A stretch too far?

Tight, weak muscles are commonplace both in exercise newbies and seasoned athletes, and devoting some time to flexibility and corrective protocols is always a good thing. However, it's important to understand which muscles actually require attention. Stretching both sides of the body in the presence of an asymmetry will, at best, maintain that imbalance, whilst stretching all muscle groups regardless of your postural status could potentially exacerbate any shortcomings.

Take neck pain for example. Whilst it is possible to have compromised connective tissue or joint alignment in and around the cervical spine (the 7 vertebrae at the top of your spine), a common cause of neck pain (the smoke) can also be a lack of shoulder mobility or scapular stability (the fire). This results in the shoulder doing less work than it really should, leaving the muscles of the neck doing overtime and becoming fatigued. So whilst the problem is in the shoulder, the neck is the part that complains. Therefore doing a ton of neck stretches is not the answer. Regaining proper function of the shoulder is.

My advice here is to seek expert advice if you have tight, sore muscles or loss of mobile range. A thorough movement screen and kinetic chain assessment will soon highlight where the real problem lies and enable you to establish an appropriate course of action, which will ultimately lead to faster, pain free results. Hurrah!

Will Ab Exercises Help Me Lose My Belly?

Research says not!

A study recently published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (1) looked at the effects of specific abdominal exercise on anthropometrics, body composition, and abdominal muscular endurance for 5 days a week for 6 weeks, as compared to a control group. All subjects followed the same diet during the study.

The results showed that there was no significant effect of abdominal exercises on body weight, body fat percentage, android fat percentage, android fat, abdominal circumference, abdominal skinfold and suprailiac skinfold measurements in the abdominal exercise group compared to control. Indeed, the only difference between the two groups was the ability to perform a significantly greater amount of curl-up repetitions in the abdominal group.

So what does work for reducing abdominal fat?

If you want to beat the abdominal bulge, take note of the hierarchy of fat loss:

1) Good Nutrition (you can't out train a bad diet)
2) Resistance training: compound movements under load recruit maximal muscle fibres and illicit a large metabolic response - think squats, lunges, deadlifts, overhead presses, pull-ups and pull downs, for example..
3) high intensity interval training, interspersing fast bursts of exercise with low intensity rest periods
4) low intensity interval training
high intensity steady state exercise
5) Low intensity steady state exercise

(1)The Effect of Abdominal Exercise on Abdominal Fat. Vispute, Sachin S; Smith, John D; LeCheminant, James D; Hurley, Kimberly S Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research: September 2011 - Volume 25 - Issue 9 - pp 2559-2564 doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181fb4a46

Strategies for Aging Well

Both genetics and environmental factors play a part in age-related changes to our structure and function, but there are things you can do to ensure that you stay healthy, mobile, maintain quality of life, and even increase your life expectancy.

There is a saying, 'if you don't use it you'll lose it' so physical activity is vitally important for maintaining functional ability to perform both basic and complex movement tasks.

Training should include flexibility and mobility work, resistance training (which will offset age-associated muscle loss and also encourage maintenance of bone density), aerobic conditioning, power development (medicine balls are useful here) and proprioceptive (balance) work.

Caloric restriction is also implicated in the research in warding off a variety of age-related pathologies, but a more palatable alternative is just to ensure you get plenty of exercise!

Fasted Exercise For Fat Loss

The subject of fasted exercise for fat loss continues to be a controversial one. Proponents of the technique suggest that performing low intensity exercise on an empty stomach will increase utilisation of stored fat rather than recently ingested carbohydrate. Indeed, this is the preferred strategy of many bodybuilding enthusiasts.

 However, whilst fuel is a key component of the body's response to exercise, it is certainly not the only one, with hormonal activity and enzyme secretion, amongst other factors, all affecting fat burn during exercise. Whilst previous studies have shown increased breakdown of fatty acids in fasted individuals performing long duration, low intensity cardio (>90 minutes) no difference has been found between fasted and non-fasted individuals performing moderate intensity exercise (1).

 Fasting does, however, pose a risk to energy output and reduced performance under this intensity. Research shows that fuel type plays a more significant role in fat oxidisation, with low GI foods such as legumes supporting greater endurance running capacity than high GI alternatives such as potatoes.

 The take home advice, therefore, is to consume a meal roughly 2-3 hours prior to training, or a smaller one around 30 minutes out (depending on personal preference) unless your workout will be long, slow work of more than 90 minutes duration (ideally first thing in the morning, with breakfast to follow straight after).

  (1) Schoenfeld, B. Does cardio after an overnight fast maximize fat loss? Strength and Conditioning Journal, 33: 23–25, 2011.

How Often Should I exercise for Fat Loss?

People often ask me how many times a week they should exercise if they want to lose fat. A study conducted by Buck et al (2009)* looked at the effects of exercise frequency using a subject group of 90 subjects ranging in age from 22 to 74.

The 8 week study compared the fat loss results of the exercisers adhering to exercise frequencies of less than 2 times per week, 3-4 times per week, and more than 4 times per week, with each exercise bout lasting 30 minutes. The results showed that whilst fat was lost across the board, only those who exercised 4 or more times per week showed a significantly higher change in body fat percentage, with no significant difference between ages or genders.

Whilst this study only examines one variable in reducing one's body fat, it does indicate the importance of frequent physical activity. Add in a fat loss tailored diet, the right exercise intensity and type, and additional duration, and you have the answer to optimal fat loss!

*Frequency of Exercise for Body Fat Loss: A Controlled, Cohort Study,
Willis, F Buck; Smith, Forrest M; Willis, Adele P Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research: November 2009 - Volume 23 - Issue 8 - pp 2377-2380
doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181b8d4e8

Stuck for Christmas gift ideas?

If you're struggling to find a great present for friends or family then why not treat them to our awesome 'New Body In a Box'?! This lovely presentation box includes a month's All Access Membership at Phoenix Pro Fitness and an exclusive Phoenix Pro Fitness t-shirt. www.phoenixprofitness.com

The month's membership includes a thorough evaluation of biomechanics, goals and lifestyle, an individually designed training program, 4 semi-private coached sessions with our team, nutrition advice and full access to our awesome gym and group training classes. Get your loved ones off to a great start in 2012 with our 'New Body In a Box', all for just £79! For more information email info@phoenixprofitness.com or call us on 01483 801150.

Was it worth it?

You've probably found yourself asking this question after a diet or exercise pursuit. Maybe you tried a new training program, or maybe you stuck to a diet for a couple of months. Perhaps it didn't work. What then? Was it worth it? Well, it really depends on what 'it' was. If you're solely focused on the end result, then perhaps not. But if you also focus on the process, what you learnt from doing it (even if it was only that that particular endeavour didn't work for you) or the enjoyment you got out of applying yourself wholeheartedly, then you might take a different perspective. There is something to be gained in everything, even if it is just taking a step closer to finding out what does work for you.