(Maybe he’ll forgive me if you click on his links and sign up for a subscription of your own. Deal?)

Understanding Your Abs

There’s been tons of talk lately about the abs, and even more specifically, the rectus abdominis (RA).  After all, everyone wants that lean, sexy six-pack before summer hits, right?

Here’s the problem:  We’re still caught up in outdated training methods, and not focused on what science has brought to light over the past 5-10 years. 

Let’s take a quick look at the actual anatomy of your abs, as well as the various functions that your RA provides.

Anatomy
The RA is a large, beaded muscle that runs from your xiphoid process and bottom of your rib cage to your pubic symphisis.  It’s interesting (and important) to note that instead of being one long, continuous muscle, the RA actually is broken up into several smaller sections.  But more on that later.

The RA has several well-defined roles, along with some lesser-known roles, too.  Let’s examine each.

Functions
The primary functions of your RA include:
-    Trunk flexion/Resisting Trunk Extension
-    Posterior Pelvic Tilt
-    Transmission of “hoop” stresses

Let’s look at each in a little bit more depth, as this is where the story starts to unfold.

Trunk Flexion
Any trainer or fitness enthusiast who knows anything can tell you the RA can promote flexion of the trunk.  This is why you’ve seen the ridiculous number of ab rollers, Bender balls, and other gimmicky guru crap being sold at 2 am in the morning for decades.

The idea, initially, was that sit-ups were the best to promote this flexion movement pattern.  Then, people started looking deeper and decided that sit-ups placed too much compressive loading on the back, or that they didn’t “isolate” the RA from the hip flexors.  Thus, crunches were deemed better for “isolating” the abs and keeping the back healthy. 
The problem, however, is that while your RA is capable of producing trunk flexion, the underlying anatomy leads us to believe that this role isn’t nearly as important s the fitness industry has given it credit for.  At the Chicago Perform Better Summit in 2007, world reknowned spinal biomechanist Dr. Stuart McGill went so far as to say that if your RA was really there for crunching and trunk flexion, instead of having the beaded sub-sections, you would have one long, continuous hamstring instead!

We also need to ask ourselves another question:  At what cost are we crunching?  This is where we have to examine the big picture.  Will trunk flexion help “bring out” our abs?  Maybe – but at what cost?  When we examine the big picture, we start to realize several things.

1 – Trunk flexion works to shorten our RA.  Doing so exerts a downward pull on our ribcage, effectively pulling us into an increased thoracic kyphosis or “slouched” upper body posture.  Not only is this aesthetically unattractive, but virtually useless to us as weight trainers, fitness enthusiasts or athletes.  By pulling our body into an increased kyphosis, we lose the ability to get our scapulae into the appropriate positions and increase the likelihood of shoulder and rotator cuff problems. 

2 – Research by McGill and others has shown that repetitive flexion/extension of the spine is injurious.  Our spine only has so many flexion/extension cycles in it; once we hit a certain threshold, we get injured!

Mike Boyle has a great analogy here – it’s like a credit card.  Bend a new credit card back and forth and, initially, it bounces back.  But if you continue to bend that card, you eventually start to see a white crack.  Continue to bend it back and forth, and over time that crack leads to a break.  Your spine is not much different.

Here’s another way to think about this – instead of thinking about promoting movement, start to think about how your muscles work to control or resist various movements as well. 

In this case, your RA not only promotes trunk flexion, but it also works to resist trunk extension!  It’s not rocket science, but it’s a huge step forward in your thinking. 

Far too often, we only think of how muscles work in an open-chain, textbook definition, instead of what they do in real life.

However, there might be some exceptions to this rule - I can think of a few high-end athletes who might need some judiciously included trunk flexion in their programming.  For most of the population, however, hopefully we can agree that crunching and trunk flexion movements probably aren’t in the best interest of our bodies. 

Posterior Pelvic Tilt
The second function of the RA is to promote posterior pelvic tilt, and/or to control pelvic alignment.  We can thank Florence Kendall and her fantastic book Muscles: Testing and Function for tuning us into this one.

(Note: If you are unfamiliar with the concept of force coupling or pelvic alignment, definitely check out my “Hips Don’t Lie” article.)

