Health care blog

Basic Core Conditioning

2012-06-21T09:52:00.003-07:00

What Is Posture?
AFTER completing the inner unit exercise program and you
have corrected basic postural misalignment, you can move on to
basic core training. The core is the bridge between the upper
and lower body. A strong and stable core will help stabilize large
and small joint structures.
Anyone can benefit from a good core conditioning program.
Whether you’re a mountain climber, housewife doing daily
chores, an athlete at any level, or construction worker, everyone
needs core conditioning to carry out daily activities and reduce
injury.
Women in particular can benefit from inner unit and postural
improvement plus the addition of outer unit and core exercises.
Because they have a wider pelvis for childbearing. This
sometimes leads to a “knock-kneed” lower body posture. This
knock-kneed position creates muscle imbalances, sheer force
through the pelvis, and compression in the lumbar spine. A
simple squat with a belt around your knees can dramatically
improve your situation.
The core exercises should work the outer unit muscles in all
three planes of motion:
Transverse plane (rotation)
Sagittal plane (backward and forward)
Frontal plane (left and right)
Knowing the planes of motion is not necessary for improving
your core strength and coordination, but will help you
understand the theory behind the exercises.
The major muscles of the core consist of the following:
Internal oblique
External oblique
Rectus abdominis
Transverse abdominis
Quadratus lumbar
Spinal erectors
A good core program coordinates all these muscles as one
working unit.
The following core exercises contribute to functional
integration of the body
for both men and women. These
exercises will provide maximum benefit.
A core-conditioning program should follow the correct order.
Always train your lower abdominals first, followed by your
oblique musculature, finishing with the upper abdominals. This
exercise order is determined by the neurological demand for
each region of your core.
IMPORTANT! MASTERING ALL INNER UNIT EXERCISES
IS CRUCIAL BEFORE BEGINNING A CORE CONDITIONING
PROGRAM. I CAUTION YOU AGAINST DOING ANY OF
THESE EXERCISES WITHOUT A GOOD FUNCTIONING
SPINE AND PELVIS. DO NOT PERFORM ANY OF THESE
EXERCISES IF YOU HAVE ANY SPINAL ORTHOPEDIC
PROBLEMS. YOU MUST HAVE GOOD STABILIZATION AT
THE JOINT LEVEL COUPLED WITH PROPER ACTIVATION
OF THE TRANSVERSE ABDOMINIS (GIRDLE) TO PREVENT
YOUR JOINTS, BIG AND SMALL, FROM DETERIORATION.
CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE STARTING ANY
EXERCISE PROGRAM, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE ANY
JOINT DETERIORATION.

Reverse Crunch on Floor (Lower Abdominals)

Reverse trunk flexion, commonly known as the Reverse Crunch,
is a multi-joint movement designed to target the entire
abdominal region. The exercise starts out by contracting the
lower abdominals and progressing to the upper rectus
abdominis. The oblique musculature assists in stabilizing the
pelvis during the movement.
Position: Lie on the floor or exercise mat with your back flat,
scapula (shoulder blades) and sacrum (tailbone) pressed firmly
against the floor.
Movement:
1. Holding your legs together, flex them to 90 degrees or
perpendicular to the floor. Place your arms at your sides.
2. Slowly contract the lower abdominal region by pulling the
pelvis up towards the rib cage. Continue to pull the pelvis
toward the rib cage until the abdominals are fully contracted
and the hips are rolled up slightly off the floor.
3. Slowly lower the trunk and pelvis to the starting position.
4. Repeat for the prescribed number of reps.
Keep your shoulder blades on the floor throughout the exercise.
Avoid arching your back at the lumbar region. Keep the tempo
or movements slow, and maintain your upper body in proper
neutral alignment. Make sure you go down only far enough to
touch your sacrum, keeping your thighs perpendicular to the
floor.

Horizontal Woodchopper (Internal and External Obliques)

Note: This exercise requires a cable system.
The Horizontal Woodchopper is one of the best exercises for
integrating the oblique musculature into functional movement.
There are many variations, as you’ll see later in this chapter. To
begin, start with the standard Horizontal Woodchopper. This
exercise will familiarize you with the movement pattern.
Position: Sit on a workout bench perpendicular to the weight
stack and cable system. Grasp the cable handle with your right
hand and place your left hand over your right. Keep your body
in good postural alignment; do not flex forward or sideways.
Adjust the weight so that you can accomplish this exercise with
proper form.
Movement:
1. Draw your belly button in toward your spine.
2. Pull the cable handle across the front of your chest to the
opposite side.
3. Return to the starting position.
4. Repeat for the other side.
You can perform the progression of this exercise while sitting on
a Swiss ball, kneeling on the ground, standing, and then to
dynamic movement.

Supine Lateral Ball Roll

Note: This exercise requires a Swiss ball and a dowel rod.
The Supine Lateral Ball Roll is an excellent integrative exercise
that will challenge anyone.
Position: Sit on the ball and gently roll out so that your trunk is
parallel to the floor. The ball should support your head and
shoulders. Your feet should be shoulder width apart. Place a
dowel rod across your chest and grip it with your palms up.
Movement:
1. Gradually slide your right shoulder blade off the ball,
keeping the dowel rod parallel to the floor and your hips in a
neutral position (do not let them drop).
2. Slowly return to the middle position.
3. Gently slide your left shoulder blade off the ball and hold for
the allotted time.
4. Repeat on each side the desired number of reps.

Floor Crunch

Trunk flexion or the “crunch” sit-up is the most popular

exercise for conditioning the abdominal region. When
performed correctly, the crunch is a good upper abdominal
strengthening exercise. However, if you do not include
additional abdominal exercises like the ones described in this
program, performing only crunches could have a detrimental
effect on your body over time. Overusing the crunch can lead to
a more rigid thoracic spine. It also contributes to a shortened
rectus abdominis, which in turn pulls the rib cage toward the
pelvis, resulting in poor postural alignment. This decreases
your ability to extend backward, causing poor posture and
leading to potential injury.
Position: If you’re a beginner of trunk flexion or crunch
exercises, perform the Floor Crunch lying on the floor. To
perform the exercise correctly, maintain proper neutral posture
in the cervical spine. Place your tongue on the roof of your
mouth to protect your cervical spine. Keep the lower back
pressed firmly against the floor throughout the exercise and
place your arms across your chest.
Movement:
1. Moving slowly, contract your rectus abdominis, rising up one
vertebra at a time. Keep tension in the abdominals at all
times. Do not let your chin drop to your chest.
A good way to maintain neutral posture in the cervical spine
is to pretend that your chin is traveling toward the ceiling.
2. Once you have reached full contraction, slowly return to the
starting position.
3. Repeat for the prescribed number of reps.
To increase the difficulty of this exercise, place your arms out to
the side with your fingertips on your cheekbones.

