Understanding Planes of Movement

Hello again and welcome to SSP. This is going to be a short summary to bring everyone up to speed on the planes of motion in relation to body mechanics. The human body operates in three planes of motion called the sagittal plane, frontal plane, and the transverse plane. No matter what the motion we are engaged, the body will operate in any or all planes of motion.

The first plane will we talk about is the sagittal.

Sagittal Plane

This plane cuts the body into left and right sides. Any actions that move forward and backward of the body are sagittal movements. I know you think that those movements would be frontal, right? We address the movement by the direction of travel not relative position. Exercises like standing dumbbell curls, front lunges, and seated cable rows are all sagittal movements. The direction of travel of the arms in these exercises is forward and backward of the body.

The next plane of motion we will touch upon is the frontal (also known as the coronal), which divides the body into front and back. All actions that remain parallel to the body are considered frontal movements. Some examples of these movements are shoulder presses; lateral (to the side) dumbbell raises, and side straddle hops (jumping jacks). The direction of movement for all of the exercises mentioned occur with the appendages traveling up and down and parallel with the body.

Frontal Plane

Finally, we come to the transverse plane. It divides the body into upper and lower halves at about the waist. Anytime there is a twisting motion of the body going from right to left or vice versa, it is considered a transverse movement. Examples of these movements are Russian twists, wood choppers, and standing medicine ball rotation.

Transverse Plane

It is important to remember most sports activities are rarely completed in a single plane. The biomechanics of human movement will always travel through several, or all, planes of movement. If we take a look at a baseball player swinging a bat to strike a pitch, we will observe all planes active at once. The transverse plane is in play as the arms drive the bat from the ready position at the shoulder to contact the ball and follow through to the other side of the body. Simultaneously, the player steps into the swing with his forward leg (even slightly) it is in the sagittal plane, and finally the rear heel rotates on the ball of the foot driving the heel in a frontal plane of movement.

Well, I hope this helps to clarify how the body operates in the frontal, sagittal, and transverse planes of movement.

Until next time,

-Reuben  

References

Chandler, T. Jeff and Lee E. Brown. Conditioning for Strength and Performance. Second. Philidelphia: Wolters Kluwer Lippincott Williams, 2013.

Everett, Aaberg. Muscle Mechanics. second. 2006.

National Academy of Sport Medicine. NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training. Fourth. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2012.

“Plane” TheFreeDictionary.com.N.P.,n.d. Web. 07 Dec 2013 http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/sagittal planes.

How the Body Produces Energy?

Hello everyone. Thank you for visiting my blog and welcome. If you are a returning to SSP then welcome back. In this blog, I am going to discuss the energy systems of the body. It is going to be a little in depth at times in order to have all this make sense. So with that said, let’s begin.

The three main ways that the body utilizes energy are through the Adenosine Triphosphate Phosphocreatine (ATP-PC) system, anaerobic metabolism (without oxygen) system, and the aerobic metabolism (with oxygen) system. The body does not operate one at a time, but fluctuates between them all depending on the demands placed on it.

Chemical reactions of the body (metabolism) happen in two forms. The first is called catabolism or the breaking down of nutrients into usable energy (glucose). The second is anabolism or the building up to create. This occurs when the body is repairing damaged, old or dead cells etc. Food is catabolized into essential nutrients for energy and maintenance. There are six nutrients which are divided into macronutrients and micronutrients. The macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, lipids (fats), and water. The micronutrients are vitamins and minerals. They work together to provide renewable energy and continual repair.  

ATP

A major source of energy comes from carbohydrates. Utilization of carbs for energy is the most efficient method of energy metabolism, and they are vital to the healthy function of the brain and nervous systems. Carbs are broken down into glucose, fructose, and galactose. Glucose is the form of sugar we need to create a power house molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP is a high energy molecule that stores energy in the form of chemical bonds and supports muscle contractions by changing the chemical energy into mechanical energy during exercise). The liver uses glycogen phosphorylase to convert fructose and galactose into glucose. The glucose can then be used immediately for energy or stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen to be used later (like filling up the fuel tank in your car).

The Glycolytic (Anaerobic) system

The glycolytic system involves the anaerobic breakdown of carbohydrates to produce energy (glucose/glycogen). This process does not breakdown fats and proteins. The substrate (glucose or glycogen) must come from the blood or muscle stores.

