Anytime Fitness Gym: Springfield - S. Dirksen Pkwy

04/05/2016

I'm usually too busy or lazy to do crunches or jog.
But about 4-weeks ago, I found this to shrink my belt-line.
My doc finally saw me the other day and was really proud of my fantastic look.
Little does he know, I took the easiest way.

Better than crunches or burpees...

03/29/2016

It has only been 5-weeks since my last visit, but my doc was shocked when she saw me walk through the door.
She was proud because of my hard work, but little does she know, I took the easy road!

Better than crunches...

11/24/2015

Cross Country Workouts With Ankle Weights

When training for cross country, many wonder what they can do to improve endurance. While running with ankle weights may seem to promise added strength and stamina, this practice can also cause injury and interfere with your natural running stride. But this doesn't mean you can't incorporate ankle weights into your cross country training routine. Isolated muscle exercises can be done while wearing them to build muscle and endurance.

Dangers of Running With Ankle Weights
Running while wearing ankle weights may seem like a good idea, but this practice can result in injury. Carrying extra weight on your ankles puts more strain on your hip, knee and ankle joints, and can lead to damage. The swinging motion of your legs with each stride can become overextended when wearing ankle weights, which can result in injury to your muscles and tendons. Furthermore, when you run with ankle weights, you have to adjust your stride to stabilize each step and control the extra force from the weights. When you take the weights off, it will be difficult to readjust to a natural running stride, and this can interfere with your performance.

Building Quad Endurance
Your quadriceps are one of the primary muscle groups used in running. For cross country running, they give you strength to climb hills and handle uneven terrain. You can exercise your quads for cross country running by wearing ankle weights while doing seated leg lifts, lying leg lifts, lying leg lifts with scissor kicks, lying side leg raises and leg extensions. The goal is to go for stamina rather than bulk, so using lighter ankle weights that allow you to complete 15 to 20 reps per set will help develop the muscle endurance needed for cross country.

Hams and Glutes for Stronger Strides
Your hamstrings and glutes are also primary muscle groups used in running. They work together to drive your legs forward with each stride. To exercise the glutes, wear ankle weights and do glute kick backs while on all fours by lifting your heels to the air one leg at a time. To exercise your hamstrings, wear ankle weights while doing standing hamstring curls by bringing your heels to your butt one leg at a time. Adjust the ankle weight amount for each exercise so you can complete 15 to 20 reps to build endurance.

Stay on Your Toes
Your calves are engaged when you run, and developed calf muscles help make each step more efficient when running. You can use ankle weights to train your calves for muscular endurance by doing calf raises and toe raises. Widening or narrowing your stance, as well as turning your toes in and out, focuses the resistance on different parts of the muscle and can help you develop stronger calves.

A Strong Core for Cross Country
Core muscles are used as supporting muscle groups when you run. A developed core can benefit a cross country runner by stabilizing his stride, especially when running over uneven terrain, and by helping him maintain proper running posture. To tone your abs with ankle weights, strap them on and do bicycle crunches, reverse crunches and leg raises. Leg raises can be done one leg at a time or with both legs at once. Start with lighter ankle weights and gradually add more weight as your abs get stronger.

11/23/2015

Upper Back Exercises With No Equipment

Because many people tend to sit all day at work or at school with little movement in the spine, your upper back can be prone to stiffness, which can limit how much you can rotate or extend. This can impair your performance in activities and sports that require repetitive rotations, such as golf, baseball and gymnastics. Without any equipment, you can perform various upper-back exercises daily to keep your body limber and to gain an advantage in your game.

Functional Anatomy
The primary function of your upper-back region, which consists of your thoracic spine, shoulder girdle and ribcage, is to provide upper-spine rotation, flexion and extension. During vigorous exercise, the chest cavity is used to assist in deep breathing by expanding the ribcage to increase its space, which allows your lungs to expand. If the upper back is stiff, then your lower back and shoulder girdle compensate the lack of rotation by giving up their role in stabilizing the joints and move, says physical therapist Gray Cook, co-founder of Functional Movement Systems. This can lead to low-back pain, shoulder dislocation, rotator cuff tears and other joint problems.

Supine Position
The supine position places the least amount of stress upon your spine, which allows you to focus more on the quality of upper-back mobility without worrying about balance. These exercises often lock your legs and hips in place to limit movement in your lower back. Having greater stability in your lower extremities increases your upper back's mobility, says Cook. The supine spinal twist is performed by lying on the right side of your body with your left knee bent and placed on the floor or on a firm cushion. Place your palms together with your elbows extended in front of your chest. Inhale deeply and exhale as you lift your left arm over your body and rotate your torso as much as you can to your left. When you can't rotate any further without moving your lower body, pause, inhale deeply again and exhale as you lower your left shoulder to the floor a little more. Repeat this exercise five to six times per side.

