Newsletter Archives - 2008

Good Health to you all! While 30-60 minutes of endurance exercise is important to do several days a week, strength training is also important for developing and maintaining muscle strength. Some effective exercises to do outside of your workout sessions are listed below.  Proper form is the key to physical success and injury prevention. Several studies indicate that the more focused a person is during exercise, the more positive are the physical results.

Push Ups — on your knees if necessary. Keep the back straight by pulling your abdominal muscles up toward the spine. Try to keep the elbows close to you rather than out to the side—this engages  the triceps and the stomach muscles as well as the chest and biceps. Do as many reps as you can with your knees off the floor, then lower knees to the floor and continue; if your back hurts or arches, that is a signal to reduce intensity.

Squats —  Squatting is great for your hamstrings, your gluteus and thighs.  Proper technique: Keep your back straight,  tummy pulled in. Relax shoulders and look straight ahead.  Do not arch the back, keep it flat. To protect the knees, it is vital to keep your body weight shifted toward the butt so the knees do not go beyond the ankles. A common mistake in squats and lunges is to let the knees go too far forward; this is very hard on the knees!

Plie squats —  emphasize the hamstrings and gluteus more than the quadriceps: turn knees and feet outward, hold a dumbbell with both hands, then squat. Keep the arms long while you hold the weight and squat. Do not let the elbows bend during movement.

Hover —  great for abs and arm strength.  This can be hard on the back so constant focus on pulling the abdominal muscles upward is vital. Lie prone (face down) on floor, with elbows down and directly beneath the chest. Place palms together, keeping eyes on your thumbs and shoulders relaxed. Then lift stomach and thighs off the floor and hold position for 30 to 60 seconds. For more intensity, pull knees up off the floor too. Remind yourself to pull the stomach up, keep the back straight and keep shoulders relaxed.