Using dynamic and static stretching to keep your body safe

Fitness is just like life: the more flexible you are, the more you will enjoy it.Stretching is important in every exercise regimen, but it’s often pushed to the side and ignored. It’s so easy after a hard workout with weights and cardio to just brush off stretching.After a workout, endorphins are pumping and you may not feel like you need to stretch. This is when you need to stretch the most: before you feel like you need it.There are two types of stretching that you can do by yourself. Each has a very specific purpose and is most effective when done at the right time during your workout.The first is dynamic stretching. This type is typically done as a warm-up before you start your workout. In dynamic stretching the key element is motion.Because the muscles are moved through their range of motion repeatedly, dynamic stretching helps to loosen the muscles while also improving balance, coordination, and body awareness.Dynamic stretching is similar to regular isotonic exercise in that you perform a range of motion of the muscles for a set of repetitions.Dynamic stretching is not be confused with ballistic stretching, which is notable for its “bouncing.” The movement in dynamic stretching is smooth and controlled, not bouncing.Ballistic stretching can over extend the range of flexibility a muscle is capable of and possibly lead to an injury. In contrast to ballistic stretching, dynamic stretching is safe when performed properly because control is an integral part of each movement.While dynamic stretching is ideal as a warm-up to get the blood flowing through the muscles and increasing flexibility, static stretching is a great cool-down for the end of a workout routine.

Static stretching is the most common type.  Holding a toe touch is an example of a static stretch.  The purpose of a static stretch is to elongate a muscle in a lengthened position for a period of time.

For muscles that have been repeatedly contracted during an intense weights workout, static stretching helps to pull the muscles into a lengthened position to avoid injury and overall discomfort.

Static stretches can also be performed in between sets of exercise to keep the muscles loose. When a muscle is flexible it can move more freely which leads to better performance during a workout.

Both dynamic and static stretches are extremely important in every workout routine. Stretching is what keeps the body in balance.

Yoga has been beneficial in helping fitness-minded individuals understand the importance of flexibility and breathing as a huge part of fitness and health.

Breathing during any stretch is what will help to relieve tension. By nature stretching is a rhythm of tension and rest. During any tension a solid rhythm of inhaling and exhaling will keep the body in the proper balance.

Do NOT hold your breath during a stretch.  Your body needs oxygen so be sure to stay focused on your breathing.

By warming up with an energetic dynamic stretching routine and cooling down with a relaxing static stretching routine, you will get the most out of your workouts, stay injury-free, and enjoy your time exercising more than ever.

Don’t forget to start and end every workout with stretching!

The benefits of the stability ball

Who doesn’t want a firm, toned abdominal region? Tightening up the mid-section is one of the most common motivators for many people as they embark on a new fitness routine.One hindrance to working the abdominal muscles is that crunches, leg raises and planks done on the floor can be uncomfortable at times. The more comfortable you are while exercising the more likely you are to stay committed.A great alternative and improvement to doing abdominal workouts on the floor is the stability ball (also known as the balance ball or Swiss ball). It is a very inexpensive fitness tool that can be used in a multitude of ways to add freshness and comfort to your workout.Not only does the stability ball make it easier to get into many abdominal exercise positions, it also engages more muscles of the core area of the body because more balance is required to remain stable on it than the floor or a bench.Another advantage to incorporating the stability ball into abdominal workouts is that the lower back is effectively supported. Crunches on the floor are very effective but the unsupported space between the back and the floor can make crunch workouts uncomfortable on the lumbar area of the spine.The stability ball contours to the shape of the entire body that is resting on it so every part of the body touching the ball is supported.While performing all abdominal exercises remember to always exhale regularly with every repetition to provide continuous airflow through the body. Holding your breath will cut your sets short and make all the exercises much more difficult.The stability ball can be just what you need to start on a great abdominal routine for the upcoming spring and summer. It’s comfortable, convenient for use at home, and relatively inexpensive.Here are five effective exercises performed on a stability ball:

