Ask Adam: How Often Should I Stretch?

Posted by Adam - 02/16/09 at 12:02:33 pm

I have found that stretching is one of the most underrated forms of exercise there is. Even I used to scoff at the time put into lengthy stretching that I have seen people do. Only when I began to realize that my muscles were becoming too big, and I had a difficult time scratching my back did I realize that I needed to take action. After just 3 weeks in a twice a week power-yoga class, I began to notice serious improvements in not only my flexibility, but also my strength gains, and lack of soreness after exercise. Impressed as I was, I needed to find out more information.

There is loads of information related to stretching in health journals and on the internet that I had consistently overlooked before. Mainly because at some point it had been engrained into my mind that I just didn’t have the flexible gene (no one in my family can touch their toes) and yoga was just too girly for a weightlifter like myself. Oh, how I was wrong…

Before we begin, keep in mind that there are several important factors that can affect your flexible abilities. The first is age: flexibility increases through adolescence up until the age of 20, after which it gradually decreases over time. The second is gender: women are generally more flexible than men. The third and the one that this post will focus on is activity: obviously people who remain active throughout their lives will generally be more supple than those who are sedentary. Being flexible is extremely important to in regards to exercise and general health, and this blog will cover the basic premises of stretching and how to do it safely and effectively.

Flexibility is defined as the ability of a joint to move through its full range of motion. Flexibility is specific to each joint, therefore having “good” flexibility implies that you have good range of motion in all your joints, not just one joint. Thankfully, flexibility is highly adaptable, and will increase with regular activity and stretching exercises. However, flexibility also has quick reversibility and decreases without inactivity. It is extremely important to any sort of physical activity especially in terms of skill-related fitness. A runner who has tight hamstrings will have restricted flexion in the hip joint, resulting in shorter stride length. Regardless of whether you are running competitively, increased flexibility in the hamstrings and other leg muscles will increase your speed and reduce the amount of energy used while running. For general well being, how easily, smoothly, and painlessly you can bend, reach, twist, and turn depends on how flexible your body is. Benefits of flexibility include:

• more efficient body movement
• increased performance capabilities in sports
• reduction of muscle soreness after exercise
• improvement and maintenance of food posture (reduces lower back problems)
• reduces chance of injury
• relaxation and relief from aches and pains from sitting too long while reducing blood pressure and mental tension.

So why are we not flexible? What makes us unable to bend over and touch our toes or tie our legs into a pretzel? There are five main structural limitations:

• Bone: can restrict the endpoint in range of motion, mostly due to past injury.
• Fat: gets in the way of limbs moving
• Skin: may restrict range of motion if there is old scar tissue
• Muscle: muscles are highly elastic and it is possible to increase the length the amount muscles can be stretched.
• Tendons: though not nearly as lithe as muscles, tendons may also stretch
• Ligaments: have very limited flexibility, but are majorly affected by long periods of inactivity and injury.

Now that you know the basics, understand this: stretching is NOT beneficial BEFORE you exercise. “Whoa,” you say, “why have I constantly been taught to stretch before my workout?” The answer is not so simple, but it’s largely due to lack of research and understanding of beneficial stretching in previous decades. Yes, decades. That is how overlooked stretching was for some time. Until only recently, the past 10-20 years, has there been a large focus on stretching for exercise. This means that all of your parents, coaches, and friends were fed incorrect information in regards to stretch technique (albeit, to not fault of theirs).

Stretching should never be the first part of your workout. Stretching cold, or resting muscles, can actually cause more harm than good. This is why having a short cardio warm up is highly recommended before any sort of exercise, even over traditional stretching. The best time to stretch, get this, is AFTER you have completed your workout. Your muscles are warm, loosened up, and already elongated. Stretching at this stage is crucial if you want to see improvement. Immediately after exercise, before you hit the shower, spend at minimum 10 minutes stretching. Here are some guidelines to follow:

• It is recommended that your stretch at minimum 2-3 days a week to maintain your flexibility, 5-6 days a week for best results.
• When stretching, your intensity is very important. You should create a stretch that causes mild discomfort in the muscle surrounding the joint being stretched. Do not stretch so hard that it causes pain.
• 2-3 repetitions of each stretch, holding each for 10-20 seconds.

There are three basic types of stretching: Static Stretching, Ballistic Stretching, & PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation).

