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How To Boost Your Heart Health Through Exercise

Simon Knez — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 17:59:09 +0000

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced world, prioritizing heart health is often overlooked. Yet, with the proper Exrecise program, you can journey to a stronger, healthier heart. Correct physical activity is critical to reducing the risk of heart disease. It also helps improve circulation, oxygen utilization, and muscular strength.

At BrevisFit, we are passionate about empowering individuals to take control of their health. And our mission is to guide you through this process. Our custom workout advice can help you adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle without difficulty. And it is regardless of your fitness level, whether you’re a fitness enthusiast or a total novice.

Similar to muscles, a healthy heart is a strong heart. With a stronger heart, you nourish your body more efficiently, leading to less stress on the heart itself. Another similarity with muscles is how we strengthen the heart: with precision and focus on the aspects needed to stimulate an improvement. Luckily, a correct approach to Exercise already includes the stimulus required for a stronger heart.

Understanding heart health and its importance

The heart is a vital organ that pumps blood throughout the body. It delivers essential nutrients and oxygen to various tissues and organs. A continuous circulation of oxygen-rich blood in the heart occurs through a network of arteries and veins. It ensures the delivery of nutrients while removing waste products. This relentless pumping action sustains life by maintaining the body’s vital functions. At the same time, it supports the proper functioning of organs and tissues. The heart is a muscle that works nonstop. For that, a constant supply of energy is required, which is why the heart’s primary energy source is fat [1].

The benefit of Exercise for heart health

Regular exercise provides several benefits for cardiovascular wellness. Aerobic exercises, including walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling, can boost heart health. These activities elevate the heart rate, promoting increased blood flow and oxygen delivery. The primary mechanism for (cardiac) improvement is increased heart rate/pulse. This encourages blood flow and improves oxygen uptake of the capillaries. However, heart rate is not the main factor that drives the improvements of the heart; that would be the stroke volume, i.e., the amount of blood the heart can pump out in a single beat.

The benefit of Exercise comes from improved Cardiac Perfusion

Cardiac perfusion is the rate at which the heart muscle gets filled with oxygen [5, p. 51]. This aspect is the most crucial element for heart health per se. To improve cardiac perfusion, we need to improve the amount of blood delivered in a single beat – the stroke volume. This is done by making the heart push as much blood in a single beat. When stroke volume increases, more blood gets pumped out of the heart every beat. This means that an improved stroke volume leads to better nourishment and oxygenation of our whole body. This also means that the heart needs to work less. An improvement in that department can be easily observed with a decrease in the resting heart rate. Therefore, a stronger heart worns out slower.

Aerobic activities prevent direct improvement of stroke volume

The primary aim of steady-state aerobics is to sustain an elevated heart rate, contributing to cardiovascular fitness. However, constant higher heart rates may reduce diastolic filling time, potentially limiting stroke volume. This relationship aligns with the Frank-Starling law, stating that the force of cardiac muscle contraction is directly proportional to its initial length. As blood volume (preload) entering the heart increases, the myocardium stretches, leading to a more forceful contraction during systole [6]. Consequently, a shorter interval between heartbeats, as often seen in steady-state activities, may limit the volume of blood entering the heart chamber, potentially affecting the intensity of contractions. For that reason, so called aerobic activity actually limits the potential hearth health associated benefits of physical activity.

On the extreme end, adherence to prolonged steady-state activity has been associated with potential issues such as premature ventricular contractions, atrial fibrillation, and coronary artery calcifications [7], [8]. However, these concerns are typically linked to extreme durations rather than the moderate and controlled steady-state exercises commonly recommended for cardiovascular health. While we do not assert that steady-state activity leads to heart problems when done in moderation, we want to emphasize the indirectness of targeting stroke volume through such activities. More time-efficient and joint-safe approaches exist for this aspect, particularly in the form of correct Exercise, which includes inducing deep muscular fatigue.

The importance of the venous pump

The importance of the venous pump cannot be overstated when considering myocardial perfusion and overall heart health. Central to this concept is the significance of stroke volume in ensuring an optimal blood supply to the heart muscle. Therefore, activities aimed at promoting heart health should prioritize the enhancement of stroke volume.

Engaging in steady-state exercises that maintain a consistent heart rate is particularly beneficial, as it facilitates the efficient filling of the heart chambers and promotes smooth circulation. This is intricately tied to the functioning of our cardiovascular system, where the heart pumps oxygenated blood into the arteries during systole. However, the heart cannot autonomously draw deoxygenated blood from the veins. Deoxygenated blood is retrieved through a dynamic process involving muscle contractions and venous valves, aka. The venous pump.

Muscle contractions, acting as a venous pump, are vital in pushing deoxygenated blood back towards the heart. The interaction between these muscle contractions and the venous valves is crucial. Venous valves, strategically positioned within the veins, ensure a unidirectional flow by preventing backward movement of blood. During muscle contractions, these valves open, allowing deoxygenated blood to flow efficiently towards the heart.

The venous pump encapsulates the entire mechanism of muscle-venous valve interaction, illustrating its pivotal role in maintaining proper circulation and supporting myocardial perfusion. Understanding and incorporating activities that optimize the venous pump contribute significantly to heart-healthy practices.

Exercise directly improves the venous pump

Exercise plays a vital role in improving the venous pump. The more blood the heart receives, the more efficiently it pumps out. This process, crucial for enhancing stroke volume, is targeted very effectively with correct Exercise. Exercise optimizes the squeezing of deoxygenated blood by engaging and fatiguing skeletal muscles. Through intense muscle contraction and constant tension, squeezing deoxygenated blood is highly enforced, thus mimicking the dynamics of the venous pump. This approach contrasts with steady-state aerobic activities, where the heart rate is elevated (too much), and the intensity of muscular contraction is low. Correct exercise does the opposite. It keeps the heart rate at a lower pace but intensifies the muscular contractions. Thus, it becomes a more focused and potent strategy for optimizing the venous pump and supporting overall cardiovascular health.

Exercise does increase the heart rate as well

Correct Exercise not only improves the venous pump but also brings advantages through an increased heart rate, even during slow and controlled movements. The heart rate is notably heightened when engaging larger muscle groups like the back, shoulders, and lower body. This effect is particularly pronounced when performing exercises consecutively in rapid succession.

Other benefits of exercise related to heart health

Exercise also aids in weight management, reducing the strain on the heart. Maintaining a healthy weight prevents obesity and metabolic syndrome. These health issues can damage the heart. Exercise helps manage blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Finally, strength training enhances the body form. And at the same time, it reduces fatigue from daily physical stressors [9]. These combined benefits create an environment conducive to heart health and well-being.

Creating an exercise plan for heart health

Developing an exercise plan for optimal heart health requires just 20 minutes per week if your primary focus is on health and longevity. Prioritizing muscle fatigue through intense contractions in key muscle groups is crucial. Incorporating exercises such as squats, rows, and presses forms an excellent foundation for enhancing your cardiovascular system. Emphasize constant tension, aiming each exercise to last 60 to 120 seconds. Select 1 to 2 exercises for each major muscle group, performing them consecutively for maximum effectiveness.

This approach offers dual benefits for heart health: an increased heart rate akin to typical aerobic activities and improved stroke volume. Beyond muscular size and strength gains, this regimen delivers heart-related advantages. In time constraints, prioritize correct Exercise initially. While aerobic workouts are beneficial, focusing on 20 minutes of intensive Exercise yields optimal results. For those finding extensive jogging impractical, this condensed routine proves highly beneficial. Additionally, be mindful that prolonged steady-state activity may lead to injuries and joint pain, potentially hindering your ability to engage in any physical activity, including correct Exercise.

Monitoring your progress and making adjustments

As you embark on your journey to improve your heart health through exercise, it requires monitoring and adapting. Keeping track of the key indicators is a critical step on this journey. Your heart rate, exercise duration, and perceived exertion during daily activities and workouts. One common remark if you are new to exercise is the so-called exercise-induced headache. It shows your venous pump struggling to meet increased blood supply demand.

Exercise Induced Headache

Exercise headaches happen when your muscles squeeze hard during a workout and need more blood to keep up. When working out intensely, your veins, like blood vessels, have a tougher time sending blood back to your heart. This causes the blood to gather around your head and neck, creating extra pressure in the nearby arteries. The increased pressure helps your heart do a better job of pumping blood.

Imagine it like this: when you’re giving your all during a workout, your heart is pumping faster, and at the same time, your muscles are squeezing tightly. This momentary squeeze slows down the usual blood flow back to your heart. It’s like a temporary traffic jam. This upset in the balance between muscle squeezing and blood returning can lead to increased pressure in your head, causing exercise headaches.

The good news is that as you exercise over time, your veins improve at handling the pressure, and those exercise-induced headaches should happen less often. This is a positive sign that your body’s plumbing system (venous pump) is improving.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the power of correct Exercise in improving the heart cannot be understated. By understanding the impact of exercise on the cardiovascular system, you pave the way for a robust and enduring heart. Most people know that aerobic activities are suitable for your heart. However, we’ve claimed that it works better with the correct Exercise. Different from aerobics, correct Exercise involves improving the stroke volume. It increases the demand for blood while keeping the heart rate lower than in aerobics. And it is this mechanism that is at the core of improving your heart health.

At BrevisFit, we strive to partner with you to improve your health via Exercise. We are committed to the idea that regular exercise substantially affects your health and boosts your fitness. Correct Exercise and a heart-healthy diet can sustain coronary health and an active lifestyle.

Literature

[1] B. Wittels and R. Bressler, “Lipid metabolism in the newborn heart.,” J. Clin. Invest., vol. 44, no. 10, pp. 1639–1646, Oct. 1965.

[2] S. Knez, “The Purpose Of Exercise,” BrevisFit. Accessed: Apr. 24, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://brevis-fit.com/the-purpose-of-exercise/

[3] S. Knez, “Defining Exercise: Theoretical Concepts,” BrevisFit. Accessed: Apr. 21, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://brevis-fit.com/defining-exercise-theoretical-concepts/

[4] S. Knez, “Defining Exercise: The Intensity – Safety Quadrant,” BrevisFit. Accessed: May 30, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://brevis-fit.com/the-intensity-safety-quadrant/

[5] K. Hutchins, Music and Dance: Critical Factors of Practice and Conditioning, 2nd ed. Serious Exercsise, LLC, 2017.

[6] A. V. Delicce and A. N. Makaryus, “Physiology, Frank Starling Law,” in StatPearls, Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing, 2023. Accessed: Nov. 25, 2023. [Online]. Available: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470295/

[7] C. Vlachopoulos et al., “Arterial Stiffness and Wave Reflections in Marathon Runners,” Am. J. Hypertens., vol. 23, no. 9, pp. 974–979, Sep. 2010, doi: 10.1038/ajh.2010.99.

[8] R. S. Schwartz et al., “Increased Coronary Artery Plaque Volume Among Male Marathon Runners,” Mo. Med., vol. 111, no. 2, pp. 89–94, 2014.

[9] Y. Beniamini, J. J. Rubenstein, A. D. Faigenbaum, A. H. Lichtenstein, and M. C. Crim, “High-Intensity Strength Training of Patients Enrolled in an Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program,” J. Cardiopulm. Rehabil. Prev., vol. 19, no. 1, p. 8, Feb. 1999.

[10] H. Patel, H. Alkhawam, R. Madanieh, N. Shah, C. E. Kosmas, and T. J. Vittorio, “Aerobic vs anaerobic exercise training effects on the cardiovascular system,” World J. Cardiol., vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 134–138, Feb. 2017, doi: 10.4330/wjc.v9.i2.134.

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Form Matters: The Science Behind Proper Exercise Technique and Why It Matters for Your Body

Simon Knez — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 14:48:49 +0000

Introduction

Proper exercise form is essential for getting the most out of your workout and preventing injury. Either it’s lifting weights, doing yoga, or running on the treadmill. But why does form matter so much? Most importantly, to gain the desired effect from a specific physical activity.

In the context of (correct) Exercise, proper form ensures you engage the correct muscles while avoiding unnecessary strain on the joints and ligaments. With that, you can maximize each exercise’s efficiency and effectiveness. Improper form, then again, can lead to imbalances in load distribution throughout the range of motion and the involved muscles. And those imbalances can increase the risks of injury.

