Kettlebells aren’t a trend—they’re one of the most efficient and results-driven tools in the fitness world. If you want strength, mobility, fat loss, and full-body conditioning without spending hours in the gym, kettlebells deliver. At Urban Fitness , I use kettlebell training with clients because the results come fast, the movements feel athletic, and the workouts are endlessly adaptable. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced lifter, kettlebells can reshape your routine—and your body—quickly and safely. Why Kettlebells Work So Well 1. Total-Body Strength in Less Time You don’t isolate one muscle group at a time. Most kettlebell movements use your legs, hips, glutes, core, shoulders, and arms all at once. You build more strength in less time. 2. Serious Calorie Burn Because kettlebell exercises are dynamic, your heart rate stays high even during strength movements. This means: More calories burned Faster fat loss Better conditioning 3. Improved Athletic Movement Kettlebells train the body to move naturally and powerfully. They improve: Hip mobility Balance Coordination Posture This makes everyday movement easier and reduces injury risk. 4. Simple Equipment, Endless Options One kettlebell can deliver: Strength training Cardio Mobility work Power development And it doesn’t take up space in your home. 5. Perfect for Any Fitness Level Kettlebells scale up or down easily. Beginners use light weights and focus on form, while advanced clients can use heavy weights to build serious power. 5 Essential Kettlebell Exercises Everyone Should Learn These are staples at Urban Fitness—simple, effective, and perfect for all levels. 1. Kettlebell Deadlift Builds strong glutes, hamstrings, and lower back safely. 2. Kettlebell Swing The king of kettlebell movements. Great for fat loss, power, posture, and core strength. 3. Goblet Squat Improves leg strength, mobility, and upright posture. 4. Kettlebell Press A shoulder-strengthening movement that teaches stability and control. 5. Kettlebell Row Builds upper back strength to improve posture and reduce neck/shoulder tension. Beginner Kettlebell Workout (Urban Fitness Style) Time: 20 minutes Equipment: One kettlebell you can comfortably lift for 10 reps Circuit: Repeat 3–4 times Deadlift – 12 reps Kettlebell Swing – 15–20 reps Goblet Squat – 10 reps Standing Press – 8 reps per arm Bent-Over Row – 10 reps per arm 30 seconds rest This workout hits every major muscle group, strengthens your core, and keeps your heart rate elevated so you're burning calories the entire time. Tips for Better Kettlebell Training ✔ Learn proper hip hinge mechanics Especially for swings and deadlifts—this protects your back. ✔ Don’t go too light Kettlebells are designed to be felt. A weight that’s too light won’t help you learn proper form. ✔ Breathe with the movement Exhale on exertion to keep your core engaged. ✔ Quality over speed Form always wins. Want a Custom Kettlebell Program? I design kettlebell workouts that match your goals and your current fitness level—whether you want fat loss, strength, athletic conditioning, or a complete training program.  Urban Fitness – Personal Training in Palm Springs Call or text: 760-841-1000
Pregnancy is a time of profound change — physically, emotionally, and mentally. Exercise during pregnancy not only supports your health but also helps prepare your body for labor and recovery. At Urban Fitness , we follow evidence-based recommendations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) guidelines , to ensure your workouts are safe, effective, and tailored to each stage of pregnancy. ACOG Guidelines for Prenatal Exercise According to ACOG, most healthy pregnant women should aim for: At least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity. A combination of cardio, strength training, and flexibility work. Exercises that avoid increased risk of falling, abdominal trauma, or overheating. Monitoring intensity using the “talk test” — you should be able to carry on a conversation during exercise. Modifications may be necessary in the event of medical or obstetric complications. First Trimester (Weeks 1–13) In early pregnancy, fatigue and nausea can affect motivation, but this is a great time to establish a solid foundation. Focus Areas: Low-impact cardio: brisk walking, stationary cycling, swimming. Strength training: light weights or resistance bands to maintain muscle tone. Core stability: gentle pelvic tilts, seated stability ball exercises, breathing-based core activation. Flexibility: yoga or stretching to reduce tension. Avoid: overheating, prolonged exercise in hot environments, or high-risk activities like skiing or contact sports. Second Trimester (Weeks 14–27) As energy often improves and the baby bump becomes more visible, focus shifts to posture, balance, and joint protection. Focus Areas: Cardio: continue low-impact aerobic work; swimming is especially beneficial for reducing swelling. Strength: target back, glutes, and legs to support posture and reduce back pain. Squats, wall sits, and modified lunges are great choices. Pelvic floor work: incorporate Kegels and diaphragmatic breathing to prepare for delivery. Core safety: replace crunches with side-lying or seated core activations. Special Considerations: After 20 weeks, avoid exercises lying flat on your back (supine position), as it can reduce blood flow. Stability decreases — use support (wall, chair, barre) for balance exercises. Third Trimester (Weeks 28–Birth) The body is under its greatest physical stress — exercise should focus on comfort, circulation, and preparing for labor. Focus Areas: Gentle cardio: walking, water aerobics, stationary cycling — short and frequent sessions may be best. Strength: bodyweight and resistance band exercises for arms, hips, and legs to maintain stamina. Mobility & stretching: cat-cow stretches, seated hip openers, and supported yoga poses for comfort. Breathing & relaxation: integrate breathing patterns that can help during labor. Avoid: high-impact exercise, deep twisting, or movements that cause pain, dizziness, or contractions. Let's Work Together Exercising during pregnancy is not about pushing your limits — it’s about supporting your changing body, easing discomfort, and preparing for a strong recovery. With the right guidance, you can stay active safely in every trimester. At Urban Fitness , our trainers are certified in prenatal fitness and tailor each program to your unique needs. Whether you’re in your first, second, or third trimester, we’ll help you stay strong, safe, and confident throughout your pregnancy. 📞 Call 760-841-1000 to book your prenatal fitness consultation today.
