Winston Salem Gyms : What’s a healthful weightlifting schedule?
July 20th, 2010 by Winston Salem, under winston salem gyms. No Comments
Weight training is an important component of fitness. As in any exercise program, rest is an essential factor. It is important to leave a day between exercising a specific body part or muscle in order to reap the advantages of your hard work.
That’s because weightlifting could cause micro-tears in the muscle fiber(s) that temporarily reduce strength. These tears are thought to cause some of the soreness you feel after a new exercise or tough workout.
During this critical rest time, your muscles are building protein and getting stronger. It takes about two days to heal the muscle fibers torn by weightlifting.
If you wish to lift weights every day (remember to take at least 1 day each week off for rest), focus on different muscle groups in three-day cycles, leaving two days in between the same group. For example
• Day one – back and biceps
• Day two – chest and triceps
• Day three – legs and abs
• Day four – repeat day one
Other tips to consider for safer weightlifting
• to help prevent injury, begin with some light cardiovascular activity to warm up your muscles.
• Prevent rushing through your weightlifting workout – slow and steady is the way to go.
• Limit your weightlifting motions while making sure you’re keeping correct form. When you are not certain that you’re weightlifting properly, ask a trainer for some assistance.
• Remember to inhale and exhale typically while you lift.
• Rest muscle groups adequately between workout sessions (as mentioned above).
Tags: exercise, Fitness, Fitness Tips
Winston Salem Gyms : Exercising with bowlegs
July 19th, 2010 by Winston Salem, under winston salem gyms. No Comments
The most important thing to consider is that there’s been a shift in mentality on exercise. the days of “no pain, no gain” are long past.
Any kind of activity that causes pain should not be continued; fortunately there are a number of methods for exercising your thighs – peruse on.
The exercises that you describe – lunges and squats – employ the gluteus muscles (muscles in the rear end) more than the quadriceps (muscles in the front part of the thigh).
Because of the movement required in these exercises, you might experience added strain on the joints of the hips, knees, ankles, and feet.
You may also find that running and high impact activities cause similar strain or pain.
It’s possible to do exercises to tone your thighs without standing. One idea you may consider, is to spend a little time with a personal trainer.
Spending a little one on one time with a fitness expert might have lasting benefits for your training and your comfort.
You may also want to talk with your main care provider to determine if you must be referred to an orthopedic physician or physical therapist who may recommend orthotics.
Specific exercises that could be better suited for you’re varied. an appointment or two with a fitness trainer will help find those that best meet your specific needs.
Your fitness trainer may recommend
• Leg extensions and leg curls using a machine weights or other types of resistance
• Be sure to use of a physioball to reduce the pressure on your joints
• Be sure to use of resistance bands or other tools best suited to your range of motion
Your frustration is understandable, but may be overcome by consulting with the right people to help you.
A few guidance from a fitness trainer or therapist can provide you with the skills necessary to keep up your workout, without the pain.
Tags: exercise, Fitness, Fitness Tips
Winston Salem Gyms : How can I develop muscle symmetry?
July 18th, 2010 by Winston Salem, under winston salem gyms. No Comments
A lot of people have one part of the right arm or leg one quarter of an inch to over one inch larger or smaller than their left in circumference. and often even feet are .-a-size different from one another.
That said, there are ways of making your legs more similar in size, even when the upper or lower portion of your right leg is bigger than the left.
In order to achieve hypertrophy (muscle growth), you’ll need to train your legs, just as as you need to with all parts of your body.
This weight training could include lifting weights at least three days a week at 60 to 85 percent of your leg’s one-repetition maximum (i.e., the most a person can lift at one time).
You could find it works to do three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions for these leg lifts, but working with a personal trainer would be your best bet to get a workout tailored to your needs.
To have the left leg catch up in size and circumference with the right, you will need to work only the left leg for an additional set or two, doing each exercise that you’d completed for both legs earlier in your workout.
Examples of exercises to complete for both legs that you can also do with just your left are
• leg press
• leg curl
• leg extension
• squat
• standing and seated calf raise
Again, an individual trainer or exercise physiologist will be your best partner in assisting your left leg become roughly equal in circumference to your right.
Research studies suggest that the reason individuals benefit from working with personal trainers so much is that the personal trainers encourage their clients in using and tolerating greater training loads.
As a result, the clients elicit greater gains than exercisers who simply push themselves to complete their full workout regimen on their own.
When you can’t afford a personal trainer at a health club you might contemplate using an online personal trainer.
This alternative offers a qualified trainer to craft a workout regimen and communicate adjustments while monitoring your progress via e-mail.
These services are often much less expensive than working with a personal trainer in individuals, but the disadvantage is that you will not have the personal attention of the trainer to ensure that you are consistently performing the exercises most efficiently, effectively, and safely.
You could wish to start with a trainer for at least a few sessions.
This will allow you to observe and practice proper form for the variety of exercises you will include in the training regimen.
Tags: exercise, Fitness, Fitness Tips
Winston Salem Gyms : Breathing patterns while working out
July 17th, 2010 by Winston Salem, under winston salem gyms. No Comments
How’s this for a breath of fresh air – there is no right or wrong pattern to breathing while working out.
Although you may often hear individuals say it’s best to exhale during exertion (or as you wrote, contraction) and inhale during relaxation, the most important part is to be sure you are breathing evenly and regularly during exercise.
Nearly all individuals may think they are breathing while they are working out, but they are actually holding their breath in short bursts.
To see when this applies to you, take a few seconds to focus on your breathing next time you are engaged in strenuous exercise, whether it is at the gym running to catch a bus, or going up a flight of stairs.
You may surprise yourself by locating out you’re holding your breath most of the time!
It is important to breathe during exercise because your muscles are working hard and use oxygen as their primary source of fuel. It is okay to breathe with your mouth, your nose, or both – all of these choices are normal and help the body to get oxygen.
Relaxing your jaw and keeping your mouth slightly open during exercise will help you breathe normally and naturally without much thought or effort.
It’s specifically important to breathe normally during strength training, such as weightlifting; otherwise, your blood pressure (BP) can climb up to hazardous levels.
Also, feel free to breathe easily – as long as you’re breathing, the rhythm makes no difference in the performance. That means that breathing quicker won’t make you run faster (and vice versa).
If you have asthma, severe allergies, or other respiratory issues, it’s important to give additional thought to the kinds of the activity you are doing and what they mean in terms of management of your health.
Lastly, pain does not lead to gain, so be certain to stop when you’re feeling dizzy, have chest pains, or become severely out of breath.
Tags: exercise, Fitness, Fitness Tips
Winston Salem Gyms : Shin pains from walking?
July 16th, 2010 by Winston Salem, under winston salem gyms. No Comments
Walking on pavement increases the stress on your joints and connective tissue. Shin splints are an inflammation of the muscle and/or tendons of the lower leg caused by repetitive walking or running on a hard surface.
The signs are pain on the inner side of the shinbone (tibia) in the front part of the leg. Sometimes, it comes on very slowly and eventually becomes quite severe.
Shin splints rarely lead to permanent damage.
The best cure is to rest. Attempt taking the bus or train to school for a week. Wearing good shoes when you walk, and stretching your legs in an effective flexibility program before your walks, can help prevent the problem from getting worse or recurring.
When picking footwear, do not hesitate to spend a few additional dollars — you spend more time than you think every day walking back and forth to campus. Because you are walking on pavement, make sure the footwear have adequate cushioning.
The shape of the shoe should correspond to the shape of your foot, without areas of pressure or pain, or a feeling of binding. Solicit advice from friends and from a few specialty stores about what brands and styles are best.
Flexibility exercises help to reduce muscle soreness and the chance of injury.
Examples of simple exercises are the Sitting Heel-Cord Stretch, where you sit on the floor with one leg extended and the opposite leg bent with the foot against the inside of the thigh.
Hook a towel around the ball of the foot and pull the toes towards the knee. Make sure to keep your knee straight, and repeat ten times for each leg.
Or, attempt the Lying Knee-Pull, where you lie on your back with your legs extended and bring your left knee to your chest, grabbing just under your knee with both hands.
Pull until you feel the stretch, and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 10 to each side.
Before you begin the exercises, take some time off from your regular pavement walking, allow your shins to rest, buy some good footwear, and then get into a reasonable exercise routine.
Although walking sometimes seems innocuous, it actually is great aerobic exercise, and utilizes and strengthens your muscles.
Thus, you also need to treat your walks as you would any other form of exercise, and use proper equipment and stretch ahead of time.
Tags: exercise, Fitness, Fitness Tips
Winston Salem Gyms : Swimming – Good for weight loss?
July 15th, 2010 by Winston Salem, under winston salem gyms. No Comments
Swimming may be a wonderful form of exercise. It uses almost all the major muscle groups, and places a vigorous demand on your heart and lungs. It develops muscle strength and endurance, and improves posture and flexibility.
The buoyancy factor makes it namely useful for individuals who are pregnant, have injuries like leg or lower back problems, or who find high-impact exercise uncomfortable. It is a great sport for individuals of all ages and all proficiency levels.
In order to lose weight, you might want to keep your swimming regime (speeding up your pace a little bit and increasing the length of your swimming sessions, if necessary), and supplement it with some good-paced, arm-swinging walks.
Research shows that swimming and weight loss, nevertheless, has produced inconsistent and contradictory results.
Studies show that swimmers lost weight (and body fat), gained several pounds, and had no weight changes at all.
In most of the cases where swimmers gained weight, it was lean body mass (muscle) and not fat.
One research study found that people who swim in cold water may consume more calories post-workout than people who swim in warmer water.
So if you are swimming mainly to lose weight, make certain that you aren’t inadvertently consuming unneeded calories during post-workout snacks and meals.
In addition, the number of calories you burn while swimming depends on how fast you go and for how long.
At a slow pace, twenty laps might burn only fifty calories – little more than simply staying afloat. In contrast, a swimmer doing a brisk forward crawl will often burn as much as eleven calories per minute.
Swimming in a pool might be more conducive to the kind of workout you are looking for than swimming at a beach or lake; pools often have lap swim hours, and you will not have to contend with rolling waves or boats.
For a guaranteed workout, you can also join up with a U.S. Masters Swimming group near you.
In the end, weight loss is dependent on a simple formula; more calories are burned than are consumed. No one exercise is necessarily better than another for weight loss; what matters is that you eat a healthy, well balanced diet and remain regularly physically active.
Swimming may be a fun activity to add to your workout routine, whether you are a novice or a master. Enjoy!
Tags: exercise, Fitness, Fitness Tips
Winston Salem Gyms : Minimum and maximum heart rate for aerobic exercise
July 14th, 2010 by Winston Salem, under winston salem gyms. No Comments
There are recommendations for minimum and maximum heart rate during exercise. Two slightly different formulas are currently used to guide exercisers. Both formulas take your age into account, but one also factors in your resting heart rate and is specifically useful for person training with a specific performance goal in mind.
Heart rate is measured in beats per minute (bpm). Before demonstrating each formula, it is useful to define several terms
• Maximum heart rate – an estimate of the heart rate that one potentially could (not should) achieve during maximum physical exertion.
• Resting heart rate – as simple as it sounds – your heart rate at rest with no physical exertion (best when measured in the morning before any stress, caffeine, or much movement).
• Target heart rate – a percentage of your maximum heart rate. Professionals recommend keeping your heart rate in a certain range to achieve benefits during exercise, contingent upon your level of conditioning and exercise goals.
To demonstrate how each formula works, let’s say that Devon is 24 years old, has a resting heart rate of 65 bpm, and wants to workout between 60 and 80% of maximum heart rate. Time for a little arithmetic!
Formula 1
Maximum workout heart rate =
(220 - age) X% of maximum heart rate
(220 – 24) X .60 = 117
(220 – 24) X .80 = 157
According to this formula, Devon should maintain a target heart rate between 117 and 157 bpm to reach 60 to 80 percent of maximum heart rate while working out.
Formula 2
Maximum workout heart rate, modified for resting heart rate =
(220 – age – resting heart rate) X% of maximum heart rate + resting heart rate
(220 – 24 – 65) X .60 + 65 = 144
(220 – 24 – 65) X .80 + 65 = 170
According to this formula, Devon should maintain a target heart rate between about 140 and 170 bpm to reach 60 to 80% of maximum heart rate while working out.
As you can see, these formulas give Devon different recommendations for target workout heart rates. This is because the second formula adjusts for resting heart rate, a number that typically gets lower for most people as they exercise and become more conditioned.
Using the second formula can increase the accuracy of target heart rate recommendations for regular, consistent exercisers.
The easiest place to check your heart rate could be on your carotid artery in the neck (avoid pressing too hard or the reading could be less accurate).
