Filed Under (General) by Rick Kaselj on 22-05-2013
I wanted to go through one of the self-assessments that you need to do if you are recovering from knee replacement. This is also a good self assessment if you have a different knee injury.
You can do this sitting on the floor or sitting on the couch or sitting on your bed but you want to find out what your knee extension is, which is the straightening out of the knee or terminal knee extension, because getting as much of that terminal knee extension as you can assists a lot when it comes to recovering from a knee replacement and it allows you to get back to the rest of your life and back to being pain free.
This is what you need to do. You will end up sitting down and you will end up measuring how much you are able to straighten out that knee.
You might be just a fist or a little more than a fist or complete fist or a hand but you want to find that baseline distance that you are because it will give you an idea of where you are starting at and how the Knee Replacement Handbook is helping you get that terminal knee extension.
Do that right now. Go through that and find out what you can get to the point where you get resistance or just before pain. Find out where you are at now.
You can just measure it with my fist or a hand or a ball or a ruler just so I end up getting a baseline so I can see how that Knee Replacement Handbook ends up helping you improve that terminal knee extension and get back to pain free living.
Filed Under (General) by Rick Kaselj on 21-05-2013
I wanted to go through another knee replacement exercise that I end up giving my clients and recommend.
Now let me go through the second one, you will need two different types of balls, a large stability ball for me this is 65cm and then the other one could be a kid’s ball or a Pilates ball.
I will show this to you in two different angles.
I get the individual to sit down and if they don’t feel comfortable sitting down into a 65cm ball, it’s too deep for them to squat into, I can end up utilizing a 75cm or 85cm ball that will decrease how much knee flexion and hip flexion is needed to get into the exercise.
#1 – Ball Squeeze
How I have them sitting is I have them sitting at whatever range that they feel comfortable with. A lot of people will end up being at 90 degrees. I’ve got them sitting on the ball. I’ve got the knee in line with the hip and the knee in line with the foot.
And now I am going to take the small ball and place it in between the knees. And what I am going to get them to do is squeeze into the ball a little bit.
The thing that I want them to watch out for with the little ball is I don’t want it to be pressing up against any painful areas or any sensitive scars so they will end up adjusting and they can put it a little higher up their thigh or they can end up putting it between their knees. If they put it a little higher up they can avoid those painful or sensitive areas and they can end up working on the adductors more.
I will get them to lightly squeeze the ball. And with that lightly squeezing the ball does is it ends up activating all those adductors and groin area so more abdominal inner unit muscles.
#2 – Ball Squeeze with Rocking
The next thing that I want them to do is rock forward and rock back maintaining that pressure with good upright posture and then I am going to get them to rock forward and rock back within pain free ranges of motion when it comes to the knee.
I would start it off with one set of 5 repetitions and then I will end up progressing into 10 repetitions and with 2 or 3 sets adding to it. I am really trying to focus on increasing the number of reps that they end up doing.
After they end up doing the 5 repetitions they can take a break when the exercise is done.
Let me show it to you from the side (you can see it in the above video), so I am having the client sit with their knees and feet a hip width apart. I am putting the ball in and squeezing the ball holding it in between my thighs as I move forward and back.
If there’s any concern with balance I can get them to put a hand on the railing or hand on the wall and they go to the point they can pain free and coming back to pain free and going back and forth pain free.
The ball ends up working the hips the adductors, specifically, also more of the deep core muscles, like inner unit muscles, and then we end up working on flexion extension of the knee. And also when it comes to adduction it ends up working on vastus medialis oblique (vmo).
So there you go with this second knee replacement exercise for you to give a go if you are recovering from a knee replacement or you can end up getting your client go through it.
Make sure you watch the other video that I went through on my YouTube channel when it comes to Knee Replacement (click here to watch it).
Plus make sure to subscribe to this YouTube channel with the subscribe button above.
If you are looking for a knee replacement program to help you get back to pain free and recovering from knee replacement so you can get back to enjoying and living your life you can look at the program that I use and it is at KneeReplacementHandbook.com.
Filed Under (General) by Rick Kaselj on 14-05-2013
Over the weekend, I was in San Diego. One of the trainers there was Jason Klein.
Below, Jason shares with you the good that came out of one of his injuries.
Enjoy.
~ Rick Kaselj
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Back when I was a sophomore in high school I suffered a complete tear of my ACL knee ligament while playing soccer.
It. Sucked. Primarily because I was obsessed with the sport, and that is all I had really.
I was unable to play for the next six months.
Luckily I made a close to full recovery and played for four more seasons.
I suppose the point to make here is that I would have never ended up finding my passion for helping people as a health and fitness professional if I didn’t enter with a “traumatic” injury.
Ever since that time, it has been ritual-like behavior to personally implement kick ass athletic muscle and fat loss workouts that are also beneficial in the respect of preventing, recovering, and yes, Killing Injuries.
I want to let you in on a little secret within the fitness world. There’s a NEW and revolutionized method out there that is helping other people pack on lean athletic muscle, and lose fat at a much faster rate than traditional cardio workouts.
A Done-For-You System. A blueprint to lean, athletic muscle.
Isn’t it easier when you have a map of where you are going?
This method is not for people who want a “magic bullet. It is for those who love reaping true, long-term benefits from enjoyable challenges. Imagine getting some of the most effective workouts in 15 minutes or less without having to feel guilty about “not making time” to work out.
This method is called the 15 Minute Body™method, and has already impacted hundreds of people.
This 15 Minute Body™ method uses a new form of training called Interval Cardio-Resistance Training™ (ICRT™).
ICRT™ combines a metabolically demanding form of strength training with cardio training sets, which in-turn builds lean, athletic muscle and burns fat at a way faster rate than you’re used to.
I had literally stumbled upon the 15 Minute Body™ method about two years ago, as I was personal training in college. I have spent the past year digging up the scientific evidence behind this new method called Interval Cardio-Resistance Training™. You see, this is not your AVERAGE type of training method!
Below is just one scientifically proven reason for why people see big results with the 15 Minute Body™ method.
A 2012 study from the European Journal of Applied Physiology tested two groups of males; one group participating in long 45-90 minute cardio and one group participating in FAST, SPECIFIC resistance and cardio intervals.
RESULTS: The group that participated in short, higher intensity cardio-resistance workouts achieved exponentially greater results, in far less time. (European Journal of Applied Physiology. Vol. 112 (5). MAY 2012. 1907-1915)
I don’t know about you but that seems pretty awesome to me!
The other awesome fact about this workout is that it stimulates fast lean muscle growth AND fat loss more effectively than most traditional (boring) 60 minute cardio workouts! Plus, did I mention that is 100% bodyweight? I didn’t spend a dime on useless equipment!
You see, the main goal here is fat loss through lean muscle growth. Now keep in mind, these workouts don’t produce bulky muscle. It’s the lean, athletic physique that Jason’s 15 Minute Body™ method produces. Are you ready for this?
So if you are sick n’ tired of boring 60 minute workouts that leave you empty handed, you probably want to give THIS FREE WORKOUT A SHOT!
Filed Under (General) by Rick Kaselj on 13-05-2013
The last five days have been a whirlwind. Three days in San Diego and two days in Austin.
Saturday was Austin and for the day a group of us talked about what we do online when it comes to our websites and how we can improve them. The information during the meeting was great but the best conversation and lessons happened outside of the meeting room.
After Saturday’s meetings, we headed to the hotel bar. I had been told that Austin, Texas is very well known for its vodka. The most well known Austin vodka is Tito. So I gave it a go. (I am not a vodka connoisseur so I could not tell the difference between it and big name brands but I am glad I gave it a go.)
With drink in hand, I started chatting with Rusty Moore who runs a site called Fitness Black book and an old university friend, Alan Jenks, who runs a site called iHealthology.
Alan and I went to Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada in the 90s. He went off to chiropractic school and is now a chiropractor in the Netherlands. (Ya, what a small world.)
Rusty, Alan and I chatted about training, exercises, injuries and pain.
Alan shared one story that I thought was fascinating.
Alan had a client that was a truck driver and had neck pain for 15 years. As Alan was chatting with the client he asked him about his necklace.
His client had a heavy necklace that he had around his neck. He let Alan know that he had been wearing his necklace for 15 years and had never taken it off.
Alan got him to take the necklace off for a few days and his fifteen years of neck pain went away.
Alan’s client has started to introduce the necklace back into his lift but makes sure to take it off at night and when he can.
This story highlights a lot of things.
This is what stood out for me:
#1 – Sometimes the fix is taking something away, compared to adding something.
#2 – Sometimes we assess so we can find a problem. There is a good chance you will find a problem that you think needs to be fixed but won’t solve the problem.
#3 – The best assessment is asking and listening to your client.
The night continued with great conversation but before I finished the night off, I had to stop off at one of the Taco Trucks in Austin and have a taco. Everyone that knew I was going to Austin said I had to try i out.
The taco was awesome, one of the best I had.