This is a highly effective method that involves gradually stretching a muscle by placing it in a maximal stretch position and holding that position for 10-30 seconds. This is the safest method of stretching, particularly for untrained or sedentary people.

This involves short, bouncing movements such as touching your toes in rapid succession. Because the bouncing movements may be greater than the muscle’s extensibility, injury may occur, and caution is absolutely necessary (I personally would never recommend this type).

PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation):

This is the most effective method of stretching, but requires the use of a partner to help. PNF involves a series of pushing and relaxing movements by you and your partner. Using a hamstring stretch as an example, you would lie on your back with your leg extended and your partner would push against your leg until you feel a slight discomfort in your muscle. At this point you would push against your partner’s resistance by contracting the hamstring. After 10 seconds of this, you would relax your muscle, and your partner would apply even more pressure for another 10 seconds. This push-relax technique should be repeated at least 3 times.

Remember again, that these should be done after the workout, never before to avoid injury. A short cardio warm up should be done before any exercise.

As for yoga, it certainly is not girly. I joined a power yoga class that focuses more on stretching than on meditation. I can happily say that it was one of the best decisions of my health life in the past year. It may be intimidating at first (the first day of my class my instructor stood on her head with her arms crossed over her chest while talking to the class) but you will get better, and you will see improvements.

On Gyminee, feel free to join the flexibility exercise group or a number of the yoga groups that have been created. Wii fit has some fantastic yoga exercises, and is very popular among Gyminee users. You can also download weekly or daily podcasts on iTunes for free if you cannot afford either Wii Fit or a yoga class. Good quality yoga mats can be bought for as little as $10.

The most important thing is to start adding complimentary stretching to your workout routine as soon as possible.

Fun Nutrition Fact of the Week:

Did you know that one of America’s most famous snacks, Tortilla Chips, has had the same recipe for over a millenia?  The ancient Aztecs invented the now popular food, using the same 3 ingredients as today: corn meal, water, and salt.  Today, companies such as Frito-Lay produce the food on a much larger scale, but there has never been an a change to the oringal recipe.  The only thing that separates the different varieties are the types of corn and the shape of the chip.

Nutrient Timing

Posted by Susan - 11/10/08 at 02:11:22 pm

In an effort to start putting on muscle (and no, I’m not worried about bulking up!) I’ve started educating myself on the science of nutrient timing.

For edification purposes I read published articles and research papers by Dr. John Berardi, Alan Aragon and Dr. John Ivy.  I’ve become a fan of Dr. Ivy, who has spent his career researching healthy options for building strength, endurance and muscle mass.

Up until now my focus has been on what to eat and how much to eat.  With my goal being to build lean muscle mass I will now begin to incorporate nutrient timing, or when to eat, into my daily protocol.

In this posting I’ll briefly summarize Dr. Ivy’s position.  For a more detailed explanation check out Dr. Ivy’s book, Nutrient Timing, available on Amazon.com for around $10 US.

If anyone out there has utilized nutrient timing as part of your regime, I’d love to hear about your results!

Biology 101

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) provides the energy currency (fuel) for the body to perform mechanical work such as muscle contraction.  It is created by the breakdown of food, which is why it’s imperative that if you’re exercising you keep your body well nourished.

ATP can be generated both anaerobically (without oxygen) and aerobically (with oxygen).

Anaerobically, ATP is formed through the phosphagen system and through glycolysis.  The phosphagen system provides enough energy to fuel 5 to 10 seconds of activity while glycolysis fuels activities that last around 30 to 120 seconds.

For longer duration activities such as a marathon, the body relies on the aerobic pathway where carbohydrates, protein and fat are utilized for ATP production.

So, while muscles can only store enough ATP for a few seconds of high intensity contraction (e.g, sprinting), our bodies are constantly generating more ATP.  The more intense the exercise, the greater the body’s demand for ATP, the more wear and tear on the body.

This is where nutrient timing comes in to play.

Recommendations

In his research findings, Dr. Ivy identified a time span during which nutrition will impact an athletes ability to improve endurance, reduce muscle damage and improve recovery.  Specifically:

• 30 minutes prior to exercise fully hydrate by consuming 14 - 20 ounces of water or electrolyte solution.
• During exercise fluids should be replenished every 15 - 20 minutes.  And, not just water.  A drink consisting of a 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio can increase endurance and limit muscle damage.
• 30 minutes post-workout is the window of opportunity where a muscle’s potential to rebuild peaks.  Ivy suggests high quality protein and carbohydrates be consumed during this period.