Make sure to check your heart rate before, during, and after exercise by taking your pulse for 10 seconds and multiplying by 6, or for 15 seconds and multiplying by 4. You can then adjust your workout therefore.
Don’t forget, you’re estimating your heart rate with these formulas, so always let safety come first. Stop exercising if you feel dizzy, faint, or shortness of breath.
Tags: exercise, Fitness, Fitness Tips
Winston Salem Gyms : Are you able to predict your heart rate when exercising?
July 13th, 2010 by Winston Salem, under winston salem gyms. No Comments
Heart rate is affected by age, gender, exercise habits, heredity, cardiovascularfitness level, body conditions (such as hydration), blood volume, and environment (such as humidity and temperature). As an athlete increases his or her exercise intensity, heart rate increases.
Due to all these variables, it is impossible to predict how increased intensity translates into a specific rate of elevation in the heartbeat.
For example, as a individuals improves his or herfitness level, his or her resting heart rate decreases. As a result, it may take a greater effort to elicit a specific heart rate.
Think of it this way – an out-of-shape person huffs and puffs climbing up a flight of stairs.
A fit person can bound up those stairs with ease because his or her heart is already well conditioned. Now, she / he may need to climb up ten flights to significantly raise his or her heart rate.
This adaptation occurs over time and is constantly changing. Response to workout also varies greatly from person to person.
A good way to become more aware of your conditioning and reaction to workout is to monitor changes in your heart rate then of exercise.
Perhaps purchasing a heart rate monitor at a local sporting goods store (or via the Internet) will allow you to better keep track of your heart rate’s ups and downs.
To further understand your heart rate, pay attention to your breathing, sweating, and performance during exercise.
Tags: exercise, Fitness, Fitness Tips
Winston Salem Gyms : Energy Requirements For Endurance And Resistance Athletes
July 12th, 2010 by Winston Salem, under winston salem gyms. No Comments
Athletes’ protein, carbohydrate, fat, and calorie requirements will vary, dependant upon many factors. Athletes’ needs depend on theirlevel of fitness, kind of training, body size and composition, and performance goals.
We will talk about endurance athletes first. They train aerobically for an hour or more at a time, which requires a lot of energy.
Since muscles would rather burn carbohydrates for fuel, serious endurance exercisers need plenty of these. the body stores carbs in muscle tissue (and the liver) as glycogen.
Muscles use glycogen for fuel during exercise. When glycogen runs low, the body may resort to burning protein for energy.
When this happens, endurance athletes’ protein needs increase. Glycogen levels can diminish when exercisers workout at a moderate intensity for an extended time (90 minutes or more) without taking in any carbohydrates.
These levels can remain low when individuals exercise day after day without consuming enough carbs to replenish their supply. In either case, their bodies resort to utilizing protein for energy during workouts.
This makes exercise tough; the result is fatigue. In running, this is referred to as “hitting the wall,” and it’s just like it sounds – exhausting. Adding carbohydrates to your overall consuming plan can help to prevent this from happening.
Consuming a snack just before exercise might be helpful, but doesn’t entirely fuel that activity, because there won’t be enough time to store those carbs as glycogen. It is the previous meals eaten that significantly contribute to glycogen levels.
Studies show that enzymes promoting glycogen storage hit their peak 1 to 2 hours after exercise. Having a carbo-licious snack during this time window can help stoke up glycogen stores and spare protein breakdown.
Resistance exercisers are those mainly involved in weight training activities. Without doing aerobic exercise, these folks normally do not burn as many calories as endurance athletes.
Their protein needs depend on whether or not they are attempting to build or maintain muscle mass.
The following is a general guide for protein and carbohydrate intake. A person’s specific needs may vary based on the duration and intensity of activity,level of fitness, and body weight.
A person’s weight in kilograms (kg) is equal to his or her body weight in pounds divided by 2.2. For additional details about dietary sources of carbohydrate and protein, take a look at Does carbohydrate become body fat?, Confused about carbs – What’s a good carbohydrate choice?, and Do bodybuilders and other weightlifters need more protein?.
