Frequently Asked
Questions
Answer: Start the new year with a strong core! And we don't just mean your abs. Though the muscles in front of your torso are a great ally for protecting your back, if you rely on ab curls and crunches alone, you're missing some very important muscles. Try these tips.
Work your abs from every angle.
For optimum back stability, you not only need a strong rectus abdominis (the ab muscle that runs down your front) but also strong obliques (the side muscles) and transverse abs (the deep lateral abdominal muscles that work with the obliques).
To strengthen all these muscles, try diagonal crunches with an isometric contraction. Lie back with your knees bent and your feet flat. Clasp your hands behind your head. Raise your head and shoulders together, rotating to one side as you lift off the floor. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds. Lower, and repeat to the other side. Work up to 10 repetitions on each side.
Exercise the extensors.
Strong abs do little good if your back is weak. Work your lumbar (lower back) muscles, as well as the erector muscles that run along your spine, with a back extension exercise.
Carefully bend forward over an exercise ball (found at most major sporting goods stores), and place your hands on the floor with your stomach and hips on top of the ball. Your feet should stay on the floor.
Lift your left arm, chest, and right leg off the floor until the arm and leg are in line with your back. Hold, return to start, and repeat with the opposite limbs. For an easier exercise, do it without the ball first. Do each side 10 times.
Keep your curves.
Have a history of disk problems? Skip the traditional advice to tilt your pelvis and flatten your back during ab exercises. "This actually puts more pressure on disks and increases the chance for injury," says Liemohn. Instead, place your hands, palms down, beneath the curve of your back. Perform crunches from that position.
Support your spine.
You need muscular endurance so your back lasts longer during activity without fatiguing. This side-bridge exercise boosts endurance in spine-supporting muscles.
Lie on your side with your knees bent. Bend your lower arm, and lift your torso, hips, and thighs off the floor, so only your forearm and lower legs touch the floor. Keep your spine straight. Hold for 5 to 15 seconds. Lower, and repeat on the other side. Work up to holding each side for 30 to 60 seconds.
Stretch your hips.
Hip flexibility may be even more important than back flexibility for preventing back injury. Try this stretch after you exercise. Take a giant step forward with your left leg until that knee is directly above that ankle. Drop your right knee toward the floor, and lower your hips toward the floor. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat with the opposite leg.
Go easy in the a.m.
During the night, your disks fill with fluid, making your spine tight and stiff in the early morning hours and increasing your risk for injury. If you must exercise in the morning, do a longer warm-up--about 15 minutes--to allow some of that fluid to disperse. Or exercise later in the day when your back is loosened up.
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Question: I have been exercising for awhile. I can tell I'm losing weight but every time I get on the scale, it tells me that I am weighing more. I can't be gaining weight although my pants and the scale tell me different. I've heard that if you gain muscle, you will weigh more. Is that true? Can you help because it's very discouraging.
Answer: Often when starting a weight loss program, the scale will show an initial loss due to water weight and fluid loss. But many times the scale will start to go up even though your pants feel looser. The lesson is to focus on your body, not your weight. If you are working hard to get fit and see a weight gain, you may be adding calorie-burning muscle!
When determining your overall health, focus on your body fat ratio to lean muscle mass. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. But the body fat is more "fluffy" and the muscle is more "dense and compact." Muscle takes up less space in your body, so body weight may go up as you add compact, tight muscle mass.
How do you measure your ratio of body fat to lean muscle mass? There are three ways:
· Hydrostatic weight measurement involves being weighed underwater. But submerging your body in water isn't very convenient or fun!
· A bioelectrical impedance scale--or a body fat scale--is available at most sporting goods stores. When you stand on the scale, a safe, low-level electrical signal passes through your body. You can then compute the percentage of body fat based on the resistance the signal encounters as it travels through your body.
· Lastly, there's the body fat caliper. This is fairly accurate and easy to do. Your local gym should be able to help you out. A personal trainer will use this caliper to take a few measurements. Through a formula and calculation, you can determine your body fat. Also body fat devices that are held are used by a trainer as well.
Remember: Muscle needs more calories a day, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn!
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Question: About four months ago, I got a fat test at my gym. The result was 27.5% body fat. I assumed the tester did not know what he was doing because everyone always comments on how skinny I look. I am a 29-year-old woman, 5'8", and 140 pounds. I wear a size 8.
Last weekend I bought one of those scales that measure weight and fat. The scale says I weigh 141 pounds and have 30.9% body fat. Ugh! How can I be borderline obese? I am skinny!
Answer: Aha... things aren't always what they seem! It's true... it is possible to look thin and really be fat (meaning a high percentage of body fat). Body composition tests measure percentages which is a portion in relation to a whole. So you could be within a healthy weight range but have a high proportion of body fat and low proportion of lean muscle tissue.
You may ask why this matters, since you appear thin. Appearance isn't everything. Elevated body fat percentages can lead to cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol levels, diabetes and hypertension. Lowering your level of fat through diet and exercise is always a good idea.
Another thing to think about is weight training. Many people are jumping on the fitness bandwagon, joining a health club and then going only to do cardio. Sure cardio is great but why not tip your percentages in your favor by adding some lean muscle?
Be sure to get your workouts in too!