Training Tuesday - Wall Sit

It's time to build up our leg muscles, specifically - the quadriceps.

The wall sit (sometimes referred to as the Roman chair) is a great exercise to strengthen the quadriceps and build endurance in the lower body. All done, while not moving!



This is a static exercise (non-moving) with a focus on a isometric contraction (muscle fibers are contracted but not moving). This is important because this is how we increase our strength but mostly, how we begin to build endurance.

For individuals with knee problems, this is a great alternative to a full range squat or lunge. For first timers working out, this is great to get your alignment down properly before doing a squat on your own.

How to do a proper wall sit:


Stand with your feet hip width apart, a few inches in front of you and your back against the wall.
Keep the shoulder blades and hips pressed against the wall as you begin to slide the body down into a squat position.
As you squat down, your feet will move out far enough that the ankles stay just below your knee joint. If your knee is above your toes, you have come too far.
Ideally, you want to come down enough so your hips and your knees form a 90 degree angle. (beginners may want to decrease that a little bit, 45-80 degrees)


Some people prefer to have their hands on the side of their hips. Others press palms against the wall behind them. You can also have them raised in front of you or even above your head. All these variations will increase or decrease the intensity level of the squat by adding more muscle work to other parts of your body which in turn make the whole body work more. Get creative with your wall sit!



How long do you want to hold the position?
If it's your first time EVER doing any exercise, try for 10 - 15 seconds.
If you're not new to exercise but this is your first time doing this, try for 30+ seconds.
As you get stronger, add 5-10 seconds to the hold to keep up with your increasing endurance levels!

Modification

For those coming from an injury, especially in the low back, may want to modify this movement. Place an exercise ball between your back and the wall. Use the ball as your wall support instead. This will help position the back in a way so that it is more supported and you should be able to do the wall sit normally.



If you have painful knees, don't sit down as low as 90 degrees. Keep it just under that to keep pressure off the knee joint. If pain persists, stop doing this exercise and consult your physician immediately.

Until next time Team, keep working on those killer legs--shorts season is upon us!
Health respect & happiness,
Beki

Training Tuesday - Increase your G-flux

I just read a great article on something called "G-flux". I am re-posting most of the content for you to read. Following these simple concepts will really help with your training and the prize for all your efforts? Increase in metabolic rate which means more calories burnt, win win!

Read on Team!

If you've never heard of G-flux, here's a simple formula for increasing it: Eat more; exercise more. Sounds pretty simple, but let's take a deeper look.

Exercise increases metabolism. Eating increases metabolism. The trick is learning to balance the two so that you still create a negative calorie balance.

Let's back up real quick.

Sendentary people (folks who just sit around and don't exercise) have painfully slow metabolisms. This is due to many hormonal factors resulting from a lack of exercise along with the fact that these individuals never really "teach" their body to burn additional calories.

Likewise, chronic dieters share the same plight. When you chronically under-eat, metabolism shuts down as a starvation protection mechanism and the oh-so-slow metabolism blues start a-playin'.

On the contrary, exercise and eating are metabolism boosters. That being said, it's not very likely that eating more by itself will ever do wonders for your fat loss goals.

But when you combine eating more with a high caloric burn via exercise you get the best of both worlds.

For example, let's say your basal metabolic rate allows you to burn 2000 calories a day. Knowing this, you go on a diet and begin eating 1500 calories a day, putting you 500 calories in the hole. Now, on the surface a 500 calorie deficit would appear to be a good thing, but unfortunately you've done your metaoblism NO favors here. In fact, under-eating only decreases metabolism with each passing day.

So, "dieting" is not the method of choice for creating a calorie deficit.

Now let's take a similar scenario. You burn 2000 calories a day, but instead of "dieting" you start eating 300 calories MORE each day and you also burn 800 extra calories through exercise. The result? The SAME 500 calorie deficit (2800 calories burned, 2300 calories consumed) but you do so while increasing your metabolism through eating and exercising more.

That's the power of G-flux. Apply the concept and watch your metabolism skyrocket.

Until next time Team, keep revving up that metabolism!
Health respect & happiness,
Beki