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Friends,
FYI.
Walt
Dear Walt Stoll,
Exercise No-No's!
-----------------
Keep in mind these often-over-looked basics, taken from a recent
survey of fitness professionals by the American Council on Exercise:
1.Not stretching enough was ranked the No. 1 mistake. Stretch for
at least 5 minutes before you exercise. It will relieve the stress
on your muscles and help prevent injuries. Hold each stretch for 15-60
seconds without bouncing.
2.Lifting too much weight. Stick with lighter weights that can be moved
through the full range of motion of the muscles that are being worked.
Never go above a 3% to 5% increase in any given week, when you are ready
to add to the weight you are lifting.
3.Skipping warm-ups. Warm up for 5 minutes or more in order to deliver
blood and oxygen to your muscles, which prepares your body for exercise.
Try using a treadmill to gradually warm up until you break a sweat.
4.Not cooling down. Cooling down helps to dissipate the lactic acid that
builds up in your muscles during a workout, causing a burning sensation
in your muscles. Do a low-impact activity, like walking, that lowers your
heart rate.
5.Exercising too intensely and inconsistently. It is better to exercise
regularly than to blast yourself infrequently with too hard a workout.
You may end up with injuries and soreness for days afterward.
6.Drinking too little water. You need to drink water before, during and
after working out. Don't wait until you are thirsty or dehydrated.
Jumping for Health!
Rebounding is similar to jumping rope except that it's performed on a
kind of mini-trampoline. The jumping surface of a rebounding device has
a cushioning spring to it, thus removing jarring to one's ankle joints,
knees, and back.
Rebounding is an exercise that reduces your body fat; firms your legs,
thighs, abdomen, arms, and hips; increases your agility; improves your
muscles overall; provides an aerobic effect for your heart; rejuvenates
your body when it's tired, is an excellent method of reducing stress and
generally puts you in a state of health and fitness.
Rebounding involves aerobic movements performed on a bouncing device that
looks like a small trampoline. It has you jumping up and down for health
and fitness. As an ideal jumping device, the mini-trampoline or "Rebounder"
has a strong woven mat attached by coiled steel springs to a circular steel
frame. The Rebounder is round with an entire jumping surface of the mat at
twenty-eight inches in diameter. It stands on six legs with spring coils of
their own, which are seven to nine inches high.
The action of jumping up and down against gravity, without trauma to the
musculo-skeletal system, is one of the most beneficial aerobic exercises
ever developed. The gentle bounce of rebounding is effective in returning
natural, regular bowel movements to chronically constipated persons. The
steady bounce sets up a pulsating rhythm transmitted by the nervous system
to the brain area responsible for regulating the intestinal system, which
re-establishes one's rhythmical bowel activity. Digestion is improved as
well.
James White, Ph.D., director of research and rehabilitation in the physical
education department at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD)
uses the Rebounder in his rehabilitation program at UCSD. Dr. White added
that jumping for health is more effective for fitness and weight loss than
cycling, running or jogging.
Rebounding may be enjoyed for a lifetime and adjusted to your own particular
level of fitness. It is safe, convenient and inexpensive, and its protective
effects against degenerative diseases make it one of the most effective forms
of motion, simply exercising for the care of your body and mind.
In Reply to: More about exercise. (Archive in exercise.) posted by Walt Stoll on February 06, 2003 at 06:32:59:
Wow! I hate exercise but I would love one of those rebounding machines. I'm going to get one. Thanks Walt.
In Reply to: More about exercise. (Archive in exercise.) posted by Walt Stoll on February 06, 2003 at 06:32:59:
I hate it when A.C.E. recommendations make the news.
Item #1, stretching before exercise, is highly dubious advice. There is no evidence that stretching before exercise reduces injury. None. It just sounds good. If anything, stretching AFTER exercise might reduce injury rates. Maybe. Stretching is task-specific. If a joint has sufficient range of motion for a particular task, stretching is not necessary. Excessive stretching can even be harmful. Furthermore, static stretching as recommended here - holding a stretch for 15-60 seconds - may not be the most effective form of stretching.
Item #4, cooling down after exercise, is also dubious. I'd like to see any evidence that a "cooling down" activity after exercise reduces injuries, speeds recovery between workouts, or increases fitness. At best, there might be some benefit, but I doubt that failure to "cool down" ranks as one of the biggest exercise mistakes. A "cool down" period does increase billable hours for fitness trainers, however. I call those kind of trainers "Rep Counters" - their sole task during a training session is count for you.
Failure to set a concrete goal is easily one of the biggest exercise mistakes, yet I don't see it listed. When you don't have a plan to go anywhere, nowhere is where you'll usually end up.
In my opinion, the American Council on Exercise (A.C.E.) consistently has some of the most ignorant fitness professionals in the business. Beware certifications from a for-profit organization. Almost anyone can get an A.C.E. certification, the requirements are shockingly low. Not even a high school diploma is required. A 2-day prep class and 4 weeks of home study prior to the test will do it.
The C.S.C.S. certificate from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, on the other hand, is issued from a non-profit organization, requires a BA/BS degree, and is considered much more rigorous. Even the C.S.C.S. tests have certified by an independant government organization.
In Reply to: dubious A.C.E. recommendations posted by Lincoln on February 06, 2003 at 12:06:13:
Thanks, Lincoln.
I agree with you about the cooling down and "goals". I also doubt the credentials and expertise of A.C.E. I am not familiar with C.S.C.S.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: dubious A.C.E. recommendations posted by Walt Stoll on February 07, 2003 at 12:59:47:
Don't think that I'm anti-stretching. There is a time and a place for it. But stretching for stretching's sake is misguided. If someone wants to stretch to help themselves relax, that's fine. But right before exercise is not the time to do SR-related activities! Stretching is not the best way to warm up muscles - it actually weakens them temporarily. Being slightly keyed-up is a good thing at that time. Stretching in specific instance can reduce injury, but right before exercise is too little too late! Nor can anyone expect to achieve any significant improvements in flexibility in a few minutes. Stretching is a long-term process, not a quick fix. In addition, best stretching results occur when muscles are tired, not fresh.
In addition, care must be taken to stretch appropriately. Not all stretching is appropriate for everyone. The shoulders are an excellent example. The shoulder is, by God's design, already the most flexible and unstable joints in the body. Usually stretching that joint can make it MORE susceptible to injury, not less! Certainly anyone who has dislocated their shoulders would agree. Leg flexibility is another example. While men can indeed learn to do the splits, do they really need to? Once a normal range of motion is achieved in a joint, is there really any benefit to achieving a supra-normal range of motion? What are the health benefits of mutant levels of flexibility? I see few. What are the health risks? I see an increased risk of hard tissue injury.
In Reply to: Re: dubious A.C.E. recommendations posted by Lincoln on February 07, 2003 at 14:46:56:
Thanks, Lincoln.
I cannot disagree with anything you have said here. However, too much or too little of anything is probably not good for anyone.
Walt
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