Exercises

Leg Squats – The Most Versatile Of The Bodybuilding Exercises?

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One of the easiest and quickest bodybuilding exercises is the leg squat. You need no equipment initially (though you can build up to using weights across your shoulders or in your hands).
And still, it can be one of the most effective exercises you can use to maintain muscle tone and build definition in pretty well all of your leg muscles.
In it’s simplest form, you’d be amazed at just when you can fit leg squat exercises in. It’s one bodybuilding exercise that’s possible whilst doing something else, like being on a phone call, or watching the stove while you are cooking a meal (be especially careful if you are close to hot stuff!).
In fact many bodybuilding exercises can be done while you multitask.
So, the leg squat then, how is the best way to do it?
It’s pretty important to get yourself comfortable, like any bodybuilding exercise, because if you are feeling off a bit, you won’t want to see them through, or even might damage yourself as you move in a poor way.
Getting your self comfortable to do leg squats is easy, here’s how:-
1) Stand with your legs comfortably apart (usually shoulder-width apart is the most natural and easiest), and shake yourself a little to make sure that you are loose enough.
2) Take a dozen or so deep breaths, focusing your breathing in your belly, rather than in your chest.
3) Relax and focus gently on your body and how capable you feel about the bodybuilding exercise you are about to undertake.
4) Starting the leg squat, slowly lower yourself down, bending gently at the knees to a point where you feel comfortable. Remember to breathe out in the phase when you are going down.
5) Hold for a few seconds at the lowest point (this is a really vital point in the whole leg squat exercise), and then, slowly again, raise yourself up to standing. This time it’s important to breathe in as you raise yourself up.
How easy is that? Yet, when you do a few leg squat reps, especially if you are quite new to this, you will really find the muscles tightening and the benefits will be obvious!
How many reps? Well, that is up to you. Start small, so that you will not damage yourself and be put off, increasing as you gain strength. Each day you do your leg squats, you can gradually increase the number – it’s a more demanding bodybuilding exercise than you might think.
Indeed, when you are starting out, leg squats are one of the very best exercises you can do for your legs. Later on, just add some small weights in your hands and even, when you are really working out, an advanced bodybuilding exercise is to have bigger weights across your shoulders too!
This exercise will work the leg muscles pretty well. If you want to add some variety, you can broaden the pressure on some muscle groups and enhance them more.
For example, if you stand with your toes pointed slightly out, it will work the muscles of the inner thigh more. Conversely, if the toes point inwards a bit (whilst staying comfortable), the outer thigh muscles get the workout!
Cool eh?
Using leg squats as a core bodybuilding exercise on a regular basis will make a pretty good job of your legs. Just take your time as you build up the reps as well as any weights you might want to add.
And, did I say that leg squats are one of those bodybuilding exercises that you can do almost anywhere, even at your office or in the home!

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Steepled Shoulder Squeeze-yoga

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Benefits

Improves fexibility of the wrists and shoulders stretches hamstrings, gives the heart a rest

Focus

Keep both legs straight, and press your palms together firmly.

Stand with your feet 4-6 feet apart, toes turned out slightly.

Raise your arms to shoulder height, then bend them and take them behind your back. Bring your fingertips together, palms resting on your lower back.

Rotate your wrists so that your palms face out (backs of your hands against your back), fingertips still together. Lean forward, and drop your head down so that it is lower than your heart.

Press your fingers up along your spine, toward your shoulder blades. At the same time, ease your palms toward each other, fingers pointing toward your head. The pull of gravity will help you bring your palms closer and higher between your shoulder blades. Pull your shoulders back, and bring your palms together firmly.

Turn your left foot in slightly. Inhaling, bring your upper body over your right leg. Exhaling, lower your head toward your knee.

Inhaling and exhaling through your nose deeply and slowly, hold the pose for 3 Full Yoga Breaths . On each exhalation, lengthen your body down along your thigh.

Inhaling, slowly bring your upper body back to the center.

Turn your left foot out and your right foot in slightly. Inhaling, bring your upper body over your left leg. Exhaling, lower your head over your left knee. Hold the pose for 3 Full Yoga Breaths. Focus on lengthening your upper body with each exhalation.

Inhaling, bring your body back to the center, and slowly return to an upright position. Breathe normally.

Very gently, release your hands and flick your wrists strongly (as if you have something sticky on your fingers) to release any stiffness in your WrIsts.

Stomach Bandha

Benefits

Improves function of the pancreas, which produces insulin, to maintain steady energy levels throughout the day and moderate unhealthy sugar cravings

Focus

Pull your abdominal muscles back up and under tightly.

Stand with your legs 4-6 feet apart. Bend your knees and squat; place your hands on your knees, fingertips facing in.

Inhale, then exhale forcefully through an open mouth.

Holding your breath, close your mouth, and tuck your chin into your chest.

Suck your abdominal muscles back, up, and under your rib cage. Continue to hold your breath for a count of 7.

Release your abdominal muscles.

Inhaling, straighten your legs and come up. Exhaling, bend forward and hang loosely.

Repeat the sequence 3 more times. Practice to gradually increase to 7 repetitions.

If you are not used to holding your breath, this exercise may make you cough or feel a little dizzy at first. If it does, exhale and release your head down between your legs, then try again.

Warm-Up

The following warm-up stretches lubricate stiff joints, increase circulation, and improve your flexibility. They will make your practice of the routines more comfortable and help you avoid injury. Use your visualization skills with each stretch to improve their benefits.

Visualize yourself moving intuitively into and out of the stretch according to your body’s needs. Be aware that rushing too quickly into an exercise program is a sure-fire route to lower-back pain, so be patient with yourself However, carrying a little extra weight is not a limitation, often a person with a large build can be both stronger and more flexible than a person who has been working out. For example, repetitive choreographed routines can lead to the overuse of muscle groups and joints as well as shortening and tightening of the muscles, leading to inflexibility and muscle fatigue.

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Information About Stretching Exercises

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While stretching can promote flexibility, stretching too far actually can damage the muscles—particularly if you’re recovering form an injury. “A healthy muscle can elongate up to 1.6 times its length,” suggests Pitchford, “but generally doesn’t respond well to that much stretching.” By overstretching, you create an automatic myotatic reflex that actually will cause the muscle to recoil to protect itself from tearing and injury. Also, don’t bounce while stretching. Holding your stretch in a static position works best.

Stretching exercise is indeed one of the best forms of exercises for modern people, allowing us to keep healthy with minimal effort. With the help of this site, hopefully you would be able to lead a busy but happier and healthier lifestyle.

Stretching is a key component of a balanced exercise program. Performing stretching exercises daily can increase flexibility and maintain healthy joints. Regular flexibility exercises can make activities of daily living easier and improve physical activity.

Performance.

Warm up first

Stretching muscles when they’re cold increases your risk of injury, including pulled muscles. Warm up by walking while gently pumping your arms, or do a favorite exercise at low intensity for five minutes. Better yet, stretch after you exercise — when your muscles are warm and more receptive to stretching.

One caveat: If you plan to stretch only after your workout, increase the intensity of the activity more slowly than you would if you had stretched your muscles before exercising.

Piriformis Stretch

Begin on the hands and knees and bring the left knee in, resting it on the floor between your hands (you should be on the outside of the knee). Straighten the right leg out behind you and, if you can, bend forward and rest the forearms on the floor.

Abdominal and lower back muscles

Lie face down on the ground in a prone position. Lift your body off the ground so that you are supported only by your forearms and toes. The elbows should be on the ground and should be almost directly below your shoulders. Your forearms and hands should be resting on the ground, pointed straight ahead, toes and feet should be shoulder width apart and your head in line with your spine.

Quad Stretch

Lie down on your side using elbow for balance. Using other arm, slowly pull your foot towards your glutes, keeping both knees together and bent knee pointing down. Switch legs.

Stair Stretch

Stand on a step on the balls for your feet, hold the rail or wall for balance. Slow lower the heel of the injured foot to stretch the arch of your foot.

Ankle Bounce

Leaning forward with your hands on the wall and your weight on your toes, raise and lower both heels rapidly (bounce).Each time, lift your heels one to two inches from the ground while maintaining ground contact with the ball of your feet. 12 to 16 repetitions.

Chest Stretch

Clasp your hands together behind your back, with your palms together. Keeping your elbows straight, lift your hands out and up behind you as far as possible. You should be able to feel the stretch in your shoulders and chest. For a deeper stretch, bend over at the waist, with your arms above you and elbows still straight. Let gravity pull your arms as far as possible. Slowly stand up and release your hands.

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The Top Six Butt Sculpting and Trimming Exercises

