Muscle Building
The Principles of Anaerobic Exercise
Posted by
Health 24 Jun, 2009
Cliff Baker asked: Anaerobic exercise is mainly associated with muscle building or weight lifting. Technically all types of anaerobic exercises are described as movements that are carried out “without oxygen.”This means that on a molecular level, the cells are not requiring additional oxygen through heavy breathing to accomplish the move. Weight lifters still breathe but [...]
Cliff Baker asked:
Anaerobic exercise is mainly associated with muscle building or weight lifting. Technically all types of anaerobic exercises are described as movements that are carried out “without oxygen.”
This means that on a molecular level, the cells are not requiring additional oxygen through heavy breathing to accomplish the move. Weight lifters still breathe but they are not in an oxygen deficit constantly like aerobic exercisers are as they raise their heart rate while exercising.
The principle of needing less oxygen is just the exact opposite of aerobic exercises, which require more oxygen and an accelerated heartbeat to work properly. Aerobic exercises include such activities as cycling, jumping rope, swimming, spinning on a stationary cycle, rebounding and running.
Different types of anaerobic exercises are typically used in non-endurance sports to build muscle mass. Muscles that are training under anaerobic conditions develop in a different way then muscles that are training for activities that are of a short duration.
Muscles bulk up quickly and becoming very strong. This is due to the contraction and protraction of muscle fibers, which work a lot harder without the oxygen constantly being pumped into the lungs as the result of the body going into a deficit.
Muscle training works differently because it forces the body to use processes that are not dependent on oxygen to produce energy. In fact the ideal intention of many types of anaerobic exercises is to make muscles work harder. Muscles that don’t have sufficient oxygen to meet the demands of the activity bulk up. This does not mean that the body does not receive any oxygen at all when you are working anaerobically in a gymnasium. It just means that you are not using as much oxygen as if you were jogging or swimming.
Anaerobic exercise involves muscular effort, usually short bursts of activity followed by periods of rest. Types of anaerobic exercises include rowing, push-ups, pull-ups, tug of war, sit-ups and squats.
All weight lifting exercises are also anaerobic in nature. Many types of anaerobic exercises associated with weightlifting include working with pulleys, medicine balls and slant boards. These are not expansive exercise and are typically performed in a gym or weight room. This is very unlike an aerobic exercise, which usually requires that the body travel unless you are using a training machine such as a stationary bicycle.
Different types of anaerobic exercises can also be used as part of interval training. Interval training is a very efficient way to lose weight and build muscle.
Interval training involves practicing different types of anaerobic exercises such as weight lifting in tandem with aerobic exercises such as cycling, jogging and jumping rope. The combination of both exercises is an effective way to lose weight and keep it off for good.
Even better, practicing anaerobic exercises can help you build lean muscle. Lean muscle keeps on burning fat long after you stop exercising. This is why anaerobic exercise is such an important component of an exercise program that is geared towards achieving weight loss.
Anaerobic exercise is mainly associated with muscle building or weight lifting. Technically all types of anaerobic exercises are described as movements that are carried out “without oxygen.”
This means that on a molecular level, the cells are not requiring additional oxygen through heavy breathing to accomplish the move. Weight lifters still breathe but they are not in an oxygen deficit constantly like aerobic exercisers are as they raise their heart rate while exercising.
The principle of needing less oxygen is just the exact opposite of aerobic exercises, which require more oxygen and an accelerated heartbeat to work properly. Aerobic exercises include such activities as cycling, jumping rope, swimming, spinning on a stationary cycle, rebounding and running.
Different types of anaerobic exercises are typically used in non-endurance sports to build muscle mass. Muscles that are training under anaerobic conditions develop in a different way then muscles that are training for activities that are of a short duration.
Muscles bulk up quickly and becoming very strong. This is due to the contraction and protraction of muscle fibers, which work a lot harder without the oxygen constantly being pumped into the lungs as the result of the body going into a deficit.
Muscle training works differently because it forces the body to use processes that are not dependent on oxygen to produce energy. In fact the ideal intention of many types of anaerobic exercises is to make muscles work harder. Muscles that don’t have sufficient oxygen to meet the demands of the activity bulk up. This does not mean that the body does not receive any oxygen at all when you are working anaerobically in a gymnasium. It just means that you are not using as much oxygen as if you were jogging or swimming.
Anaerobic exercise involves muscular effort, usually short bursts of activity followed by periods of rest. Types of anaerobic exercises include rowing, push-ups, pull-ups, tug of war, sit-ups and squats.
All weight lifting exercises are also anaerobic in nature. Many types of anaerobic exercises associated with weightlifting include working with pulleys, medicine balls and slant boards. These are not expansive exercise and are typically performed in a gym or weight room. This is very unlike an aerobic exercise, which usually requires that the body travel unless you are using a training machine such as a stationary bicycle.
Different types of anaerobic exercises can also be used as part of interval training. Interval training is a very efficient way to lose weight and build muscle.
Interval training involves practicing different types of anaerobic exercises such as weight lifting in tandem with aerobic exercises such as cycling, jogging and jumping rope. The combination of both exercises is an effective way to lose weight and keep it off for good.
Even better, practicing anaerobic exercises can help you build lean muscle. Lean muscle keeps on burning fat long after you stop exercising. This is why anaerobic exercise is such an important component of an exercise program that is geared towards achieving weight loss.
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Muscle Building
Isometrics Exercise - the Truth Revealed!
Posted by
Health 20 Jun, 2009
Robert Deangelo asked: Isometric Exercise DiscussedWhat is Isometric Exercise?Isometric exercise is practiced by pushing or pulling an immovable object like a wall or bar anchored to the floor. Research has shown that a muscle contraction during Isometric exercise produced more force then a contraction generated by lifting weights. Although research shows that Isometric exercise increases [...]
Robert Deangelo asked:
Isometric Exercise Discussed
What is Isometric Exercise?
Isometric exercise is practiced by pushing or pulling an immovable object like a wall or bar anchored to the floor. Research has shown that a muscle contraction during Isometric exercise produced more force then a contraction generated by lifting weights. Although research shows that Isometric exercise increases muscle tension significantly, it still fails to change the length of the muscles. Today, it is primarily used for rehabilitation purposes.
Advantages of Isometric Exercise
Can achieve maximum muscular contraction as opposed to Isotonic exercise also known as weight training.
Workout is much faster. You would hold a position for each set for 6 to 8 seconds and do 5 – 10 sets per exercise. So you can do each body part in as little as a minute or so presuming a few seconds rest between sets.
Can gain strength. Unfortunately, you will only strengthen very isolated areas of the muscle group.
Disadvantages of Isometric Exercise
Decreased muscular endurance. When you lift weights (Isotonic exercise) blood is pumped into the muscles very frequently increasing muscular endurance. Isometric exercise does not generate the same blood flow, thereby potentially reducing muscular endurance.
Building strength during a static contraction can potentially reduce the speed of the muscle response. This would slow down your athletic performance.
Boring, boring, boring. Go to the wall and press against it for a few sets. It’s like standing in the corner during elementary school. You must enjoy something to maintain consistency at it, and few could enjoy Isometric exercise.
Increased blood pressure. Isometric exercise increases blood pressure more than any other form of exercise. This could lead to a ruptured blood vessel or irregular heartbeat.
The strength gains achieved during Isometric exercise occur only within 20 degrees of the angle you hold. Lifting weights (Isotonic exercise) allows you to build strength throughout the entire range of motion.
The Lowdown on Isometric Exercise
Unless you are locked in a room with nothing else to do, I think you will find these exercises particularly boring. Although in an empty room you could still do push-ups and sit-ups and some other stuff. Anyway if you want to experiment with Isometric exercises you should not make that the only form of resistance training you do. The benefits of weight training appear to significantly outweigh those of Isometric exercise.
In summary, weight training will do the following things better than Isometric exercise:
• Increase the length of your muscles • Strengthen the full range of your muscles • Increase muscular endurance • Lower the risk of heart related issues.
Final thoughts: To be most effective and achieve maximum muscle growth incorporate both training protocols in your training. The use of a “post isometric contraction” has been proven to increase strength and muscle size by more than 302.3%.
Isometric Exercise Discussed
What is Isometric Exercise?
Isometric exercise is practiced by pushing or pulling an immovable object like a wall or bar anchored to the floor. Research has shown that a muscle contraction during Isometric exercise produced more force then a contraction generated by lifting weights. Although research shows that Isometric exercise increases muscle tension significantly, it still fails to change the length of the muscles. Today, it is primarily used for rehabilitation purposes.
Advantages of Isometric Exercise
Can achieve maximum muscular contraction as opposed to Isotonic exercise also known as weight training.
Workout is much faster. You would hold a position for each set for 6 to 8 seconds and do 5 – 10 sets per exercise. So you can do each body part in as little as a minute or so presuming a few seconds rest between sets.
Can gain strength. Unfortunately, you will only strengthen very isolated areas of the muscle group.
Disadvantages of Isometric Exercise
Decreased muscular endurance. When you lift weights (Isotonic exercise) blood is pumped into the muscles very frequently increasing muscular endurance. Isometric exercise does not generate the same blood flow, thereby potentially reducing muscular endurance.
Building strength during a static contraction can potentially reduce the speed of the muscle response. This would slow down your athletic performance.
Boring, boring, boring. Go to the wall and press against it for a few sets. It’s like standing in the corner during elementary school. You must enjoy something to maintain consistency at it, and few could enjoy Isometric exercise.
Increased blood pressure. Isometric exercise increases blood pressure more than any other form of exercise. This could lead to a ruptured blood vessel or irregular heartbeat.
The strength gains achieved during Isometric exercise occur only within 20 degrees of the angle you hold. Lifting weights (Isotonic exercise) allows you to build strength throughout the entire range of motion.
