Archive for January, 2010

When life gives you snow, make snowballs! Combine 6-8 inches of snow, cabin fever, and a serious lack of cardio conditioning and you get one hell of an out of the box, full-body conditioning workout! I guarantee, if you get chest high, every minescule turn will make your heart feel like it will pound through your chest. No telling what the total weight was. Notice all the rock it picked up.  Every effort gets increasingly more difficult until it will budge nomore. It probably took me about 30-40 minutes to get it this big.

Jill preparing for tennis match on the moon.

When I hear the term “functional training” I cringe.

I shouldn’t. After all, for something to be functional it should be specific to a purpose, right. But still, no matter how functional you think transverse rope grip iso lateral externally rotating forearm curls on a BOSU are, they are not. In fact, some exercises(and most, if not all performed on a Bosu) are just plain stupid.Which brings me to the point.It seems that in searching for movements that are “specific” we lose sight of the most functional movements of all.

Squat, bend, push, and pull.

We do these movements countless times during the course of the day, which is precisely what makes them functional. They serve a purpose in our daily lives.  

Still though, there are people out there who think they train functionally without a nary of a squat or dead lift anywhere. My recommendation to you is simple. Pick up the weight. Put it down. Repeat. Pick up the weight. Press it over your head. Repeat.Try putting a substantial amount of weight on your back and squatting with it. If you are not doing closed kinetic chain exercises as the core of your workout then you do not train functionally.

 Let me break it down. The kinetic chain refers to how your body moves. Whether a movement is open or closed refers to if  the muscles being trained move free or are limited to a fixed movement. Machine movements are open chain, because they dictate the path of travel. Ultimately, open chain exercises will lead to imbalance and possibly injury. Closed chain are weight bearing exercises like squats, cleans, and push press. These movements recruit many muscle groups at once, more closely mimicking real life activity and sport specific movement. Closed chain movements should constitute the majority, if not all of the exercises you perform. Push ups, pull ups, lunges, front squats, Romanian dead lift, are all more examples of closed chain, functional movements.

So now you say “dead lifts are dangerous to the back” , or “squatting will hurt my knees.”

My response is “only if they a performed incorrectly.” There are no inherently dangerous lifts. There is only improper execution of lifts. If your squats look like a dog taking a dump, then you need proper coaching on the lift before performing it. Don’t underestimate the importance of good training and proper technique. Learning and perfecting technique will make the difference in a strong body or an injured one.  Proper coaching will insure form and function and keep you headed in  the right direction whether your tackling a wide receiver or a day at work.

Dis•ci•pline 1. n. the training of the mind and character || a branch of learning || a mode of life in accordance with rules || self-control || control, order, obedience to rules || (eccles.)a system of practical rules for the members or a Church or order || punishment, esp. mortification of the flesh by way of penance || a scourge for religious penance 2. v. to bring under control, to train, to punish.