Sturdy Planks

We all want a strong core that enhances performance and prevents injury. One of the simplest and most effective exercises to achieve this is the plank. Today’s plank is less scary then the ones pirates walked. But it needs to be performed correctly to avoid injury and provide maximum benefit.

Abs of wood

The plank is a simple abdominal exercise designed to improve core strength and balance. You can do it anywhere, and it requires no equipment and very little skill to perform. With summer fast approaching, this is the perfect exercise to add to your outdoor training routine.

Not only does this exercise build a stronger core, but it also improves strength in other areas of your body.

The plank is a popular aspect of isometric training. Isometric training keeps muscle length and joint angle the same for the duration of a given exercise. Isometric exercises

• are low impact
• enhance strength and stability and are great for rehabilitation
• require minimal time while still being effective

Plank benefits

Strength

The plank improves strength in your quads, glutes, back, shoulders, and chest. It aids reconditioning after an injury. But most of all, it targets the three major abdominal muscles: rectus abdominis, obliques, and transversus abdominis. These muscles play a key role in protecting your spine during activity.

Better posture

When performed correctly, the plank can improve postural deficiencies, making you look and feel better. Weak core muscles can contribute to poor posture, leading to unhealthy movement paths during activity. This is a major problem because many of us spend too much time sitting each day. Strengthening core muscles can resolve many of the issues associated with long periods in a chair.

Effective warm-up

The plank is a great way to warm up muscles before sport or activity. It helps activate the nervous system, as well as many major muscle groups throughout the body. At the same time, it won’t overload the muscles and cause unnecessary fatigue. Whether you are preparing for a run on your favourite trail or to surf a rugged stretch of coast, incorporate a few sets of planks beforehand to help wake up dormant muscles.

With all those benefits, you may want to go plank-wild, but remember: rest and recovery are extremely important for injury prevention and improved strength. Core muscles should not be trained every day, so be sure to schedule rest days.

Better than crunches?

A 2011 study found that planks keep core muscles more than two times as active “compared to a traditional trunk flexion and extension exercise.”

Even though planks and crunches both work core muscles, the plank activates more muscles throughout your body and helps to create more effective stabilization through your spine and hips. Strong stabilizers around your core are vital to your overall health and performance in almost every activity. Runners, cyclists, swimmers, and summertime sports enthusiasts can all benefit from this exercise.

Lastly, planks are generally safer than crunches and sit-ups and can actually help prevent lower back pain. Traditional sit-ups put a lot of stress on your lower back and neck and can increase your risk for back injury.

Planks, however, may raise blood pressure, so speak with your health care practitioner before incorporating planks into your workouts.

Starting off

When performing a plank, correct form is essential in order to protect your joints and target the right muscle groups. Here are a few tips to perform an effective front plank.

• From a push-up position, lower your forearms to the ground, ensuring your body forms a straight line from your ankles to your head.
• Squeeze your butt to activate your glutes and neutralize your hips.
• Tighten the core muscles of your abdomen.
• Position your elbows directly underneath your shoulders and look straight down at the floor.

Holding

Your level of experience and core strength will determine how long you can hold the plank position. If you are a beginner, start with two sets, holding each one for 20 to 30 seconds. As your strength improves, increase the amount of time each set is held for. Once a 30-second hold becomes easy, you can also add variations, such as lifting one foot or arm off the floor.

Progress slowly and don’t increase the duration of each set too quickly. Listen to your body, and remember that quality over quantity is the key to success. If you begin to break form but persist, the plank can do more harm than good.

Adding variation

When you feel ready, try different forms of the exercise. Incorporating tools such as an exercise ball or half-ball is a great way to challenge your physical strength and mental focus. Here are a few intermediate and advanced variations to try.

Side plank

This variation targets the oblique muscles, which are important core stabilizers.

Lie on your left side with your knees straight, glutes engaged, and back straight.

Prop yourself up on your left elbow and forearm, ensuring your elbow is under your shoulder.

• Brace your core by contacting your abs.
• Raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from your ankles to your shoulders.
• Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds.
• Switch sides and repeat. Complete two sets.

Side plank with abduction

This variation of the side plank will further target your glute muscles.

• From the side plank position, lift your top leg just higher than hip level and slowly lower it back down.
• Keep your spine lengthened and ensure your glutes and abs are engaged.
• Perform 8 to 10 repetitions on each side.

Front plank on exercise ball

This variation requires additional core strength to counteract the movement of the exercise ball and is a great intermediate exercise.

• Adopt a posture similar to a front plank, but position your forearms on an exercise ball.
• Ensure your legs are straight, core is engaged, and elbows are positioned underneath your shoulders.
• Hold for 30 seconds, working up to one minute as you get stronger.
• Perform 1 to 2 sets to begin with; work up to 3 to 4 sets.

Plank walk-up to push-up

This dynamic variation will build strength in your arms, shoulders, and chest.

Get into a push-up position with your hands positioned under your shoulders, arms fully extended.

• Starting with the right side, lower your elbow to the ground exactly where your hand was positioned.
• Lower your left elbow in the same way.
• From this front plank position, return to the starting push-up position.
• Perform 8 to 10 repetitions leading with your right elbow.
• Then complete 8 to 10 starting with your left side.

About the Author

Michael Foston, ASc, BCRPA PT, believes in the work hard, play hard concept and understands having a strong core is important for performing optimally in activities he is passionate about.
© 2005 - 2015 ALIVE PUBLISHING GROUP

Read More

Measuring Body Fat

Many people who are watching their weight — or trying to lose some pounds — turn to their bathroom scale. But that old familiar standby is not the only way to measure one’s size. Another possibility to consider is your body fat percentage.

Body Fat: What Are the Dangers?

