Archive

Posts Tagged ‘weight lifting’

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Is This Why You Aren’t Building Muscle?

June 26th, 2009

When you go to the gym to lift weights and workout, how do you approach that workout?

Are you prepared to lift weights and workout?

Do you have your log book with you?

Do you know exactly what you’re going to do and how you’re going to improve?

You MUST have a plan to improve on your previous performance. Each and every time you step into the gym, you should always improve. Within your mind, there is NO OTHER OPTION. If you don’t lift heavier weights and do more reps, your body will never see the need to build muscle. It just won’t happen…

If you don’t push yourself, your body has no need for improvement. Prove to your body that it needs more muscle, and you’ll get it…

Do you think it’s easy to improve every workout? Do you think you can just step into the gym and get better each and every workout? No, it isn’t easy. Weight lifting is a war against the weights. You must develop a certain strong and powerful mindset to get better.

You better start developing the mindset you need to win the war against the weights. If you don’t, I guarantee the weights will crush you. You won’t have a chance. You’ll struggle against the weights and get no results.

This mentality I speak of is the WARRIOR mentality. The warrior prepares for the battle. The warrior never gives up. The warrior fights until the end. And the warrior is relentless against his/her opponent. Nothing stops the warrior.

When you take that first step into that gym, you hear the doors close behind you. This means it’s time to fight. It’s time to battle the weights. There’s no turning back. You have no fear. You know that you WILL win this war. You get your log book out. And you know you will beat the previous numbers. And you will build muscle.

If you think weight lifting and building muscle is easy, you’re in for a surprise. It takes hard work to build muscle. Lifting heavier weight and doing more reps every workout is a battle. And that’s why you must prepare your mind. You must never give up. You must prove to your body that it needs more muscle.

During each and every set you perform there will come a time in which you must make a decision. Your mind will be telling you to stop. Your mind will tell you that this is just too much to handle. The truth is: Your body can do more. If you stop when your mind tells you to stop, you’ll never build muscle. Would a warrior stop the set?

Hell no… A warrior will never quit. A warrior will press on when the going gets tough. A warrior will fight hard and love every second of that fight. A warrior will laugh in the face of defeat and will never accept a loss. No matter what, a warrior will win.

Now, can you develop this mentality? Can you find the warrior hiding inside of you? Each and every one of us have that warrior. Find that warrior and start building muscle today. Prepare for each and every battle or you will lose. Get your log book out and go to war! Have fun!

About the Author:

Josh Scott Fitness , , , , ,

Follow these steps to jump start your body’s fat burning ability. Commit yourself to a fitter body.

May 9th, 2009

Eat more frequent but lighter meals. Eating smaller meals causes a lesser insulin response. The smaller insulin response means the calories will be less likely to be stored as fat.

Get more filtered water into your body throughout the day. Clean water helps your tissues move out the bad toxins that interfere with proper bodily functions. Improving your internals should help stimulate your fat burning capability as well.

Increase the ratio of protein in your meals. Protein requires more energy to digest. Protein also elicits a much smaller insulin response than easily digestible processed carbohydrate dense foods.

Go out of your way. Stop taking elevators and escalators. Start parking near the back of the parking lot when you go shopping. The little things really begin to add up. Burning an extra hundred or so calories per day could add up to one pound of extra fat in a month.

Make it easier on yourself to eat healthy foods instead of junk snacks. One of the easiest times to screw up is when you feel hungry unexpectedly. Then you search for something to satisfy you quickly and end up eating bad food. Keep some healthy snacks around to snack on.

Even though many fast food restaurants have improved their food quality significantly, it is still sometimes difficult to always choose the healthy food option once you are ordering. So, if this represents you, then you might think about completely banning the fast food chains form your diet all together.

If you have a choice of steamed or raw vegetables, choose the raw ones. There are many benefits to eating raw vegetables. These vegetables help with practically every major bodily function. They will certainly help keep your body repaired and ready to burn fat efficiently.

Think about organizing your favorite healthy recipes into a book or series of books. Then, instead of dwelling on what to eat, you can simply refer to the book that has a ton of healthy foods that taste good also.

Tomorrow morning as soon as you get out of bed, make it a point to do some really simple stretching and breathing. It should help wake you up as well as get your blood flowing. Getting your metabolism started as early as possible should help in the fat burning process.

Find a way to enhance your sleep quality even just a little bit. The amount of growth hormone your body releases is linked to the quality of your sleep. Subtle improvements here can add up over time. This is a commonly overlooked method of getting an increase in metabolism.

The intensity of your exercise routine is more important in factoring how much fat you burn than the length of time the workout is. An intense workout will continue incinerating fat calories for a long time after your workout is over.

Don’t underestimate the power of a picture to help you reach your goals. Set aside a few moments each day or every other day to look at yourself in the bedroom mirror. Just imagine how great you are going to look and feel once you have reached your fat loss goals.

Spice up your leisure time activities by regaining a little of your youth. Think of fun things you can do to pass the time that require some kind of physical activity. There are probably a number of things you did as a child that you could still do today if you made time to.

About the Author:

Mike Mardtelling Nutrition , , , , , , , , ,

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , ,