In some ways, weight training runs counter to the neuromuscular and biomechanical tendencies that are hard-wired within each person.
We humans generally modify daily activities to make our motions more efficient, requiring less muscular activation and reducing joint pressure. Weight training does the opposite, in each respect.
As I look around my office, I see all sorts of creature comforts that exist purely to reduce the amount of physical effort in my life. There are two wingback chairs covered in soft cheetah-print upholstery, and two leather chairs directly across from my desk. My monitors are all at a height optimized for the seated position, and my desk chair swivels 360 degrees — to make it easier not to stand up.
I even have a mouse pad to make my wireless mouse navigation more comfortable for my hand and wrist.
All this is just in one room, and I haven't even talked about all the technology that allows me to stay physically at home while conducting business meetings with clients across the country.
Before this morning, I hadn't considered how my environment contributed to less physical activity. It's a little bit funny to think about, especially since my career has been dedicated to helping people do more activity. But the furniture and technology are obviously not going anywhere, and so it's my responsibility to intentionally engage in an active lifestyle.
Physical activity is something I have always enjoyed, and so it's ironic how every exercise forces me to do the opposite of everything my house enables. But that's also what makes deliberate exertion so important. The amount of physical activity that I perform "accidentally" shrinks every year. I walk less, I travel less, and I move less throughout the day. On average, about 50% of my daily steps take place during a 45-minute exercise session, which says a lot about how little I move around otherwise.
And I think that's the point of remaining committed to an exercise routine. Without that commitment, my daily physical activity would be minimal. I imagine this is true for many readers as well.
This week's exercise is a wildly inefficient weight training move. It's also an easy addition for any routine, and it's perfect for improving shoulder stability. The Shoulder Y-Pulse is the kind of movement that is almost never performed in daily life, so the shoulders really respond to the stimuli.
1. Select a very light pair of dumbbells and adjust an incline bench to 45 degrees.
2. Position yourself face down on the incline bench while holding a dumbbell in each hand.
3. Keeping both arms straight, rotate the dumbbells so that both thumbs point up.
4. Raise both dumbbells diagonally to the front of your shoulders. As the dumbbells reach shoulder height, pause.
5. From here, perform eight little "pulses" very slowly, small repetitions only about 6 inches in length.
6. Once you finish the eight, lower back down to the starting position.
7. Perform this pattern for three sets of eight pulses.
Don't get me wrong, I love creature comforts as much as the next person. Heck, I obviously surrounded myself with them. But as each year passes, it feels like my daily life becomes less active -- and that means I need to double down on my exercise plan.
Let's do it together!
Director of business development and population health solutions for Quest Diagnostics, Matt Parrott began this column 20 years ago at Little Rock. He has a doctorate in education (sport studies), a master's in kinesiology and is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine.