Outdoor Exercise

After putting in 9 hours of work today, I needed to get my training in, but going to the gym was not going to cut it. As I sit at my desk, trying to get motivated, the sun and outside 40's were calling my name. I thought to myself, what a great day to get outside. So out I went to chop wood for a hour and a half.

As I started to chop the pile of wood in my backyard, I noticed how my energy level had gone through the roof! I was moving right along. Before I new it, I was in my t-shirt dripping with sweat. By the end I felt like I had a great workout.

Chopping wood is a full body exercise. If you really break the motion down, you will be working your hamstrings, quads, shoulders, back, core, forearms and many other muscles. You can also work on your cardiovascular if you keep up a good pace.

So many of use during this time of year have a hard time being consistent with our workouts. This is the time to think outside the box and do something outdoors. Even as the weather gets nicer we can still be creative with our workouts and do not have to do the traditional and sometimes boring routine.

So get off your butts and go outside for your workouts! See my Y-Tube video of chopping wood.

Doctors & Squats

Doctors & Squats

Has a doctor ever told you that you should stop doing squats because you will hurt your knees? As a trainer I have had multiple clients tell me that this is exactly what the doctor has told them due to their bad knees. My response to them was to go back to the doctor and ask them how they are going to get off the toilet or get up from a chair or couch?

Yes, squats are bad for you if you do them the wrong way, that is why you should seek a good personal trainer who can teach you how to perform squats in a safe way. Many, if not all, people that experience pain in the knees are doing the squats wrong and have week knees and leg muscles. Squats when done right can strengthen the muscles around the knees and the other leg muscles. I have had several clients who have had bad knees and have stayed away from squats. Some of these clients before they came to see me had problems performing daily activities. By strengthening the muscle around the knees all of these clients were able to perform squats and live a better quality of life.

Squats are not very hard to do right. There are a couple of key points to look for when doing a squat.

1. Feet are roughly shoulder width apart, with your feet straight ahead or slightly turned out.
2. Looking straight ahead.
3. Keep good back pasture with scapula retraction.
4. Drive hips back through entire motion.
5. Keep core tight.
6. Do not allow the knees to travel past the toe box.
7. Inhale on the down movement.
8. Exhale on the up movement.

See my article on how to do squats:

http://cobfw.com/index.php/education/exercise-library