TRAINING: WHAT CONDITION IS YOUR CONDITION IN?
Are you one of those people who often say, "I want to get in shape"? You may wish to think about what you mean when you say it.
Are you talking about looks? Or function?
By 'get in shape,' do you want to lose weight, or do you want to be stronger and have a body that works at your command? The first question about getting in shape is what you want to be in shape to do. You probably know that muscle weighs more than fat, and muscle also needs constant nourishment, which is why it literally eats up the fat content of your body. If you work out to build more muscle, you will be thinner, but you will actually weigh more. Still, even with higher numbers on the scale, you will have to buy clothing that is a size or two smaller than the size you now wear.
Anyone can go without food to lose weight, but that has nothing to do with being in good condition. That thin soul who never works out, then tries to huck a hill or ski a black diamond run, will be winded and done in by the time they reach the bottom of the hill. It helps to remember that looks are in fact a by-product of the well trained body. But there's something even more important than fitness.
We've all known people who were fantastically fit, yet kept having inexplicable injuries. The reason is because they never addressed the most important part of conditioning: equalizing the muscles to get rid of any muscle imbalances or atrophy.
Nearly everyone has some degree of muscle imbalance and weaknesses. For example, you may be a champion bike racer, but do you sit at a desk all day, using a keyboard, mouse and telephone, never lifting your elbow above your shoulder? If so, that means you never use your rotator cuffs, the muscles that lift your arm. Unless you make up for this with weight resistance, your rotator cuffs will atrophy, or weaken. If you need to suddenly use those small rotator cuff muscles to save yourself from a fall or catch something overhead, they will probably tear. All the leg exercises in the world won't save your shoulders in an emergency reach or catch.
To work the rotator cuffs, hold a dumbbell in each hand. Slowly bring one arm at a time straight out, without bending the elbow, upright over your head. Now slowly bring the dumbbell down level with your ear, and twist your wrist, as if you were pouring out a glass of liquid. Twist the dumbbell 5-10 times, then slowly bring your arm back to your side. Do this with each hand.
Now test for muscle imbalance. Choose a weight you can do easily for 10 reps. Now perform the rotator cuff exercise, to exhaustion, with each arm. What is the difference in work output between each arm? If you can do five or more reps with one arm than with the other, you have an imbalance in your rotator cuffs.
To correct it, take a dumbbell to work (a weight, not a person). Every hour or so, do five reps of the rotator cuff exercise with the weaker arms. Do at least five sets a day.
Using resistance machines is a big cause of muscle imbalances. For example, leg presses and leg extensions are done with both legs, so it's hard to know if one leg is doing more work than the other. The key to using machines is to do them one limb at a time.
There is a way to test the condition of your muscles so you can design a workout that will get rid of any imbalance. And here is a reason why you should do this: whether you are competing in a sport or just walking across an icy surface, you put out power with every movement, and the body works in an equal fashion. If only one limb is strong enough to handle the force generated by a movement, something in the weaker limb will have to give under the same force. It could be a bone, a ligament or a tendon.
An example: you jump down from a low wall, slightly off balance. Your strong right thigh can take the landing, your weaker left thigh can't. To protect itself, your left quad muscle collapses. You fall over and sprain your ankle.
While gym machines are at fault for creating muscle imbalances, they are also excellent at testing for them and designing a workout to get rid of them.
First, test for muscle imbalances by working each limb, one at a time, to exhuastion, using reps. Do one set of an easy weight to exhaustion on each limb; leg press with one foot, bicep curl with one arm, and so on. Don't forget to count the reps! Write down the number of reps you were able to complete with each limb (partial lift doesn't count). Use the rope to grip for the lat pull test. Yes, you can have a muscle imbalance in your lats!
After you have tested your muscle balance with reps, repeat the tests using resistance. Use a weight that is 5 to 15 pounds heavier than the normal weight you use. Again, do each exercise one limb at a time, and write down the number of times you were able to complete the movement with each limb.
After you have completed testing for muscle imbalances, it's time to design a re-balancing workout. Do your regular workout, but with only one limb at a time. You may have to drop your normal weight slightly for about three to four workouts, until the weaker side adjusts. With each set, do two additional reps on the weaker side. Don't change weights, do the same weight for each side.
Within three months, your body will be reconditioned, and you will truly be 'in shape.'