Anatomy of the Glutes

Hindsight: Intro to & Overview of the Glutes



Some definitions for terms mentioned in this article:
ABDUCTION: Movement away from the body.
EXTENSION: Straightening the joint resulting in an increase of angle.
LATERAL ROTATION: Rotary movement around the longitudinal axis of the bone away from the center of the body; turning the thigh or pelvis outward.

A butt is a butt, right? Well, if you’re not interested in making yours look nicer, then, I suppose you could answer ‘right.’ However, all those in favor of a firmer, rounder booty would be more inclined to want to know a bit more about just what yours is made of.

First of all, the term ‘glutes’ is plural for a reason; there is more than one muscle that makes up what you typically refer to as your butt: Gluteus Minimus, Gluteus Medius & the ever famous Gluteus Maximus. In order to obtain our ‘best butt,’ it is important to consider that all 3 of these muscles must be worked for optimal proportionality & attractive results.

Gluteus Minimus: As the name would suggest, this is the smallest of the three muscles. Located beneath the other two muscles (immediately beneath Gluteus Medius) & connected to the outer part of the ilium (the rounded, flared part of the bones that make up your pelvis – hip). It is involved in movement of the thigh (inward rotation) & is chiefly involved when supporting the body on one leg.

Gluteus Medius: Broader & thicker than the Gluteus Minimus, this muscle is also connected to the ilium, though closer to the crest (uppermost part of the flare). It sits directly above Gluteus Maximus & over Gluteus Minimus. This muscle performs the same actions as Gluteus Minimus but is also involved in hip extension, lateral rotation and abduction, serving as a decelerator of internal rotation of the femur bone (large bone located above the knee, surrounded by the thigh and hamstring muscles) at the end of the swing of your leg during walking/running. The Gluteus Medius helps stabilize the pelvis and aids in lateral movements.

Gluteus Maximus: The largest and topmost muscle of the glutes, this one is a very broad and thick fleshy muscle running from the inner portion of the ilium. This is the muscle that makes up most of the shape & appearance of your butt. The biggest action taken by Gluteus Maximus is erecting the body after stopping by drawing the pelvis backward; it is also involved in any forward bending movements like step-ups, squats or lunges.

Now that you are more familiar with what you’re made of back there, you can begin to better understand why and how certain exercises will give you particular results. In the next blog, we will explore more of the functionality and specifics that will enable you to work all of your glutes.

Melissa, is available for Personal Training at your home or over email.

Melissa COO/CPT
Executive Vice President
Group Exercise, Program Design and Customer Service

Big butts

‘I Like Big Butts...’ Just a Fad of the Times or Timeless Sex Symbol?

It seems as though nowadays, curves are in…. or at least making a comeback. Looking around on TV, in magazines and advertisement venues, there seems to be a trend; after all, just look at the uproar J Lo caused with her particularly ‘well-rounded asset’. Living in America, it’s no secret that we’re obsessed with slim, but historically women who were curvy were always more desirable. This begs several questions. First of all, why did curves go out of style? Second, why are they coming back? And third, are they here to stay?

There are a few theories as to why curves lost their appeal. The one that makes the most sense to me has to do with equality. In the past, a more feminine appearance may have also been associated with incompetence in the professional world (as femininity is classically attributed to mothers – those who traditionally stay home & care for the children, as opposed to the men who were expected to go out in the working world to ‘bring home the bacon’). Hence, as women entered the workforce and naturally wanted to be taken more seriously and attain success, it is more than possible that they subconsciously realized a more masculine appearance could be a key factor.

The appeal of a larger lower body on women goes back to the caveman age. Innately, it is understood that strong legs and glutes would enable a person to run faster & less likely to be the prey of hungry carnivores. Darwin believed that those humans that appeared healthiest would naturally be more suited to find a mate more quickly in order to pass those traits genetically to offspring. Moreover, there is reason to believe that hip-waist ratio plays are large part in the indication of fertility in females – a determining factor on the influence of a male’s mate selection process. All of this is also very apparent in the examination of ancient art and culture (statues and paintings etc. of fertility goddesses & women alike).

