There are lots of different reasons that people work out and build muscles. For me, I want to easily carry my groceries, work in my garden, and scoop my baby daughter off the floor. Those types of everyday movements are the focus of functional strength training. Functional strength training turns the types of moments you…
Often when you’re exercising, you’ll read or hear about people doing upper-body workouts (or “arm day”) and lower-body workouts (a.k.a. “leg day). Workouts where you split upper and lower body workouts between different days let you focus on one set of muscles while the others rest. Today, we’ll focus on lower-body workouts (we covered upper-body…
What Upper-body Workouts Should You Try? Often when you’re exercising, you’ll read or hear about people doing upper-body workouts (or “arm day”) and lower-body workouts (a.k.a. “leg day). Upper-lower split workouts let you focus on one part of the body while the other muscles rest. Today, we’ll focus on upper-body workouts (and save lower-body ones…
I’ve dealt with low back pain since I was young enough that anyone who found out about it said, “You’re too young to have back pain!” It’s gotten better over the years, aside from some occasional flare-ups, and I think I have yoga to thank for that. Back pain is a common problem. It’s estimated…
Why is it that some people have no trouble getting themselves to show up to the gym on a regular schedule, while others struggle to find the motivation to get off the couch? If you’re struggling with motivation to hit the gym, you might wonder if there’s some secret that you’re missing out on. Why…
You hear it all the time: “Don’t skip leg day!” I hear it even though my workout routine doesn’t include a leg-focused day just because the advice is so common. Whether your workout routine includes a “leg day” or not, squats are one of the best-known and most effective lower-body workouts. They’re also a foundational,…
Staying fit and healthy always involves considering your individual body and circumstances. Working out isn’t a one-size-fits-all sort of thing. The best types of workouts for you depend on your goals, age, sex, genetics, and a host of other factors. When a woman gets pregnant, that adds another factor to consider when working out. Experts…
If you’re going to the gym and plan to do both cardio and weight training, which one should you do first? This is a long-standing debate in fitness. And, like many things related to fitness, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. How you should structure your workout depends on a variety of different factors. Cardio Vs….
5 Tips for Working Out With Your Teens Exercise is vitally important for teens. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that children over six and teens exercise for at least an hour a day for five or six days out of the week. That’s a lot of activity to fit in when…
When you’re training to run, it isn’t all about what you do on the track or trail. A huge part of your workout routine will involve running, but if that’s the only thing you do then you’ll be missing out on other exercises that can make you an even better runner. Running can sometimes cause…
