Juicing: Detox or Delusion?

There has been so much ignorant hype regarding juicing as of late. Juicing, as the trendy mainstream population calls it, is believed to be an efficient way to detox the body. I say our organs, most notably the liver and kidneys, do a pretty damn good job of that already. Plus, our immune system fights infection. There is nothing found in medical literature stating that juicing helps detoxify our bodies. By juicing, you are separating the juice from the fiber of the fruits and vegetables. Thus, you will not feel as satiated upon ingesting a “juiced meal.”  Fiber is necessary to regulate blood glucose levels, cholesterol, and the GI tract. Secondly, in comparison with the amounts of fruits and vegetables needed to juice, you are consuming much more sugar than if you were to physically eat the fruits and vegetables.

So, is this juicing diet sustainable? No. You are depriving your body of necessary protein and carbohydrates. Yes, I said carbohydrates—your body’s primary source of fuel! Of course you will lose weight while juicing, but you are losing mostly water weight (i.e., 1 gram of carbs is equal to 3 grams of water), and your muscle tissue is breaking down as well (ketosis) due to not being supplied with adequate amounts of protein.

I’m not saying all modalities of juicing are bad. Just consider what you are doing first and how you are implementing the process. For short-term, immediate, necessary, cosmetic, satisfying weight loss, this will work wonders. For long term health, not the best way to go about it. Simply put: plan ahead and focus on long term benefits. Eat sensibly and live fully.

Primary vs. Secondary Movers

“It is historical continuity that maintains most assumptions–not repeated assessment of their validity.”

— Edward de Bono

When I was in college studying exercise and sports science, and even nowadays at certain continuing education seminars, the terms primary and secondary movers are thrown around referencing muscles and their actions. I overheard a trainer the other day citing these terms with a client, so it got me thinking: it was only through the Resistance Training Specialist program, which emphasizes science, mechanics, and physical application, that I came to realize that primary vs. secondary movers is really an inaccurate description of muscles and their actions.

Primary, by definition, means first in importance, degree, or rank, while secondary means below the first in rank, or not as important. These definitions make sense, but not when they pertain to the muscles of the human body. First off, we cannot isolate a muscle. We can focus on isolating a joint position, but we cannot isolate a single muscle because there’s always going to be more than one muscle involved whether it’s trying to help or prevent motion. Muscles do one thing:  they pull two attachment points together by generating force. The human body is designed for efficiency, which is why our muscles work in synergy. Whether they are helping motion or opposing it, this is still a synergistic effort around a joint axis. Because muscles work in synergy, they do not out rank one another. If you were able to take away one muscle from the effort or action you are trying to produce, you would not be able to perform that action—simple as that.  Or your body would have to greatly compensate to even get close to attaining the desired outcome.

I’ve come to realize that no single muscle is more or less important than another. Our actions produce a concerted effort around the involved joints. Why do we have to put a label on everything? There are many terms and myths in the fitness industry that the general population and (unfortunately) “experts and professionals” misinterpret. But when you really stop and think about it, does it still make sense? As a fitness professional, I’ve come to the understanding that I must question and rethink everything. That’s the only way I’ll be satisfied. I will not accept something someone else tells me unless I am certain of it myself.

Run Five Miles a Day for Health Benefits?

According to a recent NBC news report, running five minutes a day may be all you need to reduce your risk of death from heart attack or stroke by 45%. This isn’t news, really. Running is physical activity; running is exercise. Running is a form of challenge to the body, which the body must adapt to. The question is whether or not the challenge is appropriate. Not everyone should get out and run for five minutes, at least not at the beginning. If someone hasn’t run before, or hasn’t in years, or is obese or overweight, running may not be a good idea at all.  Another form of exercise that challenges the body may be even more beneficial.

Each of us have a certain physical tolerance or threshold. We each have specific structural capabilities. Our current tolerance or threshold should not be exceeded and instead should be built up with proper micro-progressions over time. Because we are monitored by homeostasis, the body’s innate response/control mechanism, we will only adapt to what we’re being challenged by. The body won’t do what it doesn’t have to do (efficiency).

We need to assess our current level of fitness, make specific short-term and long-term goals for ourselves, and progress ourselves safely toward those goals. Don’t do something because everyone else is doing it. Rethink and question everything.

Machines vs. Free Weights & Body Weights

You can walk into most gyms and see machines everywhere—up and down the aisles, back-to-back, side-by-side. Many times, these machines are being used incorrectly or not being used at all. There are even gyms nowadays that are not carrying machines, preferring to use their floor space for more “functional” training (a topic I won’t get into right now). Meanwhile, machines have gained a bad reputation because some people believe that they require less control and are too easy.