The Lowdown on Isometric Exercise
Unless you are locked in a room with nothing else to do, I think you will find these exercises particularly boring. Although in an empty room you could still do push-ups and sit-ups and some other stuff. Anyway if you want to experiment with Isometric exercises you should not make that the only form of resistance training you do. The benefits of weight training appear to significantly outweigh those of Isometric exercise.
In summary, weight training will do the following things better than Isometric exercise:
• Increase the length of your muscles • Strengthen the full range of your muscles • Increase muscular endurance • Lower the risk of heart related issues.
Final thoughts: To be most effective and achieve maximum muscle growth incorporate both training protocols in your training. The use of a “post isometric contraction” has been proven to increase strength and muscle size by more than 302.3%.
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Muscle Building
Isometric Exercise- Breakthrough or a Scam?
Posted by
Health 15 Jun, 2009
Frank Sherrill asked: What’s up with the expression… “No pain, no gain!The absolute truth is that effective exercise doesn’t’ have to wear you out and leave you practically crawling on the floor from the pain of over-extended, burning, protesting muscles. Actually… if you aren’t familiar with fitness equipment or how to exercise properly you could [...]
Frank Sherrill asked:
What’s up with the expression… “No pain, no gain!
The absolute truth is that effective exercise doesn’t’ have to wear you out and leave you practically crawling on the floor from the pain of over-extended, burning, protesting muscles. Actually… if you aren’t familiar with fitness equipment or how to exercise properly you could easily injure yourself, sometimes causing lasting damage to your body!
Getting healthy and in great physical shape does not have to cost you an arm and a leg, either. For the low price of an isometric exercise training exerciser you’ll have all you need to get in shape - and stay in shape - without the expense of gym memberships, special clothing or an expensive home gym!
Isometric exercise offers a safe alternative for all any one any age. There’s no need for the tortures of excruciating gym workouts, and it’s every bit as effective - maybe even more effective, since you won’t be in so much pain that the very thought of continuing the workouts makes you want to toss in the towel and quit!
The exercises are so simple and gentle that anyone can do them, too - regardless of age or what condition your body is currently in. Since many isometric exercise can even be done while sitting down, they are appropriate and effective for those with physical limitations, as well.
In an isometric exercise, you hold muscle resistance at a specified tension point, so you’re not stretching the muscle; it’s the increased tension that does the job. The longer you hold the position, the more intensely you’re working that muscle. But you aren’t torturing it; you aren’t stretching it to the point of pain or burn - you’re simply using it, as nature designed it to be used. To make the exercise more effective than traditional isometrics, today there are Isometric exercisers that allow you to safely increase the resistance and to measure & monitor your growing strength and fitness level.
That’s why isometric exercisers are so well suited to all exercise groups of all ages and levels of fitness. Everything about it is natural, simple, easy and without danger or pain. There’s nothing “magical” about it, of course. You do have to actually do the exercises on a regular basis - but since they take just 7 minutes, are easily integrated into the chores and activities of daily life, and can even be done while sitting down, there’s nothing to discourage you. In fact, when you see how quickly you start to feel and look more fit, toned and healthy, you’ll be encouraged to use your isometric exerciser more and more!
Whether you’ve never exercised before or have done so regularly in the past … whether you’re eight or eighty … whether you’re already somewhat fit or are a true, lumpy couch potato, a focused program of isometric exercise using an isometric exerciser is your best bet for getting and staying fit without enduring needless pain and expense. Most isometric exercisers come with a complete and up-to-date training programs that walk you by the hand and show you exactly how to exercise properly for amazing results.
What’s up with the expression… “No pain, no gain!
The absolute truth is that effective exercise doesn’t’ have to wear you out and leave you practically crawling on the floor from the pain of over-extended, burning, protesting muscles. Actually… if you aren’t familiar with fitness equipment or how to exercise properly you could easily injure yourself, sometimes causing lasting damage to your body!
Getting healthy and in great physical shape does not have to cost you an arm and a leg, either. For the low price of an isometric exercise training exerciser you’ll have all you need to get in shape - and stay in shape - without the expense of gym memberships, special clothing or an expensive home gym!
Isometric exercise offers a safe alternative for all any one any age. There’s no need for the tortures of excruciating gym workouts, and it’s every bit as effective - maybe even more effective, since you won’t be in so much pain that the very thought of continuing the workouts makes you want to toss in the towel and quit!
The exercises are so simple and gentle that anyone can do them, too - regardless of age or what condition your body is currently in. Since many isometric exercise can even be done while sitting down, they are appropriate and effective for those with physical limitations, as well.
In an isometric exercise, you hold muscle resistance at a specified tension point, so you’re not stretching the muscle; it’s the increased tension that does the job. The longer you hold the position, the more intensely you’re working that muscle. But you aren’t torturing it; you aren’t stretching it to the point of pain or burn - you’re simply using it, as nature designed it to be used. To make the exercise more effective than traditional isometrics, today there are Isometric exercisers that allow you to safely increase the resistance and to measure & monitor your growing strength and fitness level.
That’s why isometric exercisers are so well suited to all exercise groups of all ages and levels of fitness. Everything about it is natural, simple, easy and without danger or pain. There’s nothing “magical” about it, of course. You do have to actually do the exercises on a regular basis - but since they take just 7 minutes, are easily integrated into the chores and activities of daily life, and can even be done while sitting down, there’s nothing to discourage you. In fact, when you see how quickly you start to feel and look more fit, toned and healthy, you’ll be encouraged to use your isometric exerciser more and more!
Whether you’ve never exercised before or have done so regularly in the past … whether you’re eight or eighty … whether you’re already somewhat fit or are a true, lumpy couch potato, a focused program of isometric exercise using an isometric exerciser is your best bet for getting and staying fit without enduring needless pain and expense. Most isometric exercisers come with a complete and up-to-date training programs that walk you by the hand and show you exactly how to exercise properly for amazing results.
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Muscle Building
Eating Before and After Exercise
Posted by
Health 12 Apr, 2009
Bren Fisher asked: Anytime you exercise, you do so in an effort to maintain good health. You’re also aware that you need to eat, so your body can access the fuel it requires to exercise and maintain itself for the day-to-day chores of living. To make the most effective use of your exercise routine, what [...]
Bren Fisher asked:
Anytime you exercise, you do so in an effort to maintain good health. You’re also aware that you need to eat, so your body can access the fuel it requires to exercise and maintain itself for the day-to-day chores of living. To make the most effective use of your exercise routine, what you consume for nutrients before and after you exercise is extremely important.
Irrespective of whether you’re intending to do a cardio routine or a resistance exercise, you ought to ensure that you eat a mixture of protein and carbohydrates that is balanced. What determines the ratio of carbs to protein you eat is whether or not you’re exercise is resistance or cardio and the degree of intensity that you intend to work at.
The best time for you to consume your pre exercise dinner is approximately 60 minutes prior to your starting time. If you intend to exercise at a low intensity level, you ought to keep your pre workout repast under approximately 200 calories . If you plan to activity at a high intensity level, you’ll likely require your food to be between 4,000 and 5,000 calories.
People doing a cardio workout session will want to ingest a mixture of 1/3 protein and 2/3 carbs. In doing this it will afford you increased and prolonged energy from the additional carbs with sufficient protein in order for your muscle not to begin breaking down during your exercise.
During a resistance exercise, you will want to have a combination of 1/3 carbs and 2/3 protein, as this will aid you in getting abundant energy from the carbs to execute each repetition you do and the surplus protein will assist in keeping the muscle breakdown to a minimum during your exercise.
Having something to eat after you exercise is as cirtical as the meal you eat before your exercise. Whatever exercise you choose whether cardio or resistance, energy, in the form of gloycogen, is depleted from your body.The central nervous system and the brain both depend on glycogen as their number one source of fuel, so if that glycogen is not replaced after you exercise your body will start to take apart the muscle tissue and change it into amino acids which is converted into fuel that can be used by the brain and central nervous system.
Remember, during resistance exercise muscle tissue is broken down by creating micro tears. This means that when your workout is over, the muscles will start to go into repair mode immediately.
This is why a higher percentage of protein is important before a resistance workout, because you don’t want to have further muscle break down to replace glycogen for the brain and CNS.
When you’ve completed a cardio routine, you will have to ingest primarily carbohydrates, preferably those containing high fiber. Whole wheat pasta, oatmeal, rice and northern fruits are first-class sources of fiber. Also, try to eat 30 - 50 grams of carbs when you have finished your exercising. It is fine to eat within 5 - 10 minutes after your cardio workout is finished.
When you have completed a resistance workout, you’ll want to take in a mix of carbs and protein. Contrary to cardio exercises, resistance workouts will break down muscle tissue by producing micro tears.
You will need protein as this is used to build up and mend these rips so that the muscular tissue will gain in strength and size. The carbs will help put back the glycogen that the muscle lost, and will also aid the protein in getting into the muscle cells so it can be synthesized into structural protein, for the muscle itself.
You should wait up to 30 minutes after your resistance exercise, before you eat, this way you won’t carry blood away from your muscles excessively fast. The blood flowing in your muscles helps the mending process by getting rid of the metabolic waste material.
Anytime you exercise, you do so in an effort to maintain good health. You’re also aware that you need to eat, so your body can access the fuel it requires to exercise and maintain itself for the day-to-day chores of living. To make the most effective use of your exercise routine, what you consume for nutrients before and after you exercise is extremely important.
Irrespective of whether you’re intending to do a cardio routine or a resistance exercise, you ought to ensure that you eat a mixture of protein and carbohydrates that is balanced. What determines the ratio of carbs to protein you eat is whether or not you’re exercise is resistance or cardio and the degree of intensity that you intend to work at.
