You wouldn't ask your hairstylist to diagnose a mechanical problem on your car would you? Of course not, unless they're also a certified mechanic on the side. Why then ask your doctor about exercise when his or her line of work is in the diagnosing and treating of diseases and sickness? To be sure, doctors are becoming more and more aware of the benefits of exercise in helping their patients to improve their health outlook. But they must spend their very limited time between treating patients and keeping themselves abreast of new developments in medicines and treatments that help patients fight disease. They don't have the time to invest in learning about the mechanics of exercise. Doesn't it make more sense that the ideal candidate for an in-depth discussion on exercise and how it can benefit your health would be a personal trainer?
A personal fitness trainer has spent an extensive amount of time learning all about exercise. How different exercises are done, how to target specific areas of the body with exercise, how to avoid injuries, the structures of the body and how they work, how exercise can help the body to work more efficiently, the physiological connection between the body and mind for complete health and more.
A personal trainer carries certifications that they have achieved and can demonstrate a high-level of understanding about the various aspects of exercise and what exercise can mean to a person's overall health.
A personal fitness trainer has the expertise to guide you through the proper "mechanics" of various forms of exercise, to not only lessen your risk of becoming injured, but to increase the benefits to be gained from exercise when done correctly. They also have insight gained from working with different people from which to draw upon to help you in getting past any stumbling blocks that are keeping you from maximizing your health.
Fitness trainers are also knowledgeable about the physical limitations of some conditions and can tailor exercises to those limitations, so that health gains are still possible. Despite the marine-toughness seen portrayed by a personal trainer on reality-based television shows, not all personal trainers "bark" out orders to get you to exercise. Personal trainers can be quite empathetic to the plight of the overweight person who hasn't exercised in a long while, and who has finally decided to get their weight under control and improve their health. A personal trainer will work with you to reach higher levels of fitness without shaming you for whatever level you start from.
Doctors keep themselves informed about the latest research and developments in the treating of disease and illness, personal trainers keep themselves informed about the latest trends in the exercise and exercise materials recommended for attaining fitness and health. A personal trainer can warn you about the newest fads appearing on the exercise scene with a lot of fanfare and empty promises before you endanger your health by trying to follow them.
A personal trainer gives you the one-on-one instruction and attention that most of us need to take charge of the wheel as we drive towards great and permanent health. The expert knowledge and guidance that a personal trainer adds to your exercise workouts is invaluable. You can achieve more benefits from the time you spend on exercising and working towards your goals of health and fitness from a personal trainer, than just about anyone else.
If you have a bad case of the flu, a broken bone, or a medical concern, seek treatment from your doctor. If you have a question about what the best exercise routines are for the maximizing of your health and fitness, consult a personal trainer.
Be A Personal Trainer
When we think about warm-ups, somehow our minds go back to physical education class in our school days. We were told to move into several stretches and "stand here and hold this position for a count of 20".
These stretches were undoubtedly followed by several laps around the track of field. You know what... this is not all that bad.
In fact physical education lessons 2 times a week is more physical activity than most people get in this day and age. But remember we want to have an attitude of excellence. "not all that bad" just won't cut it.
Let's look at this way. How many of us have the ability, passion, athletic background, genetics or even the desire to train for a place in our country's Olympic team? Not many right? However does that mean that the "non-elite" athlete or even the regular person at a gym, should train in a less than optimal (Olympian) way? I would hope not.
Of course we would not be lifting the weights that they can. We would not be running, jumping or swimming as fast or as long as they do. If we look at the basics, they are the same as us, however they are just more "fine-tuned".
An Olympic sprinter has exactly the same number of muscles performing the same functions as the couch warming TV addict. The Olympic Athlete is just able to generate more power, with greater efficiency.
Somewhat like a F1 Racecar versus a broken down 1970 Nissan Sunny. The sunny may never Race on the F1 circuit. If we install a new "engine" which is represented by more muscles, now "suspension" which is represented by better joints and bones, and a new "body kit" represented by reduced body fat, the old car will do very well in a race. That's great considering its former state of disuse and ill-treatment.
The Warm-up techniques in this article are the beginnings of the transformation of that run down Nissan. The warm-up exercises will prepare your body for training.
