Go Barefoot to Kick Off Summer Right!

  The past two weeks here in the Delmarva area have been nothing but hot and humid with little to no cloud cover.  I could complain about it, but this is what I looked forward too when just 5 months ago my car was covered in ice and snow.  So I welcome the images of sand, beach, pools, BBQ's, and cool drinks with little umbrella's in them.

  And with the change in weather comes a change in footwear.  Very rarely will you see me wearing anything but flip flops from June straight through September.  When making the switch, there's always a week to two week period when my feet have to get used to the fact that there's not as much cushion when walking around anymore.  I have to develop my "Summer Soles" as I call them.

  Surely most of you have heard of or read the book, Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall and his experience with an ancient tribe that is able to run incredible distances with no injuries while running barefoot or with thin-soled sandals.  Chris hypothesizes that wearing cushioned running shoes may be a big contributor to running injury, and since then we have seen a surge in marketing from companies like Nike and Reebok for shoes that mimic barefoot running.

  But why is it good to run, (or do anything for that matter) barefoot?  Well there's a couple of things.  But the biggest one, as Harry Clay explains in THIS T-Nation article, is proprioception.  For most of us, our feet are the only point of contact with the different surfaces we walk on, so to develop good movement patterns our feet should have a good sense of where they are in space.  Wearing cushioned cross trainer's creates a disconnection between your foot and floor, and over time we lose strength in the ligaments and muscles in our feet because of it.  Walking, running or lifting barefoot allows your feet to really grip the surface you're on, creating better overall balance and strength.

  All that being said, I wouldn't just dump all my sneakers in a trash can, set them on fire and go run a marathon barefoot.  You have to take it in stages.  Yes the ancient tribe that McDougall describes runs over 100 miles at a time with no shoes and experiences zero injuries; but I'm also fairly confident that the members of those tribes rarely spend 8 hours a day at a desk and enjoy a Big Mac at least once a week.

  In my opinion the best way to start going barefoot is at the gym.  Now, most gyms won't let you workout barefoot, but if you pick up some thinly soled shoes such as Chuck Taylor's, Vibram's or Reebok's ReelFlex, it should be the next best thing.  You will notice a huge difference in doing exercises such as squats, dead lift, and lunges barefoot.  Your foot will be able to grip the floor better, and you can really develop the musculature of your posterior chain better by pushing your heals directly into the ground on these exercises, instead of pushing through a cushioned heal lift that your sneakers provide.

  You will most likely experience some soreness, just as you would when starting any new exercise program.  However, if you are willing and physically able, try lifting barefoot at your gym.  It's a more controlled environment than running outside, and I think you will really enjoy the added benefits it can give you.

Exercises for Runners

  With the Delaware Marathon coming up this weekend here in Wilmington, I thought it would only be appropriate to dedicate a post strictly for you endurance athlete's.  And to be quite honest, this post will also help out you everyday gym goers who think running or the stair climber is a good way to work out your legs. 

  Just because you're moving your legs does not necessarily mean your giving them a good workout.  And it definitely doesn't mean that your necessarily building muscle either.  In my experience, endurance athletes have the absolute worst quad and hamstring strength; and don't even get me started on their glute and core strength.  I mean some people I see running look so weak it causes me pain to watch them run.

  You've probably seen it yourself.  Hunched over posture, hips bobbing up and down, and mile after mile of slamming heels into the ground.  Yes you may be able to run 26 miles, but you don't look healthy or strong to me. 

  It's not your fault, you've just been misinformed.  Lifting weights will not make you so bulky that it would impair your running capabilities, nor will it decrease your cardiovascular fitness you've worked so hard to build up.  In reality, strengthening your glutes, quads, hamstring, and core will actually improve your running quality and prevent injury.  Don't believe me?  Check out THIS study, and while your at it, check THIS ONE out too.

