A GMC Fitness Specialist's Beginner Training Plan

If you’re one of the thousands who have made a New Year’s resolution to exercise more—kudos to you. While there may be some doubt as to how effective these resolutions are, any excuse to exercise—improved health, stress relief or weight loss—is a good one.

But before you let your excitement get the best of you, let’s take a step back and make sure you’re kicking off your renewed commitment to exercise the best way possible. Especially if you’re like many who’ve left their exercise routine in November, just as the holiday season settled in.

The truth is, if you’ve taken a month or more off from your exercise routine, you’ll need to ease back into workouts. That means listening to your body and accepting that you may not be able to exercise with the same intensity or endurance as before. But not to worry, you’ll be back up to speed in no time (thanks, muscle memory).

On the other hand, if you’re eager to try a new exercise for the New Year, then look no further than strength training.

“Not only are there ample benefits to this form of exercise—don’t worry, I’ll get to those—it’s also a great way to activate muscle groups and enhance strength, while also minimizing injury and impact,” explains Kristie Delgado, MS, GMC’s Fitness Specialist. “On top of that, these exercises definitely do a great job of revving up your heart rate, too.”

Here are just some of the benefits of strength training:

·             Reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke

·             Strengthening bones and reducing the risk of osteoporosis

·             Increasing energy and decreasing fatigue

·             Improving depression, anxiety and mental clarity

·             Improving blood pressure

·             Reducing body fat

“If you’re new to strength training, I recommend starting with these five resistance exercises that you can do anywhere,” notes Kristie.

1. Chair Stand/Squat

·                 Stand tall with good posture.

·                 Push hips back and down, keeping upper body straight and knees over the heels. Do not let your knees shift forward over your toes. Weight should be centered between ball of foot and the heel.

·                 Sit down completely without releasing the tension. Push through your heels, activating your glutes, to rise to the starting position.

·                 To increase the challenge: Try adding weights.

2. Bent Knee Bridges

·                 Lie on your back, with your knees bent at an angle that allows you to keep your feet flat on the ground. Feet should be hip-width apart.

·                 Pushing through your heels, and activating your glutes, lift your hips towards the ceiling until your shoulders, hips and knees are in a straight line. Hold for a count of one-one thousand then slowly lower yourself to the starting position.

·                To increase the challenge: straighten one leg at the knee, holding it in the air so that the thighs maintain alignment with each other. Perform all repetitions on one leg before lowering raised leg, then repeat on.

3. Bent Over Rows

·                 Stand tall with good posture and weighted object in hand.

·                 Keeping your upper body/back straight, your knees slightly bent and your shoulders pulled back and down, hinge at the hips as far as you can without rounding your back. Lower the weights until they are directly below the shoulders, maintaining tension. Ears, shoulders and hips should stay in alignment.

·                 Maintaining this position, pull your elbows straight up to the ceiling, keeping the forearms vertical. Slowly lower the weighted object to directly below the shoulder. Complete all repetitions before standing up.

·                To increase the challenge: Try increasing weights with each set.

4. Seals

·       Lie face down on the ground with your feet extended (toes pointed/relaxed) and your neck neutral, looking down at the ground.

·       Slowly peel yourself off the ground, lifting your head, then your chest and lastly your rib cage away from the ground. Hold for a count of one-one thousand then slowly lower yourself to the starting position.

·       To increase the challenge: Change up your arm position and extend the length of each rep. Place your fingertips on the back of your ears with your elbows flared out to the side. For even more of a challenge, place arms straight overhead in a Superman position.

5. Inclined Planks

·         Stand tall in front of an elevated surface. This could be a table, a bench, etc.

·        Hinge at the hips, maintain good posture and place your elbows on the surface so that they are bent to 90° and directly below the shoulder joint.

·       Keeping your abdominal muscles pulled in and down, step your feet back until your body is in a straight line from the ears through the shoulders, hips and knees to the ankles. Hold this position (aim to hold it for 15 seconds).

·       To increase the challenge: Try using a lower surface. Once you can complete three 60-second planks at that height, progress to a lower surface until you are able to complete all three planks on the floor.

We’re with you from the start.

Whether you’re just starting out or you’re ready to take your exercise regimen to the next level, GMC’s established Sports Medicine program can help. Our experts work to shift your focus away from difficulties to goals, from discomfort to confidence, from injury to strength. This is made possible with our extensive range of services, our knowledgeable specialists and numerous resources. We’re with you every step of the way.

