Social Workout

Scientific

Stretching Actually Makes You Stronger

Stretching makes you feel good and prevents injuries, but we all skimp when we're in a hurry, right? Reconsider! New research shows that stretching after strength-training significantly increases your muscle gains. In the study, participants were divided into two groups: those who did just a strength-training regimen three times a week and those who did the strength training plus two stretching sessions. After eight weeks, the stretch + strength-training group close to tripled their strength, showing significantly greater gains than the strength alone group. "Stretching, like lifting, causes tiny tears in your muscle; as your body repairs them, the tissue becomes stronger," explains one of the studies coauthors. So it's official: Stretching feels good and makes you buff. Stop skimping! (via Women's Health).

The Awesomeness of Massage

I always forget how pivotal massage is to a body that is worked out and exploited for all its muscular awesomeness.  This evening, I was treatedto a mini-massage sample at Equinox.  It was so good, I was practically in tears.  Her fingers seemd to reach little points so sensitive, they tickled.  My body was instantly relaxed....

New York

You Wrote We Like

Physiology of Strength Adaptation, Part 3

Okay, so given all this, what practical advice does nfolkert draw for his own training and self-experimentation?  Well, my main fitness goal in the long term is an all-around increase in functional strength and capability: I want to be able to lift more, run longer, hit harder, jump higher, balance better, and stretch deeper.

You Wrote We Like

Physiology of Strength Adaptation, Part 1

Because I'm not going to the gym today while my vein recovers, I'm instead going to write about what I've been learning about the state of science with respect to what happens to our bodies when we do resistance training.

First, a brief overview of what a muscle is.  The anatomy of a muscle breaks down in the following hierarchy...

Home Stretch

Sweet Reminder

"Got back to the gym today....It's funny how I forget how better I feel when I DON'T eat crap and DO hit the gym." — kornflowers, today, 10:28 A.M.

Wahhhhhh. A letter to my crossfit instructor.

dear crossfit instructor who shall remain nameless,

why?

why on earth would you ever want a human being to be this sore? I mean, I work out and have for a long time, but this is a soreness of an entirely new level called, evil sore level. I think you like to take people to this level and that makes me want to kick you in the balls. 

New York

Workout

Ta Da! #20!

And it was good!

Workout

Back In the Zone....

Two weeks ago when I took Practice (class at Equinox) I was sore for a week!
Now I'm back! Last night's class was a breeze. Quads a little sore - but it's GOOD PAIN!
Class was packed and the music was pumping - I was so in the zone! Love taking classes....it's like an IV drip - I derive great energy and leave class feeling better than when I came in....
Can't wait until tonight's workout!

Minor Injuries

On Pulled Muscles

Might have been the shoveling of gravel over the weekend, compounded by ill-advised sun salutations in the Hudson River Park on Monday evening, but range of motion in the neck severly limited. Southerners would call this a "crick" in the neck. A very basic thing. Almost comical in the way it makes one turn at the waist to address one's dinner companion. Funny how little one knows about the basic anatomy. Google it. "Muscle strain, also called a pulled muscle, occurs when a muscle is stretched too far, and small tears occur within the muscle," says About.com. Right. Can be mild or severe, the latter involves swelling and brusing. Don't have that. If you do the same to a ligament, it's called a "sprain."  Who knew? Conventional solution: Rest, ice, aspirin. Fair enough. Important: Don't try to "exercise through the pain." Unconventional solution, found on natural-health-remedies-guide.com: Turmeric, Horse Chestnut, and Magnet Therapy. Magnet therapy?

Workout

muscles!

I did the Self mag resistance workout for the month 3 challenge and it's really great and challenging and since the end of January I've lost 17 pounds so now when I do resistance work I can really see the muscles. Amazing what losing a layer of fat will do. Inner thighs and abs are a little stubborn though, but I'm optimisitic.