|
|
| www.1001TopWords.com |
|
|
Waist Your Breath - Breathing For A Thinner Waist
The crunch exercise is the backbone of abdominal training. It develops the muscles of the abs to help you build that much-desired six-pack. But did you know that there is a way to do crunches that can actually decrease the size of your waist? The key to this technique is the top position of the crunch where your abdominals are contracted as hard as they are able to. When you're in this top position, I want you to breathe in and out slowly a few times. Try to relax every other muscle except the abs. This breathing in and out will intensify the contraction (as you will find out very rapidly). Here's how it works: The muscles of the abdomen are arranged in layers around your midsection, similar in concept to the rings in a tree. While you are contracting the rectus abdominus (the top-most front layer of your abs, also known as your six-pack) continuously, the deeper abdominal muscle fibers are relaxing and contracting each time you breathe. Each time the deep fibers relax, your rectus abdominus (because it is contracting so hard) will squeeze them in a little more, making your waist-area a little smaller and tighter. The reason this works to decrease the size of your waist is simple. Usually, most people's abdominal muscles just kind of sit there. They don't stay tight, therefore your midsection tends to slouch forward and outward. This technique teaches your abdominals to maintain a degree of tightness and tone in them even when you are relaxed. This keeps your abs in, leading to a visually smaller waist. For more information on how to properly execute the Abdominal Crunch, go to http://www.fitstep.com/Library/Exercises/Crunches.htm?news About The Author Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness, and personal training company. Check out his latest eBook "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of" at http://www.thebestexercises.com or visit http://www.fitstep.com. You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com.
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Exercise The Right Way - The Leg Curl Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuilders' training regimes. Muscle Growth with Post-Workout Nutrition If you design your nutrition plans to maximize muscle growth, you must think about planning and taking properly the most important meal of the day. Do you know which? But I Dont Want Muscles! Part 1: What Muscle is, and how to Build (or Avoid) It One of the common comments I hear from my female clients is, "Please don't give me any weights work ? I don't want any muscle, I just want to tone." The reasons differ from client to client, but it most often they seem to be based on a misunderstanding of what muscle is, how we build it, what it has to do with weight loss ? or some combination of the above. There's a lot of misinformation outside of the fitness world about muscles and what they do, so I'd like to spend the next two articles exploring the realities behind the myths. An Amazing Technique That Can Make Your Gains Skyrocket While Others Have Reached A Sticking Point! If you clearly understand and apply the principles involved in natural bodybuilding, you will experience very rapid muscle gains. However, over a long term, eventually a 'sticking point' or plateau in your training may be reached. It is at this point in training that further muscle gains can sometimes appear almost impossible. Sticking points are almost always a direct result of overtraining. More often than not, this plateau can be overcome with a brief layoff. Train for the Look You Want So the Olympics are almost upon us. While you have the chance, compare the differences between a marathon (long distance) runner's body and a sprinter's body. What do you notice? The long-distance runner is skinny, frail, kind of bony, thin and almost sickly looking. On the other hand, the sprinter has well developed muscles, and looks strong, fit, healthy. Power Mass Training for Building Muscle Mass Many people believe you need to train with a variety ofweights and reps in order to maximize your muscle buildingprogress. I believe that you can find the appropriate repnumber for your muscles and it is best to stick with thatrange most of the time. Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts: Part 3 Welcome to article number 2 in our series "Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts". In this article we are going to talk about how bodybuilders tend to create massive muscle imbalances and what you can do to not be one of them.If you missed the first article, you can read it by clicking on the link below.Here's a breakdown of the articles to look for:1. Article:1 - Choosing The WRONG Exercises2. Article:2 - Training Variations for Pain Relief and Maximum Results 3. Article:3 - Targeted Stretching 4. Article:4 - Targeted Exercises 5. Article:5 - Rest, Recovery, and Injury PreventionArticle:3 - Targeted StretchingStretching can be great, but it can also make existing injuries worse or even bring about new ones!The key to making stretching work for you is knowing which stretches you need to be working on? and just because a muscle feels tight, that doesn't necessarily mean it needs to be stretched.For example, many people stretch the hamstrings because they feel tight and they think the hamstrings are limiting their flexibility?the fact is, most of the time the hamstrings are "tight" because they are constantly being pulled / lengthened due to muscle imbalances that tip the pelvis forward.As you can, when the pelvis tips forward the hamstrings get pulled upward and are constantly held in a stretched position?And this is why millions of people can stretch their hamstrings every freakin day and never make any improvement in their flexibility?.Are you one of those people?If you are, you need to stop stretching your hamstrings and find out exactly which muscles you need to be targeting by reading the rest of this article?Not only does this forward tipping of the pelvis (which is caused by muscle imbalances) keep the hamstrings tight and make it very difficult to make improvements in the muscles flexibility, but it also leads to the following:? increased stress / wear and tear from the ankles all the way up the spineFor example, the forward tipping of the pelvis places uneven pressure on the ankle, knee and hip joints and also many of the vertebrae in the spine.? weakens the hamstrings, inhibits normal functioning and increases the likelihood of hamstring pullsWhen the hamstrings are constantly being strained because of the muscle imbalances, the muscle is weak, not able to function as it normally would, prone to injury and without correcting the muscle imbalance recover can take up to 9 months to a year, or longer!? creates excess curvature in the lower and middle spineThis tipping of the pelvis places excessive amounts of abnormal stress on the muscles, vertebrae and discs in the lower and mid spine and this sets you up for potential injuries to the muscles of the lower and middle back?Plus, it also causes the discs between your vertebrae to wear down and deteriorate much faster than they normally would and this sets you up for degenerative, bulging, protruding and herniated discs along with numerous other spinal conditions like arthritis, spinal stenosis, and the oh so popular sciatica!This hamstring example is just one of many? muscle imbalances are responsible for nearly every ache, pain, injury and condition out there!Here are a few more examples of injuries / conditions that are caused by muscle imbalances and can easily be prevented and/or eliminated with targeted stretches and exercises:? upper back and neck pain? shoulder injuries (rotator cuff)? elbow and wrist pain (carpal tunnel, tennis/golfer/baseball elbow, etc)? knee pain (runners knee, chondromalacia, ligament tears, etc)? hip pain (IT band syndrome, bursitis, etc)? ankle pain (Achilles tendonitis, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, etc)All of these conditions are caused by muscle imbalances and will NOT go away unless you work towards correcting the imbalances? and the only way to know for sure which imbalances are causing your pain or injury is to do a series of physical assessments like the ones covered in our Lose the Back Pain Video which is designed for anyone suffering from back pain or sciatica.What the heck is a targeted stretch?This is a question we are asked often and here's the definition we give it:Targeted Stretch - a stretch or stretching exercise that is chosen, based on physical assessments, to target a specific muscle or muscle group to increase the flexibility and range of motion in that area and bring the bones and or joints back towards the normal position.When you compare a targeted stretch to general stretches like the ones found in Yoga, Pilates and the corny ones your doctor, chiropractor or physical therapist gives you, it's no surprise they give little or no pain relief and almost always fail to get rid of the problem.ConclusionRemember, the key to eliminating injuries and preventing future ones is to identify what areas you need to target. In the next article we'll be discussing in detail, how to address various injuries like back, hip, knee, and shoulder pain with targeted exercises. In the meantime, be sure to read thru all of our detailed Pain Articles and post any questions you have on our discussion fourm. Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts: Part 2 Welcome to article number 2 in our series "Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts". In this article we are going to talk about how bodybuilders tend to create massive muscle imbalances and what you can do to not be one of them. Burning Fat The more muscle a person has, the greater their metabolism is, which equates to the faster they burn calories. However, resistance training to build muscle is only one part of the equation. The other parts are cardiovascular conditioning and healthy eating. A lot of men that I have encountered feel that weight training is the only thing they need to do in order to get in shape, but wonder why they can never achieve the definition that comes as a result of adding cardio conditioning and healthy eating. If you are not dedicating enough time to any one of these three elements, you will most likely not achieve the results you strive for. Having said that, this edition's column is dedicated to the importance of cardiovascular conditioning for fat burning. Weight Gain Myths The vast majority of myths about weight gain are mostly passed down from "gym talk" and so-called experts who know nothing about the body's workings. Dumbbell Workouts - A Smart Way To Exercise Dumbbell workouts have been around for many years, especially as part of weight training equipment and programs. Fad workouts and equipment have come and gone, but dumbbell workouts have remained an easy, inexpensive way to get in shape and strengthen muscles. Their reliability and effectiveness are just some of the reasons for the longevity of their popularity. Add in the fact that they take up little space and cost far less than many other types of equipment, and it becomes clear that they are a perfect choice for many fitness fans, especially as part of a home gym. There are many different dumbbell workouts that can be done at home. Muscle Soreness After Exercise Many individuals judge the quality of their exercise session from the amount of pain they experience afterwards. These individuals are convinced by the old adage "No Pain No Gain". Research on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) has demonstrated that here may in fact be some truth to this phrase. Maximize The Windows of Opportunity For Explosive Muscle Growth You have two main windows of opportunity when your training. One is 30 minutes before you train (pre-workout meal) and another comes about 30-60 minutes after your workout is over (post-workout meal). The pre-workout meal should consist of a starchy carb and lean protein. The starchy carb will supply the energy you need to get through an intense workout. The protein provides the much needed fuel for your muscles, so they keep a positive nitrogen balance. A great pre-workout meal would be consumed 30 minutes before your workout and would consist of 1 cup of natural oatmeal with one scoop of protein powder. Try to stick with whey protein. Mix it with some water and microwave the dish for about 2 minutes. Stir it up and eat it with a big glass of water. Abdominal Exercises For Beginning Bodybuilders. The abdomen contains the muscles that most beginners struggle with because they take a long time to develop and need a low level of body fat to be seen. The abdominal muscle group consists of three main muscles: Two Major Training Mistakes You Must Dump Immediately! The number of myths about natural bodybuilding are too numerous to mention. For every guy who knows the principles of effective bodybuilding, there are countless others who don't. Those lacking the knowledge to train properly will argue until their strides split open or until Frankie No-Gains asks them for a spot. I don't argue anymore. I just figure they can either take it, or leave it. Exercise The Right Way - The Machine Shoulder Press Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuilders' training regimes. Debunking the Top Ab Myths Ab training has been done to death but it's time to take another look. Why? Because people are still training their abs wrong so all that ab training information must not be doing the right job. Strong To The Core of Your Being - The Benefits Of Core Training If you were to ask me which muscle group in your entire body you could work to get the greatest benefits in the shortest amount of time, I would tell you without hesitation, "the core." Strengthening the core can realize tremendous benefits to anyone regardless of his or her training experience and can do so very quickly. Build More Muscle Mass And Strength Without Supplements Who should use this method to build muscle quickly? What Causes Muscle Growth? In order for muscles to grow, three things are required:
|
| © Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |