1. Keep it Simple

When if comes to lifting weights, you don’t need to overcomplicate matters — at least, not at first. Once you become an advanced lifter, you can focus on more difficult lifts and rep/set schemes, but for now, simplicity is your goal. Focus on lifts that target your major muscle groups first, such as your chest, back, and legs. You can then narrow your program down to smaller, stabilizer muscles. Here are some easy lifts for each major area of the body:

Chest: Bench press, incline press, decline press, pushups

Back: Seated row, bench pull, cable row, lat pulldowns

Legs: Leg press, squats, knee extensions, hamstring curls, calf raises

Arms: Biceps curls, triceps pushdowns, shoulder raises, dips

Abs/Core: situps, weighted crunches, Russian twists, back extensions

2. Aim for Balance

Hit each of these areas of the body every time you go to the gym to promote balance. When you get some experience, you’ll want to focus on one are of the body during one session and then allow one to two days of rest while your focus on other areas. But for now, pick one or two exercises for each major area each session. If you focus only on your chest muscles, for example, it’s easy to develop a hunched posture that places excessive pressure on the thoracic spine.

3. Warm Up and Cool Down

Always start your workout with at least 10 minutes of cardio before you lift to get your heart rate and body temperature up. Mix up the cardio as well. Jog one day, bike another, and row on the third. I can’t tell you how many people I see in the gym who don’t warm up before working out, only to complain of nagging tweaks and aches in their bodies later on. You know you’re sufficiently warmed up if there is sweat dripping down your forehead.

Also, cool down following a lifting session by stretching. This helps initiate the recovery process and can improve the elasticity of your muscles. Perform about two to three separate static (holding the position in one place) stretches for each major body area. Hold stretches for a minimum of 10 seconds and repeat.

4. Use Machines

I never recommend machines to anyone except absolute beginners, but for safety and learning purposes, start out only using these helpful pieces of equipment. Machines typically have pictures of the muscle groups they target, making exercise selection fairly simple, and they come with a significantly lower risk of injury. If you want serious results, you’ll have to forget about machines later on, however.

5. Progress Slowly

There’s no need to rush it. Focus on the quality of your lifts versus how much you are lifting or how fast you are progressing. Start out by performing two, nonconsecutive weightlifting sessions each week. For the first month, focus on very light weights and don’t worry about increasing the load. Just perform each lift slowly and with an even tempo, making sure to use a full range of motion.

First Week Program

Here’s a sample program to get you started for your first week:

Session 1

10 minute jog on treadmill

5 minutes of dynamic stretching (arm circles, leg swings, windmills, toe touches, torso rotations)

3 sets of 10 reps of: bench press, lat pulldowns, leg press, dips

10 minutes of static stretching

Notes: allow 2 minutes of rest between sets, 3-5 minutes between exercises. Use about 50-60 percent of your maximal load for each lift.

Session 2

15 minute elliptical

5 minutes of dynamic stretching

3 X 10: Incline press, seated row, squats, decline press, calf raises, weighted crunches

10 minutes of static stretching

Notes: allow 2 minutes of rest between sets, 3-5 minutes between exercises. Use about 50-60 percent of your maximal load for each lift.

All positions in football require strength, but football strength training workouts vary significantly depending on the position. An offensive lineman, for example, needs much greater absolute strength that a wide receiver, while a receiver needs much greater speed (a function of strength and power). Nevertheless, a well-designed strength training program in football should be periodized — that is, it should vary in volume and intensity throughout the year to allow athletes to rest and recover for important competitions. The renowned exercise scientist, Dr. Tudor Bompa, originally coined the term periodization, and his training philosophy is easily the most widely-used in sports today. As a rule, a periodized football program should begin in the off-season, with high amounts of volume and raw strength building. As competition draws near, the program should cut down on volume and focus on more high-intensity speed and power workouts.

