Fitness-Back Flexibility and Strength Exercises
Anyone who has ever suffered from a major backache knows how central the back is, even in times you might think it isn’t important. Even something like squeezing a tennis ball, an action that involves a focus on the fingers, forearm and bicep will involve the latissimus dorsi and other back muscles.
The lats are the large ‘side’ muscles that make a man triangle-shaped. To demonstrate how they are used during squeezing a tennis ball, try it! You’ll quickly feel a tensing of the muscles on the side of the arm you use. It’s especially noticeable if you have back pain.
Any sport will require strong back muscles, for speed and coordination, for balance and movement and for providing a strong ‘pillar’ for all the limbs to move off of.
Here are some simple exercises to help stretch and strengthen those all-important back muscles. Most of them are better performed on a firm, but not hard surface. While you work the muscles, you don’t want to cause undue, painful pressure on bony parts of the body.
Knee to Chest
Lie on your back and clasp your hands behind one thigh. Pull slowly toward the chest, keeping the other leg flat on the ground. Vary the action by flexing the ankle – first pointing the toe, then pulling it back toward the knee – at the same time as you stretch the leg.
Hold each position for 5 seconds, then switch legs and repeat. Do 10 reps.
Rotations
Lie back, knees raised and together, feet flat on the floor. With your arms extended and near the body, and your palms flat on the floor, lift the feet off the ground slightly and rotate your trunk by moving the knee. Move the knees slightly left, then right.
Over time, as you become more flexible and build strength, you can increase the range of motion. Ultimately, you should be able to touch your knee to the floor.
Alternate the action by crossing your arms over your chest, then repeat.
Pelvic Press
Lie down on your back, knees raised and feet flat on the floor. Push the small of the back into the floor, feel the tension in the lower abdominals. Vary the action by moving your feet together and performing the exercise, then slightly apart and repeat.
As you press into the ground, hold for 5 seconds, but continue to breath slowly and normally.
Pelvic Lift
Lie on your back, knees raised and feet flat on the ground, arms crossed over your chest. Keeping the legs and knees together, raise the buttocks up slightly and hold for 5 seconds. Lower slowly, count to two, then repeat.
Remember to breathe normally through the exercise, in and out slowly.
Dog Stretches
On all fours, raise your head, eyes forward. Lower your arms and arch your back, hold 2 seconds, then resume the starting position. Slowly extend one leg, as near parallel to the floor as you can. Hold 3 seconds, then put the leg back into starting position. (If this produces back, hip, or leg pain stop immediately.)
Switch legs and repeat. Vary the exercise by extending the leg with toe pointed, then flex the ankle perpendicular to the leg. Hold for 2 seconds and repeat. Do 10 reps for each leg.
Never perform these exercises if they produce back pain. Mild discomfort from inactivity is natural. Pain is a signal that something is wrong. Consult your physician.
Fitness-Avoid Workout Injuries
From some trainers ‘No pain, no gain’ really means ‘you should feel some pain’. While mild discomfort is to be expected, especially for those just beginning a new fitness routine, pain is a natural warning sign. Pay attention to it.
A good workout routine will test you, but shouldn’t damage you. As muscles get used, especially somewhat beyond their usual range, lactic acid, micro-tears and other physiological changes occur that result in muscles being built up stronger than before.
But if you are experiencing back pain, neck aches, knee joint soreness and other symptoms, you should consult with an expert. Your technique may be wrong, you may be trying to do too much, too soon, or you may have a medical problem that should be addressed.
Work up to any vigorous routine slowly. How slowly will vary from person to person, depending on age, experience, prior exercise routines and overall fitness. Get muscles warm and limber before cranking it up. Most strains and rips result from being too cold and not stretching, or extending more than you’re ready for.
Warm-ups should take at least 15 minutes and include very gentle jogging in place or jumping jacks to get the cardio and lung systems working well. They should include some slow, gradual stretching to get joints lubricated and muscles relaxed and gently lengthened. Warm-ups that are too short can easily lead to stretched or torn cartilage that takes a long time to heal.
