Fitness Tips - Exercise And Harm

Posted August 30th, 2006 by
Categories: Fitness Tips

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Anytime you exercise, your brain releases chemicals known as endorphins that produce a feeling of euphoria, which is known as “runners high”, which is also very easy to become chemically addicted to.

Without this rush, you’ll feel irritable and out of it until you exercise again.  Therefore, you’ll go on exercising and not listen to what your body is actually telling you - which is to stop.

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The main reason addicts will continue to push themselves lies in what will happen when they don’t work out. Normally when they are unable to exercise, they will display signs of depression, anxiety, confusion, and be less happy with themselves.

Aches and pains
Over exercising doesn’t only affect the mind, but the body as well.  Exercise will initially do what it is intended to do, give you a fit body but once you cross the line however, it can drastic. Muscle damage, osteoarthritis, and heart problems will all be waiting in the wings if you continue to overdo it.  The body has limits and if you push beyond that limit, you’ll do nothing but harm yourself.

Obsessive exercise tends to happen among those who are new to exercise.  Therefore, if you are keen to reap the benefits of getting fit, you’ll tend to overstep the limits.

The initial signs of over exercise are exhaustion, which can lead to a build up of fatigue.  Keep in mind, it isn’t only the muscles that are at risk, but the bones as well.  Many people who exercise push themselves to the point of injuries such as shin splints or even stress fractures, then refuse to rest, which causes greater and sometimes even permanent damage.

Even a brisk walk in the morning doesn’t come without risk, as walking too much can lead to osteoarthritis.  When you walk, you are working against gravity.  Even though you are exercising your muscles, you are also harming your knee joints as well.

Many people who walk up to an hour or more everyday end up with complaints of aches in the knees.  The fact is, jogging also harms the knees, and too many sit ups can hurt as well.  As with any type of exercise, moderation is the key.

You should always start off gradually, and combine several different types of workouts, which is one thing that obsessive exercisers forget to do.  One of the biggest complication factors of people who get addicted to exercise is that they will tend to perform the same workout each and every day, which further increases the risk of permanent damage.

Think right
You should never work out to the point where you feel completely exhausted once you have finished. Your limit with exercise should be 45 minutes to an hour, four or five days a week.  When you are finished, your workout should leave you feeling fresh and energetic.  Every week should make it a point to take a day’s break - as your body will need to relax and rejuvenate.

The key to achieving this completely lies in your attitude, as exercising is the way to a healthy life.  If you do it only to please yourself, you’ll defeat the entire purpose when you stand there on the weighing machine. 

If you take things one day at a time and don’t over do it, you’ll be well on your way to a healthy body.  Exercising can be a lot of fun and a way to relax, if you don’t rush it.  Start off slow and gradually work your way up.  Before you know it, you’ll know how to prevent injuries before they happen and you’ll know exactly what you need to do to remain healthy.

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Fitness Tips - Exercise And Asthma

Posted August 8th, 2006 by
Categories: Fitness Tips

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If you suffer from asthma, you probably think that you can’t exercise properly or safely.  Contrary to what many think of this subject, there are ways that you can get in shape and exercise, even if you suffer from asthma.

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that is marked by characteristics such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness.  Asthma tends to occur with people who are genetically or environmentally presdisposed to the condition. 

Some of the triggers that may start or make an attack worse include exposure to allergens, viral respiratory infections, airway irritants, exercise, and exposure to things such as dust mites or cockroaches.

You can prevent asthma attacks by doing the following:
1.  Bathe your pets weekly.
2.  Don’t smoke or permit smoking in your home. 
3.  When mold or pollent counts are high,you should stay inside with air conditioning.
4.  Wash your bedding and any stuffed toys at least once per week in hot water.
5.  Wash your hands every chance you get.
6.  Get a flu shot.
7.  Wear a scarf over your mouth and nose in the winter months.
8.  Be proactive and know your triggers and how you should avoid them.

Now that you know what you know about asthma, you may be wondering where exercise fits in.  As most doctors will tell you, you shouldn’t give up on sports or exercise at all.  You just have to be smart about how you play and take special pre cautions to avoid attacks.

Almost all doctors agree that the best way to prevent attacks during exercise is to keep your inhaler and medication close by.  You should never use the inhaler more than 3 times during a game or exercise session.  If you are up the previous night with coughing and wheezing, it’s always best to go light with your exercise the next day.

For something known as IEA (Exercise Induced Asthma),the symptoms are somewhat different, in the fact that they appear after 6 - 10 minutes of exercise and will often be worse in cold or dry air.

