Getting started with a fitness routine is often a difficult step. Many people have periods of time when they are working out and exercising and then something throws them off, an injury, a bad mood or a busy time at work. After the break, it’s difficult to get started again. Still others have never begun a fitness routine. This article provides some tips for getting started on a fitness routine.
When working out, do not waste your time doing too many crunches. If you find yourself doing more than 3 sets of 15 crunches a workout session, you are wasting your time. Studies have found that doing more than that is completely useless. You are simply wasting valuable energy that could be directed to working out a different part of your body.
Maintaining a healthy fitness routine requires that you eliminate any reason to not exercise. Start small and only devote 15 minutes a day to exercising if that is all that you think you have time for. Once you start this, you can build from it and completely extinguish the “no time” excuse. If your excuse is that you are too out of shape, then start slowly by walking or even just doing basic stretches.
Reduce stress on your muscles and avoid injury by warming-up before working out. Adequately warming-up will loosen up stiff muscles and get the blood flowing to them. Sudden movements on muscles that have not been properly warmed-up prior to exercise can result in pulled muscles, strains, and even tears.
A great fitness tip for runners who experience sore calves would be to sleep on your belly and let your feet dangle off the bed. Over the course of the night, your calves will stretch out just from being in this position. Of course, stretching, warming up and cooling down are also going to assist you with this.
Lifting weights is not all about the number of pounds you can put up. It is not even about how many repetitions you can do. The most important part of any weight training is to focus on the quality of each repetition. When you are putting the weight up, do so slowly, making sure you can feel the muscle contract, then bring it back down in a slow and controlled manner. This will ensure you get the most out of each repetition.
Having strong thighs will insure against injuring your knees. Tearing a ligament behind your kneecap is one of the commonest sports-related injuries. Stretching and warming up before strenuous exercises like running or strength training will keep your knees pliable and less prone to injury. You can do such things by leg extensions and leg curls.
Every time you do abdominal exercises, make sure to do back exercises as well. If you do so, you won’t have back pain–too many abdominal exercises can cause back pain and poor posture. Don’t focus on one body area and neglect other areas, make sure to have a balanced workout.
Dips are a great exercise for your triceps, but by slighting moving your body, you can workout your chest as well. While doing the dips, put your elbows in and keep your body straight to work your triceps. To work your chest, lean forward and put your arms out slightly.
The above article shows that getting started is often a great challenge to incorporating a fitness routine into your life. Whether you are just beginning a fitness routine or you have taken a break from a previous fitness routine for some reason, the above tips can help get you back on track.