Every Gym’s Nightmare

Well, I posed this question to you guys yesterday:

Is doing yoga a sufficient form of strength training?

Either you guys are very, very smart, or Im just inclined to think so because you guys agree with my opinion- but im going to have to go ahead and say no.

While it does take strength and muscle power to hold yourself in various poses, and fluidly transfer from one to the other, I do not believe the muscle is significantly overloaded to the point of fatigue.

Remember: when you do a set of weights, like a biceop curl, you want to do as many reps as it takes to your muscle to the point of exhaustion (you can’t do another with good form.)

However, this isn’t the main reason for the absolute truth my opinion.

Aside from building and sculpting killer muslce tone, strength training provides many other benefits, most important of which for women: increased bone denisty.

The only way to increase the density of your bones is apply stress to them, either in the form of impact or weight. When you think of bones, you want to think Form Follows Function.

This means that the more impact you apply, the stronger the bone will grow. Running strengthens your leg bones, and unless you can run on your hands***, you need to lift weights to increase the bone density in your upper half.

While I agree that yoga is a GREAT WORKOUT, Im sorry to say you have to lift weights, too. Lifting weights is my favorite thing to do in the world, but i guess a lot of people don’t like it.

To which I say, “too bad.”

***Which reminded me of the days when I used to be able to do this:

Today’s Grounded Fitness post: Distraction is….Uh….What Was i Talking About?

toothpastefordinner.com
Man, I never get sick of those.

You guys know when it comes to everything, Im pretty opinionated.

Well, this is the topic I feel I can be swayed on, so Im giving you guys the reigns.

I pose the following question to you:

Do you feel yoga is a suffiecient form of strength training?

A lot of people are pretty passionate on the subject, so without stating my opinion first, I invite you all to convince me of your stance. Send links, testimonials, call me names, etc. Im as impressionable as a teenage girl with daddy issues.

I will share my opinion tomorrow, so gimmie your best until then.

Today’s Grounded Fitness post: Yoga, I Officially Apologize

Don’t forget about the “Celebrate Your Insecurity” contest! Winner of the Powerbar prize pack will be announced Friday, with all your entries being posted for recognition in the days following. Send them in- I know you guys have tons of crap wrong with you!

You know I meant that with love.

usually when i go to the gym i work out 2 muscle groups, i.e. chest and biceps, shoulders and triceps, or back and rear delts. my question is can you combine any two groups and work them out on the same day or are there some better combos than others? and why? thanks!
Jen

As long as you are working out all of your major muscle groups, atleast 2 times a week, you are good to go. How you pair them up isnt as important, but you have to make sure that you are working antagonist muscles equally. Antagonist muscles are muscles in opposing groups (usually on either side of a limb) like triceps and biceps, or quads and hamstrings. When one contracts, the other elongates and vice versa. If you get it done, cool, but I find its easier to make sure if you do them at the same time.

Its important these muscles are balanced or else you safety and range of motion may suffer. I see this most often in the core- people will work out their abs all day long, but completely ignore the lower back. This makes it difficult for momentum to travel through the core, because when it hits the weak spot, in this case, the lower back, it shifts directions, and causes pain in either the muscle or the connective tissue. Its important to keep you body balanced, so everything works together at the same level, keeping you efficient and injury free.

Hi Kelly! I have a workout question: Whenever I use leg machines, especially the one designed to workout your outer thigh, I get what I would call a “charlie horse” in my hips, both or just one… what is causing this? I assume I am doing something strange, so I am embarrassed to ask the workers at my gym. I don’t know if it is just me, or something I am doing with the weights, it is just becoming so uncomfortable and painful that I forego alot of the leg workouts. Thanks so much for your help! I love your blog! Blaire

