Exercise

Lower Back Pain Exercises ? Eliminate Back Pain With These Awesome Exercises

If you are experiencing pain, there are several lower back pain exercises you can do, which we will get to soon. Back pain can occur from a variety of reasons including sports injuries, accidents, aging, or just being overweight. You do not need to suffer however, there are a variety of things you can do to relieve your pain.

Exercises for you back can not only help you to relieve the pain now, it may also help you recover from any injury faster, and strengthen your back to prevent reinjury. In most cases you can do simple exercises in the comfort of your own home, so no special equipment will be needed.

The exercises that will help you to reduce or prevent lower back pain usually fall into one of the following: aerobic exercises, stretching exercises, or strengthening exercises. Aerobic exercise will help speed up the recovery of your injury, while conditioning your heart and muscles. Stretching exercises keep your body flexible so you are less prone to injury. Strengthening exercises should be aimed at strengthening your core, which would be your back and stomach.

It is often best to have a physical therapist design a home exercise program for you, but if you are unable to do so, here are some lower back pain exercises you can perform.

Try to get in some aerobic exercise every day, such as walking. Even going for just a short 5 minute walk can do wonders for you back. It is best to start slowly then build up. Swimming is an excellent choice if you have lower back pain, because it is a non weight bearing exercise, along with aquatic aerobics. Eventually you can build up to aerobic exercises like biking and running.

The choice in strengthening and stretching exercises depends upon when your back pain is eased. If you feel less pain in you lower back when you are standing or walking a couple of good exercises would be the bird dog exercise and the press up back extension.

Bird Dog Exercise:

Start on the floor on your hands and knees and tighten your stomach muscles
Raise on leg straight out making sure not to let your hips drop
Hold this position for a few seconds
Lower you leg and repeat with the other leg
Perform this about 10 times for each leg
Over time you can gradually build up your hold time

Press Up Back Extensions:

Lie on your stomach and place your hands under your shoulders
Press down with your hands and elbows so your shoulders and upper back raise off the floor
Allow your back to arch and hold for a few seconds, then relax
Repeat several times

If your pain is eased by sitting down a couple of good exercises are curl-ups and the knee to chest exercise.

Curl-ups:

Lie on back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your arms crossing over your chest.
Tighten your stomach muscles and raise your shoulders off the floor while keeping your head in line with your body.
Hold this position for a couple of seconds before lowering yourself down
Repeat this process around 10 times.

Knee to Chest Exercise:

Lie on your back with your feet flat and your knees bent
Keeping your lower back pressed to the floor; bring on knee up to your chest while the other foot is still flat on the floor.
Hold this position for around 15 seconds before relaxing. Now repeat with the opposite leg.
Perform this exercise several times with each leg.

These are just a few of the lower back exercises you could do to eliminate your pain. If you are in pain you need to do something about it, so you can go on living your life.  As always be sure to consult your doctor before performing any new exercise program or if your back pain persists.

The Best Exercise to Lose Belly Fat

What’s the best exercise to lose belly fat? Is there one specific exercise or type of exercise that’s best for getting a leaner waistline?

Many fitness experts over the years have proclaimed that a specific exercise or type of exercise is the best way to lose abdominal fat. But just like there’s no one nutrition program that works best for everyone, there’s no one specific exercise or type of exercise that works best for everyone.

We all have different body types, different genetics and different metabolisms, and we all respond to exercise differently. A specific exercise or type of exercise that’s most effective at reducing abdominal fat for me might not be the most effective for you. Your exercise program, just like your nutrition program, has to be personalized in order to be most effective.

That being said, here are three tips that will help improve anyone’s fat loss exercise program:

1. Do aerobic exercise first thing in the morning. Doing aerobic exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach is a very effective way to lose belly fat and overall body fat. This is because your blood sugar level is lowest in the morning prior to eating, so most of the fuel for your workout will come from stored body fat. In addition to helping you burn more body fat, doing aerobic exercise first thing in the morning will give you a nice energy boost to start your day.