Posture and its importance

2012-06-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

What Is Posture?
POSTURE is the position from which movement begins and ends.
Having proper postural alignment enables the body to perform
movements quicker with less joint and muscular strain. A
qualified physical therapist or a CHEK practitioner in your area
should evaluate your posture.
Why Good Posture Is Important
The body is designed to work at the most economical level, thus
saving energy for future use. We spend more energy
maintaining misaligned posture, which can cause muscle and
joint pain. Think of yourself like a skyscraper. If the skyscraper
leaned to the left for 10 floors and then a little to the right for
10 floors and so on, you would not enter the building. However,
we let ourselves become such a building. We compromise our
body’s integrity by not maintaining proper posture, resulting in
decreased circulation—leading to varicose veins, muscle pain,
joint pain, and many other conditions.
Women in general tend to develop poor posture because of
many factors. They often have more clerical and computeroriented
jobs that require sitting in a chair, eyeing a computer
screen for long periods of time. They also wear high-heeled shoes, which lead to an alteration and compensation of their
posture. (If you want to know more about this, email me.) The
development of breast tissue or the augmentation of breasts can
lead to many postural changes. Women also have less
musculature to maintain proper alignment, leading to rounded
shoulders, forward head posture, hyper-extended knees, and
increased thoracic and lumbar curves.
Men can also develop all of these postural problems but at a
different degree and rate depending on their situation.
To improve your posture and reduce structural damage, you
should adhere to a corrective postural exercise program. This
simple yet productive program will combat the effects of bad
posture and help alleviate joint and muscle pain.
Exercises for correcting posture:
Prone Cobra
Axial Extension Trainer
Wall Leans
Cervical Extension using a blood pressure cuff

Prone Cobra

This is a great postural strengthening and endurance exercise.
Position: Lie face down on a comfortable surface.
Movement:
1. Maintaining proper spinal alignment, gradually raise your
chest off the ground while simultaneously externally rotating
your arms outward, keeping your hands supine. (When you
are in the correct position your thumbs are pointing toward
the ceiling like a thumbs-up from Fonzie).
2. Gradually draw your shoulderblades together. Keep your
head from flexing or extending. Maintain this position for 10
seconds.
3. Return to the starting position and rest for 10 seconds.
Repeat this sequence 10 times, two to three times per day. To
assist you in this exercise, use a kitchen timer.

Axial Extension Trainer

This exercise will re-establish what good upright posture feels
like. You might want to balance a diver’s weight (3–5 pounds) on
top of your head so you will understand how upright good
posture feels. If you do not assume good upright posture with
the diver’s weight on, you will feel tension throughout your
body and may even drop the weight.
This exercise should be performed for two minutes at a time, six
to eight times per day.
Position: Stand up with perfect functional posture.
Movement:
Stand as though you have a balloon tied to the top of your head
and it’s pulling you toward the sky.

Wall Leans

This is a great exercise for exciting the cervical, thoracic
extender musculature and building postural endurance.
Position: Stand with your head, shoulders, buttocks, and heels
against a wall. Place a soft towel behind your head for comfort.
Movement:
Walk your feet out one foot from the wall while maintaining a
rigid standing posture. Ensure that your hands are at your sides.
Maintain this position 30–45 seconds, depending on your
current ability.
Repeat this exercise three to four times per day for 30–45
seconds each time. Work up to two minutes in the wall lean
position.

Cervical Flexors with a Blood Pressure Cuff

This exercise engages the cerviacl extention muscles, which
tend to get lazy and let the head protrude into forward head
posture (which you don’t want). This exercise excites the muscle
spindals in the cervical extendors. This aids in pulling the head
back into proper position.
Position: Lie comfortably on the floor and place the blood
pressure cuff under your cervical spine (neck area). Pump the
blood pressure cuff up to 40 mm Hg.
Movement:
Tuck your chin to your chest and gently apply pressure to the
blood pressure cuff with your neck extender’s musculature. The
blood pressure cuff should rise up 10 mm Hg to 50 mm Hg.
Hold this position for 15 seconds; rest for 10 seconds.
Repeat this cycle for two minutes.

The Outer Unit

2012-06-21T08:46:00.002-07:00

The Inner Unit and the Sling Systems
THE OUTER UNIT musculature system aids in movement and
function. The outer unit muscles are basically the prime movers
of the core and extremities such as the internal oblique,
external oblique, rectus abdominis, back, legs, shoulder girdle,
and more. They each have a vital function in movement and are
connected through four major “sling systems.” These slings are:
Deep longitudinal system
Lateral system
Anterior oblique system
Posterior oblique system
I brought up the sling systems so you can understand that the
function of our musculature is much more complex than a
simple leg extension exercise on a machine.

The Basis for an Outer Unit Exercise Program
An outer unit program consists of exercises that allow for multijoint/
multi-plane activities. This issue has been forgotten or not
taught at many gyms or in exercise programs. We tend to
gravitate toward the new machines in the gym, performing isolation exercises that have no carryover to everyday work
situations.
Our bodies were built as a connective, cohesive unit. By
isolating muscles we interfere with the basic general motor
programs established millions of years ago. For example, when
you do leg extensions on a machine, the number of neurological
impulses through the muscle to the brain is diminished. This
exercise also contributes to the lack of neurological
communication between isolated muscles (in this case, the
quadriceps) and the other muscle groups.
I’m not saying that leg extensions on a machine are always
wrong; there are times in a rehabilitation situation,
bodybuilding, and a beginning weight training program where
these exercises are appropriate. Once a neurological and
muscular base has been established, however, we must move on
to integrate all the muscles that surround the knee joint, hip
joint, pelvis, core, and lower extremities. We need to establish a
fully functional dynamic muscular system.
Some of the exercises I prescribe for the outer unit are:
Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press on Swiss Ball
Multi-directional Lunge
Bent-over Rows
Chek Press
These are by no means the only exercises for the outer unit.

