fitness articles

Building Strength


 

Pole Dancing: for a sexy workout

Pole dancing exercise moves typically include climbing, hanging, spinning, swinging, and striking sexy poses on or around the pole. Working with a  pole tones the upper body, legs, and core, it can add variety to your platonic workout, while providing body support at the same time .


 

Building body strength over 40

You can slow down the aging process by performing rational efficient strength training program that increases muscle mass and bone density. Bodybuilding, or weight training, has very serious health and lifestyle benefits that someone over the age of 40 should not ignore.

 

 

Plyometric: to enhance upper body strength

You have a substantial number of options when it comes to getting and staying in shape. The days of combining a boring resistance training session with a cardiovascular workout are gone. With plyometrics circuit training, you can spice up your workout and add flare to your exercise regimen.

 

 

Post Pregnancy Core building Exercises

It can take 6-12 weeks to return to a pre-pregnancy state - sometimes longer - so don't give up! With proper training, and beginning as early as 24-48 hours after birth, you can avoid many problems and work toward rebuilding and toning your body the right way.

 

 

Gaining Weight the healthy way

Some people are naturally thin and would like to be larger. Exercise is important for good health and the right type of exercise can help you gain muscle, which will give you more body mass. Weight-lifting exercises that are designed to build muscle should be included with your weight-gaining diet and perhaps aerobic exercise should be cut back a bit.

 

 

Protein Powder: how far are they safe?

High protein shakes are instantly becoming identified among the athletes as well as individuals who hope to eat up healthy as well lose weight. They are easy to prepare, tasty and healthy. All these powders do is provide your muscles with protein to rebuild and they are in no way superior to a well balanced meal!

 

 

Total Body Workout: Top to toe Rejuvenation

If you find yourself too busy to make it to the gym 5-6 times per week or you feel that your body is over trained and you need a refreshing change, the total body workout may be just the thing you need.

 

 

Escalating Density Training: for enhanced muscle performance

Escalating Density Training is not like your traditional weight training. While traditional weight training focuses on muscle fatigue, EDT focuses on muscle performance. In this system, you move increasingly heavy weights in short periods of time in an effort to boost your overall power output.

 

 

Training the Hips

The hip is one of the largest weight-bearing joints in the body. When it's working properly, it lets you walk, sit, bend, and turn without pain. To keep it moving smoothly, a complex network of bones, cartilage, muscles, ligaments, and tendons must all work in harmony.

 

 

Chokeberries: The New Power Food?

The bright red and deep purple berries have been used by Native Americans for centuries. But now, the chokeberry can be found in the form of dietary supplements in local pharmacies and health food stores.

 

 

Sculpting the Calve Muscles

There are two primary muscle groups on the back of the lower legs - the gastrocnemius and the soleus muscles. The soleus is a wide, flat muscle that lies beneath the heart shaped gastrocnemius. Both muscles contract to extend the feet and toes, but the soleus can only fully contract when your leg is bent to at least a 30-degree angle.

 

 

Uncovering the Formula for Strengthening

To strengthen a muscle, let it do its job repeatedly against resistance. For example, to bring strength back to your weakened neck and upper back muscles, and to strengthen them a little further to meet the demands of a bent-forward posture, you must not only use these muscles, but also make them work harder than normal.

 

 

Make Your Workouts More Functional

Functional strength training simply means training our bodies to better perform the types of movements we use for everyday life. When you isolate body parts, as you sometimes do with traditional strength training, you end up training your muscles but not your movements.

 

 

Time to get your abs ready for Summer

Abs are your body's center of power and provide core strength. Strong abs aid balance, help prevent lower back injuries and promote good posture. Consistent abdominal workouts (10-15 min, 4-5x per week) performed correctly are not just for physical well being, but for aesthetics too.

 

 

Strengthening the Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor is a large hammock of muscles stretching from side to side across the floor of the pelvis. It is attached to your pubic bone in front, and to the the tail end of your spine behind. The openings from your bladder, your bowels and your womb all pass through your pelvic floor. Your muscles near your pelvis are very important to stretch.

