the stain on the underwear of fitness training by Jess Casteel

The stain on the underwear of fitness training
By: Jess Casteel

This article is destined to piss some people off, that being said if you drink from the kool aid that various instructors serve without investigating their credentials first then the old saying “a fool and his or her money is soon separated” may apply to you. Be warned though, this is no beat around the bush article and it is meant to serve on purpose. That purpose is to bring awareness to the general public about certain training programs and protocols as well as the hidden dangers that they may offer.

So as I have just met and signed yet another client who at the ill advised instruction of another "fitness professional" had to endure a highly preventable injury that could have easily turned into a catastrophic event that the main problem the general public seems to have is education in the field of fitness training. This is evident in gyms across the nation. Just drive by any gym and look at all the obiese individuals on the cardio equipment in the windows of any gym like they are put on display to be some sort of magnet to attract more business. Truth is if you take a picture and go to the same gym a year later the same people will be on the same equipment and will be even fatter or at least the same. It is fair to say that the cookie cutter trainers that just throw people on this equipment and walk away usually work part time as waiters because they just don't have what it takes to be a real fitness professional. If these trainers can't get anyone strong and dropping weight they should quit training and take up the window position at the nearest Burger King and stop ripping people off. That being said I know this blog is most likely going to piss some trainers off but that's just the nature of the beast and that anger is a direct reflection of a deeper feeling of knowing I am right. That being said I will dive a little deeper into the programs they teach and why they are ineffective even though they doctor the results of their programs to make them more appealing.I won't specify names but the first and most recent incident had to do with a certain boot camp style program that is in operation in my area. The client came to me and discussed how without an assessment or any other type of evaluation she was directed to basically run. First of all running is fine for heart health but does nothing for strength gains or the correction of muscle imbalances which is one of the biggest reasons for injury and joint problems. Yes you will burn fat but without teaching proper running form and not knowing past health history is it wise to take someone out to the hills and have them run while being yelled at? Second where is the nutrition advice and healthy lifestyle coaching? Now when my client complained of knee pain she was told to "keep pushing it will be alright." That shit isn't professional and that is the bottom line. I personally have talked with one of these trainers who were hired to work for one of these outfits and he took a test online for fifty dollars and had no muscle mechanics education, no biomechanics education, never studied kinesiology and most likely never studied anatomy. He didn't even crack a book to get certified! This is a very common theme with these classes since I have been contacted many times by ex clients who suffered injuries or gained weight during these programs. There is a reason why these programs are fading away fast, they don't work so if you are on one of these ships I would advise jumping off before it sinks.I can hear it now, but Jess what about the amount of fat loss they advertise? Let me say this much about these claims. First show me proof like assessment records, training logs etc... Anyone can take 3 classes of 20 ladies who rarely get any exercise and make them run 4 miles in the hills almost forcefully and they are going to drop weight but without proper nutrition advice and diet planning a lot of the weight will also include the muscle you are breaking down for energy as well as the sudden change from a sedentary lifestyle to an abrupt physically challenging regiment but the results simply won't last and in the case of heightened cortisol production the fat will return faster. Sure some will adapt nicely especially women who are more endurance or slow twitch muscle dominant anyway but the ends don't justify the means in this case.The client who hired me before this most recent case had a trainer at one of the local gyms in my area think because he was dosing anabolic testosterone injections "juice" that she would be able at a young age of 52 to squat with horrible form using a bar loaded with 45lb plates and she blew out her hip. Listen to me, if you are training natural the advice you get from a younger male who is on a different path using different aids will not work for you. Their diet, intensity, and goals differ from those on a natural fitness routine. This pissed me off because now I have to rehab her hip which by the way she gets her bottom end almost to her heels now squatting with me and the pain is almost completely gone but that's a different matter, but I also have to rewire her hard drive to unlearn all the bad habits she has learned in a short amount of time. She had many many imbalances that should have been addressed way before she even put a bar on her shoulders. I have had to take these clients back to basic training principles 101 which slow the process of progression way down wasting time, money, and days off their lives. If you don't know lifting principles then you don't need to be teaching anyone anything. Most of the problems I run across in my meeting with clients or consultations with clients of other training systems are all tied back to the ignorance of the trainers or instructors and it sickens me that these are the same people who give good personal trainers a bad name. We all seem to get lumped together and more times than not it is usually women who get scammed into these situations. I think it’s the mechanic mentality of taking advantage of a woman and that's why these trainers and programs shoot for the female demographic. This is disgusting to no end to say the least so ladies I employ you to educate yourselves and shop around. I have a client male to female ratio of 9:1 meaning 99% of my clientele consist of women and to this day I have yet to have any of my girls get injured and we move some iron buddy. I would be happy to put any of my girls up against any of their strongest in a deadlift or squat competition and watch mine out perform in form, execution, and sheer poundage. Women should be strong and they should damn well get what they pay for.I can give you examples if you would like of some of the work my ladies put in and be assured that some of my gals lift more than some men with better form, range of motion and endurance. One of my girls used to weigh 298lbs at 5 foot 3 inches less than one year ago. She started with me using stability ball and rubber band training and today she stands at 170lbs and can deadlift her body weight raw with no straps and near perfect form. She bench presses 100lbs for sets and squats her body weight with her butt to her heels. This weekend she bought for the first time in her adult life a size 10 pant. Its all her because all I did was educate and teach along with program design and progression. Another lady who hired me a mere 3 weeks ago dead lifted 100lbs after working on form diligently for 2 weeks after never dead lifting before in her life and last session squatted her body weight. She also performed 3 sets of 10 wide grip chins and chest to the bar with little assistance and 3 sets of 10 dips with biceps to forearms with little assistance. Most men can't do 1 set of 5 of either by the way. I have a female client who at the young age of 57 through little to no cardio has lost 20lbs through nutrition and while she has been with me she has gone from doing exercises with an empty bar to compound movements with weight clean for reps. Women have the ability to do any exercise a man can do because they have the same musculoskeletal system men do as far as the movements so why not be strong in said movements? I won't knock anyone for effort but what I do not favor is the mentalities of women don’t know any better. To this I say find a training system that works for you and enjoy it but choose the trainer over the system because his or her advice will make or break more than just your wallet.

Chiropractic and Strength Training go Back to Back by Jessie Casteel C.F.T. and Dr. Steven Tullius D.C.

As a personal trainer and strength coach there is always a new challenge popping its head out of the bushes begging to be tackled and at times it frustrates you to as much as being tied to a chair and being forced to watch reruns of all the Roseanne sitcoms. I have recently been bashing my head against the wall trying to find an issue with one of my clients who for the sake of her using her newly gained strength against me in a flurry of right crosses we will just call her Jen. So the story goes like this; Jen contacted me for help getting her body stripped of fat which seems like the typical reason most women hire me. The problem that reared its ugly head after our second month isn't the fact of muscle imbalances or physical restrictions due to Jen's long limbs. Jen has really nicely developed arms, forearms, upper legs, and calves. The problem is that the body fat accumulation around her midsection is to say the least very stubborn. Jen brings it on every session and almost every day leaves her sessions dripping in sweat, exhausted, and hardly has the energy to drive 20 minutes home without stopping to take a nap. In other words this girl lifts with intensity that most men lack and yet it seems like we can't put a dent in the body fat percentage. This has led me to believe there is a condition within the body causing a chaotic disruption within her system some place.I ruled out hormones with the exception of cortisol due to high stress levels. (3 teenage daughters at home is enough to cause severe stress in anyone.) I don't believe cortisol is the main issue but a contributor and there could be a possible thyroid issue but for now I figured it best to work on issues to help overall health fast while we track the prime factor. After reading many articles and anatomy books to find possible causes to attack I decided to contact my mentor and trusted friend Dr. Steven Tullius D.C. Who is very savvy in total body wellness and health and has a deep love and compassion for people. I know from visiting Dr. T on many many occasions that the CNS or Central Nervous System which controls every aspect of our body functions can at times be hindered by spinal misalignments. Think about a water hose running wide open and if you step on the hose you choke back the efficiency of the hose to deliver water. Same principle but what many people don't understand is that the CNS branches out from the spinal column and nerves run from every vertebra to various areas controlling everything from firing your muscles to sex organs to digestive functions. My thoughts are that Jen may have a serious subluxation around the middle back in the thoracic spine causing problems with digestion and hindering her metabolic drive but I am not the Doc so I will be asking Dr Tullius to give a brief description of his findings to allow others with the same issues and symptoms to hear straight from the professional. I also am aware that Jen's Atlas bone was out of alignment so hopefully Dr. T can touch on those effects as well.

The following is an addition by Dr. Steven Tullius D.C.

Jessie hit the nail on the head with this one. We have three components to the nervous system. We have the sensory system which controls pain, pressure, temperature, etc... We all know when those nerves are irritated because we can feel it.

The motor system controls the movement, strength and coordination of muscle firing. We don't always know when these nerves are being affected and can often just put it off on "weak" muscles when in fact the muscle is not getting the proper messages to do the requested movement.

The third and most important component of the nervous system is the autonomic system. The autonomic system consists of the sympathetic system, fight or flight response, and the parasympathetic system, rest and digest response. Jen's sympathetic system was out of control. Her atlas, or first cervical bone, was severely misaligned, placing pressure on the brain stem as it enters the spinal column. Her body literally believed and has been for a very long time that it needed to either fight or run away. The physiological response?

Acceleration of heart and lung action Paling or flushing, or alternating between both Inhibition of stomach and upper-intestinal action (digestion slows down or stops) Secretion of adrenaline from the adrenal glands

It's no wonder she has suffered from insomnia, anxiety, excessive sweating, and trouble losing weight. Unfortunately a subluxation, or spinal misalignment, is the most often overlooked cause of system imbalance and dis-ease in the body yet it is the most common. Keep in mind that chiropractic does not seek to cure any of these problems Jen has been suffering from, it simply restores balance to the nervous system and the body does what it does best: heals and maintains life.

If you or someone you love is not experiencing optimum health and vitality, chiropractic can help.

Yours in Health,

Steve Tullius, DC www.dr-t.net

So If you have ever lifted weights to the point where your eyes have almost popped out of your skull with no results and you have practiced strict discipline with your nutrition as well as hormone balancing and still cant lose weight then maybe the problem holding back that fat loss is as simple as getting the spine tuned up so the nervous systems can function properly and get your body feeling the way it should feel.

So as I and my clients have blasted through thousands of leg elevated weighted crunches over time I look at my midsection and wonder when will I get those deep cuts that we all so deeply admire? There is no other testiment to hard work in the nutrition arena and iron slinging game than a ripped midsection. Not to take anything away from a solid foundation with the legs or a back so wide and thick that walking around town is scary since airplanes are constantly asking for clearance to land on your runway and dare I not mention the mirror muscles that the real hardcore dweebs only focus on just to find a stacked bleach blond at the bar with more plastic and silicone than a playskool toy factory like the arms and chest. The real indication of good nutrition and hard work is the midsection and more specifically the abs and obliques. Why? Its simple and clearly obvious that the midsection especially in women is usually the last place the fat gets burned from. Its just how it is and the reason its harder for women is because along with that chromozone comes the genetic download to store fat here for childbirthing.

That being said let me explain why crunches may be costing you time and frustration in your routine.One of the coaches I study (he is about as elite as elite can get) brought up this point in a recent article which over the past 2 days I have studied and researched and in 2 days I have come to a solid conclusion of duh why didn't I think of that. Here is the skinny, Think about this logicaly and come to your own conclusion. A full situp like the ones our coaches in high school had us do with little or no concern about lumbar spine pressure and of course they had us pulling on our necks putting even more pressure on the smalles part of the spine at the cervicle region. Anyway when coach was standing on our feet and chit chatting with the senior volleyball captain who so conveinently was on the track jogging with the skimpy shorts at the time you where busting your ass doing situps. Ok the form here is horrible for the spine and does little to strengthen the core as a whole but we know that. The key here is the range of motion. You go from flat on your shoulder blades with flexion till your chest is to your knees. Now take the crunch and lift the knees closer to the body and situp. You just cut your range of motion by no less than one third to as much as two thirds. Does that sound like full range of motion and I won't even ask about time under tension. I do set after set after set of leg elevated crunches holding 45lb plates overhead and the only real fiber recruitment I get on ab day is from the recent purchase of an inversion board and the performance of inverted situps.

