Sunday, October 14, 2012

10 Commandments of RHF Fitness


1.      Thou shall attend. The frequency of attendance depends on your goals; your goals should be in line with your needs.
2.      Thou shall take ownership of thy body. You are in complete control over your body no matter what is said by anyone.
3.      Thou shall work around injuries and modify exercises when needed. Communicate with the trainer and staff.
4.      Thou shall work hard and progress. Work in both progressive and regressive cycles. Listen to your body.
5.      Thou shall rest and recover. Recovery involves many objectives and includes nutrition. Rest is a weapon.
6.      Thou shall eat for performance. Pre-workout and post-workout nutrition will make you, avoiding it will break you.
7.      Thou shall eat for wellness. You body is made up of cells (trillions). Looks come secondary to health & wellness. Feed your cells!
8.      Thou shall affirm daily. Develop mantras. Thoughts become things. What you think about you bring about.
9.      Thou shall set clear fitness goals that are Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Timely (SMART).
10.  Thou shall pay it forward. Help other people come to experience fitness as a vehicle to a well-lived life. The best way to get in shape? Never get out of shape. The best program? The program you work at.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Pre-Workout Snack Guidelines


Food preferences for pre-workout (or pre-race/performance) snacks will vary depending on the individual, type of exercise and level of intensity. For example, endurance athletes can often eat more during a long slow cycle when their heart rate is lower, than while running or training at a higher heart rate.

Experiment with the following guidelines to help determine an appropriate snack for you. Choose a snack that:
  • Contains a sufficient amount of fluid to maintain hydration.
  • Is low in fat and fiber to facilitate gastric emptying and minimize GI distress.
  • Is high in carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, whole-grain bread, rice, pasta, and cereals to maintain blood glucose levels, and maximize carbohydrate stores.
  • Contains some protein for staying power throughout your workout.
  • Is low in simple sugars such as candy. They can send your blood sugar level shooting down, leading to a severe drop in energy.
The more time you allow between eating and exercise, the larger the quantity of food you will be able to eat. Allow more digestion time before intense exercise than before low-level activity. Your muscles require more blood during intense exercise, and therefore less blood will be available to your stomach to help with digestion. If you have a finicky stomach, try a liquid snack prior to your workout.

Liquid snacks such as smoothies (Isagenix® Isalean shake) or sports drinks (Isagenix® Want More Energy) tend to leave the stomach faster than solid foods do and will be easier to digest. Choosing the appropriate snacks will be dependent on the individual. Some people have a tough time digesting anything solid prior to a workout while and others can munch on an energy bar during intense activity such as running.

Pre-Workout Snack Ideas: (100-200 calories)

Here are some snacks that pack a punch to keep you energized throughout your workout:
  • A small bowl of cereal with a banana
  • 3/4 cup of yogurt with 1/2 cup berries
  • 1 bagel with non-hydrogenated peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup trail mix
  • An English muffin with nut butter and honey
  • A smoothie made with milk or juice, fresh or frozen and wheat germ or flax meal
  • 3-4 fig cookies or a low fat granola bar 
Remember the golden rule of eating familiar foods before a workout, race or competition. This would never be the time to try something new. Trial and error during training will help you find the fuel that will work best for you.

Super-Hydrate Your System

Drinking plenty of water is essential to the success of this program. Drinking the recommended amount of water can seem like a challenge at first. Stick with it. Carry a large sports bottle or similar item with you throughout the day. After several weeks, you will find that you actually thirst for more water, and the amounts recommended are easily reached.

Super hydration aids the release of fat in a number of ways:


First, the kidneys are unable to function without adequate water. When they fail to work to capacity some of their load is dumped onto the liver.

This diverts the liver from its function, which is metabolized stored fat into usable energy. Because it’s performing the chores of water-depleted kidneys, the liver metabolizes less fat.

Second. Overeating can be averted through water intake, as water can keep the stomach feeling full and satisfied between meals.

Third, ice-cold water requires calories to warm it to core body temperatures. In fact, 1 gallon of ice cold water generates 123 calories of heat energy.

You’ll be drinking from 1 to 1 5/8gallons of water each day on the following super-hydration schedule:

Week 1-- drink 4, 32-oz. bottles of ice-cold water per day.

Week 2-- drink 4.5, 32-oz. bottles of ice-cold water per day.

Week 3-- drink 5, 32-oz. bottles of ice-cold water per day.

Week 4-- drink 5.5, 32-oz. bottles of ice-cold water per day.

