Bench press is one of the most popular weight training exercises. It is a basic upper body exercise for the chest muscles.
Due to its compound mechanics, bench press enables you to lift relatively large weights and to develop great upper body strength.
A widespread prejudice is that bench press is a "dangerous" exercise, which is not true at all. Bench press, in all its variations, is as safe as any other free weight lifting exercise.
Occurring difficulties or even injuries in the shoulder joints can usually be traced back to a wrong training technique, inadequate preparation or the use of too much weight.
Benefits
Development of Strength
Bench Presses let you lift relatively large weights, which makes it one of the most effective upper body exercises to build strength.
Muscle Growth
Bench Presses can help building an impressive torso. It is a great exercise for developing chest, front deltoids and triceps.
Effective Training
Doing Bench Press and few Bench Press variations basically provides an adequate training for the muscles involved. There´s no urgent need to experiment with a lot of other exercises. Improve your Bench Press performance, and so will your physique.
Bench Press Instructions
Lie supine on the bench of a bench press rack.
Grasp the bar with the desired fashion, dismount it from the rack and, with arms extended, hold it above your chest.
Lower the weight in a straight line down to your chest while forearms travel perpendicular to torso, looking from the side.
Then press the weight up until arms are extended. , that is a Bench Press.
Bench Press Variations
There are several grip options and bench angles available to add versatility to your bench press training:
Gripping too close shifts workload to the triceps and weakens the pushing force. Gripping too wide compromises the range of motion. A good estimation is vertical forearms as bar touches chest.
Grip_Setup
Place the bar in the palm of your hands and secure it with your thumbs.
Torso_Posture
Always keep your chest up. Tense your back, bring your shoulder blades together and pull your shoulders back to create a safe and solid foundation to lie on and to press the bar up from. Don´t let your shoulders roll forward.
Feet_Position
Place your feet wide apart and put them flat on the floor. Keep your knees bent about right-angled and shift the weight on heels.
Head_Position
Keep your head in neutral position on bench. Don´t press it into the pad to prevent the neck from being overstressed.
Range of Motion (ROM)
The Bench Press range of motion is a controversial issue. Science has proved that a limited range of motion for the negative as well as for the positive part of the movement are the safer choice for the shoulder and elbow articulations and offer the same training effect as full range of motion. This insight leads to the following consequence for your Bench Press training: Avoid any extreme joint positions. Don´t lock your arms at top of motion and don´t let your elbows travel far below height of shoulders at bottom of motion.
Bottom Position
Top Position
Full Range of Motion
Limited Range of Motion
Bench Press Safety
Warm_Up
Before doing Bench Presses with high resistance, have an initial overall warm up followed by a short local warm up of 15-20 repetitions with about 40-50% of the estimated maximum weight you Bench Press.
Weights
Learn the correct technique first and begin with light weight. Progressively add weight, always under the prerequisite of a proper training technique.
Posture
Keep your buttocks on the bench and prevent them from lifting off, because that will increase the risk of overextending your lower back.
Thumbs
Use your thumbs to hold the bar, otherwise it may slip out of your hand.
Spotter
It is recommended to Bench Press with a training partner or any other spotter. They will offer support if you´re unable to lift the bar off the chest.
Bench Press Injuries and Pains
Shoulder Problems
Posture: If you have slouching shoulders caused by long-term seated or other one-sided positions, you should stretch your chest as well as your front shoulders. Also train your middle back and rear deltoids on a regular basis.
Imbalances: Bench Press, besides almost any other chest exercise, also trains your front shoulders, which may lead to an imbalance between the strong front and weaker rear shoulders. Consequently and permanently your upper arm bone is slightly being pulled out of its natural position within the shoulder joint, causing pains and making it less resilient. Again, stretch the muscles of the anterior torso be stretched while the muscles of the rear torso have to be strengthened
Lower Back Problems
Posture: Keep your Gluteus on the bench to dis-burden your lower back. To relieve the lower back from any pressure, raise your thighs up perpendicular to the floor and bend your knees. Consider that this position costs some stability.[/bold]
Common Mistakes
Inefficient Dismounting: Dismount the barbell from the rack with straight arms, because that let´s you carry most weight. Lock your elbows and move barbell above your chest.
Pressing to Shoulders: Move the barbell up and down above your chest, not towards or above your shoulders.
Upper Arm Position: Keep your upper arms perpendicular to your torso or, when doing close grip bench press, close to your torso. Raising the upper arms above perpendicular to your torso forces your shoulder joints into a weak and vulnerable position.
Bent wrists: Keep your wrists as straight as possible and hold the bar close to your wrists.
Overextended back: Lifting your Gluteus will limit the range of motion. Worst of all, it moves your lumbar spine into an overextended position causing unusual high pressure that may lead to back pain.
