September Exercise of the Month - Barbell Military Press

Contributed by Brien A. McMurray, CSCS, M.A., Personal Trainer SPORT FIT Severna Park

The Military Press is performed by standing with the barbell held in both hands in front of you with the bar resting on your upper chest right underneath the clavicle (collar bone). The bar is pressed upwards until the elbows are completely locked out with the weight directly overhead. The bar should be lowered back under control and brought back to the upper chest. Many people decrease the range of motion by bringing it back to the chin. When beginning any weight training program it is recommended by the National Strength and Conditioning Program to keep the reps in the 8 – 12 reps range. The last 2-3 reps should be challenging. If it is not challenging then the weight should be increased. On the other hand, if you can not perform at least 8 reps with good technique and full range of motion then the weight should be decreased.

If I have to pick my favorite upper body exercise, it is the Barbell Military Press. This is far superior exercise than the popular Bench Press. Many athletes enjoy doing the Bench Press and, quite frankly, over emphasize it. How functional is the bench press when are we on our backs and pushing the weight up ?? The Barbell Military Press is a far superior exercise than the Bench Press.

First, it is “ground base” exercise. We are standing up and supporting the weight. As in most athletic events and in everyday chores we are on our feet supporting weight. As you are pushing the weight up over your head, your intra-abdominal pressure rises thus increasing your core strength. In addition, since your vertebrae is bearing the weight, this activates “bone mineralization.” This helps prevent Osteoporosis. In fact, any ground base exercise where you are bearing the weight is far superior to any exercise where you are seated or lying down. This is the main reason why free weight exercises that are ground based are far superior to any machine exercise.

September Fitness Tip of the Month

Contributed by Brien A. McMurray, CSCS, M.A., Personal Trainer SPORT FIT Severna Park

When involved in a weight training program, to reach maximum benefits, an individual should train 3 times per week with a 48 hour period of rest in between each session. Research has found this to be the ideal method of weight training. Satisfactory results also can be made by training twice per week. Even training once per week on a regular basis can make positive results.

When designing your workout plan, it is very important that you change your workout program every 4, 5, or 6 weeks. No matter what type of resistance training one does, we all go through what is known as the General Adaption Syndrome. At the beginning of any type of weight training program, your body reacts, initially, by experiencing muscle soreness. Quite often, our strength actually decreases. After a few days or even a week, we go through “super compensation.” The body actually begins to adapt to the exercises and the individual begins to handle more weight and can perform more reps or repetitions. This period usually occurs between weeks 2-5. Right around week 4-6, the body plateaus and little to no improvement occurs.

At this point in the cycle, it is critical to change the program entirely. A new resistance program with a whole new set of exercises needs to be started. By setting up a new program, it will prevent plateauing and as a result steady progress will be made in improving overall strength.

When most adults train, they tend to perform exercises that were introduced to them when they were younger. Quite often the variety of exercises is limited. Over time, progress becomes limited and quite boring. In addition, adults can experience “overuse injuries.”

If you find that you have experienced any of these problems and you would like to see positive and steady improvement in your resistance program, consider hiring a Personal Trainer to reach your goals. A Personal Trainer will also make certain that you address all the critical areas of strength. Quite often, people neglect critical areas and over emphasize other areas. Common areas neglected are upper body pulling exercises, lower back strength, abdominal strength, and core strength.

Give Me An Alternative

Contributed by Joe Bocek, Fitness Director SPORT FIT Severna Park

Not too long ago I was attending a “destination wedding” for a friend of mine in Bermuda. When the wedding ended around 11 p.m., a few of us migrated over to the hotel bar. There we met a cargo pilot who regularly traveled all over the world and whose daughter, coincidentally enough, was also a personal trainer. I agreed with him when he said, “What a great job, helping people live a healthier life!”

Apparently Mr. Cargo Pilot had several medical considerations which led to him taking many pills to manage and help control his ailments. High blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol were just a few. “Give me an alternative,” he said. You see, Mr. Cargo Pilot is like so many other Americans with health-related ailments that are also life-threatening. In order to try to prevent these diseases from claiming his life, his doctor prescribes many different drugs. Why drugs? Because they are easier. For so many, good diet and exercise seem hard, so plan B is often taking multiple prescriptions. I am certain many of you reading this article right now are either on (or at one time was on) a prescription like these or you are close to someone who is.

Case in point: Let me tell you about one of my clients – I’ll call him “Ralph” – who came to me several years ago at the urging of his wife. Ralph, and his family, wanted an alternative. They wanted an alternative to the diabetes, the high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. They wanted an alternative to all the pills he was consuming on a daily basis. And most importantly, they wanted an alternative to putting all their hopes of this man’s life in a bottle of pills. Ralph was an average guy. He worked out consistently, not necessarily any harder than the next guy, just consistently. I’m pleased to say that during our time together, Ralph lost 75 pounds and more importantly had his doctor take him off his medication for his diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Ralph is a success story because he found an alternative, a healthier lifestyle.

The benefits of exercise are well stated. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) tell us those “benefits include a reduction in cardiovascular mortality, a reduction in symptoms, improvement in exercise tolerance and functional capacity, and improvement in psychologic well-being and quality of life. Exercise training programs significantly reduce overall mortality, as well as death due to myocardial infarction.” The well-known Internet website About.com explains, “Exercise is an important part of a healthy life, but when you have diabetes, exercise is essential for helping you manage the disease. Regular exercise helps you lose weight and keep it off. It also can help you lower your blood glucose levels and prevent serious complications, such as foot and lower extremity problems, eye disease and kidney disease.”

Now, I am not saying that starting an exercise routine or having a salad for lunch today will solve all your problems, but it’s definitely a start in the right direction. While some people do need medication no matter what changes they make to their lifestyle, choosing to lead a healthier lifestyle makes these diseases much more manageable.

For those of you ready for another option, a choice other than a life limited by health related illness and medical prescriptions, talk to your doctor about starting a healthy diet and exercise process. Tell him to “Give you an alternative!”