The best time for you to consume your pre exercise dinner is approximately 60 minutes prior to your starting time. If you intend to exercise at a low intensity level, you ought to keep your pre workout repast under approximately 200 calories . If you plan to activity at a high intensity level, you’ll likely require your food to be between 4,000 and 5,000 calories.
People doing a cardio workout session will want to ingest a mixture of 1/3 protein and 2/3 carbs. In doing this it will afford you increased and prolonged energy from the additional carbs with sufficient protein in order for your muscle not to begin breaking down during your exercise.
During a resistance exercise, you will want to have a combination of 1/3 carbs and 2/3 protein, as this will aid you in getting abundant energy from the carbs to execute each repetition you do and the surplus protein will assist in keeping the muscle breakdown to a minimum during your exercise.
Having something to eat after you exercise is as cirtical as the meal you eat before your exercise. Whatever exercise you choose whether cardio or resistance, energy, in the form of gloycogen, is depleted from your body.The central nervous system and the brain both depend on glycogen as their number one source of fuel, so if that glycogen is not replaced after you exercise your body will start to take apart the muscle tissue and change it into amino acids which is converted into fuel that can be used by the brain and central nervous system.
Remember, during resistance exercise muscle tissue is broken down by creating micro tears. This means that when your workout is over, the muscles will start to go into repair mode immediately.
This is why a higher percentage of protein is important before a resistance workout, because you don’t want to have further muscle break down to replace glycogen for the brain and CNS.
When you’ve completed a cardio routine, you will have to ingest primarily carbohydrates, preferably those containing high fiber. Whole wheat pasta, oatmeal, rice and northern fruits are first-class sources of fiber. Also, try to eat 30 - 50 grams of carbs when you have finished your exercising. It is fine to eat within 5 - 10 minutes after your cardio workout is finished.
When you have completed a resistance workout, you’ll want to take in a mix of carbs and protein. Contrary to cardio exercises, resistance workouts will break down muscle tissue by producing micro tears.
You will need protein as this is used to build up and mend these rips so that the muscular tissue will gain in strength and size. The carbs will help put back the glycogen that the muscle lost, and will also aid the protein in getting into the muscle cells so it can be synthesized into structural protein, for the muscle itself.
You should wait up to 30 minutes after your resistance exercise, before you eat, this way you won’t carry blood away from your muscles excessively fast. The blood flowing in your muscles helps the mending process by getting rid of the metabolic waste material.
(1) Comment Categories :
Muscle Building
Discover a Revolutionary Way to Increase Your Isometric Exercise Results by More Than 302.8%!
Posted by
Health 11 Apr, 2009
Frank Sherrill asked: What’s up with the expression… “No pain, no gain!The absolute truth is that effective exercise doesn’t’ have to wear you out and leave you practically crawling on the floor from the pain of over-extended, burning, protesting muscles. Actually… if you aren’t familiar with fitness equipment or how to exercise properly you could [...]
Frank Sherrill asked:
What’s up with the expression… “No pain, no gain!
The absolute truth is that effective exercise doesn’t’ have to wear you out and leave you practically crawling on the floor from the pain of over-extended, burning, protesting muscles. Actually… if you aren’t familiar with fitness equipment or how to exercise properly you could easily injure yourself, sometimes causing lasting damage to your body!
Getting healthy and in great physical shape does not have to cost you an arm and a leg, either. For the low price of an isometric exercise training exerciser you’ll have all you need to get in shape – and stay in shape – without the expense of gym memberships, special clothing or an expensive home gym!
Isometric exercise offers a safe alternative for all any one any age. There’s no need for the tortures of excruciating gym workouts, and it’s every bit as effective – maybe even more effective, since you won’t be in so much pain that the very thought of continuing the workouts makes you want to toss in the towel and quit!
The exercises are so simple and gentle that anyone can do them, too – regardless of age or what condition your body is currently in. Since many isometric exercise can even be done while sitting down, they are appropriate and effective for those with physical limitations, as well.
In an isometric exercise, you hold muscle resistance at a specified tension point, so you’re not stretching the muscle; it’s the increased tension that does the job. The longer you hold the position, the more intensely you’re working that muscle. But you aren’t torturing it; you aren’t stretching it to the point of pain or burn – you’re simply using it, as nature designed it to be used. To make the exercise more effective than traditional isometrics, today there are Isometric exercisers that allow you to safely increase the resistance and to measure & monitor your growing strength and fitness level.
That’s why isometric exercisers are so well suited to all exercise groups of all ages and levels of fitness. Everything about it is natural, simple, easy and without danger or pain. There’s nothing “magical” about it, of course. You do have to actually do the exercises on a regular basis – but since they take just 7 minutes, are easily integrated into the chores and activities of daily life, and can even be done while sitting down, there’s nothing to discourage you. In fact, when you see how quickly you start to feel and look more fit, toned and healthy, you’ll be encouraged to use your isometric exerciser more and more!
Whether you’ve never exercised before or have done so regularly in the past … whether you’re eight or eighty … whether you’re already somewhat fit or are a true, lumpy couch potato, a focused program of isometric exercise using an isometric exerciser is your best bet for getting and staying fit without enduring needless pain and expense. Most isometric exercisers come with a complete and up-to-date training programs that walk you by the hand and show you exactly how to exercise properly for amazing results.
What’s up with the expression… “No pain, no gain!
The absolute truth is that effective exercise doesn’t’ have to wear you out and leave you practically crawling on the floor from the pain of over-extended, burning, protesting muscles. Actually… if you aren’t familiar with fitness equipment or how to exercise properly you could easily injure yourself, sometimes causing lasting damage to your body!
Getting healthy and in great physical shape does not have to cost you an arm and a leg, either. For the low price of an isometric exercise training exerciser you’ll have all you need to get in shape – and stay in shape – without the expense of gym memberships, special clothing or an expensive home gym!
Isometric exercise offers a safe alternative for all any one any age. There’s no need for the tortures of excruciating gym workouts, and it’s every bit as effective – maybe even more effective, since you won’t be in so much pain that the very thought of continuing the workouts makes you want to toss in the towel and quit!
The exercises are so simple and gentle that anyone can do them, too – regardless of age or what condition your body is currently in. Since many isometric exercise can even be done while sitting down, they are appropriate and effective for those with physical limitations, as well.
In an isometric exercise, you hold muscle resistance at a specified tension point, so you’re not stretching the muscle; it’s the increased tension that does the job. The longer you hold the position, the more intensely you’re working that muscle. But you aren’t torturing it; you aren’t stretching it to the point of pain or burn – you’re simply using it, as nature designed it to be used. To make the exercise more effective than traditional isometrics, today there are Isometric exercisers that allow you to safely increase the resistance and to measure & monitor your growing strength and fitness level.
That’s why isometric exercisers are so well suited to all exercise groups of all ages and levels of fitness. Everything about it is natural, simple, easy and without danger or pain. There’s nothing “magical” about it, of course. You do have to actually do the exercises on a regular basis – but since they take just 7 minutes, are easily integrated into the chores and activities of daily life, and can even be done while sitting down, there’s nothing to discourage you. In fact, when you see how quickly you start to feel and look more fit, toned and healthy, you’ll be encouraged to use your isometric exerciser more and more!
Whether you’ve never exercised before or have done so regularly in the past … whether you’re eight or eighty … whether you’re already somewhat fit or are a true, lumpy couch potato, a focused program of isometric exercise using an isometric exerciser is your best bet for getting and staying fit without enduring needless pain and expense. Most isometric exercisers come with a complete and up-to-date training programs that walk you by the hand and show you exactly how to exercise properly for amazing results.
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Muscle Building
Stability Ball Exercise Progressions for Building Muscle and Core Strength
Posted by
Health 12 Mar, 2009
Nick Tumminello asked: After my article Stick Your Neck Out was published; I surprisingly caught some flack from the “hardcore” types just because I showed a stability ball being used in a few of the exercise applications.Since I’m not emotionally attached to any one piece of equipment or style of training, I was not upset [...]
Nick Tumminello asked:
After my article Stick Your Neck Out was published; I surprisingly caught some flack from the “hardcore” types just because I showed a stability ball being used in a few of the exercise applications.
Since I’m not emotionally attached to any one piece of equipment or style of training, I was not upset in the least about this. However, it did make me realize how misunderstood the Swiss ball is within the “hardcore strength” community.
So, in light of this realization, I’m stepping up to set the record straight once and for all about Swiss balls and how they should and shouldn’t be utilized in and effective strength program.
Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game
My friend and colleague Coach Rob Simonelli brought up an interesting point when he and I were discussing this article and why serious weight lifters dislike Swiss balls. Rob said “What serious lifters don’t understand is that it’s not so much that they dislike Swiss balls, it’s that they dislike what Swiss Balls represent”.
He was absolutely right. Hardcore weightlifters have made Swiss balls guilty by association just because there are a bunch of “functional trainers” out there doing some seriously ridiculous stuff on them.
This doesn’t mean that Swiss balls can’t be use for stuff that actually has value.
To all you Swiss ball haters out there, I want you to ask yourself one question; “Am I blaming the tool or the practitioner?”
I think you will realize that myself and Rob and are correct in saying that, the Swiss ball, like everything else in the gym is just a tool. One that can be used or abused depending on whose hands it’s in. Just because there are people out there abusing a certain tool doesn’t mean we should throw it out of the tool box all together. If that were the case, we wouldn’t use any equipment at all judging by what I’ve seen done with barbells and dumbbells these days.
Now let’s get one thing clear, the title of this article is not called “Swiss Ball Exercises that You Need to Do Everyday or Else Your Will Go to Pot”. The exercises shown in this article are in no way a necessity, they are just other options to challenge your body in a positive manner and compliment your “core” lifts.
In other words, they are just tools in the tool box.
You just have to know when to use the tools you’ve got.
When Instability and Strength is Actually Good
Recently, I got to attend one of my friend Eric Cressey’s classes on training the overhead athlete. During his workshop, Eric made a great point that I feel is relevant to this article. He said that although it has been found that unstable surface training for the lower body has been found to be ineffective and in some cases even counterproductive for healthy individuals, instability training for the upper body may actually be beneficial. Eric went on to explain that it all has to do with the fact that the lower body predominantly functions in a close chained (both feet in contact with the ground) manner that does not normally involve the ground moving underneath it. However, the upper body functions in more of an open chained (no ground or solid surface contact) manner with things more likely to move and change position.
This makes a lot of sense if you think of a football lineman blocking a pass rusher. The lineman’s feet are dealing with a flat and stable ground while his upper body is all over place dealing with another body moving in every which way trying to get around him.
Now that I have hopefully changed your mind about the Swiss ball, I’m going to provide you a list of exercises using the Swiss ball that we have found to be beneficial to our clients, athletes and physique competitors.
a href=”http://www.performanceu.net/article05.html”>Click here to view pictures and videos of all the exercises described below.
The Exercises
Y,T,W, L Shoulder Circuit w/Swiss Ball
The reason why we preffer to use the Swiss ball while performing our Y,T,W, L shoulder circuits has nothing to do with the shoulders themselves but has everything to do with the trunk. In that, when athletes perform the Y,T,W, Lcircuits on a flat surface like the floor or a bench, they usually start to extend from their lower back in a superman like position. This is normally due to the fact that they, like many athletes, lack ample shoulder flexion. Therfore, they attempt to kick in the lumbar extensors to help raise the arms.
If you reffer to my article How Not to Warm Up, you will see why this type of movement is undesirable. We all tend to slouch and sit too much, in doing so we create length and weakness in the thoracic area. So, the real goal here is to somehow create extension at the thoracic spine, not the lumbar spine. This can be successfully accomplished by performing the Y,T,W shoulder circuit on a Swiss ball.
With the swiss ball and some correct positioning, the extension comes from the thoracic spine
We position our athletes so that the apex of their thoracic curve during flexion over the ball is over top the apex of the ball itself. We also have them flex at the hip joint which further decreases extension at the lumbar spine. This enables us to get more bang for our buck.
We build endurance in all the muscles invovled in extending the thoracic spine while simutaneously reaping the benefits of the Y,T,W, L shoulder circuit.
The Swiss Ball Dumbbell Chest Press
The swiss ball chest press allows us to build flexibilty in hip flexors, strength endurance in the anterior neck muscles and glutes while simultaneously building upper body pushing strength.
The swiss ball chest press is the only exercise that we use a swiss ball in combination with weights. However, because it involves an unstable surface, we only use it while performing repetitive effort lifts and never use it while performing dynamic or max effort lifts.
Many people will agrue about the instability of the ball interferring with strength output. When I meet coaches that are of that mindset, I tell them two things;
1. If the feet are positioned shoulder width or wider, the instability is pretty much canceled out.
2. We agree that instabilty interferes with max strength output. This is why we ONLY use this exercise with submaximal loads as in a hypertrophy phase or repetitive effort phase.
In my mind, if you want allot of bang for your buck the Swiss ball chest press is a great choice.
Swiss Ball Perturbations
This is one of the most popular exercises we use at Performance University amoung our high level athlets and recreational clients alike.. Swiss perturbations are a fun and very effective way to develop rock solid core stability. The goal of the person holding the ball is to maintain optimal alignment and own the position thay began in. With each diffrent strike of the ball, the torso as to make a slight adjustment to maintain control of its position. Thi is what Rehab spractioners call rythmic stabilization. We call it a damn good exercise.
The unpredicatable nature of this exercise makes it more functional than most other “core stabilization” exercises.
This exercise can be progressed by the partner striking the ball with slightly more force or the holder standing with the feet closer together or in a stagered stance.
Swiss Ball Roll Out
The swiss ball roll out is one of our favorite exerciss for training the anterior trunk muscles. We like it because it devloped torso strength and pelvic control without putting the spine in a flexed position as it would be in a crunch or sit up type exercise. Mike Boyle produced a great article called Anterior Core Training that thoroughly desribes the theory and methodolgy behind movements like the swiss ball roll out. In that same article, Boyle also diplayed many progressions to the swiss ball roll out involving tools like the ab dolley and arko wheels. However, if you don’t have all of those tools/toys available to you, here are some simple progression strategies you can use.
The beginers version of the Swiss ball roll out starts with the elbows bent and forearms resting on the ball.
This exercise can then be progressed by raising the torso and straightening the arms. This lengthens the lever arm and increases the demand on the anterior core. Shown below.
On both of these roll out variations be sure to extend both your arms and legs while maintaining a fairly neutral spine. Only go out as far as you can without losing optimal spinal alignment.
The Reverse Ball Roll Out
As of late we have been using another variation of the roll out which we call reverse roll outs. To perform the reverse roll out, hold on to a stable object such as a weight bench. While maintaining alignment, extend your lower body until reaching a superman type position. Return to the starting position and repeat.
The height of surface your holding onto should be approx. even to the height of the ball. In the picture above, Tim is holding on to a bar that is slightly higher than the ball underneath his legs. You can see how this is causing him to sag slightly at his low back. We were in the process of moving our gym during this photo shoot and we had to work with what we had left in the gym.
Swiss Ball Toe Plank
This is another great anterior core exercise. We usually perform holds for anywhere from 10-20 seconds. Proper form for this exercise is pretty much self explanatory.
Swiss Ball Knee Tucks
If you have fairly decent “core strength”, Swiss ball knee tucks aren’t really that difficult. This is why we don’t use this exercise with the intention of building strength. We use this exercise to build awareness of what the rehab world calls” hip/back disassociation”.
All this really means is, how well you can move at your hips without moving at your lumbar spine. There are a lot of ways to accomplish this which are beyond the scope of this article. However, in the context of the Swiss ball knee tuck exercise, we want our athletes to be able to flex at their hip without flexing at their low back. If they can accomplish this, it shows that they posses good hip/back disassociation.
Athletes with poor hip back disassociation will always compensate for a lack of hip mobility by increasing mobility at the lumbar spine. Which according to the latest research is designed for stability, not mobility? My article How NOT to Warm Up covers that science in great detail.
The science aside, just keep this little saying in mind, “what your hips lack can hurt your back”.
So, yeah…do your knee tucks.
1 Leg Swiss Ball Knee Tuck
This version of the knee tuck is much more difficult than the previous because there is an added rotary component. Although there is no visual rotation, the athlete has to work to prevent gravity form pulling them into rotation on the side of the lifted leg. This is what my good friend JC Santana calls “training the invisible. This is an important point to keep in mind anytime you go from a bi-lateral position to a unilateral position.
1 Arm Holds
This is another one that’s pretty self explanatory. Simply maintain optimal spinal alignment while keeping your arm locked out. We use holds ranging from 5-15sec.
This one is just plain tough!
Swiss ball Straight Leg Bridge
We always make sure to encourage our athletes to create the lift using from their hamstrings and glutes, not from their low back. Athletes with an increased lordosis (low back curve) will find this more difficult and therefore tend to need more coaching on movements like this.
Yes, I know you can also do this on a bench but our athletes seem to like it better with the ball. So, as they say, “the customer is always right”.
Plus, you can’t do some of the progressions I’m about to show you on a bench.
Straight Leg Bridges (w/Long Lever)
We learned this progression from Coach JC Santana. It’s a great way to integrate in the calf’s and increase the overall difficulty on your posterior muscles.
Be sure to keep the heels off the ball.
1 Leg Hip Bridges (w/straight leg)
These are not only a great progression to the 2 leg bridges but they serve as a nice compliment to the 1 leg knee tucks.
These work on improving hip/back disassociation in extension. We want to see the extension coming from the hips and glutes and not from the low back. We encourage our athletes to keep the lifted knee stable during this exercise. If the knee moves, it means that the pelvis is moving and therefore stability is lost.
Swiss Ball Bent Leg Bridges
The bent leg bridges are more glute dominant bridge than the straight leg version. That said, your hamstring have to work isometrically to hold the ball in place while the hips rise and fall.
We normally just alternate straight and bent leg bridges each workout.
Swiss Ball Bent Leg Bridge (1 Leg)
The rules on the one leg version are the same as above. Just be sure to prevent any sort of pelvic rotation due to the reduced base of support.
Swiss Ball Leg Curls
Once you can successfully perform both the straight and bent leg exercises. We simply combine the two moves to make the leg curl. This you really can’t do with a bench. You can do this with a slide board if you have access to one.
Once your hips lift up, they don’t come down until the set is complete. Be sure to lift your hips higher up as the legs curl in. This will create a straight line between the knee, hip, and torso.
Aside from glute ham raises is the only exercise that allows us to train hip extension and knee flexion simultaneously. Those two motions are always coupled together during any locomotive type action.
Running involves the combined action hip extension and knee flexion of the rear leg as it prepares to pull through
1 Leg Ball Curl
This progression from the two leg curl, when done correctly, will challenge even the most advanced athlete.
Swiss Ball Complex
Once each one these exercises are mastered separately, we like to combine them into a Swiss ball complex. We use this complex as part of an active dynamic warm up, as a warm down or as active rest on recovery days.
We start with roll outs for 10-20 reps
Then to push ups for 10-20 for reps
Followed up with the Y,T,W,L shoulder circuit for 10-15reps each letter
Then move to knee tucks for 10-20 reps
We finish with a toes on ball plank hold for 10-30 seconds
This entire complex is normally performed for 1-3 sets and 0-60 seconds rest between sets. Three rounds of this at 20 reps each exercise with no break is just plain tough.
