Category Archives: Posture

Too Often The Urgency To Get Fit Quick Leads To Poor Results And Injury

“By your mid-30s, most people still look young, but are already experiencing the BIG Three of aging: deteriorating lean muscle mass, worsening posture, and crumbling joints” say Robert Forster, Physical Therapist and PT. His practice in Santa Monica is the unofficial meeting hall for broken -down triathletes, advernture racers and gym rats!

“Age related decline hits sooner than you think”

“Too often however, the urgency to get fit quick leads to poor results and injury as we try to play catch up with overzealous workouts and ill-advised dieting. The most common mistake is to turn to the unscientific, but none the less popular, “all out” workouts like Cross Fit and P90X to make up for lost time. These programs often lead to injury, burnout and rebound weight gain.”

The value of Phase 1 of the 24 Fit Workout, developed by Robert Forster

Phase 1 is about establishing stability throughout every part of your body. Thats Spine and Pelvic Stabilization, Shoulder Stabilization and Total Body Integration. This involves the use of light weights and other exercises to strengthen all the little “helper muscles” around the joints, which, along with a lot of stretching insures that each joint is functioning properly. This phase prepares the body for the more strenuous work to come later in the training cycle. What Robert Forster calls making his runners “bullet proof” or “Kevlar Training” so that they don’t breakdown during training.  He has worked with beginners and elite Olympic athletes.

By the time you’ve completed Phase 1, you’ll not only have improved posture and joint health, but your body will also be properly prepared for the strength and power workouts to come in Phases 2 and 3.

Our goal is to get you race-ready or match-ready without becoming mentally frustrated, physically tired or, even worse, injured.

Related – High Intensity Workouts Can Lead to Injuries/
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Target back-of-body muscles for good posture

Most gym workouts focus on so-called mirror muscles–abs, biceps, pecs, quads–those on our front, that are visible. “But these muscles should be de-emphasized, and we should target instead the back-of-body muscles,” says sports physical therapist Robert Forster, who has worked with 40-plus Olympic medalists and founded Santa Monica, CA-based Phase IV Health and Performance Center. Enter ellipticals and ski machines. These strengthen what Forster calls “the right muscles,” meaning those that keep the body in a healthy, erect posture. These include the upper-body erector spine muscles alongside the spine and the trapezius and rhomboid muscles, which keep our shoulder blades firmly back and down. What’s more, these machines work the lower-body gluteals, hamstrings and calf muscle, which aid our locomotion.

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Robert Forster, CEO & Founder of Phase IV and Forster Physical Therapy has teamed with Herbalife to create a fitness program using the very science that has made Robert so successful. These programs cover posture, flexibility, strength training and cardio exercises. His 30 years of experience are available on a set of 13 DVDs.

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