Friday, October 26, 2012

Rest is a Weapon

I borrowed a line from the book The Bourne Identity for the title of this post; Rest is a weapon.  Getting enough rest is probably the biggest mistake that people make with a fitness program. Mistakes happen both during the exercise and with not getting enough rest outside of the gym.  Rest during a workout is determined by the overall objective of the program while rest outside of the gym is determined by the amount of recovery required between workouts.  To start we will address the aspect of rest during a workout. 

How to rest during a workout is determined by the goal.  If the goal is to lose weight you want to rest as little as possible or not rest if you are fit enough.   If you are going rest do so at a 2:1 work to rest ratio.  As an example, you will want to perform a weight-training exercise or cardio for two minutes at a high intensity.  During the two minutes complete many reps as possible or perform cardio sprints.  After the two minutes are up rest for exactly one minute and then repeat alternating two minutes of work with one minute of rest.   This pattern can be used to work one minute and rest 30 seconds or four minutes of work with two minutes of rest.  Vary the lengths of the time to condition the different energy systems but keep the same 2:1 work to rest ratio.  Altering a high intensity with brief rest periods will burn more calories during exercise and lead to greater fat loss.
          
Rest is different when strength training to improve muscle mass and power.  This gives muscles more time to recover in between sets to allow complete recovery of the energy systems.  This complete recovery of the muscles will allow for greater muscle fiber recruitment and use during subsequent sets.  When most people think of exercising they are more familiar with this style of resting.  Pay attention here this is optimal muscular gain and harmful to body fat loss; too much rest and not enough movement.  When performing sets for muscular endurance, typically between 12-20 reps with light weight, around 40-50% of 1 rep max (RM), rest should be capped at 45 seconds.  If you are performing sets for muscular hypertrophy (growth) with medium weight of 60-70% of 1RM for reps of 8-12 reps, rest should be 90 seconds-2 minutes.  Muscular strength is trained at 70-80% of 1 RM for 4-8 reps, resting 3-4 minutes.  Power is trained and 75-85% of 1 RM for 1-4 reps, resting 3-4 minutes.

Training
Weight Range
Rep Range
Rest Period
Muscular Endurance
40-50% of 1RM
12-20
45 seconds or less
Muscular Hypertrophy
60-70% of 1 RM
8-12
90 seconds to 2 minutes
Muscular Strength
70-80% of 1 RM
4-8
2-3 minutes
Muscular Power
75-85% of 1 RM
1-4 reps
3-4 Minutes

Resting outside of the gym is often overlooked or done improperly.  A muscle group must receive a minimum of 48 hours of rest between workouts for full recovery.  This also applies to a total body workout.  If you train total body the entire body must rest for at least 48 hours before training again.

Another common way to rest is the concept of deloading. Deloading is done in one of two ways. The first option is to perform the foundational exercises of the program but with lighter weights, typically around 50% of a maximal effort. The second method of deloading involves taking a defined period of time as a complete break from exercise. Save this second method for when you are sick or going on vacation. The more challenging a program is, the more frequently a period of deloading is necessary. My program is bases around performing four exercises in the muscular strength and power repetition ranges: Hang Cleans, Front Squats, Overhead Press, and Deadlifts. Each training session involves one or more of these exercises accompanied by other exercises that will directly translate into improvements with the primary exercise. These primary exercises incorporate a lot of muscle into complex movement patterns with heavy weights. The result is a lot of minor wear and tear, not just on my muscles, but on the ligaments and bones as well. Typically, I perform three hard weeks of training followed by a fourth week of deloading with lighter weights. This is necessary to allow full recovery because of the intensity of the training. A person training primarily in the Muscular Hypertrophy Range should take a deload week about every eight to ten weeks. Training primarily in the muscular endurance range requires deloading about every twelve to fourteen weeks. Deloading has four primary benefits for the body:
  1. Enhances recovery during a plateau
  2. Reduces symptoms of physical stress
  3. Allows minor muscle strains time to properly recover
  4. Improve the quality of Sleep. Prolonged periods of intense physical stress from exercise can sometimes decrease the quality of sleep.
The final aspect of rest outside of the gym is quality sleep. Sleep deprivation will destroy any solid fitness and nutrition program.  The eyes may close and the brain may partially shut down during sleep but the body is still hard at work recovering from the challenges of the day.  During sleep the bodies repair muscle tissue and regulate hormones and chemicals the regulate energy and appetite.  A bad night’s sleep does more than make you groggy the next day; it slows metabolism and increases appetite, a dangerous combination that leads to easier fat gain.  Want proof?  A study conducted this year  at the Mayo Clinic Minnesota found that people who only slept six hours and forty minutes versus the recommended eight hours ate, on average, 549 more calories per day than the people who got the full eight hours.  According to the CDC people who sleep six hours or less every night are 50% more likely to be obese than those who get eight hours.  Also, averaging less than 7.5 hours of sleep per night can make a person 4.4 times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease.  Finally, try not to sleep more than nine hours per night.  A study done at the University of Washington Sleep Center found that more than nine hours of sleep leads to obesity, diabetes, headaches, and heart disease.  Go see a doctor if you habitually sleep more than nine hours per night.  Rest the right way to improve your health.  Rest is a weapon against poor health so prioritize doing it the right way.
             

