Muscle Spasms

In the first episode of 2023, Mara Marek talks about New Year's resolutions and the benefits of cold plunges and is later joined by Arezan to talk about persimmons.

follow us on IG: @maramarek @muscle.spasms @marezansquad

Professional football defensive line coach, Sean Spencer, aka Coach Chaos, and coach of coaches for USA weightlifting, Bobby Sirkis join Mara Marek for episode 2 of the second season of Muscle Spasms

Today’s episode gets real in a different way as Elysia and Mara share some deep personal truths and recent ER adventures to break down physical & mental distress through a heightened pandemic two years. They explore the connection between the mind and body— certain organ failures can lead to personality disorders, hormonal over-production can lead to constant panic, inflammation and distress. Gut issues, depression, panic, anxiety, brain fog, body aches, inhibited sleep-- the list goes on— these symptoms can be caused by a plethora of stimuli but one thing stays true: Your mind has the power to calm your body and vice versa. Ever listened to your favorite song to amp yourself up before something important? Same principle. Meditation comes in many forms, music, stillness, silence, painting, writing, and can lower your cortisol through breath work, mindfulness, and full body awareness.

Scientific resources for the study of meditation and effects on hormonal control and endocrine system:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1043276020300230

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2010.0718

https://www.rickhanson.net/perf-cgi/3pp/https/static1.squarespace.com/static/52402ca4e4b0b7dd2fafe453/t/53921ca0e4b08aab4b7ecd35/1402084512948/the-neural-basis-of-the-complex-mental-task-of-meditation-neurotransmitter-and-neurochemical-considerations.pdf

Find us: IG/FB : @muscle.spasms @maramarek @elysian.fom

Find Be Frank Network:

@befranknetwork www.befranknetwork.com

Mara and Elysia get hot and heavy into the ever-sexy topic (after a very revealing intro about hormonal balance and over zealous screen time)—  TOE SPACERS! Never heard of ‘em? They’re silicone molds that you wear on your toes to keep them apart while you work, the reverse-braces, if you will. They’re beneficial for anyone who wears shoes. I’m lookin’ at YOU kid! If you have knee or hip pain, postural control issues, wear heels or cute little sneakers to the gym, suffer from bunions, plantar fasciitis, the list goes on— THIS. WILL. HELP. Tune in to learn how to gradually turn the foundation of your body from sand into concrete for overall quality of life, mobility, and easier pathways to those madd swole gainzzzz.
Please rate & review on iTunes or or follow wherever you’re hearing us now!

Stay tuned for the new website (launch TBD) musclespasmspod.com

Until then find us and all of Be Frank Network at: www.befranknetwork.com

IG & Facebook:
@muscle.spasms
@Maramarek
@elysian.form

Creator of Landmine University Alex Kanellis joins Elysia and Mara to give some insight into physical functionality while still getting madd gainz. Having played football and being a strength coach for 10 years with every sought-after certification in the fitness books, he found something lacking in the rigidity of functional fitness. His program focuses on gait, rotation, and explosiveness. He uses terms that even our nerdy hosts haven’t heard or used before in their endless fitness research— ie. Spinal engine?! Tell us everything!!!

Tune in to hear how functionality, mobility, and proprioception are not a one-size fits all, but instead an art to be mastered to bring creativity and flow back to the world of getting swole. 

Find Alex: 

www.landmineuniversity.com

IG: .@landmineuniversity

Find us:

IG & Facebook: @muscle.spasms

.@maramarek

[email protected]

www.befranknetwork.com

COMING SOON: NEW WEBSITE AND PATREON!! STAY TUNED. Wherever you find your podcasts. 

Time and time again we all get headaches, something we accept as being human. But WHAT IF there was a way to prevent many head and shoulder pains from taking pressure off of the upper traps through posture, correct form, and stretches (not just stretching, the *right* stretches) to solve this nonstop issue? Elite NYC personal trainers and overall fitness nerds Elysia and Mara dive into the science of why the Upper Traps (trapezius) overwork when we don’t even know it’s happening, when we do an exercise even slightly incorrectly, when we rely on painkillers alone. Tune in to hear what causes tight traps, how to prevent it, and how to change small habits to prevent stress headaches in your already stressful life.

Find us on IG for the how-tos to go with the science:
@muscle.spasms
Maramarek
@elysian.form

Please rate, review, subscribe, share and care! It helps us keep this nerd-train rolling, and hopefully, keeps your life a little more pain-free, healthy, and fitness-minded without pressure.

