Smart Fitness

As it happens, many if not most of the boomeritis complaints I see in my office, including rotator cuff injuries and low-back pain, aren't the result of sports injuries. Rather, they occur in people who are just going about daily chores, like bending over to strap a child into a car seat or picking up a bag of groceries. While some of these injuries are simply the result of weak core muscles and poor flexibility, I also see these problems occurring in the fittest of my patients — or at least the ones that look to be the fittest.


This gets me to another important point. Many people who think they're doing smart workouts may be doing themselves more harm than good. Conventional strength training, sometimes called classic gym, can be counterproductive because it tends to isolate muscle groups and train them in a manner that is not naturally functional. In other words, the workout does not mimic everyday human activities, and it usually neglects the core muscles. The result is muscles that may look good in the mirror or on the beach but aren't much help when it comes to injury prevention or performing active sports or day-to-day tasks.


The best exercises you can do to prevent boomeritis injuries are called functional exercises. These exercises, which are similar to movements you can execute in your daily life, require you to use several muscle groups in one fluid movement. For example, when you bend over to pick something up, you're engaging all your muscles, including your legs, midline, back, and arms. The core muscles support all your other muscles and help you maintain strength, good posture, and balance.


You may be surprised to learn that as a cardiologist, I place as much importance on core-strengthening exercises as I do on cardio conditioning. The fact is, because this type of exercise promotes stability, strength, and flexibility, it's essential for preventing injury and maintaining a healthy weight. And if you suffer an injury and you're in pain, you're not going to do an effective cardio workout — or any workout at all. In my practice, I see all too many patients who are no longer able to exercise due to injury.


The importance of functional fitness has only recently become appreciated. During my travels, I visit many gyms or fitness rooms associated with the hotels where I stay. I have noticed that more and more of the people who are exercising, with or without a trainer, have incorporated functional fitness into their workouts. I am pleased to find both women and men lifting hand weights while sitting on stability balls, or using pulley-type machines, or standing on balance boards, which all require them to engage their core muscles as the work other parts of their bodies.