Need a bit of motivation to get you started on a smart fitness plan? We’ve put together these tips that will inspire you to embark on a journey of better health and a stronger body. If you’re ready, let’s hit the ground running, and begin to reach our fitness goals!
If you’re a runner and you run often, you’re going to want to replace your running shoes roughly ever 400-500 miles. That may seem like a lot, but if you’re running on a regular basis those miles add up quickly. This is to insure that your shoes remain comfortable and aren’t causing you blisters or leaving you prone to twisting your ankle.
Well-developed thigh muscles are the best protection for your knees. A very common sports-related injury is tearing the ligament found behind the kneecap. Quads and hamstrings are the muscles to strengthen to make sure similar injuries don’t happen to you. A couple of great exercises that strengthen these muscles include leg extensions and curls.
A good tip to help you get fit is to invest in a shaker bottle. Shaker bottles are great because they allow you to make a protein shake on the fly. By bringing one with you to the gym, you’ll always be able to get your proper post-workout nutrition.
A good way to exercise your back muscles is to do pull ups. By using your own body weight, pull ups provide resistance equal to your own weight. Simply find a pull up bar, and pull your chin over the bar. For those who have never done pull ups or have had limited experience with them, it may be hard for the first few times, so try using a chair to aid you.
By making a few minor modifications to your bench pressing routing, you can target different areas of the body. To focus on your chest muscles, try to squeeze the bar inward. You can switch the focus to your triceps by performing close-grip reps while squeezing the bar away from you or outward.
You can easily save your back from injury when lifting weights by squeezing your butt cheeks together tightly. This causes your posture to improve while lifting because it stabilizes your spine. This stabilization protects your back from strain or injury, so try doing this during your next weight lifting session.
When working out, you should always work in sets. But, instead of counting up to see how many sets you have already completed, you should count down, so that you have more motivation and drive to finish those last sets of your work out.
Count your reps down instead of up. If you know the number of repetitions that you want to complete, count down. It will make your workout seem shorter and easier because you are allowing yourself to think in lesser amounts. Knowing immediately how many reps you have left is a better motivator than counting up.
These fitness tips should inspire you to take a look at your fitness efforts with a fresh eye, work on things that need improving, and ramp up the routines that are working for you. Your goals are in sight, now, you just have to stick to your plan. Good luck!