Unstable And Proud Of It! You'll never look at push-ups the same way again!

Written by Nick Nilsson


When I get finished teaching you this never-before-seen version ofrepparttar push-up, you’re going to think that either I’m crazy or a genius or both! Of course,repparttar 115741 results you’ll get from it will speak for themselves.

First, we need to setrepparttar 115742 stage for this version ofrepparttar 115743 push-up.

To begin with, exercises that move your body rather thanrepparttar 115744 weight (such asrepparttar 115745 push-up) have been shown to fire more muscle fibers than exercises that moverepparttar 115746 weight rather than your body (such asrepparttar 115747 bench press). This means thatrepparttar 115748 push-up hasrepparttar 115749 potential to activate a lot of muscle fibers.

Next, we know that exercising in an unstable environment also increases muscle fiber activation. This is because your body compensates forrepparttar 115750 instability by firing more muscle fibers in order to stabilizerepparttar 115751 resistance. Anyone who’s run barefoot on sand knowsrepparttar 115752 tremendous work your calves get from it. The same concept is put to work in this exercise.

* NOTE: Effective exercise requires progression, and that is essential for learning to perform this exercise safely. Because you will end up doing it in a very unstable environment, you need to start slowly and work your way into it. Naturally, if you’re an advanced trainer or are used to working in an unstable environment you may progress more quickly.

Only go as far as you’re comfortable with these exercise stages. Each stage holds great benefits but you should always err onrepparttar 115753 side of caution.

Read through these exercise stages one at a time, then, atrepparttar 115754 end ofrepparttar 115755 article, you’ll find a link where you can view pictures of each stage.

Stage 1 - Dumbell Push-Ups

Set two dumbells onrepparttar 115756 floor inrepparttar 115757 approximate hand position and spacing you would use for a push-up. You will essentially be usingrepparttar 115758 dumbells as push-up handles.

The plates onrepparttar 115759 dumbell should be round (meaning that they’ll roll) for maximum instability. Use fairly lightweight dumbells, e.g. 15 to 20 pounds each, so they’ll move around more.

This variation by itself is an excellent exercise for beginner to intermediate trainers. You may do this variation with your knees onrepparttar 115760 floor if you’ve not yet developedrepparttar 115761 strength for regular, full push-ups.

Stage 2 - Swiss Ball Push-Ups

Set a large Swiss Ball (the inflatable exercise ball) onrepparttar 115762 floor where you’ve got some space.

Place your hands onrepparttar 115763 floor in your regular push-up position then set your legs on top ofrepparttar 115764 Swiss Ball. Your shins should be onrepparttar 115765 top ofrepparttar 115766 ball, placed slightly torepparttar 115767 sides so you can use them to maintain your balance.

Do push-ups in this position. You will find thatrepparttar 115768 ball will shift around as you are doingrepparttar 115769 exercise and you’ll be forced to move your body around to keep your legs on top of it. The ball will roll slightly forward with you as you drop down torepparttar 115770 bottom ofrepparttar 115771 push-up position and roll slightly back as you push yourself up.

How Stretching Can Explode Your Muscle Growth!

Written by Nick Nilsson


When you think about gaining muscle, stretching is probably notrepparttar first thing that pops into your head. But did you know that stretching plays a critical role in building muscle?

Every muscle in your body is enclosed in a bag of tough connective tissue known as fascia. Fascia is important for holding your muscles in their proper place in your body.

But your fascia may also be holding back your muscle growth. Think for a moment about your muscles. You train them and feed them properly. They want to grow and will grow but something is holding them back. They have no room to grow!

Because fascia is so tough, it doesn’t allowrepparttar 115740 muscle room to expand. It is like stuffing a large pillow into a small pillowcase. The size ofrepparttar 115741 muscle won’t change regardless of how hard you train or how well you eat becauserepparttar 115742 connective tissue around your muscles is constrictingrepparttar 115743 muscles within.

The best example of this isrepparttar 115744 calf muscle. The lower leg is riddled with fascia because of its tremendous weight-bearing duties inrepparttar 115745 body. It is because of this fascia that many trainers have great difficulty developing their calves.

The solution: stretching.

Usingrepparttar 115746 pillowcase example from above, imagine you can expandrepparttar 115747 size ofrepparttar 115748 pillowcase by stretching it. Suddenly,repparttar 115749 pillow within has more room and will expand to fill that new space.

By stretching your muscles under specific conditions, you can actually stretch your fascia and give your muscles more room to grow.

The key to effective fascial stretching isrepparttar 115750 pump. The best time to stretch to expandrepparttar 115751 bags that are holding in your muscles is when your muscles are pumped up full of blood.

When your muscles are fully pumped up, they are pressing againstrepparttar 115752 fascia. By stretching hard at that time, you increase that pressure onrepparttar 115753 fascia greatly, which can lead to expansion ofrepparttar 115754 fascia.

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