Alternating Dumbbell Press on Swiss Ball

This exercise challenges the entire muscular system.
Position: To perform this exercise, grip dumbbells of a weight
that will allow you to do 8–10 repetitions. With the dumbbells in
hand, sit down on a Swiss ball appropriate for your height.
From this seated position, gradually walk your feet and lower
extremities away from the ball until you reach a supine position
with your shoulder girdle and head resting on the Swiss ball and
your shinbones perpendicular to the ground. The dumbbells
should be positioned straight up from the shoulders, elbows
slightly flexed and rotated out. Position the hands with the
dumbbells perpendicular to the body.
Movement:
1. Gradually extend the right arm at a 90-degree angle from
the body toward the ceiling and slowly rotate your lower
right shoulder and shoulder girdle off the ball while
maintaining a good structural position.
2. Gradually return the dumbbell to its starting position while
simultaneously extending your left hand and dumbbell
toward the ceiling in the same manner.
Alternate right and left arms until you have reached the
prescribed repetitions.

Lunge—Static and Dynamic

Note: This exercise requires a dowel rod.

Static and Dynamic Lunges are excellent interactive exercises
for the core muscles and lower extremities. I chose these
exercises because they are neurologically challenging to the
entire body.
Static Lunge
Position: Place a dowel rod across your shoulders, gripping it at
shoulder width. Keep your elbows under your wrists; this
activates the thoracic erectors and helps stabilize the core. Make
sure your posture is upright with a neutral spinal curve (no
bending, shifting, or leaning).
Movement:
1. Draw your belly button in toward your spine to activate the
inner unit.
2. Slowly step forward with either leg until your shinbone is
perpendicular to the floor.
3. Once you have reached the lunge position with your upper
body erect, let your back leg descend to the floor until your
knee gently touches the floor.
Make sure you keep the shinbone on your lead leg perpendicular
to the floor.

4. Return slowly to the pre-descend position.
5. Repeat the lunge 8–10 times with the same leg, then repeat
for the opposite leg.
Slowly work up to 3 sets per leg.
Dynamic Lunge
The Dynamic Lunge is similar to the Static Lunge, except you
return to the standing position after each repetition. Alternate
legs until you have built up enough strength and stabilization to
perform 8–10 repetitions for each leg.
After you feel comfortable doing the Dynamic Lunge
alternating legs, kick it up a notch and do the desired
repetitions for one leg at a time.
IMPORTANT! DO NOT SHORT-STEP! Short-stepping the
lunge is when the shinbone moves forward and the knee moves
past the ankle joint. Short-stepping indicates a quad-dominant
neurological system. For women, this can spell disaster! Women
have a much higher degree of quad dominance, indicating muscular
imbalance in the lower extremities. This imbalance is one
reason why some women have more orthopedic knee problems.
Keep the shin of your lead leg perpendicular to the floor.

Bent-over Rows

Note: This exercise requires dumbbells.
Bent Rows contribute to good strength and postural
stabilization. This exercise also strengthens the shoulder girdle
and effectively improves postural muscles such as the
hamstrings, glutes, and all deep hip muscles, lower back,
latissimus dorsi spinal erectors, and your core. To perform this
exercise properly, you must maintain a neutral spinal curve.
Position: Grip the dumbbells with a closed downward grip. Stand
with your feet wider than shoulder width and your knees flexed
at 30 degrees, which engages the iliotibial band (the tendon on
the side of your thighs). Maintain your torso at a 45-degree
angle at all times. This starting position resembles a second
baseman stance in baseball.
Movement:
1. Take a deep diaphragmatic breath, drawing the belly button
in toward the spine.
2. With the dumbbells at knee level, gradually raise the weights
to the bottom of your sternum (breastbone). Your forearms
should be perpendicular to the ground; do not allow them to
travel posteriorly as you raise the weight.
3. Slowly return the weight to the starting position.
4. Repeat for the prescribed number of reps.
Slow tempo aids with overall muscular integration and
neurological conditioning. Work up to 3 sets.

Check Press (Modified Arnold Press)

This exercise is one of my favorite exercises for strengthening
and integrating back musculature with the shoulder girdle. To
perform the Chek Press, choose dumbbells of a weight that will
allow you to do 8–10 repetitions.
Position: With dumbbells in hand, sit on a bench with proper
neutral spinal alignment (erect trunk). With the dumbbells
shoulder height, palms facing each other and forearms
perpendicular to the floor, gradually open your arms as if you
were opening a book.
1. Push the dumbbells to an overhead position, bringing the
dumbbells together in front of you as if you were closing a
book.
2. Lower the dumbbells to the starting position and repeat for
the desired number of repetitions.
When the inner and outer units work together, we greatly
improve our daily lives by reducing the risk of joint injuries,
ligament and muscle strain, and lower back pain.
The next issue we will undertake is posture.

The Inner Unit

2012-06-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

THE INNER UNIT provides the necessary joint stabilization for
the spine. If the inner unit does not activate properly, our spine,
pelvis, and joint structures are placed under undue stress. This
stress creates an atmosphere that leads to many orthopedic
injuries.

Muscles of the Inner Unit
I first learned about the inner unit while reading research by
Richardson, Jull, Hodges, and Hides. After reading The Pelvic
Girdle by Diana Lee and articles by Paul Chek, I came to
understand that the basic inner unit consists of the following
four muscles:
Transverse abdominis
Multifidus
Pelvic floor
Diaphragm
This research shows that the inner unit operates on a different
neurological loop from other core muscles. The actual anatomy
where these muscles attach is not the theme of this article;
however, you should have a good idea where these muscles are
and what they do.

Transverse Abdominis
The transverse abdominis (TV) is the deepest, innermost layer of
all abdominal muscles. Consider the TV as your body’s personal
weight belt. When the TV contracts it causes hoop tension
around your midsection like a girdle or corset. The transverse
abdominis will, if working properly, contract before the
extremities move, according to Diana Lee. If this muscle does
not tighten up, acting as a girdle around your waist, your spine
and pelvis are at higher risk of injury.
If the spine is unstable the nervous system will not recruit the
extremity muscles efficiently and assist with functional
movement correctly. For example, if you bend over to pick up
the laundry basket and your transverse abdominis does not
activate properly, this leads to all stabilization occurring at the
segmental (one-joint) level. This stress eventually leads to
overload of the segmental stabilizers and—POW! You have
massive lower back pain. This occurs because the segments of
your spine tighten down but the gross stabilizer (transverse
abdominis) does not leave the segments to work on their own.
They cannot provide enough muscular strength at the
segmental level to withstand such a movement. Now can you
imagine lifting weights, grabbing a suitcase off the conveyor
belt, or reaching overhead to get down a box of heavy tapes?
When the transverse abdominis does not work properly the
joints will begin early degeneration, leading to many
orthopedic problems.
To activate the transverse abdominis, draw your belly button up
and in toward your spine. This activation should be done before
bending over or reaching overhead, especially with heavy loads.
A little trick is to get a string and tie it around your waist at the
belly button level. Draw your abdomen up and in toward your
spine as far you can, then let it out about three-quarters of the
way and tie the string at that point. It should be tight, but not
noticeably. If your TV relaxes and extends your abdominal wall,
the string will tighten up and you will immediately get
feedback.

