Hydration, Hospital Room Realization

I am sitting in a Hospital room with my Mother who has just broken her back. However, the lady in the next room has a very bad cold she is having trouble recovering from. Two completely unlinked events but what is one of the main ways to treat both patients? Saline solution. Also known as salt water. This solution hydrates the body and allows the body to function the best it can. Anyone who comes into the ER will most likely be given an IV of this solution. 

But i feel fine, i don't need more water! Dehydration is a very serious deal. Dehydration results in a reduction of the volume of blood in your body and a thickening of the blood that puts a strain on your cardiovascular system, increasing your heart rate. It also results in an imbalance of electrolytes that control the functioning of cells, which can lead to seizures, involuntary muscle contractions and loss of consciousness. Symptoms of dehydration include dry mouth, dizziness, extreme thirst, reduced urination, sunken eyes, low blood pressure, rapid breathing and confusion.

This becomes even more serious for athletes. Exercising while dehydrated causes micro traumas to the body and can cause your brain to swell. A study published in the October 2005 issue of the "Journal of Athletic Training" showed that muscle microdamage increased in individuals exercising while dehydrated in hot, humid conditions. Swelling of the brain can also result from exercising while dehydrated. While drinking water to replace fluids, the body's cells may take in the water too quickly. The cells can swell and rupture, including those in the brain, leading to a life-threatening situation"

So when the days get hot this summer and you want to stay in shape and enjoy the outdoors, make sure to drink your water, and lots of it. 

Workout

Its time to introduce Fluffies! 

This is a favorite core workout of mine.

There is three exercises you must complete to failure to do fluffies!
Tea cup holds (perform until failure)
6 Inch feet holds (perform until failure)
Feet elevated crunches (perform until failure)
As soon as you fail, switch right into the next movement! NO REST

 

Your feet should NEVER touch the ground thru this entire workout. i promise it will hurt, but will be
well worth it in the end.

- Mike

Which Exercise is the Best?

Today while training i had a client ask me, "If i was asked to bench press a few months down the road, however, leading up to that day i don't have access to a bench press, would i be in trouble", great question. Lets break this down.

Flat Bench Press - moderate strength, moderate stability. As a movement it is a (no pun intended)  bench mark exercise. But could you go thru life never having access to a flat bench for bench press? Or  get everything you need out of a gym that doesn't have a bench press?

The answer is simply yes.

By breaking down the movement of the bench press and finding the strength and stability in other movement, you could become successful in achieving a decent bench press.

Smith Press - Using the smith press with a flat bench to achieve the movement of a bench press is strictly a strength movement and little to no stability. Remember that the bar is counter balanced and doesn't way 45 pounds by itself. Using this machine to train your chest for the strict movement of a bench press will have its benefits, but if faced with standard 45 pound bar that isn't restricted in its movement, you might find some issues with stability.

Machine Chest Press - The machine in the gym that you put the pin in the weight stack and continue until you can no longer lift anymore. This machine is a classic in a machine based gym. The movement isn't that natural and it won't prepare you by itself for a standard bench press.

Dumbbell Chest Presses -  You will find yourself doing this workout at some point and it will be harder that you think. You can no longer rely on a controlled weight stack or smith press. You now have to control the weight in the x,y and z axis with no assistance. But slowly but surely over the months you will find yourself putting up more and more weight. As you get stronger, without even knowing it, your shoulder stability and control of the weight becomes more and more efficient in the movement itself. But you won't get up the amount of weight you will find in a standard bench press.


Putting them all together. By using specific movements for their strongest traits, smith press for the movement, machine press for the strength, and dumbbells for its stability; you will be in good shape with enough training for any old school bench press. If you can do 70 pound dumbbell flat bench presses, you will be able to do 200 pounds or more on a flat bench.

Workout 6/21/2013

Walking lunges 20 lunges on each leg

rest 30 seconds

3 rounds

30 air squats

25 Max distance forward jumps

20 push ups

15 mountain climbers

10 burpees 

 rest 30 seconds

50 sit ups