Fast forward: in the present day, women are decently integrated into the professional world. (I have my own reservations on this subject matter but that’s for another blog at another time). Having more influence (not to mention laws backing us up that have forced society to strive for fairness), has allowed for less concern over one’s appearance having bearing on qualification. Additionally, more vintage taboos have also faded considerably allowing America to embrace the not-so-secret secret that ‘sex sells’. In that light, many new opportunities have surfaced for those women considered ‘voluptuous’. As women continue to fight for equality and acceptance, they have caught the attention of many companies wishing to capitalize on whatever demand is currently strongest. As society comes out of the super-skinny-waif fad, and more accepting of women who actually look the way they’re supposed to (no offense to those women who are genetically predisposed to a more slender somatotype by the way), Big Business is changing their target demographic, most especially in fashion.

Though it’s impossible to predict the future and the fads that lie in wait, it would seem that curves are finally here to stay. Considering the fact that women are built with wide hips for a very important reason (childbirth), genetically they are most certainly not going anywhere & it is therefore in the best interest of society to understand and accept that fact. In a perfect world, everyone would be A-OK with the way his or her body is built – we are all different & that’s a beautiful thing no matter what; however, it is perhaps human nature to criticize that, which is less conventionally embraced. I look forward to a society that promotes more readily a healthier self-image approach, which will auspiciously lead to a decline in eating disorders and other debilitating habits and issues.

Melissa, is available for Personal Training at your home or over email. This article should show you what a gem Melissa is to your goals. She is a treasured member of my staff. Perfect You looks forward to you debating this article and making this site even better at addressing your unique needs.

Melissa COO/CPT
Executive Vice President
Group Exercise, Program Design and Customer Service

Fitness theme for January 2009

Hello, Perfect You LLC will be posting the following theme for the month of January

Boot-y Camp
Week 1: ‘I Like Big Butts...’ Just a Fad of the Times or Timeless Sex Symbol?
Week 2: Intro to & Overview of the Glutes.
Week 3: Targeting the Glutes Through Strength Moves.
Week 4: Targeting the Glutes Through Cardio Conditioning.

Regards,

Eddie
CEO - Perfect You LLC

The Aftermath: Maintaining

The Aftermath: Maintaining

I have been about the same weight for going on 3 years now. I’m not going to lie & say it’s been easy, ‘cause it hasn’t; but coming as far as I did sure makes it far less difficult to stay focused. I know that I will never in my life be as big as I once was but I do find that I struggle to stay as disciplined as I was when I first started on my journey to lose weight. At first it’s easy because the results are motivation in themselves – enough to keep you going. Then you’ve got the added push from people noticing all around & constantly telling you how great you look and praising your hard work. But what do you do when you reach your goal & the dust settles? How do you keep from going back to where you came from or yo-yoing back & forth? To be honest, I don’t have a concrete answer. Anyone can sit & preach that you just have to keep doing what you’re doing – exercise & eat right. I’ve been there & I’m still here – it’s not as simple as it sounds. At the end of the day, the most important thing you can do is remember that you are here to live your life & be happy. Yes, it’s important to be healthy but if it means you lose the joy from your life or feel like you are constantly restricted, you are dooming yourself by setting a trap for a big fall. Take things day by day & do what makes you feel good. Remember that it’s ok to ‘cheat’ and indulge once in a while. Make sure you aren’t being too hard on yourself. It’s a constant battle & it probably always will be, so do your best to roll with the punches. Tomorrow is always another day where you can start fresh, so don’t beat yourself up over whatever might have happened today. Remembering how far you came & the work you did to get here will help. I think the hardest part is when everyone gets used to the new you & all the praise & compliments slow down…maybe even come to a stop. You start to get comfortable…. start to slack off… That is when you have to remind yourself. Keep ‘before’ picturess & a piece or two of clothing from before you lost weight. When you start to slip, pull them out & remind yourself how hard you worked & why you did it in the first place. Focus on how good you feel, how different things are now & how much easier certain activities have become. In the grand scheme of things, your weight should not be the most pressing matter on your to-do list – we’ve all got much bigger problems to deal with. Don’t let it stress you out more than it should & never let it consume you completely. Take a deep breath & hit the reset button. Remember to take things day-by-day, ‘live, love & laugh’!!!!!

Melissa has the gift of producing weight loss for our clients. She has been there and conquered all the odds to transform herself. If you are having weight loss issues please reach out to Melissa. She just might be the ONE person in your life that can make a difference and give you back your life. She has been where you are - and she was able to rise from the depths to make her body what she always envisioned it to be.

Melissa COO/CPT
Executive Vice President
Group Exercise, Program Design and Customer Service

Tips & Tricks for Newbie’s

Tips & Tricks for Newbie’s

This is probably stuff you’ve all read before but the following is a list of some of the things that helped me in my quest for weight loss & a healthier lifestyle.

