Common Exercise Mistakes

February 10th, 2012

It is not uncommon for people who exercise in or outside health clubs to not know how to use exercise equipment properly, or even safely. Whether you’re a veteran or novice at exercising, it is very important that you get the most out of your workout without injuring yourself.

Some of The Most Common Exercise Mistakes Include:

The All-or-Nothing Approach

If you don’t have all the time you’d like for your workout, a little bit can add up over time, so just do what you can. Having an unbalanced strength training program is not as effective. It is important to work your whole body as well as your core to achieve balance and health.

Not Stretching Enough

It is very important to spend a few minutes stretching the muscles you will be working out before you exercise. It is also as important to stretch for about 8-10 minutes after a workout to reduce the risk of injury and tight muscles.

Poor Technique or Form

Using an incorrect form can lead to unwanted injuries. A few examples of poor technique include: letting the knee extend beyond the toes during a lunge or squat; using momentum to lift heavy weights, and not exercising through a full range of motion. You can learn proper form by working with a certified Personal Trainer.

Not Warming Up

Besides stretching, it is also necessary to gradually warm up to prepare your body for the added demands of aerobic training. Warming up allows your body to re-route blood from your extremities to send oxygen to the muscles, and heart rate elevates to meet the need for oxygen.

Not Cooling Down

Not only does your body need to warm up, but it also needs to cool down. It is important to let your body gradually let your heart rate lower to minimize the chances of blood pooling or feeling light headed.

Inconsistent Progression

Exercising too hard and too often, or increasing intensity too quickly is a common mistake that can lead to soreness and burnout. Consistency and gradual progression is most effective and important for avoiding injury as well as for making improvements.

Incorrect Machine Set-Up

Exercise equipment is adjustable and it’s important that you set it up to fit you before you use it. If you use poorly adjusted equipment it is a set-up for injury. If you don’t know how, ask a staff person

Lifting Too Much Weight

Too much weight contributes to poor form when lifting and creates injury to other areas of your body including the muscles you are targeting. The most effective workout is one that is gradual progressive resistance training.

Not Drinking Enough Water

Drinking water replenishes all your fluid needs.

Poor Gym Etiquette

This can range from simple rudeness like lingering on machines, bad body odor, or not wiping your sweat from machines. Always be considerate of other exercisers.

Poor Goal Setting

If you begin an exercise routine with unrealistic or vague goals this can lead to dropout. The key is to establish a training goal that is specific and appropriate for your fitness and skill level.

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Understanding Exercise-Induced Weight Gain

February 8th, 2012

It is common knowledge that exercise burns calories and helps you to shed extra pounds.

Armed with this knowledge, many people think that losing weight should be easy with enough exercise. You may take this as bad news, but the truth is that for those who aren’t used to exercising and are out of shape, beginning an exercise program may actually lead to weight gain.

This fact, however, shouldn’t stop you from exercising, as you’ll eventually turn the weight corner and start losing.

What is it about exercise that may cause some people to gain instead of lose weight?

Muscle Mass: One of the main reasons exercising can lead to weight gain is that it promotes the growth of muscle mass.

If you are not used to working out and haven’t used certain muscles regularly, after exercising your muscles will be sore and will increase in size. While you may burn off fat, muscle is denser than fat. Therefore, the weight you gain is in your muscles.

And take heart. Since muscles take up less space than fat, your extra weight doesn’t necessarily translate to larger size. In fact, once you start working out, you’ll probably become thinner, even if you maintain your previous weight. Instead of using a scale to determine if you are slimming down, have your body fat tested regularly or measure your body at certain areas.

If you see that you’re losing inches, then you know you’re on the right track.

Cardiovascular activities like walking, running, or swimming will encourage the growth of lean, toned muscles. Other activities such as weight lifting promote the growth of larger, stronger muscles that contribute to weight gain.

But there is good news in this. If you stick with the exercise program, your muscles will soon stabilize in size and after a time, become toned. After your muscles are strong and able to handle more strenuous workouts, you will be able to burn calories faster.

While it may be frustrating and disappointing to see the scale go up after starting an exercise routine, it shouldn’t stop you from exercising. You may just be building muscle faster than losing body fat. This can be especially true if you’re genetically prone to building muscle fast. The key is to incorporate plenty of cardio exercise in addition to strength training. That way you will burn plenty of calories during your routine and be more able to shed pounds.

Eating Habits: When you work out and burn calories, your body will feel the need to replace those burned calories.

This may make you feel hungrier than usual, which can cause you to eat more than normal – sometimes without knowing it. A good idea is to keep a food journal to track of the actual number of calories you are consuming.

You may also end up eating more calories and justifying their consumption since you’re exercising. After a good workout, you may see an ice cream sundae as a reward for the calories you burned. Just be careful. If you’re interested in losing weight, you can’t simply break even with your caloric intake and the amount of calories you burn.

At the same time, eating too few calories can be counterproductive and slow your weight loss. Without enough calories, your body may slow its metabolism. So eat plenty to keep your body well fueled, but choose healthy calories that will help your body recover after a workout and grow stronger.