Knowing the correct exercise form boosts your workout efficacy. It will allow you to achieve your fitness goals with less wasted effort and time. In this article, we’ll look at the power of form, how it affects your body, and how to improve your exercise approach. So, grab your workout gear and dive into the science behind proper exercise form.

The importance of biomechanics

Proper Exercise involves understanding each movement’s biomechanics and how it affects your body. Executing an exercise in the correct form allows you to activate targeted muscles. At the same time, it minimizes the stress in the surrounding joints and connective tissues. Therefore, properly understanding biomechanics allows us to perform the exercise correctly and avoid dangerous activities.

Body alignment

One of the fundamental principles of exercise form is maintaining proper alignment. For example, when performing a squat, keep your knees aligned with your toes and your back straight. The equal distribution of loads prevents knee and lower back strain. The essence of correct body alignment is ensuring all the muscles involved are in a position to safely and efficiently help overcome the imposed resistance.

Separate the good from the bad

Each activity has a ratio between the involvement of the target muscles (benefit) and stress and the likelihood of accidents (risk). And understanding biomechanics will enable us to eliminate activities with a lousy ratio in that regard. As a general rule of thumb, the focus should be on reducing the risk side of the equation. For instance, a barbell squat has more risks of overloading the lower back than a hip belt squat. This is due to how the load is provided to the lower back. With the barbell, the upper body must maintain a solid posture to avoid (unwanted) stress on the lower back muscles. This is, however, different with a hip belt squat, where the load is directly placed on top of the hips, and the lower back only counteracts the weight of a torso. In that regard, a hip-belt squat is a better exercise choice than a barbell back squat because it eliminates the chance of placing too much of a load on the lower back’s muscles, which can turn into pain and injuries.

The benefits of using proper exercise form

Using proper exercise form offers many benefits for your body and total fitness. It helps you focus on the right muscles for better engagement and safe and efficient muscular loading. Importantly, these represent the core principles of efficient exercise [1], [2]. This means that proper form is the core element of correct exercise. Without it, Exercise is merely a physical activity [7].

Resolve asymmetries

Correct form exercises improve muscle imbalances, enhancing body symmetry by even proper loading. Here, we are talking about the correct bilateral distribution—for instance, equal distribution on the left or right side of the arms when performing a shoulder press. By exercising in the correct form, we make sure the muscles have an even distribution on each side of the body. It is usually advised to do bilateral exercises for balanced joint activity and even muscle contractions. Sometimes, unilateral movements are necessary, however. Such as rehabbing an injury or exercising only the non-injured side [3].

Side note: Did you know that exercising only on the healthy side is enough to improve the strength of the non-active limb [4]?

Correct muscle activation and strength balance

Another muscular strength gap can come from unequal stress on all the muscles involved in a movement. This is especially noticeable in multi-joint exercises [5]. Performing exercises with proper form ensures even muscle loading. This is assured by performing the movements slow and controlled, without abrupt acceleration, and focusing on muscle fatigue.

In contrast, bad form leads to overusing particular muscles and underusing others. For instance, we can overuse our lower back in a deadlift to expense the glutes and hamstrings. It hinders our progress because the bigger muscles are not getting fatigued enough. It also increases the risk of lower back spasms because it takes up most of the work.

Prevent overloading of deep stabilizer muscles

Finally, another imbalance can be the distribution between superficial and deep stabilizing muscles. Especially in the latter case, wrong muscle loading can cause impingement and spasms. This imbalanced distribution often occurs in multi-joint exercises. It is where specific muscles have a narrow contraction that limits movement range. In such a scenario, the load shifts from the stronger superficial muscles to the deep stabilizers. This can lead to compression and muscle cramps. This frequently happens when performing complex movements for the lower body, such as the deadlift [6].

Improved exercise efficiency

Furthermore, using proper Exercise form improves your total workout efficiency. Using the correct form can fatigue our muscles with lower resistance. This creates less stress on the joints. This is crucial in strength training, where muscle overload with minimal joint strain is vital.

Common mistakes in exercise form

Mastering proper exercise form is crucial for maximizing gains and preventing injuries during workouts. Despite its significance, various common mistakes persist among fitness enthusiasts that can compromise effectiveness and safety. From lifting weights too quickly to improper breathing techniques and incorrect body posture, these errors can hinder progress and lead to unnecessary strain on the body. Understanding and rectifying these pitfalls is essential for achieving optimal results while minimizing the risk of injury.

Lifting fast and losing control of the movement

One common mistake is using momentum instead of muscle control. This often occurs with exercises like bicep curls or bench presses. Trainees often swing or jerk weights, neglecting their muscles. This lets us lift heavier weights but stresses joints and reduces muscle tension as muscles don’t raise the load [1], [7]. Remember, the goal is to fatigue muscles, not to hoist the heaviest weight.

Retaining breath

Another common mistake is improper breathing techniques. Breathing during exercise is often overlooked. Did you know that it’s crucial for core stability and proper form? Incorrect breathing can raise blood pressure and disrupt body stability. Especially important is to not follow a specific breathing pattern, such as exhaling on the way up, and inhaling on the way down. Especially with correct Exercise, repetitions can last between 5 – 10 second in each direction and many times, we do not even lift, but just hold the weight. For that reason, aligning the breathing with our lifting is erroneous. It is better to follow a natural breathing pattern, as you do when you are running. The more muscle tension and tightness you feel, the more complex the exercise becomes and the faster you breathe. Prevent constraining your breath. Breath with an open mouth and allow for the constant oxygen supply, reduce the tension in your face, and prevent increases in blood pressure or even fainting.

Improper body posture

Finally, poor posture is prevalent, especially during exercises targeting the upper body. Hunched posture may cause imbalances, weak muscle activation, and a higher risk of injury. Most importantly, it’s crucial to avoid exaggerated curves in the spine and neck, as well as a slouched forward posture in the upper back. To maintain proper posture, keep your abdominal muscles tight and contracted to ensure your lower back remains straight. Push your shoulders down to prevent shoulder dislocation and retract your shoulder blades to open up your chest, allowing your torso muscles to engage efficiently. Adhering to these three rules can benefit any exercise movement.

How improper exercise technique can lead to injuries

Exercising in incorrect form adds unnecessary strain to your body. It can also raise the risk of acute or chronic injuries. For example, squatting with inward-knocking knees can stress knee ligaments. This action may cause pain or tears. In parallel, rounding your back during deadlifts can result in herniated discs or back strains.

Improper techniques can also worsen existing muscle imbalances and postural problems. Weak glutes and improper squat technique can strain knees and lower back, worsening imbalances and discomfort.

Injuries from poor exercise techniques hinder progress and have lasting effects. Prioritizing proper form is vital for safe, effective, and sustainable workouts.

The importance of working with a qualified fitness professional

Learning proper exercise techniques from educational resources is valuable. So does working with a qualified fitness professional. They can provide personalized guidance and ensure your form is correct. A certified personal trainer or fitness instructor can assess you. They can take note of your current abilities and address imbalances or limitations. They will also design a workout plan that suits your needs and goals.

A fitness professional also provides real-time feedback. They correct any form deviations and prevent potential injuries. They can offer modifications or progressions based on your fitness level. Furthermore, they ensure you continue to challenge yourself without compromising your safety.

A fitness professional can also help you set realistic goals and track your progress. They can also provide the motivation and accountability needed to stay on track. From beginner to trained athlete, a pro trainer boosts your exercise and prolongs results [8], [9].

Conclusions

Form matters when it comes to your physical activity. In Exercise, as we define it, form is vital to the whole protocol. Proper exercise form is crucial for maximizing the effectiveness of your workouts. It prevents injuries and helps you achieve deep muscular fatigue faster. Grasping the science behind exercise forms allows you to decide which exercises to select and how to perform them. This drastically improves the productivity and safety of your workout program.

By prioritizing proper exercise techniques, you engage the correct muscles. You lessen joint stress and improve general workout efficiency. Remember to educate yourself. Start with light weights, and listen to your body. Record yourself, and consider working with a qualified fitness professional.

Investing time and effort into mastering proper exercise forms is for your long-term health and fitness. So, pay attention to your form next time you hit the gym. And reap the benefits of an innovative, safe, and effective workout. Your body will thank you.

Literature

[1] S. Knez, “Exercise form – Guide for Safety and Efficiency,” BrevisFit, May 07, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/exercise-form-guide-for-safety-and-efficiency/ (accessed May 09, 2022).

[2] S. Knez, “The Purpose Of Exercise,” BrevisFit, Dec. 12, 2020. https://brevis-fit.com/the-purpose-of-exercise/ (accessed Apr. 24, 2021).

[3] K. Mullican and R. Nijem, “Are Unilateral Exercises More Effective Than Bilateral Exercises?,” Strength Cond. J., vol. 38, no. 1, p. 68, Feb. 2016, doi: 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000181.

[4] R. Cirer-Sastre, J. V. Beltrán-Garrido, and F. Corbi, “Contralateral Effects After Unilateral Strength Training: A Meta-Analysis Comparing Training Loads,” J. Sports Sci. Med., vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 180–186, Jun. 2017.

[5] S. Knez, “Single-joint versus multi-joint exercise – The big difference,” BrevisFit, Mar. 31, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/single-versus-multi-joint-exercise/ (accessed Apr. 01, 2022).

[6] S. Knez, “Lower Back Health – How To Keep Your Lower Back Healthy,” 2023. https://brevis-fit.com/lower-back-health-how-to-keep-your-lower-back-healthy/ (accessed Sep. 13, 2023).

[7] S. Knez, “Weight lifting or Exercise. Which do you do? – BrevisFit,” 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/weight-lifting-or-exercise-which-do-you-do/ (accessed Jan. 17, 2022).

[8] S. Knez, “Five Key Qualities of a Good Personal Fitness Trainer,” BrevisFit, Sep. 10, 2023. https://brevis-fit.com/five-key-qualities-of-a-good-personal-fitness-trainer/ (accessed Sep. 13, 2023).

[9] S. Knez, “5 Reasons Online Personal Training saves you time and money,” BrevisFit, Sep. 03, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/5-reasons-online-personal-training-saves-you-time-and-money/ (accessed Sep. 11, 2022).

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The Top Exercise Program Mistakes You Need to Stop Making Today

Simon Knez — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 16:12:14 +0000

Introduction

Do you need help to see the results you want from your exercise routine? It could be because you’re making some common exercise mistakes. You can maximize your workouts and meet your fitness goals faster if you detect and correct them. Read on to learn how to fix the most common exercise mistakes.

Focusing Only on Cardio and Neglecting Strength Training.

One common fitness mistake is focusing only on cardio and ignoring strength training. Cardio activities like running, cycling, or swimming can improve cardiovascular health. They can also help burn calories, but they shouldn’t be the only form of exercise in your routine. The critical issue with such activities is their inability to fatigue one’s muscles properly and safely. Therefore, we refer to such activities as non-exercise activities. And the most troublesome aspect of cardio activities is that they do not provide the primary benefit of Exercise – improved muscle quality [1].

strength training improves muscle quality

Strength training is, in regard to health and longevity, much more critical compared to cardio activities. Strength training focuses on increasing your muscular strength and therefore improves a new dimension of your fitness, that cardio based activities can not. Because stronger muscles are the most important factor of longevity, focusing on strength training should be of primary concern in any health-improving lifestyle routine. Neglecting strength training can lead to imbalances in your body due to uneven muscular strength. For that reason, having strength training in your program is essential.

Best form of Strength training is correct Exercise

The best way to strength train is by doing Exercise, as we have defined it in other posts [2]. In short, Exercise with the capital E, is a form of physical activity that is focused on achieving deep muscular fatigue, safely and time efficiently. It is the most precise and safe way to improve your strength, bone density, and cardiovascular fitness. Incorporating Exercise into your weekly routine will keep your fitness level high for decades, since it relies on achieving deep muscular fatigue in the safest manner possible.

Avoiding muscular fatigue

Since muscles enable movement, they also fatigue the most when we are physically active. And it is this fatigue that signals the body the need to adapt and improve. If the fatigue level is high, the need for positive adaptation is higher, and vice versa. Yet, most trainees avoid muscular fatigue. Clients often says, “This time, the workout was better; I didn’t fatigue as much.”. This is, however, a mistake.

