November 7, 2008 at 12:25 am (Personal Trainer, Seniors and Physical Fitness, Strength Training, weight lifting)
Tags: Bloomington MN, Bodybuilding, Edina MN, exercising, Strength Training & Physical Fitness, weight lifting
I call these my leaden years (as opposed to golden years), lead-en referring to the heavy metal.
Saturday (Nov 1st) I competed in the North Star Bodybuilding contest in 2 classes, 50 and over, 60 and over. I was 2nd in both classes, could have done better, etc, but then I get into should-a, could-a, etc. Posing is my down fall and I make too many mistakes…should-a done better!
This was the 7th Body Building Competition in two years, and I do hope to continue next season.
I did start my posing routine on Saturday night with 6 one arm push-ups on each arm (66 years)!
The most important or perhaps remarkable thing I take from these two years is younger people who compete and remark about my age (66). I can smile and realize I am sending a silent message to others. The silent message is aging doesn’t need to stop one from exercising, strength training, weight lifting, maintaining a reasonable diet and looking physically good. Yes, genetics help, but the other 60% is doing!
Take it however you want – if there is a silent mentor then in would be Arnold. Strange how one guy can have such recognition and effect just with just his first name. The man deserves many thanks and respect for the positive effect he has had on so many.
I am not asking you to go at exercise as hard as I do, but consider strength training exercise as one means to your wellness routine with your passage through this thing called life.
I started this when I was 15, just a kid hanging out with other kids doing foolish kid things in a garage. Well, the foolish thing was lifting weights; 50 years pass by and I am still doing weights! Maybe it wasn’t so foolish – what do you think? We pass this way only once; let me influence others in a positive way by an example…
I work with people from 20 to 70 with stretching, diet and weight training - listening, watching, guiding, pushing and advising on life if there is room for that type of help.
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September 11, 2009 at 4:46 am (Strength Training, dumbbell, muscle recruitment)
Does the lowly dumbbell have a function or place in the home gym? Even its name makes one think twice – dumb bell, not a very appealing name to use for training purposes! But the dumbbell leaps forward in its ability to recruit auxiliary muscles used to stabilize the weight during a movement. When one performs a bench press or over head press, the additional stabilizing strength (recruited auxiliary muscles) needed to control unnecessary movement is apparent.
The Dumbbell can also be used for greater muscle isolation, the bicep concentration curl, bicep incline curl, tricep kick back and the deltoid raises are all good examples of this.
But the limiting factor for dumbbell ownership and use is cost. The cost can range from over a dollar per pound to a few dollars per pound. A cost effective solution to the price problem is building your own using dumbbell handles and possibly purchasing used plates from a website like Craig’s List Dumbbell handles and end plates can be purchased from www.weightliftingtrainerstore.com/Dumbbell_Handles.php
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September 10, 2009 at 2:18 am (Strength Training, Strength Training Anatomy, Strength Training Book, weight lifting)
The training media is filled with exercises describing form and function of movements for strength training. But, I have always felt they were missing something. That something was visually depicting the actual muscle and supporting muscle employed during the lifting or pulling phase.
Recently I have come across two books depicting in a clear visual fashion those muscles being used. Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier visibly shows the reader which muscle groups are being targeted by a lifting movement. This book primarily is for the upper body. The companion book, Women’s Strength Anatomy, goes into great detail for the abdominal and lower body.
Both books should be purchased by both males and females to familiarize them with their efforts and act as a guide for strength training.
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January 31, 2009 at 7:42 pm (Personal Trainer, Personal Training, Strength Training, weight lifting)
Tags: Bloomington, Certification, Eden Prairie, Edina, NSCA, Personal Trainer
What should you look for in a Personal Trainer…MCIGE?
Maturity…says I know enough to know, but also know enough to listen to my client.
Certification…A Personal Trainer’s certification, such as NSCA, assures of a well rounded background not only in exercise physiology, but also the appropriate medical background to protect you.
Integrity…who really is their employer, their pay check employer or you the client depending on them for 100% guidance. If they are trying to sell you the next training session, a boot camp or a spinning class, you might reconsider your present choice.
Guidance…is not just helping you lift or move a weight during a set, guidance is observing you and making the correct decisions and advising for next 10 movements down the line.
Experience…does what they say match what they are capable of performing and saying? Part of their job is helping you protect you from yourself. Some pain yes, some injury no.
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January 21, 2009 at 4:21 am (Boot Camp, Personal Trainer, Personal Training, Senior's Exercise, Strength Training, weight lifting)
Tags: Bloomington - Edina MN, Boot Camp, Eden Prairie - Richfield MN, Personal Trainer, Strength Training & Physical Fitness
Boot Camp for personal training…hmmm. I think the term, and perhaps the military mystique, is a bit worn out by overzealous sales personnel with health clubs and independent trainers. The meaning of the term associated with Marine Corp boot camp; NOPE I do not see a mature civilian population going for the nth degree of physical punishment. I mean “go till you drop” does have a meaning, but again the general population buying into that mentally…nope!
