Baby Got Back

That's right, how many times have we all heard how important it is to strengthen the back muscles? If you train with me, you know that I stress the importance of a strong back. Whether you're working a desk job or standing all of the time like I do, strengthening the back side (including lower back and glutes) is beneficial. I like to include the glutes (or hip extensors) because they act to help the lower back in spinal extension.

Here are some key exercises to include in your routine. Working out your back 2-3 times a week is ideal for the best results. If you haven't spent much time working on your back, then make sure that you start with lower weights and progress slowly. For all exercises, make sure your abdominals stay tight to stabilize so that you can work the muscles properly. Included are recommended weights to get started for men and women. Do 2-3 sets of 12 repetitions.


1) Seated Cable Row (middle back/scapular stabilizers/biceps)
-Women 30-60 lbs
-Men 45-80 lbs

2) Reverse Fly (upper/middle back/scapular stabilizers)
-Women 10-30 lbs
-Men 30-50 lbs

3) Wide Grip Cable Rope Row Standing or Seated
(upper/middle back/scapular stabilizers/biceps)
-Women 40-60 lbs
-Men 55-85 lbs

4) Weight Assisted Pull-Ups (lats/biceps)
-Women and Men start with assistance equal to 2/3 of your
body weight

5) Lat Pulldown (lats/biceps)
-Women 35-60 lbs
-Men 55-90 lbs

6) Back Extension (middle/lower back)
-Do 8-12 reps prone on the floor moving into "Superman"
position with arms to side lifting head and chest off of
ground

7) Hip Extensions on ground or ball (glutes)
-Do 10-15 reps prone on the floor or ball. Leg is bent to 90
degrees at knee and lift heel up toward ceiling using glutes
with a small movement. Both sides should be done
individually.

Getting to the Root of Knee Pain

Figuring out where knee pain is coming from can be a challenge for many people. The first question anyone with knee pain needs to ask is has the pain been gradual, or can you think of one moment that you started feeling the pain? The point is to establish whether or not it could be an overuse injury or it is something that occured with one specific movement or force to the joint. For example, a football player who takes a blow laterally to the knee from a tackle would have pain from an external force from one incident. In contrast, a right handed golfer might have left side knee pain from the constant repetitive rotational force on the knee, which would be considered an overuse injury. Either way, it is important to consult a physician to establish a course of action for recovery and rehabilitation.

One way that I have been able to help my clients with knee pain is with Muscle Activation Techniques. It can be a terrific tool in analyzing the body for musclular imbalances. Sometimes with overuse injuries (like with the golf example), people are stronger moving one way versus the other and the body can shift to compensate, therefore creating a muscular imbalance. That is why it is so important to understand when your body is out of alignment. There are many different possibilities as to what can be causing knee pain in an overuse injury, such as potential weakness in the hip muscles or even the trunk and spine (core muscles). If muscular weakness is found in the core muscles, it may be causing instability in the pelvis, which can ultimately affect the direction of forces on the knee joint. Using Muscle Activation Techniques to restore muscle strength is a safe way to identify and restore the body to balance.

For more information go to http://trainingbysteph.com/MAT/steph_MAT.html

Morning Circuit

Need a quickie workout to get the blood pumping in the morning? Give this circuit a try!

1 min. Jump Rope
Reverse Grip Pulldown (12 reps)
Cable Rope Bicep Curl (15 reps)
Red or Blue Band Bicep Curl (15 reps)
Climbers (on slide pads or jumping-24 reps alternating)
Kettlebell Squats with Arm Swing (15 reps w/10 pounds)
Yellow Band Front/Lateral Raises (24 reps)
Burpees (10 reps)
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps on Ball or Bench (15 reps)
Green or Red Band Tricep Pushdowns (15 reps)
Push ups (15 reps)

Repeat 2 Times

Thanks to everyone that supported us in the MS Walk Lakefront!

Pics from Lululemon Class

Looks like fun! Come join us for my Body Burn class at Lululemon Rush on Thursday, April 29th from 7-8pm.

Walk MS Lakefront

I am pleased to announce that I have been asked to be the official trainer to warm up over 4,000 Walk MS participants on the Grant Park stage on Sunday, May 2nd! As some of you know, I have a couple of friends with MS, so getting people to participate and raising money for this event is important to me. After I warm everybody up, the team I will be walking with is the "J-Walkers".

So if you are interested in walking with our team or donating that would be terrific! Your donation will make it possible for the Greater Illinois Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to provide programs and services for people with multiple sclerosis while also funding important research that will bring us closer to a cure for this chronic disease.

It is faster and easier than ever to support this great cause - you can make a tax-deductible donation online simply by clicking on the link at the bottom of this message. After you make a donation, look for your name scrolling in the fundraising honor roll. You can be a part of joining the movement to achieve a world free of MS!

Click here to view the team page for J-Walkers
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/ILDWalkEvents?team_id=207176&pg=team&fr_id=13144&s_tafId=166069

Thanks for your support! Hope to see you there!

Personal Training with Skype

One of my regular clients called me last week and said he was going to be unable to train for the next couple of weeks, but really wanted to get his training in, so he suggested we Skype each other during our appointment time. I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about doing this, but it actually turned out great once we got going! I Skyped him at his normal appointment time. We had to adjust his camera a little so that I could get a full view of his body (for biomechanical corrections and cuing). I had my camera set up so that I could demonstrate the exercises for him if necessary. It was really just like being there in person, except for the occasional couple second time delay. He had a Total Gym, bands, and a stability ball. We got in 4 circuits with 12 total exercises, and by half way through, he had a good sweat going!

So it looks like there is another option for people who can't make it to the gym or clients who are traveling and need that push to get out of bed and workout in their hotel room. Glad I tried Skype personal training! Thanks Tom!