"....Squats and Lunges are Bad for the Knees."

"I heard that squats and lunges are bad for the knees." This was part of a question I received today on the website Allexperts.com. The question was about whether squats or lunges are better for leg development, but aren't they both bad for the knees? So I asked back, "Where did you hear this from? Do you have any evidence or research to support this?". I can not believe this myth still exists. A lot of things can be bad for the knees. If I slugged your kneecap with a sledgehammer, wouldn't that be bad for your knees? But a lot of things can be good for your knees, such as squats and lunges, when they are applied to a training program correctly. Another thing, watch people move throughout the course of a day or during a game. You will probably see alot of squat and lunge type patterns. So why is that garbage quote still out there? When someone can find some research, please let me know.

Get Uncomfortable

In order to get anything out of your training program, you're going to have to be taken out of your comfort zone. You're going to have to add another rep or another set or more weight. Or may be you're going to have to do an exercise that you really do not want to do, but it's an exercise that works. You might have to to push yourself a bit more. You're going to have to do something you wouldn't normally do. You're going to have to feel a bit of soreness. Working out wasn't meant to be easy. And the results are not going to come easy either.

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Suspended Push Up

This is an exercise that is going to require the Blast Straps or Jungle Gym that I mentioned a couple of posts back. As push ups are making their way back into many training programs, this is a great version that is going to do a couple of things that a normal push up doesn't. One, it's going to allow you to get deeper in the bottom position, thereby increasing the range of motion. Two, the instability of the straps is going force all of your stabilizing muscles, from the shoulders all the way to your lower back and abs, to work harder.
To perform the exercise you're going to have to adjust the length of the handles. For more difficulty drop the handles closer to the floor. And vice versa to make it easier. Get into a push up position, forming a straight line. (No ass in the air or hips to the floor). Control on the way down with a nice even tempo, then explode out of the bottom position.




This is not an exercise for anyone. This is an exercise that should be worked up to in your push up progression. If you can not do a regular push up, with correct form, you have no business doing this exercise.
Don't have the Jungle Gym? Visit Perform Better Training Zones for the best ideas in equipment and training for functional training, full body training, and rehabilitation.

Happy Thanksgiving

I just want to wish every one a Happy Thanksgiving and a safe and healthy holiday season. Try not to kill each other over who's getting to get the drumstick or some other quarrel that is about to happen in your family. And lay off the mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.

Where to Train?

I think the importance of a good training environment is overlooked. Put a power or strength athlete in some upscale gym with a bunch of 40 year old ladies going through the motions on the elliptical machines. Now watch the intensity and performance of these strength and power athletes drop through the floor. Vice versa, if I'm training one of these 40 year old ladies on the elliptical machine in a gym full of muscles heads, she may feel so subconscious that she may not be willing to do anything. Find the place that is right for you. How hard is it to perform a max effort lift when Celine Dion is playing in the background? Pretty hard. Or may be find a training partner that is going to push you just a bit more. Or may be hire a trainer (I do have times available, hint, hint). These are all things to think about other than just what exercise you're going to do next.

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: ITB Foam Roll

The benefits of working with the foam roller or self myofascial release are always being talked about. Read Runners World and working with a foam roller will be advised for recovery. Talk to a physical therapist and self myofascial release is advised for rehab purposes. And just about every gym I go into now has a couple of foam rollers lying around. But not many people are taking this advice or using these rollers. And I do not know why. Well, I guess I do know why. One, it's going to be uncomfortable. Especially if there's a large amount of trigger point or adhesion build up. Two, people are too lazy to spend 5-10 minutes on work that it not going to give them a six pack or tight glutes. Three, people just do not know how to use this $15 tool.
There are a number of areas the foam roller can get at. One of the most effective foam roller movements is rolling of the Iliotibial Band. This band of tissue is usually extremely tight and has a a bunch of adhesion build up. It's essential to work on this band of tissue if you're having any type of knee or hip issue. A picture of it being done is below.



A couple of points:
1) Roll the IT Band about 8-10 times in each direction from hip to knee.
2) I'd suggest doing this before any type of lower body workout.
3) Be diligent with it. One session of rolling the IT band is not going to get it done.
4) If you want to increase the pressure, stack both legs.
It's not going to tickle. It's not going to feel good. But it is going to help.

Less Thinking, More Work

Stop thinking about how to target the lower abs or what single joint exercise is going to get rid of the the jiggle on the back of your arms. Stop finding new ways or exercises to get more of a calorie burn. Stop telling me about the worthless research article you read in Muscle & Fiction. You not getting results is not from not thinking through things. You not getting results is from not putting in the necessary work. Over analysis will hinder work output whether it's at your office or at your gym. Get to work.

Question to RichRuff Training

Hi Rich. Can you please tell me how to shape muscles, instead of gaining more muscle. I just want to shape my abs, calves, arms and upper body. I don't have a gym membership, but I do have a few weights at home. Thanks.

Shaun

Hi Shaun. There is no easy way to get results. They just come from good, old fashioned, hard work. You shouldn't be concerned about shaping muscles. Get on a good training program, be consistent and clean up your diet.