1. Rollouts- Start by kneeling behind the ball placing your fists on top of it. Smoothly roll forward letting your elbows eventually be the last part of your arm touching the ball as it rolls towards your body. Perform three sets of 10-12 repetitions.
2. Planks- Begin by kneeling behind the ball with your forearms resting on top. Straighten the entire body maintaining a firm posture on the stability ball. Hold this position for three sets of twenty seconds each.
3. Knee Tucks- Kneel in front of the ball and place one leg at a time up on it until you are in a pushup position with your shins resting on the ball. Pull the knees into the tucked position as the ball rolls with the motion of the legs. Perform for three sets of ten repetitions.
4. Pikes- Start in the same position as knee tucks. Keep the legs perfectly straight and raise the tailbone up towards the ceiling making an upside down “V” with the body as the ball rolls with the motion of the legs. This is one of the all-time most effective abdominal exercises. It engages not only the upper abs, but also the lower abs as well while maintaining balance using the obliques and lower back muscles simultaneously.
5. Crunches- Begin by sitting on the ball as if it is a chair. Take one step out with each leg as the ball rolls backwards. Next, find a stable spot on your lower back where the shoulder blades still hang off of the ball during the exercise to get a full range of motion. Raise the upper body up in a crunching motion and then return to the starting position. Repeat three sets of ten repetitions.

Exercise Overload

Train hard, but train smart too!With the New Year over a month underway many people are starting on fresh new workout programs and pushing forward towards their results at full speed ahead. After a month or two many people start seeing results which may inspire them to push even harder to greatly increase the rate at which their bodies are changing.It is very common to gain momentum quickly when beginning a new fitness program.  The initial excitement is a great thing, but it is very important to not go too far with the amount and volume of your workouts.  Moderation is the key.The main thing you want to be cautious of while on a fitness program is overtraining. Overtraining is not only hazardous to your results, but to your health as well.The right amount of exercise is beneficial in so many ways: muscle growth, fat burning, increased energy, a stronger immune system, better sleep and elevated mood.However, if the body is over trained then each of these benefits will suffer. Symptoms of overtraining are typically chronic fatigue, decreased immunity, depressed mood, lack of interest in exercise, prolonged recovery and insomnia. There is also a much greater risk of injury when the body is over trained.

When a person over trains the body releases the hormone cortisol. This is a hormone that can lead to muscle breakdown if levels build up too high.

Too much cortisol will not only push the body into a catabolic state (when the muscles are broken down), but also weaken the metabolism which will lead to more fat being stored.

Cortisol has its purpose in the human body, but too much of it can undo so much of a your hard work in and out of the gym to get in shape and be healthy.

It is imperative that the body is kept in an anabolic state (building and toning muscle) and a metabolic state (burning calories).

The ways to avoid overtraining are by working smarter, not necessarily harder and take the “less is more” approach to your fitness routine. “Less is more” yields the most desirable results.

Here are some tips on preventing overtraining:

Limit workouts to 45-60 minutes max for 3-5 days per week.

After a certain amount of time the hormone response of the body to exercise is complete and any extra activity is no longer effective in building and toning muscle.  Professional bodybuilders workout 4-5 days per week for about 45 minutes per session. They make every minute count when they train, but they are totally finished with their workout routine in a relatively short amount of time.

Get plenty of rest.

Try your best to get 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night.  If you did not get adequate sleep, then try to fit a nap into your schedule at some point. Your body will reward you with plenty of energy, alertness and an elevated mood for it.

Incorporate plenty of variety into your workout routine.

Not only will this help to “shock” the muscles via the muscle confusion approach, but it will also ensure that the exact same parts of each muscle group are not overworked each workout. Muscle balance is very important in avoiding injury and for overall symmetry of the body.

Eat enough carbohydrates and protein.

Carbs are fuel for energy, and protein is the building material for muscles. You need the right amounts of both to keep the body healthy. When you are working out hard each day, you need to replenish the nutrients that your body uses. Get plenty of carbs at breakfast and lunch and eat protein consistently throughout the day, especially immediately after your workout.

Having a battle-plan is one of the most crucial aspects of training. Make sure that your plan is balanced with enough rest days and the right amount of nutrition to give the body what it needs to grow and recover at a healthy rate.

