Out with the old, in with the new!

Things change. Constantly.

There has been no exception in the fitness industry. Moves we considered to be the 'golden rule' have now turned taboo and we are now tuned in to the likes of Tabata training and Pilates. Have you adapted to the times or are you still doting over the likes of jazzercise?

Why change? For so many people change is a hard thing to overcome. Fear of the unknown is one major reason that turns individuals off trying new things. The things that hold you back will often times open your eyes to a whole new horizon, which is more beautiful than the first.


THEN: Crunches for six-pack abs.
NOW: Cardio + Core work = Toned Tummy

Spot training is a goner. Cardio is a key ingredient to melting away fat globally throughout your body. Working in your fat burning or aerobic zone combined with proper strengthening can help you achieve the physique you are seeking.

Crunches are not the most effective workout for the abdominals for many reasons:

1. Improper crunching can cause stress and compressive forces through specific segments in your spine which can lead to back injury.
   
2. Neck injury is common due to the high strain being placed on the neck muscles.
   
3. Working out your Rectus abdominis in isoloation does not give you the core strength necessesary to stabilize your spine.

We now know that other exercises are more effective at targeting the key core muscles necessary for improved function and aesthetic pleasure. Pilates exercises have been shown to have greater effectiveness than crunches when performed properly.

Learn substitutes for crunches here.

THEN: Training for Strength
NOW: Training for function

Bicep curls used to be the exercise. Maybe because you can see a marked hypertrophic (it's bigger!) change in muscle mass in your biceps after doing a set. Back in the day, and probably still a lot now, people tended to focus too much on what was going on in our arms and legs, maybe because they thought that that was where the power was at.

Now we know that the power is actually generated from the core. With weakness in our center we see injuries all over the place. Better core control fosters optimal muscle firing patterns which transfer into better function.

Training for function means experiencing successful movement patterns during exercise which can transfer into our day to day activities. Every activity does not have to correspond to a specific chore, rather the movement you experience in the gym should stimulate the same pathways which help you accomplish a task such as reaching up high to get the sugar from the cabinet.

THEN: Protect spine by keeping it still.
NOW: Protect spine by moving it!

Keep your back nice and straight and use your legs someone told me along the way, and so I did.

Then one day, sitting on a graduate school chair taking an exam, (picture this: me sitting on the edge of the chair with upright posture and legs out straight in front of me, crossed at the ankles) the chair decided to give way. Yep, it broke...in the middle of a silent room full of 30 physical therapy hopefuls I crashed into the hard floor tailbone first. Luckily I have a good sense of humor (and a high tolerance for pain) so I just brushed it off, got on another chair and kept at my exam (which ironically was on spinal mobility). Long story short, I ended up in physical therapy where they taught me all about how to bend, twist and dance using the movement in my spine!

Keep your head in midline while doing spine twists they said in my pilates class, and so I did.

In everyday life, we rotate our neck the most, so why would I keep it still while I'm exercising? Spine movement should start at one place and translate throughout the rest of the spine so that the shearing and compressive forces are distributed evenly in all segments . So if you are moving your spine in an exercise, move the whole thing. Conversely, if you are stabilizing the spine during an exercise (such as the plank) stabilize the whole thing!

We are all guilty of sticking to our routine...so what are you staying true to even though the literature says otherwise? Oh and I hear jazzercise is making a comeback in New York City, anyone tried?