The average person spends about 10 hours a day being inactive. We sit in our cars, in front of our computer, and on the couch. This leaves us hunched over and in pain. The human body is extremely efficient. Muscle function adapts immediately to the demands placed on them. When you are active your muscles improve their neuromuscular, biomechanical and metabolic functions to accommodate your activity. When you're not active your muscles adapt to inactivity. Hip flexors

Prevent injury and get stronger more effectively. Most of us know that warming up before a workout is generally a good idea - perhaps a quick walk on the treadmill and some preliminary stretching. It gets our bodies loosened up and primed for more strenuous exercise. However, a more methodical approach to warming up becomes increasingly important as the weights get heavier, especially with our primary compound lifts. If your goals involve progressively getting stronger and pr

Goal setting is a powerful tool that research has shown can be highly effective in helping people going through post injury rehab to stay motivated in performing their exercises. However this is only the case if the goals are set up in a proper manner. It is easy to get bored with many of the exercises that are given to you by a Physical Therapist or Athletic Trainer. Many of them seem tedious and boring, but all of them are important to perform in order to have a full recov

Many people ask "What is the best exercise that I should be doing?" The answer is there is no such thing as "the best" exercise. People need to shift away from an "all or nothing" mentality when it comes to exercise. Keep in mind these factors as to why there's no such thing as "the best" exercise. 1. Enjoyment Factor - It's important that people enjoy the exercise they are doing. The more you enjoy exercise the more likely you will be to continue. 2. Unique Needs of I

The action of an eccentric muscle contraction occurs when muscles are firing while elongating simultaneously. An example of this is when you're straightening your arms back out after doing a bicep curl. This form of contraction is constantly ignored by many people in the gym but focusing on this movement has actually shown to create even greater results for muscle building and overall strength of muscles. Eccentric contractions are already the strongest form of contraction t

Rest days are critical for fitness success. Working out causes microscopic tears in your muscle fibers. Rest days allow these muscles to heal, which allows them to grow. Leaving them out can lead to overtraining, burnout, and injuries. Rest days don't have to be lounging on the couch. You can enjoy an active, productive rest day. You can make the most of your rest day by doing exercises that boost your heart rate and relieve your muscles, but you aren't fatiguing them.