2. Do high intensity interval training. High intensity interval training (HIIT) consists of alternating high intensity “work intervals” with low to moderate intensity “recovery intervals.” For example, you sprint 50 yards and then walk 50 yards, and then continue to alternate these work and recovery intervals. Or you pedal at a fast pace on a stationary bike for 30 seconds and then pedal at a slow or moderate pace for 60 seconds, and then continue to alternate these work and recovery intervals. There are many different ways to structure a HIIT workout.

HIIT burns a lot of calories during the workout and it also causes your metabolism to be elevated for up to 24 hours after the workout is over. The higher your metabolism, the more calories your body continually burns. The increase in metabolism from HIIT is much higher and lasts much longer than the increase from traditional aerobic exercise.

Another benefit of HIIT is that it requires less time than traditional aerobic exercise. A typical HIIT workout should last between 10 and 20 minutes and should be performed two or three times per week

3. Lift weights. Many people don’t associate weight lifting with losing belly fat, but weight lifting is a very effective way to lose belly fat and overall body fat. The reason why is because lifting weights builds lean muscle mass. Muscle is metabolically active tissue, so the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism will be and the more calories you’ll burn 24/7. Over the course of several months or a year, the number of calories burned and the amount of body fat lost as a result of a higher metabolism can be substantial.

What about doing a lot of crunches and other ab exercises to “burn off” abdominal fat? Many people don’t understand that it’s impossible to “burn off” fat from a specific area of the body by selectively exercising that area. When you lose fat, you’re unable to choose the area in which the fat loss will occur. Your body determines which fat stores it will use, and it uses fat stores over your entire body, not just one area. Exercising a specific area of your body will build and strengthen the underlying muscle, but it will have no direct effect on fat loss in that area.

In conclusion, you have to exercise to lose belly fat. And by following one or more of the above tips, you’ll maximize the effectiveness of your fat loss exercise program.

What is Anaerobic Exercise?

Exercise is the greatest way for you to shed fat, tone muscle, and get into super amazing shape. There are many types of diets and exercise programs. But,there are only two basic classifications of exercise, aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic exercises are exercises that require oxygen, such as jogging. While anaerobic exercises are fast paced exercises that are performed without oxygen, such as weight resistance.

Aerobic exercises are slow-paced exercises, such as walking and jogging, that require the use of oxygen. Anearobic exercise are exercises that are fast paced, intense and short, such as sprinting. Due to anearobic exercise being short burst of intense exercise, there is no need for oxygen to be present.

Weight lifting is an anearobic exercise which is done with a multitude of sets. A set could be 6 to 12 repetitions, immediately followed by another set with a short break between sets. At the start of the set, there is less oxygen transferred to the muscles along with the creation of lactic acid. More exercises mean more production of lactic acid which will be transferred to the bloodstream. While lactic acid increases, it creates muscular fatigue. This is the reason why this exercise last only for a short time.

Controlling the amount of lactic acid that is produced is done with the training of your body. A buffer is created that slows the exhaustion in the muscles of the body. Lactic acid is further reduced through more exercise which further produces the buffering chemical. As you exercise more and more, you may raise the resistance, distance or cycle. It is very much dependent on the kind of exercises you are doing. With this exercise, you have also raised your muscle mass and your energy levels. As your muscles get bigger, more energy is needed to move the muscles which will in turn burn more energy and fat. This procedure runs through our body while we are resting or sleeping, acting as fat burning machine.

It has been proven through different studies that lactic acid buffering capacity rises by 12% to 50% with the different kinds of anaerobic training. With the large amount of buffering capacity, it is observed that more lactic acid can be produced even at the time of training. It will not cause any stress. This will make you much more powerful, making even the most difficult tasks much simplier. Whether it is a hard task like climbing steps or a very simple task like getting out of the car, this exercise will make these tasks even simpler. This is based on your losing fat and getting into great condidtion.

The anaerobic exercises should be done last. It is much better to start with the aerobic exercise first as they are not as difficult as the anaerobic ones. Doing aerobic exercise for two weeks will build up your endurance. This will prepare you for the difficult anaerobic exercises.

There are many advantages to exercising on a daily basis, such as attaining great health and strength. Everybody should engage in an intelligent and balanced exercise regimen so they can live healthier lives without disease or any other ailment.