It's that time again, a new year begins and incredibly many people follow an ancient ritual: they make “New Year´s Resolutions”, which is a number of events or habits that in the current year are supposed to be made better than the in the previous one. That is a good thing, especially because it mostly involves bad habits that need to be banished from life. But man is a creature of habits and finds nothing harder to change than once deepened life strategies, no matter how counterproductive they are. Studies have shown that only about 12% of people are able to translate their good intentions into action. However, the other 88% can use a few simple methods to significantly increase their success rate.
1. Set achievable goals: This is one of the most obvious and most important strategies and yet, it the one that often goes wrong. Unrealistic goals will quickly lead to frustration and the feeling to have failed, causing, at worst, a negative programming of the own thoughts, which ultimately lets even easy goals appear as very difficult.
2. Take small steps: Divide large and long-term goals into as small portions as possible. Do it in relation of time or events. Celebrate each day as a small success and to look no further than a day in the future. The 24 hour waiver of a bad habit is a possible action even for the most weak-minded character. Voila, a partial success! After being so successful, a further 24 hours is certainly possible. And so on. This strategy is often more promising than the absolute (and psychologically difficult) decision to never go back to smoking, or to never again sneak to the refrigerator at night. Of course, don´t lose sight of the long-term goal, but following it this way makes you reaching it almost on its own.
3. Self-Motivation: It is always more motivating to do things for yourself and out of your own motivation than for others or because of external pressures. Do not stop smoking because your partner wants it so. Do not lose weight in order to please others. Do it all solely for your own wellbeing and for your own health. Be careful towards your mind and your body. Consider the respect and love of fellow human simply as being a beautiful by-product of self-love and self-esteem.
4. Visualizations: People´s behavior is rarely of rational nature, usually they act based on emotions. The decision to link positive or negative emotions to one particular goal is based on the prevailing thoughts you have on this very topic. Anyone who considers himself as being overweight and who cannot stand himself, keeping the picture of "I'm too fat" visualized every day, is guaranteed to stay right there. When you want to achieve a goal, you have to live and behave as if you already had it. Imagine how great it feels to wear many dress sizes less and how much happiness it means. Any occurring obstacles can easily be overcome if the goal is associated with a positive visualization.
5. Stay on the course: Setbacks are an important part of life. Consider each of them as a good teacher and never ever give up. Striving for perfection will make you unhappy. Persistence and the will to become a little better human being every day are the keys to immediate success.
Ultimately, good intentions should not need a New Year or birthdays with a zero at the end. Make such decisions independently of external circumstances and events. Work on yourself just because all you will ever really own over the complete span of lifetime is yourself.
This post is for all those among you who ever wondered how it looks like to have 500 different fitness exercises summarized as a 10-minute video snippet :-)
A sensible diet along with regular exercise is the key to a healthy life. The following 10 diet tips primarily aim at athletic or physically active people. But everyone else can also benefit from this. Maybe the increased level of energy, as result of a healthy diet, sooner or later leads to an interest in (strength)training.
Nutrition Rule 1: Eat Regularly
The intake of several small meals throughout the day has the following advantages:
Less Hunger: The stomach is elastic. Large meals stretch it, which ultimately leads to a delayed feeling of fullness. After switching to several small meals in regular intervals, they very soon saturate as effectively as the previous large portions.
No Cravings: People who avoid to eat for a long period time over the day, increases the chance of binge-eating in the evening, which is in most cases satisfied with candy instead with healthy foods.
Nutrient Supply: Regular meals give a steady supply of energy an nutrients to the body, which results in steady performance and good muscular development.
Fat Loss: The body rather tends to cut excess fat, if it recognizes it as superfluous due to a regular energy supply .
A certain timing of the daily meals is of great advantage. Have a meal or at least a snack every 3-4 hours between waking up in the morning and going to bed in the evening.
Nutrition Rule 2: Eat Consciously
This is a very important point, which is very often neglected in the course of a stressful day. Concentrate on what you eat. Make yourself aware of it and maybe write what you eat down in the beginning of a dietary change. Once you consciously deal with the issue, you´ll recognize bad habits, which makes it easier to control them.
Nutrition Rule 3: Eat Slowly
"We don´t live by what we eat, but only by what we digest." (Hufeland). The prerequisite for an ideal digestion of the food taken in is an adequate preparation in the mouth. To do that, you have to chew long and calmly. Every single bite swallowed in a hurry is a challenge for your stomach, at the cost of your own life energy and health. Also, eating too fast is always a breach of Nutrition Rule 2.