Summary

For the average person who does not spend a considerable amount of time exercising, focusing on the what and how much to eat will ensure they are able to maintain a desired weight.

As for the athlete or person spending a considerable amount of time in the gym seeking to change their body composition, nutrient timing is well worth the exploration.

Train hard; stay strong.

Peace.

Susan

www.catapultfitnessblog.com

More Research Supporting High Intensity Training

Posted by Susan - 10/28/08 at 03:10:52 pm

Rarely a day goes by where I don’t hear someone telling me about the hours on end they spend on the treadmill/elliptical/stair climber. These are the same people who have the same 10 - 20 lbs to lose that just never seem to come off.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I hate doing cardio. Yet, nothing takes the weight off like a good cardio session so when I first began reading about high intensity training (short workouts at maximum output) I was more than happy to give it a try.

The changes I realized over the past 9-months have exceeded my expectations. I now spend under half the time I used to working out, weigh 16 lbs less and lost 9% of my body fat.

High intensity training works. Period.

There is continuing research supporting the benefits of high intensity training, the most recent coming out of the University of Virginia where they have studied the impact of aerobic exercise on individuals with the metabolic syndrome.

According to the American Heart Association, metabolic syndrome is characterized by a group of metabolic risk factors in one person, including abdominal obesity (excessive fat tissue in and around the abdomen, also known as visceral fat).

People with the metabolic syndrome are at increased risk of coronary heart disease and other diseases related to plaque buildups in artery walls (e.g., stroke and peripheral vascular disease) and type 2 diabetes. The metabolic syndrome has become increasingly common in the United States. It’s estimated that over 50 million Americans have it.

While abdominal visceral fat (AVF) is a predictor of the metabolic syndrome, little is known regarding the effects of aerobic exercise training intensity on reductions in AVF.

Researchers out of the University of Virginia studied 28 abdominally obese individuals to determine if 16 weeks of aerobic exercise training at an intensity above the lactate threshold (high intensity training) is more effective than aerobic training below the lactate threshold (low intensity training) on reduction in abdominal visceral fat (AVF).

The 28 individuals were assigned to one of three groups:

1) No exercise training

2) Low intensity training – 5 supervised exercise sessions (days) per week, working below the lactate threshold.

3) High intensity training – 5 supervised exercise sessions (days) per week, with three days above the lactate threshold and two days at the lactate threshold.

Exercise time was adjusted to maintain identical caloric expenditure for the 28 individuals.

Results revealed significant reductions in abdominal and thigh fat only in the high intensity training group.

Once again, research supports that in order to lose fat the focus needs to be on high intensity training.

My high intensity program of choice is Turbulence Training combined with HIIT on a treadmill or bike, but you can find many options here on Gyminee. Find a program that works for you. If you’ve been struggling with losing those last 10 to 20 lbs, you may be very surprised by the results.

Train hard; stay strong.

Peace.

Susan

www.catapultfitnessblog.com

“Everybody Wins” At Gyminee

Posted by Stephen - 10/24/08 at 11:10:31 am

For those of you who aren’t yet familiar with Gyminee Challenges, they are a very popular way for Gyminee users to compete with one another to see who can lose the most weight, run the furthest distance, lift the greatest amount of weight, and much more. Gyminee Challenges were released only a couple months ago, and we are pleased (to say the least) at how they have been helping people to exercise more and to stay motivated.

 In the 420+ challenges that have been created:

• Over 3,000 users have participated in a challenge.
• Over 4,580 lbs have been lost by users in Weight Loss Challenges.
  
• Over 25,375 miles have been traveled by users in Distance Challenges.
• Over 58,850,000 lbs have been lifted by users in Weight Lifting Challenges!

 

 

 

 

Is Your Aerobics Instructor Making the Cut?

Posted by GenaM - 10/23/08 at 12:10:33 pm

On your road to better health, you may decide to join a fitness class. Thankfully, today’s gyms offer lots of choices - aerobics, step, kick boxing, boxing, yoga and more. Mike Spezzano, Vice President of Membership and Program Development at New York City’s YMCA, recommends watching a class before joining. Here are a few pointers for choosing the class that’s right for you.

