Design Practice: 2011

Exercise and Fitness - Linked to my original how to task of how to paddle a canoe and luckily this for many years has been a huge interest of mine.

100 useful fitness tips

Don't work your abdominal muscles every day.
Protect your neck by putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth when doing crunhes, helps reduce neck strain.
Ensure you stretch before any workout, if your under 40 hold your stretch for 30 seconds, if you are over 40 hold your stretch for 60 seconds.
Keep weight workouts under 60 mins, after 60 minutes your body produces a stress hormone called cortisol, which can block testosterone having a muscle wasting effect.
When exercising, exercise in order - Dumbbells, barbells and then machines as stabalising muscles used in free weights tire before larger muscle groups.
Ensure you work on your core muscles, this aids muscle growth in other areas.
When using a bench ensure there is enough cushion so you can't feel wood underneath, bad benches cause T4 syndrome which is a misalignment of your thoracic spine that effects the nerve function of your arm, weakening it.
Work on ankle flexibility and this will improve your speed when swimming.
Shop for workout shoes late in the day. That's when your feet are the largest. Make sure there's a half inch of space in front of your longest toe, and that you can easily wiggle your toes. Then slip off the shoes and compare them with your bare feet. If each shoe isn't obviously wider and longer than your foot, go half a size bigger.
Kill your excuses, you always have time to exercise, even if it's only for 10 minutes.
Improve Forearm strength by crumpling a sheet of news paper into a ball on a flat surface for 30 seconds.
When doing lat pulldowns, don't wrap your thumb around the bar. Instead, place it on top, alongside your index finger. This decreases the involvement of your arm muscles, so you'll work your back harder. Works for pullups, too.
If you are a beginner, ensure you work to failure, 3 sets of 6 exercises until you can't do another repetition - then drink a pint of supplement immediately afterwards gives you the nutrients you need and will quickly help you gain muscle mass.
Lose your weak spot, if you dont like an exercise, start doing it, you only avoid it because you are weak at it.
If you injure one arm, then continue training your other arm, research has proven that training with only 1 arm over 2 weeks increased arm strength in the other arm by up to 10 percent, this is because exercising 1 arm stimulates the muscle fibers in the opposite arm.
When counting your repetitions, count backwards, when you are near the end you will be thinking how many you have left rather than how many you have done.
When doing calf raises, ensure you do them standing and seated, this works both muscles that make up the calf.
Keep track of your progress, every 4 weeks measure all your variables, this will ensure you notice the changes which will then result in motivation.
Don't take pain killer or anti inflamitaries to aid workout aches, as it has been proven to suppress muscle groth and doesn't get rid of the pain anyway.
When golfing, to improve your putting accuracy, just roll a golf ball across the carpet with your hand, this will hone your ability to judge speed and line without picking a club.
Exhale forcefully at the top of the movement when you do abdominal crunches. it forces the abs to work harder.
Bend your wrists to work your biceps harder, extend the wrists backwards slightly, hold them like that while you do your arm curls
Don't exercise when you're sick - unless symptoms are above the neck but even then it is probably best to have a day off, "Your body will use its resources to heal itself, not build muscle and endurance," says Alwyn Cosgrove.
Increase the speed of your running strides—not their length—to get faster. Your foot should always land under your body, rather than out in front of it, and you should push off with the toes of your rear leg for propulsion.
Don't train with a weight belt. Over time, regular training in a weight belt actually weakens your abdominal and lower-back muscles. Wear it only when attempting maximal lifts in such exercises as squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses.
Practice cycling one legged to make you ride more efficiently, this forces you to concentrate on pulling up at the bottom of your stroke which better distributes the work amongst the major leg muscles.
Pay personal trainers in advance, you will be more likely to follow through with sessions.
Work your invisible abdominal muscles. Your transversus abdominis lies beneath your rectus abdominis—the six-pack muscle—and flattens your waistline when you suck in your gut. Work it with the vacuum: Pull your belly button toward your spine and hold for 10 seconds while breathing normally. Repeat five times.
Between sets, take 20 - 30 seconds to stretch the muscle you have just worked, research has show men that do this increased their strength by 20 percent.
When changing grips on an exercise, reduce the weight by about 10 percent to avoid stressing your joints and causing injury.