Easy workouts have less benefits

The misconception that an easier workout is a better workout, comes from the idea, that the body adapts to external demands. [2]. However, while your psyche might care about external factors, such as the amount of weight lifted or repetitions completed, your physiology doesn’t. The only language your muscles, bones, and cardiovascular system understand is the language of relative effort and fatigue. For that reason, it does not matter how much resistance you use, as long as you create a deep level, of muscular fatigue. Your primary aim should be to chase deep muscular fatigue within every workout. A workout that fatigues you less, is easier to complete, but is also of lower quality.

Chase muscular fatigue

If we are focused on overcoming external demands, we start to use dangerous techniques in order to reduce the fatigue on our muscles. While this allows us to lift more weights, we lose the ability to fatigue our muscles. Instead of trying to complete the repetition in any way or form, try to engage your muscles in a deeper state of fatigue. Instead of counting repetitions, try measuring time under tension. Finally, perform your exercises continuously without a break, instead of looking for ways to rest within your set to allow you to lift more. Try exercising only in the mid-range of the motion, avoid the easier part of the movement, and strive for constant muscular tension.

Using Incorrect Form.

One of the most common exercise mistakes is using incorrect forms. This can lead to ineffective workouts and increase the risk of injury. When performing exercises, it’s essential to maintain proper technique. Focus on the target muscles and avoid strain on other areas of the body, especially the joints [3]. This may demand using lighter weights. Seek guidance from a fitness professional to ensure you are performing proper exercises.

Tips for good exercise form

The correct form includes many aspects, most notably:

contracting the target muscles while relaxing the rest of the body,
slow movements, continuous, and under control,
avoiding extreme ranges of motion,
continues breathing,
relaxed face without grimacing.

Remember, quality over quantity is vital to exercise. Take the time to learn and practice proper form. This will optimize your workouts and prevent any potential injuries.

Not Allowing for Proper Rest and Recovery

Over-training and not allowing proper rest and recovery is another common exercise mistake many people make. It’s important to remember that rest days are as important as workout days. When you exercise, you break down your muscles. During the rest and recovery period, your muscles repair and grow stronger. You can hinder your progress if you don’t give your body enough time to rest and recover. And it may increase your risk of injury.

Avoid overtraining

To avoid overtraining, schedule rest days into your workout routine and listen to your body. Suppose you’re feeling fatigued or experiencing persistent muscle soreness. In that case, it may be a sign that you must take a break and allow your body to recover. Remember, rest and recovery are essential components of any effective exercise program. Avoid those typical all-out, 5x-a-week workout routines. Those routines often leave you over-trained, injured, and disinterested in further exercise.

Focus on the long term

In exercise, sustainability and long-term adherence are much more important than speed of improvement. To keep you exercising for decades, start with a manageable workload by controlling your workout frequency and exercise volume. This allows your body to receive enough rest. It will also give you time for other activities you enjoy. A challenging and consistent workout once a week for years is much more effective than repeating your New Year’s fitness resolution every first of January.

Conclusion

It is critical to address frequent exercise faults to improve the efficacy of your workouts and reach your fitness goals. First, focus on strength training. Increasing strength is the most profound way to improve your life quality. No amount of cardio can overcome the positive benefits of a stronger muscle. Second, to make strength training as efficient as possible, embrace muscular fatigue as the signal for positive adaptation. Always maintain proper form and technique. This will avoid injuries and target the intended muscles efficiently. Finally, enough rest and recovery time is essential for muscle repair and growth. Follow these guidelines and avoid the most crucial mistakes we observe in typical exercise programs. In that way, you can pave the way for long-term fitness success and general well-being. Consistency and sensible training choices are vital for a fruitful and lasting fitness journey.

Literature

[1] S. Knez, “The Purpose Of Exercise,” BrevisFit, Dec. 12, 2020. https://brevis-fit.com/the-purpose-of-exercise/ (accessed Apr. 24, 2021).

[2] S. Knez, “Defining Exercise: Theoretical Concepts,” BrevisFit, Jan. 01, 2021. https://brevis-fit.com/defining-exercise-theoretical-concepts/ (accessed Apr. 21, 2023).

[3] S. Knez, “Exercise Safety: The Big Three,” BrevisFit, Apr. 23, 2021. https://brevis-fit.com/exercise-safety-the-big-three/ (accessed Jul. 20, 2023).

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Five Key Qualities of a Good Personal Fitness Trainer

Simon Knez — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 17:18:30 +0000

Introduction

With the growth of personal fitness training, selecting the best trainer for your needs might be challenging. Do you want to ensure you get the best possible training experience? Then continue reading this article, and explore the five essential qualities of a excellent personal fitness trainer.

Education and Experience

One crucial aspect to consider when choosing a personal fitness trainer is their education. This includes their formal education as well as practical experience.

Formal education in medical fields provide solid understanding of human physiology and anatomy

Formal education in medical fields provides an excellent knowledge of human anatomical structures. It tackles how to deal with injuries and understand physical limitations. But degrees in sports science also provide the necessary understanding of human anatomy. It involves currently established sports science-related theories and practices for various activities. As we define it, exercise is a more clinical undertaking focused on fatiguing muscles rather than performance. Degrees in medicine provide an exceptional basis for grasping and applying the basic concepts of exercise [1], [2]. So, trainers possessing medical degrees have an advantage in practicing Exercise.

Certifications and accreditations define exercise philosophy.

Besides the formal education, there are also specific accreditations and certifications. These educational programs enable those who need formal industry training to get the expertise. It provides information required to undertake personal training or to improve their understanding. It also allows them to specialize in a particular branch of physical training. As a result, training courses vary depending on what the organization gives them and their mission/purpose. National-level qualifications offer a solid basis for understanding human anatomy. It also provides a whole concept of functional capacity, interaction with individuals, and physical limitations. This basis is necessary in some countries to provide personal training services. Licenses differ by their unique practices and concepts defined by the certification program. Looking at the certification program to understand the core principles practiced is a must.

Don’t hesitate to discuss the personal trainer’s educational background

Specialization programs often branch out far from the fundamental concepts of functional anatomy. These specialization programs can focus on different aspects, such as joint safety, mobility, physical transformation, sports performance, etc. Many credentials may encourage specific protocols and acrobatics, which contradict the tenets of safe and sustainable exercise. Thus, we encourage you to talk with your potential personal trainer. Disclose their educational background and how that influences their approach to physical fitness.

Practical experience demonstrates credibility

While being very important, theoretical knowledge only represents half of the equation. A personal trainer needs practical experience exercising for their benefit and the benefit of their clients. First, some proof will be in the pudding. Does the personal trainer exercise the same way as his clients do? Does his physical appearance appear healthy? Is his body fat under control? Does the trainer show the instructed exercises on their own? Finally, are there testimonials of himself or his clients? Injuries? Accidents? Lawsuits? How much time do their clients spend exercising? Before deciding on a personal trainer, these issues and findings should be disclosed [3].

Personalized Approach

Another quality to consider is their ability to tailor your training program to your needs. A good trainer will take the time to understand your goals. To know your fitness level and any limitations or injuries you may have. This personalized approach will help you achieve your goals more effectively. It will make your training experience more enjoyable and sustainable in the long run.

Seeking constant feedback and improvements

A good personal trainer will always ask you for feedback. They will ask about the workout and your prior workout programs. You must disclose the general efficacy of the training programs. As a result, it is critical to discuss every detail possible so that the program may be adjusted.

Adjustment to physical limitations

Also, it is a must to talk about any possible physical limitations. Luckily, (correct) Exercise focuses on muscle fatigue and limits mobility or pain in some positions. In that regard, it should not prevent the personal trainer from creating an effective and safe Exercise program. However, only a tiny minority of personal trainers follow the core tenets of Exercise. If you have physical limitations, discuss them with your potential trainer and ensure they can taper the exercise program to your needs.

Integrated with your lifestyle and schedule

Finally, the personal trainers aim to fit the program into your schedule. It is about your life, your hobbies, your priorities. Exercise should be a brief, infrequent, ongoing effort to boost one’s quality of life. A good personal trainer will shape the Exercise program to your schedule and available time. They should ensure that the short time spent working out yields lasting benefits.

Communication skills

Communication skills are another vital aspect when seeking an online personal fitness trainer. A professional trainer should communicate with you effectively. Providing guidance, feedback, and inspiration should be present at every step of your training program.

Actively monitoring the exercise form and body posture

A professional personal trainer should be concerned with your safety and well-being. They should always check your body alignment, joint position, and posture. And in that regard, a personal trainer will always notify you if anything is out of the ordinary.

Discussing and integrating concerns and questions

Additionally, a good personal trainer should be able to listen to your concerns and questions. They should be able to provide thoughtful and helpful responses. Look for a responsive, approachable trainer, and easy to communicate with. It will make your training experience much more enjoyable and effective.

Availability and flexibility

When choosing a Personal Trainer, consider their availability and flexibility as well. You want a trainer who can work with your schedule. A trainer that can accommodate any changes or adjustments that may need to be made. Look for a trainer who offers flexible training sessions. May it be early morning or late evening sessions or the ability to reschedule if something comes up.

SCHEDULING FLEXIBILITY

Staying on track with your fitness goals matters most. Ensure the trainer is available for regular check-ins and progress updates. Because Exercise is, in essence, a concise activity, rescheduling a workout should be acceptable in most cases. Working in a time slot of your choosing increases your life quality and productivity.

ONLINE PERSONAL TRAINING

If you are pressed for time and prefer to avoid crowded gyms, look for online personal training. Some people enjoy the actual presence of the trainer. They may find switching from in-person to video-based personal training challenging and unsettling. However, having access to the top trainers in the world and avoiding gym crowds adds to the value that is hard to beat in respect to gaining the most results in the minimum amount of time [4].

Positive attitude and motivation

A positive attitude and motivation are vital qualities to look for in a fitness trainer. You want someone who will encourage and inspire you to reach your fitness goals, even when you do not feel like working out. A good trainer can also adapt their approach to your needs and preferences. This keeps you engaged and motivated throughout your training program.

Genuine care for your well-being

Look for a trainer with a track record of helping clients achieve their goals. And someone who is genuinely caring about your success. A personal trainer’s goal is to see your progress. In Exercise, keeping your workout performance, general well-being, and lack of pain throughout the day is progress. Thus, sharing information of that nature is vital so your trainer can make changes if needed.

Constant feedback and desire for improvement

Finally, a good personal trainer should be honest about your progress and performance. Giving feedback is an essential element of an excellent personal trainer. And applying all the feedback should help you improve. For that reason, giving feedback and positive encouragement to improve should always be present.

Conclusion

In this article, we have written about the core essential elements of a personal trainer. These are knowledge, personalization, communication, flexibility, and attitude. This list should help you identify the good personal trainers from the bad ones. A personal trainer has (at least) four things to consider: safety, well-being, progress, and sustainability. For that reason, all the listed qualities are mandatory. If you are ready to invest in a personal trainer, ensure they score well on all five items on this list.

Literature

[1] S. Knez, “Defining Exercise: The Intensity – Safety Quadrant,” BrevisFit, Jan. 18, 2021. https://brevis-fit.com/the-intensity-safety-quadrant/ (accessed May 30, 2021).

[2] S. Knez, “The Purpose Of Exercise,” BrevisFit, Dec. 12, 2020. https://brevis-fit.com/the-purpose-of-exercise/ (accessed Apr. 24, 2021).

[3] D. I. Melton, J. A. Katula, and K. M. Mustian, “The Current State of Personal Training: an Industry Perspective of Personal Trainers in a Small Southeast Community,” J. Strength Cond. Res. Natl. Strength Cond. Assoc., vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 883–889, May 2008, doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181660dab.

[4] S. Knez, “5 Reasons Online Personal Training saves you time and money,” BrevisFit, Sep. 03, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/5-reasons-online-personal-training-saves-you-time-and-money/ (accessed Sep. 11, 2022).

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Why Strength Training is Essential for Your Health and Fitness

Simon Knez — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 09:42:06 +0000

Introduction

Strength training involves using weights or resistance to fatigue muscles. This leads to improved muscle quality and total body fitness. Most frequently, strength training is linked with building huge muscles. While that is a benefit, it can lead to other improvements that are not only related to the aesthetics. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of strength training and uncover the other health benefits that it can produce.