First of all, a goal must be established for an individual based on what would best serve her and her structure. I may not have a beginning, overweight 350 lb. client performing bodyweight exercises because they still have to contend with their own body weight. Taking into account their safety, joint structure, and capabilities, they may very well require offloading. Body weight challenge can be a great tool when utilized properly, but it should not automatically be  prescribed for everyone. The idea that free weights are more neurologically challenging and require more control is also misguided. Again, it depends on the goal, the type of challenge, the intention, and the cueing from a trainer. Body weight and free weight exercises aren’t bad, and I often choose to incorporate them, but they often receive undeserved glorification from many so-called experts and fitness professionals.

Machines, when manufactured properly and hand-picked by a knowledgable exercise professional, can provide a phenomenal, unparalleled experience. Machines offer so much opportunity when coupled with a trainer who can recognize moment arms, lever arms, how much torque is being applied, where torque is being created, the resistance profile, and how it should match the individual’s strength profile, not to mention joint motion and position, time, effort, intention, and its effect on the individual’s structure. Most trainers look at a machine and write it off automatically without understanding how it works or the opportunity it provides. They see a big hunk of metal that takes up space—a useless contraption. But I see a masterpiece and endless opportunities awaiting a body ready to be built through resistance training.

Pre-workout Warm-up

I constantly hear trainers asking their clients if they’ve warmed up. I agree that it is helpful to obtain this information, but if the client says he or she has not warmed up, I don’t think they should be told to hop on the treadmill for five minutes. It’s almost an automatic response from the trainer, and it’s a reinforced expectation from the client. Well, hopping on the treadmill for five minutes can be a good warm-up if the goal is to improve the speed or duration of walking on a treadmill. However, the five minute treadmill warmup is misunderstood as a reliable method for readying the body for a workout. What if the trainer takes that client through a series of upper body exercises? Or lower body exercises that require a greater degree of knee flexion or hip flexion, which exceeds the degree performed on the treadmill? With only a five minute treadmill warmup, the body is ill-prepared for these activities.

What if we, as trainers, prepared our clients for the specific activities we will have them perform that session? Let’s check ranges our clients’ range of motion to see what he/she has available and assess his/her tolerance. Let’s call this their “active range of motion.” If we’re going to work on their back and chest, then let’s be sure and warm up the back and chest muscles specific to their active range of motion. Triceps and biceps day? Well, the treadmill warm up isn’t going to help that much. Instead, specifically designed, custom-built exercises will warm up the specific muscles of that specific individual.

Yes, old habits die hard. But we need to think about what is best for our clients as individuals. We should not be treating each individual the same because we are all structurally different and we all have a different physical makeup. Think about what is best for each person, and apply your knowledge, your experience, and the science.

Weighted Bats & Clubs Affect Performance Negatively

I had the opportunity to go to the Cubs vs. Pirates game earlier in the week. I was seated behind home plate in the second row. Awesome seats—best I’ve ever had! One thing I noticed was that the guy on deck would warm up with a donut on his bat, which generally add 16 oz to the bat. Theoretically, warming up with a weighted bat will increase the bat’s speed when the weight is removed. Seeing this made me think of science, of course, and what impact this weighted bat actually has on performance. According to Greg Rose, studies show that “feel and real aren’t always the same thing.”

As Edward De Bono once said, “It is historical continuity that maintains most assumptions, not repeated assessment of their validity.” Coaches and trainers tend to take an external or superficial view of the body and how things function. What the industry deems functional is actually just the opposite. We need to take an internal approach—from the inside out—and realize that exercise is invasive and that modality will have a tremendous affect on the outcome.

Sore Muscles, Great Workout?

People often assume that if you’re sore after a workout, it was a great workout. Or, if you’re really, really sore, it’s considered “the best workout ever!” Is that what it boils down to? Do you have to make yourself sore in order to feel productive, or to gain a lasting benefit from a workout? Some people base their training on that superficial sense of immediate gratification. We’ve been raised to follow the tag line, “no pain, no gain,” which isn’t accurate. There is plenty to gain without being in pain.

The body, when appropriately and strategically challenged, may not be sore at all after a workout. That doesn’t mean going to the gym that day was a waste. The body needs to be micro-progressed to its own threshold. Too much stress on the body may cause soreness, sometimes to the extreme. Soreness indicates damage to muscle tissue, and hopefully not to any other contractile or non-contractile tissue as well. When the soreness subsides, this means that the body has synthesized, recovered, and adapted to the stress it was placed under. It boils down to stimulation, response, and adaptation. When these components are combined appropriately and strategically, the results over time can be awesome! Have you ever been sore for 4+ days? I have, I’ll admit, but not in a very long time. A day or two, sure, but we all need to learn from our experiences and figure out what our bodies are capable of tolerating. If you are sore for 4+ days, you’re not only being inefficient, but counter-productive to the exercise process. Sure, you can work other muscle groups other than the ones that are sore, but wouldn’t you rather be an efficient, tolerant, well-trained machine ready to go at any given moment? Be patient, train with intelligence, and reap the benefits!