Dr. Paul Donohue Good Health



Dear Dr. Donohue: I am a high-school pitcher. Last year I got a sore shoulder toward the end of the season and had to sit out for four weeks. I don't want that to happen this year. What kind of exercises should I do to prevent another sore shoulder? -- A.G.

Dear A.G.: Close to half the velocity of a thrown ball comes from the pitcher's stride and body rotation as he or she throws the ball. So you have to devote a good portion of your exercise time to developing your leg, hip and torso muscles.

In sport-specific muscle strengthening, a person exercises the muscles in a way that closely imitates how they are used in that sport.

Find yourself a 2.5-pound ball (or any round object that roughly approximates a ball). With your right hand, lift the ball slightly above your head. Next, bring the ball to your left shoulder. Then swing the ball-holding hand quickly upward and to the right and release the ball.

A second exercise is done in a half-kneeling position, with your right knee on the ground and left knee bent. Hold the ball behind your head and then toss it to a friend who is standing.

Work up to a point where you can perform three sets of 10 repetitions of these exercises, with a 30-second rest between throws. I've described them for a right-hander. Lefties have to make the appropriate changes.

Dear Dr. Donohue: What can you tell me about Curves gyms? They have equipment set up in a circle where you do certain exercises for 30 seconds and then move to the next exercise machine until you have gone around all 10 machines, three times each, for a total workout of 30 minutes. It still takes 3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat, correct? -- C.C.

Dear C.C.: I have never heard of Curves, but the program sounds exactly like circuit weight training. The exerciser moves quickly from one exercise machine to the next without taking any rest between machines. This kind of workout is an amalgamation of aerobic and weight-training exercise. It kills two birds with one stone. It's a good way of fitting both kinds of exercises into a tight schedule.

Correct: Burning 3,500 calories is still required to lose a pound of fat.


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