  To start, we'll put together a short routine that you can perform up to 3 times a week to being to strengthen those hips, legs and core.  You should perform these exercises right after the other, at 12 reps per exercise.  When you've completed all of them, rest and repeat for an additional 3 sets.  The exercises are:

                     1. Forward Lunge (each leg) 4x12
 
                     2.  1 Leg RDL  (each leg)    4x12

                     3. Step Ups on Bench (each leg) 4x12

                     4. Bridge     4x12

                     5.  Plank  4x 30sec holds

   Give these exercises a try and I promise you sill start to feel a heck of a lot stronger while you run.  And if you happen to be by the Wilmington Riverfront this Saturday, Plexus Fitness will have a booth setup where this weekends marathoner's will be checking in; and we will be giving out information on gym membership and personal training, as well as auctioning off a brand new Ipod Shuffle! 

Hope to see you all this weekend!

What Keeps You Healthy?

    Last week, I became sick for the 1st time in over a year, and man it was a doosey.  Fever, cough , congestion, upset stomach, and a throat so sore I seriously considered drinking my green tea through a funnel.  But since the only funnel I found was the one I use for putting oil in my car, I passed on that idea and instead fought through my sickness in my dark cave of a bedroom until I could start to talk again without sounding like Al Pacino.

    Since it's so rare that I do get sick, I started to think about things I do in my everyday life (or at least things I do somewhat consistently) that help keep me healthy.  Now, I am by no means a health care professional, nor am I telling anyone that you must do everything that I am about to list to have any hope of being healthy.  Really, I just thought it would be an interesting discussion so please just take it for what it's worth to you.

   1. Sleep

    I use to overlook this and think that I can easily get by with 5 or so hours of sleep per night.  One may be able to live with minimal sleep, but I feel it's just not a healthy way to treat your body.  I usually average about anywhere between 6-8 hours of actual sleep per night.  I also treat my bedroom as a restful place.  There are no phones, computers, xbox, or TV allowed in my bedroom.  I feel that some people think that lying down, watching TV for 2 hours before bed is sleeping or resting, but it's not.  Try to shut off all electronics an hour before you plan to go sleep, have a cup of tea and read a book until you feel like going to bed.  If what you're reading is not work related, I almost guarantee you will have the most restful sleep you've had in a long time.

   2. Regular Exercise

   This one seems kind of self explanatory if you are a regular reader of my blog.  It's no secret that regular exercise will help fight and prevent obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and I could go on and on.  Interestingly enough, THIS STUDY saw that people who did NOT participated in regular exercise also had a much LOWER perceived quality of life.  Think about it.

   3. Multivitamin

  By taking a quality multivitamin, I'm able to get all the nutrient's and vitamin's I would normally not get from my diet alone.  Admittedly, I will forget to take my multivitamin 3 out of the 7 days of the week, but I think it's better to have than have not.  There are also certain times of year when we may be lacking in certain vitamin's.  Vitamin D we normally synthesize ourselves through the sun's rays, but in winter we get so little sunlight that our body is definitely lacking it.  This is where I can see taking a muti helps out the most.

   4.  I Cook My Own Food

   I'd say that I cook all of my meals for 5 days out of the week.  With that I try my best to get a good variety of lean meat, fruits,and vegetables.  I like to cook for myself because that way I know exactly what I'm eating.  You may think that eating out is easier but if you take the time to plan out your meals, you will be surprised at how easy it can be. 

  5.  I Don't Smoke

  Seriously, why are you doing this?  STOP IT!

  6.  I Always Have Anti-Bacterial Lotion With Me At All Times And I Open All Doors With A Handkerchief.

  Well that's a joke, but have you ever seen people who do this?  I don't have enough time in my day to worry about the chances I will contract Bird Flu .


  For now, those are the big things I can think of that I do to keep myself in fighting shape.  But I would like to know what you think keep YOU healthy!  Please post your opinions and if we get at least 10 comments down, I"ll post the 5 exercises you need to be doing to get your body beach ready!  So you'd better hurry because memorial day is just around the corner.

The Best Thing You're NOT Doing For Your Body

   For the most part, everyone knows that they should warm up before starting an exercise routine.  Maybe you already knew that but you just don't do it; maybe you just hop on the treadmill for 5 minutes and then go ahead and hit the heavy squats; or maybe you didn't know you were even supposed to warm up, in which case you can just fake like you did since you already read this far into the blog post.

   To me, warming up means that I'm priming my muscles to perform at their maximum potential.  Why would I want them to perform at any other level?  With that being said, if you jumped out of your seat right now and jogged in place for about 3-5 minutes, do you think you would be able lift heavy weights or play a pick up game of basketball at your body's maximum potential?

  Really?  You who has been sitting with terrible posture for the past 45 mins (at least). 

  Although performing a well thought out dynamic warm-up is probably the best way to warm up (and probably a good topic for a future post), you can do something much simpler (and shorter) in order to get your body primed and ready to work!

  Enter the foam roll.

  It doesn't look like much but spending 5 minutes or so with the foam roll can drastically improve your workouts and help you get the most from your muscles.  Think about how you probably feel right now hunched over your keyboard.   Your lower back and upper backprobably feel tight.  With that your hip is tight and probably feels like it's got a little knot in it.  How do we "iron out" these issuse fast and effectively?  It's called self myofascial release.

  Think deep tissue massage.  We are going to use the foam roll and roll over these tight, knotted up areas so our bodies can move effectively.  You see, not only do our muscles need to be flexible, or have enough length, to move well but the quality of our muscle tissue also has to be good.  How much better can you move your head around after someone gives you a nice neck/shoulder rub to work out the knots?  We're looking for the same results with other larger areas of our bodies.

  So for me, I always like to start a workout by foam rolling my lower body and lower to mid back.  Once I find a tender area, I make 5 long, sweeping rolls and then move to the next area.  You can see me go through my progression here. 

  Like all exercise's, using this method will feel better the more you do it.  So make foam rolling a consistant part of your warm up routine and start getting more from your body.  If you really love it, which I know you will, you can pick up one of these bad boy's for about $10 bucks and your local sporting goods store.

A Case for Legs, Part 3!

  It's finally here!  The much anticipated 3rd installment of " A Case for Legs" series is finally here for your viewing pleasure.  Visit our Youtube page for a video playlist of different squat and deadlift variations that you can add to your training program today! 
Along with each video is a written explaination on how to correctly perform each movement.   For a deadlift variation, see video's labeled pull through's, dumbell swing, single leg romanian deadlift, and barbell deadlift.  For squat variations, see video's labled sit to stand, forward lunge, ball squat, jump squats, and front barbell squat.

Also, take some time to view all our video's, as we have much more updated content that may or may not be of interest to you.

Let me know what you think of each exercise, or if you have some exercises you would like to share. 

Have fun!

5 Habits of Succesful Gym Go-ers

  Fact is, all gym go-ers are not alike.  There are reasons why some people reach (and surpass) their goals, while others don't.  Sure, I could ramble on and on about what exercises you should be doing, how many reps and sets, what recovery drink you should consume after your workout, how much cardio you should be doing, and so on.  Instead I have listed 5 of the most important habits, in my opinion, succesful gym members should posses if you hope to better your body and your overall health.

So here we go!

Habit # 1:  A well written exercise program/routine.

   What happens when you go to the grocery store without a list?  You end up buying a lot of crap you don't need right?  I'm sure the family sized tub of Haagen Dazs really was a steal.

   People that go to the gym without planning what exercises they are going to do that day are wasting their time.  You can normally spot these people huddled around a television set, circling around the gym floor, or doing 18 sets of bicep curls.  To be able to improve your body, you MUST have a routine that addresses your goals and weaknesses.  You should also be carrying this program around with you and writing down the weights you used, how many reps and sets you completed, and how much rest you had inbetween each completed set.  The really good exerciser will not only keep track of these numbers, but will try and improve these numbers each time they workout. 

Habit # 2:  No Ego!

   So what if that guy at the squat rack is deadlifting 305lbs; or that woman has been running on the treadmill for the past half hour at a speed of 11mph at a 4% incline.  What others are doing do not effect how your training session will go.  You have your own goals and your own limitations to worry about.  There's no need to feel intimidated or feel like others are watching you with a high resolution magnifiying glass.  When I work out I'm on a mission, and I have no time to worry about anything or anybody but myself.

Habit #3:  In it for the Long Haul!

  Training to improve your body and health should be a lifelong commitment.  Rome wasn't built in a day.  Some days you have it and some days you don't.  The best thing to think about after one of those less than average trainning days is that the next training day is right around the corner.  Hang your hat on the fact that you always have another chance at improving.  Those who get discouraged and quit never realize the fact that keeping a healthy lifestyle is a LIFE LONG choice, not just a repetitive New Year's resolution.

Habit #4:  Lift Heavy Things

  The overload principle states that a greater than normal stress or load on the body is required for training adaptation to take place. So if you're twirling around a little pink dumbell and barely breaking a sweat, you're not doing yourself any good.  You must challenge your body in way that forces it to adapt.  So if you're lifting weights, make sure they are heavy enough to challenge you!  You may not be able to complete the last 2 reps on your final set but that's the point.  Keep trying until you can finish that final set, then pick up some heavier weights.

Habit #5:  Listen to Your Body

   The great ones always have this in mind.  As you improve your body, you will become more aware of what you're capable of and what your not.  You aren't in high school anymore, so why are you still trying to perform your high school football lifting regimine?  If your lower back hurts, why are you trying to do back squats?  The phrase "No pain, No gain" should not be your mantra.  If your back hurts, try dumbell lunges instead of your usual back squat.  If your shoulder hurts, don't try and power through some shoulder presses.  Maybe take some time on mobility and flexibility instead.  You're not going to lose ground if you can't complete your program exactly they way it's written everyday.  You should be prepared with alternative exercises or ideas to get you through these roadblocks.

And there you have it!  Let me know what you think of these habits, or if you have any that you think I missed.  But I want to challenege you to honestly ask yourself how many of these qualities you actually possess; and when do you think your going to start to try and develop these habit?

A Case for Legs, Part 2.

  Last week, I wrote about the importantce of adding a squat variation to your workout routine.  But I wouldn't be doing a blog entitled "A Case for Legs" any justice if I failed to reveal the importance of a deadlift variation to the development of your legs. So here it goes!

  Deadlift's get a bad wrap from the everyday gym go-er.  Most people think it's only for BIG guys, or that it's an exercise that will only hurt their back and leave them paralyzed.  The name DEADLIFT even sounds a lot more intimidating than other exercises like the "sissy squat" or the "chest butterfly" for instance.

  True, you can slip a disc (or worse) if you perform the deadlift with a curved spine; but if you correctly perform a deadlift or any of its variations, there's no better exercise you can do to strengthen your posterior chain .  Here is a list of just some of the benefits of performing a deadlift, outlined by renowned strength coach and competitive powerlifter Eric Cressey in this article.

1.)  "The posterior chain is of paramount importance to high-level performance; watch the best sprinters run, and you’ll see that they seem to just “float”—and it’s because they’re running with their hamstrings and glutes. In contrast, watch a guy who runs with his quads, and you’ll see that his hips are bouncing up and down; there’s a lot of wasted movement. The glutes and hamstrings are all fast-twitch fibers with a lot of strength, speed, and size potential—potential you’ll never realize without deadlift variations."

2.) "Strengthening the posterior chain with closed-chain movements like deadlifts also reduces injury risk. Weak hamstrings are a serious risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, patellofemoral pain, and a host of other problems at the knee, hip, ankle, and lower back."

3.) "Deadlifts have a better functional carryover to real world performance than leg curls, glute-blasters, and all the other silly machines out there."

4.)  "Deadlifts can be a tremendously valuable corrective training exercise if coached correctly. I’ve used them in the correction of IT [iliotibial] band friction syndrome, lower back pain, lateral knee pain, groin pain, and a host of other torso and lower extremity problems. The secret rests with the proper execution of the exercise. "

If you are still skeptical, don't be.  Just get out try it and see for yourself. After your done catching your breath, tell me how it went.

If you are nervous about performing the correct technique, stayed tuned for part 3. where I will demostrate how to properly execute a deadlift, and a squat.