FIXES FOR EXERCISES
YOU'RE NOT DOING RIGHT
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Incorrect Use Of Cardio Machines
- Hunching over or using a death-grip on the handrail cheats your body
- It can throw off your alignment, jarring your spine, shoulders & elbows
Better Technique on Cardio Machines
- Don't set the incline or resistance so high that it causes you to hang on to the machine
too tightly - Use a natural gait with a light grip
- For a more challenging workout, hold on lightly with one hand & move the other arm,
switching arms periodically - Walking on a treadmill without holding on also helps strengthen your core
- Save the reading & writing for after your workout so you can focus on good form
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Uright Row
Pulling weights, a barbell, or a weighted cabled bar
up under your chin
can compress the nerves in the shoulder area, impinging the shoulder
Safer Alternative To The Upright Row
- Instead of doing an upright row, work your shoulders with a front or lateral shoulder raise,
lifting weights out to the front or side of the body - Keep a slight bend in your arms
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Skip Lat Pull-Down Behind The Head
- Only people with very mobile shoulder joints can keep their spines straight enough to do
this exercise properly - So the move, done wrong, can lead to shoulder impingement or worse, a tear in the rotator
cuff - If the bar hits the back of the neck, it could injure cervical vertebrae
Instead Do A Safer Lat Pull-down
- On the pull–down machine, lean back a few degrees, use a wider than shoulder grip & bring
the bar down in front of your body to the breastbone, pulling shoulder blades down & together - Contract your abdominals to stabilize the bod & avoid using momentum to swing the bar up
& down - The lat pull–down works the muscles of the upper back
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Skip The Military Press Behind The Head
This shoulder move, in which you lift a barbell up & down behind the head
can cause the same problems as the lat pull–down behind the head
Instead Do A Safer Military Press
- When doing the military press, keep the bar in front of your head
- Stand with the weight no lower than the collarbone & keep your upper body upright
- The exercise can also be done seated
- Always sit straight against a back support, and keep the natural curve in your spine, with
upper back & glutes pressed to the chair
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Leg Press with Cramped Knees
- From a reclining position, you push the plate up & bring it down
in this common exercise
to work the quadriceps, hamstrings & glutes - The problem comes when you bend your legs past a 90 degree angle
which can hurt
your back & knees
Safer Moves For Leg Press
- If you want to do a lying leg press, keep your butt from rotating off the back
of the machine - Don't bend past 90 degrees at the knee
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Squats On The Smith Machine
- A Smith machine is a piece of equipment used in weight training
- It consists of a barbell that is fixed within steel rails, allowing only vertical or near-vertical movement
- A Smith machine often includes a weight rack in the base to help stabilise it
- The bar on the machine doesn't give, which can force the body into risky positions
- Also, people tend to put their feet farther in front of their bodies when doing squats
on the machine, which makes matters worse
A Safer Squats Alternative
- It's not necessary to use weights when doing a squat
- But if you keep good form, adding weight will intensify the move
- Standing straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, slowly lower your body, back straight
- Move the hips back as if you are going to sit in a chair
- Try to maintain your weight directly over your heels
- Don't let your knees extend out past your toes
- Lower yourself to about a 90 degree bend in the knee
- Slowly return to a standing position
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Exercises For Spot Reduction
- People who do strengthening & toning exercises in an effort to trim fat from a certain area
including the thighs, hips, stomach or arms -- have the wrong idea - Although these exercises can help firm muscles, if the targeted area still carries an extra
layer of fat, it won't look much different - You can't isolate fat loss to one part of the body
Cardiovascular Exercise Will Burn Calories
- Resistance training is a big part making it work
- If you want to burn fat
1. Boosting your muscle mass increases your metabolism
2. This will make you burn more calories all the time even when you're not working out
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Do You Need A Weight Belt?
- Too many people wear weight belts too often
- Unless you have a back injury, a medical reason or are lifting a lot of weight
the the weight belt lets your core muscles slack off - You need your core muscles all the time in everyday life
- A weak core also makes you more prone to back injuries
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Bad Shoes - Bad Workout
- Even if you're doing everything else right, your efforts can be undermined by improper
footwear - Working out with the wrong shoes increases pounding on the joints & can lead to injuries
like plantar fasciitis or tendonitis
Shoe Solution
- The key is to choose a shoe that is specific to your activity & that suits your particular foot
- Shop stores specializing in athletic shoes, where you can seek advice from a knowledgeable salesperson
- Replace your shoes when they show signs of wear
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