For faster foot speed in sports, try this move: Start with your feet hip-width apart and your hands at your sides. Lift your left foot in front of you, touch it with your right hand, and lower it to the floor. Lift your right foot, touch it with your left hand, and lower it. Then touch your left foot behind you with your right hand, then your right foot behind you with your left hand. Go for 20 seconds at a time, moving as fast as you can, and repeat for a total of three to five sets.
Recover faster from a hard workout by lightly exercising the same muscles the following day. Use a light weight—about 20 percent of the weight you can lift one time—and do two sets of 25 repetitions. This will deliver more blood and nutrients into your muscles so they repair faster.
Buy workout clothes that are black, white or grey, they'll go with everything to avoid time wasting, matching mutil coloured shorts to t-shirts.
Eat meat—4 to 8 ounces (0.25lb - 0.5lb) every day—to grow more muscle. A study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared two groups of older male weight lifters: One group ate meat, the other didn't. Both groups grew stronger, but only the carnivores gained significant muscle. Chicken, turkey, and fish count, too.
Don't worry about specific rest periods between sets, rest as long as you NEED, less in the early sets when muscles are fresh increasing as sets continue.
When you cycle, keep your pace between 80 and 110 rpm. You'll ride farther and faster with less fatigue and knee strain. To gauge your pace, count how many times your right leg comes to the top of the pedal stroke in 10 seconds, then multiply that number by 6. The result is your pedal rpms.
Work opposing muscle groups, your biceps and triceps for example, back to back for a faster workout, while one muscle is resting the other one is being worked, you won't need much time between sets.
Ensure you work on triceps before biceps, as when a bicep is worked it will become tighter, resulting in the tricep not able to get it's full extension therefore not getting a full workout.
To improve your ball-handling skills in basketball, practice dribbling while wearing leather or canvas work gloves. The thickness of the gloves helps improve the sensitivity of your fingertips, so you'll have better ball control when you take them off.
Use a sofa cushion to improve your balance. Stand one-legged on the cushion and move a medicine ball (or a 1-gallon milk jug or heavy phone book) from hand to hand, side to side, and behind your head. Once you've mastered the move, try it with your eyes closed. "You'll improve your balance, coordination, and body control, all important athletic attributes," says Greg Brittenham.
Try to complete your same workout in 10 percent less time, this forces muscles to work harderand also improves endurance, if you usually take 30 minutes to do a work out try and do the same workout in 27 minutes.
Play better tennis by training your eyes to focus faster. You'll hit more winners by learning to change your visual focus from distance, when your opponent is hitting the ball, to close up, when you're hitting it. Try this drill while riding in a car: Focus on an object about a tennis-court length away. Then quickly shift focus to a closer object.
When doing dips to improve tricep strength ensure your elbows are in and your body is straight.
When doing dips to improve chest strength ensure you lean forwards and flare elbows out.
When bench pressing, look at your dominant hand ( without turning your head) this is said to allow you to lift more weight.
When doing pull ups dont think about pulling your body up, but instead think about pulling your elbows down, this will make the exercise seem easier.
For rock or wall climbing, buy shoes that fit your bare feet so tightly you can stand but not walk comfortably. They'll give you optimal control, and you'll be better able to use your legs—the key to successful climbing.
One week out of every six, cut your weekly training mileage and frequency in half. You'll give your body a better chance to recover, and you'll avoid permanent, nagging injuries.
Drink low-fat milk. Scientists in Canada found that people who consumed more than 600 milligrams of calcium a day—roughly the amount in 2 cups of milk, a cup of broccoli, and a half cup of cottage cheese—had lower body fat than those who consumed less than 600 milligrams a day.
Follow this simple formula to build more muscle: Multiply the amount of weight you lift for a particular exercise by the total number of times you lift it. Try to increase that number every workout by lifting heavier weights, increasing your repetitions, or doing more sets.
Spend twice as much time stretching your tight muscles than your flexible muscles - typical problem areas for men are: Hamstring, shoulders and lower back.
When you're recovering from a muscle injury, begin exercising again as soon as you can. Try a few minutes at low intensity to test yourself. Go slowly—no explosive movements. If you experience pain, stop immediately. Afterward, ice the area for 20 minutes and exercise again the next day.
Set your goals in reverse. That is, pick a date of completion and work backward, writing down short-term goals as you go. "The goals then seem more like deadlines," says Ballantyne.
When running uphill, keep your head up and your eyes focused on the top of the hill. This opens your airways, making it easier to breathe than if your upper body were hunched forward.