Using the information below as well as your body weight, you can calculate your daily protein intake recommendation
Activity level Protein recommendation (grams protein per kilogram of body weight)
Sedentary individuals to light exercisers 0.8 g/kg
Recreational athlete 1.0 to 1.5 g/kg
High intensity endurance athlete 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg
Resistance training to maintain muscle mass 1.0 g/kg
Resistance training to elevate muscle mass 1.5 to 1.7 g/kg
Estimated maximum protein requirement for all adults, regardless of activity level 2.0 g/kg
As far as calculating your recommend daily level of carbohydrate intake, there is a simple rule of thumb. Endurance athletes should consume 3 to 5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight (6 to 10 g/kg).
Fitness exercisers, including resistance trainers, should consume 2 to 3 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight (4 to 6 g/kg).
Besides carbohydrate and protein intake, it is also important for all athletes to consume enough total calories to fuel training as well as activities of daily living; otherwise, protein will still be burned as fuel in lieu of being used for muscle-tissue repair and other important functions.
Resistance athletes trying to build muscle mass also have to take in sufficient calories to support muscle development. Hopefully this information will help as you hit the books and the health club
Tags: exercise, Fitness, Fitness Tips
Winston Salem Gyms : Exercising Beyond My Maximum Heart Rate
July 11th, 2010 by Winston Salem, under winston salem gyms. No Comments
It is very possible that the maximum heart rate theory that is commonly used may not be as valid as we have come to believe. For those who need a refresher, maximum heart rate is calculated as
Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) = 220 – age in years
MHR reflects the maximum number of heartbeats per minute one could achieve during high intensity exercise.
By your account, your heart rate goes higher than this value. How could your heart beat more than the maximum? One explanation for this may be that the estimation of maximum heart rate is not correct.
In an article that appeared in the New York Times on April 24, 2001, this very subject was addressed.
Back in 1970, two physicians preparing for a meeting wanted to determine how strenuously patients with heart illness could exercise.
They gathered information from ten studies using people of all different ages who’d been tested for maximum heart rate.
They plotted the subjects’ maximum heart rates on a graph, drew a line through the points, and determined that the heart rate maximum seemed to be, on average, 200 beats per minute (bpm) for a twenty-year-old, 180 bpm for a forty-year-old, 160 bpm for a sixty-year-old, and so on.
Based on these findings, they came up with the equation that MHR = 220 – age (in years). Nonetheless, many subjects in these studies had heart rates that varied widely from the formula. Many variables also weren’t accounted for.
The tests used in determining this formula were far from perfect as well. Somehow, though, this equation, 220 – age, became entrenched in cardiology departments, fitness center, and textbooks.
According to Dr. William Haskell, one of the physicians who observed this relationship – “The formula was never supposed to be a guide to rule people ’s training.”
Now, what does this mean for you and others whose heart rates don’t seem to fit into this equation? First, you need to discuss your observations about your heart rate with your primary health care provider.
Let him or her assess any other conditions that could affect your heart. Barring any problems, you could focus your training in two other ways.
One is by using a scale termed, “Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE),” in which you rate how hard you feel you are exercising.
It’s recommended you assign a number from 0 to 10 to rate your exercise intensity, 0 being no exertion and 10 being most challenging.
A major benefit of this system is that it gets you in touch with how you feel while you’re exercising. Also, you do not need any special equipment or devices.
When you already have a heart rate monitor or enjoy counting your beats, you are able to use RPE along with your heart rate. Try comparing your perception of exercise intensity to how hard you actually are working.
This method will help you establish a new frame of reference for your exercise intensity.
Another useful measurement of fitness is how quickly one’s heart rate falls when exercise is stopped. (Don’t just stop completely – that may be dangerous.) This measurement is probably best done with a heart rate monitor.
Make certain to check your heart rate while at the very end of a vigorous routine. Begin cooling down, and then check your heart rate one minute later.
As a individuals becomes more fit, her or his heart rate returns to resting faster than an unfit individuals. This is called heart rate variability.
Recent studies have shown that individuals whose heart rates fell less than 12 beats per minute after vigorous exercise had four times the risk of dying in the next six years compared to those whose heart rates dropped by 13 beats or more! Most healthy individuals ’s heart rates will drop about 20 beats in a minute.
You can measure progress in an exercise planby bettering the amount of beats your heart rate goes down in one minute. Tracking this can help you chart the effectiveness of your aerobic training.
The moral of the story here is that we all do not fit into a neat package (or equation, as the case may be). We’re all unique and different person.
Tags: exercise, Fitness, Fitness Tips