While many are focused on upper vs. lower RA, it only has one common nerve supply and therefore can’t be isolated into upper and lower sections.  Instead, what I feel most people are really focusing on when they think upper vs. lower abs is the difference between movements that promote trunk flexion, and those that control pelvic alignment and/or resist trunk extension.

Many people assume that exercises like leg throws and ab wheel rollouts must hit their “lower” abs harder, because they get so sore following these exercises (especially when compared to crunches). 

The primary difference, however, is that these movements emphasize the negative portion of the lift.  Eccentric exercise has been proven time and again to increase delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), so it’s not so much that you’re training different muscles as it is that you’re shifting the type of training stress.

Or it could just be that you’re doing something “new”, which is also virtually guaranteed to make you sore.  It’s not necessarily better, it’s just different.  But I’m getting a little off target here; I digress.

While the RA does promote posterior pelvic tilt (or gets us back to neutral if we’re in an anterior tilt), it’s rarely the key to the puzzle. 

For instance, Kendall cites the differences when testing someone’s strength in a curl-up/crunch versus a leg lowering exercise.  Often, you’ll see someone with no issues passing a curl-up test, but give them a leg-lowering test where they have to control pelvic alignment and they get crushed. 

In this case, it’s not so much a matter of having a weak RA as it is weak external obliques. 

Try this:  Have your client (or yourself) set-up in a pillar hold/plank position with a PVC pipe along their spine.  There should be three points of contact; the back of the head, the upper back, and the glutes. 

Often, you’ll see clients who can keep their hips up, but they exaggerate their kyphosis and lose their 3 points of contact.  This is a classic instance of RA dominating the external obliques.

Instead of using all the muscles of the torso to promote core stability, their rectus dominates and “shortens,” pulling them into a slouched position through the upper back. 

This is something that you’ll see time and again when testing/training both the general population and athletes as well.

Transmission of Stresses and Force
The final piece of the puzzle is promoting or transmitting “hoop” stresses that are generated from the obliques.  This concept was originally promoted by Porterfield and DeRosa in their book Mechanical Low Back Pain.

The idea here is simple – instead of working to promote movements around the lumbar spine, the RA (along with the rest of the abdominal muscles) was primarily there to prevent movement and transmit forces! 

Again, this was a huge shift in thinking.

After reviewing McGill’s Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance for the 1000th time, I ran into this fantastic quote:

“Isometrically training the rectus is consistent with its architecture and stabilizing function to enhance performance and power development in the hips and extremities.”

Quite simply, stop moving and start stabilizing!

Think about a baseball player, for instance:  Where does he generate his strength and power from?

I’ve never, in my entire life, seen a big hitter who didn’t have seriously jacked hips and thighs. 

The premise is simple: 

The hips/thighs store energy, and upon initiation of the movement transmit that energy into the ground.  The ground reacts, transmitting force up the leg, through the core, and into the hands and the bat.

This is a fundamental concept – the core doesn’t promote the power itself.  Instead, it transmits the power that the hips and thighs have generated.

This is why I’ve written almost a half dozen articles on the need for core and lumbar stability – and I’m not even going to get into rotation in this newsletter!  If you’re looking for training ideas, be sure to check out my YouTube page as well.

Lastly, I had an entire lecture on core training in the Indy Performance Seminar DVD series, and Eric and I talked in-depth about core training and core exercises in Building the Efficient Athlete.  Both can be found on the Products page.

Quite simply, if you want to get the most out of your abdominal training, you’d be well served to focus on exercises that optimize pelvic alignment and train your body to stabilize the lumbar spine.

Not only will you stay healthier, but you’ll perform better to boot.

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• Flatten Your Abs? Don’t Believe Everything You Read
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Since then, I pulled a few strings and got a free look at the program. It’s nice to have connections, huh?

And because of our blog/newsletter connection, I worked out a deal for you. Read on:

About a month ago my friend and fat loss expert Joel Marion released a program that shocked many of us in the fitness industry.

“Cheat Your Way Thin” scientifically teaches you how to use your favorite foods (as in pizza, ice cream, pancakes, burgers, etc. – you know, stuff you can’t eat on a “diet”) to strategically accelerate fat loss by overriding your body’s starvation protection mechanisms.