Free Weights Or Machines? Decisions, Decisions

Resistance or strength training has proven to be essential for just about everyone. After all, it can help with everything from heart health and back pain, to burning calories and reducing stress. Oh, and let’s not forget it prevents bone loss, and helps to reduce body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol, too.

It isn’t just the benefits that make strength training so appealing, though. It’s also the fact that you can do it pretty much anywhere—gym, home or office—with almost anything—resistance bands, heavy soup cans and body weight—so essentially none of us have an excuse not to be doing it.

However, most people choose to stick to machines or free weights (dumbbells, barbells and weight cuffs) when it comes to their strength training needs. But is all resistance training equipment created equal? Or is one better than the other? It depends. Everything from personal preference and current fitness level, to training goals and equipment availability factors in.

A case for machines.

If you're new to strength training (or exercise in general), machines are often considered the safer choice. This is largely due to the fact that machines guide your range of motion and help with form—which is essential for free weights.

Machines are also easily adjustable. You can increase the resistance or weight, as well as the positioning of the machine so that it fits your unique body shape and size. This is a great way to learn how much weight you can safely lift.

Finally, machines are ideal for targeting specific muscle groups. In some cases, you may want to focus on certain muscles that are a part of one of the 5 major muscle groups (chest, arms/shoulders, legs/glutes, abs and back), you can do that without fatiguing other muscles.

 A case for free weights.

The most compelling reason to utilize free weights is that you can target more muscles at one time. This means that all those stabilizing muscles—no matter how big or small—get involved in the strength-training process.

In theory, this means that you’ll likely work more muscle groups and burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. But that’s assuming that you’re utilizing correct form. Try partnering up with an experienced friend or personal trainer while you get started.

Another benefit of free weights, once you have them mastered, you can customize your own workout. There are an endless number of moves you can do with them, and they’re much cheaper than machines.

You don’t have to weight.

While strength training can be slightly overwhelming at first, there are several easy steps you can take to get started. First off, make sure to partner up with an experienced strength trainer, or ideally a personal trainer, to ensure proper form and technique.

For instance, the experts at GMC’s Fitness & Performance Center can help you to overcome any obstacles, prevent injury and reach your fitness goals, the perfect fit for all of your strength training needs.

Also, start by utilizing body weight exercises and resistance bands to build up strength before moving to weights. And as a general rule-of-thumb when strength training, start with large muscle groups, then move to smaller ones. Train at least two days a week, but always with one or two days off between workouts.

5 Ways To Get Your Glutes Going During Exercise

Whatever your exercise of choice—be it cardio, weight lifting or both—gaining muscle is always a welcome result. However, some areas, like your glutes, may remain unresponsive during your workout (no matter how hard you try).

So what’s going on? Is it the exercise? Is it your form? Could be. But more likely, your glutes are just remaining inactive and they’re leaving your other large muscle groups (quads and hamstrings) to pick up the slack. And this may be true regardless of exercise, whether you’re using glute-specific moves or not.

Why are glutes so lazy you ask? Well, a big part of it comes down to how you spend your day. If you’re planted in a chair at work or on the couch watching TV, it’s easy for your glutes to snooze the day away (leading to tight muscles and hip misalignment).

To get those stubborn glutes in gear, here are 5 things to remember (without having to go squat- and lunge-crazy, although that may help, too):

1.    Strengthen supporting muscles: When it comes to exercise, it’s all about form. But many of us overlook the supporting muscle groups that make certain moves more effective. For instance, hip stabilizers, hamstrings and obliques help to keep glutes in optimum position for exercise.

2.    Focus on form: We aren’t just talking about keeping your back straight during a squat or making sure your knees don’t go past your toes during a lunge. Instead, we’re talking about the mental side of things.

By staying present and focused on how your glutes are feeling during exercise and making a conscious effort to engage them, you’ll notice a big difference.

3.    Stretch for success: Despite your gluteus maximus being one of the strongest muscles in your body, it doesn’t take much for it to become deactivated (we’re looking at you, desk jockeys). And if you don’t wake your glutes up with dynamic stretching, they’ll remain snoozing right on through your workout.

