Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
Every exercise burns calories, but some torch fat better than others. For example, a 155-pound person uses roughly 167 calories during a 30-minute walk, but that same person would eliminate nearly 300 calories if she picked up the pace to a run. Since a pound of stored fat equals 3,500 calories, exercise intensity plays a major role in any effective reduction plan. To reach your goal, choose your favorite exercise and ramp up the intensity of it.
You might have played with a hula hoop when you were a kid. Hooping as an adult is an effective workout, because not only is it fun and energizing, it increases your heart rate, burns calories and improves your core strength. No longer reserved for elementary school playgrounds, hooping has grown up.
If you have perfected your spotting, improved your leg strength and always reach your head to the sky while spinning but still find yourself falling out of turns, it may be time for a targeted ab workout. Keeping your center still and strong while spinning will keep your turns clean. If you are doing pirouettes or fouette turns in ballet, having a strong core may also help you do more turns at a time. Your core refers not only to your abdominal muscles, but also your oblique muscles, hips and pelvis. Most abdominal stretches will improve your core strength, but…
The full low bar back squat is going to require a barbell and a very particular technique. Do a full low bar back squat with help from an experienced fitness professional in this free video clip.
Exercises using rubber tubing are a great way to target your chest for things like expansion and weight loss. Learn about exercises using rubber tubing for a chest expansion with help from an experienced fitness professional in this free video clip.
Exercises for square pecs with dumbbells include the inclined chest press, among others. Do exercises for square pecs with dumbbells with help from a fitness expert in this free video clip.
Not all chest exercises require a set of expensive dumbbells. Do chest exercises without dumbbells with help from a fitness expert in this free video clip.
Gym chair exercises with the knees to the chest are a very efficient way to target your lower abdominals. Do gym chair exercises with the knees to the chest with help from a fitness expert in this free video clip.
Chest workouts over a 50 decline bench are a great way to focus on your lower pectorals. Do a chest workout over a 50 decline bench with help from a fitness expert in this free video clip.
Weekly chest exercise programs are a great way to focus on things like body weight training. Do a weekly chest exercise program with help from a fitness expert in this free video clip.
Dumbbell chest exercises don't have to require the use of a bench, or even any other equipment at all. Do dumbbell chest exercises with no bench with help from a fitness expert in this free video clip.
Lateral raises and push-ups both help work the shoulders in very efficient ways. Find out about lateral raises and push-ups with help from an experienced personal trainer in this free video clip.
Light weights for lateral raises involve the use of your humerus and other areas of your body. Find out about light weights for lateral raises with help from an experienced personal trainer in this free video clip.
Given the evils of sitting in a chair all day and the negative impact it has on your posture and fitness, strive to reverse the karma of your chair and use it for exercise. Even if you’re at the office and still sitting in that chair, bend forward at the hips and place your palms flat on the floor. Hold this position for a few seconds to stretch your lower back. If someone asks you what you’re doing, you can always say you dropped your cell phone. For obvious reasons, when using your chair for exercise, be sure to use…
As part of an overall fitness regimen, the U.S. Army has a list of approved stretches that soldiers engage in as a group before and after physical training sessions. Army stretches are designed to loosen isolated muscle groups, prepare soldiers' bodies for exercise and prevent muscle soreness after a rigorous workout. Army Field Manual 21-20, "Physical Fitness Training," governs soldier's physical training sessions. FM 21-20 recommends that soldiers stretch for at least 10 minutes before a workout and for several minutes after.
You'd have to be crazy to attempt the splits without doing some type of warm up first. Not only do you put yourself at risk of pulling a muscle and doing permanent damage, but it just plain hurts to sink into the splits without first lengthening the muscles that are going to be doing the work. If you're a gymnast or yoga lover, your coach or teacher may have a warm-up routine for you to follow, but if you're on your own, you can follow the basic routine of warming up the muscles with light cardio then stretching them dynamically…
The best exercises for tightening a man's chest involve a Swiss ball, among other tools. Find out about the best exercises for tightening a man's chest with help from one of New York’s hottest fitness experts in this free video clip.
Exercises for the middle section of the body are great for both toning and losing weight. Do exercises for the middle section of the body with help from one of New York’s hottest fitness experts in this free video clip.
The great thing about the seven kinds of neck exercises is that they can be done from practically anywhere. Learn about seven kinds of neck exercises with help from a family wellness chiropractor in this free video clip.
