The Bench Press is a Useless Measure of your Strength pt2 (the juicy stuff)

It seems my functional approach has raised the shackles of some weightlifting traditionalists.

While I appreciate the value of this exercise for aesthetics, I disagree that it has any purpose other than to keep shoulder and elbow rehab specialists in business.

Agree?  Disagree?  See how the inspiration for this post began:

The latest comment on a bench press article “The Bench Press is a Useless Measure of your Strength pt1″ made some really good points.  It also got me thinking about the things I didn’t say in my last article about the bench press.

See! Even fitness models do these exercises! Now if I could just get him to start wearing a shirt to the gym...

So when I received the comment from ‘Dokola’ taking contention with my approach, I I was encouraged since he/she also asked some really good questions and made some common statements I hear a lot with my work teaching personal trainers.

So good were these questions, that they (and my responses to them) ended up as enough information to warrant another post with a deeper explanation of a modern functional vs a traditional approach.

Dokola’s comments in italics with my comments in blue below are as follows:

IMO a power lifting total would be a better measure of strength, bench press is but one of the lifts that make up that total.

1. It is a compound exercise that can be used to increase strength in the muscles involved. It is up to the athletes sport specific training to transfer that strength in to athletic performance.

1.  “Can be used to increase strength in the muscles involved.”
No argument from me on that point.  My key beef is whether that strength has any crossover to the actual sports activities.  If that strength comes with coordination, then you have an athlete.  This activity doesn’t really teach that.

2. The shoulders are most stable in the shoulders back and down position it is best to press from a stable position unless you are in a fitball dumbbell pressing competition (joke).

2.  “The shoulders are most stable in a back and down position.”
Again, no question.  But when ever again do you use them in a back and down position?  If they naturally move in all positions when being used, shouldnt the exercise allow the shoulders to move somewhat freely?  (kind of like when on a fitball where you are supported through the middle of the back but have at least some space to move on either side).  Pretty sure your joke is right on the money, there are no fitball dumbbell pressing comps.. but how cool would that be to see?

Here is correct technique for bench press to avoid shoulder issues. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUcjOIZc80c

3. Balance pressing exercises such as bench press with pulling exercises such as barbell rows, problem solved.

3.You could balance pressing exercises with pulling exercises – I totally agree.  It might take more than just barbell rows to balance out the muscle and functional symmetry though.  I might also argue that barbell rows might not solve the internal rotation issues that come with heavy bench pressing.  Simply reversing the exercise can work in some cases, but not necessarily in this one.  The exercise you are suggesting (I love barbell rows, especially when done from an unsupported position) is an excellent one, but does not necessarily address the massive flexibility issues through the chest, shoulderblades and thoracic spine.

So not quite ‘problem solved’ – but if more bench press lovers did more back work, it would certainly help, no denying that!  If only they could see their backs in the mirror they might be more motivated to work them 😉

4. Get a spotter, you can use a squat rack or a training partner.

4.  Not being able to proprioceptively control the weight you are handling = risk of injury.  I agree, for heavier weights on a dumbbell press on fitball get a spotter or training partner – just as any heavy lift, thats what friends are for. I dont think it matters if you are on a bench or a ball for that issue.  Of course, it seems to be that everytime I lose balance and need help that my spotter seems to be distracted with a new range of skimpy underwear that passes for ‘workout gear’ in gyms nowadays.

Barbell/Dumbbell Press on Fitball = Unsafe with heavy weights, progressively increasing the weight is essential for building strength.Forgive me if I don’t look on youtube to see if there is a 600lb fitball barbell press.

I wouldn’t look on youtube either for a 600 lb press on fitball. The kind of stuff we are talking about here is based on new science, which usually takes a good 5-8 years to sift down to the basement gyms that would likely post such a video.

If you are pushing 600 lbs then you are certainly stronger than most at the bench press, no denying that.  I do wonder how much less you would lift when you had a ball underneath you and your core had to control and stabilize the weight.  If you are benching 600lb, I would be suprised if you could push out more than 150 lbs in each hand.  You certainly would want to work up to that as well, because muscles other than your chest would be worked to the max as part of that movement.

There are fitballs out there built to take the job on as well:  click here to see one

The above fitball is good for up to 1200 lbs.  Should be enough for even the biggest muscly fellas, right?

Chest fly on fitball/Standing one arm cable press = Isolation exercises are hardly an alternative for a compound exercise (don’t care if you do them on a fitball its still an isolation exercise).

I appreciate your perspective, and I often find the proof is in the practical.  I would request you to try doing (with a decent weight) a one arm dumbbell press on a fitball and you tell me if it is an isolation exercise or not.  I will be impressed if you dont feel a whole world of extra muscles (all the way down to the opposite foot of the hand that is pressing) working to stabilize you.

In fact, I think you will find a standing cable 1 arm press can work so many other muscles you might wonder if it is a chest exercise at all!

Push-ups with different hand positions = Quickly grow out of these, adding weight is difficult.

say hello to my heavy friend...

Pushups in different positions?  True, they are easy to grow out of for the tough guys – tried one arm pushups with different hand positions?  with a hand on a small medicine ball?  with feet on a raised platform?  while wearing a 60 lb weighted vest? That oughta keep you busy at least for a few workouts 🙂

I would suggest dips and overhead press as reasonable alternatives although doing bench press along with overhead press and dips would be ideal IMO.

Please remember  readers (and Dokola) that I am coming from a functional standpoint and the points raised are extremely valid if aesthetics and improving my bench press for bench presses sake were the sole focus.

If that is your goal then you are right on the money to bench press your world away and all of the above is irrelevant.  If you are talking function/ability on the sporting field/healthy interactive joints that stay that way for a long time… well then hopefully you will try some of the above ideas and let me know if you feel anything different working.

Thanks sincerely for your comment Dokola!  Love your input and thank you for asking such great questions.  I talk about things that are off the beaten track and sometimes these perspectives are not always explained as well as they could be.

By Dokola asking me the above questions I had an opportunity to further explain where I was coming from in regards to the excessive value given to the bench press exercise.  Which is just part of the reason it is great to get a variety of perspectives on this since it opens up the discussion to answer different people based on perspectives they are interested in.

While I am at it, thanks to all for your comments on this forum of my thoughts and findings..  I welcome any and all perspectives on my work as long as we can promise to be friends and have a whey-free protein shake together afterwards 🙂

Jamie Atlas

https://jamieatlas.wordpress.com

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The Bench Press is a Useless Measure of your Strength pt1

Do you bench a lot?

Here are four reasons you need to alter your workout to do all you can to avoid the bench:

Reason #1: The Bench is an excellent test of your ability to push a bar off your chest while resting on a bench. Thats about it.

It is NOT a good indicator of your ability to perform in an athletic event (other than bench press contests, I guess). It is NOT a good indicator of how many push-ups you can do. Many athletes have been amazing without good bench press strength (see this article on Kevin Durant – he is one of the next NBA draft picks.)

It is NOT real world in any way shape or form (unless you happen to wake up with a bar wrapped across your chest every morning.)

(1) The person being tackled is not shaped like a bar. (2) The person tackling is standing up. (3) The person being tackled is trying to move to one side (unlike a bench press which is straight up and down)

Reason #2: The bench in bench press immobilizes your shoulder blades and can make you more susceptible to shoulder issues as a result.

Think about where your shoulderblades go when you lie down on a bench. Think about how freely they move in any other standing exercise. The difference between you standing vs you lying down with the blades pinned is staggering and is one of the main reasons people experience such shoulder issues as a result of this primitive exercise.

If you want a workable solution try dumbbell presses on a fitball. That works great for keeping the shoulderblades fluidly moving. It also requires other muscles to play in with the exercise.

Reason #3: You already have an overdeveloped chest.

Think about every time you get up off the ground. Every time you try to move furniture. Gravity is such that we use our chest much more than we use our backs. It is also the easiest thing to see in the mirror, so we naturally work it to make it more prominent.

Our poor back and rhomboids on the other hand get left behind more often than not. If our shoulders are pushed forward that can irritate the capsule which can lead to reduced force production.

Reason #4: Death

Every year a few people die doing this non-functional exercise, when they would receive so many more benefits from doing a dumbbell press or 1-arm flyes instead. If just one person dies because of this exercise, that means there are many more out there that have been injured through improper (or absent) spotting.

More often than not this exercise is safe.  However, every now and then, this happens:

Although I cannot deny that if you want to work a muscle group the chest press is an excellent exercise, the potential for injury (usually coming in the form of a more sneaky rotator cuff or elbow issue that starts as a twinge and grows into a bona fide problem) far exceeds the potential gains when we examine the close relatives of this exercise:

Alternatives to the bench press that significantly reduce the risk of shoulder injury and simultaneously activate the core:

Barbell/Dumbbell Press on Fitball

Dumbbell press on fitball

Chest fly on fitball

Chest fly on fitball

Push-ups with different hand positions

Push-up on Bosu Ball (those things are awesome!)

Standing one arm cable press (a personal favorite)

Of course, if you tell your friends about this they will likely want to keep doing bench press.

It’s human nature to keep doing what is easy rather than what gets us where we want to be.

Know that this article is not about to convince your friends to do the more functional and practical alternatives listed above. Just don’t let them come crying to you when they start to experience back/shoulder/neck/elbow/wrist pain or postural imbalances from doing such a non-functional exercise.

In short, the bench press is an easy exercise to teach and do. That doesn’t make it the best, and it doesn’t mean there aren’t a dozen other exercises out there that will provide better gains for the energy and effort expended.

Jamie Atlas

http://jamieatlas.com

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High Heels are Ruining your Posture and Feet: Here’s Why

Wearing high heels can be the source of foot deformities, sciatic nerve pain, knee pain, herniated discs and a range of other crippling maladies. But why am I telling you this…

You don’t even care!

Ladies, don’t even try to fool me for a second… I know you don’t care.