Your wedding dress is a key part of your big day, and how you feel in it is just as important as how it looks. Tailoring your pre-wedding workout to complement your dress's style can enhance your appearance and boost your confidence as you walk down the aisle. While I don't offer specific classes like yoga or HIIT, I can guide you through personalized workouts designed to focus on the areas most highlighted by your dress style. Here’s how you can prepare physically for different types of wedding dresses.
Planning a wedding can be both exciting and overwhelming, often leading to increased stress and anxiety. Yoga is a fantastic way to help brides stay calm, centered, and fit in the months leading up to the big day. It helps tone and strengthen the body, promotes relaxation, reduces stress, and improves mental clarity. This post will introduce a series of yoga poses perfect for brides who want to stay calm and focused while working on their fitness. Why Yoga is Beneficial for Brides
Almost any form of exercise will stimulate strength and muscle development. Unfortunately, misconceptions, myths, and misunderstandings plague the fitness industry, especially regarding strength training. There is a huge attrition rate among those starting a strength training program primarily because most people are not taught the principles essential for a safe and effective program. This article is part five of a five-part series discussing the very important principles and guidelines of a safe and effective strength training program. It discusses exactly how to avoid the common mistake of overtraining. The previous article, part four of this five-part series, discusses the importance of using the right amount of weight and number of repetitions for each set so you can achieve the results you desire. The following exercise guidelines are essential for your safety and the effectiveness of your strength training program. Avoid Overtraining If you feel burnt out, weak, and/or sore, you are probably overtraining. Not providing your muscles with enough rest will often prevent you from improving. Training the wrong muscle groups on consecutive days will also counteract your good results. Doing too many sets and exercises per muscle group will also cause overtraining. Remember that weightlifting, especially in an intense program, produces tissue microtrauma, tiny muscle tears that temporarily decrease strength and cause varying degrees of muscle soreness. It is necessary to provide ample rest time between successive training sessions. Muscles generally require about 48 hours to rest and rebuild before you work them again. You should never train the same muscle groups on two or more days in a row (abdominals are the exception). Hypothetically then, you would do your chest, shoulders, triceps, and abdominals on Monday; on Tuesday you would train your legs, back, biceps, and abdominals; you would take Wednesday off to give all your muscle groups extra rest; on Thursday you'd do chest, shoulders, triceps, and abdominals again; and on Friday you'd do legs, back, biceps, and abdominals again. This would allow two days (48 hours) of rest for each muscle between training days. Those who train very intensely would benefit significantly by taking even more rest time between sessions. A week does not have to be limited to only seven days--you can expand it to eight, nine, or even ten days. Think about it: why not? Day one could consist of chest, shoulders, triceps (pushing muscles), and abdominals on Monday. Take Tuesday off. On day two, Wednesday, the routine could consist of legs, back, biceps (pulling muscles), and abdominals. Take Thursday off. On Friday, you do chest, shoulders, triceps, and abdominals again--and so on. This is especially important when mixing pushing and pulling muscles for different sessions. For example, if you train your chest on Monday and then triceps the next day, your triceps never really get a complete rest because they are indirectly trained with your chest on Monday and directly trained on Tuesday. But if you split up chest/shoulders/triceps or back/biceps, working them on different days, you can implement this eight-day program for maximum muscle resting time. Remember: always allow your muscles a chance to grow, especially when you are feeling overtrained. If needed, give yourself an extra day off to grow. Never feel guilty about skipping a workout. That extra rest could be precisely what your body needs. Many people make the mistake of doing too many sets per exercise, and/or doing too many exercises per muscle group. It's very common for people who want great muscle size and strength gains to do too much for each muscle group and overtrain to the point where they do more harm than good. A standard weightlifting recommendation is to do at least four sets for each exercise and at least four exercises for each muscle group. This idea that "more is better" is a big misconception in the strength training industry and is recommended in many "muscle magazines" and other sources. But when you see Mr. or Ms. Olympia in muscle magazines describing their workouts of four to five sets per exercise and four to five exercises per muscle group, do not be fooled into thinking that if you want their results, you have to do what they do. These are professional bodybuilders, quite likely to be on steroids; they can get away with these very intense, long programs because their muscles can rebuild very quickly. If you are not on steroids--and for the sake of your health, I hope you are not--your muscles will not be able to rebuild themselves quickly enough to make gains. Two to four exercises for each muscle are enough for each skeletal group, such as the