It’s impossible to sufficiently stress how important it is to maintain balance in a workout regimen. While there are those who focus on building strength and those who focus on improving cardio, the best kind of exercise will almost always involve a combination of both so that every part of the body benefits.
If you’re a runner but are somewhat hesitant to supplement your workout with excessive amounts of weight work, the good news is that you don’t necessarily have to. There are always going to be ways to develop strength that aren’t nearly as taxing to your body as doing heavy weight lifts, and you’ll want to take advantage of these whenever you can. A new report relates some of those strength building activities that you’ll want to take advantage of.
What you’ll find is that these don’t require giant machines in order to aid your development. If you have form and technique down, even something as seemingly simple as a pushup can work wonders for your supplemental strength.
The problem is that so many people overlook the basics when it comes to engaging in these. With a pushup, for instance, it’s easy to have a technique that’s lacking and thus doesn’t afford you the greatest benefit. Instead, start by lying down with your arms bent so that your hands are basically touching or just off to the side of and beneath your shoulders. Once you’re in position off the ground, suck in your gut and lower yourself until you make a right angle with your elbows. The article suggests doing this 25 times, and that’s a great metric to shoot for.
There are also benefits to be gained from planking. Think of this as one long extended push up, except instead of using your hands to push yourself off of the ground, you’re keeping your body in place by putting your weight on your forearms. Ideally, your toes and forearms can prop you up so that your body is more or less positioned at the same angle as the floor you’re working out on. Keep your eyes trained ahead of you with your stomach once again sucked in, and try to hold that position for up to a minute. If this proves daunting, you can draw things back to 30 seconds and still derive results.
In addition to doing side squats (which are described in detail at the link above), you can also focus on squats without the attendant weights. Stand up straight with your feet even with your shoulders, and then bring your body down (while still keeping your back straight) until the area from your knees to your torso is even with the ground. Lift up, making sure your heels take your weight, and then do this up to 25 times.
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