machine training is the design allows for muscles to
strengthen and grow without the need for balance,
stability or coordination. This leads to big problems
and big injuries. However, as much as I do not believe
in machine-based exercise programs, there can be
an application to utilize some of this training.
With regards toward corrective exercise, it can be
beneficial to use machines to isolate specific muscles
or muscle groups. This can be effective only if the iso-
lated muscles are then brought back into integration
with the nervous system to be functional again. Ma-
chines can also be useful to help reestablish mobility
in joints that has been lost through injury (cables are
very effective in developing neural muscular control,
strength and power) from trauma or lifestyle factors.

one more noTe on walking....
Walking has become more of an elective than a
requirement. Walking stimulates muscle (especially
abdominal muscles) and facilitates motor control,
blood flow and fluid circulation to name a few ben-
efits. Walking has been replaced by excessive chair
sitting. For thousands of centuries people would
walk everywhere. Terrains were primarily uneven;
hills, mountains, rock and dirt that would allow for
a wide variety of muscle and ligamentous engage-
ment/stimulation. Stepping up and down, to the
side, over, around and onto objects was the everyday
norm. Today we mostly walk on flat evenly paved
roads that limit range of motion in our ankle and
foot. This lack of mobility creates faults in the proper
mechanics of our foot and ankle joints, leading to
improper gait, which leads to improper mechanics
of the joints above it.
In current times we are no longer reliant on our
bodies to make life happen, rather we are reliant on
YesTerdaY vs. TodaY nological advancements that would seem unimagi- technology. As great as it has made for the ease of
These inert or primal pattern movements have nable just a century ago, physiologically our need for life, it unfortunately leads to less dependency on our
become stagnated as society becomes increas- movement patterns (primal movement patterns) selves, which perpetuates a hypo-mobile state, that
ingly modernized. This stagnation has created many remains the same as our predecessors. leads to acute and chronic pain, which negatively
physical and mental dysfunctions that create lack To better visualize why our current way of living is effects functionality and ultimately quality of life.
of mobility and chronic pain. Today we are reliant so problematic to the health of our musculo-skeletal These days it seems to be more lifestyle-oriented
on cars, buses, planes, automation, computers and system, let’s paint a clearer picture. Physical anthro- habits (lack of movement, incorrect training programs,
TV etc. for our way of living. Today’s society seems pologists speculate that humans used to walk ap- sedentary work places/lifestyles) that create insults to
to be very physically dysfunctional compared to our proximately five miles per day on average. Most of us our natural mechanics. If you sit excessively, remem-
ancestors. walk from our houses to our cars then from our cars ber to stretch often and walk as much as you can on
I work with many clients who have suffered from to our work area, which is usually sedentary. Then we your free time. Limit your use of machined equip-
chronic pain due to a loss of functionality; typically in go to the gym and sit on a bike or sit on a machine ment (not cables, they are great!) at the gyms and try
the spine (low back). Many times the etiology comes and workout. This scenario is typical today. Muscles a more functional approach to your workouts.
from lifestyle factors rather than a traumatic one. may hypertrophy but at what cost to the stability of
Hypo-mobility leads to poor mechanics and faulty joints and neural conditioning? Machined equip-
Martin Alonzo owns a private training studio called Perfor-
alignment that create chronic pain syndromes. ment takes away your need to stabilize movements
mance Training Center on 4th Ave. in Hillcrest. He is a CHEK
Machine based training equipment adds to these that would challenge the nervous system; therefore
institute-trained professional and can be contacted via the
factors. Although we have made enormous tech- little neural adaptation is needed. The problem with
web at performcenter.com or direct at 619.206.4577.
january 2010 | RAGE monthly 47
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80