Healthize.com

Continuing this week with exercises for your legs is something called the  stiff-legged dumbbell deadlift.  This is a compound exercise that mainly works your hamstrings but also hits your glutes and lower back.  You’re going to need a flat, level surface to stand on and two dumbbells of the appropriate weight.  Once you have those let’s begin the exercise!

1. Hold each dumbbell in each hand by your side at arm’s length.  Stand straight with your legs at about shoulder width apart.  Keep your knees slightly bent and this will be your starting position.
2. Now lower the dumbbells to over the top of your feet by bending your waist and keeping your back straight.  Be sure to to keep your knees stationary as you do this.  You should feel a stretching of your hamstrings.  Exhale as you do this.
3. Now bring up your torso by extending your hips and waist until you’re back at the starting position.  Inhale as you do this.
4. Repeat for as many reps and sets as recommended.

Tip: you can also use a barbell to do this exercise.  In fact, this is the version I do.  But if you have lower back problems I don’t recommend this exercise for you.

For healthy living and the sake of wellness, keep yourself hydrated!

Fitness, Fitness Tips healthy living, wellness

Starting this week, I’ll be telling you about exercises that focus on the legs.  We’ll start by working out your quadriceps – or simply, quads.  The Exercise of the Week this time around is the barbell full squat.  It’s a compound exercise that focuses mainly on your quads but also works your calves, glutes, hamstrings, and lower back to a lesser extent.  It’s also known as the Olympic squat.  You’re going to need a barbell with the appropriate weight and level ground to properly perform this exercise.  With those in hand, let’s start the exercise!

1. While standing, set the bar on the back of your shoulders just below the neck and hold the bar there with your hands.
2. Keep your legs in a shoulder-width position.  Keep your head up and keep your back straight.  This is the starting position.
3. Slowly lower yourself and the bar by bending your knees.  Be sure to keep your head up and your back straight as you do this.  Go all the way down until your hamstrings touch your calves.  Inhale as you do this.
4. Raise the bar and yourself by pushing up off the floor and straightening your legs.  Exhale as you return to the starting position.
5. Repeat for as many reps and sets as recommended.

This is an excellent exercise to do for leg strength so try it out!  Remember, for the sake of wellness and body health be sure to hydrate!

Fitness, Fitness Tips barbell, body health, leg exercises, wellness

Here is yet another entry to the Exercise of the Week series of blog posts!  This time we have a compound exercise focusing on the lats called the chin-up.  With this exercise you are going to need a stable chin-up bar and enough space to do it with.  Thought it can work out your biceps, forearms, and other parts of your back, its main focus is on working out your lats.  Now that the introductions are done let us get down to the exercise!

1. Grab the chin-up bar with your palms facing you with a grip a little closer than shoulder-width.
2. Your starting position is this: grip the bar at an appropriate width, arms fully extended while keeping your torso straight and sticking your chest out; this will help curve out your lats and ensure the right form for the exercise.  Breathe in before you start.
3. Pull your torso up until your head is at about the level of the bar and breathe out.  Use your biceps to lift your body and keep your elbows close to your body.  Be sure to only use your arms to perform this exercise and keep your straight.
4. When at the top hold for a contracted second and then slowly lower yourself.  Breathe in as you do this.
5. Repeat this process in as many reps and sets as recommended.

This is both a fun and effective exercise to do so to it well for wellness‘ sake!  Remember, for continued healthy living hydrate often!

Fitness, Fitness Tips, Health, Health Tips healthy living, wellness

Hi guys!  Sorry about the late Exercise of the Week last week but you know how it goes!  Anyway, starting this week I will assist you in working out your back.  Today I am showcasing the compound exercise known as the standing dumbbell upright row.  This neat workout focuses on the area consisting of the back of the neck, the part in-between your shoulder blades, and leading down to the middle of your back right between your lats.  You need to be very careful how much weight you use because using too much will lead to bad form and possibly even injury.  So it’s best to start light and adjust accordingly.  With that in mind, grab two dumbbells and let’s have at it!