The metabolizing of one glucose molecule yields two ATP’s (the energy molecule) without the presence of oxygen. Glycogen yields three ATP’s when metabolized. The ATP is catalyzed by the enzyme ATP-ase to create adenosine coupled with two phosphates (ADP) plus one inorganic phosphate (Pi) and 7 Kcals of energy. It is this release of energy that provides work potential. ATP is stored in the muscles for immediate use; however, it is stored in very small amounts. This limits the work potential of ATP to less than ten second and requires the body to produce a greater number of ATP’s to continue working. It’s like driving your car with the fuel light on. You are moving now, but if you don’t refuel soon you’re going to come to a halt.

Kinase is used to change ADP back to ATP

Enter creatine phosphate (PC) to save the day (I don’t think it wears red and blue tights though). ADP is metabolized into ATP with the use of the enzyme kinase. When PC is in the presence of ADP, kinase is used to bind them together creating a usable ATP molecule.  The creatine phosphate cycle is the quickest process to produce usable energy, but the yield is low. The PC system provides about 10 to 30 seconds of energy and is the primary energy system for high intensity short duration activity like power/strength training or sprinting. The PC system also provides energy at the beginning of all stages and types of exercise. It’s the “first gear” of energy production.  Fatigue is associated with a depletion of PC.

Anaerobic metabolism will provide energy longer than the ATP-PC system alone, but it is limited to about 30 seconds to 2 minutes and is the energy system used the most.  Lactic acid is the byproduct of anaerobic metabolism. We will not discuss the role of lactic acid in energy production at this time.

Oxidative (Aerobic) system

The oxidative system uses oxygen to metabolize carbohydrates and other carbon containing structures (fats and Proteins). This process is very slow but can yield 36-38 ATP’s per cycle. The oxidative system is the primary energy producer in endurance related exercise. Because the oxygen is used to produce energy, there is virtually no limit to the duration of energy production at lower intensity exercise.

One final note, the intensity of the exercise plays a large role in determining the primary energy system. Understanding how your body produces energy will aid you in reaching your next level of performance. This was down and dirty super abbreviated crash course in bioenergetics.  In the future, I may refer to different energy systems being used during exercise, and I hope this helps you follow along.

-Reuben

References

Van, De Graaff, Kent., R. Rhees, Sidney Palmer, R. Ward. Rhees, and Sidney L. Palmer. "Metabolism, Nutrition, and Temperature Regulation." Schaum's Outline of Human Anatomy and Physiology, Third Edition. N.p.: McGraw-Hill Companies, The, 2009. 337-46. Print.

"Exercise Metabolism and Bioenergetics." Nasm Essentials of Personal Fitness Training. [S.l.]: National Academy of Sports Medicine, 2014. 63-74. Print.

"Exercise Physiology." ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2009. 135-39. Print.

Chandler, T. Jeff., and Lee E. Brown. Conditioning for Strength and Human Performance. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Health, 2013. 3-19. Print.

Weight Loss Simplified

I was reading a post from one of my favorite Facebook pages called Ripped Goddess. She asks if her readers find it easier to lose weight or gain muscle. This is an intriguing question because it is multifaceted. Most of you may already know that there is no “cookie-cutter” method to lose weight or gain lean muscle. However, there is a general rule to the process. For this argument, I will address fat loss first because it is the most common goal.

You can raise your chance of success by planing you meals ahead

Before anybody can begin an actual weight loss program, the number of calories consumed daily must be known. The easiest way to get a handle on how many calories you consume daily is by starting a food journal. This can be as simple as writing down everything you eat in a notebook, to using a phone/computer app to record your meals. One of my favorites is “My Fitness Pal”. It helps you establish your target weight and daily calorie goals as well as breaking down your food entries into macro and micro nutrient content. Next is to record your meals for seven days. So if you ate 3000 calories per day for seven days your weekly consumption will be 21000 calories. The next step is to reduce those calories. We are not going to do anything stupid like starvation, we are just going to reduce daily calories by 500. That could be as simple as cutting out that quarter pounder with cheese (520 calories). Just by doing that you change your weekly consumption to 17500. That would be a reduction of >3500 a week. That is fantastic for several reasons.

The first reason is that you haven’t changed anything else in your lifestyle. You can do everything else same as before. Second, one pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories. So by reducing 3500 calories a week you will lose one pound and never set foot in a gym. Third, by increasing your activity level in conjunction with a diet change you will lose even more (be forewarned, for this you may actually have to sweat).

The next step (without going all fitness nerd on you) is to figure out how many carbohydrates, proteins, and fats you need to consume. There are many apps/programs that will calculate this for you already, but it isn’t as difficult as you may think. Ball park numbers are 45/35/20 of carbs/proteins/fats respectively. Using the daily consumption we established earlier, we would break down 2500 calories (remember 3000-500=2500) into 1125 calories from carbs, 875 calories from protein, and 500 calories from good fats. I bet your saying “how the heck am I supposed to know how many calories of carbs/proteins/fats are in my meals?” HA! HA! Let the learning continue!

