Skiers use their entire body when they’re working a slope, whether in a race, skiing moguls for recreation, or even just noodling around on a bunny hill. And there’s no better way to get ready for the ski season than through strength training for a couple of months before the first flakes fall. Skiing is […]
Part of the reason is simply that the more variety you include in a workout, the more it’s likely to keep your interest. And, studies show that boredom is a major reason many people drop out of weight lifting programs. But there’s another reason you want to tweak your strength training that has more to […]
Many women consider the inner and outer thighs their “trouble spots.” While spot reduction doesn’t work, eating a healthy diet and focusing on certain strength training exercises that target the thigh muscles can lead to a loss of both inner and outer thigh fat, which creates leaner, trimmer thighs. Thigh Toning Exercises Beginners may want […]
Muscle building and strength gains go hand-in-hand. If a muscle becomes bigger, it will get stronger. If a muscle gets stronger, it will become bigger. Jumping, sprinting and near-maximal weight training induce the fastest gains. Why? Muscles come in two types and three categories. Type I muscles are “slow-twitch” muscles. These muscles are not very […]
Have you ever met someone who’s a regular runner, swimmer or general sports person? Often when you ask him how his hobbies are going he’ll reply how good it is but “I’ve got this tightness in my shoulder/hamstring/back etc.” The stresses and strains of repetitive sport/movement leave people with a number of weaknesses and muscle […]
An example of a muscle imbalance is when a stiff lower back causes the hamstring muscles to be tight and the adductor (groin) muscles become weak. Fitness professionals have two theories to correct this problem. One is to train movements like a side lunge with a twist. The other is to place the affected person […]
Putting it All Together – Push Pull Compound Training Program By creating a training program that alternates between pushing and pulling exercises, trainees can keep from overloading the smaller muscle groups, such as the arm muscles, resulting in the larger muscle groups being insufficiently trained. For example, do not select two upper body pushing exercises, […]
The study, done in conjunction with the University of Regina, found that people with chronic backache experienced a 60-percent improvement in pain and function levels after taking part in a 16-week exercise program of resistance training using dumbbells, barbells, and other weight-lifting exercise equipment. In contrast, those study participants who chose aerobic training such as […]
But go into a gym that focuses on producing top-notch athletes and you’ll find one of the busiest pieces of equipment is going to be the leg squat rack. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a swimmer, golfer, football player, cheerleader, basketball player or body builder, if you’re serious about getting better, you’ll need to know […]