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Have you ever noticed that when you try on a new pair of jeans, the first thing you do is turn around and look in the mirror to see how they make your butt look? It even happens at home, no matter how many times you’ve worn them, the first thing you do is look at your rear. It’s true, watch yourself and others and see what happens.
Men and women alike all have this affinity for a nice butt, not just a nice butt, a really great butt, so we try to find ways that will give us the look we want. The thing you need to keep in mind is that it’s not just exercising that will give you that great rear profile that you’re looking for. You have to work out your derriere with sculpting exercises to get the glutes in the shape you desire.
So to help you obtain the rear you want follow the top six butt sculpting and trimming exercises listed here.
**Tip 1 – When performing most butt sculpting exercises, it is very important to keep the weight on your heels. This will cause the stress from the exercise to go to your butt and not your knees.**
1. Reverse Step Back Lunges.
For support hold on to a bar at chest level (like the one on a smith machine), place both feet directly under the bar. Keeping the weight on you left heel, step back with your right leg and far enough so that when you lower your body, you end up in a lunge position with your left thigh and shin at a 90-degree angle. Now raise your body back up lifting your right knee up to the bar. Repeat 20 to 30 times then switch legs.
**Tip 2: Any time you are doing Lung exercises you need to keep your upper body as upright as you can to reduce strain on your back. Start slow and don’t go too low if you are new to the reverse lunge. As you progress you will be able to lunge deeper and to work your glutes more and more.**
2. Walking Lunges (with or without weights)
Standing straight, step forward as far as you comfortably can, place your foot down heal first. Flex your hip and knee and lower your body until the rear knee is almost to the floor. (Do not let your front knee go over your toe.) With the assistance of the rear leg, stand on the front leg, lunging forward with the opposite leg. You will need an area where you can walk about 20 feet unobstructed.
3. Dead Lift
Using a barbell and weights suited for your fitness level, stand with your feet shoulder width apart and bend forward from your hips, keeping your legs straight or a just slightly little bent (not squatting). Make sure to keep your back flat for this exercise to work and to avoid injury. When you reach the end of the movement towards the floor, tighten your butt and hamstrings as you slowly move back to the starting position. Keep the bar close to your legs throughout the entire movement. Repeat 20 to 30 times.
4. Squat
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and forward. Keep your lower back straight and lower your body down to about a 90-degree angle as if you are going to sit, letting your hamstrings and glutes do all the work. Then pushing up through your heels using your gluteus and hamstrings come back to the standing position. Repeat 20 to 30 times.
5. Wide Stance Dumbbell Squats
Stand with your feet so that they are about one foot wider than your shoulders. Point toes outward to a 45-degree angle. Hold onto a dumbbell and squat down pushing your knees outward until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Now raise your body back up and clench your butt cheeks at the top for 3 seconds. Repeat 20 to 30 times.
6. Step Ups (with or without weights)
Place one foot on a bench so that your thigh is parallel to the floor, the knee pointing in the same direction as the foot throughout. Pushing heel into the bench step up, then slowly step back down while concentrating on the leg up on the step. Make sure to keep your upper body straight during exercise. Do one leg for 15 to 20 repetitions then change legs, or alternate legs for 20 to 30 repetitions each. You can maximize this workout by standing away from the bench to emphasize the glutes or standing closer to the bench to emphasize the quads.
With these exercises it won’t be long before you have some absolutely fabulous glutes and the rear profile you have been looking for.

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What Different Types of Exercises Can You Do With an Exercise Ball?

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As children, there was nothing more fun than playing with that favorite ball. Unfortunately, we eventually grow out of it and it finds its place in ball heaven to never be played with again. However, the end of childhood doesn’t mean that a good old inflatable ball can’t have a permanent place in our lives. In fact, there are inflatable balls that are made for adults to have fun with. And that would be the exercise ball.
The exercise ball is a great way for the individual to receive a workout of their core muscles, which are the muscles that keep us balanced. How this is achieved on the exercise ball is that certain exercises are conducted that require both the body and the ball to be balanced. The goal is to keep the ball from rolling out from underneath you and in the process you are receiving an excellent core workout.
There are a vast number of exercises that can be done, but there are 10 exercises that can be a lot of fun and those exercises are:
1. Squats: Hold the ball between your lower back and the wall. Slowly bend at your knees and hips in order to achieve a sitting position. Make sure the ball stays between you and the wall. Return to the standing position and repeat this between 8 and 15 times to strengthen the legs and hips.
2. Birddogs: You want to get on all fours like a dog with the exercise ball under your stomach. You are now going to extend an arm and a leg that are opposite from each other off of the floor at the same time and keep the ball balanced beneath you. Repeat this o 8 times for each side to strengthen arms and legs
3. Subpine Bridges: Have your hands on your hips while sitting on the ball and start walking. The ball should roll out until it gets to your head and your shoulders, then walk back to go back to the sitting position. Repeat this 8 to 15 times to strengthen the thighs and buttocks.
4. Pushups: Put the exercise ball underneath your stomach and have your palms flat on the floor. Walk out with your hands until the ball is somewhere between your hips and your ankles. Now bend your elbows to do pushups. Repeat this 8 to 10 times to work the upper arms
5. Abdominal tucks: Being in the same position as with pushups except with the ball under the knees, tuck the knees to make the ball roll toward the ankles and then return to the beginning position. Repeat 8 to 15 times.
6. Hamstring curls: This one requires you to lie on your back. With your palms flat on the floor, the ball should be under your hills. From here you will slightly bend your knees while lifting our hips to bring the ball toward your buttocks. Repeat 8 times.
7. Crunches: Crunches benefit the abdomen and the mid-back should be against the ball with feet shoulder-width apart flat on the floor. Your hands should also be behind your head and repeat 8 to 10 times.
8. Walk-outs: Walk back and forth with the ball under your belly, walking out with your hands until the ball reaches your ankles. Repeat 6 to 8 times for abs and upper arms.
9. Balance: Sit on the ball with hands on hips and spine straight and lift one foot at a time. Repeat with each leg 8 times to balance your core.
10. T, Y, I: This exercise has you placing the ball between the hips and thighs while keeping the knees bent and the toes down and moving the arms into a T position, a Y position, and then an I. Repeat this 4 times to strengthen abdominals and shoulders.
These fun exercises are a great way for you to get in shape.

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