Functional Training

Protein is on it's way out today.  Sorry that it's only taken me 3 weeks to actually send it.  March was a beast.  Anyway, I sent it out to everyone who emailed me their mailing address but I felt like I was missing a few people.  If it doesn't arrive in a few days, let me know.  And if you can't remember if you sent me your address, send it again just to be safe.  annielewis@mac.com

I've been thinking about and working a lot on functional training lately.  Before I got back into my heavier weight training I wanted to make sure I worked on core and functional movements to hopefully help prevent future injuries.  I'm normally a get in the gym and work your ass off with the heavy stuff kind of person (I still am.  Don't be thinking I'm done harping on you about lifting heavy).  But I've enjoyed my functional training so much that I think I'm going to focus on it at least one day every week from here on out.  Here's a great explanation from ripped N fit of why functional training is so important.
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Functional fitness and functional training are the new talk in every gym. We are told to train our bodies, get fit and strengthen out muscles. All good and well, but are your muscles fit and strong enough to handle everyday tasks like lifting your toddler or picking up a sack of potatoes? Functional training focus on making the body strong and fit in order to handle everyday tasks, and to help the body have the correct posture for support while doing so.

When we train, we normally isolate muscle groups, especially when it comes to weight lifting. The key in functional training is to teach the muscles to work together. For example, when doing bent-over rows: you have to lean over and hold the weight in one hand while the arm is extended downwards. Then you have to pull the weight up, while elbows points towards the ceiling. This exercise works on the back, shoulders, arms and the core. Practically you can compare it to the motion a carpenter would perform while bending over to lift a piece of wood.

Another example, think about doing a squat – squat down and using your leg muscles you come back up. Now think about the movement done to get up off a couch – while you may assist yourself with your arms you’re really pushing off from your legs. So squats would be better for improving functional fitness than leg extensions for example which isolate one muscle group.

The Origin of Functional Training

This training has its origin in rehabilitation and is used every day by Physical and Occupational therapists. They try to develop exercises that will help individuals to perform basic daily activities without being injured.

The benefits of functional training is that you will have better joint mobility as well as stability. The body has the ability to move in six degrees of freedom, which is natural while using a machine restricts to movement of singe plane of motions. Because this single plane of movement is unnatural, the body will be more prone to injury.

Here are some exercises that might help:

• Medicine ball overhead squats. When lifting your children or groceries, you use your arms, legs and back. This will strengthen your lower back, buttocks, shoulders and legs.

• Biceps curl while climbing stairs. Stairs will keep your legs toned an in shape. When combined with a bicep curl, you improve the biceps endurance, while increasing the ability to carried things up the stairs. This also helps to improve your cardiovascular endurance because of the energy needed to climb stairs. This is like any activity which requires you to carry heavy items up the stairs such as grocery bags.

• Diagonal reach using a medicine ball. From time to time you have to reach for something on the tops shelf. Normally the one arm reaches up, lifting the opposite leg slightly to the side. The arms, shoulder and legs are involved.

• Lunging with a back row. Improving your posture. The muscles in the upper back, mid back, shoulders and arm are strengthened. The legs are also strengthened while improving the hips.

• Knee Raises with Lateral Shoulder Raises. This is a great combo for improving your balance while strengthening the core and quads as well as building the shoulders. When doing the knee raise, the longer you can hold you knee up, the more it will work your quads.

                                                                                                                

• Russian Twists with a Dumbbell. Having a strong core is important for improving health and wellness. Well-trained obliques also help to reduce the risk of lower-back injuries. Hold the weight out in front of you with your abs tight and twist to the left, squeeze, and then twist to the right.

When first trying these exercises, remember to start with just your body weight and as you build strength move on to adding weights.

While functional training will help improve everyday chores, you will not be wasting your time while exercising. Remember, there is no one specific type of training that is better than another. Try to include all types of exercise in your workout routine to give you a strong and well-balanced physique and improve your overall fitness level. You will see results in the practical things you do every day and after a while, this will become a skilled lifestyle while allowing you to enjoy more of the things you love!

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Have an awesome weekend!!!

Supplements - The Short Answer

So, you're working your butt off, watching your diet, and now seeing results.  It's awesome, right?  But of course, you start thinking, is there anything else I could be doing to optimize my performance/results/strength?  The short answer is yes.  There are supplements you can add to your diet to give yourself even more of an edge.  The problem is that there are SO many on the market that even a seasoned supplement veteran can get overwhelmed.  I'm still new to the world of supplements but honestly, I don't think anything makes a difference unless you have the big guns in place first (diet diet diet).  I can tell you what I've tried and what I feel like made a difference, but supplementing is kind of a trial and error thing.  You really have to figure out what works for you.  I've heard people say that creatine didn't do squat for them and I've heard people say that creatine made a world of difference (I'm in that camp).  So really, nobody can tell you exactly what will work for you.  You just have to figure it out.  

Right now I'm not supplementing with anything except collagen protein.  I wanted to give my body a break from everything for a while.  I'll get back to supplementing sometime in April or early May.  I mean, you know, summer and swimsuits and stuff.  But here's what I've really liked in the past (I'll explain these supplements in detail in a later post).

Creatine: You'll want to research this yourself before you use it.  I've heard people say that they felt bloated and blah while they were using creatine.  I never noticed that.  What I did notice was a serious increase in my muscle strength, tone, and size.  I was initially worried about getting "big and bulky" (ha!  yeah right), but that was never the case.  I just noticed lean muscles developing faster than they were before.  I like to "cycle" creatine use (3 months on, three months off).  I think it's one of the best products on the market, but definitely do your homework before you decide whether or not to put it on your list of things to try.

L-Glutamine: Initially I started taking this in capsule form, and then I switched to a protein that had L-Glutamine in it.  I'll probably go back to the capsules simply because I want to stick with my collagen protein.  I noticed less muscle soreness and quicker recoveries.

BCAA's (branch chain amino acids): Okay.  This is one that I honestly didn't take long enough to see a difference.  The capsules were so big I just couldn't do it.  Next time I try them I'll get it in powder form.  

Recovery drink:  Yes.  Definitely.  Especially if you are planning to do ANY type of long duration cardio.  It will help to keep your body from burning it's own lean tissue.

Thermogenic Capsules:  I'm hesitant to divulge this one, but honesty is the best policy, right?  Okay.  Do thermogenic products work?  Yes.  Sort of.  Are they a replacement for eating healthy and working your ass off?  No.  And if you try to use them that way you'll be seriously disappointed.  They are NOT a diet pill.  Research any "thermogenic" product before you even think about trying it.  They are very few that are worth the $.

Like I said, you can't out exercise or over-supplement a bad diet and expect results.  It won't happen.  They are SUPPLEMENTS.  They are meant to "supplement" an already sound exercise program and diet.  Only then will they do their thang.