Volume 39, Number 15
Sports
Strong and Supple is a Snap
A new approach to working out
by Jeffrey Libengood
The Olympics and the excitement of athletics and sports on the world stage spawn a variety of emotions. For some, it’s the enjoyment of seeing the spirit of competition—the athletes performing at their best. For others, it sparks thoughts of the shape you were once in and how it’s time to get in better shape after letting yourself go for too long.
For many, the attempt is short lived and often ends in throwing in the towel. Getting in shape typically conjures up the same old thoughts of struggling with diet while joining a gym and hammering out sweaty exercises like bench presses, arm curls, and stomach crunches. Listen, we all know what to do to improve; exercise and eat right. But why aren’t we all doing it? That answer is simple. Programs are inefficient, too long, and not fun! A workout shouldn’t take an hour! Thirty minutes of weight training is plenty! Of course, the last reason for failure is that some people are just plain ole lazy.
‘Diet’ produces thoughts of failure—low calories, hunger pangs, bland foods, struggle, etc. Results simply don’t seem equal to effort. I’ll pose this question—if you have attempted getting in shape numerous times before only to quit a few weeks later for whatever reason, what makes you think this time will be any different? Unless you choose to do it ‘right from the start’, you will quit again. Humans are creatures of habit. If you only do what you’ve done before, you’ll only get what you got before. Any physical action is first a mental thought. Our thoughts change according to our emotions. If you’re ‘struggling’ with your new ‘resolve’ because it’s not fun or gets no results, your emotions will wane and before you know it, any excuse is all that’s necessary to make you quit…again. A mental commitment is required for a change. The body always follows what the mind tells it to. No exceptions.
A new approach
I’ll introduce you to a training style that will change your life. No more gym memberships, no more excuses. It will change your outlook on training; allow far more ‘functionality’, creativity, freedom (in movement and location), durability, portability, and costs about the same as a one-month gym membership. It’s ‘Functional FlexBand Training’. No, not the little tubing with a handle.
Athletic movement has taught us a lot about function. Function can simply mean ‘how you move’. Injuries have also taught us how the body ‘reprograms’ itself to function when proper and certain levels of function are removed. The body compensates to create movement by always running away from pain or weakness and towards the position of compensation or strength. That is why you will get knee pain with a poorly functioning low back or vice versa. This functioning also applies to being a mom or a businessman. After all, function is merely movement! Quality results come from combining proper functional training with consuming quality calories—at the right time.
Characteristics of function include:
Multi-planar: Real-life movement occurs in ‘planes’, front/back, side/side, rotation, or combinations thereof. Certain movements accent certain planes, like standing on one leg (stair climbing and walking) accents the frontal (side/side) plane. Functional training exercises in all planes, unlike the standard gym programs, which are only front to back.
Multi-joint: Beaver’s axiom states that, ‘The body only recognizes movements’. Life’s movements, such as picking up your child, swinging a bat, or sweeping a floor involve numerous joints moving simultaneously. Machine training isolates movement without proper core or joint stabilization…a big no-no for functionality!
Flexband
A FlexBand is fantastic for training or stretching. They are light, highly resilient, portable, and provide amazing workouts in minimum time, and with unlimited creativity options. All of my personal training clients will attest to this.
FlexBand’s elastic properties speed up gravity and provide ‘accommodating resistance’ by increasing elastic tension as the band is lengthened and simultaneously reducing tension while speeding up gravity as its returned to original length. With bands one can also train slow or fast. FlexBands are easier and more efficient on joints than barbells or dumbbells making them more recommended for people over 40 or those with joint pain.
Another major difference between FlexBands and weights is that weights are gravity resistant, meaning they basically provide resistance going only up and down. FlexBands provide resistance in any direction. Stepping further from the anchor point allows increasing resistance and closer to it lessening tension. No more heavy equipment. Just light portable bands that fit in your gym bag or suitcase. They range in resistance from 1–100 kilos, depending on the band! You can train any body part or movement, in any plane, at any speed, with accommodating resistance at any location with maximal functional parameters! And, a complete training program takes only 15-minutes! These FlexBands are unique due to their flat band construction. They’re non-slip. They’re durable and have a 600 percent elasticity rating (they will stretch up to six feet for every one foot of band!). Most exercises you will do are in the 200–300 percent range. You can also ‘link’ FlexBands to allow multiple users simultaneously. FlexBands are also great for kids exercise and athletic preparation.
So if you are looking for an extremely functional, cost effective, portable, versatile, fun, challenging, and very effective training method, FlexBands are your answer. Only 15 minutes a day will produce great results. So get up off the couch. Be a participant in life!
If you are interested in getting started on a fitness regime, would like to try out Jeff’s FlexBand Boot Camp, or need a set of bands, contact Jeff on 090-3903- 390, thefitnessdoctor@gmail.com, or see www.jeffsfitness.com.