Faintness Post-Exercise: Causes, Solutions by Doctor
The feeling or sensation of being just about to pass out during your workout can come in the form of dizziness or lightheadedness.
“Dizziness and/or feeling lightheaded during exercise can be related to several issues,” says Teresa Caulin-Glaser, MD, a cardiologist and senior vice president with Service Lines, OhioHealth.
“The most common two causes are dehydration and low glucose (blood sugar) levels.
“Oftentimes individuals exercise on an empty stomach, and the glucose levels fall.
“This results in lightheadedness and sometimes confusion. Having a small snack can eliminate this problem.”
Gym Sessions
My underweight personal-training clients almost passed out during exercise because they probably hardly ate anything that entire day; that would have been very easy to believe, given their body weight status; thin and malnourished is NOT healthy.
Dr. Caulin-Glaser continues: “Dehydration is commonly seen in individuals exercising. Drinking fluids when you are exercising is important for a few reasons.
“There will be insensible loss of fluids from the body with exercising due to sweating.
“Also, blood vessels dilate with exercise and as a result blood pressure drops.
“The drop in blood pressure can last for several hours after exercise. The result can be lightheadedness.”
Additionally, feeling like you’re going to pass out while exercising is also a function of how physically fit you are in the first place.
My clients were under-exercised; not used to good hard workouts.
People in top physical condition can almost always hammer away at a workout session on an empty stomach without feeling ready to pass out.
Dr. Caulin-Glaser adds: “It is important to know that there can be cardiovascular reasons for lightheadedness and these need to be evaluated.
“The problems may be related to abnormal heart rhythms and/or structural heart problems.
“It is always important to speak to your physician about any new symptoms, I recommend regular evaluations with your primary care physician, especially if you are initiating a new vigorous exercise program.
“Your doctor may refer you for a cardiac evaluation based on your history and exam.”
If you’ve been cleared for any medical problems, but are still feeling like you’re on the verge of passing out during exercise, re-evaluate your eating and hydration habits.
Dr. Caulin-Glaser is an experienced physician, teacher and researcher in the specialty of cardiovascular disease, and formerly the system vice president for Heart & Vascular Services at OhioHealth.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
Top image: Depositphotos.com
Feel Dizzy After Exercise? Doctor Gives Causes and Solutions
A doctor gives an explanation for feeling dizzy after exercise and how to manage this problem.
I’ve had personal training clients complain of dizziness during exercise.
These were people who weren’t, let’s say, in the best of condition, but otherwise healthy.
But at some point during the exercise, they got dizzy. This didn’t happen often, though.
“Exercise can trigger dizziness for number of reasons, says Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, medical director of the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers nationally, and author of “Beat Sugar Addiction Now!”
“These include, most often, dehydration and salt depletion.”
A person who’s out of shape or not accustomed to intense exercise may get dizzy simply because their body is not used to the training stimulus of rigorous exercise. Often, these clients did not adequately hydrate themselves, and/or ate poorly in the hours prior to the workout, if at all.
I’d work these clients harder than what they were used to, and if they did not have adequate nourishment all day long preceding the workout, it was no surprise that they’d get dizzy at some point during the exercise session.
Another possible cause of dizziness during exercise is the motion during the exercise, such as doing pivoting movements in a step class – these involve half-turns and can cause some head spinning.
Some group fitness classes involve 360 degree turns, and these will cause an inexperienced person’s head to spin.
Another potential cause of dizziness from working out is doing something that requires balancing, like walking on a treadmill without holding onto the rails. I’ve had people tell me that if they let go, they’ll get dizzy.
The cure for this is to let go but walk very slowly, so that the body doesn’t readily sense anything different.
As the body adjusts, you increase the speed while still keeping your hands at your sides and swinging naturally.
“Less common and more worrisome causes include abnormal heart rhythms and angina,” says Dr. Teitelbaum. Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) can also cause fatigue and fainting.
Angina is diminished oxygen flow to the heart due to narrowing of coronary arteries.
Other symptoms of angina are shortness of breath and chest pain brought on by only light exercise (stable angina), or spontaneously during rest (unstable angina).