back, chest, shoulders, quadriceps, and the body's large muscles, hamstrings. One to three exercises are enough for smaller muscle groups, such as biceps, us, calves, and trapezius. Because your back, for example, has specific muscles that need to be isolated, it is essential that of the three exercises you perform, you do one that primarily targets each of the three areas: upper-middle back, lats, and lower back. When you do two to four exercises for each muscle group, please ensure you don't duplicate movements of specific muscle groups. For example, it makes no sense to do three sets of Bench Press using a barbell and then do three sets of Bench Press using dumbbells or Push-ups. Each exercise requires the same movement and works the same specific muscle. Instead, it would make much more sense to do bench press for the overall middle chest (either barbell, dumbbell, or machine), incline bench press for the upper chest, and dips for the lower-outer chest. One point--maybe the most important of all for ongoing strength training programs--that is imperative to understand and implement into your training regimen is the need to overcome training plateaus. Ideally, you want always to be going through a momentum phase in which you try something new and "shock" your muscles, forcing them to make gains. Eventually, however, you will reach a point in your training where you either get bored or stop seeing results. When this happens, it is absolutely crucial that you change what you are doing; this is when you need to get creative by incorporating something new into your program. You can make effective changes in your program in many ways: try new or alternate exercises, change the order in which you train your muscles or the order of the exercises, and so forth. I hope you find the information in this five-part series of articles helpful. You now know how to achieve the desired results and the benefits your body deserves. Your greatest challenge, however, is not learning new exercises or the proper technique; it's not learning how many sets or reps to do or how much weight to use. Nor is it deciding when or how to change your routine. The greatest challenge facing you now is deciding whether you are willing to take action and prioritize strength training. When you begin achieving great results, the excitement and fun you experience will make the change worthwhile. Action creates motivation! Good luck: I hope you enjoy all the incredible benefits of an effective strength training program.
Cardiovascular exercise has specific instructions on the frequency, duration, and intensity for maximum effectiveness and safety. These are the three crucial components of cardiovascular exercise that you need to understand and implement in your program. In addition, your cardiovascular program should include a warm-up, a cool-down, and stretching of the primary muscles used in the exercise. The last article, part one of this two-part series, explained the proper warming-up, stretching, and cooling-down methods and discussed the frequency and duration of a sound cardiovascular routine. You learned that cardiovascular exercise should be done a minimum of three times a week, a minimum of 20 minutes per session and should be done after a 5-10 minute warm-up (at a low intensity of 50-60% of max HR) and a 5-10 minute cool-down (at a low intensity of 50-60% of max HR) should follow. You should stretch the muscles used once your muscles are warm (after warm-up) and after cardiovascular exercise. This article, part two, discusses how to monitor exercise intensity and heart zone training. There are several ways to monitor the intensity of exercise. The best way to test the intensity is to take your heart rate during the exercise, within the first 5 minutes of your cardiovascular exercise session, and again just before the cool-down. You can check your heart rate during exercise in two ways. The most accurate one is to purchase a heart-rate monitor that you strap around your chest. It will give you feedback on a digital watch that tells you exactly your heart rate at a specific time in the exercise session. The other way to obtain your heart rate is by palpating (feeling) either the carotid, temporal, or radial artery. The easiest site is either the carotid or the radial artery. The carotid artery may be felt by gently placing your index finger on your neck, between the middle of your collarbone and jaw line. Palpating the radial artery is done by placing your index and middle finger on the underside and thumb side of your wrist. When taking your heart rate, measure it in beats per minute (counting the number of beats for 60 seconds). For convenience, many people take their pulse for 6 seconds and multiply that number by 10, or add a 0 behind the number just obtained. So, if in 6 seconds you counted 12 beats, that would mean your heart rate was 120 beats per minute (bpm). Although counting for 6 seconds is most convenient, remember that the longer the interval, the more accurate the results will be. For example, counting your heart rate for 30 seconds and multiplying that number by 2 will give a slightly more precise reading than counting your heart rate for 15 seconds and multiplying by 4, or 10 seconds and multiplying by 6. Whatever time interval you use, be consistent. Heart Zone Training How do you know if you are training too intensely or not intensely enough for what you want to achieve? This is where Heart Zone Training comes in. Refer to the chart below. The top of the chart reads "Maximum Heart Rate," which is 100% of your heart rate (the fastest your heart will beat). This is different for everyone. To use Heart Zone Training, determine your maximum heart rate (max HR). You can determine