Think you are too Swole to do yoga? Think again fool! If you are Swole, you NEED yoga for strength athletes!
Studies indicate that yoga combats common ailments of modern man such as depression, osteoarthritis, and stress. By fighting off these diseases, we have a better chance of recovering from intense workouts and illness.
Yoga’s benefits were realized by many Eastern civilizations hundreds and even thousands of years ago. The hardest part is knowing which style of yoga to choose, so here are 7 common forms of yoga for strength athletes. Choose the one that best fits your lifestyle, or try them all.
Exercise is a great way to improve your health and overall fitness. There are a wide variety of workouts to choose from and these will vary depending on your age, health status, and fitness levels. Not only is there an overwhelming choice of equipment, there is the question of which are the best exercises at the gym, and which exercise modalities will properly help you reach your goals.
Check out these different workout strategies to help you choose the best exercises at the gym.
Achieving an ideal body or having a total body transformation is more than just physical; it’s about overall wellness. By integrating cardio, strength, and flexibility training, individuals can attain full-body fitness.
Cardio workouts elevate heart rate, enhancing endurance and burning calories.
Strength training builds muscle, boosts metabolism, and promotes fat loss.
Flexibility exercises improve range of motion, preventing injuries and enhancing performance.
This overall approach ensures balanced development with proper food, promoting overall health and vitality. Whether aiming for weight loss, muscle gain, or enhanced wellness, integrating these components fosters a well-rounded transformation. Embracing this multifaceted approach is a way to unlock the full potential of one’s body and achieve lasting results.
Before we really get into PNF stretching, you can take a minute to learn more about flexibility training. It’s always best to have a solid understanding of what flexibility training is, so you can apply the knowledge to each of the various stretching strategies.
PNF stretching is probably the most effective form of flexibility training available to you for increasing your range of motion (ROM). This is a more advanced form of flexibility training, involving both the stretch and contraction of the targeted muscle group.
There is a lot to learn about PNF stretching, so now we will examine why PNF stretching is your best choice for static flexibility training, as well as who, when, where, and how to use it.
Before we really get into isometric stretching, you can take a minute to learn more about flexibility training. It’s always best to have a solid understanding of what flexibility training is, so you can apply the knowledge to each of the various stretching strategies.
One of the fastest ways to develop increased static-passive flexibility, isometric stretching uses the resistance of muscle groups through isometric contractions of the target muscles. Isometric stretching is even more effective than active stretching or passive stretching.
Isometric stretches help to develop strength in the target muscles and seem to decrease the amount of pain usually associated with stretching. Static-active flexibility is also increased due to the use of muscular contractions.
Now we can examine how, why, when, and where to use isometric stretching. You can then decide if isometric stretching is right for you.
Before we really get into ballistic stretching, you can take a minute to learn more about flexibility training. It’s always best to have a solid understanding of what flexibility training is, so you can apply the knowledge to each of the various stretching strategies.
Ballistic stretching is arguably the most dangerous form of flexibility training you can use, but when done properly can significantly increase your range of motion (ROM). This is a very advanced form of flexibility training that is not considered very useful for beginners due to the potential for injury. Intermediate hobby athletes may find some value in a few ballistic stretches but ultimately can get the benefits they’re looking for with static and dynamic stretching.
There is arguably very little ballistic stretching worth using unless you are a competitive athlete, a ballet dancer, or it has been approved by your personal trainer or doctor. We will go over the basics anyway, just so you know the how, where, when, why, and why not to use ballistic stretches.
Before we really get into static stretching, you can take a minute to learn more about flexibility training. It’s always best to have a solid understanding of what flexibility training is, so you can apply the knowledge to each of the various stretching strategies.
The goal of static stretching is to gradually increase the length of the muscles. Static stretching can be done by anyone, regardless of age, weight, or fitness level, and stretches can be modified to meet the specific flexibility of an athlete.
There is a lot to learn about flexibility, so now we will examine the hows, whys, whens, and wheres of using static stretching exercises.
Flexibility training is one of the most under-utilized and under-appreciated components of fitness.
Stretching has been under constant scrutiny from fitness experts who question the role of flexibility in injury prevention. Despite the debate, athletes can enhance recovery and performance from a stretching regime, and in my opinion the right kind of stretching used at the right time definitely helps to prevent injury.
Most any powerful sports movement you can think of, can benefit from flexibility. From a football punt, to sprints, to swimming, to a tennis backswing, all intense moves need prior warm up and can often generate more power with an increased range of motion (ROM).
The simplest way to stretch for strength is to use dynamic stretching drills before exercise and modified static stretching drills after exercise. It is actually much more complex than that, so keep reading to find out more.