 

 

Tocotrienols: a Superior Antioxidants

Ageing is a process linked to the cumulative damage free radicals cause in the body over time. While unsaturated lipids in cell membranes are particularly susceptible to the unstable and highly reactive free radicals, antioxidants such as vitamin E have long been known to counteract such oxidative processes.

 

 

Kettlebell Exercises for Toned Abs

The kettlebell figure 8 is a great exercise for working the core, particularly the obliques, along with balance and coordination. The idea is to move the weight in a figure 8 motion around both legs, exchanging the weight from hand to hand.

 

 

Whey Protein: the ultimate nourishment

Whey is the ultimate protein in terms of bioavailability (around 100) and content of essential amino acids, which the body needs on a daily basis to promote a healthy body and assist in maintaining muscle tone. Whey protein is a by-product of cheese making, which has been concentrated and purified by a filtration process to yield a high purity protein product, that is both natural and pure without any added preservatives.

 

 

Pilates for a complete hip workout

Pilates is great for shaping your body, balancing your muscles and making you more flexible. It gives attention to your stabilizing muscles, which are often ignored by other exercise styles. It does some strengthening, especially when it comes to your trunk section, but its primary purpose is not to make your legs strong.

 

 

Weight Training gains in breast cancer survivors

A recent research confirmed weight training benefits in breast cancer survivor. The women who trained with weights had increase in lean muscle mass, compared with those who did not. If you're being treated for breast cancer, try to make exercise (and a healthy diet) part of your daily routine.

 

 

The Sleep Factor in Muscle Building
Sleep research indicates that the average sleeper will sleep approximately eight hours and fifteen minutes when uninterrupted. During this research, there were no alarm clocks or disturbing noises to interrupt normal sleep patterns. When we deprive ourselves of sleep, there is a delicate cycle that we disrupt.

 

 

Skeletal muscles: How do they work?

Muscles contract and relax to allow the body to perform crucial activity. Electrical signals tell the muscle when to contract, but when the muscle needs to relax, the signal is deliberately ignored. Until now scientists have been unable to understand how the body ignores this signal.

 

 

Targeting for a Shapelier Back

Strong, supple and well-toned: If this doesn't sound like your back, it could be time to think about the way you move - and change the habits of a lifetime. Little things such as the way we sit at work, or the way we carry our handbag, can have profound effects on our bodies, leading to backache - or worse.

 

 

Vitamins A, D, E and K : Micronutrients for bones, muscles and nerves

The fat-soluble vitamins – A, D, E and K – are needed in small amounts (as are all vitamins) for a variety of functions, one of which is contributing to the growth and strength of your bones. In contrast to the water-soluble B complex and C vitamins, which are used or excreted soon after ingestion and can be stored only in minute quantities, fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in the body wherever fat is deposited.

 

 

Training While Sick

Nothing can bring progress to a halt more than when you are sick. We are often asked the question, should I train while I am sick? The answer to that question really depends on what you mean by sick. Is it a cold? The flu? Allergies? Most people confuse the common cold for the flu. However, these are different types of illnesses.

 

 

Body Sculpting During Pregnancy

Remaining active during pregnancy offers several benefits to the mother and baby. The key to reaping such benefits is to adjust your exercise program in order to make it safe for you and your baby during this period. Keep in mind that the goal of exercising during pregnancy is to maintain your present level of fitness, not to improve it.
 

 

Training for Building The Perfect Physique

To get the kind of look a bodybuilder has or even better think of you self as a body sculptor. Trust me you don’t have to workout day and night for achieving a perfect physique. Just keep in mind the following tips in your mind and see the difference in your body yourself.

 

 

Training with Strength band
As a complete workout on their own or a supplement to free weights and machines, strength bands are the ultimate tool for customizing workouts and isolating muscles. And the portable bands and tubing make the perfect travel workout. They're easier on the joints. In fact, they're so effective and safe that physical therapists often use them with their patients.

 

 

Resistance Stretching: for enhanced strength

Resistance stretching, is a form of conditioning, that contracts a muscle and elongates it -- the opposite of an exercise such as a bicep curl, which causes muscles to shorten.

 

 

Sarcopenia and the importance of resistance training

Sarcopenia (pronounced sarko-peen-ya) is the "age-related" loss of muscle. The word comes from the Greek, for "flesh reduction." Just like osteoporosis and arthritis, "sarcopenia is a serious degenerative condition that increases ones risks for falls and makes one more vulnerable to injury."