Read that again – you will accelerate your fat loss by CHEATING (when you do it the right way).

Joel studied 308 research papers on the regulation of human body weight and metabolism before developing his Cheat Your Way Thin system.

Here’s where I let you down (temporarily):

When Joel first released the full 7-component package (including manuals, audios, video, workbooks, and checklists) last month, he also ran a special 3-day promotion in which people were able to get the entire package at less than half price.

Hold on, now. I didn’t tell you about because I hadn’t examined it myself. Yet.

Here’s the good news . . .

Joel and I, because of our mutual contacts at Men’s Fitness, became friends on Facebook, and I got a chance to review the system for myself.

And now – sorry, you have only 24 hours – can get that same system at LESS THAN HALF PRICE.

Just go to this special link
http://stephenholtfitness.com/cheat

Again, get your hands on system that Joel’s clients use to literally eat whatever they want while stripping away fat faster than most "dieters" ever could.

DO NOT go to CheatYourWayThin.com and pay DOUBLE like everyone else is doing right now. Instead, use my special link:
==> http://stephenholtfitness.com/cheat

When you click the link, you’ll find numerous before-and-after pictures and testimonials backing this scientifically-based program proven to work in the REAL world with real people.

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Question:
Where are the studies published in academic journals applying randomized controlled trials to determine the efficacy of Stemulite (haven’t seen any effect-size statistics mentioned)? I’m NOT referring to analog studies investigating an isolated “active ingredient” or “theoretical construct” but instead to THE actual product Stemulite…Well, per the the FDA, such research is not required and thus you’re anecdotes and analog studies are all you use to substantiate your claims…

Great question, Chris. I get this question virtually every day.

Let me start my answer by asking you a question …

Who would pay for such studies?

Certainly not The Government. The FDA and other federal organizations have no reason to test Stemulite.

And certainly no university will volunteer to test Stemulite.

So, that leaves Metabolic Research, Inc. (MTBR), the company that manufactures Stemulite, to pay for the studies.

But, as you probably know, the first question you need to ask when looking at any study on any product in the marketplace is, “Who paid for the study?”

Whether MTBR does the study in-house or pays for an “independent” study, it always looks suspicious when the company that stands to profit from a positive study gets that positive study.

So even when the study looks good, people who were skeptical before the study remain skeptical.

And the satisfied customers who didn’t feel the need to wait for a study remain enthusiastic supporters.

So your independent study - which can easily reach $100,000 - doesn’t really prove anything to anyone. The skeptics remain skeptical and your customers remain fans.

So why pay for the study? Especially when the company is publicly owned (like MTBR). How do you justify that negative ROI to your stockholders?

This conundrum occurs at all supplement companies, not just MTBR. Just do a search on any brand name supplement. In the vast majority of cases, you’ll find no published research or research sponsored by the company.

Besides, the main ingredient in Stemulite is the eggplant extract produced by a patented process. And they’re protecting that like the formula for Coca-Cola and the Colonel’s secret recipe.

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I will continue to do my best to answer your questions, however.

Jordan just asked:

Stephen,
I’ve been looking up and down the site and i like what i see. I am a college athlete like many looking for a supplement other than your average protein to get he job done without the worries of failing a drug test in one way or another.

Everything sounds great (quick recovery, better sleep, increased muscle strength), of course you have to consistently work out but with the increase in rules and regulations in NCAA sports, can we be 100% sure that this will not cause a test failure in the future?

I consulted one of the staff at my school to confirm whether or not but I have yet to hear back. (A recent post is similar but just to clarify your findings)

Thank you

Thank YOU, Jordan, for taking the time to write me - and so politely.

There is absolutely no reason supplements like Stemulite would ever be banned or cause you to fail a test.

Stemulite works by helping you recruit adult stem cells that already exist in your bone marrow.

Heavy weight training breaks down muscle tissue. Stemulite simply increases the rate at which those muscle cells are repaired.

Although it may help bring low hormonal levels back to normal, it does NOT lead to abnormal increases in testosterone or human growth hormone.

