A Perfect Exercise

Many years ago, I heard Jack LaLanne, the “Godfather of Fitness” say “if you only have time to do one exercise, do push ups.” Why? Because the simple push up is the single exercise that engages every muscle group in your body.  To perform a proper push up, you have to use your arms, chest, abs, hips and legs. It requires that you hold you body like a plank –with all your muscles flexed – balancing on your hands and the balls of your feet. The act of lifting and lowering your entire weight is challenging, even for someone who’s fit. The push up is the ultimate measurement of your fitness level.

An Enduring Measure of Fitness

Many people simply don’t have the upper body strength to do a push up, men and women alike. As our nation gains weight, arms are collapsing under the mass of our own bodies.  And, in the effort to lose weight, we concentrate more on aerobic exercise to burn calories and neglect strength training. As we age, the ability to do push ups in proper form and more than once is an important indicator of our ability to endure the rigors of growing old.

For instance, researchers who study the biomechanics of falling note that push ups can provide the strength and muscle memory to reach out and break a fall. If you’ve ever fallen forward, you know that you automatically reach out to catch yourself, ending in a move that is like a push up. Ideally, as your hands hit the ground, your wrists and arms absorb the impact and your elbows bend to reduce the force.  But without upper body strength, your elbows buckle, and you continue to fall until your head hits the ground.  And without muscle mass to help protect your bones, one or more may break!

Through the natural process of aging, we lose as much as 30 percent of our muscle mass between the ages of 20 and 70. Regular exercise that includes strength training can prevent that decline.  Women are at a particular disadvantage because we start off with about 20 percent less muscle than men.

Based on national averages, a 40-year-old woman should be able to do 16 push ups. A man the same age should be able to do 27. By the age of 60, the numbers drop to 17 for men and 6 for women.

The Proper Form

Properly performed push ups work the pectoral (chest) muscles, the triceps (back of the arms), biceps (fronts of the arm), the deltoids (shoulders), latissimus dorsi, rhomboids and trapezius (upper back), plus the forearms, wrists and hands. Additionally the abdominal muscles, lower back, glutes, hamstrings and calves are flexed  in order to stabilize the body.

• Begin on all fours – hands and knees – with your hands positioned directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
• Straighten your legs so that you are in a plank position with your back straight, your neck in line with your spine (chin slightly tucked), your tailbone tucked and abs tight. You should be in a straight line from the tip of your head to your heels, resting on the balls of your feet.
• Inhale and lower down until your arms are bent at a 90 degree angle (your chest should not touch the floor).
• Exhale and push up until your arms are almost straight. Keep your arms slightly bent to keep the chest muscles activated and the pressure off of your elbows.
• Keep the movements controlled and repeat as often as you’re able while holding your position properly.
• Perform some stretches to complete your workout.

(To see how your core muscles benefit from the push up, try performing one push up without holding your abs tight and your tail tucked. You’ll feel the difference immediately, most likely with discomfort in your lower back as it sags towards the floor.)

If the standard, floor-based push up is too difficult, don’t give up. There are lots of modifications that you can try. Start by standing about 3 feet away from a wall or countertop, place your hands against the surface in line with your shoulders, and press up and down. Eventually, as your strength increases, move to floor push ups on your knees. One great thing about push ups is that, performed daily, your strength increases quickly.  Set a goal for yourself.  If you can perform 10 reps today, make yourself do 11 tomorrow.

Push Up Perks.

• Push ups can be performed anywhere and require no equipment.
• They’ll tone your arms, shoulders, chest and upper back without adding bulk. (Sorry, guys, but if you want bulk, you have to lift weights.)
• There are a great variety of ways to perform push ups that will increase tone in different muscle groups, such as the triceps.
• Push ups increase shoulder strength and overall health of the shoulder joints.
• Push ups improve your reaction time by training your proprioceptive fibers (microscopic nerves responsible for keeping your body balanced) to respond more quickly.

At age 95, Jack LaLanne is still doing push ups as part of his 90-minute daily workout.  As he recently told a reporter for the New York Times, “I hate it … but I like the results. Exercise is something you’ve got to do the rest of your life.”

I subscribe to Shop Smart, a fantastic magazine put out by Consumer Reports.  I never make a major purchase decision without checking out their reviews and recommendations.

