Posts Tagged ‘Forearms’

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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Summer Fitness for Busy Women: 4 Quick Exercises to Stay Firm During Bikini Season

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It’s summertime, and the living is easy – except when you have to think about putting on an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny yellow polka dot bikini! But don’t worry, there’s still time to get in shape to strut your stuff on the beach or the boardwalk!

These tried-and-tested exercises can give you quick results with just 10 minute focused workouts every other day. (If you’re on a serious mission and feeling really motivated, feel free to go for it every day!) And don’t forget to mix up these moves with some cardio work, even if it’s a game of soccer with the kids or a brisk walk to the park. Take advantage of the extra quality time you’re spending with the kids, family or friends this summer – whether at home or on vacation – and put the fun things you do to work to stay active. Every calorie counts!

And after a few weeks with these exercises, you can look your best in the season’s latest teeny-weeny bikini fashions! Have fun in the sun – but don’t forget the sunscreen!!

Dolphin Kicks

For this exercise you want to balance your weight on your forearms with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders. Make sure to pull your shoulder blades down towards the hips (away from your ears) – this will keep the stress off your shoulders. Extend your hips and spine, pull in your abs (this supports your torso) and bend your right knee slightly off the floor for more support. First Inhale, and then as you exhale extend your left leg straight out to hip height, contracting the glutes and hamstrings. Your hips should be facing forward at all times. With a slight bend, return the left leg to meet the opposite supporting leg.

Reps:
Repeat up to 20 repetitions, keeping the torso still, then switch to the other side.

Muscle Focus:
Glutes, hamstrings, abs, and lats.

Super Butt Kicks

Lay down on your back, placing your arms down by your side. Lift your hips off the floor in a bridge position. Your right knee should be bent with the heel in line with your sit bone, and your left leg should be extended straight up. As you inhale, lower your left leg to the floor. Be sure to keep your hips still and maintain the bridge position. Exhale and bring the leg back up to the start position

Reps:
Repeat up to 20 reps, then lower your left leg to the floor in the same bent position as the right. Lower your butt to the floor, rest, and change over to the other leg.

Muscle Focus:
Glutes, hamstrings, abs

Dead Bug

Lay down on your back with knees bent at a 45-degree angle. Head, neck and shoulders should be off the floor and hands resting on your knees. On an exhale, draw in your abs and simultaneously extend your left leg out and your right hand over your head. Repeat this move, alternating your arms and legs. Keep your eyes focused on your belly button at all times, and if you start to feel tension in your neck, lower your head down to the floor. (This will get easier as you build more strength in the abs.)

Reps:
Build up to 20 repetitions completed twice with a 30-second to 1-minute break. Make sure not to sacrifice form.

Muscle Focus:
Abs

Side Plank Leg Lifts

Lay down on your side, balancing on your right hip and resting on your right forearm. Your right elbow should be directly underneath your shoulder and your knees bent and stacked on top of each other. While exhaling, contract your abs, and lift your hips off the floor. At the same time, extend your left arm and leg out to the side of your body, making sure to keep the knee and toe facing forward.

Reps:
Try for 10-15 reps, then turn over onto your other side and repeat.

Muscle Focus:
Glutes, abs

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The Best Abdominal Exercises

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You’re not greedy. You’re not asking for a six pack. You’d settle for a slightly flatter look and a bit more tone. But no matter how many crunches you do, it seems impossible to firm and define those elusive abdominal muscles.

Given our obsession with abs, you’d think we’d have figured it out by now. But many of us are still frustrated by a lack of results. What are we doing wrong? Should we be doing different exercises?

To clear the air, here is an abdominal program touted as the best six abdominal busters by bodybuilders, athletes and many week-end athletes.

Do this workout 3 times a week, with a day off between sessions. Begin all workouts with moves 1 and 2, then choose 2 of the remaining 4 moves. Vary the moves throughout the week to keep your abdominals challenged.

Whatever your fitness level, begin with 1 set of each move, resting 45 – 60 seconds after each set. For best results, pay special attention to your form so that you fatigue your target muscles by the end of each workout. When this is no longer challenging, add a second set of each move, or don’t rest between exercises.