RichRuff Training Product Review: Jungle Gym

There are a couple of these pieces out on the market. The first ones I saw were the Blast Straps put out by EliteFTS. I was looking for ways to spice up my training a bit and figured I'd give them a shot. They were one of my favorite training tools. There was a whole host of exercises I could do: suspended push-ups, inverted rows, abdominal fall outs, chest flys and on and on. They were also great because they were portable. Bring them to the gym, wrap them around the the top of a power rack and get to it. The only downside to these for me, though, was that I needed a power rack. Most of my in-home clients, actually not one of them, has a power rack.
So I was looking for new equipment to add to my in-home training tools and I came across a slightly different version of the Blast Straps, the Jungle Gym. The Jungle Gym is put out by Perform Better. It's the same idea. It's about the same price. But it has has one more benefit. It doesn't need a power rack. If you have a power rack, great. Wrap it around that. But if you do not, the Jungle Gym has a door attachment handle, making it a bit more usable. I do suggest that you use a pretty sturdy door. I purchased this piece last week, have been using it and am very happy happy with it.
Click on the picture below to get more information or to purchase the Jungle Gym.

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Barbell Russian Twist

I love it when I see functional trainers having their healthy clients perform all their "core" training from the floor, lying on their back, moving up and moving down. Seems like a bit of a contradiction, right? But what if we take that same client and put them in a standing position? The closer we get to a standing position while performing "core" work, the more functional or purposeful an exercise will become, right? Bring on the Barbell Russian Twist.
The set up to this exercise is going to be nearly the same as last week's. Wedge one end of a barbell into a corner and get underneath the opposite end. Grasp the bar with both hands and extend your arms out in front. Your hands should be a bit above eye level. From this position, you're going to drop the bar towards one hip, keeping your arms extended and eyes straight ahead. The rotation should come from the thoracic spine, not your lumbar spine, so focus on keeping your belly button straight ahead also. From the bottom position, rotate back to the starting position and then rotate to the other side.

Check it Out!!

Check out my first article at Underground Strength Coach!. The link to my article is:

http://undergroundstrengthcoach.com/members/programs/KingBarbell.pdf

Underground Strength Coach is a great resource for any athlete or coach looking for ways to get the best results out of their training programs!!

Forget About the 10%

Sometimes people are so caught up in the minute details of their workouts or diets. They're concerned about how to work some tiny muscles in their forearm. Or they'd like to try some wacky ab exercise that was seen in a magazine. Or, this is a classic, searching for the best fat burning supplement out on the market. They worry about the last 10% of their workout and nutrition program , rather than the 90% that's going to make the largest difference. You want to worry about this stuff, fine. But your first concern should be to have the basic principles of exercise and diet and place. Worry about the major details. Are you getting enough hours of exercise in per week? Are you using the basic, compound lifts? Are you including enough protein in your diet? Probably not. Focus on the 90% and forget about the 10.

Question to RichRuff Training

We have very little room. If you could have one piece of equipment for a man & a woman to workout on what would it be? My husband wants a Bowflex, but I know a lot of people who have not been satisfied with it. Any suggestions?

Cora

I get asked this question a lot. When I started out on own my own as an in-home trainer, my clients would ask me the same thing. And I would tell them the same thing, "not much". All you really need are: an adjustable bench, some sort of dumbbells (adjustable or regular), and maybe a physio ball. Add in all your bodyweight exercises and you're good to go. Plus as time goes on you can add other training equipment in.

Finding Balance

Take a look at your training program. How many horizontal pressing movements do you have? How many horizontal rowing movements you have? Compare the two numbers. Are they the same? Probably not. What about the number of posterior chain movements compared to the number of quad dominant movements? Are those numbers the same? Probably not. These are two examples of imbalances within a training program. An imbalanced program is a faulty program setting you up for injury or poor results. A well designed training program will emphasize balance between movements and muscles.

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Barbell Corner Press

The barbell corner press is pretty straight forward exercise. Wedge a barbell into a corner. Load up some weight on the opposite end. Get the barbell up to about shoulder level. And press. This is a nice exercise to use if anyone has problems with direct overhead pressing or is working their way back from a shoulder injury. Also working uni-laterally will help with any strength imbalances between the right and left sides.

Keeping a Food Log

When my clients are focused on losing weight or improving their bodyfat percentage, I stress the importance of proper nutrition in addition to their training program. The first thing I'll ask a client to do is to keep a 3-5 day food log. They should be writing down everything they consume whether it's a glass of water, an apple, a bottle of wine or a free taco from Taco Bell. They should also be writing down what time they ate that taco. Most people do not know what they are eating, so a food log is a must in order to point out where better choices can be made. But it will also tell me something else. It will tell me how serious they are about cleaning up their diet and reaching their goals. I can not tell you how many times I've asked a client to keep a food log. But I can tell you how many times I've actually received one from from a client. Maybe 3 or 4. Do you know what this tells me? Most people are not serious enough about losing weight. If you can't take an extra 5-10 minutes a day to keep a food log, what tells me you're going to take extra time out of your day to prepare meals or eat right? So if you're serious about losing weight, start keeping that food log.