Training terms you SHOULD know

Nociception

Mechanoreception

Hormone Cascade

Grease the Groove (GTG)

These terms, which may be unfamiliar to you, profoundly effect the rate of improvement and health in the body, systemically. They are HUGELY underestimated, if considered at all in current popular programs/workouts. Let's take a look at how and why each impacts your bottom line of living a more energetic and fulfilled life.

Nociception

"Nociception (pronounced "no see sept shun") refers to a noxious, or uncomfortable, interpretation of a stimulus. This can be anything from tickling to a needle prick- anything that is going to cause your brain to interpret discomfort. Because it is an interpretation, it is individual. Some are not bothered by tickling, some have a higher pain threshold than others. Do not mistake nociception as a blanket term for pain, though. It is anything that makes you personally uncomfortable.

Mechanoreception

This term is often misinterpreted as proprioception. Like nociception, mechanoreceptors interpret stimuli. "Mechano" means movement, and so paired with "reception," this means movement receptor. Mechanorecptors are nerve endings throughout the body that feed information regarding your movement to the brain. It should be noted that there is potential for higher mechanoreceptor concentration in the joints because of their obvious value to your movement map (proprioception).

What do Nociception & Mechnoreceptors have to do with your training, movement and well being? There is an inverse relationship between the two. Meaning, the more nociception you interpret, the less mechnoreceptors you will have. Think about this in terms of arthritis, inflammation of the joints. Arthritis is interpreted as pain with joint movement. This sends the signal to the brain to not move the joints, because it hurts and is uncomfortable. As the joints move less and less, there is less need for mechanoreception, or movement interpretation from the joints (the "don't use it, you lose it" principle). So in fact, the less you move, the less you want to move. If you have less body mapping information to work with, the more pain you interpret and the less enjoyable movement is. It's a downward spiral to uncomfortable, painful living. It can start in one joint and "spread" to nearby joints as you cautiously guard the initial painful site. You can see how this can quickly turn into a losing battle of body-wide pain and immobility.

What can be done to stop the nociceptive cycle and it from spreading? Movement, however small, re-integrates body mapping. So if you haven't worked out or gone to the gym in years, there's no need to jump in head fist now! Too much too soon will only reinforce the negative loop between movement and pain. That's right, DO NOT push through pain!! The answer instead: start small. You now have permission to do just a little and not turn your life upside down starting on Sunday. Five minutes or even just five reps can and will start you down a successful path of healthier movement and living.

Doing a little, quality movement, whatever you choose, will start a new pain management loop, linking movement with feeling good instead of feeling painful and bad. Keep in mind, that when your body perceives pain or danger, you get a flood of hormones (such as adrenaline & cortisol, both a part of the Hormone cascade) that virtually shuts down the purpose of you working out in the first place. When you enter a stressful state during a workout, your body actually thwarts fat loss and protein uptake. This is exactly why you should not jump-in head first into an intense program as if you are 20 years old again. If you push through the pain, you may get results, but you will also get burnt-out and old injuries will again set you back. This change is temporary and you are setting yourself up for yet another cycles leading to failure.

What CAN you do? You have the mindset to start fresh once again. what can you do to really feel like you are moving in the right direction? Grease The Groove (GTG). GTG is a simple (not to be confused with easy) program of 3-5 drills (exercises), 3-5 reps of each, 3-5 sets, 3-5x per week. That's easy enough to remember! When you limit your sets and reps in this fashion, you're still getting in the volume of training, but without running into injury and the typical set-backs you faced in the past. With GTG, your body doesn't go into freak-out mode and shut down lypolysis (fat loss) or muscle building. What can these 3-5 exercises be? Again, keep it simple: A push & pull for the upper body, a push & a pull for the lower body, and maybe even "cardio" of some sort. For example:

Run through these drills 3-5 times throughout the day, or all at once:

Exercise #1: 3-5 Push-ups (this is the "push" for the upper body) Not everyones favorite, but it is always accessible because you only need your body and a little space. You can add a weight vest to this drill or even modify it by lowering to the knees or standing in front of a wall and pushing yourself away from it. There is no reason everyone should not be doing some kind of push-up! If your shoulders give you trouble, bring your hands in so they are under, or in line with your armpits and your elbows are tucked into your sides, next to your ribs. You can also limit your range of motion by reducing the depth you descend. The push-up will work your arms, chest and everyone's favorite: the core...when done properly.