 

 

Low Carb Diets: The Best for body builders

Even though there has been a huge resurgence in the interest in low carbohydrate/high protein diets, the low carb vs. high carb issue is still the subject of much controversy. Is the low carb/high protein diet the best way for bodybuilders to get ripped or just another fad?

 

 

Understanding Role of Stabilizer Muscles

Your body has two types of muscle (really more than this, but the others are in your internal organs), movers and stabilizers. Movers are big muscles that move your body parts, hence the name. Stabilizers are muscles that hold your parts in place and prevent you from being damaged while the movers are moving you.

 

 

Preventing ACL Injury through Strengthening Exercises

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament is extremely important to all, as this ligament controls rotational forces in the knee. If this ligament is torn, sudden changes in direction become nearly impossible. Prevention of injuries to the ACL should be part of every training regime.

 

 

Eating for high energy

The more you exercise, the more you need to eat a balanced diet. The nutritional rules still apply, but with an added carbohydrate intake. The combination of healthy food and physical exertion combats stress, encourages tissue repair, rebalances hormones and releases endorphins and encephalin. Mood and outlook should improve markedly.

 

 

Characteristics Of a Good Weight-training Program

The maximum amount of time a weight training session should last is 60 minutes. After 60 minutes the levels of muscle building and fat burning hormones (like growth hormone and testosterone) begin to drop. In addition, the glycogen (stored carbohydrates) in your system, which is the fuel that your muscles use to contract, is depleted.

 

 

The bicycle kick: effective for the rectus abdominus

A study of 30 healthy women and men, ages 20-45, sponsored by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and led by Peter Francis, Ph.D., at the Biomechanics Lab at San Diego State University, compared 13 of the most common abdominal exercises and ranked them from most to least effective.

 

 

Pilates for cyclist

Body positioning on the bike can speak a lot about your current fitness level. Give it a thought and read on. Most of us forget about proper posture and alignment during our daily living. We slouch, hunch our shoulders and reach our heads forward while driving our cars.

 

 

Plyometrics: exercises to increase power
Plyometric training is specific work to enhance explosive power. In other words, it involves a lot of jumping. Plyometric training is used for sports that require short bursts of power such as tennis, basketball, or skiing, but it's also a good exercise for anyone who wants to increase her power.


 

Working the Hamstring
The hamstrings are a muscle group located on the back of the upper leg and thigh. The semimembranosus and semitendinosus are two hamstring muscles located on the inside of the upper leg. The bicep femoris is a hamstring muscle located on the outer back side of the upper back leg. Collectively, these three muscles make up the hamstring muscles.

 

 

Sculpting Long, lean and lovely Shoulders
Toned shoulders and sculpted arms make dressing an absolute pleasure, and they also make your upper body leaner and stronger. They take time to achieve, but rest assured it can be done – here's how.

 

 

The Basic Makeover for your Posture

Good posture is vital. It affects your image and sends signals to others. A woman with a shuffling slouch does not look confident or like she has much to offer, she seems to be retreating into herself, and she may be left there, alone. Many therapists confirm that the stronger and happier we are, the better our posture.

 

 

At-home Gravity Workout: to build muscle & balance

Cold weather might make you feel like hibernating, but you don't have to give up your exercise and fitness goals. You can exercise indoors. Focus on how you'll benefit if you keep up your exercise routine throughout the cold-weather season. Exercise can help you shake those winter blues.

 

 

The "Cutting Phase" in Body Building

Trying to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time is impossible. It just can't be done. This is why most women who are trying to do both at the same time see no results and give up. You have to do gaining muscle and losing fat in phases.

 

 

Strategy for building muscle mass and muscle density

Fitness model or natural bodybuilder look strikingly different because of a low body fat percentage and enhanced muscle mass and muscle density. These are components which can be built over time. You cannot just expect results within three to four months and think you have done the necessary work.

 

 

The Secret To Well Toned Abdominals Muscles

Abs are your body's center of power and provide core strength. Strong abs aid balance, help prevent lower back injuries and promote good posture. Consistent abdominal workouts (10-15 min, 4-5x per week) performed correctly are not just for physical well being, but for aesthetics too. The secret to developing great abs lies in treating your body as a complete unit.

