Running of the Bulls 8K (Durham, NC) and Graduation from NPTI

While it's not quite as exciting as the actual "running of the bulls" in Spain, Durham's own Running of the Bulls 8K race was pretty rocking. And I am privileged to say that I got the chance to run in that race. Here's the proof:

That's me, huffing and puffing my way to the finish line, still with a smile on my face. (Or perhaps I was smiling because I was seconds away from being done? :) )

I've written about racing before (see a post from December of last year on the Blue Talon Bistro Turkey Trot). I still believe that everyone who runs should race. The camaraderie, the challenge, the chance to run a new route safely...what's not to love?

That being said, don't be married to the idea of getting the "perfect" time. I, myself, am a pretty pokey runner. I plod along, knowing full well that I will not place near the top of the pack. This year, I ended up pretty much in the middle of my age group in terms of time, and I'm happy with that. Heck, do I want to run faster? Always. Patience, persistence, and putting one foot in front of the other will all get me to my goals, but I need to put in the effort.

Speaking of putting in the effort - I graduated from the National Personal Training Institute today! Yippee! Six months of learning, practicing, writing fitness programs, and exercising like a fiend have led to where I am today - a confident, joyful, eager personal trainer. Now all I need is a job.....

Stay with me on the journey, my little chickadees! Keep putting one foot in front of the other!

"Tone" is a four-letter word

This post is, primarily, for the ladies. So lean in close, gals, and I'll be happy to lay a bit of truth on you.

You'll hear every now and again that silly statement, coming off the lips of otherwise sensible women - "I don't want to gain muscle...I just want to TONE."

Let me say this loud and clear, for the cheap seats in the back: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "TONING" YOUR MUSCLES. That "tone" you're searching for - that's a combination of a loss of adipose tissue (i.e. fat) surrounding the muscle, and building up the muscle underneath. That's what we call hypertrophy, my friends, and you shouldn't fear it.

Hypertrophy results from the rebuilding of muscle - bigger, faster, stronger - after breaking it down via exercise. As muscle fibers are broken down, the body responds with inflammation and eventual repair in the area of damage. The building blocks of muscle fiber - actin and myosin filaments - are rebuilt and remodeled to be able to adapt to the repeated stress of exercise. In short, muscle is made bigger and tougher for the next go around. Awesome, right?

Now, my dainty flowers, I can almost hear the gasps of worry through the computer screen. "But Karen," you whimper, "I don't WANT to become beefy and huge!" Never fear, ladies. There are a few things you need to know about hypertrophy and weight training that will, hopefully, dispel your anxiety about become the next She-Hulk.

• Most women are not genetically capable of building huge muscles. It simply is not the way the majority of us women are designed. While men have much, much, much higher levels of the hormone testosterone raging through their muscle-bound bodies, we women have to rely mainly on human growth hormone for our muscle development. It doesn't hold a candle to testosterone in the giant muscle department.

• Not all weight training is made for hypertrophy. True, almost all resistance training will involve some level of hypertrophy, because almost all resistance training involves the breakdown of muscle fibers. Heck, even traditional cardio exercise builds muscle - seen a runner's calves, lately? Or a cyclist's thighs? That gorgeous washboard stomach a swimmer has? Hypertrophy. But to get a massive bodybuilder's build, there are more ideal set and rep ranges than others. Typically, between 6-12 repetitions of resistance exercises, done with enough weight to cause fatigue or near failure, will set you up for hypertrophy. Don't want to get huge? Avoid those repetitions. Aim for higher reps with a lighter weight to build muscular endurance, or lower reps (fewer than 6) with a higher weight for strength gains without the bulk.

• Muscle burns calories. Word. It takes energy for your body to maintain its musculature. MUCH more energy than it takes for your body to maintain its fat stores. The more lean body mass you have (read: muscles), the more calories you will burn in the long run. Thus, the fewer calories your body will store as fat. And because muscle is more dense than fat, it LOOKS smaller on you than the same weight in fat tissue. Ya get me? Good.

The benefits of resistance training for women are HUGE, no pun intended. Aside from building self-confidence, strength, and power, weight training has also been shown to build bone density. For us ladies at risk of osteoporosis, this is an important benefit, one that should not be overlooked. Weight training has also been suggested to help alleviate depressive symptoms, improve balance and coordination, and reduce symptoms in chronic illnesses such as arthritis and fibromyalgia.

