Gaining an overall sense of what you hope to accomplish with your exercise regimen and how you’re going to achieve that should be the first step for any blossoming athlete. Whether your goal is losing a little bit of weight or turning yourself into a veritable Adonis, though, there are certain steps that are almost always going to hold benefits. A new report delves into what the author sees as a worthwhile fitness regimen, and you should think about making the suggested exercises an integral part of your routine.
You should strive to engage in a workout that’s going to improve every part of your musculature, not just those muscles that typically get tested during physical activities. You may want to focus on your hamstrings, but your hamstrings don’t reach their maximum output if strength doesn’t extend up your legs. You might hope to develop your arms to lift larger amounts of weight, but you’ll never be able to lift your utmost unless you pay some attention to strengthening your lower back and your abdominal muscles.
To work out all parts of your legs, not just the most obvious ones, you might engage in the type of exercise known as a clam, so named because the movement of your legs is going to appear quite similar to the opening and closing of said mollusc.
Position yourself on the ground on your side, and then bend your knees without contracting your hips (your knees should remain below your sternum rather than pulled up to your chest). With your heels essentially glued to one another, pull your upper knee away from the ground while keeping the lower one still. Try to point your knee up toward the ceiling while the other remains in place and you should feel tension in your gluteus as the lift reaches its apex. Conduct the same stretch on the other side, and once you get the move down, you might even use a band to increase the tension.
When trying to improve the strength of your abs, there’s always the requisite sit-ups and other fairly obvious stretches, but one of the best things you might do is invest in a medicine ball and conduct some squats. While a normal squat is going to aid your hamstrings, a squat with a medicine ball gets your abdomen involved as well, improving overall strength.
Stand how you normally would before starting a squat, then with your back straight, extend your arms straight out with the medicine ball between. You’re basically forcing your stomach to stay pulled in and your back straight during the squat, therefore getting dual benefits from one type of lift.
There’s far more information to be gleaned, so click the link above to learn more about the development of an overall fitness regimen.
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