“Problems missed most often by physicians includes autonomic dysfunction such as neurally mediated hypotension (NMH) or POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome).
These latter two are often associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.”
Neurally mediated hypotension involves low blood pressure, and POTS is when a change in body position causes a drop in blood pressure, and fast pulse. These not only may cause dizziness, but passing out.
Other possible causes of dizziness while hitting the gym: Meniere’s disease, pregnancy, PMS and side effects of medications.
If you get dizzy during physical activity and it isn’t remedied with adequate hydration and food intake, as well as avoiding specific motions that trigger dizziness like spinning around in a hip hop class or doing headstands, an evaluation by a doctor would be a smart idea.
Dr. Teitelbaum
is a board certified internist and nationally known expert in the fields of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep and pain.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
Top image: Shutterstock/iambasic_Studio
Are You Stronger than Your Husband in the Weight Room?
For women who feel awkward because they’re stronger than their husbands, I’ve decided to write this article.
I was inspired by a thread on a fitness site. I could not believe how many women (who’ve been working out hard) are struggling with the fact that they’re stronger than their husbands.
First, a little about me: I’m a former personal trainer and have been lifting weights hard and heavy since my teen years.
I recommend that women try to see things from their husband’s perspective.
Imagine, ladies, for a moment that you’re the husband. And your wife is you.
Wouldn’t it please you to know that your wife — stronger than the average man off the streets — could probably fight off a rapist?
I noted in the thread that the negative feelings that the women expressed seemed to be coming from inside their heads, not from their husbands.
The mindset was to the effect of: “I don’t feel right being stronger than my husband,” or, “I’m afraid he’ll find it a turn-off.”
A turn-off? Really! Think of how much better your hub feels knowing that your physical strength puts you in a better position to fight off a man who wants to rape you. I’m serious.
Certainly there are times when you’re out and about alone, and your husband can’t help but worry for your safety.
A woman who trains hard with weights is stronger than the average man off the streets (but certainly not the average man in the free weight area in a gym).
So that man on the street, in that dark parking lot, or some smuck at the office, who begins behaving badly to that strongly-weight-trained woman and crosses the line — will get a real pleasant surprise!
Your husband will not feel more secure if your ability to defend yourself has been compromised by the absence of strength-trained muscles and bones.
No matter how big some thug out there is, no matter how violent he is, no matter what kind of weapon he may have, and no matter how much a woman weighs…it’s just a plain fact that if she is strongly trained from weight workouts — this puts her in a far greater position to fight off an assailant — or survive a completed attack — when compared to her non-weight-trained self.
Don’t hang your head with despondence that you’re stronger than your husband.
Don’t hesitate to offer him some strength training advice, either, when he’s struggling with a 165 pound bench press.
In fact, a woman who has figured out a way to bench press 185 pounds certainly knows a few secrets that a male — for whom benching 185 comes more naturally—isn’t aware of.
Freepik.com, senivpetro
When I was a personal trainer at a large health club, a male patron came up to me one day and told me how impressed he was with the way I trained my female clients (he apparently had never seen me with my male clients).
He then said, “Gee, you can even train the MEN!”
That was an interesting comment, because a man who’s struggling to build muscle and strength would learn what REALLY works if he were trained by a very strong woman — because she’s had to work with one-tenth the testosterone level as the average man.
If I were a man and saw a woman doing textbook-perfect parallel bar dips with a 35 pound plate hanging from her waist, I’d want HER to train me, because proportionately, she’s far stronger than many male trainers.
Bottom line: Your husband probably relishes the fact that you’re stronger than him, and if you have bigger muscles — well, he knows you’re that much less likely to be overtaken on the streets.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
How to Keep Steamed Broccoli, Carrots Hot While Eating Them
Here is a very simple way to keep steamed broccoli, carrots, etc., hot WHILE you eat them.
And I mean very hot — so that you’re never stiffed with vegetables that have become unpleasant due to “getting cold.”
Even a lukewarm piece of broccoli or cauliflower is no longer appetizing.
