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Episode VI: The Keys To Fitness

Any Star Wars geeks out there?  I'll cop to it, though it doesn't take a huge Yoda-quoting Jedi-freak to remember that the first Star Wars movie--the one that came out in 1977--is actually called "Episode IV."  George Lucas, a crazy, 32-year-old optimist, decided to call it that, hoping that his movie--which, at first, no studio would touch with a ten-parsec Bantha prod--would be so popular he'd have to make at least three more of them. 

(Props on your positive-visualization-effectiveness, there, George.  Imagine if he'd called it "Episode XII").

Muscle_yoda_medium

Anyway, I remember that when I saw "Episode IV" crawl up the screen way back when, part of me went, "Whoa!  What have I missed?"  I had assumed the movie to be a thing unto itself--whole, intact, complete--only to learn that it was in fact a piece of something much larger, a tiny, colorful corner of a larger canvas whose wonders I could only imagine.

I had an interesting talk with Mike Robertson a couple of weeks ago which placed strength training in a similar context for me.  We were talking about training methods (or I should say, he was talking while I was furiously scribbling notes, saying "Uh-huh" a lot, and making mental notes of words and concepts I'd have to look up), and he was saying that at his facility in Indianapolis, they use a multi-pronged approach, which includes foam rolling, dynamic stretching, activation drills, strength training, and static stretching. 

Note how "strength training" is just one of these five elements?  And how, listed out like that, they all take on more or less equal weight?

Robertson was talking about injury rehab at the time, but I'd say that a solid general-fitness training program of any kind should include all these elements, probably with energy systems work added for additional conditioning. 

I would also underscore the fact that Robertson includes strength training in a list of rehabilitation methods.  Meaning that, performed as part of a complete training program, strength training should improve your posture, lower your risk of injury, make your body work better with less pain.  

If it's doing the opposite--causing you more pain, making movement harder or more awkward, making you slump--you're doing it wrong, folks.  

This is not to say that we should give up on the lifting of heavy weights and start doing everything on Bosu balls (those poor things must be the most mocked fitness gadgets in history...for the record, I actually think they are useful and effective in certain contexts).  Ten years ago or so, when "functional training" first started gaining traction, the message seemed to be that we had to throw out heavy lifting baby with the reckless training bathwater.  

Now, it seems, some trainers have managed to marry to take the best elements of the Meathead philosophy with the best pieces of the functional training movement and found a happy medium, wherein it's possible to be both healthy and strong. 

But again, to get there, you need those six elements:  foam rolling, dynamic stretching, activation drills, strength training, static stretching, and energy systems work.  I'd say everyone needs all these things--not just injured folks.  Include all the elements and you can be reasonably sure your body is getting healthier, stronger, more athletic, more balanced.  Cut corners on the supporting drills and, over time, you're very likely to hurt yourself.

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If you can't get enough of fitness info on the web, check this site, which is loaded with links to good articles, past and present, by smart people.  I take only slight umbrage in the description of Male Pattern Fitness as "Lighthearted musings on nutrition and fitness."   What, not "A Shining Comet of Brilliance in the Fitness-Writing Firmament"??

Well, at least somebody thinks I'm a hard-core expert.

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Fun With Mobile Joints

Jan 2009 by Andrew Heffernan - 2 comments

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when it comes to stretching of any type......im sucky at it........

thats the one part of my training program that I’ve decided to change…..Im going down to lifting 3 times a week and adding 2 days of light cardio and stretching……because as you like to point out..we arent getting any younger……and Im making some pretty good strength gains and I dont want to risk getting hurt and having to take time off and start all over……

12/19/08 - Thank you KLJ for coming into my life.

by norcaliangelsfan on Jan 12, 2009 3:48 PM EST reply actions  

I stretch a few minutes before I work out, but let’s face it, most people don’t have the time to do everything the big name trainers are advocating unless they are professional athletes. Nor do they have big name trainers to train them to stretch properly. They tend to train wealthy, celeb types or hard core types. Most of the people I train have 30-40 minutes and I think that the best use of that time is weight training- some machines but mostly free weights. We do 2 or 3 minutes of warm up and 2 or 3 minutes of stretching at the end. I’m sure it is better to do all 6 elements, but realistically, that isn’t going to happen for most people. It is hard enough to get them to do anything at all!

by speedfrk on Jan 12, 2009 7:36 PM EST reply actions  

Agreed.

I have a hard enough time getting my weightlifing sessions done in the hour or hour and a half I have to spend in the gym, and that’s only enough to do each each body part once a week. I warm up properly, but foam rolling and stretching are things that I just don’t have enough time to do.

by dakoose on Jan 13, 2009 12:48 AM EST up reply actions  

I sometimes merge the dynamic stretching I usually do during warmup with lift-specific warmup when i need to save time.

by ectonoob on Jan 12, 2009 8:01 PM EST reply actions  

Hmmm...

I agree; we all have time constraints and thus have to set priorities based on our goals. Feeling good and developing optimal health should, I believe, be number one; hypertrophy and fat loss and looking great in Vera Wang are great, but not much good if you’re walking around injured, in pain, or unable to work out at all! I’ve become convinced that the 10 minutes of foam rolling and dynamic stretching prior to my workouts are essential time investments for long-term joint health and injury prevention—not just for high-profile clients but for everyone.

Are there ways of speeding it up? Certainly. A dynamic stretching warmup can segue quickly and easily into a hardcore calesthenic workout with minimal reduction in safety and effectiveness. Then you’re talking about perhaps five to seven minutes of work before you get into the workout. Far better than zoning out on the treadmill, more effective for injury prevention, and invaluable for long-term health.

by Andrew Heffernan on Jan 13, 2009 10:24 AM EST reply actions  

Well, you inspired me to buy my first foam roller. UPS should be delivering it today or tomorrow. I wonder if the included directions will be good or if I’ll have to do some youtubing to find beneficial techniques.

Now I just need to get through Stretching Scientifically, which I bought a few months ago… :)

by stuntmonkeys on Jan 14, 2009 2:18 PM EST reply actions  

The best foam rolling routine I know...

…is laid out in Eric Cressey’s MAXIMUM STRENGTH. He used to have a video demonstrating the routine online, but I can’t get to it anymore. The book is well worth the cost…best stuff on functional warmup I’ve seen.

by Andrew Heffernan on Jan 14, 2009 8:33 PM EST reply actions  

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