Exercise To Lose Weight

Posts Tagged ‘Workouts’

One of the most important factors to consider regarding weight training is proper form. Often, people attempt to lift more weight than they can properly execute and sacrifice form for reps. If you can not perform an exercise with correct form, then you need to lower the amount of weight and make needed adjustments. Every movement that you perform must be executed correctly, or else you will not derive maximum results from your workout.
There are several benefits to maintaining proper form throughout the duration of each exercise. First, there is the focus on each muscle group. When you maintain correct form, you can be certain that you are performing the exercise correctly. Each movement is more intense and performed with greater depth, giving faster results. Incorrect form will cause you to sacrifice many of the benefits that you would have received, due to the fact that you are not moving through each aspect of the exercise completely. Correct form gives better results and a more thorough workout.
Another aspect to consider regarding correct form during weight training is the effect that it has on your body. Injuries are less likely to occur when you focus on correct form throughout each movement. Preventing injuries should always be at the forefront of everyone’s mind, regardless of what type of exercise you are engaging in. Correct form results from scientific research regarding the human anatomy and the safest, most effective way to train the body without causing harm.
There is a vast difference between performing an exercise with correct form and with incorrect form. Correct form requires concentration on each move, and is more intense than simply going through the motions as quickly as possible. One of the greatest mistakes people make is choosing a workout program then deciding that they know how to perform each exercise. Take the time to listen to what the instructor is saying. It does not matter if you are watching a DVD or training in a gym. Each instructor will provide you with the techniques needed to keep correct form.
When working out, each repetition should be performed in the exact same manner. It is not effective to start out strong, then to become tired or injured and then to lose your form. This is too common and many people will begin with great form and then find that they have poor control over each movement by the end of the workout. Correct form is key to ensuring that you derive the best results from your workout.
Doing your workouts correctly will improve your over all fitness. It is far better to do 5 reps correctly then do 15 reps incorrectly. Make sure that you know the proper and most beneficial ways to complete your exercises. And remember to follow up exercising correctly with eating correctly. If you can screw up exercising then you can screw up your diet as well and that is just as bad. The two go hand in hand to get you into the best shape of your life.

The right core exercises can mean the difference between great progress and definite results with your core training program or not getting any results at all.

There are hundreds of muscles in the core of your body – the abdominals (all layers), lower and mid back, pelvic region, obliques and the popular ‘love handle’ areas are loaded with muscles of all different sizes, shapes, lengths and angles – which require specific exercises to produce the desired strength training effect for optimal fitness.

The following exercises can serve as a core training primer for beginners or they can be added or substituted into your current core workout routine.

1 – Lying face up, hand down at your side. Bring your legs up, knees slightly bent with the bottom of your feet toward the ceiling. This is your start position. While keeping the abdominals pulled in (contracted), slowly lower your right leg, until the heel touches the ground, and then raise it back up. Do this fifteen times. Then switch legs.

2 – Lying face up with knees bent, feet off the floor. Arms are extended as if reaching toward the sky if you were standing. As you breathe out, slowly bring your knees toward you by contracting your abdominals (pulling inward). Then breathe in as you return to the start position.

3 – Lying face up with knees bent, heels on the ground and toes pointing up. Lift your butt off the ground to engage the core muscles. Now, here is where the fun starts. Lift one foot off the floor, extending that leg until it is straight, bring it back to the start position (heel on ground) and then do the same with the other leg. Keep alternating until you do a total of twenty, ten on each side.

If this exercise sequence is too easy, go through it again and see how you do. You can add these exercises to your current routine or if you are a beginner you can use this as a stand alone routine to get you going. If it was too challenging, decrease the number of repetitions to about five and do this every other day. Gradually increase the repetitions as your core gets stronger.

A big mistake many people, even trainers, make is to mimic the core training routines of bodybuilders or power-lifters. The problem with that is most people are not bodybuilders or power-lifters – and these people tend to over-train anyway (I know this because I used to do it myself!). The problems here range from a lot of wasted time to serious, long term injuries.

This happens every day to people who try to exercise without proper guidance and it’s one the reasons why physical therapists are so busy!

The proper workout must be designed to provide the most effective exercise training stimulus to the entire midsection, in the shortest amount of time (because we are all very busy people, right?), with minimal risk of injury. The problem is it is extremely rare to find an abdominal and core workout routine that fits all of these criteria.

These are the exact principles I follow when training my personal, one-on-one clients AND they are the same principles I follow in my own fitness training workout program. Structure your own program according to the principles outlined above, with the proper selection of core exercises for effective and safe results.

Most people think of home exercise as following some ‘leg warmers’ exercise video from 1982 or getting on the treadmill for 15 minutes. One of the main reasons for this narrow sighted problem is lack of knowledge about what can be achieved at home in terms of health and fitness.

Most people only know what they’ve been told or what they’ve read. Unfortunately most of what people are told is skewed or misleading for a host of reasons too deep for us to get into in this article. The important point here is that there is a better way to go about getting the body you want and the fitness levels to go along with it.

So often, a home workout routine gets reduced to 15 minutes of wasted time because of frustration, half hearted commitments and lack of confidence in one’s own program. Many times the fitness failure epidemic kicks in and people quit their home exercise plan altogether.

People are often misled to believe that that can only achieve incredible fitness at home if they make a big investment in home exercise equipment. Treadmills, multi-station weight machines and elaborate stretching devices, just to name a few, are all pushed on the public under the guise that without this stuff ‘you are eternally doomed to a fat body and poor health’.

The truth is, all you need is a few square feet of floor space and the right mindset to make continuous and stunning progress in your quest for home fitness success. Sure there are some effective little gadgets that can add some variety and fun to your workouts but the number one piece of equipment on your list should be a comfortable floor mat. If you can’t spring for a mat – just fold up a soft comforter and you are ready to go.

Before getting off the floor there are at least 87 exercises that you can do ranging from torso and lower body stretches to butt & thigh tighteners and core strengtheners. It doesn’t matter if you are a first time exerciser or ‘on-and-off’ fitness veteran – a creatively structured home workout routine can deliver results to rival any fitness center workout. I say this not just from knowledge of the body but from many years of training people in their homes and offices for various health challenges and physical fitness goals.

Of course, if you are a hardcore body-builder or power-lifter, what I’m saying here may sound like a joke to you and that’s alright because I wrote this article for the vast majority of people who just want to look and feel good, both physically and mentally. But, let me just offer you this (from personal experience) you should start thinking now about ways to reduce the high intensity stress and strain on your body – while still maintaining (and most likely improving) your overall health and fitness. High volume, heavy weight and machine type training routines are a long term ticket to aches, pains and injuries – some of you reading this know exactly what I’m talking about. Enough said.

The flexibility of a home exercise routine shows its value when you go on vacation or away on business – the same principles you follow at home can be done at a hotel, at a friends house and even in the outdoors, depending on the climate. For example, I regularly take my clients to local, public playgrounds for some of the best full body workouts I could ever dream up. It’s amazing what you can do when you look at a playground with an eye for fitness training programs. Another plus, is that these types of workouts can be fun for family time as well. Take your kids to the park, turn them loose and get yourself a 30 minute cross training workout in while the kids try to copy you. You’ll get fit, the kids will pick up the healthy habit from you and they sleep really well that night, too!

Travel itineraries are often so crammed with planned activities that we forget to allot time for relaxation and exercise. When you combine busy schedules with decreased physical movement, lowered liquid intake, and strange sleeping quarters, your system reacts by becoming sluggish. The ultimate negative side effect is a holiday infused with lethargy.

Guess what! Exercise can easily be incorporated into your travel routine.Effective Planning

Be sure to plan physical activities such as walking tours, hiking, bicycling, swimming, or snorkeling.Easy Exercises

The tensing and relaxing of any muscle group increases blood flow to the area. Try the following exercises. Many can be performed while seated or standing in line – i.e., waiting in the airport, on long flights, or while sitting in a bathroom stall. Avoid germy hotel carpets and floors by performing reclining exercises on a bed or Yoga mat.Glutes:

Clench and relax the glute muscles. Repeat several times. This movement will sculpture a rounded, toned posterior.Abdominal Area:

1. Forcibly pull in your abs while you breathe out. Hold for a few seconds, then relax and repeat. You can do this exercise dozens of times daily.

2. Perform leg raises from a reclining position, keeping the small of your back pressed into the bed or mat. Repeat until your abs feel tired.

3. Tense and relax the muscles of the pelvic floor. This exercise tones the lower abs and the muscles that control the bladder and other nearby organs.Calves:

Flex calf muscles while keeping your heels on the floor and raising your toes, then do the same while keeping your toes on the floor and raising your heels.Arms, Shoulders, and Back:

1. Do pushups on the bed, or against a wall.

2. Concentrate on pulling your shoulder blades together while tensing the muscles, and then relax. Repeat often on long flights.

3. Packing a set of dumbbells is not practical when you are trying to keep your luggage light. You can set up an easy weight lifting routine with water-filled weights. An internet search for ‘water filled dumbbells’ will locate numerous online stores. A cheap alternative: save the empties when you buy bottled water and use them as weights instead. A bottle filled with one pint of water weighs approximately one pound. You won’t bulk up with such small weights, but fast repetitions will give you an aerobic workout.Overall Body Workouts

1. Avoid the elevator when possible and use the stairs.

2. Walking alone through strange streets can be intimidating (and even dangerous) in some areas. Instead, park outside a large shopping mall and do a brisk window-shopping tour.

3. Instead of watching TV from a sitting or reclining position, briskly walk in place, pumping your arms vigorously at the same time.Special Equipment

In addition to the water-filled dumbbells mentioned previously, consider packing one or more of the following. They won’t take much room in your suitcase or add a lot to your luggage weight.

1. Exercise resistance bands

2. Exercise fitness ball (with pump)

3. Hand grip exerciser

4. Compact non-slip Yoga mat

5. Pilates or Yoga book

6. Book of mat exercises

7. Mini stair stepper with resistance cordsUse your Imagination

This article has given you a few guidelines. With a bit of ingenuity and imagination you should be able to add to the ideas and produce an individualized system that works well for you. The big payoff will be increased energy while you travel and a brighter outlook when you return home.Important

On long flights, get up and walk around as often as possible. This will keep your circulatory system working efficiently and help to avoid deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Do not attempt to introduce intense exercise during your vacation if you are out of shape to begin with. Check with your physician, physiotherapist, chiropractor, or other health care professional about a pre-holiday exercise routine. Ask specifically about the exercises in this article to ensure that they will not exacerbate any pre-existing problems or back injuries.

©Copyright Kathy Steinemann: This article is free to publish only if this copyright notice, the byline, and the author’s note below (with active links) are included.

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Here are my preliminary observations. First, my workout went incredibly fast because I didn’t have to stop and change weight plates between exercises. Other than moving the bars, there was virtually no delay in moving from exercise to exercise. It did take me a few minutes to understand the best positioning for the bars, but that is a one time learning curve issue. Even then, the workout still went faster than with traditional weight machines.

Because the resistance is simulated using an electronic meter to measure the force you are exerting, it is much easier to know how much you are actually lifting, since you don’t have to estimate bar weight variations from exercise to exercise. Before you go off to the health club, gym, running track, or dance floor to gain fitness or muscle, check out these t-shirts, tank tops, sweatshirts, shorts, and other items from Top Prospect Sports. With cool graphics and slogans for your body, your booty, and even your gluts, whether you’re a Workout Animal or Yoga Woman.

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