Posted by on April 12, 2009 under Arm exercises, Exercise, fitness | 
TheDumbell Kickback Exercise is done by starting out with a bench or table. Rest the right arm and right knee on the surface. The right arm should hang directly below to the bench, straight. The left arm should hold a dumbell, folded in towards the chest. The right calf is 90 degrees to the thigh of that leg. The left leg is almost straight. The movement for this exercise is to extend and straighten the left arm directly up and back to be parallel with the torso, using the arm muscles. After doing 10 of these exercises, flip to do this exercise for the other side. When ready in future weeks, increase number of sets to two or three. This is a terrific arm exercise.
Dumbell Kickback Exercise part 1 with Sarah
Dumbell Kickback Exercise part 2 with Sarah
Posted by on under Chest Exercises, Exercise, fitness |
The towel fly exercise is a terrific exercise for the chest muscles. To do this exercise, start out in a push up position where arms are straight and hands are more than a shoulder width apart below the body on a towel. The towel should be tight between the arms under the body. The movement for this exercise is to use the chest muscles to bring the arms together. Following that, use the chest muscles again to push the arms apart. This exercise is best done on a slippery floor so the towel can easily slide. I would suggest 5 reps of this exercise the first time. In future weeks, increase to 10 reps, and then increase to two or three sets of this great chest exercise when possible.
Towel Fly Exercise part 1 With Sarah
Towel Fly Exercise part 2 With Sarah
Posted by on March 18, 2009 under Core Exercises, Exercise, fitness |
The plank can be a very useful part of a fitness program. In the photo in this article, you can see the plank position, also known as the front plank position. This is one of my favorite core exercises. For this exercise, one lies facedown on the floor. Arms will be folded under the body with face looking down at the floor. Elbows will be by the side and feet will be on the toes. The exercise done is to raise the torso into a horizontal position as if the body is a board. Shoulder blades, back, and legs should all be straight. This position stabilizes the body. It is very important to tighten the buttocks when doing this exercise, and also to tighten the abdominal muscles. If this is too much to do, this exercise can be done on the knees instead of the toes. My choice is to do this exercise at first for 10 seconds, in future days for 20 seconds, after that for 30 seconds, and eventually up to one minute per session.
The plank exercise with Eric
Posted by on under Cardio Exercises, Exercise, fitness |
Bike Exercise for Fitness
Using the exercise bike for great cardio is a nice way to burn some calories. In the photo here you can see a great example of an exercise bike at home. For sure running, you cardio machines, and other various indoor and outdoor exercises can burn more calories than an exercise bike, but here are some plusses of an exercise bike: you can watch TV while on the bike, you can read while on the bike, if you have had upper body injuries the bike can be very helpful, and if you’re coming back from a leg injury, a bike can help you pace yourself as you heal.
From my training and experience, it is best to use an exercise bike for good general fitness at least every other day. What I would do personally is to warm up for five minutes at a lower resistance and speed, and then for the next 25 minutes either slowly increase the resistance or set a program on the exercise bike to change as you go. The exercise bike in this photo is an upright exercise bike, which I generally find to be easier on the body and more involved. A recumbent exercise bike, which is the kind where you’re sitting further back, can be useful if you prefer that position. I do not find that it burns as many calories as an upright exercise bike.