When most of us hear the words "body fat" they have immediate negative connotations. However, in the right proportion, fat is actually critical to our diet and health. In the not-so-distant past, the ability to store extra body fat allowed our ancestors to survive in times of famine, when food was hard to come by. Even today it’s essential to keep the body functioning, to preserve body heat, and to protect organs from trauma.

Problems arise when our bodies store too much fat. This can lead to a variety of health issues, including high cholesterol, hypertension, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance. Especially dangerous is fat stored at the waist, creating what is often called an “apple-shaped” body, as opposed to fat on the hips and thighs, a “pear-shaped” body.

“Normal body fat for men is around 8 to 15 percent of their total body weight and for women approximately 20 to 30 percent,” says Caroline Apovian, MD, associate professor of medicine and pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and director of the Center for Nutrition and Weight Management at Boston Medical Center.

Body Fat: How Can It Be Measured?

There are a variety of ways to measure the amount of body fat a person is carrying. “The most accurate way is ‘underwater weighing,’ which weighs the person on land and then underwater,” says Mary M. Flynn, PhD, RD, chief research dietitian and assistant professor of medicine at the Miriam Hospital and Brown University in Providence, R.I. “But equipment for this is very expensive and not readily available.”

Another fairly accurate option is Bioelectric Impedance Analysis (BIA). BIA consists of electrodes being placed on a person’s hand and foot while a current (which is not felt) is passed through the body. Fat has less water and is more resistant to the current, whereas muscle, which contains more water, is less resistant. The resulting numbers are entered into an equation which figures the percentage of fat and lean tissue.

The easiest method is measuring waist circumference and determining the Body Mass Index (BMI). A waist circumference over 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men is cause for concern.

Figuring BMI involves a little more calculation. BMI is done by multiplying your weight in pounds by 703, then dividing that number by your height in inches two times. If the end result is less than 18.5, the individual is underweight;18.5 to 24.9 is normal; 25.0 to 29.9 is overweight; and over 30 is obese.

“However, you must be aware of this disclaimer. BMI alone is not an indication of body fat, especially in athletes and bodybuilders. Growing children under 18 years old should also avoid using BMI,” says Elizabeth Downs, RD, clinical dietitian at the Montefiore Medical Center at the University Hospital for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, N.Y.

One final way of determining body fat is using skin calipers to measure fat at specific places in the body. However, not only is it easy to make errors, but this method also doesn’t measure any interior fat or fat contained in thighs and women’s breasts.

Ultimately the percentage of body fat is just another number in the health equation. And if you are not happy with the result, all it takes is adding exercise and cutting calories to get it moving in the right direction.

Copyright © 2015 Everyday Health Media, LLC

Read More

Choosing Protein Wisely

Our bodies need protein to build strong bones, muscles, skin, and cells. Because we can’t store protein in our bodies the way we can store carbohydrates, we need to make sure we eat enough protein every day. But is all protein created equal?

Alexa Schmitt, RD, a clinical nutritionist at Massachusetts General Hospital, says that what makes a protein “good” or “bad” is its saturated fat content. Proteins that are high in saturated fats can raise your cholesterol level, which in turn puts you at higher risk for heart disease. Most adults need to eat 40 to 65 grams of protein each day. And though most Americans already eat more protein than they need, we don't necessarily eat enough of the "good" protein. So how can we make smart choices about which sources of protein to choose?

Good Sources of Protein

Here are a variety of protein choices you probably encounter every day:

• Meats. Schmitt says that salami, steak, and chicken with skin are meats that are high in protein but also high in saturated fat. A six-ounce steak, for instance, has almost all the protein you need for one day, but that same steak has nearly 75 percent of your daily saturated fat intake. Does this mean you have to give up your Italian sub sandwiches or Philly cheesesteaks? Not necessarily. Schmitt recommends moderation: “Try to eat these meats only once or twice a week," she says.
• Lean meats. Luckily, there are also leaner choices for die-hard meat eaters. Chicken, turkey, fish, and beef that is 95 percent lean are still high in protein but have less fat, especially the saturated fats that can lead to high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
• Soy. Schmitt says that soy proteins are rich in protein and low in saturated fats. She recommends edamame (baby soybeans) and vegetarian meat alternatives such as soy nuggets and veggie burgers. Look for these in the refrigerator case at your local supermarket. Edamame is usually served lightly boiled and salted, often as a part of Japanese and Chinese cuisine. If you don’t have an Asian specialty market near you, check the freezer section of conventional supermarkets, which sometimes carry edamame.
• Beans, legumes, and nuts. All varieties of beans are good sources of protein and low in saturated fats, Schmitt says. Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, taste delicious on salads or in hummus, a low-fat dip. Spicy vegetarian chili recipes can be a flavorful alternative to traditional chili. Legumes such as dried peas and lentils can also be used in chili and stews. And nuts, when eaten in moderation, are another good source of protein that is not high in fat.
• Dairy. Dairy products are often overlooked as sources of protein, but they are certainly worth mentioning, says Schmitt. Some dairy products are higher in saturated fat than others. She recommends the low-fat versions of cottage cheese, Greek-style yogurt, and ricotta cheese, not only because of their value as a protein source but because they also make an easy and convenient snack.

In addition to choosing good sources of protein, it can also be useful to plan your meals ahead of time. Advance planning can help you identify the foods that you tend to eat too much of, allowing you to make better substitutions beforehand.

What to Remember About Protein

When choosing protein sources, remember that while you might get the same amount of protein from high- and low-fat options, you run the risk of increasing your blood pressure and cholesterol levels by choosing sources with a higher fat content. Consider leaner cuts of meats and getting more of your daily protein from plant sources to protect your heart.

Copyright © 2015 Everyday Health Media, LLC

Read More