Nutrition Rule 4: Have a Breakfast
Breakfast is often declared as the most important meal of the day. That's true, but there a few things to be considered:
Drink a Lot: Besides the often obligatory coffee, a large quantity of water or tea belongs to good breakfast. Why? During nighttime the body is quite busy regenerating and detoxifying the body. These processes need to be supported with lots of extra fluid in the morning.
Don´t Fill up Completely: This advice may sound a little strange, but we all certainly made the following experience before. After a large, heavy and energy-rich breakfast, instead of a having a dynamic start to the day, a sudden tiredness and lethargy, caused by the enormous work of digestion the stomach has to do in this a case, makes us want to return to bed again. Eat a light breakfast, avoid the intake of large amounts of indigestible foods such as whole grains and cereals. Instead eat fruits and vegetables (bonus: they contain a lot of water), low-fat dairy products other light sources of protein and carbohydrates.
Nutrition Rule 5: The Right Proteins
People who follow a routine of strength training have an increased need for protein. The limited digestive capacity of the stomach makes it necessary to take in a little portion of protein with each meal to eat the recommended daily amount. Basically, it is recommended to take in 1.5 - 2 times the body weight in kilograms in grams of protein per day, e.g. people with a bodyweight of about 80 kg need a daily protein intake of 120-160 g, provided a regular strength training. There are publications speaking of much higher amounts, but these numbers can be classified as unhealthy, especially because with the consumption of animal protein many by-products such as bad fats, purines, and the accumulated toxins from the individual animal are also being taken in. A significant part of the daily amount of protein should be of plant origin.
Low-Fat Protein Sources (selected):
Animal Origin
Protein per 100 g
Plant Origin
Protein per 100 g
Chicken breast
23 g
Noodles
12 g
Turkey breast
24 g
Potatoes
2 g
Beef
22 g
Soybeans
37 g
Alaska Pollock
19 g
Lentils
24 g
Tuna
25 g
Peas
20 g
Trout
20 g
Beans (white)
21 g
Mountain Cheese
29 g
Oat flakes
12 g
Cottage Cheese
29 g
Spelt
13 g
Low fat quark
14 g
Millet
11 g
Eggs
13 g
Buckwheat
12 g
Egg-white
11 g
Mushrooms (dried)
17 g
Nutrition Rule 6: The Right Carbohydrates
As during the "low fat" hysteria of the past many foods were labeled correspondingly and to taste at all were fortified with carbohydrates, with the still growing fatty degeneration of the population we came to the realization that the increased carbohydrate intake must be responsible, leading to a "low carb" hysteria.
A little education about the different types of carbohydrates and their purpose and effects takes away much of the fear of his excellent source of energy. Basically there are two types of carbohydrates:
simple carbs, that are digested very quickly and rapidly release their energy, and
complex carbs, are digested slowly and therefore their energy is provided uniformly over a longer period of time.
The intake of simple carbohydrates leads to a very rapid rise of blood glucose levels. Now the body is seeking for a normalization of these values. If this excess energy is not burned inside the muscles by physical activity, the body stores them as fat. Complex carbohydrates release their energy uniformly during the digestion process, which increases the possibility of burning it by muscular or mental activity and reduces the risk of storage of body fat.
Examples of simple and complex carbs (selected):
Simple Carbs
Complex Carbs
all simple sugars
all whole grain products
fruits*
vegetables
white flour products
rice (whole grain)
marmalade
noodles (whole grain)
honey
muesli & cereals
* Fruits occupy a special position here. Fructose or fruit sugar is indeed a simple sugar, but is slower digested than white sugar.
Nutrition Rule 7: Healthy Fats
They are one major supplier of energy, they support fat loss, they are slowly digested and they are part of many vital functions of the body. A daily intake of 60-80 grams of fat is recommended. When doing a regular strength training, one can also take in a little more, people wanting to loose weight should take in less. More important than the quantity is the type of fat. An increased intake of animal fats should be avoided. But even in the league of vegetable fats, there are "good" and "bad", depending on the relation of fatty acids. Here´s a selected overview:
Sources of "good" Fats of Plant Origin
Sources of "bad" Fats of Plant Origin
Linseed oil
Sunflower oil
Olive oil
Thistle oil
Rapsöl
Walnut oil
Salmon oil
Wheatgerm oil
Sources of "good" Fats of Animal Origin
Sources of "bad" Fats of Animal Origin
Butter
Margarine
Fish
Meat and Sausage
Nutrition Rule 8: Fruit and Vegetables
These two foods are one of the most fundamental basics for a healthy diet. They provide vitamins and minerals and can be eaten fresh and in large amounts. Fruits, due to the high content of fructose, should not or only in small doses be taken in the evening.
Nutrition Rule 9: Natural Food
Processed foods should be avoided. Their ingredients are often difficult to understand and in most cases they contain an excessive amount of sugar, salt, flavor enhancers and preservatives. There is a very simple rule: the more colorful the packaging, the unhealthier the content. Foods should be eaten or form the basis of self-prepared foods the way nature provides them to us.
