Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

stretching

The Spring Cleaning Workout

After a long and cold winter, spring is finally here! It’s time to hang up those winter jackets in the back of the closet and break out the shorts and tank tops. With spring in full bloom, that means summer is fast approaching. You might want to spend some extra time cleaning out that closet and vacuuming when you realize just how many calories you can burn with spring cleaning!

New research shows that spring cleaning can burn over 3,500 calories when you clean for a total of approximately 16 hours. A 150 pound person can burn about 170 calories per hour doing light cleaning, such as dusting shelves or folding laundry. More vigorous cleaning activities, like scrubbing the floors, can burn up to 190 calories per hour. Cleaning can turn into a full body workout! Just by carrying loads of laundry up and down the stairs you are putting both your arms and legs to work.

 

Vacuuming (1 hour) 238 calories
Dusting (2 hours) 340 calories
Walking up/down stairs (20 min) 181 calories
Scrubbing the floor (1 hour) 258 calories
Cleaning/repacking cabinets (4 hours) 952 calories
Turning mattress/making bed (1 hour) 136 calories
Moving furniture (2 hours) 476 calories
Cleaning windows (3 hours) 612 calories
Cleaning doors (1 hour) 204 calories
Cleaning the bathroom (1 hour) 258 calories
TOTAL: 3,655 calories

 

Just like everything else.. the harder you work, the more calories you will burn. Ultimately, the number of calories each person burns during housecleaning will vary by individual. The intensity, duration of the activity, and weight of the person will play a factor in the exact amount of calories burned. If you haven’t done your spring cleaning yet, keep track of how long you do each activity over the course of a few days and see just how many calories you burn!

 

By Brandon Ayala

Taking Your Workouts Outside

Sick of exercising in doors? Well I have some good news for you, Spring has finally arrived! This means we can say goodbye to those days consisting of below-freezing temperatures and hello to some fun in the sun. There is a great week of weather ahead- are you itching it get outside to workout? And not just because of allergies… 

Although you may not realize, many activities we do outdoors can actually have a high caloric expenditure, possibly just as much as 30 minutes on your favorite inside cardio equipment.  Exercising outdoors is a great way to break the monotony, have some fun, and get a great workout.  Below is a list of many different ideas for some physical activity in the sun:

  • Going for a bike ride
  • Taking a jog
  • Brisk walking
  • Walking your dog
  • Rollerblading
  • Beach Volleyball – an hour can burn up to 200 calories
  • Tennis – 30 minutes can burn up to 200 calories
  • Golf (carrying clubs and walking to each hole) – an hour can burn anywhere from 300-500 calories
  • Pick-up Basketball game – up to 500 calories an hour

Try to get the whole family involved so you don’t have to exercise alone!  Not only will the family help motivate you to consistently stay active, but this is an ideal bonding experience and a great escape from our phones and other electronic devices.

If you’re searching for somewhere to bring the family on a weekend afternoon, some great places local to Peak Performance include the Long Beach Boardwalk and Hendrickson Park in Valley Stream!

 

By Anthony Locast

Muscle Madness: Quadriceps

The Exercise Physiologists at Peak Performance know all the muscles in the body, but which ones are our favorite?! Every week we will feature a different muscle- so you guys get an anatomy lesson and learn how to work that muscle!

David, what’s your favorite muscle?

The Quadriceps are actually a group of 4 muscles (vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, and rectus femoris) also known as the “quads.” The quads are my favorite because they play a huge role in athletic performance.

Where are these muscles located?

The quadriceps are located on the front of your upper leg. They begin near your hips down and run down to just below your knee.

What does this muscle do?

The quads main function is to extend (straighten) the lower leg. For example, when kicking a soccer ball, standing up from a squat, or jumping.

What’s a good exercise to strengthen the quadriceps?

Single leg exercises for the quads are straight leg raises, lunges, and split squats. Squats, leg press, and vertical jumps are great double leg exercises for the quads.

Muscle Madness: Rectus Abdominis

The Exercise Physiologists at Peak Performance know all the muscles in the body, but which ones are our favorite?! Every week we will feature a different muscle- so you guys get an anatomy lesson and learn how to work that muscle!

Brandon, what’s your favorite muscle?

The Rectus Abdominis, better known to most as “the abs.” However, this is only one of many abdominal muscles. 

Where is it located?

This muscle runs along the front of the abdomen starting  down at the pubic symphysis and connecting up to the breastbone and cartilage of the ribs.

What does this muscle do?

The rectus abdominis is responsible for flexion of the lumbar spine. It also tilts the pelvis forward improving the mechanical positioning of the postural muscles to help take the daily stress off the lower back.  If the abdominal muscles are weak, it can create high stress on the postural and other lower back muscles. This may cause difficulties or inefficiencies with squats, deadlifts and standing shoulder presses.  It is important to train the abdominal wall for all athletes, as well as, the general population.

What’s a good exercise for the rectus abdominis?

My favorite corrective exercise is the Swiss ball crunch. Make sure that the ball is properly inflated in order to maintain its curvature under the lower back.  If the ball flattens during the crunch, the lumbar spine will flex to a point that the rectus abdominis loses its mechanical advantage. When the ball is firm enough, the lumbar spine remains curved in its neutral arc. Begin seated on the Swiss ball and engage your core. While maintaining a neutral spine, lift your torso up keeping the chest up to the ceiling. Slowly come back down one vertebrae at a time!

 

Off-Season Weight Training for Athletes

Resistance training is a major component for progression in athletic performance. Although the best way to improve performance would be to practice the skills specific to that sport, resistance training allows athletes to target certain muscles/muscles groups. Strength training off the playing field will help them become stronger for their sport.

Off-season resistance training is a great way to get ahead of the competition without interfering with in-season practice schedules. In addition, due to its length, the off-season allows for longer periods of training for progressing specific resistance exercises. A traditional offseason resistance training program for the majority of athletes should be split in to 3 phases; Hypertrophy, Strength, and Power.

Hypertrophy Phase
Hypertrophy means muscle growth (increases in size of muscle fibers). Increased muscle size translates to muscles that are more efficiently capable of becoming stronger muscles. This type of training is characterized by high volume workouts; high sets and repetitions, low to moderate weights, and smaller rest times.

Strength Phase
Strength is the ability to move the most possible weight. Utilizing the increased muscle size from the hypertrophy phase, athletes should be safely attempting heavy lifts in order to increase overall strength. The strength phase is characterized by lower repetitions, increased weights and rest times.

Power Phase
Power is defined as ones ability to perform an exercise over a specific unit of time. Power exercises are characterized as explosive, sport-specific movements that involve strength and speed (Olympic lifts, box jumps, sled push/pulls etc.) Utilizing strength gains from the previous phase, athletes should be able to move heavier weights more quickly and explosively. Workouts should be sport specific and focus on the speed and efficiency of heavy lifting. The power phase is characterized by lower repetitions, moderate to heavy weights, and moderate rest times.

Following the final phase of the off-season, athletes should decrease their time in the weight room in order to recover and make time for pre-season practice in their respective sports. A well planned training program can keep an athlete in shape during the long off-season and give them the boost they need to be a step ahead of the competition!

 

By David McCalla

Muscle Madness: Piriformis

The Exercise Physiologists at Peak Performance know all the muscles in the body, but which ones are our favorite?! Every week we will feature a different muscle- so you guys get an anatomy lesson and learn how to work that muscle!

Corynne, what’s your favorite muscle?

My favorite is the piriformis. I find that most people don’t know about this muscle and don’t realize how important it is to stretch this muscle, especially if they have sciatic issues.

Where is it located?

The piriformis is located in the hip area. It is deep- below the gluteus maximus. It starts at he base of the spine and connects to the femur.

What does this muscle do?

The Piriformis assists with lateral rotation (turning out) and abduction (lifting away from the body) of the thigh.

What’s a good exercise for the piriformis?

In many people, this muscle is very tight. It may be more beneficial to work on stretching it rather than focusing on strengthening. A good stretch for this muscle is called a figure four position. Lay on your back with your knees bent and feet flat. Take one leg and cross your ankle over the opposite thigh then reach behind that thigh and hug it in towards your chest- keep your neck relaxed!

Warming Up for Recreational Sports

March Madness is here and spring is right around the corner! Baseball has started Spring Training and the weather is starting to get nicer as the days get longer. For all of the avid basketball fans and recreational players, it’s exciting to watch the college basketball season come to a close. Many of us don’t do as much physical activities in the winter as we do when the weather starts to get warmer. We all can reminisce on the “good old days” when we were able to just go for a run or play a sport without warming up. However, the more time you’ve spent away from an activity should mean more time that you spend on a quality warm up and cool down. This is important to help prevent injuries and ensure you’re feeling great for the next days.

Taking 5-10 minutes to go through some light stretching and dynamic movements is important for your well-being. Here’s an example of a simple warm up you can do before most physical activities:

1) Light Jogging ~3-5 minutes

2) Walking Quad stretch (kick your heels up to your butt while stepping forward)

3) Frankenstein’s (lightly kicking leg straight in front while walking forward)

4) Lunge with Reach (step forward with one leg then bend both knees to 90 degrees and lift arms to the sky)

5) Side Lunges (with toes facing forward, step sideways bending one leg while keeping the other straight then step to the other side)

There are many different warm ups and ways to make it more for your activity. Your Exercise Physiologist can develop a specific program for you. Remember the goal of a warm up is to get your body ready for the activities it will soon be doing. Increasing your heart rate and increasing blood flow to skeletal muscles will decrease your chance for injuries during sports. Most importantly, have fun out there and be safe!

 

Corynne Pereira

Muscle Madness: Gluteus Medius

The Exercise Physiologists at Peak Performance know all the muscles in the body, but which ones are our favorite?! Every week we will feature a different muscle- so you guys get an anatomy lesson and learn how to work that muscle. It’s Muscle Madness!

Matt, what’s your favorite muscle?

My favorite muscle is the gluteus medius, or glute med for short.

Where is it?

The glute med sits underneath the gluteus maximus, and starts on the rear of the ilium (round part of your hip) and ends on the outside of the femur.

What does this muscle do?

This small muscle helps to abduct the leg from the hip, and acts as a stabilizer during squat movements. The glute med also acts to stabilize the body while on one leg, particularly in day to day activities like walking, running, and balancing. A weak gluteus medius can result in catastrophe for your gait and balance!

What’s a good exercise to strengthen my gluteus medius?

A great hip training exercise is a single leg stand or balance. I like to throw in a twist for my clients to make it more challenging. For this exercise, keep a main portion of your weight on the outer foot of the outside leg, and don’t let the band pull you over!