CPTN Certification: class 3

Last nights agenda:
- Muscles and math
- Bio mechanics and principles of movement

Everybody must have been tired last night, as nobody really seemed to want to be shouting out answers (guesses) or really participating all that much. Eventually things picked up and the class got involved. I think the instructor was getting annoyed with the lack of participation after a while.

Essentially we started out the class with bio mechanics and principles of movement, so basically planes of movement and physics.
After the break we got into the math. Max Heart Rate range, Cardiac Output, VO2Max (absolute and relative), MET rating, and Body Fat % calculations. Apparently we need to have these formulas memorized. It's been a while for me for memorizing formulas, but they're not too complicated so I should be OK.

Myth: Exercise Will Help Me Lose Weight Quickly

The inverse of the previous myth, this is the one that usually turns people off from exercise entirely when they spend hours exercising and don't see the results they were hoping for. The problem is that exercise can help you lose weight, but it's not the direct "calories in less than calories burned therefore weight lost" oversimplification that's so often repeated. For example, walking a mile in an hour will burn about 100 calories. Sitting in a chair for the same period of time will probably burn 60 calories. The real weight-loss benefits to exercise come from the eventual ramp-up of tolerance for intensity and duration of exercise that you get once you get started.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) busted this particular myth. As you exercise, you'll start walking faster, or maybe running, or perhaps you'll walk longer and spend more time walking. If you walk or run five miles instead of one, you'll burn 500 calories, and while it'll take longer, the weight loss benefits scale better over time than sitting at home, so as you train, you'll lose more weight. It's also important to not confuse the weight loss benefits of exercise, which take time, with the health benefits of exercise, which you feel almost immediately.

CPTN Certification: class 2

Second class towards my CPTN Certification last night. This is a weekly class but for some reason the school decided we wouldn't have class on the 17th. It has continued to be interesting.

Agenda:
- Impairments and personal training
- Musculoskeletal injuries
- Anatomy (This is going to be a lot of memorization)

Class seemed to go very very quickly last night. Specific highlight of the evening, taping each other up with masking tape muscles to show origin and insertion points.

Myth: Working Out Will Only Build Muscle, Not Help Me Lose Weight

Frankly, most people who start exercising won't see much immediate weight loss, unless everything else in their lifestyle is already optimal, and sadly, because many people don't see that initial benefit, they believe that exercise is worthless and diet is where it's at. That's not the case. This is a common misconception that just isn't true. It is based partly on research that shows that people who try to lose weight by exercise only
lose less weight than people who use diet only or diet plus exercise. The reason for this is that it is relatively easier to cut back on the calories you eat than it is to burn the same number of calories through exercise.

For many people, you may get the bigger bang for your buck by changing your diet, but the belief that exercise increases muscle mass and therefore will make you gain weight instead of lose it just isn't the case. Exercise, especially strength training, can increase muscle mass. Some people believe that the added muscle mass leads to weight gain, not weight loss. While exercise could lead to an increase in muscle it is unlikely that someone dieting to lose weight would experience this. In fact, when most people lose weight they lose both fat and muscle. If anything, exercise would help maintain muscle and promote fat loss. The decrease in muscle mass during weight loss can lead to a reduction in resting metabolic rate, which is part of the reason that people tend to regain weight following a diet. By reducing the loss of muscle, exercise may help maintain metabolic rate and prevent weight regain.

If you're looking for workout success stories that aren't pulled from late-night infomercials, you check out the National Weight Control Registry, which is full of personal stories of individuals who lost weight and kept it off, and how they did it. There's no reason to feel alone, or doomed to failure. Remember, your weight isn't the end-all-be-all of your health. When combined with diet, exercise can be a powerful combination to help you lose weight, but also live a healthier life. Check out these other great reasons to exercise from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), from lowering your risk of diabetes and most forms of cancer to helping with anxiety and depression, all of which are huge health benefits.

Myth: Stretching Before Exercise Will Prevent Injury

This particular myth is contentious. There are pro and anti-stretching arguments, with staunch support on both sides, but the confusion about stretching comes down to the fact that many confuse "stretching" with "warming up." It's very important to warm up before strenuous exercise, and warming up can prevent injury, but stretching specifically has been shown to at best have little benefit (as this 2007 review of over 10 separate studies (PDF link) published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews concluded) and at worst inhibit performance (as this 2011 study conducted by the University of Northampton and published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (PubMed) concluded.)

Even the Centers for Disease Control have said stretching doesn't prevent injuries. I've made the mistake of confusing stretching with warming up before, so it's important that you don't. Make sure you warm up properly before you begin a workout, possibly even include some stretches to limber up and boost your flexibility, but leave the long stretch-sessions to those long hours at your desk instead.