Right now in your head the subconscious wheels are turning, pre-discounting every comment this article is about to make. It wouldn’t matter if I came up with some statistic that showed your teeth would fall out from wearing high heels – you would simply discount it with a wave of your hand and a comment like “that’s why god invented dentures’.

If all women suddenly decided that they cared, there would be a collective rumble as one and all would gather all their berardis, ferrugias and guccis and ignite them all in a large bonfire the likes of which could be seen by the Mars Lander.

This would be immediately followed by a series of high fashion assassinations to which the french revolution pale in comparison (watch out, Blahnik -you’re first on the chopping block!).

This race in high heels is brought to you thanks to the generous support of your local podiatrists and physical therapy association. Every participant gets a free consult and shot of painkiller following the race.

This pricey piece of Manolo Blahnik costs $7000. Thats just for the left one (yep, thats $14,000 if you want the full pair). It should come with a chiropractor and bunion surgery 50% off voucher.

So maybe you DO care and I am being cynical. Maybe it’s not your fault. Lets look at how society has conditioned you to need these fashion tools of torture.

If you already wear heels on a regular basis, you have had the following yo-yo thought process probably as many times as you have worn heels:

Order of thinking for the ‘high-heeltarded’:

This is the kind of advertising that makes me queasy. I look at this and all I hear is: Yoouuu arreee inadequate...Youuu willl nevveerrr bee goood enouuugh... noooobody liiikes youuuu...Youuu haaaave noooo liiiiife - ok so maybe that last bit might be true 😉

Featuring your logical conscience, and your socially bred feelings of inadequacy

Woman in high heels gets out of car, takes first step and goes through standard thought process below:

“Oh man, these shoes kill! Why do I even wear these things?!”

“But my legs look so much nicer in them – and whatever would I match with my dress”

(second step, proceeding compression/impingement of every bone in the foot accompanied by searing pain)

“That is it! My back is already starting to hurt me, my toes are warping into some strange bonsai tree-looking disfigurement and I don’t even like this guy that much!”

“Oh but look at her shoes? She looks so glamorous in them! Maybe she looks a bit uncomfortable, but how would any man even notice her tear-streaked face and muffled cries of pain when she has such beautiful legs!”

And so you walk on, excruciating step after excruciating step, paying the price for beauty…

And even though I know you are held back by your guilt-laden fashion shackles, it is my dream that maybe… just maybe…. there is a little girl out there in cyberspace who has not yet had her mind corrupted by the collection of fashion magazines, womens shoe stores or the constant barrage of “sex and the city” reruns. Maybe it’s too late for you to change. I don’t think it is ever too late. Only you can know.

Look at those high-heel free legs! Now THAT's fabulous

Next time you think twice about wearing tennis shoes to work, think about these legs and remember that you can look just as good in sneakers no matter what you are doing.

But I look so good in heels! Surely standing in High Heels improves my posture?

When you are standing in the high heels, yes, your posture is improved – because if you did not stand tall then you would fall forward. By tilting the back heels up, our upper body instinctively leans back to prevent imminent toppling over.

But here’s the catch – if you stand in heels, then your feet are tilted up. This creates a chain reaction that can cause your hips to counterbalance your elevated heels by tilting the pelvis forward.

Standing in heels can cause your pelvis to tilt forward, putting excess pressure on your lower back.

Is that all? Of course not! If the pelvis learns to stay tilted forward (which can happen if you wear high heelsand/ or work at a desk most of the day) then as you can see above, when we stand our lower back is swayed in and our upper back must respond by arching back.

This chain reaction from the heels to the hips to the upper back has the potential to be a factor in pain and dysfunction in every joint throughout the body and other maladies associated with posture.

Urinary track infections can also be related to wearing High Heels. But dont’t take my word for it – click here to read an interesting article that references Larrian Gillespie, M.D.

Maybe I have been too harsh. Maybe not all of this information applies to you and you are careful and concerned about your feet. If that is the case, then I applaud you for putting your body and your feet before fashion.

Here is the take-home message I want this article to give you:

If you have foot problems, low back, knee, hip or neck pain, avoid high heeled shoes at every opportunity.

If you don’t have any problems, then please use these weapons of fashion in moderation. For your feets future. For your posture.

Experiment with different shoes. Play with your style. At least find something that you can wear to less important days/nights.

Look how happy Janice Dickenson is to be wearing something other than stilettos! (maybe her security guard date has something to do with it as well)

You can be glamorous, attractive and as fabulous as you want to be without artificial elevation. Just take a look at these fashion forward pics:

James Blunt loves flats. He thinks 'they're beautiful, it's true'

Jamie Atlas

https://jamieatlas.wordpress.com

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Afternote: I got some great responses to this post, but was really excited to stumble across this other post (click here to view it) that reinforces the whole anti-heel thing and comes from a womans perspective (because I don’t wear heels – you try finding size 15 heels!)

After-afternote: If you wanted to take the attention away from your feet, you might want to look at the ‘perfect butt’ exercise combo I put together. You can read all about it (and watch a short video of the exercises) right here

Treadmill, Bicycle or Elliptical machine? pt 2: The Bicycle

The bicycle athlete is somewhat of an unusual creature.

