Josh Perez Fitness

As far as your back is concerned, more excitement comes from more functional training. The simplest, easiest, most basic moves are usually the most important gift you can give your body every day. These exercises are common sense, preventative movements, and relays to everyday life that when done on a daily basis will keep your whole body toned up.

What’s Functional Training?

• Functional training strives to work major muscle groups in their full range of motion to promote everyday ease of movement.
• Functional training is quality of life movement.
• Functional training gives you the ability to move at ease and perform everyday activities and tasks, pain free.
• Functional training burns maximal amount of calories because of maximal muscles being used to perform the movement.

These example exercises provides rotation, flexion, and extension of the spine which is the foundation for functional training.

Still in Bed:

1. One Knee Hug (lying on back – hug one knee into chest – feel stretch in lower back – other leg can be bent at knee or extended.) Breathe. Switch legs.
2. Both Knees Hug (same as above – hug both knees into chest – feel stretch in lower back – breathe into the stretch – feeling your spine lengthening with each breath.)

If Your Watching Televison:

1. Hip Rolls (from above, drop feet on floor – knees bent – arms out to the side in a T position – shoulder level – palms up – allow your legs – knees together to roll to the ride side – and attempt to kept your left shoulder on the floor – breathe into the torso stretch – pull your abdominals in and bring your knees back to center and roll them to the other side.)
2. Pelvic Lift (lying on back – knees bent – feet shoulder width apart – arms by your side – lift your hips up into the air – keep weight centered in your whole foot – and slowly roll yourself down –starting from your mid back, lower back and then rear end. Articulate the spine as though it were a ‘string of pearls’ – make sure your knees stay still during the movement – they have a tendency to roll open during the lowering.) Breathe
3. Prone-Iso Abs aka Planks (roll over onto your belly – prop yourself up on your elbows – legs extended together behind you – visualize lifting your chest – pull in your abs and feel your spine naturally extend – drop your shoulders and breathe.)

While on a weight lifting program, the right hormones (testosterone) are necessary in order to bulk up. Women’s testosterone levels are much lower than men’s, so in most cases, they are not capable of building large muscles. In fact, since muscle is more dense than fat, women tend to lose inches when they strength train.

So in addition to the physical benefits (increased metabolism, decreased risk of osteoporosis, increased strength), strength training will help women to slim down! Women, in fact, are more likely to tone up from strength training rather than bulk up. Research shows that women can add up to 35% lean muscle and end up looking thinner, feeling stronger and being firmer.

Our society and pop culture seem to associate weight training with oversized muscles, but that’s just one avenue, which is extremely difficult for most people (including men) to achieve.

Women with an intense fear of becoming large (likely due to these images, bodybuilding magazines, and myths) as a result of weight training are at a disadvantage when it comes to their health.

The problem most women run into isn’t building too much muscle, but not building enough. This sets them up for increased risk of osteoporosis later in life, as well as a reduction in muscle mass of about 2-5% per year, which has an adverse affect on metabolism (and can result in weight gain).

Your rotator cuff job is too keep your shoulder joint safely in the right position while you move it. By warming it up prior to a heavy lifting day, you instantly make your shoulder more stable and therefore increase it’s ability to handle more load.

Your rotator cuff muscles in your shoulder are just as important for handling heavy loads on the bench or overhead presses. Read the rest of this entry »