Push-ups, which are commonly thought of as an upper-body-only exercise, can be incredibly effective at engaging the core and lower body muscles as well. Research has suggested that different types of push-ups not only help in toning the entire body but also strengthen several muscles at the same time, correct posture, and improve cardiovascular health. Push-ups are used in a variety of activities, including regular workout regimens, sports, and military training. When done in combination with endurance activities, push-ups boost blood flow and torch accumulated body fat. Moreover, there is always a push-up variation for each, you may be a beginner or a pro, you can find your match from different types of push-ups.
Listed below are the 5 benefits of this basic compound exercise:
1. Engages Multiple Muscle Groups
Different types of push-ups engage our entire body from head to toe. The arms, chest, core, hips, and legs are all worked out at the same time. Push-ups can also be tweaked to fit your specific needs. You can add more or less intensity, or focus on specific muscles, by adjusting the speed at which you perform a push-up, the angle of your body, and even hand placement. Push-ups are extremely beneficial because they are a compound movement, which means they activate multiple muscle groups at once rather than targeting muscles individually. Compound workouts are very beneficial since they increase your training efficiency. While most individuals believe that push-ups just work the chest and triceps, they also work the core, anterior shoulders, and shoulder-stabilizing muscles when done correctly.
2. Improves Your Posture
Push-ups are closed kinetic chain exercises and the correct posture of a push-up involves the scapula and rhomboids, the two underworked mid-back muscles rather than the muscles on top of your shoulders and neck which many of us misuse in everyday life. Good posture is also a result of good core strength and stability, which can be improved with push-ups. According to research, push-ups are also beneficial since they emphasize stability by forcing you to hold your body in a hard stance. Controlling your body and exercising your core and all those minor stabilizer muscles can help with posture.
3. Helps Build Functional Strength
Another great thing about push-ups is how adaptable they are to one’s individual fitness goals. Push-ups are a versatile workout and can be done in a variety of ways to shift the emphasis and train specific upper-body muscles harder. Every major muscle in your body such as biceps, core muscles, triceps, anterior deltoids, and lower body muscle groups are all stimulated to support your body and stabilize your movement while doing push-ups. The vital muscles are worked throughout this compound exercise making push-ups a versatile workout that builds functional strength.
4. Helps Burn Fat
Push-ups are commonly thought of as a strictly muscle-building exercise. True, but working out and gaining muscle also contributes to a higher rate of fat burning. A lot of additional research backs up the link between strength activities like push-ups and increased fat burning. Moreover, combining resistance training with the appropriate nutrition can help you keep your lean muscle mass while losing weight. Push-ups are an excellent calorie-burning activity since they include the entire body. The greater the number of muscle groups utilized; the more calories are burned.
5. Helps Promote Cardiovascular Health
According to studies, push-ups are great exercises to promote cardiovascular health. Push-ups work a variety of muscles throughout the body, making the heart work a little harder as it has to give blood rich in oxygen to all of these organs, resulting in a healthy heart. Finally, this activity produces a beneficial cardiovascular workout that benefits heart health and fat loss.
There’s no one magic number of pushups that will give you the benefits mentioned above. Rather, including them in your daily workout routine with progressive variations and numbers can help an individual gain the strength and other benefits this compound exercise has to offer.
Supination is a motion that happens across three independent joints. The proximal radioulnar joint, the distal radioulnar joint, and the elbow joint are characterized by the following characteristics. (specifically the capitular radio portion of the elbow). Let’s dive deep to understand Forearm Supination.
Supination and elbow flexion are two movements that frequently occur together. As a supinator and elbow flexor, the biceps is the strongest of all the muscles that perform each of these tasks. This makes muscular sense because it is the strongest muscle that performs these functions.
It happens while turning doorknobs, keys, screwdrivers, and positioning the hand to perform. Other such activities as opening windows, holding huge bowls, trays, and other objects are instances of these two motions being used simultaneously.
The palm is turned upward in hand and forearm supination by rotating the forearm. Torque applied to the forearm in the job is a risk factor for musculoskeletal problems. Workers’ damage and pain are related to tasks that require this form of static or repetitive forearm twisting.
Description of Forearm Supination
Supinator Muscle
The supinator muscle is a forearm muscle found in the posterior compartment. Supination of the forearm is primarily controlled by this muscle, as its name suggests.
There are two layers of fibre in the supinator muscle, which is located in the superior and posterior compartments of the forearm. In the mild and rear examples, it encircles about a third of the radius. The radial nerve’s deep branch is placed between these two layers.
Origin
The supinator muscle derives from the ulna and humerus and has a broad origin. Fibres for the two layers of fibres that originate in common include the ulnar supinator, the epicondyle of the humerus, and the annular radial ligament.
In the upper section of the radius, the superficial layer of fibres has a tendinous origin and is surrounded by it. The deeper layer of fibre encircles the neck of the radius above the radial tuberosity; forming a ring around the neck of the radius.
Insertion
Distal to the radial tuberosity, the anterolateral and posterior surfaces of the proximal part of the radius are involved.
As the radial nerve enters the supinator muscle, the deep branch of the nerve, which becomes the posterior interosseous nerve, provides the strength.
Function
Supinating the forearm is the primary function of the supinator. The elbow can be in any position of flexion or extension to do this task. If you need a lot of supination, the biceps brachii are the muscles to use as a supinator. When the elbow is extended, the biceps brachii muscle cannot supinate.
Clinical Relevance
Before the supinator muscle, the radial nerve separates into two distinct branches: profound and superficial. This can cause the deep branch of the nerve to get entrapped and compressed; which could lead to selective paralysis of the muscles serviced by this nerve.
In addition, a variety of soft-tissue tumours surrounding the nerve and recurrent supination and pronation have been identified as probable causes of this nerve syndrome (referred to as supinator entrapment syndrome).
Assessment
Keeping the patient’s forearm neutral, place their arm and elbow in extension. The proximal third of the radius can be palpated along the posterior portion of the proximal third.