Do your ab exercises at the beginning of your workout if you can't pass this test: Sit with your feet flat on the floor and your legs bent—as if you had just performed a situp. Then place your fingers behind your ears with your elbows pulled back. Lower yourself to the floor as slowly as possible. "If it doesn't take at least 5 seconds, you need to prioritize your abdominal training," says the Australian strength coach Ian King.
To build speed and endurance, train like a Kenyan: Go slowly for the first third of your run, at a normal pace in the middle third, and at a faster-than-normal pace at the end. Gradually increase your starting pace each week, and you'll increase your normal and fast paces, too.
To hit a golf ball farther, take some practice swings from the opposite side. It strengthens and balances your muscles, which may help you clear that water hazard.
Use a bench to squat with perfect form. That is, stand in front of the bench when you squat. Lower yourself as if you were sitting down. When your butt touches the bench, push yourself back up. Try it with a light bar or a broomstick first.
Eat immediately after your workout. A 12-week study conducted by Danish researchers found that older men who drank a shake with 10 grams of protein, 7 grams of carbohydrate, and 3 grams of fat (about the same as in a cup of milk) within 5 minutes after their weight workout gained muscle.
Do lunges in reverse. This forces your front leg to work throughout the entire exercise. Use the same movement pattern as in a traditional lunge, but step backward instead of forward.
If you have a finger that is frequently jammed, tape it to a neighboring finger when you play sports. Together the two fingers will be stronger and less likely to bend at an odd angle.
Lift weights to run faster. A study in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that 8 weeks of resistance training improved experienced runners' 5-K times by 30 seconds.
Squeeze your butt muscles when you lift weights over your head. "You'll force your body into a position that automatically stabilizes your spine, which lowers your risk of back injuries," says Staley.
Don't forget to warm up your brain.That's because your central nervous system tells your muscles when to contract. Try standing on one leg while you squat down, and touch the floor in front of it with your opposite hand. Do two sets of 10 to 12 repetitions with each leg.
Keep your heels on the floor when you squat. If you can't, your hip flexors are too tight. Try this stretch: Hold onto the sides of the squat rack and lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Hold for 30 seconds. Return to a standing position, then repeat five times.
Squeeze the bar inward when you bench-press. This works more muscles in your chest. But squeeze it outward when you do the close-grip version of the exercise—this hits your triceps harder.
For straight-on putts, aim exactly 17 inches past the hole. That's because the 17 inches of green surrounding the cup will be free of footprints, meaning blades of grass there are thicker and more upright and will slow down your putts dramatically.
To save time, use the same weight for your entire workout. Pick the weight based on your weakest exercise—choose an amount you can lift only six to eight times—and do the moves in a circuit.
If you're a runner and your calves feel tight when you wake up in the morning, try sleeping on your stomach with your feet hanging off the bed. Gravity will take over, lightly stretching the calf muscles all night.
Go faster for shorter distances to improve your running form. You'll not only perform better, but you'll also be less susceptible to injuries.
Lift light weights fast to build strength. Your muscles will generate as much force as if you were lifting a heavier weight more slowly. Try it with the bench press: Use a weight that's 40 to 60 percent of what you can lift one time, and do eight sets of three repetitions, pushing the weight up as fast as possible. Rest 30 seconds between sets.
When you do reverse crunches and hanging knee raises, round your back by rolling your hips and pelvis toward your chest, instead of simply raising your legs. Otherwise, you're mainly working your hip flexors—the muscles at the top of your thighs.
If you're not exercising at all, just try to fit in two 20-minute aerobic or weight-training sessions a week. Researchers at Oklahoma State University examined absentee records of 79,000 workers at 250 sites and found that those who did this minimal amount of exercise had fewer sick days than those who didn't exercise at all
To make a steal in basketball, swipe up, not down. Refs and whiny opponents are just waiting for you to hack down on the ball. Flicking up is more subtle and surprising—and if you do poke the ball away, it'll be higher and easier to grab.
To sprint faster, work your hamstrings. They help you push off and develop speed. Try this variation of the leg curl: Pull the weight toward you with your ankles flexed (as you normally would) so that your toes are pointing toward your shins. But when you lower the weight, extend your ankles so that your toes are pointing away from your shins. Your hamstrings will work harder than with the traditional version of the exercise.
To mountain-bike uphill faster, edge forward in the saddle to distribute your weight more evenly between the front and rear wheels. If you slip back too far, you'll cause the front wheel to skitter off the ground. If you lean too far forward, you'll lose traction on the back tire.