A little discretion goes a long way toward your weight loss goals

We are going to take the calories needed per macronutrient and divide them by the calories per gram. It is widely accepted that there are four calories per gram of carbohydrates and proteins and nine calories per gram of fat. If we take the figures from earlier we discover we should be consuming 281.25 g of carbs (1125/4=281.25), 218.75 g protein, and 55.5 g of fats (personally, I would not round the numbers at this point, you will see why in a minute).

The final step is to break these values down per meal. I suggest eating more than three times a day. The more often you eat, the longer you metabolism is working to digest and utilize the food. Another reason to eat more often is to reduce the number of calories per meal. It is easier for most of us to eat six small 300 calorie meals rather than three large 600 calorie meals. Ideally we would take the number of grams per nutrient divided by the number of daily meals. This would give us 46.9 g carbs (281.25/6=46.9) per meal, 36.5 g protein per meal, and 9.3 g fat per meal. This is where I would round carbs and protein up, and fat down giving me carbs 47g, protein 37g, and fats 9 g.

So, now we can ball park our progress at a glance by knowing what we require per meal to begin weight loss. This will also help your body function properly by providing the proper amount of macronutrients for work (barring any medical anomalies).

I hope this helps you understand why knowing your daily calorie consumption is the foundation to obtaining your weight loss goals. I admit I made this very simple to comprehend and without scrambling your brain with technical jargon. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

I hope everyone has a blessed day.

What is muscular imbalance

A muscle imbalance is the term used when one muscle pulls harder at a joint than its antagonist, or opposite. If both muscles where pulling with the same tension, theoretically the joint they are attached to should remain in a centered (neutral) position. However, over time we develop imbalances due to learned inefficient movement patterns. Inefficient movement patterns can lead to joint dysfunctions, swelling and altered

proprioception (how we respond to environmental stimuli).  An example of this can be observed in individuals who sit for long periods of time. The body remembers the position and begins to “preset” itself. This is called motor learning, or a learned movement pattern. When the body programs itself like this, the muscles that are responsible for bending the hip into a sitting position (known as the hip flexors) become shortened, or overactive. The shortening is due to the constant signal from the nervous system to prepare to bend. This means that the muscles responsible for straightening the hip must become long, or underactive.

The problem of imbalances effects everything we do including how we sit, walk, reach for things, and sleep.  Whenever we try to accomplish any movement in an imbalanced state, the body will attempt to have the wrong muscles accomplish the brunt of the work. No big deal, right? Aren’t muscles made to do work? When the wrong muscles are recruited to perform a task it effects the entire kinetic chain. Let’s go back to the imbalances when sitting. Sitting there is no major problem because the body learned this position. The problem arises when we stand. Now remember the muscles responsible for straightening the hip are underactive. They cannot produce all of the force needed to straighten the hip. This is when other muscles come into greater play. Synergists are muscles that aid the prime mover (the main muscle designed to do work) in accomplishing a task. When the prime mover cannot perform properly, the synergists have to work harder (synergistic dominance). This can result in abnormal strain on the joints resulting in dysfunction.

With this said, if we begin an exercise routine without first addressing the imbalances, you are only going to exacerbate the problem. In order to maximize your gains, we must slowly and methodically reduce these imbalances.  Find a knowledgeable fitness professional who can identify your imbalances. Have them write you a program of stretching, strengthening, and functional movements to correct (re-learn) the movement patterns.

Once functional movement is restored, your body can deliver maximum performance. The chances of sports related injury, joint dysfunction, and swelling are significantly reduced. 

In conclusion, be aware of your body and become active every day for 20-30 minutes or 2.5 hours weekly. Do it in a safe and healthy way to live a long and active life.

 

References

Clark, Micheal A., Scott C Lucett and Brian G Sutton, NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training. Baltimore: Wolters Kluwer, 2012.

Inside tricks to a thicker chest

Let's talk about the chest *

something to think about on your next chest day

Hello everyone,

I am usually very skeptical of advertisements, or articles, written by certain magazines because of the massive levels of bias that can accompany them. This article I came across is actually on the money. http://blog.primalmuscle.com/7-strategies-for-an-effective-chest-attack/

Most guys want a massive chest, but like most things done by a novice, they get half the story and consider it fitness gospel. They spend months utilizing a half concocted exercise program, and (brace yourself) achieve no significant gains (insert shocked face here). Then the next thing they think is something along the lines of “I must need supplements or steroids to get what I want”. Let’s keep Johnny no-thumbs the ‘roid vendor out of the equation, ok?

