Archive for February, 2010

As an alternative to weights, exercise resistance bands are quickly gaining popularity. But what are resistance bands and just what can they do for you?

Exercise resistance bands are thick, stretchy bands that come in a variety of colors, sizes, and resistances. You attach them to something such as a door and the band provides resistance for you to pull against.

I think the greatest advantage that resistance bands have over weights is the cumulative effect of the tightening band. If you lift a 5 lb. weight, it provides 5 lbs. of resistance throughout the whole movement. But as you pull against a resistance band, the resistance increases as you pull it more taught. You can build more muscle more quickly. And we all know that more muscle leads to more calorie burning and quicker fat loss!

In regards to safety: you are not very likely to overextend your joints, which is much more likely with weights. And if you drop a resistance band on your foot it won’t hurt!

As with other forms of exercise, resistance bands help to increase endurance, reduce stress, and boost energy. The low impact nature of exercise resistance bands helps build joint strength and increase flexibility. When you use these bands, you are building lean muscle mass and burning away fat.

There are lots of advantages to adding resistance bands to your workout routine. They are really inexpensive compared to other home gym equipment and very versatile. You can add a band to many of the movements you already use, such as bicep curls or lunges, to increase the intensity of your workout. They are small, flexible, and portable. Put an exercise resistance band in your purse and you can pull it out for a quick 5-minute workout almost anywhere!

Want to find out more about exercise resistance bands? Please visit Deb Conn’s blog, That Figures Women’s Fitness.

Come workout for free with Bodylastics resistance bands owner and creator, Blake Kassel. Get the details at Live Exercise Online.

Super-charge fat loss with strength training. No weights, no gym, no kidding. Workout where ever you go with this amazing strength training home gym system that's so small it fits in a briefcase, gym bag, backpack or purse.

Everyone is looking for new ways to improve their workout and health routine. By making dynamic stretching a part of your day you can reap the benefits and feel better. What this is really all about is something similar to traditional stretching, except that you are not going to be holding the positions at all. Instead you will stay in constant motion. Many of these we have all learned at some point but have never actually heard the term that referred to them.

Walking lunges were the things that made most junior high school students cringe. For some reason gym teachers have always taken a liking to these. To do it you step one foot far forward. As you set it down, continue moving downward to the floor, but do not touch it. Once you have gone as far down as you can, then you pull yourself back up, then immediately switch feel and begin the process again. The hamstrings and hips will get a much needed stretch, while other muscles in the thigh will get a considerable workout.

Arm circles are another one that most people are familiar with. For these you hold your arms straight out to the sides and make circles . This stretches and exercises the shoulder muscles. A common complaint is not actually about the discomfort from the stretch, but from the accompanying work that other muscles do during the motion.

These types of stretches are great when preparing for competition. These do provide a good workout for one group of muscles, while increasing the flexibility of others at the same time. These have been shown to reduce the risk of injury in competitive play, so there is a preventative aspect to them. Imagine, exercises that protect you from getting hurt while on the field!

Reduce muscles tightness with each motion. While many forms of stretching do this, not all of them can at the same time also increase your range of motion. This makes them ideal of all sorts of people, of all ages, not just athletes. The lunges increase the range of motion in the hips. The arm circles target the shoulders. Remember, what makes sense is usually dead on. When you increase the range of motion you decrease the chances of pulling or tearing a muscle.

You can incorporate other items in doing these, such as a stability ball. You can do these in such a way using the ball to really develop your core stability and strength. That means by stretching and working on your inner abdominal muscles you support your core. It is these muscles that support and protect your spine and back.

For more information on how to do these using a stability ball you will want to talk it over with a personal trainer or other other fitness professional. Please consult someone first before trying it so that you do not hurt yourself.

These benefits, increasing range of motion, protection from injury, and reduced muscle tightness do not happen overnight. To really take advantage of what these can do for you, you need to make it a part of your routine and really practice and dedicate yourself to your health.

Get the details on the way you can employ weight lifting workouts to train and sculpt your body today! Take a minute to get all the information you need to learn how to lose weight fast and easy!

Come workout for free with Bodylastics resistance bands owner and creator, Blake Kassel. Get the details at Live Exercise Online.

Super-charge fat loss with strength training. No weights, no gym, no kidding. Workout where ever you go with this amazing strength training home gym system that's so small it fits in a briefcase, gym bag, backpack or purse.

Intensity is a word that can mean different things to different people, so it is important that you know what it means to work with intensity so you can scale your workouts effectively. “PRE” means “perceived rate of exertion” and it is something that personal trainers will often ask you. In other words how hard do you think you are training?

PRE is simple. You are using a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the hardest you could possibly be training. For example if you were running, 10 would be the fastest you could run. You can use this in any training type, for example, weight training, running or cycling. There is no point in maintaining a no. 10 intensity for the whole duration as it will not give you the results you are looking for. Rather, try cycling the PRE so that you are doing interval training. For example, do 1 minute level 10 followed by 1 minute level 7 and repeat. This is great for fat loss.

So start to be aware of your level of intensity when training. How hard, according to your levels are you training? Could you work a little harder? Have a look around you, you will be amazed at how people at the gym are not putting in the effort, they are not working with intensity, so they simply wont get great results.

Do you plan your workouts ahead of time? This is an essential step towards working with the right intensity. It is far too easy to take it easy if you dont have a plan. Know ahead of time how many reps, sets, exercises, weight you are going to lift. Challenge yourself on this.

None of us want to work hard at the gym and not get the results you are looking for. This is why it is important to hire an exercise professional to guide you towards the correct techniques and exercises to suit your goals.

So get in there and work with intensity! You will achieve your goals a whole lot faster!

How would you like to get into the best shape of your life?? Then make sure you checkout Jill Edmonds’ fantastic personal training online, and free newsletter full of great tips on losing weight the right way!

Come workout for free with Bodylastics resistance bands owner and creator, Blake Kassel. Get the details at Live Exercise Online.

Super-charge fat loss with strength training. No weights, no gym, no kidding. Workout where ever you go with this amazing strength training home gym system that's so small it fits in a briefcase, gym bag, backpack or purse.