When doing squats, rest the bar so that as much of it as possible is touching your shoulders. Holding it only on your lower neck causes the entire weight to compress your spine, which can lead to spinal and muscle injuries.
Exercise one arm at time. Do a set of shoulder presses with your left arm, then do a set with your right. "You'll get higher-quality sets than if you work both arms at the same time," says Ballantyne.
Throw all your dirty workout clothes into one mesh laundry bag. At the end of the week, tie a knot in the bag and throw it in the washer. You'll always know where your favorite workout shirts are, and you won't have to touch your sweat socks when they're fully ripe.
Do squats and deadlifts . . . to build your abs. Research shows that these two exercises force your abdominal muscles to do a significant amount of work to maintain your posture.
When doing standing arm curls, completely straighten your arms by flexing your triceps at the end of each repetition. This ensures that you work the muscle through its entire range of motion.
When you run, breathe so that your belly rises as you inhale. This ensures that your lungs are inflating fully with oxygen, so you'll be able to go longer. Practice by lying on your back and placing a book on your stomach. The book should rise when you breathe in.
Do this simple jumping exercise to improve your vertical leap: Stand on the edge of a step that's about 8 inches high. Step off backward with both feet. When your toes hit the ground, immediately jump back onto the step. Concentrate on pushing off the ground as quickly as possible, rather than on the height of your jump. "The speed of the jump is more important than the height," says Brittenham. Do three to five sets of 10 to 20 repetitions twice a week.
To avoid injuries, write an "expiration date" on your shoes as soon as you buy them. Shoes last about 500 miles, so simply divide 500 by your average weekly mileage to determine how many weeks your shoes are likely to last.
If you want to exercise before work but aren't a morning person, try this trick: For a set period—say, 4 weeks—force yourself to get up 15 minutes earlier than normal and do any type of physical activity (walking, for instance). "Make it so easy that you don't even have to change into your workout clothes," says John Raglin, Ph.D., an exercise researcher. As you near the end of the 4 weeks, you'll have a new habit and will then be able to progress to greater amounts of exercise.
Push from your toes when you do leg presses. Your quadriceps will work harder.
Skip the treadmill warmup before lifting weights. Instead, do a warmup that targets the muscles you'll be using. For a full-body warmup, grab a bar and do two sets of 10 repetitions each of the squat, deadlift, bench press, and bent-over row.
To strengthen your grip, wrap a towel around the bar when you do arm curls. It makes the bar thicker, which forces your forearm muscles to work harder.
Before you try a maximal lift, load the bar with a weight that's 20 to 30 percent heavier than what you think you can handle. Then simply lift it off the rack, hold for 1 to 2 seconds, and put it back. Wait 3 to 4 minutes, then try your true max—the weight will feel noticeably lighter. Never attempt this without a spotter.
To see if you're overtraining, check your pulse first thing in the morning the day after a workout. If it's 10 beats per minute or more above normal, your body is still recovering.
Use a shoulder-width grip when doing upright rows. Unlike the traditional narrow grip, it'll help you avoid shoulder-impingement syndrome—an injury that causes tendinitis and bursitis.
Don't use machine weights exclusively. A study at Georgia State University found that older adults using exercise machines improved their strength on the machines an average of 34 percent in 2 years. But their strength measures for everyday activities actually declined 3.5 percent.
Break cable rows into two parts. Hold the bar with your arms outstretched and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Then pull the bar to your body.
Satisfy your sugar cravings immediately after your workout. Eat at least 20 grams along with some protein. The sugar will help carry protein to the muscles you've just worked. So have a soda with your tuna sandwich, but limit your sugar intake the rest of the day.
For every time you work on your abs, ensure you follow with some lower back exercises, if you purely work on your abs it can lead to poor posture and lower back pain.
Don't try to lose your gut by working your abs. Researchers at the University of Virginia found that it takes 250,000 crunches to burn 1 pound of fat—that's 100 crunches a day for 7 years.
Instead of spending hours on the treadmill, try interval training, warm up with a slight jog for 4 minutes, then sprint with 100% of your effort for 1 minute, then reduce the effort to 50 - 60 % for the next to minutes and then repeat the 1 min 100% - 2 min 60%, this will keep your body guessing and increase your metabolism.
Try using resistance bands instead of weights, if you do the right exercises they can work just as well and are much cheaper.
Ensure you eat 5/ 6 smaller meals in a day consisting of mostly protein but accompanied with fiber.
Always push yourself, those are the parts where you notice the difference.