The State of the Fitness Industry Today

        The fitness industry today is a $500 billion gorilla. In a decade or two, this will most likely double to be a $1 trillion force in the world. Evidence of this industry’s influence is everywhere you look and affects many facets of daily life including health care, politics, athletics, leisure, entertainment, self-esteem, business, fashion, and food. Overall I see this boom as very positive because the general public is becoming more aware and informed about the myriad benefits of nutrition, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle. Doctors are finally recognizing and harnessing the medicinal power of a healthy diet and a proper exercise program. The gym has become a haven for those looking to get rid of stress in a productive and beneficial manner. This fitness boom has created almost countless benefits to civilized society.

         Unfortunately, such an explosion of industry growth is never without its negative impacts. Many components of the industry are currently not as well regulated as they could be. Also, much of the information that we absorb from the fitness industry is severely biased. Product advertisements and marketing techniques tend to distort the true efficacy of various fitness-related products. There are all-in-one pieces of exercise equipment that promise a toned body with only four minutes of exercise per day. There are electrodes that you attach to your stomach that promise a ripped six pack while you sit on the couch eating Cheetohs. Diet pill ads show individuals losing 40 lbs in a month with their product. Weightlifting workouts in various magazines promise men an added two inches to their biceps. The list goes on forever. While some of these claims may be at least partially true, most of them are complete exaggerations. Many of these companies will say anything they can to sell their products. Like everything else in this world, it comes down to the Almighty Dollar. It is truly a “Buyer Beware” market out there and the most important thing a fitness enthusiast can do is to stay educated.

        There is so much that fitness can offer a person whether you are eighty years old and have never worked out a day in your life, or you are an elite athlete looking to optimize performance. I will do my best with this column to cover many of the major fitness topics that are currently out there and help bring all the useful material to you with none of the garbage. The information that I provide for you will be simple and unbiased, written for the everyday person looking to stay in shape and not just a potential customer. Remember to stay healthy and stay informed.

Sorry Tony Little, Only Tom Brady Can Rock The Pony Tail

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A Look At The Steroid Era of Professional Sports

Author’s Preface: This article was originally written in Fall 2007 and still rings true today. The pestilence of illegal performance-enhancing drug use in professional sports has only gotten worse in my opinion. Since the article was written, many more big names in sports have been accused or convicted of illegal drug use such Shawn Merriman, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez, and many 2008 Olympic athletes. I am still (unfortunately) confident that there will be a massive scandal of Mitchell-Report proportions for the NFL at some point. The NFL is literally printing money these days but it’s setting itself up for a big fall with a lot of player drug issues.

         The Barry Bonds home run controversy, the Mitchell Report, and the Congressional fiasco with Roger Clemens and his former personal trainer Brian McNamee have all been driving me crazy. It is absolutely ridiculous that it would catch anybody by surprise that Major League Baseball studs such as Bonds, Clemens, McGwire, Andy Petite, and Raphael Palmeiro had or have been artificially enhancing their game over the past decade or two. It is even more preposterous that people are surprised to hear from some testimonies that the Mitchell Report leaves out many hundreds of professional baseball players. Anabolic steroids and Growth Hormones are not new to sports, they have been utilized as performance enhancers in dozens of sports since the 1940’s by Russian, German, and United States athletes and coaches! That was a time when athletes didn’t even make any real money, just extrapolate that drug use to the world of professional sports today. In today’s world of cut-throat athletic competition and $100 million contracts, I would be more surprised to find non-steroid and growth hormone users in the minority. Some may call me a cynic but I am just a realist.

