by Miller Chandler ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist and Owner of Foundation Wellness, LLC

We tend to associate certain positive outcomes with yoga, right? Improved flexibility always makes the list, as does lower stress and anxiety, the so-called “mind-body” benefits. But what about the just plain old “body” benefits? What can yoga do for things like muscle tone, weight loss (or healthy gain), and increased physical stamina? According to the experts, quite a bit. Yoga may not take the place of throwing around free weights, but it definitely can complement and enhance your gym workout.

There are three main types of muscle contractions. There are concentric contractions (muscle contracts as it shortens), eccentric contractions (muscle contracts as it lengthens), and isometric contractions (muscle contracts with no change in length). And for the latter, you are simply holding a pose, or pushing against an immovable object. Sound familiar, yogis? The static strength required to hold myriad yoga poses absolutely does enhance one’s muscular health. And it does so in a way that is more sparing to the joints than pumping iron.

Mary Irby, E-RYT 500 and Owner of White Crow Yoga, puts it this way:

“While our first thought of yoga benefits may lean toward creating mindfulness and increasing flexibility, practitioners are also presented with a great opportunity to build strength. When we incorporate poses such as the plank, 4-limbed staff, side plank, bridge, and locust, we introduce strength work into our practice. There are even ways to create strength in poses we may think of as traditionally used for flexibility. For example, in a standing forward fold, if we place our hands on a block or the floor and alternately abduct the leg straight out toward the side, we will definitely feel the strength building benefits in the legs and hips! Yoga provides a great way to increase strength throughout the body and the only equipment needed is a yoga mat, so it is a great way for all of us to add some strength training into our day.

So, it’s not a question of do I do my strength workout or my mind/body work today. In yoga practice, one can have both.

Master of Public Health and RYT-500 Melissa Shah, who regularly leads classes at Vanderbilt’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and studios such as Liberation Yoga and Blooma Nashville agrees:

“A regular yoga practice, often seen as solely “stretching,” offers so much more for body, mind, and spirit. Our body is a vessel for transformation, and yoga is an incredibly valuable tool for strengthening our vessel . . . Many of the clients I see suffer from some degree of joint pain. Yoga offers tools to build muscular strength around the joints to reduce pain and prevent further injury. Since almost every yoga posture requires some degree of both strength AND flexibility, it makes it an ideal method for building strength through the entire body in a way that is sustainable.”

In addition to the aforementioned misconceptions, there is also a disparity between the sexes when it comes to yoga participation. More specifically, there seems to be an opinion shared among many of my brethren that yoga is a “woman thing.” Well, I have to tell you, fellas, that this is just flat wrong. Yoga is challenging and fruitful physically for a variety of reasons, and there have been more than a few professional football players over the years, including Ray Lewis and Nashville’s own Eddie George, who have counted themselves as yogi practitioners. Again, this is because yoga manages to be both physically challenging and relaxing and therapeutic all at the same time! It’s a tough workout, but in a way that actually leaves you feeling better when it’s over.

My hope is that some of you who are still hesitant to hit the mat and give yoga a try will now open yourselves up to the possibilities. And for those of you who are already yogis, please remember that on some days, your practice should emphasize the more challenging, muscle-building aspects of yoga. Along with the mind/body benefits. Yoga can count as part of your regular strength work, too. Be well, Nashville, and Namaste.

by Dr. Mario G. Novo, PT, DPT

Blood flow restriction (BFR) is an evidence based exercise training method for the widespread population that combines tourniquet technology and lite intensity resistance training to build muscle mass, strength, cardiovascular capacity and bone density that is similar to higher intensity training.

BFR training is performed by applying an inflatable tourniquet to the upper arms or upper legs (never all 4 at once), that is calibrated to the individual user by technology from a certified BFR specialist.

Reducing blood flow to a limb while performing lite intensity cardiovascular exercise or resistance training has shown to increase muscle oxygen demands in muscle, which encourage larger and greater force producing bundles of muscle fibers to become active.

