said just get started. Once you get started the habit building can begin. You will see your results faster which will keep you on track. It is just top easy to continually push off the start of a fitness program. Weight training requires consistency and you will never achieve that if you don’t get started. The first step is to get into the gym and do your first workout.

I speak from experience. I have, at times, realized that I needed to make changes on a Wednesday, but waited until Sunday to implement them. That never makes me feel right. The times that I see the need for change and then get started that day are the times I do the best work and give the best effort. There is just something about not procrastinating that gets me pumped up!

You can also create accountability through others. I personally maintain an accountability blog. This keeps me focused and I tend to get started on changes much faster.

What are you waiting for? Do your planning and then get started on that plan right away. Step up to the plate today! Do not delay any longer. You will be glad you got started.

The heart – often talked about in both medical and romantic terms.  The heart is a muscle that is responsible for pumping blood full of oxygen to the rest of our bodies to provide that essential element to our survival.  But, did you know the heart is a muscle – capable of getting stronger and more powerful?  But, we can also die from a broken heart – not just in the romantic terms but in medical terms as well.

If you want to live a long time and enjoy all the joys that life has to offer, you need to pay attention to your heart.  And if you want to age well and be able to enjoy life to its fullest, you must exercise on a regular basis.  The heart as well as all the muscles of our body responds best to consistent and regular exercise.  Don’t think weekend warrior because that is actually doing more harm than good.  Think more moderate exercise stretched throughout your week.  You body and especially your heart will thank you.  So just how does the heart benefit from exercise?  A normal heart is a strong muscular pump that during a lifetime will beat more than 2.5 billion times.  The average heart rate of an adult is 70 beats per minute.

When we exercise, the heart responds to this exercise by getting stronger.    Just like your biceps or leg muscles get stronger when you exercise, the heart responds the same way.  During exercise the blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body can increase tremendously.  With a stronger heart muscle, it is now capable of meeting the needs of the hungry exercising muscles.   The increased flow of blood to the body is achieved by two methods – the rate by which the heart beats will increase and the amount of blood that it pumps each beat will also increase.  Because exercising increases the heart muscle’s strength it will push out more blood.

Also as the heart becomes stronger in its ability to pump more blood with each beat, it will have to beat less when in a resting state.  This is why endurance athletes have a low resting heart rate.  Their heart muscles are so strong from the demands of their sport and in some athletes the resting heart rate will be in as low as 30-40 beats per minute.  This adds up over the course of a life span.  During exercise the oxygen needed by the heart muscle itself also increases.  But, the heart is an amazing organ in design.  Our bodies contain tiny little organs throughout that are often call the “furnaces of the cell” because these little organs provide energy to the muscles through complex chemical reactions that take place constantly.  The heart muscle contains a larger number of these little organs called mitochondria.  More than the rest of our muscles and this means the heart is not as easily fatigued as muscles throughout the rest of our body.

Our heart can also be affected by (or broken) by several medical conditions (obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, hardening of the arteries), poor diet and lack of exercise.  If you want to live a long and productive life, able to enjoy activities and family then it is essential you take care of your heart.  Moderate exercise, proper diet and maintaining a healthy weight will keep your heart beating for a long time to come.

Till next time,
Narina
http://victoriawellness.com

If you have ever come across the Shopping Channel you know that every time you turn around there is some new fitness gadget or  piece of equipment that is going to solve all your exercise or weight loss problems.  Now, I am not a closet Shopping Channel watcher but I have on occasion come across some incredibly silly routines or equipment.

When it comes to strength training and providing the best stimulus for the body to get stronger and move better, the old classics are still and will always remain the best.  What Are the Classics?  The classics or old standbys in any strength program are squats (and all its variations), pushing movements (bench press, push ups), pulling movements (rowing, pull ups, chins, lat pulls), deadlift (and all its variations such as Romanian deadlift, Sumo deadlift, Single Leg deadlift, Hex or Trap bar deadlift) as well as portions of the Olympics lifts (cleans, jerks, push press).

I realize that for most these exercises are not very glamorous but as the saying goes "if it aint broke, don’t fix it".  And that is so true with all the old standbys of weight training.   There is no sense in re-inventing the wheel, when we have the best tools already there.

Till next time,

Narina

The other day I was working out in the early morning as has become my habit, but this particular day I really did not feel like being there. The mental roadblock was particularly bad on this day. I had gotten to the second group of exercises in my workout and kept thinking that I should just quit and go home. I felt as though I should just give up. I could hear my internal voice saying that the workout was already ruined, so why continue? I knew that if I gave in to that temptation it could easily become a habit. As a result, I decided to try one of the mental tricks I am accustomed to using.

I sat down on the bench and told myself that I was going to complete 10 repetitions. By pushing myself to hit at least 10 repetitions I was setting a mental goal that was easily attainable, yet avoided giving up at all costs. Upon reaching 10 repetitions I pushed myself harder and finished the full 15 repetitions. I was victorious in avoiding giving up. This small victory enabled me to regain control over my workout. I overcame the mental attitude that was creeping into my workout. I noticed my strength increase over the course of the rest of the workout.

By stringing together multiple small victories I was able to completely overcome the roadblocks I was facing. The key is that I did not let giving up appear as an option. I forced myself to complete my workout. Failure wasn’t something I was willing to give in to.

When you are on a fitness program, pay attention to the small victories you obtain daily. These are the things that will propel your program towards success. They also make you mentally stronger. It is an amazingly simple idea, but one that few people actually execute.

Vow to change your mental attitude. Tell yourself that you will accomplish the goals you have set for yourself. The end result will be success.