TOPICS IMPORTANT TO YOUR HEALTH
How Your Level of Strength Can Affect Your Immunity
Are you looking to build your immune system during this time?
April 2020
It is extremely important to understand that whether or not our doors are open, strength is essential. The most important reason we are essential is because strength is a pivotal component to immunity and survival.
Doug McGuff M.D., a practicing ER doctor from South Carolina and author of “Body by Science,” has said that muscle mass should be incorporated as a vital sign of health. He believes that muscle mass is a greater indicator of overall health than the commonly used BMI.
Interestingly, in August of 2019, before the whole Coronavirus had even come about, he was interviewed in a podcast by colleague Adam Zickerman, author of the book “Power of 10,” and owner of Inform Fitness. In that podcast Dr. Doug McGuff discussed the importance of muscle should you ever be put into an Intensive Care Unit. Dr. McGuff said, “People with higher muscle mass recover better in ICU. How long you have before you have to go on total parenteral nutrition is very much related to your skeletal muscle mass which again correlates with your overall organ mass. That kind of starts the countdown clock because your body is going to tap into the reservoir of your skeletal muscle not just in terms of stored glycogen for energy usage but also the amino acid pool that’s within your skeletal muscle for synthesizing enzymes, nutrients, generating antibodies — all of that is used as a store-house for raw materials that you need in your fight for survival.” Listen to the full podcast HERE.
As it is becoming more and more likely that at some point every person will encounter the coronavirus. How well your body fights off the illness depends on how prepared your immune system is to meet this enemy.
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that robs your body of oxygen. Exercise enhances your oxygen intake. According to medlineplus.gov, “Exercise strengthens your heart and improves your circulation. The increased blood flow raises the oxygen levels in your body. This helps lower your risk of heart diseases such as high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, and heart attack. Regular exercise can also lower your blood pressure and triglyceride levels.”
Improving circulation and oxygen flow is crucial right now. You can train your body to reach optimal oxygen levels now and in doing so, you will be better prepared to battle any respiratory illness.
Strength training directly targets the muscles, creating a demand for oxygen unlike any other exercise. Not only is it a form of cardio (cardio being any exercise that increase your heart rate and the flow of oxygen to it) but it is the BEST form of cardio you can perform.
With strength training, you are getting cardio and strengthening your muscles which will help you avoid falls by having better balance, strengthen your bones to stop osteoporosis progression, and give you the strength you need to play a better tennis game, hike longer, bike stronger, or enhance whatever hobby you do. And most importantly: you’ll enhance your immune system. According to health.harvard.edu, “[Exercise] may contribute even more directly by promoting good circulation, which allows the cells and substances of the immune system to move through the body freely and do their job efficiently.”
Because the majority of you receiving this email have been strength training with us regularly, you have been preparing your immune system to be strong in the face of threat, assuming that you are resting and eating well, the other two components of immunity.
If you have been strength training until now, you have been an unwitting soldier of strength. The battle is upon us and this is what you have been training for. Soldiers don’t quit just before the war -- they ready themselves as much as possible. Now is the time to recommit to your strength training program. If you have not been strength training, now is the time to start. You don’t necessarily have to quit other exercise programs to strength train but if you do other exercise programs, you would need to take care not to overtrain.
Did you know that you can get an amazing clinical strength training workout even without our machines? Of course, the machines we use are special. They keep you in perfect alignment and allow us to get you the fullest possible workout within your entire range of motion. If you have been performing your own workouts at home without help, you are probably more aware now than ever what a difference the machines make. You are also probably aware of the difference a trainer can make.
Our machines are not the only part of what makes our in-studio workouts special. There are other studios that use similar machines and get different results. The trainer, knowledge, and adherence to the protocol are some of the other components that get you the best possible workout. In fact, the book “Power of 10” was written under the premise that, if you so desired, you could administer your own slow strength training sessions to yourself. It was written with the intent of having everyone participate in strength training regardless of whether they had access to a slow strength training facility or not.
In looking ahead into a future of great uncertainty, we recognize the need for people to be able to strength train as closely as possible without our medical-grade machines. It may seem impossible but with our method of training it is still possible to get your muscles to full fatigue with an at-home workout but you won’t achieve that level of workout on your own. You will need the help of a high-level experienced trainer.
This is why we have come up with a virtual workout using our method and are now accepting consultations for brand new members.
Perhaps you don’t believe that a virtual workout can be as valuable as an in-studio workout. That is why we took a round of members who were willing to give it a try and asked them to give testimonials about their first at-home workout. Some were surprised, if not shocked, at how they felt after the workout — as if they had received a full-body workout similar to being in the studio.
The reason they felt similarly is because application of the training philosophy by a trainer with 19 years of experience is going to yield a similar result. In fact, because you are not on machines, Hector has no choice but to customize each and every workout based on your individual needs and available tools (although you can still get a great workout with absolutely no tools).
Of her first virtual session one client said, “The session was incredible, and far more comprehensive than I had anticipated. In addition to the squats, pushups and crunches (which I was able to do correctly with Hector's coaching) he added other exercises using some basic props that I have at home that closely emulate the machines that I use in my normal routine.”
Read the rest of her testimonial and what fourteen other clients had to say about their virtual workouts HERE.
This is a good long-term solution to build strength during this closure and keep enhancing your immunity. We may have an entire year of some version of sheltering-in-place and making plans for your health now is a good idea.
Now is the time when strength training counts. Strength is important, always. We promise you, it’s worth your time and effort.
April 2020
It is extremely important to understand that whether or not our doors are open, strength is essential. The most important reason we are essential is because strength is a pivotal component to immunity and survival.
Doug McGuff M.D., a practicing ER doctor from South Carolina and author of “Body by Science,” has said that muscle mass should be incorporated as a vital sign of health. He believes that muscle mass is a greater indicator of overall health than the commonly used BMI.
Interestingly, in August of 2019, before the whole Coronavirus had even come about, he was interviewed in a podcast by colleague Adam Zickerman, author of the book “Power of 10,” and owner of Inform Fitness. In that podcast Dr. Doug McGuff discussed the importance of muscle should you ever be put into an Intensive Care Unit. Dr. McGuff said, “People with higher muscle mass recover better in ICU. How long you have before you have to go on total parenteral nutrition is very much related to your skeletal muscle mass which again correlates with your overall organ mass. That kind of starts the countdown clock because your body is going to tap into the reservoir of your skeletal muscle not just in terms of stored glycogen for energy usage but also the amino acid pool that’s within your skeletal muscle for synthesizing enzymes, nutrients, generating antibodies — all of that is used as a store-house for raw materials that you need in your fight for survival.” Listen to the full podcast HERE.
As it is becoming more and more likely that at some point every person will encounter the coronavirus. How well your body fights off the illness depends on how prepared your immune system is to meet this enemy.
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that robs your body of oxygen. Exercise enhances your oxygen intake. According to medlineplus.gov, “Exercise strengthens your heart and improves your circulation. The increased blood flow raises the oxygen levels in your body. This helps lower your risk of heart diseases such as high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, and heart attack. Regular exercise can also lower your blood pressure and triglyceride levels.”
Improving circulation and oxygen flow is crucial right now. You can train your body to reach optimal oxygen levels now and in doing so, you will be better prepared to battle any respiratory illness.
Strength training directly targets the muscles, creating a demand for oxygen unlike any other exercise. Not only is it a form of cardio (cardio being any exercise that increase your heart rate and the flow of oxygen to it) but it is the BEST form of cardio you can perform.
With strength training, you are getting cardio and strengthening your muscles which will help you avoid falls by having better balance, strengthen your bones to stop osteoporosis progression, and give you the strength you need to play a better tennis game, hike longer, bike stronger, or enhance whatever hobby you do. And most importantly: you’ll enhance your immune system. According to health.harvard.edu, “[Exercise] may contribute even more directly by promoting good circulation, which allows the cells and substances of the immune system to move through the body freely and do their job efficiently.”
Because the majority of you receiving this email have been strength training with us regularly, you have been preparing your immune system to be strong in the face of threat, assuming that you are resting and eating well, the other two components of immunity.
If you have been strength training until now, you have been an unwitting soldier of strength. The battle is upon us and this is what you have been training for. Soldiers don’t quit just before the war -- they ready themselves as much as possible. Now is the time to recommit to your strength training program. If you have not been strength training, now is the time to start. You don’t necessarily have to quit other exercise programs to strength train but if you do other exercise programs, you would need to take care not to overtrain.
Did you know that you can get an amazing clinical strength training workout even without our machines? Of course, the machines we use are special. They keep you in perfect alignment and allow us to get you the fullest possible workout within your entire range of motion. If you have been performing your own workouts at home without help, you are probably more aware now than ever what a difference the machines make. You are also probably aware of the difference a trainer can make.
Our machines are not the only part of what makes our in-studio workouts special. There are other studios that use similar machines and get different results. The trainer, knowledge, and adherence to the protocol are some of the other components that get you the best possible workout. In fact, the book “Power of 10” was written under the premise that, if you so desired, you could administer your own slow strength training sessions to yourself. It was written with the intent of having everyone participate in strength training regardless of whether they had access to a slow strength training facility or not.
In looking ahead into a future of great uncertainty, we recognize the need for people to be able to strength train as closely as possible without our medical-grade machines. It may seem impossible but with our method of training it is still possible to get your muscles to full fatigue with an at-home workout but you won’t achieve that level of workout on your own. You will need the help of a high-level experienced trainer.
This is why we have come up with a virtual workout using our method and are now accepting consultations for brand new members.
Perhaps you don’t believe that a virtual workout can be as valuable as an in-studio workout. That is why we took a round of members who were willing to give it a try and asked them to give testimonials about their first at-home workout. Some were surprised, if not shocked, at how they felt after the workout — as if they had received a full-body workout similar to being in the studio.
The reason they felt similarly is because application of the training philosophy by a trainer with 19 years of experience is going to yield a similar result. In fact, because you are not on machines, Hector has no choice but to customize each and every workout based on your individual needs and available tools (although you can still get a great workout with absolutely no tools).
Of her first virtual session one client said, “The session was incredible, and far more comprehensive than I had anticipated. In addition to the squats, pushups and crunches (which I was able to do correctly with Hector's coaching) he added other exercises using some basic props that I have at home that closely emulate the machines that I use in my normal routine.”
Read the rest of her testimonial and what fourteen other clients had to say about their virtual workouts HERE.
This is a good long-term solution to build strength during this closure and keep enhancing your immunity. We may have an entire year of some version of sheltering-in-place and making plans for your health now is a good idea.
Now is the time when strength training counts. Strength is important, always. We promise you, it’s worth your time and effort.