My final comment on this subject - hypertrophy is nothing to fear. For one thing, women's fears of "looking big" are deeply misogynistic, self-defeating, superficial constructs. There is no one way a woman should be pressured to look like, no one body type that is morally or objectively "better" than another. Our self-esteem needs to be divorced from the mirror. Second, even if we wanted to, most of us women are incapable of growing to massive proportions. The unfounded fear of hypertrophy shouldn't prevent us from getting all of the benefits that weight training can afford.

So buck up, ladies. Pick up something heavy, lift, and repeat. Your body will thank you.

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Planking - The "New" Craze

Okay, who wants to plank with me?

If you're unfamiliar with the new craze sweeping the globe, it's high time you got on board. (Board! Plank! HA!) For the uninitiated, planking is the act of lying in a prone position, arms to your sides, in a "stiff-as-a-plank" style. It has apparently become a fad overnight. See the wikipedia article here. People are finding more and more unusual - and occasionally dangerous - places to plank. It can be irreverent, fun, childish, daring, or artistic. But what I like best about it as a fitness enthusiast, is that it's a damn good core exercise!

Planking, in the exercise sense, has been around for awhile now, friends. Yep, it's not just your average hipster trying to make a name for him/herself who invented this behavior. Fellow fitness junkies who want a rock hard core have been planking for years now, since your basic crunches and sit-ups are just not "cool" enough. What's so great about this isometric (aka: stationary, non-moving) exercise? Um, how about EVERYTHING. It targets the core without overworking hip flexor muscles (as you might in a sit up), can be modified to make it more or less intense, and requires very little space and no additional equipment. Rad!

Here's how to perform a plank in your own home. Unlike the current trendsetters, you want to start in the quadruped position with your forearms on the ground, your feet behind you, and the rest of your body straight as can be. No drooping midsection, no butt in the air. Now, hold it. Should look something like this. Try for 30 seconds to start with, gradually progressing to 60 seconds or more.

You can make this exercise a little easier by putting your knees on the ground, as you might in a non-military (aka: "girl") pushup, or you could make it harder by alternating punching out with your arms as you hold the plank. There are a ton of variations out there. Side planks, planks with arms or legs on a stability ball, planks with one leg raised in the air, etc. The possibilities are endless.

So go ahead and plank! Plank in the park! Plank in your room! Plank at the gym! And feel cool knowing that you're not only rocking out to the newest, hippest trend - you're getting a great core workout to boot! Yeah!

The Beauty of Muscle Soreness

As I write this entry, my legs are screaming at me. The other day, I did a delightful number on my lower body, complete with back squats, tuck jumps, hamstring curls, calf raises, band walks, a hill interval on the treadmill, and lunges...among other exercises. There's nothing like a good leg day to make a girl feel great.

And the subsequent muscle soreness that comes along with a hard workout? With few exceptions, this same aching, throbbing, hobbling, dull pain that makes it harder to roll out of bed in the morning...is a good thing! Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a sign that our muscles are rebuilding themselves, bigger, faster, stronger. DOMS is a sign that we worked out to overload - that is, we put more demand on our body than it was accustomed to before. And overload is the only way to make progress in our fitness goals.

The big myth about DOMS that we need to get away from if we want to have an understanding of our body's beautiful adaptive mechanisms, is that it's caused by lactic acid buildup in the muscles. This is an old wives' tale still floating about at gyms and in less-than-reputable fitness magazines. Instead, DOMS is caused by microscopic tears at the level of the muscle fiber. More tearing = more soreness. Now don't freak out! While the idea of tearing a muscle conjures up all sorts of images of slings and braces and other medical equipment, this tiny microscopic tearing is exactly what we want to happen if we hope to build bigger muscles and get stronger. Provided we give our muscles sufficient time to recover, our bodies will repair muscle fibers so they can handle the stress we put on them. That is, they will register the overload and adapt to the new and changing environment to make sure we are better able to handle it the next time.