1) Eat salad with EVERY meal (preferably before anything else or in between bites of everything else).

2) Try chewing gum or hard candy whenever you have a particularly strong craving for something you really don’t need to eat (i.e. chocolate, cake, fried ravioli, French fries or whatever the case may be) .

3) Give into cravings every now & again (otherwise you’ll go crazy!).

4) Invoke the basic Kindergarten rule of sharing (like with desserts & other rich foods that have enough calories to feed a small army).

5) If you know something is your weakness, DON’T KEEP IT AROUND! As painful as it might be in the beginning, take a garbage bag & empty your home of any & all foods that could cause you to stray. Going forward, simply don’t buy those things. If they’re not around, you can’t eat them.

6) Like someone who’s trying to quit smoking, you are essentially trying to ‘quit’ an ‘addiction’ to food…. so whenever you feel the need to run for the cookies & chips or find yourself with one hand on the cupboard door (and for whatever reason you still keep the stuff around), DIVERT (as quickly as possible) to the crisper drawer of the fridge. Of course this requires making sure you have an ample supply of healthy alternatives like baby carrots, celery, fresh string beans etc.

7) Eat fresh fruit for dessert instead of cake, cookies, pie etc. Or at least MORE fruit than anything else (Eat the fruit & then have a few bites of [insert decadence here] if you must).

8) Never go to a party or social gathering on an empty stomach.

9) Never go food shopping on an empty stomach & ALWAYS make a list & stick to it!

10) In place of tortilla chips, try celery with salsa. Yes I know it sounds strange but you’d be surprised just how satisfying it actually is (all you really want is the crunch when you get down to it). Besides, celery & salsa is virtually calorie (& guilt free)!

11) Be firm with family & friends when they try to push food on you – yes, even Grandma – I’m not saying you have to be a jerk about it & always say ‘no no no!’ but you have to put limitations on what you give into or you’ll just set yourself back.

12) Be conscious of choices at restaurants & do your best to pick the healthiest thing you can find – ask about substitutions for things like French fries & white rice etc. (You can always steal a bite or two of the sinful stuff from whomever is eating with you). ;-)

13) Remember that it’s ok NOT to clean your plate! PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BODY!! If you feel full, wrap the remaining food up or throw it away (this is also ok to do…I know, I know, kids starving in [insert country], but there’s no way you could get the food to them before it spoiled so really, who would you be helping besides your fat cells?).

14) When you do feel full & decide to stop eating, get the remainder away from you as quickly as possible before you start to pick again. (ask the server to wrap it/take it ASAP…. mess it up with all kinds of condiments beyond edibility…. pour it in the garbage disposal …give it to the dog …. Give it to Mikey…. etc)

15) Do your best to view food as fuel for your body.

16) If you aren’t sure whether you’re hungry or not, try a cup of tea – cinnamon works best if you are also trying to dodge a craving.

17) S-L-O-W down!!! Pay attention to what you’re eating – TASTE your food as you chew thoroughly, swallow & repeat.

Melissa has the gift of producing weight loss for our clients. She has been there and conquered all the odds to transform herself. If you are having weight loss issues please reachout to Melissa. She just might be the ONE person in your life that can make a difference and give you back your life. She has been where you are - and she was able to rise from the depths to make her body what she always envisioned it to be.

Good luck!
Melissa COO/CPT
Executive Vice President
Group Exercise, Program Design and Customer Service

To Cut or Not to Cut

To Cut or Not to Cut

It is in my opinion that far too many people in this country resort to weight loss surgery as a ‘way out’ once they’ve gone too far. It seems like a rather poor replacement for more traditional methods of losing weight, the sole difference being the time & effort involved for effectiveness. Of course, there are cases that absolutely require the assistance of surgery, don’t get me wrong. It’s just the sort of thing that gets a bad wrap from overuse & system manipulation. If it’s something you’ve thought about doing for yourself, here are a few informational tidbits & pros/cons that might help.

A BMI of over 30+ is considered severley obese.

There are two types of surgery: Restrictive & Malabsorptive. Restrictive surgery involves making the stomach smaller thereby limiting the amount of food that can be held, which causes you to feel full faster. Malabsorptive surgery involves making the small intestine shorter which limits the amount of food that is completely digested. Increasingly, both procedures are being performed in conjunction.