 

 

Lunges: "The Queen of Exercises" for women

Lunges are a great strength builder for everyone from the beginning runner, to the 5K racer, to a seasoned marathoner, to the biathlete, to the serious bike racer. They are one of the most important exercises for the thigh and buttocks.

 

 

Exercise Motivation

Consistent and productive exercise is nothing less than - hard work. It’s all about commitment, adhering to a schedule, planning daily exercises and diets, executing all of it and finally coming to grips with the fact that changes to your body are normally slow and subtle.

 

 

Getting the best from strength training

Strength training can involve using weights or your own body weight to challenge and build muscle. Get ready to tighten up all the leftover flab, if you want to look good in your bathing suit this summer.  Read more....

 

 

Building Core Strength & Stability

"Stability" refers to the capacity of the body to maintain and/or return to a state of equilibrium. Core stability training is a concrete way to improve balance, athletic performance, and potentially prevent a variety of injuries in people of all ages and fitness levels.

 

 

Exercises for a perfect Ab and bum

If you want to reduce your tum, bum and legs, then you’re going to have to lose body fat. You can’t stay at an elevated body fat level and achieve smaller trouble-spot areas. It will never happen...never! Sixty to 90 minutes (ideally daily) of aerobic exercise is still the best way to reduce body fat.

 

 

Calve Muscle Workout
There are two primary muscle groups on the back of the lower legs - the gastrocnemius and the soleus muscles. The soleus is a wide, flat muscle that lies beneath the heart shaped gastrocnemius. Both muscles contract to extend the feet and toes, but the soleus can only fully contract when your leg is bent to at least a 30-degree angle. Read on.....

 

 

Core Strengthening

A strong core is more than "six-pack abs"; it is your body's power zone-the beginning of all movement. The body's core includes the muscles of the shoulders, the chest, the abdomen, the hips, the pelvis, and the upper to lower back muscles. A strong core helps your extremities do a better job while exercising, while playing sports, or while doing everyday household chores.

 

 

Training Principles: Getting off to a good start

 As you start on body building and begin to look over the first routine, keep the following principles in mind. Mastering the Technique: In the beginning, it is essential to master the proper technique for each exercise. This is the first step; everything else takes a backseat. Don’t worry about the recommended reps for each exercise; its secondary. It doesn’t matter how many reps you do if you're doing them wrong. When learning a new exercise, do it when you’re fresh.

 

 

Building lean body mass

Chiseled abs, shapely legs, toned arms - these can be yours when you increase your lean body mass and decrease your body fat percentage. Rev up your metabolism, improve your stamina and create the lean body you want by following these steps. Read on....

 

 

Training for your Body-Type
Any body type can be developed with the correct training and nutrition however people with different body types will need to approach their training with different objectives, even though they may all have the same goals. Read on.....

 

 

Resistance Band Workout for Travelers
Try to work up to 20 reps for each exercise while performing your resistance band workout. (If it's your first time, start with five or however many you can or have time to do). Read on....

 

 

Minimizing Sore Muscles  
Arghh, the dull pain from sore muscles, is a repeated complain from women involved in fitness training! Hard exercise causes muscle damage. If you looked under a microscope at your sore muscles after a hard workout you would see torn and ruptured individual muscle cells, and breakdown of the membranes between them. High intensity exercise causes muscle soreness. Read on....

 

 

Exercise essential to prevent hip fracture

Exercise is important for your health. Like muscles, your bones respond to exercise by becoming stronger. As people age, the outer "cortical" layer of bone in a particular region the hipbone or upper femur become thinner, making the hip more prone to fracture. After 60 years of age, bone thickness in this zone falls by 6.4 percent per decade.

 

 

Losing inches off your thighs

Let's face it-nobody wants to be pear-shaped, that bulge over the hips and the "Jodhpur thighs" are not exactly appealing. Unfortunately for women this is exactly where fat is most likely to accumulate, often with the "Orange-Peel" effect of cellulite.