This complex is very popular with our clients and athletes because it has a smooth flow from between exercises, it’s easy to remember and it gets a lot of quality work done in little time. Aside from that, it’s kind of fun.
a href=”http://www.performanceu.net/article05.html”>Click here to view pictures and videos of all the exercises described above.
Final Comments
Well, there you have it, the definitive list of Swiss ball exercises that don’t suck.
If it’s not on this list and it involves a Swiss ball then…well, you get the point.
The exercises on this list have been a part of our performance and physique programs for many years. They have been used at some point by just about everyone who has walked through our doors.
I can’t honestly tell you that these Swiss ball are solely responsible for our clients and athletes consistently getting bigger stronger and faster.
But I can tell you that they sure as hell haven’t hurt.
After my article Stick Your Neck Out was published; I surprisingly caught some flack from the “hardcore” types just because I showed a stability ball being used in a few of the exercise applications.
Since I’m not emotionally attached to any one piece of equipment or style of training, I was not upset in the least about this. However, it did make me realize how misunderstood the Swiss ball is within the “hardcore strength” community.
So, in light of this realization, I’m stepping up to set the record straight once and for all about Swiss balls and how they should and shouldn’t be utilized in and effective strength program.
Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game
My friend and colleague Coach Rob Simonelli brought up an interesting point when he and I were discussing this article and why serious weight lifters dislike Swiss balls. Rob said “What serious lifters don’t understand is that it’s not so much that they dislike Swiss balls, it’s that they dislike what Swiss Balls represent”.
He was absolutely right. Hardcore weightlifters have made Swiss balls guilty by association just because there are a bunch of “functional trainers” out there doing some seriously ridiculous stuff on them.
This doesn’t mean that Swiss balls can’t be use for stuff that actually has value.
To all you Swiss ball haters out there, I want you to ask yourself one question; “Am I blaming the tool or the practitioner?”
I think you will realize that myself and Rob and are correct in saying that, the Swiss ball, like everything else in the gym is just a tool. One that can be used or abused depending on whose hands it’s in. Just because there are people out there abusing a certain tool doesn’t mean we should throw it out of the tool box all together. If that were the case, we wouldn’t use any equipment at all judging by what I’ve seen done with barbells and dumbbells these days.
Now let’s get one thing clear, the title of this article is not called “Swiss Ball Exercises that You Need to Do Everyday or Else Your Will Go to Pot”. The exercises shown in this article are in no way a necessity, they are just other options to challenge your body in a positive manner and compliment your “core” lifts.
In other words, they are just tools in the tool box.
You just have to know when to use the tools you’ve got.
When Instability and Strength is Actually Good
Recently, I got to attend one of my friend Eric Cressey’s classes on training the overhead athlete. During his workshop, Eric made a great point that I feel is relevant to this article. He said that although it has been found that unstable surface training for the lower body has been found to be ineffective and in some cases even counterproductive for healthy individuals, instability training for the upper body may actually be beneficial. Eric went on to explain that it all has to do with the fact that the lower body predominantly functions in a close chained (both feet in contact with the ground) manner that does not normally involve the ground moving underneath it. However, the upper body functions in more of an open chained (no ground or solid surface contact) manner with things more likely to move and change position.
This makes a lot of sense if you think of a football lineman blocking a pass rusher. The lineman’s feet are dealing with a flat and stable ground while his upper body is all over place dealing with another body moving in every which way trying to get around him.
Now that I have hopefully changed your mind about the Swiss ball, I’m going to provide you a list of exercises using the Swiss ball that we have found to be beneficial to our clients, athletes and physique competitors.
a href=”http://www.performanceu.net/article05.html”>Click here to view pictures and videos of all the exercises described below.
The Exercises
Y,T,W, L Shoulder Circuit w/Swiss Ball
The reason why we preffer to use the Swiss ball while performing our Y,T,W, L shoulder circuits has nothing to do with the shoulders themselves but has everything to do with the trunk. In that, when athletes perform the Y,T,W, Lcircuits on a flat surface like the floor or a bench, they usually start to extend from their lower back in a superman like position. This is normally due to the fact that they, like many athletes, lack ample shoulder flexion. Therfore, they attempt to kick in the lumbar extensors to help raise the arms.
If you reffer to my article How Not to Warm Up, you will see why this type of movement is undesirable. We all tend to slouch and sit too much, in doing so we create length and weakness in the thoracic area. So, the real goal here is to somehow create extension at the thoracic spine, not the lumbar spine. This can be successfully accomplished by performing the Y,T,W shoulder circuit on a Swiss ball.
With the swiss ball and some correct positioning, the extension comes from the thoracic spine
We position our athletes so that the apex of their thoracic curve during flexion over the ball is over top the apex of the ball itself. We also have them flex at the hip joint which further decreases extension at the lumbar spine. This enables us to get more bang for our buck.
We build endurance in all the muscles invovled in extending the thoracic spine while simutaneously reaping the benefits of the Y,T,W, L shoulder circuit.
The Swiss Ball Dumbbell Chest Press
The swiss ball chest press allows us to build flexibilty in hip flexors, strength endurance in the anterior neck muscles and glutes while simultaneously building upper body pushing strength.
The swiss ball chest press is the only exercise that we use a swiss ball in combination with weights. However, because it involves an unstable surface, we only use it while performing repetitive effort lifts and never use it while performing dynamic or max effort lifts.
Many people will agrue about the instability of the ball interferring with strength output. When I meet coaches that are of that mindset, I tell them two things;
1. If the feet are positioned shoulder width or wider, the instability is pretty much canceled out.
2. We agree that instabilty interferes with max strength output. This is why we ONLY use this exercise with submaximal loads as in a hypertrophy phase or repetitive effort phase.
In my mind, if you want allot of bang for your buck the Swiss ball chest press is a great choice.
Swiss Ball Perturbations
This is one of the most popular exercises we use at Performance University amoung our high level athlets and recreational clients alike.. Swiss perturbations are a fun and very effective way to develop rock solid core stability. The goal of the person holding the ball is to maintain optimal alignment and own the position thay began in. With each diffrent strike of the ball, the torso as to make a slight adjustment to maintain control of its position. Thi is what Rehab spractioners call rythmic stabilization. We call it a damn good exercise.
The unpredicatable nature of this exercise makes it more functional than most other “core stabilization” exercises.
This exercise can be progressed by the partner striking the ball with slightly more force or the holder standing with the feet closer together or in a stagered stance.
Swiss Ball Roll Out
The swiss ball roll out is one of our favorite exerciss for training the anterior trunk muscles. We like it because it devloped torso strength and pelvic control without putting the spine in a flexed position as it would be in a crunch or sit up type exercise. Mike Boyle produced a great article called Anterior Core Training that thoroughly desribes the theory and methodolgy behind movements like the swiss ball roll out. In that same article, Boyle also diplayed many progressions to the swiss ball roll out involving tools like the ab dolley and arko wheels. However, if you don’t have all of those tools/toys available to you, here are some simple progression strategies you can use.
The beginers version of the Swiss ball roll out starts with the elbows bent and forearms resting on the ball.
This exercise can then be progressed by raising the torso and straightening the arms. This lengthens the lever arm and increases the demand on the anterior core. Shown below.
On both of these roll out variations be sure to extend both your arms and legs while maintaining a fairly neutral spine. Only go out as far as you can without losing optimal spinal alignment.
The Reverse Ball Roll Out
As of late we have been using another variation of the roll out which we call reverse roll outs. To perform the reverse roll out, hold on to a stable object such as a weight bench. While maintaining alignment, extend your lower body until reaching a superman type position. Return to the starting position and repeat.
The height of surface your holding onto should be approx. even to the height of the ball. In the picture above, Tim is holding on to a bar that is slightly higher than the ball underneath his legs. You can see how this is causing him to sag slightly at his low back. We were in the process of moving our gym during this photo shoot and we had to work with what we had left in the gym.
Swiss Ball Toe Plank
This is another great anterior core exercise. We usually perform holds for anywhere from 10-20 seconds. Proper form for this exercise is pretty much self explanatory.
Swiss Ball Knee Tucks
If you have fairly decent “core strength”, Swiss ball knee tucks aren’t really that difficult. This is why we don’t use this exercise with the intention of building strength. We use this exercise to build awareness of what the rehab world calls” hip/back disassociation”.
All this really means is, how well you can move at your hips without moving at your lumbar spine. There are a lot of ways to accomplish this which are beyond the scope of this article. However, in the context of the Swiss ball knee tuck exercise, we want our athletes to be able to flex at their hip without flexing at their low back. If they can accomplish this, it shows that they posses good hip/back disassociation.
Athletes with poor hip back disassociation will always compensate for a lack of hip mobility by increasing mobility at the lumbar spine. Which according to the latest research is designed for stability, not mobility? My article How NOT to Warm Up covers that science in great detail.
The science aside, just keep this little saying in mind, “what your hips lack can hurt your back”.
So, yeah…do your knee tucks.
1 Leg Swiss Ball Knee Tuck
This version of the knee tuck is much more difficult than the previous because there is an added rotary component. Although there is no visual rotation, the athlete has to work to prevent gravity form pulling them into rotation on the side of the lifted leg. This is what my good friend JC Santana calls “training the invisible. This is an important point to keep in mind anytime you go from a bi-lateral position to a unilateral position.
1 Arm Holds
This is another one that’s pretty self explanatory. Simply maintain optimal spinal alignment while keeping your arm locked out. We use holds ranging from 5-15sec.
This one is just plain tough!
