I’m starting to believe that there’s a magical “movie-making fairy” that just happens to make a video for each blog post that I put up.  Last week I posted on the Power Balance Wristbands, and then magically this video was presented to me.  Maybe the Power Balance Wristband I have at my house (I didn’t buy it), telepathically reached out to this video and brought it to my email inbox.  If you believe a piece of rubber and a sticker will make you stronger and improve your balance, then it’s not too far out there to believe that a wristband can talk to a computer, right?

If you have 3 minutes in your day, you MUST watch this video of these two superheroes discussing the topics of Shake Weights, Power Balance Wristbands, P90X, and Curves (the women’s workout center).  It’s absolutely hilarious and will probably offend a few of you.  Enjoy!

An often-overlooked component to many people’s exercise regimen is their shoes.  Your shoes are the MOST important piece of clothing you put on when exercising (if shoes are even considered clothing, but you get what I mean).  It’s definitely a Stupid Gym Shit topic if you’re wearing the wrong type of shoe for what you’re training entails.

Your body is one complex kinetic (movement) chain, and you must realize that everything occurs from the ground up.  If your mechanics are off in your feet, your entire kinetic chain is going to become faulty.  You’ll still be able to move and get the job done, but over time this will lead to muscle imbalances and eventually injury.  This is where the importance of shoes comes in.  There are shoes designed for cross-training (weight training, aerobics classes, speed & agility training, etc.) and there are shoes designed for running and walking.  You typically don’t see too many endurance runners running in cross-training shoes, but you frequently see gym exercisers working out in running shoes (Stupid Gym Shit).

Running shoes are called “running shoes” for a reason, because you’re supposed to RUN in them and nothing else.  They’re not designed to be worn while doing squats, lunges, step classes, and speed/agility drills.  Running shoes are designed with a very complex sole, which increases the distance of the foot from the ground.  This is excellent for straight ahead running or walking, but any type of training that involves even the slightest lateral movements (aerobics classes, agility training, plyometrics, etc.) puts you at an increased risk of injury.  Common injuries would be ankle sprains because the elevated sole of the running shoe makes a perfect platform to roll your ankle over (not good).

WOMEN’S CROSS-TRAINING SHOE              WOMEN’S RUNNING SHOE

Not all runners are in the clear of Stupid Gym Shit just yet though.  Before you venture out to buy what you think are quality running shoes, ask yourself this simple question. “What style of running shoe do I need?” There are three styles of running shoes that every brand makes and they are;

1) Stability Shoe

2) Neutral/Cushioned Shoe

3) Motion-Controlled Shoe

Every brand of running shoe (Nike, Asics, Brooks, Mizuno, New Balance, etc.) makes a shoe that is designed for one of these three running styles.  Everybody falls under one of these categorizes and this is what determines the type of shoe you MUST run in.  As you can see, it’s just a little bit more complex than walking into Sports Authority or Nike Town and picking out what shoe you personally like.  Running shoes should never be bought based on how stylish they appear to you, and NEVER, NEVER, buy a shoe just because it’s cheap. Quality running shoes are expensive (between $100-$200) for a reason, and if you want to compromise the health of your body to save a few dollars, I guarantee that torn meniscus in your knee will be ten times more costly!

STABILITY SHOE           NEUTRAL/CUSHIONED SHOE                 MOTION-CONTROL SHOE

I was personally a victim of Stupid Gym Shit myself when I first started endurance running.  I went to Sports Authority, bought a pair of high-quality Mizuno running shoes and hit the road.  After a couple weeks of running I pulled a calf muscle.  I rested up and hit the road again.  Two weeks later pulled the other calf muscle.  I repeated this cycle three times before somebody educated me on the difference between running shoes (stability, motion-control, & neutral/cushion shoes).  I was running in a “stability” shoe and needed a “neutral/cushioned” shoe.  90% of my running problems were resolved simply from that.

So how do you know what type of shoe you should be in?  Any podiatrist and most quality chiropractors could analyze your gait and tell you what type of shoe is best for you, or you can simply go into any running specialty store and they can assist you.  I’m familiar with the running stores Fleet Feet and Runner’s Depot and I recommend all people to always buy their first pair of shoes from there.  Any specialty running store will do because most of these individuals are trained to analyze your gait, and they even put you on a treadmill with cameras to see exactly what type of stride you have.  Once you pay the big bucks for your first pair of shoes to ensure you’re in the right type, then you can bargain shop online for that exact style of shoe.

MEN’S CROSS-TRAINING SHOE         MEN’S RUNNING SHOE

Anything outside of running should be done in a cross-training shoe.  Cross-trainers are lower to the ground and are excellent for all gym and class type activities.  Cross-trainers are excellent for interval training as well.  The only thing I wouldn’t do in cross-trainers is any type of running over one mile.  Anything beyond that would best be done in a running shoe.  Most running specialty stores sell cross-trainers as well.

Spend less money on all those matching workout clothes and more money on what really affects your performance and results.  Shoes should be changed every 3-6 months.  Your entire body depends on what’s going on with your feet, so if you’d rather look cute than perform at your highest potential, I’ll get you a shake weight because that doesn’t have anything to do with what’s on your feet (see how pointless the shake weight actually is).

