There are special considerations if this guy was a personal training client
I am very conservative with obese clients. This may seem different from the rest of the blog where there is quite a lot of really serious, maximum performance training going on! But…
If a person is very overweight, extra care needs to be taken to ensure safe training. Here are some things to watch out for
Do not…
Use unstable surfaces like wobble boards or outdoors on uneven ground.
Use exercises where there are hard landings, certainly no plyometrics… I wouldn’t even do low intensity bouncy stuff like jumping jacks. There are other ways to get the same training benefits safely.
Train the muscles more than the connective tissue can tolerate (connective tissue like ligaments adapt slower than muscle to stress)
Cut calories! Instead work on food choices first. ALL obese people should be on a low carb diet, high fat diet (healthy fats not processed trans fats).
Lose fat without supplementing your detoxification system. Fat burning results in alot of toxin entering your blood – that was formerly in your fat cells. You need sufficient amino acids (i.e. meat!) and nutrients to help your liver detox this stuff.
Just use common sense!!
This is not the “biggest loser asia”. That is entertainment not science. There is a huge injury risk with the stuff that they do. I much prefer smart training that gets results that matter to the client… not the audience or the producers.
Quoting the news report … “We’ve had multiple hospital visits from the contestants, we’ve had hypoglycaemic shock, kidney issues, busted knees, busted ankles, emotional breakdowns, even mental collapse.” – Would you go to a fitness center or personal trainer that has those kind of “results”?
One of the relatives of my client was on the show. Yes she lost a few kg in the first week BUT its 6-8 hours of training per day AND she busted her knee and is out of action. So… this is not quite a sustainable lifestyle.
The key is that you should aim for the lifestyle not the short term goals. The perfect nutrition plan probably includes 10 different supplements for things that you are deficient in. The perfect training is multiple times per day (2 or more PER DAY) for best results. But these are not realistic for real life so only a portion of my cleints are on such a plan.
However we get good results for both our men and women personal training and fitness boot camp clients because of the consistency of lifestyle that we teach, in addition to the customized training program. The great program gets results. The lifestyle keeps them. That is how we get not only “success stories” but results that last!
Yes some days after a hard training session, or a long game of tennis or golf, I know people who take a pill or rub a cream to reduce the swelling, inflammation and pain that comes from activity that your body is not used to.
The problem is that these drugs cause problems like all drugs do. All drugs cause your liver to work harder because they are foreign substances and are not used (metabolized) well in your body.
Anti inflammatory drugs – NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) tend to also cause real problems with your digestive (GI) tract. Which is really bad because the GI trackt protects you from disease, creates brain chemicals, and oh yeah… digests your food so you get proper nutrition!
So what would I do to reduce inflammation naturally?
I would use high dose fish oil omega-3, as well as curcumin which is a strongly anti-inflamartory ingredient found in tumeric. If you want the best fish oil and curcumin products, jsut contact us and I will set you up.
What I wrote about in my previous post about energy drinks is still true, but one thing I learnt while at the Poliquin level 3 seminar is that the other main ingredient in these kind of energy drinks is – glucuronolactone.
It has one big side effect… depletion of maganeese… which is required for strong ligaments. So this means that Red bull causes weaker ligaments and is actually a cause of ankle (and other parts) sprains!
No red bull if you want to stay injury free! And a good multi vitamin like Poliquin’s Multi Intense will restore your maganeese levels to optimal. Contact us if you need some!
The past few days we have been learning about the latest in rehab of the joints and how to recover from them. we have done the shoulder and the knee and using nutrients to reduce inflamation fast.
Things have really progressed since I last studied with Charles. Thats good! Information vastly improves every 18 months on the cutting edge of science. I go for these courses to keep as close as possible to that edge!
I will be using improved methods when I get back! Including the best nutrients to quickyl reduce swelling so you can start training ASAP, as well as frequency specific microcurrent which is vey effective in speading healing.
On a sad note… my computer CRASHED, im writing this blog post from the computer of one of my friends whom i met here. He is a pro volleyball player who is aiming to represent the USA in the 2012 olympics.