Swiss ball Straight Leg Bridge
We always make sure to encourage our athletes to create the lift using from their hamstrings and glutes, not from their low back. Athletes with an increased lordosis (low back curve) will find this more difficult and therefore tend to need more coaching on movements like this.
Yes, I know you can also do this on a bench but our athletes seem to like it better with the ball. So, as they say, “the customer is always right”.
Plus, you can’t do some of the progressions I’m about to show you on a bench.
Straight Leg Bridges (w/Long Lever)
We learned this progression from Coach JC Santana. It’s a great way to integrate in the calf’s and increase the overall difficulty on your posterior muscles.
Be sure to keep the heels off the ball.
1 Leg Hip Bridges (w/straight leg)
These are not only a great progression to the 2 leg bridges but they serve as a nice compliment to the 1 leg knee tucks.
These work on improving hip/back disassociation in extension. We want to see the extension coming from the hips and glutes and not from the low back. We encourage our athletes to keep the lifted knee stable during this exercise. If the knee moves, it means that the pelvis is moving and therefore stability is lost.
Swiss Ball Bent Leg Bridges
The bent leg bridges are more glute dominant bridge than the straight leg version. That said, your hamstring have to work isometrically to hold the ball in place while the hips rise and fall.
We normally just alternate straight and bent leg bridges each workout.
Swiss Ball Bent Leg Bridge (1 Leg)
The rules on the one leg version are the same as above. Just be sure to prevent any sort of pelvic rotation due to the reduced base of support.
Swiss Ball Leg Curls
Once you can successfully perform both the straight and bent leg exercises. We simply combine the two moves to make the leg curl. This you really can’t do with a bench. You can do this with a slide board if you have access to one.
Once your hips lift up, they don’t come down until the set is complete. Be sure to lift your hips higher up as the legs curl in. This will create a straight line between the knee, hip, and torso.
Aside from glute ham raises is the only exercise that allows us to train hip extension and knee flexion simultaneously. Those two motions are always coupled together during any locomotive type action.
Running involves the combined action hip extension and knee flexion of the rear leg as it prepares to pull through
1 Leg Ball Curl
This progression from the two leg curl, when done correctly, will challenge even the most advanced athlete.
Swiss Ball Complex
Once each one these exercises are mastered separately, we like to combine them into a Swiss ball complex. We use this complex as part of an active dynamic warm up, as a warm down or as active rest on recovery days.
We start with roll outs for 10-20 reps
Then to push ups for 10-20 for reps
Followed up with the Y,T,W,L shoulder circuit for 10-15reps each letter
Then move to knee tucks for 10-20 reps
We finish with a toes on ball plank hold for 10-30 seconds
This entire complex is normally performed for 1-3 sets and 0-60 seconds rest between sets. Three rounds of this at 20 reps each exercise with no break is just plain tough.
This complex is very popular with our clients and athletes because it has a smooth flow from between exercises, it’s easy to remember and it gets a lot of quality work done in little time. Aside from that, it’s kind of fun.
a href=”http://www.performanceu.net/article05.html”>Click here to view pictures and videos of all the exercises described above.
Final Comments
Well, there you have it, the definitive list of Swiss ball exercises that don’t suck.
If it’s not on this list and it involves a Swiss ball then…well, you get the point.
The exercises on this list have been a part of our performance and physique programs for many years. They have been used at some point by just about everyone who has walked through our doors.
I can’t honestly tell you that these Swiss ball are solely responsible for our clients and athletes consistently getting bigger stronger and faster.
But I can tell you that they sure as hell haven’t hurt.
(0) Comment Categories :
Muscle Building
Do the Right Weight Training Exercises to Build Muscle Size and Strength
Posted by
Health 12 Mar, 2009
Rob asked: If you follow a weight training routine it’s very important to do the right exercises to increase overall muscle mass and strength. This is especially true for novice weight trainers. Doing too many isolation exercises at the expense of the major compound exercises won’t help you build the muscle size and strengthyou’re looking [...]
Rob asked:
If you follow a weight training routine it’s very important to do the right exercises to increase overall muscle mass and strength. This is especially true for novice weight trainers. Doing too many isolation exercises at the expense of the major compound exercises won’t help you build the muscle size and strengthyou’re looking for. Even if you’ve been weight training for some time there are certain exercises you should always keep in your routine.
The best weight training exercises for overall muscular development are squats, deadlifts, bench presses, pull-ups and pulldowns, military and dumbbell presses, curls, triceps extensions, and calf raises. Doing these exercises, or various forms of them, will help you build muscle size and strength throughout the entire body.
Squats are the best weight training exercise for leg development and possibly the best weight training exercise overall. Not only will you build your quadricep and hamstring muscles with squats, but you’ll also get a testosterone boost that will help you gain more overall muscle size.
The best exercise for lower back workouts is the deadlift. Deadlifting will give your entire lower body and even your upper back a lot of work when you perform them.
Bench presses are the undisputed king of chest exercises. You’ll build your pecs quickly if you bench press properly and also get some secondary work for the front deltoids and triceps.
For overall muscular development in the upper back you’ll need to train for both width and thickness. The best weight training exercises to add upper back width are pull-ups and pulldowns. Pull-ups are better than pulldowns, but it can be hard to get enough pull-ups for a good set if you haven’t built enough strength in your upper back or you weigh too much. To add more upper back thickness you need to do rows. Rows can be done a variety of ways - with barbells, dumbbells, cables, or on various machines.
Military presses are great for building the shoulder muscles, though you may want to do dumbbell presses instead to target the side head of the deltoid more. If you do military presses you should lower the weight to in front of your neck instead of behind it. You’re way more likely to hurt your shoulders if you lower the weight behind your neck.
The best exercise for the biceps are curls. Of course, pretty much every bicep exercise involves curling and you do them many different ways.
Triceps extensions are another exercise that can be done a variety of ways. You can do them while standing, seated, or lying on a bench to hit the triceps from many different angles.
The best exercise for the calves is the calf raise. You can do them standing or seated (for the best results you should do both) or on a leg press machine for a change of pace.
Always keep these exercises, or the different forms of them, as the main exercises in your weight training routine. Start your workouts with these compound exercises and save the isolation exercises for the end of your workouts. Flyes, leg extensions, tricep kickbacks, and other popular isolation exercises have their place for getting a nice burn in the muscles, but the major exercises will help you build the real muscle mass and strength.
If you follow a weight training routine it’s very important to do the right exercises to increase overall muscle mass and strength. This is especially true for novice weight trainers. Doing too many isolation exercises at the expense of the major compound exercises won’t help you build the muscle size and strengthyou’re looking for. Even if you’ve been weight training for some time there are certain exercises you should always keep in your routine.
The best weight training exercises for overall muscular development are squats, deadlifts, bench presses, pull-ups and pulldowns, military and dumbbell presses, curls, triceps extensions, and calf raises. Doing these exercises, or various forms of them, will help you build muscle size and strength throughout the entire body.
Squats are the best weight training exercise for leg development and possibly the best weight training exercise overall. Not only will you build your quadricep and hamstring muscles with squats, but you’ll also get a testosterone boost that will help you gain more overall muscle size.
The best exercise for lower back workouts is the deadlift. Deadlifting will give your entire lower body and even your upper back a lot of work when you perform them.
Bench presses are the undisputed king of chest exercises. You’ll build your pecs quickly if you bench press properly and also get some secondary work for the front deltoids and triceps.
For overall muscular development in the upper back you’ll need to train for both width and thickness. The best weight training exercises to add upper back width are pull-ups and pulldowns. Pull-ups are better than pulldowns, but it can be hard to get enough pull-ups for a good set if you haven’t built enough strength in your upper back or you weigh too much. To add more upper back thickness you need to do rows. Rows can be done a variety of ways - with barbells, dumbbells, cables, or on various machines.
Military presses are great for building the shoulder muscles, though you may want to do dumbbell presses instead to target the side head of the deltoid more. If you do military presses you should lower the weight to in front of your neck instead of behind it. You’re way more likely to hurt your shoulders if you lower the weight behind your neck.
The best exercise for the biceps are curls. Of course, pretty much every bicep exercise involves curling and you do them many different ways.
Triceps extensions are another exercise that can be done a variety of ways. You can do them while standing, seated, or lying on a bench to hit the triceps from many different angles.
The best exercise for the calves is the calf raise. You can do them standing or seated (for the best results you should do both) or on a leg press machine for a change of pace.
Always keep these exercises, or the different forms of them, as the main exercises in your weight training routine. Start your workouts with these compound exercises and save the isolation exercises for the end of your workouts. Flyes, leg extensions, tricep kickbacks, and other popular isolation exercises have their place for getting a nice burn in the muscles, but the major exercises will help you build the real muscle mass and strength.
(0) Comment Categories :
Muscle Building
The 5 Best Biceps Building Exercises for Beginning Bodybuilders
Posted by
Health 28 Feb, 2009
Mark G. Winston asked: If you’re serious about building big, muscular biceps, then this is the list for you! But before I give you my Top 5 list for biceps-building success, let me explain my exercise selection criteria.First, the exercises on this list are simple and for beginners who need a solid foundation in biceps-building [...]
Mark G. Winston asked:
If you’re serious about building big, muscular biceps, then this is the list for you! But before I give you my Top 5 list for biceps-building success, let me explain my exercise selection criteria.
First, the exercises on this list are simple and for beginners who need a solid foundation in biceps-building fundamentals in order to achieve long-term success from their workouts. While these exercises are simple, they’re not easy. Their simplicity lies in the intuitive benefits that come from each biceps-building movement and the fact that you can do these exercises with a minimal time commitment. But getting the most from these exercises will still require careful attention to training technique and workout variety – the 2 keys to biceps-building success that are not always easy for beginning bodybuilders.
