Pull Your Weight, Recruit Your Muscles
Talk about a real drag even if many hands make light work!
A physicist friend recently told me of her participation in an unusual, but fun after hours work assignment. In this particular engagement, she took to the runway for an exercise that involved an expenditure of energy and enormous strength. It called for teamwork, flexibility and give-and-take. She was “on the ropes” against a formidable opposing force.
My friend was recruited for a “plane pull” fundraising event as part of a team consisting of about 25 people. Her team competed against some 30 others to see which one could pull an 82-ton cargo plane a 12-foot distance in the least amount of time, earning bragging rights, even if no frequent flyer miles. Her team pulled the plane in 11 seconds but still lost.
My first thought is that Essentrics® could have helped her team.
Strength. Flexibility. Endurance. Range of motion. These are some of the elements we stress in Essentrics® workouts, just like our muscles. The main focus of Essentrics® is the simultaneous eccentric stretching and strengthening of the body through a full body workout to develop long, lean muscles instead of bulking up and risking injury. Improved endurance, range of motion and even pain relief are among the benefits as we rebalance the body!
Many other exercise disciplines emphasize strength but fail to take into account flexibility. They may involve holding positions for long periods of time, contracting the muscles in a concentric manner.
Every part of the body gets a workout, including hands and feet in Essentrics® as we unlock the body to tone and shape our physique.
In the example of pulling the plane, the fingers had to grip and tug on the rope with power in order for the plane to budge. Synovial fluid in the joints had to be generated, along with blood flow and oxygen so the fingers could move freely. Finger exercises in Essentrics® have been beneficial in alleviating pain in arthritis sufferers and helping these individuals regain mobility in their hands. One example of an exercise would be moving the fingers as if playing the piano.
Having a strong, flexible body allows us to achieve goals some might consider impossible, like pulling the aircraft manually or opening a jar of olives with a stubborn lid. A healthy body allows us to go about our daily lives with ease and efficiency. Activities that many of us take for granted, like going to the bathroom or getting into and out of a car unassisted, are difficult for some people.
The body has more than 600 muscles, along with 360 joints and 206 bones. When they work together in harmony, daily life becomes easy and effortless.
No matter the age, people of all fitness levels can benefit from Essentrics® exercises, which may involve standing as well as a combination of chair/barre and/or floor work.
Like any exercise program, Essentrics® has to be done on a regular basis in order for one to see a difference in body shape, mobility and overall health. Come and check it out!