Super Challenge 2006

Stretching, cramps and the GTO.

One day before an exercise class at the Wellness Centre, Wally was giving Kevin and I some stretching advice and mentioned something called the‘GTO’. GTO, believe it or not, stands for Golgi Tendon Organ and has nothing to do with classic Pontiacs.

Having become a recent fan of all things ‘stretched’, I Googled the term hoping to gain some inside knowledge. Results? Dense medical research papers aimed at Sports Researchers, Medical Students and/or Dr. Frankenstein. So pay attention – it may turn up in a future CSI episode.

The GTO is a bundle of nerves on every muscle that protect those same muscles from ‘blowing out”. They sense when a muscle is going too far and stop further extension. They act like governors, which is a good thing. But they also get in the way of stretching a muscle fully.

You can use your knowledge of how GTO's work to enhance your stretching exercise. Stretch a muscle, for example your hamstrings, as far as they want to go (before pain, of course!). Then (here comes the Sports therapists lingo), contract the muscle ‘isometrically’ to increase tension in the muscle. To do this for your ham, press your heel or whole leg onto whatever surface you are sitting on. Press hard, without moving, and after 5-10 seconds, gently but completely let go of the contraction, again without moving.

This ‘isometric’ stretching is the same kind used when stretching calf muscles by pushing against a wall. It refers to stretching a muscle against something fixed or immovable, unlike a free weight (although they sometimes feel immovable).

Now slowly resume your stretch, and see if you go a little further! You may already have heard this referred to as "a PNF method" or "hold-relax. It’s this kind of training that claims to be able to turn middle-aged men into contortionists. And I’m not making this up.

So what does GTO and stretching have to do with cramps?

This is all new and based on recent studies by Bentley and Schwellnus. When you over exert yourself, the GTO for an exhausted muscle is itself inhibited and therefore stops working, and becomes a direct causes of cramping. The theory implies that routine stretching is preventive medicine for cramping.

We also now know there are two very different kinds of cramps.

The first is caused by over-tired muscles. These can be worked out with stretches and/or ice in a fairly short period of time. A second type of cramp is caused by the loss of sodium through sweating, generally in hot conditions. These are called ‘heat cramps’ and can only be treated by restoring sodium levels in the body. And they hurt more too. Gatorade anyone?

Stretching At The Office!

Hey, all stretching doesn't happen in the Gym or on a Yoga mat. You can take time during the day to stretch to increase flexibility and reduce back pain and repetitive stress injuries. Most experts on rehab will suggest people take time out from their day to stretch and flex all those muscles that we abuse while sitting at a desk staring at the computer screen or participating in endless conference calls.

Chair Squat: Periodically while sitting, lift butt off the seat and hover over chair for 2-3 seconds. Stand up and repeat.

Dips: Make sure chair is stable and place hands next to hips. Move hips in front of chair and bend elbows, lowering body until elbows are at 90 degrees. Repeat.

Abs: Sit on the edge of chair, arms extending in front. Keeping back straight, contract the abs and slowly lower torso towards back of chair. Hold 2-3 seconds and repeat.

Curls: Cross arms over chest and sit up straight. Contract abs and curl shoulder towards hips, pulling abs in. Hold for 2 seconds and repeat

LOSING WEIGHT WITH EXERCISE

You can lose weight without exercise, it happens all the time, but research shows that using cardio exercise improves your chances of keeping the weight off over time. Here are the basics from FitClub.

The secret is lose weight slowly and correctly. Remember - the faster you lose it, the faster it will come right back. The last thing you want to do is crash diet and really mess up your metabolism. Remember, it didn't take you 3 months to put on all the extra weight, so it definitely will not take only three months to lose it.

The safest total weight loss per week is 1 pound. There are 3,500 calories in a pound of body fat, so in order to lose 1 pound, you simply need to create a 500 calorie deficit per day. Over the course of a week, this equals out to 3,500 calories or 1 pound.

The best way to hit this 500 number every day is to create a 250 calorie deficit through your diet and another 250 calorie deficit through cardio exercise. Remember, you want to fuel your body with high nutrient foods and keep your metabolism "stoked" throughout the day. The worst thing you can do is limit your food intake too severely which will cause your body to go into starvation mode and hold onto your body fat reserves. Your body is thinking its getting ready for a period of famine and will hold onto all the energy it can to survive this period.

Recommend eating at least 1,500 calories per day and make sure you're eating "clean" and nutritious food. You want to make sure to eliminate all the excess and empty calories from your daily intake. The best way to do this is to write down everything you eat.

WHAT’S THE BEST CARDIO EXERCISE?

Is there a ‘magic bullet’ super cardio program out there somewhere that will solve all our problems, make us all fit and magically melt the pounds away too?

Well – yes and no. According to numerous experts, which I will list throughout the article, the real key is variety – in activity type and duration. Changing up activities and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone will lead to faster improvement.

The gist of this is that we are all creatures of habit. We find a comfort zone when exercising and tend to stay there. Changing up the types of exercise we do will give you a huge boost - as will using interval training!

