We all know that exercise promotes adaptation, whether it is added muscle or improved fitness, we know that with enough training we improve. However, it is not only the training that makes us improve and adapt for quality nutrition and adequate recovery are equally as important. Without these two important ingredients there is no chance for the body to repair the damage created from training. This is a fundamental rule that is broken by the ignorant and enthusiastic person, or “gym junkie” as they are commonly known, who believes more training is all you need and fall into the trap of over-training. The fact you are reading this article already says you are more educated than most and recognize the value in finding ways to improve your recovery so you can get back to quality training as fast as possible. There are many things you can use to help you, and like training there is no “one size fits all” or a particular method that is best for everyone. There is only the best way for you. I find if you use multiple methods you give yourself a better chance of succeeding. So if one method is not right for you don’t worry about it and move on to the next. Okay so let’s get into it.
Why You Should Never Skip The Warm-Up Before You Workout
It still amazes me after 20 years of being a personal trainer just how many people skip the warm-up when they workout. It is seen as an inconvenience and a waste of time by many who think they can get straight out of the car and right working out at full capacity. If you watch any professional athlete prepare for their match or event, you will find they NEVER skip their warm-up for they know how important it is to their performance. Not only is the warm up pivotal to their sporting success, it is vital in preventing any unwanted injury that could derail their career. What does a good warm up consist of? Well, this can vary on many factors, such as if it is for a sport, gym, what age you are, and what injuries you may have. To help guide you on selecting the right warm-up routine for your body, we will explain the key things each warm-up must include and we provide several specific examples of what it would look like. Enjoy
6 Single Leg Deadlift Progressions to Strengthen Your Glutes & Core
Recently I wrote a detailed article about a unique single leg exercises called the “hip airplane” that I have been using successfully with people suffering with foot, knee, and hip injuries. Within this one exercise I added some slight variations to increase the challenge and difficulty to further strengthen the weak and lazy gluteal muscles. I received many emails regarding various ways I might progress this exercise once it is mastered for there are a ton of single leg variations you could use. In this article, I will give you a quick look at some of my favourite progressions to try that will challenge your body with multiple skills and strength. I also include some progressions to include for those who play sports. One thing is for certain it is an exercise that applies to people of all ages and something we all should be trying our best to improve.
10 Progressions Of The Walking Lunge To Improve Leg Strength and Fitness
There are not too many exercises that rip your leg muscles to shreds and leave you as breathless as the walking lunge. It is a popular exercise in many functional strength and fitness classes for this very reason but there is a lot more to this than many people realize, especially if you add some of the variations I am about to discuss in this article. For those of you who want a new challenge in your workout or, perhaps find it a bit boring and monotonous doing the same walking lunge variation, you will find these advanced progressions exactly what you need. Enjoy.
Why Having A Strong Core Is Not Enough To Prevent Back Pain
There is no doubting back pain is a big problem in the modern world. It is not limited to people who don’t exercise and can cut down even the fittest people. The good news is I believe many people recognize that exercise is invaluable for treating back pain and also preventing it. Unfortunately the understanding of what type of exercise is best is where it all goes wrong. For many years now we have been convinced to believe that strong abs means a strong core, and will prevent back pain. Even therapists and Doctors have been known to prescribe planks and abdominal exercises to treat back pain with this same type of thinking. We must realize that strength of the abdominal muscles WILL NOT change the faulty movement that leads to injury and pain. Your body will instantly sacrifice any strength if it only knows how to move with the same dysfunctional movement it has always used. You must identify and change the faulty movement patterns linked to the injury to have any chance. In this article we will explain why learning to move better is more important to you than strength of your abdominal muscles if you have back pain.
Why A Simple Morning Mobility Workout Each Day Could Be The Game-changer To Your Health
I have never been a morning person and always found it hard to get my body into gear and my energy levels primed. Some people are great at working out early but many people are like me and find it very difficult, especially those with chronic pain. While we have been asleep our bodies have been working hard to repair all the damage created from activities completed during the day but this also means our muscles, tendons, and ligaments have not moved for 7-9 hours to allow this process to occur. Most people’s morning routine is to stumble out of bed, get some breakfast, and head off to work where they might sit down for another 8 hours. This means that their body has been completely sedentary for the last 15-17 hours over a 24 hour period! This is where the muscles and the connective tissue can begin to develop stiffness, and ultimately weakness due to a lack of movement which will become a bigger problem over time. This is one reason why those already dealing with chronic pain find the mornings so much harder than any other time of the day. To combat this problem and reverse this trend one of the best things you can do is implement a simple morning workout that helps to rejuvenate the specific areas prone to stiffness. The best part is it doesn’t take all that long to do and requires little effort. In this article, I will share with you my favorite exercises to do this and why they work so well.
How To Manage Your Migraine Naturally
This is part two of the series of articles looking at migraines and headaches. In part one I looked closely at what are the common triggers and causes of migraine attacks are so you can begin to modify your lifestyle habits or seek help in the areas that may be contributing to your problem. If you have not read part one make sure you go back and read that now as this will help you understand how to correctly use the various strategies we are about to discuss.
What Causes Migraines And How To Prevent Them
Normally when I write a detailed article for my readers and subscribers to my newsletter I am trying to explain some simple exercise, nutrition, or lifestyle based solutions to a common health problem that they may be dealing with. However, with this article about migraines and headaches I feel like I pose more questions than I provide answers or solutions to, as it is such a complicated topic to discuss. Having said that, I hope by the time you have read all the information I am about to explore you may be clearer as to what factors may be causing your specific problem so you can implement the right corrective solution. Due to the size of this article I have broken it into two parts with this first part discussing the causes and the second part I look at the various strategies to manage a migraine.