The following article is a small excerpt from one of my books. I hope you’ll want to learn more and let me help you to get into the best shape of your life.

Everyone wants a nice tight tummy or well defined abs, and some will go to great lengths to achieve this, sometimes doing hundreds if not thousands of sit ups daily. However, sit-ups alone will not solve your tummy troubles. Although they may help to strengthen your abs, diet and aerobic exercise together will help get rid of your unwanted fat and provide you with the results you desire.

The abdominal muscles give a considerable amount of support to your spine and help to protect your internal organs. Abdominal muscles are the center of your body strength. Your ab muscles include the Rectus Abdominis, external and internal obliques.

The most popular abdominal muscle by far is the Rectus Abdominis, and it gives the abdomen that distinctive washboard look. It has a right and left half separated by a tendinous strip about one half inch wide. The external obliques are located on the side and front of the abdomen while the internal obliques are located directly underneath the external obliques.

The abdominal muscles are layered and directed in a way that provides a variety of movements and functions. They help your torso to move forward, to swing from side to side and to twist. With this in mind it’s important to include twisting exercises in your routine as well as forward crunches. There are two great ab routines described in detail in the book ‘Get Fit Stay Fit’. 

Your abs also have a narrow range of motion.
If you lie flat on your back with your legs extended, your abs have the capacity to raise your shoulders about 30 degrees off the floor. Any further than this, the Psoas Magnus and Psoas Parvus muscles will be doing most of the work and not the abs. The Psoas muscles run from the front of your legs up through your pelvis and connect to the lowest six spinal vertebrae. They pull your trunk toward your legs as do your abs but their range of motion is huge, in fact they can pull you forward all the way from a full backbend until your chest touches your knees.

The abdominal muscles are also different because they do not attach to the bones like many other muscles do. So to develop your abs you do not have to exercise with weight the way you do with the other muscle groups.

While training abs, many people like to hold their hands behind their head. By doing this, they have a tendency to yank or pull at the head to get more force in the sit up. This puts a great deal of stress on the cervical vertebrae and can be very dangerous. If you cannot get used to putting your hands across your chest, try holding your hands at the side of your head. The important thing to remember is to let the abs do the lifting.

Never hold your breath during ab training. This increases the frigidness of the spine that your trying to flex. Slowly breathe out on the way up and inhale on the way down. Also when training abs, it’s very easy to get into a groove and just go through the motions, however for better results you should concentrate and feel your abdominal muscles contracting. The harder you concentrate the tighter the contractions and the better your results. This works with all muscle groups that you train. You should think about and concentrate on the muscle group you are working. By doing this you will be able to receive unbelievable results.

I know you want to get in shape and look great.  Whatever your fitness goal…to slim down…gain muscle…tone your arms or flatten your tummy…I’m here to help you accomplish your goals and to improve your fitness level. If you have enjoyed this article and the many other free features on my site, and would like some more comprehensive information such as fitness books and CD’s to aid you in achieving your health and fitness goals, please visit my ONLINE STORE where you will find innovative natural health and beauty products to help you become the BEST YOU CAN BE !

The following article is a small excerpt from one of my books.  I hope you’ll want to learn more and let me help you to get into the best shape of your life.

The shoulders are a complicated muscle joint structure, and perhaps the most complicated in the entire body. It is also a very unstable joint and can very easily injured if you do not train it properly.

The shoulder or deltoid is a three-headed muscle that is responsible for lifting your arm up and over your head, and rotating at the shoulder joint. The anterior (front) head of the deltoid lifts your arm to the front, the medial (side) deltoid lifts your arm to the side and the posterior (rear) deltoid lifts your arm to the rear.

If you over develop your front deltoid by doing too many push-ups and bench presses, you may end up with your shoulders rolling forward in a hunch forward look. So it’s important to focus on the entire shoulder muscles and not to develop one more than the other.

Although there are other muscles involved in the shoulder area, these three heads are what you need to concentrate on. Also you have probably heard a lot about your rotator cuff. These are a group of four muscles that help to rotate your arm in various directions and to help stabilize your shoulder. These are the deeper muscles in the shoulder. Strong rotator cuff muscles will help you to throw a ball further, and give you a strong swimming stroke. Weak rotator cuff muscles can lead to shoulder pain and pinching when lifting your arm over your head.

Some of the better shoulder exercises like, presses, lateral, rows and raises are described in more detail in the book ‘Get Fit Stay Fit’. 

I know you want to get in shape and look great.  Whatever your fitness goal…to slim down…gain muscle…tone your arms or flatten your tummy…I’m here to help you accomplish your goals and to improve your fitness level. If you have enjoyed this article and the many other free features on my site, and would like some more comprehensive information such as fitness books and CD’s to aid you in achieving your health and fitness goals, please visit my ONLINE STORE where you will find innovative natural health and beauty products to help you become the BEST YOU CAN BE !

The following article is a small excerpt from one of my books.  I hope you’ll want to learn more and let me help you to get into the best shape of your life.

Training your chest involves two muscles; Pectoralis Major, which is the largest muscle in your chest and helps to move your upper arm in many different directions like raising it, lowering it and bringing it across your body. Pectoralis Minor, a small muscle which is located on the front of the upper chest and is covered by Pectoralis Major. Pectoralis Minor helps to lower your shoulder and is involved in pushing movements, catching movements and helps to lift objects over your head.

Your chest muscles are involved in most of your upper arm movements. Although these muscles (pecs) are the two major muscles worked when training chest, your shoulders and triceps muscles are also involved in most of the chest exercises.

A common mistake when training your chest is to lift weights heavier than your chest muscles are capable of handling. This is possible by performing the exercises in an incorrect way by cheating, swinging the weight or bouncing it off your chest.

By performing the exercises in this manner other muscles do the work and not your chest. It’s great to be strong, but what is really important is your definition and not how much weight you can lift. Proper technique will not only help build definition, but helps to prevent injury.

When lifting too heavy of a weight, it takes only a millisecond to lose your concentration and tear a muscle or injure a joint. So concentrate on proper form and not becoming a superhuman.

Whether you want to look good or increase your athletic performance it’s important to train your chest properly and from different angles. The book ‘Get Fit Stay Fit’ details some of the most effective chest exercises like bench presses, flyes and pullovers, to help you with your overall development.

I know you want to get in shape and look great.  Whatever your fitness goal…to slim down…gain muscle…tone your arms or flatten your tummy…I’m here to help you accomplish your goals and to improve your fitness level. If you have enjoyed this article and the many other free features on my site, and would like some more comprehensive information such as fitness books and CD’s to aid you in achieving your health and fitness goals, please visit my ONLINE STORE where you will find innovative natural health and beauty products to help you become the BEST YOU CAN BE !