Sports & Fitness: Performance Training, Rules & Recovery

Elite athletic performance and general fitness are sustained through structured hypertrophy strategies, sport-specific conditioning, and rigorous adherence to injury prevention protocols.

Pregnant woman

Fetal Growth and Protein

Fetal growth can be affected by the protein levels in a mother-to-be's diet, but a pregnant woman might be uncertain about the exact amount and type of protein she needs. Not only does protein intake affect a fetus' growth, it also affects the development of important organs, including the brain.

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Fastest Way for a 14-Year-Old to Get Six-Pack Abs

At age 14, you may want to get a “six-pack” to look more like the models you see on TV or to improve the way your body looks at a pool party. Having strong abdominal muscles can improve your athletic performance and reduce your risk of injuries -- although, you don’t need “six-pack” abs to be physically fit.

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Senior woman massaging her neck

Exercises to Relax Jaw Muscles

Tense jaw muscles occur for many reasons. Some people unconsciously clench their jaws during times of stress or tension, while others suffer from conditions known as TMJ disorders, disorders of the temporomandibular joint.

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Tightness in the Chest After Exercise

Any good workout will leave you breathing hard. However, if you experience tightness or pain in your chest, there might be a problem. In fact, tightness in the chest after exercise could be a sign of a serious medical condition that requires immediate treatment.

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Woman working out

What Exercise Keeps the Hips Smaller?

Having excess weight in the hips is the starting point of a pear-shaped body. This lower body fat is not as detrimental as belly fat, but it still takes its toll on self confidence. The goal is to not allow this fat to build up in the first place.

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Girl kicking soccer ball

Exercises for the Rectus Femoris Muscle

The rectus femoris, one of the four quadriceps muscles, is located on the front, middle portion of your the leg. It powers your movement every time you kick a ball, extend your knees or squat down.

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American football players

How to Learn to Read the Plays During a Football Game

Football plays are not designed to be easily read -- if you can read them in the stands or in front of the TV, so can the defense. Teams that provide obvious clues to their plays end up struggling for yardage, and the offensive coordinator’s job ends up on the line.

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Fitness and weight loss concept. Weigh scales

How Much Weight Can You Safely Lose in Four Months?

Four months is a short period in your life as a whole. But it's long enough that you can make a significant change in your body that may change your life permanently and for the better. But if you're looking to lose weight in four months, be sure to do it at a safe rate to avoid regaining weight later on.

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Close-up of a young man playing the trumpet

How Athletes & Musicians Strengthen Their Lung Capacity

Singers, wind-instrument musicians and athletes all rely heavily on lung capacity to perform their best. Good lung capacity allows musicians to take in a large amount of air to expel for a complex line of music or song and allows athletes to provide their muscles and brain with adequate oxygen during vigorous exercise.

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Man running on beach

How Much Exercise Should I Do Daily to Burn 3500 Calories?

When you're interested in tracking the calories you burn through exercise, you'll often hear people discuss the 3,500-calorie threshold. However, this number isn't representative of the calories you're likely to burn during any exercise. Rather, it represents the number of calories in a pound of fat.

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How to Tie Basketball Shorts

TV analyst and retired NBA center Bill Walton recalls arriving at UCLA in 1970, eager to learn about basketball greatness from legendary coach John Wooden. He remembers the first day of practice, when Wooden motioned for the rookies to gather around, notes author Charles Francis in “Wisdom Well Said.

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Silhouette of man with extended arms in a fighting stance

List of Kung Fu Fighting Styles

Kung fu can be as varied as the food selection at a Chinese buffet. With more than 2,000 years of history and tradition, kung fu fighting styles have evolved with changing times and new ideas, from traditional tai chi, Wudang and Shaolin styles to the more recent wing chun and choy lay fut kung fu.

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Couple doing sit-ups outdoors

Can Ab Exercises Make Your Core Look Bigger?

If you're looking for a lean midsection, ab exercises might be on your agenda. However, ab exercises don't directly burn belly fat and if you're carrying excess fat, you won't get that lean six-pack no matter how many ab exercises you do, notes Steve Holman, editor of "Iron Man Magazine."

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Goalie catching soccer ball

If a Soccer Goalie Has His Hand on the Ball Can a Player Kick It?

In soccer, the goalkeepers are the only players on the field with special privileges. While both deliberately playing the ball with his hands and arms and throwing the ball while in play are illegal for the other 10 fielded players on the team, the keeper is allowed to do both within the penalty box.

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Young woman doing chest exercise

How to Build Muscle if Your Arms Are Skinny

An ectomorph is somebody with a naturally thin frame and a metabolism that helps keep the weight off easily. If you're only worried about weight loss, this body type is an absolute blessing. For those who want to build muscle mass, it's exactly the opposite.

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Streetball Game

How to Guard a Bigger Player in Basketball

The key phrase to remember when guarding a bigger player in basketball is "ball-you-man," which means you must keep yourself between your opponent and the ball, wherever it is on the court.

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Iliopsoas Bursitis Exercises

Iliopsoas bursitis is a condition in which a fluid filled sac found on the front of your hip, called the iliopsoas bursa, becomes inflamed. Bursae function to cushion and reduce the amount of friction between your bones, muscles and tendons.

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Close up of happy fatty woman

The Best Weight-Loss Ways for High Schoolers

Regular calorie-burning exercise and a healthy, low-fat diet are the best ways for high school-age people to lose weight. Extreme dieting can be dangerous and being underweight is harmful to your health. Instead, tone up with exercise to get in shape safely.

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Young Woman Doing Splits on Balance Beam

List of Gymnastics Beam Moves

The balance beam is one of four main apparatuses that are used in competitive women’s artistic gymnastics. The beam itself measures 16 feet long and 4 inches wide. Early balance beam routines consisted of dance-based moves, including leaps, poses and acrobatic skills like walkovers and back handsprings.

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Injured blonde touching her painful knee

Inside Knee Pain & Cycling

Nothing slows down your cycling routine more than prolonged soreness. Knee pain while cycling is usually a symptom of another problem. In the case of pain on the inner side of the knee, the culprit is almost always the position of your cycling cleat.

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