Ok so why is the crunch old hat? The abs like any other muscle need to be worked from a full stretch to a full contraction in order to gain strength through fiber recruitment. With strength comes definition. How do we do this then? Well reach into your pocket and see if you have roughly 30 dollars and get ready to laugh at the simplicity. Go buy an ab roller wheel. You have seen these before, they have the wheel and a bar with grips that go through the wheel. Be warned though if you have back issues you need to strengthen the stabilizers first so start doing 5 sets of 1 minute planks and side planks first. Then start with rollouts with a stability ball which can be bought with the remainder of your 30 bucks. If you don't have an inversion table then put your toes against a wall and sit on your stability ball and put your hands across your chest and do sit ups stretching the abs as you lay across the ball and try to get your head as close to the ground as possible. Then simply sit up keeping tension on the abs so you won't sit completely straight up. A V-crunch is good since the low back stays flat on the ground and you hold a medicine ball overhead but not touching the floor as you lay flat and the legs stay slightly off the ground too. Then raise the knees and situp all in one motion until you touch the medi ball to your toes then return to the start.

Next let's talk obliques a little since in most cases they are truely the forgotten muscles. The inner obliques fiber direction warrants twisting motion which also are the main muscles that actually pull the tummy in so learn to love Russian Twist with a medicine ball and the Palloff press. Remember the obliques don't just support twisting motion but also resist the motion as well and with the Palloff press you get that eccentric motion that is where we really gain strength anyway is in resisting the eccentric phase. The outer obliques are simple and fairly fast and straight forward. Weighted leans but do one side at a time so the non weighted side fights the eccentric pull as well and keep spine pressure in mind when loading up on weighted leans but go fairly heavy. There is a basic guideline for abs and obliques and I hope it helps you as much as I hope it helps me and my clients.

Bulletproof That Back article by Eric Cressey owner of Cressey Performance Center