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Warm Up to a Proper Warmup


Warm Up to a Proper Warm Up
Every day I sit in my office overlooking the gym floor and I the vast majority of people make a mistake the moment they walk through the doors: they do not warm up.  Maybe people do not feel like they need a proper warm up or do not have time.  Both excuses are dead wrong.  A proper warm up is essential for training the body to its optimal level.  When a person has been inactive all day the muscles become stiff from a lack of movement.   Sitting idle does one other thing that is counterproductive to exercise; it reduces blood flow to the muscles.  Muscles that are not working do not need as much blood as those that are active.  As result, with the body having a limited supply of blood, priority is given over to other parts of the body, when it is sitting around doing nothing.  To take physically inactive muscle from doing nothing into a maximal lift or an intense run is an excellent way to ruin a good fitness program.  Inactive muscles are considered to be “cold.”  Cold muscles, at their worst are going become injured during an intense exercise session, or at best, will minimize the effectiveness of the workout.
Traditionally, the people that do consistently employ a warm up perform it two different ways; 1) hop on a piece of cardio for 5-10 minutes at an easy pace or 2) stretch.  Performing a few minutes of light cardio before going for a hard run or bike ride is beneficial.  But how does that help if the plan is to perform a lifting session for the chest and back?  The muscles of the legs do not perform a bench press or pull ups. .  From a practical standpoint, a cardio warm up before a lifting session is almost meaningless.  It is better than no warm up but not by much.  As for stretching, the movement of the body happens as a result of the appropriate muscles shortening in length as they contract.  The purpose of stretching is to lengthen the muscles to relieve tension created by the forceful contractions of movement.  The effectiveness of a weight training session depends upon the ability of the muscle to generate force through contraction.  Lengthening the muscle prior to deliberating shortening it drastically reduces the ability of the muscle to perform. 
A study published in the September 2012 edition of the NSCA’s Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research examined the effects of stretching during a warm up upon training volume and training repetitions.  This study used static stretching; holding a stretch for 20-60 seconds, ballistic stretching; bouncing the muscle in a stretched position, and PNF stretching; lengthening the muscle in a stretch and tensing and relaxing the stretched muscled with isometric contractions.  The results of this study found that all forms of stretching before lifting reduced both the training volume (total number of sets) and repetitions per set that could be completed when compared to a workout performed without any stretching during the warm up.  Reductions in repetitions from static stretching averaged 20.8%, ballistic stretching, 17.8%, and PNF stretching 22.7% while the total training volumes were reduced by 20.4%, 17.9%, and 22.4%, respectively.  The bottom line: lengthening a muscle before training by shortening will reduced the effectiveness of the training by about 20%.
So what then is the proper way to warm up?  It is termed a Dynamic Warm Up.  A dynamic warm up typically consists of a series of body weight exercise intended to increase blood flow to every muscle of the body while at the same time increasing joint mobility that may be temporarily reduced due to extended periods of physical inactivity.  Here is a sample of a dynamic warm up.
This warm-up should take about 10 minutes to complete and create a light sweat.  Warm muscles will perform better and have a more effective lifting session.  This will also reduce the possibility of injury.  Perform the following before every lifting session to enjoy a more effective workout and faster results.  All of the exercises are performed without any weights.  This can be performed before a cardio or lifting session.