Exercise #2: 3-5 Pull-ups (this is the "pull" for the upper body). Again, people moan that they can't do a pull-up. And again, everyone should be doing some variation of a pull-up. If you're a macho man, you can add a weight vest to this drill as well. If you don't think you can do a pull-up, check out my past article about Greasing the Groove S.M.A.R.T. Style! After public humiliation, I taught myself to do pull-ups and then weighted pull-ups as well. At 115lbs I taught myself to pull an extra 26 pounds. No matter how small or weak you may be now, strength is a skill that you can learn! Anywhere you can find to pull-up, practice! A sturdy tree limb, a tall wall, a door frame or a cheap (around $30) in-the-door system from Target all work nicely.

Exercise #3: 3-5 Squats (this is the "push" for the lower body). Do it with body weight only or add weight using a vest, bar, dumbbells, kettlebells, ammo boxes, your kids...get creative, but remember proper form! Reach your butt and hips BACK to a bench, a seat, the couch, the toilet. Whatever you're reaching to (imaginary or real) should be about a foot-and-a-half behind you. DO NOT SQUAT STRAIGHT DOWN!!!!! Another benefit of doing only 3-5 reps of any drill is that you can actually be conscious of what you are doing and execute it properly! If you can't do squats because you have bad knees, you probably aren't executing the drill correctly. Do yourself a HUGE favor and check out some people doing butt-to-heels squats. This is your ultimate goal, regardless of your age (See: folks of the middle east & orient). Limit your range of motion and gradually increase your depth as you gain strength and confidence. Remember, never move into pain! We're trying to undo years and years of bad habits to get you to stick to an exercise plan.

Exercise #4: 3-5 Deadlifts (this is the "pull" of the lower body). Don't know how to do or even what a deadlift is? You've already been doing it all your life!It's the basic skill of lifting something from the ground using your legs (you may recognize this from the cheesy posters in your place of employment's bathroom or break room). Bring something you want to lift from the ground in close to your body and then lift it. This is a similar movement to the squat, but the load is under you instead of on or above you. Again, get creative: pull up a dumbbell, kettlebell, your kid, a barbell or whatever may be laying around. There are also numerous types and styles of deadlifting, but that's another article. For now, keep your deadlift to the basic sumo-style, with the load directly under your groin then squat to lift it. Remember to stick out your butt just as you did with the squat movement.

Exercise #5: 3-5 minutes of Jump Rope, or another favorite type of "cardio". Don't limit yourself to the dreaded and boring treadmill! If you are doing your push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and deadlifts as a workout all at once, use your cardio to recover and prepare for the next round. You can use this as active recovery between your sets of the above drills by doing something of low intensity such as an easy row on the rowing machine or some yoga moves or joint mobility drills. If you're not doing this a workout all at once, take a three minute walk down the block (hey, smokers take that if not more for a smoke break, why can't you take a hike?!?)

Your workout doesn't have to be complicated and it should not be painful! Make it fun, know your limits, set and work toward goals (lifting heavier, moving faster, increasing your range of motion, reducing your pain scale, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, training three times a week...) You will find that this pain-free Grease the Groove approach to training will keep you moving toward success steadily and consistently, meaning you won't have to stop and find the motivation to re-start if you hurt yourself or get burnt-out by doing too much too soon. Remember to keep a journal of your progress as personal motivation!

Shoot me your questions & comments! It's always great to hear your feedback and success stories!

Be well,

Sara

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Advanced Kettlebell & Z-Health Workshop on DVD

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Kettlebell Pregnancy Guide: A Safe Way to Continue Kettlebell Training During Your Pregnancy