Push-ups should be performed with the body straight from the shoulders to the ankles. Keep the core of your body solid. This will help build strong arm and chest muscles while strengthening your abs and core muscles.
Three Ways to Improve your Fitness Levels
Many people want to improve their physical fitness levels. However, they often make the excuses that they don't know how or they don't have the time. In this article I outline three ways you can implement fitness training into your daily routine.
1) LIFESTYLE CHANGE:- One of the easiest ways to improve your current fitness levels is to make small, positive changes to your daily routine. Specifically, you need to improve your diet and your exrercise routine. As I have mentioned, these changes do not have to be large. If you make small changes to your lifestyle at regular intervals these will soon build up to become large changes which yield significant results.
One way you could change your eating habits is by eating one less takeaway a week and substituting this for a healthier, home cooked meal. Then in the second week you could build on this by eating a salad for lunch once or twice a week. You can alter your exercise habits in a similar way. In the first week use stairs instead of elevators. In week two participate in a thirty minute brisk walk twice a week. As you can see these small but positive lifestyle changes collectively become significant changes which can (click here to read the entire article)
Facts & Tips •A study found that listening to music that increases in tempo from slow to fast will help you handle much higher workloads. So start off with slow music and move to music with faster tempos as you progress through your workout. •Researchers found that 5 grams a day of Creatine mixed in a protein shake increased maximum bench press by 35 pounds and squats by 25 lbs within 2-3 months on test subjects. Memory and intelligence test scores improved within 6 weeks. If you are not responding to creatine supplement try adding sugar to the shake. •Squats have been shown to reduce pain and soreness in the legs and knees when performed consistently. Subjects in a study experienced reduced pain and increased ease of movement in standing, walking and climbing. •In a 25 yr study researchers found that people who exercised the most had the best healthiest, strongest lungs and were least likely to age or lose function.•
More Facts & Tips •Most people are lacking in magnesium. Most blood tests don’t test for magnesium levels unless specifically requested, even though this is an essential mineral. It works to keep bones from losing calcium and potassium. Magnesium is found in unprocessed whole foods. To maintain magnesium levels in your body add a serving of brown rice, banana, spinach or almonds to your diet daily. •Eating beans, leafy greens, long grain brown rice and fortified cereals adds folate to your system. In a study of 6,000 people, those who did not get enough folate from foods suffered from depression. •96% of men don’t eat the recommended 9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. •Men taking creatine and protein together experience greater muscle growth. In a study with men divided into 4 groups - creatine & protein, creatine & carbs, carbs only, protein only. The group with creatine & protein were leaner and stronger and had larger muscle fibers..groups. •Eating raisins before or during a workout can lower free radical levels in your body. •Don’t forget your legs and butt when working out. Women think buns of steel are sexy.. •People who listened to music showed significantly greater strength gains in a 4 week study than those who wore noise blocking earplugs in a health study. Listen to what motivates you. But keep the volume at a reasonable level to avoid damaging eardrums. •A study involving eggs found that men who consumed dietary cholesterol from eggs for 12 weeks showed that the more cholesterol the men ate the better the muscle gains from weight resistance exercises. •Adding creatine to your protein/carb dietary intake showed a 68% greater increase in muscle over a 1o week Australian study. •Sedentary people who lifted moderate weights for a short period reported feeling less tired and significantly energized. •Neoprene sleeves can help protect the knees from injury when worn during physical stress. Worn all the time they can reduce support. Worn in the later part of a workout or during the fourth quarter of a game they provide the extra support needed to prevent injury from fatigue. •In a reviewing 15 trials with 15,000 people, researchers find no convincing evidence to support using a weight belt for prevention or treatment.
Body Mass Index:
Your weight w/o clothes = ________ (1) Your height in inches times your height in inches = ________ (2) Weight (1) divided by height squared (2) x 703 = your body mass index
For men a body mass index between 17 and 22 is considered fit. 23 to 25 is fine. 25 to 29 is considered overweight. A BMI of 30 or more is considered obese.
For women a body mass index between 19 and 22 is considered fit. 23 to 26 is fine. 27 to 32 is considered overweight. A BMI of 33 or more is considered obese.
Don’t freak out if you’ve got lots of muscles and your BMI is high - BMI was developed for the average person and is not adjusted for individuals who pack on a lot of muscle. Caliper testing will be more accurate for you.
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Doing full situps on the floor are the best way to develop your abs compared to crunches, situps using exercise balls and assisted ab exercises
•An 8 oz glass of soy milk lowers LDL cholesterol, repairs artery walls, reduces inflammation of the kidneys and promotes fat breakdown.
•8 oz of Almond Milk promotes good blood pressure, has more calcium, helps clean arteries and may promote weight loss.
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Mood-lifting Reasons to Exercise: •Exercise triggers natural antidepressants. Besides seratonin simple exercise releases dopamine and norepinephrine. A 15 minutes walk or jog at lunch is all you need. •Exercising aerobically or lifting weights for at least 20 minutes increases your body temperature by 1 or 2 degrees by triggering white blood cells to release pyrogens and peptides. The result is a soothing, calming effect that relieves anxiety and depression. •Working out or playing a sport give you a sense of self mastery, stopping or interrupting negative thoughts. •Add all of the physical benefits to the heart, circulatory, respiratory, adrenal and lymph systems and the processes at the cellular level and that 15-20 minute workout midday is greatly beneficial. It pays to set aside a few minutes in your day.
Facts & Tips •Runners who trained a combo of uphill, downhill and flat terrain increased their speed by 3.5% over those who only trained using one terrain type. •Weightifting could be the answer to weight loss. Scientists activated the gene in mice that caused Type II muscle-fiber growth (the kind you get from lifting heavy weights and running sprints). The mice immediately began losing weight even though they did not increase activity levels. Type II muscle fibers don’t use fat for energy, but apparently signal other tissues to speed metabolism of fat, leading to greater weight loss. The average genetic distribution for most people is about 50% Type I (endurance muscle) and 50% Type II (short burst power muscle). Adding weightlifting or running sprints will increase Type II muscle fiber growth and trigger greater weight loss. •Core body strength exercises that work on the lats and build impressive abs. Rather than classic crunches stand in front of a lat pulldown machine grabbing the bar with an overhand grip. Keeping the arms and back straight, pull the bar down in an arc motion until it touches your thighs. •Racquetball builds explosive power and burns as many calories as jogging and cycling. •Working your biceps with curls at the beginning of your workout will help increase size. Studies show that placing an exercise earlier in the workout will allow greater intensity and reps leading to increased size in those muscles. •It takes more energy to digest proteins than carbohydrates. Eating a high protein snack instead of a sugary drink after an intense workout can burn 21% more fat. •Eating 10 grams of fiber at night during dinner will help curb hunger even through lunch, leading to less snacking. But don’t skip breakfast - the majority of people who skip breakfast have weight problems. •Even though caffeine can’t be tasted, it does make you prefer caffeinated drinks more. Caffeine is mildly addictive and subconsciously causes you to prefer products with caffeine. •Eating a diet that increases your blood sugar levels may interfere with deep slumber and hinder vivid dreams. •Lifting light weights or doing a few calisthenics between days you lift heavy will reduce soreness and recovery time. •Running wind sprints between days you lift weights can increase your lifting performance. Both lifting and wind sprints use the same energy system (anaerobic) so they both condition your muscles and cardiovascular system, keeping them primed and strong, improving overall performance. • • • • • • • • • • • •
Lifting weights can: •Cut your risk of diabetes - weight training lowers blood glucose levels and improves insulin sensitivity. •Treat depression - weight training has been shown to boost mood and create a greater feeling of well-being •Spike testosterone - weight training can boost testosterone levels by 49%, increasing overall mortality and sex drive. •Decrease blood pressure - weightlifting lowers blood pressure readings and can reduce risk of stroke by up to 40%.
Awesome abs exercises will build a strong core and an enviable abdominal section
Elbow bridge plank - start by laying prone with elbows beneath you. Raise yourself up as in diagram creating a straight line from shoulders to feet, keeping a straight back. Pull your abs, buttocks and core muscles in tightly for as long as possible. Do not let hips sag. Return to starting position. Repeat exercise.
Side elbow plank - laying on your side raise yourself up on your elbow to create a straight plank, keeping your body straight from the shoulder to the feet. Contract your abs, back, buttocks and thigh muscles and hold your body in a tight plank for as long as possible. Switch to other side and do the same. Repeat on both sides.
Exercise Tips Improve your form - Develop more strength Push-ups, Pull-ups/Rows, Squats Lunges, Bench Press, Straigh-leg Deadlift
