Exercise Tips

Jumping Rope rocks those calves

When you see a kid jumping rope, you probably don't think much of it. Actually, jumping rope for exercise is quite difficult! It works your calves, shoulders and arms, while also making your whole body isometrically contract to keep you steady.

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Single Leg Bridge exercise (with video)

The Bridge exercise works on your butt, and performing a Single Leg Bridge exercise will focus more stress on your butt and making your leg work harder.

You want to start by laying on your back with your knees bent. Bring your feet real close together, and then lift your butt into the air. After your hips are in the air, then lift one leg off the ground, keeping it off the ground for desired amount of repetitions.

This is great to build strength in your glutes, because you are doing the motion of 'hip extension'.

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Strengthen your Hamstrings & Butt with Straight Leg Deadlifts (video)

The Barbell Straight Leg Deadlift exercise will really bring strength to the muscles of your butt and hamstrings since the motion is something that most of us are not used to. Much like a Deadlift, the Straight Leg version is just harder to execute. As you perform the motion, you will feel something of a 'pull' in your hamstrings, which is totally normal.

Your Glutes (butt) are exercised during what is called 'hip extension', and your hamstrings in 'flexion at the knee'. As you keep your legs straight though and keep an arch in your back, your hamstrings will isometrically contract while your glutes perform the moving portion. If this bothers your low back, it means you're rounding your back - either watch yourself in a mirror, or lower the weight.

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Learning Single Leg Exercises (with video)

Executing a Barbell Biceps Curl is pretty simple, but by taking one foot off the ground and performing a Single Leg Barbell Biceps Curl, your whole body will be working.

Since you're on one foot, the leg on the ground has to work very hard to keep you balanced while your biceps execute the curl. Your butt will be isometrically contracting (holding you still and flexed) and your core musculature (abdomen, back) will also be holding you steady. Standing on one leg and doing this exercise will help you work your whole body, helping you see gains not just in your arms.

See more exercise videos at thisismyworkout.blip.tv.

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What is Fitness?

I just checked with dictionary.com, and they say 'Fitness' is 'health', as well as the ' capability of the body of distributing inhaled oxygen to muscle tissue during increased physical effort.' Alright, good to know.

If you want to be 'fit' or 'healthy', you need to make sure that you are exercising! Now many of you may not know how. No worries, that's what all these tips are designed for. But I want to focus on the second answer of what fitness is, being the capability of distributing oxygen.

Many of us perform cardio-respiratory exercise, but is that enough? Nope. Your muscles need to be stressed as well, and as you also work with weights and your body weight in the gym or at home or in a park, you are also working on your bodies' ability to transport oxygen when needed (during physical exercise).

As a beginner, understand that you need to push yourself every time you exercise, to the point where you are sweating afterwards. This needs to occur minimum 4 times a week to really get into good shape.

For you veteran exercisee's, are you really pushing yourself anymore? Have you been doing the same exercises for years? Find news ways to push yourself (that's whay i've put up the videos), so that you can continue to excel with your physical fitness.

Make sure you are looking at older tips too, because there is lots of wonderful information in there (not just from me, but from others before me).