Throw a mix of athleticism in with a liberal serving of obsessive-compulsive tendencies – stir and garnish with a sprinkling of pack mentality for indoor cycling and you have your everyday cyclist.

At least he's wearing a helmet, right?

Low back pain and some muscular imbalances are usually shown in the more mature cyclists, however this is not always the case and can be avoided if the bike-bound have been diligent with their off-road conditioning.

What are the benefits of cycling on a regular basis?

If you haven’t really gotten into riding the bike, you will find it hard to compare this to understand the zen-like tranquility that comes from traversing through a gently undulating countryside.

Of course, you may have also attended a high energy indoor cycling class where Lycra and Van Halen seem to be making their respective comebacks.

The Bicycle:

I like: This equipment allows the user to build their heartrate in a way that the treadmill and elliptical cannot. It also is easier on the joints of the lower body (but not necessarily those of the hips and low back). There are no mainstream treadmill or elliptical classes – if in need of a workout you can walk into almost any gym and experience a sweaty workout where you will experience a camaraderie with other fellow cyclists.

I don’t like: Without proper off-bike conditioning the body can develop massive imbalances in the hip, low back and thighs. As we crouch over our back lengthens as our abdominal wall and hip flexors shorten.

The average cyclist can sometimes be ‘quad-heavy’ in their technique- meaning that the cyclist ‘pushes’ down with each pedal but omits the remainder of the cycle stroke resulting in weaker hamstrings and stronger quads – which creates imbalance.

The end result?

Pain aside, Mike the Avatar was more concerned about the strange orange and green glow coming from his lumbar spine

Plant yourself just beyond the finish line of any long-distance cycling race to see an impressive collection of cycle-athletes clutching their low back and groaning in symphony as they dismount from their respective 2-wheeled steeds.

Riding for extended periods of time with poor technique and/or an inadequate conditioning and stretching program is likely to have a negative effect on your posture.

Postural issues are not mandatory, but without balance in your workout programs the chances of a myriad of spine and muscular imbalances increase dramatically.

Major advantage:

Riding a bike can be enjoyed without much technique, has offerings for group classes (which can be accepting or hostile – it all depends on whether you grabbed someones favorite bike or not).

Cyclists can be extremely particular about which bike they use in the indoor cycling classes and some will become verbally disappointed if their bike is claimed by an innocent visitor. Sometimes I wonder why they dont just get it over with and pee all over their favorite bike as a form of territorial marking.

Major disadvantage:

People will sometimes ride the recumbent bike as if they were resting on a beach in Cancun. Other times cyclists fail to realize the benefit of using a variety of equipment to make sure their upper body actually gets to workout as well.

The #1 Disadvantage?

Bending over a bike looks way too much like bending over a desk. Most of us are already too well practiced at hunching over a computer to get those TPS reports in by Friday. If we go to the gym, lets make sure we have an opportunity to stand tall for at least part of our lunchbreak before we return to our our ergonomically-insensitive workstation.

Overall:

The bicycle is an excellent piece of equipment. Any athlete can develop excellent cardio and leg strength – but not without a price of tight hip flexors, weak lengthened hamstrings and hunched forward upper body posture.

Solution?

1. Stretch out the hip flexors any chance you get
2. Do lots of hamstring exercises (like a deadlift) as part of a regular workout
3. Stretch the chest to keep things from caving in
4. Ask a trainer about improving your posture to keep the torso tall when not strapped into your tricycle.
5. Get a massage to make sure your body is staying limber.

Where does the bicycle fall in my ranking of which is better?

It's a bike.. no wait, its a treadmill.. Umm.. A Treadcycle??

If you have no low back pain, decent flexibility and dont mind repetitive exercises (I mean really repetitive – the indoor bikes don’t have much of a steering wheel to them) then cycling is probably right for you.

However, if you spend all day sitting at a desk I would categorize this as a ‘participate no more than 1-2/week’ exercise to do – if just because I would want your body to remember how it feels to stand tall like the other modern primates do.

If you enjoy the biking, then by all means get out there and ride like the wind! Just be sure to mix up your rides, mix up your terrain and mix up your exercise routine so you stay riding injury free for a long time into the future.

Jamie Atlas

https://jamieatlas.wordpress.com

Treadmills, Ellipticals and Bikes – part 1 of this article here

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Runners and Triathletes: 3 Exercises That Are Guaranteed To Help you Run Better

Most Running Programs are not designed for Runners.

They are likely excellent programs in themselves – their major fault is that they usually work your body in a completely different way than the actual movement of running.

Spiderman was dangerously close to finally catching the 'Lycra Bandits'

The runners and the dumbbells should be friends:

When weightlifting started to enter mainstream popularity, many runners found themselves ‘hitting the gym’ in the quest for faster times.