Week 5-- drink 6, 32-oz. bottles of ice-cold water per day.

Week 6-- drink 6.5, 32-oz. bottles of ice-cold water per day.

Plan on making more than a dozen trips to the restroom, especially during the first week of the program. Remember, your body is an adaptive system and it will soon accommodate the increased water consumption.

NOTE:
Although it is doubtful that you could ever drink too much water, a few ailments can be negatively affected by large amounts of fluid. For example, anyone with a kidney disorder or anyone who takes diuretics, should consult a physician or health care professional before going on this recommended water-drinking schedule. If you have any doubts about the recommendations, play it safe and check with your physician or health care professional. At all costs, attempt to drink natural spring water and avoid chlorine and fluoride.

Maximize Your Fitness Gains with Pre Workout and Post Workout Nutrition

Introduction

When implemented properly and consistently, strategic pre-workout and post-workout supplementation can greatly increase the effectiveness of your training. Without optimum nutritional strategies, the body's response to training can only be considered a compromise at best. From this perspective, training and diet (nutritional support) have to be considered as one in the same; the food and supplements that you take, and the work that you faithfully perform at RHF, are both part of your training.  Your biology is your biography as I say time and time again.

Why it is needed


Exercise causes acute changes in the metabolic environment of muscle tissue. First, there is a significant increase in blood flow to working muscles. There is also a sharp increase in catecholamines (hormones like noradrenalin & adrenalin). These changes favor catabolism (breakdown) during exercise and anabolism (build up) immediately after exercise. Because these changes are acute, some lasting only a few hours, the pre and post exercise meals are critical to optimizing the anabolic effect of exercise.

Pre-Workout Nutrition: Starting the Metabolic Fire

Having a pre-workout meal plan is smart, healthy, and beneficial. It provides you with energy, power, and strength to push your workouts to the max and may speed recovery. But did you know that the time frame in which you consume your meals is just about as important as the workout itself? For best results, you need to consume your meals within 2 hours before you begin your workouts, so your body has adequate amount of energy to perform.

A small dose of protein (5-10 g), a small dose of carbohydrates (10-20 g) and an electrolyte mix (containing B vitamins and minerals) will do the trick. It is never a one size fits all approach. You may need to play around with the ratios and timing to acclimate to your body’s digestion capacities. Calories should range from 75-200.


Post Workout Recovery Formula: The 45 Minute Window

During exercise muscles use metabolic fuels at an accelerated rate. In order for physical work to be continuous, the body mobilizes stored fuels for metabolic use (making fatty acids, glucose, and amino acids available for oxidation). This is a catabolic (breakdown) process and cannot occur simultaneous to anabolic (buildup) processes (such as glycogen formation and protein synthesis). In order for the body to recover from exercise, the catabolic environment must be quickly changed to an anabolic environment. The food that you eat after training affects the hormonal processes in your body in order for this to take place. With the rapid introduction of carbohydrate, protein, and fat into the system post exercise, the body is able to begin reparations on damaged tissue and replenish fuel reserves.  Your workout is over after you have your post-workout recovery formula.

A carbohydrate/protein of 3:1 or as high as 5:1 will do the trick. Fat intake should be minimal (essential fats).Calorie intake should range from 150-350. The window diminishes greatly after 45 minutes. So, get your post workout recovery in right away for best results.


Summary

Pre- and post-exercise nutrition is critical if one wants to maximize the anabolic effects of exercise.


The pre-exercise meal should be high in a quickly digestible protein (whey). This will ensure high delivery of amino acids to the muscle tissue. Carbohydrates can also be taken to minimize glycogen loss and suppress catabolic hormones. Fat should be avoided pre-exercise unless the exercise is for endurance. The most convenient way to get nutrition into the body is through food-form supplements. Fruit also works great so eat up!

The post exercise meal should consist of carbohydrate, protein and perhaps a small amount of essential fats, in a form that is easily and quickly digestible. There are many meal replacement products that fit the bill. Isagenix® is the product of choice at Rock Hard Fitness. Forget the worry about sugar content because right after a workout, fat storage is a non-issue.* A liquid meal is the most practical method of post-exercise feeding although you may eat solid food. The ratio of macronutrients depends somewhat on the nature of the training session. An emphasis on high glycemic carbs, complete readily digestible proteins such as whey, egg, or high quality casein, and essential fats such as fish or flax oil will meet the criteria for an effective post exercise meal.

Fluids

We have to mention fluid replacement when talking nutrition. Hydration is extremely important on the cellular level. Muscle growth is inhibited by dehydration. The rate at which you become dehydrated from training depends on how much you sweat. Some people sweat a lot when training and others sweat noticeably less.

A good rule of thumb is:


To drink half your ideal body weight in ounces as a minimum and up to your ideal body weight in ounces as a maximum. Exp. your ideal weight is 150 pounds, your minimum is 75oz. and your max is 150oz. Another way to assess hydration goals: 1 ml for every calorie that you need. So, if you eat 3,500 calories a day, try to drink 3 1/2 liters of water. If you exercise in hot or humid climates add 16oz. of water for every pound you lose while exercising.

*There is some evidence to suggest that sugar may disrupt the anabolic effects of exercise and harm your training gains but more evidence is needed to support this theory.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Boot Camp or Bust?

What are my fitness options?

If you’re unsure about RHF Burn30 Bootcamp you have other options...

1. Engage in Semi Private Training: As an experienced fitness pro I can assure you that personal training (semi-private) works (assuming you and the trainer are a match). If you would prefer semi-private training it is available to you. Please let me know I’ll be happy to help you. Do keep in mind that it is 4-6 times the cost of RHF Burn30 Bootcamp, and you never get the same external support that you get from group environments. Group environments create instant accountability. In boot camp you make new friends (Burn Buddies) so it requires less initial will power and internal motivation. Group environments create massive energy.

2. Join a Traditional Gym (not recommended):
Here you are basically leasing equipment with zero accountability (most likely). Recent statistics state that as high as 75% of gym members attend once or twice a month! If you skip out you miss all the benefits. If you do attend, how do you know if you are maximizing your time? Are you doing the right exercises? Are you using effective principles for proper growth and function? Are your progressions transferable to the real world? These are just a few things to consider.

3.
Attempt a “Diet:” Dieting fails in the long term. Your goals should be to balance a sensible exercise and nutrition plan that allows you to learn a lifelong set of skills (skill sets). With restrictive dieting you deprive your body of many essential nutrients. You can “lose” some weight in the short term by strictly limiting your caloric intake, but you will find it again and it is harmful to your body to continuously “diet.” Dieting will also stunt your physical performance and cause your body to go into “protection mode” (metabolic drop) because it fears starvation which in turn may make you fatter (skinny fat). The goal is to decrease body fat right?


4.
Be the Lone Ranger: Only a few people can be successful with a self-monitored fitness plan. If you have strong will and intense self-discipline, you can make this work for you. Your results though will be in direct proportion to your knowledge base; results will probably come less quickly because of the learning curve. Keep in mind you will need to buy some equipment, schedule time and REALLY commit to following through without any outside support or accountability. Even the best athletes in the world have trainers and coaches (hint).


5. Stay Stuck Right Where You Are:
You want to be fit right? You can maintain your status as is and keep getting much of the same. A wise person said once: “If you always do what you are always taught you will always get what you always got.” Again, you want to be fit right? You do want change right? If you are satisfied with what you’ve achieved thus far, chances are you would never be reading this right now. If you choose to do nothing at all it is the absolute worst choice of all. I hope you choose a better path than this one.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Tips For Beginning Your Fitness Program

Proper preparation for a fitness program is essential in order to achieve the best results.  The following tips will help you when starting a new fitness program, and help you to stay consistent with it over the long term.


The following is a list of general principles:

  1. Prior to beginning an exercise program, speak with your physician, especially if you have a medical condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure, are overweight, sedentary, over 35 years old, have any heart problems, or have a history of heart problems in your family.
     
  2. Set achievable, measurable, attainable, and realistic goals.  Write them down and keep them some place visible. Create an accountability team (i.e. trainer, nutritionist, workout partner) to help keep you on track.

  3. Wear comfortable clothing that will absorb perspiration. Choose clothing that maximizes your movement and remember that this is about fitness rather than fashion (although you may wear fashionable workout clothes). Wear good athletic shoes that provide plenty of arch support. Dress for the climate.

  4. Choose and schedule times to work out that fit your daily routine. It helps to pick a time when you usually feel energetic and your schedule allows for consistency.  If you have a busy lifestyle, put your workouts into your schedule just like any other appointments or responsibilities that you have.

  5. Track your workouts in a log or notebook.  This helps ensure that you consistently challenge yourself to do more in your program, allows you to see the progress you are making, and gives you a record to monitor so you know when to build variety and progression into your program.

  6. Warm up for 3 – 5 minutes with a light activity that targets all the major muscle groups prior to beginning your fitness program (also known as a dynamic warm-up).

  7. After your workout, finish with a cool down phase of 5-10 minutes.  This is also a good time to incorporate any static (stationary) stretching into your fitness program.

  8. Consistency is the key with any fitness program designed to achieve lasting, long term results.  Start with small steps, but keep moving forward with your program consistently.

  9. Avoid going overboard with your fitness program.  Exercise is like anything else, and too much of a good thing can be detrimental.  Give your body adequate rest by getting a good night’s sleep on a consistent basis and by varying your exercise routine so that you avoid suffering from repetitive use injuries.

  1. Clean up your diet; look into nutritional cleansing and supplementation. Understand that there is a balance (physically and nutritionally) that your body must achieve for optimal health and physical performance. This is done through a balanced, practical, and rational approach of exercise, rest, and nutritional intake.

Sprain vs. Strain and How to Treat Them Both


Injuries happen. They’re never any fun, and so we do whatever we can to make them go away as fast as possible.

Problem is, the things we do for them often make them worse. That’s particularly true of sprains and strains. It seems silly that something so common can be so tricky to treat. But that’s exactly why. Everyone thinks they already know how to do it.

They think they know how to do it, that is, until faced with questions like these: Should you use ice or heat? How long? How often? Should you use bandages? Braces? Walk it off? Stay off it? Put it up? Keep it down? And how do you get back to your normal routine?


That list would leave most people scratching their heads. Almost everyone has the basics down. But when it comes to treating sprains and strains, the devil is in the details.

Below, are all the details you will ever need to take care of MOST common joint and muscle injuries.  It is far better that you know rather than be ignorant to self-treating sprains and strains.

Sprain vs. Strain: Some Definitions

Before we get too far into it, what’s the difference between a sprain and a strain, anyway?

Good question. A sprain is a ligament injury. Ligaments are the tough, fibrous tissues that connect bone to bone. They literally hold your joints together. When they are damaged, we call that a sprain.

In contrast, a strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon. You already know what muscles are. Tendons are the tough, fibrous tissues that connect muscle to bone. When either a muscle or a tendon is damaged, we call that a strain.

There are three different classifications for sprains and strains:


Grade 1.
This kind of injury happens when the fiber (ligament, muscle, or tendon) is stretched a bit beyond its normal limits and sustains some minor damage.

Grade 2.
This kind of sprain involves a partial tear of the fiber.

Grade 3.
This kind of sprain involves a complete rupture or tear of the fiber. (A ruptured fiber remains intact but detaches from the bone.) Severe damage may require surgical repair.

Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of sprains and strains overlap significantly. (For the record, “signs” of an illness are directly observable or measurable. “Symptoms,” on the other hand, are subjectively reported by the patient).

Common signs of a sprain include swelling, bruising, and decreased joint mobility. If the ligament ruptures, you may actually hear a “popping” sound. Symptoms of a sprain include pain and difficulty using the affected extremity.

The signs of a strain are very similar. They include discoloration and bruising. Generally strains are accompanied by less swelling than sprains, but that obviously depends more on the severity of the injury than on the type. Symptoms include local pain and stiffness.


If you suspect that you have suffered a sprain or a strain and you are experiencing severe pain or functional impairment, you should probably consult a doctor. These can be signs of a fracture or a complete tear. The doctor will use an X-ray to rule out a fracture. After the swelling has gone down, he or she may also order an MRI to check for a tear.

If, on the other hand, your injury is mild, you can treat it yourself by remembering the following simple mnemonic.

The RICE Method


RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. This method is taught to EMTs and orthopedists alike because it is the optimal form of treatment for most sprains and strains. Though it may sound like common sense, you need to make sure that you are doing each step correctly -- and most people fail at this. Remember the long list of questions? They’re all answered below.

1. Rest


The biggest mistake that most people make with sprains or strains is to try to “walk them off.” That’s fine for cramps. For sprains and strains, however, additional force usually means additional injury. Nevertheless, many people will continue hobbling through their activities and then apply ice only much later that night, if at all.

That’s too late. The first 24-48 hours after an injury are when ice, compression, and elevation will make the most difference -- the sooner, the better. If you neglect resting immediately, you do you run the risk of hurting yourself even worse, you also deprive yourself of the potential benefits of the rest of the RICE method.

The other mistake that people make is resting too much or too long after an injury. Prolonged immobilization causes joints to stiffen up and muscles to waste away. That means you should avoid “babying” an injury as well.


