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Posts Tagged ‘body building’

Putting Dynamic Stretching Into Your Health Routine.

February 8th, 2010

Everyone is looking for new ways to improve their workout and health routine. By making dynamic stretching a part of your day you can reap the benefits and feel better. What this is really all about is something similar to traditional stretching, except that you are not going to be holding the positions at all. Instead you will stay in constant motion. Many of these we have all learned at some point but have never actually heard the term that referred to them.

Walking lunges should be familiar to most people. Many people learn these in junior high gym class. As you step forward you lunge downwards toward the ground and then immediately back up to switch legs, just like walking. Not only does the motion do a great job of stretching the hamstrings, it also does wonders for the muscles around the hips.

It seems that no warm up routine is complete without sets of arm circles. To do these you hold your arms straight out to each side. Then you start to rotate them in small circles in one direction. Then you stop and reverse the direction of the rotation. This stretches the shoulder muscles while also working the muscles in your upper arms.

As players are preparing to compete in sports, their workouts and practices can include a variety of exercises and stretches. More and more coaches are including the dynamic stretches as part of the routine. Their ability to stretch groups of muscles while working others is exceptional. They are proven to reduce the risk of injury to players of all kinds of sports. These are truly a wonderful preventative measure.

These are not just for athletes. They are appropriate for anyone, at any stage of life. They reduce muscle tightness and increase range of motion when done on a regular basis. The arm circles help to strengthen and increase the range of motion in the shoulders. The walking lunges do the same for the hips. It stands to reason that when you are more flexible you are less susceptible to injuries such as a pulled or torn muscle.

You can incorporate other items in doing these, such as a stability ball. You can do these in such a way using the ball to really develop your core stability and strength. That means by stretching and working on your inner abdominal muscles you support your core. It is these muscles that support and protect your spine and back.

If the stability ball really interests you, then please check with a fitness professional on exact exercises to do with these. When you are first starting out you want to make sure to have someone with you to help guide you and demonstrate how to use it properly. Failure to do so can result in serious injury.

Dynamic stretching is nothing new, but it can improve your workout routine and effectiveness. Side bends and trunk rotations, along with others, can all help you to improve your flexibility and your strength all at once.

Find out how you can use weight lifting workouts to get fit today! You can get all the information you need to learn how to lose weight fast and easy!

Thaya Kareeson Fitness , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Find Out About Immune System Health Over 50 and Bodybuilding

November 8th, 2009

As you have gotten older, you may be taking more and more sick days. You probably have found that you contract colds and flu more often than when you were younger. You might also have noticed that it is now harder to recover from these bugs.

In fact, the average person over 50 is likely to catch 2 to 4 more colds each year than men and women between 20 and 40. These bugs often escalate into sinusitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, or worse. Seniors represent more than 60% of the 36,000 annual flu related deaths. Long waits, inaccurate formulas, and shortages mean that you cannot always count on a vaccine to save you.

If you do not want to become one of these statistics, it is important that you boost your immune system. Fitness over 50 is one of the best natural ways to improve your immune health. In fact, many fitness experts recommend bodybuilding as a method to improve your overall health and increase your immune system.

Bodybuilding increases muscle mass which promotes immune health in many ways. Muscle burns more calories than fat and helps prevent weight gain. Doctors have found that overweight people have poor immune health and get sick more frequently. Bodybuilding boosts your circulation, which strengthens your heart and lungs. It also thickens blood vessels. This means that it is easier for antibodies and nutrients to travel through your body to fight colds, flu, infections, and other ailments. This means that you are able to resist illness and can recover more quickly.

Rest is an essential part of bodybuilding over 50 and boosting your immune system. There are opponents to bodybuilding who claim that it hurts your immune system. However, it is really overtraining that can hurt your immune system, as well as the rest of your body. Those who perform high intensity training in shorter cycles do not allow time for proper rest. They typically get sick more frequently and have longer healing times. This is because their short rest period forces the body to repair muscle and ignore the immune system.

Bodybuilders using low intensity training have the opposite experience and substantially decrease their number of sick days each year. This is because their training schedule allows for both muscle improvement and total body renewal, including your immune system. When you get older, you require more time for rest and renewal. It is ideal for you to have a longer training cycle that includes one day of rest to each day of training.

You also should eat a diet that supports your bodybuilding goals and boosts your immune system. Proteins and complex carbohydrates are preferred. You will also want to include foods rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and mineral. If you do not get these in your diets, then you should take supplements to give yourself a boost while training.

No one can totally avoid ever catching a cold or flu. However, you can control how often you suffer and the length of your recovery. If you are over 50 catching the common cold can have serious repercussions. If you want to stay healthy throughout cold and flu season, now is the time to start focusing on fitness.

For more information on over 50 bodybuilding, visit Scott Fishers website in the previously mentioned link. Scott Fisher writes frequently on themes related to fitness over 50.

Rodney Williams Fitness , , , , , , , , , ,

Chair Recliners for Body Building Builds Performance

March 27th, 2009

If you are serious about body building, then you may want to investigate the benefits of regular massage therapy. Studies continue to show that regular massage therapy helps to increase muscle tone, improve range of motion, enhances your flexibility and reduces recovery time from injury. You already know the importance of diet, exercise and stretching. These are important elements of your established routine. Regular massage therapy should be added to your routine as well. Although time constraints may not allow you to see a massage therapist, a convenient alternative is a massage chair recliner.