Unfortunately for the majority of the runners diligently working out , they mostly experienced slower times, greater fatigue and increased incidence of injury. But why was this? Part of this was that they were working out without the science available today, but beneath this was a major factor:

Your average ‘running workout’ has no consideration for the actual sport of running

Do you run with one leg at a time, or two legs at a time? If you ran one leg at a time would it make sense to teach your body to be better at pushing off one leg at a time?

The answer becomes evident if we look more closely at how you naturally run:

Kangaroo vs Leopard

Kangaroos use both feet at the same time to move forward

Do you run by using two legs at once – like a kangaroo?

Notice how the rear leg and the opposite foreleg are on the ground at the same time - similar to how we naturally run

Or with opposing legs – like a racehorse?

Do most of your exercises have you working out two legs at a time?

Would it also make sense to exercise opposing leg and upper body segments at the same time?

What if I told you that most of the exercises your program has you doing are probably of little or no use to your running prowess?

Common exercises that give poor ‘return on investment’ in regards to running

• squats
• leg presses
• leg curls
• leg extensions
• adductors/abductors
• bench press
• lat pulldown

Your exercise program should reflect how you run. Most don’t.

The below picture demonstrates how we run using one leg forward while swinging the opposite arm forward with each step.

As demonstrated in this picture, as you run you counter-rotate through the upper body (notice how every leg has the opposite arm forward?)

Here’s a quick 3 minute video that shows the #1 exercise for every runner or triathlete to do.

Just to be sure, I have included another 2 exercises in this video just to be sure you don’t leave unsatisfied:

Watch the video below to see the exercises that will have you running at your best ever!

If you only have 20 minutes in the gym, do the above exercises for 3 sets of 10-15 reps each side and you will see marked improvements.

You now have an exercise for your upper body, core and lower body that are all designed to help you run better.

Just a few of the changes you should see from doing the above exercises:

• Improvements in your running strength/times and technique
• Elimination of those niggling injuries that come from long runs
• Greater return in your time and effort invested in the gym

if you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

Never run on a treadmill again pt 1

Never run on a treadmill again pt2

which is best: treadmill, bicycle or elliptical?

Jamie Atlas

https://jamieatlas.wordpress.com

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Fitness and Health Propaganda: The ‘Sit and Reach’ Test is a Useless Measure of your Flexibility.

Your ‘sit and reach’ test results have nothing to do with your functional flexibility

Heres why:

In gyms across the world right now someone is sitting in a small room with a measuring device between their heels – straining, grunting and reaching with both hands for an ethereal point just beyond their toes.

The participant will try to hold that point for 2-3 seconds then exhale and lean back, looking up hopefully at the personal trainer conducting their initial fitness assessment.

The trainer will jot down the number, look back at the hopeful face of the client and smile awkwardly, saying “not bad… something to work on for later”.

You will then likely be given a ‘ranking’ to let you know how poor/well you did.

But what was the test supposed to measure?

Was the test supposed to measure how well you can bend over to pick something up? So why did they test you from a sitting position and not standing?

Do I think a sitting flexibility test is a good measure of functional flexibility? Not in a million years.

Real World Hamstring Flexibility in Action

We use our hamstrings standing up, not sitting down.

If a test is designed to help measure increases in function, the test should be based in function.

Muscles react to control the tilting of the body as you bend over

When we lean our bodies forward to smell a flower/tie our shoes/pick up laundry, the muscles in the lower back and legs (in fact most of the muscles on the back half of our body) receive a signal.

The signal that is sent through the body as you lean forward goes something like this:

“Hey all you back-half-muscles!!! Something just happened and this body is tilting forward at an accelerating pace! If we don’t switch on and all work together to pull, we are going to end up landing our pretty face right into that rose bush/concrete/pile of smelly undies!”

WHEN LENGTHENING THE HAMSTRINGS, WHICH VERSION DO YOU USE MORE OFTEN – SITTING OR STANDING?

Sitting:

1. At gym, doing non-functional movement because trainer tells you to
2. in bed, reach forward to pull off socks

Standing:

1. reach over to pick up kids/toys/diapers/kids in diapers holding toys
2. pick up keys off of coffee table
3. field ground ball
4. completing a volleyball dig
5. bend over to tie shoes
6. swing club in golf
7. lean forward for a backhand shot in tennis
8. tilt our body forward FOR ANY REASON from a vertical position.

Does it make sense to you that a more FUNCTIONAL test would be to measure your flexibility from a standing position?

So print this off and give it to your trainer/local gym rat and say “what do you think of that? That guys crazy, right?” then give them a second to look it over, then a few more seconds to watch their wheels start to turn as they realize that they have been testing for something completely different than they thought they were.

Let me know what they say…

Just don’t tell them where I live – I am still catching heat for my ‘never run on a treadmill again‘ post a couple of months ago that upset more than a few tread-lovers out there.

Bottom line: Don’t blame the trainer. Don’t blame the fitness club. They are only doing what has been passed down to them from the previous generation of sports scientists.

Know that this test is a great measure of your ability to do this test – not necessarily of the flexibility you need in the real world.

