Archive for: June 2009

Many people don’t take the time to stretch their muscles before and after exercise and then they wonder why they are getting injured all the time.

It only takes minutes to stretch your muscles and by doing so you will pump more blood into the area that needs it thereby reducing the chance of injury.

Considering the time it takes to recover from injury and the loss of valuable fitness training, stretching is something that should never be left out of any training routine.

It is just as important to stretch whether you are on a resistance-training program or simply going for a walk.

Many different muscles are activated with the various types of exercise we do and it is essential to target those muscles when stretching.

If you are intending to do a heavy weight session on the lower body then you would need to warm up your leg muscles with some time on a stationary bike and then possibly touching your toes to limber up your lower back and hamstrings.

If you are going for a run, you would also need to stretch your legs, and in particular your hamstrings, where many runners have problems.

Tight hamstrings can also create problems with your lower back so often the problem is coming from an area other than where the pain is felt.

Stretching should always be light and never forced as that alone can cause more injury than some of the exercises we perform.
You should never bounce when stretching either as this can tear muscles or strain them enough that they will tear during the course of training.

If you are doing resistance training it is wise to start the first movement of any exercise with little or no weight to get the blood into your muscles and warm them up for the heavier weights that are to follow.

Cardio machines are excellent for people who are unable to get outside to exercise.
Most cardio machines are compact and easily portable and can be unobtrusively used in any room of the house.

They will allow you to train at any time of the day or night and you will not be dictated to by the weather or gym opening hours.

This is particularly important if you live in a cold or wet climate and training in winter is impossible outdoors.

There are many different cardio machines on the market and as there are machines in all price ranges there is bound to be something to suit most people.

Cardio machines are also very good for people who are recovering from injury as they will help to maintain fitness while ensuring that the muscles and limb movement are maintained in a controlled range eliminating the possibility of more injury.

Fortunately with the advent of the Internet there are a lot more brands on the market and the competitiveness of the industry has seen prices become a lot more reasonable.

There is also the added benefit of not needing to pay gym fees if you decide to do all your fitness training at home on a cardio machine.
The saving alone could pay for the machine many times over.

For elderly people cardio machines are excellent for fitness and the health of their lungs and heart.

Likewise children can benefit from the use of a cardio machine in the safety of their own home.

If you are considering buying a cardio machine do some shopping around, as there are many options and many opportunities to save considerable money by buying online.

It is always best to invest in quality machines as, not only do they last longer, but they are generally designed better to give you a more complete workout.

We will all hit plateaus in our training progress whether we are beginners or advanced fitness experts.
Even the top bodybuilders, and those who are taking steroids will plateau from time to time and it is something that we need to understand to breakthrough.

The first thing many people will do is to increase their training intensity.
This is the wrong move for most beginners and intermediate people as it quickly leads to over training.

Many times these plateaus will come about when the body is crying out for a bit more time to recover and rebuild.
Inexperienced fitness enthusiasts will see this as a sign that they need to push harder to continue their development and so begins an ever more difficult time where the training intensity increases but the results diminish.

If this problem isn’t addressed soon enough it can lead to illness as the immune system gets overloaded with the loads that are being placed upon it.

If you find that you aren’t making progress with your training then it might be time to reduce your training intensity, either by lifting lighter weights, working out for a shorter time, or in the case of aerobic exercises like running, reduce the distances and times of your training for a week or two.

In some cases where the training has been particularly intense you might even need to take a few days or a week off where you have a complete break and come back rejuvenated.

The more you exercise the better you get at reading your body and understanding when it is time to train harder and when it is time to take a break.

You might also need to consider having a backup training plan for these times where you will do something completely different to maintain fitness but still have a rest from your usual regime.

If you usually run for fitness you might try swimming for a week or two before coming back to your running training again.

Some of the most common injuries occur to those parts of the body that are also the hardest to repair.

Many people who are using resistance training as their preferred form of fitness, will injure their shoulders or lower back more often than other parts of the body.

The shoulders are quite susceptible to injury as they are activated with many different exercises and some of these exercises such as the bench press can involve the use of substantial weight.

It is imperative that you do sufficient warm up exercises for your shoulders before you even start to lift the lightest of weights.

Shoulder injuries can take a very long time to mend and as they are used in so many exercises it will stop or hinder you from doing most upper body workouts.

Using weight machines can reduce the incidence of injury as the movement is controlled but you will be missing out in the strengthening the occurs will all the other muscles that are used for balance and control when using free weights such as dumbbells and barbells.

As you age it could be more beneficial to move from free weights to weight machines as we become more susceptible to injury as we age.

The lower back is another area of concern for many people both with resistance training and aerobic training.
Some of the mass building exercises such as squats can place big loads on the lower back and unless you are performing the exercises with the correct movements you will always be exposed to the risk of injury.

This is where a professional fitness trainer can help to ensure you are doing the exercises correctly.

Strengthening the abdominal muscles will help to support your lower back and this will also help to reduce the chance of injury to your back.

It is important to stay injury free as any injury can make you incapacitated for long periods of time and they can reoccur at later times disrupting your training.

Rather than trying to lift too much weight at the gym and risk injury, it would be better to reduce the weight and do more repetitions of the same exercise.

Stretching your muscles before a workout or other form or exercise such as a run or a walk will help to reduce the chance of injury.

It is always wise to check with your doctor before starting any exercise program if you have any doubts about any aspect of your health.

If you have had prior injuries to any parts of your body you might need to ‘work around’ these when planning your training program to ensure they aren’t aggravated and cause you to miss valuable training time.

With weight training you can, under some circumstances, still train parts of your body if you have injured other areas, but it is often difficult as resistance training usually involves the whole of the body.
Training with machines might be an option.

With walking and running it is obvious that damage to your legs will quickly put an end to your training so stretching your legs before and after exercise, particularly your hamstrings will help to eliminate problems.

If you do suffer an injury, you will need to determine whether it is wise to continue training, albeit with less intensity, or to rest completely until the injury has recovered completely.

Sometimes light exercise can help with recovery whereas other times it can delay your recovery and often make the problem worse.

It is times like this that professional advice from your doctor or fitness trainer will be invaluable.
You should never be training to the extent that you are susceptible to injury as injuries can reoccur throughout your life once a muscle, tendon or ligament has been damaged.