Strength training...the basics (part 4)

Because hamstrings are posterior muscles, we usually don't train them as much as we train our quadriceps. This may result in imbalance in your leg muscles, sometimes causing low back pain. To prevent this from happening and to have more balanced leg muscles, it is recommended that most persons train their hamstrings more than their quadriceps, in 2:1 ratio, just like you should do with your chest and back muscles.
Below are some basic exercises to strengthen your hamstring muscles.

Machines
1. Leg curls (either lying on stomach or sitting)
2. Back kick (cable)

Body weight
1. Bridging
2. One legged bridging
3. Leg curls (with a fitball)
4. Roman chair

Free weights
1. Good mornings (with any weighted apparatus)
2. Roman chair (with dumbbells, medicine ball, or kettle bells)

For those who want to have legs that are shapely AND strong, make sure to include the hamstring workouts in your program!

Strength training...the basics (part 3)

When done training the upper body, the training for the lower body can be done as well on the same day. We use our legs muscles in most of everything we do; this does not mean that leg muscles should be neglected or excluded from strength training. They (the muscles) need training to increase in strength, endurance, and/or stability/functioning. Below are some exercises that train the quadriceps.

Machine
1. Leg press
2. Leg extension

Body weight
1. Squats
2. Single legged squats
3. Skiier/isometric squat against wall
4. Lunges
5. Waling lunges
6. Reverse lunges (step backward instead of forward)

Free weights
1. Any of the body weight exercises with a weighted apparatus

Stability
1. Squats (on a unstable surface such as a bosu ball)
2. Squats (leaning on a fitball against wall)
3. Single legged squats
3. Lunges (one leg on a bosu ball)

When training the quadriceps, it is important to remember not to lock the knees, thereby protecting this important joint. Also, persons with knee problems should be careful to monitor their body as they target this muscle. Better yet, they should get a permission from their physicians if their knee problems are severe or if they had any surgery.

Strength training...the basics (part 2)

When you workout the chest, it is generally a good idea to balance it by training the back. Below are some basic exercises that target mostly the back muscles.

Machines
1. Row
2. Assisted pull-up
3. Lat pull
4. Back extension

Body weight
1. TRX band (row)
2. Pull up
3. Superman/cobra
4. Back extension (usually on a fitball or a bosu ball)

Free weights
1. Dumbbell rows (usually on a flat surface)
2. Dumbbell upright rows
3. Bar upright rows
4. Kettle bell rows
5. Kettle bell upright rows

It is recommended that back muscle to chest muscle training ratio be 2:1, meaning for every exercise done for the chest, two exercises for the back should be done. This is due to the fact that we see our anterior muscles and use them often whereas we usually neglect our posterior muscles.

Strength training - the basics (part 1)

Strength training involves exercising our muscles by loading it with weights or other forces. Today, muscle group involved is the chest, pectoralis major. There are many exercises that challenge/load the chest muscles. Below are some examples that are readily known:

Using machines:
1. Chest press
2. Fly
3. Inclined chest press

Body weight:
1. Push ups (on the ground, a medicine ball, a fitball, a bosu ball, TRX band)
2. Dips (usually on a bench or a bar)
3. Fly (TRX band)

Free weights (medicine ball, bar, or dumbbell)
1. Chest press (on a bench, a platform, a fitball, or any other surface that may support the back)
2. Inclined chest press (usually on a bench)
3. Fly (any surface with back support)

It is recommended that a person who is just beginning to do strength training become familiar with using machines before venturing the free weights. Also, some of the exercises mentioned involving stability, such as fitball, require good core strength, so novice exercisers are not recommended to try them yet.

The aging population study (part 4)

I came across a certain analogy from one of my class readings: aging is like a savings account. When we are young, we accumulate reserves in our body like a savings account. When we are ill and there is no "money" left, we draw from the reserves. As we get older, the amount of "money" that goes into our reserves may decrease. At a certain point in our lives, which may differ from person to person, we began to have not enough "money" to live our daily lives. This requires us to begin drawing "money" from our reserves, thus depleting it. When we reach a time where there is not enough "money" in either our reserves or our daily activity, we die. The learning objective in this analogy is that we need to build up our reserves throughout our lives in preparation for that golden age when we may need it and have enough to live a full and active life!

The aging population study (part 3)

Regular physical activity/exercise, in this case, is working out at least 150 minutes per week at moderate intensity. However, this usually refers to cardio/aerobics workout, which means that there should be another schedule for resistance/strength training. In a word, in my opinion, we need to move and stay moving like our bodies were made to do. By the end of all this effort, I would say the result may just amaze you...this time in a good way.

The aging population study (part 2)

Although the article did not go through what we need or should do to prevent such "fate" or becoming a number in the statistics, I strongly suspect having a healthy lifestyle that includes healthy diet and regular physical activity/exercise would definitely help. Dieting in this case does not mean starving oneself to lose weight. My definition of dieting is balanced meals and snacks that will optimize both physical and mental state of a person. This "dieting" includes portion control, eating varied food sources, and making meals that are appealing in appearance.

The aging population study (part 1)

I (Alisa) am taking a class called Physiology of Aging this semester at MetroState University and just learned an interesting fact. Did you know that the Americans, despite all the resources we have in our hands, are not healthy when compared to our counterparts in other developed countries? We have higher mortality rate, higher teenage pregnancy rate, and less favorable cardiovascular profile around the age of 50 than our counterparts (Woolf & Aron, 2013, pp. 2-3)! Amazing....not in a good way.

If you want more details on this report, the bibliography is provided below:

Woolf, S.H. & Aron, L. (2013). U.S. health in international perspective: Shorter lives, poorer health. The National Academies Press.

Martin Luther King Jr's Day - School closed

Today is the Martin Luther King Jr's Day, which means that the school and the fitness center are closed. Although we will miss you today, please come back tomorrow to see us!