There Is A Method to the Madness
This is a podcast where I will be discussing all aspects of physical fitness. I am an exercise physiologist and personal trainer and owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs for the last 25 years. My passion is health and fitness and I am excited to share my views, some stories, interviews and much more with you.
There Is A Method to the Madness
Politicians, Pull-ups, and the Problem with Bad Exercise Form
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...
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Welcome to there is a Method to the Madness. My name is Rob Maxwell and I'm an exercise physiologist and personal trainer. I am the owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs and I've been in business since 1994. The purpose of this podcast is to get to the real deal of what really works and, most importantly, why things work. Hence the name there is a method to the madness. Before I get to today's show, I want to thank Jonathan and Lynn Gildan of the Gildan Group at Realty Pros. They are committed to providing the highest level of customer service in home sales. Why don't you give them a shout and figure out what your home is worth? 386-451-2412. What's happening? Everybody out there in the fitness world? It's Rob here and we're going to talk about some health and fitness issues.
Speaker 1:I think this is going to be a really good one. It is a subject matter I'm passionate about and it's like everything comes together this morning where I'm like you know what? This is what we need to talk about a little bit. So first off, let me say like I was having a great discussion with a client this morning and we were talking about tough love and stuff like that and somehow we ventured into like what makes a trainer correct form, and like what makes a trainer let certain things go. So we started talking about that. So that's kind of like perfect for what I'm going to talk about today day.
Speaker 1:The second part, though, of this is that you know it's probably going to get some people all up in arms, because everybody makes things political, and if it's your guy I'm talking about, then you know, whatever side of the aisle you're on, then it's like oh, you know, things go in one ear and out the other, which I think is just really kind of a stupid way to think. Personally, I think like wrong is wrong, right is right, doesn't matter who's doing it, right, I don't know. Novel concept, right, anyway. So I was explaining to this client about that. I said well, you know, good trainers know how to pick up on what's most important. Why are they critiquing an exercise? Number one of course everybody should learn how to do it safely. Nobody wants to get hurt while exercising, while strength training, any kind of exercise. So you really need to know how to do it the correct way so you don't hurt yourself.
Speaker 1:Having said that, there are a lot of correct ways, so a good trainer is able to determine. You know, number one. There really is kind of like I said about good and bad actions. There really is correct form that won't hurt you and form that will correct form that won't hurt you and form that will. So like there's a lot of things we let go, but when it comes to doing it correctly for injuries, there's really like blatant things people do where they're going to get hurt. I mean, they're just things that people do where they're going to get hurt. Like if they're using a lot of momentum and they're kind of throwing the weights around, that's not good. They're probably going to hurt their back. If they're really shortening the range of motion so they can use heavier loads, then they're not strengthening the entire joint and they could end up hurt. If they're shortening the range of motion because that's all their range of motion can do, then that's not a problem. But that's where a good trainer comes in and goes.
Speaker 1:You know, I don't want to screw with this person per se. Like we don't have to try to make things perfect. There's no such thing as perfect form. You know, I don't know if you noticed, but for the past couple of weeks I've been catching myself. Because you know, I don't know if you noticed, but for the past couple of weeks I've been catching myself because, you know, for the longest time let's do it perfectly, and I think that's like me, the trainer and other trainers like trying to overcorrect to just make sure they do it good enough. And that's really what we mean. Is good enough, right? And somebody might hear that and go good enough, good enough's bad. No, good enough isn't bad. Like we say it together all the time, so it kind of gets that reputation. But if you take the two words and separate them, good is good and enough means you made it good. So no, we want good form.
Speaker 1:There are some things people are just going to have their own tendencies on. Like, maybe they turn their wrist a little bit Okay, that's not awful. Maybe when they do curls that you can see people online doing curls different ways. Maybe they're doing it with what we call a flat wrist Okay, they're not hurting themselves. They're still doing elbow flexion. So they're still technically doing a curl. They're not going to get hurt doing that. Maybe they do it more structured, like supination, like we teach people to do oftentimes Okay, that's great too. Maybe they're doing hammer grip All three are fine, I mean.
Speaker 1:So everybody has their own little idiosyncrasies of how they do things. When we train people, when we teach them how to do an exercise the first time, we show them the way it's going to be done. And yeah, people should do it correctly in the form of range of motion, meaning the best range of motion they can do, a good tempo. There's not a perfect number attached to tempo, by the way. Tempo is kind of different for everybody. Are you going at a pretty quick manner but you're not throwing the weights? That's a good tempo. Are you gripping it to where you're going to hold on? Do you have to maybe do a little bit of a funky grip on your dumbbells so you don't drop the weights? Okay, like we don't need to screw with people and you know, as a trainer, I've been doing this a really, really long time.