Nutrition Rule 10: Drink a Lot
To supply the body with oxygen and nutrients and to ensure a proper detoxification, the blood needs to be as fluid as possible and to circulate freely. Therefore be aware to drink about 2-3 liters of fluid per day. The following table shows the kind of drinks to be considered or not.
Without doubt push-ups are the most popular bodyweight exercise. They strengthen almost the entire body, especially chest, shoulders and arm muscles, they are available in many variations, you can do them without any equipment and the technique is quite easy to learn. Yet, it takes some basic knowledge to do push-ups correctly, because like with any other strength training exercise, also push-ups bear the potential of mistakes that may lead to injuries and pains. Therefore read this guide to a correct push-up training technique.
Push-up Benefits
Strength
Working with your own bodyweight requires great effort and makes push-ups the a perfect exercise for strengthening the muscles of the torso.
Muscle Growth
Anyone who does push-ups on a regular basis may soon be pleased to develop some muscles. Push-ups mainly build chest, front shoulders and triceps muscles.
Effectiveness
Besides the dynamically active muscles push-ups also put high demand on many stabilizing muscles, which an almost total body workout out of this exercise.
Simplicity
A great advantage is the simplicity of push-ups. You can do push-ups almost anywhere and anytime.
Push-up Technique
Place your hands slightly more than shoulder-wide apart on the floor.
Then extend you body, place feet with toe tips on floor as well and hold your body above the floor while keeping your arms almost extended.
Now bend your elbows and lower your body until the chest almost touches the floor and your elbows are bent about at right angles.
Press your body up into the starting position, elbows remain slightly bent.
Repeat as often as possible, provided a correct training technique.
Push-up Setup
Hands
Place the hands slightly wider than shoulder-wide apart, not too far away. Let the fingertips point forward.
Wrists
Placing the palm flat on the floor can occasionally lead to pain within the strongly extended wrists. In this case, it is better to do the push-ups on the fists or with handles, which allows the wrists to stay straight.
Upper Arms
Hold your upper arms between almost perpendicular to the upper body or close to the upper body, depending on the type of push-up.
Waist
Keep the abdominal muscles tight. Shoulders, hips and ankles form a straight line. Do not allow the body to sag.
Glutes
Also keep the gluteal muscles tight. Along with the abdominal tension it prevents the body from sagging.
Head
Keep the head aligned to the spine in a neutral position and look down.
Push-up Variations
There are a variety of push-up variations that make this exercise either lighter or heavier or have that shift the demand on different muscles involved.
As mentioned before, some people may experience pain from overextended wrists. In this case it is better to perform the push-ups on the fists or with special push-up grips.
Sagging body
.
Head Leading
During push-ups keep neck and head aligned to the body. Move your chest to the ground and let your head follow the motion.
Looking ahead
To avoid unfavorable strains or injuries in the neck, it is very important to look down in a neutral fashion while doing push-ups.
Upper Arm Abduction
For the shoulder joints secure the upper arm angles are between slightly below perpendicular to the body and near besides the body.
Of all compound strength training exercises squats are probably most the effective way to strengthen legs as well as almost the entire body. Therefore everyone following an ambitious strength training routine should include squats regularly.
Squats are also one of the hardest-to-learn exercises. A proper technique is important to exercise safely and effectively and to protect the body from injury.
Besides the classic barbell squat, which I will explain more in detail below, there are several other squat variations that rely on the basic training technique.
Squat Benefits
Full Body Strength
Squats require the use of the entire body, especially when using relatively heavy weights. Leg and hip muscles experience a high dynamic impact while almost all other muscles serve as stabilizers.
Muscle Building
The simultaneous workout of many muscle groups leads to increased testosterone level in the body, which ultimately leads to increased muscle mass, not only in the legs.
Stabilization
Provided a correct training technique, squats are very well suited to stabilize the knee joints, because the high level of muscular activity and co-ordination is strengthening all surrounding muscles and passive structures. Also squats are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening and stabilizing the trunk.
Squat Basics
Flexibility
Proper squats require a high degree of mobility of the ankle and hip articulations. If the lowering of the hips in a correct fashion is not possible, I recommend have a regular stretching to improve the joints mobility beforehand.
Safety
For heavy squats you have to use squat rack, a.k.a. power rack, which enables the positioning of the barbell at a proper height. In addition, most racks provide a lower dumbbell stack to catch the barbell in case of failure in the lowest point.
Squat Technique
Squatting Down
Grasp the barbell with your hands slightly more than shoulder-wide apart and place it on the upper back and rear Deltoids. When using heavy weights you have to stay inside a squat rack.
