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.

Are you a regular at your gym?

Are you known as the bicycle guy or the Stairmaster girl?

Have you been doing the same mens health weight routine for what seems like forever?

Now the real question is, have you had any positive results with this type of behavior? Have you seen any changes at all?

If you answered yes to the first three questions and no to the last then what the heck are you dong? How long do you think it should take for something to start happening in your body?

You have one of the hardest parts out of the way. You’ve made the commitment to get in the gym on a regular basis. Now its time to do something productive with it. Try something different, try something new. If that doesn’t work change it again. My point is, your body is constantly trying to reach homeostasis and if you don’t make some changes to your routine on occasion you’ll get stale and your results (if you’re having any) will plateau.

So next time you step into that gym do something different. Try something wild and crazy.

Until next week, if you have any questions please email me at ask@thebuffgeek.com

Something to consider.

Sleeping isn’t just for cerebral restoration. Sleeping effects several hormones that fitness minded people should be very aware of. Primarily, Cortisol, and Growth Hormone.

A lack of sleep can contribute to adrenal fatigue and the release of excess Cortisol. Cortisol can have a very negative effect on individuals whom are looking to obtain their specific fitness goals. It’s known that building lean muscle and losing body fat in the presence of excessive Cortisol production is a very hard thing to do, if possible at all.

Here are some negative effects that Cortisol has on the body:

Weakened immune system

Breakdown of proteins

Lowered bone formation

Incresed blood pressure

Association with visceral (abdominal) fat storage

A lack of sleep will also contribute to a lowered production of Growth Hormone. Going even further, studies have shown that people receiving more than “enough” sleep were able to produce even more GH than they had with their normal sleeping patterns. Why do us fitness geeks like Growth Hormone so much?

Here are some of the benefits GH has to offer:

Incresed calcium retention

Increased lean muscle mass

Lipolysis and the reduction of body fat

Stimulation of the immune system

When designing a fitness program for clients one of the primary things I like to figure out is if they are getting enough sleep. Aside from diet I believe it to be among the top variables in a weight loss or muscle gaining program. Before you work your butt off in the gym you need to have a solid foundation built on a healthy diet and quality sleep.

(The Journal of the American Medical Association August 16, 2000;284:861-868, 880-881.)