         One of the things that irritates me is that individuals such as Bonds, Clemens, McGwire, and Palmeiro are singled out when in fact half the league is sure to be artificially enhanced. It is true they have received more money, praise, and fame from their baseball performance than most other players so they should probably be receiving a proportional amount of scrutiny for their cheating. On the other hand though, these players have been pitching and batting against a juiced up league for probably their entire careers. When Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s home run record, he probably hit a large percentage of them against pitchers on steroids and growth hormones. When Roger Clemens won multiple Cy Young awards, he was facing a large percentage of batters on steroids, growth hormones, and even amphetamines to increase focus and reaction time. People should have listened more openly to Jose Canseco’s book but most wanted to believe that he was just in the immoral minority and that he was just a bitter self-promoter trying to tarnish the legacies of others. Too bad he was dead on.

         Major League Baseball will never truly eradicate illegal artificial enhancement in the sport because every time a drug testing procedure comes out, there will be another untraceable drug, masking agent, or loophole to circumvent that procedure. People are motivated by money so there will always be new drugs invented that can be sold to individuals looking for an edge on the competition or simply a way to keep up against others artificially enhancing their game. With millions in contracts and endorsements on the line, some people will do whatever it takes.

       Steroids have been and continue to be a massive problem in any sport or pseudo-sport including track and field, powerlifting, Olympic lifting, Strong Man, bodybuilding, and even professional wrestling. I have been saying for years that this is not only a big problem in baseball but probably an even bigger problem in the football. Why would players not utilize these illegal drugs in a full-contact sport where size, strength, and power, and speed reign surpreme when they are used in baseball? I am just waiting for the day when an “NFL Mitchell Report” comes out and exposes the cancer that is steroids and growth hormones in the game of football. You think Shawne Merriman and David Boston were the only guys in football to juice? Oh please, I’m sure the NFL’s “rigorous drug testing policy” currently in place is a joke that a rich, intelligent player can easily get round with access to the newest drugs. Something is suspicious when a 300 pounder is running a 4.6 in the 40 yard dash.

         Unfortunately, the fall-out of all this cheating is pretty significant. Natural athletes will continue to feel the pressure to illegally enhance their game so they can keep up with the competition and therefore keep their jobs. Natural athletes will also face unwarranted suspicion instead of praise any time they make major improvements to their strength, physique, or game performance. Athletes using steroids will end up suffering greatly in the form of deteriorating joints, ligaments, heart and liver health, psychological disorders, and from related drug addictions. Professional sports are already brutal enough on the body without these added risks that can even include death in rare cases. This artificially inflated competition also trickles down to college and high school athletes putting pressure on them as well. Unfortunately, the public will continue to shell out cash to see bigger, faster, and stronger athletes until things come to a boil and players are temporarily reprimanded and scrutinized. Then they will simply go back to using the latest untraceable drug in attempts to pursue greatness or simply just to provide for their family. That’s the way it is and that’s the way it’s going to be for a long time.

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Train To Dominate College Intramurals (or any other weekend warrior activities)