Workplace Testing Explains Supination of Hand and Forearm
An outwardly rotated arm with the palm facing upward or away from the body is the hand & forearm supination. The radius is parallel to the ulna when the wrist is supinated. You use the biceps brachii of your upper arm and the forearm supination muscles for this twisting motion.
The hand, wrist, and forearm spin 180 degrees during full supination. Epicondylitis of the elbow and other cumulative trauma illnesses may develop due to frequent or prolonged supination . As a result of repetitive or prolonged supination of the hand and the forearm, muscular tightness and a decreased range of motion might occur.
Supination can aggravate the consequences of any injuries if the elbow is not bent and the biceps brachii is not used. Forearm-twisting jobs must be taught to employees to reduce the danger of damage. Muscles need to frequently recover and rest in a neutral position. thus, frequent recovery periods are recommended.
Commercial 2450 Treadmill with 22″ tilt & pivot smart HD touchscreen.
Is the NordicTrack Commercial 2450 the right treadmill for your home gym? That’s what we find the answer to in this review of the gym-quality treadmill, plus its pros and cons.
What Is the NordicTrack 2450?
The NordicTrack 2450 is a commercial grade treadmill, letting you get the gym experience at home and get your cardio in. Your own treadmill means more than just training at home; expect savings, a great lifespan, and customizability for your workouts.
It comes with a higher price than many options on the market, but in exchange for some key benefits:
Better overall quality running experience with a large running deck
Quick touch buttons (such as the incline and screen add-on)
Increased material and design quality
Better motor power and tread belt
These all contribute to one of the best-value exercise machines on the market.
NordicTrack Commercial 2450 Features
The NordicTrack 2450 treadmill is for seasoned runners who need elite training. However, it’s still a great choice for anyone who can afford to invest in this piece of equipment, saving money long-term against cheaper alternatives, because of its durability and powerful high-end motor.
Nordictrack 2450 Treadmill with 12% incline to -3% decline.
The 2450 has some excellent features, let’s look at the main things you need to know…
1. Running deck
The running deck is well cushioned and comfortable underfoot, easily absorbing your impact and quiet sound absorbing.
2. Incline Range
The NordicTrack has great adjustability in terms of workouts and incline – all from the basic console. This includes a -3% to 12% decline range.
The decline setting is perfect for over speeding, helping you improve your ground contact time and improve your running mechanics. Learning to ‘catch’ the ground quickly and turn that into your next stride is key to running economy.
The 12% incline is a brutal uphill leg-builder, helping condition you for climbs out in the real world. You can also use it to warm up the muscles around the leg and hip before a workout or push them through a finisher.
You can even run pre-programmed workouts, adjusting speed and incline on the fly, to keep training fresh and improve results.
3. Screen feature
The large touchscreen on the NordicTrack 2450 will offer you a chance to find distractions on those long-haul runs when things start getting tough. It also makes it super easy to manage your workout and keep up with your speed, time, and other key metrics. It definitely feels like a major step up on competitors with a 22” LCD.
4. Folding Design
Storing away the 2450 Treadmill, with spacesaver folding design
The folding design is an essential feature of this product, offering an easy way to store it. With this kind of premium product – with its large running deck and additional standing unit – the ability for easy stowage is pretty important.
5. Speed Range
The NordicTrack 2450 is a great chance to push you into your top-end training zone, with a great 19mph top end. This is more than most home treadmills, offering a very high pace to give you the ‘headroom’ to run at your pace and keep improving.
6. iFit Fitness Training Platform
The iFit integrations include onboarding workout tracking and charting, awards, tailored workouts, heart rate monitoring, and more. These are great additional products, which offer you some of the best training structure and motivation, to help you keep going and improving. You can also integrate with socials, comparing your speeds with others, checking in, and looking at leaderboards.
7. Warranty
With a high quality product, NordicTrack offers a 10 year warranty on the frame, 2 year warranty on the parts, and a 1-year labor warranty (payment of labor costs for repairing the item).
This gives you peace of mind that your treadmill has at least 2 years of consistent function with no risk. NordicTrack products remain very solid with a great history of reliability and design to prevent breakdown.
You can also return a NordicTrack treadmill within 30 days of receipt, though you will be charged for shipping and restocking.
Pros
Excellent total build quality with a commercial-grade lifespan
22” screen with outstanding programmability features
Outstanding durability for long-term use
Industry-leading iFit integration
Folding design for easy storage, while still offering a luxury running deck
Cons
More expensive than non-premium treadmills, if budget is a concern you can look at the EXP range, 14i, 10i or 7i.
Larger than many other treadmills (when unfolded)
Conclusion
The NordicTrack Commercial 2450 is one of the better treadmills you can get at home. It’s a more expensive product, but it can offer more total value over time than other competitors.
Each of these topics deserve their own blog post. That being said, I thought I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention them here.
Electrical Stimulation
Electrical stimulation uses electrodes that are connected to or around the injured site and powered by an electrical stimulation machine. This produces regional muscle contractions and promotes blood cycling. The benefit of this technique is that after placing the electrodes on your body and turning on the machine, this approach requires very little physical effort. That is why I refer to compression, elevation and electrical stimulation as “lazy person movements”.
Immobilization of Injuries
Once we understand the power of movement (both appropriate and lazy person’s), we can’t help to understand the ineffectiveness and inefficiency, as well as the detriment of immobilization in most cases with no further interventions. Of course, bracing, casting and immobilization can help with broken bones, be used as means of off-loading weight from a painful site, protect an area from being hit or bumped and help avoid painful movements. However, immobilization and rest can make a bad problem worse. We have to do better!
Cryotherapy: Using Ice-Baths as a Stressor
Cryotherapy, using ice/cold to provide stress, perhaps a mental one, is perfectly acceptable. Please don’t do this though while in an “injured state” or immediately after an athletic endeavor, with the hopes of improving healing, recovery and/or athletic performance, respectively. Keep your training and cryotherapy session as far apart from each other as possible. The current line of thinking in the industry is to provide at least 1 hour between the respective sessions. So, with cold water immersion: do it for mental training but put it far away from athletic training. And again, don’t use it for healing or recovery.
Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training
Blood flow restriction (BFR) training is done using elastic bands that partially restrict the blood from the limbs back to the heart. BFR training causes the muscles to contract harder to pump the blood back to the heart, stimulating the lymphatic drainage system. While I am by no means an expert in BFR, it makes sense as to why it would accelerate healing and allow you to get in some seemingly low intensity sessions as a means of healing and/or recovery while unable to train due to injury.
Using Anti-Inflammatory Drugs to Promote Healing
Lastly, anti-inflammatory drugs are a bigger problem than ice. While ice works on the local tissue where it is applied, anti-inflammatories impact the entire system (e.g. organs, etc.). Do they have a place? Sure, but people pop them like candy without understanding the consequences to their body, healing, recovery and athletic performance. (Moreover, most people are unaware of turmeric and other natural remedies, and their anti-inflammatory properties. When taken in the appropriate dosage along with black pepper and a fat soluble, studies show that turmeric is as effective as pharmaceutical drugs at addressing inflammation…without the side effects.)
Summary of Injury Healing Options Other than Ice
1. Appropriate Movement (isometric unloaded to loaded, utilizing three planes of movement)
Hello! I know its been a long time, such a lot has happened (or hasn’t happened), its been a tough year hasn’t it? The stop starting of my business has had me in the doldrums of despair, especially the start of 2021. I have been ticking off the days when I can start training clients again, that time is very soon and I am excited!
Since last March I have read a lot and listened to different podcasts, mainly about how women are so different to men in terms of fitness, as Dr Stacy Sims says “WOMEN ARE NOT SMALL MEN!”. The obvious differences between the sexes are muscle mass, weight, lever lengths, strength and speed; but there are lots of others such as how are bodies change each week in conjunction to your monthly cycle, and also whilst going through the Perimenopause and the menopause. I have been listening to the podcast Hit Play Not Pause (you will find it on Spotify), they have some really great interviews with women athletes who have overcome the obstacles that time throws at them. I find this pretty inspirational as for me I am at that age when training is sometimes harder than it was a couple of years ago and my recovery is sometimes slower too.
I really am a great advocate for strength training in women, for me I feel its even more important than cardio. Far too many women think cardio is the only form of fitness they should be practising. They are SO wrong, lifting weights alongside cardio improves fitness, strength, and most importantly (for me) your mental health. Women who are 35+ yrs should really start thinking about how they can start adding resistance exercise to their programs. Not only will it help you change your body shape, it will help you build lean muscle mass this will burn calories, your self esteem will improve – it really will!! You will feel stronger, have more energy and sleep better. If you run, then strength training will help you decrease your joint injuries by strengthening the muscles around them.
Perimenopausal and menopausal women will benefit from doing heavy lifting rather than the normally 3 sets of 8-12 reps (hypertrophy), with the heavy lifting you will be doing 3-5 reps with a longer rest (Obviously this kind of lifting needs good form so advice from a Personal Trainer is recommended) Strength training 2-3 times a week will help improve how your body copes with glucose control and insulin sensitivity, it also helps preserve your metabolic rate which leads to a better hormonal environment in the body. Whilst in the peri-menopausal and menopausal period the production of hormones, including Oestrogen in the Ovaries drop and fat cells and adrenal glands begin increasing sex hormone production. This can result in losses in your muscle mass and bone mass, and if you are inactive this can lead to weight gain. The good news is that building muscle mass and strength though resistance training has been shown to play a massive role in improving these problems associated with this period in women’s life.
The best way to start improving things is to start following your menstrual cycle, look at the patterns for 2-3 months, you will see your good days and the days when you aren’t feeling too great. If your cycle has stopped, you can still get some great advice on how to make your training more effective. Dr Stacy Sims has some great advice and theories about what women should do throughout their training life. if your interested have a look at her website – www.drstacysims.com she also has a great book out called ROAR:How to match your Food and Fitness to your unique female physiology.
The last couple of years I haven’t documented my goals and key races, while I’ve still had a couple of great years, I feel like maybe I lost sight of what was really important to me and kind of winged it a little bit! In 2021 I set some personal bests in triathlon, completed new distances, and achieved a long-term goal of running a sub 4 marathon. In 2022 I have one huge goal and some smaller goals around that which I’d still like to give my best shot. But I think my race season is planned out pretty well… let’s have a look, shall we?
January – May: Run Focus
First up, my triathlon season will be starting a little later this year. If you follow me on social media, you’ll probably already know that my biggest goal of the year is to complete my first Ironman.
With that booked for August, it makes sense to get a Spring marathon under my belt. So, 2nd May (Bank Holiday Monday) I will be running the Milton Keynes Marathon. With this in mind, my coach will be shifting me to more of a running focus in my training. I’ll still need to try and keep up more swimming and cycling than I did Sep-Oct last year, because of how quickly my season will change, but to run a strong marathon I definitely need more kms in my legs!
I don’t really have a solid goal for the marathon – I’ll just see how training feels in the lead-up, but I’ve retained a certain amount of running fitness since Manchester 2021, so I’m hopeful I can improve on my 3:55 from that.
In the lead-up to the marathon, I also have two shorter races to get my legs working:
*PR place.
It would be nice to get close to my PBs at those distances (the London Winter Run is actually where my current 10km PB was set), but I’m not holding my breath. This year is about endurance rather than speed!
And finally, part of the reason for keeping up a higher level of cycling training while preparing for the marathon is that at the end of May I have the Ride London 100 mile sportive! This is part of my bigger goal to complete the London Classics and, after having a place in 2020 that got cancelled, has been a long time coming. I’d originally hoped to complete all three London Classics events in one year (2019), but life got in the way and it didn’t work out.