Multifidus
The next muscle we must look at is the multifidus. This muscle
lies deep in the spine, spanning three joint segments. The
multifidus works to provide joint stabilization at each segmental
level. Each vertebra needs stiffness and stability to work
effectively to reduce degeneration of joint structures.
Pelvic Floor
The pelvic floor is our next set of muscles that spans the area
underneath the pelvis. It is important for the pelvic floor and
the inner unit to work properly. In many cases because of
operations such as hernias, hysterectomies, and C-section
childbirth, the inner unit muscles have been cut, reducing
communication to the pelvic floor. By doing simple yet
important exercises we can re-establish communication, tighten
and tone the muscle group, prevent or diminish incontinence,
leakage, and pelvic dysfunction.
Diaphragm
Each of these three muscles, plus the diaphragm, are the target
of inner unit conditioning.
Exercises to Improve the Inner Unit
The basic exercises to improve the inner unit activation are:
4-point Transverse Abdominis Tuck
Horse Stance Series
Heel Slides
After doing inner unit exercises for a while you should notice
your lower abdominal region feeling tighter and firmer.

4-Point Transversus Abdominis Tuck

This exercise is great for isolating the transverse abdominis, for
correcting “pooch belly,” and reconnecting with the nervous
system. It is particularly valuable for pre-surgery preparation
and post-surgery rehabilitation. In surgical procedures such as
caesarean section and hernia, the muscles, nerves, and tissues
are cut, causing a loss of neurological impulse (your brain tries
to call your muscles to wake them up, but the muscles don’t
answer!). Lack of neural drive to the core muscles is one reason
for the belly hanging out. Certain exercises can help reconnect
the nervous and muscular systems so your “pooch belly” gets
the message from the brain loud and clear and pulls those
muscles in.
Note: Using a dowel rod can help you keep good neutral
exercise posture and provide biofeedback. (As the rod touches
different parts of your body, it makes you aware of your body
position.) If you use the dowel technique, place the rod along
your spine, making sure the back of your head, upper back, and
tailbone are in contact with the rod.
Position:
Get down on all fours as though you were going to
crawl. Place your hands directly underneath your shoulders and
your knees directly beneath your hips.
Movement:
1. Inhale and let the transverse abdominis hang out toward the
floor.
2. Exhale, drawing the belly button in toward the spine.
Avoid any spinal movement during this exercise such as
contracting the glutes, hamstrings, or external rotators.

Horse Stance Vertical

The first exercise in the Horse Stance series is the Horse Stance
Vertical, which integrates the stabilizer muscles of your spinal
column with the other muscles of the inner unit. It targets the
inner unit (multifidus, pelvic floor, transverse abdominis, and
diaphragm).
Position: Get down on all fours with your hands directly
underneath your shoulders and your elbows slightly bent. Your
knees should be directly beneath your hips at a 90-degree
angle.
Movement:
1. Raise your left hand and right knee approximately one
centimeter off the ground (that’s about the thickness of a
magazine—look closely at the center photograph and you
will see the hand slightly off the matt. The right knee is also
raised slightly off the matt, although it cannot be seen in the
photograph). Hold this position for 10 seconds.
2. Repeat with the right hand and left knee.
3. Alternate back and forth until you have done the exercise for
a total of 2 minutes.
To help you with proper exercise duration, use a kitchen timer.
Do not let your hamstrings flex the lower leg toward the ceiling.
Ensure that your pelvis does not shift into the hip that is in
contact with the ground.

Heel Slides

Note: This exercise requires a blood pressure cuff.
Heel slides are a great integration exercise for the inner unit,
lower abdominals, and lower extremities (your outer unit).
Position: Lie supine (back down, face up) on the floor with your
shoes off. Bend your hips and knees, placing your heels about 8
inches from the buttocks. Keep your spine in a neutral position.
Place a blood pressure cuff under your lumbar spine. Pump the
cuff up to 40 mm Hg and take a deep diaphragmatic breath.
Movement:
1. Slowly exhale and draw your belly button in toward your
spine.
2. Slowly slide the left leg out, away from the starting position.
There should be very little movement of the blood pressure
cuff needle. If the pressure on the cuff begins to increase or
decrease by more than 5 mm Hg, stop the movement and
slide your leg back to the beginning position. Make a note of
the distance. The distance is now your ending point.
The goal is to extend your leg farther out without the blood
pressure cuff changing its reading. The farther you can
extend your leg, the better the integration of your inner unit
and outer unit.
3. Repeat for the opposite leg.
4. Repeat for the prescribed number of reps.
Try to achieve 10 reps at a slow pace for each leg. Do not rush
this exercise.
Do this exercise daily until you can alternate sliding each leg in
and out, keeping the blood pressure cuff at 40 mm Hg.

The Importance of Posture

2012-06-21T07:53:00.001-07:00

VIRTUALLY EVERYONE—young and old, male or female—has a
deep desire to improve his or her life. However, many people
have orthopedic problems that prevent them from improving
their bodies. These problems occur from a lack of core
stabilization and strength, leading to poor posture.
Our bodies were designed to withstand many environmental
conditions. The ability to stabilize our core musculature is vital
to our existence. Our ancient ancestors could not afford to have
back pain. They needed to function on a basic level that
involved moving rocks, building shelter, climbing mountains, or
running after food. If they had a bad back or poor core
stabilization and strength, their likelihood of survival would
have been deeply diminished.

Core Stabilization and Strength

Our core musculature contributes to vital functions within our
bodies and enables us to perform simple to complex tasks.
Without good control or stabilization and a thorough
understanding of what contributes to core stabilization and
strength, we can fall prey to many of modern society’s ailments.
Lower back pain is the number one patient complaint in
America.
Many problems and orthopedic injuries result from poor core
stabilization and strength. Females appear to be at a higher risk of suffering such injuries. Jame Zachazewki shows evidence of this in a study he conducted in 1996. He discovered that women
have a lack of strength in the lower abdominals and pelvic floor
muscles. He explained that 47% of females age 38 and above
suffer from incontinence. However, women who participated in
a regular weight-training program reduced the incidence of
incontinence to only 4%.

The Benefits of Weight Training

A weight-training program enables the body to communicate
better and increase strength and stabilization. Elderly women
can further benefit from a weight training program, which can
improve balance, increase muscle mass, influence bone density
(combating osteoporosis), and help to manage osteoarthritis.

We first must look at the functional anatomy of our core
musculature. We need to understand the benefits that a good
core conditioning program can have on our livelihood. A core
conditioning program will decrease the likelihood of back and
neck pain, incontinence, ruptured disks, muscle and ligament
strains, all while improving posture.
To begin understanding the complexity of our core and how it
relates to overall function, we must address the inner an outer
unit and how they work in harmony allowing us to function at a
higher level.
A simple and brief anatomy lesson should help you understand
how these units work. The muscles involved are broken down
into separate but interconnected inner and outer units. The
inner unit is the topic of the next post.

Static Stretching part 2

2012-06-20T16:43:00.002-07:00

Chest Stretch #1
• Stand next to a doorframe. Raise elbow to shoulder height and rotate arm so that your hand is up (as if in a throwing position with elbow in line with your shoulder).
• Press your elbow against the doorframe and slowly and gently rotate your upper body away from your elbow. Feel the stretch across the front of your shoulder and chest.
• Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat for the other side.

Chest Stretch #2
• Stand with your arm out-stretched and hand pressed against a wall or support.
• Rotate your hips and feet away from your arm, to increase the stretch felt across the chest muscle. Hold that position for 20 seconds and then repeat for the other side.

Shoulder Stretch
• Raise your arm to shoulder height and bring your arm across the front of your body.
• If using your right arm, your right hand should rest at your left shoulder.
• Take your left arm and place it behind your right elbow. Slowly and gently apply pressure just above your right elbow to feel a stretch in the back of the right shoulder.
• Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat for the other side.

Static Stretching part 1

2012-06-20T16:39:00.001-07:00

Psoas Stretch
• Kneel on your right knee and place your left foot 1-2 feet ahead of your right knee.
• You should be in a straight line (similar to the bottom position in a lunge).
• Slowly lean forward until you feel a moderate stretch in the hip flexor area (the front side of leg at the hip level)
• Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and then switch sides.

Hamstring Stretch
• Lie on your back with both legs flat. Slightly bend your right knee.
• Now raise your right leg straight up in the air and try to bring it back until it is perpendicular to the floor. Keep the other leg flat and straight on the ground.
• As you raise your leg, you will begin to feel a stretch in the hamstring.
• Bring the leg up until a moderate stretch is felt. Support the leg in that position by holding it up with your hands or a towel looped around your foot.
• Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and then switch sides.

Glute Stretch
• Lie on your back with both legs flat. Slightly bend your right knee.
• Raise your left leg straight up in the air.
• Slowly lower the left leg straight across the body while trying to keep your lower back pressed into the floor.
• Support the leg by looping a towel around your foot.
• You should feel the stretch over your hip and in your glute on your left side.
• Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat for the other side.

Quadriceps Stretch
• Lie on your right side.
• Bring your left ankle back to your butt and grasp it with your left hand.
• Keep the knee in line with the hip.
• The stretch will be in the front of your left leg (thigh).
• Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat for the other side.

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #5-1

2012-06-20T16:34:00.001-07:00

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #5
Stability Ball Jackknife plus Pushup
• Brace your abs. Put your hands flat on the floor and rest your shins on the ball.
• With your arms straight and your back flat, your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.
• Keeping your back straight (don't round it), roll the ball as close to your chest as possible by contracting your abs and pulling it forward.
• Pause and then return the ball to the starting position by rolling it backward.
• Then do a push-up. That is one rep.

X-Body Mountain Climber
• Brace your abs. Start in the top of the push-up position.
• Keep your abs braced, pick one foot up off the floor, and slowly bring your knee up to your opposite shoulder. Do not let your hips sag.
• Keep your abs braced and slowly return your leg to the start position.
• Alternate sides until you complete all of the required repetitions.

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #5

2012-06-20T16:30:00.001-07:00

Bulgarian Split Squat
• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Place the instep of one foot on a bench. Step forward with the other foot, taking a slightly larger than normal step.
• Contract your glutes, brace your abs and keep your spine in a neutral position.
• Lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the ground.
• Keep your upper body upright and your lower back flat.
• Push up to the upright position. Stay in a split-squat stance.
• Perform all reps for one leg and then switch.

Underhand Inverted Row
• Set a bar at hip height in the smith machine or squat rack.
• Lie underneath the bar and grab it with an underhand grip an inch or two wider than shoulder-width apart. Row yourself up the top position with your upper back and lats.
• Keep the abs braced and body in a straight line from toes (knees) to shoulders.
• Slowly return to the start position.

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #3-1

2012-06-20T16:24:00.002-07:00

DB Split Squat
• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Step forward with your right leg, taking a slightly larger than normal step.
• Press the front of your back foot (left foot) into the ground and use it to help keep your balance. The left knee should also be bent.
• Contract your glutes, brace your abs and keep your spine in a neutral position.
• Lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground.
• Keep your upper body upright and your lower back flat.
• Push up to the upright position, but don’t step back. Stay in a split-squat stance.
• Perform all reps for one leg and then switch.

Stability Ball Leg Curl
• Lie on your back with the soles of your feet on a medium-sized Stability Ball.
• Brace your abs, and contract your glutes (butt muscles) as if you were squeezing something between your cheeks. Bridge your hips up by contracting your glutes.
• Keep your abs braced and contract your hamstrings and slowly curl the ball back towards your hips while keeping your hips bridged.
• Pause and slowly return the ball to the start position while keeping the hips bridged.

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #3

2012-06-20T16:16:00.001-07:00

DB Row
• Rest the left hand and left knee on a flat bench, lean over and keep the back flat.
• Hold the dumbbell in the right hand in full extension and slowly row it up to the lower abdomen.
• Keep the low back tensed in a neutral position and the elbow tight to the side.
• Do NOT round your lower back.

Decline Push-up
• Keep the abs braced and body in a straight line from toes to shoulders.
• Place the hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Elevate your feet onto stairs or a bench.
• Slowly lower yourself down until you are 2 inches off the ground.
• Push through your chest, shoulders and triceps to return to the start position.
• Keep your body in a straight line at all times.