           Intramural sports are serious business at many colleges. Bones have been broken, blood has been spilled, and careers tragically ended in their prime. Teams put it all on the line for the pride of obliterating their opponents and the glory of wearing those coveted intramural championship t-shirts. You want to show up and bring your A-game so you better start training like you mean it. I’m not talking about running a couple laps on the track and doing a couple bicep curls either. Besides obviously practicing the sport, you need to hit the gym the right way to improve your performance. Sport-specific training is what you want to focus on as it will have direct carryover into the intramural that you are playing.
          First off, you’ll need a base of strength and cardiovascular endurance, without which it will be difficult to train for a sport. If you don’t have this base of fitness, I would recommend starting with a circuit, switching off between cardio machines and free weights for a few weeks. Most Nautilus-type machines are inferior to free-weights (dumbbells and barbells) for athletes so should be avoided because of their unnatural, preset motions. For the free-weight exercises, I would include some staple exercises including squats, lunges, deadlifts, bench press, pull-ups, bent over rows, and core exercises. Accurate exercise descriptions, images, and videos can be found online if you are unsure of these movements or you can ask a qualified fitness professional to assist you. These exercises will develop the base of strength, endurance, and the mind-muscle connection necessary to perform the quicker and more complicated lifts later.
         Once you have established a solid fitness base, you can continue the previously mentioned exercises as maintenance but it will not be your primary focus anymore. Now you need to start training like an athlete, focusing on speed and coordination. You need to warm-up for your workouts in a dynamic fashion with quick movements and stretches instead of slow holds. This will prepare your muscles for the quicker type of exercise that will be encountered later in the workout. The next focus should be on movements that require high power production, which allows for a weight to be moved in a short period of time. Excellent examples of these types of ballistic exercises include the Olympic lifts (power clean, hang clean, snatches), plyometrics (box jumps, jump rope, agility drills), and various medicine ball tosses (chest passes, overhead passes, rotating passes, throwdowns). Nearly any exercise can be made faster by lightening the weight somewhat and performing the exercise motion explosively such as the upward phase of a squat or bench press.
           What about conditioning you may ask? You don’t have to go out and jog 5 miles if your sport consists of mostly quick sprints. Interval training would best accomplish the endurance portion of your training. This involves short bouts of high intensity cardio followed by lower or moderate intensity, then repeat for however long desired. This method takes less time and it emulates the sport more accurately. If your sport doesn’t require much endurance, such as volleyball, then conditioning can mostly take a back seat to sprints, agility work, and plyometrics.
          Now you have the power, speed, and coordination that translates into rocketing a dodgeball at your cowering target or blowing past a winded defender to get that winning goal. If you follow some of these training tips you’ll be one step closer to wearing one of those elusive intramural championship t-shirts and all the bragging rights that come with it.

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No Gym? No Problem!

Maybe you're sick of going to the hot, crowded, noisy gym with all the Ellipticals taken up by Ipod-clad cardio junkies or all the benches used up by a bunch of muscleheads. Maybe you're very busy and local gym's hours don't always fit your schedule anymore. Maybe you're sick of paying $10-12 at a gym for a one-day guest pass or even a costly long-term membership with a massive joiner's fee and a binding contract with plenty of fine print. And if you are traveling, maybe you'll be without a gym for awhile.

What do you do in these situations?. Let your hard work and progress go down the drain? Lie in bed eating Doritos watching reruns of Sports Center instead? I don't think so. You'll have no excuse to skip a workout after reading this article because there are plenty of exercises that can be performed no matter where you are. No, you don't need the latest $3,000 Bowflex. In fact, you don't need any equipment at all. The only thing you need is your own body and some initiative. Anybody who has ever taken an exercise class or conditioned for a sport knows that you can get quite an intense workout without any equipment needed.

In this article we'll focus on a few of the major exercises that can build or at least maintain muscle, keep you in shape, and rev that metabolism in the absence of going to the gym. These scientifically proven exercises include various forms of pushups, squats, lunges, and of course core exercises. Although not always as effective as hitting up the gym, you'd be surprised how much can be accomplished with this simple, free, and convenient workout method.

One of the best upper body exercises you can do is a simple pushup. It hits the chest, triceps, shoulders, and various other stabilizer muscles when performed correctly. While resistance can't be altered like a chest press, there are several ways to make the exercise more difficult. Mix it up and do some sets with a wide stance (hands wider than shoulder width apart), some with a narrow stance (hands closer than shoulder width apart), diamond pushups if you are very advanced (hands together in the middle forming a triangle), or even pushups off your knuckles. For more explosive training there is always the clap pushup. If you cannot do a regular pushup with good form, then a pushup off the knees will work just fine with any of the previously mentioned hand positions. If you happen to have a chair or low table in the room you can do pushups with your feet on the elevated surface for increased difficulty as well. Reverse pushups can also be done with your hands off of any elevated surface to really work the triceps.

The king of all exercises for resistance training is the squat and just because you don't have barbells, dumbbells, or a Smith Machine doesn't mean you can't reap its benefits. Bodyweight squats can still be very effective for working the major muscles of the upper legs and hips. It may take higher repetitions to fatigue you than with weighted squats but it will definitely exhaust you in the end. To stress some of the inner thigh muscles you can do wide squats (aka Sumo Squats) with your feet wider than normal and pointed outwards at about 45 degrees. If you can't do a normal squat you can start by working on sliding wall squats with your back against the wall for support. Lower down to whatever angle is comfortable on your knees (as low as thighs parallel to the floor) and then slide back up again. To improve the bottom of your squats, wall sits can be done with a 90-degree bend in your knees and held for as long as you are able each set.

Along with squats come bodyweight lunges. Another excellent way to work the legs, lunges can be done in multiple ways to keep things challenging. Lateral lunges can be performed, as can lunges done forward and off to a 45 degree angle, keeping both feet facing forwards. If you have an elevated surface you can even have your rear foot elevated during regular lunges to really step up the intensity. Throw in some hip bridges, a few other hip exercises, and various calf raises and you've got a pretty solid leg workout. A good leg workout also equates to a lot of calories burned because they are some of the largest muscles in our bodies.

Core exercises are also a staple in any exercise regimen to strengthen the muscles surrounding the spine and can tone up the midsection as well. A myriad of core exercises exist but I would at least include some form of situps, crunches, reverse crunches, planks, supermans, quadripeds, and side bridges in your regimen. There are dozens of variations and alternative names to these exercises so unfortunately they can't all be described in this article. The remainder of the workout can include dozens of other effective exercises such as jumping jacks, butt kicks, high knees, footwork drills, and of course adequate stretching. If the weather isn't too cold out, you could even go for a run! No gym or equipment is necessary yet the possibilities are nearly endless.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't go to the gym or avoid purchasing any home exercise equipment because both are often very beneficial. I am simply demonstrating an effective alternative in a situation where both are inconvenient or unavailable. In these days of busy schedules, rising gym costs, and pricey home exercise equipment, sometimes it pays to keep it simple. Much can be accomplished with hard work and sticking to the basics.

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Is Seasonal Affective Disorder Affecting You?

Many people like to call the holiday season "the most wonderful time of the year". It's a time for gifts, feasts, and a reuniting of friends and family. Unfortunately, for some, it isn't perceived like that at all. With winter time comes colder and darker weather which can cause major negative psychological effects to individuals with cases of Seasonal Affective Disorder, with the fitting acronym SAD.

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?SAD, also called "winter depression", is characterized by the symptoms of depression and anxiety that usually start in September or October and end in April and May. It is thought to be caused by the change in the amount of sunlight throughout the days during the short cold winter days. Lack of sunlight can affect your sleep-wake cycle and it may also cause changes to your levels of the brain chemical serotonin which can regulate mood. It is much more prevalent in areas with long winter seasons and almost nonexistent in warmer climates closer to the equator.

Symptoms of SADSymptoms are very similar to depression but they are usually only displayed before and after the summer time or when there is less daylight. Individuals with SAD may feel sad, grumpy, moody, anxious, unmotivated, disinterested, and drowsy during the daytime. They may also begin overeating, especially foods high in carbohydrates, and significant weight gain can occur. It is more common in women than in men and most common in the 15-55 year age group. Symptoms usually start to become noticeable as a young adult and very few people seem to develop it later in life.

If you have a relative diagnosed with SAD, there is a greater chance that you may have the condition. How is it treated? Seasonal Affective Disorder is treated relatively successfully through the use of two different types of treatment. The first is called light therapy where you have a very bright light in your room when you are awake or a light that gradually gets brighter as it becomes early morning imitating a sunrise. This treatment seems to be effective after a week or two but it must be continued or the symptoms of depression could come back. Certain antidepressants are also common treatments for SAD because they can balance the brain chemicals affecting mood and behavior. Exercise and counseling are very healthy and natural ways of combating the symptoms as well.

If you think you may have Seasonal Affective Disorder, find a counselor or therapist and a doctor to try and come up with a plan for you to treat the condition or alleviate the symptoms. It is a real disease and needs professional help to fully overcome.

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