What is strength training?

Strength training is a form of physical activity focused on increasing muscular strength. Muscular strength is a marker of force our muscles can generate. And this is affected by multiple factors, such as muscle fiber size, oxygen use, and neuronal efficiency. Therefore, focusing on increasing muscular strength leads to improved endurance, oxygen use, cardio proficiency, basal metabolic rate and neural control. With strength training, all of these elements increase to a certain (but varying) degree. All of these properties, together, form the concept of muscle quality.

Since increasing strength requires improvement of all of these properties mentioned above, it is no wonder that physical strength alone, has been established as the best predictor of longevity [1], [2]. A stronger muscle namely requires all of the involved aspects to be efficient and well functioning. This makes strength training a potent activity, that most efficiently enhances your (movement-related) life quality [1], [2].

Strength training is the fountain of youth and health.

Strength training improves many aspects of health, including increased muscle mass and strength, improved bone density, and reduced risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity [3]–[5]. It can also enhance balance and coordination, which lowers the chance of falls and accidents. This is especially helpful to older adults. Strength exercise can also help with weight loss. And it also improves mental health and well-being. Note that it is a must to remember that strength training should be done with extreme caution. Injury, pain, or discomfort should not result from strength exercise. The strength gained with injury risk defeats its goal.

In this aspect, (proper) Exercise is the safest and the preferred strength-building physical activity. Other activities, such as weight lifting, cross-fit, or calisthenics, enhance strength building. But can result in severe pain and injuries [6], due to the uncontrolled and fast movements required to achieve the external goal of these activites. For instance in weight lifting we focus on overcoming a certain resistance, in cross-fit we need to complete a certain physical challenge like climbing up a rope, etc.

On the contrary, Exercise does not focus on external goals. Exercise is focused on deep muscular fatigue, since it is muscular fatigue that stimulates the body to form new adaptations[7].

How strength training can improve bone density.

Strength training is critical for improving bone density. The elderly are more at risk of osteoporosis due to the process of demineralization, i.e. loss of minerals. Lifting weights or performing resistance workouts puts stress on your bones, increasing the formation of new bone tissue. [4], [8]. But, it needs a higher resistance to promote increases in bone density. Heavier loads can prevent bone loss, which can prevent osteoporosis-related bone fractures. For example, statistics state that as much as 90% of hip fractures come from osteoporosis [9], [10]. Stronger muscles can also protect osteoporosis patients by alleviating bone stress, which helps prevent falls due to increased strength and reduced fatigue [11]. Finally, strength training can improve balance and coordination. This reduces the risk of falls and injuries, which many times lead to bone fractures.

The role of strength training in weight management.

Strength training can also play a significant role in weight management. While cardio exercises like running and cycling burn calories during the workout, strength training can help increase your metabolism and burn calories even after your workout. Recovering and adapting from the exercise is a long process, lasting a few days. Thus, we observe an increased heart rate up to 48hrs post-workout. Strength training relies on medium to heavy resistance to efficiently fatigue our muscles. Such mechanical stress uses ATP and glycogen as the primary energy resources. The depletion and recovery rate is set by genetics and our diet.

Another side effect of strength training can be muscle mass growth. This increases our glycogen reserve and total metabolic rate due to newly created muscle tissue. A larger glycogen reserve helps you to store access calories inside your muscles. This energy is stored in the form of sugars. In that regard, the more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body will burn and store as non-fat tissues, due to increased metabolism and higher requirements for glycogen stores. In that regard, strength training has a positive effect on your body composition, but adherence to a health diet is still encouraged.

Tips for getting started with strength training.

If you’re new to strength training, focus on the correct exercise form first. We recommend focusing on simple movements and emphasizing proper exercise behavior:

Proper body posture
Relaxed and open-mouth breading
Mental focus on targeted muscles

Begin with body weight exercises like push-ups and squats, or ideally, try out static contractions. Introduce weights and resistance bands as you become more confident. You can also stick with body weight and focus on increasing the intensity, by changing the body positions. Giving your muscles time to rest and recover between workouts is also essential. Thus, aim to strength train 2-3 times per week with rest days between, at the beginning.

A higher workout frequency is especially beneficial for beginners, needing more time to learn the proper form. Once you become more proficient at exercising, or you are exercising with an exercise instructor, you can reduce your workout frequency to 1 workout every 4 – 7 days [14].

Conclusions

Strength training is an essential component of health and fitness. It promotes a lot of benefits, such as muscle growth, higher bone density, decreased risk of chronic diseases, and weight management. It improves balance and coordination and decreases falls, especially in older adults. Yet, safety should always be a top priority. It should emphasize proper exercise forms to prevent injury. If you’re new to strength training, start with simple movements. Then you can focus on the correct forms. You can add weights or resistance bands to your regimen after you master the basics. Add strength training to your fitness regimen and make it a habit. You may live a healthier, more active, and more meaningful life.

Literature

[1] S. Knez, “The Purpose Of Exercise,” BrevisFit, Dec. 12, 2020. https://brevis-fit.com/the-purpose-of-exercise/ (accessed Apr. 24, 2021).

[2] S. Knez, “Understand the basic principles that define Exercise,” BrevisFit, Jan. 01, 2021. https://brevis-fit.com/defining-exercise-theoretical-concepts/ (accessed Apr. 21, 2023).

[3] S. Knez, “Exercise Progress Part 1: Our Guide For Long Term Success – BrevisFit.” https://brevis-fit.com/exercise-progress-p1/ (accessed Dec. 06, 2021).

[4] S. Knez, “Exercise Progress Part 2: Changes in Body Shape,” BrevisFit, Dec. 03, 2021. https://brevis-fit.com/exercise-progress-part-2-changes-in-body-shape/ (accessed Dec. 08, 2021).

[5] S. Knez, “Exercise progress part 3: Muscular Strength,” BrevisFit, Feb. 05, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/exercise-progress-part-3-muscular-strength/ (accessed Apr. 01, 2022).

[6] S. Knez, “Defining Exercise: The Intensity – Safety Quadrant,” BrevisFit, Jan. 18, 2021. https://brevis-fit.com/the-intensity-safety-quadrant/ (accessed May 30, 2021).

[7] S. Knez, “Exercise form – Guide for Safety and Efficiency,” BrevisFit, May 07, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/exercise-form-guide-for-safety-and-efficiency/ (accessed May 09, 2022).

[8] M. G. Benedetti, G. Furlini, A. Zati, and G. Letizia Mauro, “The Effectiveness of Physical Exercise on Bone Density in Osteoporotic Patients,” BioMed Res. Int., vol. 2018, p. e4840531, Dec. 2018, doi: 10.1155/2018/4840531.

[9] A. Singer et al., “Burden of Illness for Osteoporotic Fractures Compared With Other Serious Diseases Among Postmenopausal Women in the United States,” Mayo Clin. Proc., vol. 90, no. 1, pp. 53–62, Jan. 2015, doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2014.09.011.

[10] C. M. Klotzbuecher, P. D. Ross, P. B. Landsman, T. A. Abbott III, and M. Berger, “Patients with Prior Fractures Have an Increased Risk of Future Fractures: A Summary of the Literature and Statistical Synthesis,” J. Bone Miner. Res., vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 721–739, 2000, doi: 10.1359/jbmr.2000.15.4.721.

[11] P. Srikanthan et al., “Insulin Resistance and Bone Strength: Findings From the Study of Midlife in the United States,” J. Bone Miner. Res., vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 796–803, 2014, doi: 10.1002/jbmr.2083.

[12] M. A. Tarnopolsky, S. A. Atkinson, J. D. MacDougall, A. Chesley, S. Phillips, and H. P. Schwarcz, “Evaluation of protein requirements for trained strength athletes,” J. Appl. Physiol., vol. 73, no. 5, pp. 1986–1995, Nov. 1992, doi: 10.1152/jappl.1992.73.5.1986.

[13] W. M. Sherman, D. L. Costill, W. J. Fink, and J. M. Miller, “Effect of Exercise-Diet Manipulation on Muscle Glycogen and Its Subsequent Utilization During Performance*,” Int. J. Sports Med., vol. 02, no. 2, pp. 114–118, May 1981, doi: 10.1055/s-2008-1034594.

[14] S. Knez, “5 Reasons Online Personal Training saves you time and money,” BrevisFit, Sep. 03, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/5-reasons-online-personal-training-saves-you-time-and-money/ (accessed Sep. 11, 2022).

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Office Workouts for Busy People: No time for the Gym?

Simon Knez — Wed, 24 May 2023 18:53:11 +0000

Introduction

Getting in shape doesn’t have to mean sacrificing hours at the gym. You can get fit with convenient, effective workouts at your office or in your living room. While our homes might not offer various equipment, we can still progress significantly using body weight movements and some tools lying around the corner. If you focus on muscular fatigue and are diligent about safety, you can boost your health and longevity with only 20 minutes of exercise per week. And you can do all those in the comfort of your home or office.

Get into the right frame of mind about Exercise

In the fitness industry, we can observe a shift in the exercise culture. Instead of focusing on the essential aspect of Exercise – muscular fatigue, workout classes, apps, and new equipment, try to include secondary activities. For instance, listening to music, watching TV, competing with friends, socializing, and even doing your job, while you are physically active. This is, however, very inefficient and potentially dangerous. Exercise is, namely, an exact activity. It focuses on improving your health, which comes from improving muscle quality. Specific protocols and guidelines are required and should be focused on during Exercise. By simultaneously doing other activities, you ensure your workout is lower quality by diluting your focus and intention. This leads to lower intensity and safety.

Exercise is about creating muscular fatigue

When we talk about Exercise, we talk about a specific type of physical activity [1], [2]. This activity involves detailed protocols and principles. These aim to reach deep levels of muscular fatigue time-efficiently and safely. This is, in essence, the true purpose of Exercise [2].

Exercise is perfect for home or the office

Exercise does not involve jumping around, screaming, balancing acts, or smashing weights. Exercise is quite the opposite of that. The movements are performed slowly, methodically, and under full control. It is more about leveraging resistance placed on muscles than demonstrating your skill and strength. This helps create deep muscular fatigue, which is essential for stimulating progress. What tool you use in that regard is irrelevant. For that reason, doing Exercise at home doesn’t compromise its purpose, and in some cases might lead to better results. It all depends on your effort and the attention to safety.

Assure safety

We already understand that Exercise is based on controlled and slow movements. Still, there will always be a risk of accidents or injuries when performing any kind of physical activity. These can, however, be drastically reduced by following the core tenants of correct Exercise [3]. Suffering injuries, namely, defeats the purpose of Exercise and reduces your quality of life. For that reason, safety should take precedence over any other aspect of Exercise, such as intensity and level of fatigue [3]. Before starting a routine, prior knowledge, expert opinion, or individual guidance is advised.

Have a clean Exercise area

We advise you to have a dedicated room where you Exercise. However, it is not a requirement. The most efficient exercises can be standing on the ground, sitting on a chair, or lying on the floor. Only a little space is required in that regard. But, ensure that the space you plan to use is devoid of any objects that can compromise your ability to move. Ensure the area is clean, that you stand, sit or lie on stable surfaces, and that your limbs can move freely.

Have appropriate attire

Exercise is a systematic, slow-paced, and controlled form of physical activity. In that regard, it should rarely make us sweat, especially since it does not involve fast, jerky, and random movements. With good air conditioning, you can even perform Exercise in your work attire. Shorts are, however, advised to allow more freedom of movement around the hips. If you exercise in your office and wear a necktie, we recommend taking it off to avoid breathing restrictions. Still, you don’t need to wear a track suit to the office, so you can do an effective workout. While not needed, we also do recommend exercising barefoot. This will improve your ability to distribute the pressure on your feet [4] correctly.

Reduce environmental noise and focus on your body

When exercising, we need to place our focus on the activity. Anything that disrupts our focus can reduce the intensity of effort and reduces safety. With Exercise, we place a very high demand on our muscles. Hence, total control of our movement, body position, and joint angles must be paramount. This is that much more important when exercising without an instructor. Make sure to have an uninterrupted session when you perform your Workout routine. Second, avoid loud and upbeat music or watching videos during the workout. Finally, remove the phone from your sight. Please put it in silent mode to avoid interrupting you when you use it to measure or record your performance. Fewer distractions will make you more focused on your body, movement, posture, and physiological signs of fatigue.

