Pull-ups & YOU!

By Katherine MacPherson BS, ACSM HFS & UVAC Personal Trainer

 I am going to share with you the ultimate step-by-step way to build up to a pull up.  The variations below will help improve your pull-up technique and make you stronger.

Each variation is ordered step-by-step to best help you gain the technique and strength to earn up to a pull up.  These exercises can be harder for some, but once the exercise gets to be too easy, it may be time to move on to the next variation. 

Variation One: Inverted Row

·         Your hands should be shoulder width apart. 

·         Angle your body slightly under the bar.

·         You should keep your core tight and shoulders back (don’t shrug!)  Grab the bar and pull your chest toward it.  Your body will remain in a straight position as you meet the bar with your chest.

*Practice this:  3 sets of 12/ 2 times a week

Variation Two: TRX Suspension Trainer Pull-Up

·         Put your TRX Training straps into “over short”

·         Place your legs slightly under the straps. 

·         Pull your body up toward the handles.  When you’re up your hands should be close to your Deltoid muscles or collar bones.

*Practice this:  3 sets of 12/ 2 times a week

Variation Three: Resistant Band Neutral Grip Pull Up

·         Place a box 1 to 2 feet away from the pull up bar.  At UVAC, there are 4 different bands to choose from.  The thicker the band, the more body weight that will be subtracted from your pull.   Safely loop your band in the center of the pull-up bar. (Keep in mind you may need a personal trainer to assist you.) 

·         Put one foot on the bottom of the band, keep one hand safely on the pull-up bar for support.

·         Push your foot flat down onto the box and put your free foot over the one in the band. 

·         Place your hands inside the V of the bar. Now, you are ready to try your first natural grip pull up!

·         Grip hard on the bar, and pull yourself upward.  Your hands should be near your deltoids.  Lower yourself leaving your arm nearly fully extended. Repeat!

*Practice this 2 X a week.  Do 3 sets of 3 to set, once this gets easier, move to 4 sets of 5.

Variation Four:  Lighter band or no band.

·         This variation takes time to earn up to this point.  But once the resistant band you first started with gets too easy, it’s time to change into a lighter band.  This will allow you to pull more of your body weight. 

·         Once here, it’ll be time to try a few repetitions without a band, and into either an actual pull up or chin up.

Good Luck!  If you would like to consult with a Personal Trainer about meeting to begin training, or if you have any questions please feel free to contact us at 802-296-2850 X 104

ALERT -Turtle Crossing at UVAC in April- June

by Zooey Zullo, UVAC Customer Service Manager

Several days last week, there were car jams on the UVAC “driveway”, while members watched and assisted huge turtles cross the road. Where are they going? How old are they? Were among the many questions peppering the air.

These are snapping turtles, most likely females or girl-turtles, migrating to nest sites. Female turtles have been known to travel up to two miles for their preferred nest site.  Males, or boy turtles, rarely travel.

Snapping turtles like most reptiles never stop growing. So very large turtles are also very old turtles. By measuring the carapace length (scientific name for the top of the turtle shell), you can estimate the age of the turtle. A hatchling is about the size of a quarter or about 1 inch long: a 10-year-old individual measures about 7 inches  and a 25-year-old individual about 11 inches. The turtles  at UVAC that I have seen are most likely 50 years and older based on the size of their carapaces. Some snappers can live to at least 7 decades or seventy years! The heaviest wild snapping turtle on record is 75 pounds.

So if you see a turtle crossing our driveway, please be mindful of “her”.

Stay tuned for another blog on how to tell if the turtle is a girl or a boy. If you have questions, please send them to our facebook page or you can email Zooey Zullo. We’ll try to answer them as best we can. 

Stretching and Warm ups - 10 Facts

Stretching and Warm Ups - 10 Facts to Know

By Angela K. Morgan  BS Health Science, ACSM CPT & UVAC Personal Trainer

Are stretching and warm ups the same thing? Should I participate in either before starting my work out? Are they a waste of time? Many people have asked the questions above and I would like to bring forth an article I recently read in the ACSM Health & Fitness Journal written by James A. Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM, to answer these questions and many more.

1. Stretching and warming up are not the same. Warming up allows your body to prep for the activity that will follow. Taking a few minutes for a low intensity full body exercise is classified as a warm up. You should warm up before stretching, because stretching cold muscles can lead to injury.

2. Studies show mixed results in the benefits of stretching. Studies have shown minimal to helpful benefits. Helpful benefits have been increased range of motion in your joints, improved muscular coordinate, along with increased blood circulation.

3. Stretch the muscles that will be used in exercise. When you stretch, you should focus on major muscles groups such as Quads & Hamstrings (i.e. Legs) if you are going for a jog.