Show by: Be Frank Network: www.befranknetwork.com

Mara and Elysia talk about the popular trend HIIT. Everyone is doing it, but should everyone be participating? LISTEN AND SEE! But for those who love to read...here's a little written preview:

What is HIIT Training:

High-intensity interval training is a form of interval training, a cardiovascular exercise strategy alternating short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with less intense recovery periods, until too exhausted to continue. 

It’s great for those who are short on time as a way of maximizing your time spent in the gym. A typical HIT session, not including your warm up, SHOULD last a maximum of 20 minutes.

Many of the benefits of HIIT training have been vastly overstated by the media and marketers but there are definitely some advantages to it.

PROS:

HIIT training SUPPOSEDLY leads to greater EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) when compared to continuous exercise. This means that after you have finished exercising, your body will continue to burn calories at a higher rate than normal. The evidence base is small, but at least one study has shown that you can match the training effect of continuous training in less time using a proper HIIT protocol. 

You get maximum benefit for decreased time investment. Since we are all super busy and stressed for time, and can’t find the time in the day to exercise, this can be very valuable. It has been shown to also increase muscle growth, however, that is not the gold standard of muscle building.  Strength training always wins. Even though there has been shown some benefit, it’s not the most valuable way to build muscle.

CONS:

Increased Injury

HIIT workouts often call for complicated exercise moves, like burpees and box jumps. Trainers warn that doing these moves with the wrong form can lead to pulled muscles and other injuries. Combine that with the rapid-fire pace of HIIT, and you’ve got a recipe for fitness injuries.

Plus, intense routines often put heavy stress on your body, which can cause overuse injuries and joint strains. Work ‘till hurts, like “fitspo” Instagrammers encourage, and you’ll find yourself with strained knees and shoulders.

HIIT workouts should usually be done no more than 3 times a week. Also, you should start under the guidance of a professional trainer who can ensure your form is stable and correct. This will help prevent injuries from HIIT.

Advanced Preparation

Despite articles everywhere promise five fat-shredding minutes to a beach body, HIIT workouts aren’t for fitness newbies. The complicated moves and intense demands mean this style of training works best for experienced gym-goers. If you want to start a HIIT workout with little prior experience, you need to prepare yourself with weeks of lower-intensity training.

There’s also plenty of workout prep to do before and after. Dynamic stretching or warm-up exercises before HIIT will minimize the odds of soreness and injuries. Post-workout static stretches are also a good idea to avoid injury and soothe strained muscles. This prep work might take as long or longer than your five minutes of training.

Make sure to check out the instagram @muscle.spasms as well as our hosts @Elysian.form and @maramarek 

Mara and Elysia are joined by the classically trained performer who has channeled artistic expression into fitness and social media encouragement Kayla Kleinman. She is a Social Media Coach and Creator @yoursocialmedia.bff, Blogger (Kayla in the City link below), and *loud* Yoga Teacher in our Muscle Spasms hometown, the city that never sleeps, NYC. Through the pandemic year(s) she has had nothing but positive vibes to share through her social media platforms but isn’t fake about it. In a world of oversaturated Facetuned photos, unrealistic body expectations, in a panicked and inflammatory political climate, she is a bright voice in the dark. Tune in to hear the importance of self-care and forgiveness, creative expression, and the power of movement, laughter, and for the love of Zeus, REST. Strong legs, clear head, open heart— never fails.

Find Kayla: 

@kaylakleinman 

@yoursocialmedia.bff

Blog:

www.kaylainthecity.com/explore/

Find us:

@muscle.spasms

@elysian.form

@maramarek

Be Frank Network:

@befranknetwork

www.befranknetwork.com

Our fitness nerds, Mara and resident hoser, Elysia are joined this week by the outrageous, no f***s given, homegrown fellow Canadian smart aleck, social media coach, TikTok sensation, and over-the-top training enthusiast Cole DaSilva. If you want real talk, here it is. Cole grew up rough in Thunder Bay, Ontario-- aka crime capital of the country. Through laughter and NSFW descriptions, Cole speaks of his journey through leaving home young, filling his formative years with debauchery, getting deep into heavy drug and alcohol addiction. We talk mental health, creating a successful business, social media (the good and the bad) and having the balls to change your life for the better.  Tune in for the nitty gritty, the full spectrum of mental strength and self-assuredness that we all need a bit of to survive in this crazy world.
Check out Cole on IG or TikTok @coleluisdasilva
Find us @muscle.spasms
@maramarek
@elysian.form
www.befranknetwork.com