Speaker 1:So like I know not to be hypercritical on people because they have their ways of doing things. So people will say to me hey, rob, when you're at a gym, do you like, does it drive you nuts what people do? And I'm like, no, I mean not really. I mean honestly not at all anymore. I guess earlier on I'd be like shaking my head, but no, I was never one of those guys that just walked up to people and corrected their form. Number one it's a good way to get punched in the face. Number two they don't know who you are and you're just kind of being an asshole, like there's no reason for it. I mean, if I saw maybe some like preteens in the gym and they're going to do something that's going to hurt themselves, you know, I might try, in a friendly grandpa kind of way, like show them. This rarely happens, by the way. I think it's happened once or twice, which is why this came into my memory and you know.
Speaker 1:But other than that, no, even if they're high school kids, man, it's like you're not going to come across as anything but being critical, like people don't see it as you trying to help. So even in a situation like that, I'm not going to say anything. I'm certainly not going to say anything to somebody that's kind of doing it correct, but not quote perfect, which there is no such thing. No, I mean, people have their own way of doing things and as long as it works for them, it works for them. So you know I wrapped up the conversation. It's always a good conversation with this particular client. You know we get into all kinds of different stuff. All of it good.
Speaker 1:And yeah, I said you know that super strict trainer that like only sees things one way. And I'm strict, like I'm, I think, oftentimes the epitome of tough love, which is a you know, a conversation we had this morning too, you know, yeah, but I'm also like well aware that. But I'm also like well aware that certain people are going to thrive if they do things a certain way. So I'm not going to mess with their rhythm per se. If they're not getting hurt and they're doing something through full range of motion and they're not throwing it, then it is a win. So I have my way of doing things. Ellen has her way of doing things. Like, everybody has a form that works really good for them. A good trainer is able to identify that All right. So now that I like did a nine minute introduction on what the meat and potatoes of this podcast is about to have your attention hopefully. So form really is doing the exercise right, making sure that you're getting the benefits from the exercise and not getting hurt.
Speaker 1:So lately I guess it's been the past week, maybe the past two weeks there's been, you know, government officials or politicians, or whatever you call them, in all different like wakes, like not just like the main one, but I'm going to mostly talk about the main one. But the main one has been the challenge to do. What was it? Fifty pull ups and 100 push ups in under 10 minutes, all right. And it showed these two high ranking officials One. I guess they're both politicians, I don't know, they're both in Washington. Whatever, I mean, they're definitely political, right. I mean, if you know what I'm talking, I mean you don't get cabinet positions, like, even if you never like were elected into things, you're still a politician. That's why you are put in these different roles.
Speaker 1:You can correct me and say, oh, that's not true, so-and-so, you know, graduated with this degree and they just felt like he was the best person for transportation or whatever. Okay, that might happen, but for the most part, these people we see all the time on CNN or Fox or whatever floats your boat, are politicians, right? So that's what these two guys are. I'm not going to say their names, just so I can sort of stay out of the fray. And, by the way, I'm not a huge fan of any politicians or political group. There are a few I know personally that I really like, but I'm not attached here, so understand if this doesn't matter what side of the aisle these two guys would come from, I'd be saying the same thing.
Speaker 1:So they've been doing this pull up, push up challenge thing and their form is abysmal. I mean, it's a freaking joke. When I saw it I was like, oh my God, I mean and I've seen really bad form before by people like that are professional athletes that you think that they should be doing better. I think they should be doing better. I don't remember who it was. It was about 10 years ago. I don't want to slander his name, but hell, he's never going to hear this.
Speaker 1:So whatever, and I actually kind of like the guy as far as what I know, but it's RG3, the quarterback who is with the commanders, and then he became a broadcaster very entertaining guy, by the way, but and I think it was him I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I think it was him and God bless him for working out, you know but they were shown his pull-ups in the gym and even him like an elite athlete. I was looking at those pull-ups and going, dude, you might be saying you just did 20, but you did about three, I mean three full pull-ups. You'd have to add them all up and come up with three. Like none of them were over the bar, none of them were all the way down, and so this is a professional athlete. It doesn't mean he's going to be great at pull-ups. I get all that, but I mean this is a guy that you think and he probably would have been really good at them. And, by the way, you don't have to do 20 to be good at them. I mean, most people I know can't even do one right. So if you can do a pull-up, I mean that's a pretty good sign. If you're getting multiple digit pull-ups, if you're in the over 10 category, I promise you you're really fit, so you don't have to do 20. He probably I'm pretty sure, based on his physique and what I know if he would have slowed down, went all the way up, all the way down, he would have got 10 or more. So that would have been impressive in itself. But in the world of social media and trying to shock people, you know people have to do more and more.