So this rash of new advertizing for you to join a boot camp given by a personal trainer makes me think. What is the real role, duties and responsibility of a Personal Trainer to his or her clients? Does the word “to train or instruct” work? My responsibility is to instruct my client(s) on which exercise effects which muscle or muscle groups. During the course of instruction I convey to my client how their muscles function and what is required to energize, feed and repair those muscle. Normally it takes 4 or 5 or 6 sessions for a client to fully assimilate an exercise movement into their muscle memory.
My Mission Statement reads: My mission is to transfer essential knowledge about diet, nutrition, anatomy and strength training through my services as a Personal Trainer. I will accomplish this by teaching, on a one to one basis, about muscle development and retention in order to accomplish each person’s individual goals.
I am giving you the best I can without the SMOKE SCREEN of a BOOT CAMP…
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January 14, 2009 at 2:05 am (barbell, dumbbell, muscle recruitment, weight lifting, weight lifting cable systems, weight lifting safety factor)
Tags: barbells, Bloomington - Edina MN, cable systems, dumbbells, Eden Praire - Richfield MN, Strength Training & Physical Fitness, Strength Training Machines, weight lifting
Which form of weight work is most effective?
The primary lifting disciplines are:
- Machines
- Free Weights (barbells & dumbbells)
- Cables
My canned answer is “depends on your goals and level of experience.”
Many women and older people tend to use machines because of the ease of use and safety factor. The safety factor of machine systems will provide a mechanical stop; however the strict and controlled movement also limits the recruitment of other muscle(s) groups during the actual movement. A bench press with dumbbells is a primary example of various muscle groups not only being employed to raise the dumbbell, but also using other muscle groups (e.g. shoulders) to keep the weight in balance to maintaining control of the weight.
The leg curl and leg extension machines on the other hand and are much more effective for lower leg work. The machine cam type design load the quadriceps and hamstring in a way not possible with free weight loaded machines of lesser design. Consider the amount of you can push with a leg press or hack squat: 400, 500, 600 lbs and above. For the vast majority this amount is completely unreachable in a free weight barbell squat, but once again the free weight squat offers extreme muscle recruitment for the balancing and control of the weight.
For the development of sheer lifting power the barbell is the reigning power king. Consider the Olympic lifts of clean and snatch, two hand clean & jerk, squat, and deadlift…raw sheer power and a tremendous amount of strength has been developed to move the weight. For further reference on Olympic lifting see: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/schultz26.htm or http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/article-olympic-lifting.aspx . These ladies and gentlemen use barbells to train and develop the strength and power to move extremely heavy loads.
Dumbbells are effective for developing balance control, muscle recruitment and cutting up (greater muscle definition). 
The use of dumbbells requires a greater degree of experience not only in their respective handling but in knowledge of targeted muscles groups.
The cable systems (often overlooked by many) in my opinion provides the greatest degree of targeted muscle development. With a cable system the muscles are constantly over loaded during the entire movement phase. Both the positive and negative repetitions maintain a load on the targeted muscles groups. Associated muscle groups are also recruited during the movments. An example of a cable movement would be a lat pull down, cable curl and a tricep extension.
The following is a breakdown of systems advantages and disadvantages:
Machines:
Best safety factor and ease of use
Poor muscle recruitment and balance development
Barbells:
Best power development and mutual muscle recruitment
Worse for safety factor
Dumbbells:
Very good for muscle isolation, definition type work and muscle recruitment.
Medium for devloping strength
Poor for safety factor as no cage or supports can be used
Cables:
Very good for muscle isolation, definition type work and muscle recruitment.
Low for devoloping strength
Very good for safety
Be safe, be strong, but above all be smart!
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January 9, 2009 at 10:49 am (Back Problems)
Over the past 10 years I have listened to people tell me my posture was bad and I walked with slumped shoulders. The word denial works on my part as I thought I was fine – wrong! After watching other men’s upper backs I finally realize I actually was slumping forward.
I would tell people as a teen I was almost 6 feet, but now at 66 I was 5’ 10”. The wear and tear of life took some of my height away; hmmmm again wrong, and again denial…The physical problem was sitting at a desk for years, and being bent over.
What really hit or hurt me was performing squats. 250 lbs was fine, at 275 lbs my upper back would start to protest, go to 325 and then 350 and my upper back would be in pain for a few days. Something was wrong and it just was not age, and it was not osteoporosis. It was my posture and over time I let my shoulders round, and my upper back bend forward.
So yes, my realization of the posture problem has made me take conscious physical action to continually correct my bad back and correct my bent back. Sitting on an aerobic ball while performing desk work also helps my posture.
Like anything in life it looks like me must work on our postures.
