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If you have ever suffered from sciatica, or lower lumbar problems, you understand the excruciating, sometimes immobilizing pain associated with flare-ups. Often recognizable by an acute pain in your derrière that also radiates down into the lower leg, sciatica can cause muscle weakness, tingling, numbness, and of course, wicked pain. According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, more than 65 million Americans that suffer from lower-back pain, such as sciatica, will have a recurrence of the pain within one year. (American Assoc. of Neurological Surgeons, 2000.) Therefore, see......
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Kind of reads like a magazine cover, doesn't it? In all seriousness though, there really are some simple steps that will help you achieve a weight loss goal...but you can't do just one and kinda do the other two, or only kinda do all three. Do all three, keep you eye on the ball, and you'll hit a home run. Ready? Here we go... Your Plan 1. Record your food intake daily. Include in your diet a variety of fruits and vegetables at 6-9 servings daily; 2-3 servings of lean protein; 3 servings of dairy; and quality oils. Why? Keeping track of what you eat for a few weeks (I'm not talking forever peo......
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[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="179" caption="these are "soft" weighted fitness balls"] [/caption] Some recent research shows that crunches, the old standby for ab exercises, only targets 3 of the abdominal muscles. Yet there are muscles that surround the entire core, acting as a girdle to support your spine, increase power and speed, improve stability, and oh yes, give you that six-pack look. Six-pack abs aside, you need a strong core… A strong core is your center of power. Powerhouse. Like a rocket ready to take off on a moments notice. Okay, you get the idea. When your c......
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Actually, the question went more like this: "I hate to run. It is hard. Did I already say that I hate it? Yet, you talk about running so much. Why?" There was more, but for the sake of this post, let's just say that this reader's negative feelings about running ran deep (no pun intended). Why am I so hip on running? Well, for one thing, it is hard. I like things that are hard to do. Second, it is "me" time, and often the only time I have for finishing a thought. Four kids...enough said. And finally, (and let's face it, this is important stuff) few physical activities burn as many calories per ......
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Maybe you've been on a workout train for some time, diligently going to the gym and happily taking your dose of cardio and weight training, maybe even a few classes too just to challenge yourself. Perhaps you've been on this train, per se, for years, then all of a sudden, you're okay with missing a workout, then two. The idea of going to the gym or out the door for a jog becomes a chore, when it was once something you enjoyed. Have you been there? Are you there now? If so, read on... I think I can help. True, I am a trainer, but at heart, I'm really a fitness buff and have been since college. ......
Jan

25

I love them! Resistance tubes are sometimes thought of as “not real equipment,” or too simple to really be effective, but the truth is, tubing is awesome. And since this happened to be the subject of my morning radio chat (airing every Friday morning on WIMA-AM Lima), I thought I’d share with you, my readers, what I raved about to my listeners.

Resistance tubes are terrific. They are inexpensive, portable, easy to use, and relatively cheap to replace. And can you think of any other piece of equipment (besides the TRX) that can give you a total body workout? They are the ideal choice for home use, travel, or as part of your gym routine. (Cheap and easy: 5 low-cost items every home gym needs)

Any exercise you do with a fixed machine, free weights, or a cable system can be duplicated using resistance tubing. Throw in a stability ball or weight bench, and you have all you need to get a great, total body workout.

In general, a tube’s color gives some indication of how much resistance it provides. For example:

Yellow – very easy
Green – easy
Blue – somewhat difficult
Red – difficult
Grey – very difficult
Black – NFL football players use these ;0)

If you haven’t used resistance tubing, a great book to have on hand is “The Great Stretch Tubing Handbook” – chock full of pictures and detailed descriptions of nearly any exercise you can think of. Available at Amazon.

If you haven’t used resistance tubing before, begin by replacing one or two of your strength training exercises with a tubing exercise. For example, bicep curls using dumbbells can easily be switched to bicep curls using a resistance tube. Simply place the tube under your feet (make sure you wear athletic shoes), grasp the handles in each hand, keep elbows tucked in close to the body, and using the tube as resistance, do 10-12 bicep curls.

Start with single joint exercises before progressing to more complicated, multiple joint exercises or combination exercise.

For example:

Tricep extensions and bicep curls before learning overhead presses; Hip extensions before squats; Flyes before ax chops, etc.

It is also best to learn with a lower resistance tube, such as yellow, green, or blue, before progressing to higher resistance tubes.

The same rule of thumb for increasing resistance applies to tubing: if the 10th or 12th repetition is easy, it is time to either add more repetitions, or increase the resistance. If you can’t complete at least 6 reps with good form, the resistance is too much – switch to a more elastic tube.



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