After the vegetables, be they broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini or what-have-you, are steamed to your liking, carefully dump them (a spoon works best) into a thick tall drinking glass.
Depending on how much you have, you may need a big drinking glass. I eat a lot of broccoli and carrots in one sitting, so I use a 20 ounce drinking glass.
The amount I eat fills to near the top (because I initially fill this glass with the raw vegetables to get the right amount, then dump them in the strainer and steam them).
You now have the steamed vegetables inside the glass. You can now start eating out of the glass, and the shape of the glass will keep the heat extremely well contained. You will be amazed!
In fact, sometimes by the time I’m midway down the glass, I must still be careful about not burning my tongue.
If the vegetables are too hot, no problem: Just let them sit in the glass for several minutes.
The glass does such a good job of keeping the vegetables hot that you will see the steam pouring out.
You’ll need a full-length fork, of course, to reach the bottom of the glass.
Keeping Vegetables Hot While Eating Them
This simple trick works magically. You no longer have to hurry through eating your steamed broccoli and carrots or other vegetables.
They get cold very quickly just sitting on a plate. Containing them in a glass eliminates having to use an electrical hotplate or other inconvenient ways of keeping steamed vegetables hot.
Think outside the box. A drinking glass makes a fantastic “hot plate” for steamed vegetables that will keep them hot!
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Can Deadlifts & Farmer’s Walk Cause Height Loss?
A spine specialist weighs in on whether or not deadlifts and farmer walks can make you shorter.
It seems logical: You have 315 pounds pulling down on you.
Therefore, over time, this will cause the vertebral discs of the spinal column to become closer together, making you shorter—a shorter spine due to compression from all that deadlifting.
Farmer’s walks are similar in that a lot of weight is pulling down on you.
And even though the amount of weight in the farmer’s walk is a lot less than what that same person deadlifts, the farmer’s walk may also last a lot longer than any given deadlift set—up to a few minutes.
Can the Deadlift or Farmer’s Walk Cause Height Loss?
“There’s no current research showing heavy exercises such as the farmer’s walk or deadlifts decreases the overall height of a full-grown adult,” begins Dr. Jeff Langmaid, DC, founder/owner of The Evidence Based Chiropractor, LLC, in Tampa, FLA, a research-based marketing and practice growth company that serves thousands of chiropractors across the world.
“Additionally, no research has conclusively determined that exercise decreases overall height. We naturally get shorter over time, as discs dehydrate as we age.”
Men in their 20s and 30s have been known to swear that they’ve shrunk in height (one to one and a half inches) since starting a deadlift program (even squats, too).
On the other hand, some men will assert that they’ve gained an inch in height since starting these exercises.
The height gain is simply the reversal of bad posture, which can be improved with the deadlift and squat, as these exercises strengthen the entire posterior chain of musculature.
But height loss?
Dr. Langmaid continues, “Each and every day, we stand upright against gravity, and each day we lose overall height. Any exercises that load the spine — or place increased load on the spine — have the potential to advance the decrease of height.
“The good news is that each night when we go to sleep, those discs regain a majority of that height, so we start each day fresh and new.”
What about decompression exercises?
“Nothing shows that decompression after completing deadlift exercises will immediately restore height, but, certainly, decompression can be a good thing to do if one is performing exercises that are consistently loading one’s spine.
“Decompression, whether on a fraction table or inversion table, provides axial distraction of the disc space and stretches the disc.
“Doing so can increase amount of fluid hydration and nutrients that transfer across the disc space and decrease intradiscal pressure.”
Perhaps after every, or some, deadlift sets, you should immediately do a dead hang on a chinning bar. The squat cage should actually have handles for chinning.
If you must jump up to reach them, then use a stool, since you may not want to jump right after a nasty deadlift set.
If the Smith machine is nearby, you can set the bar at its highest point and dead hang from there (bend the legs).
Another option is to do several sets of dead hangs at the very end of your workout.
Jeff Langmaid, DC
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
Top image: Shutterstock/Ajan Alen
Can’t Stop Anxiety over Your Moles?
If you suffer from mole anxiety and fear of melanoma, you need to read this helpful information for the “molechondriac.”