Breathe in neck rotation exercises are a great way to stretch the majority of your neck at once. Learn how to do breath in neck rotation exercises with help from a family wellness chiropractor in this free video clip.
Strengthening the neck with active sitting is a really great way to help avoid injuries later on. Learn about exercises that you can use to strengthen the neck with active sitting with help from a family wellness chiropractor in this free video clip.
Decline presses are just one of many great exercises that women can use to work out their pecs. Learn about exercises for women's pecs with decline presses with help from a professional belly dance performer and instructor in this free video clip.
Switching up chest routine exercises every week keeps your body guessing, which in turn helps with toning and weight loss. Switch up chest routine exercises every week with help from a professional athlete, fitness expert, author, model, and actor in this free video clip.
Targeting the center chest area with exercises is a really great way to strengthen your core as a whole. Target the center chest area with exercises with help from a martial arts professional in this free video clip.
The shoulder girdle consists of several joints at the intersection of two of three bones: the clavicle, the scapula and the humerus, which is the upper arm bone. This complexity provides the shoulder with increased mobility compared to other joints, but it compromises stability. The shoulder movements during the lat pulldown exercise vary based on grip and technique.
You'll resemble a flying superhero as you lift your head and legs to strengthen your back during the superman exercise. Considered a beginner's level strengthening movement by the American Council on Exercise, the superman tones the muscles along your spine and improves your posture. Even though it's a beginner's movement, the superman has an easier modification for those new to exercise. No equipment is needed for this body-weight movement you can perform anywhere.
The side pike, also commonly referred to as the side plank, improves muscular strength and endurance in the core. It requires your muscles to contract isometrically, which means they’re forced to hold a contraction over time. Side pike uses your own body weight as resistance, so all you need is an exercise mat or soft floor surface.
Training your triceps and chest together is a classic bodybuilding combination. Your triceps are involved in any type of chest pressing exercise you do, meaning they'd get a tough workout even if you didn't isolate them. When training chest and tris together, vary the types of exercises you do and your sets and reps to get the an effective workout with the best results.
If you want an exercise that focuses on your neck, look no farther than the traditional shoulder shrug. Find out about a great exercise that focuses on your neck with help from a professional athlete, fitness expert, author, model, and actor in this free video clip.
The machine pullover is a strength-training exercise that effectively develops the back. The machine is available at most fitness facilities. Thoroughly build strength and size in your back by regularly completing a workout comprised of the machine pullover as well as other exercises that effectively develop the back.
Most people aren't blessed with unlimited time for working out, so exercise is something that gets squeezed into free moments during the week. The time crunch of everyday life sometimes means cutting workouts short, and that usually means skipping the stretch. Stretching is important, however. You can work some simple stretches into your daily life to improve your joint and muscle flexibility, coordination and circulation. Stretching can also increase your energy levels and feelings of being in control.
Whether you're a desk jockey, a jogger, a devotee of dance, or weekend warrior, the powerful muscle that lifts your knee and flexes as you bend can tighten, shorten and cause you grief. The iliopsoas, or psoas muscle, is really two muscles -- the iliacus and the psoas major -- that run from the lower back, across the pelvic bone and into the femur, the top of your thigh. Regular iliopsoas stretching will counter the repetitive activity and hours of sitting that can lead to painful injuries.
T-Row exercises, also called T-Bar rows, are a type of exercise that works the middle back. The secondary muscles worked are the middle and lower trapezius, rhomboids, lats, teres major and minor, posterior deltoids, infraspinatus, brachialis, brachioradialis and pectoralis major. While you are standing on the machine and bending forward 45 degrees, your elbows are bent and then straightened as the weight is respectively lifted and lowered. The exercise should be performed at least three times per week to see results.
Pullups are not the only way to work out your back muscles. With a buffet of exercise equipment, you can choose almost any pulling exercise and still get a strong, muscular back. Since your shoulders can move your arms in a variety of angles -- such as over your head or in front of your chest -- do the rowing motion from different angles to provide your back muscles different challenges.
The bent-over lateral raise targets an area of your back that many other popular back exercises, such as pullups and rows, fail to thoroughly work. Targeting the rear delts, traps and rhomboid muscles in the upper back, the bent-over lateral raise is an effective strength-building exercise, but it does come with some inherent risks due to your body position during the exercise, so it must be done with good technique.
