Knowing Your Fitness Basics Will Keep You on Track
The term fitness basics refers to all of the things you
should know about going into and beginning your new fitness regimen.
Fitness basics can help you explore the world of fitness in a healthier,
guided way. One of the fitness basics is realizing that getting into
shape or just changing your body for the better is an ongoing process.
Preparation and motivation are key elements
The first of the fitness basics is that you must work with your
fitness trainer to determine that the program you are considering is
safe for you. Then, you must mentally prepare yourself for the task
at hand, which is no easy job. When you prepare for these fitness basics
and set goals it will be easier to keep yourself motivated, which is
important because motivation is a key element to fitness success.
Next of the fitness basics is considering how often you
will exercise. Any fitness expert will tell you one of the best ways
to start is getting involved in a fitness program that you’ll stick
with. When you’ve planned everything and obtained the necessary equipment
and clothing you should be motivated to get your body into shape. Read
the fitness articles below to learn the techniques that will get you
to the next level of fitness. Before long you’ll look better and feel
like taking your body to the standards set by many of the fitness models
you’ll see on this site.
Abdominal Exercises
and a Beginner’s Guide to Getting Fit: Part 1
Abdominal Exercises
and a Beginner’s Guide to Getting Fit: Part 2
Abdominal Exercises
and a Beginner’s Guide to Getting Fit: Part 3
Begginer's (or re-beginner's)
guide to getting fit
Benefits
of Flexibility Training
Effective
Ways of Measuring Progress
How to Build More
Muscle in Less Time with Supersets
Safety
Precautions and Basic Gym Safety
Stretching Principles and Guidelines
How to Get Rid of Flabby Arms and a Belly at Home
The easiest thing you can do to tighten up flabby arms and a droopy chest is the press up. I know you have difficulty with them but that's because they are hard, but they also work VERY well. We will call the press up a pushup from now on just because that is the term that most people use. The pushup has many variations and I am sure that one of the ones I give you will be well within your ability to do until you get to the full military pushup variation and beyond.
A quick word on pushup form. You want to keep your core tight. What you do not want to happen is that when you push up, you look like you are peeling yourself off the floor. I call this worming. A lot of people do it when they get tired. First you will see them raise their heads, then their chest and finally their hips leave the floor. What should happen is that you contract your core so that everything from the base contact point (feet or knees) is lifted off at the same moment.
The other important point to consider when doing pushups is the arm and shoulder angle. A common mistake when doing the pushup is having your shoulders and arms too close to your head. If you are lying on the floor in the proper pushup position and someone looked down on your from above, you would want to look like an arrow head and not a "T". Your hands should be below your shoulders or even a little further back towards your hips. The farther back you go the harder the pushups becomes. This sets up your arms so they are slanted back on a 45 degree angle if viewed
from above.
How you can work yourself from square one into being able to do a full pushup.
The first and easiest version of the pushup is the wall pushup. This is simply standing face into a wall and doing your pushups by pushing against the wall until you are standing straight. You lower and push over and over. If you can do 15 to 20 reps of these two to three times then it is time to go onto the second version.
The second version on the scale of difficulty in pushups is the box pushup. Instead of pushing against the wall, you will push against something that is 1-2 feet off the floor.
You should probably do these with your base being your knees instead of your feet like in the full military pushup. The couch will work and so will the coffee table. Make sure you position yourself so that when you touch the couch (or whatever) in the bottom position your lower chest is the contact point.
Aim for the nipples if you want an exact spot. After you can do 3 sets of 15 on this version, you are ready for the next step in your pushup evolution!
The third version on the scale of difficulty in pushups is when the pushup is done on the knees. Everything about this version is the same as the regular full pushup except that your knees do not leave the ground. This cuts out the extra weight from the knees to the toes making the pushup a little easier than the full version. Again, when you get 3 sets of 15 repetitions, you are ready to move on.
The fourth version in your journey to a full pushup is the knee pushup with a full pushup negative. Now we are getting somewhere! The trick with this version is to do your pushup as in the above version and lower yourself in the regular
full pushup version. The reason you do this is because you are always stronger in the negative or lowering portion of the movement than in the positive or raising portion. So we do the heavy full pushup to lower and the easier knee pushups to raise your self up. When you get your 3 sets of 15 repetitions here, you are now ready to do full military pushups!
If you find yourself in a place a couple of months from now where pushups are like butter then you can keep the ball rolling. In the beginning we took the upper body from the wall to the box and then to the floor. We made it harder by adding more weight over the chest area in little bits. To make it more difficult, we do the exact opposite.
First put your feet on the box, then at 45 degrees on a wall and before you know it, you will be doing handstand pushups! By raising the feet slowly over time, you shift even more weight onto the chest until you hit a point and the working muscle flips.
Once your feet get high enough and you are almost vertical, feet up, you will be putting most of the tension square on the shoulders. This is very hard but you can do it if you put in the time.
Ray Burton, ISSA-CPT, Crossfit
Author of FAT 2 FIT
Should I Exercise At Home or The Gym?
Choosing some home exercising vs. a couple hours spent in the gym is mainly up to each individual. The importance of exercise truly lies in doing it on a regular basis.
Regular physical activity has enormous benefits as it increases your fitness level and capacity for exercise. The beauty in it is that the bid is extremely broad as it includes brisk walking, jumping rope, jogging, bicycling, cross-country skiing, dancing, swimming, weight lifting, aerobic and more. And it can be started any time you have some spare time to enjoy it.
Whether it is performed in a gym or at home, let’s take a closer look to each side’s strong points and we leave the choice to you. Enjoy your time and have a pleasant and effective session!
Exercising in the gym:
• Targeted moves in a group can be quite stimulating
• Due to the program of the respective gym you make regular sessions
• You may get useful information on the execution of different moves from a professional instructor
• According to the equipment of a gym, after some exercise you may take a relaxing sauna. Exercising at home:
• You may enjoy the total privacy and comfort.
• You can save money. More and more people are choosing to invest in home exercise equipment as a convenient and possibly cheaper alternative than going to the gym.
• When you exercise at home you are not stopped by the rain or busy traffic to get to the set.
• Workout schedule is not dictated by the gym's hours.
Anyway it is highly recommended to ask an expert before starting to take exercises either at home or at tha gym.It also doesn't matter if you have weight loss or fitness goals. A professional can help you choose the best fitting type of physical activity for your personality, lifestyle, age and health conditions.
