Any workout you take part in should do two things at the same time: improve your body, and reduce your risk of injury. Too often, people will remember the first aspect of that equation while neglecting the second. No matter what kind of movement or lift you’re engaged in, you have to ensure your form is everything that it could be so that you’re not putting yourself in harm’s way.
Proper form will of course vary depending on the part of your body you’re working out. If you’re exercise your arms, for instance, then you need to know the types of things to try and the optimum way of engaging in those moves. Toward that end, consider some of the advice on hand from a new report from Today Health.
Some of the movements described will require you to have a pair of weights in your hands, or at the very least, a couple of filled water bottles. Just make sure that whatever you have in your hands, you’re getting an even distribution of weight and you’re not going to have your balance thrown off.
One of the first things you can try is taking the weights and raising them up near your shoulders. Make sure to turn your hands outward rather than in toward your body. Then raise your hands up above your head as high as you can. If you do things right, the weights should just about touch each other. As with most movements, come back down into your starting position.
When you do this, make sure to be slow and assured in your movement. If you rush the downward movement, you won’t be able to get the necessary tension that allows your arms to improve. But should things go right, you will have just executed a successful overhead press.
With the weights still in your hands, you can also conduct shoulder circles. One of the best ways to do this is to emulate the famous Vetruvian Man by da Vinci. Look the photo up online if you’re having trouble envisioning it. Basically, you raise your arms up wide as if you were spreading invisible wings and then you make tight circular motions with those arms. Go in both directions to get the most out of the exercise.
Finally, there’s one type of beneficial workout that you’ve probably been doing since elementary school gym class. Ditch the weights for a moment and do a few pushups. The most important thing to remember is to make a completely straight line with your body at all times, which will force you to tighten up all muscles throughout your frame. Just like with the press, be deliberate with your motions rather than rushing through.
For more workout tips, click the link above.
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