Speaker 1:So, anyway, these two guys were like throwing up their pull-ups, and I mean one of them, I don't even remember which one was doing which One of them was kind of going all the way up but he was only going halfway down. Like it was like a joke. I mean, it's kind of like when I've seen people do some pull-ups here and I'll go hold on no, no, no, no, no, no. And so that's where the trainer comes out and says no, no, no. We have to learn how to do this right, because pretty much the people I've had doing pull-ups were preparing for a max fit games of sorts, like one of them. So if they didn't go all the way down it wasn't going to count and we would no rep them. It's called.
Speaker 1:So I didn't want that to happen. I didn't want that to happen to them, I didn't want it to happen to somebody I trained. I wanted to make sure my guys, gals, were prepared. So in that case again, it's not being a hard ass, it's saying hey, man, that's not going to count. So I don't care if you just do two, we're going to do them correctly. So you correct them right.
Speaker 1:So I've seen this like with my clients, but I'm like they're learning how to exercise and these guys are, like you know, trying to act like they're these fit alpha guys who do this all the time and they're trying to set this example for people. I'm like, okay, well, if you're going to do that, you better learn how to do a freaking pull up, or you better have your, like your editors or your videos go. Hey, captain, we might want to Not post this right, because that's all they're getting is, you know, hammered, and they should. They're not doing them right. So you're sending this message of just get out there and throw up some garbage pull-ups and you could be an alpha dude or a gal like us, you know, but they're not doing them right.
Speaker 1:And then the other guy was doing the opposite, like I think he was stretching his arms out all the way, but he wasn't even going halfway up. And I'm like, are you serious? And then this guy, the one that wasn't going even remotely far off the ground then got a spotter. And that was even more comical because the spotter I mean where do they find these people Like there are? You would think there are so many people in Washington or wherever that are NSCA, national Strength and Conditioning Association, certified strength and conditioning coaches that I know the military uses. If they would have just called their best at West Point or Annapolis, the Naval Academy, and said hey guys, can you send over our best to demonstrate all this? They would have had it in a heartbeat. That would have been the thing to do, because those dudes know what they're doing. But they got this guy that was spotting him. I'm like he's going to wrench his back. And he had the other guy in a bear hug. He wasn't even positioned in him right and together they couldn't get the guy's chin over the bar. I mean it was a comedy scene. But I think what's even funnier is the fact they posted this. It was a comedy scene, but I think what's even funnier is the fact they posted this.
Speaker 1:And then they get to the pushups. I mean pull-ups, I get, pull-ups are hard. I've said before I think it's one of the hardest exercise is you can ever do is a pull-up. I mean it is hard to do, one is great. So you know that's something I try to keep in my repertoire because I think they're so important. They're hard. So I often dread them, but I do them because they're hard. So I get that.
Speaker 1:But pushups, come on, guys. I don't even know what it was. Well, I know what it was. You get two egomaniac alpha males that are clearly insecure and you get them next to each other staring at each other, because that's what they were doing. They'd look at the other one and see what they're doing. It was like a race.
Speaker 1:So one of my clients who I love I know his tendency, so I was telling him. I said, hey, going into these max fit games, when you get to the pushups or really anywhere any of the three exercises we do, I said stay in your bubble, because I know him, because I know he's going to look around, he's going to see what other people are doing and maybe somebody is getting away with something that they shouldn't do, like these two clowns were. Sorry, these two guys were Getting away with something they shouldn't do and you're going to do it and then you're going to get no rep. I don't want that to happen. Stay in your bubble. So that's what they were doing. I saw them peek over. They'd race. So now they were doing what I call bro pushups, which is basically you're laying on the ground and you maybe move your chest off the floor two inches tops. That's what they were doing and they're looking at each other and they're banging out like I don't know, 10, 20 at a time and I'm like no rep, no rep, no rep, no rep, like not a single rep completed. Could they?
