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Exercise The Right Way – The Standing Calf Raise

January 10th, 2010

Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuiders’ training regimes.


It is useful, therefore, to describe in detail the processes involved in actually doing these exercises. This will help beginners to start out using the correct techniques before moving on to potentially more dangerous heavy weights. If it also helps more experienced lifters to redress some of the little faults that have almost imperceptibly crept in over the years, all the better.


In this article we’ll take a close look at the standing calf raise.


MUSCLES TARGETED: gastrocnemius


STARTING POSITION


Face the machine, place the balls of the feet on the near edge of the step.
Move under the shoulder pads and stand erect with the hips under the shoulders.
Position the feet and legs parallel to each other with the toes pointing straight ahead.
Extend the knees and allow the heels to hang off the step.


UPWARD MOVEMENT


Push up on the toes as high as possible.
Keep the torso erect, legs and feet parallel and knees extended.
Push up off the step.
Do not lock the knees.


DOWNWARD MOVEMENT


Allow the heels to slowly lower back to the starting position.
Repeat or finish set.

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Exercises to learn more about the issues covered in this article.

Good Weekly Collection

September 12th, 2009

Wow, can you feel the heat? It’s getting hot out here in my neck of the woods. We’re just jumping to put splitters away and break out the tillers.

It’s hard to find the right stuff these days on the Internet. So many fake places spouting spammy nonsense. Here are my favorite (and REAL) resources so far:

Rototillers

There are a ton of rototiller choices out there. Each choice totally depends on your style, strength, type of soil and more. A lot of stores carry rototillers, but you can almost always find one online for less. If you’re in the market for a rototiller, I would start your search at the rototiller store. If you visit the cultivator web store you will find out that you can find anything quickly. You should check it out soon. Oh yeah, they also have sweet deals every day from a variety of places so it’s almost like you can see all the best prices on tillers on the web in one place.

Energizing

Check it out…this definitely should be here. Working hard outside requires a lot of energy that I don’t have now that I’m older. This is hands down an awesome opportunity. I can’t believe this drink. I am always energized and happy. If you can afford a few bucks for a good healthy boost, then you need to do this. Do you need to stay up all night? This stuff will do it to you. Boost of energy all night! This is the healthiest energy drink I know about. What do you think? I recommend you go check out efusjon now – and pay particular attention to the comp plan found here. It’s awesome! Never before seeen – the matrix for helping you succeed is in a forced matrix. It doesn’t take long with a strong team to make money. Visit!

Splitter

Storing a big machine like a splitter can be tough. Do you keep your machinery in one place? Keep it clean? Also make sure it is clean. I think you’ll love the info and the prices found on the site linked to above. Visit today. You can find almost any and all types of wood splitters on the market and their prices and info on this website. Low prices, good info, can’t beat that.

Yeah! I’ll be back again I’m sure.

Permanently Fix Continuous Back and Joint Pain

July 4th, 2009

Painful back? Stiff neck? Persisting pain with joint motion? Many individuals would advise a visit to a chiropractor. It’s true that checking out a chiropractor is a superb way to relieve neck and joint pain. A trained chiropractor is capable to manipulate and restructure the vertebrae that have become misaligned due to bad posture, overuse, or long-term stress to the area. Most patients experience recognizable relief after 1 – 3 visits.
Chiropractors recommend that patients come back, sometimes on a monthly basis to continue their treatment. Why is this? Because work done by
chiropractors provides only short-lived relief from the problem. After a few months,
the vertebrae or joints once again fall out of alignment. In order to get long-term relief from the pain, you have to solve the actual problem. What makes vertebrae or joints to become misaligned in the first place?

When a person has poor posture or uses the identical muscles on a regular basis, this causes certain muscles to become stronger and tighten then others. These muscles then pull at the vertebrae, bones, and joints causing misalignment. This condition of the muscles is known as a muscle imbalance. When a person sees a chiropractor, he or she does what they can to realign the vertebrae or joints. But if these muscles imbalances still exist, then it is only a matter of time before they literally pull the bones out of alignment again. This is why seeing a chiropractor only offers short-lived relief.

The only long term resolution dwells within correcting the muscle imbalances that are present. Properly functioning muscles should function in conjunction with one another. Contract / relax or relax / contract. If any muscle within a muscle group is in a ceaseless state of relaxation or contraction, then a muscle imbalance occurs. In order to remedy this, the weaker muscles in the group must be strengthened. This calls for proper exercising and strength training, focused specifically on the weaker muscles.

How do you know which muscles to concentrate on or what exercises to do? When it comes to the issue of exercise, a person with back, neck, joint problems must be extremely cautious. Doing the wrong kind of exercise or applying incorrect form can seriously hurt the body. That is why in situations like this it is key to first consult your doctor and to have a educated professional aid you along your journey.

The best resolution to correct your muscle imbalances is to hire a certified personal trainer who is a corrective exercise specialist. He / She will work with you to strengthen those weak muscles and work out any knots in the tight ones. Once your muscle imbalances are corrected, the muscles will no longer pull the vertebrae and joints out of alignment – thus eliminating back or joint pain.

