Should you stretch before you run?

Hi there. I hope you are having a great day. Well we have actually had a few days of sun in San Diego and it has been perfect weather for running. With the Oceanside Turkey Trot coming up I thought it would be appropriate to give you some tips on what you should and should not do before a run.

Stretching surprisingly is a major controversy in the fitness world. Some people will tell you to stretch before you go on a run while others say you never should. Who is right?

Technically, both are correct, but it is very important to know how to incorporate your stretching routine into your program.

First lets look at why you SHOULD NOT stretch before you workout. Very simply, think about why you stretch in the first place. Most people will say to prevent injury, but this isn't really the case. Essentially, when you stretch you are relaxing your muscle. As the muscle is stretched out, it will send an impulse to the brain and tell it become inhibited and relax so you can pull it into a further range of motion. Once you hold a static stretch for around 20-30 seconds this neurological impulse occurs. You have probably felt this before. Try holding a static stretch for 30 seconds. After that time you will notice your muscle will relax and you will be able to reach further into the stretch. For roughly an hour after a stretch you have deadened this muscle. This is not the ideal situtation for exercise and performance. Research is showing that static stretching before exercise, like running, does not decrease the risk of injury and may actually increase the risk.

There is also much evidence that by stretching before a run you will decrease power and running economy. If you look at elite runners, it looks like they bounce from stride to stride. They are actually using the elastic property of muscles and tendons to save energy. This will allow them to run faster without using as much energy. If we stretch you loose this bounce from the muscles and tendons.

If you are going to perform static stretching before a run you only need to stretch overactive muscles that you do not want to become even tighter during the run. I think one easy example to see with running are the upper trapezius. This is the muscle that will allow you to shrug. As people get tired during a run you will often see their shoulders start to creep up towards their ears. This is not good running form and is a waste of energy. If we static stretch the traps before the run, however, we may be able to prevent this. Below is an example of a trap stretch.



So if you shouldn't static stretch before a run, what should you do? We obviously do not want to just hit the run without warming up at all. So instead we perform a series of dynamic stretches. These are move movements that will prepare the joints and muscles for the exercise. This has been shown to be a much more beneficial warm up that static stretches. Below are a few sample dynamic flexibility exercises you can incorporate before a run.

Hip Flexor/Hamstring Stretch













Thoracic Spine Rotation




















Lateral Leg Swings



















Leg Swings
















Active Hip Flexor Stretch





















Balance To Reach

















The World's Greatest Stretch




It is however always a good idea to static stretch after a run or a workout. We want to make sure we return our muscles to a lengthened position after a workout that might have tightened them. It is not necessary to stretch every muscle. Focus on the ones that cause the greatest problem. If you have a guitar that is out of tune do you need to adjust every string? Most likely you only have a few strings that need to be adjusted. Our bodies are the same way. If you don't have a tightness problem you don't need to work on flexibility as much there.

While this is a very quick summary of flexibility and stretching I think it at least will give you an idea of a few concepts and what you should and should not be doing. Flexibility is actually a very complicated concept and we are still learning more and more about the best ways to utilize it. With time we will gain a better understanding of everything.

You Stay Healthy San Diego!

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator

The Showdown: Treadmill Vs. Elliptical

Hi there. I hope you are having a great week. I have been super busy lately. 2 weeks ago I was celebrating my 1st Anniversary in Las Vegas. I know what happens in Vegas is suppose to stay in Vegas but check out this pic of the desert that was sent out for us for dinner one night.



Not that it makes it much better but this wasn't all just for us. As some of you know my parents, wife's parents, and us all share the same anniversary day. It's weird but true.

After Vegas we had a wedding to go to and needless to say, I have some extra calories that I need to burn off.

As you probably have heard me say, I do not like doing traditional cardio for burning fat. I find other modes of exercise to be much more excited to me. None the less, I understand that not everyone hates cardio. If you perform cardio are you performing exercises that burn the most calories?

