Expanding your workout to increase your leg strength and endurance is a logical next step if have already reached an intermediate fitness level. At this level, you are now able to target specific muscle groups and build upon the foundations…
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Pelvic strengthening exercise help strengthen pelvic floor muscles. Exercising the pelvic girdle muscles provides strengthening and endurance for muscles that support the bladder, help with childbirth and reduce urinary leakage for older women, often caused by laughing or sneezing. Learning…
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The best exercises and stretches for the arms are the old-fashioned staples that you can do at home or on the road with no equipment necessary. Still effective for men and women alike, push-ups and triceps dips remain both the…
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The breasts themselves are highly composed of fatty tissue. Underneath the breasts lies muscle. When you want to firm your breasts, you have to zero in on this muscle by doing several weight training exercises. You may use barbells, dumbbells…
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Exercising on the leg press machine is a great way to strengthen your quadriceps, hamstring, buttocks and calves, researchers at the Fitness Health Zone note. The machine is designed to push free or cable weights up a slope, providing isolated…
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The meniscus is a piece of tough cartilage shaped like the letter “C.” It helps the thigh bone and the shin bone fit together snugly at the knee. Each knee joint contains two menisci. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons…
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Firm upper arms and toned thighs set the rest of the body up for strength. The biceps and triceps shape the upper arm, but also support the shoulders. The quadriceps and hamstrings mold the thigh, but also enable the hips…
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Yoga has many poses that anatomically exercise the inner thighs and hips. Listen to your body and don’t strain or force the exercise. Be aware that many yoga injuries occur when releasing from postures, so make sure you take your…
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For most people, the six-pack muscle comes to mind when they think of the stomach muscles. This muscle, called the rectus abdominis, is only one of four abdominal muscles. The tranverse abdominis muscle wraps horizontally across the front of the…
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The plank position is where you lay on your forearms and toes while maintaining your entire body in a neutral position, with your spine in its natural curves and your hips in alignment with the spine (not too high or…
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As a senior, you need an exercise routine that builds muscle, yet does not place taxing demands on your bones. The resistance band–a thin, stretchy piece of plastic–helps meet these needs in a slow, controlled manner. The band also provides…
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“Hooping” refers to exercise using a weighted hoop, which differs only slightly from its cousin, the traditional hula hoop. Benefits of hooping include improved coordination, strengthened core muscles and better cardiovascular health. Because hooping uses larger and weightier hoops than…
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Your core muscles consist of two layers that work together to provide movement without injury. The internal muscles provide stability and balance of the spine, hips and other joints, and the external muscles provide movement. These systems cannot be trained…
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According to Fleck and Kraemer, muscular endurance is the ability of your muscles to generate sub-maximal force for extended periods of time without suffering undue fatigue. Many sports require muscular endurance, as do everyday activities such as climbing flights of…
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Circuit training is characterized by doing a series of exercises back-to-back with short rest periods in between. After doing a full circuit, you then start from the top and repeat the circuit again. You can do any amount of circuits…
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Handstand push-ups require strength, balance and are an outstanding exercise to develop upper body strength, as well as improve kinesthetic awareness. To improve your handstand push-up ability, develop a strong foundation in the handstand and then progress through a series…
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Strong lower abs work to prevent lower back pain and injuries. They also contribute to good posture because a strong core supports your spine in neutral alignment. Firming your lower abs will tighten the area and pull your abs in….
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Like any weight-bearing sport, skiing requires strong, flexible quads. A variety of exercises will increase quad strength, flexibility and endurance, to maximize performance on the slopes. Whether you’re looking to improve turning ability, increase speed, shred powder with facility or…
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The fitness band, which comes in a variety of shapes, widths and lengths, is inexpensive, portable and versatile. It enables multi-directional, sport-specific movements, and provides resistance at both phases of the muscle contraction. The resistance band color indicates its level…
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Push-ups are effective strength exercises for the shoulders, chest and arms, and they also can increase muscle mass in those areas. The keys to turning your push-ups from a conditioning exercise to a muscle-building movement is increasing resistance and changing…
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Overview Muscular legs can result from strength training with heavy weights, or you may have a naturally athletic body. If you wish to achieve thinner legs it is important that you continue exercising and strength training. The key is to…
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The lower body is considered anything from your glutes on down. Weight training exercises for this area can be done with multiple pieces of fitness equipment or the weight of your body by itself. Perform 10 to 12 reps and…
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Overview Inversion tables and gravity boots are popular forms of inverted exercise machines. An inversion table is a piece of exercise equipment guided by gravity developed in the late 1970s by California-based Robert Martin, a medical doctor as well as…
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Exercise during pregnancy offers a number of benefits, including reduced back pain, improved energy level and increased circulation, according to Sutter Health. Although you might not be able to perform the same exercises as you could before you were pregnant,…
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The shoulders have two muscle components–the traps and delts. The trapezius muscles start at the upper back area and run across the tops of the shoulders. The deltoids are the muscles on the front, sides and back of the shoulder…
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Your knee receives support from two main muscles, the quadriceps and hamstrings. The quadriceps are located in your thighs, the front of your knee. The hamstrings run along the back of your knee and thigh. Strengthening these muscles will reduce…
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Working out at home takes discipline and creativity. The best exercises you can do involve as much body movement as possible. If you do not own free weights or any other fitness equipment, you can use household items and the…
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Weight training is an effective way to get in shape, lose weight, become healthier or prepare for a sport. Weightlifting exercises are divided into categories of free weight exercises and machine exercises. Free weight exercises allow for whole body exercises,…
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Yoga can help with losing weight by working the entire body. In Sanskrit, yoga means “yoke” or “to join” and the practice is designed to unify the body. With breath and movement connection, natural heat is built, and the body…
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High-impact exercise causes your ankles, knees, hips and other joints to repeatedly absorb your body’s full or partial weight as you land on the ground or against a piece of machinery. Examples of high-impact exercises would include jogging at a…
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