your max HR in one of two ways. One way is to use the age-predicted max HR formula, whereby you subtract your age from 220. So, if you are 40 years old, your predicted max HR would be 180 bpm. The other method, which is much more accurate and individualized, is having a medical or fitness professional administer a max HR test for you, which is usually done on a stationary bicycle or treadmill for several minutes and requires hard work. Thus, only those cleared by a physician should do this test. We do not explain how to administer this test because only trained professionals should do so. Please refer to the Global Health and Fitness Personal Training Directory for professionals in your area (may or may not be trained in administering a max HR test). Once you have determined your max HR, you must decide on a training zone. There are five zones, separated by 10% increments, each with different characteristics and benefits. Healthy Heart Zone The first zone is called the Healthy Heart Zone. This is 50-60% of your max HR. This is the easiest and most comfortable zone within which to train and is the one that is best for people who are just starting an exercise program or have low functional capacity. Those of you who are walkers most likely train in this zone. Although this zone has been criticized for not burning enough total calories and not being intense enough to get great cardiorespiratory benefits, it has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure, and cholesterol. It also reduces the risk of degenerative diseases and has a low risk of injury. In this zone, 10% of carbohydrates are "burned" (used as energy), 5% of protein is burned, and a whopping 85% of fat is burned. Fitness Zone The next zone is the Fitness Zone, which is 60-70% of your max HR. Once again, 85% of calories burned in this zone are fats, 5% are proteins, and 10% are carbohydrates. Studies have shown that in this zone, you can condition your fat mobilization (getting fat out of your cells) while conditioning your fat transportation (getting fat to muscles). Thus, in this zone, you are training your fat cells to increase the rate of fat release and training your muscles to burn fat. Therefore, the benefits of this zone are not only the same as the healthy heart zone training at 50-60%, but you are now slightly increasing the total number of calories burned and providing a little more cardiorespiratory benefits. You burn more calories in this zone simply because it is more intense. Aerobic Zone The third zone, the Aerobic Zone, requires that you train at 70-80% of your max HR. This is the preferred zone if you are training for an endurance event. In this zone, your functional capacity will significantly improve, and you can expect to increase the number and size of blood vessels, vital capacity, and respiratory rate, as well as achieve increases in pulmonary ventilation and arterial venous oxygen. Moreover, stroke volume (amount of blood pumped per heartbeat) will increase, and your resting heart rate will decrease. What does all this mean? It means that your cardiovascular and respiratory systems will improve, and you will increase the size and strength of your heart. In this zone, 50% of calories burned are from carbohydrates, 50% are from fat, and less than 1% is from protein. And, because there is an increase in intensity, there is also an increase in the total number of calories burned. Anaerobic Zone The next training zone is the Threshold or Anaerobic zone, which is 80-90% of your max HR. Benefits include an improved VO2 maximum (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and thus an enhanced cardiorespiratory system, as well as a higher lactate tolerance ability, which means your endurance will improve. You'll be able to fight fatigue better. Since the intensity is high, more calories will be burned than in the other three zones. Although more calories are burned in this zone, 85% are from carbohydrates, 15% from fat, and less than 1% from protein. Red-line Zone The last training zone is the Redline Zone, which is 760-884-8840% of your max HR. Remember, training at 100% is your maximum heart rate (maximum HR); your heart rate will not get any higher. This zone burns the highest total number of calories and the lowest percentage of fat calories. Ninety percent of the calories burned here are carbohydrates, only 10% are fats, and less than one percent is protein. This zone is so intense that very few people can stay there for the minimum 20 minutes, or even five minutes (you should only train in this zone if you are in perfect shape and have been cleared by a physician to do so). Usually, people use this zone for interval training. For example, one might do three minutes in the Aerobic Zone, then one minute in the Redline Zone, and then back to the Aerobic Zone (this is called interval training and will be discussed further in a future article). I hope you find the information in this article helpful. You now know how to achieve the results you desire and the benefits your body deserves. Your greatest challenge, however, is not learning new cardiovascular exercises or the proper technique; it's not learning the heart rate zone to train at for your goals and interests or how to monitor the intensity. Nor is it deciding when to try new cardiovascular exercises. The greatest challenge facing you now is deciding whether you are willing to take action, make time for yourself, and prioritize cardiovascular exercise. When you begin achieving great results, the excitement and fun you experience will make the change worthwhile. Action creates motivation! Good luck: I hope you enjoy all the incredible benefits of an effective cardiovascular exercise program.