Bulletproof That Backby Eric Cressey

Sooner or later, you're going to tweak your back, and there's nothing you'll ever experience, perhaps shy of limb dismemberment, that'll put a stop to your training as cruelly or effectively. Of course, if you've already had some back problems, you know what we're talking about. Either way we recommend you bone up on the back. It's one complex little beastie.
It's time for Round 3 of my Lower Back Savers. If you missed Parts 1 and 2, check them out here and here, respectively.
This time around, we've got fewer bullet points and plenty of videos.
15. Reevaluate Your Use of Unstable Surfaces.
I've spent a good chunk of the last five years studying unstable surface training (UST). In fact, the results of my master's thesis were published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research in 2007, and I've written an entire e-book about the topic.
My main impression that's come about from all this research and experimentation is that UST is like the food guide pyramid of the exercise world. There are certain people in certain scenarios (e.g., ankle sprain rehabilitation, upper extremity proprioception drills) who need to use it, whereas it's remarkably inappropriate for others. Standing on an unstable surface is different than sitting on an unstable surface, which is also different than doing a push-up on an unstable surface.
I could go in a hundred different directions with this, but for the sake of brevity — and to avoid the guaranteed Internet pissing match that would ensue — I'll simply highlight one obvious perspective and back it up with a bit of research. Classic "core" work on unstable surfaces doesn't really carry over to anything.
Stability balls might increase fiber recruitment on these exercises (and double the spine load, according to Dr. McGill, but that's another story). The bigger issue is that the core stability improvements may not carry over to functional tasks.
A 2004 study from Stanton et al. is a great example of the divide between testing proficiency and performance. Researchers found that six weeks of stability ball training improved core stability in young athletes — as it was measured (in a manner consistent with the training itself).(1)
In other words, this is like saying that bench press training will make you better at bench pressing. Well, duh! The more important question, though, is whether or not that bench press performance will carry over to athletic performance.
While their measure of "core stability" improved, it did not effect favorable changes in running economy or running posture, or modify EMG activity of the abdominal or erector spinae muscles. In other words, it didn't carry over.
A comparable result was seen in a 2005 study from Tse et al. After eight weeks of stability ball training in collegiate rowers, while "core stability" (as they tested it) improved, the experimental (core training) group showed no performance improvements over those who did ZERO core training during this time.
And, the researchers tested several measures: "vertical jump, broad jump, shuttle run, 40-m sprint, overhead medicine ball throw, 2,000-m maximal rowing ergometer test."(2)
So, I guess the question is why bother doing this stuff if there really isn't any evidence to suggest that it directly improves performance? I could take the "it may lead to injury" perspective, but I think that the "why waste your time?" mindset is far superior.
Of course, if you're training with unstable surfaces just for comedic value, carry on.
16. Appreciate the Role of the Thoracic Erectors in Protecting the Lumbar Spine.
Take a look at any high-level Olympic lifter or powerlifter, and you'll see some monster thoracic erectors. Why? They subconsciously know to avoid motion in those segments most predisposed to injury, and the extra meat a bit higher up works to buttress the shearing stress that may come from any flexion that might occur higher up on the spine.
Novice lifters, on the other hand, tend to get flexion at those segments — L5-S1, L4-L5, L3-L4, L2-L3 — where you want to avoid flexion at all costs. Show me a lifter with crazy hypertrophy in the lumbar erectors, and I'll show you a guy who probably has a history of back pain. Our body is great at adapting to protect itself — especially as we become better athletes and can impose that much more loading on our bodies.
Here's the issue, though: you've got to take care of your thoracic erectors or else they won't perform up to par. Tissue quality is incredibly important, and since regular massages aren't always feasible, we utilize two "home versions" with our athletes.
First, you've got the more diffuse approach with the foam roller.
Second, you can get more focal with a doubled tennis ball (held together by masking tape) by working with a ball on each side of the thoracic spine.
17. Consider the Different Classes of "Core Training."
There's been a pretty solid back-and-forth jabbing here at TMUSCLE over the past few years about whether or not specific "core" work is overrated. Some say that squats and deadlifts are enough, while others insist that you've got to train the core directly. Who's right? As usual, my answer is "it depends."
Would a powerlifter and other breed of athlete — whether it's hockey, soccer, baseball, football, or whatever — have different demands? Yep!
Now, how about an athlete who played baseball when he was younger and then took up powerlifting after a collegiate baseball career? Wouldn't he have a unique set of a) weaknesses and b) functional demands? Of course!
Next, how about a 38-year-old guy who a) chases his two kids around, b) sits at a desk eight hours a day for work and then in the car for another hour to commute, c) lifts heavy stuff three days a week, d) does interval training twice a week, d) does yard work, and e) plays on a beer-league softball team once a week? Think his core might have different functional demands?
Different people, different needs, limited training time and energy. What do you do?
If you're me, you categorize your core exercises in one of the following four disciplines (although there may be some overlap):