Hydration: Depending on the time of day you weigh yourself, the scale may read differently. Your weight can fluctuate as much as five pounds depending on the amount of water or food you have recently consumed or the amount of water you have shed in sweat. It is therefore important to weigh yourself at the same time each day.

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2 Exercises For Toned Abs

January 9th, 2012

In the United States, having a six-pack is all the rage—and the same can be said about the world! For most people, they salivate over the tight abs they see celebrities and models have in the media.  The majority of society has placed a certain sex appeal and mystique on abs that can’t be shaken—people want to see as well as have—washboard abs.

Besides just showing off your body, having toned abs is also important for professional and other serious athletes because a good set of abs is responsible for maintaining the stability in the center of their body.  Having toned abs protects your organs and your spine while providing the strength to move around large amounts of weight.  If you want to be able to move around considerable amounts of weight, you still need to have a strong central core even though you have arm and back strength.  Therefore, if you do these 2 ab exercises on a regular basis, you will be on track to having a tightened central core!

Ab Exercise #1–The Bicycle Crunch

The bicycle crunch is one of the best exercises to do for your abs, including your obliques.  Keep in mind that there is no real bicycle involved with this type of exercise.  This ab workout actually uses the weight and resistance of your own body, and if the workout is too easy you can add weights to your ankles or legs.

To do the bicycle crunch you can follow this process:

  1. While you are lying on the floor, put your hands behind your head.  (Do not lock your fingers as you don’t want to be pulling your head upward during the exercise using your arms.)
  2. Elevate your shoulder blades using your ab muscles as if you are performing a crunch.
  3. Raise your knees so that they are bent and your calf muscles are parallel to the floor, then slowly begin pedaling your legs as if you are on a bicycle.
  4. Finally, constrict your abs with each “row” by touching your knee with the opposite elbow (as you pull your knee up.)

 

During this ab workout, and/or any workout, remember to maintain your breathing–never hold your breath!  Your shoulders should be elevated at all times, and you should not be using your hands to keep them elevated!

Ab Exercise #2–Vertical Leg Raise

Doing a vertical leg raise will always be ideal for targeting your lower ab muscles, and with the variations in movement, this exercise can also work your obliques as well!

This ab exercise works best from a captain’s chair, and by following this process you will be able to start working out your abs by doing a vertical leg raise:

  1. Hold up your body by putting your elbows on the parallel pads with your back flush to the backpads.
  2. Grasp the provided hand holds and let your feet hang.
  3. Lift your knees near your chest.
  4. Pause and flex your abs then lower your legs carefully just before the starting position and begin again. (Never try to let your feet rest by dangling them.)

 

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Mind Blowing Exercise

October 28th, 2011

Exercising is not only about toning your thighs, building biceps, or keeping your belly flat, it is also the best thing you can do for your brain.

How So?

Daily exercise zaps harmful stress chemicals, boosts problem-solving skills, planning, and makes you more attentive. It also alleviates pain, both physical and mental. Exercise affects many sites within the nervous system and sets off pleasure chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine that make us feel calm, happy, and euphoric. There is nothing better than stimulating your nervous system (to function at a higher level) than through exercise.

Working out also helps keep us from ruminating by altering blood flow to areas in the brain involved in triggering us to relive stressful thoughts. In addition, a study from the University of California at San Francisco found that women who were stressed and exercised for at least forty five minutes over three days showed fewer signs of aging compared to stressed women who did not exercise. Further research also suggests that burning three hundred and fifty calories three times a week will reduce the symptoms of depression as effectively as antidepressants.  Exercising actually stimulates the growth neurons in certain regions of the brain damaged during depression!

Through exercise, brain chemicals called “growth factors” increase to help make new brain cells and new connections (between brain cells to help you learn!) In addition, engaging in complicated activities allows brain cells to grow and enhances our attention and concentration skills. German researchers found that high school students scored better on high attention tasks after doing ten minutes of a complicated fitness routine compared to ten minutes of regular activity. Those students who did not exercise scored the worst. Furthermore, self-esteem and body image is improved just by seeing fitness improvements!

The benefits of exercise are endless to your physical, emotional, mental being!

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Why Lose Money? Lose Weight! Keep Yourself Fit

July 19th, 2011

Being obese is not a good sign at all. Research proves that obese people are more prone to diseases like diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure, heart problems, etc. which cuts short their life span. It is a proven fact that healthy and fit people are more likely to live longer than overweight people. If you are overweight, then it is advisable that you do something about it as soon as possible. A proper body fitness training program would help you lose weight and help you become healthy.

In case you don’t want to spend money on gyms to shed the extra weight, then we have a few a suggestions to help you lose weight by working out at home. The best part is that it really isn’t going to cost you a fortune to make yourself fit. You will need the following equipments’ to work out at home: a towel to wipe your sweat, a blanket to lie down on while doing crunches and other miscellaneous purposes. Depending from to person to person, a good quality skipping rope, a pair of sports shoes to protect and give balance to your feet while exercising, and a smooth floor surface on which you can lie down comfortably.