This month’s magazine reviewed some of the best new home treadmills and ellipticals.  One of the machines they mention in a sidebar is the Ab Circle Pro.  I’ve seen the commercials for this product and was curious about it.  The commercial claims that, by using this machine for just 3 minutes a day, you can lose weight and get the “flat, washboard abs and sexy ‘V’ shape that you’ve always wanted.”  The claims sounded a bit preposterous to me, but what were Consumer Reports’ findings?

Well, it wasn’t quite as bad as I thought … they did find that it works the abs, and if you stay on it long enough, you can get an aerobic workout about equal to a brisk walk (no one can get an aerobic workout in 3 minutes, with or without machines). Some of the testers said they felt like the machine worked their arms more than their abs and half said they felt little muscle fatigue at all.  A few even complained of back and knee pain.  The Ab Circle Pro comes with a strict nutrition plan … you’d probably lose weight just from following the diet.  The cost?  $200.  The conclusion?  Skip it!

This got me wondering about some of the other infomercial machines and their effectiveness.  The ads always claim the workouts are easy and fun and promise amazing results.  But do they really deliver what they promise? For a review of 10 of these fitness devices, check out Infomercial Fitness Devices Put to the Test .   By the way, these products aren’t cheap … the cost,  if you bought all of them, would total $2,355, which is about the price of a really good treadmill!

Out of the ten, one item did get a good review and that was the Urban Rebounder.  This is a mini-trampoline, with a removable support bar.  The testers found that they could burn about as many calories as they would jogging at about 5.6 mph, that it was easy to use and a nice change from typical aerobic exercise.  (And one point that wasn’t mentioned about rebounders is they give you a low impact workout, so they’re easy on your knees, hips and lower back.)

Bottom line?  The machines were fairly costly, cumbersome, uncomfortable, sometimes dangerous, and (except for the Urban Rebounder) mostly ineffective.  So, if you’re thinking about investing some money in fitness equipment, be sure to do your research before spending your hard-earned dollars.

Personally, I think you can get just as effective a workout with an exercise mat, a couple pairs of dumbbells, a set of toning tubes, and an exercise ball.  And they take up way less storage space!

If any of you have purchased infomercial fitness apparatus, please share your experiences, good or bad.  I’d love to hear about them!

Ever wonder why you’re gaining weight as you age?  It doesn’t seem like you’ve changed your eating habits, so what’s the story?  Yes, you know you should exercise more, but you’ve never exercised regularly and haven’t had a weight problem before.  So why have you slowly been gaining weight? And why is it so hard to lose?

One of the reasons we gain weight as we age is because our metabolism, the rate at which our bodies burn calories, slows down.  It’s estimated that metabolism naturally slows about 5% per decade after age 30.  But why does our metabolism slow?

As we enter our 30s, muscle mass naturally begins to decline and that decline picks up speed as we grow older.  Because lean muscle burns more calories (about 35 a day per lb, while fat burns just 2 calories a day per lb) our metabolic rates begin to slow as muscle mass diminishes. So we require less food to fuel our bodies. Since we continue to eat as we always have, the calories that aren’t used are stored as fat and we gain weight.

Aerobic exercise, of course, will burn calories and help you lose weight, as will dieting.  However, aerobic exercise doesn’t build muscle.  And when you diet without exercise, you not only lose fat, but you lose muscle as well.  So, you still have the problem of losing muscle mass.

There’s only one way to rebuild muscle (or prevent its loss in the first place), and that is with strength training. The good news is that anyone at any age can start a strength training program and begin rebuilding muscle. No, we’re not talking “Arnie Schwarzenegger muscles” … that’s bodybuilding and we’re not going there!

As you increase your lean muscle mass, the speed at which your body burns calories will increase.  Your body will utilize the food you take in more effectively, you’ll find that you can eat more without gaining weight and your muscle to fat ratio will improve, giving you an overall leaner, stronger appearance.  Additionally, resistance training lowers blood pressure, increases stamina and improves balance. Simple daily tasks will become easier. And, for many post-menopausal women, bone density will increase.

Strength training doesn’t require big, costly weight machines or gym memberships. Push ups, squats and lunges are basic strength training exercises that will build muscle and you can do them anywhere. You can use common household items like soup cans or filled water bottles. Dumbbells and toning tubes are inexpensive options for strength training at home.  But if you’ve never trained with weights, you may want to consult with a trainer to get you started with a basic plan and to learn proper form.