Strength and Hypertrophy

Beginning in the off-season/pre-season, the strength training program should emphasize developing first hypertrophy, the increase in size and strength of the actual muscle fibers, and then raw strength, an increase in the load you can lift for a given exercise. An increase in muscle size and strength are related, but not in a linear fashion.

To build hypertrophy, perform sets of 6 to 12 repetitions of a variety of resistance training exercises, using a load of about 65 to 75 percent of your 1RM. The types of lifts don’t matter as much during this phase, as the goal is to target all major muscle groups. Perform about 6 exercises per training session, and at least two (and up to 4 for highly-trained athletes) sessions per week. While you should aim to hit all major muscle groups, opt for free weights over machines, as machines do not force smaller stabilizer muscles to do any work. The extra balance and coordination needed to maintain posture while using free weights makes for better transfer to real-life athletic performance.

After about a two to three months of hypertrophy, the football training program should shift to an emphasis on developing raw strength. The muscles should now have the size and support to withstand heavier loads. Similar to hypertrophy, the specific exercises you choose during this phase do not matter as much, as the aim is to develop general strength in the entire body. Improve raw strength beginning with sets of 5 repetitions of each exercise, using moderately-heavy loads (about 75 percent of your 1RM). Over time, increase the load of each exercise, working your way up to 95 to 105 percent of your previous 1RM, and perform only 1 repetition per set. Squats, bench press, dead lifts, shoulder presses and rows are all effective for developing general strength needed for football. Increase load when you can perform two additional repetitions beyond your target number for two sets in a row.

Power

Power is perhaps more relevant to football than raw strength. Power, a function of raw strength and movement speed, provides football players the ability to not just move heavy loads, but to move them quickly and explosively.

Focus on power during the pre-competitive season, about one to two months before competition starts. During this phase, the exercises you choose should become more specific to your position and the actual movements you’ll perform during a game. For example, a defensive lineman might work on sled-pushes to replicate driving an offensive lineman back, while a wide receiver should perform squat jumps to improve power in the legs. All football players should focus on the Olympic lifts during this phase (cleans, jerks and snatches).

Improve power using just moderate weight ( 75 to 90 percent of your 1RM) for each exercise, but perform lifts quickly and explosively. Perform sets of 1 to 2 repetitions, and focus on technique and intensity during this phase — not increasing load. In fact, some studies show that lifting heavy loads actually decreased power because of the sacrifice the lifter must make in the velocity of the lift.

Plyometrics

Plyometrics are specific power lifts that take advantage of the muscles’ stretch-shortening cycle — a phenomenon in which the muscle is lengthened and then contracts with an exponentially greater rate of force. Savvy coaches use this phenomenon to develop a level of power in certain muscle groups that regular strength and power training cannot.

Plyometrics include exercises such as box jumps, depth jumps, leaps and bounds. Plyomterics may be harmful on underdeveloped joints, tendons and ligaments, and the National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends being able to squat 1.5 times your body weight before beginning a plyometrics program. Aim for about 100 contacts per plyometric training session (e.g., 5 sets of 20 repetitions). Plyometric training is a highly-specific method for developing sport-specific power, and should be performed in the later stages of the pre-season.

Speed

Wide receivers, running backs, defensive backs, linebackers, and to a lesser extent, linemen and the quarterback, need to have maximal speed, or the ability to cover a certain distance in a minimal amount of time. Speed is a function of both strength and power. Because strength can increase maximal force production, raw strength is critical for maximizing your speed.

