by: Samuel Jenkins

Let’s talk about foam rolling today! To make a long story short, self-myofascial release it is a method of self-massage, generally using a foam roller, to help release built up scar tissue within the muscles and fascia matrix. Fascia is a thin film of connective tissue that helps interconnect our muscles, bone, and organs together (think of the thin film that you typically find on a chicken breast—that’s fascia!)

The problem is our fascia and muscles, have a tendency to get “stuck” together on a microscopic level. These are called adhesions. Adhesions can form for various reasons, most of which can be attributable to lifestyle such as poor posture, but can also be caused by a particularly intense workout too. These adhesions is our body’s attempt to put on a short term band aid so we can make it through the day and hopefully find time to recover later on. The trouble is most of us can’t find the time to rest properly and allow our bodies to properly recover. Our muscles will eventually get tighter as these adhesions progressively build up. This may eventually lead to loss of range of motion, faulty movement patterns, or painful movement.

This is when a tool such as a foam roller is very handy! By utilizing a foam roller we can apply deep compression to our muscles and fascia- thus breaking up adhesions and helping tight muscles relax. Using foam rolling and proper exercise can really help improve blood circulation, which is absolutely vital for nutrition to properly travel throughout all of your body.

Foam rolling can be used before, after or even during your workout between sets. When foam rolling stick to big muscle groups/regions such as the front, back, and side of your thighs. You should seek to apply moderate pressure and roll slowly, when you find a trigger point or tight/painful spot- try and pause on said spot for a few moments and you should feel a gradual release in your muscles. If a spot is too painful to go to directly, slowly foam roll the area surrounding the painful spot then gradually try to work that spot out again. Be careful not to foam roll your joints, but if feeling pain it is generally a good idea to foam roll both above and below the painful joint. Also do not foam roll your lower back, a potential alternative can be a tennis ball or 2 lacrosse balls tied together. Remember after foam rolling to drink plenty of water to help give your body the water it needs to flush itself without dehydrating yourself. Make sure to give your body a day or two to recover before you foam roll that region again. You may also experience some soreness the next day, so make sure to get good sleep and nutrition as well.

by: Aaron Parker

Many times we go through each day not stretching like we should because either we forget to after a hard workout, or we make it up in our minds that we do not have enough time in a day to get the proper stretching we need. However, with the appropriate time management, we can find creative ways to fit stretching in to our busy days. It is important to make enough time on a daily basis to incorporate stretching into our daily routines. Otherwise, we may start waking up with what’s called “morning stiffness” overtime. Stretching daily can improve flexibility. It can also lower the chances of various injuries, reduce tension in your muscles, increase the range of motion in your joints, enhances muscle coordination, and increase the blood flow in different parts of your body. Those are just the physical improvements. Let me take it a step further and talk about yoga.

Yoga is much more than the practice of exercises and breathing, however, it is viewed as a “tradition of lifestyle, health, and spirituality,” with practices integrated into daily life to create balance, health, and harmony. As with any physical practice that involves movement and positioning, yoga postures carry the risk of injury if performed inappropriately or too vigorously by individuals who are unprepared or limited in any way. Potential risks of yoga practice also include overstretching, lower back strain, and knee, wrist, or shoulder injuries from improper positioning and extended length of the pose. This is why it’s always best to have a trained and certified yoga instructor teach you the proper techniques to reduce the risk of injury.  Technique equals safety.

One great benefit of yoga is that there are modifications made for almost every movement/exercise. This can help improve safety and decrease injury risk.  In other words, it is a workout based on individuality, meaning that you will be able to perform the movements regardless of your level of flexibility, because it can be modified to your needs.  While many people believe yoga is only for a certain type of person, it is for everyone—from beginner exercisers to athletes of all genders and body types.  Yoga can provide many health benefits for those who participate. If you are thinking that yoga may not be for you, do not knock it until you try it!  During a yoga session, there are various poses that you will perform and most of them have modifications to where everyone can do them. A few of those poses are: “the screaming pigeon”, “child’s pose”, “the chair, and “the balancing cat”. Yes yoga has complex terms such as these to help give participants a visual of the movement they are about to do. Yoga should be performed up to 2 times per week to see results over the span of time. You’ll feel so much better after doing it. What have you got to lose?

Work Cited

Fouladbakhsh, J. (2011). Yoga. Oncology, 25(2), 40-45.

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Kokkonen, J., Nelson, A., & Cornwell, A. (1998). Acute Muscle Stretching Inhibits Maximal Strength Performance. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport., 69(4), 411-415.

