I write the occasional article about how people with desk jobs should train and avoid certain exercises.  Since then, I’ve received several questions from people with non sedentary jobs.  People on their feet all day long like my sister, the teacher.  So is there a difference between what I recommend for a stander and a sitter.  Nope.  And I’ll explain why.

The human race has been evolving for roughly the past 2 million years.  During this period our bodies, by natures design, have been built to remain in the standing position for several hours at any one time.

The first chair was invented just a couple thousand years ago.  Between then and now it has been just a blink of the eye in terms of human evolution.

Do you imagine that early man would take its rest breaks by sitting on perfectly elevated rocks?  I don’t.

We have taken this perfect, standing machine and since childhood, taught it that sitting is the standard and the norm.  Eating, schooling, doing homework, and driving.  All of these things done from the seated position during a huge developmental growth period.

It’s no wonder why we see so many orthopedic problems within our domesticated society.

What you have is a build vs. conditioning problem.  You have all the proper pieces to be a standing, pain free machine but you’ve conditioned it otherwise.  You’ve taken the parts from a mountain bike and have turned them into a 10 speed road bike.  Sure you can learn to race a 10 speed off road, and probably get pretty damn good at it too if it’s all you knew your entire life.  But is that ideal?  You’ll definitely have to replace a lot of tires along the way.

I’m not saying it’s a no win battle.  But it is a constant battle that you should always be considering when evaluating your own well being.  We’ve conditioned ourselves to be a lot more fragile than our ancestors.  In our daily lives we can never fully assume that we are in perfect heath just because we are ably performing regular daily activities.  Take a subjective look at your activities and workouts and ask yourself if there could be a better way of doing things.

And here is a quick video about the evolution of tech I thought was fun.  Enjoy.

San Diego elephants lose weight on ‘dumbo’ diet

Over the past 9 years 7 Elephants of the San Diego Zoo have lost a combined weight of 11,314 lbs.  Most of the captive elephants we see are much more passive then their wild counterparts and so they tend be a bit more overweight.

The elephants lost this weight through an increase in activity and a decrease in the amount of calories consumed (diet & exercise).  The weight loss was calculable and consistent.

So what does this have to do with you?  I’ll admit, we as people do not have a lot in common with elephants.  But we do share a similar metabolism when it comes to energy in and energy out.  

So why do you have so much trouble losing weight and the elephants seem to be rock stars at it?  

Two things.

1.  You think too much.

2.  You have a choice.

Mind set is the number one reason why so many people have trouble when it comes to losing weight.  Some believe that they are somehow magically destined to be obese their entire lives.  Unless of course they find that magic diet or pill to counteract the magic curse.

Remember, it’s not so much the diet or routine you’re on.  It’s more about your ability to stay consistent and follow things through to the end.  These elephants don’t have a choice in the matter.  You do.

Been working at your desk all day?

Playing video games for way longer than you should be?

Hunched over a text book studying for hours on end?

Chances are you either feel or will feel neck pain at some point during your career as a full time geek.

A while back I did some serious damage to my own neck.  Only this came as a result of being in a submission fighting tournament, not poor posture.  You see,  I was put into a very painful neck crank and instead of “tapping out” I tried to withstand the pain for as long as possible or until I gained a better position.  End result, I won the match but spent the better part of 3 months afterward rehabbing my neck.

Till this day I have to be very careful not to aggravate my neck during my workouts.

Here are 5 of my favorite exercises I use to keep my neck and shoulders mobile and pain free.

1. Levator Stretch:

Sitting in your chair or on a bench, reach one arm back and around your body.  Tilt your chin and point your nose to your opposite hip.  With your free hand, place it on the back of your head and apply gentle pressure.  You should hold each side for at least 30 seconds.

2. Thoracic Mobility:

I use a half foam roller but 2 tennis balls taped together will work just as well.   Start at your mid back, roll back for 2 or 3 repetitions keeping your hips down.  You should then move the roller up your back towards your shoulder blades and repeat this process 2 or 3 more times.  (Do NOT try this on your lower back.)

3. Face Down Touch Down:

Lay face down on a bench.  Keeping your thumbs facing the ceiling, raise your arms above your head like a football referee calling a touch down.  Perform 10-15 repetitions.

4. Wall Slide:

Back against the wall keeping contact with your head, shoulders, hands, and elbows.  Slide your arms up the wall as high as you can go and then bring them back down without losing contact with the wall.  (You should feel this between the shoulder blades.)

5. I Give Ups:

Seated or standing.  Raise your arms above your head.  Then shrug your shoulders.  Perform about 10-15 repetitions.

This was a great documentary. If you have not seen it yet I highly recommend it. Even if you’re not big into gaming its a truly interesting story.