Speed drills in football are generally the most fun. They include ladder and cone drills, sprints, backwards sprints and a variety of other fun games. You can be creative when designing speed workouts, but make sure to time everything. Your goal should always be able to cover the required distance in as little time as possible. Speed is also highly-specific to football performance, and you should shift to primarily a speed focus during the competitive season and all the way through to the most important competitions during the year, such as the playoffs.

arkorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Additional Notes

Don’t forget the importance of flexibility throughout the year, both to increase joint mobility and range of motion, and to boost recovery and prevent injury. Perform a dynamic warm-up before every lifting session, and static stretching after working out. Periodization is a complicated and highly-individualized training theory. For more information on specific ways to incorporate periodization into your football training program, refer to http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/football-training-program.html

Photo of Kelly Starrett of MobilityWOD

If you’ve been building muscle for a while, you have probably had your share of injuries by now. We all know how much injuries suck. They hurt like heck and prevent you from doing all the things you love to do. The great news is that a lot of exercise related injuries stem from mobility issues. Digging deeper into this, mobility issues are often caused by scar tissue and muscle adhesion. Any guesses on where these things come from? That’s right, physical [and sometimes mental] stress.

If you just go on exercising everyday without taking care of your muscles and fascia, sooner or later, you’re going to injure yourself. If you’re not already doing so, I highly recommended that you add soft tissue work, active stretching, and some static stretching into your fitness routine.

Every human being should be able to perform basic maintenance on themselves.

I recently found a really awesome body maintenance site called MobilityWOD. Kelly Starrett, DPT, (the blog founder) created the blog to help athletes (yes, you are an athlete too!) with their mobility problems in order to prevent injuries. The blog is nicely done with every post being a video demonstration of ways you can fix specific mobility issues. I highly recommend doing a search on his blog for any painful areas of your body and following his video tutorials to see if it can help you alleviate your issue. Make sure you use the techniques at your own risk and, “stop if you think it’s gonna hurt you, your spine is going to come out your throat, or your face goes numb.”

Enjoy and as always report back in the comments section with your results!

Stretching can be good or bad, depending on when you stretch.

Stretching before physical activity has been shown to decrease muscular performance by as much as 28%, with this effect lasting as long as one hour following the cessation of stretching. This decline in muscular performance is attributed to neuromuscular inhibition and decreased muscular contractile force, both of which can actually decrease joint stability and increase your risk of injury during athletic performance. In lieu of stretching, warm-ups should be active and continuous. These “active warm-ups” should be sport-specific, and target all muscle groups and ranges of motion needed for the impending physical demands.

Photo © Jason Patel

The long-term effects of stretching are more beneficial than the short-term effects. Stretching after physical activity can help increase or maintain flexibility, which may decrease injury risk and increase athletic performance. So keep doing your Yoga, just not as a warm-up.

Stretching Tips:

-Stretching should NOT be performed before athletic performance or vigorous athletic activity.

-Stretches should be performed using a static hold, or PNF techniques (contract-relax, hold-relax). Stretching should be performed slowly and held at the perceived point of tightness.

-For improved flexibility, each major muscle group should be stretched 4-5x 20-30 seconds.

-For the best long-term effects, stretching should be performed daily, or at least 3x/week.

The information in this article was adapted from an article by Duane Knudson in the Strength and Conditioning Journal, titled, “Program Stretching After Vigorous Physical Training” (Volume 32 – Number 6 – December 2010).

Aerobic Exercise (Cardio)

Cardiovascular exercise is necessary to build endurance.  Without it, forget trying to spend an entire day charging the mountain.  Regular aerobic exercise improves efficiency of the cardiovascular system by improving oxygen transport and absorption.  Improve your efficiency and you will be able to tolerate a longer, more aggressive day on the mountain.

Running – improves endurance and strengthens legs.

Elliptical – improve endurance with less load through the legs.

Rowing – improve leg endurance through a pressing motion.

Strength Training

Strength training is anything that uses resistance in order to improve the musculoskeletal system.  This may include the use of resistance bands, free weights, or the weight of your own body.  Resistance exercise can occur numerous ways, but the ultimate goal is the same: improve the body’s ability to mange force.  Winter sports such as snowboarding and skiing require strength to negotiate uneven terrain and act as a shock absorber.  Boost your strength and expect to be able to handle more difficult terrain.

Squat – targets multiple muscles of the legs.

Deadlift – another great compound lift for leg and back strength.