- Do you find yourself constantly checking your moles for changes? Imagining changes?
- Worrying incessantly about melanoma?
You should make an appointment with a dermatologist and request removal and biopsy of any moles that worry you. It’s about trusting your gut.
“Melanoma skin cancer is the most dangerous type of skin cancer and can appear as a dark, irregularly shaped mole or a dark patch of skin,” says Alberto de la Fuente Garcia, MD, a board certified dermatologist at VIDA Wellness and Beauty with 15+ years of experience.
“It may also look like a normal mole but change in shape, size or color over time.
“It’s important to be aware of any moles that change, or that look different from the rest, as this could be a sign of melanoma.”
What if you have hundreds of moles? Obviously, having every one removed is not practical.
Mole Mapping Technology
A superb way to slaughter a lot of that anxiety over melanoma is to get set up with serial digital dermoscopy.
Serial digital dermoscopy
The availability of this groundbreaking technology is becoming increasingly more common.
Chances are, there’s a mole mapping clinic within reasonable driving distance of your home.
Moles are photographed; the images are input into a computer that then compares the images to a database. The moles are rated as being benign or suspicious looking.
Sometimes, though, the only comparisons that are done are by your dermatologist, who is trained at viewing amplified images of moles on a computer screen for side-by-side comparisons.
This is much more accurate than simply looking at them on your body, even with a handheld magnifying lens.
The side-by-side comparison of the same mole, taken a year to two years apart (depending on the doctor’s recommendation), can reveal so much more detail.
The computer and the human eye do NOT diagnose melanoma; it can only be suspected.
Only a pathologist can make the diagnosis after viewing cells under a microscope.
You’ll probably have to pay out of pocket. I say “probably” because people with, for instance, hundreds of dysplastic nevi (which are at increased risk for melanoma), may get an order from their dermatologist for serial digital dermoscopy — which your insurance may pick up.
Serial digital dermoscopy is especially beneficial for moles on your back that you can’t inspect closely or for people with visual impairment.
Many atypical moles. Shutterstock/Mikel Ugarte Gil
Home Mole Mapping
If you have illustration skills, you can draw sections of your body on a sketch pad, then insert your moles.
This will enable you to keep track of any new moles. You’ll no longer wonder, “Has that mole always been there?”
I suggest also drawing some of your non-mole lesions for easier reference to nearby moles.
For example, if you have angiomas (bright red but harmless spots), indicate those with a red pen.
Any moles nearby these benign spots will be easier to monitor.
These days, though, there are a number of apps that can take images of your moles and flag for suspicious signs.
However, apps should never be a replacement for an actual physician examining your body. Think of apps as an adjunct to your skin health exams.
Naming Moles Based on Their Appearance
I have a mole that’s shaped like a barn. If it begins changing, I’ll know it quickly enough, because “barn” is etched in my mind.
I have another mole that’s shaped like a bat in flight.
I have several moles that I call “two-toned” or “three-toned,” because they’re comprised of two or three shades of brown.
I have a few “diamonds,” referring to their shape.
Ask Your Dermatologist to Point out the Seborrheic Keratoses on Your Body
SK’s are benign skin barnacles. However, they may look like moles.
Ask your doctor to show you where you have these, if any.
Once you know which spots are SK’s, you won’t have to keep checking them every month. SK’s can change in appearance, but this is a benign occurrence.
Seborrheic keratoses. Shutterstock/NICKY1841
Twice a Year Skin Exams
You’ve probably read many times that you should have a dermatologist examine your skin once a year if you have an average or typical risk for melanoma.
To reduce anxiety, consider having a clinical exam twice a year.
Taking these measures will reduce a lot of anxiety and increase the chances of catching melanoma very early.
Another point to consider is that a clinical exam can reveal signs that are suspicious for other types of skin cancer.
“Skin cancer can have many different appearances, depending on the type of skin cancer and how advanced it is,” says Dr. de la Fuente Garcia.
“Non-melanoma skin cancers (such as basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas) often appear as raised bumps that are pink or red in color.
“They may be fleshy, scaly or waxy in texture and can bleed easily when scratched.”
And by the way, before your dermatologist begins the skin exam, request that they use a dermatoscope.
Dr. de la Fuente Garcia specializes in cosmetic, medical and surgical dermatology, focuses on helping his patients age gracefully, and has authored and co-authored numerous articles in peer reviewed medical journals.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
Top image: Freepik
Why You Should Worry About a Rapid Heart Rate Overnight
A rapid heart rate in the middle of the night is something you SHOULD be worried about, rather than trying to ignore it and brush it off as just anxiety or your imagination.
Your heart should not just suddenly start beating rapidly in the middle of the night without SOME kind of explanation.
The smart thing to do is find out why this is happening.
Experiencing a rapid heart rate in the middle of the night is frightening to some people, but a lot of these individuals won’t make an appointment with a cardiologist, fearing that they’ll get very bad news.
Truth is, if you have a fast heart rate in the middle of the night, the cause can range from minor to serious, says Dr. Pam Marcovitz, MD, an internal medicine cardiologist with Frankel Cardiovascular Center in MI.
Dr. Marcovitz says that one of the most common causes of this experience is sinus tachycardia.
This means a “fast, normal rhythm.” She says that it “does not need to be treated,” and that it “does not regularly occur.”
It’s important to document when these episodes occur so you can see objectively how often, or how infrequently, you experience what seems to be this fast, normal rhythm.
Also make a note of whether it occurred while you were asleep and awakened you (or if it seemed that way, at least), or if it began occurring after you came out of your sleep for no apparent reason and found yourself just lying there, worrying about life’s curve balls.
Anxiety will speed up the heart, and if this happens during the day while you’re fretting about, you usually won’t notice it or give it a second thought if you do notice it.
A-fib
Atrial fibrillation is another potential cause for a rapid pulse in the middle of the night, says Dr. Marcovitz.
This condition can be serious. It can lead to blood clots in the heart, plus cause a person to become faint or even pass out.
In A-fib, the pulse is not steady, as in a steady 120 beats per minute. It jumps all over the place. A heart rate monitor, while a person is in A-fib, will show this.
If your documentation reveals a more-than-occasional episode of middle of the night rapid heartbeat, especially if it’s not associated with awakening from a bad dream or fidgeting restlessly from anxiety, you should see a cardiologist, says Dr. Marcovitz.
If you think these episodes might be panic attacks, it’s still wise to see a doctor to hopefully rule in a panic attack and rule out a serious heart problem.
Dr. Marcovitz says that other conditions could cause your pulse to speed up in the middle of the night: sleep apnea and high blood pressure, “potential causes for which a person should be evaluated.”
Dr. Marcovitz has 40+ years of experience in helping people improve their heart health.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
Top image: Shutterstock/Agenturfotografin
A Good Type of Exercise for Prostate Cancer Patients
A study recommends a particular exercise for men with prostate cancer undergoing radiation treatment.
Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, recommend yoga.
Men, especially those who are undergoing radiation treatment for prostate cancer, should not think of this physical discipline as something just for women.
The features of prostate cancer treatment that benefited from yoga, in Dr. Neha Vapiwala’s study, were those of urinary incontinence, sexual health and fatigue.
These features remained stable throughout the radiation therapy in men who were doing the yoga.
Freepik.com, katemangostar
Without structured exercise during a radiation course for prostate cancer patients, Dr. Vapiwala points out that fatigue, urinary control and sexual health decline.
One can deduce that there are other forms of exercise that would benefit men undergoing prostate cancer treatment with radiation.
But yoga seems ideal in that it doesn’t require jarring, impacting motions that tax the joints and cardiorespiratory system.
Fatigue is a common symptom of cancer treatment (or just the disease itself) and cannot be relieved with a nap or sleep like normal fatigue can.
Erectile dysfunction is another common outcome, while urinary incontinence occurs in about one-quarter of men with the malignancy.
Yoga’s Benefits
So how does this exercise actually work to improve the quality of life for men with prostate cancer?
Freepik.com Yanalya
It appears that yoga reduces the fatigue, strengthens pelvic floor muscles and also increases blood flow.
