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Lighten Up Georgia - Weekly Tip 14
"Fighting Obesity - One Step At A Time"
Georgia Sports Foundation * P.O. Box 2043 * Kennesaw, GA 30156 (770) 528-3580 * (770) 528-3590 Fax * jseagra6@kennesaw.edu |
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Release: May 2, 2005
Donation Drive '07 Proceeds go to support the Georgia Sports Foundation and its affiliates. You can make a difference! Strength
Training - How To Choose Your Exercises Picking exercises
can be the hardest part of your routine because there are so many to
choose from. How can you figure out which ones to do? Which ones work
the chest and which ones work the biceps? Should you watch other people
at the gym and do what they're doing? In general, it's best not to do an
exercise just because you see someone else doing it. That person may be
an advanced exerciser and what they're doing could injure you. Also, how
do you know they're doing it right? Technique
& Tips: 1. A repetition
is simply an exercise performed one time (both lifting and lowering the
weight). A set is a group of repetitions. Doing one set of ten to 12
repetitions means performing the exercise that number of times. 2. Stick with the
order shown. This exercise routine is designed to work the larger muscle
groups first (legs, back, chest and shoulders) and the smaller muscle
groups last (triceps and biceps). The reason is simple: "Exercises
that work large muscle groups also recruit smaller muscles to help
stabilize the body," says Wayne Westcott, PhD, fitness research
director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts. "If you
pre-fatigue those tiny muscles, they'll fail in the clutch when you're
lifting heavier weights to work the larger muscles." 3. Let the air
flow. A lot of people make the mistake of holding their breath as they
lift. Doing this not only raises your blood pressure, it cuts off
valuable oxygen your body needs for energy. Instead, breathe
continuously throughout each exercise, exhaling as you lift the
weight and inhaling as you lower it. 4. Stay smooth
and in control. "Going too fast or shifting your body around when
lifting lets momentum cheat the weight up, preventing your muscles from
getting a full workout," Westcott says. "Taking it slow
isolates the muscles you're trying to work, and it reduces your risk of
injury." Westcott recommends spending two seconds lifting a
weight and four seconds lowering it. 5. Time yourself
between exercises. After each set, your muscles need a chance to
recuperate before you lift again. Rest for 30 to 60 seconds, but watch
the clock carefully. Waiting too long gives the muscles time to cool
down, while jumping into another set too soon leaves them unable to do
their job properly. 6. Pay
attention to pain. Experiencing muscle soreness during or following
a workout is normal; in fact, it means you are making significant
progress. "Contracting a muscle past its threshold causes waste
material and other acids to build up inside it," Ali says. "Experiencing
this burning sensation means your muscles are getting their money's
worth." However, if you feel a muscle begin to cramp, stop what
you're doing and gently stretch the muscle until it unwinds itself.
Finally, if you feel any sharp, continuous pain during exercise or pain
that persists for several days, stop lifting and see a doctor. 7. Take a day
off between workouts. Muscles don't grow in the gym - they grow
while you're resting. Working out lets your muscles know what you expect
from them. "After that, they need time to repair themselves for the
next time," says Bryan Mirabella, top personal trainer at Crunch
gym in New York City. "This muscle remodeling takes place when the
muscles are left to rest for at least 48 hours." To make sure you
give your body enough time to grow, try scheduling your workouts every
other day (Monday, Wednesday and Friday, for example). 8. Chart your
progress. Keeping track of your exercise is just as important to your
future as monitoring your expenses. "The fastest way to see results
is by challenging the muscles with every workout," Mirabella says.
"But you'll never accomplish this if you can't remember how hard
you worked them the day before." Record every detail about each
workout (how much weight, how many sets and reps, etc.) and refer back
to it before your next workout. If charts aren't your style, get
yourself a workout log. 9. For each
exercise, start with a moderate weight that causes a slight amount of
muscle fatigue after ten to 12 repetitions. Start with one set the first
two weeks slowly progressing to 2 sets after 3-4 weeks. Once you can
lift more than 15 reps for all two sets in a given exercise, increase
the weight by about 10-15% until completing all the reps becomes
challenging again. We always
recommend that you consult a physician before entering any type exercise
plan, and if you are a novice to strength training that you seek help
from qualified trainers when developing your strength-training program. --END--
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Remember:
May 6, 2005: Remember to turn in your teams weekly activity report. May 7, 2005: Cobb Cup (Team Handball) July 8-17, 2005: Georgia Games Championships August 6, 2005: Run For Life (Road Race) September 12, 2005: Bandy & Bailey Golf Jam
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This
email was sent by: Georgia Sports Foundation |
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