Most men and women want nice looking arms and shoulders, and arm exercises with weights can either give you those bulging biceps you’re looking for, or that long, lean and nicely toned arm that looks great in a strapless dress….
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Without exercise and stretching, muscles go soft and flaccid and body weight goes up. According to “The New York Times,” nearly 34 percent of adults are obese, so exercising is more important than ever. Fortunately there are a number of…
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Yoga is not about being the best, but instead is about an individual practice that connects breath and movement. There are certain yoga positions that are staples in most classes and can be considered the best yoga positions because of…
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Overview At the start of the 1970s, the Hillerich & Bradsby Co. had reigned for more than a century as the main producer of baseball bats in the United States. Then along came aluminum to challenge wood in the world…
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Prevent training plateaus in your fitness program by implementing the progressive overload principle. This method of training, as described by the American Council on Exercise, requires you to gradually increase the resistance against your muscles. You will need a squat…
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Yoga sequences combine postures to stretch the whole body from the feet arches to the crown of the head. While each pose has certain anatomical focuses, combining a series of poses in a sequence allows the body to be stretched,…
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Resistance bands are strong, portable elastic bands with various resistance levels that can be used almost anywhere. Unlike free weights, the resistance of the band changes with the tension and range of motion applied to it because if you pull…
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Posture is the position in which you hold your body upright–against gravity–while standing, lying or sitting. The Cleveland Clinic states that maintaining good posture will allow you to stand, sit, move and lie down with the least strain on your…
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The muscles that help straighten and extend the legs, the hip flexors, are often overlooked in exercise routines. These muscles give a wide range of motion when playing sports and protect hip and knee joints, according to the Fitness Begin…
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Back pain and spasms create a cycle that is sometimes difficult to break, with pain creating spasm, and spasm creating pain. Stretching exercises lengthen and relax the muscle fibers, while cardiovascular exercise increases the oxygen to the tissue and promotes…
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It’s not enough for football players to work hard on the practice field and study their opponents on film. Football is a year-round game, and players have to work hard in the weight room to get stronger. This is especially…
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Don’t mistake cardio kickboxing for an actual martial arts class. Even though it incorporates martial arts moves like kicking and punching, cardio kickboxing focuses more on working up a sweat than the fine points of self-defense. This fun, fast-paced aerobic…
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The history of Korean martial arts dates back more than 2,000 years. Today, Korean styles like tae kwon do, tang soo do and hapkido are some of the most widely practiced martial arts around the world. Students of Korean martial…
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It sometimes may seem as if there are as many ways to shoot a basketball as there are players. The best shooting forms, however, maximize a player’s ability to shoot the ball straight, and with a high arc and rotation….
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The number one rule of gym etiquette is to check your ego at the door. As long as you’re considerate of others and not worried about competing against anyone but yourself, you’ll automatically fall into the “polite” category. There are…
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The abdominal muscles include the rectus abdominis in front and the transversus abdominis, internal oblique and external oblique on either side of your abdomen. These muscles flex your upper body forward and laterally (side to side) and rotate your trunk….
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It doesn’t matter how sharply you zig, how fast you zag or how long your strides are if your skis don’t go along with you. Proper application of the correct waxes can help you move faster, turn with more confidence…
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The desire to be lean and muscular is a common one among athletes. From competitive bodybuilders to weekend warrior gym rats, pumping iron is often about building bigger, more impressive muscles and reducing body fat levels. The activity and sport…
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Overview The best way to get in shape for pull-ups is to practice them. You can use a spotter, which is someone to help push you up, perform upper body strength exercises, or use a gravitron and other machines to…
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Power bands are tools for strength training your wrists or other body parts that technically fall under the category of free weights but are different from dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells and medicine balls. Most free weights come in a particular weight,…
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Many people fight the battle of the bulging back. Some complain about the lower-back rolls spilling over their jeans, and women often search for the perfect bra that does not accentuate any upper-back folds. Finding the perfect clothing that best…
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All yoga postures tone some part of the body and give greater strength to your muscles. Yoga uses your body weight to connect breath and movement, which exercises the entire body. Certain poses focus on firming different parts. Warrior I…
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Overview One-arm push-ups are the toughest push-ups you can do. As challenging as one-arm push-ups may be, you can do them by gradually building your core and upper-body strength. Push-ups with correct form directly engage your chest, shoulders and triceps…
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Shooting a basketball may only take a split second, but shooting it well takes many hours of practice. Many different elements go into a quality basketball shot, including body alignment, a strong jump and proper contact with the ball. Get…
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Overview Couples who are trying to conceive and who have not achieved this happy goal can take one step toward pregnancy by calculating the woman’s menstrual cycle so they can figure out when she’s most likely to ovulate. Several factors,…
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Skis designed prior to the late 1980s were long and heavy. Optimal performance on these boards required strength and endurance. Shaped skis leveled the playing field. The curvy dimensions of these shorter, lighter boards facilitate smooth, fluid turns, making skiing…
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Overview When you perform strength training, muscles are overloaded and muscle fibers are broken down, causing small tears and damage. In an attempt to adapt to the stress being put on them by strength training, your muscles respond by healing…
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The game of baseball requires the use of almost every major muscle group in the body. Whether it’s diving for a ground ball, throwing to home plate or sliding for the winning run, your muscles and joints need to be…
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For some, there may be a fine line between “good pain” and “bad pain” in the gym. Lactic acid causes your muscles to feel like they’re burning when subjected to intense anaerobic exertion (weight lifting). Sharp, stabbing pains in the…
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The muscles of the upper back comprise the trapezius, rhomboids, posterior (rear) deltoid, infraspinatus and teres minor, according to “A Guide to Personal Fitness Training,” by Mary Yoke. These muscles are more commonly known as the traps, the back of…
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