Exercising For Fitness – To Stretch or Not to Stretch

Exercising For Fitness

By David Burns

To Stretch Or Not To Stretch?

That is the question ,whether it is better for the body to stretch and bend before exercise or to take up a more cautious approach and leave stretching until later. (Sorry! That’s awful -actually Shakespeare did it much better.)

However, this is a serious question. There are two schools of thought. Traditionally, it was thought that stretching would be good way to warm up before exercising but today many fitness experts think that this kind of static stretching before exercise is potentially harmful.

Many people take it for granted that they should start their exercise routines with some stretching exercises as a warm-up for their actual workout or sports event. However, some fitness experts claim that traditional stretches, such as bending over to touch your toes or stretching your leg muscles can cause your muscles to tense up which is not a good preparation for physical activity, especially for competitive sport.

When you stretch before exercising, some of your muscle groups may react as if they are being overstretched. Muscles may then compensate by contracting and coming into a state of tension. This means that once you start your full work out you are more likely to cause damage your muscles.

In the last few years, several studies have found static stretching before playing a sport actually makes you slower and weaker. It has been suggested that people who carry out stretch routines before exercise were just as likely to suffer injuries such as a pulled muscle.

Experts who are against stretching before exercise suggest the alternative of a gentle jogging session or sport-specific exercise, like kicking a football in a pre match warm up. This type of gentle movement will increase the heart rate, increase the blood flow to the muscles and also increase body temperature. This is better than stretching which can still be carried out after your workout, or at the end of your active day.

Unfortunately, as with most things in life,”One Size Does Not Fit All” The information above is correct when applied to athletes and those preparing for a serious game of football or basketball etc. However, what if you are trying to fit in a short period of daily “keep fit” exercise or you are a senior citizen who is trying to exercise at home. Should you avoid all stretching exercises?

These are different circumstances. Someone who spends hours sitting in front of a computer at a work or an older person who does not get out very much will need to stretch frequently. This is because stretching improves flexibility and balance. Stretching also aids blood flow and has a beneficial effect on various organs and systems of the body such as the lymphatic system. This means that stretching can be used as a warm up if you are only going to engage in relatively light exercise.

All that you have to remember is that you must carry out stretching exercises slowly and gently. When possible include dynamic stretching exercises. These exercises are defined by the inclusion of movement an example would be the lunge. You may benefit from using one or two gentle stretching exercises from pilates or Tai chi.

Stretching exercises share one thing with every type of exercise work-out that you might undertake – do not launch into them when your body temperature is low and when the ambient temperature is cold. Always start slowly and gently that way you will gain lots of benefits but avoid strained and torn muscles.

Summing up

If you are an athlete or pursuing a vigorous sport, you should warm up with a gentle activity such as a gentle jog.

If your activities and work-outs are more modest, careful stretching is good, provided you follow the guide lines given above.

David Burns a specialist contributor to Needwood Publications and the author of “Fitness Training For Beginners ” and other fitness books.

You can claim a free download of “Exercise Tips For Beginners” by visiting http://www.fitnesstraining-guide.co.uk

Exercise for Fat Loss Vs. Muscle Growth ? Surprise! It’s the Same!

There is a commonly held misconception about resistance training (weight lifting, anaerobic exercise, etc.) that is both so deeply ingrained in exercise mythology and so counterproductive to the user that it begs to be addressed.  The idea that strength training methodology should change depending on whether your goal at the time is fat loss or muscle growth is simply false.  I have to assume that this concept is a vestige of the “toning” age, which also happened to be the era of sideways ponytails, leg warmers, and ubiquitous perms.  Clearly, none of these trends had any basis in rational thought and were therefore eventually swept under the embarrassing but forgiving rug of history.  It’s time to move on.

The reason why this myth is so pervasive within exercise circles boils down, I think, to the fact that many trainers have a poorly developed understanding of the physiological effects of different types of exercise as well as nutrition.  As a result, their expectations are unrealistic and their exercise plans inefficient.  I always stress the importance of education when it comes to nutrition and exercise.  To become self-sufficient in this field and capable of managing your own body effectively, you need to understand when, why, and how you should use certain nutrition and exercise techniques.  Without fundamental knowledge of the effects of your actions upon your body, trying to achieve your goal of fat loss or muscle growth is much like trying to bat at a piñata, blindfolded.  You may eventually hit it, but you will waste a huge amount of time and effort swinging wildly and there’s a good chance that you’ll do some unintended damage along the way.

