Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Become A Trainer For A New Career

By Ronald Greshlamton


Many think that building muscle is only for those that want to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. They have the impression that the average person need only do aerobic-type exercises to be healthy. Professionals agree that building muscle in combination with cardiovascular exercise is the ideal fitness combination.

The benefits of strength training are impressive. Muscle loss is common as we get older. Strength training will help to reverse that loss. Increased muscle mass will increase the rate at which your body will burn fat. Fat burning even increases while you are resting.

The tissues that connect your muscles to your bones also becomes stronger and more elastic. Daily tasks like gardening will be easier, and you will notice fewer injuries.

Don't be so enthusiastic about getting started that you burn out. Every move you make needs to be performed with control. Your muscles need to be working against the resistance, with as little help as possible from gravity or inertia. Count to two as you contract your muscles, tighten at the top, and count to four as you release. Breathe deeply and consistently.

There are two schools of thought on how many repetitions and sets a person can perform in each session. If you prefer to work to the point of failure, select a weight that allows you to do one set of eight reps without breaking form. You have reached failure and completed the exercise when you cannot do another rep without breaking form. You can also strive for more reps using less resistance. Do two or three reps, resting between each, with the lighter weight. When you can comfortably perform 12 reps with either method, increase the resistance by 5%. Always record your results so you know where to start with each exercise during subsequent sessions.

No muscle should be worked more often than every other day. Alternate between cardio routines and muscle building sessions, so your muscles can rest on cardio days. You could also split your workouts into different muscle groups, working group A one day and group B the next, followed by group A again. Exercise all muscle groups evenly. You want no single group to be stronger and out of proportion to the other muscles.

The main muscle groups on the upper body include the pecs, rhomboids, trapezius, lats, deltoids, biceps, and triceps. Amazingly enough, the simple push-up actually gives most of these muscles a decent workout. You can increase the difficulty or muscle focus by moving your hands closer together or father apart or by positioning your feet on a chair.

You will target your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and thighs as well as your buttocks or glutes when you focus on your lower body. You can successfully target all these areas with side lying leg lifts, seated or standing calf raises, lunges, squats, and wall sits. Use the leg press, leg curl, leg extension, and similar machines to work the lower body on gym equipment.

Let's not forget about the abs either. There are many ab exercises, but it's best to start with those that are most comfortable at first, such as basic sit-ups. If you hit the gym, a trainer can show you which machines target which muscles.

The specifics don't matter as much as the fact that you get out there and get fit. Whatever work you put into it, you will get back out of it in the form of a sleeker, stronger body. You will never want to go back.




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