There are certain procedures that must be addressed before being approved to go ahead with the surgery. Since most people cannot afford to pay for the surgery on their own, they will have to go through their insurance company in order to obtain assistance. It would be up to you to contact your insurance company to find out if weight loss surgery is covered & then provide all the necessary documentation. This can be arduous as some insurance companies require you not only to obtain written consent from a doctor that indicates a medical necessity but also documentation of attempts at less invasive forms of weight loss (i.e. diet monitoring, exercise attempts etc). You would most likely also have to undergo a psychological evaluation pre-surgery.

Recovery time and psychological reaction are things to think about as well; your life will be drastically affected. Surgery is never something to be taken lightly & aside from possible complications, you could be restricted from your normal everyday activities for 6 weeks (sometimes more, sometimes less depending on various factors such as the type of surgery & your personal reaction or any complications to the surgery). Fortunately, there are many support groups available for post-surgery.

Pros

Rapid weight loss for up to 24 months
Improvement of health conditions caused by obesity

Cons

Side effects (vomiting, nausea, weakness, increased sweating, faintness, dizziness, bloating, increased gas, gallstones and diarrhea)
Nutritional deficiencies
Complications to the surgery (abdominal hernias, infections, breakdown of the staple line, stretched stomach outlets, bleeding, deep vein thrombosis, marginal ulcers, pulmonary problems, spleen injury – may have to be removed completely)
Necessary avoidance of pregnancy - temporarily (women of childbearing age – the rapid weight loss & nutritional deficiencies can harm the fetus)
Lifestyle changes (not only the obvious diet & exercise modifications but also vitamin supplementation & regular periodic checkups for nutritional and digestive problems/issues)
A lack of the long-term effects on nutrition & the body.
Hopefully the above information helped you become just a little more educated on the topic & will assist in helping you make your decision. However, this is obviously an issue to be discussed in depth with your doctor & researched thoroughly to ensure it is something that’s going to be right for you.

This article comes from Melissa, one of my partners, who is an AFAA certified Personal Trainer. Her before and after pictures are a true inspiration of her dedication to what ever she puts her mind to. She has transformed her body and can do the same for you. Melissa is available for in-person Personal Training sessions as well as creating an eight week virtual (email) personal training program to help you meet your individual needs as you work your way to that "Perfect You". She could just be the one person that can truly inspire you to reach your goals. She is always available to answer your questions. Your heatlh is all you have in your later years - take a stand TODAY and make it your priority. Time waits for no one.

Good luck!
Melissa Gentile COO/CTO Executive Vice President Training, Customer Service and Product Development.

'The Breaking Point'

This article comes from Melissa, one of my partners, who is an AFAA certified Personal Trainer. Her before and after pictures are a true inspiration of her dedication to what ever she puts her mind to. She has transformed her body and can do the same for you. Melissa is available for in-person Personal Training sessions as well as creating an eight week virtual (email) personal training program to help you meet your individual needs as you work your way to that "Perfect You". She could just be the one person that can truly inspire you to reach your goals. She is always available to answer your questions.

'The Breaking Point'

I lost 100 pounds.

By myself.

People always ask me 'how'd you do it?' seemingly in hopes that my answer will be short, sweet & contain some sort of magical formula that will make them instantly drop 20 pounds.

Sorry, it doesn't quite work like that & each time I respond I meet disappointment & sometimes even a loss of interest in the matter altogether. The truth is, it took a lot of the same thing you hear being preached at every health club and on every episode, book, workout or meal plan that Oprah endorses. The 'magic formula' does indeed exist & it's actually quite simple; the problem with it is the time that it takes to work. That's where people turn a cold shoulder or give up in exchange for the never-ending 'Quick Fix Quest'.

Exercise + Smart Food Choices = Your Perfect Body

However, contrary to what most people believe, it's really not the magic formula they are, or should be searching for; after all, it is almost common knowledge nowadays. It's what I like to call 'The Breaking Point' that seems to elude most. It's not as if I didn't do what every other person out there on the Quick Fix Quest does - guilty as charged. Like so many, I was in constant search mode for the diet, the workout, the pill or the surgery that would have me dropping clothes sizes in a matter of weeks without changing a single part of the comfortable habits I'd settled into. And like so many, I met my fair share of disappointment & scams alike. Highly discouraging scenarios but not without value, for they sparked the realization that
the only way to get what I truly wanted (and this goes for more than just weight loss by the way) was through sacrifice. I finally accepted that you really can't 'have your cake & eat it too,' (without the inevitable excess weight piling on).

When I finally started to examine the 'why' behind my obesity & paying attention to the things that were part of my daily life that perpetuated the situation I obsessed about, things began to fall into place. For me, the biggest problem turned out to be lack of education in nutrition. I had absolutely no concept of portions. Once the biggest problem was identified, it became easier and easier to start changing things to get the results that I had so long sought after. I took baby steps & came to see that anything that seems too good to be true, truly is & a quick fix will NEVER teach you the lessons necessary for longevity. Only when you are ready to make a real
commitment to yourself, invest your time & energy, and make some sacrifices, will you appreciate & respect the results that you get.

That, my friends, is the 'secret'. Take your time! We as a society are so caught up in the culture of convenience that we fail to remember there is ALWAYS tomorrow - a brand new day just waiting for you to make or break it. Progress takes time.

Awareness + Determination & Commitment = The Breaking Point

Being aware does come with the price of energy expenditure, which is also too often the undoing of many ambitious intentions. Who wants to always have to stop & think before they do something that used to come as second nature (like eating)? However, like anything else in life,
once you get past the initial newness, less effort has to be expended and what was once so difficult & daunting takes the place of those unhealthy habits that were once so comfortable. In my experience, I have also found what works best for me is remembering how good the results feel. Whether it's the accomplishment I feel after a good workout, the satisfaction of a meal that won't make me feel guilty, or remembering how it felt the first time I put on a pair of jeans that
didn't have a double-digit size. I call on memories of hearing exclamations of compliment from people who noticed my progress or hadn't seen me in some time & couldn't believe how far I'd come and how amazing it felt to be able to do things most people take for
granted (like clothes shopping, sitting (and actually fitting) in the chairs at stadiums/theatres/etc. and walking through turnstiles without having to turn sideways to name a few).

Use positive reinforcement for yourself! Don't beat yourself up! We all make mistakes. It is much easier to err on the side of negativity for most people & that only serves to defeat us further. Focus on the positives & you can't go wrong! So you went ahead and ate the cake
today. You know what? There's always tomorrow! And if you want it bad enough, you'll reach the point where you know you're ready and suddenly you're unstoppable. The choice is up to you: continue on in a futile quest that perpetuates a cycle of self defeat and disappointment, or take the first baby step toward the goal that will change your life forever.

Good luck!! :)
Melissa COO/CPT
Executive Vice President
Group Exercise, Program Design and Customer Service

Themes for the month December 2008

Hello, Perfect You LLC will be posting our first article for the month of December this Saturday night. The theme for the month of December 2008 is: Mass Weight Loss

In the coming weeks these will be the articles posted that relate to the theme above.

Week 1: The Breaking Point
Week 2: To Cut or Not to Cut: Weight Loss Surgery
Week 3: Tips & Tricks for Newbies
Week 4: The Aftermath: Maintaining

Regards,

Eddie
CEO - Perfect You LLC

Sorry for the delay in my postings

To all, I am so sorry for such a delay in my postings. But I do have an excuse. I have started my own personal training company - Perfect You - with two other highly skilled partners. Our aim is to bring you the best relevant knowledge to your goals based on the collective of our mutual talents. We will be committing to providing a minimum of one fitness article a week based on a theme for each month. And if I may toot my horn - I have some really qualified members on my team. In future postings expect articles based on martial art training, boxing protocols, stretching programs, functional training, and the most relevant fitness knowledge you expect to see. We start posting the first week of December. Stay tuned and please keep coming back - you are going to be blown away with our content.

Engage us with your comments and seek out our help to achieve the "Perfect You".

Thank you,

Eddie

On a personal note

First, I apologize for not posting anything in a long time. I have been diagnosed with a pretty nasty disease and it has laid me out in bed (almost 20 hours a day).

I have been diagnosed with full blown Crohns disease. Crohns disease comes in 5 grades of severity and I am at the highest grade. I am starting to feel better and I will write about this ordeal and how I plan on working exercise around my condition as soon as I can. I will also be getting back to the normal content I post here as well.

In the mean time if anyone that reads my blog has any information on Crohns, or tips to manage it or just anything at all please let me know. I could use all the support and knowledge I could get.

Thank you for being patient with me,

Eddie Camaroto CPT

Strength testing - 1 rep max

Okay, tonight I explore what you "could" be lifting in some of your exercises.