A few weeks ago I posted an article discussing what burns more calories, running or cycling. If you missed it you can click on the link below to read more:


http://premiertraining.blogspot.com/2010/05/does-running-burn-more-fat.html

I came across another study that looked at the treadmill vs. the elliptical and which would burn more calories at the same exertion level. They found that, when intensity levels are the same there is no significant difference in energy expenditure between the treadmill and the elliptical. They did find however that there was a higher heart rate recorded on the elliptical. The researchers were not sure why this was but it could be attributed to the upper body motion combines with the lower body work on the machine.

So what does this mean for your workout? Well it shows that both treadmills and elliptical seem to both be effective ways to burn calories. If you have a preference for one over the other then you should stick to the one that you prefer. If you experience knee pain you might want to stick with the elliptical. Also, if you need to keep your heart rate monitored and below a certain number you might want to stick with the treadmill.

Enjoy the rest of your week and get your cardio done in some form.

You stay healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Personal Trainer
My Workout Creator

The Playing Card Workout

Here is a short video I shot while I was in Minneapolis, MN last weekend. Sometimes when I am on the road or just in the mood for a different kind of workout I use playing cards to create my workout. Check out the video below to see exactly how you can do it.





Here is one you can try at home:

Hearts = Push Ups
Diamonds = Lunges
Spades = Squat Jumps
Clubs = Burpees

Shuffle the deck and deal out 12 cards at random face down. Flip over the first card. What ever the number is that is how many of the matching exercise you peform. Jacks are 11, Queens are 12, Kings are 13, and Aces are 14. The next time you try it you can either assign new exercises or you can deal out more cards.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Personal Trainer
My Workout Creator

My New Toy

Hi there. I hope your workouts are going great. There are hundreds of pieces of equipment out there. If you have stayed up late I'm sure you have been sucked into one of those infomercials that tell you how hooking your abs up to electronic stimulation or sitting on a moving saddle will get you the stomach you have been dreaming of. Hopefully you can see right through these marketing scams.

There are however a few pieces of equipment our there that I think are awesome. If you aren't sure what pieces of equipment are worth it or not here is a test you can use. Just ask yourself can this piece of equipment work multiple areas of the body. If the answer is yes then it is probably a useful tool. If the answer is no then keep moving. There is no such thing as spot reducing so don't listen to any ads that claim they can shape an area of your body doing one exercise.

For example, one of my favorite pieces of equipment to use is the TRX Suspension Trainer. This single tool can be used for hundreds of exercises for your entire body. They can be used in your home or outside. They can incredible convenient for exercise. You can click on the pic below to pick one up.





Another piece of equipment that I love are Battling Ropes. I have two of these at my studio. I just got one of few weeks ago and love using it for myself and well as with my clients. I love it because it is challenging, fun, and different. You don't see things like this at most gyms. It is a great tool to break up your traditional workout program. Here is a video I made of a few exercises.



These are tough to use in your home but if you want to pick one up you can click on the pick below:





You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Personal Trainer
My Workout Creator

The Truth For Lean Legs

I have been in the fitness industry for almost ten years now. Over that time a great deal has changed in research, training methods, and philosophies. Although much has changed, many things have remained the same. The basics are always going to stick. For one if you are trying to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you consume. That will always be the foundation of any program. If you are gaining or not losing weight it will always come back to this formula.

Another thing that always seems to stick are the objections to high intensity strength training. Most people are just too scared to push themselves. Surprisingly though, they are not scared of getting hurt usually. They are scared that if they lift harder they will bulk up or gain weight. I am starting to realize though that many people just are hearing what they want to hear, or just making things up as they go possibly.

Here is a clear example. Most women are scared to bulk up as I mentioned and will not push themselves hard for certain exercises or they will not even strength train altogether. They will, however, kill themselves on the adductor/abductor machines (inner/outer thigh machine). So if you are too scared to do squats and push ups because they will bulk you up, why would you do inner/outer thigh machines? Would that just give you bigger inner and outer thighs?

Obviously no. You will not get bigger legs using the adductor/abductor machines, just like you will not get big doing most strength training exercises. Unless, of course, you train to get big and follow a proper nutrition plan. Most people do not eat enough or train hard enough to put on significant muscle mass.

