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Correct Form
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Strength Training
"This is probably the most important tip of all, but unfortunately it is the one mistake that is constantly made even though it's probably the most simple. The benefits of correct form outweigh anything else you can be doing in the gym so it's the one thing you want to place the most emphasis and focus upon.
It doesn't matter how much weight you can move, if you don't do the exercise correctly, you may not see the results of that lift. Secondly, you can really injure yourself. The most common reason people hurt themselves is because they do not perform an exercise correctly. Finally, keeping this tip in mind, you will help to keep your body in balance by not compensating in one way or another.
There are a couple ways to keep an eye on your form. First, know the exercise you are doing including how you should hold your body and the exact motion. Secondly, use a mirror to check your form. If you can see yourself doing the exercise, you should be able to tell if something is not quite right.
Make sure you can enjoy the benefits of a healthy lifestyle by playing it safe on the gym floor.
Yours in Health!"
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form, exercise, strength training, weight training, resistance training
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created by
ApolloFit
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saved on 7/25/2008
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3
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18.2
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100 %
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Avoid Anti Inflamitories After a Workout
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Diet and Nutrition
"Have you ever had a pain after a workout and thought to yourself "I'll just pop a Tylenol or and Advil and be fine after the workout?" Well don't do it!!!
When you doing any type of resistance training (strength, power, plyometric, body weight etc) your muscles rip and tear at a fiber/cellular level. When this happens blood flows to that area to help it repair itself. The action in similar to what the body does when it gets injured.
Ever notice how a bruise turns red at first when you get hurt. That is blood rushing to the injured area so that the body can work its "miracle magic" and heal that area. To help this process you would ice the injured area (if needed) then take a pain killer/anti-inflamitory pill. The would supress the ammount of blood rushing to the hurt section of the body.
When you workout your body goed through the same process as it would during an injury. And because of that you will feel some type of pain and discomfort in joints and definately in your muscle. To counter act against this you should always stretch. The other thing your should is have a fortifying recovery drink, not just a Gatorade or Powerade. Make sure to have something like a Cytomax or Aminot Vital type drink to help bring nutrients to your muscle post workout. Also have a drink at hand when you're working out.
Anti-inflamitories hinder muscle developement by blocking needed blood flow to the muscles. So avoid them at all costs.
Hope this tip helps you get to that next level of muscular developement and definition."
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weight training, strength training, recovery, health
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created by
APDietz
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saved on 2/19/2008
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3
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52.6
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100 %
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No Major Equipment, NO PROBLEM!!!
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General/Other
"Ok so here it is, you're at your home and you want to get in shape, however you have a couple of problems.
1) No money for fancy equipment.
and
2) Having a hard time making room in your space of living for working out.
Well here are some simple solutions.
First things first, lets make sure you KNOW what you're looking to do with yourself when you begin your workout. Lose weight, build muscle, garner speed or become a better weekend warrior, what ever it may be settle that for yourself first. After that, you begin figuring out how to better your options.
Equipment? Well over the past few years we have heard of using gallon milk jugs and cans as workout equipment, but what if you're looking to build muscle? Can a can or milk jug really help? What do I do when the jug goes empty? How do I continue my workouts? All these questions...OK here we go.
Jug empties you refill it. Simple right? The part about extra weight and building muscle easy. A gallon of milk is just the size of the bottle with liquid in it a gallon of milk actually weighs about 8.5 to 9lbs. Now when it empties out you can increase this weight by filling it with items that just happen to be denser than water. For example sand, dirt, concrete, ROCKS, or a combination of sand and water. All of these things increase the density of the jug. With more density comes heavier weight. *If you use a JUG (per say) You now have your own homemade kettle bell, for any kettle bell type routines. Who knew???
What about speed, agility and verticals how does one improve those? Stairs, Stairs and STAIRS!!! Oh yeah and the afore mentioned CANS and a TOWEL.
1: To improve foot speed run up a large flight of stairs as quick as possible. Make sure to hit every step. This would be similar to running through an agility ladder.
2: To improve LEG DRIVE try running up the same large flight of steps going two or three steps at a time. This is similar to being on an incline leg machine and doing an isolated leg press. OR my favorite exercise, take a towel go to one end of your hallway. Get down on all fours and place your hands on the towel. Now RUN to the other end of the hallway and repeat 4-8 more times. The resistance caused by the towel on the floor is similar to a speed sled on the grass.
3: set up about 8 cans of what ever you want (baked beans) set the cans up in a zig-zag pattern and run. slide or do any regular agility drill using those can. By the way, C-A-N and C-O-N-E or pretty much similar words, so the items could be used similarly. Just a thought.
Of course there is also the basic calisthenics. Push ups, crunches and so on. Body weight is one of the best types of training "equipment" out there. In fact your body weight is always used as a barometer for strength tests. If you can bench press your body weight your consider a strong person. So use that to start every time. Squats, dips and pull ups (along with push ups) can improve your body as well as any fre"... read entire tip
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weight training, speed training, plyometrics, core, strength training
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created by
APDietz
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saved on 2/13/2008
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1
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15.5
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100 %
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Use Your Breathing to Help Your Form and Alignment
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General/Other
"When working out you're always told to use proper form and alignment when doing any kind of resistance training. However, what is proper alignment if you've never been told what it is (ears to shoulders: shoulders to hips; hips to knees; and knees to ankles) and how do you secure yourself in that position for proper form in your exercises. How do you get proper alignment and solidify your form?
The answer is breathing.
Locking in your core (diaphragm, transverse abdominal and pelvic floor) into place prior to a set, through better breathing, will help you with your form. During your exercises breathing is key for power and bring oxygen to your muscles. But did you know that blowing out one last time and locking in your core before you start your set can lock you into place?
Try this simple breathing exercise to help you lock your core into place.
1) Take your hands and place them on you torso. One hand on your chest and the other hand on your abdominal area. Start breathing.
2) Hold your chest down when you take a breath and distend you abdominal. Contrary to popular belief, when your "chest raises" you aren't really maximizing your breathing potential. However, when your abdominal region distends your diaphragm expands and opens, allowing for a higher air intake. Keeping your hand on your abs shows you how this happens. Really focus on feeling the breath go to your abs.
3) Release the breath slowly and lock in your core. If this is done correctly you should be able to breath, speak and maintain your body alignment and put yourself in proper form for any exercise.
Believe it or not this will help you maximize your core strength and your workouts. Being in the right alignment is a great benefit to your workouts. Bettering your breathing habits isn't just a way to get oxygen to your muscles, but a an awesome way to increase you body efficiency."
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core, form, weight training, breathing
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created by
APDietz
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saved on 2/7/2008
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3
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28.2
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75.0 %
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