Developing healthy habits is a great way to become fit. But how do you really know which habits are truly healthy for you? Some things you think are good for you can end up causing you a lot of harm in the long run. Make sure you read this article for some great fitness tips you can use to get in the best shape of your life.
Reduce stress on your muscles and avoid injury by warming-up before working out. Adequately warming-up will loosen up stiff muscles and get the blood flowing to them. Sudden movements on muscles that have not been properly warmed-up prior to exercise can result in pulled muscles, strains, and even tears.
To prevent injury while lifting weights on a bench, make sure the bench is well-cushioned. When the bench is too hard, it can throw your spine out of alignment as you exercise, which in turn can damage the nerves in your arms. An easy test is to press down on the bench. Being able to feel the wood is a sign you need to move to a different bench.
A great tip to help you get fit is to purchase a blender. Sometimes it can be hard to eat enough fruits or vegetables and with a blender, you can consume them all at once. You can make your own custom protein shakes by adding whatever ingredients you want.
Keep track of what you have been doing, and what is working for you. Evaluate what exercises you enjoy and what left you bored. A fitness plan should never be stagnant. Keep switching things up and changing things that aren’t working for you. A fitness plan that is set in stone is a fitness plan you’ll stop using.
You can build up your physical strength through the use of lighter weights. Your muscles will have just as much force as when you lift heavier weights, except you will be going much slower. These are especially great for bench-presses. Go with about 40-60% of what you usually lift and do 8 sets of 12 repetitions pushing the weight up quickly. Have a 30 second rest period between sets.
If you want to speed up your swimming, build up the flexibility in your ankles. When you are in the water, your feet perform like flippers. So the more flexibility in your ankles, the quicker you can move through the water. A great way to build flexibility in your ankles is to lay on the floor, point your toes straight out, then flex them back towards you.
If you are working on pull-ups, do not wrap your hand completely around the bar. The best method is to hook your thumb up by your index finger, as it will cause your arm muscles to work much harder to hold on to the bar. This also helps to improve your grip.
Stretch every chance you get. Most people will stretch before and after their workouts, but they neglect the time between the two. Do a few small stretches in between each set you perform to enhance your muscle’s potential. This keeps the blood pumping into the area, and allows for longer workouts.
Use the same weight. To create strong muscle memory, use the same weight throughout every step of your workout. Muscle memory is important because it enhances your muscles ability to work harder. Once you have established a new weight, you can always increase that limit the next time you visit the gym.
Sleep with your legs off the bed. If you run and need to increase the flexibility of your calf muscles, try sleeping on your stomach with your legs off the mattress. This may be uncomfortable at first, but gravity takes over and will lightly stretch your muscles for you all night.
Make sure to log your progress. You should be counting how many sets you are doing and how many repetitions you are performing for each set. This ensures that you show how much you have progressed. You should be going up in repetitions and sets while you look at the log.
Slow and steady wins the race, the race to stay fit that is. A recent study showed that those who engaged in moderate physical activity, such as biking and walking, maintained the highest overall activity levels. Those who did vigorous exercises for short periods of time spent more of their day being sedentary. Vigorous exercise does burn calories, but those who enjoyed moderate exercise tended to be more active overall.
When working out, do so with a partner. Having a friend or family member with you when you work out makes the time go faster and makes the workout feel easier. It also takes the focus off the discomfort or pain you are feeling during a strenuous workout routine.
When working out, try to work opposing muscle groups back to back. As you are working one muscle, the other one is able to rest. This prevents your muscles from getting fatigued as quickly. This also saves a significant amount of times between sets. For example, work on your triceps, immediately followed by biceps.
For those who are trying to gain muscles in their legs, try both sitting and standing calf raises. Because your calves are made up of two different muscles, it is crucial to do both bent-leg and straight- leg calf raises in order to properly tone your legs. Doing both of these raises will bring better results.
A great fitness tip that can help you lift more weight is to start developing your weaker muscles. Sometimes it’s your weaker muscles that are preventing you from increasing the weight you can lift. By developing these weak muscles, you’ll be surprised at how much more you can lift.
Now that you know a little bit more about how to develop habits that are truly healthy and how to work to lead an active lifestyle, you can finally get off your rear and get started out in a positive direction. This article will help you become fit, but it’s still up to you to put forth the effort to make it happen.