Common Hamstring Stretch: Proper vs. Improper (Pictures)

I’ve been running a Fitness Bootcamp for the past year at Aviation Park Track and Field in the Manhattan Beach area. This is a very popular track, so naturally, I tend to witness many mistakes being made from non-members of my Bootcamp working out nearby. One common mistake that I wanted to illustrate today has to do with a very popular hamstring stretch. Chances are you’ve done this stretch, and you may gain something from this post, as many people perform this stretch incorrectly.



INCORRECT STRETCH #1

INCORRECT STRETCH #2


Analyze the pictures above, and you will see a few mistakes that are commonly made.

Bending of the back to reach closer to the feet.
- Many people have heard that you should be able to reach your toes, or stretch your hamstring to 90 degrees. However, there is no further benefit of stretching at a greater angle if your back has to arch to reach that point. You may be feeling a stretch in the hamstrings, but you are mainly stretching you back in this position. Another note is that if increasing your flexibility is what you’re aiming for from this stretch, your flexibility will not improve if your back bends.

Bending of the knee.
- When stretching from this position, once your knee begins to bend, you are no longer focusing on your hamstring. Instead, you will begin to feel a stretch in the Hip Flexer as you begin to lengthen the quadriceps as well.

Pushing the Knee to hold the leg straight
- Placing a hand on the leg or knee area is ok, however, by forcing the leg straight, you run a risk of strain or injury. You should never have to force yourself into a position that you body does not want to be in with minimal force. The same goes for grabbing your feet to hold-on-to-the stretch.

 

CORRECT STRETCH #1

CORRECT STRETCH #2


Taking a look at the second set of pictures above, you may be able to see some immediate differences.

Hinging at the Hips
- By pushing my butt back, placing my weight onto my heels, and hinging at the hips rather than bending, you can immediately notice the difference in my posture. There is no longer a need for me to reach my toes, as I’m creating an angle by hinging, and lengthening the hamstrings in a safer and much more comfortable position.

Posture
- By hinging at my hips, rather then reaching for my toes, I am able to keep my back straight and in good posture. Arching your back is not necessary, especially when reaching down to opposite directions. It’s likely that you can cause some compression as well.


Isolation
- By not arching the back I am able to isolate the exact group of muscles that I want to stretch; my hamstrings.

Hand Placement
- Rather then push the knee, I can simply place my hand on my leg for balance. This hand is primarily placed along my quads and knee area to hold good posture. Pushing my butt back behind me, and hinging, is performing the stretching, rather than the “reach”.

As for the length of time optimal for each stretch, :20 seconds per stretch is around the limit for muscles to improve “ROM" (range of motion). Studies show that stretching for longer than :20 offers no greater benefit for the muscle, and poses a greater risk for adding excess stress to that muscle.

This is just a simple tip. There are many different variations of stretching and purposes for each stretch. I personally prefer to perform active and fluid stretching rather than static, and definitely suggest you get a good warm-up before any type of stretching.

New Years Resolutions

Today is New Years Day. Many people may just be starting their day, perhaps getting some brunch with their family. People right now, all across our nation have one thing in common, today, more than anything else, a “New Years Resolution”. I have only been outside the U.S. to travel across Peru, so I can’t speak for the entire world, however I can speak for the majority of the U.S., by calling a New Years Resolution a “tradition”. I love the purpose behind this tradition, but at the same time, it’s obvious that not too many people follow through with their “goals”. 

Example: 

If you’re hungover and your goal last night was to quit smoking cigarettes, yet the first thing you did this morning was smoke a "cancer stick" to ease the pounding headache, chances are you’re saying “to hell with my resolution”, or “I’ll start tomorrow”. I can understand if you don’t want to stop smoking today. Perhaps you’re not strong enough to deal with #1 Quitting Smoking, #2 Dealing w/ a hangover, #3 Lack of Sleep and Irritability, all at the same time. The worst thing you can do here is feel guilty that you, yet again, did not follow through with your goal. Guilt usually leads us to either “fight or flight”. In fact, it’s human nature to do these things. We are habitual creatures that have simple needs; Pleasure, Security, Procreation, Love, etc. I don’t look at those who make mistakes, based on these human needs, any differently than I look at anyone else. Instead, I look at people for what they’re trying to do “today”, to better themselves or make positive changes towards who they want to be “tomorrow”.