This warm up is good for a cardio session or lifting session for the lower body.
·         5 head circles to the right
·         5 head circles to the left
·         10 forward arm circles
·         10  backward arm circles
·         20
·         20squats
·         10 side lunges each leg
·         10 side-to-side leg swings each leg
·         10 front-to-back leg swings each leg
·         20 yard skip x 2
·         20 yard butt kickers x 2
·         20 yard high knees x 2

If you will be doing an upper body lifting session add the following to the warm up using an elastic or rubber exercise band.  These exercises are vital to preparing the rotator cuff muscles for lifting and preventing injury:
·         External Shoulder Rotation 2 sets of 10 reps
·         Front raises 2 sets of 10 reps
·         Shoulder Rows 2 sets of 10 reps

The final part of any solid warm up begins with 1-3 sets of the first exercise at 50% of the weight that will be lifted for the training.  Perform the same number of repetitions as the working sets.  For example, if the plan is to perform 4 sets of bench press at 150lbs for 10 reps per set than complete 1-3 warm up sets with 75lbs for 10 reps.  This process prepares the nervous system to effectively control and coordinate the actions of the muscles during the heavier lifts.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Tips for Empowering Successful Self-Regulation with a Fitness Program


Tips for Empowering Successful Self-Regulation with a Fitness Program
If you are like most people you probably do not work with a trainer to achieve your fitness goals.  Like most people, you establish your own fitness goals and work towards them without a lot of outside help.  This is referred to as self-regulation by those who work within the fitness industry and a person’s success is the result of how well that individual can adapt and manage his or herself to overcome gaps in knowledge, setbacks, or sometimes injury.  A person can have problems in one or more areas concerning the diet, designing an appropriate exercise program, or with the correct performance of a particular exercise.  There are five different steps in the process of successfully overcoming the challenges: Identifying the Problem, Commitment, Execution, Environmental Control, and Generalization.  The ability to correctly progress through each of these stages will eliminate anxiety can get the fitness program back on track.

Identifying the problem is often challenging when it comes to meeting proper nutritional needs or a well-designed exercise program., whereas pain during the performance of a particular exercise indicates an injury that needs to be addressed.  Injury assessment is easy; when in doubt have it checked out by a medical professional.  But for people trying to change body composition the problem is often and over compensation in order to identify the problem.  Too often, I see people who are not achieving desired results completely scrap a diet or exercise program to start something else entirely or give up.  In reality, small subtle changes to the existing program would be easier to manage and would, long-term, lead to a more improved state of health and fitness.  If you feel like the current program is not cutting it change just one aspect of the program; change your caloric intake, change the number of times per week that you work out, or change the intensity of the exercise program.  Be patient when making these changes.  Make only one change at a time and give it two to three weeks to accurately gauge the effect.  Impatience has caused more people to fail in achieving their goals than anything else, stay committed.

This leads into step two: commitment.  The ability remain committed to a program is directly tied to the goal.  A solid goal is going to be clear: meaning that it is specific, measurable, and realistic.  Goals must also challenge without overwhelming.  Do not make a task so complex that you cannot accomplish it own your own and be open to feedback.  Talk to a professional if you are not sure how to make sure that your goal and program are appropriately related to build your success.  A good goal is going to ensure that you are persistent and focused.  This will keep a person motivated to work through the problems that come up.  The more a person works towards establishing an appropriate goal the easier it is to remain committed because lead to the development of skills that make executing the plan easier.  Focus on improving your knowledge and skills in working towards your goal and increased commitment will naturally follow.  To focus exclusively on the end result is fail through ignoring the lessons that will make the goal reality. It is true in fitness and in life.  Stay the course!  Self-efficacy, the belief in the ability to succeed, directly tied to setting appropriate goals and openness to feedback.  They are the keys to identifying problems and overcoming through commitment.   Commitment leads into increased success in execution.

Execution is the stage at which a person is moving in their own groove and able to regulate their own progress successfully.  There are two keys to successful execution; self-evaluation and self-consequation.  Self-evaluation is easily explained by considering the performance of any exercise.  Anyone who has exercised regularly develops the ability to know whether or not a given exercise was performed correctly.  Performing an exercise correctly feels good while performing it incorrectly is often awkward, if not painful.  Self-evaluation is the ability to know the difference.  Self-consequation is the ability to use self-evaluation to improve future performance.  Self-evaluation is worthless if it is not used as a form of feedback to improve.  The key to doing this successfully on the positive; focus on the repetitions that felt good and use those as the model for future success.  The positive experiences are what are essential for improving future performance.  When going to through the steps of self-evaluation and self-consequation focusing on the negative will only hamper the ability to positively self-regulate.  Being negative will only lead to worse performance so stay positive because positive becomes even better.

