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Archive for the ‘Stretching’ Category

Neck And Back Stretches Perfect For Starting Out

By Pat Lowe On February 17, 2010 No Comments

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There are lots of effective stretching techniques for your neck and back which are simple to do and produce results. These basic techniques are perfect for those who are beginners at stretching.

Beginner Back Stretch: A highly beneficial stretch for your back is the basic back stretch. Here’s what you need to do: Standing upright, contract your abdominals as you bend forward at the hips, lowering your hands to the floor. Relax the head downwards and push using the fingertips; feel the stretch in the back while you do this. Maintain this pose for 30 seconds; if you find this too hard, build up gradually to this amount of time.

Wide Back and Shoulder Stretch: This move should follow right after the basic back stretch. With your hands remaining on the floor, set your feet wide apart and position your arms inside your legs. Lift your hands off the floor and wrap your arms around the back of your calves, then grab your ankles. Pull gently with the hands, thereby opening up the shoulders and stretching the upper back. Maintain this pose for approximately 30 seconds.

Shoulder Rolls: The shoulder roll is a very easy stretch. Sit or stand comfortably, then rotate your shoulders up, back, down and forward, in that order. Begin with a small circular movement, then gradually increase it to a larger circle. Do 10 circles going backwards, and then change directions and do 10 reps forward.

Furthermore, you need to make sure that you avoid movements and actions that may cause back and neck pain. Good posture is very important. And you need to be especially careful whenever you’re lifting a heavy item. You will want to bend down, then use your legs instead of the back to carry the load while you lift.

The way you sleep at night also impacts the soreness you are feeling in your neck and back. A properly supportive pillow and mattress are essential, and keep the temperature set just right to ensure that you don’t have a restless sleep. By doing a few easy stretches before you go to bed at night, you’ll loosen up your muscles and enjoy a sound sleep.

A stretching routine is one of the most important aspects of total body fitness. The many benefits of this low impact exercise are reason enough for everyone to do muscle stretches on a regular basis.

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Incorporating Dynamic Stretching With Your Health Workout

By Sean On February 15, 2010 No Comments

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If you are looking for ways to get more from your workout routine, then think about dynamic stretching. While the term may not sound familiar, many of the actually exercises will. What the term refers to are really conventional stretches, however instead of holding the end position, you remain in constant motion. We have all learned many of them at some point in time and just never realized that the group had name.

Walking lunges are a familiar enough exercise for most people. It seems to be a favorite among junior high school gym teachers everywhere. To do it, you step far forward with one foot, then as you step down, continue descending towards the ground. You go down as low as you can without touching the floor, then bring yourself back up. Then you step forward with the other leg and repeat the process. This motion stretches the hamstrings and hip muscles, while also giving the quadriceps on the front of the thigh quite a workout.

Arm circles are another one that most people are familiar with. For these you hold your arms straight out to the sides and make circles . This stretches and exercises the shoulder muscles. A common complaint is not actually about the discomfort from the stretch, but from the accompanying work that other muscles do during the motion.

Athletes often use these when preparing for competition. They do a great job of serving a dual purpose, stretching one group of muscles while also working another group of muscles. They do wonders to increase flexibility. They have even been shown to reduce the risk of injury while participating in sports.

These drastically reduce muscle tightness. The lunges, for example, can really improve range of motion in the hips when done on a regular basis. The arm circle have the same benefit for the shoulders. There are more of these that can help with knees, ankles, and other joints in the body that can give problems. The reduced tightness is another factor in protecting a person from injury as well. The more flexible you are, the less likely it is that you pull or tear a muscle.

You can add a stability ball to your routine. By using this you will be better able to work on strengthening your core. What that means is the inner abdominal muscles that work to support your spine and help to hold everything in place. A little work here and it can make a big difference in your posture and how your figure appears.

Before using a ball or any other piece of equipment you do want to consult with a fitness professional first. They will be able to cover how to use it, and demonstrate the exercises for you so that you can see how to do them properly. Doing them incorrectly can do far more harm than good.

These benefits, increasing range of motion, protection from injury, and reduced muscle tightness do not happen overnight. To really take advantage of what these can do for you, you need to make it a part of your routine and really practice and dedicate yourself to your health.

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