any NASM trainers? Need advice

[casualbb]

Hey, so to make a long story short, I took the NASM CPT exam online today. Multiple choice? No problem. I took 30 of the allotted 90 minutes for the exam, and got a 90%. But then onto the case study...

Basically, no matter which way I work it, I go over the allowed 60 minute workouts. I have to do CST, NST, RNT and strength training on top of that. Even after I included absolutely no warmups or cool-downs in my case study, I'm still looking at a 70-80 minute workout, which I'm going to be penalized heavily for. I have no clue what to do.

I mean, they say "For this phase of training, 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps." Well I made everything the lowest value of each range, so 3 sets of 8, but I still go over on time. What do I do, cut sets? Leave out core, balance, or power training when I'll get heavily penalized? I'm just confused. Posting on the off-chance somebody will know what to do. Thanks in advance.

By the way, I have until 5PM today (thursday) to finish it up because I get 24 hours, so I still have a chance to go back and revise.

-casual

 

[IronLion]

Casual BB I have not taken it but so tell me to shut up if I am talking out of my ass but, is there a limited pool of exercises to choose from, if not why don't you find lifts that will combine 2 or more elements like use a Barbell split squat for 3x8 to train core balance and power all at the same time

 

[FatRat]

I'll bump for Casual BB

I have no understanding of the NASM CPT exam, but I gotta ask, why would any trainer put all of those elements into one session?

 

[casualbb]

Well to make a long story short, you can't put a client on a strength-training program if they have no balance or core stability and have severe postural issues.

 

[casualbb]

if not why don't you find lifts that will combine 2 or more elements like use a Barbell split squat for 3x8 to train core balance and power all at the same time

heh, I wish. They don't really buy that though.

Core stuff is (for instance), stability ball bridge, stability ball crunch, iso-abs, etc etc.

Power stuff is multi-planar hops, box jump-ups, etc etc.

Although NASM does use weights for explosive elastic training, that's encompassed within the strength portion of the workout, and only when someone's in phase 6 of 7. Man this crap is complicated!

-casual

 

[Debaser]

Well to make a long story short, you can't put a client on a strength-training program if they have no balance or core stability and have severe postural issues.

http://www.hardgainer.com/articles/21-38.html

 

[casualbb]

That kid's lucky. Unless the trainer's not mentioning core and stability work, I really disagree with the way he trained that kid. I would've put him on an intense corrective stretching and core stabilization regimen before hitting the weights significantly. Having someone deadlift with severe lower back pain is begging for a spinal injury. I mean, the results speak for themselves but in the vast majority of cases weight training doesn't fix existing problems, it only makes them worse.

-casual

 

[Debaser]

What exactly is core and stability work then? He did ab work as well as side bends (oft-neglected important exercise lacking in many regimes) and side twists to strengthen his vertebrae. Remember, he only had pain when trying to go through conventional ranges of motion. In many cases problems are only solved by strengthening the surrounding muscles.

 

[Alucard]

Is the use of pairing antagonists back-to-back (supersetting) allowed?

 

[casualbb]

He did ab work as well as side bends (oft-neglected important exercise lacking in many regimes) and side twists to strengthen his vertebrae. Remember, he only had pain when trying to go through conventional ranges of motion.

Well yeah. 2 weeks ago I would've said the same thing. But one this my course made clear is that there are 2 types of core muscles.

1) Prime movers. This is what you normally think of, the rectus abdominus, obliques, erectus abdominus, lats, iliopsoas, glutes, hamstrings.

2) Stabilization mechanism. I haven't seen any bodybuilding that directly trained these. TVA, diaphragm, pelvic floor muscles, mutifidus to name a few. Yes they activate when you do any compound movement, but those aren't good at "working" them. But it's easy to ignore them because they aren't responsible for any actual movement. Their job is merely to make sure you spine stays supported during all those other movements.

Just a little NASM tidbit Like I said, I had no clue either. I was like "Stabilization mechanism? Gezundheit?" But then I looked into it and found that they're really important.

-casual

 

[casualbb]

Thus ends my saga:
http://boards.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=242698

 

[Debaser]

But then I looked into it and found that they're really important.

-casual

Why then are there so many great powerlifters and strength trainees that are free of injury that never practice these?

 

[casualbb]

Why then are there so many great powerlifters and strength trainees that are free of injury that never practice these?

That's actually a very good point. The reason is that most active people have no issues with the stabilizers at all. They're supposed to simply fire before any compound lift, and in most people they do. It's subconscious.

In some sedentary people, however, this doesn't happen. The stabilizers fail to fire in varying degrees, and as a result there's a lot of pressure on the spine and discs. These people almost chronically have lower-back pain.

So in reponse, power lifters and strength trainees would probably fall in the category of active people who have no issues.

Let me make one other point while I still have the podium: humans weren't designed to live in the 20th century. We were designed to be an upright, walking, foraging and hunting species. It's no surprise that when somebody has a 40-hour-a-week desk job and doesn't play sports that many things go rather wrong. It's an "alien environment," to quote a famous anthropologist.

-casual

 

[casualbb]

Another good point. A lot of those powerlifters and strength athletes use tight belts to create the intra-abdominal pressure their muscles may be incapable of producing. Of course, that's ignoring the strength-adding benefits of belts, but the stabilization is a side-effect.

-casual

 

[Alucard]

I trained my TVA and pelvic floor muscles well before lifting. I never need to use a belt.


Ever.