So, let’s begin to clear up this myth by defining what our goal is for our resistance exercise plan.  It is singular and simple: muscle growth and maintenance.  Don’t worry if your first reaction to that statement is, “But Rob, I don’t want bigger muscles!”  As you will soon understand, the growth rate of your muscles is primarily dependent upon nutrition, not exercise.

Now that we understand our resistance training objective, it becomes clear that changing our exercise methods depending upon our fat loss or muscle growth goals makes no sense.  The key here is to allow yourself to separate the uses of nutrition and exercise as they relate to body composition management.  Loss of fat is generally best achieved by inducing a caloric deficit, meaning you are taking in fewer calories than you are putting out.  Conversely, muscle growth is most efficient during a caloric surplus.  Exercise is an inefficient method for inducing either a caloric deficit or surplus.  Maintaining the balance of your caloric input/output is best left to the tools of nutrition.  However, with either goal in mind you will always be fighting to grow or maintain muscle mass, which is best achieved through intense resistance training.  Let exercise and nutrition each do what they do best and fight the urge to overlap their uses.

Fat loss always comes with some decrease in muscle tissue.  Our body is simply not going to lose 100% pure fat mass because our internal energy consumption pathways are not engineered as isolated systems, but are integrated to allow us maximum fuel flexibility.  On the other hand, an increase in muscle mass is almost always accompanied by some accumulation of fatty tissue.  Again, our body almost never takes an energy surplus and generates only one type of tissue.  Body fat is like an insurance policy that aids our survival in times of famine.  When you convince your body through intense exercise to increase its stores of highly metabolic, energy-hungry muscle tissue, it will also take a bit of your caloric input and invest that in a slightly larger insurance policy.  While it is sometimes possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, for the vast majority of people in most cases it is more efficient to focus on one goal at a time.

Keeping in mind that the body rarely grows or consumes one sort of tissue in isolation, the duality of goals becomes apparent for any nutrition and exercise plan, whether aimed at fat loss or muscle growth.  When executing a plan aimed primarily at maximizing body fat reduction, it is imperative for long-term success to also remember to minimize muscle tissue loss.  As well, when attempting to increase muscle mass, it is important to minimize the gain in body fat.  In both cases, however, fat loss is best achieved through nutrition and muscle gain through resistance training.

The old adage that, when it comes to anaerobic exercise, higher repetitions should be used for fat loss and lower repetitions for muscle growth is incorrect.  In reality, the best repetition range to use is the one that produces the best results for you.  If you consistently get stronger using higher rep ranges, the primarily use those.  If you instead find better progress resulting from lower rep ranges, then stick to those for the majority of your sessions.  The time to change your exercise methodology is when it stops working or becomes inefficient.  If you are able to add weight or reps each week during a caloric surplus or even just maintain your strength during a period of caloric deficit, then you currently have a useful plan.  Trust in the validity of your results because they narrate the real story of your success or failure.

Once you have designed an effective exercise plan for muscle growth, losing fat or gaining muscle is simply a matter of energy and protein input vs. output.  If you use effective resistance training and supply your body with lots of good calories and protein, you will grow muscle.  If you also take care to control some of the finer points of your nutrition plan, you will also be able to minimize fat gain.  If you use the same exercise techniques and provide a caloric deficit while maintaining a good level of protein consumption, you will lose fat while minimizing muscle loss.  Either way, the exercise strategy is the same because the goal of maximizing muscle mass never changes.

Using high reps for fat loss and low reps for “bulking up” is an outdated concept.  The best resistance training method for you is the one that produces the greatest level of muscle growth.  Only change your exercise plan when it stops working.  Let nutrition handle your fat loss efforts.  Your caloric balance is best controlled by monitoring what goes into your mouth and not what you do in the gym.  Resistance exercise builds and maintains muscle mass.  Nutrition decides whether you are actively growing muscle tissue or are instead trying to maintain it while losing fat.  Always remember to use exercise and nutrition each in their most efficient role.