Don’t let inexperienced trainers, or so-called ‘friends’ embarrass you into believing you have to get out and run five miles two weeks after an injury, surgery or other debilitating condition. Physical therapy and exercise sometimes requires that you work against discomfort, but you don’t leap over tall buildings the first day out.
Every person committed to fitness will want to push him or herself to achieve excellence. But an attitude that leads to overdoing it is counter-productive to your goal. You’re working to improve or maximize health and overall body tone and strength – not proving you are ‘mentally tough’.
Before you begin a new routine that involves activities that are unfamiliar, get guidance from an expert. Next to bad warm-ups or overdoing it, incorrect technique is the leading cause of injury. If you don’t know how to use a station at the weight machine correctly, don’t be embarrassed to ask. No one is born with this knowledge. Anyone who mocks you for ignorance, isn’t someone whose opinions you have reason to heed.
Be aware of your environment while you go through your routine. It’s easy to get into a rhythm, get concentrated on your workout and end up crashing into a wall or a nearby person. Jogging especially requires that you pay attention to the surface you run on and the people and cars around you. No shoe in existence will keep you from slipping on a muddy patch. Only awareness and good reflexes can help.
Stay within your comfort zone as you gradually expand it. One of the foremost reasons people give up on workouts is injuries produced by working beyond their capacity. That makes working out no longer fun. Building up, while you build out, to increase your ability to do more, faster will keep you going for years to come.
Your health will thank you for exercising common sense, while you exercise your body.
Fitness-Age Has a Whole New Meaning Today
In generations past, exercise was believed to be mostly for the younger set. It was even believed that older people couldn’t increase muscle mass or strength if they wanted to. Studies at Harvard and elsewhere have now firmly put that myth to rest.
Exercise for the over-50 crowd is decidedly healthy. As people age, several changes occur that exercise can help slow or reverse. Metabolism slows, leading to increased fat accumulation. Artery passageways often narrow, leading to higher blood pressure and lowered flow. Bones become thinner and more porous, a condition known as osteoporosis. Muscles and skin lose tone.
Those effects can be retarded or even turned back to a degree with regular, age-appropriate exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests 15-60 minutes of aerobic (oxygen-enhancing) exercise a few days per week.
One goal among others is to raise the heart rate to 60-90% of the safe maximum (220 beats per minute, minus your present age). A good cardiovascular workout – a 30-minute brisk walk or three 10-minute walks per day, mild jumping jacks, gentle jogging in place, swimming, a dance routine or any other method – helps keep the heart and blood vessels healthy.
Strength-building exercises help keep the muscles toned and keep weight and blood sugar levels at appropriate levels. Balance exercises can help build good leg muscles, leading to better support for joints and less likelihood of a fall. (The National Institutes of Health report 300,000 hospital admissions per year for broken hips, many of them from seniors falling.)
Gentle static and dynamic stretching exercises help keep muscles flexible and joints lubricated. That helps out with balance, but it also maximizes range of movement. That means better coordination and less pain during both exercise and everyday activities.
Endurance exercises help keep the heart and lungs healthy as well as keeping muscles toned, joints moving freely and other body systems functioning well. A slightly higher metabolic rate stimulates a variety of organs to produce needed biochemicals. The human body functions better, longer when it is subject to mild activity than when sedentary for long periods.
All these activities help raise the onset age of osteoporosis and to minimize its effects after it begins. Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus is less likely for the physically active. Certain forms of heart disease are less likely for those who exercise moderately later in life.
There is ample evidence that moderate, regular exercise helps the psychology as well. It can decrease the severity of depression and heighten mood. The social aspects can help with the isolation that older people sometimes feel, especially as friends and loved ones are no longer part of their lives.
Older people should consult a physician or trainer (preferably both) before starting any new exercise program. Begin slowly, especially if exercise has not been part of your lifestyle. Build up flexibility, strength and endurance gradually.