If you have back, neck, or joint pain, seeing a chiropractor will relieve your pain for now. But if you want long term relief, contact Total Body Solutions.

Questions to Ask a Personal Trainer

June 15th, 2009

Employing a personal trainer is one good way to benefit from working out in the least amount of time. A personal trainer will produce a program that is made for your physical fitness level and goals. But hiring a personal trainer that is qualified, and that can motivate you in the way that you need, can be hard. Here are 5 issues to cover with possible trainers, and yourself, so you can determine the perfect trainer for you.

A Book Cover Doesn’t Lie
Hiring a personal trainer is the one time you should start judging the book by its cover. If they can’t motivate themselves, chances are, they won’t be much help for you. A personal trainer doesn’t have to look like Arnold, but, they should be obviously physically fit and have loads of energy.

Credentials
Anyone can call themselves a personal trainer, there are no regulating bodies, but plenty of certification options. Find out what type of training they have, and find out what type of training they did to become a trainer. Every trainer should also have CPR and first aid training.

References
Talk to past and current customers to hear their experiences. Ask about their results, if the trainer was dependable, any issues they may have had, if they ever hit weight loss plateaus and how they were handled. Most trainers will only send you to positive references, so you also need to ask the trainer about problems they’ve had, and how they handled them. Every business has problem clients, so they should be able to answer.

Training Philosophy
Do you want a soft spoken trainer? A drill sergeant? Are you self motivated? Getting along with your personal trainer is important, so your personalities have to be compatible.

Pricing and Policies
Pricing is often thought to be the most important inquiry, but go deeper and find out cancellation policies, how they accept payments, and what happens in case of injury or sickness. The most expensive trainer isn’t always the greatest, and the cheapest may be cheap for a reason, so consider the fees beside the other answers you’ve received.

Guest Article Courtesy Of: WorkoutsAnywhere.com – Online personal training can help you reach your exercise and weight loss goals, anywhere, anytime.

Fat Reduction for Us All – Booby Traps to Avoid

February 2nd, 2009

Weight reduction is a challenge almost all fight with from time to time. Looking for the most bona fide diet or the most effective physical exercise regimen can last for a long time. Absent examination, it seems like the search is about looking physically fit to please others.

You will bend over backwards to impress “them,” correct? In order to be successful, happy, and pull your life partner, its required that you look satisfactory to them. Hmmmm.

Unfortunately, this is to some degree true, even so, looking fit (worthy) is in truth just about becoming in touch with your personal self-worth, accessing a greater worth that is not obtained from your appearance. “How to drop off fat” must not be the lone question you ask. You don’t have to give up on the quest to lose fat, but at least attempt putting this question along side of it: “How do I attain self-esteem and fitness on the inside, no matter how my body looks?”

Chances are you’re already asking such a question, in your subconcious.

As you are trying to get rid of your weight, the above question usually dwells beneath the quest you are on. Seeing as how it remains present anyway, I am suggesting you make it top of mind. Turn it into your central issue. Make self-acceptance simply as worthy in importance to . You may be pleasantly surprised.

When you make improved self-esteem the goal, together with a plan to lose weight, you open a door towards a much better you inside. You begin to understand that there are different ways to resolve this problem, aside from just diets and exercising. Moving towards true self-respect brings you to stare the problem right in its eyes. You then start to bring out the core group issues.

It is strongly advised you get assistance if many wounds are being exposed. There are many wonderful books and resources on weight loss, self-pride, body image, and true self-acceptance that will elevate you to new directions.

But the issue and its solution start with you. What I am trying to say is that the real job is not finding the best weight loss program, or what to eat, etc. the real problem is self-judgment. What else can it be?

You only feel bad when among others if you are looking at your self through judgmental eyes. When you take of your “glasses” of self-judgment, no matter how distressful it was, then you will have arrived at the source of the problem. You come out from that state by choosing to do so. You remove self-judgment about your body image or anything for that matter, by realizing how unproductive it is, and simultaneously finding paths to experience more self-esteem.

Big Whey Protein Hardcore

November 23rd, 2008

If you have ever heard the word “hardcore” then you may think of things that are serious and focused on one thing.For all of you muscle builders out there, there is a product on the market that is called Whey Protein Hardcore.

This supplement is hardcore because it is simply the best and most effective pure form of Whey Protein on the market. If you are a hardcore muscle builder, then this supplement is definitely for you.

Find out more about it at an online retailer who sells it. I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed with the results you will get from using it.

If you are interested in gaining muscle mass in a big way, then I can recommend an excellent product for you to try. The product is called Big Whey and it contains Whey Protein.

This type of protein contains all of the amino acids that are essential in building and repairing muscles. Protein is also a great way to maintain your health.

Big Whey is one of the leading protein supplements on the market today. Athletes and body builders who know choose Big Whey as their protein supplement over and over. This would not be happening if Big Whey did not deliver results.