Rick Kaselj, MS
P.S. – If you or your client is looking for a neck relieving program, you can check out Neck Pain Solved.
Filed Under (General) by Rick Kaselj on 10-05-2013
I am on the road again and I am in San Diego at a Fitness Mastermind meeting and one of the members is Shawna Kaminski, a fellow Canadian from Calgary.
Before the meeting started we chatted about the secrets to being fit at fifty. I am approaching 40 and I want to keep staying active and have my fitness increase with age. I was chatting with Shawna on what I can do to stay as fit as she is at fifty.
Shawna can you share a couple of your secrets with us.
Staying Fit at Fifty with Shawna Kaminski
Shawna Kaminski: Well I think the biggest thing is people use age as an excuse and they just say “you know what I am 38 and I shouldn’t be able to do that” or “I am turning 40 and I shouldn’t be doing that”. The whole thing is we just shouldn’t back off intensity.
If you are turning 50 and you haven’t done anything then you can’t start with super intense workouts, you have to kind of ease into things.
The biggest problem that I find with people is that they say “I turn 40 and my metabolism has tanked”. Well it is not really your metabolism has tanked, overtime you trade fat for muscle because you become more sedentary.
Everyone becomes sedentary and they don’t mean to but they just slow down as they age or their children get older. If they have kids, children get older and you are not chasing them as much, you are sitting more and most people just have a natural slow down.
In their daily life they are not as active and then they kind of find ways not to be as intense in their workouts and that is intentional. And they use age as an excuse for it which it really shouldn’t be.
Trading fat for muscle to being sedentary metabolism doesn’t tank so much and our muscle is metabolically active. And so the more muscles you have the more your metabolism will stay pump in and wrap up.
The key is maintaining your lean muscle tone and I am talking muscle mass. You don’t need to go and get huge, just maintain the muscle that you have built. My goal is I am trying to build more muscles. I am not going to build tons of muscles. I am maintaining what I have and so those muscles help maintain my metabolism.
Another thing is doing short workouts using cardio. So many people think they need to run and I need to get on the treadmill. If you like running for mental health or you love marathons, great! But you are not going to get the body of your dreams with running. You cannot get super lean, you will maybe get a skinnier version of yourself, maybe a skinny fat but you are not going to get the shaping muscle that you are hoping for.
If you want to run that’s fine but you need to do burst training with some strength training. You know when I look back on it, I am a mom, I was a teacher for 20 years, and now a fitness professional with several businesses I don’t really have a lot of time but I train every single day very short workouts.
So what do I do? This is what I do, short burst training and strength training. When it comes to my training, I am trying to do heavy body-weight training, pull ups and push-ups which people see “oh that’s just body weight” well you can’t change your body weight when you get tired. Looked back and that’s what I’ve been doing and it is working.
Rick Kaselj: Yes, it is definitely working. Other things that I have noticed when I go to the gym ,and I am 40, and I see people that are 20 I know when it comes to learning new exercise or learning a new compound movements, I need to go at things a little bit slower. I can’t rush my body like I did when I was 20.
I need to be a little bit smarter at being good with my body because if I tweak it or tweak my back it can probably throw my workout for a good week so I need to be little bit slower and smarter when it comes to doing my workouts to make sure that I have good movements and I am not going to injure myself.
The second thing that I found out is that working out with other people kind of pushes your intensity. I think there’s a research to back it up, that when you train yourself you kind of go to certain intensity with the average person but when you train with others it will kind of push you out of that comfort zone and push you into that higher intensity.
That is something that you have to think about that if you are not pushing yourself hard enough try to train with someone else or another group. Maybe once a week or once every month go and train with another person or with another group to push you out of your comfort zone and to do different exercises.
Shawna Kaminski: The key with that is the balance between training smartly because we want to push ourselves. I also use that in my training bootcamps telling my new clients “50% today”, you are going to sore anyway. You have the energy of the group and there might be some people who haven’t sprinted since Junior high and they just go with it, I say to them to go easy, take modifications and just kind of build on it.
We say it is a Marathon, it is not sprint when it comes to training. And of course it’s all backed by sensible eating. I don’t starve myself, I eat solid nutrition. It’s not a 10,000 hour rule. It is like “I am not on a diet this week”. This is how I live. I am actually pleasantly surprise when people say “are you getting ready for a contest?” or “did you just finish some physique contest?” Yes, in 1990. I have competed like a hundred years ago.
But it is just because since that time I am not on a contest diet but it is just sensible eating. I am not starving myself. I am just making healthy choices 80% of the time. Those are my secrets.
