TRAINING PERSONS

The human body is composed of bones, muscles, organs and body fat. The weight of muscles, organs and bones is called “LBM” ( lean body mass), while the weight of the body fat is called “passive”. A small amount of body fat – 3% for men and 10% for women is required for the maintenance of essential physiological processes. Anything above that amount serves as an energy reservoir, thermo-isolator and a protective layer.
The optimal amount of body fat is 5-8% for men and 11-14% for women.
Greater percentages are unnecessary and should be viewed as excess.

Measuring body fat with a caliper

The method that is easiest to apply is the skinfold measurement. It is sufficiently accurate. The measurement is done with an instrument called “caliper” at several specific points on the body. The results, the sex and the age of the trainee are then put into a formula, by which the body fat percentage is calculated.

Standard

It should be now clear that the LBM is the body weight minus the body fat weight. It is an erroneous and unfortunately widespread practice to take total body weight  as the exclusive parameter in determining one’s condition.

Lets examine the following examples:

Example one:
We have two men, both being 165 cm tall, one being 70 kg at 5% body fat and the other 90 kg at 25%. Their bodies are very easy to distinguish – one can pass as a little skinny and the other as stout. Their LBM is almost the same 66.5 / 67.5 kg. To put it in another way – they both have the same amount of muscle mass, but one is carrying a large amount of fat on his body.

Example two:
There are two women – both 165 cm tall, weighing 50 and 60 kg, 20 and 15% body fat percentage, respectively.
Most people would think that the first woman is in decent shape, but her actual LBM is 40 kg, not quite enough. The second woman may be regarded as overweight, despite the fact that she has only 15% of body fat and a very good LBM of 51 kg.

Conclusion – LBM and not total weight is important for health

From what we have seen so far it is evident that total body weight is of relative relevance. If you wish to lose weight, lose fat and if you want to gain weight start training and eating correctly to gain muscle and bone mass.
LBM is what is important. The adequate level of lean body mass prevents degenerative disease and especially the increasingly prevalent osteoporosis.

Scoliosis is a spinal deformity that occurs in the coronal(frontal) plane. It can appear in every region of the vertebral column – cervical, thoracic or lumbar, although it is most commonly found in the thoracic region. The increase in curve angle shifts the center of mass to the right or to the left , which forces the body to mirror the curvature in a neighboring region. This compensatory mechanism creates the “S” shape.

Further increase in curve angles causes rotation of the vertebrae. When this happens in the thoracic region the ribs move to the back – a phenomenon called “rib hump”. The ribs begin to compress the internal organs as the circulatory and respiratory systems struggle for room.

Factors involved in the development of spinal deformities include:  poor physical culture, lack of muscular tone, muscle imbalances, inadequate nutrition and difference in leg length. Combined with rapid growth  these factors are the prime cause of spinal deformities in children and adolescents. Muscle fatigue that evolves into chronic pain is yet another problem. The need to reduce the low back pain makes people slouch, which results in elongation in the spinal erectors and other stabilizing muscles. After a period of time the incorrect posture can bring about structural changes in the vertebral column.

To keep the back in good shape everyone should follow these preventive measures : appropriate physical activity,adequate nutrition and, of course, keeping correct posture. The absence of posture examinations at school means that only parents can discover a deformity by examining their children frequently. Unfortunately most of the times when scoliosis is detected it is in a late stage.

Neli is a 42 year old mother of a high school senior. She had no sports experience prior to training with us at SPIDER SPORT. I became her personal trainer and we began to work on her goal of losing weight to fill her summer clothes.
Her patience and determination from the very start of the training program amazed me. Gradually she came to see results from her efforts and began setting bigger goals in her workouts.

Four pull-ups after just 4 months of training is indeed an incredible result!

Most women her age and younger let themselves go, eating all kinds of junk food and, inevitably, experience the consequences. Neli is a good example to the ones that complain saying I’m not eating and still I’m putting on weight! How come?. Her menu is rich, but she stopped eating sweets – waffles, croissants, candy, chocolate. One month after introducing the LCHF diet and training twice a week she had lost 2% body fat, which equals a kilogram of fat at her bodyweight. Her lean body mass (LBM – organs, bone and muscle mass) increased by 0.5 kg, a good step towards a future without osteoporosis. Today Neli weights 51 kg and has 15.8% body fat – a dream for millions of women over the world.

Neli’s enthusiastic approach to weight training led to great results in that field.

Renegade rows with 20 kg is an admirable feat for a woman of any age.