DECEMBER 2023 ISSUE NO 4
ENS
EXOS Newsletter
LISTEN UP! EXOS'S OWN PHIL AND JON SHARE ON PERFORMANCE
EFFECTIVE WORKOUTS WHILE TRAVELING OR DURING HOLIDAYS: TRADE OFF MICHAEL HALLIDAY
NUANCES OF BONE HEALTH
NO.3
NOT AS SIMPLE AS GOING FOR A RUN
CONTENTS PAGE 3 MESSAGE FROM HANK
Greetings and reminders from one of our senior coaches
NO.4 PAGE 5 EFFECTIVE WORKOUTS WHILE TRAVELING OR DURING HOLIDAYS: TRADE OFF
Finishing the year strong during the travel season
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LISTEN UP!
NUANCES OF BONE HEALTH
Simplify complex issues in the human performance space.
Invest now to receive dividends later!
D E CEMBER
Hello team! Welcome to December! With the whirlwind that comes with the end of the year, don't forget to sharpen your skills to be ready for what's ahead.
Henry Dembowski Senior Performance Specialist
Get those CEU's done and add some new skills to your bag to be ready for whatever your clients may throw at you this new year
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LISTEN UP! EXOS's own Phil and Jon work through to simplify complex issues in the human performance space.
Pushing Performance Ep 1 Click Here for Podcast
“How can I get this person bigger, faster, stronger more efficently” PAGE FOUR | ENS
EFFECTIVE WORKOUTS WHILE TRAVELING OR DURING HOLIDAYS Michael Halliday
Trade Offs As coaches or someone who really values fitness, traveling and holidays can throw a curveball into your normal training routine. The two options I normally find myself with are changing the routine for a simple effective workout, or planning accordingly to get into a gym and stay on track. I find there are pros & cons for both. Recently I was on a vacation and knew I'd want to get some sort of "feel good" workout in. I brought a few power & mini bands with me. Throughout the week I got two great workouts in using completely different equipment. It was fun to get creative and the new stimulus actually left me a bit sore. These quicker workouts allowed me to not miss any activities or be a burden to the group I was with.
I believe it's important to have these conversations with our members as we move into the last part of the holiday season. As always, IT DEPENDS. Each member is going to have different circumstances, resources, and goals. If we are able to share with our members there are plenty of options when it comes to wellness during the holidays or traveling, it can be very beneficial. That pickleball session vs Mom & Dad might mean a bit more than a pull day in the gym. However, if you're training for a half marathon, getting that morning PR run will be important. There will always be trade offs, but understanding there are options will go a long way.
Moving onto Thanksgiving weekend, I really prioritized getting into a gym. I was able to hit harder sessions, use gym amenities like the sauna, and stay on track with my program. Even though I was waking up earlier and able to do this on my own, I was definitely missing some valuable time with family and friends.
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NUANCES OF BONE HEALTH Don’t wait to care Justin Poplin Performance Coach
If you were to ask a coach how they would measure one's health, what measurements come to mind? Muscle growth, body composition, performance, lab values – the list is quite long really. I want to push a particular measurement to the forefront to how coaches assess health because oftentimes it is not something of concern until later in life, that measurement being bone health.
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We all know bone health is imperative for health yet we don’t often think about it until people start to display deficiencies or when we hit our golden years. Unfortunately if we wait until then it’s often too late. Peak bone mass – essentially the highest amount of bony tissue you’ll have in your life – is achieved between the ages of 25 to 30. From the ages of 40 and beyond this number declines no matter the individual. It essentially becomes a game of how much you can slow down the decline. In maintaining bone health, it’s much like muscle. To build and maintain it you need both the materials and effort.
Other nutrients include protein, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and fluoride however through a balanced diet, intake of these nutrients shouldn’t be an issue.
First let's cover the materials. When discussing nutrients essential to bone health the first one that’s always going to come to people's mind is calcium, that's a given. It’s often put on the forefront of the discussion because it is a micronutrient needed in larger amounts compared to others due to us consistently losing it throughout the day through natural bodily functions. If we are not getting enough through our diet we will use calcium stores from our bones to meet needs. Think of it as like a calcium credit card, only it’s not as easy as just paying it back later. Vitamin D is another pivotal nutrient in bone health. In San Diego we think we’re safe because of all the sun we get throughout the year but what if I told you that a majority of people are actually deficient. Typical protocol for getting enough vitamin D from sunlight exposure is 20-30 minutes of midday sunlight exposure on our face and forearms, 2-3 times a week. However, there is a bit more nuance to this. First of all this is for “optimal conditions” meaning no cloud coverage and the sun being in an ideal position (think summer time). This also does not include the use of sunblock as that inhibits our UV absorption. This false sense of security can lead to long term deficiencies and a decline in bone health so I tell people a vitamin D supplement never hurts.
Once we have the materials on hand we have to put them to use. This is where exercise comes in – but it’s not enough to just move around; we need to move with a purpose. First of all mechanical loading for bone health is site specific meaning to keep a bone strong, you will have to put load on that specific bone. Bones also respond more favorably to loads applied at a faster rate (think power) versus slower – these loads must also be dynamic and multidirectional. There is often this thought that walking alone is good for bone health, however that isn’t really the case. Bones tend to respond better to brief intermittent bouts compared to a single longer one (sprint intervals vs long walks). This can be a lot to remember when talking to members though so luckily there’s an easier way to share this information. Ground reactive force (GRF) is the force exerted by the ground on a body in contact with it. When we are just standing then GRF corresponds with a person's weight (1). As we move the GRF increases due to accelerating forces. In order to stimulate your bones, they require at least a GRF of 2.5 - 3. To give you some context, walking offers a GRF of 1.2 where running offers a GRF of 2.6. Depending on the individual, even running might not be enough to stimulate bone health. That's where resistance training and plyometrics come into play. This is another great selling point for nutritional balance and physical activity to help ensure members better quality of life as they age.
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For reference, here are FITT guidelines for bone health: F: ≥2 time per week I: 75-85% 1 RM T: 2-4 sets, 8-12 reps T: Compound lifts and movements with free weights. Progress towards power training (accelerating concentric phase of training). For impact loading in maintenance of bone health you’ll need 4-7 times a week split into 3-5 sets of 10-20 reps (~50-100 jumps/hops).
Only 20 percent of our longevity is genetically determined. The rest is what we do, how we live our lives and increasingly the molecules that we take. - David Andrew Sinclair
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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." — Will Durant
Until Next Time!