Rick Kaselj: Awesome. There you go, thank you very much Shawna and thank you very much exercisesforinjuries.com readers, listeners, and viewers. Here’s another interview for you and if you want more information when it comes to injury side of things swing by exercisesforinjuries.com it is a resource of exercises and injuries.
If you are watching this on YouTube make sure you go above and subscribe to this. And also definitely check out Shawna’s newest program Challenge Fat Loss, I have a link down below to it. It’s an amazing workout program.
Filed Under (General) by Rick Kaselj on 07-05-2013
Summer is coming and your abs want to play ‘hide and seek.’ Well, if you’re like most people there will be mostly ‘hiding’ with no seeking….
Are you confident to show off your abs or wear that bathing suit you’ve always wanted to?
Maybe not.
But you’re already working out, right? Your diet is pretty dialed in…what are you doing wrong?
Guess what? Your body is a master at adapting to your workouts. You’ll maintain your current fitness and body fat levels doing the workouts that you’re doing. Magnificent…that is, if you want to maintain where you’re at. Chances are you want to take it to the next level. How do you do that on your own?
Hey, I’m Shawna K, Certified Turbulence Trainer and I’m about as ‘bad ass’ as you can get. I know this is a bold statement, but who else have you heard of that has visible abs, can knock out 50 pull ups in under 5 minutes, do human flags and more? Oh, all at the age of 50?
I get asked all the time if I’m getting ready or if I’ve just finished a physique contest. I tell them, ‘Yes, in 1990…’
I’m telling you this not to brag, but to let you in on my secrets. I’ve used a system I call Muscle Metabolism Acceleration, or M2A and I can teach it to you too. I’m really not anything special, but I’ll tell you that M2A is. It’s my secret weapon for fat loss, for getting and staying lean. I don’t train for hours daily and I sure as heck don’t follow a starvation type diet and you don’t need to either.
The fact is, if you have any of these things going on in your life: stress, not sleeping well, doing long slow cardio, or if your workouts are too long, you’re likely increasing the fat storing hormone cortisol. M2A will NOT increase this hormone, rather, it will increase the fat loss super hero hormone: GH or growth hormone.
You’ll incorporate HIIT or high intensity interval training in special combination with strength training in Challenge Fat Loss. This will naturally boost GH levels and your fat burning potential. Workouts are short and intense, so much so, that you’ll enjoy what’s called ‘afterburn’ so you’ll continue to burn calories even after you’re done training. As well, you’ll increase lean muscle tissue so you’ll burn MORE calories even at rest.
Sounds like a win-win.
I haven’t told you the best thing yet…your workouts are 20 minutes or less and you don’t need to go to a gym and you don’t need fancy equipment either. You’ll get expert coaching throughout each video follow along with the workout to push you to the intensity needed to get you to the next fitness level and to burn that extra fat you want gone.
It’s good to know that a 50 year old woman created and can do the most difficult of these workouts. That means that there’s really no excuse for you. You can do these workouts too.
Here’s a sample workout for you. This challenging workout includes:
one legged burpee
ab roller or plank reach
hanging oblique leg lifts
sit out or mountain climber
shoe touch
Do each exercise for 40 seconds with a 7 second transition to switch.
This is a great way to burn fat and focus on abdominal strength all at once.
Check out Challenge Fat Loss for more of this type of workout and let me challenge you. I can help you reach your fat loss goals no matter what your current fitness level is. The beauty of video follow along workouts is that I modify and intensify each exercise so that you’ll find the exact level for you. The key is to do your best, push yourself and increase your performance on each workout. I’ll help you every day. We can do it together.
About Shawna
Shawna Kaminski is a retired schoolteacher of 20 years who’s found her passion in the fitness industry. She’s parlayed her ability to teach and her love of training into programs that you can directly benefit from. Shawna just turned 50, is a mother of two teenagers and understands how busy life can be. Her workouts are short and intense and often can be done anywhere. She’s always up for a challenge and shares her fitness challenges with you. Currently she runs her own fitness boot camps and coaches clients in person and online with her amazing result getting programs.
Check out Challenge Fat Loss for more of this type of workout and let me challenge you. I can help you reach your fat loss goals no matter what your current fitness level is. The beauty of video follow along workouts is that I modify and intensify each exercise so that you’ll find the exact level for you. The key is to do your best, push yourself and increase your performance on each workout. I’ll help you every day. We can do it together.
It. Sucked. Primarily because I was obsessed with the sport, and that is all I had really.
