Fitness. Strength. Nutrition.
Fitness
Do Squats Make You Jump Higher?
Aug 25th
The short answer is yes, most definitely. If you want to jump higher, the squat is a must do exercise. The correlation between increasing your squat, and increasing your jump is extremely high, and although some people need more reactivity training than others, everyone can do with getting their squat up.
To put it simply, the movement of a squat is exactly like the movement of a jump. Get your maxiumum squat strength up, you are without a doubt going to get your maximum jump up. The fact is that most people looking to increase their vertical jump, will probably just be lacking big time in brute strength, without a base on the squat, you aren’t going to get off the ground.
Aeromat Foam Roller
Aug 25th
great quality foam roller
Head to amazon to check out more about the Aeromat Foam Roller
Two important things to ask regarding a foam roller:
- Is it firm?
- Does it retain it’s shape?
Leg Exercise Equipment: Do You Need It?
Aug 24th
There is an ongoing argument about using leg exercise equipment as opposed to doing free weights. The fact is, in my opinion at least, free weights wins out almost every time for leg exercises. This is not to say that exercise machines do not have their place, however if you want to build a great strong body, the most effective way is to lift a lot of weights with a lot of different muscles. Compound exercises with dumbbells and barbells will more often than not achieve this.
Free Weights Vs Equipment
Build Muscle 101
Aug 24th
If you want to build muscle, there are right and wrong ways to go about it. Wasting your time doing the wrong weights, or wasting your time eating badly will both prevent you from gaining and building muscle at a decent rate. You need to lift correctly, and you need to eat correctly. Follow this simple formula, and you will be building muscle in no time.
Why Is Building Muscle So Important?
People are often reluctant to build muscle, whether it is because they don’t want to put in the work, they don’t want to get too bulky, or they think that cardio is a more efficient means of attaining their goals. There are more than just the obvious benefits of building muscle strength:
How To Self Massage
Aug 23rd
We have repeatedly discussed the benefits of self massage and ensuring that your muscles get the soft tissue work they need. I found a great video that tells you exactly how to self massage with a foam roller and tennis ball. I can’t stress enough the important of you actually getting into some soft tissue work, you will immediately discover the benefits. You no doubt have a lot of trigger points in your body that are causing you pain. Check out these posts to get some more info:
How To Get Rid Of Shin Splints
Aug 20th
You upped your training levels, started to push harder, got more serious, everything was fine for a while, until you started to feel pain in your shin. No doubt this pain only got worse over time. Chances are you are suffering from shin splints. Shins splints are a common condition that many people suffer from. They are painful, annoying and if you don’t look after them correctly they only get worse. Finding out how to get rid of shin splints is important, and will ensure that you don’t end up with a stress fracture.
What Are Shin Splints?
Top 5 Changes Anyone Can Make to Improve Their Health
Aug 17th
Everybody wants to be healthier. Some people just don’t know how to do it, or they think that it’s too difficult. It may be difficult, but it’s too important to ignore. Here are five changes you can make in your daily life that will make you healthier.
1. Eat well.
This does not mean you should go on a diet because the term “diet” implies a temporary change. You want to learn to eat properly forever, so consider it a lifestyle change. Try making a healthy meal plan with food that you like. Whenever you want to eat, now you won’t have to think about it. If you plan your meals properly ahead of time, the correct decision is already made.
Electronic Muscle Stimulators
Aug 17th
A lot of people wonder about the use of electronic muscle stimulators in sport and training, and the fact is that they do have their place. Although not at the forefront of methods that will help you be the best, they can certainly give you an edge in both your training and recovery. The problem is that they don’t come cheap, so here are a couple of great cheap electrical muscle stimulator options from Amazon that I found. If you want to see the full range of EMS machines to choose from then click here.
Achilles Tendon Injury
Aug 16th
The Achilles tendon is a problematic area, and one that can get pretty painful. It is important when you start to feel pain in this area, that you take notice and do the correct rehabilitation. Achilles tendon injuries are painful and complicated, but not impossible to rehabilitate. They often take a lot of time, and you need to be patient with the work you are doing. it is important that you get it right the first time in order to avoid repeating the injury, and possibly making it worse. The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscle to your heel bone. It is a thick tendon that is visible at the back of your foot, and works to help you rise onto your toes. There are two common injuries to this tendon that we will discuss.
Overtraining in Sport
Aug 10th
There is a fine line between getting the most out of your training and overtraining. To improve your performance in anything, you have to work hard and push your limits. However, you have to find the right balance between getting the most out of yourself and breaking down. The improvements that will occur in your body, occur in your rest periods. It is when you allow your body to adapt. Managing training loads is important and will ensure that you keep yourself from over training.
Lack Motivation?: Break Through Your Barriers
Aug 10th
This is a guest post from the author or your happy hearts.com! My name is Angie Christine and I am the author of Your Happy Hearts. I am asked to write about Motivation more than any other subject. It’s hard to help someone find their motivation. “Motivation is unique to each of us.” I have said it in the past and will continue to say it again. You may be working out for a totally different reason than that of the person jogging next to you in the gym.