June – August: Ironman Focus
So now, with a marathon and 100-mile bike ride in the bank, I have 10 weeks post-Ride London to pull it all together with a 3.8km swim at the start! I’ll go straight from Ride London into a middle distance triathlon the next weekend… but with the right training in the lead-up to May, I think this should be totally doable.
Originally, I had intended to race the Cotswolds 113 on this date. But in all honesty, I wanted something a little closer to home. I don’t really want to be booking up hotels and staying away from home for many weekends this year. It’s more time away from family, the stress and effort of packing carb-loading nutrition as well as all my race-day kit, and it adds cost to an already very expensive sport. And the bonus with Grafman, in particular, is that it’s really close to where my Mum lives!
The goal for this one isn’t necessarily a PB – I think it’s really hard to compare different races/events in triathlon because they’re all quite changeable with conditions, terrain, distances, etc. The goal is to race strong, get some decent pacing and transition practice under my belt, and really dial in my nutrition ready for the challenge ahead.
After Grafman, I have the choice of either slotting in another middle distance in July, but treating it as a long training session and not really tapering/recovering for it, or just continuing on with a training build. I haven’t fully decided yet, but if I do slot in the extra event, it will be the Big East middle distance – this year relocated to Maldon, which is near to my Dad! I did the Maldon Sprint distance last year and really enjoyed it, so it would be nice to do an event there again.
Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset
Big East Middle Distance Triathlon (10th July) – not booked
And my final race of this period is… Ironman! The big one. Everything I’ll have done in the first half of the year will be leading up to this and I am beyond nervous and excited. I had a few different Ironman events in mind for August – Finland, Copenhagen or Gdynia. I chose this one because a) the date worked out perfectly and b) Cloe is racing with her friend Mark and both their partners are coming to support. I’ll be sharing an Air BnB with them, which means plenty of triathlon chat, nerve-settling, and support – I’m so grateful to them for taking me under their wing as an IM newbie!
My goal for Ironman? Finish it, preferably not hating the sport! I know this one’s going to be tough – it’s, without doubt, going to be the hardest event I’ve ever attempted. But hopefully, I will get to that finish line red carpet knowing I’ve done all I could.
September – December: Just for fun!
With Ironman (hopefully) done, that’s my season nearly done… however I do want to finish off with two last events… both for a bit of fun really.
Swim Serpentine 2 mile swim (date TBC, but usually in September) – not booked
Outlaw X Middle Distance Triathlon (25th September) – not booked
If the dates don’t clash with each other (and I really hope they don’t!) then the Swim Serpentine should allow me to collect my London Classics medal, and Outlaw X could mean experiencing triathlon race day with Ian, which I would be so happy about! I’ve tried for a while now to convince him to do one (I think he would be great because he used to swim at county level, cycled a lot to work, and is a pretty decent runner too!). Being able to support each other in sport means so much to me and we both understand the importance of training so we make it work even when it’s hard.
After September, that’s me kind of done for the year! I’ll probably be given and end of season break by my coach, and then it will be a case of heading into winter training. I’d like to get out on my bike more next winter because this time I let the maintenance side of things and the cold weather hold me back… but I think those winter rides really make a difference when it comes to spring training again so I’m going to make more effort to be ride-ready in winter 2022!
What about you…?
So, that’s my year kind of planned out! I haven’t got everything booked yet, but most of it is taking shape and my training is underway. You can keep an eye on my race calendar as and when some of these get confirmed if you’re interested. And let me know if you’ll be at any of the same races – it would be so nice to say hello and share some nervous pre-race chats!
What have you got booked in your race calendar and what are your goals for 2022?
Imagine the gym atmosphere—the familiar metallic clang, machines, the coveted bench press and the silent anticipation. Within this realm of iron and determination lies a pivotal technique often overlooked yet fundamental to the art of bench pressing: the nuanced mastery of leg drive.
In powerlifting, the bench press isn’t only an exercise; it’s a strategic lift where technique is key! Among these techniques, none quite Improves your bench press like mastering the intricacies of leg drive.
To truly harness the force of your legs, a systematic approach is imperative. Here’s a tailored breakdown for powerlifters aiming to elevate their bench press game:
Step 1: Establishing a Solid Foundation
Before lifting the barbell, ensure your feet are planted firmly, creating a robust base. A moderate arch in the lower back, coupled with shoulder blades retracted, forms the cornerstone of a strong bench press foundation.
Research has consistently emphasized the importance of this setup, indicating a substantial increase in force generation when lifters maintain a stable base through proper foot placement and back positioning.
Step 2: Controlled Initiation of Leg Drive
Leg drive isn’t a forceful kick; it’s a precise, controlled motion. As the bar descends, focus on initiating force through your feet, while constantly engaging your quads to create a gentle, upward force. This action helps maintain tension and stability throughout the movement.
Step 3: Harmonizing Upper and Lower Body Movements
The key to an effective bench press lies in synchrony. Coordinate your leg drive with the pressing motion. As you exert force through your legs, sync it seamlessly with the upward press, ensuring a cohesive movement. This coordination optimizes force production while reducing strain on the upper body.
At Kafui Fitness, we are committed to empowering powerlifters in reaching their maximum potential. Follow the founder on on social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok by searching kingkaf
In conclusion, improve your bench press by improving your bench form and incorporating leg drive!
In the years that David’s Way to Health and Fitness has been in existence, we have heard thousands of people lamenting on how they have tried everything to lose weight, yet can either not lose their body fat or can’t keep it off once they reach their goal weight. This is little different than patients that Brenda Sue has encountered as a nurse who claim to not understand why they have high blood-sugar when they clearly have chocolate on their fingers and lips. People cannot be successful with weight loss simply because they refuse to change their nutritional lifestyle. It really is that plain and simple.
We have read and researched countless diet schemes and supplements and have yet to find one that actually works without a permanent change to the dieters nutrition. The bottom line is; if you are relying on pills, fad diets, and even surgical procedures, for weight loss, none of them will work without change on your part. To believe otherwise is simply foolish.
