Sunday, February 25, 2007

Bodyweight Lunge


Bodyweight Forward Lunge
1. Start by standing with your feet shoulder width apart.
2. Step foward with one foot and bend your knees into a lunged position. Your back knee should come close to touching the ground and your front leg should be bent to about 90 degrees at the knee.
3. Maintain your upright posture throughout the movement.
4. Return to the starting position and repeat. Once repetitions are completed then repeat with the other leg.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Tips to Follow When Working Abs

Tchhnique is very important when training the abs. Remember these points

  • Don't pull on the neck during the movements.
  • Keep the chin a fist's distance from your chest when doing crunches.
  • Start with the arms across the chest; as yourabdominals become stronger, extend the arms behind the head.
  • Don't throw the body, or use jerking motions to complete the movements.
  • Keep it slow and con-trolled.
  • When doing crunch type abdominal exercises, keep the abdominals pulled in by visualizing your navel pressing down toward the floor and always keep your back pressed to the floor.
  • Always exhale as you contract and inhale as you release.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Awesome Push-Ups

Here's a unique twist you can add to your pushups to make them more effective.

Get into position and start to lower your body to the floor but, instead of going the whole way to the floor, stop about halfway and hold for 2 seconds.

Now continue down until your chest is just above the floor, and once again hold for 2 seconds.

Start to push yourself back to the starting position but again pause halfway up and hold for 2 seconds. Return to the starting position. That's 1 rep.

Try to do as many as you can do. If you want to make it even more effective, try to do this using the swiss ball. Whoa!

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Mix It Up for Effectiveness

Variety is the spice of life. It's also a good rule of thumb when setting up an exercise program.

OK - Your aerobics consists of running. You like to run. That's good but you can still mix it up. Throw in some semi-sprints. Kick it up a notch. Run at near sprint pace for as long as you can, then slow it down as you recover. This is exercise for the heart and it helps build the heart muscle but . . . . .

you better be trained first and you should have your doctor give you a physical.

Strength training - mix it up. After 4 weeks of doing a set of specific exercises, switch. Add some new ones. Shake up your body. Your body learns to adjust - so the benefits become less once it adjusts to specific exercise and weight. Add on poundage to shock it into working harder.

Change an exercise to hit the arm muscles in a different way.

It keeps your routine from going stale and the results in strength and fitness gains will improve greatly.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Pilates on a Exercise Ball

Pilates Exercise


Spine Twist with Stability Ball

Classification:
Pilates

Instructions:

1. Sit in an upright position on a stability ball with your feet flat on the floor.
2. Hold your arms out to the side and slowly rotate your shoulders and trunk to the left side and then back to the right.
3. Your trunk and shoulders should stay together as one unit. Repeat according to prescribed repetitions.


Sunday, February 11, 2007

Exercise Classifications

Exercises are generally grouped into three types, based on the overall effect they have on the human body:

  • Flexibility exercises, such as stretching, improve the range of motion of muscles and joints.
  • Aerobic exercise, like walking and running, focus on increasing cardiovascular endurance.
  • Anaerobic exercises, on the order of weight training, functional training or sprinting, increase short-term muscle strength.

A combination of these exercises should be included in a well balanced exercise program.