And while I am ranting I have another problem with the inner/outer thigh machines. No matter how many times people hear it they just don't believe that you cannot spot reduce. Yes those machines will strengthen those muscles but they will not necessarily burn fat from that area. The body will burn calories from other places as well. In fact there was a study in Med Sci Sports Exercise 39 no7 Jl 2007 that looked at this exact concept. They used arm exercises instead. They had subjects perform bicep exercises and measure the amount of fat in the arm. While body fat was lost it did not come from the arm but all over the body.

If you are trying to get leaner legs then you want to just burn fat in general. You will burn fat from all over and it will get to your thighs at some point. This is determined by genetics unfortunately. This is the same reason it is a waste of time to perform hundreds of ab exercises to try and get a six pack. It just won't work. The inner and outer thigh muscles are relatively small muscles as well. This means you won't burn as many calories working on them as you will bigger muscles, such as the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Spend your time on the bigger muscles to burn more calories.

Well that is my rant for the day. I hope this information will help you with your workout.

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Personal Training
My Workout Creator

You Are What You Eat

I'm sure you have probably heard that phrase before. "You are what you eat." There definitely is some truth to this. If you eat unhealthy food like saturated fats and simple sugars you will most likely be unhealthy. If you eat healthy nutritious food, then you are probably healthy. Not only are you what you eat but it looks like you are what your mom eats as well.

I feel like everyday I hear of a new friend that is having a baby. I guess I am just at that age. I do not have children and do not claim to be an expert in parenting what so ever. However, one thing that truly makes me upset is to see overweight children. Most people just blame it on genetics. This is far from the truth. If your parents were overweight it probably means they did not eat very healthy. Chances are if they didn't make smart nutrition choices then neither did you. Not really by choice. That is just what you were fed.

I work with a large percentage of moms. One complaint that I hear over and over again is that they have trouble eating healthy because they eat what they are giving theie kids. I am always shocked by this, even though I have heard this more times than I would like to admit. If you know you shouldn't be eating something then why are you letting your kids have it. Now I know this can be easier said than done. I grew up only liking pizza and mac n cheese. Luckily I grew out of it and enjoy a variety of foods. We just need to educate our kids on why they need to eat healthier. Or we can just trick them. I remember as a kid, one of the few vegetables I would eat was spinach. Take a wild guess why. I liked Popeye and he eats his spinach. I thought if I ate spinach I would get big and strong too.

Back to the topic at hand though. Obviously childhood obesity is a huge problem and teaching kids smarter choices will just set them up to live longer and healthier lives. New research is showing we can even help them out before childhood. There was recently a study presented at the UK National Stem Cell Network Science Meeting about the development of fat cells in the development stages of cells. This study used stem cells from mice so it can't be directly translated into humans yet, but it is shedding the light on body fat distributions in humans. This study found that during the developmental stage of stem cells, the nutrition available will determine the distribution of visceral versus subcutaneous fat cells. Visceral fat has been shown to indicate a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

What this study may be showing makes perfect sense. By making poor choices with your nutrition during pregnancy and in the early stages after birth will play a huge role in determining how many fat cells a child will develop. So eating healthy during pregnancy is not only great for the mom but will be helping the child out for the rest of their lives. Obviously they can still make poor choices as they get older, but at least there will be a higher chance of success.

The take home message is simple really. Make sure you are eating healthy and make sure you are educating your kids on proper nutrition. Even if you have to lie a little. We lie about Santa Claus so I think it is ok to trick kids into liking vegetables.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Personal Training
My Workout Creator

10 Ways To Get In Shape This Summer

Well the 4th of July has come and gone and summer is upon us. Hopefully you have been training hard the past few month and you are ready to show off your summer body this year. If not, all is not lost. You can still make tremendous gains this summer. And remember, we are already half way through 2010. Crazy I know, but true. If you didn't get as far as you wanted with your fitness goals so far this year it is time to crank it up a notch before 2010 is over.

If you are frustrated that you aren't where you want to be right now then here are 10 tips you can implement to get your focus back on track for the summer.

1. Plan Out Your Program.

Don't make the mistake of just going to the gym without a plan. You will be much less likely to stick with random workouts. Plan out how many days you can workout and what you want to work on while you are there. Do this for both your strength and cardio program.

2. Each Month Focus On A New Goal.

Our bodies need change to continue to adapt. If you are always doing the same routine over and over again you will see diminishing returns. The goals you can focus on each month of endless. You can pick new exercises to improve on, getting stronger, building endurance, getting faster, burning calories.....Just keep changing your goals as needed. Look at your program and see how long you have been using the rep range and sets that you are doing.

3. Get Outside And Workout.

You mind needs a break too. I work in a gym setting all day everyday. Sometimes I just need a break and I will workout outside. The weather is perfect for working out outdoors and you get health benefits from being in the sun (don't forget your sunblock though). That doesn't mean I have to go for a run. You can do a boot camp workout, a playground workout, or anything other workout outdoors. You can make your local park a gym. Click on this link to see a workout I did using only a swing set.

http://www.myworkoutcreator.com/premade-workouts/swing-set-workout-1/

You can also take advantage of the many boot camp classes that are springing up all over the place. Below is a video preview of my class that I hold every Saturday.



4. Bring Healthy Dishes To Summer BBQ's.

I love BBQ's just as much as anyone. And I know how easy it is to eat and drink too much at these parties. Try bringing healthy entrees to these events or recommending that others try bringing a healthy dish. Below is a recipe for a healthy burger that tastes great. This was a recipe from Tom Venuto and Burn the Fat Feed The Muscle:


* 1 lb (454 g) 99% nonfat ground turkey
* 4 egg whites
* 1 cup (40 g crumbled shredded wheat or whole wt bread crumbs)
* 1/2 cup finely diced celery
* 1/2 cup finely diced onion
* 1 tbsp horseradish mustard (jack daniels brand - the SECRET ingredient!)
* 1 tbsp soy sauce
* 1 tsbp garlic powder
* 1 tbsp parsley flakes
* dash of pepper
* dash of sea salt (optional)

Makes 4 burgers

per burger: (not including bun):

189 calories
37.5 grams protein
12.5 grams carbs
1.6 grams fat

5. Sign Up For An End Of The Summer Run.

Signing up for a 5 or 10K can be a great motivator. You can find a race literally every weekend in San Diego. Find a local one at the end of the summer so you are more likely to commit to a training program. Don't think about signing up. Just sign up and make yourself train.

6. Find A Workout Buddy.

Having a workout buddy is a great way to keep yourself accountable. It is harder to miss a workout when you know someone else is counting on your to be there. Find someone this summer with similar goals as you and start a program together. Everything is easier when you have someone going through it with you.

7. Weight Yourself Frequently.

Many people can be too obsessed with their weight, but frequent weigh ins have been shown to lead to more weight loss. Don't expect to see the pounds fly off every day, but you should see a change over time. Avoiding the scale is an easy way to slip off your program and you really don't even know it.

8. Eat More Fruits and Veggies.

For some reason many people are scared now to eat fruits and vegetables. Yes there is sugar in fruit, but chances are you will not eat enough fruit to worry about it. We need to get multiple servings of each EVERYDAY from a variety of sources. The summer is a great time to try new fruits and veggies while they are in season.

9. Find A Support System.

Losing weight can be a very difficult thing to do. Especially if you have been struggling with your weight for a long time. Let others help you out. Friends, family, and coworkers can be very supportive and motivating. But they need to know you are trying to lose weight. Include them and let them help you out. Use things like blogging and facebook to let others know what you are up to.

10. Try This Ab Workout.

It is always fun to try new workouts. Here is a free workout that I posted on my website www.MyWorkoutCreator.com.

Free Ab Workout

If you need extra help with what types of workouts to do this is a great resource for you. Try it for only $1 here. You must at least sign up for a free account if you want to see the free ab workout.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Personal Trainer
My Workout Creator