If you’re wondering whether you’re a beginning bodybuilder, here’s my general rule. You’re a beginner if you’ve been training your biceps once or twice per week for 6 months or less. You’re also a beginner if you been trying to build your biceps for more than 6 months with exercises other than those provided on my list. Why? Because if you haven’t mastered the biceps-building exercises listed in my Top 5, you’re not ready for the intermediate or advanced workout methods that you’ll eventually need to build truly Awesome Arms.
Second, to make my Top 5 list, the equipment needed for each biceps-building exercise must be universally available. That means that you can do all of these exercises with dumbbells, an EZ-curl bar and a basic workout bench which you can find in any gym or health club. You can also do these exercises at home with a very small investment in this equipment for your home gym. There’s no need for fancy machines or trendy gimmicks here.
Finally, each of my Top 5 biceps-building exercises will help you to simultaneously build mass, shape and power in your biceps, triceps and forearms. These muscle areas are directly targeted during each exercise to maximize growth and efficiency from your workouts.
Now that I’ve told you how I created my list, here are the Top 5 exercises for building the big, muscular biceps that you desire! They’re not listed in any particular order, so there’s no reason to think that one particular exercise is better than another. You must decide what works best for you through experimentation with each exercise. But rest assured that any biceps-building program that includes all of these exercises will definitely add inches, symmetry and power to your GUNS.
1. EZ Bar Preacher Curls
The EZ bar preacher curl is one of my all time favorite biceps exercises. The preacher bench is a terrific training tool as it forces the biceps to work in relative isolation from the back and shoulders. Unlike standing barbell curls which usually involve biceps-cheating torso swing, preacher curls keep your arms at an angle that forces your biceps to provide the leverage needed to lift the weight. The EZ curl bar offers both narrow-grip and wide-grip hand positions. When you use the narrow grip, your hands are in a semi-neutral position and therefore increase involvement of the brachioradialis in the curling motion. If you have no experience with preacher curls, you should probably begin with the narrow-grip position.
As you become more experienced with this exercise you should move to the wider grip as it forces supination or a “palms up” positioning of your hands. Since the biceps function primarily as a hand-supinator, the more you supinate your hands the more resistance you will place on your biceps. If you’ve got the potential to build biceps peaks, EZ bar preacher curls will certainly tap that potential.
2. Standing EZ Bar Curls
As an alternative to the EZ bar preacher curl, standing EZ bar curls with back support are a great biceps builder. When performed while standing with your back leaning slightly against a wall, standing EZ bar curls force your biceps to lift the weight without the wasteful torso swing that will cheat your biceps of the benefits of this exercise. As mentioned previously, the EZ curl bar has narrow and wide hand-grip positions. If you have no experience with EZ bar curls, you should probably begin with the narrow-grip position. With increased experience in this exercise you should use the wide-grip position to supinate your hands and increase the workload on your biceps.
3. Dumbbell Preacher Curls
The dumbbell preacher curl is another one of my favorite biceps builders. This exercise really allows you to make the mind-body connection so essential to biceps-building success. While many competitive bodybuilders use this exercise exclusively as a “shaper” during pre-contest training, the dumbbell preacher curl also works as a tremendous mass builder when used in a pyramid cycle. In fact, this exercise is the best high intensity bodybuilding movement for simultaneously adding size and shape to your biceps.
4. Concentration Curls
As the name suggests, this exercise places concentrated resistance on the biceps when performed properly. Besides building your biceps, this exercise also stresses and develops the brachialis. The brachialis is a true forearm flexor. It originates on the lower anterior surface of the humerus, ends on the anterior surface of the coronoid process of the ulna (the large bone on the inside of the forearm) and is visible on the outside of the upper arm between the biceps and the lateral head of the triceps. Development of the brachialis and biceps gives the front of your upper arms that thick, dense look that says “mess with me at your own risk!!”
5. Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curls
This exercise is one of the best biceps builders ever as long as you sit on a bench that has a back rest to prevent torso movement. Too many people do this exercise either standing or sitting on a bench without back support. In order to make sure that your biceps get the most work from this movement you must stabilize your torso so as to prevent any jerking motion. Also, remember to supinate your hands throughout each repetition to stimulate maximum growth for your biceps.
So, there you have it – my Top 5 list of biceps-building exercises for beginning bodybuilders. Try them, have fun with them, and make sure that you use safe amounts of weight and proper training technique with every exercise.
If you’re serious about building big, muscular biceps, then this is the list for you! But before I give you my Top 5 list for biceps-building success, let me explain my exercise selection criteria.
First, the exercises on this list are simple and for beginners who need a solid foundation in biceps-building fundamentals in order to achieve long-term success from their workouts. While these exercises are simple, they’re not easy. Their simplicity lies in the intuitive benefits that come from each biceps-building movement and the fact that you can do these exercises with a minimal time commitment. But getting the most from these exercises will still require careful attention to training technique and workout variety – the 2 keys to biceps-building success that are not always easy for beginning bodybuilders.
If you’re wondering whether you’re a beginning bodybuilder, here’s my general rule. You’re a beginner if you’ve been training your biceps once or twice per week for 6 months or less. You’re also a beginner if you been trying to build your biceps for more than 6 months with exercises other than those provided on my list. Why? Because if you haven’t mastered the biceps-building exercises listed in my Top 5, you’re not ready for the intermediate or advanced workout methods that you’ll eventually need to build truly Awesome Arms.
Second, to make my Top 5 list, the equipment needed for each biceps-building exercise must be universally available. That means that you can do all of these exercises with dumbbells, an EZ-curl bar and a basic workout bench which you can find in any gym or health club. You can also do these exercises at home with a very small investment in this equipment for your home gym. There’s no need for fancy machines or trendy gimmicks here.
Finally, each of my Top 5 biceps-building exercises will help you to simultaneously build mass, shape and power in your biceps, triceps and forearms. These muscle areas are directly targeted during each exercise to maximize growth and efficiency from your workouts.
Now that I’ve told you how I created my list, here are the Top 5 exercises for building the big, muscular biceps that you desire! They’re not listed in any particular order, so there’s no reason to think that one particular exercise is better than another. You must decide what works best for you through experimentation with each exercise. But rest assured that any biceps-building program that includes all of these exercises will definitely add inches, symmetry and power to your GUNS.
1. EZ Bar Preacher Curls
The EZ bar preacher curl is one of my all time favorite biceps exercises. The preacher bench is a terrific training tool as it forces the biceps to work in relative isolation from the back and shoulders. Unlike standing barbell curls which usually involve biceps-cheating torso swing, preacher curls keep your arms at an angle that forces your biceps to provide the leverage needed to lift the weight. The EZ curl bar offers both narrow-grip and wide-grip hand positions. When you use the narrow grip, your hands are in a semi-neutral position and therefore increase involvement of the brachioradialis in the curling motion. If you have no experience with preacher curls, you should probably begin with the narrow-grip position.
As you become more experienced with this exercise you should move to the wider grip as it forces supination or a “palms up” positioning of your hands. Since the biceps function primarily as a hand-supinator, the more you supinate your hands the more resistance you will place on your biceps. If you’ve got the potential to build biceps peaks, EZ bar preacher curls will certainly tap that potential.
2. Standing EZ Bar Curls
As an alternative to the EZ bar preacher curl, standing EZ bar curls with back support are a great biceps builder. When performed while standing with your back leaning slightly against a wall, standing EZ bar curls force your biceps to lift the weight without the wasteful torso swing that will cheat your biceps of the benefits of this exercise. As mentioned previously, the EZ curl bar has narrow and wide hand-grip positions. If you have no experience with EZ bar curls, you should probably begin with the narrow-grip position. With increased experience in this exercise you should use the wide-grip position to supinate your hands and increase the workload on your biceps.
3. Dumbbell Preacher Curls
The dumbbell preacher curl is another one of my favorite biceps builders. This exercise really allows you to make the mind-body connection so essential to biceps-building success. While many competitive bodybuilders use this exercise exclusively as a “shaper” during pre-contest training, the dumbbell preacher curl also works as a tremendous mass builder when used in a pyramid cycle. In fact, this exercise is the best high intensity bodybuilding movement for simultaneously adding size and shape to your biceps.
4. Concentration Curls
As the name suggests, this exercise places concentrated resistance on the biceps when performed properly. Besides building your biceps, this exercise also stresses and develops the brachialis. The brachialis is a true forearm flexor. It originates on the lower anterior surface of the humerus, ends on the anterior surface of the coronoid process of the ulna (the large bone on the inside of the forearm) and is visible on the outside of the upper arm between the biceps and the lateral head of the triceps. Development of the brachialis and biceps gives the front of your upper arms that thick, dense look that says “mess with me at your own risk!!”
5. Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curls
This exercise is one of the best biceps builders ever as long as you sit on a bench that has a back rest to prevent torso movement. Too many people do this exercise either standing or sitting on a bench without back support. In order to make sure that your biceps get the most work from this movement you must stabilize your torso so as to prevent any jerking motion. Also, remember to supinate your hands throughout each repetition to stimulate maximum growth for your biceps.
So, there you have it – my Top 5 list of biceps-building exercises for beginning bodybuilders. Try them, have fun with them, and make sure that you use safe amounts of weight and proper training technique with every exercise.
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Muscle Building
Five Exercises You Must Avoid If You Want To Stay Injury-Free
Posted by
Health 25 Feb, 2009
Nick Nilsson asked: All exercises are not created equal. Some exercises are good, some exercises are great, and some exercises are an injury just waiting to happen. Knowing which exercises to avoid can save you many months if not years of pain and frustration.1. Upright RowsThe Upright Row exercise is done to develop the shoulders [...]
