Strengthening the Core

The “core” of your body – the muscles in and around your back and abdominals – is crucial to your overall strength. Just as the core of an apple supports the surrounding fruit, so your overall body weight will not be well-supported without a strong core. Good posture, sitting, standing, and really any type of movement all require a strong core.

Core Muscles Work Together

If you suffer back pain, pain while sitting or standing, or persistent pain in the lower neck area, your core area could be weak, or you may have strengthened muscles in one area of your core while neglecting the others. The muscles throughout your core area work together, and strengthening just one area may put additional strain on the other muscles. So when you strengthen your core, it is a good idea to do a variety of exercises that will keep your core muscles wrapped tightly around your body to give it support.

The Muscles and How to Keep Them Strong

Starting at the top, the erector spinae muscles run from your neck to your lower back, and help provide good, upright posture. When these muscles are weak, your back will tend to slump or stoop, and eventually you will experience back pain as a result. One way to strengthen these muscles is to lie on your stomach with hands clasped behind your head, and slowly lift your head and upper body off the floor, then return to the resting position.

The rectus abdominis muscles are the famed “six pack” abs that so many people prize. Luckily, these muscles are just beneath the skin, so when excess fat is lost and the muscles are improved, they display quite nicely. Crunch exercises are a great way to strengthen these muscles, and the crossover crunch, where you twist to one side while crunching, will strengthen the internal oblique muscles, which lie just to the side of the rectus abdominis muscles.

Still farther to the side, near the outside of your body, are the external oblique muscles. Arm sweep exercises are quite effective at strengthening this important muscle group. Simply sit on the floor with knees slightly bent and extend your hands to your side. Lean back just a bit, until you feel your abs contract. Now, sweep your left hand back and twist that way with your upper body. Return to center and repeat the exercise on your right side. Remember not to twist too much, or the benefits of the exercise will be lost.

Deep within your core are the transverse abdominis muscles, or TVA muscles. These muscles are the closest to your spine and are critical for support, stability, and pain-free movement. A great way to strengthen these muscles is the plank exercise, where you keep your body straight while raised up on your forearms.

The core of your body is where all strength begins, and it is critical to all types of movement and strength conditioning that this portion of your anatomy be strong and healthy. A few minutes a day of focus on your core will pay benefits for years to come in improved posture and lower pain levels.

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The Matthews Method

Looking for stronger, healthier abdominal muscles? Or perhaps you exercise regularly, but are becoming bored with your workout and are looking for something different. Perhaps this is the time to consider the Matthews Method. This exercise plan was originally developed by Gary Matthews, an Australian who began his fitness career as a trainer with the Royal Australian Air Force. Over the course of several decades, Matthews developed personal training plans and began to share them with the Air Force. Below are summaries of his main guidelines:

Don't Train Beyond Your Limits

Your body has an exhaustion point – one should never exercise past this point. The effects of exercise – any exercise – will begin to show in reduced blood sugar levels after approximately 30 minutes. That is not to say that you should immediately stop at 30 minutes, but after such period additional strain is placed upon the body and increased recovery time is required after exercise. Hence, Matthews is advised to focus upon a high-intensity workout that lasts approximately 30 minutes and stimulates as many muscle fibers as possible during this time period.

Exercise Using Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is Gary's term for gradually increasing the “load” of the workout. For instance, if one performs 3 sets of 20 repetitions of a given exercise with 50 pounds of resistance. Within a week or two the body will have adjusted to this ‘load’. Without increasing the workout – through increased sets, repetition or resistance – the body will no longer gain the same benefit from the workout. Once the workout can be performed with relative ease, one of these factors must be increased. However, he warns that under no circumstances should technique be sacrificed. Perfect technique is one item that must remain constant, as it is the greatest protection against injury.

Allow Your Body Recovery Time

This is the one area that most exercisers ignore - muscles require recovery time after a workout and by not permitting same, one allows a high risk of injury. Muscle mass requires more oxygen than other organs or organ groups to function properly. Realistically, the muscles will not obtain the required oxygen during the workout itself; there is simply too great a demand upon the body. Thus rest time is essential to appropriately oxygenating the muscles.

Utilize Multi-Joint Exercises

Rather than doing a series of exercises that focus upon one muscle or muscle group at a time, Matthews advocates exercising several muscle groups simultaneously for a more invigorating workout. This effort results in an intense, short-term workout, which should be completed before blood sugar levels drop too low. It is hard work but the results are quite rewarding.

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Is Exercise More Effective at Certain Times of Day?

Healthy individuals who follow an exercise regime will often create routines and rituals around their workouts. Some prefer to visit the gym or take a run before they start work, while others find exercise to be an effective stress-reduction technique at the end of a long day. But does the time of day chosen for exercise have any impact on its efficacy? And can timing workouts differently add value to the effort?

Workouts More Effective in the Afternoon

A study conducted by scientists at the John Moores University in Liverpool, England, would seem to indicate that it can. Dr Thomas Reilly and Jim Waterhouse conducted the study, which showed that workouts completed later in the day appeared to be more effective at raising heart rate levels while the same amount of exertion was performed, thus providing exercisers a greater health return for the same expenditure of effort.

The study also found that exercisers experienced no difference in the perception of their work rate, despite afternoon and evening workouts offering a greater rise in heart rates than those taken in the morning.

Scientists Split on Question of Workout Timing

The phenomenon is one that health conscious individuals have often commented upon with anecdotal evidence being recorded in a number of fitness blogs and forums, but many scientists have played down the possibility of timing playing a part in the efficacy of workouts. Physiologists argue that there should be no discrepancy between performances regardless of time of day, while chronobiologists claim evidence proves a greater capacity for a raised heartbeat is often witnessed later in the day.

Dr. Michael Smolenski of the University of Texas Health Sciences Center concurs with the choronbiology camp saying, “In the afternoon and evening you are in a different biological state.” Dr. Smolenski explained that the phenomenon had implications both for consistent exercisers and those first embarking on a fitness regime. He warned that those uninitiated into the rigors of physical exertion could place their heart under greater strain by attempting morning workouts and noted, “My personal approach is to train when your biological efficiency is greatest, which means late afternoon or early evening for most people.”

However, the jury remains out over whether it is more beneficial for dedicated athletes to train in the morning or afternoon. While an afternoon workout could result in a great increase in heart rate, some athletes argue that morning training constitutes a tougher workout, and that pushing the body when it is at its least willing offers both physical and mental rewards – indeed many professional athletes who train in the morning have set personal and official records at late afternoon and evening events – perhaps buoyed by their systems reduced resistance to the task at hand.

Balance Key to Health and Fitness

Fitness experts continue to recommend that consistency of regular workouts, at whatever time of day, eating nutritious foods and ensuring an appropriate balance of nutrients including multivitamins and antioxidants, is the most reliable route to long-term fitness and wellbeing.

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Are Chemical Imbalances All in Our Heads?

It sounds a bit like the start of a science-fiction novel: chemical imbalances are nothing more than a figment of our imagination. But could it be true? In a piece she recently wrote for the BBC, Joanna Moncrieff of the University College, London states that it very well could be the case. She proposes that psychiatric drugs do not actually work by correcting chemical and balances in the brain, but rather place individuals into drug-induced states which simply mask feelings, hence rendering them it difficult for the individual to experience the symptoms of the illness. In other words, the only reason that an individual appears to react to the use of an antidepressant, for example, is because the drug itself is chemically altering the body, as opposed to actually correcting the hypothesized imbalances.

In her article she writes, “magazines, newspapers, patient’s organizations and Internet sites of all kinds publicize the idea that conditions like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder can be treated by drugs that help to rectify an underlying brain problem… just like a diabetic needs to take insulin. The problem is, there is little justification for this view.” Most importantly, she points out that until the 1950s mental health workers used antidepressants and psychoactive drugs primarily for sedative purposes, dulling the senses to symptoms of depression, mania and anxiety without actually addressing the underlying cause. In many ways, this type of approach is analogous to over-the-counter drugs used for the common cold which alleviate symptoms such as sore throats and congestion without actually affecting the virus itself.

Somewhat archaic, this view was eventually replaced with the concept that depression and other types of mental health conditions resulted from some form of chemical imbalance in the brain that could be corrected with a simple pill. The problem? The transformation was not based upon compelling evidence, at least according to Moncrieff.

She notes that “drugs used in psychiatry are psychoactive drugs, such as alcohol and cannabis. They affect everyone regardless of whether they have a mental disorder or not.” Antipsychotics, for example simply mute a person's emotions and thought processes, reducing the effects of psychosis merely as a side effect of the sedative action. Anti-anxiety drugs work on the central nervous system in the same manner as alcohol. As Moncrieff suggests, “if you told people that we have no idea what is going on in their brain, but that they could take a drug that would make them feel different and might suppress their thoughts and feelings, then many people might choose to avoid taking drugs if they could. People need to make up their own minds.”

While just an opinion piece, her evidence is fairly compelling, and she writes with conviction as to the absence of conclusive studies. It certainly is food for thought-if most drugs used in the psychiatric field do not actually combat the underlying issue, but simply work in a similar fashion to over-the-counter drugs, merely dulling the senses of an individual to the symptoms, are we really doing ourselves a favor. While admittedly more work is involved, would it not be better, at least in certain instances, to pursue the root cause to eradicate same?

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The Role of Motivation and Mindset in Fitness

In the aftermath of the holiday season, large numbers of people purchase gym memberships. The extra holiday pounds many accrue over a few days of inactivity and excessive food consumption often acting as powerful motivators to get fit; a leaner body beckons. The difficulty, as many know, is sustaining the motivation. The fall off rate in gym attendance is tremendous, even with those who have paid for a full year’s membership. The key, then, is to find effective ways of perpetuating one’s motivation.

Motivation’s Evil Twin: Demotivation
Demotivation is easily explained; if gym attendance takes place after work, individuals often feel too tired to make the effort, putting it off until an ever elusive ‘tomorrow.’ Exactly the same argument is applicable to early morning or even mid-afternoon attendance – busy work routines do appear to siphon one’s energy. And add to this the fact that results inevitably take time to be observed, and the chorus of demotivating voices whispering in one’s head become ever more audible.

Exercise: The Cure for Tiredness
The good, if somewhat counterintuitive news though, is that it is the nature and direction of one’s beliefs rather than the amount of energy that one feels one has available that determines whether exercise routines are maintained. Exercise, far from depleting energy and vitality, actively regenerates both; it is inactivity which contributes to fatigue and exercise which combats it. Vigorous exercise also flushes the cardiovascular system of accumulations of stress-related cortisols; attending the gym does not add to stress but rather significantly diminishes it. So, how can one challenge the thought and behavior patterns that lead directly to an easy chair in front of the TV instead of a rowing machine at the gym?

The Determination Muscle
The most important ‘muscle’ to work on is a mental one: determination. And one way of keeping this muscle in good working order is to drop unrealistic expectations. It is inevitable that regular exercisers will hit a plateau, where they appear to be working out vigorously but are neither losing weight nor developing significant visible muscle definition. There is no easy way around this; like the famous ‘wall’ that athletes encounter during marathons, it has to be worked through rather than succumbed to. A degree of benevolent obstinacy is necessary to counter those siren-like inner voices advising one to throw in the towel.

The Paper Coach
On occasions, committing thoughts to paper can be exceptionally helpful. Compiling a list of all the reasons why exercise can be of benefit is not simply a ‘paper’ exercise. It can help focus one’s motivation, and keep the goal in view. If the aim is to feel healthier and more vigorous, and to look leaner and more defined, pin it to the side of the refrigerator and look at it every day. Disliking one’s current physical condition and shape, while it can become exaggerated and harmful if taken too far, can also powerfully spur individuals on to reach their goal. The plateau has to confronted, and keeping the goals in view will help in the struggle.

The Couch Potato’s Enemy: Exercise Companions
Finding an accomplice can also sustain commitment; if an ‘exercise buddy’ attends workouts as well, it would be letting him or her, as well as oneself, down to decide not to show up at an appointed time. An exercise companion can also supply the words of encouragement needed to drown out the inner temptations to ‘give it all a break this evening’; and this is a role that can be reciprocated. Strong, mutually empowering friendships can be built in this fashion, as well.

The benevolent obstinacy described above can clearly be fortified with the help of an obstinacy accomplice. But the obstinacy itself is likely to take on a life of its own after a certain period, especially as the plateau starts to come to an end and one begins to see signs or real, new progress. When this starts to happen, it becomes appreciably easier to go to the gym on a cold wet morning, or resist the temptation to eat fatty foods just because friends are doing so. The goals which were written on that sheet of paper are beginning to become more securely internalized at this point, finally acting as sources of motivation.
Expect Obstacles in the Path
It is also important to develop a new relationship to setbacks. Life is littered with contingencies; all manner of unexpected snags and obstacles can and will clutter the path ahead. It is as well to be prepared for this, to ‘take it in one’s stride’ as it were, even though one’s stride will almost certainly not be in the form of the neat upward line one had been imagining. There will be occasions when unwanted weight mysteriously returns, or another plateau makes its unwelcome presence felt. These are not personal failures so much as inevitabilities and one’s inner obstinacy coach needs to be fully aware of their likelihood. Again, the temptation to ‘take a rest’ will emerge; yielding to it will almost certainly not result in a temporary respite but a full retreat, accompanied by self-recrimination and unnecessary disillusionment. If one has survived the first plateau, others can be overcome, too. It’s just sensible to expect them from time to time.

Reward and Variety
One means of keeping a ‘feel good factor’ alive in times of exercise struggle is to develop the habit of rewarding oneself for keeping up with the program. A small, inexpensive treat (preferably not comprised of processed foods, such as healthy, albeit small amounts of raw or lightly processed dark chocolate) to keep spirits buoyant can be a sensible and helpful strategy.

While it can simplify matters to continually practice habitual exercise routines, constant repetition can also become exceptionally boring. Varying the routine on a regular basis can introduce a degree of enlivening freshness to the workout and help sustain that ever-threatened motivation.

Prepare Meals in Advance
A simple but all-too-easily overlooked issue is eating; for the exercise to bring one’s goals to reality, healthy eating is an essential component and this requires a certain measure of forethought and planning. There is always a temptation to yield to hunger by the shortest possible route and reach out for fast food; to counteract this tendency, prepare meals well in advance, in suitable portions, so that all that is necessary is reheating.

A New Mindset
Eating well, developing the art of benevolent ‘self-obstinacy coaching’, and driving through plateaus and setbacks will cumulatively become a new mindset, a new habit of living, bringing the healthier lifestyle and physique one had hitherto only dreamt of, in its wake.

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The Benefits of Plyometrics

Plyometrics

Plyometrics is a unique way of exercising that is specifically designed as a way for an athlete to produce extremely fast, extremely powerful movements. It is also an excellent way to improve the function of the nervous system. The training generally involves movement in which the muscle is “loaded” and then contracted in rapid sequence using the strength, elasticity, and innervations of the muscle and surrounding tissue to perform specifically desired tasks such as jumping higher, running faster, throwing farther, or hitting harder, depending upon the athlete. It is especially popular as a form of training for runners and jumpers.

The overall training involves a regimen in which the athlete performs a series of plyometric movements that toughen the tissue and train the nerve cells so that they will stimulate specific patterns of muscle contraction. This allows the muscle to generate an extremely powerful contraction in a short timeframe, with a general contraction involving a rapid muscle lengthening movement called the eccentric phase. This is followed by a short resting phase known as the amortization phase, which in turn is followed by an explosive shortening movement called the concentric phase. This relies upon the myostatic reflex, which is the automatic contraction of muscles when their stretch nerve receptors are stimulated. It does not necessarily increase an athlete's maximum strength; rather, it trains the nerves, muscles and tendons to increase their power output.

Plyometrics can be seen in many types of competitive sports. Basketball players rely upon plyometric training in order to be able to perform the well-beloved slam dunk, while rowers use the technique as a way of training for those moments when a burst of additional energy can mean the difference between winning and losing. Runners and jumpers are the most likely to use plyometrics, especially in short distance sprints and high/long jump competitions. Power counts when it comes to world-class sports, and the only way to develop the power necessary to win is to use plyometric training as part of a regular fitness routine.

The Physics

The power in a muscle is determined by how long it takes for the muscle to convert strength into speed. This ability allows for athletic movements beyond what sheer strength would normally allow.

The physics behind plyometrics training shows how an athlete with particularly strong legs could may perform a free weight squat with an extremely heavy weight over a long period of time, while a weaker athlete would generate a smaller amount of force over a shorter amount of time. The lower maximum force output might be lower for a plyometrically trained athlete, so he would be unable to squat for as long a period, but his training would allow him to reduce the amount of time necessary to reach the maximum force output, which results in more power from each contraction of the muscles.

For this to happen, the muscle must undergo what is known as a concentric contraction. The plyometric technique relies upon the knowledge that there is a maximum amount of force which any given muscle can concentrically contract, but if the muscle is lengthened while in the eccentric contraction phase just prior to the contraction, it will produce greater force due to the buildup of elastic energy. Imagine a slingshot being pulled back and then released, and you have an idea of how plyometrics works. Since the energy dissipates extremely quickly, the contraction must rapidly follow the eccentric stretch, referred to as the stretch shortening cycle. Since plyometric exercises require the tendons to stretch, rips can occur if there is overtraining. This is why physical trainers stress that plyometric exercise should only be undertaken by athletes in peak physical condition.

How to Train

Pre-conditioning is a must, with many professionals recommending that the athlete be able to half-squat at least one and a half times their body weight; while this might sound like an excessive requirement, it does provide insight into how stressful and intense the workout can be. As with any training, an athlete should begin with low intensity drills before progressing to the more intense, since incremental progress is key to avoiding injury.

Athletes undertaking plyometric training should be actively involved in some sort of weight training program. Larger, stronger muscles will be able to generate greater force through plyometrics, and the stronger the muscles and tendons are prior to undertaking plyometric training, the less prone they will be to strains and pulls. As far as selecting the proper plyometric moves, the athlete must consider the specific sport or event that they are involved in, as well as their age, level of pre-conditioning, and the ability to undertake what is considered by many to be a complex skill.

Training should never be performed on a hard surface. The preferred surface is a gym mat, with the athlete in question wearing well-cushioned shoes. A sprung floor will also suffice. Never exercise on concrete or any sort of solid surface. The reason is that drills such as hold jumps and eccentric drops require the athlete to drop, hop, and hold. The father of plyometric research, Soviet sports scientist Yuri Verhoshansky, would sometimes have his subjects performing depth jumps from over six feet in the air, which is extreme to say the least. In any event, plyometric training should be undertaken only by professional athletes with prior conditioning and under the watchful guidance of a professional trainer.

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The Science Behind Great Abdominals

If you had a penny for every advertisement promising great abdominals, you would be very wealthy indeed. In fact, you would never have to worry about your abdominal muscles because you could literally pay another person to worry about them for you. But until that day comes, attainment of toned abdominal muscle remains a goal for many as a sign of youth, vitality, and sexuality.

The Role of Cortisol

'Men's Fitness', inundated with pleas from readers, decided to set the record straight about the complex but manageable process behind obtaining the coveted six-pack. First and most importantly, they decry any notions of quick fixes. Rather, the article notes that it takes dedication, time and a sensible diet of nourishing food, as well as the right exercises following a precise methodology.

Bodybuilding is a combination of weight loss and muscle development; however, to actually see the muscle definition, the overlying fat must first be eliminated. The best way to accomplish this objective is not only by consuming fewer calories than are required by the body, but also through a workout that involves the entire body, not simply the midriff. It is also imperative not lift weights or perform a strenuous workout every day. Another rule of thumb is to limit workouts to an hour or less.

Over an hour into a heavy workout of weightlifting, the body begins to secrete cortisol, the so-called ‘stress hormone'. Cortisol is the hormone that causes the fight or flight reflex; however, an influx of excessive cortisol causes the body to begin to break down muscles.

What About Crunches?

Crunches, although excellent for toning muscles in the abdominal region, in and of themselves burn few calories. According to a study at the University of Virginia, one would have to do 250,000 crunches simply to burn just one pound of fat.

Fat is burned when a hormone called epinephrine is secreted into the body. A specific type of fat, triglycerides, are burned by an enzyme called lipase. Lipase ceases to be active when a person sits, as discovered in a recent medical study ('Sitting time and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer' (Katzmarzyk, P.T., et al.; 2009)). Interestingly, crunches and sit-ups are traditionally performed in a seated position.

Core Fitness

The abdominal muscles comprise a portion of an area termed by trainers as 'the core', which stretches from shoulders to hips. To tone abs with traditional abdominal exercises, a better option would be to target the entire core by performing crunches or sit-ups on an exercise ball (sometimes called a Swiss ball) to force the body to balance the muscles while performing the exercises, thus burning more calories and toning the wider muscle group including the abdominals. Additionally, such exercises should ideally be accompanied by lower back exercises to reduce the chance of injury caused by the all too common strong abdominal and weak back muscles.

Naturally, all these exercises will be for naught if a healthy diet is not followed. Bodybuilders tend to eat vast quantities of protein for the simple reason that protein helps to build muscle. However, it is essential to understand that not all forms of protein are equally healthy or beneficial for the body: unprocessed lean proteins, high-quality protein powders or meal replacement powders are key. The equation is simple, though substantial discipline is required to follow through: the right protein and the right exercises lead to award-winning abdominals.

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