I have no clue why this is called the “football” bar. But from the point of view as a coach and personal trainer, it is a great piece of equipment to have in a gym or training center.
It looks like a normal barbell except that it has handles that are diagonal to the bar (see pic below) this allows the hands to be in a position that puts less stress on shoulders.
Shoulder injuries are a problem. In fact it is so prevalent that I just had a staff education session to teach our trainers more about how to handle personal training clients with current or former shoulder injuries.
Here Are Our Trainers Learning How To Find And Release Trigger Points That Cause Shoulder Pain
The grip of the football bar allows exercise to be performed with less stress on shoulders, preventing injury.
I got 4 of these football bars for our new training center (the biggest and best private gym in Singapore) due to be open in August 2009!
Also, because of the number of people with pre-existing shoulder injuries (they didn’t get them from training with us!) this kind of modified bar is a necessity. It allows training “around” the injury so that the rest of the body doesn’t get weak. We can train and get strong even while a client is going through our 16 week shoulder rehab program that fixes the causes of the injury.
We work from very simple to very advanced injury prevention routines that “bullet proof” your shoulder from future injury and make you stronger than ever. Golfers, tennis guys and anybody who does anything where pushing, throwing or swinging is involved can benefit.
One of the most satisfying things that happens to me as a personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach in Singapore is that my staff and I at the Genesis Performance Center get to help people recover and rehabilitate (rehab) from injuries.
Now, we are NOT doctors. If you are hit by a car – do NOT come see us.
For example if you get tackled by a 120kg opponent during a rugby game and twist your knee and damage your ACL. You should go for surgery!
****As soon as possible.****
But once you are done with surgery? what next? usually some physiotherapy… but what next?
You are not fully “well” yet you are not “injured enough” to have more doctor visits.
That is where we come in.
We help people get back to full SPEED, STRENGTH and CONFIDENCE in their formerly injured parts. In fact we aim to remove the weakness that is usually the cause of the injury to begin with. Just like we did with Kenneth (see video)
BUT!!! – most knee injuries do NOT need surgery!
“***Gasp!***”
But my doctor said so…
Firstly – get a few opinions on your MRI. Reading one is a skill and its a subjective skill. And doctors have (it’s not their fault – reading these is hard) given different opinions on the SAME MRI given some time between readings. I would go for 1 MRI and 3 doctor’s opinions.
Next most injuries can be fixed with some soft tissue work and some strengthening. ACL tears are probably the only one that really needs surgery. And if you do get surgery get a doctor that will NOT take the ligament graft from your hamstring.
The hamstring is VERY important in knee stability because it actually “wraps” around the knee joint. So don’t let it get even weaker (it’s possibly why you got injured in the first place).
One of the most common problems I work (surgery free of course!) with is scar tissue on knee connective tissue.
The symptoms are:
Pain “inside” the knee especially climbing up and/or down stairs
The same pain when walking up or down slope
The pain comes on and off – it never gets better and never gets worse.
The pain is worse on days after you do “start/stop” activity like badminton, basketball and so on.
How do I know so much about this? I had this problem myself! And soft tissue work by a strong therapist was the only way it got fixed. And it bothered me for years! Gotta have some pain to know the best way to fix it right!
I care that clients get results. Nobody can train well when they are in pain.
There is a school of thought that says you should train to maximize difficulty without regard for techinque (let technique deprove as the workout progresses because it’s not as important as making things “hard”).
I don’t believe this is optimal. Here is the logical and wise train of thought…
The purpose of training in the end, is to improve, and be injury free. That means you need to lift heavy loads with perfect technique.
Imperfect technique leads to more injury which sets you back (and is PAINFUL!)
Imperfect technique means you have no clue if you are progressing because you will be able to use heavier weight with bad technique WITHOUT getting stronger.
There is no way to improve your technique if you are always doing things with poor form!