Lack of motivation, putting things off until tomorrow and procrastination, are all “character defects”. These defects of our character are a few of the most common characteristics, that I notice, consistently across human nature. I can see this in so many people because, I battle with this pattern as well. The only thing that may differentiate me from the average person, is that I have learned to battle the first thought of procrastination and instead hit the on switch and, “Just Do It”.

I met an old man who gave me a circular shaped note. On this note was a short poem titled, “Round Tuit”. The note talked about how many people use the saying, “I’ll get a round tuit”, to avoid taking action today. At the end, the note mentioned how you don’t need to get a “round tuit”, because now you have one, and there should no longer be an excuse. This has always stuck with me.

There’s a saying, “it takes one to know one”. I’m definitely one know one. I learned to combat my bad habits by making a choice, each day to be the best that I can be. The irony is that once I have reached a level which I believe to be my best, it becomes apparent that I can do a little bit better. One inch at a time, I’m able to improve myself a little bit better than the day before, and this is how I view positive changes.

End Note:

People have resolutions of all levels. Some may be to stop biting your finger nails, or smoking cigarettes. Perhaps your goals are to become a more positive person or to get into shape “for real” this time. Whatever your goals may be, if you started your day on the “wrong foot” this morning, don’t beat yourself up. Use that mistake as a learning experience, and “just do it”. No more excuses, or giving up on yourself, because if you made the resolution in the first place, it was obviously something that was important to you!

Happy New Years to the World!

- Devon Redmon

P.S. My goal for the New Year is to break the “standing long jump record”. I’m a few inches a way, so it’s time to get to work! Heading to the gym.

“Bacon Bits” Dissecting the ingredients

The above image shows the nutritional information of your common, “Bacon Bits” brand that you’ll find in your local super market. 

For the non experts looking at these ingredients, your eyes may tend to focus on names that you’re familiar with, such as: soybean oil, soybean flour, salt, dried yeast, natural and artificial flavors. The truth is, most people have very little knowledge about terms “Autolyzed”, “Hydrogenated”, Textured” etc, in this context. 

Today I’m going to attempt listing in brief and pertinent detail each ingredient on this label. 

Textured Soy Flour: Textured Soy Flour is often used in hot dogs and many meat products to lower costs. "Textured Soy Flour”, aka Textured Vegetable Protein(TVP),  contains MSG. Yes, the same “MSG” that you’ve seen at every Chinese stand from here to Nantucket. MSG or “monosodium glutamate”, is a “flavor enhancer” that is widely used in processed foods, and is known to be extremely addictive.                     

Problems: Common side effects of MSG include: burning sensation in the face, arms, hands, chest, back, and neck. More common side effects include: pressure in the face, headaches, numbness, nausea, heart palpitations, sleepiness, difficultly breathing, and general weakness. Breathing difficulties may be worse in asthmatic individuals. Long term effects of MSG can lead to obesity, sleep disturbances, and reproductive issues. A Study from the John Hopkins University suggests that “MSG” can induce “asthma”. Other studies show that MSG can cause damage to brain cells and the nervous system. Some studies suggest direct correlation to "Alzheimer’s Disease"

Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil: When you see "Partially Hydrogenated or Fully Hydrogenated Oil” you can also know this as commonly called, “trans fat”. For information on trans fat, please refer to my previous blog post. http://coachdevon.blogspot.com/2011/02/trans-fat-in-case-you-didnt-know-how.html

Salt: Phew, good ol’ natural salt... Right? "Natural salt", as I’m guessing how nature intended us to consume, is commonly derived from the ocean, minerals, mining, dried up lakes, etc. Natural forms of salt contain, sodium chloride (salt), along with 80 or so natural elements, including natural iodine, that help our bodies proper: hydration, thyroid function, adrenal function, and balancing sodium-potassium levels. However, the ingredient “salt”, non-naturally occurring, is a manufactured form of sodium chloride. Most forms of salt are created by adding synthesized chemicals to them. These chemicals include anything from manufactured forms of sodium solo-co-aluminate, iodine, sodium bicarbonate, fluoride, anti-caking agents, toxic amounts of potassium iodine and aluminum derivatives.                                                                      

Problems: High Blood Pressure, Dehydration, thyroid and adrenal gland dysfunction, constipation.

