Stretching and Force Generation

by.

Charles Trinh, MS, PES, CSCS, ACSM-cPT

In our last article about flexibility training we covered the role that the central nervous system plays in the extensibility and elasticity of muscle tissue. This next article will cover stretching and force generation of the muscles.

Stretching before exercise can decrease the amount of force generation of the muscle being stretched. For example, if a person overly stretched their chest out right before doing a bench press with a significant amount of weight. Chances are they will have a much harder time lifting that weight vs. not stretching at all. A stretched out muscle will decrease force production because the actin and myosin cross bridges do not have enough overlap to generate higher amounts of force.

Think of a rubber band if you pull it apart and let go it will snap back to its resting length. Our muscles are like rubber bands in many ways. Imagine pulling the rubber band and now holding it for a longer period of time. The longer you hold it the less forceful it will snap back into resting length.

Why would anyone care about force generation? Put it this way, if you want to jump higher stretching before may reduce your jump height. Stretching your ankles out before your run will lead to a higher chance of ankle inversion sprains if you step on uneven ground. These are just a couple of examples of why you may not want to stretch before exercise.

So far we have learned that just purely stretching may not lead to the increases in flexibility because of the role of the central nervous system. Secondly stretching a muscle out before physical activity may increase risk of injury and decrease performance. Our last article will focus on stretching before exercise from a corrective exercise point of view.

About the Founder
Charles Trinh, MS, PES, CSCS, ACSM-cPT is the founder of FunctionWorks Fitness and former State Director for the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He has over 10 years of formal education and practical experience in the health and fitness field. Charles has earned his undergraduate degree in Exercise Science and Sports Medicine and his Masters of Science degree in Exercise Science and Performance Enhancement. He also holds the highest level certifications by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).


Trainer, Consultant and Educator
Charles is a consultant and educator in health and fitness. His in depth knowledge about the function of the musculoskeletal system and how it relates to exercise performance makes him a sought after speaker locally and nationally. He currently is a lecturer for the American College of Sports Medicine. Some of the private and public organizations that he has worked with are:

University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine
University of Hawaii Department of Health and Exercise Science
Kapiolani Community College Exercise Sport Science Program
Westfield State College
National Strength and Conditioning Association
American College of Sports Medicine
McDonalds Restaurants of Hawaii
Chaminade University
Fitness Resource Associates
Fitness Education Network
YMCA of Honolulu
University Health Alliance


For more information contact:
Charles Trinh, MS, PES, CSCS, ACSM-cPT
808-779-1604
functionworksfitness@gmail.com

Improper Exercise Prescription
By. Charles Trinh, MS, PES, CSCS, ACSM-cPT

I come across a lot of news and fitness websites with different explanations and protocols for exercise programs. Some are great while others are just plain dumb. My purpose here is not to discredit any individual or organization. My purpose is to educate the public on the dangers of improperly prescribed exercises.

First off, to understand why an exercise could be potentially harmful to an individual we need to understand human anatomy and physiology. Unfortunately in the fitness industry there are no regulations and standards on personal trainer education. With this said many personal trainers do not have a very solid background in human anatomy and physiology. I know this first hand because I teach workshops and courses and many of the trainers tell me they see no reason why they should learn it.
Even students of exercise science want to get out of the basic anatomy and physiology courses. After reading this article you will understand why a strong foundation in anatomy and physiology is so important for your personal trainer.


I found this particular picture on a fitness website the other day and the caption was as follows “How many weighted v-ups can you do in 30 seconds?”



This particular exercise is a very popular one for many individuals. In my own professional opinion I would consider this an extremely difficult/advanced exercise. But all too often we see this exercise and variations of it done in gyms and parks all across America.

In order to do this exercise properly the individual needs to be qualified first to see if he or she can actively keep low back on the floor without arching it. I would say close to 99 percent of individuals cannot actively keep the low back on the floor while lowering their legs let alone lift their legs off the floor in the proper position.

So why is this not beneficial? Lowering and lifting the legs while on your back is a hip movement but most people do this exercise to “get rid of that pouch in their abs”. Looking at the anatomy of the rectus abdominis it does not attach to the legs at all. Just by lifting the legs up and down the individual actually is making the psoas major stronger. The psoas major is the muscle that flexes your hip.