Nick Nilsson asked:
All exercises are not created equal. Some exercises are good, some exercises are great, and some exercises are an injury just waiting to happen. Knowing which exercises to avoid can save you many months if not years of pain and frustration.
1. Upright Rows
The Upright Row exercise is done to develop the shoulders and traps. Holding a barbell or dumbells in front of your with a close, overhand grip, you pull the weight up to your chest, keeping it close to your body, leading with your elbows.
The Upright Row is one of the most harmful exercises you can expose your shoulders to. The problem with the exercise lies in the position your arms must be in in order to perform the movement. This position is called “internal rotation.” To demonstrate internal rotation, hold your arms straight out to the sides with your palms down. Now rotate your hands forward as if you were pouring out a glass of water in each. To do the upright row, the arms are bent at the elbow then internally rotated.
Internal rotation itself is not necessarily bad for your shoulders. The problem comes when you raise the arms up and add resistance in that position. Every time you raise the weight, a small tendon in your shoulder gets pinched (known as impingement) by the bones in the shoulder. This may not hurt immediately; it may not even hurt for a long, long time. The problem is the tendon will gradually become worn down and damaged. You may not even know you have a problem until one day the tendon snaps!
Instead of upright rows, stick to exercises such as dumbell presses, military presses and various raises. They are far safer for the shoulders.
2. Behind-The-Neck Pulldowns
This exercise is done to work the muscles of the back. While the exercise itself is actually effective for working the back, the problem with the exercise lies in what it can do to your shoulders.
In the previous exercise, I talked about internal rotation of the shoulders. The problem with the behind-the-neck pulldown lies in “external rotation.” Going back to the arms out to the side example, instead of pouring water forward, rotate your arms backward so that your palms are facing up. It’s basically the opposite movement to internal rotation.
To do the behind-the-neck pulldown as normally instructed, you must externally rotate your shoulders as much as possible. This is a very delicate position for your shoulders. The supporting muscles of the shoulders (known as the rotator cuff) are not in a good position to stabilize the joint and injury to those supporting muscles can result, which can lead to further injury in the connective tissue of the joint.
On top of that, since most people do not have enough shoulder flexibility to get a straight line of pull behind the neck, they must bend their neck forward to even do the movement. This can result in neck strain on top of shoulder strain.
This information also applies to the behind-the-neck pull-up exercise. The mechanics of the movement are exactly the same, the only difference being you’re pulling yourself up instead of pulling the weight down.
Stick to exercises that are in front of the body, such as front pulldowns, close-grip pulldowns and pull-ups to the front.
3. Behind-The-Neck Shoulder Presses
The Behind-The-Neck Press gives us the same shoulder issues associated with the Behind-The-Neck Pulldown. To do the movement, you must maximally externally rotate the shoulders. Again, this places the shoulders in a very vulnerable position, which can easily result in strain in the Rotator Cuff muscles.
Also, as with the pulldowns, most people simply don’t have the necessary shoulder flexibility to get a straight line on the movement - they must tilt their head forward to get the bar behind it, adding greatly to the possibility of injury.
Stick to the military press and the dumbell press for your shoulder pressing movements.
4. Stiff-Legged Deadlifts On A Bench
The Stiff-Legged Deadlift, properly done, is actually a very good movement for the hamstrings, glutes and lower back. The problem comes when, in an attempt to increase the stretch on the hamstrings, the exercise is done standing on a block or bench.
To get the most stretch on the hamstrings and to protect the lower back from injury, an arch should be maintained in the lower back during the movement. It’s extremely difficult to maintain an arch in the lower back when you are stretching down as far as you can towards the floor with a barbell pulling you down.
Without the arch, as a natural result, the spine will flex and the supporting muscles of the spine will relax. This places much of the tension of the exercise directly on the connective tissue and bones of the spinal column rather than the supporting muscles, which are stabilizing the spine. In an effort to get more stretch on the hamstrings, you instead compromise the support structures of your lower back.
5. The Sit-Up
If you enjoy having a pain-free lower back, the regular floor sit-up is a good exercise to avoid. When you do a sit-up, the mechanics of the movement and position of your body throw much of the torque of the movement onto your lower back. Your hip flexors pull directly on your spine in order to raise your torso off the floor when you do the exercise, leading to strain in the lower back area.
To top it off, the abdominal muscles (the real target of the exercise) are only worked isometrically. This means they don’t actually contract and move, they just work to hold the torso steady while the hip flexors do the pulling. This is not a very effective abdominal exercise.
You will be far better off performing direct abdominal-training movements such as crunches, ball crunches, cable crunches, etc. These exercises directly target the abs without throwing excessive tension on the lower back.
The exercises you do have a profound effect on your training and your health. Be sure to choose exercises that will help you move forward towards your goals and not set you back through injury.
All exercises are not created equal. Some exercises are good, some exercises are great, and some exercises are an injury just waiting to happen. Knowing which exercises to avoid can save you many months if not years of pain and frustration.
1. Upright Rows
The Upright Row exercise is done to develop the shoulders and traps. Holding a barbell or dumbells in front of your with a close, overhand grip, you pull the weight up to your chest, keeping it close to your body, leading with your elbows.
The Upright Row is one of the most harmful exercises you can expose your shoulders to. The problem with the exercise lies in the position your arms must be in in order to perform the movement. This position is called “internal rotation.” To demonstrate internal rotation, hold your arms straight out to the sides with your palms down. Now rotate your hands forward as if you were pouring out a glass of water in each. To do the upright row, the arms are bent at the elbow then internally rotated.
Internal rotation itself is not necessarily bad for your shoulders. The problem comes when you raise the arms up and add resistance in that position. Every time you raise the weight, a small tendon in your shoulder gets pinched (known as impingement) by the bones in the shoulder. This may not hurt immediately; it may not even hurt for a long, long time. The problem is the tendon will gradually become worn down and damaged. You may not even know you have a problem until one day the tendon snaps!
Instead of upright rows, stick to exercises such as dumbell presses, military presses and various raises. They are far safer for the shoulders.
2. Behind-The-Neck Pulldowns
This exercise is done to work the muscles of the back. While the exercise itself is actually effective for working the back, the problem with the exercise lies in what it can do to your shoulders.
In the previous exercise, I talked about internal rotation of the shoulders. The problem with the behind-the-neck pulldown lies in “external rotation.” Going back to the arms out to the side example, instead of pouring water forward, rotate your arms backward so that your palms are facing up. It’s basically the opposite movement to internal rotation.
To do the behind-the-neck pulldown as normally instructed, you must externally rotate your shoulders as much as possible. This is a very delicate position for your shoulders. The supporting muscles of the shoulders (known as the rotator cuff) are not in a good position to stabilize the joint and injury to those supporting muscles can result, which can lead to further injury in the connective tissue of the joint.
On top of that, since most people do not have enough shoulder flexibility to get a straight line of pull behind the neck, they must bend their neck forward to even do the movement. This can result in neck strain on top of shoulder strain.
This information also applies to the behind-the-neck pull-up exercise. The mechanics of the movement are exactly the same, the only difference being you’re pulling yourself up instead of pulling the weight down.
Stick to exercises that are in front of the body, such as front pulldowns, close-grip pulldowns and pull-ups to the front.
3. Behind-The-Neck Shoulder Presses
The Behind-The-Neck Press gives us the same shoulder issues associated with the Behind-The-Neck Pulldown. To do the movement, you must maximally externally rotate the shoulders. Again, this places the shoulders in a very vulnerable position, which can easily result in strain in the Rotator Cuff muscles.
Also, as with the pulldowns, most people simply don’t have the necessary shoulder flexibility to get a straight line on the movement - they must tilt their head forward to get the bar behind it, adding greatly to the possibility of injury.
Stick to the military press and the dumbell press for your shoulder pressing movements.
4. Stiff-Legged Deadlifts On A Bench
The Stiff-Legged Deadlift, properly done, is actually a very good movement for the hamstrings, glutes and lower back. The problem comes when, in an attempt to increase the stretch on the hamstrings, the exercise is done standing on a block or bench.
To get the most stretch on the hamstrings and to protect the lower back from injury, an arch should be maintained in the lower back during the movement. It’s extremely difficult to maintain an arch in the lower back when you are stretching down as far as you can towards the floor with a barbell pulling you down.
Without the arch, as a natural result, the spine will flex and the supporting muscles of the spine will relax. This places much of the tension of the exercise directly on the connective tissue and bones of the spinal column rather than the supporting muscles, which are stabilizing the spine. In an effort to get more stretch on the hamstrings, you instead compromise the support structures of your lower back.
5. The Sit-Up
If you enjoy having a pain-free lower back, the regular floor sit-up is a good exercise to avoid. When you do a sit-up, the mechanics of the movement and position of your body throw much of the torque of the movement onto your lower back. Your hip flexors pull directly on your spine in order to raise your torso off the floor when you do the exercise, leading to strain in the lower back area.
To top it off, the abdominal muscles (the real target of the exercise) are only worked isometrically. This means they don’t actually contract and move, they just work to hold the torso steady while the hip flexors do the pulling. This is not a very effective abdominal exercise.
You will be far better off performing direct abdominal-training movements such as crunches, ball crunches, cable crunches, etc. These exercises directly target the abs without throwing excessive tension on the lower back.
The exercises you do have a profound effect on your training and your health. Be sure to choose exercises that will help you move forward towards your goals and not set you back through injury.
(0) Comment Categories :
Muscle Building
Arm-pump-aholic Anonymous Compares Stick With Weight to Gripstik for Wrist Exercise
Posted by
Health 1 Feb, 2009
Wrist Exercise asked: 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 [...]
Wrist Exercise asked:
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
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
(3) Comment Categories :
Muscle Building