Speaker 1:I'm pretty sure both these guys could have done, you know, 10 pushups or maybe more, in good form. Yeah, pull-ups, I don't know. Honestly, based on what I saw, maybe one of them could have cranked out one or two pull-ups full. I've seen him do other things before. Maybe I've never seen him use good form with anything he's done, but maybe he could. The other guy that was basically being spotted and bear-hugged by somebody, I don't think he could have done a full chin-over-bar pull-up. I don't think he could have. But you know, like I said, that's hard and I'm sure he could get there. He's still young I mean, one of them is younger than me, the other one's older than me but it's like he can get there if he let his ego go away and get some coaching. You know who knows if he would or not. But push-ups, I mean they could probably do 10 or so, which is fine, all right. So basically, the message I want to leave you with is that we need to learn to do things right. Man, I am all about getting people going.
Speaker 1:My new book coming out. It's at the publisher. They named it or helped me name it and we voted on it. It's good. It's at the publisher I've already. They named it or helped me name it and we voted on it. It's good. They're doing the artwork right now.
Speaker 1:I mean, I'm I'm proud of it. I really am. Like my other two books, I'm happy I did and I'm proud of them, but this one I'm probably the most proud of and, um, I don't know, I feel like I put the most work into it and uh, I uh, excuse me, micromanaged the hell out of it, meaning that I almost didn't send it in, which means that there's some anxiety involved. So that means, hopefully, that, well, you know what I mean. I wanted to do well, but that's not the point, you know. The point is that I put out something I really believe in, but it's all about getting people moving and exercising and what the solution is. But it's all about getting people moving and exercising and what the solution is. So I want that and the solution is proper coaching and training.
Speaker 1:Like people need to learn how to do this stuff. I mean, if they're trying to push the Presidential Council of Physical Fitness, because that's been in the news a lot. Great, I would love to see it and I would love the school systems to implement it, there's no question. But we have to learn how to do things right. And, by the way, this alpha push-up pull-up thing I don't think is going to be the way to get the country healthier. I mean, what the country needs to do is they need to move, they need to go to the gym, they need to go out and walk. They don't necessarily need to be banging out pull-ups by any means. Great if you can do them, great if you like to do them. I like to do them. I did some this morning. I like them. Do we need them to be healthy? No, so what we need is people doing physical activity.
Speaker 1:So if you want to put people out there that are hopefully going to encourage people to get fit, please, by all means. If this was a I don't even know if this is a government funded thing, I have no idea Could just be these two guys being alpha males trying to, like, get a bunch of clicks on social media. I don't know, I just know it's all the rage right now. But like, if it's a government thing, great, but get the right people involved, man. You don't need to get politicians pushing the fitness thing on people. Go get fitness experts that are out there that can help you do what you're trying to get across, and you may find out that they're not going to be having people doing pull-up, push-up in 10-minute challenge, right? They're going to maybe encourage the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association's recommendation of 150 minutes of cardio per week, or maybe the 9,000 steps recommendation with two days of strength training, something like that.
Speaker 1:That's very doable for the greatest amount of people, because I do believe that what is good for the bee is good for the hive and what's good for the hive is good for the bee. I absolutely believe we are going to be a healthier country if everybody did it 100%. I agree on that. We have to get people off the couch and into exercise routines, and doing these little circus acts, these little dog and pony acts, aren't the way to do it. So we got to be better.
Speaker 1:I hope you loved my little rant here. Well, if you don't, you don't, but I'm still going to do it anyway. All right, because that's what's most important. We got to talk about what we're passionate about. Like I said, I don't get involved in political things online, Like there's just no point. I mean, next year, it's a forgotten story. Next administration, it's a forgotten story. You know, that's how I view it. I mean, do I get involved where I can? When I can, I vote and I do the best I can to be a good person. Other than that, I don't get involved. When it comes to fitness, I'm going to get involved. All right, don't care what side of the aisle you're on, I'm going to get involved. When it comes to fitness, it's life and death. It's very important to me and I want everybody to understand that. We can all do it. We can all get better, and the way to get better is through proper role models and finding a way to motivate ourselves.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to today's program. I ask you to please follow the show wherever you get your podcasts and please select automatic download, because that really helps the show. Now I want to thank Overhead Door of Daytona Beach, the area's premier garage door company. They have the best product. They have the best service. I personally vouch for Jeff and Zach Hawk, the owners. They are great people with a great company. If you have any garage door needs, please give them a shout at 386-222-3165.
