exercise

Morning vs. Evening Exercise

Most sources out there believe that working out in the morning is more beneficial. Listed below is a summary of reasons why this is believed to be true.

1. You are more likely to stick with a routine if it is in the morning. There is less chance of other activities or distractions getting in the way.
2. After a workout, you continue to burn calories for about 30-60 minutes; therefore, if you remain active throughout the day you can burn more calories.
3. If you exercise too close to your bedtime, you could find yourself restless.
4. Exercising increases oxygen to your brain and will increase your mental sharpness for the day. You may find you need less caffeine.
5. Exercising releases endorphins, which can improve your mood for the day.

Working out in the evening can be beneficial to those who are doing more vigorous exercise such as racquetball or weight lifting. Our bodies’ temperature is higher in the evening and muscles are warmer allowing increased flexibility. Weight lifting in the morning is often ineffective because the glycogen levels are lower.

Free Weights Vs. Machines

Free weights include dumbbells, barbells, ankle weights, and pulleys. Free weights are used for a variety of exercises for the entire body. Exercising with free weights, allow you to perform weighted exercises in a functional motion. This not only strengthens the muscle you are contracting, it allows contraction of many different muscles to stabilize the motion. This is the main difference between using weight machines versus free weights. However, one needs to be careful using free weights because you are more likely to cause an injury due to the freedom of motion.

Machines at the gym provide more structure. Usually machines focus on one part of the body at a time and provide support for the rest of the body. This insures isolation of a muscle contraction at the specific muscle group. Generally they provide diagrams on each machine that tells you how to correctly perform each exercise.

Ideally, one should incorporate both free weights and machines into your workout as they are both beneficial. Please contact Harbor Physical Therapy for details on how to structure your workout with free weights and machines.

Staying Hydrated with Exercise

Drinking too much or being dehydration can decrease your workout productivity. To determine if you are well hydrated, take a look at your urine volume and color. If your urine is light yellow in color and you are going on a regular basis (every 3 to 4 hours), you are well hydrated. If your urine is dark, you are dehydrated.

It is important to make sure you are well hydrated before working out. It is recommended to drink between 8 to 16 ounces of water 15 minutes before your workout. During your workout, it is recommended to drink 4 to 8 ounces every 15-20 minutes. If you are working out vigorously for over 90 minutes, it is recommended you drink 8 to 10 ounces of a sports drink every 15 to 30 minutes.

Treadmill Running vs. Outdoor Running

Treadmill Running:
1. Predictable running surface
2. Treadmill belt assists leg turnover causing faster stride
3. Can adjust the incline
4. Decrease proprioceptive training due to predictable surface
5. Decrease likelihood of injury due to predictable surface

Outdoor Running:
1. Wind resistance- increases your workload from 2%-10%
2. Unpredictable running surfaces- increases chance of injury
3. Different running surfaces offer proprioceptive training to increase ankle stability
4. Changes in running pace/stride due to climate changes

No matter where you decide to walk or run, you will achieve substantial cardiovascular, endurance, strength, and weight loss gains. Harbor Physical Therapy provides running assessment and evaluation to help achieve your exercise goals. Please contact Harbor Physical Therapy for more information.

The Relationship Between Personal Trainers and Physical Therapists

Personal trainers often see people with pre-existing or new injuries. A physical therapist provides rehabilitation for injuries to return you to your current workout routine or sport of choice. The physical therapist will provide education to you and your personal trainer to focus on specific workouts or avoid certain exercises to prevent re-injury. Therefore, it is helpful to have an ongoing relationship with both a personal trainer and physical therapist to decrease the likelihood of injury while working towards your fitness goals.

At Harbor Physical Therapy, we now provide personal training. If you do not already have a personal trainer, please contact us and we can help you to achieve your fitness goals. We will be happy to get you started on a safe exercise program catered to your specific needs.

“No Pain, No Gain” Theory

When working out, it is normal to feel fatigue and muscle burn with strength/endurance training. But you should be aware of the difference between muscle fatigue versus pain. If you experience pain while working out, you should stop the activity you are doing. Pain can develop from inflammation, bad form with exercise, and overuse of a specific muscle. Pushing yourself too far could lead to an injury that can prevent you from doing the sports or exercises you enjoy. Use ice to decrease the pain developed from the exercise. If your symptoms do not lessen with ice and rest, visit your local physician or physical therapist.

Swimming

If you are planning on swimming for exercise, you should warm up before you begin your workout. 

 A warm up:

            – Increases blood flow to the muscles in your body.

            – Increases your heart rate to prepare your body for exercise.

            – Decreases stiffness in your joints.

            – Increases range of motion of your shoulders and legs.

 Warm up ideas prior to swimming:

            – Jumping rope

            – Squats

            – Arm Swings

            – Lunges

After your swimming workout, you should perform stretching exercises to prevent muscles soreness.

 Important muscles to stretch for swimmers:

            – Hamstring

            – Pectoralis                                                           

            – Rhomboid

Rhomboid Stretch

Stretching Principles

Stretching after you workout is more beneficial to prevent muscle soreness and injury.  If you stretch before you workout, there is more potential to tear a muscle.  This is due to the lack of blood flow at the muscle. 

To get the most benefit out of stretching, make sure you hold the stretch at a point you feel a pull within the muscle. Stretching should be held between 15-60 seconds.  Perform 2-3 repetitions of each stretch on both sides of your body. If a stretch is painful, you should decrease the range of motion of the stretch.   

Hamstring stretch