Each ingredient in Stemulite has been deemed GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) by the FDA. Numerous professional and college athletes take Stemulite with no negative side effects, so you don’t need to worry.

Best wishes
- Stephen
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Okay, I tricked you - the quick truth is that the best ab workout isn’t really an “ab workout” and the best way to burn “stomach” fat has little to do with ab exercises.

I get tired of preaching it myself, so I’ve posted this article from my friend Mike Geary (that’s us at a fitness convention on the your left) of the best-seller, “The Truth About Six-Pack Abs” on abdominal workouts, how to lose stomach fat and spot reduction.

Ab Workouts Do Not Cause Stomach Fat Loss

by Mike Geary

It seems that everyone is always asking me what the best ab workouts are to get a flatter stomach.

The common belief that ab workouts will help you to lose belly fat is one of the biggest misconceptions I deal with daily as a fitness professional. Almost everyone has varying degrees of excess body fat in the abdominal region, and the best way to burn off that extra stomach fat continues to elude most.

The problem is that most people are searching for the wrong exercises and workout types to lose stubborn belly fat.

Most people are searching for some miraculous combination of abs exercises combined into the best ab workout ever invented that will burn off their belly fat faster than you can read this article.

Unfortunately, ab-specific workouts do NOT burn fat off of your belly.

They only tone and strengthen the underlying abdominal muscles. What you really need to focus on is a full body strategic workout that will cause a much greater metabolic rate increase and fat-burning hormonal response from your training program as a whole.

In addition, simply doing cardiovascular workouts will not necessarily create the greatest metabolic response or hormonal response either. What you really need is a much more rounded training program that focuses on training the entire body with resistance training and multi-joint exercises in a higher intensity fashion.

This type of high intensity full body training combined with a healthy balanced diet full of nutrient density on a regular basis, is the real key secret to losing the extra stomach fat that covers up the abs. This is a much better plan of attack than just trying to do ab workouts and hoping that just doing a bunch of ab exercises like crunches and leg raises are going to make you lose your belly fat.

The amazing thing is that the majority of the population still believes that in order to get rid of belly fat, you need to do ab workouts every day using hundreds of reps. I see people giving this type of erroneous advice every day on all of the fitness forums. Please do not waste your time with this type of advice!

Now before you say “how can an abs expert not recommend abdominal exercises”, realize that I do strongly believe that a certain amount of ab-specific exercises mixed into your routines are beneficial. Ab exercises will help you strengthen and tone the abdominal muscles and are useful for other purposes such as a healthy back and posture when done correctly. But the fact remains that ab exercises are not necessary for fat loss.

A much smarter full body resistance training routine and a clean healthy balanced diet are the most important factors. Many of the full body exercises also indirectly work the abdominals and core due to the stabilization required in some of the more difficult variations.

Don’t miss a FREE fat-loss report packed with over 27 more specific secrets for losing stomach fat and revealing your six pack at Ab Workout Myths & Body Fat Loss

Michael Geary (CPT) is a recognized International Fitness Expert, contributing writer for Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine, author of the internationally-popular book, The Truth about Six-Pack Abs.

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• How to Get Rid of Your Stubborn Belly Fat
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Ten years ago, AllExperts.com, then the largest advice site on the Internet, named me “Expert of the Year.” In these Web 2.0 days, I get the chance to answer similar questions at Yahoo Answers.

Here’s the latest Q & A about Stemulite …

Problems with Stemulite?

I have read a lot of good reviews about this product, but does anyone have something bad? What kind of effects can this product have on my body in the future. Not the near future but when I’m in my 30-40s. Should I just stick to my natural way with no help from protein shakes or pills?

First, I need to disclose that I was once a consultant with the company that makes Stemulite.

One of my issues with the company was the claim that Stemulite was “better than steroids.”

By “better,” they meant not banned, not illegal and not health threatening.

The implication, however, was that “better” meant more effective. And there’s no way Stemulite is more effective than steroids.

The downside of this implication is that far too many people think Stemulite is indeed a steroid (I get that comment on my blog constantly) or is potentially dangerous - as implied in your question concerning what happens in your 30-40s.

Stemulite is not a steroid in any way, shape or form. Each of the ingredients has been deemed GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) by the FDA.

Another issue with the marketing of Stemulite is that they don’t want to reveal too much about the proprietary way they produce the eggplant extract - the true secret of Stemulite. That’s why they went through the trouble of patenting the process.

Stemulite is made from all-natural ingredients, but if you’re calling protein shakes unnatural and implying that all pills - regardless of the ingredients - are unnatural, then, frankly, Stemulite may not be for you.

Best wishes
- Stephen

………………………………………..
Stephen Holt
Named “One of America’s Top Trainers” by Men’s Fitness
2003 ACE Personal Trainer of the Year

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The “role model” and “walk the talk” ‘talk’ is not supported by scientific evidence. The fact is, research shows prospects are more likely to be intimidated and put off by ripped personal trainers because they see that type of body as unattainable.

Still think you have to have a perfect body to be an effective trainer? Watch this …

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I’ve seen lists of celebrities and CEOs that use twitter; has anyone posted a list of fitness professionals on twitter?

Here’s some of the fitness pros I follow on Twitter.

These are in the REVERSE order in which I followed them (so being near the bottom is a good thing) with my fellow “Personal Trainer of the Year” winners,  co-authors and editors, and business partners near the top. It’s my blog and I can do what I want

Here you go:

MSF1
nanderson61
joestankowski
patrigsby
Body_By_Jake
rachelcosgrove
coachnick
adamcampbell1
Becky17
tomvenuto
nickberry
askrocco
coreperformance
MatthewFurey
davedepew
jlabadie72
karamohr
drchrismohr
mikeroussell
chrismelton
mboyle1959
bjgaddour
ArnelRicafranca
ashleyroberts
vincedelmonte
HollyRigsby
craigballantyne
ValerieWaters
PatBeith
kylebattis
jimmysmithtrain
theginmiller
bjcorey
ideafit
FitnessEditor
FitnessJenn
ElliottHulse
TheFitB
ScottColby
ZEvenEsh
daxmoy
UnderTheBar
ChrisMcCombs
flexiblewarrior
JasonFerruggia
RayWetterlund3
Fit_Coach
dougbalz
Shawn_Phillips
trx_fitness
SalMarinello
FredHoffmanFit
livinthefitlife
RyFit
HealthHabits
fitnesstrainer
take5toexercise
atozfitness
jeffpatten
strongsarah
MPTS9
charlotteord
RenegadeGolf
angieschumacher
JamesVillepigue
adamtoohey
carolinek250
KeithScott
simondainton
fitpro1
LaurelBlackburn
noellyons
jakslloyd
MikeTNelson
narinaanne
IYCA
joshschlottman
NickWinkelman
FitnessMagazine
MizFitOnline
FitAndBusyDad
melissaroberts
DFitnessguy
JeremyNelms
MissWall
nategreen03
JimSmithCSCS
RobTrainSystems
rylanduggan
sandysommer
damonmoschetto
CoachJeffBlair
10kineticlaws
SpidaHunter
ryanketchum
BedrosKeuilian
justintupper
Sportsmd
SteveHochman1
LeighPeele
PeteThomas
KellyLuedke
PeteKoeniges
CoachBook
AlissaNelms
niiwilson
deetidwell
MsLeisure
Befitt
Coach_Reed
SynergyFitness
BodySynergy
JeffJowers
joshonefitness
joshhillis
Linda_M
DrClay
treyeck

If you’re a personal fitness trainer, go ahead and add your name to the list in the comments section below. Be sure to follow me at http://twitter.com/stephenholt

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It’s in your hip.

(BTW, if you go see a health care professional for knee pain and he/she looks only at your knee, you need to see someone else.)

We’ve known for years that there’s a high correlation between ankle sprains and hip abductor (”outer thigh”) weakness.

And I’ve preached for years that plantar fasciitis is related to issues with hip rotation.

Now a new study published in the latest issue of Sport Health shows weak hip muscles correlate to a higher risk of lower leg injuries.

Actually, the study isn’t “new.” It’s a review of previous research dating as far back as 1980.

Dr. Reed Ferber – the head researcher - of the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada explains:

“The hip muscles are responsible for stabilizing the leg during running. If these muscles are weak, or become fatigued easily, there is less control of the leg and the risk of injury increases.”

