“Don’t Have The Body You Desire?
Learn Proven Secrets About How To Lose 20 Pounds In 10 Weeks Naturally… And Keep It Off.”
“Don’t Have The Body You Desire?
Jun 112011
Cardio equipment includes Treadmills, Ellipticals, Rowing Machines, Stair Climbers and Upright Bikes are all machines designed for aerobic exercise. Not every gym will have every machine but that doesn’t matter, whichever one you feel most comfortable using is what counts. They all come with a digital readout to give a guide on how hard your working, your current heart rate, and how many calories you’ve used. The precise use of which is simple but varies with each one. Although they’re all quite straightforward here are some tips for each.
Treadmill
Despite what you might think you don’t have to be running to be using this machine correctly. If a brisk walk gets you out of breath then that’s sufficient. Most treadmills you’ll encounter also allow you to add an incline which makes whatever speed you’re going more difficult.
It’s your legs that are doing all the work on this and there are only a couple of things to remember when using it.
To avoid any accidents stay in the middle of the treadmill and before you start, be aware of where the emergency stop button is just in case anything does go wrong.
Ellipticals (Cross-Trainer)
This strange looking contraption is designed to approximate walking or running, but as it’s very low impact it puts minimal pressure on the joints. Very useful if you’ve got a bad back or knees. Unlike running it works the upper body as well as the lower, plus if used in a forward and reverse direction it will work every muscle. You can also change the resistance to make it easier or harder and obviously the speed you go is up to you.
When using it keep your feet in the centre of the pedals, your head up, and don’t rock from side-to-side however tired you get. It’s your arms and legs that are meant to do the work, not your head!
Rowing Machine
Like ellipticals, rowing machines are very low impact, and believe it or not, they’re designed to approximate rowing. How the resistance is provided varies, usually magnetic or air, but what is common to all is that most people have a poor technique when using them.
Not you of course, because I’m about to tell you how to do it properly.
Once you’ve fastened your feet into the straps, which should go over your feet just below your toes, lean forward slightly with your knees bent and your arms straight. Grip the bar nice and tight. Push with your legs until they’re just about straight, in other words your knees are not locked, then pull the handle into your stomach.
That’s the first half of the movement.
Next straighten your arms then lean slightly forward as your return to the starting position.
Repeat.
What’s most important here is that your hands get past your knees before your knees start to bend. This is the mistake most people make and the result is that their hands have to ‘skip’ over their knees instead. Avoid doing this and you’ll get the most from this exercise and find it a lot easier to work your back, shoulders and biceps.
Stair Climber
If you don’t encounter many stairs in normal life then this is the machine for you. Although it only works the legs it’s still a good cardio exercise, but there’s a little more to it than climbing the stairs at home.
First don’t let the ‘banisters’ take any of your weight, they’re just for support, and once you’re on the steps keep yourself upright. Again no swaying around. The idea is to set the resistance so you can step up and down without the steps hitting the top – in which case it’s too high, or hitting the bottom – in which case it’s too low.
This is also a low impact exercise.
Upright Bike
Another machine just for the legs and again it’s low impact. Hopefully you already know how to ride a bike so I’m just going to tell you a couple of things so you get things just right.
Before you get on, stand next to the seat and adjust it until the top is about level with the top of your hips, so when you peddle your extended leg is not quite straight. If it doesn’t have a slight bend then lower the seat.
The only other thing to adjust is the straps on the peddles which should go over your feet, just below your toes.
Once you get going you can support your upper body on the handlebars, but keep your back straight and look forward, not down. Don’t sway, all the work should be done by your legs, so if it gets too hard lower the resistance.
Jun 072011
Training your abdominals is about more than getting a 6 pack. What you can see are just the external muscles, while beneath them is another set of internal muscles that provide stability and support to your body – the core.
If it is weakened by lack of exercise, being overweight, poor posture, or being used incorrectly, this can result in various injuries and health problems such as back and neck pain, headaches, poor breathing, low energy levels, and a host of other physical and mental issues.
A strong core is as essential to losing weight as aerobic and resistance training.
What Is The Core?
Your spinal column is made up of between 32 and 34 bones called vertebrae, between which are spongy discs that are there to act as shock absorbers. The 2 main purposes of your spinal column are to support the body in an upright position, and to protect the spinal cord, which is a bundle of nerves that with the brain makes up the central nervous system.
The core is the muscles that surround it to help keep it in alignment and provide resistance to external forces, whether this is kicking a ball, lifting a weight, picking up your child, or opening a door.
All of this involves the deep muscles of the abdomen, the obliques at the sides, and the deep muscles of your back. Picture them together as the support structure of your entire body.
There are dozens of core exercises and this is a topic that deserves another article in itself, but there is one very important thing you need to know when doing any abdominal exercise.
Engage
It sounds only common sense that when trying to strengthen the core you should actually be using it, but a mistake many people make is to just go through the motions without actually engaging it. To demonstrate what I mean by this I want you to lay on your back with your knees bent so that your feet are flat. Keep your head down and your arms by your side.
If you reach down to your lower back you’ll probably find that there is a big space between you and the floor where you can slide in at least a couple of fingers. Do a couple of basic sit-ups and as you do, put your other hand on your stomach. You’ll notice that it alternates between being relaxed and tense, soft and hard, as you do each one.
If you now rest for a moment and relax, then tense your abdominal muscles and keep them like this, you’ll notice that your pelvis (hips) will have tilted back. Because of this your lower back will now be pressing your fingers against the floor. If it isn’t, concentrate on making this happen.
Congratulations, you’ve engaged the core!
Do a couple more sit ups like this and you’ll find that they’re harder than before because you’re properly using not just the outer muscles, but the deeper muscles of the core too. You’ll also find that your obliques are engaged, as are the deep postural muscles of your mid to lower back.
One last thing is that although you might need some practice at first, remember to breathe as you keep your core muscles tense. Any exercise is better if you remember to breathe!
TweetJun 032011
Although stretching might seem unnecessary to many people, it has numerous benefits. Done before exercise it helps prevent injury. Done after exercise, stretching keeps them flexible and reduces the muscle soreness caused by the microscopic damage done during workouts.
It isn’t only the gym that can cause problems though. Sitting at a desk by day and in an armchair all evening causes shortness in the hip flexor muscles at the top of the thigh, the hamstrings, and the neck. It is a major factor in back problems and also causes a bad posture when standing or walking and makes back problems, such as a slipped disc, more likely.
Your abdominal exercises will help with all of this but so will stretching.
Stretching done before exercise should be held for 15 seconds, which is enough to prepare the muscles for the work to come.
Stretching done after exercise needs to be held for 30 seconds, allowing the muscle to relax but also to maintain and if done sufficiently, increase flexibility. It shouldn’t be overdone though. The muscle you’re stretching should feel uncomfortable but no more, as too much could actually reduce your flexibility instead of improving it. Also, when stretching, don’t bounce or force it. This could actually tear the muscle. Instead you should relax into it and let your body do the work for you.
Done correctly you might find stretching relaxes you in the way a gentle massage would, which can help to reduce stress as much as the exercise itself.
Below is an example of a basic stretching routine.
Shoulders
This will stretch the muscles of your shoulders and upper back.
Technique
Reach forward as if you are holding a large beach ball in your arms so your fingers are touching, then lower your chin to your chest to increase the stretch.
Chest
This will stretch your chest and the front of your shoulders.
Technique
With your head up and your hands on your lower back, push your chest forward and try to bring your elbows together behind you.
Obliques
This will stretch your obliques and latissimus dorsi (back) muscles.
Technique
With your arms by your side and your head up, lean down to the left as far as you can but only from the waist up. Try to keep your hips horizontal and your back straight. To increase the stretch put your right hand behind your head. Repeat on the opposite side.
Quadriceps
This will stretch the muscles of the thigh.
Technique
Bend your right leg and hold it with your right hand. You can rest your other hand against a wall to help you with your balance but be sure to keep your back straight and your head up. To increase the stretch push your hips forward. Repeat other side.
Hamstring
This will stretch the hamstring muscles but also the lower leg.
Technique
Squat down slightly then put your left leg out in front of you. You’ll feel the stretch in this leg. Keep your back straight and your head up. Repeat other side.
Hip Flexors
This will stretch the muscles at the top of the leg and hip.
Technique
Get down onto one knee with the other leg behind you. Keeping your back straight and head up, push your hips forward so you feel the stretch at the top of your back leg. Repeat other side.
Adductors
This will stretch the muscles of the inner thighs.
Technique
Sit on the floor with the soles of your feet together and as close to your body as possible. Keep your back straight and push your knees down towards the floor with your elbows.
Glutes
This will stretch the muscles of your glutes.
Technique
Lay on your back as if about to do a crunch. Put your left ankle over your right knee and your hands behind your left leg, then pull that leg towards your body. Keep your head on the floor as you do this. Repeat other side.
If you’re new to stretching, do this routine every day for 3 or 4 weeks. After this, 3 or 4 times a week or whenever you exercise is sufficient to maintain good flexibility and help good posture.
TweetAlthough improving your diet habits and the food you eat will cause weight loss if done correctly, the process will be much easier if done alongside exercise. This is usually best done in a gym just because everything you need for your workout is around, but it can be done outside or even at home.
There are several reasons why exercise is so good for helping you lose weight, and to tone up, and I’m about to tell you the main ones.
1. When you exercise the energy generally comes from two sources, glycogen (which is what the body converts carbohydrates into for storage), and fat. For our purposes it would obviously be better if most of it came from fat, but if you have an unfit body it won’t be very good at this and will instead use glycogen because it’s easier. The fitter you are though, the better your body will be at fat burning. Exercise is by far the best way to burn fat, but this doesn’t just happen during the fat burning zone as you may have been told.
2. While you’re exercising your body is working hard, converting stored energy into usable energy and dealing with waste products. All of which requires more oxygen and increases your metabolism. This you may have heard before, but what you might not know is when you stop exercising your body just doesn’t instantly return to its normal resting state. It still has to deal with waste products, replace energy stores and red blood cells, all of which requires energy and is fuelled by fat. This is known as Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption, or EPOC, and can last for up to 10 hours after exercise depending on how intensely you exercised.
3. As well as the increase in metabolism due to EPOC that I’ve just mentioned, there will also be an increase in your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR, which is the absolute minimum amount of calories you need each day. Certain types of exercise involving weights will cause your muscles to require more maintenance and nutrients, which means getting more calories, and done the right way it could mean that you won’t have to reduce the amount of calories you currently eat. That’s right – weight loss without having to eat less!
4. Another benefit of even moderate exercise is an increase in energy levels. Your body doesn’t use energy unnecessarily, so if it’s used to a sedentary lifestyle, available energy levels will naturally be low. This will leave you feeling tired and unmotivated. When you’re a more physically active person your energy levels will naturally increase, allowing you to do more, which will increase them even further and before you know it you’ll be running a marathon without breaking sweat!
5. Exercise, specifically weight training, is the best way to tone up. And you won’t end up with huge muscles in the process. Not unless you want to, that is.
6. Exercise causes the heart to beat faster, so to cope with this your heart will need to get stronger in order to pump sufficient blood around the body. Because of this, when you’re doing something more sedentary, your stronger heart doesn’t need to beat as fast as it used to so your resting heart rate lowers. This is good because if it doesn’t need to work as hard it’s under less stress, and can do a lot more before it gets tired.
7. Any physical activity that raises your heart rate can be classed as exercise, so depending on fitness levels even a brisk walk to the shops could be sufficient. This simple activity has been proven to raise mood levels due to the release of endorphins, the body’s own feel-good drug. Not only can this help prevent depression and anxiety but studies have shown that in some cases it can treat them as effectively as medication.
8. Your VO2 max, which is the ability to transport and use oxygen, will also improve as your body increases the amount of oxygen it can use from what is provided.
9. When you exercise beyond a certain intensity your muscles produce a waste product called lactic acid, which is toxic to your body, but it can be converted back into energy. How efficiently your body is able to do this depends on your fitness level. Lactic acid is what can cause pain during vigorous exercise and you may be unable to carry on without resting, even if your heart and lungs are fit enough to continue. As you continue to exercise regularly however, your body becomes more efficient at dealing with it, allowing you to work for longer without having to rest. Weigh training also has this effect, but to a lesser degree.
10. High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) can be brought down as the health of arteries improves. Arrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat) can also be reduced.
11. Changes in blood chemistry means that sensitivity to insulin improves, which helps in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes.
12. Weight training increases bone density which makes them stronger, helping prevent osteoporosis in later life.
So now that you’ve read all of that and are eager to get started right away you’ll want to know just what exercises to do. Well if you’re not currently doing anything on a regular basis, whatever you decide to do, whether it means walking to work instead of driving or starting an intense exercise regime, will benefit you.