Fitness Club Blog

Shane Lance B.S., M.Ed

To stretch or not to stretch.  That used to be the question.  Now the question is:  What kind of stretching and when? 

Basically, there is static stretching and dynamic stretching.  The static stretching we used to always do before sports has now been proven to be best utilized post performance. Dynamic stretching should be the pre-performance choice.

Below is some information about stretching from strength and conditioning great, Vern Gambetta:

 (http://www.functionalpathtrainingblog.com)

The rule of thumb to remember is warm-up to stretch, do not stretch to warm-up. My experience has shown static stretching is best placed at the end of the workout as part of a cool down. Placed there it serves to restore the muscles to their resting length which will reduce soreness and enhance recovery for the next workout. 

For optimum results flexibility exercises in the warm-up should be active to facilitate the excitation of the nervous system to create a readiness for movement…..The purpose of stretching in warm-up is neural activation. Passive or static stretching has a relaxing, calming effect. That is appropriate for the cool down or in a recovery

In dynamic flexibility work there are no sudden movements; the movements are controlled and flowing. Dynamic flexibility work will improve elasticity of muscles and ligaments. It consists of arm swings, leg swings, trunk rotations, reaches and bending to stimulate blood flow and wake up the nervous system.

Static stretches should follow dynamic stretches. Static stretching can be counter productive if placed before a workout requiring explosiveness, speed or agility. Immediately following static stretching the muscles are less responsive to stimulation and coordination is thrown off. Static stretches interfere with the activity of tendon reflexes. This underscores the importance of carefully choosing the type of flexibility to be used relative to the type of workout. This is all part of a good plan.

Here is a link to a great article on Static vs. dynamic stretching.  It also includes some videos showing some examples of good dynamic movements.

https://www.beachbodyondemand.com/blog/dynamic-vs-static-stretching-warm-up-exercises

Can you push up?

Shane Lance B.S., MEd

Can you drop down and do 100 pushups?  Or, is your form more push than up?  Maybe you even start at the top and slowly fall on your face.  Whatever the case may be, pushups are great exercises.  That is, if you do them right.  I have been a coach for 20 years of multiple sports and I have seen some of the most ridiculous, horrifying, and downright laughable pushups that anyone can even imagine.  Just about any teenager can bust out a bunch of sloppy pushups.  Make them use good form and go through the full range of motion, they will look just as silly as we older folks do.

There are many benefits to doing proper pushups.  Just do a search on google and you’ll find tons of good info.  The thing that I like most about pushups is that there are so many varieties.  You can get an awesome workout.  Before you go doing fancy one armed pushups, or daredevil pushups on the wing of a flying airplane or something, it is important to be good at regular pushups first.  Here is a link to a video I found on You Tube.  This is a short video showing proper form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IODxDxX7oi4

Once you have learned how to use proper form, I suggest trying a 100 pushup challenge.  There are many websites and apps out there that will help you with this.  Here is a link to a great website: http://hundredpushups.com   Go there and click on program.  The six-week training is awesome.  I have many of my co-workers just finishing up week two.  They hate me.  Ha ha.

The makers of the video and website I just recommended do not even know I exist.  So, I am not getting paid to recommend you check them out.  I just thought they were good and wanted to share.

For those of you who can’t do a pushup yet, here is a link to a good video showing you the proper form for modified pushups.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9Dz0FhzBNI

Now, drop and give me twenty!  Ha ha.  Have fun!

Shane Lance B.S., MEd

Whenever you talk about your killer workouts or the awesome diet you are on, people get interested.  They start asking what you are doing or what you are eating.  It is fun to talk about how sore you are.  One thing you seldom hear people talking about is rest.  That’s right, rest.  Rest is one of the most overlooked parts of a good and complete fitness regimen.  I’m not just talking about rest in between reps and sets.  I’m talking about time between working body parts.  I’m talking about snoring like a chainsaw tucked away in your comfy bed.  Working out is great and necessary; however, the real magic happens after the workout.  You put your body through the ringer.  Then, your amazing system gets to work repairing and strengthening your body.  If you start working out again before the repairs are made, you can hinder your progress and over train.  Also, when you close your little peekers at night, every cell in your body gets to work repairing your body and mind.  If you don’t get enough sleep, the job doesn’t get completed. 

Years ago, I suffered from over training.  It was not fun.  Here I was working super hard but my muscles began to shrink.  I was tired all the time.  My muscles and joints began to ache all the time.  I fought it for a while.  When I finally realized what was going on, I took two weeks off from training.  Psychologically, that was hard and I then discovered I was addicted to bodybuilding.  After my time off, I eased back into it.  My workouts were shorter.  I worked out four days per week instead of seven.  It took a long time to get my gains back. 

I learned the hard way how important proper rest is for good health.  It is great to push yourself beyond your limits.  Just make sure you get the rest you need so you can continue to push for years to come.

Shane Lance B.S, MEd

One Size Does Not Fit All!

Years ago a football coach came to me and asked me to look at a weight training program he was looking at buying for his team.  He wanted to know what I thought of it and whether or not it was worth the money.

The program was a good one.  But, there was something I saw as a problem.  Although it would be great for many athletes to build a strength base, it was not a “one size fits all” program.  There is no such thing.  Now, on a football team you have varying body types, skill levels, and commitment levels.  Take your 300 pound lineman for example.  He consumes large amounts of food, is naturally strong, and is usually the guy the whole team is cheering on as he struggles to finish bear crawls across the field.  Obviously, we would want to focus on building on the natural strength and also getting the poor kid in better cardio shape.  Contrast that player with your average receiver.  This player also consumes large amounts of food but his metabolism is so high that it burns off almost as fast as he eats it.  He is usually lean and has enough energy to run circles around the lineman. Receivers are also much quicker than linemen.  The training for this athlete should build on quickness, explosiveness, and lots of jumping because those are necessary skills for running routes and jumping in the air to catch the football.  If I were to give the same program to both athletes, they should see some benefits of course.  However, a more specialized program would lead to much better rewards.

There are many great programs out there that you can buy or there are even great free programs.  Some things you need to consider are: what are my fitness goals?  What type of exercise do I enjoy doing?  What are my abilities?  What are my limitations?  What is my body type?

Most importantly, listen to your body.  Learn to recognize when something is or is not working.  You may want to consider using a personal trainer if he/she is willing to create a program specifically for you and your goals and not just print off a “one size fits all” program.