Best Ways to Injure Yourself in the Gym

Best Ways to Injure Yourself in the Gym by Lanny Schaffer, Ph.D-4885

This article has a sarcastic tint to it, but it's educational and gets it's point across well. If you really want to injure yourself while working out be sure you're doing the majority of the following:



1)Perform latt pulldowns heavy, behind your neck with a very wide grip, causing excessive external rotation on your shoulders. Then do several sets and keep increasing the weight.



2)Do some aerobic or jogging type activity in the same shoes you wear around the house. It does wonders for shin splints, knees and back problems.



3)Do not warm up at all before lifting heavy weights. Lift "cold".



4)Attempt squats with heavy weight before you can squat your own body weight. Squat with your knees bent inward and the back flexed.



5)When you finish the squats in number four add more weight and do it again.



6) Workout really hard daily, especially if you're lifting. Never take a day off for recovery.



7) Do a set of back hyperextensions holding a 25 lb weight close to your chest. Perform the movement going as far up and down as possible. The more weight and range of motion the better.



8)Do a set of dynamic (walking) lunges with your waist bent forward and all your weight over your knees. Even better hold some hand held weights. If your knees hurt, you know you're doing them right.



9)Leg press as many 45's as possible with no proper warm-up. The heavy leg presses will impressively load and flex the position of your lower back.



10)Join an advanced aerobics class when you are a beginning level student.



11)Pick up a new peice of equipment you've had no instruction on and really give it a go. Work it hard and furious.



12)Watch the "hard core lifters" for tips and then try them. These are the guys who lift heavy with poor technique and spend a lot of time sitting between sets. Model these guys and you'll learn all sorts of unique ways to weight train.



13) Take an aerobics class with a high level of choreography when you have two left feet. This encourages tripping on both your left feet and maybe a sprain too.



14)Hire a personal trainer and do a lot of the stuff mentioned above. After all, they are experts, right?



Remember, the above list is simply an eye opener. Everthing on this list is something you should not do. Unfortunately, these items are still commonly seen in gyms and many people are not aware they are not safe practices. If you are not sure what constitues a safe workout practice ask a staff member at your health club. Beware, however, that not all staff are properly educated, even the personal trainers.


Dr. Lanny Schaffer is an Exercise Physiologist and the President of The International Academy. To find more cutting edge fitness ideas go to http://www.aerobics-exercise-coach.com


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Tell Me, How often Do I need To workout?

How Often Should I Work Out by Robert Palmer

There seems to be a lot of answers to the question "How often should I work out?". For the average healthy person with fat loss as their goal you can get fit and trim in just three workouts a week. However, the workouts need to be good intense ones.



Each workout should take less than an hours time. New research has shown that 20-30 minutes of interval training is more effective than 40-60 minutes of long slow cardio. Interval training simply means performing hard segments follwed by recovery. For example, you might go hard for one minute and recover for the next two. Interval training gives you all the health benefits of traditional aerobic training plus it increases your metabolic rate for hours after exercise. This post exercise increase in metabolic rate is the single greatest weight loss aid exercise can provide.



Add 20-30 minutes of weight training to the intervals and you have a sure fire fat loss, lean muscle building exercise routine. Lift heavy weights with low repetitions to build some muscle mass. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat so it burns more calories 24 hours a day. Lifting damages muscle cells and the repair process raises metabolism significantly for up to 48 hours.



On your off days, just be as active as possible, without making an extra effort to go to the gym. Walk to do your errands, clean the house, do some yardwork, or walk the dog. Just do something health promoting and stay on your feet as much as possible.



As you can see you don't have to spend seven days a week at the gym to get results. The keyword in today's new research is intensity. Higher intensity training has been shown to produce greater fat loss, and more muscle gain in less amount of time than the old fashioned, slow, long duration mode of training. So go to your gym workouts with quality not quantity as your mindset and enjoy your time off.


Dr. Lanny Schaffer is an Exercise Physiologist and the President of The International Fitnesss Academy. For more cutting edge fitness tips and information go to http://www.aerobic-exercise-coach.com


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Fitness Woman: You Can Fit Exercise Into Your Daily Routine

Fitness Woman: You Can Fit Exercise Into Your Daily Routine by Ramone Stevenson -

Women tend to put their own needs last, and exercise is generally on the bottom of the list of priorities. We live in a society that is fast paced, and many households have only one parent or one where both parents work. Trying work and take care of a family are hard enough, but becoming a fitness woman is a something you should make a priority.



As women get older, their metabolism slows down. This can lead to health issues including becoming over weight. A fitness woman works to include three essential activities into her daily routine: exercise, eating a healthy diet, and getting enough sleep. If you have children to take care of, you can still find time to take care of yourself. Ask your spouse to help so you can have that time for you. You can also ask a friend to alternate childcare so that each of you has time to get some exercise.



Some fitness clubs have onsite childcare. This is a great way to help you become a fitness woman without worrying about finding someone to care for them. There are also great ways to exercise with your children. It is a great way to teach them the importance of fitness from a very early age. With younger children, consider jogging or walking. You can get a jogging stroller or even pull them in a wagon.



Getting outside and chasing your toddler around in the yard is great fun and is considered exercise. With older children, play sports with them including basketball, volleyball, football, soccer, and kick ball. This is a great way to spend some quality time with your children that doesn’t cost anything, and everyone will be getting plenty of exercise.



Fitness women have learned how to prioritize their time. The laundry may not get folded and the dishes may not get put away, but you will have time to take care of yourself, and that is essential. After all, how you take care of everything else when you aren’t taken care of? Talk to your family about the importance of having some time for you to get physically fit. Chances are they will be willing to lend a hand to help out with more household chores so that you can find the time in your day to work out.



To help you stay motivated, a fitness woman needs to make her workout time a priority in her day. Schedule your workout time in with the rest of the items on your daily planner. You don’t have to tell anyone what you have scheduled during that time, but if they ask you to commit to something else, politely say you are not available during that period of time.



Many of us have friends who want to become a fitness woman as well. Consider asking a friend to join you in your exercise routine. This is a great way to have someone to motivate you to stick with your exercise plan. It also gives you another person to turn to for support. You can share your accomplishments as well as discuss the barriers that are in your way when it comes to becoming fit.


Get all the latest information about Fitness from the only true source at http://www.topfitnessinformation.com Be sure to check out our Fitness Woman pages.


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Exercise Equipment For A Home Gym

Attending a Gym or Health Club can be a very rewarding pastime. Those that go to the gym love to exercise and stay fit, they love that feeling of being fit and healthy, however most people just can’t seem to find the time or the motivation these days, with work demands or the thought of having to get off that comfortable couch and face that long drive to the gym, it’s getting more and more difficult to consistently get there.

One of the ways around those obstacles would be to invest in a Home Gym. It doesn’t have to be fancy or very expensive, just a basic Home Gym will suffice. Here are some advantages of have a home gym:

No more travelling to and from the gym
No waiting around for someone to finish their set
More time available at home
No more silly music – you can choose your own
Better concentration, no distractions
No Gym fees
You can exercise anytime day or night 7 days a week
You only need a medium sized floor space
Greater control of hygiene at home

So what Exercise Equipment do I need for a Home Gym?
That depends on your goals, your budget, and your floor space. Assuming that your budget is fair (a home gym is really not that expensive) and your floor space is a decent size, you need to consider your exercise goals. What do you want to accomplish? Do you want to:

Lose weight and get Fit?
Build Muscle Size?
Build Strength?

To Lose Weight and get Fit
You’ll need a Treadmill, an Exercise Bike and a Rowing Machine. 20 minutes on each as a circuit. Increasing the resistance at every session or as you see “fit”.
The increase in resistance is important to induce an anaerobic effect, this is a great way to lose weight and build fitness.

To Build Muscle Size
You’ll need an Exercise Bike for a warm up and cool down. A Squat Rack, a Bench, Barbells, Dumbbells and weights. This is sufficient to build muscle size,
however, you will need to lift heavy weights to induce muscle growth. If you’re lifting heavy weights you will need someone there to help for those heavy sets.

