Check out this video if you are unfamiliar with trigger point therapy…TPR Therapy, Ironman competitor

Have you ever wished you could afford a personal masseuse? One who could come to your home, preferably daily, to help relieve you of the knots and muscle tightness that inevitably occur from daily workouts and, well, being a mom? In search of a solution to my IT band issues, I tried a chiropractor (not money well spent), stretching, massage therapy (therapist too gentle to release deep tissue), and my O.D. The O.D. provided the most valuable information: without proper biomechanics, the body can’t move the way it should. So, we are working on improving the way I move. In the meantime, I bought the TPR kit from Trigger Point Performance Therapy. Wow! What a difference!

How it works: Each tool in the kit is designed to relief muscle tension and release trigger points (those tender knots many of us suffer from that hurt like the dickens when palpated and often cause radiating pain to muscles and joints nearby). Untreated, active trigger points can result in painful and less effective workouts, incomplete recovery from workouts, and eventually, injury. Relieving the tension that TPs place on muscles and the joints they act upon allows the joints to move through their full range of motion the way they are designed to. Basically, it is like getting a personal massage, at home, whenever you need it. I’ve used the kit for several months and love it. Regular use has improved the range of motion in my hips, relieved tension and TPs in my calves, quads, IT-band, pectorals, back, glutes…you name it. I feel fantastic!

The Ultimate 6 kit I purchased is designed to alleviate the trigger points in the calf, quads, IT-band, glute, abdomen, and shoulder that tend runners tend to acquire. I had all of them, and then some. The kit includes the TP Massage Ball, TP Footballer and TP Quadballer, an easy to follow guidebook, and DVD. Ideally, the tools should be used pre-workout, post-workout, and within 90-minutes of going to bed. While the therapy isn’t terribly time-invasive, the first few times you go through the release techniques, it does take at least 30-40 minutes (actually, I think it took me an hour because I had so many trigger points). Once you get the hang of it though, the sessions move more quickly. I have achieved a lot of relief from using these tools and highly recommend them to anyone who suffers from trigger point syndrome, athlete or not.

The cost for the Ultimate 6 is $150. Other kits are available, so check out their website: Trigger Point Performance Therapy

*I am in no way affiliated with Trigger Point Therapy and do not receive compensation for recommending TPR products.

The mysterious “fat burning zone” continues to confuse many gym-goers. The theory goes something like this: working out in a “zone” of intensity that is less intense for at least 20 minutes will burn more fat calories than calories from carbohydrate. Is this true? Yes and no, but mostly no. You actually burn more calories from fat right now, sitting still, reading this post, than you do on the treadmill. That is because in the resting state, the body burns a higher percentage of fat calories. As you crank up the exercise intensity, you burn a little less fat per calorie. However, it really comes down to the total number of calories you burn per exercise session — if you want to lose weight.

Here is an example:

Let’s pretend for a moment that you decide power walk for 40 mins on the treadmill. This would burn approx. 5 to 6 calories per minute. After 40 mins, you will have burned 200 to 240 calories. Not bad. Percentage-wise, about 50% of these calories will come from fat, so about 100 to 120 calories.

Now, let’s say you decide to add running intervals to your power walk at a 1:1 ratio, meaning that for every bout of less intense cardio, you do an equal-length interval that is more intense. After 40 mins of this type of intense activity, you will likely have burned between 400 to 450 calories. A bit less fat is burned during intense activity, BUT, you burned more total calories. So, if 40% of those calories come from fat, you will have burned 160 to 180 fat calories!

This was a simple example of how interval training can turn up the calorie-burn. Try adding intervals to your current cardio routine if you want to 1) burn more total calories and 2) burn more fat!

Warm weather is here (hopefully to stay) and that can mean only one thing: shorter pants! If you aren’t quite ready to don your short-shorts, I have the move for you.

The Forward Lunge

Main Muscles Involved: Glutes, Hamstrings, Quadriceps, Hip Flexors

The Exercise: Use bodyweight, or dumbbells, a body bar or weighted medicine ball if you want added challenge. Start with feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your chest up and abdomen pulled in — take a long step forward. The heel of your trailing leg will come off the floor as you settle into your lunge. The thigh of your lead leg should be parallel to the floor, your shin perpendicular to the floor (assuring that the knee is aligned over the front heel rather than forward over the toes).

Tips: Try to keep your chest high and eyes forward to prevent tipping forward. As you return to the starting position, keep your core tight (this will help with alignment on the return movement and assist with balance). Push through the front heel (you’ll feel your glutes engage here) and return to the starting position. Notice also how the glute of the trailing leg has to “pull” you back (you’ll feel this in the hamstring and glute of the trailing leg).

Repeat with opposite leg.