These higher thresholds, fast twitch muscle fibers are quite particular and during normal conditions require heavier weight or near absolute muscle fatigue to be recruited; which is often difficult or not advised pre competition, during in-season competition, post injury/surgery, or within the aging community. In each of these cases, maintaining or increasing in muscle mass is critical for health and injury reduction, as per the American college of sports medicine. BFR has shown to positively influence similar high-intensity benefits while lifting loads as lite as 20% to 40% or a single repetition max, which commonly are not enough resistance or intensity.

Similarly, BFR has shown to be beneficial to cardiovascular capacity or VO2max adaptations in young, elderly and professional sports players who are unable to use high-intensity training like running due to cardiovascular restrictions, bone density, joint health, or are just limited in time. Typically, higher intensity exercises are needed to encourage positive cardiovascular changes, such as running within the 60% to 80% of heart rate reserve (HRR), with required durations of 30 to 45 minutes.

Findings with BFR have shown to increase cardiovascular capacity, circulatory fitness, and increase in muscle mass and strength while at intensities as low as 45% HRR. These outcomes appear to be explained by studies that have shown reductions in blood flow to the heart via tourniquet use, can be used to safely increase heart rate and arterial adaptations while using treadmill walking, riding a bike or even walking in a pool that can be beneficial for lower bone density/post injury/post-surgical patients.

BFR research began nearly 50 years ago, by Dr. Yoshiaki Sato, who was curious to explore why muscles burned when they became fatigued. His early curiosity led him to use an innertube from a bike tire to reduce blood flow to a limb. Since then, the US military, NASA, Sports Orthopedic surgeons, Biologist, Cardiovascular specialist and Neurologist from around the world have participated in over 1000 peer reviewed studies to peer further into the safety, benefits, and population specifics for applying BFR training in hospital settings, outpatient, and in the training room. What the studies have demonstrated so far, is that BFR training can be a game changer for many people wanting to get back to what they love to do and perform better.

As of 2018, BFR training became part of the American Physical Therapy association practice act, and since 2014 has been adopted into nearly all US professional sports rehab teams, Olympics, special forces rehab units, top orthopedic groups and with the help of other fellow researchers and educators such as myself, is now growing abroad in Europe, Australia, Ireland, and South America.

As a sports medicine/exercise physiologist lead Physical Therapist at Lifters Clinic here in Mount Juliet TN, a researcher in BFR here at our very own Belmont University, and co-founder of The BFR Pro’s, an unbiased BFR continuing education company; BFR has made up my life for the better of the last 5 years.

The amazing anecdotal stories that I have seen, in cases where fractures finally closed, muscles bounced back after an ACL surgery, reduced knee pain for osteoarthritis/rheumatoid arthritis patients, faster recovery periods post sport-related injuries; and elderly patients making leap and bounds to positive muscle mass, strength, and cardiovascular changes have all been a humbling life-changing experience.

For many of my patients, BFR directly helped lower the threshold and barrier of entry to experience positive change and a path forward.

BFR training is easy to use, hard to misuse, safe, effective, and becoming mainstream. We in the field say that BFR is better for results, backed by science, and changing people’s lives.

by James Owen

As a 78-year-old man who found my path to fitness just seven years ago, I’ve got a message for every American: We all get older, but we don’t have to get old. The good news is you can keep living your life and doing the things you enjoy if you know how to be functionally fit. And if you’re 20-, 30-, or 40-something? The same message applies—but with one big difference. You’ve got the next 20 or 30 years to work at getting and staying functionally fit, rather than trying to counteract decades of couch-potato living in a matter of months, like I did.         

Functional fitness is a straightforward concept, but one I only discovered late in life. It means training your body for the activities of daily life, rather than trying to improve how fast you can run a mile or how good you look in a bathing suit. It’s about being able to handle everyday movements with ease, and without pain or risk of injury. The way to do that is by working on all five dimensions of fitness: core strength and stability, flexibility, balance, muscular strength, and cardiovascular endurance.

Being physically equipped for your day-to-day activities may not sound like a big deal right now. When you’re 30 or 40, you can take your body’s strength and suppleness for granted. But trust me, it doesn’t stay that way. Consider, too, that you don’t have to be an AARP member to start noticing some effects of age. Our bodies typically begin losing lean muscle mass and strength sometime in our thirties; that’s one reason the average American gains a pound a year, every year, after about age 25. Then there’s our ability to balance, which typically peaks in our twenties and gradually spirals downward from then on.

Functional fitness isn’t a new idea; physical therapists and a subset of athletic coaches and physical trainers have understood it for years. But training that’s “well-rounded” and “balanced” doesn’t generate the same media buzz as “five moves to make your body bikini-ready.” As a result, many people across all age groups still come at fitness from a relatively narrow perspective. Some are convinced all they need is cardio machines, or a spin class, or a daily run. Others, mostly men, go in for old-school bodybuilding, ignoring how often they get hurt. Still others, often women, swear by yoga and never go near a dumbbell. The hoary notion that strength is “unfeminine” has had surprising staying power.

Don’t get me wrong—any kind of physical activity is a good thing. But one-dimensional approaches may not be sustainable over the long haul, and they certainly aren’t enough to keep you young.

On a positive note, functional fitness seems to be catching on with this younger generation. Compared with the baby boomers I know, millennials strike me as much more intent on balancing intense career work with vigorous, varied physical workouts, no matter how early they have to get up to do it. A lot of young guys seem smart about strength-training, too, focusing on whole-body movements, endurance, and agility work rather than showing off with heavy weights. I’ve also been impressed by how many young women put into practice the belief that “strong is beautiful.”

Do I wish I’d started working out more seriously and sensibly at their age? Of course I do, but there are no do-overs for the last 40 years. I’m just glad I got there eventually and I’m inspired by the upcoming generation’s growing effort to educate and prioritize health and wellness. We can all rest a little easier knowing those that the proceeding age groups have the chance to do better, stay healthier, and learn from their elders’ mistakes.

by Lindsay Miller

Empowered women empower women. Simple, right?

For the first time ever, the Movemeant Foundation is bringing their “We Dare to Bare” (#wedaretobare) pop-up workout to Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday November 4, 2018. Their partnering with Shawn Booth and BOOTHCAMP Gym to bring you a one-of-a-kind fitness festival.

Joining Shawn Booth and BoothCamp in the workout will be Kate Moore of getFIT615. As an advocate for body positivity, Kate’s belief that our bodies are a magnificent vessel for who we actually are, and her dedication to the practice of self-work and continuing growth in order show up more presence in this world, are just a few of the reasons that her partnership with Movemeant is so perfect.

We Dare to Bare has hosted thousands of participants and spectators in both New York and San Francisco, raising money by taking part in inspiring, high-energy group fitness classes. Empowering women to use fitness to find self-confidence and positive body image, Movemeant Foundation encourages participants to step out of their comfort zones as they dare to recognize and embrace the strength of their body. With attendees encouraged to participate in Movemeant’s symbol of confidence, the We Dare to Bare sport bra, the event demonstrates to women of all ages, particularly young girls that all body types are strong and should be celebrated.

“We Dare to Bare is a day to recognize and honor beauty in all its different shapes and sizes,” said Jenny Gaither, Founder of Movemeant Foundation. “Together, we want to help women build positive body image through fitness and shift the dialogue from focusing on you want to lose to what you can gain – confidence, strength, and a positive sense of self. The funds we raise will help provide access to life-changing health and fitness programs that can help transform the lives of women and girls.”

With an annual fundraising goal of $500,000, Movemeant Foundation plans to dedicate $100,000 to its body-positive scholarship program with She Plays We Win, helping girls from around the word build self-worth through sport by providing individual athletic scholarships, equipment, mentors and funding.

“I’m so excited to bring this event to Nashville and partner with Movemeant Foundation in their efforts. At BOOTHCAMP, we believe that community support is essential in reaching for our best selves, and that we are stronger together,” said Shawn Booth, founder of BOOTHCAMP. “What the Movemeant Foundation is doing for young girls and women across the country is such important work, and I couldn’t be happier to support this event and their message.”

For the full event details and more information on how to register for We Dare to Bare, please visit https://www.wedaretobare.com/nashville/