Single Leg Lateral Abduction

This entry was written on Jun 22, 2009 by our Exercise Guru Nicholas Frank

Huh? Yes, I said it. Single Leg Lateral Abduction. Any ideas? It's okay if you don't have any idea of what this could be, for I am here to explain it. I'm sure you understand ' Single Leg' , but 'Lateral Abduction' may be a little harder to crasp. Lateral Abduction is where ones leg moves laterally (sideways) away from the body (also known as 'abduction' ). Let's learn how to do this properly.

Stand nice and tall (in 'Anatomical Neutral' Posture). Take one foot and lift it about 1-2 inches off the ground. With leg that is lifted off the ground, flex at the ankle so that the foot is pushed away from the floor. Slowly move the hovering leg laterally away from other leg, making sure not to lean with the upper body. Once the hovering leg moves as far away as possible, hold for a second. Slowly bring the hovering leg back to anatomical neutral, making sure not to rest it back on the floor. Pause, then repeat. (Make sure after desired reps you do exercise on both legs)

This is a great way to not only work on your balance, but to strengthen your core, your leg and your butt! If desired, one could accompany this with a biceps curl or a shoulder press once the leg returns to Anatomical Neutral...while still hovering off the ground of course :-)

Aging and your Metabolism

Are they related? Well, yes and no.

People think that because they age they automatically have a slower metabolism than when they were younger. Well yes, your metabolism does slow as you get older, but not for the reasons most believe. It does not just slow because you get older, but instead because you stop moving as much.

Your metabolism works off two main things: genetics and lean muscle mass. If your parents were lethargic/athletic/ping-pong pros, you will be more disposed to lead that kind of life based upon your genetics. Not all people are that way though. The main reason metabolism slows with age is based upon your lean body mass. When you're younger you move more, and as people get older they move less. Therefore the lean body mass of an individual will decrease unless they continue exercising or begin to exercise more. Also, if you have very little lean muscle mass then you will not burn as many calories in a day as someone who has lots of muscle mass.

In closing, if you want to make sure your metabolism doesn't slow as you begin to age then exercise and move to stay in shape, keeping that lean muscle mass in check.

Deadlift to Bent-Over Row

This entry was written on Jun 16, 2009 by our Exercise Guru Nicholas Frank

This is a wonderful exercise that allows one to not only exercise their glutes and hamstrings, but also to work their back and arms in the process. For best results and little bit more ease, grab a barbell with a weight you know you can manage. (Look back at the post on 'Deadlifts' to make sure you understand how to properly execute a deadlift)

Make sure wieght is gripped shoulder-width apart, with feet hip-width apart facing forward. With an arch in the lower back slowly bend down into the Deadlift, stopping before the low-back begins to round (as if you could still look forward with relative ease). Once there, hold the position. Pull the weight in your hands towards your upper-abdomen/lower chest. Make sure you pull the weight towards you while keeping your shoulders back and down. Slowly let the weight descend away from you. Now lift your body back up from the deadlift, and repeat.

This is a great total-body routine, strengthening much of the body. This exercise will work your biceps, back, glutes, abdomen, hamstrings....shoot, lots of your body. This will make you mighty tired too, so be sure not to grab too heavy of a weight.

Exercise Your Brain

Here is an awesome statistic - People that get into a 'routine' are more likely to get diseases like Lou Gehrig's disease, Dementia, or other problems that affect brain function to the body. By 'routine', I mean your literal daily routine and the muscles you use in that routine. For example, when you wake up, what is the first foot you put on the ground? How about when you walk into the bathroom, do you always turn the same direction? Do you use the same hand to grab the doorknob to get into the bathroom? When you open the shower door, do you use the same arm everyday? Which foot is first to step into the shower? Which hand do you wash your body with, and what side of your body do you star on? Which foot is first to step out of the shower? Do you dry off your arms first? Which hand do you brush your teeth with?

At the moment, you are probably thinking "Who the heck thinks about this stuff?". I do. Why? Because I want to have stellar utilization of my brains ability to send innervative signals to the muscles in my body to activate when necessary and prevent mental problems down the road. The point of all those questions is for you to consider how much you are really using your brain. When you go through the same morning routine (for example), your brain is not really functioning much because it is so 'routine'. You know that you don't really think about how to brush your teeth - you just brush them. By forcing yourself to use your left hand to brush your teeth (if you normally use your right), guess where the signal comes from for your left arm to do that? Yup, your brain. You will feel moronic at first, but after several times your brain will be sending the proper signals to your arm on how to utilize your arm to perform the motions to brush your teeth with ease.

The more you train your brain to innervate muscles that you don't normally use (maybe like reading holding the book in your left hand rather than your right) in a normal day, the more prepared your body will be to respond to random events/stimulus. You will also be training your brain and lessening the chance of the illnesses that come from your brains inability to function properly.

Squat to Barbell Press

This entry was written on May 11, 2009 by our Exercise Guru Nicholas Frank

The Squat to Press is a wonderfully difficult exercise. Oh is it ever. It can either be done with a straight bar gripped by both hands, or with free weights in each hand. I am going to describe how to do this holding a straight bar/barbell, which is generally easier than free weights. This will work your quads and glutes real well, as well as your arms and shoulders. Plus, your abdomen and low-back will have to function in the movement, so it is a great total-body exercise.

Grab a bar that you can hold at chest level pretty easily. Your grip (once weight is resting at the top of your chest) should have your palms facing forward, not towards you. Hold the weight at chest level as you Squat (review earlier 'Squat' Blog post, 12/1/2008), not allowing it to fall from the top of the chest. Keep your hips back as you squat with feet hip-width apart and straight forward. On the ascent from the squat, begin to press the weight above your head, allowing momentum to help with the shoulder press of the barbell. Hold arms straight for a brief moment, then bring the weight back down to the top of your chest. Repeat for desired reps.

