The Fitness Guru

Hey Gang!

Check out Mandi with our Exercise of the Week: The Balance Lunge. Try it at home, in the gym, or on the subway at rush hour. It’s all good, ’cause it’s all FITNESS!!

Rock on!!

About this time of year, many women, conscious of the approach of Spring and strapless dresses, ask me what I think is the best upper arm workout. It took a little research, but I think I got it…..

Date A-Rod.

It seems that when women start dating Alex Rodriguez, they develop a pretty cut looking set o’ guns. Not quite sure the correlation, but if you take a look at his former wife; his former sweetie, Madonna; and now Cameron Diaz, you’ll note a slight bit more definition in the deltoid area.

Love it or not, I think it’s a fascinating trend.

And no doubt the “A-Rod Girls in Their Summer Dresses Workout” is just around the corner…….

As we enter into the hot summer months (and this one is supposed to be a scorcher), I feel it is my duty to remind you once again to stay hydrated. I know, I know…..I’m a nag……but, unfortunately, nagging is my calling.

As I am sure I have told you over and over again, the body is made up of over 70% water, and water is a key element in most of the major bodily functions. Consequently, when we become dehydrated, it becomes very difficult for our bodies to function properly.

First, what are the signs you may be dehydrated:

• Your mouth is dry and your tongue might be swollen. You’ve probably had this feeling when working out, but by the time your mouth is dry, your body is already begging for water. So fill up…..
• You’re overheating. It’s that overwhelming feeling of being uncontrollably hot. Sweat helps to regulate our bodies’ temperatures by cooling us off through evaporation. But if you are dehydrated, your body can’t produce enough sweat and you start to overheat.
• You feel very tired and fatigued. Water helps nutrients and oxygen move throughout the body, so when there is a lack of water, our muscles and nerves start to slow down, leading to that feeling of exhaustion. And, p.s., that feeling is going to kill your workout…..
• You suffer from muscle spasms and cramps. Water is key in maintain an electrolyte balance in the muscles, aiding the process of contraction and relaxation. Not enough water, no muscle regulation……..
• You feel heart palpitations…….and since the heart is perhaps our most important muscle, a lack of water leads to electrolyte imblances which can affect the heart’s timing….oops……
• You feel lightheaded or dizzy. A drop in blood pressure and blood volume due to a loss of water can lead to a lightheaded feeling.
• You stop producing tears. Sure, tears are made of water. No water, no tears (quick test for this one: rent Beaches. If you are dry-eyed by the end, you need more water)
• You’re constipated. Your digestive system will reabsorb water to help maintain a hydration level if you are suffering from dehydration. This can lead to constipation.

So what do you do?

Well, start by drinking more water. As my dear friend Ed asked, “Does that include water that’s mixed with coffee?” Oh, Ed. No it doesn’t. I’m talking about real water water. Not fancy sugar water, not coffee, not tea……just water.

How much?

Here is where people tend to argue. I tell people to drink half their body weight in ounces every day. So if you weigh 150 lb. you are going to drink 75 ounces right off the bat. Add 8 ounces for every 15 minutes of exercise you complete on each particular day. Does that seem like alot? Sure, and odds are, you won’t drink that much. But if you strive for that level, it is very unlikely that dehydration is something that you are going to have to contend with……

Drink up and Rock On!!

Didja know??

Stretch to get stronger: in between sets, take 20 seconds to stretch the muscle groups you are working. According to a study by Wayne Wescott PhD in Boston, subjects who stretched increased their strength by almost 20% over those subjects who did not stretch.

AND there was also a marked increase in flexibility.

We call that a win/win.

(VIDEO BELOW)
The good folks at the Wall Street Journal finally caught up with the hottest trend in fitness, Core Training. Its all the rage. Really.

“I worked my core!”
“Oooh felt that in my core!”
“Yeah, its a core-intensive workout!”

The word “core” has emerged like cicadas during a Midwest summer. Did you know cicadas are the among the few insects that sweat? Its true! And core training can make you sweat! Did you know that cicadas are relatively benign. True enough. Except that they can also do a great deal of damage to certain crops and trees. And did you know this “core training” is relatively benign– except for the incidents where it can do damage to various individuals who are leaping at it with eager feet?

“Core” is simply the latest in terms that have been latched onto by the industry in an attempt to capture the public imagination. And, because of that, it leads us down many wonderful paths– and many paths that are equally as dangerous. For many people, it has become a catch-all phrase for an abdominal-intense workout, in much the same way that “guns” would refer to anything having to do with the arms. But the “core” is made up of numerous muscles including but not limited to the muscles of the abdomen and back. And what a great deal of “core training” completely ignores is the need for stability and alignment in the skeletal structure underneath those muscles.

I have a new client: great guy, eager student, 49-years old. This guy has been training for his whole life. He has an abdominal wall that many 19-year old surfers would give their eye teeth to have: ripped, powerful six-pack sitting on a narrow waist, not the slightest hint of a “middle aged paunch.” He started coming to me because of intense pain in his hip. He was confused and irritated, primarily because he felt he was getting old and he couldn’t simply “train the pain away”. What we discovered was that, as he was training his “core” he was holding himself out of proper alignment and all that power he was generating was serving to build greater and greater imbalances in his joints– for him that meant stabbing pain in his hips when he would try to run. As we set about realigning his body, the pressure dissipated. He still had an amazing abdominal workout, but all the pressure that he had created was gone. And that story is repeated over and over and over again.

Ask any engineer: if you build a bridge with tons and tons of steel, and the pressure is only slightly off on one of the joints, it is only a matter of time before that bridge falls. That’s physics.

Many trainers understand this and will work their clients to get them to understand form and alignment before they increase the intensity of the workout. But many trainers simply increase the intensity on the core– greater repetitions, greater weight, greater use of gravity– in order to make their clients “feel the burn.”

The immediate result for the exerciser is fantastic. “Oh Nelly, I worked my core so good!” But, depending on the joints thresholds for pressure, it can just be a trap waiting to be sprung.

The Journal suggests that all this “core training” is something that can be done on one’s own. But, just as you probably wouldn’t try to do your business’ taxes or fix the transmission in your car on your own, I would strongly suggest getting some professional advice. Find a trainer who has some knowledge and understanding of alignment. Sign up for a couple of sessions to find out, not simply what to do, but how to do it properly. It is money very well invested, particularly if you are interested in both results and longevity. My 49-year old is going to be running better, stronger and faster in the next decade than he has at any other point in his life. That’s how it works. It’s not a miracle. It’s exercise science.

Here’s a video where Lawson discusses proper alignment and how to achieve it while exercising. She is aided by Michael (different Michael). The video is from our upcoming DVD, “Everyday Pilates”. For those of you wary of the word “Pilates” (as the word was yesterday’s “core”), fear not: it is simply a science of alignment and balance. Watch and learn, my friends.

Rock on!

We visited 5 year old Guiliano Stroe a few months ago. He is a Romanian Strong….ummmmm……Boy. Here he is on the Romnian Mike Douglas Show showing incredible feats of strength and breaking the record for push ups without the use of feet (incredible feet-less push ups!)

I’m not sure what the adults are saying but I think its along the lines of “oh my, you frighten me.”

Enjoy!

Ummmmm…….

I am all in favor of physical fitness for children today. Heck, I am running the marathon this Sunday for Team for Kids, a charity dedicated to bringing fitness into public schools.

But I’m not sure about this five year old.

Guiliano Stroe is now in the record books for the fastest 10 meter handstand walk with a weighted ball between his legs.

So is he the hero of pre-K fitness? The victim of his pumped up dad (no doubt the disembodied voice doing all the counting in the video)? A wonderful salute to Darwinism? You decide……

The Fitness Guru is going to be offering FREE Pilates Mat Classes in Brooklyn Bridge Park every Tuesday evening through the Summer, beginning July 7th!! Come and join us for a terrific workout at the base of the Beautiful Brooklyn Bridge. Sign up is at 6:30pm with the Class starting at 7pm on the dot!!

The Countdown To Class!!

No dates present

We finally have the Cardio-Strength Circuit Podcasts available for download right HERE. For those of you who don’t know about the Circuit, it is a wonderful idea thought up a couple of decades ago by my good friend, Joel Kaye: spend just a few minutes on each piece of equipment and in a quick hour, you have worked your body in every possible direction. Of course, we have added our own spin to the Circuit idea, including the Podcasts.
Now you can download an hour long workout right onto your iPod. Bring your iPod to the Studio and you are ready to rock!! You get an hour of music and instruction on how to use the Circuit to your best advantage. It’s like having a persona ltrainer right there with you.

Give the Podcasts a try and then let us know what you think. LEt us know what other sorts of music you want to hear, and what other workouts would light up your fitness life. We will make it happen.

Enjoy and Rock On!!!

Michael talks with Adam Bornstein, Fitness Editor from Men’s Health Magazine, about The Hurricane, a high intensity workout featured in the latest issue.

 

The Fitness Guru

 

www.fitnessgurunyc.com

The Fitness Guru

 

www.fitnessgurunyc.com