Prime example …

If your hip abductors (mainly the gluteus medius, or so-called “outer hip muscle”), aren’t sufficiently strong, you can over-pronate.

Pronation is normal and natural. Over-pronation is a problem. When you over-pronate, your knee – which should go inward naturally – goes in too far.

It’s not hard to understand how this can cause knee problems like patellofemoral pain (usually felt around the kneecap), “chondromalacia” (an archaic term sometimes used to refer to pain under the kneecap), or ITBS (iliotibial band syndrome) which leads to discomfort toward the outside of the knee.

Ferber’s team noted that up to 70 percent of runners get some type of overuse injury each year, with about half of those injuries occur in the knee.

They also pointed out that studies indicate that strengthening the muscles may be much more important than stretching when it comes to reducing injury risk.

(That’s not to say stretching is completely worthless. You just need to keep in mind that when one muscle is short, another muscle must be weak. Stretching something without strengthening something else is futile.)

Ferber and colleagues concluded that strengthening your hip muscles can not only resolve lower leg injuries but may even prevent them. Specifically, the team is currently researching whether strength training focusing on the hip can actually prevent lower leg injuries.

[My response: "Duh."]

They noted that as little as 6-weeks of hip-muscle training can alleviate pain from a variety of ailments.

So, what are YOU doing to strengthen your hips? (Certainly not the side-lying Jane Fonda looking stuff, I hope.)

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Sound hard to believe?

Check out this before-and-after picture of the results that are possible…

And, yes, you can get these types of results, too - with the right incentive.

So, how does $1000 sound to you?

Is that enough incentive to get you excited?

My friend, co-author and world-famous fat loss expert, Craig Ballantyne, is at it again with another Turbulence Training Transformation Contest.

Here’s what you can win (in addition to getting a great body)…

There will be a male category and female category. Each category will reward the following prizes.

• 1st Place Grand Prize - $1000 plus a 3-Year Platinum TT Membership
• 2nd Place - $500 plus a 2-Year Platinum TT Membership
• 3rd Place - $250 plus a 1-Year Platinum TT Membership

There is also a *NEW* Couples Transformation Contest Category. This category will reward the following prizes:

• $250 for Grand Prize Plus 1-Year Platinum Membership
• $100 Runner Up Plus 1-Year Platinum Membership

Go ahead, sign up now at this link.

Craig and I can’t wait to hear from you.

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What is the Stretch Reflex and how can you use it to improve your flexibility?

The nervous system of mammals is very complex. For most major actions in the body the brain must decide what movement or action must be taken, the nerve impulses must be transmitted out of the brain, down the spinal cord and out to the intended receiver. Then when the action is carried out the impulse must return back the reverse pathway to tell the brain it was completed and start the next process. This is the path for any brain-controlled, conscious, impulses. Although it takes a lot of words to explain, it is really a very rapid process.

There are many processes in the body that do not require direct thought to complete. The heart functions, breathing, metabolic processes, disease fighting and many other autonomic processes happen automatically in the body. The body uses signals to increase, decrease, or maintain many of these actions. If the carbon dioxide levels in the body begin to rise, the autonomic nervous system, through acid/base thermostats, calls for an increase in respiratory rate.

Another automatic response by the nervous system is the reflex. The body reacts in a predetermined way based on specific stimulus. This may be a practiced response or a pre-programmed one. The stretch reflex is one of those responses.

What is the Stretch Reflex?
The stretch reflex; which is also often called the myotatic reflex, knee-jerk reflex, or deep tendon reflex, is a pre-programmed response by the body to a stretch stimulus in the muscle. When a muscle spindle is stretched an impulse is immediately sent to the spinal cord and a response to contract the muscle is received. Since the impulse only has to go to the spinal cord and back, not all the way to the brain, it is a very quick impulse. It generally occurs in 1-2 milliseconds.

This is designed as a protective measure for the muscles, to prevent tearing. The muscle spindle is stretched and the impulse is also immediately received to contract the muscle, protecting it from being pulled forcefully or beyond a normal range.

