Medicine Ball Partner Chest Pass

Single-Leg Partner Chest Pass. Stand facing your partner, each of you balancing on one leg. Keep your abdominals contracted and your body erect and stable. Pass the ball back and forth to each other using a basketball chest pass. Continue for 30–60 seconds on each leg.

Variations: Try hopping side to side, front and back, while passing.

Medicine Ball Exercise 7

Single Leg V-Ups
1. Start position: Lie back onto floor or bench with knees bent, both hands behind head. Keep elbow back and out of sight. Head should be in a neutral position with a space between chin and chest.
2. Leading with the chin and chest towards the ceiling, contract the abdominal and raise shoulders off floor or bench. Extend arms and also raise one leg up toward ceiling.
3. Return to start position.
4. Remember to keep head and back in a neutral position. Hyperextension or flexion may cause injury. To increase resistance, hold medicine ball in hands. To decrease resistance, position hand closer towards body

Medicine Ball Exercise 2

Single Leg Chops
1. Starting Position: Stand on right leg and your arms are extended holding the medicine ball up and to your right.
2. Bring medicine ball down in a wood chopping motion towards your left foot.
3. During this place motion switch feet so your left foot is now on the ground and your right foot is in the air. Repeat this motion for the desired repetitions and then repeat in the opposite direction.

6 Exercise Machines You Should Do Without

Here are some tips from Men's Health....

While machines might seem like the foolproof way to exercise, they aren’t always the safest. In fact, sometimes they actually contribute to the injuries you were trying to avoid in the first place. Here are 6 machines you should lift without.

The Seated Leg Extension

The myth: It’s the safest way to work your quadriceps, or thigh muscles.

The truth: Physiologists at the Mayo Clinic determined that leg extensions place significantly more stress on your knees than squats. Why? Because the resistance is placed near your ankles, which leads to high amounts of torque being applied to your knee joint every time you lower the weight. What’s more, Auburn University scientists found that people who squat long-term have tighter, stronger knee ligaments than those who don’t squat at all.

The alternatives: Free weight squats, split squats, and lunges—performed with perfect form—are all better choices for working your quads and protecting your knees.

The Behind-the-Neck Lat Pull-Down

The myth: The best way to perform the lat pulldown is to pull the bar behind your head, down to your upper back

The truth: Unless you have very flexible shoulders, this exercise is difficult to do correctly, and can increase your risk for shoulder impingement syndrome—a painful condition in which the muscles or tendons of your rotator cuff become entrapped in your shoulder joint.

The alternative: Simple—just pull the bar in front of your head, down to your collarbone. You’ll work your back just as hard, but with less risk for injury.

The Pec Deck

The myth: It’s a super safe and very effective way to work your chest muscles.

The truth: This apparatus, also called the chest fly machine, can overstretch the front of your shoulder and cause the muscles around the rear of your shoulder to stiffen. The result: Doing this movement frequently can lead to shoulder impingement syndrome.

The alternatives: Forget the machine, and stick with exercises such as the pushup, dumbbell bench press and dumbbell incline press; they’re easier on your shoulders and the best way to build your chest overall. In fact, Truman State University researchers found that pectoral muscles are activated for 23 percent less time during the chest fly, compared with the bench press.

The Seated Hip Abductor Machine

The myth: This machine is the best way to work your out thighs, including your glutes.

The truth: Because you’re seated, it trains a movement that has no functional use. And if done with excessive weight and jerky technique, it can put undue pressure on your spine.

The alternative: Work the same muscles, but while standing. Simply loop a resistance band around both legs, and position the band just below your knees. Now take small steps to your left for 20 feet. Then side-step back to your right for 20 feet. That’s one set. This is much harder than it sounds, but you can do it anywhere, and it’s also a great warmup for any sport.

The Seated Rotation Machine

The myth: Twisting on this machine helps melt your love handles.

The truth: It works the muscles under your love handles, but will do little to reduce the fat that covers them. What’s more, because your pelvis doesn't move as you rotate your upper body, this exercise can put excessive twisting forces on the spine.

The alternative: As long as you don’t expect to shrink your love handles, you can use rotational exercises to work your obliques. But here’s the secret to safety: Before you do any rotational exercises, brace your abs forcefully—as if you’re about to be punched in the gut—and hold them that way as you do the movement. This limits your range of motion and helps to keep you from rotating excessively at your lower spine.

The Smith Machine

The myth: This machine—which looks like a squat rack with a built-in bar that runs on guides—gives you all the benefits of squats, but none of the risk that comes from holding a heavy barbell across your back. That’s because the bar can easily be secured at any point during the movement.

The truth: Because the bar runs on guides, you can only move straight up and down as you squat—instead of down and back, as you would in a free-weight squat. The result: An unnatural movement that puts extra stress on your knees and lower back. Need another reason to skip the Smith? Canadian researchers found that traditional squats produced almost 50 percent more muscle activity in the quadriceps than squats done on a Smith machine.

The alternative: If you’re not comfortable with barbell squats, simply do the exercise while holding dumbbells at arm’s length next to your sides. You won’t need a spotter, and your body will be free to move through the natural motion of the squat.

Pretzel Lift

A

> LIE ON THE FLOOR on your left side, knees bent 90 degrees and left leg in front of you. Lean on your left forearm, elbow aligned under shoulder, and rest right hand on hip.
> PLACE A WEIGHTED BALL behind your right knee and raise leg to hip height, foot flexed and slightly higher than your knee.

B

> KEEP YOUR SHOULDERS and hips square as you lift your right leg a few inches. Lower leg to hip height and repeat. Switch sides to complete set.

(You should start with about 10 reps on each side & slowly increase the reps when you get stronger.)

**This is good for your core & your glutes.**

The most common complaints that runners have are shin splints and sore knees.

What sorts of Weight lifting will protect my legs.

Shin splints:  Many shin splints can be helped or prevented with
stronger lower legs.  Calf raises are good for this.  You can do bodyweight
calf raises at home by standing on a stair with the balls of your feet near
the edge of a step.  Lower yourself down slightly, then go up as high as
you can comfortably - remember to straighten your ankle.  It is a good idea
to hold the railing while you get the feel for the motion.  Repeat about 20
times, and do several sets.  The machines in the gym will replicate that
calf motion, only with extra weight.
   One thing that is useful for the front of the shin is a silly exercise
you can do at home.  I call them bucket raises, others call them plantar
flexions or shin curls.  Sit on a chair with one leg out in front of you.
Hang a scrub bucket from your foot.  Raise and lower the bucket by flexing
and pointing your foot.  This works the muscles along the front of the
shin.  Put more or less water in the bucket to vary the resistance.  Like
most rehabilitative exercises this should be done heavy enough that you
notice it but not so heavy that you can not finish a dozen or so
repetitions.

   Sore knees:  Most endurance runners have hamstrings that are much
stronger than their quadriceps.  You want your quadriceps to be stronger
than your hamstrings in about a 3:2 ratio.  In addition running does not
exercise the vastus medialus, the muscle that stabilizes the kneecap.  Some
good leg exercises to help this are:  leg extensions, squats, and front
squats.  In addition the turned-foot leg lift described in the rec.running
FAQ is very useful.  You may also want to work with straight leg extensions
and the various leg press machines.  Work your hamstrings to keep them in
balance with your quadriceps.  The best exercises for hamstrings are:
squat, leg curl, standing leg curl, and stiff-legged deadlift.  Be sure to
get someone to show you how to do the SLDL - they can be VERY dangerous if
done improperly.  You can not run with a damaged back.  Remember that
flexibility also prevents knee trouble, so be careful to stretch your legs
before, after, and during your workouts.

One Leg Away From Better Balance

by Laura Inverarity, D.O.

for About.com

Updated April 06, 2005

Often as we age, our balance skills deteriorate. For this reason it is important to do exercises to improve and maintain balance throughout our lives. Balance exercises can be performed daily and in your own home. You can start out with simple balance activities and increase the difficulty as your balance improves.

Improving your balance takes practice. One simple exercise can be done and modified as your skill level improves. Read on to learn how to improve your balance starting today.

Beginner:

Stand up straight behind a tall chair or at a counter top.
Lightly grasp the chair or counter top with your finger tips.
Raise one leg a foot off the ground.
Maintain your balance while standing on one leg.
Hold for a count of ten seconds.
Repeat with other leg.
Perform five on each leg.

Intermediate:

Stand up straight behind a tall chair or at a counter top for safety only.
Without holding on to the chair or countertop raise one leg a foot off the ground.
Maintain your balance while standing on one leg.
Hold for a count of ten seconds.
Repeat with other leg.
Perform five on each leg.

Advanced:

Stand up straight behind a tall chair or at a counter top for safety only.
Close both eyes.
Without holding on to the chair or countertop raise one leg a foot off the ground.
Maintain your balance while standing on one leg.
Hold for a count of ten seconds.
Repeat with other leg.
Perform five on each leg.

Single Leg Stance

by Laura Inverarity, D.O.

for About.com

Updated March 24, 2008

Overview:

A multitude of injuries and occurrences can affect our balance and leave us less steady on our feet. An ankle sprain, for example, can leave one with balance deficits due to tears in the fibers that rely balance input to the brain. People who suffer from a stroke also often also have severe balance problems that make walking difficult. We also loose stability as a result of the normal aging pattern.

We can improve our balance by performing simple balance exercises. The single leg stance is a very effective exercise for improving balance. This exercise can be modified as balance stability progresses.

Single Leg Stance:

Initial steps include:

Stand behind a chair
Hold onto the chair back with both hands
Slowly lift one leg off the ground
Maintain your balance standing on one leg for 5 seconds
Return to starting position and repeat X 5
Perform with opposite leg

Exercise Progression:

Follow these steps as your balance improves:
1)Hold onto chair back with only one hand
2)Stand near the chair for safety, but do not hold on
3)Progress finally to lifting your leg off the ground one inch higher

Complete all three modifications to this exercise and your stability will be much improved.

For Sore Muscles This Works Like Crazy

By Marc David (from the Build Muscle & Gain Weight Fast Guide)

As discussed in some previous articles, muscle soreness can be caused by three hypothesis( muscle damage, tissue damage, muscle spasms) resulting in cumulative micro trauma resulting in some type of cellular damage. At times, this can be the leading cause of overtraining and being uncomfortable for a few days after training.
Continual cellular damage over and over to the point where the body cannot recovery can result in overtraining.

Don't worry...

Here's a quick checklist for helping to reduce the amount of muscle soreness you may experience. You can use one or all of these the next time you feel a little too sore from your last workout.

Phase 1 - Pre Training Recovery

Leg Elevation:
Many of us stand or sit for long periods of time before going to the gym and training. This is a less than optimal condition because your overall circulation is less than ideal. What you can do is 20-30 minutes before you train, lay down with your feel against a wall or other object and get the blood back to your upper body and heart.
You'll improve your circulation especially when you train legs or your lower back.
If you want, you can take this opportunity to listen to music or take a quick nap and begin the mental transition into training.

Phase 2 - Recovery During Training

Rest Intervals Between Sets:
A great way to boost the intensity of any workout without changing a single thing is to decrease the rest time between sets. You'll instantly get more work done in less time. If you feel that the intensity is too high, you can increase the time between sets and help reduce the build up of lactic acid as well. The time you take to rest between sets has a significant impact on your next set as well as future performance.

Movement Between Sets:
Just think about it. It's like a warm up and cool down all over again but between the sets. Most people understand the importance of warming up before lifting weights. They also know about a proper cool down after working out.

But did you know that you can use those sample principles on a minute level in between your sets?

This movement not only serves as a 'transition' between an all out effort and recovery but it aids in better circulation and helps reduce the swelling of muscular tissues.

Periodization:
Remember that soreness can be caused by a few hypothesis (tissue damage, muscle damage, spasms). But did you stop to think that if you keep on training "heavy" you just keep on damaging the muscle at a micro level over and over without a change to recover?
Incorporating a light day or week into your training can help flush the area with new blood, reduce the formation of scar tissue and flush waste from the area.
Planning these type of workouts in your training program will speed up the time needed to recover as well as add variety to your program which in turn provides overall recovery.

Phase 3 - Post Training Recovery
My strong hunch is that most people will be unable to avoid soreness at some point and seek treatment.

So that's why there's a few ways you can help reduce the severity of soreness during your training as well as aid in the recovery process after your training.

Contrast Showers:
Done on your lumbar area, this involves using short bursts of hot and cold water to improve the circulation. You can further stretch during this time to flush new blood to the area.

Post Workout Nutrition:

Needless to say...

After your workout your body is in a prime time to devour nutrients. This is an ideal time to give it the protein it needs with the carbohydrates for energy recovery.

You see, if muscle soreness is caused by micro trauma resulting in cellular damage then obviously you want to give your body plenty of materials quickly to repair itself.

Proper post workout nutrition can reduce the amount of soreness you can experience.

Therapeutic Modulaities:

This can encompass such things as massage, sauna, whirlpool, chiropractic adjustments, acupressure and others are among the more popular therapeutic modalities. Make no mistake....

Recovery really begins when you leave the gym. Depending on factors such as your level of fitness, age, medical conditions, you may be wise to use some or all of these post workout recovery methods to speed up overall recovery.

There's no magic formula per se but anything you can do to help speed the recovery process will result in less muscular discomfort and quicker recovery for the next workout.

Have you heard that 90% gym-goers overtrain 90% of the time?

Could it be that simply "under-recovered" and could easily stand to train more if only they could recover quicker?

Sleep:

While there is not a set number of hours you need to sleep as that depends on the individuals schedule, personal preferences and level of stress it's still clear that sleep is vital to recovery.

This is the time your body repairs all that micro trauma.

If you aren't getting enough quality sleep, it can affect your overall recovery and body's ability to repair itself. That can lead to prolonged muscle soreness. The amount of sleep each person needs will vary.

Make no mistake about muscle soreness...

It's uncomfortable!

But using any or all of the above recovery methods you can significantly reduce the duration of muscle soreness.

More important than that...

Create a periodized program that helps to keep your body in a state of recovery and avoid overtraining.

Physical Training Routine

Physical Training Routine

WARM-UP

5 minutes on the seated row with a low weight

STRETCHES

Hamstring/Calf Stretch (10-15 seconds each side)

Crossed Leg Hip Opener (10-15 seconds each side)

Runner’s Lunge with hands behind your back (10-15 seconds each side)

Runner’s Lunge grabbing back leg with your hands (10-15 seconds each side)

Leaning over hamstring/side back stretch (10-15 seconds)

Leaning over inner thigh/side of back stretch (10-15 seconds)

Seated torso stretch (10-15 seconds)

Rear shoulder/neck stretch (10-15 seconds each side)

Dancer torso/hip stretch (10-15 seconds each side)

Cat/Cow (10 times)

EXERCISES: 18-20 REPS EACH

Upper Body

Chest Press

Bicep curls with arms at your sides or Reverse grip bicep curls or Cable curl

Triceps (your choice)

Lateral Raise

Lateral Pull down

Chest Flyes

Lower Body

Lunges

Squats or Dumbbell Squat

Pelvic Thrust

Hamstring Curl (foot on foot)

Leg Press

Leg Curl

Leg Extension

Abs/Back

Super Girls

Super Girls with rotation

Ab curl

Ab curl combo

Oblique V-ups

Legs up to the air

Plank

Saxon side stretch

Ab Exercise

Leg Lifts

Leg lifts are a great way to not strain the lower back. You can modify your leg lifts, if you are having back pain.

Get on your back with your legs lifted up straight and slightly bent. From here you simply move your legs forward and backward to a limited extent. Lift them from the 10 O’clock to the 2 O’clock position if you were looking at your body from one side. Pause when the legs are at 2 O’clock for this to really burn and do the trick. For these you might want to make fists and sit on them for added support to the lower back.