Exercise on a stable surface

When you exercise at home, minimize the complexity of your exercise to avoid injuries. One of the complexity is exercise stability. You should exercise on stable ground and avoid using unstable surfaces. Examples of such are BOSU balls and stability boards. These increase the chances of accidents due to the increased difficulty of maintaining a stable posture. Exercising in such a way makes it more likely, that you place too much force on muscles not designed to overcome high-force demands. And contrary to popular belief, exercising on unstable surfaces doesn’t offer benefits on strength improvements of the trunk muscles compared to basic multi-joint movements, like squats and deadlifts [4].

Avoid uni-lateral movements

Unilateral movements are movements where only one side or limb is moving. Examples are single-leg squats, single-arm shoulder presses, single-arm bicep curls, one-arm rows, etc.

In contrast, we have bilateral movements, such as squats, rows, and shoulder presses. There are two main issues regarding uni-lateral movements:

at least 2x lower time efficiency and
misaligned pelvic tilt due to uneven weight distribution. (this can lead to lower back, hips, or knee injuries.)

Thus, we advise against performing unilateral movements.

Focus on muscular fatigue

No matter where you Exercise, the main focus should be muscular fatigue (once safety is considered). We focus on muscular fatigue due to its relationship to building muscular adaptations. Muscular adaptations can come in different forms, such as muscle mass gain, improved muscle fiber quality, oxygen utilization, and neuronal efficiency. Improvements in any aspect lead to a muscle producing higher contractile force, which coins the term muscular quality. And all these mechanisms are involved and improved to a degree (genetically biased) when we focus on establishing a deep level of muscular fatigue. This is achieved by performing Exercises with challenging resistance and seeking the point of momentary muscular failure.

While exercising, do not worry about your performance too much. Have a timer or a stopwatch in order to measure your total time under muscular tension or count repetitions. But do not strive for a particular performance and avoid having a target such as a particular number of repetitions. Focus more on fatiguing muscles. Seek that vigorously until you reach the point of muscular failure [5]. The performance boost will follow as a result of fatiguing the muscle.

Follow the steps below to reach fatigue faster and safer:

avoid breaks during a set,
avoid easier parts of the range of motion and
move slowly and under control.

Move slowly or not at all

One interesting fact about muscular contractions is the force velocity curve. The curve describes how the generated muscular force is influenced by the speed of movement. In order to move our limbs, we need to shorten or lengthen our muscles. For this, our muscles need to generate force. On the level of the muscle fibers, the shortening happens through interactions of protein structures called myosin and actin. These two structure proteins bind to create cross-bridges. The binding allows them to slide past each other, leading to a shortening of the muscle, hence movement. The process of forming cross-bridges is however compromised when moving fast, since there is less time to bind with each other. Because of that, the internal forces generated through binding is smaller as well [6]. For that reason, it is beneficial to perform exercises in a safe and controlled manner. Usually, it means moving at a speed that allows you to complete a repetition in 10 to 20 seconds.

Use help and get a personal trainer.

If you’re serious about staying in shape, having a personal trainer can greatly benefit you. Working with one can give you personalized feedback. A personal trainer’s motivation is essential to getting results. They will customize your workouts based on your goals. They will help you make better nutritional choices and keep you accountable. Many trainers offer online or Skype sessions for extra support and convenience. They do it so you can still get one-on-one advice even when life gets busy! The best case is to have a personal trainer present so that they can give immediate and hands-on feedback. But, with online personal trainers, you enjoy the flexibility of performing workouts at your place of choice. And you can also connect to professionals worldwide [7].

Literature

[1] S. Knez, “Defining Exercise: The Intensity – Safety Quadrant,” BrevisFit, Jan. 18, 2021. https://brevis-fit.com/the-intensity-safety-quadrant/ (accessed May 30, 2021).

[2] S. Knez, “The Purpose Of Exercise,” BrevisFit, Dec. 12, 2020. https://brevis-fit.com/the-purpose-of-exercise/ (accessed Apr. 24, 2021).

[3] S. Knez, “Exercise form – Guide for Safety and Efficiency,” BrevisFit, May 07, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/exercise-form-guide-for-safety-and-efficiency/ (accessed May 09, 2022).

[4] J. L. Nuzzo, G. O. McCaulley, P. Cormie, M. J. Cavill, and J. M. McBride, “Trunk Muscle Activity During Stability Ball and Free Weight Exercises,” J. Strength Cond. Res., vol. 22, no. 1, p. 95, Jan. 2008, doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31815ef8cd.

[5] S. Knez, “Find out, if you Exercise or only lift weights,” BrevisFit, Jan. 07, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/weight-lifting-or-exercise-which-do-you-do/ (accessed Mar. 27, 2022).

[6] T. L. Wickiewicz, R. R. Roy, P. L. Powell, J. J. Perrine, and V. R. Edgerton, “Muscle architecture and force-velocity relationships in humans,” J. Appl. Physiol., vol. 57, no. 2, pp. 435–443, Aug. 1984, doi: 10.1152/jappl.1984.57.2.435.

[7] S. Knez, “5 Reasons Online Personal Training saves you time and money,” BrevisFit, Sep. 03, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/5-reasons-online-personal-training-saves-you-time-and-money/ (accessed Sep. 11, 2022).

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5 Reasons Online Personal Training saves you time and money

Simon Knez — Sat, 03 Sep 2022 20:00:29 +0000

Introduction

You are a busy individual who loves your work and is eager to spend as much time as possible to achieve your goals. However, you also understand that this is only possible if you are strong and healthy. And for that reason, an excellent approach to exercise is of the essence. While you could study and learn the most effective methods to exercise, a good online personal trainer can reduce the grunt of this task. Yet, the personal and individual approach toward your health requires a financial investment. So, in the end, it is always a question: Is it worth it? We’ll show you how an online personal trainer may save you so much time and money that the fee is insignificant.

Skip waiting for your turn

You finish your work at 5 PM, and it’s time for the gym. Except, it’s rush hour. You could postpone your workout to a later time slot but arrive home late. So you decide to go to the gym and sacrifice the extra 30 minutes needed to get through the traffic jams. Now you are at the gym, which is crowded. And it is especially filled near the equipment you wanted to use. Murphy is always handy. A workout that would typically last 45 now lasts 75 minutes. With traffic, you’ll spend at least 2 hours between leaving work and arriving home. With an online personal trainer, all these time wasters are of no existence. You stay in your office and get ready for the call. You finish the workout as fast as possible since the trainer keeps your activities honest. At 6 PM, you are already home.

No crowds

With online personal training all your workouts are privately supervised in the comfort of your home.

Book appointment

Save money on gym memberships.

An online personal trainer charges you for the personal training. But since you exercise in your office or home, you don’t pay for the space used. The only cost is your trainer. Say goodbye to numerous memberships and contracts—no fees for gas and car use or even possible traffic accidents. You choose the place where you want to exercise. The only cost is the time spent with your trainer.

No extra costs

With an online personal trainer, the only financial expense is the time spent with your trainer.

Book appointment

Avoid studying exercise science.

It is good to understand how our body works. You must study workout theories and anatomy books and practice for hours to understand the theories of anatomy and exercise science. Those topics are worth understanding if you work or plan to be a professional in this field. If not, hiring a trainer is preferable, so you can focus on showing up on time and giving your best effort. . This we are sure you are very good at.

Finally, if you want to deepen your understanding of human anatomy and physiology, you can always ask your trainer. Save time, get healthier, and gain new knowledge simultaneously.

No experimentation

A personal trainer gives you the instructions and guidance to exercise correctly from the start.

Book appointmen

Reduce time spent exercising, and increase the free time

Not every workout program is the same. Some are better; some are worse. How do we measure that? As we measure other things: Progress made / time invested. At BrevisFit, we use exercise protocols that focus on safety and efficiency. We aim at the essential aspect of exercise: deep muscular fatigue. Our protocols aim to fatigue your muscles to a level you have never felt before. And this fatigue is established in 90 – 120 seconds. We don’t waste time resting and doing one exercise after another. Muscles are exhausted in a controlled and effective manner. The average workout duration is 20 minutes, done once or twice weekly, not by design but by necessity. But for this, an excellent personal trainer is of great importance. The trainer will ensure that you exhaust your muscles efficiently and safely. Most of the time, it requires a personal trainer’s guidance to reach such efficiency. With such efficiency, you have more time for your endeavors, relationships, and fun activities.

More free time

A time-efficient exercise routine, can save you hours compared to typical fitness programs.

Book appointment

Increase energy to perform better at work

Correct exercise improves our health and longevity through increased muscular strength. And muscular strength gives us the endurance to resist stress, pain, and fatigue. Stronger muscles are also more efficient at metabolizing nutrients. With less time spent on pain, fatigue, and injuries, you have more energy to work and stay focused. An online personal trainer will make sure your workout is regular, adapts to your progress, and is safe. Your increased strength, health, and energy will last you for decades. And for decades, you will enjoy better performance at work, more endurance, and a lower need to get rest from work. This adds years of extra time you can invest in your endeavors.

More energy at work

Correct exercise increases your energy and reduces your fatigue.

Book appointment

Conclusions

Exercise is essential for everybody who wants to perform at a high level for the rest of their lives. We spend a large part of our time commuting to the gym, waiting for gym equipment, and learning how to exercise on our own. In that regard, online personal training eliminates these time wasters. The exercises can take place anywhere because they are done online. A personal trainer will provide professional advice, assistance, and training, to safely and efficiently reach your strength potential. Anyone balancing work, play, and optimum health would benefit tremendously from online personal training. It will give you hours of free time, boost your health and relieve you from current and future pain and discomfort.

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Lower Back Health – How To Keep Your Lower Back Healthy

Simon Knez — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 20:13:56 +0000

Introduction

Lower back pain affects many people at some point in their lives. The reason for lower back pain varies from person to person since there are multiple factors that contribute to it. This article will discuss the causes of lower back problems and how to avoid them.

The function of the lower back

The lower back is part of the spine that extends from the rib cage’s bottom to the top of the pelvis. It comprises bones, joints, muscles, and other tissues. The lower back generally supports the upper body’s weight and permits mobility.

Above all, it is the lower back’s job to maintain a straight posture, rotate around the spine and bend over. In functional anatomy, we say there are various lower back functions. Which are spine extension, spine rotation, side bending, and spine stabilization.

Anatomy of the lower back

The muscles of the lower back are both superficial and deep. The superficial muscles form a single unit known as the Erector spinae. This contains three different muscle groups:

spinalis
longissimus
iliocostalis

Deep stabilizers of the spine

The superficial muscles of the erector spine are responsible for the three primary movement patterns. These are the extension, rotation, and side bend. However, these muscles do not stabilize the spine itself, but rather the torso. For spine stabilization, deep stabilizer muscles exist close to the spine itself. There are many deep stabilizers muscles grouped into units, which are the:

rotators, and
multifidus

Multifidus

These are the deep stabilizers of the spine.

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Illiocostalis

The iliocostalis is the most lateral aspect of the erector spine muscle group. It is involved in lower back extension, side bending and spine rotation.

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Longissimus

Longissimus is the longest and the most superficial muscle of the errector spine complex. It is involved in lower back extension as well as head rotation.

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Spinalis

Spinalis are the most medial muscles of the errector spinea complex. It is responsible for back and neck extension, side bending and rotation of the spine.

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Synergists

The lower back performs the above movements and functions, although never alone. Our bodily motions are generally involving the coordination of many muscle groups. They are all engaged in one complex or multi-joint movement. In that regard, the lower back is predominantly involved in hinging motions. The main action is the straightening of the torso into the upright position. The hinging movements are often assisted by the muscles listed below:

glutes,
hamstrings, and
quadriceps.

Glutes

The biggest muscle of our body. Primarily responsible for hip extension.

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Hamstrings

The hamstrings are primarily responsible for knee flexion.

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Quadriceps

The quadriceps are primarily responsible for knee extension.

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The posterior chain muscles, amongst which we also classify the glutes and hamstrings, are the leading synergists of the lower back.

Antagonists

Finally, the lower back antagonists are another important set of muscles for low back pain. These muscles support the function of the lower back and its synergists. Antagonists help the lower back and its synergists, by relaxing when the working muscles contract. The most frequent antagonist of the lower back are:

the hip flexors, and
the abdominals.