Just wanted you to know that 🙂

Jamie Atlas

https://jamieatlas.wordpress.com

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How To Get the Perfect Butt – the ONLY exercise you need work your glutes like never before

Your Exercise Program is Getting You to the Halfway Point of your ‘Butt Potential’ – At best!!!

Live in Denver?  Go to WWW.FITNESSBYATLAS.COM to get a free pass to one of our classes

The exercises I am going to show you make use of my fifteen years of personal training experience and numerous consultations with various body-shaping coaches, physical therapists, movement specialists and other fitness professionals.

UPDATE!

To view the latest installment (August 2010) of the perfect butt series and see the ADVANCED perfect butt lunge, click the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b39Wqnp7GSs

The exercises I am about to explain to you will help you develop and tone your glutes like nothing you have seen before.

Serena Williams – she doesnt have just junk in that trunk – she has the whole landfill!

Before I reveal to you my secret weapon, here is a quick and relatively painless explanation of how our muscles work (Warning: This next section may make you smarter than your personal trainer!)

Our muscles are like cables that pull – they are attached at two ends, and when we want it to achieve a movement they pull together to achieve a movement.

If you think about the line in which we move the bicep doing bicep curls, it is a straight up and down movement. We shorten our bicep through a full range of motion in a straight line (funnily enough, in line with the fibers of the muscle – this is your first clue).

To get the most out of a muscle we must exercise:

1. In the line in which the fibers are oriented
2. Through a full range of motion

If you missed ‘advanced human physiology 301’ in college (I loved this class, but all of my others… well, lets not talk about me – lets keep the focus on you 🙂

Here are some visuals to work with.

The biceps fibers run in a mostly vertical direction

The glutes… do not. They wrap around the butt at an angle.

If you look closely (go on, soak them in… I wont tell) you will see that the fibers run in ANYTHING BUT a vertical position.

It becomes plain to see that the fibers of the glute run at almost a 45 degree angle!

By this understanding, if we want to work the butt in the same way we work the bicep (through a full range of motion), would it make sense to work the butt in a different way than straight up and down?

Think about the motion of the bicep curl being up and down, and the motion of a lunge being… well, up and down.

This guys problem (apart from having misplaced his shirt) is that he is only working the glute through half of its range of motion and therefore half of its potential.

Now look at the pictures above. I agree that the muscle might be working, but is it working the way YOU want it to be working? At full range? To full effectiveness? To give you the full potential?

Can you see how the everyday lunge (shown above) is only working our glutes through PART of the range of motion?

If you said yes, then print yourself off a personal trainer badge and pin it on

You’re hired.

Below is a 4 minute video that explains and demonstrates how your glutes move, but also shows a couple of exercise variations that you can do to REALLY work the butt.

Watch this video to work your butt to the max like never before!

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lHU50G0tmA if it doesnt show up on your browser)

If your gluteus maximus has been a little too much on the minimus side, then these exercises are what you have been looking for. These lunge variations (if done correctly and with good form) are your new best friend – or worst enemy, depending on how you look at it 😉

If you don’t normally do lunges, then just do the basic ‘perfect lunge’ version – 2 sets of 15 reps each leg, 3/week (add weight if it gets too easy) for 4-8 weeks.

Then email me to say thanks – send me a thank you e-card if you would like 🙂

After you have gotten better at the basic version, try the intermediate version – but make sure you are feeling confident with the basic version first and have good form and no pain as you go through the movement.

Let me know your results – hell, send before and after booty pictures if you want to!

Yours in bootyliciousness,

Jamie Atlas

https://jamieatlas.wordpress.com

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What makes something a ‘functional’ workout?

Sit ups do NOT equal sixpack abs

Would You Still Work Out If You Knew You Couldn’t Get a Six Pack?

Here is a philosophical question for you – and it isn’t anything lame like one of those ‘who would you rather get it on with, Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie’ (and no, Brangelina is not an option).

What if I told you a sixpack was impossible for you?

What if I did some magic genetic test and you found out you were always going to have a bit of fat covering the belly.

So many of us are in the gym working out and it hit me the other day that some of these people may never get to have a lean sixpack stomach (probably most of them). And it made me sad to think that these people might give up exercise altogether out of frustration.

How would you react? Would you keep working out?

Would you stop altogether once you got the news about your permanent pooch and say “Well, that’s it then. I guess I might as well go get some bon-bons”

(does anyone actually eat bon bons anymore? They seem to be the standard fat joke food, but whenever I look for them in the supermarket i can never find them)

In case you are wondering, this is (apparently) is a bonbon. I still dont know what is inside, but they appear deliciously bad for you.

Why do you exercise? If you knew you couldn’t get the aesthetic goal you wanted – if it was never going to be a possibility even if you camped out at whole foods and ate only the most organic and health of foods in a carefully balanced and precise nutrition regimen and worked out like a banshee in spandex…

Would you keep working out even if your aesthetic goals were not attainable?

Are we all exercising purely for aesthetic reasons?

Do we not even care about the potential problems that come from inactivity?

Research shows that inactivity increases our chances of experiencing:

• Joint pain
• Heart problems
• Bone density issues
• Cancer of a variety of types
• Lack of energy
• Greater strength losses as we age
• Reduced flexibility (think you have trouble touching your toes now?)

