Some people are naturals when it comes to fitness, others will need careful planning to succeed. These tips can help anyone get the info they need to start out on a fitness journey.
When designing your fitness program, focus on strength and endurance, not just muscle mass. Increasing muscle mass doesn’t make you healthier and it doesn’t make you more attractive. Better fitness comes from a well-rounded exercise program that will increase your functional strength, raise your heart rate on a regular basis, and increase your lung capacity.
When you’re working through a fitness regimen, remember that you should always warm up. If you are under the age of forty, hold your stretches for thirty seconds. If you are over the age of forty, your stretches should be held for sixty seconds. Muscles become less limber as you age, so it is wise to adjust your workout to keep on top of these changes.
Stretches should be performed before you begin your exercise and afterwards to cool the muscle from intense performance. When stretching, it is best to hold a position for 15 to 30 seconds and try not to bounce during the hold. Bouncing will force the muscle to hit a tendon or body part unnecessarily and may cause injury.
Exercise releases wonderful hormones in your body called endorphins, so take the time and enjoy them. Give yourself a few minutes after a work out, just to relax and enjoy the feeling of the endorphins running through your body. This is a positive feedback for your body that will keep you coming back for more each day.
Set smalls goals when trying to increase your fitness level. For example, if you want to lose 50 pounds you should make your initial goal to lose 5% of your weight. Meeting that goal will boost your confidence and resolve. If you would like to run a 5k spend some time improving your mile time and then go on to longer distances.
No matter which type of workout you choose to do, you need to stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water before, during and after exercise helps to replace fluids that are lost during your workout. Staying hydrated means that you will have more energy to go that little bit further, and you will feel better overall.
Standing arm curls are a great exercise for your arm muscles. To get a full range of muscle workout, flex while lifting. At the end of each repetition, straighten your arms completely by flexing your triceps. Flexing will ensure your muscles are worked through the entire range of motion.
Your body is not the only thing that should be trained during your workouts, you need to train your brain as well. After all, it is in charge of your central nervous system which is in charge of telling muscles when to contract. To do this, try standing on one leg, squatting down and touching the floor with your other hand. Do about 2 sets of 10-12 repetitions for each leg.
Instead of just doing as many crunches as you can, try doing some sit ups in your routine. Sit ups work your entire core and give you a better range of motion to work out, while crunches and other abdominal workouts, only target your abdominal muscles and not your core.
Try box squats to increase the size of your quadriceps. Box squats help you increase your quad size exponentially. All you need is a box to place behind you. Go up and down as usual, but take a 2-second break each time you hit the box.
To get the best results from your weight training workouts, be sure to limit them to no more than one hour. After you’ve worked out for 60 minutes or longer, your body starts making more cortisol. This stress hormone can block the production of testosterone and lead to muscle wasting.
If you need to build forearm strength for a sport such as tennis, use newspapers to get the job done. Lay them out flat and crumple them in your hands one by one. This actually works out the muscle you need most in your forearm, so crumple them up again and again!
One of the main reasons people fail to continue exercise programs is boredom. There is nothing as boring as walking or jogging on the same treadmill, day after day. The key for many people is variety of exercise. For example, a few weeks of cycling could be followed by a week of running, followed by a week of playing tennis.
If you’re looking to get fit, the tips shared here will help you no matter who you are or what your fitness goal is. Take the time to study each tip and see if you can incorporate it into your workout routine. Spend the necessary time to achieve real fitness, and the rewards will be long-lasting.