Mr. Trainer
ACE Certified
B.S. Exercise/Sport Sciences from Colorado State University
IDEA Professional Member
|
| |
Greetings Fellow Exerciser!
This week's newsletter is filled with the
latest news and updates that matter to you.
Please let us know if you have questions or comments.
|
| |
| |
| |
| Trainer's Tip | | | Free Weights or Machines?
While lifting free weights is a bit more complicated than using machines because free weights require users to have more balance and knowledge about the exercise, free weights provide a wide range of benefits over machines. If you don't use them in your workout, start now. Lets take a look at the advantages of each:
Free Weights Offer:
(1.) Increased versatility - With a simple set of dumbbells and a barbell you can literally do hundreds of different exercises hitting all of your muscle groups. Machines are designed for one or two exercises at the most.
(2.) Greater involvement of muscle - Free weights require the body to stabilize itself during the movements, therefore using a greater number of muscles. This is a direct advantage for activities of daily living, such as putting a box up on an overhead shelf. Machines provide little in the way of stabilizing muscles and therefore have insignificant value to everyday activities and sports performance.
(3.) Wider range of motion - While machines are very restrictive and provide a one-size fits all setting, free weights allow an individual to feel comfortable during any exercise movement.
The Value of Machines:
(1.) Safety - Unlike free weights, there's little chance of dropping them on your toes.
(2.) Ease of use - Machines don't require much balance or coordination, so you'll be able to learn the exercise more quickly. However, realize that machines DO NOT guarantee good form like many people would like to believe. You can still get injured if you use it improperly and/or adjust the settings incorrectly.
(3.) Allow for isolation - While you can certainly isolate a muscle using free weights, it is easier with a machine. Your hamstrings are a great example using a leg curl machine (as shown on the lower body videos).
Overall, it is best to incorporate both into your workouts for greatest results, although if you had to choose one it should be free weights. The Mr. Trainer videos focus on free weights and teach you how to weight train fast!
See the Videos | | |
| Doc Talk | | | Depression and Anxiety
Depression and anxiety are common disorders in our
country, and are often found together in the same
patient. Symptoms of depression include depressed mood,
fatigue, poor concentration, lack of interest in
pleasurable activities, loss of appetite and poor sleep
patterns. People with a family or personal history of
depression are more likely to suffer from depression.
Sometimes symptoms of anxiety accompany depression.
They include anxiousness, rapid heart rates, rapid
breathing, sweating or even panic attacks.
These symptoms, either alone or in combination, can be
devastating to both mental and physical health.
Although very mild symptoms of depression may be
overcome without treatment, most people benefit from a
combination of drug therapy and counseling. There is no
good evidence that over the counter supplements, such as
St. John's Wort, are effective in the treatment of
depression.
Regular exercise and proper nutrition are also important
aspects in the treatment of anxiety and depression, and
should be used to complement an overall treatment
strategy.
View online | | |
| Did You Know? | | | The American Heart Association (AHA) says pumping iron is also good for that most important of muscles -- the heart. In a new scientific advisory, the AHA says that for healthy adults -- and some cardiac patients -- a regular program of weight training not only increases muscle strength and endurance, it also improves function of the heart and lungs, enhances glucose metabolism, reduces coronary disease risk factors and boosts well-being. 'After reviewing the literature, we came to the rather startling conclusion that resistance training, like aerobic exercise, can improve cardiovascular function and favorably modify many of the risk factors associated with coronary heart disease.'
Aerobic exercise -- such as walking and jogging -- is still considered the most heart-healthy form of physical activity, states the advisory, which was published in the journal, Circulation. A complementary program of weight training, however, can provide such important additional benefits that the AHA urges healthy adults and many low-risk cardiac patients to do a single set of 8 to 10 different resistance exercises two or three days a week.
'When the muscles are stronger, there is less of a demand placed on the heart,' notes Franklin, who is also president of the American College of Sports Medicine (acsm). 'Although resistance training may not improve someone's ability to perform on a treadmill, it will help their heart function more efficiently when they have to lift or carry objects, which is what real life is about.'Resistance training also can play a significant role in weight control, since it helps build and maintain lean body mass, he notes. More lean tissue means a higher metabolic rate, which translates to an increased number of calories burned throughout the day.
'The old stereotype was that the only people who should be lifting weights are guys with 18-inch arms,' says George A. Kelley, who heads a research group in the department of kinesiology and physical education at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. 'When you lift weights, your blood pressure goes up acutely, which made some people believe that resistance training might increase blood pressure.'
However recent research suggests that a regular program of resistance exercise may actually lower a person's blood pressure at rest. In addition to boosting heart health, weight training also can help prevent and manage other chronic conditions including low back pain, osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes and geriatric frailty, notes the AHA advisory.
View Online. | | |
| About | | | MrTrainer newsletter is a weekly publication and is dedicated to the memory of Max Beeners.
"Trainers Tip" is written by Matthew Beeners, ACE certified personal trainer.
"Doc Talk" is written by William L. Harrison, M.D.
THIS COLUMN IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY—IT IS NOT INTENDED TO REPLACE THE ADVICE OF YOUR PERSONAL PHYSICIAN.
(C) 2001 MrTrainer. All Rights Reserved.
| | |
|