Abductor machines (the pads are on the outside of your thighs and you force them open) and Adductor machines (the pads are on the inside of your legs and you have to force them closed) in my opinion are the most overrated, unnecessary machines in the gym. People think they will slim your inner and outter thigh, but these arent the muscles being used to operate the machine. These machines engage your interior stabilizing muscles of you hips- so pretty much the little muscles around the joint. These muscles are just stabilizers, they have to be strong to hold your joint in place while you are performing other movements, but offer no definition, or real contractile force.
These muscles are little and are rarely worked, so you may be trying to lift too much weight. Another possibility (and why I dont like these machines) is that it is so easy to recruit other muscle groups to perform the action- which may cause your back to arch and your hips to wiggle when you try and ab/adduct. This can injure your interior stabilizers, rotators or muscles in your lower back.
These same stabilizing muscles get worked when you perform anything with your lower legs (squats, lunges, jumps, anything) so specifically setting time aside to work them isnt neccessary.
To work the inner and outter thigh, focus on one leg moves, such as one legs squats, or walking lunges. If you want to specifically isolate these muscles with weights, do some resisted abduction and adduction exercises while standing, which a weight cable attached at your ankle. make sure you keep your stabilizing leg soft, and your hips square: dont let the weight rotate your hips.
Machines that focus on one tiny area are fine, but you can make better use of your time. Full body exercises will work those muscles, plus so many more, and usually offer come cardiovascular benefits as well.

oo oohh I have a fitness question. So i’ve been lifting more recently and now its to the point where i’ve been increasing weights… but should i start increasing reps at the same weight, or increase the weight but start at lower reps and go up? kootz

I think it would be easier to answer this with real numbers instead of abstractly- so welcome back to 9th grade math.

Kootz can do a bicep curl with an 8 pound dumbell. She fatigues (can’t do any more with proper form) after 8 reps. She keeps at it and eventually can perform 12 reps. She continues to train and can now do 15 reps until she fatigues. It is time for Kootz to increase her weight. Kootz moves onto a 10 pound dumbell and drops back to 8 reps. She should fatigue after these 8, but if not, she will move up to 12 reps wit good form. After she reaches 15 reps to fatigue with good form, she will increase the weight to 12 pounds and drop back to 8 reps.

How long will it take kootz to bench press a car?

a) she already can
b) never, unless her baby is trapped under it
c) god, i hope she doesnt have a baby
d) 2 weeks

You dont have to start at 8 reps- you can start at 10 or 12. it depends on if you are a high weight low rep, or low weight high rep kind of girl. (boy? do we have any boys, besides chris? whos taste in shoes SUCKS) Anyways, you should always work your way up in reps with new weight. but once you reach about 15-20 depending on how you train, its time to move on.

I would like to start a basic exercise routine including strength training but it’s kinda overwhelming. I have been reading alot of sites and they mention things such as rotator cuff exercises and upright rows being bad. Are rotator cuff exercises really necessary? And are over head presses with dumbbells a safe alternative to upright rows? I find it so overwhelming because I am sure there are other things such as rotator cuff exercises I should be doing but exercising is not my favorite activity and I don’t want to spend an hour a day just to make sure I get every muscle in.
Also, I find it confusing knowing that I am going to have to change exercises to progress. All these articles I read make it sound simple, like just weight train 3 days a week, but really there is a lot to change and to be sure you are getting all your muscles without overloading certain group-ahh! Thanks in advance
Leah

I know it can seem overwhelming, but take a step back. any strength training is good, so dont worry so much about being perfect. As long as you hit the major muscle groups, you will be fine. You dont need rotator cuff, or anything like that, unless you are training specifically for something you need it strengthened for (like softball or swimming). If you are just training to get the health benefits and tone up, you just have to hit the major muscle groups: quads, hamstrings, calves, glutes, abs and back (core), shoulders, chest, biceps, triceps. That might seem like a lot, but you can work most of those together: squats work the quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes, pushups work the chest and triceps, etc. You can combine things even more to cut down on the time: walking lunges with a bicep curl to shoulder press, or you can even add cardio components to full body exercises, like burpees (squats thrusts). Im all for quick workouts, so I combine as much as possible to cut down o nthe time.

You are going to read a lot about what is “good” and what is “bad.” The truth is, if you do it with proper form, you arent going to hurt yourself. Upright rows are fine if you do them properly. I suggest reading up as much as you can on proper form for strength training, or possibly working out with a friend that knows what they are doing if you cant afford a trainer.

Dont over think it. walking lunges, push ups and crunches are sufficient to hit every body part. Since you are just starting out, take it slow. Later on you will learn how to progress by realizing something isnt challenging anymore and figuring out how to make it so. Or maybe you’ll see someone else doing something and think, “I want to try that.” You can add weights, or do different exercises completely to change up your routine. Just do whats fun and find new moves you want to try. It should be enjoyable, not a headache.

I recently lost a lot of weight by going to the gym about 5 times a week (cardio for 30-60 min and pilates/weights) and watching what I ate. Now it’s gotten a bit excessive– I’m 5′3″ and down to about 100 lbs (my norm has usually been about 107-110). Needless to say, I need to gain some of it back. I was wondering if you had any tips for gaining weight… any diet advice or specific types of exercise to help me get some of my curves back! Thanks!

I know a lot of people are rolling their eyes, muttering about how they wish they had this problem, but it just goes to show that the grass isnt always greener. Everyone has insecurities, and while you wouldnt know it to pick up a magazine or turn on the tv, skinny isnt good. Healthy is good, and what size healthy is, is different for everyone.

Ellie-

I can’t recommend anything food wise, except DONT EAT JUNK FOOD to gain your weight back.

As far as exercising, strength training is perfect to get some curves and add a little mass to your frame.

You aren’t going to be able to really “bulk” as women just don’t have enough testosterone in their system to do that, but you can definately add some shape.

I would recommend doing higher weight with lower reps. You should fatigue after about 8 reps, but make sure you can complete them with good form. Make sure you work all major muscle groups: quads, hams, glutes, abs, back, shoulders, chest, biceps and triceps. You should strength train atleast 3 times a week, making sure to get atleast 1 day rest in between workouts. You can work out everyday if you want, but alternate upper and lower body to ensure proper rest.

Definately talk to you doctor about developing an eating plan, because calories are important when it comes to weight. Of course you will need to eat more, but you have to be careful to do it in such a way that it is healthy, and also helping to support your strength training.

I got a good question from Christina I wanted to share

Kelly, I read that lifting weights helps prevent osteoporosis by building bone mass. But then I also read that you can’t increase the size of your wrist (I asked about this before) because your wrists are bone and ligament. Then how does lifting weight help build bone?

Strength training does prevent osteoperosis. It does this by increasing your bone density, not the actual size. Bones follow the rule “form follows function.” The more stress you put on your bones, the stronger they will become. This is one part of your body that doesnt give into wear and tear, if you get enough calcium. As you get older, and approach/go through menopause, your bone denisty decreases, this is why strength training is so important. You want to get your bones as strong as you can, while you still can, so you can maintain that density as you age and decrease your chances of osteoperosis and injuries, ie. the ol’ breaking a hip joke. It happens A LOT more than you think.

Unfortunately, a lot of people learn this too late. I get a lot of women in their 50′s and 60′s that have never strength trained before, and come in wanting to get their bones stronger. At this point, their denisty has already started to decline, and stress on the bones will only injure them, because they are too weak to stand the impact. Its like they have reached the point of no return, and its all down hill from there.

If you are older (50 and up, abouts, maybe younger if you are really curious) you should get a bone density scan to tell you how dense your bones are, and your doctor can make recommendations from there.

As far as increasing the size of your bones: its not going to happen. They make hormones for people with bone diseases, but just having tiny wrists probably isnt worth the injections and pain. A doctor would probably laugh you out of his office.

I have little wrists, too. Rock ‘em.