Quadruped Position
The quadruped position, in which your hands are placed below your shoulders and your knees are below your hip joints, improves core and lower-back stability while increasing upper-back mobility. In a 2011 study published in "The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy," young adults who exhibited poor upper-spine extension had greater upper-back extension in the prone and quadruped position than in a sitting or standing position. The quadruped trunk rotation can be performed anywhere where the floor is suitable for kneeling. Assume a quadruped position and exhale as you lift your left arm above you while rotating torso to your left and turning your head to gaze up. Inhale as you hold the reach position, and exhale as you lower your left arm below and across your chest as you reach to your right beneath your right arm. Repeat the movement pattern five to 10 times per side.

Kneeling and Standing
Kneeling and standing positions provide better movement training for upper-back mobility because more sports and activities are performed in these positions than the floor positions. Athletic trainer Tom Asuma of AthletiCo's Golf Performance Center suggests two simple exercises you can do to warm up your upper back, which can be performed with or without a club or stick. For the back lunge and twist, step back about 2 feet with your left foot, and lunge straight down, turning your torso to your right at the same time with your hands extended in front of your chest. Bring your feet together and repeat the exercise with the opposite foot and rotate your torso to your left. The split-stance rotation is performed with your arms crossed over your chest, with one foot in front of the other about 2 feet apart. Turn your torso to the left and right repetitively until you feel more limber.

11/20/2015

How to Run a Mile Without Losing Energy

If you are just starting to run, a mile can seem like an unbearable distance. You might feel pain in your sides or lose your breath quickly and finally end up quitting shortly after starting. However, as hard as it may seem, with proper training you can run a mile without losing energy. By adding to your running time progressively, you will train your body to be able to endure running a mile. Stick to your running schedule so that you don’t lose any progress that you have already made.

Step 1
Start out slowly. If your body is not used to running, beginning too quickly can lead to injury. Run for four minutes and then walk for one minute for a total of 10 minutes. If you cannot run for four minutes, run as long as you can, then walk for one minute. Follow this pattern of running and walking for a total of 10 minutes at least three times per week. Each week, add an additional minute to the running interval until you can run for 1 mile without resting.

Step 2
Push through the discomfort, but don't push through pain. When you first start running, you may experience symptoms that make you want to stop immediately. However, if you don’t feel sick or out of breath, push yourself. Know your limits and stop when you have reached them.

Step 3
Consume enough water and food. If you eat poorly, your body will perform poorly and you will run out of energy. Focus on eating lean protein, vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Drink at least eight glasses of water each day.

Step 4
Get plenty of sleep. Your muscles recover as you sleep, which means that if you skimp on sleep, your body will not recover properly. Get plenty of rest to allow your body to recover and you will be able to build up your endurance.

Step 5
Run with a friend. Having a partner to run with will maintain your motivation and keep you moving.

11/19/2015

Active & Passive Stretching

Whether you've been sitting at your computer all day or just came back from a 5-mile run, few things feel better than a good stretch. According to the American Council on Exercise, stretching provides many physical and mental benefits such as providing a sense of relaxation, easing muscles tension and reducing the chance of injury. Of the many forms of stretching, static stretches are the most familiar and can be done actively or passively depending on your stretching goals.

Getting Active
The active stretch is a type of static stretching during which you use one muscle, known as the agonist muscle, to stretch the target or antagonist muscle. Because antagonist and agonist muscles work in opposition to one another, tensing the agonist forces the antagonist to relax and stretch. For example, when flexing your foot, you engage the muscles at the front of the shin, which relaxes the muscles in your calf. In active stretches, you do not apply external force to your body to stretch the target muscle.

Staying Passive
Passive stretching is the second form of static stretching. In this type of stretch, you apply an external force to stretch a muscle. This force may be your own body weight, your hands, resistance bands, the floor, a wall or a partner pressing or pulling on you. For example, if you use your hands to pull your toes back, you are performing a passive stretch on the muscles in your calf.

Choosing Your Stretch
Research published in the journal, "Physical Therapy," showed an equal improvement in hip flexor flexibility between active and passive stretches. Since neither stretch is better than the other for increasing flexibility, you may wonder which to choose. Passive stretches done after a workout relieve muscle tension and provide relief to a sore muscle. Because they can be held for up to 30 seconds, passive stretches can be quite relaxing. Active stretches not only stretch a muscle, but can build strength in the agonist muscle. If you don't have much time for stretching, active stretches might be preferable as they don't need to be held for more than 15 seconds to be effective.

