Message from the Founder...

 I I have spent at least 3-4 days a week in a gym for the last 17 years. The last 17 years consisted of me serving as a manager and a personal trainer for 12 of those years, and an enthusiast for the first 5 of those years.  My devotion to exercise kept me from graduating college in a timely manner. Yeah…it’s true. If I had a class scheduled during 10am-12pm during the week, I would NOT register for that class simply because it conflicted with my gym time. 

“Let’s see, what do I need here….Math 101….hmm …only offered at 10:40am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays? Sorry, can’t take it this time around.”

  My collegiate perquisites took a back seat to my commitment to improving my health, strength, and size.

Having spent all this time in a gym, you tend to develop “fitness profiling” skills. Yep…I totally made that up right now. I am a fitness profiler. And this article is written to show you the signs that may identify who the beginners are in a fitness center. Let’s face it: it is much easier to steal the squat rack away from a beginner than a 230 lb. veteran with 3 plates on each side and a gallon of water by his gym bag. Now, before you think I am pointing fingers at these obvious signs, I will admit that I am guilty of having committed some at one time or another in my life. Some signs are not so obvious to the untrained eye and this article will help you distinguish between them. This article will serve 3 purposes:

1.)    Help you steer clear of beginners if you are too mentally focused on your workout and don’t want to be interrupted or bothered by neighboring stupidity.

2.)    Help you distinguish which signs your buddies are giving off so that you won’t look so obvious to guys like me.

3.)    So that you will shun intimidation easier. When the big guys come over to the squat rack and demand it from you, you can tell them the truth: You really have “3 sets left”, rather than the BS you tell them, “sure you can have it, this is my last set.”

Although this article is written with some humor in mind, # 3 is important because the gym can be an unforgiving place depending on its target market, staff, and management.  Intimidation in a gym is nothing new and nothing that will ever go away.  Susceptibility to intimidation is something that is instilled in us by life experiences; how we were brought up; and “fight or flight” reactions…nothing that this little article will help turn around. But with the ever growing number of people joining gyms, it doesn’t mean that the people joining ever actually “grow up”.

Let’s dive in.

To read the entire, "How I Know You are a Beginner" article, click here.

Let's face it, joints are like hinges on a door. They connect two parts and help those two parts move together to accomplish a movement. Whether it is bringing two bones together (flexion) or away from eachother (extension), these 'hinges" are important to those seeking muscle growth, fat loss, or overall health. The condition of these "hinges" ultimately controls how long it takes one to attain a fitness goal. If our "hinges" or joints stay in good health without history of inflammation, dysfunction, or pain--then the longer we will remain exercisers and reap success. The more deconditioned we are and the more we use sloppy form during workouts, usually warrants nagging pain in joints. This pain usually creates excuse after excuse to not workout. Thus, decreasing out chances of reaching a fitness goal, decreasing self esteem, and limiting life's joys. Remember the Tin Man in the classic Wizard of Oz? Remember how weak and insecure his character was in the beginning of the movie when Dorothy discovered him?

Well, that's how many of us begin to feel after a while. Joints don't begin to cause pain or discomfort because of old age as many people will insist. "I'm getting older"...is the likely excuse of people who shy away from physical challenges (running faster/longer, skipping pick-up basketball games, hiking, etc). Age has no sole correlation with joint health. Joint health is usually a result of movement effeciency determined by many factors:

Gravity (Intrinsic muscular strength)

Occupation (Voluntary Vs. Involuntary Posture)

Fitness Level (Do you or don't you workout?)

History of Injury

A recurring area of the body that suffers from joint tightness and dysfunction is the lumbo/pelvic hip region. Because our posture is greatly determined by our voluntray/involuntary positioning over long periods, the hips become tight which affects the entire body. When the hips become tight, they affect the movement of the scapula via the spinal column. If we wanted to look at what joints are affected first over a lifetime, we can begin with the ankle joint. Usually, the joints that have the initial role in ground force generation determine the amount of dysfunction experienced by the rest of the joint structures above it. Chances are those that have hip dysfunctions will have some sort of ankle mobility issue. Typically, when the hip area (hip flexors, hamstrings, glutes) is affected, individuals will suffer from short/tight calves. However, tight calves are not realized until ROM is assessed or the area is palpitated by a trained expert.  Because the hip area is made of larger muscle groups, the consequence of tightness/shortness/weakness is more evident in daily activity, workouts, or assessments.

One way that we can increase mobility in the hips is by using the Quadruped T-Hip Rotation exercise as detailed in the Eye of the Trainer DVD.  

To execute:

Position body on all fours (quadruped)

Keep spine and neck straight and do not allow neck to "sag"

Raise left leg off floor. Activate left glute and maintain leg in straight position.

                                                      Initate hip rotation with leg that is fixed to floor and rotate hip to side of rasied leg. Repeat 12 times and switch sides. 

Key Points: Try to initiate the movement from the hips. The fixed hip is the actual working hip. Exhale the breath on each rotation and try to recruit the glutes. Simply "turning" your hips is a waste of time. Some coaches teach this drill with cervial spine involvement also--meaning the neck rotates to the side the hip is rotating too. Initially, the more tightness one has in the hips, the more important it is to rotate the upper spine. As mobility increases, focus the movement at the hips exclusively. This exercise can also be performed using a bench for support and the fixed leg standing, rather than on all fours.

If the body had WD-40 for its hinges, it would be movement prep work. Moving the body in ground-based drills that functionally allow muscles to integrate and communicate to improve effeciency is the oil you need to stay agile and strong. The healthier your joints remain, the longer you go without pain. The longer you go without pain, the more you workout and the more you enjoy your workouts. 

The Quadruped T-Hip Rotation exercise and more can be found in the Eye of the Trainer DVD by standAPARTfitness.com. 

Have you seen the new site for Eye of the Trainer DVD? The site has been revamped with freebies including:

DVD Content exercise sheet (PDF) - details which exercises and techniques are performed in teh video (42 Total)

Free Exercise Sample (PDF)  - A detailed description of select exercises and why and how they are incorporated. Pics taken directly from video still shots show how teh exercises are performed.

EYE Newsletter - Okay...actually its not another newsletter...if you scroll to the bottom of the page (www.EyeOfTheTrainer.com), you will find a sign-up form. If you want to recieve all 4 installmenets of the Free Exercise Sample Sheets detailing more exercises taken from the video...GO THERE!

Make sure to check the updates on standAPARTfitness.com!

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How I Know You are a Beginner

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