 

 

Zone-Tone method: understanding mind-muscle connection

The "Zone-Tone" technique, is the art of mentally zoning in and pre-isolating specific muscles just before an exercise  to be executed while at the same time maintaining that zone throughout the execution of the movement. This wonderful technique is very easy to grasp and will deliver enormous benefits to your fitness program.

 

 

The best way to train for size
Muscle strength in the adult human is relative to cross section area (size). An equal cross-sectional area of muscle from any average trained women or man has about the same 'strength' (i.e.: can generate the same amount of force, 6 kg - cm2), there is very little variation. Read on.....

 

 

Choosing the WRONG Exercises
The exercises most bodybuilders focus on the most, are the ones that cause the most problems. But before we share with you what those exercise are, let’s talk real quickly about what bodybuilding is. Read more....

 

 

Training the Chest

More and more women in body building and fitness are discovering the benefit of a healthy, chiseled Chest. Improving the muscle tone in the area of the chest behind the breasts is a great way to improve the look of the bust. It is essentially a "lift" without resorting to using a scalpel.  Read more....

 

 

Meal Replacement Shakes - A Healthy Choice

Meal replacements came into prominence several years ago, when a company called Met-Rx introduced a unique formula that was unlike anything else on the market. This revolutionary product was billed as a means to build muscle and reduce bodyfat. Read more.... 

 

 

Whey Protein: the ultimate nourishment

Whey is the ultimate protein in terms of bioavailability (around 100) and content of essential amino acids, which the body needs on a daily basis to promote a healthy body and assist in maintaining muscle tone. Whey protein is a by-product of cheese making, which has been concentrated and purified by a filtration process to yield a high purity protein product, that is both natural and pure without any added preservatives.

 

 

Creatine:  one of the hottest sports supplement

Creatine is an amino acid. It is normally produced in the body from arginine, glycine and methionine. Creatine plays a vital role in cellular energy production as creatine phosphate (phosphocreatine) in regenerating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in skeletal muscle. Without ATP, muscle contraction is not possible. Read more....

 

 

The one-leg squat : for improving leg strength

If you had time for only one strengthening exercise in your training programme, it would have to be the one-leg squat. That's because the one-leg squat is the most useful, time-efficient, and versatile exercise for improving running-specific leg strength. Read more....

 

 

Exercising The Rotator Cuff  

The tendons of the rotator cuff muscles receive very little oxygen and nutrients from blood supply, and as a result are especially vulnerable to degeneration with aging. Read more....

 

 

Strength Training - How does it work?

In principle the muscles which have the shortest joining distance between the approaching bones are those principally responsible for the movement.  Read more....

 

 

Get ready to Shake your butt

The hip is a ball and socket joint which means that it can move in several directions but remain stable. Modern living doesn’t put much demand on the hip in terms of mobility and as the joint is not being put through its full range of movement regularly the surfaces are not lubricated and the muscles may tighten up and restrict movement. Read more....

 

 

Working the hamstring

When it comes to such sports as soccer, basketball and volleyball or those that require constant pivoting, hamstring need an attention. Read on....

 

 

Tune In To Isometrics
 Isometrics is an exercise that involves muscle contraction through pushing, pressing and pulling against an immovable object. This form of exercise uses minimal movement to build muscles. Instead, the force of muscle contraction, muscle – against muscle resistance builds strength. Read on....

 

 

Training guide for intermediates
 Cardio & strength training workouts are indispensable to an effective training program and general good health. By definition, cardio workouts can be any exercise—jogging, running, biking, swimming, elliptical machine, stairs, even jumping rope—that raises and maintains your heart rate over a predetermined amount of time. Read on....

 

 

Reduce the Osteoporosis risk by Weight bearing exercises
 The human body is constantly producing two types of bones cells - one that makes new bones and one that reabsorbs bone back into the circulation system. Bone, like any living organism, adapts to its surroundings. Read on....

 

 

How to gain weight?
To gain weight and bulk up, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes, and work as hard as necessary and you have to be consistent. Your body will responds to consistency. Read on....

 

 

Fitness tips to suit your Body-Type
All of us are programmed by birth to be tall and long-limbed, petite and short limbed, small framed or big-boned or whatever. It is better for all of us to begin accepting the imitable things about our body type, and move towards improving on what can be improved. Read on....

 

Related Links