Crunches vs. Sit-ups

Quicker abdominal workouts with better results, how is it possible

The answer: Crunches!For a tighter and more toned abdomen, crunches beat sit-ups. Sit-ups do require more physical exertion and energy but as far as stimulation of the actual abdominal muscles goes, crunches are the best choice.So why are sit-ups still part of the physical fitness routines of the military, police, firefighters and school physical education programs? Mainly, because they are still a great form of cardiovascular exercise along with being a great challenge.Sit-ups, pushups, and pull-ups require mental toughness and are all great measuring sticks of a person’s level of physical aptitude, and there is still a place for the exercise in the modern fitness routine.When you are looking to tone the upper ab muscles in as efficient of a way as possible, crunches are the key to results.Crunches are basically the direct abdominal muscle contraction portion of a sit-up. Past the crunch portion of a sit-up the abdominals are less involved and the hip flexors and lower back take over the remaining motion of the exercise.In addition to contracting the abdominal muscles much more effectively, crunches are much safer for the lower back and require a shorter range of motion than sit-ups. Take the “less is more” approach to abdominal training. Less range of abdominal motion leads to more muscle toning. A tighter abdominal routine will produce a tighter core.A crunch starts by lying on your back with the knees slightly bent and feet flat on the floor. The hands can be placed behind the head with the elbows bent or crossed in front of the chest. Some people even extend their arms straight out to help focus on the upward motion of a crunch.

Let the abs pull the upper body up and forward until both shoulder blades are not touching the floor. This is the full range of motion of the crunch. Once the shoulder blades are off the ground proceed by lowering the upper body down again in a controlled motion.

That’s it! There’s your crunch. Exhale every time you tense up to ensure plenty of airflow and to keep a strong rhythm in your breathing.

Try your best not to pull on the neck during crunches. Lift with the abs and let them do the bulk of the work. If you feel tension in your neck then stick to hands free crunches.

Crunches do require some neck strength, and the neck muscles will gain strength every workout. Eventually, you will not feel any pain in your neck as you proceed through the routine.

If you would like an extra challenge then perform your crunch routine on a decline bench. Try doing a set from the bottom lying position to halfway up, then another set from the top sitting position to halfway down.

Another way to make crunches more effective is to add resistance. Hold a weight plate, dumbbell, or medicine ball gently on your chest or in the air as you crunch. This will help to cut down on the amount of repetitions you will need to get maximum stimulation in the muscles.

When doing crunches it is so important to limit rest time to as little as possible because the abdominal muscles respond best to constant and repetitive stimulation.

Try doing 20 crunches holding a moderate weight and follow immediately with a set of 20 more crunches holding a light weight. Then perform 20 crunches without any weight.

Rest very little, if at all, between sets. This is a basic “drop set.”

Perform this routine every weekday. It will only take a few minutes and the results will be much better than doing a 20-minute abdominal workout one day per week.

Start your crunch workout today!

The Benefits of Plyometric Training

Explode for results!

One of the best ways to push your muscles to the max is to completely change up how you exercise to shock them into growing stronger, bigger, and more functional.

This is plyometrics—the category of training for those who want to challenge themselves to get results faster. The price that you pay is more effort, more exertion and more stamina.

Explosive plyometric workouts are not for the faint of heart. They are for people who want the competitive edge in sports and for those who want to build strength and metabolism at a record rate.

Most workouts are designed for isotonic fitness. This is the traditional way of performing a specific exercise in a controlled and steady motion. The focus of isotonic exercise is control and strict technique.

In contrast to isotonic exercises are plyometrics. These are exercises that focus on fast-twitch muscle fibers through explosive, fast, intense motions.

The benefits of plyometric exercises are great for anyone interested in time-efficient workouts that are a great challenge. Explosive exercises utilize more than one muscle group at a time so they burn more calories and build metabolism faster than regular isotonic training.

Plyometrics are an excellent tool for athletes who want to increase power, speed, quickness and agility. These same training techniques can help supercharge the metabolism to burn more calories in a shorter amount of time because of the high demand of muscle fiber recruitment to perform the exercises. Anyone interested in losing fat would greatly benefit from plyometric training.

An advantage of “plyo-training” is that the exercises are for the most part very simple, ground-based exercises. There is no need for expensive equipment to get an amazing workout with these explosive exercises.

Here are five plyometric exercises that are easy to incorporate into your regular workout routine for a jolt of explosive shock to the muscles:

A box jump (simply jumping from a standing position onto and off of a designated box) is a classic plyometric exercise. It will force the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves to all work together as a team. Box jumps also are a very effective exercise for increasing vertical jump.