1. Hold each dumbbell in each hand with the palms facing your body.  Be sure to grip them at about less than shoulder width apart and rest them on your thighs.  Your arms should be extended fully with a slight bend at the elbows.  Also make sure your back is straight.  This will be the starting position.
2. Now lift the dumbbells straight up and as close to your body as possible and exhale.  You do this by letting your elbows do the work of lifting.  Bring them up until they nearly touch your chin.  Pause once you are at the top.
3. Lower the dumbbells slowly back to the starting position and inhale.
4. Repeat for as many repetitions and in as many sets as recommended.

You can also attach a straight/EZ bar to a low cable pulley to perform this exercise and the motions will be the same.  Stay tuned next week for another exercise to work out your back.  Remember, for continued healthy living and for the sake of wellness, keep yourself hydrated!

Fitness, Fitness Tips exercises, Fitness, healthy living, wellness

Hey guys!  This week we are focusing on an exercise called one-arm side laterals.  This exercise is currently a part of my cycle on days I exercise my shoulders.  One-arm side laterals are isolation exercises that focus squarely on your shoulders.  What you are going to need is a single dumbbell of the appropriate weight and a way to balance yourself if need be, e.g. a bench or weight racks.  But once you are prepared let us start the exercise:

1. Hold the dumbbell in one hand with your arm by your side and your palm facing you  Your free hand should be used to balance yourself by holding onto something sturdy.  This is your starting position.
2. With your torso straight, left the dumbbell to the side with a slight bend at the elbow.  Continue going up until your arm is parallel to the floor – do not swing!  Exhale as you perform this part of the exercise.
3. Slowly lower the dumbbell down to the starting position at your side and inhale as you do it.
4. Repeat for as many reps and in as many sets as recommended.
5. Switch arms and repeat.

For overall healthy living and physique, this is an excellent exercise for your shoulders.  Remember, for the sake of wellness, keep yourself hydrated!

Fitness, Fitness Tips, Health, Health Tips deltoids, free weight, healthy living, shoulders, wellness

Hi fitness folks!  I hope you all have been seeing some improvements in not only your health but physique as well!  It is time for another exercise of the week and we are going to continue focusing on the chest.  The exercise you should try out next are called dumbbell flyes, an isolation exercise.  You are going to need a flat bench – though you can use an incline or decline bench – and two dumbbells appropriate for your exercise.  Once you have gathered all of those things it is time to begin the exercise:

1. Lie flat on the bench with a dumbbell in each hand.  Rest the weights on your thighs or have a partner place them into your hands when you are ready to do the exercise.  Make sure your palms are facing each other.
2. Now raise the dumbbells up as if you were pressing them but not all the way; you do not want to lock your elbows.  This is the starting position.
3. Next lower your arms in a wide arc until you feel your chest muscles working.  Breathe in as you do this and keep in mind the only joints that should be moving are your shoulder joints.
4. Lastly bring your arms back to the starting position in a wide arc and squeeze your chest muscles.  Breathe out as you do this.
5. Perform in as many reps and sets as dictated in your workout regimen.

This is an excellent exercise to not only buff up your chest but make it more defined.  Remember, for continued healthy living and for the sake of wellness, be sure to keep yourself hydrated!

Fitness, Fitness Tips healthy living, wellness

Starting this week I will be focusing on exercises that will focus on the chest.  The exercise of the week this time is the compound exercise known as pushups.  Pushups are a very simple, effective, and underrated exercise that will put a lot of work into strengthening your chest.  Many people ignore this exercise because they feel that doing bench presses are much more effective at increasing the size and definition of the chest as well as strengthening the shoulders and triceps.  While bench presses are excellent exercises, you shouldn’t ignore the effectiveness of pushups; you are pushing a majority of your weight and you can change the angle of your body if you wish.  With a partner you can even have them place plates on your back to make it more effective.