• Teacher vs. Performer - Make sure the instructor is a good teacher not just someone who can go through all kinds of complicated choreography.
• Taking Time - The instructor should take time with individuals to help them develop skills, to help them learn whatever it is they’re doing in the class.
• Levels of Intensity - Make sure the instructor gives options to modify the intensity, like easier options for people who are tired or want something less challenging. Then people can work at their own level.
• Variety - The instructor should incorporate new things to keep the class interesting-new motivating music from time to time or new choreography.
• Fun - There should be an element of fun to keep people motivated and coming back time after time. If the participants are smiling, that’s a good sign.

2008 Candidate Spotlight: Obama’s Fitness Routine

Posted by JuryDuty - 10/16/08 at 08:10:51 am

While it doesn’t look like John McCain or Barack Obama have registered for Gyminee yet, we thought it would be fun to look at what each candidate does for fitness. In this installment, we’ll look at Barack Obama.

A Politico reporter spied on Obama at the gym recently and picked up some pretty detailed information:

“Obama ran a full body workout. Standing tricep push downs, elbows tight to his hips. Lying triceps presses but with single 15 lb dumbbells in each hand, his cap falling off. After the set he got up, placed the weights back and only then reached down and picked up his cap, ever so gradually. Shoulder presses. Step ups with a high platform, clasping dumbbells. He had a prescribed workout on paper that Reggie held. Though at times Obama did his own thing, focusing mostly on his triceps. In one set he started with 50 lbs for overhead dumbbell extensions. He lifted it once, grimacing. He moved straight away to 40 lbs. Later, in the corner of the gym he did calf raises alone, lifting about 80 lbs and then cleaning the bench afterward, slowly, weight by weight. He walked around that way, sauntering, squinting beneath his cap, a little stiff legged, like a man who had just finished a long run.”

Other sites report that Obama enjoys switching it up between using a treadmill, riding a stationary bike, shooting hoops or taking in a daily 3 mile jog. According to kiwibox, his diet includes “protein bars, veggies, and almonds, among other healthy foods.”

Of course, running for president is a rigorous fitness test in itself! Be sure to check out McCain’s routine in an earlier post here at Gyminee, too.

And, if you want to use Gyminee to keep in shape like Obama, check out Gyminee’s Obama Fitness Routine.

–JuryDuty

(Christopher Maselli at WritingMomentum.com)

2008 Candidate Spotlight: McCain’s Fitness Routine

Posted by JuryDuty - 10/15/08 at 08:10:39 am

While it doesn’t look like John McCain or Barack Obama have registered for Gyminee yet, we thought it would be fun to look at what each candidate does for fitness. In this installment, we’ll look at John McCain.

ABC News reports that in July, McCain was asked point-blank by Lance Armstrong about how he stays fit. His answer?

“I hike, I swim, I do light exercises,” McCain said, noting that he recently hiked the Grand Canyon rim to rim with his son.

“I mainly enjoy hiking,” McCain said, “so you can enjoy the outdoors.” But McCain also acknowledged that campaigning itself is good exercise–shaking hands on the rope line, traveling on the campaign trail.

“And,” he said, “you don’t eat much cause you are usually talking while others are eating.”

According to kiwibox, his diet includes “shrimp, doughnuts and pepperoni/onion pizza.”

So while McCain doesn’t appear to have a regimented routine, he does suggest that he stays very active…and you have to admit, anyone who can survive running for president must be in pretty good shape!

Set a bookmark and check back soon for a look at Obama’s routine.

–JuryDuty

(Christopher Maselli at WritingMomentum.com)

Correlation vs. Causation

Posted by Brian - 10/09/08 at 12:10:44 pm

I’ve been slacking on my posting for about a month now due to some personal issues, but am hoping to work my way back into a regular routine and am going to start it with a simple, but nonetheless important note regarding the numerous research studies that people (myself included) throw around to support why we should or should not eat Food A or do Exercise B.  And that note is that correlation is not…repeat…is not the same as causation.

To start this discussion, we need to recognize that we’re all biased.  I’m biased.  You’re biased.  Yes, some people have a more open mind than others, but for someone to say that they are completely unbiased is ludicrous.  And it’s because of this bias that we have a tendency to blindly accept studies that reinforce what we already believe, and immediately dismiss or pick apart the ones that don’t.  So, when we hear of a study(1) that, for instance, finds a correlation between exercise (in this case running) and longevity, we immediately accept that as Gospel.  Why?  Because that’s what we already believe to be true in our minds.  Of course people who exercise live longer, better lives, right?!?