Going back to what I said earlier about keeping the low back on the ground. If the low back constantly arches it’s because the lower abdominals aka the external obliques either do not have the prerequisite strength or neuromuscular control to stabilize the pelvis while the legs are moving. In other words, every time the legs move up and down, it creates a tremendous amount of stress that will injure the low back.

To break it down even more the caption stated “How many weighted v-ups can you do in 30 seconds?” It is basically asking the participant to do as many as they can in the allocated time frame. When maximal speed and effort is asked in any exercise routine you can consider it a power exercise. Power is basically how fast you can move a certain weight. As I said earlier this is an extremely difficult exercise coupling it with power variables for 30 seconds is an injury waiting to happen. Maximal power output with good form last less than 10 seconds. Extending it to 30 seconds while the muscles are already fatigued will expose the low back to injury.

So is this exercise bad? It is only bad if it is improperly prescribed to the exerciser. Under good supervision the trainer should slowly progress the client to reach the proper levels of stabilization/strength and coordination. The end result would be to do the above exercise. You can never expect a baby to run as a new born; the same is true with exercise.


About the Founder
Charles Trinh, MS, PES, CSCS, ACSM-cPT is the founder of FunctionWorks Fitness and former State Director for the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He has over 10 years of formal education and practical experience in the health and fitness field. Charles has earned his undergraduate degree in Exercise Science and Sports Medicine and his Masters of Science degree in Exercise Science and Performance Enhancement. He also holds the highest level certifications by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Trainer, Consultant and Educator
Charles is a consultant and educator in health and fitness. His in depth knowledge about the function of the musculoskeletal system and how it relates to exercise performance makes him a sought after speaker locally and nationally. He currently is a lecturer for the American College of Sports Medicine. Some of the private and public organizations that he has worked with are:
University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine
University of Hawaii Department of Health and Exercise Science
Kapiolani Community College Exercise Sport Science Program
Westfield State College
National Strength and Conditioning Association
American College of Sports Medicine
McDonalds Restaurants of Hawaii
Chaminade University
Fitness Resource Associates
Fitness Education Network
YMCA of Honolulu
University Health Alliance


For more information contact:
Charles Trinh, MS, PES, CSCS, ACSM-cPT
808-779-1604
functionworksfitness@gmail.com

Abdominal exercise of choice or injury waiting to happen?

by. Charles Trinh, MS, PES, CSCS, ACSM-cPT

The crunch and sit up is the one exercise that majority of Americans have done at least once in their lives. This article is to educate the reader on the potential problems that may arise from improper prescription of sit up and crunching exercises.

A brief look at human anatomy shows that the center of gravity falls in front of the sacrum (low back region). Which means that the body will have a tendency to “fall forward” if there were no muscular support from the back side of the body. The muscles of the back such as the erector spinae and gluteus maximus helps to maintain upright posture.

When an individual does too many sit ups or crunches without doing exercises for their backside a potential injury is waiting to happen. Because the body already has a tendency to “fall forward” coupling this with excessive sit ups will only bring the center of gravity forward even more. This will distort posture and increase the risk of low back pain, shoulder problems and breathing problems to name a few.

The popularity of core training has led to core classes designed to entice the participant to do the newest coolest workout. Little do many individuals know that these classes may be doing more harm than good. One look at a core class shows that the majority of the exercises are for the front of the body. Knowing the above anatomical fact that the center of gravity falls forward of the spine. Do these classes improve function or increase dysfunction?

Are sit ups and crunches bad? They are only bad if they are done in excess and if the back musculature is neglected. Remember having a six pack is no good if all the person talks about is their low back pain.

