muscles

As I was walking to work the other morning, a lady with ankle weights and dumbbells in her hands power-walked right on by me.

First off, this added resistance during aerobic activity strains the joints and can cause injury to the ligaments and tendons. Secondly, it just silly.

So, if you are guilty of this, please do your joints and your body a favor by hitting regular non-weight/resistance bearing cardio followed up by your weight training.

Summer is here which means there will be plenty of long days spent outside by the beach, lake, or poolside. It’s very important to apply and re-apply plenty of sunblock, but the sun can effect other parts of your body, not just your skin.  Below is a list found on WebMD of sun problems and associated foods that can help your body bounce back from the sun’s powerful rays.

Dry or Damaged Skin

• Caused by: sweating more in summertime causing your skin to be less supple; chlorine in pool water and saltwater can also dry out your skin; finally the very common sunburn really can dry out your skin.
  

Popeye had spinach to make his muscles pop. Inversely, pop (soda) may actually make our muscles weaker.

Doctors are warning that cola drinks, when consumed in excess, deplete the body of potassium, which can lead to weakness, and much worse – muscle paralysis.

Dr. Moses Elisaf of the University of Ioannina in Greece authored the research paper that’s come to these conclusions. He says that the hypokalaemia (potassium deficiency) can be caused by excessive consumption of glucose, fructose and caffeine, common ingredients in cola drinks.

People often focus on crunches and sit-ups and forget about the obliques. Crunches and sit-ups work the rectus abdominis while not really isolating the oblique muscles.  The obliques consist of the internal and external obliques and are often referred to as “love handles.” Rotation and lateral flexion of the spine are the main “jobs” or movements of the internal and external obliques. The tranversus abdominis is similar to the obliques, but it is mainly used for posture, balance, and stability.

Twisting and turning the spine is a very sensitive subject, so be very careful while performing these movements. Try not to use too much weight or over rotate because this compromises the spine and could lead to future problems.

Below are a few of the top obliques exercises, and I recommend performing two or three sets of 20 to 30 repetitions.

The Oblique or External Abdominal Oblique Muscle is used for torso rotation. There are three main muscles that help with torso rotation: Internal/External Obliques and the Transverse Abdominis. Be very careful and use precise movements while working the obliques. Using too much weight and over-rotating can compromise the back, cause injuries and future back problems. I have put together a series of eight exercises that target the oblique region. I recommend doing two or three sets of twenty repetitions at light to medium weight.