The test is called the one rep max and it tests to see what the maximum amount of weight that you could lift. You then take this and apply it to the correct weight you could use daily in your routines.

Lets take the bench press as an example. Here is the scenario (you need to know all three pieces of information):
1) You currently are lifting 150 pounds in the bench press.
2) We use 10 reps for simplicity. So try to come up with the weight that you can lift 10 times to fatigue as a starting point.
3) Your current weight. We will use 170 pounds in this example.

The formula is:
w = weight you are lifting now in pounds
cw = your current weight in pounds
1 rep max = w / .75
weight ratio = cw / 1 rep max

So for our example:
1 rep max = 150 / .75 or 200 pounds
Weight ratio = 200 / 170 or 1.18

To find out the theoretical amount you could be lifting do the following:
Weight ratio * w or 1.18 * 150 or 177 pounds

This formula is mostly used for big muscle group testing such as: back, chest, legs. I do not usually use this formula for other muscle groups because the numbers could be skewed.

As always, with any weight lifting - please have a spotter.

If you are like me you are going to go to the gym and want to apply this test to the major exercises and then start lifting those increases. I was amazed at how much more I really could lift - and that made my workouts even more productive.

As always - I am available for personal training either in person (if in NJ) or over the web. My rates are $75.00 per hour for in-person training and $25.00 per hour for email personal training. If you feel you have stalled in your pursuit of fitness and need some expert knowledge to get you on track reach out to me.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT

New theme strength testing

Okay enough about flexibility testing and on to much more fun tests.

In the next few days I will be giving you some tests that you can do on your own to assess your muscular strength. The tests will give you a good idea as to where you stand in regards to muscular strength to the general population. I will also be giving you a cool formula to see exactly how much you "could" and "should" be lifting with certain exercises. Don't miss them because they will charge up your workouts.

As always - I am available for personal training either in person (if in NJ) or over the web. My rates are $75.00 per hour for in-person training and $25.00 per hour for email personal training. If you feel you have stalled in your pursuit of fitness and need some expert knowledge to get you on track reach out to me.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT

Trunk flexibility test

Hello, Tonight I am going to talk about trunk flexibility(flexion) and how to test yourselves. Above you will see two tables that you will need to refer to after you get your test number. By double clicking on the images you can get a better view.

First a disclaimer: Before I test a client for flexibility I have them fill out a fitness form, waivers, and many others that let me see my clients health history and possible limitations. Since I cannot do that with the readers of this blog I must caution that this flexibility test could cause further injury to individuals with diagnosed lower back issues or for issues that may let turn up. You should not try this flexibility test unless you have a doctors okay.

Before you test yourself make sure that you lightly stretch your low back and hamstrings. Make sure you perform the test slowly or you risk injury.

1. Place a yardstick on floor.
2. Place piece of tape at least 12 inches long at a right angle to the yardstick (with zero mark towards the body).
3. Clients feet should be about 12 inches apart, heels aligned with tape at the 15 inch mark of the yardstick.
4. Place hands one on top of the other w/ tips of fingers aligned.
5. Exhale and slowly lean forward (keep your knees straight), drop head toward or between the arms.
6. Your fingers should maintain contact with yardstick while you keep your knees straight.
7. Score is farthest point reached after 3 trials.
8. Compare to norms (displayed above - you will have to enlarge the image to see it clearly - if you cannot see them clearly send me an email to personaltrainernj@gmail.com and I will send you the files).
9. Evaluate where along spine bending takes place. This can give you clues to what muscle imbalances or other issues you may have.

As always - I am available for personal training either in person (if in NJ) or over the web. My rates are $75.00 per hour for in-person training and $25.00 per hour for email personal training. If you feel you have stalled in your pursuit of fitness and need some expert knowledge to get you on track reach out to me.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT

Trunk extension test

Okay today lets assess your trunk extension flexibility. Basically the test evaluates the amount of backward bend available to your lumbar spine. Most trainers test this because the loss of flexibility and extension in the lumbar spine can cause low back pain and increase injuries. I want to know if my client has the lumbar stability to handle over the head exercises as well as other types involving the lower back.

First a disclaimer: Before I test a client for flexibility I have them fill out a fitness form, waivers, and many others that let me see my clients health history and possible limitations. Since I cannot do that with the readers of this blog I must caution that this flexibility test could cause further injury to individuals with diagnosed lower back issues or for issues that may let turn up. You should not try this flexibility test unless you have a doctors okay.

