Fitness Exercises

To have that coveted V-taper is something most women work for but never attain. It broadens your shoulders and makes your waist appear smaller. Here are the top three exercises for building a bigger back.

Lat pulldown is performed on a cable machine. Sit facing the machine and grab the bar above using a wide grip. Now using your back muscles, pull the bar towards your chest, slightly arching your chest out. At the bottom of the pull, squeeze your lats together and feel the muscle contraction. Now slowly return the bar to the top and repeat. Try to minimize arm involvement and really concentrate on the back muscles bringing the weight down.

One arm bent over rows are performed with dumbbells. Grab a dumbbell and lean on a bench so one arm is bracing your body and the other is holding the dumbbell towards the ground, your back should be parallel to the ground. Using your back muscles and minimizing your biceps, bring your elbow up towards your back until it is parallel. Slowly release the dumbbell towards the ground.

Seated cable row is performed on a cable machine. Place your feet on the footrests and slightly bend your knees, keeping your back upright. Grab the handle and pull it towards you using your back muscles. Bicep muscle involvement should be minimal. You should feel it in the middle of your back. Return the grip towards your feet and repeat.

Using these basic exercises you should be building your back in no time. Don't forget your cardio and sticking to a clean diet to maximize your muscle gains.

 

 

Fast By Design Product Review: Canadian Motocross Company

'Welcome to Fast by Design's first AA meeting (Armpumpaholic Anonymous). My name is Smitty and I am an Armpumpaholic. They say the first step to rehabilitation is admitting you have the problem. Well since I am the only one here I will now stand up and say "I GET ARM PUMP".

Whew! Now with that over, lets diagnose the scenario. If you are like me and have a daytime gig, you probably practice around twice a week and race on the weekends. Although you do everything you can during your motos, breath steady and avoid "Death Grip", you still have the Arm Pump monkey on your back. Well friends I have great news! The FbD test department received an interesting little package about a month ago from Gripstik. Inside was a curious looking apparatus that resembled two motocross grips glued together at their ends. I know what you are thinking, "Another wonder product that will fall short of what I need to help me kick the arm pump habit".

The first step to dropping arm pump is to ride as much as possible. If you don't put in some track time during the week, arm pump is inevitable. If you don't get it you are: A) not pushing hard enough. or B) a freak of nature. Once you are able to ride at least twice a week you will probably notice a reduction in arm pump. The next step is to work on the forearms during the other days.

Freddie Spencer, a multi-time road racing champion and dirt bike rider, suggests a broomstick handle, a piece of string and a 5 pound weight. You attach the weight to one end of the string and the broomstick to the other. Holding the broomstick you wind the string up raising and lowering the weight. This technique works great and from personal experience I found it helped reduce arm pump more than any other single exercise. Gripstik has taken the winding with resistance motion but removed the string and weight. Thus creating the unit we described earlier, the two grips actually twist against each other with variable force. The resistance can be adjusted by simply rotating one grip closer to or farther away from the other grip.

The Gripstik unit is very compact, in fact small enough to fit in the glove compartment of you vehicle, where mine is most commonly found. The reason for this is I usually use mine a couple times through the day. When driving to work in the morning I hit allot of stop lights, so instead of just sitting at the light staring ahead at the car in font of me, I do a one minute moto in my van. With about ten sets of lights on my daily commute I get a pretty good forearm work out. The second use is before I practice. After getting into my gear I like to stretch a bit before jumping on the bike. Between stretches I will do about 50 reps of the Gripstik to warm up the forearms.

I can honestly say that I have gotten the arm pump problem down to a manageable level. Between weekly riding and the daily use of the Gripstik I can run a 20 min moto flat out at most of my local tracks, something that was just a pipe dream last year.'

Here is a list of some satisfied customers who use the Gripstik Wrist Exerciser:

-Bill Collins: 5 time World Arm Wrestling Champion and Captain of TEAM USA Arm Wrestling

Read up on Bill's tips to Arm Wrestling Training at http://www.gripstik.com/arm-wrestling.html.

-Brandi Profitt: Nationally Ranked Professional Rock Climber

Read Brandi's review of Gripstik at http://www.gripstik.com/rock-climbing.html

- Larry Eastman: MN State Racquetball champion in Singles and Doubles

Read Larry's Top 10 Racquetball Training Tips at http://www.gripstik.com/racquetball-equipment.html

-Joe Day and Curtis Brown: NHL Players

Read Frank Burggraf's (Burggraf Skating and Skills On and Off Ice Training Centers) Article on Training for Hockey Success at http://www.gripstik.com/ice-hockey-training-equipment.html

- Joe Stansberry: USGA Champion and PGA Champions Tour Player

Read Joe's review on how the gripstik helped him when he was ailing from carpal tunnel syndrome at http://www.gripstik.com/therapy-carpal-tunnel.html

For more reviews and testimonials go to http://www.gripstik.com/Strength_Training_Home_Exercise_Equipment_testimonials.html

These days it is so hard to make it the gym. Life is very busy which creates a serious challenge for being consistent with exercise each week. However, exercise is exactly what we need in order to reduce stress, increase longevity, and give the body extra energy for daily living.

The best results are achieved using refined techniques, functional exercises, cardio, proper nutrition, awareness, variety, consistency, supplementation and motivation over time!

Refined technique means correct form to isolate muscles or "target areas of the body." Efficiency is the priority to ensure maximal muscle stimulation. With resistance training, also known as weight lifting, it is important to eliminate momentum. It is also necessary to move the weight through a full range of motion. This will cause muscle contraction for the correct amount of time and ensure appropriate length of the tendons. The goal is to strengthen the joints of the body by stimulating the muscles around it.

For example, the lower back is an extremely important part of the body. Many people have trouble with this area, especially if their occupation puts a strain on it. So, it is a good idea to strengthen the muscles of the lower back like the erector spinae by performing three to four sets of back extensions on the floor superman position or face down on the exercise ball for 8 to 12 reps. As the muscles around the spine get stronger, the spine is held in place better, which reduces the changes of lower back problems. It is also important to keep the joint partially bent at the end of the rep, so that constant pressure remains on the muscles and no added pressure is applied to the joint from locking it out.

Cadence is a term that refers to the rate at which the resistance or weight moves. The best results are achieved by a slow cadence that causes the muscle to contract longer. On occasion, a mixture of fast and slow cadence may be used, especially with sports-specific training.

Lastly, using correct angles achieve muscle isolation in target areas and decrease the chance for injuries, especially with heavier weights. So, how many sets and reps should be completed? Four sets of 8-12 reps using a weight that is difficult but manageable. Allow 24 hours to recover with his approach. Six sets of 4 reps is more advanced, calculated at 60 to 80 percent of the one rep max. Allow 48 hours to recover when using this approach.

Functional exercise is a new popular technique that stimulates the core or torso of the body while working another muscle group at the same time. For example, performing a dumbbell press while lying on an exercise ball. The abs and the core muscles contract to hold the body into position, while the chest and tricep muscle push the dumbbells up. This type of challenge causes maximal stimulation to the body and keeps the workout interesting. Cardio is great for the heart and lungs. The number of calories burned is important as well as maintaining the correct heart rate. The heart rate formula is 220 minus age times point 60 for the lower margin and 220 minus age times point 80 for the upper margin. This is also known as the fat burning zone. Cardio also detoxifies the body and strengthens the immune system among many other health benefits. Muscles contract and move lymph along, which allows the immune system to clear dead cells and bring in new ones.

Warm up is important for preparing the body for the more demanding portion of the cardio workout. Allow 15 to 30 minutes prior to weight lifting and 10 to 15 minutes prior to cardio activities like jogging, swimming, aerobics or walking. In addition, a good stretch routine before warm up is highly recommended.

The preferred schedule for the weekly workout is warm up followed by cardio, then weight lifting on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with cardio only on Tuesday and Thursday.

While you may feel your schedule is too busy to maintain a scheduled workout routine, you will find that by adding exercise to your life you will actually add time, as you will have more energy and become more efficient in your day to day activities. Think of exercise as the battery that gives your life power.

Within the fitness industry it is recognized that Precor is the leader when it comes to Elliptical Machines, based on their ability to produce the highest quality Exercise equipment.  They came out with there first elliptical crosstrainer in the mid 1990's and since have grown into the world's largest manufacturer of the Elliptical.  This is important because you really need to take into consideration what brand you want to buy from based on their reputation for building the best most reliable machines. So now let me go into why precor makes the best Commercial Elliptical, Their Features!

Not all ellipticals were created equally!

Precor Elliptical

1.    Adjustable Ramp - Precor has a patent on the EFX Crossramp Technology, This allows you to raise and decline the angle of the ramp you are gliding on.  You now decide which muscles groups you want to workout out and when.  This allows for the user to have a more efficient workout in less time.  
2.    Health Clubs & Gyms - If there were one particular brand or model that all gyms and health clubs around the country were using, there would have to be a good reason for that, right?  Well yes, and they do, its called Precor Ellipticals.  Go into any gym or sports center and you will see Commercial Precor Ellipticals.  The people that "know" buy precor…
3.    Steel Frame - Commercial grade construction and components for extra durability.  A two-step powder coating process makes the frame rust-resistant for years of trouble-free performance.  Uni-Frame is specifically designed for strength and longevity, and is not considered standard on any brand but PRECOR!
4.    Lower Body Workout - Not often can you specifically target individual muscle groups during a cardio workout.  For instance running on a treadmill you get a complete total body workout but you don't get to focus on the problem areas.  With the precor elliptical you are still getting a complete total body workout while targeting certain muscles.  So you are getting more than just a standard cardiovascular workout.  If you want to work out the buns and thighs all you need do is raise the crossramp and continue the workout.  It's never been this easy!
5.    Commercial Quality – When it comes to fitness equipment there are Home Models and Commercial Models.  Just like everything else in life you can pay for the best or settle for the rest.  The only problem with the "rest" is the cheaper quality; you'll end up having to buy the same equipment time and time again, as it is not built to last through all the wear and tear.  With Gym Quality Exercise Equipment you pay more up front but the long term costs are considerable less as you only make the purchase once, Think about it, They are built to be used and abused 24hrs a day 365 days a year in a commercial gym where 10 different people use the machine every day!

Now you have the facts, and the decision is up to you.  Don't blame me if you don't listen and are unhappy with your purchase down the road! :)

It seems too good to be true right? Exercise while enjoying a fun video game? Wii Fit seeks to do just that. Shigero Myamoto, the computer whiz behind Mario, Donkey Kong, and Zelda, has a new product that is aimed at everyone. Wii Fit goes along with the original Wii console and comes with a CD full of exercises, information, and a balance board. You get a 12-inch by 20-inch plastic slab that looks a lot like the steps used in aerobics classes. The balance board is used extensively in the game. All the exercises are done on the board or next to it. It senses whether you're correctly positioned, and even functions as a scale. The balance board will tell you your weight and body mass index when you first start using Wii Fit. In addition to balance games, Wii Fit offers strength training, yoga, and aerobics. With each category you will have four our five options to begin and as you progress you can "unlock" more options for each exercise.

Strength training, for example, allows you to choose between torso twists, lunges, jackknifes, single-leg extensions, and push-up/side plank combos. The balance board will tell you whether you are doing these exercises correctly. It counts how many times you do them and will offer general suggestions. For example, while doing a side plank it will tell you not to drop your hips.

Aerobic exercises start with a basic step, a run, or hula-hooping. All of these offer a fairly low level of cardio activity, but by advancing in the game it will offer you more and more difficult exercises.

Balance games consist of  the ski slalom run, a ski jump, table tilt, and soccer "heading" during which you butt the onscreen ball with your head. These are a key component to Wii Fit because they determine your fitness level throughout the game.

