Working out – Warming up exercises

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

Having supple joints and stretchable muscles is one of the best ways to reduce the prospect of muscle strains and give you the opportunity for a wide variety of workout programmes, which is great for your overal body fitness training.

Your overall objective is to attain a good range of motion, while slowly extending that reach to a degree appropriate to your fitness level and body type. There are several different methods to accomplish that objective and you should utilise at least a few of them prior to every workout.

Warm-ups are fundamental.. Cold muscles are much more inclined to tear and lead to stretched or torn cartilage and other harmful effects. Warm-ups and stretches help facilitate the fluid that lubricates the joints, and it also helps the muscles become more elastic. Those both lead to safer, increased performance workouts.

Ten to fifteen minutes is the minimum time required for most people. This can be done by low-impact jogging in place, simple stretches and other methods.

Static warming up for example, is the old-fashioned stretch and hold for 30 seconds. This should be done with the arms, trunk, legs and neck. Dynamic stretching and ballistic warm upsinvolve more active, bouncing-style or weight-assisted warming up sometimes with extra force applied. Both types are useful in attaining total body fitness.

Some dynamic warming up exercises involve holding the arms out to the side of the body then swinging them back and forth across front of the your torso, repeating for 30 seconds. Another method involves using a short bar across the neck, lying on the shoulders. Place your hands on the bar, then bend slowly left, then right, moving the head towardtowards the outer edge of the foot.

Abdominal muscles can be prepared by lying backwards on a big rubber ball. Push back slowly and raise the arms above your head. Perform this 10 times. Loosen your hamstrings by lying on your back, and elevating one outstretched leg with a large towel wrapped around the foot. Grab the ends and pull up gently. Switch legs, then repeat for 10 reps.

A full back warm up is accomplished by lying on your back and bringing both knees to the chest, hands clasped behind the knees. Roll forwards until your feet hit the floor, after roll back until the head touches. Do 10 repititions.

Groin warm ups can be done safely by using a big rubber ball. position one knee on the ball and gently rotate the ball a several centimeters away from your body. Rotate the ball backwards toward your body, then switch legs. perform 10 repititions.

Both the legs and back muscles can get a good warm-up stretch by doing toe taps. Stand up straight feet apart about shoulder width. Lean forwards touching the big toe on one foot with the opposite hand – left hand to right foot, and vice-versa. Those with lower back problems should discuss this with a trainer or physician before persuing these methods.

For increased flexibility, warming up routines should be performed before and after the main exercise. This will help maximize your range and minimise the potential for muscle damage.

Don’t forget to remain hydrated at all times, we recommend the use of a good water filter to ensure  water quality.

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How To Get 6 Pack Abs

Monday, June 21st, 2010

Have you ever wondered how to get beautiful six pack abs? Don’t worry, millions of other guys and gals are wondering the same thing. The truth is, it really isn’t all that hard to get rock hard abs. They look beautiful and they make you look super attractive. There are simple exercises that you can do get in shape and have the ripped body you have always wanted.

The first thing you must do is get rid of the thought that doing sit ups and crunches is the best way to get ripped. Sure they may help you burn some fat away, but you’re not going to get the 6 pack abs that you are working hard for. You must do different exercises in order to get the washboard abs you are working hard for.

to start defining your six pack abs, you have to be willing to try other types of exercises. There are jump exercises\exercise routines that work much better at getting you the washboard abs you want than the usual sit up routine or crunch routine. Are you aware that jumping jacks have a far better result in your abdominals than crunches? Yes! It is true, the reason is that it actually takes the ab muscles more work to sustain you when you jump and land than just pulling your self up from a sit up. In a jumping jack, you pull up on your abs, pull down on your abs and use the sides of them for stability. Do you see how this is much better than a simple sit up or crunch?

You have a two layers of fat over your abdominal muscles. A top layer and an inner layer. Everybody has problems with the inner layer. Sit ups and crunches do nothing to burn this layer off. That is why you have to do different types of exercises in order to get the washboard abs look that you want.

Do not give up hope. You can get the rock hard abs that you want. It is much easier than you think, just open your mind to different exercises. Mix it up and eat right. You’ll soon have the 6 pack abs that you want.

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6 Killer Tips For Amazing 6 Pack Abs

Monday, June 7th, 2010

No matter if you’re a teen looking to get healthy or even a grown woman returning to physical fitness, a harder and flatter belly may be the ultimate end goal for many a person. For this reason, this topic is covered within lots of health and fitness myths and also revolutionary ideas and it is especially vulnerable to extravagant equipment and ideas that claim to give a rock hard 6 pack in  weeks, yet do nothing at all. This informative article won’t claim to give “rock hard abs” inside a few days, but rather serves to try and change the views many people have gotten from viewing too many infomercials at 2AM.

1. It’s not possible to Spot-Reduce

This means that you cannot burn off fat simply from a specific spot on your body. All of the sit-ups on earth will not burn off fat deposits on the gut. Bodyfat will be lost from through out the body and is the result of a caloric deficit, not from triggering a specific muscle group.

2. Cardio is vital

The true secret for you to get a six pack isn’t in building the stomach muscles, but in burning fat deposits which is actually covering all of them. The right way to achieve this would be to use a caloric deficit, which may be accomplished through both taking in much less calories and using up far more calories. A type of cardiovascular that is certainly quite effective for burning fat and also elevating your metabolic process is HIIT. HIIT is actually working out in short bursts of intense cardio followed by a short cooldown. An example of a session would be a 30 second run, then a 30 second jog, followed by another run, and so on for 4 to 15 minutes based on the health and fitness of person.

3. Abdominal muscles are made in the kitchen

Here is the least complex yet probably the most challenging element in obtaining a 6 pack. The key to getting a six pack is always to cut down on food and lose bodyfat. Here are a few very easily applicable tips:

    * Quit having soda and begin to drink just water. It can make a huge difference.

    * Eat 5-6 small meals each day. This helps boost your fat burning capacity as well as keeps your urge for food under control.

    * Try to look for your calorie maintenance level and gradually decrease 100-200 calories per week until your are dropping about 1-2 pounds a week.

4. Sit-ups are useless

Sit-ups are supposed to target the abs but the hip flexors and spinal erectors are doing the work within the motion. The abs are merely used isometrically as stabilizers. Which means that sit-ups tend to be horrible for your back and do not benefit your abs anyway.

5. Some other Exercises To Do

At this point this could be the time for me to plug a few brand-new life-changing product or idea, however that is not the point of this article. Here are some ab exercises for beginners to perform rather than the regular sit-up to add to your 6 pack ab workout:

    * Crunches – There are many different types, but try to think about it as pulling your bottom rib straight to your hip

    * Weighted crunches – Do normal ab crunches except hold a weight plate to your chest

    * Hanging leg raises – hang from a bar and pull the knees straight to your chest

6. Do not Throw in the towel!

While reaching  your ultimate goal of a six pack is probably not as painless and simple as tv commercials may have you believe, it is nevertheless a very realistic goal even for the beginner. All it takes is actually hard work and dedication. Stopping a week after you started won’t enable you to get a 6 pack or help your your overall health and fitness.

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Cutting & Bulking

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Refer to FitDay.com to monitor your nutrient intake while the cutting phase. I use FitDay constantly given that it ís very easy to use as well as it takes the guessing out of my eating habits. FitDay tells me the precise amount of calories, protein, carbs, & fat that I am taking in as well as dozens of other nutrients among them all primary nutrition facts one could find on a packet of food. It gives you the proportion of protein, carbs, and fat in your diet and makes you discover how near or far you are to attaining the recommended daily intake of all major nutrients & vitamins. The bottomline is, you are doing your weight & muscle gain goals a disfavor by not taking advantage of FitDay!

Take steps to put a cap on your cardio the best you can when you are bulking, or to catch up for the calorie deficit simply by eating a greater amount of food. You really don’t like to do any cardio more than necessary (walking to your car from work) while you are on a bulking plan. Bulking periods normally last 4 to 8 weeks, after which it should be time for the cutting phase. Read all about the bulking and cutting phases here.

Weightlifting is a must if your goal is to build lean muscle. The following are some rules to follow: Stick to free weights over machines. Machines remove the negative motion of most exercises, which is crucial for effectively breaking down muscle. Use basic compound exercises foremost. These are squats, deadlifts, bench press, bent-over rows, chin ups, lat pulldowns, and barbell curls. Isolation exercises (flyes, concentration curls, leg curls, leg extensions, leg raises) are not important in terms of bulking so avoid them.

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Complete Chest Workout Routine

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

http://www.LeeHayward.com

This is a complete chest workout that myself and Trish did the other day. We hit the chest from all angles and positions. Compound exercises, isolation exercises, stretching, peak contraction, etc. You gotta give this one a try!

Duration : 0:9:57

(more…)

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New chest workout routine for muscle building?

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

I need a new chest workout routine that will get me a thicker, wider chest. That is an intense workout that can get me to gain a few inches on my chest in a 1-2 month time frame. I came up with a routine for my arms and have gain an inch and a half on them within a 1 month’s time.

I work out at home also. I have dumb bells and a curl bar that I have also been using for my benching. Just need a new workout of my chest.

Best chest workout:
1) 5 sets of between 6-10 reps decline dumbell bench presses
2) 4 sets of between 8-12 reps incline dumbell flies
3) 4 sets of wide hand placement push-ups to failure ( 1 min rest between sets)
4) 4 sets of between 8-12 reps pullovers
5) 5 sets of between 6-10 reps flat bench dumbell bench presses

This workout should take no more than an hour, and uses only the equipment that you have. Best of luck widening your chest.

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Bodyweight Exercises for Women: Basics and Benefits of Bodyweight Exercises for Women

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

 

Are you looking for a fast, convenient, and effective way to exercise right from the privacy of your own home? Exercising using just your bodyweight is a great alternative to gyms, weights, machines, and other expensive equipment. Let’s take a look at several of the basics and benefits of bodyweight exercises for women.