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #2-2

2012-06-20T16:13:00.000-07:00

Elevated Pushups
• Keep the abs braced and body in a straight line from knees to shoulders.
• Place the left hand on the floor and the right hand elevated 4-6 inches on an aerobic step. Hands are slightly wider than shoulder width apart (normal pushup width).
• Slowly lower yourself down until you are 2 inches off the ground.
• Push through your chest, shoulders and triceps to return to the start position.
• Keep your body in a straight line at all times.
• Perform all repetitions in this manner and then switch to do all repetitions with the other arm elevated. Keep your abs braced.

Jumping Jacks
• Stand on the balls of your feet with your feet shoulder width-apart and arms by side.
• Jump your feet out to your sides and raise your hands overhead at the same time.
• This is a combination warm-up and ab exercise that can also be used for circuits.

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #2-1

2012-06-20T16:08:00.002-07:00

Stick-up
• Stand with your back against a wall. Your feet should be 6 inches away from the wall and your butt, upper back, and head should all be in contact with the wall at all times in the exercise.
• Stick your hands up overhead. Try to keep your shoulders, elbows, and wrists in contact with the wall at all times.
• Slide your arms down the wall and tuck your elbows into your sides. This should bring your shoulder blades down and together. You should feel a strong contraction in the muscles between your shoulder blades as well as the shoulder muscles.
• From the bottom position, try to slowly slide your arms up until they are straight and in a "stick-em up" position. Again, try to keep everything in contact with the wall.
• Try to improve your range of motion in this exercise each week.
• The goal is to improve shoulder mobility and postural control.

Touchdown Forward Lunge
• Raise your hands up over your head. Keep your arms straight and palms forward.
• Pull your shoulder blades together. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Step forward with one leg, taking a slightly larger than normal step.
• Keep the ball of your other foot on the ground and use it to help keep your balance.
• The back knee must also be bent and lowers to 1-inch from the ground.
• Lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the ground.
• Keep your upper body upright and your low back flat.
• Push with your front leg to return to the starting position.

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #2

2012-06-20T16:02:00.001-07:00

T-Pushup
• Keep the abs braced and body in a straight line from toes to shoulders.
• Place the hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Slowly lower yourself down until you are 2 inches off the ground.
• Push off to return to the start position.
• As you come up, rotate to one side and point that arm towards the ceiling.
• Alternate sides with each rep.

Pull-up
• Grasp the bar with an overhand, wide grip.
• Pull yourself up.

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #1-1

2012-06-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

Burpees
• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Drop down onto your hands and feet, then thrust your feet back so you are in a push-up position. Thrust your feet back in and then stand up.
• You can add a vertical jump at the end as well.
Exercise Descriptions – Workout #2
Y-Squat
• Hold your hands over your head in a “Y” formation at all times.
• Keep your upper back and shoulders tensed throughout the exercise.
• Stand with your feet just greater than shoulder-width apart.
• Start the movement at the hip joint. Push your hips backward and “sit back into a chair”. Make your hips go back as far as possible.
• Squat as deep as possible, but keep your low back tensed in a neutral position.
• Don’t let your lower back become rounded.
• Push with your glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps to return to the start position.

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #1

2012-06-20T11:05:00.001-07:00

Disclaimer:
You must have a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) or Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) provide you with instruction on correct form for all exercises.
Dumbbell Squat
• Stand with your feet just greater than shoulder-width apart.
• Start the movement at the hip joint. Push your hips backward and “sit back into a chair”. Make your hips go back as far as possible.
• Squat as deep as possible, but keep your low back tensed in a neutral position.
• Push with your glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps to return to the start position.
• For the dumbbell squat, hold a dumbbell in each hand on the outside of your legs.
• Do NOT round your lower back. I am not letting my back round in the photo.
DB Chest Press
• Hold the dumbbells above your chest with your palms turned toward your feet.
• Lower the dumbbells to chest level. Press the dumbbells straight up above the chest.

10-Minute Workouts: 4-Week Program

2012-06-20T10:57:00.001-07:00

Workout #1 – Superset plus Burpees
• Use a weight that would normally allow you to do 10 reps in the DB Chest Press.
• The first round of the superset should be a warm-up. Do only half the recommended number of repetitions in the first superset.
• After completing 3 supersets, do 3 rounds of Burpees or Jumping Jacks. In each round, do Burpees or Jumping Jacks for 30 seconds straight and then rest 30 seconds.
1A) DB Squat (12 reps)
• No rest.
1B) DB Chest Press (8 reps)
• Rest 30 seconds and then repeat 2 more times before moving on to Burpees.
2) Burpees or Jumping Jacks (30 seconds)
• Rest 30 seconds and then repeat 2 more times.
Workout #2 – Bodyweight Circuit
• Perform each exercise one after the other with no rest between exercises.
• Rest 30 seconds before repeating the circuit.
• Try to complete 3 rounds of the circuit.

• Use the first round as a warm-up, and perform half the recommended number of repetitions for each exercise.
1A) Y-Squat (15 reps)
1B) T-Pushup (6 reps per side)
1C) Pull-up or Stick-up (10 reps)
1D) Touchdown Forward Lunge (10 reps per side)
1E) Elevated Pushups (10 reps per side)
1F) Jumping Jacks (50 reps)

Workout #3 – DB-BW Supersets
• Go through each superset 3 times.
• The first superset should be a warm-up doing only 50% of the recommended reps.
• Do not rest within supersets. Rest 30 seconds after each superset.
1A) DB Row (8 reps per side)
• No rest
1B) Decline Pushup (15 repetitions)
• Rest 30 seconds before repeating the superset 2 more times.
2A) DB Split Squat (8 reps per side)
• No rest
2B) Stability Ball Leg Curl (15 repetitions)
• Rest 30 seconds before repeating the superset 2 more times.
Workout #4 – Intervals
• Warm-up for 3 minutes.
• Work for 30 seconds at a hard pace (at a subjective 8/10 level of intensity).
• Follow that with “active rest” for 60 seconds by exercising at a slow pace (at a subjective 3/10 level of intensity).
• Repeat for 3 intervals.
• Finish with 3 minutes of a cool-down at a 4/10 level of intensity.
Workout #5 – Bodyweight Circuit
• Perform each exercise one after the other with no rest between exercises.
• Rest 30 seconds before repeating the circuit.
• Try to complete 3 rounds of the circuit.
• Use the first round as a warm-up, and perform half the recommended number of repetitions for each exercise.
1A) Bulgarian Split Squat (12 reps per side)
1B) Underhand Inverted Row or Stick-up (12 reps)
1C) Stability Ball Jackknife plus Push-up (12 reps)
1D) Stability Ball Leg Curl (12 reps)
1E) X-Body Mountain Climbers (12 reps per side)

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #1

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #1-1

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #2

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #2-1

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #2-2

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #3

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #3-1

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #5

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #5-1

10-Minute Workout Guidelines

2012-06-20T10:54:00.001-07:00

Disclaimer: See your physician before starting any exercise or nutrition program. You must have a complete physical examination if you are sedentary, if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, if you are overweight, or if you are over 30 years old. Please discuss all nutritional changes with your physician or a registered dietician.
• Perform this program for 4 weeks then switch to another workout.
• Do up to five 10-minute workouts per week.
• Pairs of exercises (i.e. 1A & 1B) constitute “Supersets”.
• Two or more exercises constitute a circuit (1A-1D or 1A-1F).
• Use a controlled pace for each traditional exercise, but move explosively for Burpees and Jumping Jacks.
• Don’t train to failure in the DB exercises. You should be able to do 1 more rep at the end of each set. You can train to failure in the BW exercises.
• Finish each workout with stretching for the tight muscle groups only if desired.
• Warm-ups are built-into the 10-minute workouts.

10 Tips to Train SAFE!

2012-06-20T10:48:00.002-07:00

It is very important for all of us to train conservatively and not overdo things.
1) Don't do any exercise that you aren't sure how to do. Always get personal instruction from a certified trainer.
2) Don't do anything that hurts or "doesn't feel right". There are plenty of alternative exercises for every movement. Just ask us on
3) Whenever you start a NEW program, use lighter weights than normal, and only 1 set per exercise. You must expect extra soreness when starting a new program just because of the new exercises, so don't try to set world records in a new program right away.
4) If you need extra recovery within the workout or between workouts, don't hesitate to take it. Safety first. 5) Use a spotter if you are training with heavy weights. If you train alone at home, follow my recommendations in the manual and do NOT train to failure.
6) Check your ego at the gym door and start with the easier alternative exercises if appropriate, even if you have exercised in the past. The new exercises, and new style of movements will cause muscle soreness even from workouts you think "look easy".

7) Do NOT do interval training more than 4 times per week. Even pro athletes don't play hard everyday, so why should we?
8) Never skip a warm-up. Use the general bodyweight warm-ups and the specific warm-up sets in each TT workout.
9) If you want to start TT but think you have an injury, get medical attention and have a professional therapist rehabilitate your injury before starting an exercise program. 10)
Check with your doctor before starting any new exercise or diet program. All together now, "Safety first!" Bonus
11) If you decide to use running as your form of interval training, make sure you have good running shoes, always do an extra thorough warm-up, and choose a safe running surface (grass or trails rather than pavement/concrete). If you use a treadmill, please operate it safely.

application and consistency are everything

2012-06-20T10:38:00.001-07:00

You can have the most effective workout schedule possible, the most intelligent diet approach available and the most intimate understanding of muscle growth from every possible angle, but without the inner drive and motivation to succeed you will get nowhere, and very fast.
Just as the famous saying goes…
“Knowing is NOT enough. You must APPLY!”
Those who make the greatest gains in muscular size and strength are the ones who are able to continually and systematically implement the proper techniques on a consistent basis.
Building muscle is a result of the cumulative effect of small steps.
Sure, performing 1 extra rep on your bench press will not make a huge difference to your overall results, and neither will consuming a single meal. However, over the long haul, all of those extra reps you perform and all of those single meals you consume will decide your overall success.

If you work hard and complete all of your muscle-building tasks in a consistent fashion, all of those individual steps will equate to massive gains in overall size and strength.
It is those who are willing to persevere that will succeed.
It is those who are willing to rise above laziness that will end up with the most impressive results.
I mean let's face it, everyone wants to be strong and muscular. If this is the case, why isn't everyone strong and muscular? It's because only certain people have the proper drive and motivation that it takes to get there.
Do you have what it takes?

don't emphasis on dietary supplements.

2012-06-20T10:22:00.002-07:00

If you really think that pills, powders and drink mixes are going to build your body for you, you’re in for a huge disappointment! It continues to amaze me how much value and emphasis the majority of trainees place on “the latest breakthrough pill”.
Everyone is always asking me…
“What’s the best creatine out there?”
“How much weight can I gain from this whey protein supplement?”
“I have $200 a month to spend on supplements… what should I buy?”
Stop the madness!
A supplement is just that… a supplement.
It is there to supplement your diet by filling in the missing gaps and by providing you with greater amounts of specific nutrients that will slightly speed up your progress. Supplements are NOT there to do the work for you and will only play a small role in your overall success in the gym.
Stop falling for the multi-million dollar ads that talk about the latest “revolutionary discovery” that will allow you to build 25 pounds of muscle while you lie on the couch.
As advanced as we’ve become as a society, the basic rules of hard work and dedication still apply. If you want to change your physique, then hard training in the gym and a consistent diet plan is the only true way to get there.

Now, this doesn’t mean that I’m AGAINST the use of supplements; I’m merely against the over-use and over-emphasis of supplements. There are a few good, solid, effective products out there that I do recommend, but only as a small part of your overall approach.
My 5 “recommended” supplements include…
1) Protein supplements (whey protein, meal replacements, weight gainers and the occasional protein bar) 2) Creatine 3) Glutamine 4) Multivitamins 5) Essential Fatty Acids I’m not going to talk about all of the specific benefits of each product in this report, but if you’re looking to accelerate your progress in the gym and achieve the best results possible, then those are the only 5 products that I would truly recommend.
I’m a big believer in the basics, and the plain fact is that most trainees are way more concerned with their supplement programs than they really need to be. It’s only natural, I mean, who wouldn’t want to pound back a couple of “orange-flavoured creatine cocktails” and watch their biceps explode through their sleeves?
Unfortunately it just doesn’t work this way. If something sounds too good to be true, then it usually is.
Hard training and a consistent diet is your only ticket to long-term success!