Although the Wii does offer several solutions for excellent home fitness that are fun and entertaining, this is only part of the equation if you are really trying to get more fit. As any fitness trainer will tell you, your diet is at least 80-90% responsible for making any real progress with your physical fitness. You need to pay attention to what you eat, staying away from fat, sugar, and empty calories. Try to eat plenty of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables each day in place of junk food.

If you want to really make a difference in your fitness level, it is wise to use your diet as a tool to help you. Protein supplements are a very common way to quickly and easily boost your protein level so that your muscles have the necessary fuel to grow. By increasing your lean muscle, you effectively increase your metabolism, which naturally helps your body to burn fat. Whey Protein is one of the best protein supplements you can buy. It is 90% protein and a naturally byproduct of dairy, so it is an all-natural, extremely efficient way to metabolize plenty of additional protein. With this kind of fuel, your Wii Fit workouts will be more pleasurable and you will see results faster than you ever thought possible.

So, you have made the decision to get started exercising. Congratulations, that's a big first step. But, have you decided how you are going to begin your exercise routine? Will you be joining a gym or health club or will you be working out at home? Which is best? With all the differences it can sometimes get confusing, so let's take a quick look.

Exercise At Home

No doubt, exercising at home offers up several distinct benefits.

- You can exercise when it's convenient for you. There is no having to go work out during a certain set of hours.

- It's less expensive. Health club membership can get expensive in a hurry. Add in the high price of gas and you can spend a nice chunk of change every month.

- You are exercising by yourself and not in front of a large group of people. You don't have to be concerned with how you look.

- You do not have to wait on someone to finish using a machine before you can get on it.

Exercising At The Gym

Going to the gym or health club also has its share of positive benefits as well.

- The selection of weights and equipment is enormous. You'll find the newest work-out machines.

- You'll have a wide variety of ways to exercise. From swimming in the pool, to playing basketball in the gym, a club offers up a variety that is hard to find at home.

- A club will have various types of exercise classes you can join and stay motivated. It's also a great opportunity to meet new people and have some fun.

As you can see, there are numerous advantages to exercising at home or the gym. There is no best one. The best advice is to sit down and make your own list of pros and cons that affect you personally and then come to a good decision based on your answers. Either way, the key is to simply get started.

Being overweight or obese is one of the most dangerous conditions one can have. Obesity affects over 40% of the entire US population and the problem is spreading to other parts of the world. Obesity is measured in what is called BMI or the body mass index which is the amount of weight in relation to height.  A BMI of 25 or more is considered overweight.

Obesity may appear like a trivial thing but it actually kills close to half a million people in the US alone. But many people have become determined that in the year 2009, they will lose the extra weight and be on their way to a leaner and healthier body. But what exercises can one undertake to burn fat.

One of the best exercises to burn fat is walking. This means that one need not necessarily enroll in a gym. Walking can be done by round the block, along the road or just make it a habit to walk for short distances instead of driving. For those who live in the country this can be an extra time out to meditate and even clear your mind not to mention that it can be good for sightseeing.

Another fat-burning exercise that is related to walking is jogging. You can get good running shoes and make it a habit to jog even half a mile every morning. Again if you live in the country this can be an ideal to clear your mind in readiness for the day. If you are an older person, then you might want to consult with your doctor before

Enrolling in a gym is also another way you can lose weight easily. Exercises such as bench presses can work mightily in helping you shed those excess pounds especially because in a gym there are others like yourself that can motivate you.

If you have belly fat issues, which are almost always the case when someone is struggling with obesity, simple daily sit ups can go a long way in ensuring that you lose those pounds. This coupled by good eating habits can put you well on your way to shrinking your belly and lose fat.

It is recommended that before you do some of these exercises, you consult your doctor or chiropractor because some people might have bone structure issues especially if one is struggling with arthritis.

Another one of the best fat-burning exercises to lose weight is to go to a sports store and purchase a exercise machine. In many of these stores there are capable staff that can help you with any questions you might have and help you make the purchase for the exact machine you need for fat-burning exercises.