Beautiful Biceps
November 24, 2009
Strong biceps are not only for show, but serve lifestyle functionality – they carry groceries, kids, and bags. Try this Biceps routine to improve your strength, stamina, and shapely arms.
I have also included some inspiring songs to keep you going with your weight training routines.
Routine
Incline Bicep Curl on Ball 3×15 – Eddie Brickell “What I Am”
Preacher Curl on Ball 3×15 – Akon “Right Now”
EZ curl bar 3×15 – Jesus Jones “Right Here Right Now”
Exercise 1
START: begin on top of the ball and roll the body forward. Balance on the upper shoulders and middle back. The hips will be lower than the knees, and the knees should be bent a little more than 90 degrees keeping the knees above the ankles. The arms are hanging down towards the ground and the elbows may balance on the ball slightly
Movement 1: The hands are facing forward away from the body. Begin to curl the arms up to the shoulders. Take about two counts to lift up.
Movement 2: Using the same tempo, take two counts to let your arms straighten and lower towards the ground keeping a slight bend in the elbow.
Exercise 2
START: Use a smaller Fit Ball about 35cm or 45cm is good. Sit on a bench with the legs on each side. The ball should be close to the body and the arms will rest on top of the ball shoulder width apart with the palms facing towards the ceiling. The body will feel as if it is leaning slightly forward so remember to keep the spine straight.
Movement 1: Arms are slightly bent and they curl simultaneously towards the shoulders. Palms remain up towards the ceiling. Be sure not to allow the wrists to move at all. Keep them in alignment with the forearm.
Movement 2: Slowly return the arms to the start position with a slight bend in the elbows.
Exercise 3
START: Have the hands in the close diagonal curve on the easy curl bar. Feet should be shoulder width apart with a slight bend in the knees. (This can also be done on the Bosu ball for more core work.)
Movement 1: Arms will curl the bar up to touch the shoulders at a slow and steady pace.
Movement 2: Return the arms back to the start position leaving a slight bend in the elbow.
Yoga to gain Flexibility
November 24, 2009
Although you don’t have to be a former gymnast to compete in fitness, flexibility is essential in any fitness routine. There are many ways you can add stretching into your training regime. You can add an extra ten minutes each day at the end of your training session. Or what I have found works, is adding a yoga class into my weekly schedule. Practicing yoga can give you advanced stretches that could benefit your fitness routine.
I have selected two poses that concentrate on hamstring and hip flexibility. These are intense stretches that should only be attempted after the body is warm. The poses are slightly different since one is more forward and the other is more lateral. One of my favorites is the heron pose. Remember when you were a child and would sit on the floor and watch television with your knees bent and heels by the sides of your booty? Well, this pose begins from this position. Try to slide your legs slightly apart keeping your knees straight forward while your bottom sits on the floor between your heels. From here extend one leg to the front. Reach with both hands towards the ankle or foot of the extended leg. Raise the leg as close to the chest as you can. Keep your hips even and facing straight ahead.
The goal of the heron pose is to keep the back straight and extend the leg towards the ceiling. One side is typically looser than the other, but it is imperative to practice this yoga skill on both sides. The heron pose is a great starter for high leg kicks, split push-ups and straddle V-seat.
Another pose I like to practice is the bound archer pose. Begin seated in a straddle stretch, (remember the side split is one of the mandatory moves in the fitness routine). Lean the entire body to one side with the shoulders on top of each other and the chest open to the front. Reach the top arm over your head and grab the ankle of that foot. Press down with the hand closest to the floor while the body and leg lift up. Again, it is important to keep the spine straight. If you are bending forward then lower the leg. Do not sacrifice form to try to achieve the movement.
The bound archer pose is great for increasing the straddle flexibility as well as balance in a lateral position. It is used in such moves like side leg kicks, standing heel extension, and straddle push-ups. Similar to the heron pose, the back must remain straight. To advance this skill, you may try focusing your eyes up towards the ceiling and feel the difference as it changes your balance.
Yoga can be fun and challenging. It also has many benefits that are applicable to a fitness lifestyle. Flexibility, strength and balance are key to yoga practice, as well as to a fabulous fitness routine!!
Yoga, Fitness Routines, and "So You Think You Can Dance"
November 24, 2009
We all know that practicing yoga has many benefits. One benefit is it leaves you feeling more centered. Usually when we are centered within ourselves we gain a sense of balance. With that in mind, I have selected a balance pose that not only will challenge your stability, but also will be a great addition for your next fitness routine.
The pose I have chosen is a one legged free-hand headstand. Its proper yoga name is “Eka pada mukta hasta sirasana”. There are several steps to practice before learning this advanced pose.
First, begin with a good balanced headstand. If you are a little shaky with the headstand, it is a good idea to practice it against the wall so you can learn about your balance and center of gravity. After holding the headstand against the wall becomes easier, try practicing the headstand without the wall. Gradually bring your legs together above your head. Make sure both legs are straight towards the ceiling and the toes are pointed. Once the headstand can be held steady for ten or more counts then move on to the next step. Remember, your core is where the balance begins. The abs should feel like they are pulled in towards the spine and the glutes should remain tight.
The second phase of the free-hand headstand is slightly different. Begin with the head on the floor but the arms are in a new position. The arms should be fully extended behind the head at a wide V position. This will put more pressure and balance on the head and neck area so be cautious and go slow with this movement. Lift one leg up towards the ceiling slowly. Hold this pose with one leg vertical, allowing you to find your balance. The leg that remains on the floor can gradually lift off the ground. The legs can remain in a split variation. This enables the body to have a counter balance since the arms are so far behind the head.
Now that you understand the break down of the one leg free-hand headstand, who actually uses a movement like this? It is most commonly seen in break dancing routines. This type of dance uses a tremendous amount of spins on the head. Several break dance sequences finish in “frozen” inverted positions. The position performed in break dancing has a slightly different flair than a traditional yoga pose. The knees may be bent and the toes are flexed. Of course, this can also be choreographed into a fitness routine. The best example of this move is frequently performed by "So You Think You Can Dance" finalist, Legacy. His break dance style is fantastic and uses this pose often.
This skill is great for a fitness athlete to incorporate into her routine. A great transition into this trick could be coming from a push up position or a downward dog position. This is a good set up for the head and hand placement down on the ground. It sets the athlete up with a lifted hip position making it flow easily into the balance.
There are a few simple, but showy, ways to get out of this move, (other than stepping the legs down and just standing up). First, by tucking the chin onto the chest and allowing the arms to come around the side, the athlete can roll out of the skill smoothly. A second easy transition is to rotate the hips and come down into a right or left side split.
A winning fitness routine should have a combination of strength, flexibility, and dance. Balance is a significant role in each of these requirements. Practice a strong basic foundation before building into more advanced skills. Be sure to create smooth transitions into and out of each skill. Enjoy practicing this advanced free-hand headstand balance!
Back to Basics in Yoga
November 24, 2009
We all know it is important to begin with a good foundation whether it is related to education, career, hobbies, relationships, or sports. This is also true for yoga. Even though a person has studied yoga for several months or several years, it is still important to practice the basics.
As a child in the competitive gymnastics world, this concept took a while for me to understand. I wanted to keep learning new tricks and perfect new combinations. The days we practiced the “basics” seemed to be a bit boring for me. I didn’t know why I needed to train the basics and go through body positions that I already knew. I learned that it is important to remember the key points to the basics so when you do advance your skills, it will be done in the proper form. The body will inertly use the correct technique that your foundation was built upon.
Now I have a different appreciation for the basics. Especially in yoga, I enjoy a never-ending learning experience during each class. I chose to take at least one basic class a week and really pay attention to my body, alignment, and breathing. It seems to keep me balanced and centered when I attend the more advanced classes. My body remembers and feels the solid foundation of basics that I have built.
In yoga, for example, the extended triangle pose, “Utthia Trikonasana” is a basic skill that can develop into several more difficult poses. You must first learn the key points to this pose before moving on. There are several postures during the pose that are easy to forget over time.
The body position must be lifted even before beginning to move. The hips should shift the opposite way the body is extending and leaning. The upper body should remain open and straight. Sometimes a shift happens here. It does not make it “better” or more advanced when the form is sacrificed. The body may curve on the sides or lean to the front or back in order to bend down farther or the hand reaches toward the ankle creating an improper angle. It is important to keep the body parts on top of each other. Pretend there is a wall in front of you and behind you and this can alleviate forward leaning.
It is a triangle and all sides of the body should remain straight and extended. Many times this is what is forgotten. Begin by lifting thru the crown of the head as if a string is lengthening the body upwards. From that movement the sides should remain straight, and the angle between the hip and the side should be about 90 degrees, like in a triangle.
Once this becomes a comfortable move, it is fine to advance to another form. It could be a revolved triangle pose, which has a twist in the torso. A revolved bound triangle pose adds one more level of difficulty by joining the hands together behind the back and looking towards the sky.
It is important to remember the basics and practice the basics. Beginning with a solid foundation can make for steady and proper advances. Instead of rushing to learn the next move, enjoy the process and the moment you are in. Namaste.
Yoga at the Olympia
November 23, 2009
There are more and more yoga classes being offered across the country. Its popularity is continually growing. Not only is the yoga interest increasing to the general healthy public, but also in the competitive fitness world. There are now top fitness athletes incorporating yoga poses as strength moves in their routines. The yoga poses not only demonstrate strength, but also meet fitness routine’s requirements of balance and flexibility.
For example, a top routine athlete in the Fitness Olympia, demonstrated a slow variation of flowing yoga poses. This yoga series has become one of this athlete’s many signature moves. She begins in a handstand and lowers in to a lever balance parallel to the floor. She does this in a continuous slow and controlled motion. She holds the beginning handstand and the final lever for three to four seconds to show strength and advanced level of yoga.
Another IFBB Fitness Pro Florida, started her routine in the advanced pose of “Visvamitrasana”. She performed the move with proper extension in the arms and legs. She shows openness through the chest. She used this difficult pose as her opening position for the two-minute routine at the Fitness Olympia. She demonstrated a steady balance with full amplitude until the music played. The moves that both these top athletes have used originated from yoga skills. They have also added a little more fitness appeal to strength move.
Visvamitrasana is the proper name for the pose. There are a few ways to get into this “side one-arm leg-extended push-up” pose. You can start in a push up with the leg over the shoulder and then open the body to the side. The bottom leg is extended towards the head. As you begin opening the body the top arm will reach over the head to connect with the foot. Another way to move into the pose is going thru bent knee triangle. The front leg is bent and the back leg is straight. The same hand is on the ground as the bent leg. The balance begins as the bent knee extends off the ground. The grounded hand pushes into the floor. The opposite arm reaches over the head to grab the foot. This is a difficult pose because of the lateral twist, flexibility and balance. The chest must be open to the side so the shoulders are stacked on top of each other. There is a significant amount of strength and balance on one hand.
This pose can be broken down into a few intermediate practice poses. Visvamitrasana demands flexibility in the legs, hips, chest and shoulders. If one of these areas is tight, it will hinder the move. One of the requirements of this pose is the right or left split. If you are unable to comfortably do the splits on the ground, then it will be more difficult to execute. Practice the balance portion of this pose by learning a bent knee triangle pose. Extend the arm over the head and focus the eyes towards the ceiling. This will also open the chest.
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