If you have a medical condition, be sure to discuss your plans with a physician and sports expert to develop an exercise routine appropriate to you.
Abdominal Exercises, Benefits and Limitations
Anyone interested in fitness wants to have great looking abs – firm, rippled and well-toned, along with a trim waist. All those are achievable, but beware accepting any myths about flat stomachs and spot reduction around the waist.
As you exercise, you consume energy measured in calories. When you consume enough to deplete the available energy, and enough to reduce the sugars that convert easily, the body goes after stored energy. That stored energy is largely in the form of fat deposits in adipose tissue.
But that process takes place non-selectively. You don’t get to choose which fat deposits the body converts. That means, you can’t ‘spot reduce’ by working on your abs. The effect is still achievable, but doing abdominal exercises alone doesn’t target that fat.
When you focus on the abs, you will build strength in that area, by increasing the muscle mass in those muscles. That’s helpful for a number of reasons. It keeps a firm, strong layer of muscle which helps keep the stomach and other internal organs well inside the plane defined by your hips. You get a nice trim, flat look.
Abdominal exercises help in another way, too. Since the abdominals are large muscles, they consume a proportionately larger percentage of energy than, say, your jaw muscles. That means that as you work them, they have to be supplied with more energy to move through the range of the exercise. That burns many calories, resulting in weight loss and fat reduction.
There is no gadget, supplement or drug currently on the market that will do that safely and effectively as a substitute. It can only be done through proper diet and regular, moderate to heavy exercise. There’s no shortcut to a trim waist, at least not yet.
The effect is also limited by genetics and age. Some people store more fat around the middle more readily than others. Gender, obviously, makes a difference as well.
Many women in their 40s will naturally develop a pouch in the lower abdomen as their hormones change. Many men will naturally develop ‘love handles’ at the side, since they store fat in adipose tissue there more readily in their 40s than they did in their 20s.
In order to achieve the desired effect you have to approach muscle fatigue. There’s no need to perform a hundred crunches to accomplish that. Done correctly, 20 reps is enough. You don’t even have to go to the gym. You can do pelvic tilts while sitting in a chair in the office.
But for best effect, warm up and try the following:
Lie on your back, with your knees raised and cross your arms across your chest. Then lift your shoulders off the floor and hold for 30 seconds. You can feel the effect on your abs already. To make the exercise more difficult, put your hands at the side of your head. Don’t use your hands to lift your head, just keep them still. For maximum effort, put your hands above your head, then perform the same shoulder lift and hold, focusing on the abs.
Feel the burn. Repeat daily for 10 minutes or twenty reps. In a few weeks, you’ll see definite results.
Fitness-Abdominal Exercises, Benefits and Limitations
Anyone interested in fitness wants to have great looking abs – firm, rippled and well-toned, along with a trim waist. All those are achievable, but beware accepting any myths about flat stomachs and spot reduction around the waist.
As you exercise, you consume energy measured in calories. When you consume enough to deplete the available energy, and enough to reduce the sugars that convert easily, the body goes after stored energy. That stored energy is largely in the form of fat deposits in adipose tissue.
But that process takes place non-selectively. You don’t get to choose which fat deposits the body converts. That means, you can’t ‘spot reduce’ by working on your abs. The effect is still achievable, but doing abdominal exercises alone doesn’t target that fat.
When you focus on the abs, you will build strength in that area, by increasing the muscle mass in those muscles. That’s helpful for a number of reasons. It keeps a firm, strong layer of muscle which helps keep the stomach and other internal organs well inside the plane defined by your hips. You get a nice trim, flat look.
Abdominal exercises help in another way, too. Since the abdominals are large muscles, they consume a proportionately larger percentage of energy than, say, your jaw muscles. That means that as you work them, they have to be supplied with more energy to move through the range of the exercise. That burns many calories, resulting in weight loss and fat reduction.