* Your cardiovascular system will be activated
* Your joints and connective tissue will be more pliable
* Your nervous system that controls your muscles will be activated
* Your balance and reaction time will be improved.
* Your body will be in motion, negating the effects of keeping the body in a fixed position (usually sitting down for extended periods) as is common in our sedentary lifestyles
The exercises are designed to "bullet-proof" your core and major joints from injury. Injury is frustrating, prevents progress and is also uh...inherently painful.
The warm-up exercises are so important that if you really had a tough day with zero time for yourself, all your planning (you did plan to train right?) and all your scheduling (you did plan time to train right?) went down the drain... the very minimum that you should do on that day is a series of warm-up exercises.
If you are having a regular workout the warm-up exercises should be done before the training session. The components of a warm-up are:
Self Myofascial Release (SMR)-
This is a fairly new piece of "warm-up" technology. It simply means self massage for parts of our body that may have knotted up muscles. These knots cause the muscles to become shortened, tightened and weak. Normal stretching does not help here. The illustration is one of a rubber band with a knot in it. Stretching does not help. The knot remains and the rubber band does not function optimally. SMR gets rid of the "knots". This is very cost effective and also helps you feel great. I have had experiences with clients who come is super stiff and tight. A few sessions of SMR and they feel like they are 30 years younger. SMR is an article in itself but there are some good videos out there. One is called "Foam Roller Techniques" by Coach Mike Boyle. The commonly used tools are foam rollers and tennis balls. Depending on how tight you are, you should spend 3-15 minutes on SMR.
Static Stretching -
Static stretching is the most "ancient" part of the warm-up. However it has been shown to "deactivate" muscles (which makes sense because we have stretched them and now we want them to contract forcefully during exercise? that's not going to happen!). Deactivation is bad because it makes our strength training session less productive. But what if we WANT to deactivate the muscle? That is the case for some of our tight and overactive muscles. Common ones are the hip-flexors (front of thigh and hip), the thigh adductors (inner thigh), and the upper trapezius/levator scapulae (neck). Because of our seated and hunched postures (long hours of computer use etc) these muscles get tight. Static stretching helps here. 2 sets of 20 second holds per tight muscle should be enough. Remember this is done AFTER SMR. (the knots are gone now we can stretch effectively)
Dynamic Stretching/Muscle Activation -
Now the fun begins, there are numerous movement drills and bodyweight exercises that can be used in this category. The key idea is to increase body temperature and activate muscles so they work properly during the main workout. The key muscle to activate is the glutes (buttocks) because these are not well conditioned in most people. Failure to use them properly will lead to hamstring, groin and lower back muscles bearing excessive strain. That is a recipe for injury. Good instructional DVD's for dynamic warm-ups are "Magnificent Mobility" and "Inside-Out".
Core Training -
I have added core training to the warm-up because many clients I have coached have bad functionality of their core muscles. The key muscles are:
Transverse Abdominus (TVA) - This muscle performs the "drawing in" of the belly button. This is a skill that is lacking in many people, especially those who have excessive lower back arches. Stand up straight with arms overhead, and think of making yourself as "thin" and as "tall" as possible, as if you were trying to squeeze between two vertical poles which are close to each other. Hold the drawn-in position for 5 seconds. Repeat this 5 times.
External Obliques - This is trained by moving the hips to the shoulders. Any kind of reverse crunch trains this movement
Internal Obliques - This is trained by moving the shoulders to the hips, any kind of crunching movement trains this. Take note, the crunch movement curls the body into the "smallest" possible ball, it does not bring the "face to the ceiling"
Lateral Flexion - Side bridging is the correct way to achieve this.
Do 2 sets of 5-10 reps at a controlled speed.
Once you have all these elements in your warm-up, you are ready to train. It should take you 20 minutes or less to complete this. But it is important enough not to skip it!
Jonathan Wong has sinced written about articles on various topics from Personal Trainer, Finances and Personal Trainer. Jonathan Wong is a Singapore Personal Trainer and Sports Conditioning Specialist. Clients from all walks of life come to him for fitness solutions. His passion is to ensure that his clients get the results they desire. Get a free 1500 page e-book as well. Jonathan Wong's top article generates over 6600 views. Bookmark Jonathan Wong to your Favourites.