Then lift the barbell from the rack, place your feet about shoulder-wide apart and turn them slightly outside. Keep your body upright. Also keep knees slightly bent and tense the body.
Now bend your knees and lower your hips back as if you were sitting down until your thighs are about parallel to the ground. Your knees have to stay above your toes, pointing slightly out.
Squatting Up
Now press your hips back up. Firmly tighten your buttocks. Beware to move your hips up and not to front, otherwise your knees will be pushed beyond your toe tips.
Keep your body weight shifted to your heels, they are the basis for a powerful squatting up..
In the top position stand upright again. Your knees have to stay slightly bent.
Here´s one of the few Youtube videos showing a very good squat technique. Just perfect.
Squat Setup
Barbell
Place the barbell on the muscles of the upper back and rear shoulders.
Stance
Position your feet about shoulder-wide apart while you turn your toes slightly outward, pointing toward the knees.
Grip Distance
The grip distance may vary. The closer the distance, the better the tightening of the upper back.
Wrists
Keep your wrists as straight as possible. The back carries the weight while hands just stabilize the position.
Elbows
Let the elbows point down behind to keep up a tight upper back.
Head & Neck
While squatting you have to permanently look ahead or slightly up to keep your back straight.
Upper Back
Keep all upper back muscles tight to provided a solid and safe base for the barbell.
Chest
When tightening your upper back, your chest move up. Keep it up to avoid any rounding of the back.
Trunk
Tense all muscles to maintain a lower straight back.
Balance
During squats move your body weight on your heels. You should be able to (in theory) permanently curl your toes off the floor.
Squat Variations
There is a variety of squat variations to intensify or to simplify this exercise, or to demand certain muscles in a different way.
Keep your torso as upright as possible. It is important to push your hips up in a calm and focused way to avoid a delayed raising of the upper body.
Looking Down
That leads to a rounding and instability in the back. Always look straight forward or slightly upward keep your back remains.
Raising Heels
The weight is shifted to the heels. Prevent them from lifting off. Shortened calf and thigh muscles can make it difficult to do the desired range of motion.
Knees beyond toe tips
Imagine sitting down on a chair. While lowering the hips move backwards. When squatting up, move your hips straight into upright position. Avoid any forward motion.
Extended Knees
Never lock the knees in the upper position. Locked knees shift much of the workload from the muscles right into the knees, causing an intermittent muscular tension and high pressure inside the knee articulations, which can lead to knee pain.
Basically strength training is done either with free weights, mostly dumbbells, barbells and several variations of the barbell, or with machines. A balanced training routine offers enough room for both, free weights and machines. However, for an effective muscle growth or strength training you should prefer the use of free weights. Here´s why?
Machines
Machines are designed to offer a pre-defined training direction and sometimes even range of motion. Stabilizing the training weight and the own body weight and is mostly taken by the machines. Consequently you train only the necessary muscles. This type of training is very specific; it is simple to do and bears only low potential for error and injury. The major disadvantage is the limited complexity and thus effectiveness.
What does that mean? The degree of complexity of an exercise, in large part, determines the training effect. The more muscles you involve in a movement, directly or indirectly, the higher the overall training stimulus will be. Here three terms come into play:
Target Muscle
the major group of muscles involved in an exercise
Synergists
they support the movement directly
Stabilizers
contracting muscles with no significant movement to fixate joints or to maintain a certain posture
While training on machines, you usually involve only agonists and synergists, stabilizers play only a small role.
Free Weights
Unlike when using free weights. Here, too, in principle, each exercise follows a defined movement, but it is solely the responsibility of the athlete to do a correct technique, to fixate the body in an ideal position and to stabilize the training weight. Free weight training improves the co-ordination skills and body awareness, and represents a great physical challenge in its complexity in the interplay between directly and indirectly involved muscle groups, with greater potential for development.
Conclusion
As initially mentioned, the use of machines offers an entirely adequate training. However, when it comes to the basic development of strength and co-ordination or a balanced growth of muscle mass, the use of free weights is the smarter choice.
The recommended amount of protein per day is a hot topic, especially among strength training athletes, that is steadily revived by confusing recommendations in so-called professional journals and other media.
Meanwhile, there are studies, one I will look at here in detail, that support my personal experience in terms of training, nutrition and muscle-building. But before that, let me clarify a few terms and issues around the subject of protein.
Proteins are usually denoted as the building blocks of life. They are composed of amino acids, which in turn are the basic building block of all cells in the body. In addition to the structure building tasks, amino acids are responsible for a variety of other bodily functions such as oxygen and iron transport in the blood, the formation of antibodies and the secretion of hormones. In short, no life without proteins.