Lie face down with your hands in position for a pushup. Then push your upper body up while letting your lower back relax as much as possible and attempt to keep the hip bones in contact with the floor. Keep rising till your arms are fully extended. Do not fight it if your hip bones want to raise.

Compare your results to the table below to see where you stand for trunk extension flexibility.

Good - The hips remain in contact with floor while the arms are fully extended.

Fair - The hips raise from the ground up to a tiny amount below 2 inches or less.

Poor - The hips raise from the ground 2 inches or more.

As always - I am available for personal training either in person (if in NJ) or over the web. My rates are $75.00 per hour for in-person training and $25.00 per hour for email personal training. If you feel you have stalled in your pursuit of fitness and need some expert knowledge to get you on track reach out to me.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT

Back from vacation

To all, I just came back from my vacation. While my family was on vacation we were overwhelmed with the junk that is served at the amusement park food stands AND restaurants. It took an extreme effort to find healthy food and even then most of the times the options we ate were NOT what we would of chosen - given options.

Here is how we did it. Maybe some of our methods could help you.
* For our little girl we brought a whole lot of food from home: healthy snacks, fresh fruit sliced up, organic milk, organic/no sugar fruit roll-ups, pretzels, healthy cereals, yogurts etc.

* For our son we packed pop-tarts as a healthier snack at night in the room then cookies or cakes and dried fruit snacks he likes.

* My wife and I winged it and figured we could find right choices there.

To make matters worse and make our nutritional choices even more important was the fact that the hotel did not have a fitness room. The hotel did have agreements with surrounding resorts that allowed us to use their gym for a small fee. I managed to get to the gym just once in 7 days. Having a fitness room miles away made it very very difficult to schedule it. Ex: A one hour workout turned out to be a 2 1/2 hour ordeal.

So in order to maintain some fitness we performed a full stretch routine I developed nightly. It made us feel a little better about missing the gym and still gave our bodies some conditioning. Later on when I write about hotel workouts I will share some of that routine with you. The quick point I am making is no matter what challenges to your nutritional and fitness needs you face you can always make small differences to get some good health - even on vacation.

BUT, we did not restrict ourselves either. We ate pizza a few times, had some premium sundaes, and even enjoyed a hot dog or two.

It takes a lot of work to eat right on vacation and we took almost a suitcase of food with us to make it happen. The fact that airport security took us side and asked us about all the food and searched our bags attest to the fact that very few people travel with their nutrition in mind - or for that matter have a desire to deal with more stress.

Tomorrow I will go back to writing about flexibility testing.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT

Hamstring flexibility test

Okay, my last post until July 10th deals with Hamstring flexibility. The hamstring muscle probably has the most implications to your quality of life then most other muscles. One of the primary responsibilites of this muscle is stabilizing your knee. And if it is tight you are risking injury to your knee. You might be saying how can that be if it is in the back of my thigh. But if you know muscle anatomy you would see that the hamstring has primary control of the knee. If you are too tight or too strong you risk instability in your knee joint. Most people have much more strength in their quadtriceps (front of the thigh) and this causes inbalance and a host of issues. Your hamstrings should be no more then 60% - 70% the strength of your quadtriceps. Do the math. If you can lift 100 pounds during a hamstring curl you should not do more then 60-70 pounds in a leg raise.

So how do you test the flexibility of your hamstring muscle.
1) Lie on the floor with your face facing the ceiling.
2) Have a partner raise up one of your legs - that you keep knee locked and straight.
3) The minute your non-raised legs off the ground while your partner is raising your leg you fail.
4) To pass the hamstring flexibility you need to be able to raise you leg at least to a 80% to 90% angle without your non-raised leg rising off the ground.

Take the test and see if you have been working out incorrectly. Maybe your hamstring is too tight. If you find it is - why not reach out to me and I can suggest some really cool stretches to get you back in the game per-say.

I would not introduce my client to lower body work till they could show me they were flexible to take it. I could hurt their knee and cause them life long pain. You should be assessing yourself as well. These flexibility tests could save you from major injuries - please try them.

This is my last post until July 10th. I will be on vacation in Disney World with my family. Please do not forget me. I live to pass on my knowledge. And I beleive I am giving you a reason to come back - daily - to learn from me. Right?

