You’ve probably heard some conflicting advice about stretching. Some say, “Always stretch before a workout or you’ll hurt yourself!” Others say, “Don’t stretch first! Just warm up and then stretch after you exercise!” There’s also lots of advice about which stretches to do and how long to stretch. In this article, let’s look at some…
If you’ve never worked out before, muscle soreness may seem like a pain and possibly the worst part about working out. Barely being able to make it up the stairs after a crazy leg day may feel like punishment, not reward, for a job well done. After you’ve trained for a bit, themeaning of muscle…
When considering physique, we usually look at bulking (putting on muscle weight) or cutting (reducing body fat). These two activities are competing with each other. Building mass muscle generally requires a calorie surplus while also gaining some fat. Bulking up doesn’t require a huge excess of calories. Many lifters will overdo the extra calories which…
If in your training, your focused core workout is resigned to some crunches at the end of your session, this message may be for you. Most people’s understanding of the “core” is that it located in the midsection of the body and includes the abs (transverse abdominis), love handles (obliques), and low back (erector spinae)….
Working out can have a huge impact on your health. Here are five reasons it’s important to stay physically active. Improved Mood When you are physically active, your mood becomes better. This is backed up scientifically. How? You may ask… When you are physically active your levels of dopamine and serotonin increase. Hormonal levels also…
It’s hot out there! If you have been working out over the past winter and spring months, you may be surprised at the new challenges that summertime fitness throws at you. During the summer, and you are probably discovering that your body reacts to the heat and humidity differently than it does to cooler, drier…
I have good news and bad news, Dads. First the bad news: you can’t do it all. That long to-do list you have staring at you? Working harder, longer and more frantically will not help you get all your boxes checked. The reason is because more tasks, more responsibilities, and more activities keep piling on. …
Each year, on the last Monday of May, we celebrate Memorial Day. Originally instituted as a day of honoring those who died during the Civil War, it eventually became a day to remember any soldier who died fighting in the United States Armed Forces. Memorial Day is the perfect time to pause and consider how…
Fitness starts in your mind. Ask any athlete or fit person what the number one secret is to his success at fitness, and he will tell you it is commitment. Commitment means that you are in it for the long haul. Commitment rises above bad days, hectic schedules and volatile emotions. Commitment hangs in there…
Mike Fohner, cross country running coach, tells this story about one of his students: Last year, one of my young cross-country runners was fully content walking up the hills and avoiding physical exertion to the maximum extent possible. I tried all sorts of tactics and motivation techniques…to wits end. Even my “walker club” (post practice…