Clap pushups are another great plyometric exercise. Try to clap your hands as you push hard enough to catch some air while doing a pushup. Allow your elbows to bend very smoothly as your hands land flat on the ground. These explosive pushups serve as a great addition to any chest and/or shoulder workout routine for increasing strength. If you are stuck at a particular weight on bench press, then clap pushups could be the missing link in your routine for a new one-rep max.

Jump Lunges build tremendous strength in the leg muscles while also forcing the cardiovascular system to go into overdrive mode. Begin by stepping into a regular forward lunge, and then explode into the air with a jump while switching legs extremely fast to land with the opposite leg in front descending into the lunge immediately. Repeat the alternating movement until the set is complete.

Burpees are a multi-part exercise that begins with a standing position. First, crouch by bending the knees and placing the hands flat on the ground. Second, shoot the legs straight out behind you so that you are now in a pushup position. Third, pull the legs back into the crouching position. Finally, stand straight up and jump, with slightly bent knees. If you would like to add an extra challenge then perform a full pushup while in the pushup position before resuming the regular burpee technique again. This exercise is one of the most space-efficient and hard-hitting cardiovascular movements that you can do.

Mountain Climbers are great for lower abs and hip flexors. Begin by crouching into a lunge stretch position with one leg in front and the back leg extended straight out on the ball of your foot with hands flat on the ground. Quickly pull the back leg forward and extend the front leg back in a fast, alternating motion. Try your best to make the motion fluid and not choppy. You will find a rhythm the more you practice mountain climbers.

Plyometrics are an excellent way to revitalize your workouts with very little equipment and time. You can perform an entire workout with exclusively plyometrics or use them in your regular workouts as a warm-up or burnout.

Capital City Fitness

I run to my car and quickly type the address of a gym I’d never heard of until two days ago—FamilyFit Athletics—into Google Maps on my phone.

The eight-month-old gym gained publicity and a golden opportunity to gain new clients by offering free classes from June 15 to June 22 as one of the 18 gyms and studios participating in the second annual Baton Rouge Crawl.

Struggling with back squats during the earliest available Crawl class, I flashback to just three years ago when I was a two-sport athlete—varsity cross-country runner and a travel-soccer veteran—this would have been easy then.

But now, after countless days spent binge watching Netflix and snacking endlessly, it isn’t. The transition between a high school athlete and a collegiate couch potato is a commonplace in American society.

At its root, this trend reflects a deeper problem in the way children are educated about fitness from a young age. For most kids, sports are their only means of fitness education. But what happens when children grow up and sports are not as widely available?

The answer is simple—most American adults don’t work out.

Andrea Sebastien-Roberts opened FamilyFit in November 2014 to help buck this trend by providing a family-oriented approach to fitness.

“We’re a family gym,” Sebastien-Roberts said. “We want parents to set good examples for their children and to start integrating fitness into kids’ lives earlier. So they have a positive view of exercise and know that it’s important to integrate it into their lives as they get older.”

FamilyFit’s inclusive outlook is the focus of the gym’s classes offered in the Crawl, where ten of the gym’s 12 classes include children or are for children exclusively in four classes.

Each of the four different types of classes provides a different look at fitness for children.

In KidFit, children seven years old and up are taught the basics of exercise and the importance of making healthy choices through games.

SportsFit classes are separated into two different age groups, preteen and teen. In these classes, young athletes learn correct exercise forms and improve their power, speed and agility.

“For the kids’ classes, we make it fun,” Sebastien-Roberts said. “We make games and obstacle courses out of it. The structure that we use for the adult workout is different than what we use for the kids. We sort of make games out of it. So they think they are having fun, but they are learning stuff too.”

In WeightFit, teenagers can learn proper weightlifting forms and spotting techniques.

While all of the other classes cater exclusively to children, FamilyFit brings the family together to exercise. In the Crawl’s FamilyFit classes, there are two different options.

The first is an all-ages class, where young children can run around the gym and play as their parents work out. The other is a partner-focused where the workout will be completed as a team.

For Sebastien-Roberts, the most rewarding part of owning her own gym has been watching bonds develop between parents and children as they exercise together.

FamilyFit’s particular approach to fitness epitomizes what the Crawl represents: a local and different look at fitness in the Baton Rouge area.

Throughout the weeklong event, each studio and gym will demonstrate its fitness philosophy by showcasing the classes that distinguish it from the others.

“I like to pick classes that are different from what everyone in town has to offer,” said the Crawl’s founder and the owner of OpenBarre, Maryam Diaab. “We encourage the participants to do the same thing. If it’s something that they can go to the studio down the street or go to show two miles away that’s not something you’d want to highlight in the Crawl.”

At OpenBarre, two entirely different classes headline Diaab’s lineup—Intro to Aerial Hoop and P90x Live.

First, Aerial Hoop offers new clients the opportunity to learn basic techniques to mount and dismount the loop, also known as the lyra, and how to pose and transition through poses in the lyra.

In P90x Live, participants will experience the proven power of the widely known fitness program with one major twist, a certified trainer in the room.

“[People] think they know what P90x is just from the video and doing it a home,” Diaab said. “But this is with a live, certified d trainer. It’s a lot different, so I want people to come in and try that as well.”

Along with her own classes, Diaab said her clients are really excited to explore other options at different studios during the Crawl.

Two of the popular alternatives are Pole Dancing at Teaze Fitness and belly dancing at Fleur de Leaf Dance studio.

By taking advantage of the slowest times of year, Diaab and the other owners allow clients to explore new classes and get a fresh look at how to stay healthy.

“It’s always going to be in the summer because for studios and gyms summer is a very slow time for us,” Diaab said. “It’s like the perfect time for people to come in and try it. “

January Jogging

That’s what many people tend to associate with “getting in shape,” and that association is not without good reason.Running is a convenient form of exercise that requires no additional equipment other than proper shoes, and the intensity level of which is easily managed. Cardiovascular exercises, like running, have many long-term health benefits when they are performed regularly. However, many people also associate running with immediate weight loss, which may lead to disappointment when all that exercise fails to add up in pounds coming off.Think back to your high school P.E. class. Not the sit-ups, but the actual class time. Do the words “aerobic” and “anaerobic” ring a bell? Aerobic exercise is your cardio.

During an aerobic workout, your body relies on oxygen. Though running and similar exercises do burn fat stores as fuel, they do not do so in amounts that result in obvious or immediate fat loss.

While an aerobic workout does raise the body’s heart rate and, consequently, increase its metabolic output (read: calories burned), it does not efficiently target fat stores.

Translation: yes, running burns calories and burning more calories will eventually lead to weight loss. However, if you want to trim down quickly, you need to do two things: exercise in a way that leads to heightened fat burning, and most importantly, adopt a healthy diet.

HIIT – or high intensity interval training – equates to short bursts of anaerobic activity performed in intervals with small breaks in between, and is more effective than steady-state cardio for burning fat. It isn’t one hundred percent clear why this type of exercise is more efficient for fat loss, but it may have to do with the lasting effect of high intensity interval training on the body.

However, even with high intensity training, the real key to trimming down is diet. No, this doesn’t mean can’t ever eat pizza again, but adopting a healthy diet with a prevalence of fruits and vegetables and good old-fashioned water will not only help you reach your weight loss goals much more quickly, it will also result in higher energy levels all around.

But let’s come back to that running thing. You might wonder if there is a point to running anymore, but regular steady-state cardio exercise actually produces several positive effects on the body and mind that other types of training and diet alone do not.

Perhaps most importantly, steady-state exercises increase cardiovascular health. Essentially, greater cardiovascular health means that the heart can pump a greater volume of blood through the body with each heartbeat. This results in a lower heart rate, which means that the heart isn’t working as hard to do the same amount of work.

Furthermore, most of the body’s physical functions (such as digestion and breathing, walking and standing, etc.) rely heavily on the aerobic system. All in all, a better cardiovascular system means better health and a more functional body in general. You can even lay to rest the fears about joint damage. According to an epidemiological study by Donna M. Urquhart et. al., running can actually strengthen your knees. Added bonus: performing steady-state cardio exercises like running on a regular basis can also decrease stress. (If you’re interested in the science behind it, The Week features an article that summarizes a cognitive study on the subject that was published in The Journal of Neuroscience.)

The takeaway? Sure, there are better ways to burn fat than simply running on a regular basis. However, if you want to increase your overall health, don’t forget to combine your diet and high intensity training with steady-state cardio and throw on your running shoes a few days a week.

You will have better cardiovascular health, reduced stress levels, and stronger knees, which will have a positive impact on your high intensity training as well.