A well-rounded fitness program should include aerobic exercise, strength training and flexibility exercise.  Aim for about 30 – 45 minutes of moderate aerobic activity at least 5 days a week (it can be broken down into smaller increments and still be effective), resistance training 3 days a week and include stretching after all your workouts to maintain flexibility.  Vary your activities to keep from becoming bored.  Always check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program, especially if you’re over 40, or have cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or a family history of heart disease.

If you are the least bit interested in getting in shape and looking fit and healthy, you’ve probably heard about the importance of having a strong “core.”  But what does a “core training” mean?  Well, let’s define it, understand its relevance, and then look at some of the great equipment available to help you develop and maintain it.

Your “core” is the midsection of your body from your groin to your shoulders.  It includes the pelvis, glutes, abs, back and chest muscles. These muscles work together to control movements, transfer energy, shift body weight and move in any direction.

Core strength distributes the stresses of weight bearing and protects your back. It’s these core muscle groups that work in harmony to transfer power from the legs to the upper body and vice versa. Every move you make starts from your core.   In order to be effective, core conditioning exercises need to target all these muscles.  A flat tummy or “six-pack” abs doesn’t mean you have a strong core. Strong abdominals without strength in the muscles in your back, hips and glutes won’t provide the benefits of core fitness:

• Good posture
• Greater balance and stability
• Improved body control
• Increased power output to your extremities – your shoulders, arms and legs
• Reduced risk of injury
• Decrease in, or prevention of, low back pain

The following is a list of products that you can use to develop and strengthen your core region.

1. An exercise mat.  Whether you’re performing the standard crunch, the bicycle, a reverse crunch, or any other floor exercise, a thick mat will protect your from a cold, hard floor and offer cushioning for your spine, elbows, hips and knees.
2. Exercise ball.  The exercise ball is known by many names, i.e., fitness ball, stability ball, balance ball, Swiss ball, yoga ball, etc.  By performing standard floor exercises on one of these balls, you’re increasing the level of difficulty by adding balance and leverage challenges and increasing your range of motion. You can even use them as chairs … get a workout while sitting at your desk or watching TV.
3. Foam Roller.  Increase the intensity of your mat work by performing ab exercises or chest presses while balancing on its unstable surface.
4. Stability or balance disc.  A very versatile piece of equipment.  I use this on my chair while sitting at my desk (I’m using one now).  It engages the core muscles that are normally at rest while sitting.  The disc can also be used to stand on – try it while doing squats or lunges; or sit on it while doing crunches.  Many of the exercises that you perform on a balance ball can be performed on the disc.  It allows for an increase in your range of motion but offers a little more stability and takes up less space.
5. The Ab Wheel.  This is an extremely effective piece of equipment when used properly.  It isn’t for beginners, though.  It requires both abdominal and back strength and a lot of control.
6. Balance Board or Core Board.  Different products, but same results.  Stand on it with one or both feet for balance training. Excellent for yoga, skiing, golf, martial arts, soccer and any other activity that requires good balance and lower body strength and agility.
7. Resistance Bands & Toning Tubes.  The use of bands and tubes create tension throughout every part of your exercises.  You recruit more muscle fibers to maintain good form and to keep your movements smooth.
8. Dumbbells and Workout Bars.  If you want to maximize your strength gains, you have to add resistance to your core exercise, especially once they become easy.  Adding strength training with weights to your workout challenges you to maintain good form and stability while building and toning your muscles.
9. Push Up Bar.  One of the best exercises you can perform for total body strength is a push up (just ask Jack LaLanne). Done properly, it is a compound exercise that uses muscles in the chest, shoulders, triceps, back, abs and even the legs. A push up bar provides a variation to the standard push up by increasing your range of motion while reducing stress on your wrists and forearms.
10. Pull Up Bar.  One of the most overlooked exercises for building upper body, back and core strength.  Add a pair of ab slings to work out the lower abs and hip flexors by hanging from the bar and trying to lift your knees.

Core stabilizing and strengthening exercises should be a part of every fitness program.  Core exercise equipment will help you reap the benefits of  a strong core:  you’ll stand straighter, look leaner, feel stronger and perform better.