Secondary benefits may be the group class environment and meditation.
The study had the men doing yoga twice a week, and despite what you may have seen in yoga magazines, TV commercials or what-have-you, this physical discipline can be modified to suit the older practitioner’s fitness and flexibility levels.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained clients of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
.
Top image: Shutterstock/Chinnapong
Source: sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151116181206.htm
Do Your Twitching Muscles Scare You to Death?
Muscle twitching may not be a big deal to you, but for many men and women, it causes tremendous anxiety and stress.
Just one muscle twitch can set off a fear of dying if the person knows this can be a symptom of a fatal disease.
- The twitching may be intermittent or extremely frequent, affecting any voluntary (skeletal) muscle — from the lip to the bottom of the foot.
- Muscle twitching may be all over the body or just in one hot spot.
So what is it about muscle twitching that’s so frightening?
Don’t we all experience an occasional twitching muscle, especially after weightlifting workouts, intense aerobic exercise or a wave of anxiety about life’s trials and tribulations?
How the Problem Starts
The problem begins when one becomes annoyed at a persistent muscle twitch — and googles this symptom.
The first page of search results then include links to sites for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Depending on the individual’s threshold for health anxiety, he or she may then begin thinking they have ALS.
The fear is so overwhelming that for some people, obsession ensues, resulting in frequent self-strength testing, as in the following:
– Trying to get up out of a chair on one leg
– Hopping on one leg; repeatedly lifting something overhead
– Spending hours studying the suspected area of muscle atrophy in the mirror
– Frequent daily inspections of one’s tongue to check for twitching.
Shutterstock/MCarper
Vast Majority of Muscle Twitching Not Caused by Motor Neuron Disease
Relax. The odds are in your favor that all is fine, since motor neuron diseases are rarer than you think.
Chances are pretty high that your twitching muscles have a benign origin.
But even the very small possibilities must be acknowledged:
“On the other hand, this manifestation can signify serious underlying neurological disorders involving the peripheral nerves such as poliomyelitis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), certain spinal disorders, side effects to certain drugs (acetylcholinesterase inhibitors) and various other neurological problems,” points out Morton Tavel, MD, Clinical Professor Emeritus of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, and author of “Health Tips, Myths and Tricks: A Physician’s Advice.”
“Most of these latter problems are usually recognized by the presence of associated disruptions of muscle movements or strength, and require complete evaluation by a physician well-versed in neurological disorders.”
Here’s what neurologists, whom I interviewed, have to say:
– Bulbar ALS vs Normal Tongue Quivering
The tongue normally quivers and tremors when you stick it out, but how can you tell when this is starting to get suspicious?
– When to Worry About that Twitching Lower Leg
Are you feeling a lot of twitching going on in one of your calves?
Does it feel like a worm is in there trying to get out?
– Strength Tests for Fingers when Twitching Fingers Are Scaring You
Are you fixated on finger strength due to a frequent twitch in one of them?
These are great and convincing strength tests when you’re feeling the most hopeless.
– Let’s Take a Look at that Dent in Your Thigh
Do you avoid mirrors or constantly seek them out to inspect “that dent”?
Just what can that dent mean? Could it ever mean ALS or some other neurodenerative disease that causes atrophy?
Dr. Tavel’s medical research includes over 125 publications, editorials and book reviews in peer-reviewed national medical journals. He was formerly director of the cardiac rehabilitation program at St. Vincent Hospital in Indiana. mortontavel.com
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
“Bad Levers” Really CAN Make Squats Difficult; This Is No Myth
“Bad levers” are a freakin’ curse for the back squat and deadlift, whether you want to believe this or not.
I used to be a personal trainer for a health club. But even long before that, I knew that any kind of machinery or tool, like a wrench or bulldozer, is based on the physics of leverage.
Ironically, many muscle building enthusiasts continue to deny the significance of human body levers.
Ever had trouble untightening a bolt, but found it easy once you used a longer wrench?
You increased the force arm (“moment arm”) or the torque. This principle can be easily applied to a baseball bat. You’ll hit the ball a lot further using a long bat vs. a short bat.
