Many of you know that we work with our mentors, Rachel and Alwyn Cosgrove, who own Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, CA. Rachel is also a noted author of fitness articles, and one of her latest articles appeared in the Huffington Post last week.
Here’s a link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-cosgrove/changing-fitness-routine_b_1092538.html
Popeye downs a can of spinach and defends his only true love Olive Oyl with some crazy strength move only a cartoon character could do. Try that at home and the only thing you’ll be having is the spinach.
“No specific food will make you faster or stronger tomorrow,” says Lonnie Lowery, R.D., PH.D., and exercise and nutrition scientist at Winona State University, in Minnesota. Instead, whatever your goal – packing on muscle, going the distance, or losing that gut – you have to think long-term. “Sports nutrition is all about many factors adding up over time.” In other words, think crock-pot, not microwave. It’s distance running, not a sprint.
So even though you can’t be Popeye, the Sailor Man, the combination of the right foods and drinks can help you train harder and longer, and look great. Your clean eating habits will support good workouts, and good workouts make the most of clean eating. I’ve collected the latest research to help in your efforts to get the body you want.
Here is a little breakdown for you so that you have a better understanding of what the spine consists of. Our spinal column is a series of twenty-five individual bones called vertebrae which are connected by soft tissues known as ligaments and spinal discs. The discs and ligaments attach one vertebrae to the next and, to a degree, limit the small movements that occurs between the vertebrae. The upper section of the column, commonly known as the neck, is the cervical spine. The middle region is the thoracic spine, and the lowest region is the lumbar spine.
Each pair of vertebrae, for example, the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae, along with the disc sandwiched between them and the ligaments surrounding them, form what is called a spinal joint. Not unlike your knee or elbow joint, a spinal joint is where the movements of the spinal column actually occur. The linking of twenty-five vertebrae by the discs and ligaments produces a continuous, flexible column of spinal joints allowing our bodies the freedom to move in many ways.
The healthy spinal column is a very mobile, but a relatively weak structure. The vertebrae, like all bones in the body, are strong. However, the discs and ligaments that link neighboring vertebrae together are fairly fragile. The discs and ligaments are the ‘weak link’ in the spinal column chain, tolerating only six to nine kilograms of stress before an injury occurs. This means that the spinal column itself is unable to support even our own body weight without collapsing. Without muscle, the spinal column will not remain stable.
Hence the exercises we have programmed for you in our classes. Most, if not all, are core exercises affecting the deepest of all the abdominal muscles and, of course, your back muscles.
The idea that muscles are important in keeping the back healthy is not new. Rehabilitation experts have long prescribed back and abdominal strengthening exercises for people with low back problems. One unique feature of our current understanding of the spine is the realization that spinal muscles come in two distinct varieties: stabilizers and movers. The middle layer of the trunk are relatively short muscles crossing only one to two spinal levels. These are the stabilizers. This arrangement allows middle layer muscles to control the small sliding and tilting motions that occur. These muscles prevent disc or ligament injuries and any subsequent development of excess joint motion.
Movement muscles form the outer layer of our trunk and are much longer and thicker than the stabilizing muscles. These muscles span up to ten spinal joints without attaching to any of the lumbar vertebrae. As such, they are designed to create large movements of the spinal column and to control the overall posture of the spine. The outer muscle layers also tend to be the power generating muscles of the abdomen and lower back. These are the muscles that we use to sit up, to straighten up after bending over, or to lift heavy objects.
Last week I wrote about activating the Transversus Abdominis. Today, stage two of that exercise is activating a deep back muscle called the Multifidus. This muscle is located under the erector group, and is often missed. However, it is one of the most important muscles regarding lower back pain. It is the only muscle that actually have fibers that attach to the posterior part of the sacrum. The importance of learning to activate the multifidus along with the TVA cannot be overstated. My interpretation of the research as well as my educational experience has convinced me that when people correct control of both the TVA and Multifidus they have a very high likelihood of gaining complete control of their back pain.
1. Begin facing down on a massage table or bed.
2. With an easy breath in, exhale and gradually activate your pelvic floor and TVA as in your previous exercise. Maintain that contraction and shift your attention to the multifidus.
3. Keep your eyes open.
4. Think of your spine stretching in opposite directions while simultaneously staring at the ground and elevating slightly above the table or bed.
5. This is not a back extension exercise, so really think of you stretching forward and backward at the same time while keeping your TVA activated and your eyes open as opposed to just elevating off the bed or table and forming a back bend.
Helpful tips:
- Having your eyes open keeps your awareness on your alignment of the spine while reaching forward with the neck and stretching backwards with your legs and feet.
-Concentrate on your breathing so that you can practice contracting both the TVA and the Multifidus simultaneously.
You will initially have a very hard time feeling even the slightest activity in the multifidus if it is de-conditioned, especially if you keep your remaining abdominal, low back and buttocks muscles quiet. This exercise isn’t easy to do and your brain will become tired with the effort. Once you can no longer concentrate, just stop. Trying to force it won’t help. If you start to extend your back you will be contracting the erectors which are more dominant muscles. The multifidus is much smaller and doesn’t need much action to contract it, just concentration.
Try with a partner so they can feel your back along the spinal column to see if you are contracting the correct muscles.
Questions…? Come ask us!
It is time to get focused and dial in your diet and training, so you can feel confident about your progress in the Summer Shape-Up Contest!
Fat loss is a game and sometimes it’s a very tricky one. How do I know what fat loss is all about? First, you need to forget that I’m a certified fitness coach, forget about my degree and continuing education and forget that I’m in the trenches every day coaching fat loss. I have been on that road myself. I know the emotions, struggles and pressures that you’ll be going through.
Your head needs to be in the right place and you need to be ready to make sacrifices and to take on the challenges. You have to be ready to wage war with your fat loss program. Be ready to overcome adversity from your friends, family and sometimes even your spouse. If you have the right mindset, you can accomplish anything!
Set goals for yourself, get your team to hold each other accountable. Set goals that are challenging, yet attainable and reasonable. Know what you want to accomplish and be clear on why you want this so bad. WAGE WAR on fat loss!
What are you going to eat and when? What happens if you get stuck at work or on the road and you can’t eat what you are supposed to? Do you have a back-up plan? When is your training time? Did you schedule your time in the gym? The more you know, the more obstacles that you identify early in the first stages, the better equipped you will be to succeed.
Use your journal and write down your target weight and how you feel e.g. what you look like, what you are doing to get stuff done, ect. Write this in the present tense as though it has already happened and you have achieved the outcome you want.
Create a vision board and put it somewhere you can see it everyday. Cut out images, words, diagrams and photos and make a collage to remind you of what you are trying to achieve.
Check in with our website often for more tips on weight loss, motivation, workouts and a healthy diet.
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