There is no gadget, supplement or drug currently on the market that will do that safely and effectively as a substitute. It can only be done through proper diet and regular, moderate to heavy exercise. There’s no shortcut to a trim waist, at least not yet.
The effect is also limited by genetics and age. Some people store more fat around the middle more readily than others. Gender, obviously, makes a difference as well.
Many women in their 40s will naturally develop a pouch in the lower abdomen as their hormones change. Many men will naturally develop ‘love handles’ at the side, since they store fat in adipose tissue there more readily in their 40s than they did in their 20s.
In order to achieve the desired effect you have to approach muscle fatigue. There’s no need to perform a hundred crunches to accomplish that. Done correctly, 20 reps is enough. You don’t even have to go to the gym. You can do pelvic tilts while sitting in a chair in the office.
But for best effect, warm up and try the following:
Lie on your back, with your knees raised and cross your arms across your chest. Then lift your shoulders off the floor and hold for 30 seconds. You can feel the effect on your abs already. To make the exercise more difficult, put your hands at the side of your head. Don’t use your hands to lift your head, just keep them still. For maximum effort, put your hands above your head, then perform the same shoulder lift and hold, focusing on the abs.
Feel the burn. Repeat daily for 10 minutes or twenty reps. In a few weeks, you’ll see definite results.
Best Home Shoulder Exercise For Strength And Size
There many different forms of shoulder exercise and it is hard to pick out one and say that it is the best. Considering that the shoulder is only a small area and the deltoids are not large muscles, it may seem surprising that there are so many different exercises to choose from. However, the shoulder does have a wide range of movement and this is why its supporting musculature is so complex.
For this reason it is important to vary the exercises that you do. Otherwise you risk ending up with unbalanced muscular development which not only looks weird, it also gives you a high risk of injury because the muscles that you have not developed will be too weak to support the developed musculature.
So here are some of the basic exercises that you can do at home to develop your shoulders. The exercises can be performed either seated or standing. Try to mix it up unless you have problems staying balanced while standing.
You will need dumbbells and either a straight back chair or stool to sit on when you are performing seated shoulder exercises. Be sure that whatever you choose to sit on, you can have your feet flat on the floor while maintaining a straight back and staying well balanced.
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press. Raising overhead. You can raise the weights either both together or singly.
- Lateral Raises. Raising out to the side to shoulder height only.
- Front Raises. Raise one at a time out to the front with a straight arm. Again to shoulder height only. Lower, then raise the other arm.
- Arnold Press. Start with palms facing you at shoulder height and raise to just above head height, twisting as you go so that the palms are facing outward at the top. Lift either both together or singly.
If you have a barbell at home or have access to a gym, you can add the Military Press, lifting the barbell overhead or using a shoulder press machine. There is a difference in the way that the shoulder has to work with dumbbells and barbells so you will benefit from using both if they are available to you.
You should warm up before beginning to exercise. A good way to warm up the deltoids is to perform each exercise with only half your normal weights for the first couple of reps.
Form is very important in all dumbbell exercises. Take it slow in all cases. If you don’t, you will miss out on a lot of the definition that you might have had. Breathe out while exerting, and be sure that your elbows and other joints do not move out of line during your shoulder exercise.
Easy Neck Exercise To Strengthen The Neck
There are many reasons why a person might want or need to start a program of neck exercise for strengthening the neck. If you are bodybuilding, a strong neck is important for prevention of injuries in this vital and vulnerable area. It is also important for appearance, being even more visible than the arms when fully clothed.
Neck strengthening is particularly important for sports players, especially in contact sports such as boxing, wrestling, football, etc. Neck injuries in these sports can be disastrous, causing paralysis or even death. You might also want to strengthen the neck because of a previous neck injury.