One of the most abused exercises performed in gyms are crunches and sit-ups, and I’m putting a large part of the blame on aerobics instructors.  Almost every “ab class” across the country is filled to the max with people doing hundreds of crunches, sit-ups, twists, and bends, with the burning desire to one day walk out of that class with rock-hard abdominals.  People attend these classes more religiously than going to church, and instead of developing that dream mid-section, they develop overworked hip-flexor muscles and strained lower backs (sounds like an awesome class, right?).

The main problem with the majority of ab classes and many ab routines, is that they significantly limit their abdominal development by performing crunches or sit-ups from the floor or any other flat position (ab benches, ab rockers, etc.).  When you perform a crunch or sit-up on the floor or bench, you are limited by how far you can go down because at the bottom of each repetition, you’re either going to hit the floor or the bench.  This is the most important point of this whole blog post so pay attention.  “The abdominal muscles are worked through a full range of motion by having the spine/trunk go from a 40° extended position (backwards) to a full 30° of flexion (crunching forward).” If you are performing these ab movements on the floor or a bench, it’s impossible to allow your spine/trunk to go into 40° of extension while still be supported.

To develop functional strength, and even muscle definition, you MUST work through a full range of motion.  Nobody stops half way down on a bicep curl, except for the “ego-lifters” who lift more weight than they can handle.  So if you don’t do half the range of motion on other movements, why would you do it for crunches or sit-ups?

Today is your lucky day and this just might be the answer to help you develop those 6-pack abs once and for all (considering you don’t stuff your face with chips & salsa).  To work your abs through a full range of motion, you must perform your crunches with something underneath your lower back (lumbar region of the spine).  Examples would be a Stability ball, BOSU ball, Dyna Disc, and even a rolled up towel would work.  This is going to do two things that will make a world of difference in your ab routine. 1) It’s going to allow you to get the full 40° extension on every repetition and ensure you’re working through a full range of motion. 2) It’s going to support your lower back.

It’s possible to extend back beyond a neutral position when on the floor as shown in the photo below, but it’s almost impossible to recruit the abdominal muscles to crunch forward from this position.  When you do this you begin to overwork the hip-flexor muscles to compensate which diminishes your abdominal work even more.  This position also puts a lot of strain on the discs of the lower back (not good).

Please don’t buy into the BS abdominal products you see on TV (ab rollers, rockers, chairs, belts, etc.).  It’s going to take a lot longer than 8-minutes (I actually used to do that video myself during my own personal “stupid gym shit” days) to develop that dream mid-section.  I can’t emphasize enough how important nutrition and cardio are for determining how much of that 6-pack is actually going to become visible.  I can promise you that if you start making your ab routine more effective by adding one of these inexpensive and simple tools, you’ll notice a significant difference.

In part 2 I’ll talk about what ab exercises will give you “the most bang for your buck” and at what part of your workout you should train abs and CORE.  If the “Stupid Gym Shit” Police see you doing crunches on the floor, you’ve basically given them permission to throw a Shake Weight at you (not a good thing either)!

The Shake Weight doesn’t even need an introduction into Stupid Gym Shit because any person with the slightest amount of common sense could tell that this is some stupid shit.  That was my assumption until this past weekend while shopping at Target, I passed not one, but two different people with Shake Weights in their shopping carts.  ARE YOU SERIOUS PEOPLE? They must be gag gifts for coworkers or Christmas presents for their in-laws.

As sad as it is, there have been a lot more than just those two weekend shoppers that I passed by who have invested their money in a Shake Weight.  As of August 2010, more than 2 million units have been sold.  At $19.95 for the female version and $29.95 for the male version, an incredible amount of money has been made for such a ridiculous product.

For women, the product claims that in just 6 minutes a day you can achieve  “strong, sexy, and sculpted arms that you’ll be proud to show off.”  For men, they guarantee to “Get strong, toned, and ripped arms and chest.”  Wow, I want that!  So let me understand this correctly.  All I have to do is shake this 5-pound dumbbell (2.5 pounds for females) for 6 minutes a day and I’ll look like this guy?

Awesome!  Where do I send my $19.95?  Those are some pretty ridiculous statements and what makes things even worse, is that over 2 million of them have been sold.  Too many people are falling victim to great marketing and advertising.  If something sounds too good to be true (only 6 minutes a day and you’ll achieve toned and sexy arms), most likely it is.  Please don’t spend $20-$30 on a gag-gift for a friend, and if you really believe enough in this product to purchase one expecting results, you’ll ensure that I never stop running out of Stupid Gym Shit topics to talk about.

Most of us already know that “spot-reducing” body fat is impossible, and that simply shaking around a 2.5-pound dumbbell for 6 minutes a day, will not drop the fat in those arms one bit.  Healthy eating, a tailored and targeted strength training program, will tone up your arms twice as fast than this silly little gimmick.  Squats and lunges also burn a ton of calories and elicit many fat burning and muscle building hormones.  As a result your entire body will get leaner and firmer.  So donate your $20-$30 to a much needed charitable cause, rather than contributing to the Stupid Gym Shit community.

Below is a must see clip of the Shake Weight in action.  It’s completely outrageous and sums the Shake Weight up perfectly…..hilarious and non-productive!  Enjoy and don’t be afraid to laugh your ass off!