Environmental control is probably the most over-looked aspect of self-empowerment.  The environment in which you train must positively support the achievement of the goal or your commitment will suffer.  It sounds simple but most people do not consider this when looking for a facility to use.  Does head-banging heavy metal mixed with screaming and slamming weights appeal to you?  If not, find a different facility, you will just pay for it without using it if the environment makes you too uncomfortable to show up.  Likewise, if you want an indoor play to train for marathons find somewhere that has more cardio equipment than strength pieces or you will never find an open treadmill.  If the environment of the facility does not match your training goals success probably will not happen and neither will generalization.

Generalization is a culmination of the previous four stages.  It is the ability to prepare oneself to  identify problems, remain committed to the goal, execute self-regulation, and rise above environmental factors.  This is the point that every person, whether high-level athlete or the casual cruiser on the treadmill, should reach.  It is the point at which clear understanding and success have built confidence to the point that nothing can dissuade from achieving the current desired goal and the willingness to set more challenging goals in the future.  This is where self-empowered success builds upon itself into a pattern of unrelenting progress.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

WOW Challenge for the week of 10/09/2012


WOW Challenge Week of October 9, 2012
Equipment Needed: Jump rope, TRX bands, 18 inch platform, 1 kettle ball
Complete for time:

Jump Rope- 2 minutes
TRX Leg Drive- 10 reps per leg
Box Jumps- 10 reps
KB Snatch- 5 reps per arm (30lbs Men and 15lbs Women)
KB Push up and row- 5 reps per arm (30lbs Men and 15lbs Women)
KB Snatch- 5 reps per arm (30lbs Men and 15lbs Women)
Box Jumps- 10 reps
TRX Leg Drive-10 reps per leg
Jump Rope- 1 Minute
TRX pull ups- 10 reps
Box Jumps- 10 reps
KB step-ups- 5 per leg
Box Jumps- 10 reps
TRX pull ups- 10 reps
Jump Rope- 2 minutes

Exercise Instructions:

TRX Leg drive
Set the handles to chest height.  Grab both handles and tuck them underneath the arms so that the handles are positioned under the armpit and next to the chest.  Place one foot 24 inches behind the other with the toes pointed straight ahead.  Lean the upper body forward so that the feet remain in contact with the ground while the body weight is being supported by the handles.  Once in this position pick up the back foot and drive it forward in front of the body.  Bring the knee up as high as possible without losing balance.  Return the foot to its original position behind the body.  That is one rep.  Complete all reps on one leg and then switch legs.

Box Jump
Start in front of the platform with feet shoulder-width apart.  Drop into a squat and explode upwards.  Make sure that both feet leave the ground together.  Jump on to the top of the platform, pause, and jump down

Kettleball Pushup and row
Place the kettleball on the floor.  Drop into a pushup position with one hand supported on the handle of the kettleball.  Perform a pushup.  At the top of the pushup perform a row with the kettleball.  Perform all reps on one side of the body and then switch arms.

Kettleball Snatch
Start in the same position as the KB deadlift but grasp the kettleball with only one hand.  Explode upward, bringing the arm up past the shoulder and extending it straight overhead.  The arm should be fully extend by the time the body is standing straight.

TRX Pullups
Make sure that the handles have been adjusted to chest height.  Grasp a handle in each hand and walk forward so that the body becomes parallel to the floor with the chest directly below the handles.  Keep your feet together and core braced.  Using the muscles of the back and arms pull chest up until it touches the hands.  Pause for one second and reverse the motion.  Remember to stay tight all the way through the movement.

Kettleball Step-ups
Hold the kettle ball at the side of the body next to the hips.  Keep the shoulders back and square.  Step up to the top of the platform using the leg on the opposite of the kettleball. Drive up with the leg bringing the other foot to the top of the platform.  Step down to the floor.  That is one rep.  Complete all reps on one side and then switch sides.



