Overview According to Gray Cook, physical therapist and founder of Functional Movement Systems, muscular strength and endurance are two of the most important factors in most athletic performance. However, to attain great strength and endurance, you must have excellent stability…
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Increasing hand speed and agility are critical exercises and should not be overlooked. These will help you grip balls better, run faster, increase accuracy when throwing and generate more velocity on the ball. These exercise provide you with three strengthening…
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A vertical leap is jumping straight up from a standing position on two legs and landing in the same position without using momentum such as using a running start or bounding. This is used in some sports such as slam-dunking…
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Cheerleading has come a long way from decorative dance routines; it has evolved into a high-intensity sport requiring a high degree of athleticism. Muscular strength is needed for stunting, jumping and tumbling. Muscular endurance is beneficial for hours of practice….
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A medicine ball is a heavy, stuffed weighted ball (usually about the size of a basketball or smaller) that is used for a wide variety of conditioning exercises. Some medicine balls have handles on the sides for easy gripping. Using…
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Abdominal exercises are very popular for toning the abdomen area; however, getting a flat stomach takes more than a few crunches. The abdomen encompasses the internal, external and oblique abdominal muscles, all of which need to be toned in order…
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Love handles have no purpose other than to widen your waistline. These unsightly bulges are made solely of fat, which means they do not have to be a permanent fixture around your middle. The fastest way to reduce your pant…
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An exercise plan should include both resistance and cardiovascular training in order to optimize your diet and weight-loss efforts. With so many different workout plans available, many people get confused by too much information. Experiment with these effective exercise plans…
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Overview A poorly fitting goalie mask is not just a nuisance; it can be downright dangerous. While all certified goalie masks are designed to take the repeated punishment of fast-moving pucks, errant sticks and other impacts, they must fit well…
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Overview A frontside flip combines a kickflip, to spin the long axis of the skateboard 360 degrees, and a frontside 180, where the board nose turns 180 degrees to land at the rear. Good foot position is important to landing…
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Your hips can carry a lot of excess weight that settles around your thighs and glutes. Wide hips are common for women, who tend to store fat around the area. Luckily, you can add hip-busting exercises to your daily fitness…
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The areas of your upper back and abs may count as only two body parts, but each area consists of multiple muscles. The upper back comprises the trapezius (traps), rhomboids, posterior deltoids (rear shoulders), infraspinatus and teres major. The ab…
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Strengthening the muscles of the forearms can have a rather drastic effect on many exercises, most notably pulling exercises. Because a strong grip is required to do pulling exercises like pull-ups, rows and dead lifts, the forearms are heavily involved…
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Your hip and legs work together to stabilize and balance your body during movement and produce force during many athletic activities. Your buttocks and legs work with other hip muscles to extend the hip and leg in movements such as…
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If your fitness goal is to bulk up, you probably know that you should be eating lots of calories and training with weights. What you may not know is that the exercises you choose will have an important effect on…
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Many abdominal exercises can be done at home, but if you want to add extra challenge or variety to your workouts, pick up some equipment that can help diversify your exercise routine. Fitness Ball A fitness ball can add to…
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Back pain can be caused by poor posture, weak core muscles and muscle imbalances. Strengthening the muscles of your core and your hamstrings will help improve your posture and support your spine, reducing back pain. Working out with a balance…
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Breast size is genetically predetermined, as is much of the integrity of the skin that holds them up. There are a number of environmental factors that influence the size and firmness of your breasts, however, including diet and exercise. One…
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Whether you are boxing for fitness, recreation or competition, there are many boxing training tools that can help improve your cardiovascular endurance, punch speed and power, as well as your overall boxing skills. Boxing Gloves Boxing gloves are worn in…
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Full-body workouts are an efficient way to work out your body. In an hour-long workout, three times per week, a complete, whole body workout can improve your strength, body composition and overall conditioning. The 5X5 Program The 5X5 sets and…
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There are many sports which require vertical leaps, including basketball, volleyball, tennis, track and field, football and more. People are not born with a finite jumping ability and can improve their leap with a variety of exercises targeting the lower…
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Overview Ankle weights make muscles in the body work harder by adding extra resistance. Although this is one way to burn extra calories, tone and build leg muscle, according to Edward R. Laskowski, M.D., a rehabilitation specialist at the Mayo…
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Fitness exercises without a machine need to be done with free weights or body weight. Free weights consist of dumbbells, barbells, weight plates or any other tool that does not have a pulley, chain, cam arm, lever, seat or cable…
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Exercises for seniors to tone muscles are an essential part of staying fit and active. The exercises will increase muscle strength and mobility, and stabilize the spine. Seniors need to start an exercise routine slowly and gradually increase the intensity…
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Overview The plank abs exercise is a move that tightens, tones and strengthens your inner core muscles in addition to your abdominal muscles. CNN recommends it as an excellent all-around core strengthening exercise that works multiple muscle groups at the…
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Running-specific exercises help you strengthen weak or under-recruited muscles, prevent you from suffering the usual assortment of injuries that plague runners and improve your running mechanics by restoring your ankle flexibility and retraining your gait. Running-specific exercises — including the…
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Over time, different cultures developed individual fighting styles based on their history. From the empty-hand strikes and farming utensil weapons of karate to the grappling style of jiu-jitsu, the character of a martial art tells a lot about the history…
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The chest is a large muscle group often referred to as the pecs. This nickname is derived from the anatomical words pectoralis major and minor. When you work your chest muscles, you should segregate each section with specific exercises. The…
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Medicine balls are functional training tools that are often used to improve sport performance and core strength. They range in size from 1 to 30 lbs., and they are constructed from hard rubber, vinyl or leather. Medicine balls can be…
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Aerobic respiration is the process of the body’s breaking down glucose, or sugar, to produce energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP provides the energy that allows the cells of the body to do the work necessary for…
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