Written by Shin Ohtake on Wednesday, September 02, 2009 • 25 Comments
So the question still remains… were we born to run or walk? According to Bramble and Leibermann, we are and they did have some compelling anatomical evidence that suggests so. Although I find the evidence extremely interesting and intriguing, I’m not completely sold on the idea (at least not yet anyway). It’s hard to imagine that we ran everywhere we went. I feel that more evidence is needed before any conclusive statements can be made. But, asking this question brought up another interesting and often debated question amongst runners: Are we naturally forefoot/mid-foot runners, or is heel striking the way to go? As you read in Where We Born To Run, Not Walk (Part 1) of this article, I’m a strong advocate of forefoot or mid-foot running, either barefoot or with very little cushioning. And, since so many of you commented on the last article wanting to know exactly how to forefoot run, I’ll get straight to the video demonstration before I continue on with the rest of this article:
How To Make The Transition From Heel-Striker To Forefoot Runner:
Written by Shin Ohtake on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 • 51 Comments
Edward Muybridge’s 1887 motion study of an athlete running (Eadweard Muybridge/Bettmann Corbis)
To run or to walk? Which is the preferred method of travel? Most of us would probably pick walking. It’s low impact, easier, and although it takes longer, most of us can walk for much longer distances before we run out of gas. But what if I told you that our bodies are designed to run, not walk? According to a study done by University of Utah biologist Dennis Bramble and Harvard University anthropologist Daniel Lieberman, we evolved from more ape-like human ancestors that survived due their ability to run longer distances for hunting animals and scavenging carcasses—and it’s what shaped our anatomy. This theory goes against the popular long standing theory of bipedalism, which states that we evolved to walk first and that running was just a simple byproduct. Dennis Bramble and Daniel Lieberman state that some of the most compelling evidence comes from our own anatomy.
Written by Shin Ohtake on Monday, August 10, 2009 • 16 Comments
One of the most misunderstood exercises (other than the squat) has got to be the deadlift. Maybe it’s the name. Anything with the word “dead” in it can’t be a good thing—especially when it comes to exercises, right? I remember back when I just started high school, in one of my first PE class, we had to run this cross country course. But this wasn’t just a regular run-of-the-mill cross country run. No siree. A few days prior to the run, we had heard several horror stories and in particular about the dreaded “Dead Man’s Hill”, which was to come at the end of the run. We were told about how the hill got it’s name—apparently a star athlete with immense talent and speed tried to run up the hill, ignoring warnings from his coaches and teammates to take the hill slowly and cautiously because of it’s shear steepness. As the story goes, the boy never made it to the top. His body was found three quarters of the way up the hill, he apparently passed out and died from exhaustion. Now, at the age of thirteen, I really didn’t know what to think or believe. As I got ready to run what may be the last run I’ll ever do, the thought of Dead Man’s Hill weighed heavily on my mind…
Written by Shin Ohtake on Monday, July 13, 2009 • 23 Comments
Vacations, get-togethers, cookouts, and carting the kids around…with summer in full swing, you’re probably busier than ever. I know I am! But there’s no reason you can’t work in a quick, killer workout no matter your schedule or whereabouts. So today, I’ve gotta another no-excuses workout you can squeeze in anytime, anywhere. Plus, this one will get you out of the gym for a day so you can soak up the sun and enjoy the outdoors while getting your sweat on. All you need is one kettlebell ( a dumbbell will work just fine if you don’t have a kettlebell) to get your heart pumping with this full-body beach workout. Not to worry…the beach isn’t a requirement, but it sure is fun! Check it out…
Written by Shin Ohtake on Monday, July 06, 2009 • 23 Comments
As you may already know (or experienced), shoulder instability is a common issue that can lead to serious injury later on. From years of bad posture to overuse through sports or other repetitive activities, there are many reasons you might lose flexibility in your shoulders. The good news is that you can reverse these problems or even prevent them altogether.
Written by Shin Ohtake on Monday, June 29, 2009 • 28 Comments
If there’s one major mistake I see people making at the gym that’s costing them their results it’s this: Most people (especially men, but women aren’t exempt from this either!) tend to load up on the weights, but don’t move through the exercises’ full range of motion. Sure, you might feel stronger by packing on a few more plates, but if you’re stopping a few inches shy of completing each move, you’re cheating your muscles—and that’s going to cost you better results.
Written by Shin Ohtake on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 • 35 Comments
With summer officially here, I thought it would be a great idea to give you an outdoor workout so you can get your heart pumping, muscle burning, and sweat pouring to burn that last bit of excess fat off… just in time to bare it all and get your tan on.
Written by Shin Ohtake on Tuesday, June 09, 2009 • 32 Comments
If you have access to a fully equipped gym, it’s makes it a lot easier to change up your workouts and keep things fresh, but it shouldn’t make or break whether you can achieve your fitness goals or not! Getting in great shape can be done anywhere and with anything. Just a little creativity and a little know how, and you can create a workout that will rev up your metabolism to burn the fat and get you lean.
Written by Shin Ohtake on Tuesday, June 02, 2009 • 8 Comments
With summer just around the corner I’m getting a lot of questions about working out outside. And since the easiest and the most popular outdoor workout is running, I thought it would be a good idea to show you some simple but effective warm up drills you can do to warm up your legs and get your heart rate up before you go for a run.
Written by Shin Ohtake on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 • 12 Comments
It’s no secret that the biggest fat burning muscles in your body are your legs. They are the largest muscles in your body and therefore require the most amount of energy when used. Since your legs are the primary muscles that drive your heart rate up, the more you use them the harder your heart pumps. And the harder your heart works, the more calories you burn and the fitter you get. So if you want to keep up your fitness and fat burning progress, you’d better take care of your legs—especially your knees.
Written by Shin Ohtake on Monday, May 11, 2009 • 20 Comments
Warming up is one of those things that is either completely overlooked or done wrong. The biggest mistake people still make today (even though every trainer, health magazine, and fitness books tell you not to do) is static stretching.
Written by Shin Ohtake on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 • 10 Comments
One of the best ways to get your mid-section looking beach ready is by doing high intensity workouts using full body exercises. But no matter how much you exert yourself working out, there’s always that urge to finish the work out off by doing a little somethin’ extra on your abs…right? It’s the part of you that doesn’t want to leave any stones unturned. And who can blame you? So I decided to write a little about our beloved abs and show you one very effective ab exercise you can do at home to help satisfy your ab cravings. You may be quite surprised at what ab exercise I chose. Watch and find out…
Written by Shin Ohtake on Sunday, March 08, 2009 • 22 Comments
“What workouts can I do when I’m away on a trip and I don’t have access to a gym?” This is a question that I get asked often. So I thought I’d share a few tips, exercises and workouts that I like to do when I’m away… I guarantee these will boost your heart rate up, get your muscles pumping and sweat pouring… and no it’s not Tae Bo.
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