Photo by andranik.h90
Fat people almost always will claim to want to lose weight, without giving up their heavily processed, sugar-laden trash foods of convenience. I personally know people who eat at either sit down restaurants or from fast-food drive throughs, three times per day minimum. And then they whine about how the high cost of medical treatments for their ailments that are entirely preventable through healthy nutrition and exercise.
Brenda Sue and I have helped a lot of people to lose weight. That being said, there have been far more people who will inquire about how we recommend for them to lose weight – they will respond that we are too restrictive and they are just going to try something else that is less restrictive. This is really stupid on their part as what we recommend is that they give up their unhealthy food choices and only consume foods that provide proper nutrition to their bodies. No different than how people used to eat before America became a country with a majority of fat citizens.
The chart and figure below is from NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
All (Men and Women)
Men
Women
Overweight
30.7
34.1
27.5
Obesity (including severe obesity)
42.4
43.0
41.9
Severe obesity
9.2
6.9
11.5
As shown in the above table
Nearly 1 in 3 adults (30.7%) are overweight.
More than 1 in 3 men (34.1%) and more than 1 in 4 women (27.5%) are overweight.
More than 2 in 5 adults (42.4%) have obesity (including severe obesity).
About 1 in 11 adults (9.2%) have severe obesity.
The percentage of men who are overweight (34.1%) is higher than the percentage of women who are overweight (27.5%).
The percentage of women who have severe obesity (11.5%) is higher than the percentage of men who have severe obesity (6.9%).
The above statistics are only getting worse with each passing year, and something needs to be done to turn this around. Consider this, the next time you have some kind of emergency come up, what kind of person do you want helping you?
Imagine if you will:
The EMT doing CPR on your mother can’t do compressions after about a minute because they are too out of shape to go as long as needed, or relieved.
The surgeon performing a procedure on your body falls over from a heart attack that was brought on by poor nutrition.
Your diabetic grandfather falls over dead at a family reunion as a result of not properly managing his diabetes.
A police officer cannot properly respond to your emergency because his obesity will not allow him to do anything strenuous.
You, or someone you work with gets hurt because another person is concentrating more on their snack food than on the task at hand.
I could go on and on with examples, but I hope that you get the point. There really is nothing acceptable about being fat and out of shape no matter what the fat positivity people may say. There are more than a few of these body positive influencers who have been dying recently as a result of their obesity and the health complications that come with the territory.
One is a woman named Brittany Sauer, an obese influencer who recently died at the tender age of 28. Her direct cause of death is unknown, but she struggled with severe health problems related to her obesity, including Type 2 diabetes. Tragically, Sauer realized before her death that promoting obesity as healthy and beautiful was a mistake, yet this realization came too late. In one of her last TikTok videos before her death, Sauer warned others not to make the same mistakes.
“I ruined my life through food, binge-eating, and lack of self-care,” she said in that November 2022 video. “I just want this to be a warning for other people. … I’m hoping it’s not too late for me this time.”
Another TikTok influencer named Taylor LeJeune dropped dead in January from a “presumed heart attack,” according to the Daily Mail. He didn’t explicitly or ideologically promote obesity, but his popular videos were of him engaging in insane and extremely unhealthy eating behaviors.
“Fat studies” professor Cat Pause, who explicitly questioned whether obesity was even unhealthy, has also died too young in March 2022 at just 42.
Another woman, Jamie Lopez, starred in a reality TV show promoting her “Super Sized Salon” dedicated to making overweight women feel beautiful, the Daily Mail has reported that she did lose some weight before her death but nonetheless died from “heart complications” at age 37 in December 2022.
The level of tragedy here is hard to put into words. Each one of these people has loved ones and friends who will desperately mourn their loss and miss their presence in the years to come. And each one clearly had talents and charisma to offer the world, or they’d never have become so popular online. No one should glibly cite their deaths to “own” the other side or lose sight of the heartbreaking reality we’re dealing with here. In fact, it’s exactly for people like these four and their families that we need to do better and challenge the “body positivity” movements’ viral success.
It doesn’t matter how skilled you are at leading others; if you can’t lead yourself, you will never reach your health goals.
Knowledge is critical, but what you know is not the same as what you do, and what you do trumps everything. The trick is to improve how you talk to yourself; the conversation between your ears turns what you know into action.
You need to inspireyou to act in ways that will create your future, favourite self.
Enter Jim Dethmer’s book 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. 15 Commitments is typically marketed as a business resource, but at its core it teaches the reader to act with intention; how to be an aware, agency-filled human…and nothing requires agency and awareness like achieving a health goal.
15 Commitments in a Nutshell
Main takeaway? Never act from “below the line.”
Notice I didn’t say “never go below the line.”
We all go below the line sometimes; we are all only human. Conscious leaders learn to identify when they are below the line so they can pause and intentionally flip to above the line before making critical decisions or having important conversations.
No one makes A+ choices from below the line. Why? When below the line you are physically and/or psychologically dysregulated; you are judgemental, committed to being right, closed minded, defensive, etc.
(Side note: I am willing to bet you have gone to a grocery store hungry, planning to buy vegetables only to walk out with the entire junk food aisle. After consuming the sugar, you then think, “Why did I do that?” That is an example of making a decision from a dysregulated, “below the line” physiology. The key is not to let yourself get dysregulated in the first place. But I digress; more on this in a bit.)
When you act from above the line you are responsive, calm, curious, and productive.
To achieve your health goals, you need to make (most of) your health decisions from above the line.
You need to learn how to “Pause. Accept. Shift.”
Pausein the moment you are in. (In the above example, you are at grocery store thinking, “That ice cream looks good.”)
Accept the moment for what it is. You can only be where you are. Once you accept where you are, take steps to move forward. (Instead of just grabbing the ice cream, pause and say to yourself, “Self, you want the ice cream, but just because you are in this situation doesn’t mean you should give in to your hungry self. Walk away. Your future self will not be happy if you buy all the ice cream.” Next time, eat before grocery shopping so you are not starving.)