To Build Strength
You’ll need the same as above for muscle size, but you could also use a Power Rack with safety pins. To build strength you’ll need to lift very heavy weights
for low repetitions so safety is of great importance and you will need someone there to help when going very heavy.

You can always search the web for a more detailed exercise routine that will suit your goals. You should also, before starting any exercise program, get the go ahead from your GP or health professional.

So all you’ll really need to set up a home gym is about 3 to 4 pieces of exercise equipment with weights. You don’t need to spend thousands on a home gym when the basics will be enough for you to complete your goal.

Should I get New or Used?
It’s not that important whether the equipment is new or used or refurbished, just make sure it is of high quality and you can depend on it. Some people prefer new some used, some people prefer refurbished because it looks new and has a high quality but isn’t as expensive as brand new. It all depends on your personal preferences.

The important thing is that anyone can set up a basic Home Gym to suit your needs, it really is not that difficult or expensive. If you would like more information on Home Gyms new or refurbished, visit http://www.explosivemusclegrowth.com/Exercise-Equipment.html

By: Darren O Connell

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Darren O'Connell - has over 20 years experience in Muscle Growth, Health, Fitness, Fatloss and Nutrition - www.explosivemusclegrowth.com/explosive-muscle.html

 

An Easy Home Workout

Do you want to exercise but can't afford a costly health club membership? Don't despair, with a little dedication and this home workout you can begin a simple and effective workout routine. If you are a seasoned fitness enthusiast you should be able to implement this home workout without skipping a beat from your normal routine. If you are new to exercise or are coming back from a long layoff then it is wise to consult your physician before attempting this home workout.

There are a few basic guidelines to follow in order to minimize the risk of injury and get the most out of your home workout.
• never perform the home workout two days in a row
• start with 2 laps of the home workout and build up to five
• never perform the home workout if you are feeling any muscle soreness
• proper form is most important
• the last few reps of each set should feel difficult


CIRCUIT WORKOUT

Pushups 10 repetitions (full or modified-keep body straight from knees to shoulders)

Squats 25 repetitions (feet wider than shoulder width, toes pointing out)

Ab Crunch 25 reps with knees bent to 90 degrees followed by 25 with legs straight in air

Standing Straight Leg Raise 25 reps each side (lift leg out to the side)

Ab Crunch (same as above)

Stationary Lunges 15 reps each side (keep front knee directly over your toes)

Standing Calf Raise 25 reps each (keep legs straight & hips still)

Dips 15 reps (using a chair, hands next to hips)

Ab Crunch (same as above)

Stationary Wall Sit 1 min. (knees bent to 90 degrees)

Low Back Extensions (lie on stomach with arms and legs straight in superman position, lift both arms and legs about 6 inches off floor, pause, lower and repeat)

Regardless of how many laps you do of the home workout, only perform 1 set of the low back extensions at the very end of your workout. This is to minimize the risk of back injury. For fit individuals this workout may seem a little less intense than their regular resistance workouts but remember that something is better than nothing. This home workout will prevent significant loss of muscle strength and endurance while you are away from the gym. Others may find this home workout to be quite a challenge. Start slow and don't give up on yourself. Keep trying and within a half-dozen workouts you will notice huge improvement.

For more free workouts and fitness advice visit:

FitnessDiet.info

By: FitnessRob

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Rob has been involved in the development of health and fitness programs since 1989. His journey started with an interest in competitive bodybuilding in high school. Since then, he has competed in collegiate track and field as well as events ranging from Adventure Racing to marathons. Rob is also an avid cyclist competing in a variety of disciplines including Cross-Country and 24-Hour Mountain Biking as well as Road Racing and Criteriums.

 

Cardio Treadmill: The Perfect Health Machine

People who are fitness freak will agree to this that treadmills are the best equipments to burn the body fats. Treadmills have come as a rescuer to the people who are loaded with extra fat on their body and have high cholesterol. Treadmill workouts help you fight against various cardiovascular diseases.