Walking Lunge – improves strength and stability

Agility

Agility refers to the ability to change your body position with speed and accuracy.  It is a coordination of strength, flexibility, balance, and speed.  Improved agility means a greater ability to handle terrain that is unpredictable.  You will also be able to hit bigger features while maintaining control and be better able to tackle technical terrain at higher speeds.

Hurdle Hops – Forward/backward or side-to-side improves turning ability.

Max Jumps – Jump as high as you can over and over for 60 seconds.

Lateral Bounding with Cones – improves lateral power and targeting ability

Balance

Balance is a must if you want to stay upright.  Superior balance requires the integration of proprioception and vision in order to maintain your center of gravity.  Enhanced balance means you will able to handle those unpredictable moments while maintaining control.  If you spend anytime in the park, optimal balance is a must.

Balance Board – improves balance directly applicable to the slopes.

Single Leg Balance – grab something soft and balance on it for 90 seconds.

Single Leg Squat – improve dynamic balance by moving while balancing.

Flexibility

Flexibility is often overlooked and neglected, but required in order to perform at your best.  Muscles are weak in a shortened or lengthened state.  If you have limited flexibility, your muscles cannot do the job they were designed to do.  A lack of flexibility is also a setup for serious injury.  A few stretches per day can keep you moving and keep you injury free.

Muscle – Stretch your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, low back, and glutes.

Joint – move your spine and legs to lubricate joints and ease movement.

Commit!

Put in three days per week of exercises from the above categories and you’re sure to have a better season on the mountain.  See you on the slopes.

There is somewhere around 640 skeletal muscles in the human body.  Skeletal muscle is a complex network of muscle fibers, connective tissue, nervous tissue, and blood vessels.  The connective tissue forms a framework of support by surrounding individual muscle fibers, bundles of muscle fibers (called fascicles), and finally the individual muscles that are made up of these fascicles.  Another type of connective tissue, called fascia, plays an integral role in how muscle functions.  Deep fascia separates neighboring muscles from one another and allows for these muscles to glide smoothly past one another as they contract.  Superficial fascia separates muscle from the overlying skin, and also allows for smooth movement of contracting muscle.  Dysfunctional fascia can increase the likelihood of suffering a muscle strain.

Each muscle fiber  is composed of many sarcomeres, which are the contractile units of the muscle.  When a muscle contracts, tension is created in these sarcomeres and this tension is controlled by the Central Nervous System. Muscle strength is affected by the number of sarcomeres present in a muscle, as well as by neural recruitment of muscle cells.  Muscle length is also a byproduct of the number of sarcomeres, with an increased number of sarcomeres in alignment corresponding to increased muscle length.  Muscle strength and length imbalances can increase the likelihood of suffering a muscle strain.

Factors That Increase the Likelihood of  Suffering a Muscle Strain

A muscle strain is defined as damage to some part of the contractile unit caused by overuse (chronic injury) or overstress (acute injury).  Strains can be graded as mild, moderate, or severe.  Several factors contributing to muscle strains were mentioned under The Anatomy above.  Here is a list of the aforementioned and some additional causes:

• Dysfunctional joints above or below the injured area: if motion is limited in one area, the body will compensate and increase the demand on adjacent structures and tissues
• Dysfunctional fascia: if the fascia does not allow for smooth sliding and gliding between neighboring muscles and other structures, adhesions and scar tissue can develop
• Poor flexibility: this can be due to muscle length or fascial adhesions (scar tissue)
• Overstretching: stretching a muscle beyond its ability to recoil and return to its resting length
• Muscle strength imbalances: strength differences between muscles or muscle groups that are meant to oppose and control one another’s movement

There are other factors that can contribute to or increase the likelihood of a muscle strain, but we will focus on these five as we discuss both the rehabilitation and prevention of muscle strains.