The continuous cell degradation and recovery processes in the body demand the daily intake of a certain amount of protein through diet. Even physically inactive people have to cover a basic need for protein.
The Daily Requirement
As the level of physical activity increases, through an intense strength or endurance training for example, the demand for protein is growing equally, since the related metabolic processes of regeneration and adaptation of the body to the higher level of physical activity ask for more amino acids. But the disproportionately large amounts of protein, which are particularly recommended by many athletes, professional journals and the nutritional supplement industry, cannot be justified by that.
The "How much protein should I eat per day" table:
Type of Physical Activity
Daily Amount of Protein per Pound Body Weight
Inactive
0,5 gram
Endurance Training
0,75 gram
Strength Training
1 gram
These numbers cover the daily need. The significant and deliberate exaggeration of the recommended amounts of protein for the particular activity level as well the amount of protein served per meal offer, according to a study mentioned on www.medicalnewstoday.com the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, no significant benefits and even generate some unwanted side effects. “Most of the excess is oxidized and could end up as glucose or fat.”
The Right Timing and the Right Amount
Tests during this study have shown that the intake about 30 grams of protein per meal provides an ideal supply with amino acids to make sure the muscle synthesis. Among the volunteers who have taken up to 90 grams of protein per meal, no further increase in muscle protein could be demonstrated. Consequently the daily amount of protein has to be distributed fairly evenly among several meals throughout the day.
Again, the researchers from Texas offer some interesting insights. Thus, the recommendation is to take in the first 30 grams of protein as early as breakfast and to cut the amount somewhat in the evening, as the synthesis of muscles functions most effectively during the day, while at night no significant amounts of protein can be processed.
Conclusion
Therefore the uncontrolled intake of large amounts of protein, especially in the field of strength training and bodybuilding, is just a curiosity. Replaced it by an intelligent handling of the own food and potential supplements. My own experiences has shown that an intensive weight training, which primarily targets developing strength and muscle density and not large muscular volume, is agreeable with a long-term protein intake on the level of an endurance athlete, that is below the mentioned 1 gram per pound body weight.
Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168876.php
Besides oxygen, water is the most vital substance to maintain life. The human body consists to about 50-70% of water. Without drinking water, we could hardly survive 3-4 days. Most of our metabolic processes, especially the synthesis of nutrients for building muscles and burning fat, are based on an optimum water supply.
Functions of Water in Your Body
Nutrient Supply. Water keeps the blood fluid and dissolves and transports essential vitamins.
Catalysis. Water is an important catalyst in many enzymatic reactions.
Digestion. Breaking down carbohydrates to glycogen and protein to amino acids requires water.
Cleansing. Water cleans the system and transports waste materials and toxins from the body.
Temperature Regulation. Water is required to regulate the body temperature, especially during physical activity.
Why You Should Drink a Lot
A regular and adequate water supply is beneficial for your health.
Optimum Water Budget. Even at rest the body is loosing about 1,5 liters of water per day through respiration and skin. Physical activity leads to an even higher withdrawal of water through increased sweat production and respiration. Therefore especially athletes have much higher demand for water.
Rapid Recovery. Muscular nutrient supply and regeneration require water. A deficient water supply will decrease your performance.
Muscle Building. Muscles themselves consist mostly of water. Therefore muscle growth happens only when the body is adequately supplied with water.
Fat Loss. The protein and fat metabolism is controlled by the liver. Water deficiency can slow down or even disrupt these processes.
Satiety. Water fills the stomach, which is why the feeling of hunger can be reduced by a regular water supply.
Improved Skin Image. A rapidly visible effect caused by an improved detoxification is a better appearance of the skin, because the body has less to do detoxifying through it.
Strategies For a Regular Water Supply
Many people find it hard to drink the recommended amount of water. You either have no feeling of thirst or simply forget to drink in the stress of daily life. Here's how to make it work anyway:
Start Early. Drinking your first liter of water in the morning makes it easier to reach the recommended daily amount.
Have Water Available. Place a water bottle within your reach, at home as well as at work or on the way. Drink from it regularly in small sips. Once it is empty, it should be refilled.
Take in Additional Water Through Your Food. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. It does not only improve your vitamin, but also your water supply, because fruits and vegetables consist of up 98% of clean water.
Water With Each Meal. Make it a habit drink a large glass of water with each meal. Either before, to create an early sense of satiety, but in any event afterwards.
Water During Training. Make a large bottle of water your favorite training partner and drink about 1 liter of water per hour of training. That should be done immediately. If not, the fluid loss must be compensated afterwards.
Symptoms of Water Deficiency
A lack of water in the body causes the following symptoms:
Color and Smell of Urine. A quick and reliable indicator is your urine. It should always be colorless and odorless, everything else is a sign of a lack of fluid.