1. Anti-Flexion2. Anti-Extension3. Anti-Rotation
I look at both squats and deadlifts as anti-flexion. Your goal is to maintain your neutral spine in scenarios where the load is positioned in front of your center of gravity. Honestly, if you are regularly doing squats and deadlifts (and their derivatives), I don't think you need to add in extra anti-flexion exercises.
Working with predominantly athletes, though, anti-extension and anti-rotation exercises are of paramount importance. As the majority of athletic lower back injuries involve uncontrolled extension or rotation in either an acute or chronic sense.
With anti-extension exercises, we're generally setting up in a position where gravity makes our job tougher. Examples include regular ol' prone bridge variations (video at right).
These can be progressed to include all sorts of push-up variations and ab wheel/bar rollout masochism (video at right).
Finally, I love to integrate this work with overhead medicine ball throwing variations, where you resist extension each time you go overhead with the ball, whether you're getting ready to throw, or just catching.
Taking this a step further, you can appreciate that overhead pressing can serve as a great anti-extension exercise.
As you can see, several of these exercises also include a rotary stability component (the overlap to which I alluded earlier). However, it's also important to directly train rotary stability, particularly in rotational sport athletes. A basic side bridge is an excellent start for beginners (see photo at right).
These can be progressed into variations with perturbations, or single-leg side bridge variations. See the video on the right for a side bridge wall slide.
Next, you can toss in some Pallof press isometric holds and split-stance cable lifts (videos at right).
And these are all great lead-ins to rotational medicine ball training (video at right).
Taken all together, I hope that this classification scheme makes you appreciate that "core training" isn't just about training abs and obliques. More importantly, it's about training motor control: maximizing hip motion and lumbar stability, and then integrating the two in more complex movement schemes.
And, since very few of the readers out there live and die exclusively by squat, bench, deadlift, it becomes increasingly valuable to dabble in all three realms of my classification scheme each week.
18. Learn to Love Single-Leg Movements.
One other realm of stability I think is important to cover is single-leg stability or, simply stated, how well you stand on one foot. It's crucial to overall health and performance for a number of reasons.
First, we spend a good chunk of our lives standing on one foot. Lunges, split squats, 1-leg RDLs, step-ups, and other single-leg drills are specific to the real world.
Second, and more specific to back pain, in many (but not all) cases of lower back pain, you can use appreciable loading on single-leg exercises because it's much easier to maintain the spine in a neutral position in split-stance than in the position of bilateral hip flexion that occurs with squatting and deadlifting variations.
Additionally, you can generally drop a vertical line down through the center of gravity from the load on single-leg movements (whether they're loaded with dumbbells or a barbell). As a result, there's less shear stress and a reduced likelihood of going into lumbar flexion under load.
Third, using single-leg exercises with correct technique elicits equal contribution of the hip abductors and adductors; the abductors have to "cancel out" the commonly dominant adductors, or else your knee falls in. Seems easy enough. However, there's more.
Imagine how improved abductor function carries over to the standing position, including gait. If a person's hip falls out (adducts) in weight bearing, the photo to the right shows what happens to your spine.
This just goes to show you that the role of the hip abductors (glute medius, if that's your cup of tea) is as much dynamic stabilization in weight-bearing — or resisting hip adduction — as it is pure hip abduction. You can also tell that it has direct implications of increasing the likelihood of anterior and lateral knee pain (more valgus).
And, if you don't know what the hell I'm talking about, just recognize that single-leg work is insanely important, whether you're healthy or have back pain. Here are a few articles with some good single-leg flavor:
Five Programming Strategies for Quick ResultsSingle-Leg Supplements
19. Tinker with Your Foot Position on the Bench, or Change the Exercise Altogether.
It may be hard to imagine if you haven't ever had back pain before, but those who have tried to do upper body days with back pain can tell you that setting up on a bench can be a pain in the butt.
A lot of lifters with extension-based back pain will have problems with lying back on a flat bench. These individuals can get some quick symptomatic relief by simply elevating the feet on some 25-pound plates or aerobic steps. This little bit of foot-lift leads to a slight increase in hip flexion, which allows the lumbar spine to flatten out a bit, eliminating some of the extension stress.
Another option for these individuals is to simply switch to incline pressing variations. The angle between the seat and back pad on the bench ensures that same position of hip flexion. Or, they can switch to floor pressing with the knees flexed, which keeps the spine a bit flatter on the ground.
It's also worth mentioning that if you're trying to train upper body while dealing with back pain, it's generally a better bet to opt for barbells as opposed to dumbbells with your pressing exercises. When a lower back is hurting, the last thing you need to be doing is bending over to pick up heavy dumbbells from a low rack and maneuvering around the gym with them.
Conclusion
Next up, in the last installment of this series, I'll bring everything to a close with the introduction of some drills you may not have seen before, plus a few technique cues to optimize lower back health and performance.