About the Founder
Charles Trinh, MS, PES, CSCS, ACSM-cPT is the founder of FunctionWorks Fitness and former State Director for the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He has over 10 years of formal education and practical experience in the health and fitness field. Charles has earned his undergraduate degree in Exercise Science and Sports Medicine and his Masters of Science degree in Exercise Science and Performance Enhancement. He also holds the highest level certifications by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Trainer, Consultant and Educator
Charles is a consultant and educator in health and fitness. His in depth knowledge about the function of the musculoskeletal system and how it relates to exercise performance makes him a sought after speaker locally and nationally. He currently is a lecturer for the American College of Sports Medicine. Some of the private and public organizations that he has worked with are:

University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine
University of Hawaii Department of Health and Exercise Science
Kapiolani Community College Exercise Sport Science Program
Westfield State College
National Strength and Conditioning Association
American College of Sports Medicine
McDonalds Restaurants of Hawaii
Chaminade University
Fitness Resource Associates
Fitness Education Network
YMCA of Honolulu
University Health Alliance


For more information contact:
Charles Trinh, MS, PES, CSCS, ACSM-cPT
808-779-1604
functionworksfitness@gmail.com

New Years Resolution and Your Personal Trainer

By. Charles Trinh, MS, PES, CSCS, ACSM-cPT

Perhaps the most popular resolution of the New Year is to "get fit and lose weight." Unfortunately, this often proves to be the hardest resolution to keep as the months wear on. Some people choose to work on their resolution individually while others seek professional help.

The purpose of this article is to help you make a well-informed decision before trusting your money and your body to an under-qualified and potentially harmful personal trainer. Ask yourself, "Would I go to a doctor that did not go to medical school?" or "Would I go to the dentist to check my eyes?" Well the same is true for exercise. Ask yourself, "Would I trust my body to someone that did not have a thorough understanding of human physiology and functional movement?"

The honest truth is that personal training in the fitness industry is not regulated. There are currently no industry standards to govern the field of personal training, which has led to serious problems in terms of the quality and consistency of training available. In reality, there are many unaccredited, fly-by-night organizations that are overly eager to certify unqualified individuals to become "personal trainers." Many of these individuals do not have any formal education in exercise science or a related field.

There are four organizations that are leaders in the health and fitness industry: the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). The most important thing is that these organizations are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), which ensures that strict guidelines regarding professional training and examinations are adhered to.

Questions to ask during the initial consultation with any personal trainer:

1. Are you certified by any of the following organizations: American College
of Sports Medicine, American Council on Exercise, National Academy of
Sports Medicine, National Strength and Conditioning Association?

2. Do you at least have a bachelor's degree in exercise science or a
related field (e.g., Physical Therapy, Athletic Training, Biomechanics)?

3. How many years of practical experience do you have?

4. Can I talk to some of your current and/or previous clients?

5. Most importantly, ask yourself if you feel comfortable working with
your personal trainer as a person. Are they sympathetic to your personal needs? Are you able to connect with them, or do your personalities clash?

Every individual is different and therefore every exercise program should be specifically tailored to address the goals they want to achieve. Ask questions-- and lots of them! Remember, you are hiring an expert and you should be confident that your trainer is knowledgeable in all the science behind working out and not just helping you look good.

Lastly, do not judge a book by its cover. Physical appearances do not determine the quality of knowledge that your trainer possesses. Experience and knowledge should be the deciding factor in choosing your personal trainer and not his or her asking price.

About the Founder

Charles Trinh, MS, PES, CSCS, ACSM-cPT is the founder of FunctionWorks Fitness and former State Director for the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He has over 10 years of formal education and practical experience in the health and fitness field. Charles has earned his undergraduate degree in Exercise Science and Sports Medicine and his Masters of Science degree in Exercise Science and Performance Enhancement. He also holds the highest level certifications by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Trainer, Consultant and Educator

Charles is a consultant and educator in health and fitness. His in depth knowledge about the function of the musculoskeletal system and how it relates to exercise performance makes him a sought after speaker locally and nationally. He currently is a lecturer for the American College of Sports Medicine. Some of the private and public organizations that he has worked with are:

University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine

University of Hawaii Department of Health and Exercise Science

Kapiolani Community College Exercise Sport Science Program

Westfield State College

National Strength and Conditioning Association

American College of Sports Medicine

McDonalds Restaurants of Hawaii

Chaminade University

Fitness Resource Associates

Fitness Education Network

YMCA of Honolulu

University Health Alliance

For more information contact:

Charles Trinh, MS, PES, CSCS, ACSM-cPT

808-779-1604

functionworksfitness@gmail.com