Strickland Fitness

Working out with a partner has many advantages. If you are looking to build muscle, you will need to lift heavy weights. Having a workout partner guarantees you a spot for every rep of every set and they can push you through the exercise when it gets tough. Even if you are lifting light weights trying to get that summer toned body, your partner can be there every step of the way keeping you accountable for a solid workout. Sometimes it’s hard to make to the gym on your own account. If you know there is someone waiting to meet you there, you are more likely to make it every time. The days you don’t feel like going, you will have a buddy to spark the fire you need.

A good workout partner can be your girlfriend or boyfriend, husband or wife, co-worker, or neighborhood friend. I workout with my fiancé and it is a blast. It gives us a chance to spend some time outside of the house and away from all the stresses of daily life. We laugh and have a great time while working towards our fitness goals. Even as a fitness professional, I need a little push. I also can’t see my form while doing an exercise. She is there to push me and help me keep great form.

There is a natural competition that happens between humans. I train individuals and partners. The tendency is for the ones working out together to want to do a little bit better which makes them work out that much harder. You can also have contests to fuel your workouts. If you want to lose weight, see who can lose weight faster. Try slowly making progress on your runs together.

If you don’t make it to the gym as much as you would like or you are not getting the results you want, try adding a partner to your workout. Not one that you spend talking to the whole time, but someone who will push you, help you, and create an exciting and enjoyable workout experience on the way to your goals.

If I stand on one leg and the leg I am standing on is moving, can I still be balanced? The answer is yes. One definition of balance (which we will use for the purpose of this post) is: The ability to maintain bodily equilibrium. This means you don’t have to be completely still to be balanced. However, you need to be in complete control to be balanced.

When I start working with a client, one of the first things I go through is learning how to balance. I do a lot of exercises which makes the body use small stabilizing muscles to help complete the exercise. The client must know how to balance correctly to gain the benefits of these types of exercises. This knowledge helps in everyday life as well as sports and recreational activities.

Let’s learn the first step to good balance. In order to be in a balanced position, you have to activate your core. I will go into the definition of “core” and what it really means in a later post. What this means for you right now is controlling the center of your body. Keeping the center of your body (center of gravity) still will facilitate balance. Now, when I ask a client to stand on one leg, the first thing they do is put out their arms to the side of their body and then begin to lift one leg. This action of putting their arms out to the side has initiated the concept of counter-balance, not balance. Our tendency is to use our arms to add a little weight to each side which we can use to try and help us stay stable. Using this method of balance might keep you on one leg, but it does NOT mean you are balanced.

The legs are equipped with lots of little muscles which help stabilize the ankles, knees, and hips. It’s these muscles that should be used in complete balance. So with the standing on one leg example, the muscles in the leg should contract and relax as needed to keep you standing.

Let’s give it a shot. Stand on one leg and concentrate on keeping your arms relaxed and the center of your body completely still. Once your center is not moving, you should feel some small contractions in your legs which helps you stay in that position. If your upper body is not moving and you are standing on one leg, you are balanced.

You can use this concept in many things in life. If you are a skier or snowboarder, the next time you hit the mountain, concentrate on keeping your center still and let the legs do the work. It will definitely help you stay dry! If you like doing yoga and you can’t seem to stay in a pose without falling, think about activating your core and you will be like a statue.

Take it outside

Tired of looking at the same stuff at the gym? Getting bored with the same old exercises and the same old routine? Try making a scenery change.

Most of us use the gym as our primary place to work out. It is incredible how amazing it feels to hit the beach for a run instead of the treadmill. Don’t live near the beach? Head to the park or nearest school track for your next run. The fresh air and change of environment will spark a new exhilaration in your workout. Hearing the natural sounds of the park or beach can give you the peace of mind that the murmurs of local gossip can’t. You can really get in touch with your body.

You don’t always need the apparatuses that the gym offers to get a solid workout. A few dumbbells and elastic bands will do just fine. I love taking my clients to the beach and doing some interval sprints in the sand and some light resistance training with elastics and dumbbells. Doing some stretches after a great workout to the sound of crashing waves revitalizes the body the way a crowded gym floor cannot.

If you are used to taking a stroll down at the beach or through the local park, speed it up a little bit and you now have a nice cardio workout. A great exercise session isn’t where you do it; It’s what you do.

There is one common mistake people make when training their back. That mistake is that they are not usually training their back even when doing exercises for the back. Let’s look at the Lat pull down. This exercise is used to train a large muscle in the back called the Latissimus Dorsi (Lat). The Lat is responsible for shoulder extension, adduction, and rotation. It also plays a role in the extension and lateral flexion of the spine. Now when we sit down at the Lat pull down machine, we know we should be lowering the bar TO THE FRONT OF OUR CHIN (not behind the head) and releasing it back up, thus working our Lats. After all, it is a Lat exercise. What normally happens is we don’t even get the Lats firing and end up using our arms to complete the action. We use our arms everyday so we know how to get those muscles firing. With the arms doing most of the work, we are now doing a variation of a bicep curl. Ever do a back exercise and wonder why your arms are tired and you don’t really feel anything in the back? The arms are working harder than the back. Let’s solve that problem.

We will use the Lat pull down again for our example. You are sitting at the machine, your back is straight and not arched and you have your arms fully extended above your head gripping the bar. As you begin to pull the bar down in front of your chin, concentrate on pulling your shoulder blades down into your back pocket. You should feel your shoulders drop down as well. This action of dropping your shoulder blades will activate your Lats. Keep them dropping as you bring the bar down to your chin bending at the elbows. Now as you begin to slowly release the bar back to the original position of arms above the head, don’t let the shoulder blades leave your back pocket. Try and keep them down until you have reached the starting position. At this point you can release your shoulder blades and prepare for the next rep. It should take 2 seconds to pull the bar down (positive motion) and 4 seconds to bring the bar back to its original spot (negative motion).

You will feel your arms working because they are helper muscles in this exercise. The real burn should be in the back. Concentrate on this concept and you will be well on your way to the perfect “V” shape.

Today is your day to make a difference. During these hard economic times, it is even more important to get to the gym, eat right, and take care of yourself. Now is the time to make the changes in your life that will leave you feeling healthy, strong, and ready to take on the world.

Changing the inside of your body will change everything that happens outside your body. How you ask: If you feel great, you will proceed to make great things happen. Let’s make “Joe the plumber” even more famous by putting him into two different scenarios:

“Joe the plumber” #1 is frustrated by the economy and work and all the things that aren’t going right in his life. He used to work out and take care of himself, but lately he has been feeling down about everything. He has lost the energy and motivation to get to the gym and has found himself a few pounds overweight. He hasn’t been setting the time aside to make healthy meals. He is now using the drive-thru for quick hunger fixes. He wakes up in the morning, looks in the mirror, and sees a tired uninspired man. He spends every waking moment in negative thought. How do you suppose his day is going to go?

“Joe the plumber” #2 is dealing with the economy and work and all the things that aren’t going right in his life. He gets up early feeling fresh after a good night sleep, has a good breakfast, and heads off to the gym. He spends an hour not thinking about anything going on outside, anything on T.V., the Dow Jones, or any campaign. He dedicates this hour to himself. He spends his hour working hard. He looks good. He feels great. He leaves the gym with an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment. He says to himself on the way to his car that no matter what life brings him today, he will be ready to crush. How do you suppose his day is going to go?

Make the changes in your lifestyle that will leave you feeling awesome.

Work out.

Eat right.

Get plenty of rest.

You will look great. You will feel great. You will accomplish great things.

Be the second “Joe.”