Instead, you should rest only until you are pain-free -- within one to three days for most injuries. Then try to ease back into your normal routine. Listen to your body. Stop if it hurts, but do as much as you can handle. Strength and flexibility fall into the use-it-or-lose-it category. Appropriate rest will speed your recovery.

2. Ice

As funny as it may sound, most people also ice incorrectly. You should ice immediately after an injury to minimize swelling and ease pain. Swelling is the real enemy. Ice keeps swelling down because cold constricts blood vessels, which slows the arrival of inflammatory molecules. It also numbs the nerves at the site of injury to reduce pain.

Ice right away. You should never apply ice directly to the skin for an extended period of time. There are two better options. You can place a thin layer -- a towel, for example -- between the ice and your skin. Or you can perform an “ice massage.” To do that, just move the ice over the injured area as if you were rubbing it. Either way, leave the ice in place with a barrier.


You should ice for 15-20 minutes at a time. Though your injury may still hurt at the end of that time, further icing is ineffective. In fact, it may hurt: you run the risk of frostbite and other complications with overly long icing sessions. Instead, wait an hour or so. Then check the area again. If it has normal tactile sense and feels warm to the touch, you can ice it for another 15-20 minutes. You can then repeat that process as many times as you like. (Though it really fails to help after more than a day or two).

The ideal ice pack is a Ziploc bag filled about three-quarters full with ice and a little bit of water. The water helps the ice pack conform to your body. You can also use packages of frozen vegetables.

For those who prefer hot to cold, heating does have its place. It is a great way to loosen up stiff muscles and joints. It relaxes tissues and stimulates blood flow. You can use heat before exercising (also for 15-20 minutes at a time), but you should never heat after an injury, as it will exacerbate swelling. (You should also never heat while you sleep.) A simple rule of thumb is to heat before, ice after.

3. Compression


The mistake that most people make with compression is one of omission. Compression helps to immobilize an injury and provide support. When combined with ice, it also helps to minimize swelling and pain.

To compress an injury, wrap an Ace bandage around the site. Try to overlap about half the width of the bandage on each pass until you completely cover the injury. You want it to be snug, but make sure that you keep blood circulation. If you start to get cold, blue, tingly, or numb, it’s too tight. Undo the bandage and rewrap it a bit looser.


You should use compression bandages at least as long as you are icing the injury. (You can leave them on longer than ice though.) Even after you stop icing, you can continue to use compression for support. Compression bandages should never keep you inactive for too long. Remember to rest only as long as you need to.

4. Elevation


Finally, elevate the site of your injury above the level of your heart. Just like cold compression, elevation works to decrease swelling. Elevation also prevents fluid from pooling. Keep the injury elevated at least as long as you are icing it.

The RICE method is the most effective possible treatment for most sprains and strains. As you can see, all four steps work in concert to treat sprains and strains.