In order to lose weight, the suggestion we have for you to follow is an interval training method similar to what is done in a gym. You must exercise by doing two sets everyday in the morning before your day begins. In the first set, perform fast skipping for at least 10 minutes and then take a break for a minute. Afterwards, proceed to push-ups making sure you do at least 20 and immediately move on to do at least 50 crunches. After you complete the first set of exercises, it is extremely essential to take some rest. Then, proceed to execute the second set. In the second set, you must skip for at least 15 minutes; do 30 diamond push-ups and a minimum of 100 crunches to get the desired results. Working out in the morning would give a great boost to your energy levels causing you to feel revitalized. Also, perform the same set of exercises in the night minus the skipping.

Remember, to eat before you work out. In case it is not possible then you should make it a point to eat within 30 minutes after you work out to ensure that your body gets the required nutrients. Also, make it a habit to climb up and down the stairs at work and at home because you burn a lot of calories by doing so.

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Personal fitness training programs and myths

April 30th, 2011

There are number of added benefits that can be attained by those people who are willing to pursue any personal fitness training program because these programs comes along with number of additional aspects that can be provided to people. It has been truly explored that the use of various fitness programs has established its remark all over the world. People are becoming more and more civilized and therefore they want to be fit and fine every time with no added cholesterol or fat level in them. For this purpose they need to update themselves with some continuous exercises as well as nutritious chart that have to be followed. There have been proven growth aspects of various recreational centres as well as fitness clubs that have gained popularity along with interest amongst people in every form.  With the provision of different entertainment modes that are available to people, the enhancement factor has grown to a level that it has become a necessity for people to stay fit.

The border line and the basic motive behind opening of number of fitness centres all around the world is to keep people fit and health and to provide them with best optimized result that they gain by their mixed effort. But it goes without saying that while you are on with your continuous effort, you must also be sure about Personal fitness training programs and myths that are associated with the same. As the economic factor always come in between, the agencies have started to extract healthy amount from people and thereby less effort and practise is being carried from the real factor of providing training and fitness programs. Therefore it lies completely in your hands to ask every possible question related to your sessions with your personal fitness trainer and make him teach you with various exercises and lessons in the most absolute manner. Just like the case of student and teacher, you must take in full advantage of the teachings that are provided to you by your teacher. Maintaining perfect health is very important as per today’s lifestyle. When you are joining any fitness club, you must be very clear with the type and kind of fitness program that you are willing to make in use of while there are number of programs that are available with the club association that will suit your body.

Not only fitness is limited to health aspects only, but there are number of employment solutions that can also be obtained from the same source. Fitness trainer is the most flourishing career option that is available to you with changing trends and patterns. But since every field demands some hard work from you, it comes as your duty to provide your best while you are providing with personal lessons to your customer. Personal fitness training programs and myths, both are interrelated to each other. It is your responsibility to stay in touch with various fitness programs that are offered to you by the fitness trainers along with the proper check at regular durations as per the ability of the trainer.

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Benefits of choosing personal training programs as a career

February 23rd, 2011

All those individuals willing to opt for personal training program as their career will be able to obtain numerous benefits and other advantages. The popularity and scope of personal training programs is quite immense and elaborate all over the globe. The massive popularity of gyms, personal training centers and other sports recreational avenues have only enhanced the interest and overall curiosity by leaps and bounds. Today with the advent of computers, internet and television everybody wants to appear fit and fine. Hence, personal training programs or workout sessions have increased quite significantly all over the world. The overall idea among men and women is to engage in vigorous workout sessions in order to lose the extra kilos of fat and could appear fit and fine. Career in this field will certainly give superior remuneration, increased growth prospects, better exposure with respect to work, flexible working hours, stability in job and excellent future opportunities. However, a person may have to work and study very hard in order to obtain good marks and excellent job vacancy.

If a person is extremely dedicated, committed and focused in this field than the overall growth and career opportunities are quite good. Graduation in this specific expertise from a reputed college or university will certainly prove to be extremely advantageous for an aspirant. However, in order to obtain successful growth opportunities and constant development in your career you have to be flexible and hard working in your approach and attitude. You have to solve the weight or physical related problems of clients in the most precise way. At the same time, you don’t have to put extra burden or stress on your clients in order to achieve instant success. This negative approach will make the clients even more stressed and fatigued. You have to help them in the most positive and favorable environment.

Constant motivation and support showed from you towards your client will play a vital role in solving the problems. You have to install a complete sense of belief and assurance in the mind of a client so that he may be able to apply more effort, dedication and passion in its endeavors. This positive approach will certainly bore favorable results for a personal trainer and a client also. In this way a personal trainer will be able to promote his name or company through positive word of mouth publicity and thereby enhancing its reputation as well.

A personal trainer will easily find decent employment in any gym, fitness center, hotel, sports facility center, rehabilitation center and he can even start his own personal training business also. The salary package, growth opportunities and future prospects are really adequate. A personal trainer must try to address the problems of his client in the most proactive manner. In this way he will be able to understand all the details more precisely thereby increasing the chances of solving the problems quite significantly. A probable aspirant will surely gain massive success in this field if he intends to do hard work.

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