Imagine building a teeter-totter. There’s a reason you’d place its fulcrum in the center.
Now put it close to one end, then put a rock down on the other (far) end. Push down on the short end; see if you can budge the rock.
Now put the rock on the short end; push down on the long end. Same weight to move, but it’s much easier when you’ve lengthened the force arm.
The laws of leverages apply to the design of construction and excavating equipment that moves hundreds of pounds of earth at a time.
The human body is a machine made of levers.
As a child, I always thought that strength came from only lots of big muscle and training.
But even the raging mother who’s lifting the car off her toddler will be at a big disadvantage if she has long femurs and short arms (though short arms are great for Olympic style lifting, combined with relatively short femurs).
Bad levers have nothing to do with ratio of fast twitch muscle fiber to slow twitch, nor the size of muscle fibers.
For example, imagine watching someone try to pick something really heavy off the ground.
This person is only five feet tall, but also has femurs that are SO long, that the shin bones are only five inches in length.
Though this is an unrealistic example of the human body, it proves a point.
By picturing this person trying to efficiently bend over to pick a heavy crate off the floor, you can now see how those abnormally long femurs get in the way.
Imagine this person trying to deadlift. Those doggone long femurs get in the way.
To reach the barbell, he or she must rely on significant trunk flexion, causing their legs to be almost straight, thus placing their lower back in a position for injury.
If they attempt to lift with more bent legs, say, a quarter squat, their long femurs set their hips further back, forcing them to lean over more, putting more stress on the lower spine!
If you’re having difficulty envisioning this, then elongate their femurs more and make their shins only five inches.
Now if they had long spider arms, this would help offset the long femurs.
Sometimes bad levers are due more to short shin length—relative to the overall body height.
If shins are shorter than femurs, this will put a person at a big disadvantage for the squat and deadlift unless they have a very long torso–relatively, of course.
I’ve seen people whose torsos were shorter than femurs, but were back-squatting beautifully (no gimmicks like sumo stance), because they had these super long shin bones acting like pedestals.
But the worst levers are when femurs are longer than the torso, AND also longer than the shins!
To pick something heavy off the floor, this individual must get into a very wide stance to protect their lower spine—unless they have crazy long arms.
Much of strength is determined by levers. This is why you might see a lanky person easily deadlift 285, while a muscle bound person of the same height struggles with it. LOOK AT THEIR LEVERS.
There are some exceptional freaks of nature such as champion powerlifter Steve Goggins, who has an excessive forward lean thanks to long femurs. But he’s so atypical.
Still skeptical about bad levers and weightlifting?
Before you lift a heavy item, you first get into the best position. Imagine if you were in a poor position, like standing further away from the barbell before you deadlift.
This will force you to bend over more as you pick up the barbell, causing the small stabilizing muscles in your low back to absorb forces it’s not supposed to.
But this is positioning simulates what a trainee with long femurs is forced to do.
If they get closer to the barbell and attempt the deadlift, their knees will get in the way–thanks to the long femurs (relatively, of course).
They avoid this by adjusting distance from the barbell — which is further out than someone with shorter femurs would have. Again, spider arms will help.
The long femur trainee with crummy pedestals and average torso and arm length (relative to overall height) will have to start a deadlift from virtually a half-squat position. This makes it harder.
Ever do rack pulls?
A rack pull is a deadlift done inside the cage; safety bars stop the barbell at some point between the knees and lower shins.
Thus, your bottom position has you pretty upright; why you can rack pull a lot more than deadlift.
For a person with bad levers, their bottom position in a rack pull would be quite similar to the bottom position that a trainee with good levers would have for a deadlift!
So if a bad-lever trainee can rack pull 225 pounds for reps, but can deadlift only 185 for reps, it’s safe to assume that if this individual had good levers, he or she would be able to deadlift 225 pounds for reps!
Though the long-femured (and short-shinned) athlete with average arm length (let alone T-rex arms) will have to strain more to lift up heavy things off the ground due to inefficient positioning, and will need to work much harder to master the back squat, at least we can agree that trainees with long femurs have an advantage in executing martial arts kicks.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
.
