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Wednesday, April 26, 2006
3 Ways to Sculpt Smarter
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
DON’T LET MOMENTUM DO THE WORK. Lift and lower on an equal count, e.g., four counts up and four down.”Resist gravity during the eccentric, or lowering, pase of each move. I pretend I am exercising in water, which keeps the movement in both directions slow and controlled. Besides impeding results, relying on momentum can also lead to pulled muscles and strained ligaments.
IMPROVE YOUR POSTURE Keep your spine aligned and your chest open. If you stand sideways in front of a mirror, your head should be stacked on top of your spine- not jutting forward or cocked back - and your shoulders should be in line with the center of your hips. Poor posture de-emphasizes the area you’re supposed to be targeting and can put dangerous, unnecessary strain on surrounding muscles.
3.RELAX YOUR NECK AND SHOULDERS. Pull your shoulder blades down your back as you lift. Because women tend to have weak upper bodies, we recruit our neck and shoulder muscles when we work that area. This can limit your range of motion and prevent you from sculpting the muscle completely.
THREE SIGNS THAT YOU NEED TO PUMP UP YOUR WEIGHT ROUTINE
- BE THE TENTH REPETITION YOU FEEL LIKE YOU COULD DO AT LEAST 10 MORE. By the eighth rep you should have to give it just about everything you’ve got to do one or two more. If you can get to 10 without much effort, you definitely need to add resistance. Increase the weight in two to five pound increments until you find a level that’s sufficiently challenging.
YOU DON’T NEED TO REST You should be working hard enough that you need about one-minute break between sets.
YOU’VE BEEN DOING THE SAME WORKOUT FOR THE LAST FOUR TO SIX WEEKS..
Experts say that the body adapts to exercise in as little as three weeks. Varying your equipment (swapping machines for free weights) or the exercises themselves - taking a yoga or Pilates class — every few workouts will keep your muscles working hard and jump-start results.
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