As someone who specializes in correcting posture I did notice that Steve Weibe and many other classic gaming pros sat down a lot when they were playing. Granted, they play for several hours at a time but these games were designed to be played standing up.

The problem with this seated posture is that it encourages a forward head position as well as a shortening of the quadriceps and hamstrings. Being in this position for any extended period of time can really wreak havoc on someones posture and can lead to all sorts of neck and back pain.

If I was a betting man I’d also assume that most of these pros work a job where they are in a similar position.

Anyway, thats my take on the whole thing. A great movie go check it out if you haven’t seen it already.

PS My all time favorite “classic style” arcader has to be Street Fighter II. I loved that game and cant wait for SFIV.

A little bit if evidence that I may not be as crazy as everyone thinks.

Bare Feet for health? Shoeless

Don’t knock it until you try it.

Every time they get in the gym.  Every geek or computer guy I know runs right for the equipment where they can sit down.

Why?  It seems like thats become the geek fitness way.

You have been in that position all day long in front of a computer.  I know its comfortable to you but fitness is not about being comfortable.

In order to make progress you must take your self inch by inch out of that comfort zone.

When it comes to exercise choice,  try picking the exercises that force you to stand.

Examples…

Instead of a Recumbent Bike use a Cross Trainer.

Instead of Seated Rows do Standing Rows with a functional cable unit or rubber bands.

Instead of a Seated Pressing do some Push-Ups

Instead of Decline Sit-Ups with your legs anchored try Planking for a minute.

Its time to go from geek to athlete.  Give it a try for a while.  I guarantee your back will also thank you.

Everyone has those times.

You’ve been sitting in front of a computer for 8-10 hours and going to the gym or working out is the last thing you want to do.

If fitness and working out is fairly new to you this can be what makes or breaks your ongoing fitness habits.

Its a well studied fact that it takes at least 21 days to make something a habit.

Its no different for fitness, whether your goal is fat loss, lean muscle, or just becoming a more athletic geek in general.

So at the end of the day, even if its just 10 minutes of stretching or sitting on the recumbent bike day dreaming. Just get it done. Even if you workout in a home gym. Just get in there and plan for your next workout.

This way you don’t have to feel entirely guilty when the day is all said and done and you want to spend some time watching tv, playing video games, or doing whatever else it is you do to wind down.

PS Nintendo DS + Recumbant Bike = I just spent an hour doing cardio and I didnt even notice.

PSS DO NOT MAKE THAT A HABIT

Nothing beats hard work.

Its 2:30

I look up at the clock. “Oh crap”, I have a client thats going to be here in 15 minutes and I haven’t worked out yet. I came to the office early so I could workout before my client and I got too caught up in paying off some bills.

Should I skip the workout and just tell myself I’ll work twice as hard tomorrow. Nah, that never happens.

Here is the workout I performed. Completed in under 6 minutes.

15 Box Jumps

15 Pull-Ups

15 Kettle Bell Swings

15 Push-Ups

I was able to get through that circuit twice. Having to work so fast got my heart rate up pretty high. Not too bad considering I’m trying to drop a little body fat before the spring.

Ok, so I sort of put that title up just to get attention. More like people are crazy but the survey in a recent fitness magazine was done only on women. Here is a list of just a few things women said they would give up to be skinny.

• 85% said they would go through life with an extra 6th toe.
• 23% said they would shave their heads.
• Nearly 50% said they would rather lose 20lbs than live to be 100.
• Almost 25% would spend a week in prison to be their ideal weight.

Really!?! Is exercise and proper diet really that bad? Or has our society just become that lazy?

This type of information is very saddening to me. I’m sure it has a lot to do with the overabundance of misinformation in this country about how to really lose weight in a healthy manner. Every day we’re force fed BS from commercials, magazines, tv shows, movies, and even the occasional fitness expert who has been brainwashed by all the previously mentioned culprits.

Thats it for this week. Any questions send them to ask@thebuffgeek.com

Alright, I’m finally back into the swing of things. From Thanksgiving to New Years I have an out of control schedule but I’m back now.

New Years resolutions have always confused me. People always pick something they know they have to do and decide that this is the year they are going to make it happen. Does that seem silly to anyone else? Sounds like procrastination to me. If your new found resolution is so good for you, why did you feel the need to wait until a new year?

Ive heard them all. All of the benchmarks people use for their new lifestyle change. Birthdays coming up, turning 40, holiday party’s and the first day of summer etc. If you miss one just aim for the next one coming up right? These events are really your best excuse for turning your life around?

Being in the fitness business I know exactly what happens when people make their life changing decisions this way. They stick to it for maybe 6 weeks and then they start to fade.

Honestly, life changes are a really hard and important decision to make. Its going to take more than just a benchmark in society to convince yourself that this change is really going to happen.

Maybe we should be looking somewhere else for the push and desire to change our lives.