Unrealistic Expectations

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It’s a common trap people fall into. We go to the movies or watch television and see the beautiful celebrities on the screen and strive to have that same look. Who wouldn’t want to look like Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) from Fight Club or a Victoria Secret model?

Tyler Durden

Miranda Kerr

But it’s important to remember the circumstances of these people’s lives. Your job may be an accountant, a programmer, a mother, or anything else. You probably dedicate 40-60 hours per week on your job alone, not to mention finding time to exercise, cook, clean your house, do laundry, pay the bills, etc. During your two weeks off (maybe) per year you’re probably busy trying to rest and relax.

Their job is to look good.

Brad Pitt has made 21 movies since Fight Club came out in 1999. That’s just over two movies per year, and assuming filming takes two months (max) he can dedicate the rest of his time to eating pristine foods, exercising as much as he needs, and sleeping. And don’t think I’m trying to take anything away from him. I believe these people are extremely disciplined and focused towards their goals. I once read that Christian Bale had to starve himself for over four months prior to filming a movie. His eating consisted of a cup of coffee and either one apple or one can of tuna each day. Now that’s dedication.

But think of how he must have felt during that period. The point is that these people are putting themselves through extreme circumstances in order to obtain a certain look for the camera. It’s their job.

Christian Bale

Paul Piracci, BS CSCS

Paul brings a background of athletics and education to the Empower team. He believes that wellness should be viewed as a blended lifestyle that balances nutrition, a healthy mind, and fitness which incorporates fun recreational activities. For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024.

Strength Training for Women

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Since women spend so much time taking care of others we figured we would take the month of May to celebrate them with a few good blog posts on women’s health.

Here are some articles I love:

http://www.womenfitness.net/top10_misconception_bodybuild.htm

http://articles.elitefts.com/articles/training-articles/what-women-should-never-do-but-often-do-while-trying-to-get-in-shape-part-1-of-6/

http://figureathlete.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_45_minute_workout

http://figureathlete.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/how_strong_are_your_glutes_really

Happy Mother’s Day and happy lifting!

Getting Fit for Golf

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The seasons are shifting and warmer weather is fast approaching so it is time to dust off your clubs and prepare yourself to ìget fit for golfî. Golf specific fitness is comprised of six main components: balance, flexibility, core strength, muscular endurance, power, and cardiovascular endurance. Development in each of these areas will help improve your golf game and decrease the likelihood of a golf-related injury.

Balance is the first key component of a golf specific fitness program. Throughout our daily activities we become right or left side dominant where one side of the body becomes stronger than the other unless specific exercises that require equal strength and coordination are practiced on a regular basis. This side-dominance can lead to anatomical changes over time where certain structures shorten and others lengthen. A body that is unbalanced will typically exhibit faulty movement patterns therefore increasing the susceptibility to injury.

Flexibility is another crucial component of golf specific fitness as tremendous forces are placed on the shoulders, spine, and hips during the golf swing. Adequate flexibility allows those forces to travel through the body into the club head and finally through the ball. A lack of flexibility causes the force of the swing to remain trapped in the body altering the swing and potentially causing injury. Stretches that address all major muscle groups (neck, shoulders, chest, back, hip flexors, hip extensors, and calves) should be performed on a daily basis.

Golf is a sport that requires a great amount of core strength in order to play competitively and safely. The core musculature (abdominals, gluteals, hip flexors, and spinal extensors) must all share the load of stabilizing the body during the golf swing. These muscles must also be able to contract in the correct sequence to maximize power and control during all components of the swing. A strong core acts as an anchor from which the extremities can move more efficiently. Some basic core exercises include pushups, pull-ups, body weight squats, lunges, rotational exercises and hip bridges.

Every golfer needs to have sufficient muscular endurance in order to resist fatigue and continue to exhibit good technique from the first tee to the 18th green. Poor swing mechanics as a result of muscular fatigue can cause technique to degrade, increasing the likelihood of injury and affecting your performance. Your fitness program should include exercises that focus on muscular endurance (low weight, high repetitions) for all major muscle groups.

Another component of golf specific fitness is power. Power is defined as force multiplied by velocity. Strength will help you drive the ball, but power will help you drive the ball farther. Once you have developed an adequate amount of muscular strength and endurance the addition of speed work to some of your exercise program will help you put more power behind your swing.

Cardiovascular endurance is also important as the body must be efficient at delivering oxygen and nutrients to working muscles throughout the entire game or it will be forced to slow down. Just as muscular fatigue can be detrimental, cardiovascular fatigue can also lead to poor performance on the course.

A golf specific fitness program will allow you to play golf better and longer, reduce the risk of injury and ultimately improve your game and your life.

Empower’s Get Fit for Golf Clinic starts next Tuesday!

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Cool Online Articles

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Recently I’ve come across some cool articles with good information.

Here is a blog post by my friend and Parkour coach, Colin Pistell. He talks about the popular imagery in various gyms, websites, and tattoos that depict what he calls the “death aesthetic.”

Speaking of the death aesthetic, t-nation is full of blood-red symbols and hardcore pictures that scare little children and adults away from exercise. Fortunately for us, they have some good columnists and Dan John is always worth checking out. Here is an article he wrote about a great exercise, the kettlebell swing.

Somewhere in time I came across a website dedicated to the memory of Dr. George Sheehan, a cardiologist, runner, and philosopher. This is an essay he wrote called “Life is not a Spectator Sport.” He speaks of the dangers of being sedentary.

We should always question the reasons behind why we do the things we do. Here is an article that may have you question whether or not organic foods are superior to non-organic.

Paul Piracci, BS CSCS

Paul brings a background of athletics and education to the Empower team. He believes that wellness should be viewed as a blended lifestyle that balances nutrition, a healthy mind, and fitness which incorporates fun recreational activities. For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024.

Why High Intensity?

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1. High intensity exercise burns a lot of calories in a short period of time
2. Running in a 10k this year? Incorporating intervals will increase your speed. Instead of doing your usual route run as fast as possible for two minutes and then walk two minutes. Repeat 8 times.
3. Looking for some fat loss? Sled pushes, kettlebell swings, stairs, sprints, and other conditioning exercises are a great change of pace from traditional cardio.
4. Looking to gain some muscle? Those same conditioning exercises will increase your strength and explosiveness.
5. Mixing it up with high intensity exercise takes you out of your routine. I know some people who have been running the same 20 minute route for years. This can develop imbalances and your body will eventually plateau

Here’s Tom teaching a small group with a great high intensity circuit: