It’s easy to understand how workouts do a number on you; how they begin to shrink fat on the outside while building muscles underneath, and how increasing your reps/weights as you go lead to a more toned body. But sometimes it’s the little things that get you there: breathing, hand placement, deliberate control, and body angles. That’s what I want to talk about today.
You breathe, therefore you ARE …
As you swim or run, good breathing techniques mean your working muscles will continue to receive the oxygen they need to keep contracting. According to researchers at the University of New Mexico, however, proper breathing is also key to non-aerobic forms of exercise as well, such as weightlifting, yoga and pilates. Why? Okay, if you want to get technical….. As you inhale, air is pulled into microscopic air sacs in the lungs called alveoli, where oxygen is delivered to red blood cells and carbon dioxide is transferred from the blood into these alveoli. The oxygen-rich blood flows to your heart, then it pumps it out to your body and you exhale the carbon dioxide.
Did you know that the respiratory center of your brain automatically sends messages to your respiratory muscles, telling them when to breathe? It’s all on autopilot; you don't have to think about it. But researchers found that when you exercise, your brain notes that there is an increase in carbon dioxide and lactic acid in your blood. This is a byproduct of exercising muscles, telling your respiratory muscles to increase the speed and depth of your breaths so you can offload all that extra carbon dioxide and deliver additional oxygen to your working muscles. So don’t hold your breath at ANY time, even if you think it makes the exercise easier or permits you to lift more weight. You won’t be doing yourself any favors!
The laying on of hands…
Okay, I am not speaking religiously here. I am talking about how what seems like a small change in your grip can work an entirely different muscle. Body position matters head to toe, but it’s important to remember that muscles don’t work in an isolated manner, which is why tiny changes in how you grip a bar, cable, handweight or dumbbell can make a difference in which muscles you stress. There is no right or wrong – just different areas you work. So when I tell you where to grip something, don’t go to the gym between our workouts and forget where those hands are supposed to grab on any given machine or weight. If you have to use your smart phone to video us for some exercises so that you don’t forget, I am totally up for that!
Be a control freak …
You may not realize why I am telling you to slow down or to stop swinging a weight around like it’s a shot-put, but it’s really about helping you work each target muscle through its natural range of motion for complete development as well as to reduce the risk of injury –- that means from complete extension to complete contraction. Muscle strength and joint flexibility are enhanced when you use the proper technique and maintain constant tension. That means avoiding locking out a joint to rest it or using gravity to let a weight find its position. It’s important to try to lower the weight at the same pace you lifted it. Try to picture the kind of deliberate control you see Olympic athletes use when they go through their motions. They may make it look easy, but it has taken them years of practice to make it appear that way. No bouncing, and no fast changes of directions as you lift weights, do leg curls, bench press, or use machines. You may or may not notice that I tend to go from larger to smaller muscle groups, and that is no accident. It permits optimal performances of the most demanding, major body part movements while you are at your strongest and freshest, offering you better weight lifting technique when fatigue is low and focus is high.
Position yourself for success …
How many times have I demonstrated the body position I want you to use, but I have to correct you as you go? My goal is not only to build the muscles, balance and flexibility you seek, but also to prevent aches, pains and serious injuries. My biggest nightmare is that you try doing exercises on your own without remembering to flatten that back as you dead-lift or keep your spine straight as you squat, etc. It’s not a matter of just getting through that last set of reps – it’s about making that last set of reps count while keeping you safe as your body is fatiguing. So next time I squawk at you, pay attention!
One thing I don’t crab about but I should: use your abs ALL the time. Contracted abdominal muscles create more tension, aid in every exercise and take the load off some of the other muscles you are using. Want to strive toward that washboard stomach? Even doing simply arm curls while engaging your abs can mean a world of difference!