Concentration Loss and Memory Disorders. Water deficiency causes the blood to thicken, which can lead to an under-supply of the brain.
Other symptoms may be: restlessness, fatigue, nervousness, dry mouth.
The Recommended Daily Amount of Water
In principle, the daily amount of water demand is related to the very individual metabolic rate.
Which in turn depends on parameters such as body weight and level of physical activity. There's a simple rule of thumb:
1 liter of water per day for every 45 pounds of body weight. Therefore a person weighting 160 pounds should drink about 3,5 liters of water per day.
Regular training is the foundation for a successful development of one's body and one's skills in any area. Since there will always be reasons and excuses to interrupt this important routine, or even to not begin at all, you´ll now learn how to deal with the most popular obstacles and how to overcome them.
Time is the only thing in the world that really unites all human beings. Everyone has every day of his life exactly 24 hours at his disposal, regardless of age, wealth, place of residence and all other circumstances, it is to the second exactly 24 hours. The key questions are:
How do I spend my time? Meaningful or meaningless?
Why are a lot of very busy and successful people able to keep themselves physically fit, while many others who have only a fraction of the workload do not have time for that?
Time Management
Knowing how to use the given time is an important reason for success or failure. I´m not talking about completely well planned days, because you still need room for spontaneous decisions. However, specific (training)goals can only be achieved with good time management..
Plan your days and weeks in advance. Things like training at the gym, running, squash, or other physical activities need fixed times in the calendar. Everyone, even the busiest people, are able to find a free hour for physical activity for 2-3 times a week. If it is not anchored in the course of a day, there is an almost 100% chance that something comes in between.
Use even small opportunities for physical activity. A short training during the lunch break is a perfect mental relaxation and, if properly done, provides new energy for the rest of the day. Use stairs instead of the elevator. Spend delays with short stretches.
Do things simultaneously. We live in a world today, where it is necessary for us to handle more and more activities at the same time. Therefore for most people it is quite simple to connect certain processes of everyday life with a bit of fitness. You can walk or cycle short to medium distances. Carrying heavy shopping bags even increases the training effect. Park the car spontaneously in a free car park a little further away and walk to your destination. Studies have shown that this actually saves time, because it spares the later search for a parking place. Get on a home trainer during long phone calls, while watching TV or while organizing the following week.
Train at home. If you can´t make it to the gym, you can exercise at home anytime. Even short workouts of 10-15 Minuit are better than doing nothing. A few dumbbells, an elastic band, a mat and an exercise bike is the perfect basic home gym and offers countless training options.
Sleep less. Most people spend way too much time in bed. An adult needs about 6-7 hours of sleep per day, whatever goes beyond that is a waste of life time. Also, if you sleep longer, you usually feel tire afterwards, because your metabolism decreases way too far. You even increase your risk for a heart attack by sleeping too long.
Motivation
Motivation is a key requirement to stay on the track. Without a motive, which is a good reason, even small goals will be difficult to achieve. The following strategies are very effective motivational tools.
Set realistic goals. You need to have a long-term goal, such as fat loss, muscle-building, relief from back pain, etc., which has to be split up into medium-and short-term goals. Considered even achieving these smaller goals, such as running a new circuit, the increase of the current training weights or the next pound more or less on the scale, as great success and reward yourself.
Create enjoyable circumstances. Find out what kind of training you like most. There are endless possibilities. However, it should match your current training goal. If you want to reduce excess body fat, you need to do some strength training, whether you like it or not. You also have to revise your dietary habits.
Find a training partner. Fixed appointments for a joint training provide extra drive. He or she should, however, have about the same goals and basic conditions, otherwise you risk own under- or overload. It is important not to totally depend on your training partner. Train, even if he or she cannot make it.
Join a training group. There are training groups for almost any sport, where you'll meet people with same interests and where you receive helpful information about your favorite sport and finally your training and your level of motivation receive some extra momentum.
Adjust your training routine. Monotony is the most effective motivation killer. Regular changes of the training exercises and reps at the gym, new running routes or trying completely different sports are a new stimulus for your body and mind and offer new motivation.
Motivational media. Listen to (loud) music while exercising, no matter if you´re in the gym or on a forest path. It is okay as long as it pushes you forward and motivates you. Read professional magazines and books about your favorite sport. That usually generates new ideas and motivation.
Motivational affirmations. If you don´t receive external motivation, for example from a trainer, you have to motivate yourself. Create your own motivational slogan or rhyme that you keep repeating again and again while running or lifting weights. Shout it out loud, or at least do it in your mind.
Frustration
Frustration often results in lethargy. And lethargy in turn creates more frustration. Avoid this vicious circle. Be realistic, but ambitious, when it comes to your goals. Any progress takes some time. Concentrate on the long-term goal, do the necessary steps but don´t get used to it. Once a strategy is not working, update your knowledge and ideas and change it. And whatever happens, stay in motion.