What's interval training? For years, sports experts have discovered that atheletes improve faster if they push the envelope. Hard. But of course, you can't do that for extended periods of time. So you push hard. Then rest. Then push hard again. Pushing your aerobic envelope will stretch it the same way that pushing muscles makes them grow.

Interval training also causes you to lose weight faster. So if you've been slogging it out on an exercise machine for hours on end and not losing weight - you need to look at intervalling.

The elliptical machine is a good example of a great exercise machine used badly by most people. Because of the flywheel it uses, it also makes interval training very difficult.

“The elliptical machine is sneaky, and it fools us three ways. First, you can get your heart rate up really high and easily. Second, you can get a big sweat on. And third, the machine tells you that you have burned an awful lot of calories (inaccurately).” Craig Ballantyne

So why doesn't the elliptical work? Because you just don't do as much mechanical work as you do when you run or cycle. Basically, it's just easier and less effective. Getting your heart rate up is not the key determinant of fat loss. And most people don’t crank up the resistance (because then it is uncomfortable). So they ‘run’ for 20 minutes when 5 minutes of intense resistance would be more beneficial and would improve weight loss.

The key factor in fat loss is the amount of work done. “Until you learn to separate the influence of the two, you won't be using intervals in the best possible manner.”

As fat loss expert Alwyn Cosgrove explains, "The problem is not the elliptical itself -- it's just that it tends to allow/promote momentum (as most people have the resistance too low) from bodyweight alone. So unless you crank up the resistance and actually produce some force and/or MOVE your bodyweight - it's nothing but momentum. So if you're not actively using your muscles to produce some sort of force you aren't burning many calories."

“Compare the elliptical to the Stairmaster. Stairmasters are more effective but less popular. Why? Because we've found something easier (the elliptical) that still gives us the comfort of a sweat and an elevated heart rate (even if we don't get the results). And now millions of gym goers pat themselves on the back after flailing around on the elliptical for 30 minutes and thinking they've been shedding fat.” Alwyn Cosgrove

How can you use the elliptial machine effectively? Run forward for 30 seconds, then reverse for 30 seconds. Everytime you reverse, you are fighting the flywheel weight and creating WORK - which is good for you.

Sprinting is one of the most effective types of interval training. First, it is weight bearing so it maximizes cardio workout (fighting gravity is good for bone density as well). And sprinting maximizes the benefits of interval training. Adam Campbell, Mens Fitness

"Sprinting" can be done on a treadmill as well. Instead of setting a fixed speed and running for 30 minutes, use a pulsing technique. Run as fast as you can for 30-45 seconds, then walk for 30-45. Then run fast again. Do this until you get tired. Note: you will get tired faster - but this is not about how much time you spend, it's about the effect. You will improve aerobically faster and actually lose weight.

"Training in your comfort zone is useless. Your metabolic rate will increase when your body is forced to change. The harder and smarter you train, the greater your increase in metabolic rate. That is why you have to do things the right way, to lose fat, the key to getting results is making your body change. That means using training techniques that demand your body to change.

"So not only should you have variety within your training week (i.e. alternate between two different interval training workouts, rather than just doing the same interval workout each time), but you should also change these workouts every 4 weeks.

"Switch exercise methods (and even use bodyweight exercises for intervals). Increase or decrease the length of the interval (while decreasing or increasing the intensity, respectively). Increase or decrease the number of intervals per workout. Increase or decrease the rest time between intervals.

Craig Ballantyne is a workout routine and fat loss expert, and writes workout routines for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers

Let's Get Flexible!

Since I am often guilty of failing to warm up properly before and after exercise, I thought I would post a reminder about the basics of stretching. Pretty self-serving, I know, but maybe there are others out there like me who would like to avoid a strained muscle half way through the challenge.

Now there are well over 200 stretching exercises documented so I picked the most common three to start based on the kind of activity our group is participating in.


Calf Stretch

1. Stand a little way from wall and lean on it with forearms, head resting on hands
2. Place right foot in front of you, leg bent, left leg straight behind you
3. Slowly move hips forward until you feel stretch in calf of left leg
4. Keep left heel flat and toes pointed straight ahead
5. Hold easy stretch 10 to 20 seconds
6. Do not bounce
7. Repeat on other side
8. Do not hold breath

Quadriceps Stretch

1. Stand a little a way from wall and place left hand on wall for support
2. Standing straight, grasp top of left foot with right hand
3. Pull heel toward buttock
4. hold 10 to 20 sec
5. Repeat on other side

Lower back Stretch

1. Sit on floor, legs straight out at sides
2. Bend left leg in at knee
3. Slowly bend forward from hips toward foot of straight leg until you feel slight stretch
4. Do no dip head forward at start of stretch
5. Hold this developmental stretch 10 to 20 seconds
6. Repeat on other side
7. Foot of straight leg upright, ankles and toes relaxed
8. Use a towel if you cannot easily reach your feet