 

Basic Exercises:

 

Push-ups are a great way to exercise your chest, shoulders, and arms. They also exercise your abs, back, and legs, as well as a variety of other stabilizer muscles. Give them a try in the traditional position or do them with your knees on the ground (when just getting started), and experience for yourself all the different muscles being exercised.

 

Crunches are fantastic way to isolate and exercise your abdominal area. Crunches are similar to sit-ups, but they isolate your stomach muscles better. Simply lie down with your back on the floor and your legs (bent at the knees) in the air. Cross your feet at the ankles, cross your arms on your chest (with each hand on opposite shoulder), and attempt to sit up by moving your torso and head toward your legs. Slowly go up as far as you can, and then slowly come back down. (Tip: Don’t come down all the way…this will allow you to keep constant tension on your abs and get the best results).

 

Squats are great bodyweight exercises for women. They isolate the major muscle groups of your upper legs and butt, as well as a variety of stabilizer muscles. The basic squat can be done by standing with your feet shoulder with apart, with back straight, head looking up (not down), hands behind head, and, keeping your weight centered over your legs with your heels on the ground, slowly bend at the knees until your upper legs and butt are parallel to the ground. Hold that position for a moment and then slowly return to your starting position.

 

Lunges are another exercise that really get results. Start in a standing position with your feet just slightly apart. Keep your weight well-centered so you do not lose your balance. Take a long stride forward with either leg until the knee of your opposite leg barely touches the ground, hold position for just a moment, and shift your weight backwards, returning to your starting upright position. Then repeat with your opposite leg. This will really target your thighs (front and back) and your derriere.

 

These are some great basic bodyweight exercises for women. These 4 exercises should really help you get started on targeting your core muscles. Both push-ups and squats can be done in slight variations (depending on how close or far apart your hands and/or feet are positioned), and can place more emphasis on different parts of your targeted areas. With push-ups you can target inner our outer chest, and inner and outer thighs can be targeted with squats.

 

There are also some nice benefits of doing bodyweight exercise. You never have to go to the gym to workout. This saves you time and money, and makes it very convenient to exercise. Another key benefit is you do not have to use or purchase weights and exercise equipment, which can be dangerous to use or expensive to purchase on your own. All of these exercises can be done in the privacy of your own home, allowing you to feel much more comfortable than you might at a gym where you may have an audience. You can do a bodyweight workout no matter where you are, at home or out of town, making it a very convenient and efficient way to exercise.

 

The biggest benefit is that all of these bodyweight exercises for women will help you get the results you desire. Looking to gain muscle? Wanting to shape and sculpt your legs? Hoping to tone up your butt? Maybe you are trying to firm up your chest, abs, and arms. More than likely you really want all of the above…a whole new and improved you, so to speak. Well, you can have it, and it won’t cost you a fortune. Simple bodyweight exercises are really all you need.

 

But there is one important key. You need to take action and get started. You are now officially out of excuses. So get started with some of these basic exercises today and start experiencing the benefits and results as soon as possible. You will be glad you did.

 

 

Matt Gray
http://www.articlesbase.com/women’s-health-articles/bodyweight-exercises-for-women-basics-and-benefits-of-bodyweight-exercises-for-women-719755.html

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What are some good exercises for chest and shoulders using only one dumbbell?

Monday, February 15th, 2010

i’d like to work out my shoulders, back, and chest, but only have 1 dumbbell. What are some good exercises.

I have been doing dumbbell exercises for 6 years (since I was in 7th grade) and I have tuned them well. I do bicep curls while standing up (biceps, obviously), shrugs (stand with arm down with bell, then lift shoulder only as high as can up past neck), and laying down to do a half bench press – high reps. I use two bells because it lowers tension and stress on the back (results from imbalance), and it is a huge timesaver (about half, of course). I also use them for push-ups while my feet are on a chair for maximum chest exercises, as well as hundreds of curls. Just with these exercises, my workout is 25 mins a day and I have gone from using 8 pounders to 50 pounders in that time, only every other day, and still rising. Good luck.

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How do i get nice abs and and a nice chest? workout plan please?

Monday, February 15th, 2010

I have a flabby stomach and tites and i want that to change.

Do cardio everyday. 30 – 60 minutes a day. You have to reduce bodyfat to see the muscle you’re going to be building. Usually abs show up with a body fat percentage of less than 10.

To build up your chest do bench presses, flies ( with free weights) and push ups.

To build up your abdominal muscles, do various crunches and leg lifts to build your upper, middle, and lower abs.

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Im currently overseas in iraq looking for best chest exercises and for a good weight gaininer?

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

My supply is limited in the PX but the weight room has little also i only weigh 148 pds and im 6′6 where do i start i eat like crazy nothing helps how do i put on weigh and build a chest

Wow, that’s a really low weight for your height. Have you talked to any of the coremans about putting on weight? As far as building muscle you want to do heavy weight with low reps.

Some exercises to do are bench press, dumbbell fly, dips, push-ups and all the variations. See if you can work up to a one arm push-up! Remember you want to do heavy weight a few times over lower weight many times. Good luck and be safe.

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