Americans sleep on average five to six hours per night. The average American today works long hours; lack of sleep can be harmful to the body resulting in high levels of stress. Lack of sleep can lead to, or continue to, produce side effects common with sleeping disorders. Under most circumstances, inadequate sleep can lead to headaches, dizziness, reduced mental alertness, and lack of motivation (American Sleep Association, 2017). A deep restful sleep can promote physical health, longevity, and emotional well-being (Harvard, 2007). In results of a good night’s sleep you feel better, your decisions are more accurate, and it gives you the ability to learn and retain more information (Harvard, n.d.)

There are two phases of sleep: Rapid-eye-movement (REM) and non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM). The first phase of sleep is NREM, in this phase brain activity is slow, and the five senses shut down. The NREM phase transitions through four stages and sleep gets progressively deeper making it nearly impossible to wake an individual from sleep. After moving through all four stages of sleep the brain switches into REM. During REM sleep muscles are temporarily paralyzed, and physiological functions may be more active. REM sleep is also the stage of sleep most associated with dreaming. Changes may occur in brain wave activity, heart rate, body temperature, and other physiological functions depending on the phase of sleep (Harvard, 2007).

Adequate sleep is important for good mental and physical health. Studies have shown that inadequate sleep has been linked to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and mood disorder (NIH, n.d.). It is believed that most people need at least eight hours of sleep, but quality of sleep is just as important as quantity. Poor quality sleep reduces efficiency and productivity which can be felt in many ways during our daily lives (American Sleep Association, 2017).

Good quality sleep is a key part of a healthy lifestyle. Getting adequate sleep is essential for learning, and improving memory function. Exercising in the morning or in the middle of the day can help improve sleep patterns. Effective time management can also help achieve restful sleep. If you can’t seem to “turn your mind off,” reading, writing, and listening to music may be helpful in relaxing your mind. Avoiding caffeine in the afternoon can also help you relax before bedtime. Beginning a consistent sleep schedule may take some time, but it could be helpful to try creating a schedule with your daily task and activities to help assist you with getting everything done in time for a restful sleep.

Citation

Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School (2017). The Characteristics of Sleep Web. 16 Feb. 2017. <http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/science/what/characteristics>.

American Sleep Association (n.d.) Inadequate Sleep Hygiene. Web. 16 Feb. 2017. <https://www.sleepassociation.org/patients-general-public/inadequate-sleep-hygiene/>.

National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (n.d.) How does inadequate sleep affect health? Web. 16 Feb. 2017. <https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/sleep/conditioninfo/Pages/inadequate-sleep.aspx>.

Harvard Medical School (n.d.) Healthy Sleep: Consequences of Insufficient Sleep Web. 16 Feb. 2017. <http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences>.

by: Evan Small

When you think of exercise it’s easy to imagine racks of weights, tight spaces and treadmills galore. The grunting sounds of those around you and the always-occupied equipment are encouragement to take the workout elsewhere…to the couch. Your only hope of staying at the gym is the non-existent chance that the next song on your iPod will psych body into completing another set of bench press!

Enter rock climbing as exercise. Outdoor Rock Climbing in its initial form was thought to be reckless and a form of rebellion against authority. In climbing gyms across America today, rock climbing is being sought after for a total body workout that also challenges psychological aspects of its participants. Climbers are being trained at younger and younger ages in climbing gyms with the hopes of competing in climbing competitions and becoming a respected professional in the sport.

These gyms provide a unique experience for all skill levels and can be tailored to your desired experience. It’s like doing yoga on a climbing wall! Climbing gyms have a certain culture that is extremely supportive and inclusive, something that is hard to come by in a fitness facility unless you attend a body pump or Zumba class. If you are looking to put the dumbbells down and pickup something adventurous to challenge all muscles of the body, rock climbing is your answer!

An initial inspection of rock climbing leads you to believe it is 100% an upper body exercise. Upon one visit to the climbing gym, most climbers realize they have to use their legs equally as much as there arms. Large muscles in the calves and hamstrings are under constant contraction during a climb. Because foot and handholds are placed in a certain pattern, climbing offers a balanced exercise and forces you to engage potentially weak muscles that could be avoided in a typical fitness facility. Depending on the climbing routes length and the break taken between climbs, you can obtain a cardio workout as well. Studies have shown that experience climbers have similar body fat content to individuals who participate in regular aerobic exercise such as running or cycling (Macdonald & Callender, 2011)

Participation in rock climbing, especially in gym settings, has grown exponentially in recent years. In 2020, the Olympics will host climbing for the first time. Competitions such as USA Climbing Nationals, Climbing World Cups and climbing’s future in the Olympics are a display of what climbing can do for the body given extreme dedication to the sport.

If going to the gym to lift weights is a burden, try going to the local climbing gym such as Threshold Climbing + Fitness set to open April 1^st of this year. Challenge your mind and get a total body workout in, all while having fun and being adventurous!