Does any of the above life altering factors matter to you? Did they ever enter your consciousness before? Does it matter now that you have read it again? Why didn’t it matter before?

Your daily activity is connected to much more than your ability to fit into your skinny pants

I feel like that is all I see on TV nowadays – sixpacks left and right and nary a heart health commercial in sight. Let me know if that is all you people really want!

Am I not seeing the same things you are?

Is quality of life just not sexy enough anymore?

Jamie Atlas

https://jamieatlas.wordpress.com

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Your Water Intake may be Ruining Your Workout

I wanted to pick up my clients water bottle and throw it against the wall.

Maybe I watched too much pro-wrestling as a young child. Maybe I was hit by an Aquafina truck as a young child and have repressed the memory.

I believe my my desire to go postal on their Nalgene bottle is not because I am a violent person – it just worries me what people don’t know about their own physical chemistry.

I truly believe when people come into the gym they are coming to give their best effort possible. I believe that if people want to perform at their best, then they need to make sure they remove all barriers to that effort. I also believe it is my job to help them understand that.

Let me explain why I wanted to go hulkamania on my clients H20.

One of my personal training clients was feeling sick during workouts. His diet checked out, his lifestyle factors were all in line but he was under performing to where he could be and I was not happy with his progress compared to the results he had shown a couple of months before. I believed he was working hard, but something had changed…

When pressed for an answer, he explained that he had recently begun drinking a big cold bottle of water in one swig before each workout. Because I always ask my clients if they have been drinking water and he figured this way he could say ‘yep’ and we would be good to go.

Some clients answer the water consumption question in more creative ways. One of my clients likes to respond in this manner:

Me: “have you been drinking your water?”

Client: “ahh, not as much as I should be (awkward silence)”

Me: “how much is that?”

Client: “Ahh…. none at all”

Me: “Grrraaarrrr!! Jamie Mad!!! Jamie Smash!!!”

Rather than chug a cold bottle of water before each workout, my client would be better off not drinking water at all.

When I told him that he may have to reduce the intensity of his workout today as a result of his water binging, he asked another question I hear from time to time:

Why do I even need water?

I don’t know much about cars, but I remember talking with a mechanic one day after a particularly expensive maintenance bill and asking “why do I even need oil in my car”?

After rolling his eyes and hiding his smile with a greasy rag he gave me the following analogy in zen-like fashion:

“the oil in your car is like the blood in your veins – if you have a smoothly moving oil system then all the pieces work smoothly – it is when your car doesnt have enough oil or if the oil isnt clean and smooth, then you cant get the oil. It doesnt matter how good your spark plugs are or if you have the best fuel mix in the world in that thing – you have to have the oil – it is an essential part of the cars chemistry”.

Your water intake is the same as the oil in your car (blood by the way, is 83% water).

Ye old fashioned water bottle

It doesn’t matter how strong your muscles are – water needs to get to the muscles and the body in order for the chemical reactions to happen that allow everything else to happen.

The final word on how much water to drink:

The rules vary and there are different levels of controversy, but I don’t buy the whole “careful you might drown yourself by drinking too much water” argument. Not for a second.

NB Special exception to the above: Unless you are doing a marathon where Hyponatremia becomes a very real risk or something else that has you exercising for 3-4 hours..if you are someone who has better things to do than run a la Forrest Gump, then keep on reading.

Here’s a thought for you. If my body doesnt get enough water, I am not able to complete the chemical reactions to break down fat. If I get too much water then all i need to do is add more electrolytes (which I get from salt, which most of us get too much of anyway).

However, the number of things that can negatively affect our health from not drinking enough water far outweigh the risk of our organs being taxed by overconsumption of water.

So you can bitch about the risks of drinking too much water while ignoring the massive list of benefits on the other side of the column if you want to. I could alternatively cover my ears when someone is arguing with me and say repeatedly ‘I-cant-hear-you-I-cant-hear-you-I-cant-hear-you”.

Lets put it another way – the NASN (a nutrition resource) recommends about a gallon a day for people that don’t exercise.

Hydration is no laughing matter – especially for Mermaids and Darryl Hannah.

If you exercise, you need more water. Do you drink that much (about 128 ounces a day)? No? Didn’t think so. Don’t feel bad though – most people don’t – mind you, most people are obese and think that ketchup counts as a vegetable.

Here’s 3 rules for drinking water in relation to an optimal workout:

Drink room temperature water:

Just like how cold water makes things shrink (I was in the pool!) it also can constrict the stomach lining – if you are post workout you probably have a large amount of water sitting in your belly wanting to get out, but cannot because everything has shrunk up from the impact of the cold water. To make sure you give your stomach the best chance to process the water and get it where it needs to be, drink it at room temperature every chance you get.

Know your enemy

Every time you see someone holding a bottle of water with ice cubes in it I want you to slap it out of their hand and say “why?! Why would you do that to yourself?!”.

Everything in moderation:

While it is advisable to drink water pre, during and post workout, it is also important to drink it in moderate amounts – that is, your body will be able to absorb and make use of water much better if it is drunk intermittently as opposed to having a chugging contest with your workout partner.

Hydration breaks are important for any workout.

Dilute the gatorade:

It is a little-known fact that the Gatorade that professional athletes use is about 1/3 the concentration that you can buy in 7-11. By adding a bit of carb to the water (and just a bit) you can improve the bodies ability to absorb water.

If your body is not processing the water (and thus giving you these stomach cramps) then by diluting some Gatorade you will help move things through more efficiently. Remember that a full solution of Gatorade that is cold is pretty much defeating the purpose – it must be room temperature and it must be diluted for your body to best absorb the water.

So put away the ice water and get yourself a room temperature bottle of water with a splash of Gatorade (or a twist of lemon for a bit of gourmet flair).

Of course, nothing beats a cold drink on a hot day – but if you are looking to work as hard as possible and give the body the essential nutrients it needs to burn that fat, run that engine and keep those joints moving smoothly then get the H20 into you as often as you can before, during and after the workout.

Yours in hydration,

Jamie Atlas

https://jamieatlas.wordpress.com

Elephants drink over 80 gallons of water a day! Thats a lot of Evian!

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Situps do not equal sixpack abs

Your workout may be making you fat

Six ways to stop your office job from killing you

I could ask you to go live in a small cave and eat organic berries and do yoga 3 times a day to achieve optimal health and wellness, but how realistic would that be?

(well, unless you had cable tv and a good wireless internet connection – then we’re talking, right?)

We all know there are certain things we should do, but what steps can we take to get the greatest return in investment for a possible change in lifestyle?

Since most of us spend a good chunk of our day sitting at our desk in the office, here is a quick breakdown of the six best things you can do right now to help decrease the impact of the cubicle prison:

#1 Stand By Me:

When sitting down we limit our breathing capacity, shorten our chest muscles and place stress on our neck and upper back, not to mention the tightened hip muscles at the front.

We all sit down too much compared to our chairless ancestors – when not at the desk do your best to stand, stretch, expand your lungs and loosen the tightness in the chest, hip and abdominal muscles. This will help undo the 8 hours of sitting you are likely to do.

#2 Frankie Says ‘Relax’:

Take a short break or two every day to seize a quiet moment. Get outside if just for a moment.

Notice your breathing, your environment, colors and smells around you. Take the opportunity to clear your mind, sharpen your senses and reset your mental machinery before heading back into the fray.

#3 Here Comes the Sun:

Photosynthesize – try to expose yourself to the sun for between 10-15 minutes a day to switch on multiple hormone regulating systems and produce vitamin D for healthy bones and skin.

It’s just plain good for you – If your dermatologist gets on your case ask what the cavemen did to protect their skin 10,000 years ago… cover up with bearskin umbrellas?

#4 Get Up, Stand Up. Stand Up for your Rights:

Invest in yourself! Outside of the office (or perhaps during your lunch break) Don’t underestimate the benefit of a knowledgeable personal trainer, massage therapist or acupuncture session to recharge the body, mind and spirit.

Treats such as these can pay dividends in more productive work hours with less pain and more energy and satisfaction in your life and work!

A workout that leaves your body more stressed is not necessarily the solution. A balance of working hard in the gym and relaxing hard in the stretching area or hot tub is a great way to achieve best results.

If you are overstressed and you work out too hard your body may actually store even more fat in an ‘overtraining’ response to the increased total stress.

Make sure you are making yourself the priority – whether your work realizes it or not, the better your stress level the better you produce.

#5 Twist and Shout:

Don’t tell your personal trainer this, but working out is an inexact science – the most important thing to you, mister/ms dedicated desk jockey, is to get you out of the sitting position and standing upright like your fellow homo sapiens.

Try to loosen and strengthen muscles in multiple directions in conjunction with other body parts. That means front to back, side to side and in rotation (like this woodchop below)

A simple exercise that uses your rotational muscles (great for the abs as well!)

Try to do movements that encourage your body to get out of a seated position and into a position of lengthening while strengthening. Ask the hottest trainer in the gym for a minute of help if you need advice (hey, you gotta get your value for money out of that membership, right?)

#6 Climb Every Mountain:

Aim for small manageable continuous improvement. Ever meet the guy who lost 60 pounds in three weeks, only to yo-yo it back on and then some? The body will respond best to gradual changes to its dimensions.

Push it too hard and it may push back in the form of joint pain, bad technique or injury. So take your time making the changes in your schedule – but dont take lightly the massive potential these small changes can have over time.

The most important thing to remember is that our bodies are not designed to sit at desks for 8 hours. We must take every opportunity to stand and move – Did I mention hydration? Take your first step to change right now and go get a drink from that office water cooler.

If you see someone else at the water cooler, ask if they were reading this post and were just following directions… If they say “yes” then give them a high five from me 🙂 Then talk about Julie Andrews and ask if they think that last picture of the Nun costume makes her look fatter or more alluring.

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