Signs and Symptoms of a Muscle Strain

Common signs and symptoms of a muscle strain include:

• Sometimes an audible ‘POP’ is heard
• Localized pain at the site of the tear
• Stiffness
• Pain with stretching of the injured muscle
• Pain with contraction of the injured muscle
• Swelling
• Bruising

Rehabilitation Guidelines

If you have suffered a muscle strain, the general R.I.C.E. rules apply:

• Rest: take it easy
• Ice: ice no more than 15-20 minutes with at least an hour between applications
• Compression: use an ACE wrap or compression sleeve; don’t compress too tightly
• Elevation: keep the injured muscle above heart level

There are 3 phases of healing, each with different goals for rehabilitation:

Inflammatory Phase (Acute): This phase can last from 0-5 days, but generally inflammation begins to decrease after 48-72 hours post-injury.  Follow these guidelines:

• R.I.C.E.
• Range of Motion: perform gentle movements, but not to the point to pain
• Gentle stretching: not to the point of pain
• Decrease physical or recreational activity: to prevent further injury

Subacute Phase: This phase generally lasts between 5-21 days post-injury, but is variable depending on the severity of the injury.  During this phase muscle fibers are regenerating and being laid down randomly within the muscle.  It is important to gradually resume activity during this phase to help realign the new muscle fibers into an efficient position.  Follow these guildelines:

• Stretching, with increased intensity:  perform 3 sets of 30 second holds when stretching
• Massage: helps to realign new muscle fibers and free up fascial adhesions
• Gradually resume resistance training: this will also help to realign muscle fibers, as well as increase strength
• See a Physical Therapist: they can help address factors that may have contributed to the strain, such as spine mobility, pelvis mobility, inefficient muscle recruitment patterns, etc…

Maturation Phase (Recovery): This phase can last up to 6 months post-injury for the most severe cases.  This phase should consist of the following components:

• Resistance training with increase intensity: increase intensity slow and steady
• Endurance training: emphasize muscle strength and endurance
• Aerobic/Cardiovascular conditioning: don’t forget this!
• Balance and Proprioceptive training: this could be another reason why the strain occurred in the first place
• Agility training: quick movements and plyometrics.  This should be towards the end of rehabilitation

For resistance training and aerobic training guidelines, read this article!

Muscle Strain Prevention:

Based upon the predisposing factors and the rehabilitation guidelines we can formulate some key concepts to help prevent muscle strains from occurring.  Follow these five guidelines:

• Increase flexibility: Stretching all major muscle groups before and after a workout is a great idea.  Hold all stretches for 30 seconds.  Don’t stretch to the point of pain.  Beginning a Yoga program would be a great idea, but start easy and take it slow.
• Increase soft tissue mobility: This is a fancy way of saying, “get rid of the scar tissue and adhesions in and between your muscles”.  Remember the fascia that we’ve talked a little bit about?  Sometimes stretching isn’t enough.  A good physical therapist or masseuse can help you here!
• Correct strength imbalances: don’t ignore muscle groups.  For example, work your quads and your hamstrings, your triceps and your biceps, your low back and your abs, etc…  Strength imbalance not only can predispose you to a muscle strain, but possible worse!
• Work concentric and eccentric contractions: A concentric contraction means that the muscle is shortening as it is contracting.  An eccentric contraction is the opposite; the muscle lengthens as it contracts.  The easiest example to visualize this is a biceps curl.  As the weight comes up the biceps is contracting and shortening (concentric contraction).  As the weight is relaxed to its resting position, the muscle is still contracting as it is lengthening (eccentric contraction).  MOST MUSCLE STRAINS OCCUR DURING ECCENTRIC CONTRACTIONS!  You can integrate eccentric training into every exercise.  For example, when you squat, squat slowly down to your end position (controlling the eccentric contraction) and then push up.  When you bench press, lower the bar slowly (controlling the eccentric contraction) and then push up.
• See a good physical therapist, chiropractor or osteopath: they can make sure that you are moving efficiently, and eliminating extra, unnecessary demands on your muscles.

Sukasana is translated as Easy Yoga Pose. You may be doing this pose already and not even know it is yoga! Start by sitting on your bottom with your legs crossed and bent at the knee, not straight out in front of you. Then move one leg toward your body. The other leg can lie on the floor. Sit up straight and tall with your head parallel to the floor. Be sure your shoulders are relaxed.

Vrksasana is known in English as the Tree Pose. The Tree Pose is started from a standing position with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Your hands should be in prayer position with your fingertips pointing upward. Keeping your pelvis level, bring your right foot and leg up the inside of your left leg, stopping when you get to the inside of your thigh (or until you cannot go any higher without pain). Balance. Repeat the pose with your other leg starting from the beginning position.

Adho Mukha Svansana, otherwise known as Downward-Facing Dog, will stretch your entire body. Start by getting down on all fours, hands and knees aligned with your shoulders and hips. Your back is flat. Next, bring your hands back towards your feet, raising your backside up towards the ceiling and straightening out your legs. You will look like a triangle (inverted). Hang your head, take your shoulders out of your ears and relax them (beginners tend to scrunch their shoulders towards their ears). Do not invert yourself farther than you can go without pain.

The Child’s Pose is another good stretch for your spine. Starting at Downward-Facing Dog Pose on all fours. Lower your bottom down to sit on your calves. Your knees should be spread apart. Position your arms with your fingertips pointing toward your feet, along your body, or stretch them out in front of you with your fingers splayed. Hold as long as you wish.

Cat/Cow Pose is another stretching pose. Get onto your hands and knees as if you were going to do the Downward-Facing Dog Pose. Your toes should be bent under and pointing towards your head. Shoulders should be relaxed. Drop your belly low towards the ground. It is not necessary to touch your belly to the ground. Keep your hands and knees aligned with your shoulders and hips. Next, arch your back towards the ceiling getting a good stretch. Come back to the beginning.

Garland Pose is a standing position. Your feet should be spread apart comfortably. With your back straight, lower your bottom towards the ground and go into a squat. Your elbows should be at the insides of your knees, pressing outwards. Shoulders need to be relaxed. Stay like this for five breaths.

There you have six very simple poses that you can use to relieve tension, improve balance and flexibility. They were not too difficult, were they? These poses can also serve as a perfect addition to the end of your exercise routines. Now that you know yoga for beginners is not too hard, continue your practice and consider joining a yoga class in your community. Remember to always use a good yoga mat when performing yoga. Your body will thank you.

Risk Factors Contributing to Shin Splints

Tibialis Posterior (Wikipedia)

Soleus (Wikipedia)

• Females more likely than males
• Pronated (flat) foot
• Poor running mechanics
• Poor flexibility – especially in the hamstrings and calves
• Improper/poor footwear
• Exercise intensity – too much too soon?
• High BMI (Body Mass Index)

Symptoms

• Dull ache along lower two thirds of leg (along inside edge of tibia)
• Sharp pain with activities and tender to the touch
• Possible swelling

Other Possible Injuries/Syndromes To Rule Out

• Stress Fracture – Pain is usually more localized to one spot and very sharp
• Exercise-induced compartment syndrome
• Popliteal artery entrapment
• Claudication

Shin Splints Treatment and Prevention

• Eliminate the stressor
• Rest
• Cross-train to maintain fitness (i.e. bike, swim, etc…)
• Control the inflammation
• Ice or ice massage
• Anti-inflammatory medication (check with physician prior)
• Address risk factors
• Foot biomechanics and strengthening
• Footwear
• Running mechanics
• Flexibility (see “Stretches”)

Stretches

Here are a set of stretches that should help you with shin splints. Make sure to hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds.

Hamstring Stretch

• Supine (on back)
  In an open doorway, rest your heel on the door frame and adjust your body within the doorway so that the leg that you are stretching is straight.
• Standing
  Keeping hips level and facing straight ahead, prop your heel up on a bench or chair in front you, and lean forward towards your foot, keeping your spine straight.

Calf Stretches (“Calf” = 2 muscles à Gastrocnemius and Soleus)

• Gastrocnemius
  This muscle crosses the knee, so the knee must be straight to get a good stretch.  Stand against a wall in a lunge position and lean forward, keeping your back knee straight (this is the calf you are stretching).
• Soleus
  This muscle does not cross the knee, so to isolate it from the gastrocnemius, the knee must be slightly flexed.  Everything else is the same.  Stand against a wall in a lunge position and lean forward.

Benefits of Active Release Techniques

• Increased Flexibility. Muscles are easy to stretch, fascias are not. Sometimes your flexibility is limited by tight fascia tissues and soft tissue work can help loosen these tissues.
• Increased Muscle Quality. Higher quality muscles perform better and endure longer with less pain.
• Less Injuries. Increased muscle quality and flexibility naturally prevent injuries from physical activities.

What You Need

• Foam roller. I previously had a cheap foam roller (~$20) that is entirely made out of foam. It worked great until it got too soft after 4 months of daily usage. I recommend getting a foam roller with a PVC pipe inside, such as the Foam Roller Plus, The Grid Foam Roller, or a high density foam roller that is extra firm. That way your roller will last you a lot longer and not crap out quickly like mine. Also, if
• Tennis ball/Lacrosse ball. Cheap yet effective. These are used for smaller muscle areas (e.g. glutes) or muscle areas that need more pressure. You can even substitute it with baseballs if you want.
• TheraCane. Used for increased precision. This is for when you have really specific pressure points and you need lots of pressure on that point to release. It is especially useful for reaching places that are hard to get to (like your upper-back).

How to Perform Active Release Techniques on Yourself

Here are a couple free PDF guides on how to perform soft tissue workouts: first PDF, second PDF. There are also a few books out there on Amazon (I recommend The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook), but I personally just follow the following routine by Eric Cressey.

Conclusion

I do about 10 minutes of soft tissue work and 10 minutes of stretching before I exercise. That is my daily exercise routine. The reason why I spend so much time taking care of my muscles is because I do not want to get injured. Injuries can take you out of commission for weeks, months, or even years. Soft tissue work can help prevent it so it seems like a no brainer to me! Start rollin’ now!

Bodyweight Training

I am a fan of incorporating bodyweight training into workouts.  Why? Because you should be able to master and control your own body weight before attempting to control any extra weight.  You don’t walk around carrying dumbells all days do you?  Bodyweight training helps you build an all-around athletic body that can serve as a good base for any physical activity.

The only problem with bodyweight training is that there are only a few number of exercises you can perform with on extra equipment.  Also, if you keep performing the same exercises too much, your muscles start to plateau and your workouts start to become less effective.

The stability ball is a perfect way to add variety into your bodyweight exercises to keep you muscles from plateauing.

Balance Training

Balance plays an important role in many sports and daily physical activities. When you are trying to stay balanced, your muscles are responding to constant neurological signals.  The more you train your muscles to respond to these neurological signals, the more you will improve in the following areas of fitness:

• Agility
• Flexibility
• Joint stability
• Muscle memory
• Muscular endurance
• Muscle mass

Multiple Muscle Systems

When you incorporate balance training into your exercises, you force more of your muscles to activate; thus, making your workout more effective.  Compare doing push-ups with your feet on a chair and doing push-ups with your feet on a balance ball.  You will definitely feel that using the balance ball is a much more effective.  This means that you spend less time developing more muscles.  Outside the gym, you can even substitute a balance ball for your chair at work to develop your core muscles while you work (as explained in these weight loss tips).  What’s there not to like about that?

Conclusion

Costing around $20 each, the balance ball’s usefulness and effectively highly outweighs its cost.  I use GoFit Ultimate Burst Resistant Core Stability Ball at home.  I like it because it is durable and it comes with a workout DVD.  You can opt for more expensive ones or cheaper ones if you want, but you really get what you pay for.  Just don’t go too cheap and risk one bursting on you.