Tuesday, October 9, 2012

The Health Dangers of Declining Estrogen levels in Women: Exercise Helps!


The Health Dangers of Declining Estrogen levels in Women: Exercise Helps!
A review of Metabolic Dysfunction Under Reduced Estrogen Levels: Looking to Exercise for Prevention from the Journal of Exercise and Sports Sciences, October 2012, volume 40, issue 4.

                When the mortality rate, from natural causes, of a premenopausal woman is compared to a man of the same age the woman comes out less likely to die from health-related problems.  However, this advantage disappears as women age and is almost nonexistent post-menopause.   Recent research is showing that declining estrogen levels are a considerable part for this loss of protection.  Estrogen levels can decline for many reasons other than menopause; poor diet, stress, lack of exercise, hysterectomy, and other surgeries are just a few reasons that estrogen levels can decrease before the onset of menopause.  Unfortunately, lowered levels of estrogen can cause potentially serious alterations to skeletal muscle, bone, cardiovascular, and brain functions.  Most often these problems are treated through estrogen or hormone replacement therapy.   While this remains the most common treatment within the general public many clinical research trials are moving away from hormonal based therapy and looking for alternatives.  This is because there is an emerging body of evidence that suggests hormonal therapy may lead to an increased risk of breast cancer and stroke.
                So how does a decrease in estrogen levels affect the body?  To begin with, there is an increase in body fat levels, specifically throughout the abdominal area.  Generally speaking, and within women who have high levels of estrogen, the female body tends to store body fat in the lower parts of the body while men tend to store it in the abdominal area.  Body fat stored throughout the abdominal area is referred to as visceral fat and is far more dangerous than body fat stored within other parts of the body.  This is because body fat stored within the abdominal area surrounds all of the vital internal organs.  It secretes chemicals that disrupt the natural functions of these organs and will eventually cause major problems up to and including organ failure.  Simply put, this decline in estrogen levels combined with an increase in the presence of visceral fat may alter the hormonal levels within the female body making the woman, hormonally speaking, more of a man than a woman.  Good-bye extra natural health defense benefits through estrogen and hello shorter male life expectancy.  Among the primary causes is an increased risk to insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance.  Both are precursors to diabetes, and while estrogen levels remain high, women are less likely to develop them.
                It is important to note that as estrogen levels decline, a women’s body fat may increase without seeing a major change in the numbers on the weight scale.  As estrogen levels decline so does the ability of the female body to preserve and maintain muscle mass.  As muscle mass declines, metabolism slows down, making easier to gain body fat.  During the years of menopause, without regular exercise to offset the decline in estrogen, a woman can drastically alter her body with an increase in body fat without realizing it because the fat increase tends to happen at about the same rate as the loss of muscle mass.  This results in little to no change with the numbers on the scale.  Thus, a vicious cycle begins, that becomes harder and harder to reverse.
                If this cycle continues long enough that morbid obesity becomes a women’s body another serious complication can arise.  While this does seem to happen in men it is far more common in obese women, leading researchers to believe there is some correlation between declining estrogen and high increases in body fat.  This condition is referred to as Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.  As body fat levels increase to the point of making a person obese the body loses its ability to regulate blood glucose levels, first through insulin sensitivity, then insulin resistance, and finally diabetes.  In similar fashion, obesity caused hormonal changes may shut down the body’s ability to convert stored body fat into energy that can be used.  During exercise and/or with dietary adjustments the body will break down fat cells and release them into the blood as free fatty acids.  These FFAs are transported to the liver where they are converted to blood glucose which can be taken to the working muscles and other organs to be used as energy.  When a person has NFLD the function of the liver is disrupted so that it cannot properly convert the FFAs into blood glucose.  It is called Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease because it is the same liver functionality of someone who has been a lifelong alcoholic.  Yes ladies, declining estrogen levels combined with excessive weight gain may cause you to have the liver of an alcoholic even if you have never had a drink in your life.
                It needs to be understood that estrogen therapy or other hormonal therapy may be losing ground as a safe and effective method of treating low estrogen levels.  Exercise and healthy eating may prevent or help treat these problems.  It is important to note that even among postmenopausal obese women regular exercise led to an improvement in NFLD.  Some women lost weight through diet alone and also showed improvement, although to a lesser extent.  However, only the women who exercised regularly saw marked increases in the levels of estrogen, and consequently, better improvements in overall health.  Most women in this study saw improvements in estrogen levels with longer duration exercise.  Because of this, in the beginning, duration is more important than intensity of exercise.  However, for long term, permanent weight loss intensity must also increase.  For the obese person the first two months of an exercise program should focus on building a base level of endurance through cardiovascular exercise; treadmill, bike, elliptical or any other piece of cardio equipment.  Focus creating the endurance to exercise 30-45 minutes without needing a break.  Once this is accomplished begin to incorporate weight training exercises while focusing on increasing the intensity, or pace, of cardiovascular exercise.  Weight loss happens best at high intensity levels so make it a long term goal to focus on going faster not further.

