• What you're doing wrong in the gym..And how to do it right
• C is for cardiovascular exercise
• Good News - Bad News
• Asparagus - The weight loss gourmet
• Client Archive
• The Science of Exercise

News Archive 03

Yourself

What you're doing wrong in the gym..
And how to do it right

You sweat, you strain, but you might as well not bother because 70 per cent of what you are doing is probably wasted. So says fitness trainer David Marshall, aka the Bodydoctor - and he claims to have all the answers you need.

ZOE DARE HALL reports

HEALTH WATCH

If one thing is guaranteed to leave you more deflated than a punishing hour in the gym, it's being told that more than two-thirds of your exertion was wasted. David Marshall, the self-styled "Bodydoctor", says that most of us exercise incorrectly so we are slogging away without reaping the benefits.

You need only to be shown the ropes on different gyms to realise how advice varies - assuming that the trainer is not too busy admiring his or her own muscles in the mirror to notice that you are improvising in blissful ignorance. "Who needs to be slim, fit and lovely - you or me? You're not paying for me to look good," says David.

The gyms answer to the Naked Chef; he strips exercise down to its bare essentials in a six-week programme. If you can afford his personal tuition, you get the obvious benefits of never being left to your own devices. But clients have shown equally impressive results from following his book, which illustrates what to do and cardio exercises and nutritional advice.

"It's the best £40 any gym user could spend," he says. He would, of course. But if it means no more wasting time and money getting it wrong, he's right. After six weeks, he says you won't recognise yourself.

The principle is to work with your body as a total entity through heat, repetition and low intensity, rather than forcing it into defense mode by making it cope with the stress of too great a speed or weight.

"That's fine it you want to be a professional athlete or boxer, but most people want to be fitter and healthier with less body fat, a good heart and lungs and low blood pressure. My method makes you stronger, more flexible and structurally better - losing body fat and weight are by-products," says David - modestly, given that most clients drop at least one or two clothes sizes in that time. He prefers to use this as a measure rather than weight loss because while burning fat properly will make you appear considerably thinner by changing you body shape, your weight may remain roughly the same.

Miranda Merton, 33, dropped from a "good size 16" to size 12 by following David's book. "I have piles of exercise videos and books at home, but this was the easiest to use. Within six weeks, I saw a tremendous difference having lost a lot of fat from my stomach and hips without having to diet," says Miranda, who used to work out regularly at a health club, but never noticed any improvement.

"David's programme involves more tricep and stomach work than I was used to and you often work two body parts in one movement, which saves on time. The exercises were tough, but by the end they were tattooed on my mind and became far easier."

Paul Adams, 27, is 6ft 3ins and 17 stone - having lost four stone since following David's advice over the past four months. "I've lost far more in body fat, though. Scales lie but tape measures don't. I could never buy cool trousers with a 42in waist, but now I'm a 36 and love clothes shops. My own workouts weren't making much difference, but David's method is logical and gets amazing results.

"When your arms are exhausted from pushing two dumb-bells above your head his next exercise is to do what feels instinctive - stretching as wide as you can. He doesn't bother with a warm-up or warm-down routine because the exercises themselves do that - and he knows when to increase your capacity, which you wouldn't on your own."

As I go to learn the error of my ways at David's North London gym, he yells theatrically at his assistant Brenda: "Don't give her tea, I'm just about to train the life out of her."

However, his method is actually not about pushing yourself to within an inch of your life but about quality rather than quantity. Only later will your muscles remind you that they underwent some unfamiliar contortions.

Brenda gasps occasionally as she spots another celebrity name on David's waiting list but he is discreet, feeling it gives the wrong impression to name-drop. "People's reaction is ‘So what? They've got the money'. But anyone can do these exercises and see the difference. Working out shouldn't be about money."

We start with the treadmill, which I had always used as a test of how long and fast you can keep running before collapsing in a heap of sweat. David tells me not to run at all. By taking long walking strides at a suitable speed and incline, you will do more to dislodge the fatty deposits on your thighs, calves and bottom than shocking them into submission with a frantic sprint.

Our instinct (often from imitating those around us who are also doing it wrong) is to pound through everything as fast as possible which merely cancels the desired effect, propelling you by momentum rather than muscle power. "Feel my back," says David while working with two weights to demonstrate the frantic energy spurts most of us exert with a grimace. This will send jolts through your muscles and aggravate old injuries, compared with his smooth and measured movements that develop long, lean swimmer's muscles rather than short, stocky shotputter's ones.