Pilates is by far one of the most popular exercise methods practiced in today’s society. This is partly because it is so easily altered to suit a myriad of different people. Pilates can be tailored to every skill level, most body types, it can even work with many disabilities. It builds strength and promotes flexibility. The strengthening program is ideal for rehabilitating many types of injuries and the flexible portion is great for preventing many injuries.
There are many books and videos to help people practice at home, but many people prefer a class setting. There are many reasons for this some which may include a more structured learning environment and a built-in support group. Because of this, people tend to seek out a class anytime they begin practicing pilates, go to a new area, travel, or move.
In some locations, it is easy to find a pilates class while others prove to be incredibly difficult. The primary reason for this is that bigger areas tend to have more classes available while smaller areas may only have one, possibly even none. So here, you will find a guide on how to find the right pilates class for you.(more…)
Weight lifters often put themselves at risk of injury by overdoing extreme sets. Likewise, runners are more prone to injury if they are constantly pounding the pavement but fail to strength train and build lean muscle mass.
We all have different ideas on what constitutes a fun form of fitness. We’re dedicated to what we find most enjoyable, but without finding a good balance and functional fitness, it can all fall apart.
So, what is your workout routine missing? Here are a few suggestions for balancing your workout more naturally by paying attention to flexibility … of the body AND mind. (more…)
It takes a lot of commitment to strength training to see consistent muscle growth. To be able to fit training into their schedule, people often cut corners. While some neglect to properly warm up before slamming the weight plates on a barbell, most decide to skip their post-workout mobility session when pressed for time.
While mobility training can be time-consuming, tedious, and uncomfortable, it is also extremely important to incorporate into your strength training routine. When it comes to hitting the weights, here are a few reasons why mobility matters.
You might be able to add a few centimeters at age 25 if you take a few healthy steps for your body. You have to be sure that you have tried out a few things that will make you grow taller, and you also remember that you can use some special supplements that will help you start to grow taller. You are implementing this plan that will change your lifestyle, and you will start to see the difference because you can tell that your body is growing.
Take A Supplement
Step 1 is a shot in the dark, but we’ve seen it recommended to try some Growth factor pills to get taller. You have to remember that you must use the supplement every day to see your body start to grow, but don’t expect miracles. You should feel something when you are taking the supplement every day for a couple weeks. You will also start to notice that it should help to support other changes that you are going to make to your lifestyle. This is sort of a jump start, and you can use the other steps below to feel even better.
Change Your Diet
Step 2, you must change your diet so that you can use the food to make your body grow. You also need to remember that you can completely shift how you are eating to pack on mass. You can do things like drink whole milk, and you also have to be sure that you have increased your protein intake, which will give you the most growth, primarily including include lean and red meats. You are going to have to eat as many greens as possible, fruit is good, and you also could use whole grains to increase your growth.(more…)
Should Bodybuilders Use Static Stretching Before a Workout?
It’s such a simple component of your workout routine that you may not even think about it. You might just automatically hit the mats before you train, to stretch every muscle group for 20 seconds. If you haven’t been reading Project Swole or other popular fitness blogs in the last 5 years, you might even think this practice is good for you. Think again.
If you have been reading fitness blogs, websites, magazines, or keeping up to date on regular fitness news, you would know by now that this myth has been debunked. It has been decided with 100% assurance whether you should or shouldn’t stretch before weight lifting. So what is the final answer?
So you want to be a dolphin. Or perhaps you want to be a competitive swimmer. Or maybe you just want to swim faster.
Unless you are really lucky (or would that be unlucky?) you probably weren’t born with webbed feet or toes, so you will have to look at other ways to increase your speed in the water.
The best way to increase your swimming speed, is to increase the flexibility of your ankles. Flexible ankles act like flippers, which will help to propel you through the water faster.
Keep your muscles limber by holding static stretches for 30 seconds if you are under 30 years old. For every ten additional years of your life, you should add 10 seconds to your stretch.
Example: in your 30’s you should be holding a stretch for 40 seconds, in your 40’s hold it for 50 seconds, in your 50’s it should be a 60 second hold, and so on.
The reason is for this is that your muscles are less pliable as you get older. You need to stretch them for longer periods of time to remain flexible in your old age.
Static stretching should always be completed after your regular exercise routine. Dynamic and PNF stretching can be done during warm-ups or after regular training. If you are interested, you should read more about Flexibility Training.
Below are some decent PNF stretching videos to go along with a recent post about PNF stretching. Use these videos to get some good ideas for stretching your muscles before exercise or anytime you feel like working to increase your flexibility. Similar to dynamic stretching, only better!
Below are some decent dynamic stretching videos to go along with a recent post about dynamic stretching. Use these videos to get some good ideas for stretching your muscles before exercise or anytime you feel like working to increase your flexibility.