Monday, October 8, 2012

workout of the week challenge for October 2, 2012


Here is last week's workout from the UAMS fitness center WOW challenge


Equipment needed- 30lb kettle ball for men or 15lb kettle ball for women, 24 in platform, jump rope
Trainer standard: 7 minutes 10 seconds
Complete Two rounds for time
KB Snatch- 5 reps per arm, 30lbs (Men) or 15lbs (Women)
KB Swings-15 reps, 30lbs (M) or 15lbs (W)
BOX Jumps-10 reps
KB Swings-15 reps
Mountain Climbers-20 reps
KB Swings-15 reps
Double-Unders-30 reps
KB Swings-15 reps

Exercise Instructions
Kettleball Snatch
Start in the same position as the KB deadlift but grasp the kettleball with only one hand.  Explode upward, bringing the arm up past the shoulder and extending it straight overhead.  The arm should be fully extend by the time the body is standing straight.

Kettleball swing
Start with feet shoulder-width apart and the kettleball on the ground in between the feet.  Squat down and grasp the kettleball with both hands.  Stand up, keeping the arms straight throughout the motion and swing the kettleball up in front of the body until it is directly overhead.  Make sure to keep the back arched with shoulders back throughout the motion.  Return to the starting position with the kettleball on the floor.

Box Jump
Start in front of the platform with feet shoulder-width apart.  Drop into a squat and explode upwards.  Make sure that both feet leave the ground together.  Jump on to the top of the platform, pause, and jump down

Mountain Climbers
Get into a pushup position.  Stay in the top of the position and, one leg at a time, alternate bringing the knees up to the chest.  One rep is counted after each knee has been brought up.  This is fast paced.

Double-Under
This is a jump rope technique.  The objective is to jump into the air and complete two rotations of the rope underneath the feet before landing.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Exercise May Help Depression


Depression and Exercise: Why is it not prescribed as a treatment?
                Depression is a complex issue as it encompasses mental, emotional, and physical symptoms.  Like many ailments most people turn to doctors, namely psychologists or psychiatrists, and like most doctors, treatment is considered in the form of medication.  As a trainer, I believe that exercise is all too often under-prescribed, if prescribed at all, as a form of treatment for almost any problem.  I have seen firsthand with several of my clients that regular exercise may improve a person’s ability to live with depression.  Admittedly, exercise rarely accomplishes this on its own.  Often these clients are often using medication and/or undergoing some form of professional counseling.  Yet I have also know of people that utilize medication and counseling that continue to struggle for years seeing little or no improvement.  Unfortunately, little research exists about the effect of exercise on depression.  I would assume that this is because with the field of psychiatry, like many other forms of medical practice, standard operating procedure is to pop pills and schedule a follow up appointment.
                However, research is beginning to show that exercise can often be that “Ace up the sleeve.”  A review of four different studies conducted examining the effect of exercise on depression all showed signs of positive benefits.  Exercise makes a person feel better and, in my opinion, it should not take research to verify this but research makes for common acceptance in the general public.  In fact, exercise has been shown to be an effective method of treatment for mild depression without medication.  One study in particular focused on examining older adults with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).  This study looked at 156 middle-aged and older adults diagnosed with MDD.  The adults were randomly subjected to supervised exercise, sertraline, or a combination of the two.  The exercise treatment lasted for sixteen weeks and consisted of moderate aerobic activity three times per week.    At the end of the treatment period the improvement was the same between the medication and exercise only groups.  This indicates the exercise may be a positive alternative to treatment for those who do not wish to have medication.  A follow up performed six months after the conclusion of the sixteen week period found that those who exercised only experienced lower rates of depression than those on medications or on a combination of medication and exercise.  In addition to this, only 9% of the exercise participants had relapsed into severe depression while in the medication and combination groups the relapse rate was near 30%.  It is important to note that 64% of the people who exercised in this study continued to exercise on their own during the six months between the end of the study and the follow up.  Furthermore, those participants who reported exercising independently showed a 50% reduction in the risk of depression symptoms.
                This leads into the important discussion of exercise prescription; specifically, frequency, duration, and intensity.  What are the levels needed to see positive results?  Another study put 80 sedentary adults into five groups: low intensity exercise three days per week; low intensity five days per week; high intensity three days per week; high intensity five days per week; and a group that did only stretching and flexibility control.  The results showed that the high intensity exercise reduces depression symptoms by 47% over twelve weeks while low intensity exercise showed a 30% reduction in symptoms.  These results were consistent regardless of whether or not the participants exercised three or five times per week.  This seems to indicate that the amount of energy expended when exercising is more important than the total amount of time spent exercising.
                If exercise is not something that is currently a part of your lifestyle check with your doctor to see if it may be useful in helping to treat depression.  Start with this basic goal: 30 minutes of exercise three days a week.  One a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being not moving at all and 10 being so intense passing out is a real possibility, the intensity should feel like it is in the range of 4-7 to see positive benefit.  Lower intensity will have minimal, if any benefit, while higher than 7 may be such intense exercise that it cannot be repeated frequently enough for long term improvement.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