Preventing Injuries

We will all face an injury of some kind during our lifetimes. Accidents are unavoidable. But physical setbacks are even more frustrating when you are exercising in an effort to improve your health. Although looking at the big picture—skipping exercising makes your body age faster, break down more quickly, die younger, and certainly diminishes your quality of life. Nothing can derail this motivation faster than a nagging injury. After all, your main reason for exercising may be to make yourself feel better, and injuries accomplish exactly the opposite. One of the most frustrating scenarios we face is when we finally make that commitment to our health, begin to work out, and then find ourselves sidelined by an injury Let us examine ways to reduce your chance of getting injured in the first place.
Why we get injured...
There are two types of injury: acute and chronic. An acute injury occurs when something overloads your system beyond its capacity to buffer it—like getting hit by a car or falling off your bike. A chronic injury is one that's created by overusing a body part until it breaks down.
Acute injuries are unpreventable. Nothing can prepare you for a car accident (unless you know how to construct a Superhero suit). But you can prepare yourself to better fend off minor acute injuries. Exercise can help you strengthen your body and can prepare you to deal with adversity more efficiently.
Chronic injuries can almost always be avoided, because overuse injuries are generally due to muscular imbalance and/or lack of proper range of motion. By properly training your body, muscles will be balanced and functional, bones will be dense, and body parts will be supple. When you get this formula right, chronic injuries almost never happen.
But doing this is easier said than done. Even elite athletes have trouble keeping their bodies in balance. The reason is that it takes both dedication and discipline. Most of us just want to do whatever it is we find entertaining when we exercise. The little things that keep us injury free are the most important exercises.  As boring as this may be, it's a lot more fun than being injured. Let's take a look at the basics of staying healthy.
The Warm Up
Warming up properly seems like a waste of time. Many people at one time or another have jumped right into an intensive workout like RHF Studio Boot Camp and walked away feeling like they got hit by a truck. But if you want to remain uninjured, nothing stacks the odds in your favor as much as thoroughly warming up your body to get it ready for the rigors of exercise (5-7 minutes).
Acute injuries are never accidents. Putting stress on a cold system can cause acute injury, even with resistance you can normally handle easily. The reason is that when you're cold, your muscles are actually gel-like. As they warm up, they become less viscous, kind of like oil in your car engine. This process is called thixotropy; as you increase your heart rate, your core body temperature heats up. When this happens, your muscular viscosity decreases, and you become more supple and ready to handle the stresses of exercise.
A proper warm-up starts out slow and gradually increases in intensity. Once your blood is moving, easy, short stretches (dynamic) help elongate your muscles so they're ready for the intense contractions that will happen later. Note that long, slow stretching (static) should be avoided as part of the warm-up. The type of stretching you do to increase your flexibility should be done post-exercise. Pre-exercise (dynamic) stretches should remain very low on the intensity scale. They serve only to loosen up the body to its current range-of-motion abilities, not to increase that range.
The Cool Down
A good workout stresses your body. Your heart rate increases to near its maximum and muscles are contracted at high speed. If you finish a hard workout and walk away without a cool down, your body settles into a contracted state. When this happens, the damage incurred during the workout is exacerbated and your body fails to recover well. A proper cool down eases your heart rate and stretches out your muscle fibers. This begins the healing process and speeds up your recovery time.
A good cool down consists of moving your body more and more slowly, allowing your heart rate to drop. When it gets low enough (under 100 beats per minute) you should begin stretching out all the muscles you worked during your workout. It's best to start with easy ballistic stretches. These can be followed by slower, longer static stretches (stationary). If you want to do a full-blown stretching session with the aim of increasing your body's range of motion, this is the best time to do that.
Stay Flexible and Functional
Since working out contracts your muscles, to stay in balance you need to stretch them out. Failing to stretch out your muscles leaves their fiber strands knotted together. Muscles in this state are very susceptible to overload and hence injury. Properly stretched muscle fibers have far more of a buffer zone than unstretched muscles. They can take the same force loads more easily because they have more room to contract. Staying flexible is a great way to avoid injury and to stay functional.
PreHabilitation: (Rehab before you need it)
If you've ever been to a physical therapist, you've probably been given exercises that help rebuild an injured area. These tend to be low-intensity movements that stress your prime mover muscles and the smaller muscles that stabilize the larger ones. For some reason, many older-style exercise programs often leave out training these smaller muscles. This is bad, because when you build up one muscle group more than another, your body becomes imbalanced. When you have a muscular imbalance, you're highly likely to become injured. This leads to a puzzle for many of us. We only go to a physical therapist when we are injured. At the same time it is hard to know your imbalances without seeing a physical therapist.
Fortunately, most modern (up to date) exercise programs consider this situation. RHF Studio Boot Camp, for example, has many different workouts that focus on both prime mover and stabilizer muscles. RHF likes to fuse concepts together to give you the best possible sweat session. But it's still easy to become out of balance because life often throws us into situations where muscular imbalance is likely to happen. Sports, raking leaves, and even working on the computer can create imbalance. Offsetting this imbalance can be complicated, but is achievable. Here are some ideas:
1.   Have an annual assessment from a physical therapist. Your PT can put you through a series of exercises that can determine your muscular health. If he or she does find an imbalance, it can usually be remedied with a few simple exercises.
2.   Remember those physical therapist visits. Whenever you are sent to a PT, remember the exercises you are given there. Once you've injured an area, that area will always be susceptible to being reinjured. You should do the exercises prescribed, at least on occasion, for the rest of your life. If you have enough injuries, your arsenal of rehab exercises begins to grow, and eventually you'll know how to avoid any imbalances.
3.   Do dynamic (before workouts) and static stretching (after workouts). It targets muscular balance more than any other type of exercise. Doing yoga (stretch class) for a day or so per week will keep your body both balanced and supple, as well as greatly facilitating all other training. You can try fusing stretching into a strength routine as well.
4.   Get help with drills to increase range of motion, help relieve pain, and prevent strain in commonly stressed areas like the shoulders, neck, core, lower back, and knees. This will keep you functional and allow you to continue forward in your progress.