If you have IEA, there are several activities that you can enjoy such as swimming, walking, biking, downhill skiing, and team based sports.  There are many activities for you to choose from, to ensure you get the exercise you need as well.

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Keep in mind that the condition of asthma isn’t “all in your head”, it is a real physiological medical treatment that will require treatment to prevent and treat.  Even though your doctor will be your best friend in treating asthma, you are the one who can prevent your symptoms. 

Always be smart, take your medication, and be proactive.  Don’t let it put you in a life of misery - as you can enjoy exercise just like everyone else.

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Fitness Tips - Eating And Exercise

Posted August 1st, 2006 by
Categories: Fitness Tips

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Anytime you exercise, you do so in order to try and maintain good health. You also know that you have to eat as well, so your body will have the energy it needs to exercise and maintain for the everyday tasks of life.  For making the best of your exercise, what you eat before and after you workout is very important.

No matter if you are going to be doing a cardio workout or a resistance workout, you should always make it a point to eat a balanced mix of protein and carbohydrates.  What makes that determining percentage of carbs and protein you consume is whether or not you are doing cardio or resistance exercise and the intensity level that you plan to work at.

The ideal time for you to eat your pre workout meal is an hour before you start.  If you plan to work at a low intensity level, you should keep your pre workout meal down to 200 calories or so.  If you plan to exercise at a high level of intensity, you will probably need your meal to be between 4,000 and 5,000 calories.

Those of you who are doing a cardio session will need to consume a mix of 2/3 carbs and 1/3 protein. Doing so will give you longer sustained energy from the extra carbs with enough protein to keep your muscle from breaking down while you exercise.

For resistance exercise, you’ll need to eat a mix of 1/3 carbs and 2/3 protein, as this will help you get plenty of energy from the carbs to perform each set you do and the extra protein will help keep muscle breakdown to a minimum while you exercise. 

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Eating after you exercise is just as important as your pre workout meal.  Anytime you exercise, whether its cardio or resistance, you deplete energy in the form of glycogen.  The brain and central nervous system rely on glycogen as their main source of fuel, so if you don’t replace it after you exercise, your body will begin to break down muscle tissue into amino acids, and then convert them into usable fuel for the brain and the central nervous system.

Keep in mind that mostly during resistance exercise, you’ll break down muscle tissue by creating micro tears.  What this means, is that after a workout, your muscles will instantly go into repair mode.  Protein is the key here for muscle repair, as you don’t want muscle breaking down even further to create fuel instead of lost glycogen.

Once you have finished a cardio session, you’ll need to consume mainly carbohydrates, preferably those with high fiber.  Rice, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, and northern fruits are excellent sources. Also, try to consume 30 - 50 grams of there types of carbs after you exercise.  After your cardio workout, it is fine to eat within 5 - 10 minutes.

Once you’ve finished a resistance workout, you will need to consume a combination of carbs and protein.  Unlike cardio workouts, resistance workouts will break down muscle tissue by creating micro tears.

You’ll need protein as this happens to build up and repair these tears so that the muscle can increase in size and strength.  The carbs will not only replace the lost muscle glycogen, but will also help the protein get into muscle cells so it can synthesize into structural protein, or the muscle itself.

After your resistance exercise, you should wait up to 30 minutes before you eat, so that you won’t take blood away from your muscles too fast.  The blood in your muscles will help the repair process by removing the metabolic waste products.

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Fitness Tips - Choosing The Right Exercise For You

Posted July 28th, 2006 by
Categories: Fitness Tips

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The type of exercise you do all depends on you and what you like to do.  What you hate doing, paying membership fees, and whether or not to buy equipment are all things you need to consider as well as answer.

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If you choose something that you don’t like to do, you aren’t going to keep doing it for a long period of time.  Give it some thought - if you don’t like jogging, you aren’t going to get up at 6 AM and go running.  If you can’t find something you like to do, choose something you hate the least, which will normally be walking.

Walking is great exercise, as it suits all levels of fitness.  Anyone can start a walking program at any time, it’s normally the intensity and duration that differs.  Walking is also a social exercise, as it isn’t difficult to find a training partner to chat with while you exercise.  Walking with a partner will also make time go by faster.

No matter what exercise you choose, you should start at a low level of intensity and build it up over a period of weeks, which is essential to the longevity of your exercise program.  If you start off too hard, you could end up with an injury which will require time off to get over.