Try Out A Stretch
Before starting any static stretch, warm up your muscles for at least five minutes. To actively stretch the hamstrings raise your leg up as high as you can without losing your balance. Try to keep your leg straight in the raised position for 10 to 15 seconds and then switch sides. For a passive stretch of the hamstrings, stand without locking knees and then bend forward at the waist. Allow you arms to dangle. The external force in this stretch is your own body weight. Hold the stretch for up to 30 seconds. When holding passive stretches, resist the urge to bounce to deepen the stretch since this can lead to injury.

11/18/2015

Weight Training Workouts for Women's Arms

Slim, toned arms look attractive in a sleeveless shirt or dress, and can make you feel more confident about how you look. Weight-training workouts can help you if you're a woman who doesn't want soft, flabby arms. In addition to doing weight-training workouts, cardiovascular exercise is also a good idea to help you lose excess weight, including arm fat.

Weight Training
Weight-training exercises are an effective way to tone and strengthen your arms. For strength-training workouts to be effective, it's best to plan on two to three sessions per week of about 20 minutes each. If you haven't done any strength training in a while, it's wise to start slowly and work your way toward a full, 20-minute session. Schedule your weight-training workouts with one day off in between them to allow your muscles to recover. You can do weight training workouts at home or the gym. Although some women are concerned that weight training will lead to large muscles, you don't have to worry about that. A woman's body is different and doesn't have the level of testosterone a man's body has. Doing strength-training workouts will help you get sleek, toned arms, while also increasing your muscle strength and bone density.

Biceps and Shoulder Exercises
The biceps, or front area of the upper arms, and shoulders look sexy when they're sculpted and toned. You may not have considered your shoulders when planning an arm-toning workout, but you'll be glad you did once you see that attractive, toned curve where your shoulders and arms meet.There are many weight training exercises that target these areas. Biceps curls can be done with a weight machine, or free weights such as dumbbells, kettlebells or a barbell. Hammer curls and chest presses also tone the biceps muscles. To work your shoulder area, do lateral arm raises, shoulder presses and front arm raises with your preferred type of weight.

Triceps Exercises
The triceps, which are the muscles located on the back of the upper arms, are a trouble spot for many women. Working these muscles with weight-training exercises can help you get a firmer look on the back of your arms. Weighted rows engage the triceps muscles, as do triceps kickbacks. Additionally, overhead triceps extensions are also effective for working the muscles on the backs of your arms.

Other Considerations
If your goal is to get slender, toned arms and you have excess weight to lose, weight-training workouts alone will not be enough to reach your goal. To get rid of arm fat, you'll need to do cardiovascular exercises that help you lose weight all over and on your arms. There's no such thing as spot-reduction, but combining cardio and weight training will help you get the arms you desire. Include 150 to 300 minutes per week of heart-pumping cardiovascular exercise, such as brisk walking, biking or jogging. To engage your arm muscles while burning calories, you can participate in cardio exercise such as tennis, swimming or working out on the elliptical. Before you get started on your arm-toning and slimming plan, see your doctor to get the OK.

11/17/2015

Muscle Tightness Inside the Elbows After a Workout

Whether you've just completed a vigorous upper body workout or enjoyed a leisurely jog, your elbow joint repeatedly bends as you participate in physical activity. Post-workout muscle tightness inside the elbow is not a surprise in a joint with numerous over-lapping structures. Your elbow is an intersection of activity with muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves crossing over the joint. In many cases, a little post-workout stretching and relaxation eliminates tightness and protects you from further injury.

Be Proactive
Inner elbow muscle tightness can be due to a tight muscle or tendon that crosses the joint, but it can also be a sign of a more severe injury, such as medial epicondylitis. This condition, more commonly known as golfer's elbow, results from overused and inflamed tendons of your inner elbow. For your own safety and overall health, consult a licensed medical professional for a detailed diagnosis as soon as inner elbow tightness occurs.

Take Care to Immediately Treat
After your workout take care of your tight inner elbow immediately by applying the RICE principles: rest, ice, compression and elevation. Rest from the activity you were participating in and rest from other tasks of daily living that may aggravate the inner elbow area like carrying grocery bags. Apply crushed ice to the tight area for approximately 20 to 30 minutes. If the pain persists, repeat the icing process every two hours for 24 to 48 hours. By applying the ice directly to the tight area you are also compressing it to reduce the spread of swelling. Finally, elevate your arm above the level of your heart to increase the blood flow back to your heart.

Stretch It Out
When connective tissues in the body become tight, the best solution is to stretch them to reduce the tight feeling. Following this principle, stretch your inner elbow by opening it up. With the palm of your tight arm facing up, straighten your elbow. Hold the stretch for 30 to 60 seconds, three times per day. To increase the stretch, bend your wrist downward, opening the wrist joint up toward the ceiling. Stretching should not be painful. If it induces pain, back off and return to the immediate treatment regimen.

Strengthen Your Defences
Reducing tightness in the inner elbow also involves strengthening. As you contract the muscles of your outer elbow area, like your triceps, your inner elbow stretches out, releasing any tightness. To practice, try a triceps pushup. Using a chair or small bench sit with your palms beside your hips, grasping the chair. Keep your fingers facing forward. Walk your feet out and lift your buttocks off the chair and forward. Slowly lower your body, bending your elbows to 90 degrees, straightening them to lift your body back up. Repeat 10 to 12 repetitions, three to five times per day.

11/16/2015

Forward-Bending Hip Flexor Stretches

Your hip flexors, also called the iliopsoas, are located on the upper thighs right below the hip bones. These muscles help you to bend at the waist and raise your knees. Tight hip flexors are more than just uncomfortable; they can also decrease flexibility and contribute to injuries like muscle pulls and tears. To keep your hip flexor muscles limber, do forward bending stretches two times a day. Bending your torso forward as you stretch helps intensify the movements and really targets the hip flexors.

Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch
Place a folded towel or mat on the floor in front of you. Kneel on your left knee, cushioning your knee on the mat. Position your right foot in front of you, bending your knee to create a 90-degree angle. Rest your right hand on top of your right leg to help keep your body stable as you stretch. Place your left hand on your left hip. Keeping your back straight, bend your torso forward slightly so that more of your bodyweight shifts onto your front leg. Stop leaning when you feel the stretch in your left thigh. Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat on the opposite leg.

Butterfly Stretch
Sit on the floor and bring the bottoms of both of your feet together so that your legs form a diamond shape. Gently grasp your feet or ankles and bend your upper body forward, slightly over your legs. Hold for at least 10 seconds. Lift your knees up from the ground until they are almost a 90-degree angle from the floor and hold the stretch for another two seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat. For best results, do the entire sequence four times.

Lunge-and-Reach Stretch
Step forward with your right leg and lower your hips toward the floor until both of your knees are bent at 90-degree angles. Lean your torso forward until you feel slight tension in your left hip. Lift your left arm over your head and reach to the right side. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds and then return to the starting position. Repeat on the left side.

Pigeon Stretch
Stand up straight. Step your left leg forward and bend your torso, positioning your hands on each side of your left foot. Bend your left knee and lower your right leg to the ground. Keep your right leg turned under so that your knee and the top of your foot are pressed into the floor. Rotate your left leg to the left and slowly lower your hips until the outside of your shin is resting on the ground. Lean your torso forward slightly and hold the stretch for at least 15 seconds. Reverse the move and repeat on the opposite side.

11/13/2015

Do Ankle Weights Stunt Your Growth?

Ankle weights can turn a relatively easy routine into a challenging feat. As long as you're not overtraining, using them won't stunt your growth. However, ankle weights do carry some other risks. Talk to your doctor or trainer about the merits and risks of wearing ankle weights before you make the decision.

Stunted Growth and Weights
Weights alone won't stunt your growth. If you're already done with puberty, you're no longer growing, so you need only worry about shrinking due to conditions such as osteoporosis, not stunted growth. However, overtraining can stunt growth in developing teenagers. When you regularly work to the point of exhaustion, your body loses the energy it needs to grow. Over time, this can cause your growth to cease. In women, it can also cause a disorder known as female athlete triad, which causes eating disorders, osteoporosis and cessation of menstruation.

Bone Development and Resistance Training
High-impact, weight-bearing exercises can actually help you develop stronger bones. These routines -- which include running, weight training and similar exercises -- can help improve bone mineral density, reducing your risk of osteoporosis. However, because there are serious risks to working with ankle weights, it's better to steer clear of these weights and try other forms of resistance training instead.

Changes in Gait
Ankle weights force your body to bear more weight than it typically does during exercise. Strapping a weight on when you're running or doing another form of cardiovascular exercise can change your gait. This can lead to muscle soreness and fatigue, and it may even make your workout painful. As you increase the weight you strap on, your risks of muscle injuries, falls and improper form increase.

Risks for Bone Injury
According to Anthony Luke, a professor of orthopedics at the University of California at San Francisco, ankle weights do force your muscles to work harder. The down side of this, however, is that the additional weight on your bones can increase your likelihood of bone injuries. This risk is markedly pronounced if you already have weak bones due to osteoporosis. If you have muscle injuries or chronic conditions such as arthritis, your risk also increases.