4 Kettlebell Strengthening Exercises
Kettlebells are some of the most efficient training modalities available. You only need one kettlebell to perform the exercises, which can be done anywhere you take the kettlebell. The exercises are also very easy to set up and transition from one to another, making it an effective cardiovascular activity. There are many options of exercises to choose from, some exercises being more challenging or easier than others and can be scaled to your fitness level. Below I will highlight four exercises that hit just about every muscle in the body, and a full workout can be done in just 20 minutes. These basic exercises should be done for 2-3 months before increasing the technical difficulty of more advanced exercises. A simple routine would be to perform each of these exercises three times per week, doing three sets of each exercise for 15 repetitions.
Body Weight Exercises for Beginners
Are you getting back into exercise after a long time off? Or maybe you’ve never exercised before and aren’t sure where to start. For some, the thought of lifting weights can be a little daunting. For others, getting to the gym can be tough due to the time commitment or schedule conflict. A research study performed in 2021, showed that body weight exercise improved cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). CRF has a direct correlation with mortality and disease risk. Simply put, if someone has better CRF, their risk for disease should lower. These bodyweight exercises can be performed at home and will provide a nice starting point for beginners on their fitness journey.
Static Stretches for Improved Flexibility
Are you dealing with tight muscles, or maybe you don’t feel very flexible? When used correctly, stretching can be a useful tool to address tight muscles and improve muscle flexibility. Recent studies have confirmed that performing low intensity stretches over a long period can improve flexibility. Let’s look at a handful of simple stretches you can do to improve tight muscles.
How To Do Your First Pull-Up
My first experience with pull-ups was back in elementary school for the presidential fitness testing that we all had to go through. I remember seeing my classmates being able to perform numerous repetitions, and I remember how I felt when I couldn’t do any. When testing came around during my 6th-grade year, I could finally perform one pull-up! I felt on top of the world that day. Looking back at that testing, it seems like a simple task but intimidating at the same time. There’s a bar hanging off the wall, and all you have to do is pull yourself up high enough that your chin passes the bar; it all sounds so easy. But, for some, it’s just as big of a challenge as I went through. I want to help you be able to do your first pull-up, and for those of you who already can, I want to help you increase your proficiency with them. Once you can do them, the world can become your gym as you’ve added a new exercise to do regularly. Are you playing with the kids at a park? You can use the monkey bars to get a back workout in.
Why Is There Swelling After an Injury?
Most of us have had an instance where we stepped funny and twisted our ankle or knee, maybe stretched our shoulder too far, or tripped and injured our wrist. These are examples of an acute injury. Acute injuries are usually the result of a single traumatic event. This is in contrast to a chronic injury that occurs with repetition and over time. Swelling is a common occurrence after injury. Swelling is a normal reaction to injury; however, the swelling reaction is excessive sometimes. Let’s look at what happens when your body has swelling after an injury.
Injury Prevention for Keeping Your Hands Healthy This Spring and Summer
Earlier months in the year have come and gone, and the routines of the cold weather months may be changing. Increased daylight hours have allowed for more time outdoors, participating in leisure and work. As the events that consume our free time begin to change, the physical demands on our bodies, specifically our hands, ought to be thought about and considered to prevent injury.
Why does Exercise Make You Feel Better?
We’ve all been through it, the dreaded pre-exercise blues. Not quite sure if you want to go through with it; there are a million other things you could be doing instead. But you know that you will feel better if you do exercise, and while removing the guilt of not exercising is partly the reason, there is a scientific basis for why exercise makes us feel better.
Exercises to Improve your Golf Swing
Power or mobility? Range of motion or strength? As you begin to adapt your body for better performance on the golf course this spring, you need to figure out first what you need. This article will discuss the major stumbling blocks that I see the most with patients. These corrections are great for getting out of a chair the following day after a round of golf. They can also increase your power off the tee or on approach.
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