Shiftyour mindset and physiology to a state that will help you get the results that you desire. (Buy a healthy snack so you are no longer hungry or phone a friend and tell them what you are thinking of doing so they can encourage you to walk away and/or put on some music and get your mind away from food.)
Everyone must—in some way—communicate with both themselves and others to survive. No one can “opt out” of the conversation of life.
You can however “opt into” improving how effectively you communicate with yourself and others. The better you communicate, the more likely you are to get what you want!
Think of communication as existing on a continuum. On one end of the continuum, you interact in ways that get you the opposite of what you want—instead of ordering dinner you get a glass of water to the face. On the other end you interact effectively; you communicate in ways that move you closer to your goal. Your goal is to go to the gym and after repeating a motivational motto to yourself you sweat and feel amazing.
Since you are the one most likely to talk yourself into or out of working out and/or eating your vegetables, you must learn to create a productive conversation within your head. You must learn to disentangle context from content. Content is “what” you are talking about. Context is “how” you talk about the content.
The key is to step back and analyse HOW you are talking to yourself.
Are you talking to yourself from above or below the line? Are you reactive, judgemental, and emotional? Or are you growth-oriented and curious?
For example, when you skip a workout, do you talk to yourself from above or below the line?
Above the line: “Self, you skipped a workout. What can we learn from that? You don’t feel good. If you had gone for a walk, you would feel better in this moment. What can we do differently next time?”
Below the line: “You skipped your workout, again. You are just a lazy ass. You will never succeed.”
Both conversations contain the same content. In both examples you are frustrated that you skipped a workout. In the first, you set yourself up to make a better choice next time. In the second, you shame yourself and thus set the stage for future skipped workouts. A brain seeped in shame can’t learn.
Key takeaway: Learn to talk to yourself in a way that will inspire action. Belittling yourself is not useful. Foster a growth mindset. Learn. Be curious. Grow.
2. FLIP IT FROM “TO ME” TO “BY ME!”
To create your favourite, fittest future self, you must believe at some base level that you have the power to change—that your world is created “by you.”
The opposite of a “by me” mindset is the “to me” mindset. When you lean into a “to me” mentality, you internalize that the world is happening to you—that you are simply being blown in the wind.
Achieving your fittest future self requires a (mostly) “by me” attitude.
Obviously, no one can always feel 100% optimistic and in control, but there is a difference between having momentary wobbles that you intentionally work to get out of and leaning into the feeling of powerlessness.
Thoughts are not facts. The key is, don’t believe everything you think and feel. The story you are telling yourself is just that—a story. Learn to tell yourself a story that aids your journey vs detracts from your gaols. Learn to pause and “flip” your narrative from “to me” to “by me.”
3. BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT YOUR SCHEDULE
Create a schedule that moves you towards your favourite version of you. Intentionally move away from the people, activities, and environments that foster your least favourite version of yourself. Make your schedule reflect who you want to be and what you value.
Find the people, activities, and environments that make you your favourite version of you. Gradually weave those people, activities, and environments into your timetable.
How? Take inventory.
Make a list of everything you have done over the past few weeks. Place arrows beside each activity.
Put an “up” arrow if your energy increased from that activity. (For me this is exercise and sleep; I always feel better after I move and/or get a good night sleep.)
Put a horizontal arrow beside activities that keep your energy flat.
Put a down arrow beside activities, environments, and people that drain your energy—hello, “energy vampires.” Remember, the dose makes the poison. Duration and intensity of the activity matter. A 30-minute workout will be energizing. Watching a quality movie, relaxing and joyful. A 10-hour workout for most humans is overkill. A week of movies, depressing.
Main takeaway: It all comes back to awareness and intention. With awareness comes choice. Once you are aware of the actions, people, and environments that create your favourite version of you, you can intentionally build a life that supports those actions, people, and environments.
Final thoughts
I am not trying to ignore the real external limits that constrain our choices. Humans exist within systems that both shape us and are shaped by us.
I am not suggesting you should—or can—ignore the systems that surround you. I am encouraging you not to addinternal limitations onto external constraints. Find small places where you can exert agency. Don’t fall into the defeatist “to me” spiral. Control what you can control. Look for solutions.
When you find yourself below the line take steps to “flip” yourself to above the line. Change your physiology. ACTION is key.
TRY
Jump on one leg and flap your arms around as you say outloud the issue that is happening “to you.” It is hard to take your narrative seriously while jumping on one leg like a pogo stick.
Make up a country song about your issue. Sing it loudly.Have a temper tantrum. Yell about your issue. There is nothing like acting like a 5-year-old to remind yourself to get out of your own head.
Sing “I am right and you are wrong” at the top of your lungs or in the tune of your favourite nursery rhyme.
Don’t set a goal of “self-leadership perfection.” Even the most effective, healthiest leaders drift between physiological states. The goal is not to be perfectly regulated all the time. The goal is to actively set yourself up for success. The more you intentionally stay hydrated, get enough sleep, move your body, and consume healthy foods, the less likely it is that you will fall below the line. When you do go below the line, be aware enough to know you are below the line so you can work hard to get yourself above it. Until you get yourself above the line, don’t make important decisions or have critical conversations.
You will have moments where you fall below the line. The question is, how quickly can you course correct? Have compassion for yourself while also holding yourself accountable.
You CAN become your future favourite version of you; all it will require is many, many, many productive, conscious conversations! Good luck!
Are isolation exercises necessary, or can you get by with compound exercises?
Based on my 15 years in the fitness industry, I’ve determined that isolation exercises are necessary in three situations.
Quick Answer
Isolation exercises are necessary for correcting muscular imbalances and rehabilitating injuries.
They are also helpful for building muscle in particular areas for aesthetic purposes.
Beginners can get away with using only compound exercises when they first start training.
An ideal ratio of compound to isolation exercises is 80/20 for most people past the beginner phase.
Isolation Vs. Compound Exercises
Isolation exercises are single-joint movements that target one muscle group at a time. Examples include bicep curls, leg extensions, and tricep kickbacks.
Compound exercises are multi-joint movements that work several muscles at the same time. They also tend to replicate movements we do in daily life. Examples include squats, deadlifts, and pull-ups.
Both types of exercises have their benefits, and most people need to use them to maximize results.
Let’s take a closer look.
Who Can Get Away With Not Doing Any Isolation Work?
Beginners and novice lifters do not have to do any isolation work.
As a beginner, you will build muscle and gain strength at a rapid rate. This is why programs like Starting Strength and StrongLifts are super effective.
These programs focus on just five compound lifts. Believe it or not, those five exercises will engage all the major muscle groups in your body.
When I first started training, I only did five lifts.
At The White Coat Trainer, we first tell new clients to focus only on these compound moves.
The Deadlift – One of the biggest compound exercises you can do
Calisthenics and Isolation Exercises
You can also avoid doing any isolation work if you do calisthenics. Bodyweight exercises are very functional and engage several muscle groups at once.
The nature of these movements also promotes symmetry and balance. As such, the need for focused isolation movements is low in calisthenics.
The Inevitable Need for Isolation
As you get stronger, compound exercises alone won’t be enough to continue progressing.
Most people will develop muscular imbalances or weak points in their career. Unfortunately, compound exercises are not practical for addressing these weak links. Moreover, you may want to build up a specific muscle for aesthetic reasons.
In these situations, isolation exercises become necessary in your fitness journey. They allow you to:
target specific muscles,
improve your physique.
Next, let’s discuss the unique advantages isolation lifts have over compounds.
Mini takeaway:
Compound exercises target several muscle groups at once. Isolations focus on one muscle at a time.
Beginners can focus on compound lifts only for strength and muscle gains.
Over time, most lifters will need isolation to address imbalances, aesthetics, or injuries.
The Benefits of Isolation Exercises
They Help Correct Muscular Imbalances
Many people have imbalances where one muscle is stronger than its opposing muscle. For instance, if your hamstrings are weaker than your quads, you may get knee pain while squatting.
The same is true for almost every major muscle group.
Here are the most common imbalances I see in my clients:
Chest vs. Back
Anterior vs. Posterior Shoulders
Quadriceps vs. Hamstrings
Lower back vs. Abdominals
Neglecting these imbalances can increase your risk of injury over the long term.
Furthermore, compound exercises can worsen these imbalances. When doing complex movements, your body naturally favors the stronger muscle group.
The rear delts are often weak and underdeveloped
Attacking Weak Points
As you get stronger, you will notice that some muscle groups will respond slower than others. Inevitably, you will develop weak links that can hold you back from progressing.
For example, you might struggle to lock out your bench press due to weak triceps.
In this case, you can add trice-specific exercises to strengthen this area. Common examples include skull crushers or triceps extensions.
Aesthetics
Isolation exercises are also ideal for targeting specific areas for aesthetic purposes. For example, if you want to build bigger biceps, you should do bicep curls.
Similarly, you must perform calf raises if you want more defined calf muscles.
Focusing on a single muscle at a time can maximize muscle mass and build a balanced physique.
Trying to build a symmetric back
Muscle Activation
If you have difficulty activating a specific muscle group, an isolation exercise can help.
For example, let’s say you struggle to feel your glutes working during squats.
You can learn how to fire the glutes by doing single-joint exercises that isolate the glutes. Good examples include the glute bridges or hip thrusts.
The result is better muscle recruitment during more complex exercises like squats.
Rehabilitation
Isolation exercises can also be valuable in rehab if you are recovering from an injury.
They allow you to focus on strengthening the muscle groups around your injured joint.
Compound exercises can make it difficult to isolate the injured area. More often than not, complex movements can place unnecessary stress on your injury.
The Cons of Isolation Exercises
They Are Less Functional
Compound movements mimic everyday activities and are, by default, functional.
For example:
Squats replicate sitting down and standing up.
Deadlifts replicate picking up objects from the ground.
Pull-ups replicate pulling yourself up from a ledge.
No exercise is more functional than a squat
Isolation exercises do not transfer as well to daily life movements. Think about it: they don’t resemble anything you do outside the gym.
In real life, almost all human movements need dozens of muscles to work together.
They Are Time-Consuming
If you are short on time, there are more efficient ways to work out than isolating each body part. You would need to do several exercises to target all the muscle groups in the body.
As such, you will have to spend much more time in the gym to get a well-rounded workout.
Compound movements can target 80% or more of your muscles with just five lifts.
Mini takeaway:
Isolation targets individual muscles, while compounds engage many muscles in functional, real-world movements.
Isolations can correct imbalances, attack weak points, build symmetric muscles, and rehab injuries.
Isolations are less functional for real-life activities and more time-consuming than compound lifts.
Designing Your Workout: When to Use Isolation Exercises
There are four scenarios where you should add isolation exercises into your routine.
#1 You Want To Target Specific Muscle Groups
Isolation exercises are necessary to maximize a muscle’s hypertrophy (muscle growth). Common examples include the biceps, triceps, or calf muscles.
This scenario is typical for bodybuilders trying to sculpt a specific area in the body.
Sure, heavy compound moves will stimulate smaller muscle groups, but not enough. Isolations are necessary to achieve peak muscle size and definition.
Compound exercises lay the foundation, and isolation exercises fill the intricate details.
Rows and pull-ups will build biceps, but not as much as curls
#2 You Need To Fix Muscular Imbalances
As mentioned earlier, imbalances can lead to chronic pain and injuries. If you have an imbalance, you must focus on isolation exercises to target the weaker muscle group.
For example, let’s say you have shoulder pain while bench pressing. Assuming you have good technique, you more than likely have a muscular imbalance.
In this case, consider adding more posterior shoulder isolation exercises. Examples include face pulls and external rotations.