But that aside, let’s start with basic pushups:

1. Lie face down with your palms on the ground about shoulder-length apart.
2. Now push yourself off of the floor and keep your torso up; this is your starting position.
3. Now slowly lower yourself until your chest almost touches the floor.  Inhale as you do this.
4. Then, push yourself up again and exhale.  Pause, and then do it again.
5. Repeat for as many repetitions and in as many sets as needed.

This is a chest exercise you should give a try and it’s easy to do.  Remember, for the sake of wellness and body health keep yourself hydrated!

Fitness, Fitness Tips body healthy, wellness

Hello everyone!  I hope your newly found love of healthy living and training regimen has been helping you meet your life goal of becoming more lean and fit.  This week I will be continuing to focus on your arm muscles by moving on to your forearms with an exercise called the wrist roller.  What you are going to need to do this exercise – which should be available at your gym – is a round tube with a strong rope attached to it and a way for you to attach weight plates to the other end of the rope.  But once that is set up it is time to do the exercise.

1. Stand straight and fully extend your arms with the wrist roller in both your hands.  Be sure to have your palms facing down.
2. Make sure the appropriate weight is attached to the end and the rope is fully uncoiled from the roller.
3. Once you are ready rotate each wrist in an upward motion to coil the rope and bring the weights up to your hands.
4. Once it has reached the top slowly rotate your wrists in a downward motion to fully uncoil the rope and bring the weights down.
5. Repeat for as many repetitions and as many sets as required of your regimen.

This is a challenging but effective way to work out your forearms.  Remember, for the sake of wellness keep yourself hydrated!

Fitness, Fitness Tips exercises, healthy living, wellness, wrist roller

It is time for another Exercise of the Week to increase your overall body health.  This week I will focus on the tricep, the muscle directly opposite the bicep located on the underside of the arm.  This exercise is sometimes called tricep dips.  This is a compound exercise that uses more than one joint/muscle to do properly.  You are going to need a dip machine or dip bars to elevate yourself and do this exercise correctly.  But once that is taken care of here is how you perform this exercise:

1. Stand between the dip bars and firmly grasp each with your arms.
2. Push yourself up off the ground and make sure your arms are straight.
3. Now slowly lower yourself while still holding the bars until your upper arm is at a 90 degree angle from the forearm.  Be sure to keep your torso upright and your triceps close to your body to better focus the work on your triceps.  Now, push up until your arms are straight again.  Repeat as necessary and be sure to inhale on the way down and exhale on the way up.
4. Optional: If you are looking to increase the challenge, you can use a weight belt and add extra weight to it as necessary.

This is one of the best ways to work out your triceps and is great fun to do.  For the sake of wellness, remember to stay hydrated!

Fitness, Fitness Tips body health, tricep dips, tricep exercise, wellness

Healthy living and staying fit is important to many people.  We want to take care of ourselves and improve our physique.  In this series of posts I will be recommending exercises and workouts that could help you reach your goals.  This week I will be focusing on a bicep exercise called concentration curls.  This is known as an isolation exercise, which means you only use one joint or one muscle group to perform the exercise.

This is how you perform concentration curls:

1. Sit on the edge of a chair or bench and lean slightly forward.  Make sure your arm is fully extended with the dumbbell grasped in your hand and brace your elbow on your leg.  (Your palm should be facing you.)
2. Once you are ready, slowly and carefully curl your arm toward you; this is where the “concentration” comes from.  Once you reach the top of the curl hold for 1 full second then slowly bring it down.  You must not use any other part of that arm to lift but if you must, you can use your free hand to finish a rep.
3. Do that for as many reps as recommended and in as many sets as recommended for one arm.
4. Switch to the other arm and repeat.

This is an excellent exercise for building strength and increasing the mass of your bicep.  Remember, for the sake of wellness always keep yourself hydrated and do not overexert yourself!

Fitness, Fitness Tips, Health concentration curls, exercises, healthy living, wellness