This article by primal muscle addresses building a massive chest. They give excellent pointers about how to “fill out” your shirt cannons. I agree 100% that the incline bench contributes the most to any chest workout. Inclines will turn the top of your chest into something resembling a bookshelf, or helicopter landing pad (ok, maybe a little exaggeration on my part, but you get the point). The Pectoralis minor (the upper part of the chest responsible for scapula protraction) is often overlooked. This is probably because most people do not know it has a separate function from the pectoralis major. So many people think that the flat bench hits the entire chest. This is not completely true.

Another often overlooked exercise for “pecto-beef” is the dumbbell flyes. Flyes are great at pulling your pectoralis minor and major together. It is also great in adding “cut”. We must remember a muscle is highly complex. One muscle can have several fibers that perform different duties within that muscle. Again, knowledge is power.

However, the article does not go into great depth about stretching. As you follow my blog, I am sure you will see I continually harp about 1. Muscle Imbalance, 2. Self-

myofascial release (SMR) and other stretching techniques, 3. The importance of the cool-down. I will post a blog outlining a few stretches as soon as possible. Until then, please stretch before AND after a workout. It will warm up the tissues and prepare you mentally for the exercises before a workout. After a workout, it helps to alleviate soreness and ease the body back to normal function.

One final note. I do not use declines at all. I think that declines done properly incorporate more Lats-triceps than Pects. If you use a wide enough grip to isolate your chest, you run the risk of increased joint damage (due to the unnatural position and stress).

So, hope you enjoy the article and post any comments or questions. Also like me on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/StabilityStrengthAndPower?

Semper Fi

SSP

*SSP recommends you should not attempt any exercise without getting cleared by your doctor.

“Every tub must stand on its own bottom”

It is true that any journey in life must begin somewhere. Those of you who already know me understand I have a love for fitness and exercise. I say if you do not like your body, change it. This goes for everything in life, be it fitness, your job, your residence or your standing with GOD. Only you can initiate change in your life be it for good or bad. Others can point you toward a path, but you chose to walk it.

As a child, my mother told me “Every tub must stand on its own bottom.”  We cannot always blame the actions of others for our circumstances. There is a time that we choose to stay in our situation; maybe because it is comfortable and familiar. The adage the devil you know is better than the devil you do not know. The problem here is it is the devil, regardless of the shape or device he chooses. Take charge of your position in life, and do whatever you must for improvement. We are not automatons; we all have the capacity for individual thought.

Lumbo-pelvic pain

Hello. My name is Reuben, and I am the owner of this blog. I am currently going to school for Advance Health and Fitness. My end state will be an advanced degree in Kinesiology and Physical Therapy with a focus on corrective exercise, weight loss techniques, and maximum performance conditioning.

Before I continue, I must let you know that my blog is here as a means for information about fitness and exercise. It is in no means a guide for the diagnosis of any illness. Please consult your doctor and get his or her approval before attempting ANYTHING addressed in my blog.

Today I came across an article addressing lower back pain stemming from an anterior pelvic tilt (the hips roll forward). Many people suffer from lower back pain without any known trauma. This may be due to muscle imbalances in the body (Stronger muscles pulling harder on a given joint than its weaker muscular opposite). An example would be flexing your elbow. The biceps pull harder on the elbow joint than your triceps. This causes the elbow to travel in the direction of your bicep.

 Mr. Robert Wood, The author of the Reactive Lumbo-pelvic control program (http://www.ptonthenet.com/articles/Reactive-Lumbo-Pelvic-Control-Program-3179), brought to light some simple corrective measures to address the issue. The author begins by showing credibility by mentioning corrective steps come from the proper incorporation of motor re-learning. In other words, we must teach our body the proper way to move. It may sound silly, but it is a scientific fact that I will go into more detail in future blogs.

Mr. Wood does a fantastic job in describing various techniques needed to help alleviate the problem. Some of the things I like are the use of images to enhance his descriptions, along with the rationale behind the movements. I think the article would have been better had the author clarified the progression between exercise modifications. However, this article appears to be written toward an audience with basic knowledge of kinesthetics. I also have to mention that the exercises in figures 13-26 appear to require a high level of ankle stability. If you have not already done so, consult a professional knowledgeable in postural, and dynamic assessments, or functional movement systems before conducting these exercises.

Well that is all for now. Please stop back in the future and feel free to ask questions. You can also find me at Stability Strength and Power on Facebook.