Personal Trainer Newsletters

Vol. 12 Newsletter - January 2003
by Mandy Sosnowski
http://www.healthfxamerica.com

In this issue:

* Pre-Exhaustion
* Featured HealthMax Pro Exercise - Squats
* Featured Recipe

***Pre-Exhaustion***

Welcome to 2003!  How did you do through the holidays?  If you made through unscathed… Great!  Keep
up the good work!  If you didn't,… don't worry!  Everyone gets a new start in the New Year.  Make the
decision right now that you are going to make a change in your life for the better by starting a consistent
exercise program.  Start small, but be consistent and diligent about it.

Pre-exhaustion is a technique that can be used to make your strength training workouts a bit harder.  It
involves doing two exercises in a row that work similar muscles groups.  You exhaust one muscle group in
the first exercise; this is the pre-exhaust.  Then you work that same muscle group plus an additional
muscle group in a second exercise.  This technique allows you to dig deeper into muscle groups that are
very strong and sometimes hard to work out effectively, especially at home.

When you are using the pre-exhaust technique, you generally start with a single joint, simple exercise that
works one of the big muscle groups.  For example, the chest fly works the only the pecs by rotating
around the shoulder joint.  The chest fly would be a perfect pre-exhaust exercise for the chest.  The
second exercise would be the chest press.  You have already fatigued your pecs with the fly, and then
you go directly to the chest press to work them even more with the help of your triceps.  You have now
worked your chest harder and also worked your triceps harder.

Other common pairs of exercises using the pre-exhaust technique would be a lateral raise-type exercise
isolating the deltoids and a shoulder press, military press or overhead press-type exercise.  Another
common pair would be leg extensions and squats.  You would be fatiguing the quads with the leg
extension first.  The quads are the primary mover in the squat exercise, so if you fatigue them first, you
can dig deeper into the hamstrings and the gluts with the squat.

Have fun and have a great workout!



***Featured HealthMax Pro Exercise***
Squats

The muscles being used in this exercise are the hamstrings (back of upper leg), quads (front of upper
leg), and gluts (butt).  The quads are doing most of the work, but if you concentrate on allowing the hams
and the gluts to do more, they will.  You can also try the pre-exhaust technique outlined above.

To prepare the machine for this exercise remove the bench from the machine and choose any of the four
positions of the inner handles on the Y bar.  Adjust the bottom cylinder to 1 and adjust the top cylinder to
desired intensity level.

Begin the exercise standing facing the HEALTHMAX PRO pad with your feet on the foot plates.  Your
hands should be gripping the handles on the Y bar at shoulder level with your palms facing forward.

To complete this exercise, begin by pushing your butt back at an angle behind you, as if you were going
to sit in a chair, as far as possible, pulling the handles down with you as your hands stay at shoulder
level.  Then return to the starting position.  Your torso will angle forward as you are pushing your butt
backwards.  In other words, your chest will drop down towards your legs.  Be sure to keep your back flat
like a table and your abs tight.  It is important to try not to let your knee bend to the point where your knee
is past your foot.  You want to try to keep your knee directly above your ankle.   To do this you really
need to push your butt back and lean forward.

You can also experiment with where the pressure in your foot is coming from.  If you focus on pushing with
the toes, you will be putting more emphasis on the quads.  You if focus your pressure though the heel,
you will be putting more emphasis on the gluts.

Exercise Quick-Reminders

Remember to work your muscles in pairs.  Our bodies have a front and a back and we need to make sure
we work both sides to help prevent muscle imbalance which can lead to pain and injuries.  If you work you
biceps, make sure to work your triceps.  If you work your quads, make sure to work your hams.  You get
the idea!

***Featured Recipe***
Chinese Fried Rice
(This is MUCH healthier when made at home!)


1 cup chopped ham, chicken, or pork
2 cups uncooked rice (real rice) or 4 cups uncooked instant rice
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup onion
1 cup celery
½ cup bamboo shoots
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoon garlic salt or garlic powder (add more to taste after)
1 egg
1 green onion
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
4 teaspoons soy sauce (add more to taste after)
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Cook rice according to package directions.  Chop meat and vegetables into small pieces.

Place vegetable oil into hot wok.  Add garlic salt and ½ of the onion and all of the meat and cook until
almost done.

Add the rest of the vegetables and sesame seeds and cook for 2 to 5 minutes or until all the vegetables
are tender and crisp.

Add rice.  Add oyster sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil.

Beat egg and fry in a little hot oil and remove to a plate.  Roll and chop.

Chop green onion.  Add green onion and egg.

Mix and serve.  Add soy sauce or garlic powder/salt to taste

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