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Health
and Fitness Articles
Trainer’s
Notes
by: Shawn McHugh
"Shotgunninng"—The
body’s natural reaction to stress; contraction of all muscles; release
of adrenaline may be present; similar to "fight or
flight"; early and
sudden fatigue.
You’ve seen it happen!
Shotgunning! Remember the James Bond movie where he gets put in the chamber
that spins around the room faster
and faster and faster?
Or, maybe you’ve seen the program on the Discovery Channel where they show
pilot’s faces contort as they endure
extreme G-forces
captured by cockpit footage. The pilots are taught to "bear down" to contract
their bowels. This movement helps keep
blood up in the
upper torso and head, thus, allowing the pilots to stay awake and alive
during high G maneuvers. Now, while this technique
is great for pilots
under G forces, it is just the opposite of what you want to be happening
during the course of your workout.
During a resistance
exercise, blood-flow to the area is critical for effective gains, both
muscular as well as endurance. Many people
inadvertently apply
this technique to everyday life by "bearing down" on themselves (stress
is the biggest factor, as well as how we deal
with it). This condition
is often a contributing cause of other problems, including high blood pressure,
shallow breathing, and extreme
fatigue. As a Personal
Trainer with many years experience, I’ve seen this condition over and over:
Shotgunning. This same technique
happens naturally
in many individuals under physical stress. When it does, like near the
end of a set or during a super-set, tell your client to
hold form, but "mentally
relax". The client will be able to do more reps with less mental stress
and fatigue pain, enabling them to do more
reps under the same
weight, and then some.
What is mentally
relaxing? This can be different for different people, although usually
similar in form. Much like Zen and other related Arts,
complete clearing
of the mind is a critical factor. Nothing at all…nothing at all. Easier
said than done. Whether its warm bunnies on a nice
sunny green meadow
or the rhythmic beat of some hard funk soul, these create mental brainwaves,
enabling an individual to go beyond
current pain thresholds
while still maintaining form, therefore getting more for each rep…each
set…each workout…each time.
Signs
of Shotgunning
Facial Tension before
set starts.
-
Twisting or jerking
and other unnecessary motions not related to exercise being done. (Note
that the motions will usually be spastic in manner.)
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Holding their breath
-
Dilation of pupils before
work out (subject will look as if they just saw a ghost)
-
Cramping of non related
muscles during and after sets.
-
Reversed breathing.
-
Obvious adrenaline rush
before, during or after the set.
Look for further
reports
Next Time: Safely
Going Beyond Current Pain Thresholds
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