References

Macdonald, J. H., PhD., & Callender, N., B.Sc. (2011). Athletic profile of highly accomplished boulderers. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 22(2), 140-143. Retrieved from https://vortex3.uco.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.vortex3.uco.edu/docview/876012838?accountid=14516

by: Kyna Lewis

It can be hard to find time to meet the 30-60 minute per day requirement for aerobic exercise. What if I told you there could be a more effective and time efficient route to burn fat? High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a form of cardiovascular exercise that involves high intensity bouts of exercise such as sprints, with rest or active recovery cycles. These cycles could include time allotted just for rest or a lower intensity recovery, such as walking. Just like continuous training, HIIT has several benefits. HIIT has been shown to have significant improvements in aerobic fitness, metabolic health, and cardiovascular health.  (Kilpatrick, M., 2014).

When completing an aerobic HIIT training workout, you want to consider the duration, intensity, and frequency of the work intervals and the length of the rest and recovery periods. A HIIT session should consist of a warm up period of exercise between 5-7 minutes, followed by shorter bouts of high intensity effort which typically require you to become breathless during the work interval, and a relief interval such as rest, walking, or moderate exercise such as jogging. The short bursts of high intensity exercise periods may range from 5 seconds to 8 minutes long, and are performed at 80% to 95% of estimated maximal heart rate. The rest and recovery periods should be equal in time of the work intervals or even a bit longer, or double the work interval time usually performed at 40%-50% of estimated maximal heart rate. The sessions continue with three to ten repetitions alternating work and relief intervals, and ending with a period of cool down exercises totaling just about 15-20 minute. (Kravitz, L., 2014).

HIIT training can be modified into exercise sessions below the minimum training threshold for beginner exercisers as well as conditioned athletes who wish to improve aerobic power. HIIT training can be performed in a variety of exercise modes, including bodyweight exercises, cycling, walking, swimming, jump rope, elliptical cross-training, and in group exercise classes. It is also really important to establish a base fitness level before engaging in HIIT training or any exercise training program. Although HIIT training is more common in athletic training programs, there are beneficial results established through published research studies indicating that high-intensity training is more effective and time efficient in improving performance, and it can be modified and used for all individuals who have a base fitness level (exercising 3-5 times a week for 20-60 minutes at a moderate intensity).  If you have not been exercising habitually, one alternative might be to try moderate intensity interval training (MITT), which involves working at a moderate intensity with cycles of rest or low-intensity recovery periods.

Here’s an example of a sample HIIT Program:

• Warm up for 2 to 5 minutes at a low to moderate intensity.
• 1-minute high-intensity work interval at about 80%-95% of max effort.
• 1-minute low-intensity relief interval at about 10% max effort.
• Repeat the work and relief intervals 10 times for 20 minutes total.
• Cooldown for 5-10 minutes.

American College of Sports Medicine. High Intensity Interval Training. (2014)

Griffin, J.C. Client-Centered Exercise Prescription. 2015. Human Kinetics. P. 222-223

International Journal of Applied Sports Sciences. Evaluating and Comparing the Effect of High Intensity Interval Training vs. Low Intense, Longer-lasting training on Endurance Performance in Recreational Runners.

(Kilpatrick, Marcus W., Ph.D. “High-Intensity Interval Training.” A Review of Physiological and Psychological Responses 18.5 (2014): 0-5. Web.)

by: Samuel Jenkins

Resistance training or working out with weights may conjure up images of nonstop effort and sweat. This can be true, but a proper training session and program should also look to rest your body and help optimize the actual work done. This will help ensure proper technique, safety, and continued progress overtime. Rest comes in many forms and can be anything from pausing to catch your breath to taking a few days off so your body can recover.

Are you training for walking/running/swimming or to lift weights? Depending on your goals, the amount of rest you give yourself will vary dramatically. If training in a continuous manner, walking/swimming, it is okay to go nonstop at 50-80% of your maximum heart rate as long as your body feels okay. Just remember pacing and comfort are key. It is possible to train every day using a continuous method, but don’t ever push yourself too hard on any given day, this way, you allow your body to recover properly. Short rest durations (30-90 seconds between sets) may be used if you are short on time, this will typically takes the form of lighter weights, or even body weight.  In this instance, a higher repetition count such as 8-12 is a good rule to go by. If you are trying to train for strength/power/muscle size, the more weight will mean less repetitions, think 3-5 repetitions. So the more weight lifted or the quicker the movement the more rest you will need (2-5 minutes of rest between sets). These are good rules of thumb for just one session, but rest on a longer scale should be considered as well. If you have trained extremely hard for a day or had a stressful day at work, it also may be best to build in a couple of days to let your body recover properly.