Almost any form of exercise will stimulate strength and muscle development. Unfortunately, misconceptions, myths, and misunderstandings plague the fitness industry, especially regarding strength training. There is a huge attrition rate among those starting a strength training program primarily because most people are not taught the principles essential for a safe and effective program. This article is part four of a five-part series discussing the fundamental principles and guidelines of a safe and effective strength training program. This article outlines how much weight you should use and the number of repetitions you should do for desired results. I'll also explain how to increase your weight to stimulate further gains gradually. The previous article, part three of this five-part series, discussed the importance of proper lifting technique, exercising through the full range of motion, the appropriate exercise sequence, and the correct number of sets to do for what you're trying to achieve. The following exercise guidelines are essential for your safety and the effectiveness of your strength training program. Relationship Between Resistance and Repetitions Understanding the inverse relationship between exercise resistance and exercise repetitions is essential. When exercising to the point of muscle fatigue, most people can complete about six repetitions with 85 percent of maximum resistance. "Maximum resistance" is the weight you can lift once in good form. Most people can complete eight repetitions with 80 percent of maximum resistance, 10 with 75 percent of maximum resistance, and 12 with 70 percent of maximum resistance. For most people (those seeking muscle strength and tone), 8-12 repetitions with 70-80 percent of maximum resistance is a sound training recommendation for strength and muscle development. Most people do not bother finding their one-rep maximum for each lift to obtain the appropriate weight for each set of 8-12 repetitions. This would get pretty tedious, especially when you are learning a new exercise. The best and easiest way to determine how much weight you should use on each lift is to take your best conservative guess. After warming up using a light weight for 12 or 20 reps, choose a weight for your next set that will challenge you for your goal number of repetitions. If you are unsure what that weight should be, select a weight that is likely too light, rather than making the mistake of going too heavy and not reaching your desired number of repetitions. For example, say you are trying to decide the proper weight for 12 repetitions on the Shoulder Press. Choose a light, conservative weight slightly heavier than your warm-up and do the set 12 times (repetitions or reps). When you come to your twelfth repetition, if you can perform another repetition or two, while still using good form, you might as well do that (to promote blood flow to the shoulder muscle further). Since you know that the weight you chose was a little too light (your 12th repetition was not a challenge), next time choose a slightly heavier weight that will challenge you for all twelve repetitions, or whatever your goal number of repetitions happens to be. Important Note: Your strength may gradually decline as you progress through your routine. For example, on your first set (after warm-up) of the Bench Press, you did 12 reps with 150 pounds--this would force a good amount of blood and fatigue your chest muscles. If you're trying to figure out the appropriate weight for 10 reps for your second set, you may or may not want to increase the weight slightly. That is, 150 pounds might be challenging for 10 reps because your muscles are a little fatigued from the first set. So, try to be intuitive and pick an appropriate weight based on the weight you used on the previous set and how tired your muscles feel. It is essential that the weight you choose for each set challenges you for all of your desired repetitions, whether the number is 6, 8, 10, or 12 repetitions. Similarly, if you choose a weight that does not allow you to perform all the desired repetitions in good form, do as many as possible and choose a lighter weight for the next set. It is a good idea to record the weights you use on each lift so that when you perform the same exercise at another workout, you know what weight to use on each exercise set. In general, if your goal is to get notably bigger and significantly stronger, you will want to do fewer reps with more weight, so 6-10 reps is a good target for you on most exercises. Sometimes, even as few as two reps will be enough on exercises like the bench press and squats. If you are more concerned with creating muscle tone, your rep number should be 10-15. Most people's goal is a combination of muscle strength, size, and tone; the target number for these folks should stay between 8 and 12 repetitions. Just so you know, however, that whether you are going for six reps or 15, always pick a weight that will challenge you for the complete set. Progressive Resistance As your muscles adapt to a given exercise resistance (weight), that resistance must gradually increase to stimulate further gains. The key to strength and muscle development is progressive resistance, which is also called "exercise progression," or "the overload principle." This is the gradual and continual addition of weight to the exercise over time, as the previous weights become too easy to lift, so your muscles are continually forced to work harder and thus increase muscle strength, size, and tone. For example, you might start pressing (lifting) 20 pounds in the Front Shoulder Press. After two or three weeks, you may find that pressing 20 pounds has become too easy, and that you can do more than your chosen number of repetitions with little or no difficulty. The progression principle demands that as soon as the weight you are using is no longer a challenge, you must raise it. You progressively increase the weight you use for a lift to continue to gain muscle tone, size, and strength. You must increase the weight only if the previous weight is too light; increasing the weight to push yourself harder can result in poor form and increase the risk of injury. Please understand that an increase in repetitions is an increase in strength. Many people think strength gains are only obtained when they increase the weight. But if you have increased the number of repetitions you can do with good form, you have increased your strength and more than likely, your muscle size and tone. Please check back for Part Five, where I'll discuss exactly how to avoid overtraining. Until then, be sure to use the right amount of weight and number of repetitions for each set you do so you can achieve the results you desire. Good luck, and enjoy all the incredible benefits of strength training.
Flexibility is one of the key components of a balanced fitness program. Without flexibility training (stretching), you are missing an essential part of overall health. Flexibility prevents injury, increases your range of motion, promotes relaxation, improves performance and posture, reduces stress, and keeps your body loose and agile. However, there is still some controversy over which flexibility exercises are the best and how often one should stretch. Most fitness professionals agree that the principles and guidelines of flexibility training that are about to be discussed are the safest and most effective. Use Static Stretching Static stretching involves a slow, gradual, and controlled elongation of the muscle through the full range of motion, heldds in the furthest comfortable position (without pain). This is the first and most important stretching principle. In our opinion, this static form of stretchin for 15-30 secong should be used for all stretches for each muscle group. It is still not fully understood how often you should stretch. Most professionals agree that daily stretching is best during and after exercise sessions. Frequent stretching will help you avoid muscular imbalances, knots, tightness, and muscle soreness created by daily activities and exercise. Always Warm-Up Before Stretching A warm muscle is much more easily stretched than a cold muscle. Never stretch a cold muscle; always warm up first to get blood circulating throughout the body and into the muscles. A warm-up should be a slow, rhythmic exercise of larger muscle groups before an activity. Riding a bicycle or walking works well. This gives the body a period of adjustment between rest and activity. The warm-up should last about 5-10 minutes and be similar to the activity you are about to do, but at a much lower intensity. Once you have warmed up at a low intensity for about 5-10 minutes and have gotten your muscles warm, you can now stretch. Stretch Before and After Exercise I recommend stretching both before and after exercise, each for different reasons. Stretching before an activity (after the warm-up) improves dynamic flexibility and reduces the chance of injury. Stretching after exercise ensures muscle relaxation, facilitating normal resting length, circulation to joints and tissue structures, and removing unwanted waste products, thus reducing muscle soreness and stiffness. Body temperature is highest after the cardiovascular exercise program and/or strength training. To achieve maximum results in range of motion and to receive other benefits, it is highly recommended that you do static stretching at this point in your workout, just after your cardiovascular program and during or after your strength-training program. Stretch Between Weightlifting Sets Both strength training and flexibility training are so crucial for everyone. Those who have difficulty finding time to incorporate a strength training program into their lifestyle can combine their stretching with their strength training programs. If you have had any experience in strength training, you know that for each exercise for each muscle group you train, you have a certain number of sets, usually between one and four. Between each set, you need to rest and let your muscles recover before going on to the next set. Well, what better use of your resting time than stretching that specific muscle you're currently training? Think about it, you've just done a set of 10 reps on the Bench Press. Now you have to rest, usually about one to two minutes before doing the next set. This is a great time to stretch your chest-- your chest is warm, and you have time before you start your next set. How often do you see people who neglect to warm up before their cardiovascular exercise or strength-training sessions? They begin going through their stretching routine before their muscles are even warm. Stabbing each specific muscle between sets of strength training exercises makes more sense. For example, suppose you are on a strength-training program where you do one exercise of three sets of 10 reps for each major muscle group in the case of the body. You will want to work each muscle group individually, starting with the larger muscle groups and proceeding to the smaller groups. Do your first set with relatively light weight to warm up, then rest for a minute, then increase the weight and go onto the next set of 10 reps (or whatever your goal reps are). After the second set, your muscles should be warm and ready to be stretched. While resting before your third set, stretch the muscle you have just trained, remembering the essential principles of a static stretch, then proceed to your third and final set. Stretch the muscle one more time, even a little further. Go on to the next exercise for the next muscle group, and after it is warm, stretch that muscle, and so on. When you have gone through your strength-training exercises, you will have stretched each muscle without taking up any more time. Stretch Before and After Cardiovascular Exercise If it is your day off from strength training and you are just doing your cardiovascular exercise routine, first warm up for 5-10 minutes at a low intensity 760-884-8840 percent of your maximum heart rate ) and stretch the muscles used. Proceed with a cardiovascular exercise for at least 20 minutes at an intensity of 50-85 percent of your maximum heart rate (refer to the Global Health and Fitness Cardiovascular Exercise Program). Then cool down for 5-10 minutes at a low intensity 760-884-8840 percent of your maximum heart rate). Now, because your muscles are very warm, you should stretch each of the major muscle groups involved in the exercise, using the static stretching techniques we explained previously. For example, if you walked on the treadmill, you should stretch your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and lower back. Proper technique for each stretch is critical for achieving maximum effectiveness in any specific muscle group. In addition to stretching those muscles used in the exercise, now is a good time to go through a whole body stretching routine--since blood has circulated throughout your body and warmed up your muscles. I hope you find the information in this article helpful. You now know how to achieve the desired results and the benefits your body deserves. Your greatest challenge, however, is not learning new stretching exercises or the proper technique; it's not learning how long to hold the stretch or the best time to stretch. Nor is it deciding when to try new stretching exercises. The greatest challenge facing you now is deciding whether you are willing to take action, make time for yourself, and make flexibility training a priority. When you begin achieving great results, the excitement and fun you experience will make the change worthwhile. Action creates motivation! Good luck: I hope you enjoy all the incredible benefits of an effective flexibility training program.