Finally and most importantly for you (assuming you are interested in progress and greatness rather than entertainment and stagnation) progress is MUCH faster to get to high levels of strength + technique by using perfect technique ALL THE TIME and slowly progressing your strength. Rather than using heavy loads with poor technique and slowly trying to improve your technique.
So the next time somebdoy asks you to “cheat” a rep, or to not use a tempo, or to continue a set even though your technique is breaking down. Tell them you care about your health and your progress and ask them to leave you alone!
Just a story, my friend who is a national level athlete was asked to try a high rep, technique optional workout using the Olympic lifts. This guy is strong, fit, lean and has great technique. But by the 8th rep he wisely stopped his set because his technique was breaking down. The “workout” actually wanted him to do 21 reps using whatever method necessary to get the weight up!
Imagine if one of the strongest people in Singapore stops his sets because of poor technique, you should too! And anyway NOBODY should be doing high rep olympic lifts above 6 reps…
Strength Training PREVENTS Injury Like This... But Only If You Do It Properly
I just got back from Halmstadt in Sweden yesterday night. The seminar was good. We trained 2x/day and for a resonable fee, the Eleiko Sports Center where the course was held even provided good quality food. Wonderful and I actually gained 3kg of muscle in a week (1kg was probably fat and water retention). As you can see, hard training + quality food + a lower stress environment means bigger muscles!
There was a variety of people at the course, from a Canadian Naturopath, a very fit Swedish chiropractor lady, a norwegian weightlifter, a Hungarian track and field coach and even the owner of Poliquin’s Chicago franchise.
The main areas of knowledge that I gained or refined were…
How to select reps and sets for different sports according to an athletes needs
How to improve my program design for rehabbing injured shoulders back to full health
How to choose tests of performance for different events or sports
How and when to integrate advanced training methods into a program
When to focus on different aspects of physical preparation (when to focus on fat loss, or size, or strength)
Overall this course really clarifies the finer aspects of program design and I feel even more confident that a program I design for one of my atheltes or personal training clients will be what is best for him or her.
Here are some pictures of life and training in Sweden.
In my Singapore personal training center I do the soft tissue work. I read all about therapy and massage and am planning to learn Active Release Technique next year. I have recently had to “strip” several basketball and martial art’s clients knees of scar tissue on their ligaments.
This is caused by lots of starts and stops and it causes irritating pain that does not get better and does not get worse. I had this problem myself till I got Coach Poliquin to help me fix it last month in Australia.
But for the past few days I was dealing with my own scar tissue of a different kind. It’s scar tissue from 29 years ago! I had a hernia operation as a baby and there was a scar from the operation.
One side of that scar (just below belly button) was “stiffer” than the other side, the skin and the fat beneath it was just hard and tight. I had to break it up with my thumbs and fingers. It HURT for 3 days! But now, just a week later, the entire area is soft and moves like it should!
So take care of your scar tissue. It makes life alot better. Any traumatic or overuse situation can cause it. In fact even over doing static stretching can cause it!
One of my clients missed 2 training sessions this week. He is one of the most dedicated guys who has gotten some of the best results of any client!
But why miss training?
Stomach viral flu that’s why. Constant toilet trips for 3 days, and a trip to the hospital for an IV drip. He lost 3kg in 3 days.
He got dehydrated, weaker and less healthy.
He’s back now but it will take about a week or so of proper eating and training to get back to pre-sickness levels.
But hey! Isn’t that what some places in Singapore that specialize in weight loss do?
Wrap a client up in cling wrap and stay in a heated room to lose “weight”… or some injections that cause your body to cleanse itself? (While not taking into account the removal of those toxins)
I think I have found the perfect analogy.
Those therapies have no scientific backing (and those centers will not be able to provide any…).
They are dangerous
They work as well as…
A Stomach Flu Virus
Same mechanism – you lose water, and go to the toilet more…
Same results – you lose health
Buyer beware. There is no magic pill or potion that sheds pounds. But if you do what we ask as part of our exercise and nutrition programs like our Fitness Bootcamp and personal training programs, the results are almost magical with NONE of the side effects:)
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