Elite athletic performance and general fitness are sustained through structured hypertrophy strategies, sport-specific conditioning, and rigorous adherence to injury prevention protocols.
For some people, the word abs stirs up memories that make them cringe — grade-school sit-up tests, planks ‘til you shake or resisting cookies, pizza and everything else that tastes good. For others, the word represents the ultimate goal — the sign that your body is lean and your core is strong.
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Swimming laps and walking are both common forms of exercise used to burn calories, increase stamina and improve respiratory and cardiovascular fitness. Each activity has its own advantages and disadvantages. Some exercisers prefer one of them to the other, while many incorporate both into their workout routines.
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The Smith machine overhead press works your shoulders and triceps. A substantial piece of equipment, the Smith machine is not available in every fitness facility or home gym. If your workout calls for Smith machine overhead presses, you can perform barbell or dumbbell shoulder presses instead.
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Dancers refer to leg extensions as the lifting of one leg to the front or the side of the body. Leg extensions occur in ballet, modern dance, jazz and other types of dance. These movements can be energetic and vigorous, as in a grand battement or high leg kick, or slow and controlled, as in a développé.
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A healthy body is a happy body, and one of the best ways to stay healthy is to get plenty of exercise. Hiking is an economical way to increase your activity level, while offering a plethora of health benefits. Start slowly, especially if you are a bit out of shape.
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Roller skating is a fun, fast activity, and you can move forward, backward and even pair up with a partner once you have enough experience. Learning to roller-skate can be a daunting challenge; you are going to fall before ultimately gaining firm footing.
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Doing splits with one leg in front of you and one leg behind you requires flexibility in two major muscle groups. For the front leg, the hamstrings on the back of the leg are stretched in the splits. For the back leg, the splits challenge the hip flexors on the front of the hip.
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Gymnastics requires strength, flexibility and body awareness. It is a complex sport that is best learned under the guidance of a trained professional in a properly-equipped facility.
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Watts are a way of measuring a rider’s power output while turning the pedals during a stationary bike workout. Most modern bikes have an option on their digital display to show the number of watts you are producing.
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Swimming laps with a snorkel mask may sound like something only a diver pining for Caribbean reefs would undertake.
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Your core is your center of gravity and all movement begins there, according to Dr. Robert Donatelli in an article for SportsMD website. The core stabilizes the legs and mobilizes bones, allowing movement.
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A knee contusion usually results from a blow to or fall on the knee. The knee is particularly vulnerable to contusions. In addition to the contusion, a knee injury may result in abrasions or skin tears, which are frequent in knee injuries, according to HealthCareClinic.org.
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The BOSU balance trainers are versatile exercise tools that are shaped like half-circles, featuring a curved side and a flat side. You can stand, sit, lie or lean on the device, which produces different challenges, depending on whether you put the flat or the curved side on the floor.
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As much as you love your kid, filling the days with fun activities when you stay home can sometimes be a challenge. Fortunately, 3-year-olds make good companions who are generally up for anything, at least in small doses.
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Being the captain of a sports team requires certain traits that promote other team members to respect and follow your direction. However, the captain isn't necessarily the best player on the team. Not everyone can handle the position of team captain.
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If you have flat feet, you have lots of company: around 25 percent of Americans have pes planus, the medical term for flat feet, according to Dr. Bruce Sangeorzan of the University of Washington. For most people, flat feet cause no symptoms other than wearing out their shoes faster on the inner side of the sole.
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In an effort to train soldiers as cheaply and as effectively as possible, the U.S, Navy devised the 8-count bodybuilder, a multi-part exercise that employs intense cardio with resistance training to promote weight loss, build lean muscle and improve overall fitness.
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When you've never been a runner, the thought of enduring a 5K race may seem scary or even impossible. Let's keep things in perspective, though. A 5K race is actually only 3.1 miles -- which is a distance you might already be doing when you take a 30- to 45-minute walk to the park or go shopping downtown.
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How you execute a dumbbell shrug, sometimes referred to as the shoulder shrug, determines whether you’re strengthening your trapezius muscles or risking an injury.
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The shoulder joint is an unstable joint, despite the major work load it carries. A ball-and-socket joint consisting of three bones connected by ligaments and tendons, the shoulder's instability stems from its mobility and range of motion. Because of this underlying instability, shoulder injuries often occur.
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