This exercise is best done with many reprtitions, for great results throughout the body will be gained because this is a tough exercise. Try and stay away from doing only 3-4 repetitons on this exercise, and if you are struggling to do more reps then lower the weight - you'll still look cool while you workout :-)

Low Back Pain and Prevention

Almost all low-back pain can be attributed to a 'rounded' lower back. What this means is that instead of having an arch that in a sense makes your butt stick out, your lower back rounds during exercise making you look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Avoid this at all costs, please!

The shape of your spine should look like a thin 'S' shape, starting from your head and going down to your butt. When people exercise/workout, this 'S' shape should truly be staying the same and not turning into a 'C' shape. Ooh, no. A good tip to remember when exercising is to remember that your lower back should never be rounded. Always keep an arch so that you will avoid stressing any of the discs in your spine, ensuring that your spine will function properly and allow you to not have any low-back pain.

Prone Scapular Retraction and Depression

This entry was written on May 06, 2009 by our Exercise Guru Nicholas Frank

This is a great exercise to strengthen the muscles in the back as well as improve motion there-in. This is something wonderful to add to your workout routine that will truly help the functionality of your back. Let's learn how to do this properly:

Lay flat on your stomach with arms extended above your head. Relax your body. Now, lift your arms off the ground so that the entirety of both arms are off the ground and straight at the elbow. Bend the shoulders and elbows so that the arms, while still off the ground, come down to the sides of the body. Again extend arms in front of/above the head, keeping arms off the ground. Repeat for desired reps, and don't take breaks!

This, for some, may seem easy but is actually mighty hard. For those who try it and it s easy, put very light weights in both hands and perform the motion. This exercise wil strengthen your back, specifically your Lats, Rhomboids, along with all parts of your Trapezius. This is even a good exercise to utilize when you just need a good warm-up.

Post-Workout Consumption

It seems to me that there are 2 kinds of people when it comes to eating after a workout: The 'Non-Eaters' and the 'Immediate Eaters'. The 'Non-Eaters' will not really eat anything after a workout, but instead later in the day will treat themselves (to sweets/alcohol/chips/etc.) because they feel they deserve it since they exercised. The 'Immediate Eaters' finish their workout and simultaneously consume a protein bar and a post-workout shake within 5-10 minutes after their workout. On the right track, but let's analyze how that can have more of a positive effect on your workouts.

For the first thirty minutes after a workout your body is still ready to exercise; your muscles have been innervated, they are ready to fire (workout) when you say so, and are not ready to begin repairing yet. After thirty minutes, your muscles relax and begin to repair themselves. This is when one would want to consume protein, because protein aids in the muscle rebuilding process. So, if you consume your post-workout protein beverage 30 min to 1 hour after your workout, you will be helping your muscles rebuild during their primetime rebuilding process and maximizing the benefits of the protein you're taking.

After 2-3 hours, you should consume a regular meal (with protein in it) to continue aiding in the muscle rebuilding process. Do not 'treat' yourself to sweets or alcohol or whatever, for your muscles will still be crying out for protein and you will be feeding them sugar or alcohol or heavy carbohydrates...they want protein. Remember 'You Are What You Eat'? That is especially true on the days you exercise. If you can eat properly after a workout and stay away from 'treats', your results will come faster than you expect.

Stability Ball Push-Ups

This entry was written on Apr 28, 2009 by our Exercise Guru Nicholas Frank

Push-Ups in themselves are hard enough, but we're going to make them a little tougher/more fun. By using a stability ball, most exercises become much more difficult. This is due to the fact that a stability ball makes you 'stabilize' on it, making your muscles do much more work than they normally would without it. This will give you more strength along with more balance and core strength.

For starters, grab a stability ball (bigger = easier, smaller = harder). Position your hands about shoulder width apart on the ball, utilizing the entirety of your hand to hold onto the ball. Do not just rest your hands upon the ball, but instead grip the stability ball. Draw in your belly button slightly and lightly contract your gluteus muscles (butt). This helps keep pain from entering into the lower back area. Make sure feet are hip-width apart. Slowly bend the elbows keeping them close to the body, leading with the chest and ensuring the abdomen stays steady and does not allow the lower back to slouch. Stop once arms are bent at 90 degrees while not allowing the head to shoot towards the floor and pause for a moment. While staying perfectly steady, push back up with arms still close to body and not arching the lower back or bringing the head forward. As you do this my goodness the ball is going to shake, and that is normal.

A good beginner exercise with the stability ball is just to hold Push-Up position. Not only will it exercise your arms, shoulders and chest, but it will work on your abdomen nicely. Have someone hold the stability ball softly in place so that you can get a better hang of just the motion, and so that you don't fly off of it. This exercise will greatly increase the strength of your chest and shoulders.

Basic CardioRespiratory Routine

A good 'Cardio' routine would consist of one stressing their Cardiorepsiratory system well enough so that their breathing would intensify and their heart rate would rise. You would want to do this for about 30-45 minutes, 2 to 4 times per week. When starting out, it is always a good idea to start slow. Many people go too extreme too quick and are at risk for Heart Attacks or insufficient lung function causing them to maybe pass out. Always start out slow! For the initial week or two, go at a speed that challenges you only mildly, then once you are more accustomed to CardioRespiratory training you can intensify your Cardio workouts more.

Another good tip to remember is to change the 'mode' of your Cardio exercise each week. This means that if you do the Treadmill one week, then the next week do the Elliptical, then the next week run...so on and so on. This will ensure that you are burning the most calories possible per machine by not allowing your body to get used to the mode of Cardio, while at the same time stressing your CardioRespiratory system in different ways. Oh, so good.

Swimming and Back Strength

Swimming is a great way to enhance your cardiorespiratory endurance, a.k.a. your type1 muscle fibers' ability to sustain muscular contractions (your Type 1 muscle fibers are for endurance, Type 2A are for strength, Type 2B are for Explosive Exercise). It is also incredible for strengthening the muscles in your back. This is due to the fact that the muscles in your back are the one that do all of the 'pulling' motions for your body. Therefore as you swim and you are pulling your arms past you through the water, your back muscles (especially your Lats, Upper/Middle/Lower Trapezius, Erector Spinae group, Rhomboids, Teres Major/Minor) are the ones working and getting stronger as you do it.

The general population in America has rounded or 'forward' shoulders and an incredible lack of back strength. Swimming is a natural way to strengthen the muscles of the back to help the shoulders be pulled back to a closer Anatomical Neutral Posture. For those of you that feel some back pain during the day, it is probably due to bad posture because of weak back muscles. Start swimming and in a matter of weeks the pain will more than likely get better.

Upper/Lower Body Relationship to Walking

Who knows why when you take a step forward with your left foot (when walking/jogging/running/sprinting) your right arm comes forward? Why doesn't your left arm follow your left foot? Why then (maybe) if we walk properly allowing, our left foot to step forward and our right arm to go forward, will that enhance our posture? This explanation is going to get pretty wordy, so find a picture of human anatomy online somewhere if you want to learn/understand even more. Let us take a trip down the glory of anatomy lane...

When you step forward with your left foot, your right foot is now back behind you. This means your right glute (butt) is flexed. Your glute is attached to the aponeurosis of your erector spinae, also called your lumbodorsal fascia, (I know they're big words, but it really just means the middle of your lower back). This all attaches to the vertebrae in your spine (lower back/lumbar area) and so does your Latissimus Dorsi muscle! (your mid-back muscles) So your opposite Lat muscle flexes, being your left Lat, pulling down your scapula (wing-looking bone in your upper back). As your left Lat pulls down your left scapula, your left deltoid muscle (left shoulder) comes down with it. This in turn swings your left arm forward. Whoo - Now breathe...yes, breathe.... There is a direct relationship (because of the aponeurosis of your erector spine) between your opposing gluteal and latissimus dorsi muscles, which is why your arms swing opposite your legs. What does this mean for our walking posture? Oh i'll tell you, but in the next paragraph.

Ah, welcome to the next paragraph. Next time you walk, watch your arms and legs. If you take short steps, you are more than likely not having your arms swing much. Or if you are taking good sized (comfortable) steps and your arms don't swing much, don't be alarmed. Most people (and I do mean most) have 'tight' Latissimus Dorsi muscles that have become weak because of over-worked/stressed upper Trapezius muscles. Next time you walk, try to swing your arms a little bit while keeping your shoulders down and locked in place (not letting them move up/down/side to side). The more the swing, the more your Lat's work and the better your posture becomes. Your Lat's are one of the muscles that, if strong, holds you up very tall and relieves most back pain. Do your best to check yourself out when you walk, and swing those arms a bit to enhance that posture!

Burning Off the Calories You Eat

It is difficult to calculate how much activity it takes to burn off calories from a certain food, for example, how far you would have to walk to burn off a Big Mac. Although you see such calculations frequently, they are approximations. Calories burned in activity depend on the size of the individual as well as the intensity of the activity, and the calories in food depend on how much of it you eat, and sometimes even the preparation. It's better to consider overall calorie consumption and activity level plus exercise. Still, it can be fun to try to figure out the food and exercise caloric relationship. The U.S. government has a huge database of nutrients in foods, including calories. See it at www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp. Georgia State University has posted a list of calories expended in certain activities: www2.gsu/edu/~wwwfit/physicalactivity.html#calories.

Blood-Flow Workout

For those of you trying to begin an exercise program, beginning as either obese or over the age of 50, may want to consider doing a routine like this a few times a week. The benefit of blood flow is that it helps to keep your heart functioning well and trains it to pump well during exercise, which then translates into real life and promotes better heart health. Here we go...

Essentially, you will workout your upper body, then your lower body. An example would be performing a Bench Press (for your chest) at 2-4 sets of 10-15 reps, and then moving into a Squat at 2-4 sets at 12-20 reps. What will happen is that initially the blood will flow mainly to your torso, because you will be exercising your chest, shoulders and arms. Then when you move into the Squat, the blood will then flow down to your lower body.

By continuing to do different exercises, alternating between upper and lower body, your heart will be pumping blood very well to your whole body. Maybe do 3-4 exercises for each part ( meaning of your upper and lower body ) This will increase the 'strength' of your heart, promoting overall wellness for your body. Remember though, don't do the same exercises each time you go, but switch things up.

Hydration

Ever worked out and decided not to drink any water? Go try it: you'll feel less energetic, get lots of cramps in your abdomen, have no energy, and want to go in the corner and curl into the fetal position. Sound like fun? No. Let's talk about why it is a glorious and spectacular idea to hydrate yourself (and by hydrate, I mean the utilization of water, or such things as Gatorade).

Our bodies are made of 65%-70% water. As we go about our days, notice how sometimes you have to go to the restroom? Well, ya do, and you're losing water. You also lose water when you sweat, or when you spit, or when you blow your nose or you sneeze. Therefore our bodies need water during the day so that we can fuction properly. We should be drinking at least 1/2 our weight in ounces of water a day.

In regards to sports and/or exercise, when we sweat we absolutely lose water. We need to replenish those liquids otherwise our bodies won't be able to continue exerising - and you'll probably vomit or pass out. Not such a good thing...

Your muscles also go through more hypertrophy (muscle cell expansion) because of lots of water! That means the more water you drink, the bigger your muscles can get. That is another topic entirely, but do know that if your goal is large muscles, drink tons of water during your workout.

Walk First, Stretch Later

Forget stretching to limber up before your fitness walking. Instead, walk at an easy pace for five or ten minutes until you’re warm before kicking into high gear walking for exercise.

When you finish your walking session, do at least three static, not bouncing stretches for 30 seconds on each leg.

Why Smoking would be stupid if you want to get in shape

When you do Cardio-Respiratory (or really any kind of) exercise, you breathe. When you inhale, your lungs fill with oxygen. That oxygen then is sent into your blood, re-naming the blood 'oxygenated blood'. That oxygenated blood then travels throughout the body, dropping off oxygen to muscle fibers that need the oxygen. Once the oxygenated blood drops off its oxygen stores, it is then re-named 'de-oxygenated blood'. The de-oxygenated blood then tarvels through the rest of its body course until it gets back to the heart. Hoo-ray!

And now insert Smoking:

When you inhale, your lungs fill with oxygen. Oh wait, you're smoking, so your lungs fill with toxins. That toxic-oxygen then is sent into your blood, re-naming the blood 'oxygenated blood' (full of toxins). That toxi-nated blood then travels throughout the body, dropping off toxins into muscle fibers that need the oxygen...which are instead getting toxic chemicals. Once the toxi-nated blood drops off its toxins and tiny bits of oxygen stores, it is then re-named 'de-oxygenated blood'. The de-oxygenated blood then tarvels through the rest of its body course until it gets back to the heart. It is then again filled with toxins, because of smoking. Boo!



With all that being said, please reconsider smoking. It will destroy your muscles and your body. Smokers are literally sending toxins to the muscles instead of oxygen! If you want to see good results, don't smoke!

Jump Training

Let's see...Tennis, Basketball, Baseball, Football, Soccer, Racquetball, Volleyball, Track, Wrestling, Squash...these all have a common theme in that one has to utilize some sort of 'jump' movement to excel at them. Jumping is an essential part of so many sports, so let's learn how to do it a little better.

To get good at jumping, start from the basics which would technically be an Explosive Squat. Why? Well, jumping really is a squat with power used to push you up with your lower body, moving you from the ground to above it, and upon landing again going into that squat. It is the utilization of the muscles in your lower body to propel you above where gravity is pushing you. So, for starters go read My Blog and learn how to execute a proper squat.

(Go read it... ... ... ... ... ah, you read it. Let's continue.)

To practice jumping, begin by jumping in place from a squat, exploding from your lower body to push you up, then (most importantly) landing in a squat. When you land again in a squat you prevent intense impact on the joints of your lower body, especially your knees. Once you get comfortable with that, begin jumping onto steps or platforms, making sure that you are clear of others. Once you become comfortable jumping up, also jump down, still landing in a squat. Quickly you will notice much more explosive strength in your legs allowing you to: jump higher, get lift quicker, sprint faster, accelerate quicker and perform better in sports.

Lastly, some people will say that working on jumping vertically will decrease your ability to sprint faster. That is just stupid, because the beginning of a sprint is a forward jump (but since your leaning over, it's actually vertical). How about this - to put that silly rumor to rest, try it on yourself. Go sprint and time yourself today, then practice jumping vertically for 3-4 weeks, and then sprint again. If your time doesn't improve, then you are a liar because you did not practice jumping for those 3-4 weeks.

Tai Chi Benefits

Tai chi was originally a martial art, but is now used more commonly for its health benefits, and as a relaxing mind-body exercise. It has been shown to relieve the symptoms of arthritis, improve blood pressure, and reduce stress. It can also improve strength and agility, especially if you incorporate knowledge of its roots in martial arts.

What's your goal?

First things first - what is your goal? For years I have asked people this question and most of the time I get the answer of "I want to lose weight", "I want to tone up" or "I want to get ripped" ...regardless, those are NOT your goals. Nope, sorry.

The reason you want to start to exercise is for something specific. It could be because you think you are fat, you have flabby arms, or you feel too skinny. Someone may have made a comment about your body, or maybe people make fun of you because they think you are weak. Me? I used to be scrawny and little, so I wanted to be bigger and stronger; I also want to be strong so that if someone ever messes with people I care about I can destroy them. A funny reason, but that's the truth. Thirdly would be because now I enjoy it.

Once we assess what our true goal is by being honest with ourselves, we can see clearer why we want to do this exercise business that can sometimes be so taxing. If it helps, write down what your goals are (the true ones) and maybe talk to a trainer about the best ways to achieve them. Figure out your true goals, believe you can get there and know it is going to take time and hard work.

Weight Loss for Cardiac Health

Obesity puts a strain on your heart. Exercise and fitness improve your heart health and constitute weight loss support, but some dietary adjustment is usually also called for if you want to lose weight. To lose weight, improve cardiovascular health, and lower cholesterol, cut back on calories from saturated fat, eat more fiber, and stock up on fruit and veggies.

Weekend Workouts Not Enough

Don’t save all your workouts for the weekend. Regular exercise will build up your tendons and ligaments slowly, as well as your endurance. Vigorous exercise done only occasionally can lead to torn or strained tissue, and won’t do much to improve your sports performance either. Regular workouts also lead to better health benefits.

Ten Thousand Steps

As the old saying goes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. How about 10,000?

An interesting new way to make sure you are getting enough exercise to improve your health and fitness is to count the steps you take during the day. The target is 10,000. You can count them however you figure out (it’s a footstrike, so left-right is 2) or use a device called a pedometer. Running or jogging steps count as well as walking, and the device counts steps on the treadmill, StairMaster, elliptical trainer, and pedal revs on the upright but not recumbent bike. Steps taken during sports like tennis or soccer will also count.

You’ll probably be surprised at your total, but this is a great health and fitness motivational technique for your fitness workout. 10,000 can help control weight as well as improving cardio fitness, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and diabetes risk.

Core Exercises

Core exercises refer to exercises that target the abdominal and low back areas. You will find some exercise for the glutes will help, too, as these areas function together. Pilates exercise specializes in the core, but some traditional strength exercises like crunches and back extensions also are effective. You can work these areas every other day. Start with one set of crunches, an exercise for the oblique abs, and an easy back extension, if you are out of shape or recovering from surgery. Increase difficulty slowly. If you're in good shape, start at an appropriate level. Remember, you will not see abdominal definition unless you have a low percentage of body fat, but it's important to have strong abs anyway.

Walking Hills

It's all uphill from here--and that's a good thing. Don’t avoid walking up hills; they make you stronger. If a hill is too steep for comfort, zigzag up or down. Hill walking for exercise builds leg muscles, and you can enjoy the view while walking.

Anatomical Neutral Posture

Anatomical Neutral Posture is where almost every exercise should begin. I want to teach you what this looks like and simple ways to check to see if you are staying there-in.

Anatomical Neutral Posture begins at the feet. The feet should be straight forward, not facing out. The feet should be hip bone width apart, meaning they should be in line with the bones of your hips. Knees should be directly over the feet and in line with the hips. At the abdomen, it should be drawn in ever so slightly, while also tightening up the muscles of the glutes (butt) as well. The chest should be lifted, while also drawing the shoulders back and down. The head should be back, looking forward, with ears in line with the shoulders and hips. Hands should be facing towards the body, standing as tall as possible.

The importance of Anatomical Neutral Posture comes in regards to proper muscular innervation. When you sit/stand/lift in proper posture, you will be more likely to exercise the proper muscles. Anatomical Neutral Posture will also put your spine in good alignment, minimizing the pains that could possibly arise from exercise. You will exercise better, utilize proper muscles, and have more of a challenging time trying to stay in proper posture.

As a sidenote, some women don't want to lift their chest for fear of seeming like they want to show off their breasts. Well, I don't mean wear low cut shirts, just lift your chest so your upper back is not rounded. it's either show off your chest a little or have back problems essentially... Seems like a no brainer to me.

Places to Walk

Here's another reason Americans are fatter than Europeans. American cities, in general, are less walking-friendly than European cities. Distances, lack of sidewalks, and traffic make it harder to find good walking areas.

Don't be discouraged from your fitness walking regimen. Look for high school tracks, paths in parks, industrial parks which often have lots of flat streets with sidewalks, shopping malls, golf courses, or playing fields where you can walk around the periphery, or any nearby open area. In the mall, walking for exercise is more fun when you're window shopping!

Strength Training and Resistance Bands

Get on the resistance bandwagon! Resistance bands are easier and more flexible than barbells, dumbbells or even hand weights. Your weight training routine will benefit from adding at least one strength training exercise that uses a resistance band.

Try doing squats while pulling on the resistance band wrapped around a doorknob (this weight training exercise strengthens the butt, thighs, back, chest, triceps and biceps).

Be careful in your resistance band strength training to:

• Secure the band around objects, otherwise the ends can come loose and possibly cause an injury

• Before and during every session of your weight training program, make sure your hands aren't damp, sweaty or slippery

If you're accident prone, look into buying a resistance band with safety features (the B-Lines Resistance Bands Upgrade Kit includes a door attachment with safety strap, so you can attach your band to a doorjamb or even a tree and pull, pull, pull without fear).

PNF Hamstring Stretch

PNF (Proprioceptive Neural Facilitation) has a number of therapeutic applications, but you can incorporate it into your own stretching program and stretching exercises. Do your stretch, tense or contract the target muscle, then finally relax and extend your stretch.

For example, to stretch your hamstrings from the common inside hurdler’s stretch, sit on the floor with your right leg extended and the sole of your left foot against your right inner thigh. Keeping your back straight, reach toward your right foot until you feel the stretching. Pause and contract your right hamstring as though you were pushing your heel into the floor, relax your leg completely and reach a little further toward your foot. You’ll find you can get another inch or so out of muscle stretching with this technique.

'Get Big' Routine

People have different goals, and one of those goals is that people (especially men) want to get Big or Huge or Cut. That's fine, and here's a great way t do it.

When working out to get big, you want to give your muscles the maximum amount of rest possible. Therefore in a given week, you should workout each muscle group only once. Yes, just once. That way when you workout you are giving your muscles the maximum amount of time to rebuild and recover for the next week's muscle destruction.

When working out, every set needs to be to failure. That means that you don't stop until you fail at doing the repetition. For example, if you were doing chest then every set would pain your chest because you were working it out so hard, and by the end of the workout (which would last at least 1.5 hours) your chest would be extremely tired and broken down. Since it would be so broken down there would be no way you could even exercise your chest in 2/3 days because of how hard you worked it out. Make sense?

Also, studying more about muscle recovery and ways to help that through proper supplementation need to be looked into, as well as Protein 30min-1hour after your workouts.

A sample routine could look like this: Mon-Chest, Tue-Back, Wed-Legs(Upper+Lower), Thur-Shoulders, Fri-Arms, Sat-Abs. Remember though, this is hard. To always puch your muscles to the maximum requires patience and intense desire. For those of you planning on treading down this road; Good Luck, and don't take steroids. :-)

Diet and Weight Training

No fat, no muscle gain. Sumo wrestlers in Japan know this. (So does Hilary Swank, who had to eat 210 grams of carbs per day while weight training for “Million Dollar Baby”).

Before embarking on a weight training routine, adjust your diet. Try infusing your diet with flaxseed oil, high in fat (Omega-3 fatty acids), and also egg whites, which are high in protein. Drinking protein shakes can also give you energy during your weight training program.

You might not need to eat quite as demanding a diet, depending on how demanding your strength training exercise is. But as Suzanne Somers has said, fat is not the enemy. This is doubly true if you're doing strength training. “Eat your greens,” Mom's sage advice, holds true for a weight training diet as well. You'll need to add nutritional supplements, particularly if a high-protein diet (or egg whites) doesn't agree with you).

Circuit Training

When I workout at a gym, people will sometimes ask me what I am doing and initially say 'Are you doing a circuit?'. This may be due to the fact that I am breathing heavily and doing stuff that looks really odd and difficult, who knows. Regardless it is probably a good idea to figure out what a Circuit actually would look like.

Circuit Training is in reference to utilizing 3-4 exercises in a row, and then throwing in some type of cardio exercise with no rest. An example of this would be Push-Ups, immediately moving into Lunges, immediately into Lat Pull-Downs, immediately into Lateral Raises, then Jumping Rope for a minute, finally resting for a minute. This way your body gets tired quickly beacuse of lack of rest, and you get lots of muscles to work because you are exercising the whole of the body during the circuit. During a circuit training routine one would want to go through 3-5 whole circuits, definitely making sure that they stay hydrated and giving themselves ample rest between circuits.

Well what are you waiting for? Go try one out for your next workout! It wil be fun :)

Workout for your Heart

Most people believe that Cardiorespiratory exercise (running, biking and the like) are what most doctors would refer to as exercise for your heart. It is a true belief, but there are ways to incorporate working out your heart especially during weight bearing exercise.

Whenever you exercise, your heart is pumping blood that has been oxygenated to areas of your body. As your blood travels through your body, it makes stops at muscles that need oxygen to function and perform better. After dropping off their supply of oxygen, they either oxygenated other muscles or return on the cycle back to the heart to perform the same thing again. Therefore when you workout you're getting a 'Heart' workout, but we can make it even more precise.

If you worry about whether your heart is strong or not, during your next workout session alternate exercising your upper then lower body. For example, start out with squats (lower body), then bench press (upper body), then leg extensions (lower body) to a seated row (upper body), and so on. Do a few sets of each, and as you continue alternating between your upper and lower body, your blood will be pumping through your body, giving you a great workout for your heart.

Iliotibial Band

Stretch the band, the iliotibial band, that is. The iliotibial band runs on the outside of the thigh from the hip to the knee. When it is irritated, pain is usually felt at the knee. Runners, cyclists, skiers, and aerobic exercisers should stretch it to prevent injury. To get a good stretch of the IT band of the right leg, cross the leg behind your left leg while standing and lean sideways to the left for thorough IT muscle stretching.

Workout Intensity Booster - 'The No-Sit'

If you belong to a gym, then I bet you see lots of sitting. Yes, sitting. Most people in the gym will do workouts with a seated shoulder press, seated biceps curl, laying down triceps extension, seated leg extension or leg curl, seated leg press...you get what I mean.

If you are one of these sitting workout gym pro's and you feel your workout is not doing as much as you want, try standing. Just stand to do your shoulder press/tricep extension/biceps curl. When it comes to legs, do squats, lunges or deadlifts. If you don't know how to do any of those, ask a personal trainer (or maybe a knowledgeable friend) to help you. Being on your feet the whole workout will tire you out much more, stressing your stabilizer muscles especially in you abdomen, low back and glutes (your tri-core). Try that out and see what a difference it will make in your workouts.

Exercising While Pregnant

If you exercised before becoming pregnant, then you should be able to maintain your exercise plan and level of activity, for the most part. If you are just beginning an exercise program to improve your health, start slow and don't over-exert yourself. A common misconception is that exercising during pregnancy increases your chances to miscarry. Not true.

In addition, I know a woman who exercised her entire pregnancy, resulting in a very healthy baby and quickly returning back to herself in less than a month after the pregnancy. I highly recommend her website if you are pregnant or just gave birth, for she has incredible information on the topic. It's www.fitandfabulouspregnancy.com. Check out her help, for it is stellar on the subject.

Immune Function

For years immune system studies have touted fitness as an immune booster, but that's not the whole story. It works this way. Imagine exercise and immunity on a health and fitness bell curve. Too little exercise and you will not have optimum immune function. Moderate exercise enhances immune function and too much exercise--overtraining-- can suppress immune function, at least temporarily.

Cardio or Aerobic?

Cardiovascular (cardio) exercise refers to exercise that strengthens the cardiovascular system. Aerobic just means in the presence of oxygen, and aerobic exercise refers to exercise that lasts long enough to require oxygen. The same type of exercise satisfies both of these qualifications, and the terms cardio and aerobic exercise are used interchangeably. Aerobic/cardio exercise uses large muscles, usually the legs, in a rhythmic fashion. Examples are running, walking, bicycling, swimming, cross-country skiing, rowing, skating, and machines such as stair steppers and elliptical trainers.

Water Exercise Helps Joints

Water aerobic exercises and swimming allow people with joint problems and other medical conditions to get a good workout without pain and jarring. People with arthritis should do water exercises in a warm pool, while those with multiple sclerosis need cool water.

Fibromyalgia

If you have fibromyalgia, don't fear fitness. Although fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic pain, a fitness program relieves the symptoms, as well as improving overall health and fitness. For many people with the condition, exercise works better than any other treatment. Start slowly and avoid activities with a lot of impact. Weight training is good, but start with light weights and one set. Increase weight when you can without causing pain.

If It Seems Too Good

Be skeptical of products that claim to make you fit or slim without diet or exercise. Good products can teach you great workouts, but you still have to do them. To slim down, you have to cut calories or do weight loss exercise, preferably both, not just take a pill.

Facial Exercises

Don't count on making faces to look younger. Exercising your facial muscles won’t do a thing for your wrinkles except possibly make them worse. The basic assumptions for such exercise plans are wrong. Minimize wrinkles by staying out of the sun, using sunscreen and moisturizers, and not smoking.

Cognitive Benefits from Exercise

Elderly exercisers have shown cognitive benefits on aging and exercise studies, while non-exercising control subjects have difficulty concentrating and remembering. Exercise, especially aerobic exercise, helps retain or improve mental acuity as we age.

Another way to gain beneficial cognitive benefits from exercise is to really stress the arm/leg/side of the body that is weaker. The more difficult something is to do (not in regards to weight, but in regards to motion), the more the brain has to work to send the proper signals to the muscles to perform the movement properly. This then makes our brain work harder, teaching our brain something new as well as our muscles. This same thinking can be used in daily life; whether you are picking up a hot cup of coffee/tea or opening a door, try and use your opposite arm/hand to perform the motion. This too makes your brain work in conjunction with your muscles, stressing and exercising you cognitively. Wonderful.

Warming Up

The best way to warm up for aerobic exercise is to start out doing the same exercise you are going to use for the workout at an easy pace for a few minutes. Then launch into a regular intensity workout. For example, if you're going out for a run, start with easy jogging, or even walking, depending on your fitness level. You may need a longer warmup in the morning or in cold weather.

Hospital IntraVenous Fluids (IV)

One of my cleints told me that one of the INtraVenous fluids used at the hospital is essentially 'Gatorade without the sugar'. Interesting. Now, if we think carefully about this then many things will become clear as to how drinking sports drinks can aid us during exercise.

