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Squats – Yes or No; Good or Bad?

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The squat is often called the "king of exercises".  This is because of the large group of muscles that must be activated in order to perform this movement.  Most people assume that squats are just a leg exercise; but that is where they are wrong.  The squat movement involves the activation of many muscles groups:  the quadriceps muscles of the frontal leg, the hamstring group of the posterior leg, the gluteus muscles (maximus, medius & minimus), the whole abdominal musculature to stabilize the body, the lower and upper back also to stabilize and support.  The shoulder girdle is also involved in positioning of the bar – this requires a certain amount of flexibility within the chest and shoulders.

As you can see there are many muscles called into action.  The more muscle fibers recruited to perform the more calories you burn.  That is why the squat is one of the best exercises you can perform both to enhance strength and increase lean muscle tissue.  Squats is also one of those exercises with a multitude of variations.  We can perform back squats (with bar on the back).  We can perform front squats holding a bar in front across the shoulders. 

We can also do dumbbell squats holding dumbbells at the sides, kettlebell squats holding kettlebells either at side or on shoulders.  We can also perform suitcase squats, holding a dumbbell or kettlebell on one side only, requiring much more core stabilization to offset the weight on one side.  There are also many variations of single leg squats.  These are split squats, a movement similar to a lunge but stationary.  We can also do Bulgarian squats which is similar to a split squat but with the rear leg up on a block, requiring much more stabilization and hip mobility.  We can also do a single leg squat; the one true single leg exercise.

 
Squats are an extremely flexible exercise meaning that with all its variations there is rarely an individual that cannot perform a squat of some kind.  Even with certain knee pathologies squats can be a safe exercise.  After all, every time we sit down (whether on the couch, toilet or kitchen chair), we are performing a squat.   The more we can perform this movement "correctly" in a controlled environment the stronger we will maintain our lower body and core muscles which will translate to better health and a body more able to cope with activities of life.

There are many myths surrounding squats and the safety of this exercise.  Let us address a few:

#1.  Squats are bad for the knees.  When proper technique is learned, squats are not harmful for the knees.    Strengthening the muscles and connective tissue surrounding the knee improves its stability.

#2.  Squats are bad for the spine.  When performed correctly the weight is borne directly over the spinal column.  As with the knees, the supportive tissues around the spine are strengthened in response to the weight being lifted.  Once again proper form is essential.  And with all the variations listed above, back squats are not an essential lift.

 
#3.  Squats are dangerous for the heart.  Squats are not dangerous for healthy individuals with no history of hypertension or coronary disease.  The heart is a muscle and will respond to the stress.  If you are unaccustomed to exercise or have health concerns, you should have a physician's approval prior to embarking on any exercise program.

#4.  Squats slow you down.  Once again, a myth.  Squats are a very explosive exercise and require power and strength.  This will only benefit the individual by enhancing your own strength.  #5.  There are no sports or activities that require someone to move up and down with a weight on their shoulders, so why do squats?  A good question, but think about our daily activities.  Every time you get up and down off the couch, go to the bathroom, get up out of a chair you are doing a squat.  Strengthening the muscles required to move us in our daily activities will only enhance every facet of our lives.

Squats, love em and hate em!  Hard to do – yes.  Require some sweat – you bet they do!  Burn calories – one of the best. If you are ever stuck for a workout, the two best exercises you can do – squats and push ups.

 

Till next time,

Narina Prokosch

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Old Faithfuls

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There isn’t a day go by that there isn’t some new gadget or piece of fitness equipment being hustled on TV.  Now, I don’t spend a lot of time watching the Shopping Channel, but everyone once in a while if channel surfing, I will come across something that I just have to stay and watch.  It never ceases to amaze me what latest fitness gimmick is out there.  There always seems to be the latest fad for losing weight, trimming the fat, shaping the body.

The question always comes up – well do they work?  In a word with most of them – no!  A lot of the latest gimmicks on TV have no basis in muscle physiology or function.  They are all offering the same thing – a quick fix with no real effort.  Unfortunately life just doesn’t happen that way.  Staying fit and trim takes hard work and dedication.

With all these latest fads hitting the market, I thought it was time to talk about the old classics.  The old faithful stand bys in every sound strength training program.  It doesn’t matter what your fitness goals are, there are some constants that need to be there in order for any program to be successful.  A couple are consistency and intensity.  You need to be consistent in your workouts to notice any results or progress and you also need to be working out with the right intensity to make a difference to your body.

One of the ways to remain consistent and keep the intensity high is to stick the old time weight lifting exercises.  Some of these would be:

  • Squats and all its variations – dumbbell squats, sumo squats, single leg squats, Bulgarian squats, back or front squats
  • Deadlifts and all its variations – sumo deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, single leg deadlifts, hex or trap bar deadlifts
  • Pushing movements – bench presses, dumbbell presses, push ups
  • Pulling movements – all the rowing movements (dumbbell rows, cable rows, bent over bar rows), lat pulldowns
  • Lunging movements – forward lunges, rear lunges,  rotating lunges, side lunges

With these compound exercises you are engaging more muscles to work, burning more calories while workout out and if done with the right combination and right intensity, creating an EPOC effect (post exercise oxygen consumption).  It is this calorie burning that occurs post exercise that is responsible for weight loss and fat burning.

Incorporating these compound movements in your exercise sessions with in essence give you a bigger bank for your buck.  Forget all the latest gadgets you see on TV.  Most of them are a waste of your hard earned money and most of the time after purchased, tend to sit and collect dust.  Invest your money in a fitness professional who can design a strength program based on the old standbys and you will not only be healthier but you will be getting excellent value for your money, and you won’t have something sitting in the corner of your living room collecting dust or clothes.

Till next time,

Narina

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You Asked?

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There isn’t a day go by at the studio that questions aren’t being asked.  And, it seems the same questions are on the minds of a lot of people.  So, I thought I would share just two of the very common questions that get asked.

Is breakfast important?

Yes, breakfast is important.  In fact it is the most important meal of you day.  As you sleep at night, your body is in a fasting state taking in nutrition.  Depending on how long you sleep, and when you would normally take in your first meal, you could be in a fasting state from 6-12 hours.  For example if you  normally got to bed at 11 at night, get up in the morning and head to work, your first meal may be coffee break or lunch the next day.  That is far too long without food.

If you think of a furnace requiring fuel or wood to burn, your metabolism is no different.  Without fuel a furnace will not operate.  The same holds true for your metabolism.  Without food or fuel, your metabolism will not burn.  The best way to kick start a slow metabolism is by feeding it.   If weight loss or weight control is your objective, then it is imperative that you keep your furnace or metabolism burning.  The best way to stall your weight loss efforts is to skip meals and the best way to halt any weight loss is to not eat breakfast.  This most important meal does not have to be a large meal as I realize that some people do not have an appetite first thing.   A couple of suggestions for breakfast would be:

1) Smoothie or Shake: Mix 1-2 scoops protein powder with 8 -12 oz skim milk or water.  Add fresh or frozen berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries).    Add 2 tbsp flax seeds, ice and put all ingredients in a blender.  Blend until smooth.

2)  Omelet – Beat together 1 whole egg plus 3 egg whites (or 1/2 cup egg white from carton).  Cook the egg mixture in a skillet.  Add handful of fresh spinach or about 1/3 cup frozen spinach, chopped onion and 1 slice fat free cheese.   Enjoy.

Is stretching important and when should I stretch – before or after?

The question of when to stretch comes up time and time again.  In fact how often do you see people outside stretching before they go for their run?  It is important to stretch but there is a best time to stretch and it is not before you exercise or before a run.  The purpose of stretching is to return muscles to their resting length following exercise.  There are times when we will stretch prior to exercise.  For example, hip flexors and hamstrings are often quite tight on most people.  Prior to a dynamic warm up in our strength workouts, a stretch of the hip flexors and hamstrings are done.

hamstrings are dynamically stretched using a Romanian deadlift with a light weight.  These dynamic stretches are used prior to the strength portion of a workout to increase range of motion through  specific muscles groups.
Stretches of the body as a whole, is always done following exercise for two reasons.  One reason is that the body is now adequately warmed up and muscles are more pliable and apt to stretch when they are warm.  Secondly, stretching after exercise is to help return muscles to their resting length following a term of intense muscle contractions required during the strength workout.

I hope this has answered a couple of the more common questions that come up.  Please feel free to leave me a comment or a question you would like answered.

Till next time,
Narina

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It Isn’t Just for Athletes – It’s for All.

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Okay, I admit it.  I am a closet TV sports fan.  But not basketball, football or baseball.  I am a car race fan.  And each weekend I faithfully set the PVR to catch the latest NASCAR race.  Most sports fans have their favorite athletes or team players that they follow.  I am no different.  I have my favorite drivers that I am always rooting for and over the years as drivers retired I have had to rethink who or what team I was going to support.   As the pole positions are announced, I waited to see where my favorite drivers were starting the race.

One of the drivers I have followed for a long time is Mark Martin.   This driver is one of the oldest drivers  at 50 years old.   This in considered old in the sport of stock car racing.  I have followed this driver for over 15 years.  I remember the first time I saw him interviewed.  He was speaking about the physicality of the sport of car racing.  I remember seeing his well muscled physique and was impressed with his dedication to his weight
lifting program, and this was at a time when strength training was not considered all that necessary except for the very physical sports such as football, etc.  It was certainly never viewed as a requirement for the sport of stock car racing.    He proudly showed off the gym he had in his home and talked at length about his training and his opinion of how it helped him cope with the demands of racing at 200 mph for 4-5 hours at a time, bumper to bumper with cars in front and behind.  I got to experience this in a very small way last summer.  Last July while I was in Las Vegas (at a conference of course), my husband and I went out to Las Vegas Speedway for a "ride along".  This is where you get to ride along with a professional driver in a stock car.  Speeds reached 170 mph with the passenger doors  being just inches from the wall.

To say it was a thrill is an understatement, but the ride lasted only 20 minutes.  I could only imagine how "in shape" you would need to be to withstand the rigors of a 4 hour race with 30 other cars all travelling in excess of 200 mph.   As I watched the cars roll out of the pits I thought of how long Mark Martin has been competing at such a high level and how important his training must be today to keep him not only driving in the Daytona 500 at age 50 against rookies 18 years old, but to be a contender to win as well. 

It also got me thinking of other sports and how other athletes prepare and in almost all competitive sports now, strength training has become an integral part of their overall preparation for their sport.  We all know that weight lifting is popular with athletes involved in sports such as football, rugby and even baseball.  But I think most people are now aware of how important strength training has become to athletes involved in sports such as golf, tennis, cycling and other sports that don't automatically lend themselves to the gym scene.

 

Most, if not all elite golfers today, strength train.  It is not just about being strong.  It is just as important to remain free of injury.  Take a look at Tiger Woods the next time you see him on T.V.  You will notice well muscled arms under that golf shirt.   Anika Sorrenston, probably the best female golfer in the sport was an avid weight lifter.  In fact, she regularly squatted over 300 lbs in her workouts, and yet she did not look like an overly muscled  bodybuilder.  She looked like a woman in shape and prepared for the demands of her sport.  More and more participants in any sport are beginning to realize the importance of strength training.  It is also nice to see that health magazines are finally beginning to tout the benefits of weight lifting for all women, regardless of age, occupation or activity.

 

It doesn’t really matter what your occupation or interest is.  Whether  a PGA Pro or the weekend duffer,  they will both benefit from strength training.  I would doubt that there is a sport now that doesn’t incorporate some form of strength training in their preparation.   And, we should all consider ourselves athletes.  Our bodies are designed to move and to be strong, no matter what the demands.

 

Till next time,

Narina Prokosch

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Assessments – Part 2

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In a previous article (See Aug 19), I talked about the office portion of the assessment.   Basically this is the question and answer part, where I am looking for general medical history, physical problems, any aches and pains as well as discussing your exercise history and your fitness/health goals.  Once that is completed, we will head into the gym for the physical part of the assessment.  In this article I am going to go through the whole assessment process and hopefully help you to see what I am looking for and how we are going to address any issues that make themselves known.

The first part of the assessment is 1-2 minutes on the treadmill.   This is for gait analysis only.  It is not intended to gauge your fitness level, but merely to watch how your walk and your overall posture.    A lot can be deduced by just watching someone walk in the door or how they sit in my office.  Walking with feet turned out, knees not tracking over the 2nd toe, rounded shoulders or forward head posture all are clues to what we will need to address in the workout.   Pelvic position is important, as the positioning of the pelvis is due to weak and tight muscles.  An anterior pelvic tilt (common in females) is usually due to and sustained because of the tight hip flexor muscles, tight quads as well as tight spinal erector muscles.  Weak muscles that go with APT are rectus abdominis, external obliques (side of waist), glutes and hamstrings.  The goal with the anterior pelvic tilt is to strengthen the abs (reverse crunches), strengthen the glutes and hamstrings (romanian deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, good mornings).  Stretches for the tight muscles must also be included.  The posterior pelvic tilt on the other hand could indicate tight abdominals and external obliques, tight hamstrings and glutes.   Weak hip flexors, weak quads and weak spinal erectors are also present.  The goal with the posterior tilt is to strengthen the quads and spinal extensors (squats, back extension, lunges, bulgarians, conventional deadlifts).  Stretching for the glutes, hamstrings and abs must be done as well.

The next part of the assessment is the use of our blue foam rollers.  These rollers are used to determine muscle tightness or presence of scar tissue.  We test primarily the lower body.  As various parts from the hips down are rolled on the foam there may or may not be pain/soreness present.  If the rolling elicits only a feeling of pressure that is good, telling us we don't have any major issues to address.  If, however on a scale of  1-10, we get a reading of 3 or more we will then need to address this in the workout portion.

Ankle range of motion is tested next.  The ability of the knee to move past the toe 4" or more in a lunge position tells us the ankle has good mobility through the joint.  As we normally do ankle mobility drills as part of our regular warm ups at our facility, any deviations from this norm is addressed.  But, it is necessary for us to have a baseline ROM reading so we are prepared for any problems that may occur when we start to integrate squats and lunges into the workout.  The next two assessments are squat related.  One is the Overhead squat.  A squat is performed while holding a wooden dowel overhead.  A wide grip is taken on the bar and elbows are aligned with ears.   A squat is then performed.  We watch for a host of issues to show with this movement.  This is due to the need for the body to have good flexibility, a good ROM through all joints and core strength and stability in order to perform this movement.  Movement of the arms forward or bending at the elbow tell us that we probably have some tight back (latissimus dorsi) and chest  pectoralis major) muscles as well as weak trapezius (back) muscles.  The Overhead squat also requires a strong and stable core in order to stay upright and not lean or fall forward. 

The next squat exercise is a single leg squat.  This requires strength and stability through the pelvis and knee as well as down into the ankle and foot.  This is usually when we will see major compensations in movements.  Tight adductor (inner thigh) muscles along with weak glutes (gluteus medius and gluteus maximus) will allow the knee to move inward and the hip outward as you descend into the squat.  Along with this we will usually see the foot roll inward possibly indicating weak calf muscles.  If a weak core is present the opposite shoulder to the squatting leg will usually roll forward and inward as the body attempts to stabilize itself.   The single leg squat should be able to be performed with an upright and straight upper body.  Minimal deviation of the knee and hip is preferred.

The last part of the physical assessment is the push up.  Ladies do push ups on the Smith machine; men on the floor.  What I look for besides the ability to push oneself up, is the position of the body.  Again without a strong core (deep abdominal muscles, spinal extensor and stabilizers) the lower back will usually start to sway.  That is why I prefer ladies do push ups off the bar on the  Smith machine, as knee pushups put very little demand on the core.   I also look for head position, scapular positioning and naturally any presence of pain or discomfort.  If a client has a history of shoulder or rotator cuff issues this part of the assessment is not done.

The body is designed to move in a certain way and how it deviates from the ideal tells us as trainers what is out of sync (muscles imbalances, tightness, weakness, dominant, etc).    We all have muscles imbalances, asymmetries or weaknesses present.  The body will ultimately move because that is what life requires.   And the body is very proficient at compensating for muscles imbalances, etc by calling on other muscles groups to perform a function or firing muscles out of sequence.

What I strive for in the assessment is to determine overall or gross movement patterns, compensations that may be present and from there design a program that will address all the issues seen in the assessment.  How we go about that is what comprises for the most part, the bulk of the training programs.  Naturally, we try to make the workouts as fun as possible so we include such activities as rope bulgarians, sled pushes and pulls as well as all the myriad of lunges and push ups that we can think of.

I hope this helps to explain the assessment process and why I feel it is imperative that a thorough assessment be done prior to any strength training program being introduced.  Please feel free to ask any questions. 

 

Til next time,

Narina Prokosch

“Monitoring, Mentoring, Motivation”

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