If you are really in bad shape, you should start off by walking for 10 minutes each day.  Then, increase it by 5 minutes every 2 weeks.  To make things more interesting, you should try walking a different course every few days.  You can also roster a different friend to walk with you each day of the week.

If walking isn’t your thing, then you may want to try a fitness center.  They have loads of variety and normally have trainers on hand to answer any questions you may have.  When you choose a fitness center, make sure that they give good service.

If they aren’t willing to treat you well before you join, then they certainly won’t after you join.  You should also make sure that the equipment they use is well taken care of.  It’s easy to find out, as all you have to do is listen to the machines.  If they squeak a lot or make noise, then chances are they aren’t being taken care of.

If you still aren’t sure what you should do, then you should look into golf or tennis.  Both are good social activities in most areas, and you can even meet new friends.  Tennis is great for fitness although it isn’t for someone who is just starting out.  If you haven’t exercised in a long time, then golf may be the best activity for you.

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Fitness Tips - Chidren And Exercise

Posted July 21st, 2006 by
Categories: Fitness Tips

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If you have a child of 6 to 8 years old that wants to start exercising and lifting weights, you may find yourself wondering what you should do.  While some think it is perfectly fine for children to exercise, there are others that think differently.

The long and short of it is that yes, it is beneficial for your child to partake in exercise
or a weight training regimen although there are a few things that you should keep in mind once this starts to happen.

No matter how you look at it, children aren’t minature adults and therefore you can’t use the same methods with growing children that you can use with adults, as children are different from adults emotionally, anatomically, and physiologically.

All children have immature skeletons, as their bones don’t mature until they get 14 - 22 years of age.  With girls, exercise during childhood can have very critical effects on bone health that can last for their entire lives.

Children are often times vulnerable to growth related overuse injuries such as Osgood schlatter disease.  Children have immature temperature regulation systems due to their having a large surface area compared to their muscle mass which will cause them to be more susceptible to injury when they aren’t properly warmed up.

Children don’t sweat as much as adults do, so they will be more susceptible to heat exhaustion as well as a heat stroke.  Due to their low muscle mass and immature hormone system, it makes it harder for them to develop strength and speed. Their breathing and heart response during exercise are also different from an adults, which will affect their capacity for exercise.

On the other hand, young boys and girls can drastically improve their strength with weight
training although opposed to adults, neurological factors instead of muscle growth factors are mostly responsible.

When you consider programs for children, first and foremost you should obtain a medical clearance.  The first approach to designing a program is to establish a repetition range of 8 - 12 and keep the work load appropriate for the range.

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You should ensure that workouts are spread out enough to have at least 1 - 2 full days of rest between workouts. The main focus when working out should be on the form of every exercise performed, and not on the amount of weight being lifted.

Before weight training, warm up and stretching should be done.  Start your children off with light loads and then make adjustments accordingly.  No more than 3 non consecutive exercise sessions should be done in a week.  You should also see to it that they drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercise.  Getting enough water is very important with exercise, as it is often times very easy to get dehydrated - especially with children.

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Fitness Tips - Cardio Exercise

Posted July 17th, 2006 by
Categories: Fitness Tips

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Everyone has wondered at some point in time which cardio exercise is better.  To put it in simple terms, both low and high intensity exercises will help you to burn off body fat.  The question here is which is the most effective to burn off more body fat. 

When scientists first discovered that during intensive exercises, your body burns glycogen, which is a form of stored carbohydrates that are stored in your liver and muscles for energy.  During low intensity exercises, your body will burn a lot of fat.

If your wondering whether or not it works, the answer is no because there are so many obese people still around.  Even though they are working out with low intensity routines, it still makes you wonder how it can be.

The scientists were right when they said the human body burns more body fat during low intensity exercises like walking or swimming.  During a high intensity exercise such as running, the body will burn a lot more calories.  Even if some of the calories burnt are from glycogen, there are still many fat calories burned as well.

To put the icing on the cake, when your store of glycogen gets low, the carbohydrates from your food you eat will later get converted into glycogen to fill up the store and won’t be
converted to body fat when they are left unused for energy.

High intensity cardio exercise will juice up your metabolism even after you have completed your workout.  What this means, is that your body will continue to burn body fat hours after you have left the gym.  This effect is nearly non existent in low intensity cardio or aerobic workout. 

Accumulatively, your body will burn up more and more calories during and after you have finished a high intensity cardio exercise that it will with low intensity.

You can inject high intensity exercises into your cardio workout by introducing some interval
training. You can walk for 5 minutes or so, then break into some jogging for another 5 minutes or so.  Then, walk briskly again until you have caught your breath and then sprint for a minute before you walk again.  From this point, simply alternate your running and walking for the next 15 minutes until you are finished.

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One of the best things about cardio is the more you do it, the more energy you’ll have.  Cardio will help you to burn calories, although its more useful for keeping your energy levels high.

If you’ve never tried cardio before, you should give it a shot.  If you like to exercise, you’ll
find cardio the best way to boost your energy and keep in top shape.  If you are just starting out, you’ll want to go slow and keep your cardio exercise in track - as it is very easy to over exert yourself.

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Fitness Tips - Buying An All In One System

Posted July 13th, 2006 by
Categories: Fitness Tips

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These days, more and more people are turning away from memberships to gyms and instead choosing to invest money in a home gym.  You can put a home gym in a spare corner of your home, or even in the basement if you wish.  Along with helping you save money by combining several different types of equipment into one machine, these types of equipment
can easily fit in small spaces and type up a lot less weight than their individual ounterparts.

So after reading what we have mentioned here on Fitness Tip, it is up to you to provide your verdict as to what exactly it is that you find fascinating here. When you are considering to buy an all in one piece of exercise equipment, you should first think about your goals.  You should consider what you hope to achieve from exercising and just how well this piece of equipment will benefit you.

There are several types of all in one equipment for exercise on the market and almost all of them are advertised well on television, in magazines, and on the internet.  The most popular types on the market are those types that are geared towards individuals who are interested in lifting weights.

Right now, the two most popular types of all in one exercise systems are the Bowflex and Total Gym brands.  The Bowflex system uses resistant bows that bend instead of the traditional weights that simply lift.  Bowflex is designed to fit a wide variety of budgets and needs, it’s widely adaptable and extremely popular as well.

To make things even better, you can store the basic Bowflex system in small and tight places, even under a bed if you choose.  The larger and more expensive Blowflex system competes with the types of professional equipment that you can find in gyms, which allow you a quality workout on quality equipment.

The Total Gym system is great as well, as it is advertised by martial arts legend Chuck Norris and supermodel Christie Brinkley.  It is less expensive than the Bowflex and uses gravity and resistance instead of traditional weights. By using this system, you have the ability to adapt the machine to a wide variety of exercises that will work many different areas of your body.

When you make that decision about buying an all in one exercise system, you must also decide on price, features, brand, and just who will use the machine.  If your family plans to use it as well, then you’ll need to get a system that everyone will agree on.  You obviously wouldn’t want a machine that is too complicated for others in your home.

Even though Bowflex and Total Gym are the 2 most popular types of all in one equipment, there are several others out there as will, from brands such as Weider and many others.  Before you make your choice, you should look at several to see which one offers you more for your money.

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Fitness Tips - Alcohol And Exercise

Posted July 10th, 2006 by
Categories: Fitness Tips

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On Friday afternoon after you leave work, you probably think about going out and having a few drinks with friends to relax and wind down.  Even though you may think you deserve to go out and have a few drinks, there are some things that you should certainly keep in mind.

Like any other day, tomorrow is going to be a day for exercise, and since you are exercising on a regular basis, a few drinks of alcohol won’t really hurt anything, right?  Before you decide to rush out to the local bar, there are a few things below that you should think about before you make your choice about going out to drink some alcohol.

Research has proven that even small amounts of alcohol with increase muscular endurance and the output of strength, although these types of benefits are very short lived.  After 20 minutes or so, the problems will begin to surface.  All of the negative side effects associated with alcohol will easily outweigh any possible benefits that it can have. No matter how you look at it, alcohol is a poison that can really harm your body if you aren’t careful.

The negative side of alcohol can reduce your strength, endurance, aerobic capability, recovery time, ability to metabolize fat, and even your muscle growth as well.  Alcohol will also have an effect on your nervous system and brain.  If you use it long term, you can cause severe deterioration of your central nervous system.   Even with short term use, nerve muscle interaction can be reduced which will result in a loss of strength.

Once alcohol reaches the blood cells, it can and probably will damage them.  With alcohol users, inflammation of the muscle cells is a very common thing.  Over periods of time, some of these cells that have been damaged can die which will result in less functional muscle contractions.  Drinking alcohol will also leave you with more soreness of your muscles after you exercise, which means that it will take you a lot longer to recuperate.

Alcohol will also have many different effects on your heart and circulatory system as well.  When you drink any type of alcohol, you may begin to see a reduction in your endurance capabilities. Anytime you drink, your heat loss will increase, due to the alcohol simulating your blood vessels to dilate.  The loss in heat can cause your muscles to become quite cold, therefore become slower and weaker during your muscle contractions.

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Drinking alcohol can also lead to digestive and nutrition problems as well.  Alcohol cause a
release of insulin that will increase the metabolism of glycogen, which spares fat and makes the loss of fat very hard.  Due to alcohol interfering with the absorption of several key nutrients, you can also become anemic and deficient with B type vitamins. 

Because your liver is the organ that detoxifies alcohol, the more you drink, the harder your liver has to work.  The extra stress alcohol places on your liver can cause serious damage and even destroy some of your liver cells.

Since alcohol is diuretic, drinking large amounts can put a lot of stress on your kidneys as well. During diuretic action, the hormones are secreted. This can lead to heightened water retention and no one who exercises will want this to happen.

If you must drink alcohol, you should do it in moderation and never drink before you exercise, as this will impair your balance, coordination, and also your judgement.  Think about your health and how you exercise - and you may begin to look at things from a whole new prospective.

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Fitness Tips - Big Results with 10-Minute Exercises

Posted June 27th, 2006 by
Categories: Fitness Tips

Many busy professionals feel that working out isn’t worth the time unless they can exercise for forty minutes or longer and it’s true that many healthcare workers and government agencies used to recommend that all adults get thirty consecutive minutes of aerobic exercise per day. But this is the twenty-first century and the fact of the matter is that you don’t have to do all your exercise at once to reap the health benefits. Research has shown that short, intense exercise segments throughout the day are just as effective as longer workouts at burning calories, increasing cardio endurance and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. Even as little as five minutes can go a long way towards balancing hormones in the body and making you a happier person – is that great or what? You no longer have to worry about finding a large block of free time to work out; just take a coffee break and in five minutes you can feel totally rejuvenated.

One of the greatest things about shorter workouts is that they have tremendous potential to reshape your body with a minimum time commitment. Incorporating strength training exercises into your daily schedule is a powerful tool for both heart health and muscle strength. Spend five minutes doing lower body exercises and after several weeks you can tell a difference. Spend ten minutes on a power workout and results will show up in three weeks or less. Use the following ten-minute express workouts on a regular basis for a month and you will see remarkable changes in your body’s strength. You can do these workouts in your office with the door closed or, if your office is a cubicle, in the restroom or some other private area. Do whatever is necessary for you to fit in your exercise time at work.

Express Workout 1: Hips and Thighs

Hips and thighs can be a frustrating area to shape up especially for women. Thanks to the physiological design of female bodies, fat tends to be stored in the thighs and hips and can be very resistant to toning efforts. Perform this routine three to four times weekly in conjunction with aerobic exercise and your body will begin to reshape in six to ten weeks.

Squats: Squats are performed by standing with feet about shoulder-width apart and arms by sides. Keep strong posture and slowly lower buttocks as though about to sit down in a chair. Lower several inches and then slowly raise.

Pliès: Adopted from ballet, pliès are performed by standing with feet just wider than shoulder-width and toes pointed outward. With a hand on a chair or wall for balance, slowly drop body straight down for several inches and then come back up. To increase intensity, on the final pliè, stay in a lowered position and slowly pulse your body up and down about an inch. This fatigues the muscle faster.

Lunges: Lunges are performed by standing with feet about shoulder-width apart and hands on hips. Stand tall and take a large step forward with one foot, and remain in that position. Turn your back foot up until balanced on the toes and then slowly lower your body until your front knee forms a right angle. Slowly raise your body back up. Repeat on each side.

Leg Stretches: Stand with feet about shoulder-width apart and one hand holding a chair or wall for balance. Raise one foot behind you and reach back with your hand, grab the foot and gently pull it towards your buttocks. This stretches the quadriceps muscle on the front of the leg. Repeat with each leg.

For stretching the calf muscle, place one foot slightly in front of you and point your toes up, balancing on the heel. Keep your weight on the foot that is not being stretched. Repeat on both sides.

All times are approximate.

0:01 – 1:00 – Begin by walking briskly in place to warm up the muscles. Warming the muscles makes them pliable and will allow you to work longer.

1:01 – 3:00 – Perform as many squats as possible in two minutes.

3:01 – 4:00 – Rest for one minute.

4:01 – 6:00 – Perform as many pliès as possible in two minutes.

6:01 – 7:00 – Rest for one minute.

7:01 – 9:00 – Perform as many lunges (both legs) as possible in two minutes.

9:01 – 10:00 – Recovery and stretching.

Express Workout 2 – Arms and Shoulders

Building strength in your upper body is a vital part of any workout plan and fortunately it can be a fairly easy area to strengthen. Powerful arms are important for both men and women to assist with everyday life – it’s surprising how many typical daily tasks require using the shoulders, back and arms. By building those muscles, you will take some of the daily stress of your body. This 10-minute express workout develops the biceps, triceps, upper back muscles and shoulders. 

Bicep Curls: Curls are done by standing with your feet about shoulder-width apart and weights in both hands. Tuck your elbows firmly against your sides with palms facing forward. Slowly raise the weight almost to your shoulder for a count of 5 and then lower it, again for a count of 5.

Overhead Press: The overhead press is performed by standing with feet about shoulder-width apart and a straight back, holding a weight in each hand. Bring the hands up to the shoulders and then slowly lift up for a count of 5. Raise the weights until the arm is almost fully extended; then release and lower downward.

Triceps Raise: Stand tall with feet slightly more than shoulder-width. With weights in hands, lift straight overhead until almost fully extended. Turn palms inward to face each other. Slowly begin to lower the weight down toward your back until the elbow forms a right angle; then raise the weight.

Forward Press: Standing with feet a few inches past shoulder-width. With weights in hands, bring up to shoulders. Slowly press the weights forward; then pull back. Be sure to keep arms level with shoulders and move forward and back slowly.

Stretches: Stretch the arms by raising your arms overhead, dropping one hand behind your head and using the other hand to gently press the elbow back to stretch the triceps muscle. Repeat with the other arm. Next, raise both arms overhead, lace fingers together and press arms outward. Lastly, bring one arm across the front of your body and use the other hand to press the arm against the body to stretch the biceps muscle.

0:01 – 0:30 – Warm up

0:31 – 2:30 – Perform as many slow, quality biceps curls as possible within two minutes.

2:31 – 3:00 – Rest for thirty seconds.

3:01 – 5:00 – Begin overhead raises and complete as many quality raises as possible within two minutes.

5:01 – 5:30 – Rest for thirty seconds.

5:31 – 7:30 – Complete as many accurate triceps presses as possible within two minutes.

7:31 – 8:00 – Rest for thirty seconds.

8:01 – 10:00 – Complete as many properly done forward presses as possible within two minutes.

Extra time: Stretch if you have time available.

Express Workout 3 – Abdominal Muscles

Having strong core muscles is crucial to protecting the spine and maintaining good posture. When your body is supported by strong central muscles it’s easier to perform everyday tasks as well as exercise. Abdominal workouts won’t flatten the stomach – that requires aerobic exercise – but they will strengthen and tone the muscles.

Basic Curls: Perform the basic curl by lying on your back with knees bents. Place your fingertips at your ears and use your stomach muscles to pull yourself about five or six inches. Slowly lower back down. Avoid using momentum to perform the exercises.

Cross-Curls: Begin in basic curl position. Contract stomach muscles and lift to the right as you bring your right elbow to your left knee. Switch and bring left elbow to right knee.

Bicycle: Begin in basic curl position but prop your upper body up on your elbows. Straighten your legs and then raise both legs several inches off the floor. Pull your right leg in to your body; then extend it as you pull in your left leg. Continue doing so; thus “bicycling.”

Rope Climb: Begin in basic curl position. Raise your legs straight up into the air while keeping your upper body flat on the floor. Using your abdominals to lift your upper back off the floor, use your hands and arms to pretend you are climbing a rope. Grasp the “rope” with your right hand as you bring your right side off the floor; then switch and use your left hand.

Stretches: Lie on your stomach with hands at about shoulder-height. Slowly use your hands to lift your upper body off the floor and stretch your abdominals.

0:01 – 2:00 – Perform as many well-done basic curls as possible within two minutes.

2:01 – 2:30 – Rest for thirty seconds.

2:31 – 4:30 – Complete as many accurate cross-curls as possible within two minutes.

4:31 – 5:00 – Rest for thirty seconds.

5:01 – 7:00 – “Bicycle” for two minutes.

7:01 – 7:30 – Rest for thirty seconds.

7:31 – 9:30 – “Climb” the “rope” for two minutes.

9:31 – 10:00 – Stretch the abdominal muscles.