The neck is a complicated area of human anatomy and there are four main muscle groups which both support the head and allow it to move in all directions. These are:
- Rotators, so that you can turn your head and look over your shoulder
- Flexors, so that you can look down, moving your chin toward your chest
- Extensors, so that you can tip your head back, looking up at the ceiling
- Lateral Flexors, so that you can tilt your head sideways, moving your ear toward your shoulder
The action of all of these together means that you can move your head around in any direction that you want. They all need to be flexible to maintain your range of movement, and strong to help prevent potentially fatal injuries.
Before trying any neck exercise keep in mind that the neck is a very delicate area and you must take care not to strain it. Start with very low resistance in each case. You should always consult with a doctor before starting any exercise program and check that the exercises are suitable for you.
Rotators can easily be strengthened by simply placing the hand against the head to provide resistance while you turn your head to the limit of your range of motion, first to one side then the other. Keep the head straight. Slowly increase resistance when your head is turned as far as it can.
The easiest way to strengthen the other 3 muscle groups together is to use a 4-way neck machine which you can find at many gyms. Other gyms have a simple headstrap device which is not so effective because the headstrap generally only works the extensor muscles.
If your gym does not have a 4-way neck machine you can use the headstrap for the extensors. Most gyms will have a headstrap or you can purchase one. You can also find exercises for the flexors and lateral flexors using the headstrap or a towel etc to provide resistance.
The secret in each case is to find an exercise that provides resistance while you move your head in the appropriate direction. Remember always to start with low resistance when you begin any neck exercise.
Lower Back Exercise For Core Strength
Many people looking for core strength neglect lower back exercise while focusing on the abs. This is a huge mistake as the muscles of the back are vital for core strength. If you are undertaking any kind of workout program or even for normal day to day life, the back must be strong to avoid back injuries.
The first thing to say when we consider lower back exercises is that especially if you have current back pain or a recent injury or medical condition you should consult with your doctor or physiotherapist before undertaking any exercise program. While gentle stretching and controlled movement is generally good for healing back injuries, intensive exercise is usually better postponed until your pain is gone. Also, there are many causes of back pain and some require more rest than others.
Assuming you are fit and well, there are a number of exercises that can be undertaken to improve your lower back strength. Some of the best of these are included in the series of stretches and poses known as yoga.
Many of the forms and postures in yoga training are perfect for improving the flexibility and strength of the back. There are many different muscles in the back and if any of them are neglected, as they often are if we do not perform regular stretching exercises in all directions, they become tight. This can lead to distortion of the spine (causing back pain) or injuries when these neglected muscles are suddenly called into action.
If you do not want to join a yoga class, you can perform these same exercises at home. Find a yoga DVD that includes the poses that you need. If you are looking online, searching for the Indian names of the stretches or poses (called asanas in yoga) makes them easy to find. Look for the following stretches or postures:
- pelvic tilt (not strictly a yoga pose but you will find it on many yoga sites)
- knee to chest (pawanmuktasan)
- supine twist (supta matsyendrasana) or half spinal twist (ardha matsyendrasana)
- cat (marjariasana)
- cobra (bhujangasana)
- downward facing dog (adho mukha svanasana)
It is important to do them all because they have different and complementary actions on the spine. In other words, they balance each other out.
Move into each position slowly and be sure to follow all of the instructions, noticing especially the correct position of your head. You can hold each position for 2-3 minutes. You will probably find that you can comfortably increase the stretch once or twice while you hold, as your muscles become accustomed to the pose.
Do not expect to be able to do the pose to the full extent demonstrated by the teacher. This is especially true if you are more muscular than the teacher or others in the class. A muscular body will be less flexible. There are also differences between the sexes in how far they can stretch in certain poses. That is natural and nothing to be concerned about. Yoga is not a competition, it is just about increasing your own flexibility within the range that you have.
Keep in mind that yoga exercises should never stress the muscles or the spine. Do not try to stretch to your limits. You should be able to breathe freely without constriction at all times during your lower back exercise program.
Leg Workout-Say Goodbye To Those Chicken Legs!
If you neglect your leg workout in your bodybuilding routine, you are sure to regret it. Why? Because you will end up looking like a popsicle, with a chunky toned upper body and chicken legs. So unless you plan never to take off your jeans, be sure to include leg workouts in your program.