Avoid overtraining

2012-06-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

This is one of the most common and most deadly mistakes that almost all beginners run into. They naturally assume that the more overall work they perform in the gym, the greater their results will be.
Heck, when I was a beginner myself I thought the same thing.
Who can blame us for thinking that?
In almost all aspects of life this basic logic holds true. If you want to perform well on a school test, you need to maximize your studying time. If you want to improve your skills in a specific sport, you need to practice as much as possible.
When it comes to training for muscular size and strength, you can take this basic logic and toss it right out the window, down the street and around the corner!
The key thing to realize is that your muscles will NOT grow larger and stronger if they are stressed beyond the point of recovery. Remember, training with weights is merely an activity that sets the wheels in motion; it “sparks” the muscle growth process and “tells” your body to start building new muscle tissue… But the actual growth process takes place away from the gym while you’re eating and resting.
If you disturb the recovery process, your muscles cannot rebuild themselves.
Overtraining is your number one enemy! Your goal in the gym is to perform the minimum amount of work necessary in order to yield an adaptive response from the body, and not a THING more.
You can avoid overtraining in the following ways…

1) Limit the number of sets that you perform during each workout – You should perform a total of 5-7 sets for large muscle groups (chest, back and thighs) and 2-4 total sets for small muscle groups (shoulders, biceps, triceps, calves and abs). And remember, this is total sets per WORKOUT, not per exercise.
2) Limit the amount of time spent in the gym – Each workout should not last for any more than 1 hour. This time frame comes into play beginning with your first muscle-building set and ends with your final muscle-building set.
3) Limit your training frequency for each muscle group – Each specific muscle group should only be directly stimulated once per week in order to allow for full recovery time. If you’ve been following the “more is better” mentality then you may find it hard to let go of, but believe me, as long as you train hard, you do NOT need to train often or with very many sets and exercises.
In fact, performing too much work in the gym may actually cause your muscles to become smaller and weaker.

Be prepared to train hard

2012-06-20T10:00:00.002-07:00

If you think that building muscle is going to be a walk in the park and that you can simply enter the gym, “go through the motions” and then go home, you are sadly mistaken.
The reality is that if you want to experience any appreciable gains in muscle size and strength, you’re going to have to be prepared to train hard. This is one of the key factors separating those who make modest gains from those who make outstanding gains.
Most people just plain don’t train hard enough!
As soon as the exercise starts to get difficult their spotter jumps in and begins needlessly assisting them, or they simply put the weight down altogether.
BIG mistake!
The gym is a war zone, and if you want to be victorious, you must be willing to endure the battle.
Intense weightlifting is perceived as a threat to your survival, and the body responds to this by increasing the size and strength of the muscles to battle against the threat. Therefore, in order to see the most dramatic response in size and strength, you must push your body as hard as you safely can.
This can be achieved by performing all sets in the gym to the point of concentric muscular failure…
Concentric Muscular Failure: The point at which no further positive repetitions can be performed using proper form despite your greatest efforts.

This is very challenging and will require a lot of mental toughness on your part. I’m not going to sit here and feed you a pack of lies by saying that training for muscle size is an easy task. It’s not!
Some argue that training to failure is not necessary in order for muscle growth to occur, and the truth is that they are absolutely correct.
You could never train to failure and over time you would still see gains in muscle mass and strength. The only true requirement for muscle growth to occur is progression.
However, (and that’s a big however) if you’re like 99% of the population, then you want to experience those gains as quickly and efficiently as you possibly can. While training to failure isn’t necessary for growth to occur, it IS necessary if you want maximum growth to occur in the shortest period of time possible.

Keep a detailed record of your work out performance

2012-06-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

This muscle-building technique should form the underlying basis for your entire workout plan. When it comes to structuring a proper approach in the gym, this is the most important overall factor, bar none.
Everyone is so obsessed with all of the specific principles in the gym (such as exercise selection, rep ranges, which days to spend in the gym, how many sets to perform etc.) that they fail to see the big picture.
Regardless of what type of approach you are taking in the gym, the underlying factor for success is progression.
Our bodies build muscle because of an adaptive response to the environment. When you go to the gym, you break down your muscle fibers by training with weights. Your body senses this as a potential threat to its survival and will react accordingly by rebuilding the damaged fibers larger and stronger in order to protect against any possible future threat.
Therefore, in order to make continual gains in muscle size and strength, you must focus on progressing in the gym from week to week in order to consistently increase the stress level.
Progression can take 2 main forms:
a) Increasing the amount of weight lifted on a specific exercise
. b) Increasing the number of reps performed with a given weight on a given exercise.
If you’re able to improve on at least one of the above factors each week in the gym, your body will be given continual incentive to grow larger and stronger.

If you neglect these factors and enter the gym without a concrete plan in mind, you’ll be ignoring the very foundation of the entire muscle growth process, and your gains will surely stagnate.
Your goal is to always be getting better from week to week!
In order to keep track of your progress and to make sure that you’re seeing continued improvement, I’d highly suggest making use of a workout logbook.
You should write down the date, the muscles you’re training, all of the exercises that you performed, the weight that you lifted and the number of reps you were able to execute.
The next time you enter the gym, sit down for a minute before your workout and review those numbers. Your goal is to now improve upon all of those figures by either using slightly more weight or performing an additional rep or two.

Increase your water intake.

2012-06-20T09:51:00.001-07:00

Water is an absolutely critical component to the muscle-building process and to overall body health in general. Failing to keep yourself properly hydrated throughout the day will have a negative impact on literally every single process within your entire body!
Most people know that they should be drinking "plenty" of water every day, but how many actually do?
If you really paid close attention to your water intake you'd probably be surprised at how little you actually consume.
What makes proper water intake so amazingly important?
Well for starters, it’s the most abundant element in your body. It is ranked only 2nd to oxygen as being essential to life.
Your body can survive for weeks without food, but without water you'd be dead in just a few days.
Roughly 80% of your body is made up of water; the brain is 85% water and lean muscle tissue is 70% water.
Research has shown that being even slightly dehydrated can decrease strength and physical performance significantly. In fact, merely a 3-4% drop in your body's water levels will lead to a 10-20% decrease in muscle contractions.

Not only will water increase your strength, but it also plays a large role in preventing injuries in the gym. Highly intensive training over a long period of time can put unwanted stress on your joints and connective tissue, and water helps to fight against this stress by lubricating the joints and forming a protective "cushion" around them.
So, just how much water is enough?
To find out how many ounces of water you should be consuming every day, multiply your bodyweight by 0.6. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be consuming around 90 ounces of water every day.
150 x 0.6 = 90
I know it sounds like a lot, but if you plan your day out properly it shouldn't be a problem. Keep a water bottle with you at all times and sip from it periodically. Keep water in the places where you spend most of your time: in your car, at work, on your nightstand etc.
Another good method to ensure that you drink enough water is to pre-fill a few 16 ounce bottles at the beginning of the day. This way you can have a visual representation of where your water consumption is at any point in the day.
For the first few days you'll probably find yourself running to the bathroom quite frequently, but your body will soon adapt to the increased water volume and this will no longer be a problem.