Dried Yeast: A type of yeast that’s mixed with starchy materials. Known as neutral for the most part. This ingredient is widely used, due to its natural protein content and Vitamin B complex.

Natural & Artificial Flavors: These words, “natural and artificial”, are very confusing. Neither one seems to be better, per Say.  The FDA does not require companies to disclose ingredients as long as  they are considered “safe”. Keeping this post in a “suggestive” format, I will tell you what I’ve found in research. There are thousand of different types of natural and artificial flavors readily available, and created nationwide. These chemicals are trademarked and kept highly top secret.  Most of these “flavors” aren’t designed to be something we can “taste”, but more so to create “stimulation” and satisfaction on a neural level. 

Problems: Since it is very difficult to find any information on the types of chemicals used in “natural and artificial flavors”, determining health risks becomes a "crap shoot”. Here’s a list of some known artificial flavors to give some examples or health risks. Or you can read from http://www.eatingrules.com/2010/10/natural-flavors-artificial-flavors/

• Benzaldehyde: Contains hydrogen cyanide, causing central nervous system depression and convulsions.
• Vanillan: Can cause allergic reactions.
• Amyl Acetate (pear and banana oil): Many artificial flavors are made with this chemical which may cause nervous system depression, indigestion, chest pain, headaches, fatigue, and irritate the mucus membranes.
• Benzyl Acetate: May cause gastrointestinal, bronchial, skin, and eye irritation.
• Bornneol: Artificial flavoring that may cause GI irritation, seizures, confusion, and dizziness.
• Butryic acid: Has caused cancer in lab animals.
• Carvacrol: Artificial flavor that can lead to respiratory and circulatory depression, as well as cardiac failure
• Cinnamyl formate or formic acid: Artificial cinnamon that has caused cancer in mice and may affect our kidneys. (I found “cinnamon flavor” listed as an ingredient in my Kashi cereal!)

Carmel Color: Created by a controlled heat treatment of carbohydrates, or aka “Burnt Sugar” in simpler terms. This is considered a neutral food coloring, because of the natural process that goes into creating it. However, one thing I ask myself, is what type of “carbohydrates” are being used to create this coloring.           
Problems: The Journal of the American Medical Association conducted a study and found that carmel coloring, in soda,  may be responsible for the increased risk of raised blood pressure, and not the caffeine. 

Autolyzed Yeast: Also referred to as, MSG, is a flavor enhancer. Flavor enhancers like these are known to be very addictive, much like nicotine or alcoholic beverages. "Autolyzed yeast" is essentially yeast cells that have began to die. When dying the yeast goes through “autolysis” and starts to break-apart, leaving the remaining elements: fats, minerals, proteins, and “monosodium glutamate” (MSG).                    


Problems: Read above, “Textured Soy Flour”.          

FD&C Red 3:“Erythrosine”, also known as Red 3, is used as a food coloring, in printing inks, and for exposing “plaque” in dental examinations. FD&C stands for “Food, Drug, & Cosmetic”.                                                                      




Problems: Several “major studies” suggest that synthetic preservatives and artificial coloring agents are strongly linked to ADD and ADHD symptoms in school children. Erythrosine is linked to thyroid tumors in rats.

The “Bacon Bit” is only one type of the countless processed foods on the market. Perhaps this post will influence you to look at what foods you consume regularly. My opinion, is that a bacon bit here or there will probably not harm my body. I believe, that our bodies are highly capable of taking in, and expelling toxins in small amounts. However, without understanding where “toxins” or “harmful ingredients” are located, it’s difficult to avoid them. I also believe that it’s the foods that we take in on a regular basis, day in and day out, that do us the most harm. For example, a salad dressing that I use frequently that has an ingredient linked to diabetes, or a soda that has aspartame and I drink this several times per week, etc. These are the things I look at when trying to maintain great health in my own life.