The synergistic muscles, those that produce the same movement, are also innervated when the stretch reflex is activated. This further strengthens the contraction and prevents injury. At the same time, the stretch reflex has an inhibitory aspect to the antagonist muscles. When the stretch reflex is activated the impulse is sent from the stretched muscle spindle and the motor neuron is split so that the signal to contract can be sent to the stretched muscle, while a signal to relax can be sent to the antagonist muscles. Without this inhibitory action, as soon as the stretched muscle began to contract the antagonist muscle would be stretched causing a stretch reflex in that one. Both muscles would end up contracting simultaneously.

The stretch reflex is very important in posture. It helps maintain proper posturing because a slight lean to either side causes a stretch in the spinal, hip and leg muscles to the other side, which is quickly countered by the stretch reflex. This is a constant process of adjusting and maintaining. The body is constantly under push and pull forces from the outside, one of which is the force of gravity.

Another example of the stretch reflex is the knee-jerk test performed by physicians. When the patellar tendon is tapped with a small hammer, or other device, it causes a slight stretch in the tendon, and consequently the quadriceps muscles. The result is a quick, although mild, contraction of the quadriceps muscles, resulting in a small kicking motion.

Anatomy involved
The muscles are attached to tendons, which hold them to the bone. Muscles have tendons at each attachment. At the attachment of the muscle to the tendon is a muscle spindle that is very sensitive to stretch. The motor neurons that activate the muscles are attached here as well. These are considered lower motor neurons. When they are stimulated they can cause the muscle to contract. This frees up the upper motor neurons and other portions of the central nervous system for more important functions.

The motor neurons travel from the spinal cord to the muscle and back again in a continuous loop. Conscious movement comes from impulses in the brain traveling down the spinal cord, over this loop, and then back to the brain for processing. The stretch reflex skips the brain portion of the trip and follows the simple loop from muscle to spinal cord and back, making it a very rapid sequence.

The diagram shows how nerve impulses triggered by the stretch reflex travel between the spinal column and the muscles.

The gamma efferent cells in the loop work to keep the muscles ready for the stretch reflex, even when inhibited or contracted. This is important because if the muscle is working against a load and shortening during contraction and an additional load is added, the muscle recognizes the stretch immediately and can compensate with a stronger contraction. This also protects the inhibited antagonist muscles from being injured from excessive stretching.

What causes it
The stretch reflex is caused by a stretch in the muscle spindle. When the stretch impulse is received a rapid sequence of events follows. The motor neuron is activated and the stretched muscles, and its supporting muscles, are contracted while its antagonist muscles are inhibited.

The stretch reflex can be activated by external forces (such as a load placed on the muscle) or internal forces (the motor neurons being stimulated from within.) An example of the former is a person holding an empty tray in their outstretched arm and then having a plate of food set on it. The stretch reflex would kick in to keep the tray at the same height and balanced. An example of the latter would be the shivering of a cold muscle. The motor neurons are stimulated from an internal “stretch” to warm the muscles.

Any abrupt, forceful stretch on the muscle causes the stretch reflex to fire, in a healthy person. Delays in or absence of the stretch reflex are signs of possible neurological or neuromuscular compromise.

What to Avoid When Stretching
Many people have never learnt how to stretch properly. Maybe you have done this yourself: You watch other people stretching in the gym and try to imitate what you see. But who is to say that the person you are watching is doing it right? Here are some of the most common mistakes made while stretching:

• Bouncing
  Many people have the mistaken impression that they should bounce to get a good stretch. Bouncing will not help you and could do more damage as you try to push too far beyond the stretch reflex. Every move you make should be smooth and gentle. Lean into the stretch gradually, push to the point of mild tension and hold for a few seconds. Each time you will be able to go a little further, but do not force it.
• Not Holding the Stretch Long Enough
  If you do not hold the stretch long enough, you may fall into the habit of bouncing or rushing through your stretch workout. Hold your stretch position for at least 15 to 20 seconds before moving back to your original position.
• Stretching Too Hard
  Stretching takes patience and finesse. Each move needs to be fluid and gentle. Do not throw your body into a stretch or try to rush through your stretching routine. Take your time and relax.
• Forgetting Form and Function
  Think about your sport or activity. Which muscles will you be using? A stretching routine for a marathon run will be very different from a routine for an hour of lifting weights. Pay attention to the muscles you will need to use in your program and make sure your form for each stretch is attained properly. Consider the range of motion you will be putting that particular muscle through. The whole point of stretching is getting your muscles accustomed to moving through a specific range of motion, so if the muscle is not used to going that far, you may end up with an injury.