If you body build, then regular massage therapy helps you in many ways. It increases circulation allowing the body to supply more nutrients and oxygen. It helps to relax and soften overworked muscles and can soften injured muscles and scar tissue. It reduces the incidence of cramps or muscle spasms. It helps to increase your range of motion by increasing your joint flexibility. It reduces the recovery time from strenuous workouts while reducing aches, pains and discomfort. Massage therapy releases endorphins or your natural pain killer to reduce pain and speed recovery from surgery.

Massage therapy is becoming standard practice in many sports for both pre-event and post event. As part of your warm up, massage therapy helps you prepare for peak performance before your event. This helps to decrease muscle tension, enhance your flexibility while increasing your mental awareness and alertness. In the competitive arena, these are important factors which can give you an edge over your competition.

One of the challenges of getting regular massage therapy is reliance of going to a massage therapist. Most body builders have a strict regimen of diet, exercise and nutrition. Finding time to get a massage on a regular basis can be problematic. Massage chairs are a good solution for this situation. Massage chairs are always available when you need them and the massage can be delivered at your convenience. These massage recliners can provide you with regular massage therapy. Studies show that the real benefits of massage therapy are when massage is received on a frequent and regular basis.

Massage chairs continue to advance with the unprecedented pace of technology. You can now find massage therapies ranging from Sports massage, acupressure, deep tissue, Shiatsu and Swedish style massages. Each of these massage techniques has particular target areas and specific benefits. These massage chairs also have full body massage capability from head to toe. If you have a specific area you want to target, then you can focus the program exactly where you want.

There are also other therapies included in the more advanced massage chair brands. Some massage recliners have traction systems. These traction systems can provide stretching capabilities. There are stretching functions for the lower body and also for the shoulder and arms. You can find massage recliners with full body heat. Heat is great to reduce swelling and to increase blood circulation. To relax, some massage chairs have integrated music players and headphones. Just slip on the headphones and relax to your favorite music as the chair goes to work on you.

Most people think that massage chairs are expensive. However, if you are getting regular massage therapy, then they really are the most economic way to receive massage therapy. A massage therapist may cost $50 per hour plus tip. Massage chairs can provide an hour massage for as little as $3 per hour. Most massage chairs are rated for 1,000 hours. If you purchased a $3,000 chair, then your cost per hour is $3. This is a big economic advantage.

If you body build, then you really should incorporate massage therapy into your regimen. The benefits of regular massage therapy help you to attain peak performance. Keep your body and muscles in top condition and lessen the chance of injury with regular massage. A massage chair is a great compliment to your arsenal to get regular massage therapy.

About the Author:

James Knolan Fitness , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Supplements are no shortcuts when it comes to muscle building

March 21st, 2009

I’ve become a big fan of setting goals, and there are a few important concepts I think we all should keep in mind. One of the things I learned is that you should break a goal into smaller goals which are easier to achieve. You should also identify your obstacles in advance and make a plan to overcome them. Perhaps the most important concept when it comes to setting goals, however, is the ability to think in terms of future consequences and long-term results.

When I look back on my successes and failures in life, I noticed a trend which is a little bit disturbing. Too many times I’ve focused on short term results. If a new project wasn’t yielding significant progress immediately, I would pretty much eliminate it right away. I gave up on many worthwhile projects easily, because I got bored or distracted. I suppose that many people are like me and tend to abandon a goal very quickly. You may be wondering what the connection is with strength training or muscle building.

I hope you see the relevance to weight training. Instead of focusing on immediate results, you have to be in this for the long haul. Instead of focusing on supplements, you must learn the foundations of muscle building. I’ve explained in other articles that supplements are not necessary (and usually not even helpful) when it comes to muscle building.

In order to better understand this, it’s helpful to look into the psychology behind muscle building supplements. That is, it’s helpful to understand why people purchase them.

Unfortunately, it seems that human nature is to look for a shortcut or silver bullet that will give us the results that we want without the hard work. This is absolutely relevant to bodybuilding supplements, because most trainees are looking for an easy way out instead of focusing on the fundamentals. If you try to look for a muscle building supplement to do all the work for you, you really are wasting your time and money. When you think about how simple (although not easy) natural weightlifting methods are, it really is unnecessary to focus on supplements. It all comes back to self discipline and trying to achieve a goal slowly over time.

Most people don’t want to believe that muscle building supplements are not really necessary, but it’s true. They’re not going to help you unless you’re an advance trainee who has already optimized his workouts and nutrition plan.

Looking for the easy way out will almost certainly leave you disappointed and probably leave your wallet significantly lighter.

I hope you’re not disappointed if you’re expecting to find some magical secret for delivering bodybuilding results. The truth is that there really aren’t that many secrets out there. The real secret is that most people are not willing to practice due diligence and go through the hard work to achieve their goals. Simply sticking to it, otherwise known as persistence, is far more valuable than any muscle building pill you could buy. I know, it’s not as seductive or eye catching, but getting back to the fundamentals is the key to success.

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Jon Cardozo Supplements , , , , , , , , , ,