When i've been to the hospital before and gotten an IV, I feel better. It calmes us down, relaxing our bodies and giving our bodies the fluids they really need. We are able to function even though we are ill or in pain. Remember what happens when the IV gets taken out? Yeah, not fun. Sometimes we get dizzy, feel more sick por disoriented, whatever. That is what an IV does for us when we're ill, so I wonder about during exercise...

While playing sports or exercising our bodies hit a point when they cannot go anymore, and we may begin to feel light-headed or dizzy/sick. This happens even when we drink water, because we regardless have hit a point to where our bodies have said "No More!", and if we don't stop we might pass out or be sick. When we drink sports drinks, we are actually able to function much better and exercise for longer because our bodies are getting the proper nutrients. We have the correct fuel to keep the engine running. Just as we feel sick in the hospital and we get an IV and feel better, sports drinks help us to avoid that feeling and push ourselves farther than normal. If you want to have a real intense workout or know that you are going to need to perform real well for a big game, definitely utilize a sports beverage such as Gatorade.

Utilizing Medicine Balls

Medicine Balls can be used for a variety of different things. Everything from making explosive movements tougher to doing best to balance while moving them/throwing them in different directions. I am going to go over a few great ballistic exercises you can do with Medicine Balls.

First on the list in Jump Squats with a medicine ball. Hold the medicine ball in your hands with a hand on either side of the ball, with it at your chest. Perform the squat (look at my Blog to learn the Squat exercise), then explode up into a jump. Begin to extend your arms upward after you begin to ascent of the jump, and when the peak of the jump hits your arms should be fully extended above your head. Bring the ball back down to your chest on the descent and go into the next jump. This is specific for most sports and teaches the legs and arms how to work quickly/explosively. This is great for anyone who wants to be in stellar shape.

Another one of my favorite requires a partner and a good amount of space. It's a Ballistic medicine ball throw while balancing. Stand on one foot and hold the medicine ball behind your head with both hands equally on either side of the ball. From behind your head, throw the ball at your partner while staying on that one foot (yes, you could both do it at the same time). Make sure that as you perform the movement you stand as tall as you possibly can, throwing with mighty force. At no point should you put your foot that is up down (until you're done the desired amount of reps of course). Switch feet. This is a great balance workout, great for your core (abdomen, glutes, low back) workout, and you are training your arms/shoulders to work quickly and powerfully.

Hope that helps a bit. Medicine Balls are always good because you really have to grip them for them to stay in your hands. If you belong to a gym, ask a personal trainer to show you some other medicine ball exercises you could do.

Improving Fitness

People who have higher cardiorespiratory fitness have fewer cardiovascular risk factors than people who are less fit, even if the less fit are equally or more active. This means you should improve your cardio (aerobic) fitness by challenging yourself instead of always doing the same workout. Move up a level on your bike or stair stepper, or try interval training: work hard for 2 or 3 minutes, then recover slowly for the same time. On the track, run a lap briskly followed by a slow lap. Do 4-8 intervals after a warmup once or twice a week instead of your regular workout, as a change of pace.

Soreness After Exercise Breaks

So you haven't worked out in a while, and since you did you've been really sore huh? That's normal, it should hurt a bit. Make sure that you work through the pain though, and not take a week long break until you exercise again.

What happens to some is that they will not have exercised for a while and then go hit the gym and get really sore. Instead of exercising the next day or day after, they wait until the soreness leaves completely, generally just waiting until the next week. Just try and not fall into the pattern here, but work through the pain. Gives yourself a day to rest, but work through the pain! It will not happen for the rest of your exercising career, do not fret. Push through and you'll be glad you did.

Walking Vacations

All that strolling through the lines at Disneyland can actually help your health. Do research before making reservations to be sure there are walking opportunities near your hotel. Being active and keeping up your fitness walking improves your vacation. Plus, long walks are romantic!

Good Weight Gain

Don’t be alarmed if the scale creeps up a bit after you start weight training. Muscle, by volume, weighs much more than fat so that when adding muscle during your weight training routine, you are shrinking if you stay the same weight. We want to pump you up!

For advanced trainees who want to continue to grow bigger and stronger, get creatine information and decide if that supplement is for you.

Hiking Poles

Don't forget to hike with poles when you're walking to the North Pole (or you could take the Polar Express.) Although the use of hiking poles in uphill backpacking does not change the amount of energy expended during walking exercise, many people say they make the hike seem easier.

Using a Spotter

You should use a spotter with most heavy free weight strength training exercises in your weight training routine. A spotter is there to insure your safety during weight training.

Spotters should help you complete your last strength training exercise rep, if necessary, help you rack the bar, and help you control the weight if you falter. Competitive and/or very strong lifters may need 2 or 3 spotters.

However, for noncomeptitve strength training, if your spotter assists on every rep, it is not "all you" and you are not doing as much work as you should. Use less weight and do the weight training conditioning yourself. You should rarely need a spotter on machines.

Functional Sports Training

Anyone heard of Herschel Walker? If not, he won the Heisman trophy and played in the NFL for 11 years, and was a 2x Pro-Bowl selection (amongst many other things). He trained functionally for his body, meaning he did mostly body-weight exercise.

His workout consisted of push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, crunches and sprinting. That's it. And by 'that's it', he would only do around 2,000 push-ups, 3,000 crunches, 1,500 pull-ups.....!!! There was a competition in the NFL while he played to figure out who was in the best shape. They had a whole workout planned for some of the most in-shape athletes in the NFL, utilizing lots of machines to see who was in the best shape. Can you guess who won? Herschel Walker. He trained functionally, and saw incredible results.

What this means for you and whatever sport you play is that you need to train functionally, and I know I have spoken of this elsewhere. Train your body to be the strongest it can be for your body. Who cares how much you can bench press? It would be much more functional if you could do 2,000 push-ups, and oh my goodness would you be strong! Utilize movements that are specific for your sport, and then when/if you train in a gym, make sure you are doing lots of hard exericses with your body weight, staying away from most machines. You will be better at your specific sport and stronger than ever.