You may feel like the world around you has lead you to believe we must absolutely destroy our body for it to be considered exercise. The fact of the matter is, if you are already stressed out or living off of just a couple of hours of sleep, it may be best for you to just rest for a couple of days. The world we live in today can be very stressful, and stress in its many forms robs us of our energy. This means that if you train on an abnormally stressful day, you are working with half of the fuel you would normally have in your tank. This is not to mention chronic, long-term, stress which can slowly decrease your well-being over time and lead to overtraining.

Training with little rest may also seem like a recipe for quicker fat loss because of the increase in heart rate and immediate calorie expenditure. However, this can be self-defeating, especially if you have had previous experience with weight training. Bigger muscles force your body to burn through more calories at rest, because the relative amount of energy burned within a single workout session is small in comparison to the amount of calories needed to burn 1 pound of fat. One 30 minute workout of nonstop action using circuit training will only amount to 500 calories burned (Walking at a brisk pace for 1 hour, 3.5 mph, or running for 25-30 minutes at 5 mph will burn about 500 calories too), while to lose a pound of fat you need to burn 3500 calories. So for you to lose just 1 pound of fat, you would need to do the same circuit session 7 times or walk/run the equivalent of that.

Now this may leave you feeling daunted and overwhelmed, but there is a way around it. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? The turtle went slow and steady and the rabbit shot out of the gates, but the turtle ultimately won the race. The same concept is true of your body! If you slowly but surely build a strong foundation of muscle within your body, you will ultimately burn more calories throughout the day than any single bout of exercise could possibly give you. According to a study done looking into metabolic rates of major organs and tissue, 1 pound of muscle burns approximately 6 calories per hour, while 1 pound of fat burns about 2-4 calories. By itself this isn’t a huge expenditure of calories, but over the course of one day, one month, or one year, this extra pound of muscle can make a difference. You can combine this with light physical activity on your rest days. Or you can incorporate an active recovery into your training sessions, which should be in the form of less intense exercise such as a standing instead of sitting, a slow walk, or lifting with light to no weight. With rest and recovery as a key ingredient, we can create a recipe for a more enjoyable workout experience that will make you feel better and will lead to a progressively healthier lifestyle. Let’s build off small positive successes which can ultimately need to profound positive change.

By Kamiera Jones

Have you been contemplating on exercising but just can’t seem to get started or find the time to exercise? We as people tend to make time for the things we feel are most important or things that are at the top of our priority list. Therefore, we must make exercising important to us. In order to have a motivational drive for exercise one must understand both the physical and mental benefits of exercising. In order for exercise to become one of our daily habits or become a part of our behavior patterns we must first change our thought process. We must build an attitude for exercise and exercise itself will fall into place. Start off by establishing goals. Establishing goals will get you motivated because you start to think about the rewards and gains you can get from exercise. Establishing goals is also an integral part when considering your work out plan.  Your workout plan does not have to be the same as someone else’s it can be solely based around your individual goals and needs. Having a plan for your workout is a vital part to building an attitude for exercise. Next time your contemplating on whether you should exercise write down all the benefits you can gain from exercising it might get you going!

By Javier Ibanez

When it comes to new people wanting to do resistance training, usually the first questions they ask themselves is whether to work out on machines or with free weights. There are many great benefits for each type of weight training, but there has always been a debate on which one is better. The only way to get a look at this is to see some of the pros and cons of each.

• Benefits to free weights:
  • You can do more exercises with less equipment
  • Inexpensive
  • Able to use full range of motion
  • Able to use anywhere
• Disadvantages to free weights:
  • Greater risk of injury
  • Proper technique takes time to learn
  • Will need a spotter if working with higher weights

Now let’s take a look at machine weights

• Advantages to machine weights:
  • Usually safer and easier to use
  • Isolate specific muscles
  • Ensure correct movements when used correctly
• Disadvantages to machine weights:
  • Difficult to strengthen stabilizer muscles
  • Bulky and expensive
  • May have to wait in line to use at a gym

As you can see, there are many advantages to each type of weight training, but it is up to the individual to decide which type they want to do and are best suited for. If you feel like free weights are what you want to do, but you don’t feel that you are ready for them, then it is OK to start off with machine weights first and work your way over to the free weight area. If you know that you are not going to like the free weight area then it is also OK to stick with the machine weights for a while. Personally, I feel like they are both great and they both need to be used for an exercise program to be effective. Something to keep in mind for those that are just getting ready to start but can’t decide which to go with: something is better than nothing, so pick one and get after it. Even if you don’t know which one is better, you will definitely figure out which one you prefer along the way.