Hip Flexors

The hip flexors bring the knees closer to the chest aka. hip flexion.

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Obliques

The muscles of the obliques support the side bending as well as the required movement for respiration.

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Abdominals

The abdominal muscles are largely responsible for trunk stability and protection of the internal organs.

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Irritations of the nerve

The first kind of back pain we know is the pain coming from irritated nerves. The vertebrae, spinal cord, nerve roots, and (intervertebral) disks make up our spine. The spinal cord travels through vertebrae cushioned with disks to absorb physical impact. Nerve irritations occur when the disks protrude from the vertebrae and irritate the nerve. At that point, we have a pinched nerve. Which causes discomfort, numbness, and spasms in other extremities, notably the legs.

Incorrect posture creates bulging disks

One of the major reason for back pain are bulging disks. In this situation, the start of the issue is an incorrect posture of the spine. The spine’s natural curvature allows all vertebrae to properly channel mechanical stress [2]. But, when the alignment of the spine is altered, the pressure on the vertebrae changes. This causes an imbalance of load on the vertebrae. Then pushes the disks to bulge from the opposite side of the vertebrae where the force is dominantly applied to. As the disks protrude more and more, they reach the stage of hernia and nerve impingement.

Sometimes, we force ourselves into an inappropriate spinal posture. To which the leading cause is weak lower back muscles. Incorrect posture happens when our muscles can’t maintain a neutral position of the spine. However, there are three main reasons why our back muscles fail to maintain a healthy posture:

muscular strength imbalance,
muscular fatigue,
spinal pressure

Strength imbalance offsets the spine curve

As our other blog posts mentioned, muscles rarely work in isolation, but rather in synergy [3]. In that regard, the glutes and the hamstrings are the most frequent synergists to the lower back. A stronger glute and hamstring muscle will reduce the stress on the lower back by helping to carry the burden. For that reason, using multi-joint exercises is an additional benefit, since all the muscles in a movement engage together.

In contrast, we also need to strengthen the antagonist muscles [4, Ch. Agonist and antagonist muscles]. When we perform a movement for our lower back, it is not only the contracting muscles – agonists, that activate. There are also the antagonists. These regulate speed and reverse motion. Abdominals and hip flexors are common antagonists for lower back movements. An agonist-antagonist strength imbalance can cause postural issues and injuries. Back muscles that are stronger than abdominals exaggerate lordosis, and vice versa. A lordosis eventually leads to a disk protrusion, because of the uneven pressures applied to the spine. Disk protrusions, bulges, and nerve impingements can cause pain and spasms. Finally, lordosis is effectively a state of exaggerated extension or flexion of the lower back. This can lead to active insufficiency, which in turn prevents activation of the prime muscles and leads to straining deeper stabilizer muscles.

Muscular fatigue leads to stiffness

Another factor that determines a healthy posture is muscle stiffness. Long-term static postures produce muscle strain and stiffness. When a muscle is stiff, it has a hard time relaxing. The stiff muscle pulls too much towards its origin, causing postural distortion. A typical and frequent example of such a situation is prolonged seating. Our hip flexors get tight when we sit for a very long time. As indicated, hip flexors are a lower back antagonist muscle. When a hip flexor is contracted, it pulls the pelvis to the front, which changes the spine curvature. Because of that, the back muscles are now in an overly stretched position. It can be like the case of lordosis, i.e., disk bulges, leading to nerve irritations and impingements.

The direct pressure on the spine

When we Exercise, we don’t need only fatigue the muscles but also other structures, such as the joints and ligaments. But, this is not too much of a good thing. We want to save those structures as much as possible since they can get worn down and are hard to regenerate. When exercising our lower back, we can put a lot of pressure on our spine. Especially exercises that put the resistance on top of your spine (a barbell squat) create enormous stress.

Muscle strain

The other source of pain in the lower back is muscle strain. Deep stabilizer muscles are more taxed than superficial ones in the lower back. When deeply fatigued, adjacent muscles aid in maintaining the activity.

Good Exercise form prevents injuries

Exercises help to exhaust specific muscles. We strain the superficial and deep stabilizer muscles with activities for the lower back. The main question about exercise is the nature of the overload. This is in the domain of Exercise form. The perfect exercise form would apply the load based on the momentary muscular strength. However, such an Exercise requires specialized machines, which are hard to come by. And for that reason, we need to ensure that other aspects of the Exercise form get considered. Especially the speed of movement and range of motion. In that regard, the best approach is to slow down and avoid jerky movements. Even better is to replace dynamic exercises with static ones. Those eliminate most of the issues that exist with typical exercise.

Spasms come from deep stabilizer muscles

Resistance bands, body weight exercises, and weights apply large forces to muscles. As in most cases, the first muscle to fatigue is the prime movers. Eventually, when those fatigues, the deeper stabilizers engage to help. If this happens, stabilizers may spasm and impinge the spinal cord. Namely, deep muscular fatigue and an extended range of motion cause the load to shift to the next muscle than can support the movement. In the case of the lower back, the load is transferred to the deep stabilizers, which are not intended for load-bearing. Because of that, they can go into spasms.

Maintaining a pain-free lower back

As we have listed throughout this article, there are many sources of back pain. For that reason, there are different treatments for it. In general, when there is pain, we first resolve it with relaxation to be able to regain normal movement. After that, it is about having an intelligent routine of daily stretches and weekly Exercise.

Rest and relax

The first remedy to resolve pain and prevent further occurrence is relaxation. When we experience pain, we should rest and relax. By choice, we would also relax most of the time, i.e., not overuse our muscles and joints. Our body is more suited for short-term rather than long-term, steady-state activity.

Stretch your muscles on a daily basis

This is, for the most part, due to static postures like sitting and standing. While maintaining a posture, specific muscles get fatigued and become tight. In the case of seating, these are the hip flexors. A tight hip flexor alters the healthy lower back posture by pulling the pelvis towards its origin. For that reason, we need to stretch or massage these muscles to make them relax.

Avoid injuries outside the gym

Once we are void of pain and have a daily stretching routine to mitigate stiffness from static postures, we shall start being mindful of how we move and lift objects in our daily lives Most of the time, the source of injuries is an incorrect form or movement. This happens when we carry large bags in one hand, lift heavy items from the floor, work by twisting around the spine, and so on. All these uncomfortable motions might build over time and cause back discomfort.

Strengthen your muscles with Exercise

Following the first three steps should mitigate and prevent most back pain. However, we would like to improve our strength and stamina to sustain more stress on our back. For this, it is needed to increase our strength. And the best approach for this is Exercise [5]. With a smart exercise approach, 3 to 4 core movements and 15 minutes of training per week are all there is needed [4].

Trap bar deadlift

Trap bar deadlifts provides the safest alternative between a regular barbel squat and a deadlift.

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Pull ups

A great overall exercise to improve muscles of the upper back, abdominal and arms.

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Press

A chest press provides stimulus for frontal torso muscles, especially the chest, shoulders, and back of the arms.

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Strengthen your lower back in isolation

Suppose you want to make your lower back even more robust. In that case, you can add isolation Exercises that target that area. This fatigues your lower back muscles more specifically, which boosts strength in the area. With exercises for the lower back, great form is that much more important [6].

Conclusions

In this article, we have looked at low back pain. First, we defined the lower back’s role and which muscles aid its position. These would be the glutes and hamstrings, the hip flexors, and the abdominals. Secondly, we have established two sources of back pain: spinal nerve irritation and muscle strain. Finally, we have provided a 5 step guide required to ease and remove back pain from your life.

Literature

[1] ‘19 Back Injury Statistics: Spine-Chilling Facts and Figures’, The Good Body, Jun. 28, 2021. https://www.thegoodbody.com/back-injury-statistics/ (accessed Jun. 12, 2022).

[2] ‘Normal Curves of Your Spine’. https://www.spineuniverse.com/anatomy/normal-curves-your-spine (accessed Jun. 12, 2022).

[3] ‘Single-joint versus multi-joint exercise – The big difference’, BrevisFit, Mar. 31, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/single-versus-multi-joint-exercise/ (accessed Apr. 01, 2022).

[4] ‘The Core Movement Patterns for Efficient Exercise’, BrevisFit, Jun. 04, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/the-core-movement-patterns-for-efficient-exercise/ (accessed Jun. 13, 2022).

[5] ‘The Purpose Of Exercise’, BrevisFit, Dec. 12, 2020. https://brevis-fit.com/the-purpose-of-exercise/ (accessed Dec. 08, 2021).

[6] ‘Exercise form – Guide for Safety and Efficiency’, BrevisFit, May 07, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/exercise-form-guide-for-safety-and-efficiency/ (accessed May 09, 2022).

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The Core Movement Patterns for Efficient Exercise

Simon Knez — Sat, 04 Jun 2022 12:12:02 +0000

Introduction

Our body has muscles to enable movement. With this, we have the freedom to move away from danger or come closer to rewards – locomotion. Locomotion can require more or less force, and it is on this occasion that strength comes into place. With more strength, we can overcome more stressful movement-related challenges. Climbing, running, jumping, throwing, and other movement patterns had occurred in our prehistoric setting. However, due to huge changes in production, we have built a physically less demanding environment. While this is highly beneficial to our society, we have reduced our physical stress to such a low level that it leads to detrimental side effects on our physical strength. For that reason, we now need to replicate this core movement patterns and overload them, in order to make us stronger and healthier.

Targeting muscles through their movement function

One of the most efficient measures to improve our life quality is Exercising [3]. With Exercise, we aim to make our muscles stronger. We achieve that by seeking muscular fatigue. This, in turn, causes positive changes, resulting in an overall improvement in life quality [2]–[4].

We target muscles through movement patterns

To fatigue muscles as efficiently as possible, we need to apply the correct Exercise form [5]. The first point of proper Exercise form is the movement pattern. Each muscle controls a specific limb’s movement. Muscular contractions power the movement. Repeated and intense muscular contractions eventually lead to muscular fatigue.

The more involved a muscle is in a movement pattern, the faster it fatigues. So to make our muscles efficient, we need first to find the correct movement patterns.

Types of skeletal muscles

While all skeletal muscles help movement via muscular contractions, their functions differ. Some muscles are located near the bones and joints, while others are found beneath our skin. The first group of muscles is called deep stabilizer muscles, while the latter is called the superficial muscles.

Stabilizer muscles stabilize the joint

Stabilizer muscles, also known as local muscles, are located near the bones and joints. Their muscle fiber type is mostly Type 1, which means that they fatigue at a slower rate and can produce less force. Finally, stabilizer muscles can modulate joint stiffness. For that reason, they serve as joint stabilizers and not prime movers [6]. Fatiguing a stabilizer muscle should not need a lot of external load or resistance. If it does, you are likely using superficial muscles instead of stabilizers. Stabilizer muscles are always active when performing exercises for the major superficial muscles. Thus, it is not essential to fatigue stabilizer muscles in isolation. A sign of fatiguing stabilizers is shaking the limbs when executing a movement pattern.

Most known stabilizer muscle groups

rotator cuff muscles
deep muscles of the lower back
hip stabilizer muscles
deeper muscles of the abdominal wall

Transversus abdominus

On of the major stabilizers of the pelvis and the spine.

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Multifidus

These muscles provide stability of the spine.

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Quadratus lomborum

One of the major stabilizers of the trunk.

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Gluteus medius

Provides stability to the hip joint.

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Subscapularis

One of the major muscles of the rotator cuff complex, providing stability to the shoulder joint

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Superficial muscles overcome force demands

Superficial or global muscles are the primary initiators of movement. Movement is possible by generating the torque required for joint motion. The superficial muscles are close to our skin and have more Type 2 or fast-twitch muscle fibers [7]. Because of that, they are intended for load-bearing and have a more significant potential for size. Fatiguing superficial muscles need heavier resistance. When our superficial muscles are fatigued, our speed of movement slows down.

Major superficial muscle groups

neck
shoulders
chest
arms
forearms
upper back
middle back
lower back
abdominal
hips
legs
calves

Many muscles, few movement patterns

With Exercise, we want to improve all the major muscles in our body. There are, yet, more than 150 muscles available. The amount of work and time required to fatigue them all in isolation would be enormous. Involving an exercise with synergistic activation of many muscles is a more productive approach [8, Ch. Muscle isolation]. And in that regard, the number of movements required to hit most of our major muscle groups is drastically reduced.

Muscles that are close together fire together

In a movement pattern, muscles are involved based on proximity. Those muscles being close to each other, are also engaged in similar movements. The more a muscle is distant from another, the less likely it will be involved together in an activity. For that reason, we usually split our muscles into a few categories to denote their proximity. For instance, when we do a movement involving our arms, muscles of the upper body will be mainly engaged. On the other hand, when we move our legs, muscles of the lower body will be engaged.

Agonist and antagonist muscles

Another important categorization of muscle is the agonist and antagonist. In many movements, some muscles contract while others lengthen simultaneously. The agonist is the flexing or active muscle, while the antagonist is the relaxing muscle. For instance, both muscles of the upper arms, triceps, and biceps are involved in the movement of the forearm. However, when we do bicep curls (elbow flexion), the bicep flexes as the triceps lengthens. With triceps extensions (elbow extension), we are doing the opposite. It is the triceps that contract and the biceps that lengthen. It is the contracting muscles that fatigue and improves.

Transverse plane - Separating muscles of the upper and lower body

The first split happens in the vertical direction at our hip:

upper body
lower body.

For most of the muscles in the lower body, we can do exercises that avoid the involvement of the upper body and vice versa. So this split is the most rudimentary. As stated earlier, movement of the arms (in any direction) will involve muscles of the upper body. The movement of the legs on the other side will include muscles in the lower body. Nonetheless, lower back and abdominal muscles can be intensely involved in upper and lower body action.

Muscular synergy

As stated in the section above, we have many muscles. But, muscles rarely act in isolation. Instead, they cooperate to produce a movement involving many joint rotations and multi-joint exercises. Multi-joint exercises fatigue and improves several muscles at once, drastically improving productivity. However, not all multi-joint movements are appropriate to establish profound muscular fatigue.

Some multi-joint movements involve disjoint movements. The reason is that the muscles are not working together to achieve a single motion. They work separately to do a subpart of the whole motion. An example of that is a squat and press motion in one exercise.

Improve efficiency by using synergistic multi-joint movements

A movement like a Squat and press is an example of a wrong multi-joint movement. It involves a shoulder press and a squat. Yet, these movements are disjoint, i.e., the shoulder muscles do not help with the squatting, and the leg muscles do not help with the shoulder pressing.

Contrastingly, movements like a pull-up involve synergistic activity of multiple muscles. Muscles include trapezoids, latisimuss dorsi, rhomboids, biceps, and forearms. All of the muscles involved pulling together to complete the movement of a pull-up.

Sagittal plane - Separating Muscles of the torso and the muscles of the back

The second split is in the sagittal plane: frontal and dorsal aspects of the body. However, due to design, the lower body muscles cant be detached from each other in a similar manner, then the torso muscles can. For this reason, the split in the sagittal plain will focus on the torso muscles only.

The torso pushes away, and the back pulls towards

We have the front torso or the pushing muscles, and in the back, we have the pulling muscles. Pushing muscles work together to move an object away from our bodies, whereas pulling muscles do the opposite. They draw an object closer to it. We count the chest, shoulders, and triceps for pushing muscles. For pulling, we count the muscles of the latisimuss dorsi, trapezoids, rhomboids, biceps, and forearms. Every single muscle in the chain handles a specific movement. Yet, using the principle of synergy, we can involve them all with one movement.

The joint angle influences the involvement of a particular muscle

Pushing and pulling exercises can be performed at different angles. And the angle will highlight the engagement level of a specific muscle in the chain.

In the upper body, most of the movement happens around the shoulder joint. For instance, in a chest press, the angle of the shoulder joint is at 90°. This puts the chest muscles opposite the direction of the resistance. Therefore, these muscles will take on the grunt of the load. On the other hand, the shoulders are opposite resistance at 180° of shoulder flexion – shoulder press. For that reason, the shoulder muscles carry more load in that exercise.

Muscles of the back are mostly involved with pulling motions

Frontal muscles of the torso are mostly involved in pushing motion

Upper body movement patterns

As noted before, we separate upper body movements into pulling and pushing exercises. Using different angles, we can develop many variations of pulling and pushing movement patterns. The angle change comes by changing the angle of our shoulder joint. There are many variations, between 0 – 180°. However, there are three shoulder joint angles that differ the most:

shoulder at 0° (dip, upright row).
shoulder at 90° (chest press, row)
shoulder at 180° (shoulder press, ching up)

Exercise name	Pushing or pulling	Primary muscles	Secundary muscles	Terciary muscles
Up-right row	Pulling	upper trapezious, lateral deltoid	biceps, forearms	neck, latisimuss dorsi, rhomboids
Dip	Pushing	chest, front (anterior) deltoids	triceps	lower trapezious, latisimuss dorsi
Horizontal row	Pulling	middle trapezious, latisimuss dorsi, rhomboids, rear (posterior) deltoids	biceps, forearms	lower back
Chest press	Pushing	chest, front (anterior) deltoid	triceps	lower trapezious, abdominals
Chin-up	Pulling	latisimuss dorsi, middle and lower trapezious	biceps, forearms, rhomboids, rear (posterior) deltoids	abdominals
Shoulder press	Pushing	front (anterior) and side (lateral) deltoid	chest, triceps	neck, upper trapezious, lower back, abdominals

Bench dip

A dip puts most of the tension on the chest, frontal shoulders and the triceps.

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Chin-up

A chin up primarily fatigues the latisimus dorsi muscles and the biceps.

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Dumbbell bench press

A bench press fatigues primarly the chest, frontal shoulders and the triceps.

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Horizontal row

A horizontal row primarily faigues the muscles of the middle back, as well as the middle trapezius, latisimus dorsi and the biceps.

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Standing band press

A shoulder press focuses primarily on the muscles of the shoulders and triceps. The chest is however involved as well.

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Up-right row

The up-right row puts most of the tension on the upper back and shoulders. The biceps and forearms are also strongly involved.

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Lower body movement patterns

Compared to the upper body, the lower body involves fewer movement patterns. It’s all because the lower body’s significant muscles (glutes, thighs, and hamstrings) are attached to the hip. Any movement of the hip will therefore engage all of these muscles. In principle, a single movement – a squat – involves all of the major muscles of the lower body. Yet, the location of the resistance influences the engagement of each muscle. We placed the resistance close to our knees and shifted the load to the rear. This we call a hinging motion (a deadlift). In contrast, we call a squatting motion (a front squat) to set the position close to our glutes. It then shifts the load more towards the thigh muscles.

Exercise name	Squatting or hinging	Primary muscles	Secundary muscles	Terciary muscles
Front Squat	Squating	quadriceps, glutes	hamstrings	calves, lower back
Stiff legged deadlift	Hinging	glutes, hamstrings, abdominals	calves, lower back	quadriceps
Trap bar deadlift	Hinging	quadriceps, glutes	hamstrings, lower back	calves

Front squad

The weight is positioned away from our knees which makes it engage more of the muscles of the thigs.

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Trap bar deadlift

The placement of the resistance is in the middle. Therefore muscles of the front and of the back are used equally.

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Stiff legged deadlift

The weight is positioned close to the knees, which makes the load shift to the back muscles of our lower body.

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Conclusion

This post has gone through the most basic and efficient motor activity we can use to boost our muscle engagement. We have first described the difference between the stabilizer and superficial muscles. While stabilizer muscles are vital, they can be improved by only working on the vital superficial muscles. Secondly, we have proposed a minimalistic approach to efficiently grouping muscles for enhanced efficiency. We have divided our bodies into two planes: transverse and sagittal. With the transverse plane, we distinguish between upper and lower body movements. We can differ between the back and front muscles with the sagittal plane. The four basic movements by combining these two planes are defined. These basic movements are pulling, pushing, squatting, and hinging. These four motions are the foundation of effective and safe exercise. Finally, adding some diversity by changing joint angles adds a level of insurance that all body muscles are fatigued adequately.

Literature

[1] ‘The Purpose Of Exercise’, BrevisFit, Dec. 12, 2020. https://brevis-fit.com/the-purpose-of-exercise/ (accessed Dec. 08, 2021).

[2] ‘Exercise Progress Part 2: Changes in Body Shape’, BrevisFit, Dec. 03, 2021. https://brevis-fit.com/exercise-progress-part-2-changes-in-body-shape/ (accessed Dec. 08, 2021).

[3] ‘Exercise Progress Part 1: Our Guide For Long Term Success – BrevisFit’. https://brevis-fit.com/exercise-progress-p1/ (accessed Dec. 06, 2021).

[4] ‘Exercise progress part 3: Muscular Strength’, BrevisFit, Feb. 05, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/exercise-progress-part-3-muscular-strength/ (accessed Apr. 01, 2022).

[5] ‘Exercise form – Guide for Safety and Efficiency’, BrevisFit, May 07, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/exercise-form-guide-for-safety-and-efficiency/ (accessed May 09, 2022).

[6] S. Sangwan, R. A. Green, and N. F. Taylor, ‘Characteristics of Stabilizer Muscles: A Systematic Review’, Physiother. Can., vol. 66, no. 4, pp. 348–358, 2014, doi: 10.3138/ptc.2013-51.

[7] N. Dickx, B. Cagnie, E. Achten, P. Vandemaele, T. Parlevliet, and L. Danneels, ‘Differentiation between deep and superficial fibers of the lumbar multifidus by magnetic resonance imaging’, Eur. Spine J., vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 122–128, Jan. 2010, doi: 10.1007/s00586-009-1171-x.

[8] ‘Single-joint versus multi-joint exercise – The big difference’, BrevisFit, Mar. 31, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/single-versus-multi-joint-exercise/ (accessed Apr. 01, 2022).

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Exercise form – Guide for Safety and Efficiency

Simon Knez — Sat, 07 May 2022 10:26:16 +0000

Introduction

Each physical activity has a technical side. This technical side is called the form. The form defines rules and guidelines for reaching the goals of the specific activity. In Exercise, the goal is to fatigue muscles and evoke positive muscular adaptations. Thus, the Exercise form provides rules and guidelines to fatigue muscles. If we follow these rules, we will fatigue muscles as efficiently as possible.

Yet, if we include opposing ideas and principles from other sports, such as weight lifting, CrossFit, and so on, the efficacy of the whole process changes. In that case, our physical activity also stops being Exercise.

The importance of correct Exercise

As stated before, exercise form defines rules and guidelines to fatigue our muscles. When we focus on muscular fatigue, the following happens:

the time required to reach exhaustion is shorter,
the exercise stimulus is more potent,
the amount of joint aggravation is reduced and
the chances of injuries are decreased.

Thus, the correct Exercise form improves the efficiency and safety of our Exercise program. With increased efficiency, we need less work to generate the same results. With increased safety, we can sustain our Exercise program as we age. These two aspects are vital if we want to meet and maintain our health and longevity for the rest of our lives [1].

Three core aspects of Exercise form

Exercise form is defined inside the scope of a movement pattern. It means that the form applies to the movement we are performing. But, some activities are suitable for Exercise and others are not. For that reason, the first procedure is to identify the correct movement patterns. Movement patterns can be divided into two categories:

single-joint and
multi-joint.

The rotation occurs only around one joint with single-joint workouts, such as bicep curls. Conversely, multi-joint exercises are movements where the process occurs at multiple joints. For instance, a pushup. Both types of movements are valid for use in Exercise. However, selecting the proper movement for a particular muscle group is challenging. It requires good knowledge of human anatomy [2].

After selecting the correct movements, we need to define how we perform them. And this is where exercise form comes into play.

Dynamic and static exercise

Before going into specific parts of exercise form, there is an essential distinction on the nature of motions. We know of two primary divisions:

static and
dynamic.

The difference between static and dynamic exercises is in the presence of motion. In dynamic exercise, we produce movements through rotations in our joints. In static exercise, however, there is no movement. We either hold a position or can not continue the movement any further.

Static exercise is the purest and most accessible form of Exercise

As mentioned above, in static exercises, we have no movement because we are trying to:

resist the lowering of the object or
overcome an immovable object.

Resisting the lowering of the object is called yielding isometrics. Overcoming an immovable object, on the other hand, is called overcoming isometrics.