How Many Sessions

You can see a personal trainer regularly for years, or you can take a few sessions and then work out on your own, perhaps seeing the trainer for a checkup every few weeks.

It is often worthwhile to book just a couple of sessions to make sure you’re using the equipment correctly. It’s customary for personal trainers to sell packages, often 10-12 sessions, at a reduced rate. These usually have to be taken in a certain time period and are paid for up front. Trainers who are club employees are bound by club rules, but those who are independent are more flexible. You may have to shop for a trainer you like who offers a deal you like. Don’t be pushed into something that’s too long or too expensive for comfort. You may not be able to get your money back.

In-season Weights

You need to schedule some weight training even during sports season. Especially for women athletes, just doing your sport won’t maintain strength, and you will need that toward the end of the season. But keep these workouts minimal, as hard training will break you down further than your sport already does. One set of 15 to failure, per body part, should be enough for maintenance during the season.

Using Unfamiliar Equipment

All weight training machines are not created equal. Don’t expect the resistance to be the same on all similar strength training exercise machines. One lat pulldown or vertical bench may be actually heavier or lighter than another at the same setting, so you may have to make adjustments to get the workout you expect.

Some Cybex strength training machines number their plates. You can’t just add a zero and get the accurate weight--choose the plate that feels right for your workout. When you go to plate loading machines, consider machine weight. The sled on an angled leg press can weigh 50 lb or more, so if you put on 2 plates, it’s not the same as putting the pin in 90 on a selectorized machine.

Most Smith weight training machines are counter-balanced, so the bar weighs essentially nothing. If you put the same amount of weight you’ve been using on the Smith for your squats on a 44-lb free weight Olympic bar, you’re in for a surprise.

Finally, remember that even the same brand machines may feel different if they haven’t been properly maintained.

Energy Gels

Are you gellin'? If you like energy gels as a source of sports nutrition, drink a lot of water with them as they are concentrated sports nutrition carbohydrate sources. These are for use during sports nutrition diet consumption only and have no real benefit in a normal diet.

Hilary Swank and Weight Training

It's not just her acting that won Hilary Swank the Best Actress Oscar. For her role as the gritty Maggie Fitzgerald in “Million Dollar Baby,” Swank embarked on a weight training program that made her intimidating in the film. Through strength training exercise, she gained 19 pounds of muscle instead of the 10 pounds she was asked to gain, according to ESPN.

To train, Swank regularly cycles, runs, and does Pilates (it's no wonder those fight scenes didn't look like the usual Hollywood fakery). Swank's strength training and boxing instruction (four and a half hours a day) gave her the physical muscle for those clashes in the ring. She completed her boxing and weight training in 90 days! There's no guarantee that weight training will turn you into an Evander Holyfield, but it'll make you feel like a champion.

Health Screening

When you choose a health club, make sure they have a health screening procedure. Your gym should screen new members for heart disease, always have a CPR-certified staff member on duty, and have an emergency response plan. This is important if you have heart disease, or if you just want to make sure an expensive club does its job.

How hard should you grip?

Pretty hard I would say. Most people barely use their hands/forearms when they grip weights, and instead allow their hands to be bent 90degrees backwards when they grip weights. Instead, if the fingers are straight then the fingers, back of the hand and forearm should always be in line with one another. When you grip, keep that line intact at the back of the hand and forearm and just grab the weight by wrapping your fingers around it. Here's why:

A trainer named Roger at a gym I worked at in southern California was having his (very strong) client do a chest press while laying on a stability ball (the big round bouncy ones) utilizing 60lbs. weights in each hand. They had focused mightily on grip and proper posture in general, so his forearms were strongly gripping the weight. After a few reps, the ball popped and the client fell to the floor! He easily could have broken both wrists and had the weights fall on his face/shoulders/chest/abdomen and break something. Luckily the client had a strong grip and just fell to the floor while still gripping the weights, only annoyed that the ball broke. He was totally fine with no injuries.

This is why stressing proper form and posture is so important! When gripping weight, make sure you're gripping the weight strongly and that your wrist is straight in-line with the rest of the forearm. Let's prevent injuries.

DARE to Be 100

Walter Bortz, MD: DARE to Be 100
DARE here stands for diet, attitude, recovery, and exercise. Dr. Bortz tells you not only how to optimize your chances for living to 100, but why you might want to. Full of current information on health and aging well, this full body exercise book is as inspirational as it is informative. Bortz is an eminent gerontologist and writer of exercise books who walks the walk as far as aging well, having celebrated his 70th birthday by running the Boston Marathon. You can learn more from him by reading his answers to questions under "library" at www.50plus.org.

Balance Board Training

Before you shoot the curl, dude, try hanging ten on land. Good surfers know swimming and water exercises without proper balance can lead to a wipeout when you're catching the waves. Get a balance board and you can hone your surfing reactions on dry land.

Weights in the Weight Room

When deciding on which gym to join, take a tour of the gym and pay special attention to the weight area(s). Look to see if there are loose weights (plates, barbells and/or free weights) on the floor. If there are, not only does it mean that nobody cleans up after themselves when they do their individual workouts, but the gym employees do not clean up the weight area either. Not only does it look messy, this is turn usually means that the weight area, in all of its sweat and stinky glory, rarely gets cleaned. Your chance or getting pink-eye or ringworm is that much higher, Hoo-Ray! I don't know about you, but that is not something that I look for in a gym. Find the more organized/cleaner gyms and join there, which will lower your chance of getting odd gym illnesses.

Are you entering a Push Up Contest?

If you were going to enter a Push Up/Pull Up/Squat/whatever contest, trying to get specifically strong in a certain area, here are some good tips.

Write down how many Push Ups you do to begin with. Continually write down how many you do whenever you pratice them. Next would be to figure out proper form and do the Push Ups with very good, extremely good form - perform them slowly to ensure you are doing them right. Next go for amount, for you want to see how many you could do in one sitting. The more you practice, the better you will get at them and the better chance you will have at improving. Continue practicing, asking maybe a Personal Trainer for some tips on how to improve your form. It's true that practice makes perfect.