The conclusion that the authors of this particular study draw is that “Vigorous exercise (running) at middle and older ages is associated with reduced disability in later life and a notable survival advantage.”  There’s nothing wrong with that statement - in fact, it’s 100% accurate - but it’s important to note that the authors said they found an “association” (correlation), not proof (causation).  Reread their conclusion.  Nowhere are they claiming they proved a link between exercise and longevity, but today’s mainstream media doesn’t make mention of that distinction when studies like this are blasted across the television, radio, and the internet.  Saying something could, maybe, possibly, perhaps, we think help or hurt you doesn’t have the same impact as, “Want to avoid death?  We’ll tell you how…tonight at 11:00″.

Now, let’s look at another example of correlation.  Below is a famous, far-fetched example used in a letter to the Kansas School Board in January 2005 (2).

There is obviously a correlation between the two sets of data in that, as the number of pirates has decreased over the centuries, the global average temperature has increased.  But I don’t think that anyone would believe that the decreasing number of pirates in the world has actually caused the increase in the global average temperature or that the increase in the temperature has caused a reduction in the number of pirates.  Yet because a scientist or statistician somewhere in the world found a similar correlation between exercise and longevity we immediately think, “Ah-ha!  Finally! Proof!”

The interesting thing about science is that we tend to define it as creating a hypothesis and then proving or disproving that hypothesis.  In reality, hypotheses aren’t really proven.  Experiments either support the data, or disprove the data.  After enough support, we accept the hypothesis as fact, even though we have never proven it to be true.  We just can’t find anything that disproves it (if you’re interested enough - and geeky enough - check out the graph of the results of the COBE Mission as this is probably the most amazing example of an experiment agreeing with a theory (3)).

So, as we look at the two sets of correlating data presented in this post, the first (that exercise is linked to longevity) is one that we’ll still walk away believing because we “know” that to be true, while the second (involving temperatures and pirates) we will continue to “know” is false even though neither study…proved…anything.

Citations:

(1) - Archives of Internal Medicine: Reduced Disability and Mortality Among Aging Runners

(2) - Wikipedia: Flying Spaghetti Monster

(3) - Wikipedia: COBE Mission

New Profile Stuff

Posted by Stephen - 10/08/08 at 11:10:07 pm

We just updated the Gyminee profiles to have a couple of new settings. This had been suggested by a handful of Gyminee users, and we too felt that it would allow users to give a more personal touch to their public profiles. The new settings are an “About Me” paragraph and a “My Motto” quote. We see people regularly sharing this type of information on the Gyminee Forums, but now it can live right there on your profile page as well.

So, if you’re wanting to let people get to know you a little more, you should update your Profile Settings and fill in this new information. And as always, more cool features are coming soon, so keep checking back for updates!

Stay motivated. Have fun. Get fit.

Need To Lose Weight? Get Some Shut-Eye

Posted by Susan - 09/17/08 at 10:09:26 am

According to the National Sleep Foundation, 60 million adults report having interrupted sleep at least a few nights per week and more than 40 million Americans suffer from a sleep disorder.

Obesity is a disease that affects nearly one-third of the adult American population - approximately 60 million adults.

• Sleep loss has been shown to affect the secretion of cortisol, a hormone that regulates appetite. As such, despite adequate calorie intake individuals who are sleep deprived may continue to feel hungry.

• Decreased amounts of restorative deep sleep have been associated with significantly reduced levels of growth hormone; a protein that helps regulates the body’s proportions of fat and muscle.

• Lack of sleep may interfere with the body’s ability to metabolize carbohydrates and cause increased levels of glucose (sugar). Excess glucose promotes the over production of insulin, which can promote the storage of body fat.

• Sleep deprivation directly impacts the production of both leptin and ghrelin, two hormones that regulate appetite. Lack of sleep results in higher levels of ghrelin, a hunger stimulating hormone, while decreasing the production of leptin, a hormone that signals your brain that you are satiated.

So, how much sleep do we need? Eight hours is optimal according to The National Sleep Foundation.

Train hard; stay strong; get a good night’s rest!

Peace.

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