When you work out your legs properly, you can expect to feel a little dizzy or even nauseous at the end of your session. This is because although you may think of them as adjoined limbs, when you work out your legs you involve half of your body or even more. You will be training the glutes and the muscles around the hip and working the heart pretty hard. So the benefits are more than just toned calves and thighs. You can burn fat and increase your cardiovascular strength too.
There are four main sets of leg muscles or tendons that you need to focus on. These are the quadriceps or quads (front of thigh), hamstrings (back of thigh), calves (back of lower leg) and gluteus or glutes (buttocks). You do not necessarily have to work them all every day but be sure not to neglect any of them entirely or you will have problems.
1. Exercises for quads and glutes
The standard barbell squat is a great exercise for both quads and glutes. Resting the barbell firmly behind your head on the trapezius muscles and shoulders (not on the neck), start by bending forward slightly and only then bend the knees to bring your butt down toward the ground. Keep the knees pointing straight ahead and move slowly. Stop when thighs are parallel to the ground and begin raising back up. Again check that the hips and knees are firm with no sideways movement.
2. Exercises for calves
Calves are a challenge and you will need to work on them in a focused way at least three times a week to see results. Your exercise is the calf raise but you should vary the way that you perform this so that the calf can develop fully. Seated and standing are obvious variations but you can also turn the feet slightly inward or outward and work either both legs together or one at a time.
3. Exercises for hamstrings
The hamstrings are tendons rather than muscles and the important point here is to keep them flexible and strong so that they are not strained when put under stress by the developing strength of your other leg muscles. Do hamstring stretches such as a single straight leg raise (lying on your back) or leg curl.
It is always best to consult a doctor before starting on any exercise program, including a leg workout.
Knee Exercise For Knee Arthritis-Strengthen And Support
Knee exercise is vital if you are suffering from the painful condition of arthritis in the knee joints. The right kind of exercise can help to maintain or possibly even increase your range of motion, which helps to prevent the knee from causing sudden acute pain or giving way. Exercise helps to maintain healthy cartilage. It is also important to build strength in the muscles and tendons that support the knee, so that you avoid putting unnecessary stress on the joint itself when you walk, climb stairs etc.
1. Exercise To Strengthen The Knee
Choose a chair the right height so that you can sit on it with your feet flat on the floor and thighs horizontal. Consciously tighten the muscles in the right thigh (it can be helpful to put your hand on your thigh at first to feel the muscles tighten). You should see your kneecap move a little.
Then push out with your heel, point your toes and move your toes around in a slow circle. Continue for up to 30 seconds, then repeat with the other leg.
Do not let your knee fall away to either side. It must stay in a straight line with your leg.
2. Exercise To Strengthen The Supporting Musculature
Still sitting, cross your legs at the ankles. Press your ankles together so that you are pushing down with the top leg and up with the bottom leg. The pressure should be equal so that the legs do not move at all. Hold for a count of 10 seconds and release. Change the legs around and repeat.
You can have your knees bent or almost straight – experiment with this to find what works best for you. You should feel the muscles around your knee working, but it should not be painful.
You should be breathing normally through both of these exercises. Be sure not to hold your breath.
If you feel any unusual pain, stop exercising immediately and see your doctor. Remember too that it is always best to consult with your doctor or other health professional for advice applicable to your individual case before starting any exercise program.
Some forms of exercise are bad for arthritic knees and should be avoided. This includes anything that involves jumping on a hard surface or moving in a way that risks twisting or over stretching the knee. Examples are volleyball, tennis, and running up and down stairs. You will probably naturally avoid these types of high impact exercise if you have arthritis pain but some people with mild arthritis might be tempted to continue with their favorite sport.
Even ordinary running is not the best exercise for the joints. Choose cycling or swimming instead, which will avoid the damaging consequences of other forms of aerobic exercise while providing good knee exercise.