Just because you have a hard time doing pullups doesn't mean you stop training your back muscle strength. You can still work out your back by using other training methods, such as free weights and a cable column machine. Try various exercises and see which ones you like. Stick with these exercises and watch your back muscle build up over the course of your training.
Thanks to the increasing availability of all different types of exercise equipment, it's not difficult to find a fitness center with enough equipment to allow the performance of thousands of exercises. But since most people don't have time to perform every exercise in the book, it's best to concentrate on only those that will be beneficial. Among those falling into that broad category include the barbell row, which can be important for athletes and casual exercise enthusiasts alike. Ask your doctor before starting any new workout program.
Dips and lateral raises are both upper body resistance exercises. Lateral raises use dumbbells to work your deltoids -- your main shoulder muscles -- while dips are body-weight exercises that work the triceps muscles in back of your upper arm. Add these exercises to your upper body weight routine to increase your strength and improve muscle tone.
Different, small barbell exercises are great for shedding fat from your upper body. Do different, small barbell exercises with help from a fitness professional in this free video clip.
The opposite knee-to-chest exercise is a really excellent opportunity to work out a few key parts of your body at once. Do the opposite knee-to-chest exercise with help from a fitness professional in this free video clip.
Stretching exercises for throwing target muscles known as your internal rotators. Use stretching exercises for throwing with help from a world class professional fitness trainer and nutrition expert in this free video clip.
Free weights can be difficult for novice and experienced weightlifters alike. The independent movement of weight plates makes it crucial to use impeccable form for every aspect of an exercise, and it takes thousands of repetitions to develop sufficient muscle memory. Stacked weight machines provide two distinct advantages to free weights: They allow you to lift more weight safely, without a spotter, and they force you to use the proper form throughout each repetition.
There's nothing like a buff chest to show how physically fit and strong you are. Whether you're looking to be a lineman or want to strut your stuff on stage at a bodybuilding competition, building chest strength and size will work to your advantage. Your efforts will be more successful if you select the right exercises.
Chest exercises are a basic component of many workout plans, and for good reason. Neglecting the chest muscles can result in rounded shoulders and back pain, as well as forward curvature of the spine. To avoid this, practice chest exercises such as the butterfly. Incorporating this move into your routine comes with several benefits.
Yoga is a healthy activity that builds strength and balance, but exercise alone will not remove the extra padding from your chest area. What yoga can do, however, is help you burn more calories to expedite weight loss -- and losing total body fat is the only way to shrink your chest. Yoga can also help to tone your chest muscles to add definition, which may help you appear leaner. See your doctor before starting a new weight-loss plan.
Stretching is an important component to include in your exercise routine to improve flexibility and, if performed correctly, to reduce your risk of injury. Since you are primarily using your legs while cycling it is most important to stretch the muscles of your lower body. The best time to perform these isometric stretches is directly after your cycling workout because your muscles are warmed up.
Deadlifts can be categorized as a back exercise, a lower-body exercise, or even a full-body movement, as they work so many muscle groups. They hit your glutes, hamstrings, core, lower, mid- and upper back, along with your traps, forearms and adductors. Along with box squats, deadlifts are the single best exercise for working your posterior chain, asserts Eric Cressey, owner of Cressey Performance in Boston. While you can perform deadlifts the day after you work your legs, it may be wiser to space them further apart in you training week.
To accentuate the pectoral muscles of your chest, perform a variety of pushup exercises. Pushups are excellent for targeting the three heads of the pectoralis major, which are the clavicular, sternocostal and abdominal heads. These muscles work to move your arms across your chest, a motion known as shoulder transverse flexion. When you do pushups, you involve that very motion. You also work our triceps muscles via elbow extension.
The saying "No pain, no gain," doesn't thoroughly explain the benefits and dangers of sore muscles. Having sore biceps after performing the P90X Yoga program could be a sign of progress or a sign of injury. Knowing the details of what is happening to your body during muscle soreness, and what you can do about the pain, helps you get the most out of your P90X Yoga video.
When you perform a standard plank, the emphasis is placed on your abdominals for a workout. By reversing, or inverting, your position so your chest faces the ceiling, you can target your back muscles. While using your legs and abdominals to raise your body off the floor, squeeze your glutes to maintain a straight back. Increase the intensity of the exercise by adding a leg lift, which puts stress on your stabilizer muscles and improves your balance.