Roll Up

Lie face up on the floor with your legs extended, feet together. Extend arms above your chest, palms facing forward, fingers pointing towards the ceiling. Drop shoulder blades down away from your ears. Inhale, tucking your chin to look at your navel as you begin to roll your upper body up, keeping your spine rounded. Exhale, pulling your navel towards your spine as you continue rolling up, slowly raising your upper body to a full seated position. Slowly roll back down to starting position, keeping your arms raised, and repeat for all reps. Begin with 4 roll ups, gradually building to 6. Targets rectus abdominis.

Forearm Plank

Begin on your knees and forearms, elbows aligned with shoulders, fingers interlaced. Draw shoulder blades down and contract abs to stabilize your torso. Extend your right leg behind you, toes turned under, weight on ball of foot, keeping hips square and pelvis stable. Extend left leg, feet together, so you’re supported on forearms and balls of feet. Hold for 20 seconds; relax. Do 3 reps. Begin with a 20 second hold; gradually build to 30 seconds, then 1 minute. Targets obliques.

Bridge with Leg Extension

Lie face up with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor; hip width apart. Relax arms by your sides, palm facing down. Contract abdominals, pulling your naval towards your spine. Inhale; then exhale as you lift your tailbone. Lift your back until only your shoulder blades touch the floor, your body forming a straight line from shoulders to knees. Hold for 30 seconds. Maintaining the bridge position, extend your left leg in front of you at hip height. Hold. Return foot to floor; then repeat with your right leg, keeping hips elevated throughout. Continue alternating legs for all reps without letting your hips or torso drop. Do 8 alternating leg extensions (4, with each leg); gradually build to 16 (8 with each leg). Targets rectus abdominis; obliques and erector spinae (lower back muscles).

Ball Oblique Twist

Sit on stability ball, knees bent, feet on floor. Walk your feet out and lie back; put right hand on ball, left hand behind head. Use glutes to tilt pelvis up. Maintain this position throughout. Contract abs (pull naval towards spine) as you roll your torso up, bringing ribs towards hips; then rotate left elbow towards right knee. Keeping hips square and lifted, slowly lower. Do reps on the left side, then right. Begin with 8 -12 reps per side; gradually build to 16. Targets rectus abdominis and obliques.

Bent Knee Crunch

Lie face up on the floor; knees bent and in line with hips, calves parallel to floor; feet together. Rest unclasped fingertips behind head, elbows pointing out to the sides. Contract abs, pulling your naval in towards your spine. Maintain leg position as you use abs to pull ribs in towards hips, lifting head, neck, then shoulder blades off the floor. Begin with 8 – 12 reps, gradually build to 16 – 20 reps. Targets rectus abdominis and obliques.

Reverse Curl

Lie face up, knees bent, heels close to your buttocks and fingertips behind head. Without changing knee angle, contract abs to curl your tailbone a few centimeters off the floor, knees rolling towards chest. Avoid moving thighs to lift higher; keep heels towards buttocks. Slowly lower to floor; repeat for all reps. Begin with 8 – 12 reps; gradually build to 16 – 20 reps. Targets rectus abdominis and obliques.

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How to Get Unbelievably Pumped And Shredded Biceps By Doing These Five Exercises A Certain Way

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Arms that ripple with muscle and strength are just plain out sexy! Women absolutely love to see a man with nice strong arms and men love to see women with arms that are toned and shapely and do not look like a pair of bat wings flapping in the wind. So what do you need to do to get your arms in shape and make sure they stay that way?
The Secret to getting unbelievable pumped up and ripped biceps is to use a technique called drop-setting. You do a drop set by performing an exercise at a weight that you can barely lift for 10 to 20 repetitions. After the last rep, drop the weight (usually by 5 to 10 pounds) and do another 10 to 20 reps. After the second set, drop the weight once more and do another 10 to 20 reps.
This amazing method will not only leave your arms feeling outrageously pumped, but after a few weeks you will start seeing arm muscles pop out you didn’t even know you had.
Here are a few simple exercises that you can drop-set that will quickly strengthen the biceps, increase their size and improve their tone:
1. Barbell Curls: Take hold of the barbell with your palms facing up and hands shoulder width apart. Your feet should also be line up with your shoulders. Keeping your elbows firmly at your side and slowly raise the bar until your forearms are upright. Slowly lower the barbell back to the start position and repeat.
2. Lying Straight Bar Cable Curls: Using both hands and an underhand grip take hold of a short cable bar attached to a low pulley. Now lie down on your back with legs straight and feet against the frame of the pulley. With the cable bar resting on your thighs and your arms slightly bent slowly curl the bar towards your chest squeezing the biceps for a count of one then slowly return to the starting position. Make sure that you keep your legs straight and your head down at all times.
3. Curl Bar Preacher Curls: When doing this exercise you will be sitting at a preacher bench with your armpits resting at the top of the pad and the backs of your arms firmly against the arm pad. Now holding a barbell place your hands shoulder widths distance with your palms facing up. Curl the barbell up until your forearm is facing you’re upper arm. Slowly lower the barbell back to the start position and repeat.
4. Incline Dumbbell Curl: Using an incline bench you need to sit at a 45-60 degree angle. Let your arms hang down straight holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing out, away from your body. Now with your elbows held firmly at your sides raise both dumbbells at the same time as if to touch your shoulders. Slowly lower your arms to the start position and repeat.
5. Hammer Dumbbell Curls: You can do these either standing or sitting and the exercise is similar to the dumbbell bicep curls except that your wrist will not turn. Holding a dumbbell in each hand you will slowly lift the dumbbells at the same time as if you want to touch your shoulders. Squeeze the muscle for a count of one and return to the start position. Repeat 15 to 20 times.
All this will take only a few minutes of your time everyday. Of course, it has to be persevered with and not given up after a few days. Try these exercises and see the difference. If you do this regularly you’ll be the proud owner some beautiful biceps will be the envy of everyone you know.

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The Best Exercises For Building Muscle For The Fastest Results!

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If you really want to get the results you desire, you need to use the best exercises for building muscle. Only the best exercises for building muscle will allow you to build muscle fast. Lots of people are simple afraid to perform some of these exercises due to the horror stories associated with some of the movements. Please dont be one of those people. Learn how to do them correctly, and dont let your ego be the judge of how much weight to lift.

The Best Exercises For Building Muscle:

1) DEADLIFT – There are not many weight training exercises work as many muscle groups and build muscle as fast as the deadlift. The neck, traps, upper, middle, and lower back, glutes, hamstrings, quads, biceps, forearms, and abs are all utilized in the deadlift. This is the best test of overall body power. A deadlift is the most basic exercise anyone can do. People normally measure strength with an impressive bench press, and rightfully so. But an impressive deadlift should be looked upon as a true measure of strength and power also. It’s a functional exercise because bending down and picking a weight up off the floor is something that everyone does. Its not likely people will find themselves on their back needing to push a heavyweight off their chest but everyone has to bend down and pick things up. If you could only do one exercise to build muscle this would be the one to do. This is definitely one of the best exercises for building muscle.

2) SQUAT - Has been known as the “king of all muscle building exercises”. Full Squats where your thighs are parallel to the ground, not partials! Like deadlifts, squats require a huge amount of muscle mass, thus stimulating the release of anabolic hormones such as testosterone. This is great for building muscle fast. Get under the bar and do free weight squats, not smith machine squats. If you really serious about developing any kind of real lower body strength and build muscle fast, you have no other alternative but to squat. Learn how to do them with correct form to avoid injury!

3) HANG CLEAN & PUSH PRESS – A great total body muscle building exercise which hits the calves, hamstrings, glutes, quads, lower and upper back, traps, shoulders, biceps, triceps, and forearms. Considered an Olympic lift, it can be done in more of a strict manner to really target the traps, upper back, and shoulders. Olympic lifts are normally done to develop explosive speed and power. Doing the clean and push press in this manner is a form of power bodybuilding and will really blow up the traps and shoulders. If you could only pick one weight training exercise for building muscle, this might be the one other than deadlifts.

4) BENCH PRESS – Not only is this exercise the ultimate chest builder, but its one of the best movements for building muscle in the upper body. This exercise recruits a lot of muscles in the upper body such as the entire chest, shoulders, and triceps, with some bicep and forearm recruitment as well. You can pile on the weight in this exercise and that is what makes it a great way to develop upper body strength and power

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