Given that 60 per cent of muscles improvement is made on releasing the weight to its starting position, not on the initial pull, this half of the action should not be rushed - even though it feels as though you're doing very little.

"People work with weights that are too heavy. You have to work with low intensity to burn off fat," he says. Since most women's priority is to build up minimal muscle but burn maximum fat, you should therefore work at a weight where 20-25 repetitions leave you exhausted. If you are gasping after four or five, it's too heavy.

Burning body fat explains David, is like heating a lump of lard. Lard - and muscles - need heating up slowly in order for the fat to remain in liquid form so you can dispose of it. Sticking with his cooking analogy, he says that working out is like following a recipe and must be done in the right sequence so one exercise does not cancel out the benefits of another.

"You have to work your body systematically, as a unit. Don't do split routines, such as working on your chest and arms one day and your back and shoulders the next - it will overload that muscle group," he says.

He prefers to use machines as little as possible because they prevent you from building up stabilising muscles in the way that working with free weights on a bench or stretching on a mat do.

There is one exercise David pinpoints as the ultimate for women, the side leg lift. You can do it at home and it will have dramatic results.

"It's as good as cosmetic surgery," he says. "Do it twice a day for a few weeks and you can literally reshape your bottom. "That, alone, is something most women would kill for.

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C is for cardiovascular exercise

Cardiovascular exercise has numerous benefits. They include a decreased blood pressure, increased HDL (good) cholesterol (high-density lipoproteins responsible for removing LDL (bad) cholesterol from the cells in the arteries and transporting it back to the liver for removal from the body), decreased LDL cholesterol, decreased body fat, decreased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (this increases capillary density and blood flow to active muscles), increased heart and lung function and efficiency, and decreased anxiety, tension, and depression.

All of these benefits combine to help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease by reducing risk factors like obesity, hypertension, and high blood cholesterol. In addition, cardiovascular exercise serves as a foundation for the activities of daily living, sports, and other outdoor activities. Activities such as tennis, golf, skiing, dancing, basketball, volleyball, boxing, hiking, and strength training programs all benefit from cardiovascular exercise. Your enjoyment of day-to-day and physical activities will also greatly benefit because you will have more stamina, less fatigue and less risk of injury.

The only problem with cardiovascular exercise is if you make it the King and Queen of your exercise regime. A common misconception is that only cardiovascular work burns calories and therefore fat. This is true only to the point that your muscles create the energy appetite and body fat is the chosen source of food of this programme. Therefore the more LEAN MUSCLE that you have the more calories that you burn whether on a bike, stepper, treadmill or rower. If you do not balance your workout with Resistance (muscle) work, Cardiovascular work and Flexibility you will have an unbalanced body and an unbalanced workout. Click to order the programme

Good News - Bad News

2. Lean forward and grab hold of the handle with an overhand grip. An underhand grip may also be used, but this grip will emphasize the biceps muscles more.

4. After extending the legs until they are straight and the handle touches the abdominal area while pushing and pulling backwards (do not lean backwards by arching your back - try and keep your back naturally upright) away from the front of the rowing machine move forward and repeat the entire movement.

5. Continue to row until achieving the desired time and/or heart rate level of the exercise segment.

Asparagus
The weight loss gourmet

The historical use of asparagus as a home remedy has been well documented for kidney and bladder complaints, dropsy, for supporting liver functions, as well as for relieving rheumatism and gout.

The woody rootstock of asparagus is grounded deep below the surface. Early in spring, white, finger-thick shoots sprout to the surface. Asparagus stems grow up to one meter long with small, thin leaves and white blossoms, which turn into small red berries. These berries can be dried and ground into a coffee substitute. Only the root and the young shoots are medicinally valuable.

The active ingredients in asparagus are: asparagines (an acid), arginin, asparagose, chelindonic acid, conferin (a glycocide), choline, saponines, flavonoids and a vast number of minerals, most significantly potassium, as well as trace elements. All these substances act together to accelerate the metabolism - fat cells get rid of excess metabolic waste, liver function are stimulated, and the kidney and bladder get a kick-start to expel more water. Asparagine as an ingredient of asparagus is of uttermost importance for a healthy cell structure and cell renewal.