How bad do you want to be successful? (Video w/ Giavanni Ruffin and Eric Thomas)

How do people become successful? 
Is success some esoteric thing?
Does success happen by accident or being in the right place at the right time?
Once you believe in your heart, that each one of us have been given a gift, a gift I call “choice”, and are willing to put your last breath into what you’re looking to achieve, then, and only then will you become “truly” successful.

I share this video, because of the many people that have influenced me in my life, videos like these have always been a great source of inspiration for me when I need it.

Please enjoy, and pay it forward!

XMAS - A time for giving (picture’s from the Amazon)

It’s Christmas day, and instead of writing a post on fitness or health. Today I wanted to write about my experience w/ Christmas.

In the Amazon River last year, my friend and I visited a small village within the depths of the Amazon River. Here is a short story on what I experienced.

When we arrived, our “guide”, who spoke the native dialect, informed the village leader of our intentions. They introduced us to some of the elders and parents, including an 11 year old mother of 4. The kid’s were so awesome. In the picture below, you can see a group of small children w/ me standing on the opposite side, if you look to the left, you will notice a taller, more mature looking young girl, “mediating” the group of kids. She made sure that all of the kids got at least one toy, before she picked her own. I thought that was very admirable.

Brent gave balloons, and coloring supplies to another group of kids. Some little ones naturally tried to "okie-doke” us, grabbing a toy, and coming back with a different shirt on, trying to grab another one. We thought it was pretty funny!

The children were excited about the gifts, but had no idea what to do w/ some of them, until we began to show them how they worked. Once Brent “busted out” the "Balloon Launcher", that’s when all the fun began! (picture below)

The tail end of the visit was in the school classroom. In here is where the kids spoke to us as a group and we told jokes and answered questions for them. Brent and I put tattoos on some of the kids.

This entire trip taught me how rewarding giving can be. You don’t need to receive gifts once you feel someone’s true expression of gratitude! Merry Christmas to my friends, my family, and to the world. Enjoy your holidays, and “pay-it-forward!”

Taking Supplements Made Easy

This post is a simple time saver of mine in taking supplements. Ok, so I take my health and nutrition seriously. However, I still hate taking supplements and eating on time. I am just too “lazy” perhaps you could say :) But laziness w/ things like eating on time or taking my supplements, never stops me from doing what I need to do. So... I find other ways and time saving tricks to get the job done more efficiently for my busy schedule! 

I’ll share my super low budget, “highly non-fancy” protocol that I follow for taking my supplements.

If you look at the pic below, you’ll notice my non-refigerated supplement stash. To the bottom left of the pic you can see my supply of pre-seperated pills. =the pink cases are my Wife’s, don’t hate:)!=

I chose these types of containers versus a “pill box compartment”, because pill-box compartments are difficult to find “large enough” to contain how many “sups” I take each morning ;P. Also, if I’m running out of the house in the A.M. It’s easy to grab a container and take them down the road to save time.

I spend 2 minutes, once a week filling up these containers for my wife and I. Each morning I wake, I have no excuse when in a hurry, to skip taking any of these!

This is a short tip that’s helped me out tremendously w/ consistent supplement intake. I hope it helps anyone that’s struggled w/ the 3 minutes each morning “un-screwing” the plethora of bottles each morning, we health minded folks possess. Ha!

(read personal supplement dosage info before storing a taking supplements together)

Torrance personal trainer breaks the world record for the highest standing jump (VIDEO + PICTURES))

A repost of an article on me from the Easy Reader. Original article by Chelsea Sektan, Redondo Beach reporter from the Easy Reader.

Devon Redmon, a personal trainer in Redondo Beach, broke a world record for the highest standing jump of 56.9 inches at Workout World in Torrance. The previous record was set by a man in Denmark earlier this year with a jump of 56.7 inches. “Although I broke the record, I am already excited to try and go for 57.25 or so, very soon,” said Redmon. For more information, visit Redmon’s blog at http://devonunity.blogspot.com.

Photos by Craig Ishii