Add in some glute bridges and/or reverse lunges to really get your glutes firing beforehand. You can also utilize those same glute-isolation exercises at the end of your workout, too, for an extra kick.

4.    Get back to the basics: Let’s state the obvious: breathing is kind of essential during exercise—right? But this doesn’t often doesn’t stop the impulse to hold your breath while lifting. Make sure to utilize proper breathing to maintain energy levels, keep focused and help calm muscles.

While you’re at it, remember to stay hydrated (with water) which will help to regulate body temperature and prevent cramping and fatigue—both of which are major exercise bummers.

5.    Give your glutes some assistance: If you’re giving your glutes all you’ve got, and you’re still struggling to really get them active during exercise, it may be time to get the help of an expert.

At GMC’s Fitness & Performance Center, you’ll have access to knowledgeable, experienced specialists who can answer your exercise-related questions, evaluate your form and provide hands-on personal training to ensure you get the most from your exercise.

If Strength Training Is Overwhelming, Here Are 4 Things You Need To Know

As if starting a new exercise wasn’t intimidating enough, along comes the world of strength training. With options galore, muscle-building exercises come in all shapes and sizes—there’s resistance bands, cable weights, free weights, body weight—you get the point. While all of these choices are great for the experienced lifter, for someone new to the strength training game, it’s difficult to know where to start.

After all, you don’t want to use improper form, lift too much weight or end up injuring yourself. So while it may be tempting to stay safely on your favorite cardio machine, strength training can offer some serious health benefits—like increasing your resting metabolic rate, improving sleep, relieving stress, supporting bone health and more—so why not give it a try?

But before you do, here are 4 things you should know to maximize your experience and prevent injury:

   1. Learn the 5 major muscle groups.

·         Chest:Pectorals

·         Arms/Shoulders: Deltoids, Biceps, Triceps and Forearms

·         Legs/Glutes:Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Calves and Glutes

·         Abs:Upper abs, Lower abs and Obliques

·         Back: Trapezius, Latissimus dorsi

   2. Learn the 7 fundamental movements.

·         Squats: Every time you sit down and/or stand up from a chair, you are essentially doing a squat. This movement involves your glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings.

·         Hinge: Similar to the movement you make when you bend over to pick something up off the ground; hinges target your hips, hamstrings and glutes.

·         Push: You guessed it, this movement is similar to the motion you make when doing a pushup. This movement is focused on your chest, shoulders and triceps.

·         Pull: The opposite of a pushing, pulling is the motion you make when doing a pullup (which is super difficult). This movement will target your back and biceps.

·         Lunge: The same movement you make whenever you walk or run is a lunge variation, so you’re already a pro at this movement. This motion strengthens glutes, quads and hamstrings.

·         Carry: This motion is as simple as picking up something heavy and carrying it (that heavy purse may be giving you quite the workout). This type of movement improves all over strength and really targets your grip and core.

·         Rotation: The next time you turn around in your car to get something out of the backseat, take note of the motion you’re making (it’s a rotation). This type of movement targets core strength and stability.

   3. Learn your magic number(s).

This applies to how often you should be lifting, how much and how heavy. A good baseline to start with is doing 8 to 10 lifting exercises that target all muscle groups, 2 to 3 times a week. Even if you’re tempted to lift more often, make sure you don’t work the same muscle groups on consecutive days—your muscles need that recovery time to grow (after all that is the point).

As you get to be a strength-training pro you might opt for a split routine. That could mean working the upper body on Mondays and Thursdays and the lower body on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Now when it comes to deciding what weight to use, remember that less is always more. Until you’re more familiar with strength training, it’s important to ease into exercises by focusing more on form and less on weight. You’ll know you’re lifting a good amount if you can complete 3 sets of 8 repetitions.

Once you can complete three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions of an exercise with excellent form—meaning you can just about complete your last rep of each set—it's time to add more weight. Whatever equipment you use, the increase should be heavy enough that you're back to being able to complete only 8 reps per set, and possibly only 2 sets, not 3.

   4. Strengthen your confidence.

There’s no denying that strength training can be a great addition to almost any workout routine, but adding a new exercise can be hard on your body. To ensure that you're utilizing the best exercise for your unique health needs, talk with your primary care provider before you start. You can also get personalized, hands-on training from the experts at GMC’s Fitness & Performance Center to overcome any obstacles, prevent injury and not only reach your fitness goals, but surpass them.