Today, treadmills are available to you in various models and with many features. The superior quality of treadmills come equipped with a number of effective preprogrammed workout plans. These programs are designed specially to reduce the high cholesterol levels and put out the extra fat. Such treadmills also feature special belts that help you monitor your pulse rate and keep track of the echo level of your heart. All this is displayed at the display screen of your treadmill. Such treadmills have been commonly called as the cardio treadmills. These treadmills are specifically meant for the people suffering from various cardiac complications.

These types of treadmills have become a common place today. They can be found everywhere. They have become an important part of the total lifestyle of the people. You can see them in hospitals and in all the health care institutes.

While exercising, these treadmills help you perform various tests on your body. One of the most common tests that you can perform with it is ECG. In this test, the treadmill will help you analyze your heart's condition. Besides this, a cardio treadmill also features a blood cholesterol level monitor. This gives you an edge to keep a constant tab on your blood cholesterol level.

But these are not the only features that a cardio treadmill provides to you. Your cardio treadmill has also in offer for you a cushioning system. This cushioning provides you a jerk free workout environment. This type of environment is particularly good for the cardiac patients. Cardio treadmills also provide you with a cardiac endurance test. All in all, it is a perfect health and exercising equipment.

But getting a good cardio treadmill is not an easy job. You should be well aware of all the features that a cardio treadmill comes equipped with. So while choosing a cardio treadmill for your home, it is better to consult a physical trainer. Apart from this it is also important for you to consult a good health care expert. But all this comes to you at a little more cost than a regular treadmill.

The cardio treadmill models are being manufactured by almost all the brands. These model come with a lifetime warranty. The most popular cardio treadmills models are Smooth 9.25X and the Landice L8. Landice also comes with an another cardio treadmill model Landice L7.

By: Javier Fuller

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To get more information on treadmill, treadmill care and types of treadmill visit www.treadmill-online.com/home/

 

Fitness: The Fundamentals

Physical fitness is a set of features a person has in regard to his ability to perform physical activities that require endurance, strength or flexibility and is determined by a combination of regular activity or exercise and genetically inherited ability. It also measures the ability to carry out daily tasks with vigor and without undue fatigue and with sufficient energy to engage in leisure-time pursuits and the vitality to perform at one's fullest capacity.

Physical fitness is achieved by regular physical activity, proper diet and nutrition and proper rest for physical recovery within the parameters allowed by the genome.

Physical fitness is often divided into following types:

Flexibility: Joint rotation, Static stretching and Dynamic Stretching are all the various forms of flexibility exercises used in warm up.

Cardiovascular endurance: Aerobic capacity describes the functional status of the cardio-respiratory system which includes the heart, lungs or blood vessels. It is defined as the maximum volume of oxygen which can be consumed by ones muscles during exercise. The higher a cardio-respiratory endurance level, the more oxygen is transported to exercising muscles and longer exercise can be maintained without exhaustion which means a higher the level of aerobic fitness.

Muscular strength & endurance: Weight training is a form of exercise for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles which can provide significant functional benefits and improvement in overall health and well-being.

Body Composition: In physical fitness, body composition is used to describe the percentages of fat, bone and muscle in human bodies. The percentage of fat is of most interest because it can be very helpful in judging health in addition to body weight.

An average healthy male's body should have 12~18 percent fat while in females it is 14~ 20 percent fat. Body fat percentage can be measured in several ways. The most common method is by using measurement calipers to measure the thickness of subcutaneous fat in multiple places on the body. Another method is Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), which uses the resistance of electrical flow through the body to estimate body fat.

Agility: Agility is the ability to change the body's direction efficiently, and this requires a combination of balance, coordination, speed, and strength.

Balance: Equilibrioception or sense of balance is one of the physiological senses which allow humans to walk without falling. When the sense of balance is disrupted, it causes dizziness, disorientation and nausea.

Speed: Some biological factors that can determine a sprinter's potential are muscular strength, adrenaline use and anaerobic respiration capacity

Task-oriented fitness: A person is said to be physically fit for a particular task with a reasonable efficiency, for example, fit for military service.

By: NamSing Then -

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NamSing Then is a regular article contributor on many topics. Visit his other websites at Fitness Resources, Fitness Equipment

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