Elite athletic performance and general fitness are sustained through structured hypertrophy strategies, sport-specific conditioning, and rigorous adherence to injury prevention protocols.
Dumbbells are made of cast iron but many manufacturers cover the iron with other materials to improve the look and feel of the dumbbells. Neoprene and vinyl are two of the most common dumbbell cover materials.
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Compound movements occur at more than one joint and work more than one muscle group. Isolation exercises occur at only one joint and target only one muscle group. For example, the squat exercise involves movement at your knee joint and hip joint.
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The tricep extension is a single-joint exercise that targets the triceps, the muscles on the back of your upper arm. Benefits of the tricep extension exercise include its isolation effect, convenience and variety.
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The main mover during a strength exercise is called the agonist muscle, and the secondary mover is the synergist muscle. The leg extension is a single-joint, isolation exercise that has only one main mover, the quadriceps muscles. However, other secondary muscles do come into play during the leg extension exercise.
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Although a stair-treadmill ergometer sounds like a high-tech piece of exercise equipment, it is actually another name for a stair climber or stepmill. An ergometer is an exercise machine that can measure your work output. A stair-treadmill is the combination of a standard stepper and a treadmill.
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Pullups and dips are complimentary upper-body strength-training exercises. They work opposing body parts, which means that if you do them in the same workout, pull-ups and dips hit all the major muscles of your upper body. How often you do these two exercises depends on your program design and intensity.
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Crunches work your core by lifting your upper torso and challenging the muscles of your abdomen. Performing crunches incorrectly may cause neck pain and discomfort either during the exercise or as the day goes on.
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The T6 vertebra is in the thoracic, or middle, part of your spine. Twelve vertebrae make up the thoracic spine; they are numbered from the top down. The muscles that connect to the T6 vertebra are the spinalis, a lower back muscle, and the trapezius, a muscle in your upper back.
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Working out on a treadmill at home is more convenient for many compared to going to the gym. However, with convenience comes some extra responsibility -- you will need to maintain, troubleshoot and service your treadmill to keep it running well. One common treadmill issue is the walking belt slipping or skipping.
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Treadmills take up quite a bit of space and they don't always match the decor of your home. Placing them in an out-of-the-way spot, such as your garage, is a tempting solution. However, manufacturers strongly advise against this, especially if the garage is unheated, and it could void your warranty.
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Olympic weight plates are one of two types of weight plates. The other type is standard weights. Olympic weights are used in the sport of Olympic weightlifting. They are often found in commercial gyms and fitness centers.
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The NordicTrack CX 990 is a discontinued elliptical model. It originally was introduced in 2003. The CX 990 is designed for in-home use only. It is significantly heavier than newer NordicTrack elliptical machines. Oddly, the CX 990 also has a lower maximum user capacity.
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Heart rate is often used as an indicator of health and fitness. Athletes and fitness enthusiasts use heart rate monitors to measure the intensity of their workouts. Resting heart rate is used as a measure of cardiovascular fitness. Typically, the lower your resting heart rate, the more fit you are.
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The seat, or saddle, position on a road bike is an important factor for a comfortable ride. The longer and farther the ride, the more important it is to have a properly adjusted seat. Saddle height also affects your riding efficiency.
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Curl bars, often referred to as EZ bars, are long bars that have angled grips in the middle. Like regular barbells, curl bars are available as a standard or Olympic bar. Unlike regular barbells, Olympic curl bars do not have specific dimensions and weight.
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Circuit training is a versatile form of exercise in which you set up a series of cardio activities, strength exercises or both. The circuit can consist of as few as three exercises or as many as 15. The general goal is to complete the circuit with as little rest as possible in between exercises.
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Dumbbell pullovers are a bit of an exercise anomaly in that they work two opposing muscles simultaneously: the chest and the back muscles. The chest muscles are the primary movers, but several muscles of the back assist during the movement.
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NordicTrack produced the C1800 model treadmill in 2002. It is a residential treadmill with a space-saving, fold-away design. The C1800 has a 1.5 CHP motor that supports speeds from 0 to 10 mph. The ramp inclines up to 10 percent. Users of this NordicTrack treadmill have experienced problems with the motor and the belt.
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Most treadmills provide you feedback about your workout, including approximate calories burned, speed, elapsed time and distance covered. Consumers are often leery of the accuracy of this information.
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Elliptical trainers don't measure distance in miles; they measure distance as total revolutions. Revolutions refers to the number of turns the flywheel makes as you pedal. Your speed on an elliptical machine is measured in revolutions per minute. A revolution is equal to two strides.
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