#3 You Have Injuries Or Need Rehabilitation
If you have an injury, isolation exercises can help you stay active while resting the injury. They also let you strengthen the muscles around the injury without aggravating it further.
A typical example is a knee injury. While recovering, you can isolate the musculature surrounding the knee joint.
You can train
The tibialis muscle, by doing tibialis raises,
Calves by doing calf raises,
The gluteus medius with hip abductions,
The quadriceps (especially the VMO) with terminal leg extensions
Bonus: Overuse and Deloading
Moreover, another good time to consider isolation exercises is when you need rest. Heavy compound lifting can beat you up over time, leaving you achy, sore, and tired.
Thankfully, you can continue your training routine with a much lighter intensity.
I recommend that my clients take a deload week every four to six weeks of training to allow the body to recover. Isolation movements can keep your body active with reduced stress during this time.
#4 You Are Experiencing Plateaus
If you have been lifting for a while, you likely have experienced a strength plateau. In other words, a specific compound exercise begins to stall, and you stop making progress.
The next step is to identify if you have a weak link that is holding you back.
For example, let’s say you are stuck at a certain weight on your bench press. You may have no problem getting the weight off your chest, but you may struggle to lock the weight out.
In this case, your triceps may be the weak point.
One approach is to add a more tricep-dominant compound exercise. The close-grip bench press is an obvious answer. But the problem with this approach is that you might also need a break from the bench press movement.
The second option is to add tricep-specific isolation exercises. The advantage is that you can stimulate the triceps while using lighter loads. The end result is stronger triceps and less stress on your joints.
Mini takeaway:
Incorporate isolation exercises when
targeting specific muscles for shaping or hypertrophy goals,
correcting muscular imbalances that cause pain/injury,
rehabilitating injuries by strengthening surrounding muscles,
or strengthening weak points to break through plateaus on compound lifts.
Other Times To Consider Using Them In Your Training
Muscular Activation and Awareness
Learning how to activate muscles is a crucial aspect of fitness training.
This phenomenon is the “mind-muscle connection.” In other words, it is the ability to consciously engage specific muscles in training.
Isolation exercises are the best way to enhance your mind-muscle connection.
The best exercise to see this in action is the banded hip abduction. There is no way not to feel your glute muscles firing when doing this exercise.
When trying to activate a muscle, try to focus your attention on the specific muscle that is working. Feel the muscle contract and elongate during the concentric and eccentric.
Every muscle group has a unique sensation when firing.
Preventing Future Injuries
Rehab aside, doing isolation exercises can also help prevent future injuries.
Keeping these auxiliary muscles strong makes you less likely to experience muscular imbalances.
This proactive approach to training can help you avoid injury due to weak or underused areas.
Mini takeaway:
Isolation exercises can also improve mind-muscle connection and help prevent future injuries.
They also allow you to maintain a training effect while reducing stress on your joints.
Isolation can strengthen weak points that are limiting your progress on compound lifts.
Examples of Isolation Exercises for Each Muscle Group
Here is a list of the most common isolation exercises
Bicep Curls: With dumbbells, barbells, cables, or bands
Tricep Extensions: Overhead or lying down with dumbbells, cables, or machine
Leg Extension: On a machine
Hamstring Curls: While lying prone or seated at a machine
Calf Raises: From a standing position or seated
Lateral Raises: Hold dumbbells at your sides and lift your arms straight out to the sides. These target the medial shoulders aka lateral deltoids.
Chest Flys: On a flat bench with dumbbells or on a machine
Rear Delt Flys: Dumbbells or on a machine
Leg Abductors/Adductors: On a machine
Wrist Curls: With dumbbells or barbells
How To Put It All Together
Now that we know when to use isolation moves let’s discuss how I integrate them into a client’s routine. Here’s a checklist you can ask yourself.
Identify Your Objectives: Determine your primary fitness objectives. Are you aiming for strength gains, muscle hypertrophy, aesthetics, or injury rehabilitation? Knowing your goal is crucial for deciding the role of isolation moves in your routine.
Tailor Your Approach:
For Strength: Compound exercises should make up the majority of your workout. Approximately 80%. Beginners can use 100% compound exercises to build a solid foundation.
For Aesthetics: If you want to achieve a specific look, you must spend more time isolating. Focus on doing at least six sets per week on the muscle groups that need aesthetic enhancements. The same is true for hypertrophy.
Injury: If you need to rehab an injury or address an imbalance, spend 50% or more of your time on isolation.
Balancing Compound and Isolation Movements:
Ratio Consideration: As a guideline, aim for an 80/20 ratio of compound to isolation exercises. This ratio gives you a good balance of efficiency and functionality.
Strategic Placement: I tell my clients to do isolation exercises after compound movements. This approach allows you to do the harder exercises first while you are still fresh. Another option is to do isolation moves first as a “warm-up” for the heavier lifts.
Progressive Overload and Variation: Always look for ways to progress your training. You can do this by increasing the resistance or intensity of your lifts in a gradual manner. Additionally, you can vary your exercises every 8 weeks to prevent plateaus.
Conclusion
Isolation exercises have their place in a well-rounded workout routine. In general, beginners can focus only on compound moves.
As you become more advanced, you should do more exercises that work one muscle at a time.
Four key situations that need isolation exercises include:
correcting a muscle imbalance,
strengthening lagging muscle groups,
enhancing aesthetics and
rehabilitating injuries.
You can also use them to help break plateaus and improve mind-muscle connections.
Now, how often will you include isolation lifts in your training sessions?
Alex Robles, MD, CPT / Brittany Robles, MD, MPH, CPT
Alex & Brittany Robles are physicians, NASM Certified Personal Trainers, and founders of The White Coat Trainer: a resource dedicated to improving the health and fitness of busy professionals using time-efficient strategies. Their advice has been featured in My Fitness Pal, Prevention, Livestrong, Reader’s Digest, Bustle, The Active Times, and more. Learn more about them here.
It doesn’t matter how skilled you are at leading others; if you can’t lead yourself, you will never reach your health goals.
