Exercise Everyone Should Do: Deadlifts

Welcome Back! Today I’m going to continue with my “Exercises that everyone should do” series and tell you all about the exercise that, next to the squat, I find to be the most important and functional exercise there is. The Deadlift.

Why do I feel that way? Well, have you ever had to pick something up of the floor? A bag of groceries? Your kid? Anything else? We’ve all heard stories about the guy who messed his back up picking up a pencil off the floor, right? The deadlift teaches us how to do that safely and strengthens the muscles to make sure it’s done safely.

Also, it’s probably the exercise that uses the most pure muscle to perform. You use nearly every muscle in your body one way or another. Your quads, hamstrings, glutes, low back muscles, spinal erectors, lats, chest, forearms, shoulders, traps and core all work very hard to perform this movement. What that means is that you burn a ton of calories performing it and you build more lean body, which increases your metabolism.  That leads to fat loss.

As the cherry on top of your sundae it’s also the purest strength building movement there is. If you want to get stronger, and you should always want to get stronger, you’ve got to deadlift.

Needless to say, I believe that nearly everyone should be doing some kind of deadlift movement in their exercise program. After all, why do we exercise if not to help perform better in our daily lives?

There are a few different variations of a deadlift and in the video I’ll show you two of them. The key, as always, is to use correct form. This will allow you to get everything you want to out of the exercise and do it safely. What you always want to think about when performing a deadlift variation is the position of your back and chest. You want to make sure that you have an arched position in your back and that your chest is up. One way to help get into this position is to squeeze your shoulders back and down behind you. In the video I’ll demonstrate what this means and what this looks like.

Another thing to keep in mind is that many people simply do not have the ability to get into a good deadlifting position. For those people, simply put the weight on a step or a platform to lift it from a higher position. It is very important to keep that in mind and it is something that I go over in my video.

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions about the deadlift or anything else. Have a great day!

Mitch Rothbardt, CPT, PN Lean Eating Coach

510-754-7113

MitchRFitness@gmail.com

www.MitchRFitness.com

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Different Ways To Be A Better Runner

Hello, everyone!

Since Bay to Breakers was just this past weekend and the summer is upon us, leading to all sorts of other distance running events, I'd like to talk about the missing element in training for distance runs.
When most people want to run a distance race, the only thing they think about is getting out there and putting the miles in. This is important and it can help get our bodies ready for the pounding that we take when we run for an extended period of time. What we don't often think about are some other ways that we can not only protect our body from injury, but also improve our running efficiency and our time.

One of my bootcamp clients ran in the Bay to Breakers over the weekend and after the event he sent me this text:
 "This is my eleventh year running Bay to Breakers. For most of those years my goal was to finish it in under an hour. it wasn't until after regular sessions in your bootcamp that I was able to achieve that." - Bill Anderson.

Keep in mind that Bill is an experienced runner and he's also very proud of the fact that with his latest birthday he is now able to get the special discount at Denny's. What that means is that he is experiencing some big improvements at a point when many people are going the other way.

Now, in my bootcamp sessions I don't have anyone do any distance running at all, so how was he able improve and surpass the goal he's been after for over a decade? Two things: interval training and resistance training.

Let's talk about interval training first. If you don't know what interval training is, it is a type of training where you exercise at a very high level of intensity for a short period of time followed by a longer period of very low intensity movement or complete rest. For example, a 20 second sprint followed by 40 seconds of rest.
How could doing a few 20 sprints improve your time for a distance race? That's a fair question. The answer is that it helps in quite a few ways. For one, it gets the body used to running at a faster pace. By definition, we can only exercise at a high level of intensity for a pretty short period of time, so by using short, high intensity sprints we get our body better used to running at that intensity and speed. Another way is that interval training actually improves our aerobic conditioning more than long, slower exercise bouts. That means that we can maintain a higher level of intensity for longer periods of time.

The second way we were able to improve his time is resistance training. How does that help? Well, at it's core, running is all about force production. The more force you are able to put into the ground the more distance you are able to cover with each stride and the faster you will go. Getting stronger throughout your body allows you to simply put more force into the ground with each step. This additional strength and stability also has the additional benefit of helping you prevent the overuse injuries that are so very common among endurance athletes of all types.

I hope that if you're thinking of doing some running this summer you take just a little time in your training to add in some of these techniques. I think you'll really see a big improvement in your times.
Please let me know if you have any questions.

Have a great day!

Mitch Rothbardt, CPT, PN Lean Eating Coach
510-754-7113
MitchRFitness@gmail.com
MitchRFitness.com
Discover Your Strength!

Mary Pt. 2

Hi, everyone. Here’s the second of Mary’s columns:

Hello, everyone its me Mary. I’d like to start out and thank those who emailed me. Knowing I’m not the only one walking in my shoes is very helpful, so thank you for sharing your story with me.

I would like to share one thought that really helped me.  Since everyone knows me as Mary,  I should see myself as helping Mary.  Do what I would suggest to Mary.

  

Mary is my buddy even though it's me.

The past two weeks have been hard for me.  Trying to keep up with my busy schedule and trying to stay focused.  I wish I could say I am on the right track, but last Monday I was not at Boot Camp due to not feeling well.  That day I was feeling less energized as I would have if I had gone.  I should have just pushed myself and did the best I could.  Oh well, lesson learned.  Move on right?

 

I wish changes were easier than saying it.  I guess if it was I would not be where I am today.  But overall I would have to say "working out" has helped. I seem not to be as stiff and I have less back pain.  I definitely have more energy.  Another BIG change I am slowing working on is choosing what I eat.  It’s one of my hardest challenges.  Overall I am usually the one making dinner and buying the food we eat in the house.  When I walk into the Safeway, as soon as I walk in I see all the bad stuff like donuts, cakes, cookies.  All the comfort foods that I crave.  If I were only able to take one bite it might be OK but I can't, so I can't buy it.  To be honest I always put that stuff in the cart while I am walking and buying all the fruits, veggies and meat I need. About 85% of the time I put the cake back before I check out.  While I’m walking around I think, “Do I really need it? Will I feel good after I’m done?”  Most of the time my mind tells me NO.

 

Another problem I have when I eat starchy or heavy foods is I don't sleep well.  My stomach bothers me in my sleep and I end up having to sleep more upright.  Last week I tried something new for lunch and dinner. I ate only 4-6 oz of protein and 6-8 oz of mixed veggies.  If I have anything starchy like rice or pasta I would have it for lunch.  It’s definitely helped.

I have not lost much weight yet but I have more energy I am also doing more, less sitting, less catching up on my shows recorded on the DVR.  I guess that is a good sign.  I am on the right track doing the best I can.

Mitch Rothbardt, CPT

510-754-7113

MitchRFitness.com

MitchRFItness@gmail.com

Discover Your Strength!

Mary Pt. 1

I had an idea. I thought that maybe if people heard from someone who was in their shoes, as in someone who was trying to get healthy but had their own concerns and fears, then maybe it would help give them the inspiration and courage to make some changes in their own life. I went to a client and asked her if she would help and she agreed but only if her name wasn’t mentioned.  For the next little while I’m going to turn every other column over to her.

"Hello, everyone. I’m going to call myself Mary.
About a month ago I lost my mom. She had lots of health issues from diabetes to heart problems. I’ve realized that I need to be serious about me. This is my wake up call. I worry about my health. My family has always had health and emotional problems.  I want to see my son have a family. I want to retire with my husband. I want to be one of the seniors that I see walking holding hands. I have a lot to work on. I enjoy taking care of other people but I’ve never been good at making time for myself.
I’ve been through cycles of watching what I eat and working out. I’ve tried everything from support groups to diet pills but I haven’t been able to stick to it. It doesn’t just effect me it effects my family, too. I have lost myself somewhere in me and I would really like to find myself again. I need this to make me feel good on the inside as well as the outside. I want to be able to wear a dress without feeling so insecure.

When Mitch asked me to write this I thought that maybe it would be help me commit. I’m good at keeping commitments to other people so I thought that my new commitment would be to whoever is reading this.

My biggest fears are failing and not finishing what I start.  I fear my life changing and never taking a bite of chocolate or ice cream again.

Step one is going to bootcamp three or four times a week and walking one night a week. Next week I’m going to start eating desert only once a week and work on lowering my calorie intake.
This past year I never got over 260 which is good for me. My goal is to drop 20-30 pounds in 2012. If it’s more that would be even better".

Every other column will be devoted to "Mary" and we'll see how she's progressing and what problems and fears she is dealing with. If you'd like to correspond with her to give her support, ask her questions or anything else, please email me at MitchRFitness@gmail.com and I will pass it along to her. Have a great day!

Mitch Rothbardt, CPT
510-754-7113
MitchRFitness.com
MitchRFitness@gmail.com
Discover Your Strength!

Let Them Train!

Hello, everyone. I’m sorry if I seem edgier than usual but I’m a little angry. One of my main goals as a trainer is to do my best to impart to women how valuable and empowering resistance training is. If you’ve read much of what I’ve written you know that resistance training can help you with an endless list of physical and mental issues. This is important to repeat because  mainstream media keeps repeating the same garbage about women not lifting weights because it’s not feminine or you’ll get bulky, or any other ridiculous BS reason.

I do my best to introduce all of my female clients and women in general to the benefits of resistance training and sometimes it’s difficult to break down that wall of “resistance” to this type of training. I can say (please contact me for testimonials) that every woman who has put their trust in me and put all their effort into doing this has seen tremendous results both physically and mentally.   
                                           
My view of the gym is that people are there to get their work in and don't really care what’s going on around them. When women have told me that they feel intimidated going into the free weight section that's what I've told them and it’s what I've always believed. In short, I thought the “guys paying too much attention to women lifting weights” was a little overblown.    

A few months ago two of my female clients started training for their first powerlifting meet and, due to some scheduling issues, one of their workouts each week is done together but without me at their local gym. The workouts consist of some combination of heavy deadlifts, good mornings, planks, step ups, and other similar exercises. In other words they’re lifting more than five pounds and they’re doing this in (gasp) the FREE WEIGHT AREA!! Keep in mind that both of these women can deadlift and squat well over 200 pounds.
Almost every week they’ve gotten some comment along the lines of “Why are you lifting such heavy weights?” or “What are you doing?” This reached a bit of a head when someone actually took a 55 lb. dumbbell out of one of their hands a few weeks ago and told her that “she shouldn’t be lifting anything that heavy.”

All I want to say is this: If you are the ones who are making comments like this, stop! You are doing women a massive disservice! Many women are, quite simply, doing harm to themselves with the kinds of workouts they do. The hours of cardio. The super high rep sets with virtually no weight. The bizarre diets. They’re setting themselves up for all kinds of metabolic and thyroid disorders, bone density issues and massive mental frustration with how hard they’re working only to feel worse and worse. Let them work in peace and hopefully more women will begin to realize how to get real results in the gym.

Mitch Rothbardt, CPT
510-754-7113
MitchRFitness@gmail.com
http://www.mitchrfitness.com/
Discover Your Strength!

Video Blog-Cue It Up!

Mitch Rothbardt, CPT
www.MitchRFitness.com
MitchRFitness@gmail.com
510-754-7113
Discover Your Strength!

Pick Up The Pace!

Mitch Rothbardt, CPT
510-754-7113
www.MitchRFitness.com
MitchRFitness@gmail.com
Discover Your Strength!