WOW Challenge from the week of September 25


WOW Challenge Week of September 25, 2012
Complete 4 rounds for time- 2 DBs, 1 KB, 24in jump platform, TRX bands

Trainer standard:  13 minutes 44 seconds

Exercises
Squat-Jumps 1 rep
Burpees 2 reps
DB squat press 3 reps 50lbs (M) 20lbs (W)
Pushup-rows 4 reps 50lbs (M) 20lbs (W)
Hip Thrusts 5 reps
Box Jumps 6 reps
TRX Pushups 7 reps
KB swings 8 reps 40lbs (M) 20lbs (W)
Long Jump 9 reps
Plank 1 minute

Exercise Instructions

Squat Jumps
Start with feet shoulder-width apart and drop down into a squat.  Explode upwards and jump into the air

Burpees
Start with the feet shoulder-width apart. Drop into a squat placing the hands on the ground and shoot both feet backwards so that the body is in the position of the top of a push up.  Bring the feet up to the chest, lift hands off the ground and stand up

Dumbbell Squat-press
Hold two dumbbells of equal weight on both shoulders.  Standing with feet shoulder-width apart drop into a squat then return to standing.  Once standing perform and overhead press.  Return the dumbbells to the shoulders and repeat.

Push up and row
Place two dumbbells on the floor.  Drop into a push up position with both handles supported on the handles of the dumbbells.  Perform a push up.  At the top of the push up perform a row with the dumbbells.  Alternate arms on the row for each push up.

Hip Thrusts
Lie flat on the floor on the back.  Place hands out to the sides of the body.  Keeping the legs straight lift the feet until directly above the hips.  Point toes at the ceiling and lift the hips off the floor.  Lower, keep feet up, and repeat.




Box Jump
Start in front of the platform with feet shoulder-width apart.  Drop into a squat and explode upwards.  Make sure that both feet leave the ground together.  Jump on to the top of the platform, pause, and jump down


TRX Pushups
Set the handles six inches off of the ground.  Grasp the handles with the body in a pushup position.  Lower the body to the ground and return to starting position.

Kettle ball swing
Start with feet shoulder-width apart and the kettle ball on the ground in between the feet.  Squat down and grasp the kettle ball with both hands.  Stand up, keeping the arms straight throughout the motion and swing the kettle ball up in front of the body until it is directly overhead.  Make sure to keep the back arched with shoulders back throughout the motion.  Return to the starting position with the kettle ball on the floor.

Long Jump
Start with feet shoulder-width apart. Lower into a squat and explode up and forward.  Jump as far as possible, landing with feet shoulder-width apart.  Immediately drop into another squat and repeat.

Plank
Get into a push up position and drop the elbows to the floor so that the forearms are flat on the ground.  Stay up on the toes and hold the position with weight distributed over the shoulders