So, to avoid the stretch reflex and potential damage to your muscles and joints, avoid pain. Never push yourself beyond what is comfortable. Only stretch to the point where you can feel tension in your muscles. This way, you will avoid injury and get the maximum benefits from your stretching.

Stretching is one of the most under-utilized techniques for improving athletic performance and getting rid of those annoying sports injuries. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that something as simple as stretching won’t be effective.

And to help you improve your flexibility quickly and safely, you can’t go past The Stretching Handbook & DVD. Together they include over 130 clear photographs and 40 videos of every possible stretching exercise, for every major muscle group in your body.

The Stretching Handbook & DVD will show you, step-by-step, how to perform each stretch EXACTLY! Plus, you’ll learn the benefits of flexibility; the 7 critical rules for safe stretching; and how to stretch properly. Discover more about The Stretching Handbook & DVD here.

Article by Brad Walker. Brad is a leading stretching and sports injury consultant with nearly 20 years experience in the health and fitness industry. For more articles on stretching, flexibility and sports injury, please visit The Stretching Institute.

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Warm-up first before you decide you’re going to have a bad workout

The daily grind can wear on you and many times you don’t feel like training. Your attitude will affect the outcome of you workout.

Many times the simple activation of your nervous system with a dynamic warm-up and few warm-up sets will reset your attitude.

Warm-up before you allow your brain to get in the way of what may be the best workout of your life.

Believe it or not, I’m not one of those typical trainers who are addicted to working out. (Sure, things were a little different before kids and mortgages.)

In fact, when I was recently asked for my top tips for personal training success, I said, “Work out only as often as your average client. That will force you to come up with techniques to get the most out of every exercise and every workout.”

You see, it’s easy to get results when you virtually live in the weight room.

It’s a lot harder when you have a life outside of the gym.

However, the bad side of working out three times a week is that there’s only a 3-in-7 chance you’ll exercise on any given day.

Do the math - that’s under 50%. (Trust me, I went to Duke.)

So you wake up every morning less likely to workout.

That pattern can lead to inertia in the wrong direction. You see, exercise follows Newton’s First Law - a body in motion tends to stay in motion…

And a body at rest tends to stay at rest.

Especially after that two-day break - the weekend for Mon-Wed-Fri exercisers, Tuesday and Wednesday for me - my near 50-year-old body really wants to stay at rest.

So here’s what I do when I don’t feel like exercising …

I change my clothes.

On a really rough day, this is literally what goes through my mind …

“Okay, I don’t feel like working out … but I can certainly put on my workout clothes.”

Really, how hard is that?

Don’t you think you can do that, too? Of course you can.

Once I put on workout clothes, it’s easy to hop on my treadmill and turn on the TV for a couple of minutes.

Don’t you think you can do that, too? Of course you can.

No big deal. I still haven’t made a commitment to a “workout.” I’m just watching a little TV. Actively. (If I were even geekier I could label it NEAT.)

I can still stop whenever I want (it’s happened when I’ve been ill or injured and had no business even trying to exercise).

Hmm - what do ya’ know? Once I get a little circulation going, I don’t feel so sore and stiff.

I still haven’t committed, though. It’s not too late to hop on the computer and write a blog post or something.

Now, I follow Bill Hartman’s advice and goof around a little with some weights. A couple of reps of this and that. I would certainly need a shower after this, but it’s far from a “workout.”

Guess what? Not only do I feel better mentally and physically, I’m now at a point where I’m eager to get into a decent workout.

More often than not, as Hartman suggests, it’s not only a decent workout, it’s an excellent workout.

I just had to put a little more effort into the kindling before I could get the big fire.

So take that first step. When you don’t feel like working out, simply start by putting on your workout clothes and turn that negative inertia into positive inertia.

The rest tends to take care of itself.

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