How can you tell the "good" pain (DOMS) from the "bad" pain (injury and overtraining)? Truthfully, it's not always easy. But here are a few tips:

• Delayed-onset muscle soreness typically goes away after a few days of rest, while injuries often take much longer to heal.
• Strains, sprains, breaks - these injuries tend to come on fast, and generally, you can tell even during a workout that you've done something to injure yourself. DOMS often doesn't present until a day or two AFTER you've worked out.
• Are you feeling sharp, shooting or stabbing pains? That's likely an injury - go see a doc!
• Injuries are often visible - you can sometimes see bruising, redness, or swelling at the site of an injury.

Don't let a fear of soreness scare you away from exercise! One of the best parts about starting a consistent exercise routine is that DOMS tends to very quickly get less and less as you get used to moving your body against resistance. I've met athletes and fitness buffs who crave DOMS, finding it more and more difficult to make their muscles sore as they are accustomed to years of intense training. But for the average joe, DOMS may make exercise a fearful prospect. Don't sweat it - there are ways to deal with muscle soreness that will greatly improve one's exercise experience. Including:

• Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, can reduce pain when it gets intense. (As always, get medical advice from doctors if there are any reasons why OTC pain meds may be contraindicated.)
• REST! Take time between your workouts to recover. If you intend to workout every day, make sure you are alternating the muscle groups you focus on. Did you work your arms yesterday? Give 'em a break and work your legs the next day.
• Warm up and cool down properly. Ease into your workout with a good warm up to get the muscles ready for exercise, and cool down with some easy aerobics and stretching. Don't skip these parts of your workout!
• Progress at a moderate rate. Don't believe for a second that every time you head to the gym or start your workout that you have to do better than the time before. Such a tactic is a path towards overtraining and injury.
• Listen to your body, and treat it well. Eat well. Get enough sleep. Hydrate.

Delayed-onset muscle soreness is a beautiful thing. It's the body doing what it was designed to do - adapt. Take it slow, take it one day at a time, but don't let a little soreness get in the way of pursuing your fitness goals.

Workout Without Weights

For those introverts among us (read: me!), the best workouts can sometimes be those we enjoy in the privacy of our own space. In our own homes, we can crank the music to eleven, wear the ratty workout clothes we wouldn't let our best friend see us in, workout in front of the ol' idiot box, and make fools of ourselves while learning how to get fit.

What follows is my idea of a beginner/intermediate workout that can be done at home, without the fancy equipment. No one should get the idea that working out is only available to those who can afford dumbbells, or Bowflex, or a spandex unitard.

**Disclaimer: Working out, while generally wonderful for people, is also inherently risky. Moving the body in ways it is not accustomed to can cause injury. Best bet? See your doc before starting ANY workout program to make sure you're ready for exercise. And follow my instructions at your own risk. M'kay?**

WARM-UP:

- Is it a nice day? Go for a 5-10 minute brisk walk/jog in your neighborhood. Rainy? Stay inside and alternate between walking in place and jumping jacks for the same amount of time, 5-10 minutes.

- Come back inside and do some dynamic stretching exercises. Do 10 each of the following:

• Arm circles - Putting your arms out to the side, make big arm circles like a helicopter blade. Reverse directions and repeat
• Hugs - Give yourself a hug. Yes, really. Then open your arms as wide as possible and repeat.
• Toe touches- Stand in a wider-than-shoulder-width stance, with your arms out at the side. Without bending your knees, touch one opposite-side arm to the foot. (Accuracy does not count - if you can't touch your toe, touch your shin. Whatever your body can do)
• Lunges - Step out far with one leg and bend the knee. Push back with the same leg. Repeat with opposite leg. (Click here if you're having trouble with the technique.)

All warmed up? Then let's begin. Make sure you rest for 30-90 seconds between each set of exercises below, and listen to your body. (In other words, increase the rest if you find yourself out of breath, or decrease it if this is a cakewalk.)

Core Exercises:

• 25 Crunches - To ratchet up the intensity, hold a heavy book over your head as you crunch up.
• 20 Opposite arm and leg raises - On your hands and knees, raise one arm straight out and the opposite side leg straight out. Repeat with the other arm and opposite leg. Don't let your midsection sag! Keep a straight back as you complete this exercise.
• 25 Russian Twists - See technique here

Upper Body Exercises:

• 10x2 Push-ups - If necessary, you can do these with your knees on the ground, or even on the wall or a set of stairs.
• 10x2 Suitcase Curl to Press - Grab a suitcase (or a small bag/duffel...anything with a handle will work). Fill it with whatever makes it a good weight for you. Curl the suitcase up to chest level, then press it overhead while rotating your forearm. Bring it back down and repeat. Do the reps on each arm.
• 10x2 Triceps Dips - Find a sturdy chair. Do this. (In the image/video, the guy has his feet elevated for added intensity. That's great, but you can always leave your legs outstretch or even bent on the ground.)
• 10x2 Suitcase Lateral Raises - Grab your suitcase again. Raise your arm out, until it's level with your shoulder. Repeat on each side.

Lower Body Exercises

• 10x2 Body weight squats - With your feet positioned at just-wider-than-shoulder width, and toes pointed out slightly, bend your knees and lower your body slowly. Return to starting position. For added intensity, pick up that heavy book or suitcase and hold it overhead. (If your balance is not great, try these squats next to a wall, and don't let your butt go below your knees.)
• 10x2 Split squats - Step out with one leg a couple of feet. Bend both knees and lower your body. Repeat 10 times, then alternate legs and do it again.
• 20x2 Leg raises - While lying on your side, raise one leg high in the air. Slowly lower it down. For added intensity, make sure it takes at least 5 seconds to lower your leg to starting position.
• 10x2 Calf raises - Find some stairs in your house with a handrail. Let your heal hang over the edge of the first stair, with the ball of one of your feet on the step. Holding onto the handrail, slowly let your heel drop. Raise yourself by standing on "tiptoe", holding the handrail for balance. Repeat on each leg.

Cool Down - Brisk walk around the neighborhood again! (Or walk in place if need be.) End with some static stretching. (Good examples are found here.)

I can't emphasize enough the importance of listening to your body as you do this routine. Basic rule of thumb: if it's too painful, don't do it. Check with your doc for a routine better suited for you. And feel free to adjust the sets and reps as needed. Are 10 pushups too many? Make it 5, and maybe do a couple more sets with rest in between. But rest assured, getting active is just a matter of overcoming the inertia of our daily lives. Start moving and great things will happen, I promise!

Personal Training School, continued

It's been awhile since my last post, hasn't it? A quick recap:

1) I've been in a vocational program called the National Personal Training Institute since January of this year. I'm loving it, learning tons, and getting stronger each and every day. I hope to be a "Professional Fitness Junkie" in the coming months.

2) I have another race coming up! It will be my second year participating in the Running of the Bulls 8K in Durham, NC. I have about a month left to train, so I have some miles to log. Of course, I will post results and pictures here as soon as they're available.

3) I hope to be updating this blog more often in the coming weeks, especially since it's now a class assignment! (*wink, wink* Hi, classmates/Alan!) Topics that I hope to post more about: women's lifting (especially the dreaded fear of hypertrophy), the importance of functional training, nutrition myths and facts, creating a balanced fitness program with limited time, and much, much more.

More to come, always! Glad to be back on the blog!

Personal Training School!

I'm in school to be a personal trainer, y'all!

This week was my first week at the National Personal Training Institute. NPTI is a six-month program involving both in-class and hands-on training for the future personal trainer. Topics covered include: fitness assessments, nutrition, program development, business development, anatomy and physiology, etc. Four days a week for the next six months, I'll be in a class with fellow fitness junkies, learning and sweating side by side.

Lemme tell you: I AM FREAKING SORE. My body is not yet used to using these muscles. I am hobbling around the house like a 98-year-old granny. I am having a hard time lifting my arms over my head to reach the high things in cabinets.

BTW, lifting my arms over my head would involve shoulder abduction in the frontal plane of motion along the anterior-posterior axis of rotation. See? I'm learning things.

My agonizing screaming muscles aside, I am loving this class so far. The instructor, Alan Wiest, is informative, passionate about what he's teaching, and generally concerned with how we progress as students and trainers. Three days in, and I already feel that I've learned a lot of valuable information. I'm on pins and needles in anticipation of what I'll learn in the next six months!

What I learn in class, I'll pass along here. Yay!