4. Stretch in a smooth motion. If you bounce during your stretch, you are working against yourself. Allow a smooth motion to fully stretch your muscles, and stress (such as bouncing) can lead to tears in your muscle. Tears within the muscle can cause scar tissue as the muscle heals and causes your muscle to tighten more.

5. Avoid pain while stretching. Pain is your body's signal that you have stretched to far. It may take time to differentiate the difference between discomfort and pain. Be aware that you may have some soreness the day after stretching.

6. Be aware of current muscle strains. In some cases you may need to avoid stretching a strained muscle in order to not cause additional damage. Stretching should also be abstained from if a joint is inflamed/injured/infected.

7. Four basic types of stretching. Ballistic - involves bouncing and is not recommended. Dynamic - is used in addition to a warm up routine, you are stretching while moving. I like to incorporate dynamic stretches during my classes or training sessions. Static and Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) are widely used and increase range of motion. PNF is commonly used in a clinical setting because you contract your muscle for a period of time and then need assistance to stretch it.

8. High levels of flexibility can be too much of a good thing. A few studies have shown people with  high flexibility may be at a higher risk of injury. This being said, you can be very flexible and have joints that are structurally fine. It varies person to person, so approach stretching cautiously if you have not had it in your program before.

9. Age affects flexibility? Older adults inflexibility is mostly do to muscles not being used as often. This affects posture, coordination, and increases risk of injury (i.e. falls).

10.  ACSM Recommendations. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends flexibility training 2-3 days a week. Hold your stretch for 10 to 30 seconds at a point of mild discomfort and repeat this 3-4 times per stretch. For the PNF stretches, each repetition should involve 6 second contraction of the muscle, followed by a 10-30 second assisted stretch.

Miriam Leach Sheds 100 Pounds at Upper Valley Aquatic Center

My name is Miriam Leach, and I am 68 years old. I retired in December, 2011 and set myself some goals that I wanted to reach during my retirement. These goals were to fulfill my dream of learning to swim, to develop a healthier and more active lifestyle and to gain control of my lifelong struggle with weight. I would like to tell you about my journey to meet these goals.

I have been struggling with weight issues ever since I was fourteen and tried numerous medically supervised diets but nothing really worked. I had bariatric surgery in the 1970’s and had some weight loss but not as much as was needed. I managed to go from a size 24 dress to a size 20 but finally gave up on any additional weight loss until after retirement and the start of my fitness regime coupled with healthier eating. I am happy to say that now I have lost over 100 pounds in total, with 60 pounds being lost since December, 2011. I can now wear a size 12 dress and can purchase new clothes in a regular store and not the “fat lady” stores I used to have to use.

Early in 2012, I contacted the Upper Valley Aquatic Center to discuss the possibility of taking swimming lessons. After discussing my wishes with Ann Greenwald, I signed up for my first group of lessons; prior to the first lesson I purchased the needed equipment and became a member of the center. Lessons started in February, 2012. Fortunately I did not have a fear of the water and had no problems putting my face underwater but needed to get used to the way the water felt. Things went very slowly but Ann never lost her patience and if I couldn’t do one thing we tried moved on to another. 

Soon, I was going to the center twice a week so I could practice and get more comfortable in the water prior to my lesson. Lessons continued, but took a little hiatus while a broken bone in my elbow healed and then again for surgery. Early in 2013 I contacted Ann about more lessons and she readily agreed to help me reach my goal. It took some time to get enough confidence to be able to eliminate all floatation devices but was very happy when I was able to get half way across the leisure pool!  As I was having problems turning my head to breathe got a snorkel and Ann instructed me on the proper use – took to that like a duck to water! Soon I was “swimming” about three-fourths the length of the pool.

Thursday, March 14, 2013 is a day I will always remember as this is the day I actually went the length of the pool, As I was able to do 50 meters without stopping. The lifeguard told me I was no longer learning to swim, but swimming! After a short rest, I did two more 50-meter distances and left very happy. Now, I will work on going longer distances and more on form but am so pleased that a lifelong goal was reached. This would not have been possible without the expert instruction of Ann and the support and encouragement I was given by all the lifeguards – they are awesome and have provided invaluable assistance to me by answering questions, making suggestions and urging me on. Other users of the pool have also watched my progress and tell me how pleased they are with how I am doing.

After spending time in the pool last year, I decided it was a good time to work on my other goals post retirement. I started walking more, and gradually was able to walk for a mile without stopping; this was a big accomplishment for me as prior to this I was only able to walk a very short distance before getting tired and out of breath. Now I am walking at least three miles a day and stop only for a water break.

I hope my journey to reach my retirement goals might inspire others to reach for some goal they have wanted to accomplish. With patient guidance, support of others and a willingness to challenge yourself what might seem like an impossible goal can be reached. No one should ever say they are too old to learn – if you set yourself some intermediate goals to get where you want to be and keep telling yourself that you can do it, nothing is impossible!