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT

Vacation notice

To all, I will on vacation from July 3rd to July 10th. During that time there will be no posts. My last post will be tomorrow night. But please come back on July 10th. Or better yet go through any of my previous posts that you may of missed. There is a treasure chest of information contained in this blog. There many more great themes coming and alot of very cool and great information for you to use in your workouts. In the coming months I will be having themes such as:
1) Pre-made mini-workouts for you to use.
2) How to work around injuries.
3) Special populations (diabeties, heart disease, pregnancy, etc.) and how to workout safely when you have these conditions.
4) Proper form for popular exercises.
5) Workout methodology for sports related goals.
6) Alternative exercise methods and routines such as speed bag/body bag, jump rope, body bar, flexibility ball, BOSU ball, bands, using ones own body weight, etc.
7) Special workouts for special occasions: bride to be boot camp, hotel workouts in your room, workouts in the park, swimming pool workouts, etc.

So you see there is a lot of stuff coming and I want all of you to benefit. So I hope to see you all coming back on July 10th. :)

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT

Shoulder flexibility test

When I am presented with a new client I go through a series of tests and assessments to see what my client is capable of. Based on tests and questionnaires I can get a pretty accurate picture on how to design a program that they will benefit from and not pose a risk to their health or risk injury. During the next couple of days I will write about the flexibility tests that I personally administer to assess my clients capabilities. I will then share some thoughts about what modifications I would make to their program design based on each assessment.

Try each test yourself and see just where your abilities lie.

Shoulder Assessment:
Sit or stand and place your right arm straight up, let the elbow bend so the hand comes to rest, palms down, between the shoulder blades. You should then reach back with the left arm so the palm is up. Attempt to touch hands.

Then reverse the procedure and test the opposite shoulder. If one or both shoulders fail then you fail.

If your fingertips are able to touch you have good shoulder flexibility.

If your fingertips are not touching but are less than two inches apart you have fair shoulder flexibility.

If your fingertips are more than two inches apart then you have poor shoulder flexibility.

One other shoulder flexibility assessment I do is have my client lie on his or her back with knees bent, back flat, and arms overhead. Adequate flexibility is demonstrated if the arms lie flat overhead. If the arms do not lie flat, a shortness in the pectoralis major(pecs), teres major(connects to the pecs and shoulder), and latissimus dorsi(lats) is indicated.

If my client has poor flexibility this tells me that it is VITAL to institute a flexibility program to stretch those muscles to a point where they exhibit good flexibility. I would lay off any shoulder and chest exercises till they can demonstrate adequate range of motion. Why? Because they would be risking injury and get limited benefits from anything I had them do that utilized those muscles. I could get their flexibility back within 3-4 weeks and it would be well worth the wait.

Where does your shoulder flexibility lie? If you fail these tests reach out to me about what stretches could increase your flexibility and range of motion. If you neglect to stretch your shoulder muscles you risk serious shoulder injuries - especially to your rotator cuff. If you injure your rotator cuff you will be left with pain - possibly for the rest of your life. Be smart.

As always - I am available for personal training either in person (if in NJ) or over the web. My rates are $75.00 per hour for in-person training and $25.00 per hour for email personal training. If you feel you have stalled in your pursuit of fitness and need some expert knowledge to get you on track reach out to me.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT

I am sorry about this but for some reason my blog is having problems posting large posts tonight. So rather then stress over it I will post tommorrow. Tommorrow I will post about shoulder flexibility testing and how you can diagnose if your shoulders need stretching for your exercise program.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto

New theme - Flexibility testing

Okay, I feel I have given you alot of GREAT formulas for you to play with and assess your current physical condition. Now I will be moving on to flexibility testing. After you try the featured posts you should have an excellent idea of where you stand in regards to the general population.

I do have a lot more formulas that can estimate your cardio fitness, ones that supercharge your weight loss, etc. But, alot of them require that you see a personal trainer to take the correct measurements to formulate them for you. So rather then tease you with them and have you not be able to enjoy them I have decided to move on. If you are currently under a personal trainers care - just post a comment and I will tell you what they should be using or testing you on.

Tomorrow I will be posting a flexibility test a day so you can see what your current physical state is.

You really do not want to miss these.

As always - I am available for personal training either in person (if in NJ) or over the web. My rates are $75.00 per hour for in-person training and $25.00 per hour for email personal training. If you feel you have stalled in your pursuit of fitness and need some expert knowledge to get you on track reach out to me.

Regards,

Eddie Camaroto CPT