Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Exercise at Home with Exercise Bands

I put this in basically because this makes a very nice Christmas gift for anyone who is into exercise.

Also there are some exercises you can check out there that you may be able to incorporate into your routine and, if you use a little creativity, you may be able to make adjustments so you can do these exercises without cables if you have none.


Thursday, October 22, 2009

An Exercise Tip

I thought this exercise tip might come in handy for some of you.

I broke my morning workouts up from 3 days a week to 4 days a week. However - the exercise periods are shorter but more intense. What this allows me to do is concentrate more on each exercise to make sure I am utilizing it to the max.

On Monday and Thursday I do pull ups and chin ups, along with hanging leg raises for the abs.

On Tuesday and Friday I do my cables behind the back and that is really intense. I've been able to add an additional cable since breaking the days up. I then finish with Perfect Pushups.

Wednesday is free, as is the weekend. However, I am talking about strength training workouts. I still do my aerobic exercise 3 times a week.

As to weights, on the days I do strength training and find extra energy in the evening, I do some weight training as well.

This will not work for everyone but it works for me.

Monday, October 05, 2009

Push Ups + The Perfect Push Up

Are you incorporating push ups in your exercise routine? If not, you certainly should consider them. I mean they are one of the mainstays in the military so they must have some value, right?

They do. Not only are they an excellent upper body exercise, they also help work your abs and core muscles. You can do them anywhere with no equipment. Move your hands in to focus more on the triceps and move them out to stress the shoulders.

If you can't do push ups, don't worry. Drop down to your knees and do them that way. You will gradually increase your strength and be able to do regular push ups. Actually, one of the things I have found effective is to do as many push ups as I can and then, when I can do no more, I drop to my knees and squeeze out as many more as possible. This is a terrific technique but don't attempt it until you get a little stronger.

I actually use the Perfect Pushup. Now this is not a necessity but I have felt it makes a difference and my favorite way to do my push up is to start this with my palms facing me, then slowly rotate them away from me as I go down. This seems to target the outside of the triceps muscles and that, to me, is excellent as your arms look strong when that muscle is built up.

What it does is allows you to target your arms and shoulders in unique ways that is not possible without it. This is not one of those useless exercise devices - it is well worth the money.

For your convenience I have included a link to the Perfect Pushup but again, I love it but that doesn't mean you need to rush out and buy it. Just add some push ups to your strength training routine and see if it doesn't make a difference.