Asparagus is a dream come true for all those who are over-weight and want to lose weight without going hungry. Though one would not talk about an "asparagus diet," it is a new and safe way to support a calorie-reduced diet for shedding some pounds. By changing to a primarily vegetarian or lacto-ovo vegetarian diet supported by asparagus juice you can lose about eight pounds in two weeks.

Nature has certainly provided foods throughout the season when they are most beneficial for us. After a long winter our bodies may become sluggish, slightly overweight and loaded with toxins - it is time for house cleaning! Asparagus lends itself wonderfully to the task. For a two week diet you need about ¾ litre asparagus juice, or four bottles if you buy the juice from a health food store. Take two tablespoons of juice in the morning and in the evening, diluted in a glass of water.

Client Archive

I should also mention an unexpected but very significant benefit of the program for me. Over the years, I have acquired the usual catalogue of minor injuries and, like everyone else, have become used to feeling their cumulative after-effects, particularly after heavy training sessions. With most of the problems in my spine and shoulders, I have had regular chiropractic treatment for years, and this has usually been very successful. Completely contrary to my expectations, these problem areas felt better rather that worse after your workouts, right from the very beginning, as I have continued with the program, so has the improvement been ongoing. In short, I have not needed to see a chiropractor or a physio since I started your Beginners program.

I don't believe I have in any way yet exhausted the potential of the Beginners programme, and will continue to use it for the foreseeable future. When I eventually return to London, I intend to enrol for 20 coaching sessions with you, not least to see how much I'm kidding myself about being a tough self-coach! However, I am interested to know whether you could construct a circuit-training program for me, to either supplement or replace the current program.

My objective remains to build general all -round fitness, balancing stamina with strength and power. I'm aware this sounds rather vague. I hope to start competing in Olympic-distance triathlons when I return to the UK, but am also starting to think about entering the "Marathon des Sables" in two or three years time. This six-day event is a self-supported 150-mile race across the Sahara. Whilst it sounds like an ultra-marathon, there are so many other aspects - the heat, the variety of terrain's involved, carrying a 20 pound pack all the while - that most competitors fond a very high level of all-round fitness is much more important than training purely for endurance running. This would also tie in with my aims for triathlon training. As an added complication, I will be travelling for much of the next six months, without access to properly equipped gyms. Any circuit that you could design that didn't involve much/any equipment would be greatly appreciated.

I hope that you will be able to design a circuit for me, and look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, please accept my thanks and congratulations for designing such a phenomenally effective programme.
Sincerely, David Stewart. Click here for client archive

The Science of Exercise

During the third week of embryological development the muscles on the spine are called epimere muscles. Stretching from the back of the head to the coccyx they can be short, just linking one vertebrae to another, or they can cross many vertebrae. The pattern of these muscle is based on a head to tail arrangement.

Last week I described how the early embryo folds - that profound change of shape from a pear shaped flat disc to a proper looking 3D embryo. Folding contributes a fascinating element to the dorsal contractile field. As stated above the back muscles (called in embryology the 'epimere') span occiput to coccyx. With folding they also move from the coccyx to the lower abdomen. Your back muscles contribute to the musculature of the pelvic floor and your lower abdomen. If during folding the back muscles are not drawn to the lower front body the baby will be born without a lower abdominal wall - the bladder organ is exposed. 2000 years ago the Chinese medical theorists drew meridians that describe the back lines as bladder meridians and they drew lines from the back to the lower abdomen. They call this region the dantian.

In a very real sense your back body fuses with your front body at the bridge of the nose and in the lower abdomen. Lets now consider the ventral contractile field. If you where lying on your back and wanted to sit up many muscles would contribute. Firstly one would move the eyes down (inferior rectus), the forehead would move towards the bridge of the nose (corrugator), your jaw would shut (temporalis), the sternocleidomastoid muscles would lift the head, the bony sternum would transmit this force to the rectus abdominus which would in turn insert on the pubis. From the pubis the muscular field would continue to the perineal body which is like a knot of dense tissue between your anus and genitals. So a ring of contractile tissue runs on either side of the body mid-line that links the face to the genitals.

Next week we'll look at the another major contractile field, the lateral field that bends you to the side, like a fish
Phillip Beach D.O. D.Ac