Track your progress. Take regular control of body weight and body fat percentage. Measure important body circumferences / sizes like hips, waist, chest / back, upper arms, thigh, etc. at about every 2 months. If you don´t make any progress, adjust your program, preferably under supervision of a trainer.
Track your performance. A training diary is part of a targeted training, as well as regular fitness tests. If there is any stagnation or even regression, change your strategy.
Distractions. Always keep the long-term goal in mind, regardless of external circumstances. Life changes constantly, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. These completely normal processes are no acceptable excuses or reasons for the loss of motivation, because that ultimately causes an even more negative development.
Fatigue. A physically active body usually knows exactly what it needs and it tells you so. Often it´s just a lack of time or interest, why people don´t listen to their body. If you feel weak and exhausted, try the following:
Steadiness. Usually training should preferably take place at the same time of the day. Your body adapts to it and can then carry out better performances. Also one's own sleep patterns and the timing of meals should remain relatively constant.
Enough sleep. For most adults 6-7 hours of sleep are enough. Whoever gets much less than 6 hours of sleep over a long period, risks health problems, a lack of regeneration and performance issues. A short nap of 20-25 minutes provides a very good balance for short nights.
Avoid over-training. If your performance level drops, it usually is a sign of over-training. In that case you have to reduce the training volume or rest or a few days. Alternatively do some active recreation, including aerobic endurance training, stretching exercises and gentle fitness exercises.
Eat light.Consuming hard digestible foods may also be a cause of fatigue. Eat light and energy-rich foods such as fruits, nuts and seeds, legumes, light cereals, vegetable fats and, very important, drink a lot of water. Eat small portions or snacks and don´t eat anything for 1-2 hours before training. After training you have to take in adequate amounts of carbohydrates and protein for an adequate recovery.
Work and Stress
The best and most effective antidote to stress is physical activity. It brings body and mind back in balance, increases metabolism and oxygen supply and stimulates creativity, effectiveness and self-confidence. The challenge is to unify work, everyday life and exercise under one roof.
Effective time management. If possible, you should train either directly before or after work. Once you get home and on the couch, it is very hard to get out of it again. As mentioned, schedule your training times as a kind of important meeting with yourself, which must not be disturbed by anyone.
Exercising before work provides many benefits. Get up an hour earlier to go for a run or to the gym before you can even think about ridiculous excuses such as bad weather or darkness. Your training or running-clothes should already be ready, which increases own motivation and provides some extra time. After training, as the rest of the world begins to wake up, you already accomplished your first challenges, you are lively, balanced and motivated and you can fill the rest of the day with work and leisure.
Train during working breaks. Many companies today have very flexible working hours policies, some even have their own fitness area. Take training clothes with you and work out while your colleagues consume greasy cafeteria food or have a cigarette break. You can go for a short run or a training session at the gym. A tight walk is another great workout; it even saves the otherwise necessary time for showering and changing clothes.
Evening workout. Most people train in the evening. As mentioned, this should happen right after work to not let the body rest until you worked out.
Family
Often the closest relatives keep us from training. It does not happen in bad faith. It is their lack of training experience, and thus the understanding of such activities. Now communication become important.
Avoid misunderstandings. Announce timing and duration of your training, if possible, bring it into line with family responsibilities.
Share your goals. To clarify the importance of your training, you have to share your own goals with your family. Not all of them will meet sympathy, but the family´s willingness to support you will increase.
Holiday and Travel
During vacations or business trips, it is almost impossible to follow the usual training routine. Here are some tips for an active yet relaxing holiday.
Available training opportunities. Inform beforehand about training possibilities at the destination. Book hotels with its own fitness club, pool, etc., or ask for a gym in the area.
Bodyweight and free exercises. Maybe take some small weights, elastic bands or a skipping rope with you. In any case, you should know a few basic bodyweight exercises that you can do almost anytime and anywhere.
Be curious. Explore the new environment while running or cycling.
Be creative. The stairwells of large hotels are the ideal training area for a tough cardiovascular training, independent of darkness, weather or local knowledge.
Weather
There is no bad weather, only the wrong clothes or the wrong attitude. It is virtually impossible to become a good athlete in a comfortable way.
Use functional clothing while running or cycling. Depending on the weather proper shoes, pants, underwear, hats, gloves or sunglasses are essential companions.
Bypass extreme weather like heat, cold or rain bypassed with an adequate indoor workout.
Accept bad weather as an exciting challenge, as a struggle against the forces of nature.
The body adjusts to unusual weather conditions of other climatic zones and is able to perform at comparable level as at home after a few days.