The Ultimate Sports Recovery Guide
Aug 5th
Whether you are a professional athlete, a weekend warrior, or someone who loves working out, you will benefit from having a good grasp on how to recover properly. Good recovery will enhance performance, allow you to train harder and ensure that you get better gains from your training. It helps the muscles repair, adapt and build and is essential in any training routine. Of course, not all sports recovery methods are necessary for everyone, but as we well know, knowledge is power. Here I am going to review the top methods for recovery, talk about why you need them, and what cases you should apply each one. The best evidence is trying it yourself. If you feel better, then it is a good recovery method for you.
Exercise in the Heat and Acclimatization
Aug 4th
This is an assignment I wrote at university, five years ago. For those that don’t know I studied Exercise Science. I came across it today looking through some old documents, and thought it might be of interest to some of you. Exercise in the heat can cause a lot of issues, especially for athletes. It is very important to acclimatize and get used to the conditions. This discusses what happens to the body during exercise in the heat, and ways that you can acclimatize to the conditions. Beware that is reasonably scientific and cites all the references, so for those who prefer a shorter version…
Laurens Depth Jumps
Jul 16th
As a follow up to my post, leg workouts to make you jump higher, I wanted to show you an example of an exercise I do a lot. I do a lot of strength training and plyometrics, and this is definitely in the reactive exercises category. You need to make sure that you are well conditioned before you attempt these kinds of exercises, or you will get injured. Get strong and get explosive first. Once you are ready you build up slowly, increase the height of the box as you go. Remember, quality is definitely more important than quantity when you are talking plyometrics. Check out the post to find more exercises you need to do to build up to this, and some guidelines that you need to follow.
Healthy Fat Loss: 12 Hot Tips
Jul 15th
Weight loss is not an easy thing to achieve and many people struggle with it. The first thing that is important to understand, is the difference between weight loss, and fat loss. Healthy fat loss is what you are really aiming for, and when you have achieved this, it is more likely that you will keep the weight off for life. Just looking at the scales can be dangerous, and a lot of people mistake fat loss for muscle loss. Drastically dropping your calories will lead to weight loss, but a lot of it will be muscle. The result being a huge drop in your metabolism. This is undesirable on so many counts, but the worst part is that when you go off the diet, your body will be completely intolerant to the food you are eating, and you will most likely put all of the weight back on, and more. Here are 12 tips that may seem obvious to everyone, but if you apply them, you really will feel the fat slipping off you.
Leg Workouts To Jump Higher
Jul 12th
Want to jump higher? There is no real secret to increasing your jump, and requires the same thing that everything else in life does, hard work. However, the fact is that a lot of people go about it the wrong way. There are a lot of mistakes that you can make along the way, and some of them can cause a lot of injuries. It takes a step by step approach to increase your vertical jump, and with some smart training, you will succeed. Remember it depends on what your starting point is, some people are ore advanced than others, this is aimed at those that are basically starting from a low level base, read through and you can adapt it to your own level, starting at different stages.
How To Tone Legs And Thighs
Jul 9th
If I could have a dollar every time someone asked me this question, I would be a very rich girl. So many women are after the best way to tone their legs and thighs, and as a consequence, are receiving some pretty bad information in return. We’ll start by dispelling a common myth that annoys me, and consequently learn how you actually really can tone your legs and thighs effectively.
The Myth Surrounding The Word ‘Tone’
Running Parachute
Jul 9th
This post is aimed at a smaller section of you, those already developed in their conditioning, athletes needing to do a lot of sprinting work, whether they be short or long distance athletes, and need to get that extra edge. It is also targeted at people needed some variety in their training. Lets face it, running can get boring, chuck a parachute on the back and you have some serious resistance and a new training stimulus that will not only keep you motivated, but will work you very hard. The fact is that when you are an elite athlete, every second seriously does count. Training methods are adapted to ensure that you get the most out of your body. One method of overload whilst sprinting, which is actually quite hard to do, is the running parachute. This is not necessary for everyone out there, it can provide training benefits in a fun and different way, but mostly it is used as a great way to get an extra edge for those already highly conditioned.
Spinning Class Benefits
Jun 29th
A slightly different post where I wanted to address something I have been trying lately, spinning. I have always been pretty skeptical of classes and never have really involved myself in them. Taking a break from my volleyball training, I decided to get some general conditioning in, and someone suggested I head to a spinning class. An hour later, many liters of sweat lost, high heart rate maintained through the workout, and a huge amount of energy and motivation to continue, I had just found myself a new addiction. Spinning class benefits are abundant, and there aren’t a whole lot of negatives. For those trying to lose weight with a lower impact activity, then this is something you have to try. Don’t knock it until you give it a go, you may be surprised.
Leg Workout: Don’t Miss Out
Mar 30th
It is not uncommon to walk into a gym, take a quick look around, and be utterly impressed by the physiques of some of the guys that are pumping iron. However, if you feel intimidated, for even a moment, just take a look down. Majority of these guys are going to have legs the size of chickens. The fact is, that leg work is not seen as important, and ultra skinny legs is a common phenomenon in many gyms. The good news is that although it may be a bit dusty, you can be sure that the squat rack is free and ready for you to use. A good leg workout is important. So they may not be the first thing the ladies look at while you are strutting around the beach, but I promise you, for men and women, leg workouts are essential part of your program, and something you should not ignore.