Almost any form of exercise will stimulate strength and muscle development. Unfortunately, misconceptions, myths, and misunderstandings plague the fitness industry, especially regarding strength training. There is a huge attrition rate among those starting a strength training program primarily because most people are not taught the principles essential for a safe and effective program. This article is part three of a five-part series discussing the fundamental principles and guidelines of a safe and effective strength training program. This article discusses the importance of proper lifting technique, exercising through the full range of motion, proper exercise sequence, and the correct number of sets to do for your goal. The previous article, part two of this five-part series, explained the importance of forcing blood and proper lifting speed to your muscles. The following exercise guidelines are essential for your safety and the effectiveness of your strength training program. Form/Technique The most common and critical training mistakes may be those related to exercise technique. The tendency to use too much weight typically results in poor form, which decreases your ability to get results and increases the risk of injury. Examples of poor form or technique are: bouncing the bar off the chest in the Bench Press; using hip and back extension to initiate Bicep Curls; arching the back or bending backward under Shoulder Presses; using any momentum in any exercise; and training at fast speeds. These mistakes will not send the blood you need into your muscles and will work counter to your goals. Please be aware of these mistakes and make sure they are removed from your program. Exercise Through Full Range of Motion Perform each exercise through a full range of motion, emphasizing the end of the positive phase. Full range exercise movements are advantageous for strengthening the prime-mover, or agonist muscles--the muscles directly trained in the exercise, such as the biceps in the biceps curl. Lifting in the full range of motion is also advantageous for stretching the antagonist muscles, which act in opposition to the agonist. In the Biceps Curl, the triceps are the antagonist. Training in the full range of motion enhances muscle strength and joint flexibility. Exercise Selection It is very important to select at least one exercise for each major muscle group to promote well-balanced muscle development. Training only a few muscle groups or one muscle group increases the risk of injury. Exercise Sequence Another essential element of strength training is exercise sequence. When performing various weightlifting exercises, proceeding from the larger muscle groups to the smaller muscle groups is advisable. This allows optimal performance of the most demanding exercises when fatigue levels are the lowest and you feel fresh. Another often overlooked reason is illustrated by the typical example of training both back and biceps. Ordinarily, you would want to train your back first, since it is the larger muscle group of the two; let's say you are doing the Rear Lat. Pull-down. In that exercise, you are indirectly working your biceps, too, since both muscle groups work in the pulling motion. You will be warmed up and ready to go, your bicep when you get there. This is the same for exercises requiring pushing motions, such as the chest, shoulders, and triceps. By the time you finish your chest exercises, your shoulders and triceps are warm and ready to train. Of course, you might not always do your "pulling" (back and biceps) and your "pushing" (chest, shoulders, triceps) motions on the same day--because as you reach a plateau you will want to change your exercises, the order that you do them, and the muscles that you train together, to provide a new stimulus and interest for yourself. I'll talk about this soon. Sets Another essential element is exercise sets. An exercise set is the number of successive repetitions performed without resting. The number of sets per exercise largely depends on goals, interests, and personal preference. We recommend that people treat their first set as a warm-up--12-20 reps with relatively light weight (done slowly). Then you can do either one, two, or three more sets--even up to six (strength and power program)--depending on whether you are at a beginning, intermediate, or advanced level and what you are trying to accomplish. If you are working on your second exercise for a particular muscle group, we recommend that you do either two or three sets since that muscle is already warmed up from the first exercise. Regardless of the number of sets performed, each petition— set—and each reshould be done in proper exercise form and under control. Please check back for Part four, where I'll discuss the inverse relationship between resistance and repetitions and the importance of progressive resistance. That is, I'll explain the amount of weight you should use and the number of repetitions you should do for the desired results. I'll also explain how to increase your weight to stimulate further gains gradually. Until then, remember to use proper lifting technique, exercise through the full range of motion, exercise in the appropriate sequence, and use the correct number of sets for your goal. Good luck, and enjoy all the incredible benefits of strength training.
Almost any form of exercise will stimulate strength and muscle development. Unfortunately, misconceptions, myths, and misunderstandings plague the fitness industry, especially regarding strength training. There is a huge attrition rate among those starting a strength training program primarily because most people are not taught the principles essential for a safe and effective program. This article is part two of a five-part series discussing the fundamental principles and guidelines of a safe and effective strength training program. It discusses the importance of forcing blood to your muscles and proper lifting speed. The previous article, part one of this five-part series, explained the correct warming, stretching, and cooling methods for a safe and effective strength training program. The following exercise guidelines are essential for your safety and the effectiveness of your strength training program. Importance of Blood Supply to Your Muscles Understanding the value and purpose of targeting or forcing blood to the muscles you are training is essential. Many of the principles we teach have the sole purpose of forcing blood into your muscles. When you use proper lifting technique, you will notice blood rushing to the specific muscle you are training. And this is precisely what you want to happen. When blood is forced into your muscles during your weightlifting program, it potentiates the "microtrauma" or tiny muscle tears we mentioned earlier. When this happens, your muscle tissues repair and rebuild themselves bigger and stronger than they were--if you allow ample resting time. This is why you never train the same muscle group two days in a row; if you do, you cut off the rebuilding process. You will know you are using proper form when you feel warmth, fatigue, and a "burning" end of each set for each muscle group. If you do not get this feeling at the end, you should review the proper form for your exercise. This may be an indication that you are making other common mistakes in your routine that do not allow blood to be fully targeted to your muscles. One of the most common mistakes is not training their muscle groups in an organized, systematic fashion. Always do every set and every exercise for specific muscle groups together. For example, if your chest routine consists of three sets of bench press, do all three sets, separated by resting periods, and then go on to the next muscle group. Or, if your chest routine consists of two or three different chest exercises, do all of those chest exercises together. Do the bench press, then the Incline bench press, and then the flyes, for example, until your chest routine is complete. Then you can move on to the next muscle group. Many people make the mistake of doing a set of Bench Press for their chest, then a set of Biceps Curls, then another set of Bench Press, and then on to another muscle group, and so on. This does not fully target blood into any one muscle group. You are just teasing your chest muscles and then moving on to tease another muscle group without ever targeting enough blood into any muscle group to cause much stimulation for improvement. Another common mistake is eating right before or too soon after your training program. Eating just before or too soon after your workout will not allow you to get enough blood into the muscles you are training, causing your heart and digestive system to work too hard and compromising the oxygen and nutrient delivery to the working muscles. Think about this: Digestion takes a lot of blood to work effectively. The more blood your body sends to digest your food, the less blood is available to go to your muscles, to rebuild and increase strength. You should wait at least 60 minutes after eating before you start your exercise program. In the same way, please don't eat too soon after ending your workout because you want the blood you just targeted into each specific muscle to remain there as long as possible. If you eat food too soon after your workout, the blood will be forced out of your muscles and into your digestive system. So wait at least 60 minutes after your program before you eat a meal. Of course, you should not go to your workouts hungry; you want your system for performance enhancement and energy. However, try to eat an hour or more before workouts, nutrients in your body, and ensure your meal includes foods rich in complex carbohydrates and protein and low in fat, sugar, and cholesterol. Lifting Speed Lifting speed is one of the most important elements in weightlifting. It has a significant effect on how much blood is targeted to your muscles. Speed plays a significant role in the incidence of injury, as well as strength and muscle development. Fast lifting creates momentum and doesn't promote blood flow to the muscle. Slow movement creates less momentum and less internal muscle friction. Slow lifting requires a more even application of muscle power throughout the movement range and promotes rapid blood flow into the specific muscle you are training. In every strength training exercise for every muscle, there are two different parts to each repetition of the exercise set performed. One, the concentric contraction--called the "positive" phase of the repetition--is the part where the muscle is doing the work, such as the lifting motion of the bicep curl--from the beginning where your arms are hanging straight down to the point where the weight is lifted. The second part is the eccentric contraction- called the "negative" phase of the repetition- which is the part with resistance because you are returning the weight from the end of the positive phase back to the beginning. In the bicep curl, you let the weight return slowly to the beginning position, with your arms extended straight down again. Letting the weight return slowly in the "negative" phase is more critical than in the "positive" phase. Coming back slowly with resistance on every exercise is very important because this is the phase that promotes blood flow to your muscles and thus causes microtrauma, building your muscles even stronger during your day of rest. We recommend one to two seconds for each lifting movement (the positive phase), and three to four seconds for each lowering movement (the negative phase). Whatever your actual lifting speed, remember to always come back slower with resistance (the negative phase) for every weightlifting exercise. If you find the weight so heavy that you cannot come back wholly and slowly control the movement, you should lighten the weight until you can. Many people pay far too much attention to the lift's quantity or weight and not the movement's quality. Your muscles cannot know how much weight is on the bar or machine, but they will respond very well when using good, controlled form and come back slowly with resistance. Please check back for Part three, where I'll discuss the importance of proper lifting technique, exercising through the full range of motion, proper exercise sequence, and the correct number of sets for what you're trying to achieve. Until then, remember to use slow lifting speeds and try to get as much blood into the specific muscle you are training as possible. Good luck, and enjoy all the incredible benefits of strength training.