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December 31, 2008 at 10:47 am (Senior's Exercise, Seniors and Physical Fitness, muscle recruitment)
Tags: Aging, aging and exercise, one arm pushup, pushup, Strength Training
Muscle recruitment and physical strength used for 1 arm pushup
The most hurtful words one tells them self is “I wish I would have done that when I was capable of doing that!” Youth is abundant in the 20’s, 30’s and partially into the 40’s. Aging has no real meaning in these years; typically we are still living in the myth and swimming in our own immortality. We do not understand neither aging nor its effects, how could we, we have never had to deal with aging as a fact of life?
So the dream resides in our mind, and in our fantasy to be completed a little later in life. No, the dream doesn’t change, but something is…our years. The years accumulate, this is known as aging, and physical abilities will be taken from us.
Scream, holler, shout, write whomever, complain, but these will not matter nor make a difference in life’s outcome. In the area of your personal physical abilities, 99.9% of the time, you must maintain your physical capacity throughout the years. If you stay with good solid physical activity you will be surprised how much you can carry with you. But, let your physical being slide or even worse never develop it and the dream will never take place.
In my own physical activity over the years there is not much I have not hit. I have said: ”From the sky to under the seas I have hit most things.” I have jumped from a plane, sailed on the sea, and SCUBA dived.
There are a few more things I could do, but I will have to wait…and see.
The actor Jack Palance was honored at a Hollywood award ceremony about 10 years ago, and got down and did 1 one arm pushup. When I hit seven “O” and if I am still around, I dream of getting down and doing about 30 “Rocky” style one arm pushups…dreams…damn straight.
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November 27, 2008 at 10:58 am (Wellness)
Tags: diabetes type II, Diet, nutrition, over wieght
We know a Corvette, Ferrari, or Lotus automobile was designed for high performance. They do well on winding roads where the suspension can grab the road and the camshafts allow the motor to reach full song. A Toyota Prius Hybrid was designed as a grocery getter and high mileage. A large 4 wheel drive truck does great on the snow and back roads, but ask for high gas mileage and high speed turns stability and it is not going to happen. Nope, won’t be pretty will it…
I believe most people understand these concepts of automotive design, but how many truly understand the design and function of the human body? How was the human body designed and for what purpose? The 2 base answer are survival and to perform work.
Survival means turning every spare and extra nutrient we consume into fat stores for potential fuel at a later date. To work means to survive by strength or working to gather food. Mankind without strength or muscle would soon succumb to the forces of nature…by starvation, death by a predator, or death by another human struggling for existence.
The higher power or force(s) that created mankind never intend fast food or fat food to be a food source, those forces did not perceive that a keyboard, key pad, remote changer or automobile would become part of our life styles and tools systems; but they have…
We need to rethink what we do or don’t do to ourselves from consuming excessive food to under using/exercising our high performance chassis. The national estimate for our population is 70% over-weight, and diabetes type II is listed in epidemic portions in our society. Something is wrong, somehow…someway as a society we are in direct conflict with the intentions that a higher power used to create the human being.
If you are in the “I am Lost Column” there are a wide variety of diet programs on the Internet to help you regain control of your diet. Health clubs are like gas stations, there is one on every block. If you search your locale there are a multitude of personal trainers offering diet consultation and exercise help.
Talk to your friends, children, parents, co-workers and others on how we were designed and how can change our present lifestyle to regain that piece of ourselves we have lost.
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November 21, 2008 at 9:58 pm (Diet)
Tags: caloric requirement, calories, Diet
Aging – getting older is one aspect of life we know will take place. Perhaps the mere thought of the word applied to you will cause you to shudder, and say never not me. Well “you” can deny it, have surgery to correct sagging skin and spend a fortune on drugs, but the most effective action you can take is good diet and exercise. Both of these will reduce the aging process.
The vast majority of people understand the correlation between a poor diet and poor health. The media announces every day the epidemic levels of diabetes type 2, increased hypertension (high blood pressure) and of course heart disease. Yet fully understanding the relationships between diet and good health we choose diets that are unhealthy for our long term well being and increased weight gain.
To reduce the diet concept to the simplest understandable terms, multiple your weight by 10 to give you your required caloric input per day. My weight is 170 lbs, 170 x 10 = 1700 calories per day for a base number.
The 1700 calories is 50% carbohydrates, 40 % protein and 10% fat. And yes, 1 gram of protein is 4 calories, I gram of carbs is 4 calories and I gram of fat is 9 calories. If I were watching my diet I would stay within these limits. If I did 1 hour on the tread mill and used 350, I would add the 350 calories to the 1700 calories for the day’s calorie requirements.
When you first start to count calories in this manner, keep track of the food you are eating daily, any exercise programs you are using, and your weight once a week. Within a few weeks you will have the numbers and amounts down in your mind. You will know the caloric value of the food you are eating.
Managing my calorie intake in this fashion will keep my weight at approximately 170 pounds without the gain of excessive weight or fat.
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