Both types of exercise activities in various ways but reach the same result: muscular fatigue. In actuality, the key distinction is that we need some resistance that we can hold for a long enough time to give isometrics. For overcoming isometrics, we need a configuration or object from which we can not move. Resistance tools or weights are not necessarily required. For yielding isometrics, however, we need to provide a adequate challenge in form of additional resistance. Similar to dynamic exercise.

Static exercise gives the purest and simplest form of fatiguing our muscles. From the perspective of tools, we can already start with a set of solid towels. However, the biggest drawback is the lack of performance monitoring [3].

Overcoming isometrics

In overcoming isometrics, we try to move an immovable object. A towel is a great tool for that type of Exercise.

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Yielding isometrics

In yielding isometrics, we are trying to mantain a posture. This type of isometrics requires more extra resistance.

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Dynamic exercise is influenced by speed, range of motion, and overload tool

For dynamic exercise, movement happens in two directions:

positive or the lifting part and
negative or the lowering part.

Different mechanisms are involved in both parts. Some protocols stress one or the other part. These are the negative accentuated, slow positives. Some protocols even focus on only one part, such as the negative only training, where we only lower the resistance.

To explain the principles of Exercise form, we will focus on dynamic exercise in this post. A separate blog post focusing on static Exercise will follow in the future.

In dynamic Exercise, form entails three significant components:

speed of movement,
range of motion and
overload tool.

Speed of movement

The heavier the resistance, the slower the movement

With speed, there is always confusion on what kind of effect it has on our muscles. In that regard, there is a known physiological phenomenon called the force-velocity curve. This curve describes the relationship between the resistance used and movement speed. In principle, the relationship is of a linear shape, as shown in the picture below. The higher the resistance lifted, the lower the speed of movement. And this makes sense. The heavier the object is, the slower the speed we can move it.

When you are stronger, you are faster as well

However, some resources would tell us that we need to Exercise at a speed at which we perform our tasks. This is, however, incorrect. Speed of movement is only a result of the difference between the required force to move the object and imposed force on the object. If we get stronger (by lifting heavy and slow), we will push the same resistance at a higher speed.

When we reach failure, our speed is equal to zero

To reach a sufficient level of muscular fatigue, we need to seek the point of momentary muscular failure. However, this point should be reached inside an interval between 30 – 120 seconds [1].

By this restriction, it is already known from the onset, that a certain level of resistance is required and that our speed of movement will be limited. Additionally, the term heavy is relative to your momentary strength level. The more we fatigue, the heavier the object will feel and the slower the movement. Thus, the closer we are to the point of momentary muscular failure, the slower movement speed. Once we reach the point of momentary muscular failure, the speed of movement is equal to 0.

The slower the speed, the more force our muscles can generate

Since heavy is relative to our strength threshold, we could go faster at first and then slowly slow down as we fatigue. However, the speed of movement itself influence the force our muscles can generate internally. The slower the pace of movement, the larger the contractile force of our muscles. When we move fast, our muscles cannot produce much contractile force. Consequently, the most force is created when we are motionless, i.e., static [4].

Range of motion

An extreme range of motion is not beneficial

In dynamic exercise, we talk about the range of motion. Each activity has a particular motion as a result of joint movements. At each joint, we can rotate to a certain angle. For instance, at the bicep curl exercise, we can turn around the elbow joint for roughly 180°. In single-joint movements, the possible joint rotation defines the range of motion of the specific activity.

Our muscles are the weakest at the extreme ranges of motion

In multi-joint movements, however, muscles limit each other’s mobility through active and passive insufficiencies. In both cases, seeking the end tails of the range of possible motion is not beneficial. Namely, our muscles are weak at the extreme ranges of motion. For that reason, the stimulus generated from that position is of lower quality.

Additionally, a vulnerable muscular position leads to possible tears (overstretched muscle). As a result, forces are transferred to the weaker stabilizer muscles, ligaments, and joints[5]. In that respect, multi-joint exercises can be safer. As they prevent overstretching of each muscle involved due to active insufficiency.

The Length-tension curve

To explain the issue with weaker ranges of motion, we’ll take a look at the length-tension curve. This curve desribes the relationship between the force the muscle can produce and its current length[6]. The length-tension (LT) curve explains that the force the muscle can produce differs through its length. The smallest muscular units (sarcomeres) can namely generate more or less force, depending on their stretch.

As a result, the exact resistance will feel differently throughout a dynamic exercise. It will depend on the joint angle (and related muscle length) at which we are. The LT curve also explains why extreme ranges of motion are less beneficial. The muscles are in a compromised position, and any discomfort is due to that and not due to fatigue.

Moment arms determine how much force is applied to the muscle

When we perform a dynamic exercise, the muscles’ ability to produce force changes throughout its length. As a result, adequate resistance at the beginning of the exercise may be too easy or too heavy by the end. In that respect, we also need to include the concepts of moment arms. It is one thing for a muscle to produce a specific amount of force; the other is how much force is properly applied to the muscle. We transmit the external force used through our limbs, acting as levers. For instance, a more extended forearm will put a higher force on our bicep muscles since the lever is more significant. And this lever is additionally influenced by the angle of the joint [7, Sec. Internal versus External Force]. In an ideal world, we’d match the force given to the muscles with the force our muscles can create in a given position.

Resistance tools

Resistance tools define how the force applied changes throughout the movement

In the previous two sections, we have said that throughout the dynamic exercise, forces produced and forces applied to differ, since:

our muscles’ ability to produce force varies,
due to the moment arm, the force applied to the muscles differs.

Finally, what kind of resistance we use also influences how much force is being applied. Using a typical resistance tool, such as a dumbbell, the force of the tool dumbbell is static. The change in force happens only through the moment arm. However, the dynamic changes if we use our body weight, an elastic band, free weights, or specific exercise equipment. For instance, using elastic bands, the force applied changes the more we are closer to the end position of the movement. When we use maschines, the load varies depending on the design. And some companies have tried to match the resistance to the muscle strength curve. That means that the counteracting force applied to our muscles goes up and down throughout the movement. In other tools mentioned before, the change in resistance is nonexistent or constant.

Resistance Bands

Resistance bands vary their resistance lineary. The closer we are to the end of our range of motion, the higher the resistance. In most cases this is not appropriate.

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Exercise machines

Some exercise machines were designed with the goal of providing variable resistance. The idea was, that full range of motion is required to stimulate muscle growth.

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Free weights

With free weights, the resistance used is the same all the time. For that reason, some parts of the movement are inapropriatly challenged.

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Resistance direction and the direction of pull need to align

Finally, the link between the direction of the pull and the force applied is also critical when selecting an overload tool. If we move in one way, say, lifting weights overhead, the resistance of the weights will push down in the opposite direction to our movement. If that is not the case, the load is not applied against the direction of the muscular pull but to some other areas, joints, and ligaments.

An example is depicted in the picture bellow. The weight of the ball is pulling towards the flor, while

Recommendations on Exercise form

Exercise form has many aspects, rules, and variables. We could shave of some of those rules if we chose to do static exercises. While static Exercise by itself is easy to do, it lacks the ability to monitor our progress. There is equipment on the market, but these are more intended for professional use [8].

During the exercise revolution in the 70s, the switch was towards emphasizing the full range of motion. Which established dynamic exercise as the way to go. If you are doing intense exercise, there are three rules to follow:

the movement needs to be relatively slow (4 – 10 seconds for lifting and lowering the weight)
we need to seek muscular fatigue and reach the point of muscular failure
avoid the tail ends of the possible range of motion
be mindful of how the exercise tool varies the resistance.

Conclusions

In this article, we have started the conversation about the Exercise form. We have established two types of exercises: static and dynamic. While static exercise is a more pure and more straightforward method of fatiguing muscles, we have an issue monitoring our progress. So, in most cases, dynamic Exercises are used. We have defined key factors affecting the quality of our Exercise. We have noted that in dynamic exercise, slower speeds allow muscles to produce more force. A limited range of motion avoids weaker and riskier sections of the movement. Our limbs emphasize the end force applied to our muscles via moment arms. And that exercise equipment and tools drastically influence the dynamic of force overload.

Literature

[1] ‘The Purpose Of Exercise’, BrevisFit, Dec. 12, 2020. https://brevis-fit.com/the-purpose-of-exercise/ (accessed Sep. 24, 2021).

[2] ‘Single-joint versus multi-joint exercise – The big difference’, BrevisFit, Mar. 31, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/single-versus-multi-joint-exercise/ (accessed Apr. 01, 2022).

[3] ‘Exercise progress part 3: Muscular Strength’, BrevisFit, Feb. 05, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/exercise-progress-part-3-muscular-strength/ (accessed Apr. 01, 2022).

[4] D. R. Wilkie, ‘The relation between force and velocity in human muscle’, J. Physiol., vol. 110, no. 3–4, pp. 249–280, 1949, doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1949.sp004437.

[5] ‘Single-joint versus multi-joint exercise – The big difference’, BrevisFit, Mar. 31, 2022. https://brevis-fit.com/single-versus-multi-joint-exercise/ (accessed Apr. 01, 2022).

[6] D. A. Rowen, A. D. Likens, and N. Stergiou, ‘Chapter 6 – Revisiting a classic: Muscles, Reflexes, and Locomotion by McMahon’, in Biomechanics and Gait Analysis, N. Stergiou, Ed. Academic Press, 2020, pp. 149–224. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-813372-9.00006-3.

[7] ‘Weight lifting or Exercise. Which do you do? – BrevisFit’. https://brevis-fit.com/weight-lifting-or-exercise-which-do-you-do/ (accessed Jan. 17, 2022).

[8] ‘ViiV Fitness – The Closest Thing To Exercise In A Pill’. https://viivfitness.com/ (accessed Apr. 01, 2022).

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BrevisFit

How To Boost Your Heart Health Through Exercise

Introduction

Understanding heart health and its importance

The benefit of Exercise for heart health

The benefit of Exercise comes from improved Cardiac Perfusion

Aerobic activities prevent direct improvement of stroke volume

The importance of the venous pump

Exercise directly improves the venous pump

Exercise does increase the heart rate as well

Other benefits of exercise related to heart health

Creating an exercise plan for heart health

Monitoring your progress and making adjustments

Exercise Induced Headache

Conclusions

Literature

Form Matters: The Science Behind Proper Exercise Technique and Why It Matters for Your Body

Introduction

The importance of biomechanics

Body alignment

Separate the good from the bad

The benefits of using proper exercise form

Resolve asymmetries

Correct muscle activation and strength balance

Prevent overloading of deep stabilizer muscles

Improved exercise efficiency

Common mistakes in exercise form

Lifting fast and losing control of the movement

Retaining breath

Improper body posture

How improper exercise technique can lead to injuries

The importance of working with a qualified fitness professional

Conclusions

Literature

The Top Exercise Program Mistakes You Need to Stop Making Today

Introduction

Focusing Only on Cardio and Neglecting Strength Training.

strength training improves muscle quality

Best form of Strength training is correct Exercise

Avoiding muscular fatigue

Easy workouts have less benefits

Chase muscular fatigue

Using Incorrect Form.

Tips for good exercise form

Not Allowing for Proper Rest and Recovery

Avoid overtraining

Focus on the long term

Conclusion

Literature

Five Key Qualities of a Good Personal Fitness Trainer

Introduction

Education and Experience

Formal education in medical fields provide solid understanding of human physiology and anatomy

Certifications and accreditations define exercise philosophy.

Don’t hesitate to discuss the personal trainer’s educational background

Practical experience demonstrates credibility

Personalized Approach

Seeking constant feedback and improvements

Adjustment to physical limitations

Integrated with your lifestyle and schedule

Communication skills

Actively monitoring the exercise form and body posture

Discussing and integrating concerns and questions

Availability and flexibility

SCHEDULING FLEXIBILITY

ONLINE PERSONAL TRAINING

Positive attitude and motivation

Genuine care for your well-being

Constant feedback and desire for improvement

Conclusion

Literature

Why Strength Training is Essential for Your Health and Fitness​

Introduction

What is strength training?

Strength training is the fountain of youth and health.

How strength training can improve bone density.

The role of strength training in weight management.

Tips for getting started with strength training.

Conclusions

Literature

Why Strength Training is Essential for Your Health and Fitness