When strength training you are looking at a way to increase your muscles to the level you desire. How you go about strengthen your muscles varies in multiple different ways. You can start out at the gym lifting weights with free weights or machines, you can go out on a run or walk to increase your leg muscles and stamina, or you could just stretch the muscles in your body to get it ready for your next step at strengthening. With so many areas to focus on, there are basically four types of exercises that you will need to look at and address, which are endurance, balance, flexibility and strength. All of the 4 different exercises will get your body ready for any type of exercise, sport, activity, or just normal motion in your every day life. The body moves in all different directions depending on what you do during your day, and all of these exercises can help shape your muscles, lung capacity, flexibility, and balance to give you the support for any situation and help deter the occurrence of a potential injury.
Endurance is all about your heart rate and breathing, while increasing the capacity for an extended amount of time. Some of the Endurance Exercises that you can participate in are:
–Walking
-Jogging
-Sweeping
-Running
-Swimming
-Dancing
-Playing tennis
-Riding a bike
-Rowing machine at the gym
All of these endurance type activities and exercises are basically building up your lung capacity to allow your body to maintain exercise at a constant rate for the duration of your choice. There are many different types of endurance exercises that will make your heart rate increase, as these are just a few to get you started or your mind thinking of different types of exercises that you may enjoy.
Balance Exercises are simply working on your balance, which could benefit your body to not being as prone to falling or creating other types of injuries from the fall itself. These are some balance type of exercises that you can try:
–Standing on 1 leg and holding your balance, with or without your arms to the sides.
–Walking on a straight line heel to toe without falling one way or the other
-Doing a balanced type of walk
–Standing tall and doing back leg raises and front leg raises
There are other types of balance exercises that you can find which would help the primary focus of your body, which is to gain strength with each leg and arm. These different balance exercises can be done anywhere and anytime, as balance is the key to making sure your body and mind can stay focused not having to worry about falling.
Flexibility Exercises help your body’s ability to become more flexible, create a better understanding of stretching the proper way, and create more freedom with your physical activities throughout your day. Here are some flexibility exercises that you can try today:
– Neck Stretching – Turn your head to the right and left slowly until you feel the end range of motion, as you feel the neck stretch hold that position for about 10-30 seconds.
– Shoulder Stretching – Place your back against a wall and bend your arms up into a field goal position with the back of your arms touching the wall and hold for about 10-30 seconds. Then roll your arms forward and down there your palms are touching the wall in the opposite position that you were just in but only facing downwards, and hold this position for 10-30 seconds.
– Shoulder with Upper Arm Stretching – Grab a towel and hold one end behind your head with the right arm, and with the left arm grab the towel behind your back just above your buttocks, then you can slowly pull the towel with the left arm down and stretch your right shoulder, hold this for 5-10 seconds. Then reverse the handgrip with having your left arm behind your head, and grab the towel with the right arm behind your back just above your buttocks, and repeat the stretch for 5-10 seconds.
– Stretching your Upper Body – Face a wall while standing further than just your arms length from the wall, lean into the wall with your arms at chest level, and then slowly walk up the wall with your hands stretching your upper body and hold this position just above your head for 10-30 seconds and walk your hands back to the position where you started.
– Stretching your chest – Sitting or standing, either can work, just hold your arms at shoulder level even with ground and move your arms backwards feeling your shoulder blades squeeze together and at the point where you cant go back any further hold that position for 10-30 seconds.
– Stretching your Back – Sitting in a chair with your feet flat on the ground, slowly start to twist your upper body without your hips moving, and twist as far as you can go like your turning to look behind you, then hold the position for 10-30 seconds. Repeat with the other side twisting the other way and holding again for 10-30 seconds at a time.
– Stretching your Thigh – Laying down on your side while resting your head on top of your arm, then use your arm that is on top of the body and grab the top of the foot and ankle that is the same side as the arm your are using, and slightly pull the leg towards your buttocks bending at the knee. This will stretch your thigh muscles, and you should hold this for 10-30 seconds. Repeat on the other side by flipping over and doing the same thing with the other leg and arm, holding for 10-30 seconds.
– Stretching out your Calf Muscles – While standing face a wall where you will put your hands chest level against the wall, then put one leg back in a lunging stance while keeping both knees bent, and your feet flat on the ground. Then bend the leg that is behind you like you are going to kneel down, but keep the foot flat on the ground until you feel a slight stretch in the calf muscle of that leg and hold for 10-30 seconds. Repeat with the other leg the same way and hold the stretch for 10-30 seconds.
These are just a handful of stretching exercise that will help get you started. As you master each of these stretches, you can always look for other ways to help stretch the same muscles. It is a good idea to rotate different types of stretches for the same muscle groups, as this will keep your body stretching in different ways.
Looking now at Strengthening Exercises, they can help build small or large changes in your muscle strength that will make a huge difference in your life. With more capability in preforming your everyday activities for your daily living, working out your muscles and building strength is a key quality to living your life pain free. Below are some strengthening exercises that will allow your body to build muscles and gain the strength that is needed in your upper and lower body.
Strengthening exercises for your Upper and Lower Body: Do these exercises 10-15 repetitions each.
- Wrist Curls – These help strengthen not only your wrist but also your forearms and grip strength.
- Arm Curls (Bicep Curls) – These increase your grip strength and your biceps.
- Side Arm Raises & Front Arm Raises – Increase your strength in your arms and shoulders.
- Elbow Extensions – These help strengthen your arms in the back and your triceps.
- Chair Dips – These are the reverse of elbow extensions, as you are pushing up and down, and they help increase strength in your arms, shoulders, and triceps.
- Leg Raises for the Back of the leg – Standing tall holding onto a chair in front of you, then raise one leg and bend that knee pointing the toe towards the ground. This helps increase strength in your lower back, buttocks and hamstrings.
- Leg Raises for the Front of the leg – Sit in a chair and lift one leg up at a time bending at the knee pointing the toe at the ceiling, then repeat with the other leg. This increases your thigh muscles and knee supporting muscles.
- Toe Stands (Calf Raises) – Stand behind a chair or facing a wall, and stand up on the tips of your toes and hold for 2-3 seconds then put feet back flat on the ground. This helps increase muscle strength in the ankles and your calves.
There are a multitude of different types of strengthening exercises that you can do. For every muscle group in the body there are so many different types of exercises that you can perform, you just have to get creative on what you like to do and which exercise you enjoy. If you find an exercise that you enjoy, it is easier to get your mind in the right mentality to do that exercise. As it will be more enjoyable to you, and your muscles will agree. These exercises that are listed above are only a small example of strengthening exercises that you will want to do on a weekly basis. Conditioning your body to the shape you want it to be in takes time and commitment, but it is also great to keeping your body in shape for those unexpected situations that can occur.
Throughout our daily lives we use the entire body of muscles that surround our skeleton , and with these endurance, balance, flexibility and strength exercises, they are able to get your body ready for any motion and movement that you require. All of these different exercise are just a few of the many types of exercises out there, but they will get you and your body started on the right path to help increase the strength, flexibility, endurance, and balance that is needed to live the life you deserve. At PrimeSpine we look into what you do not only at work, but also with your activities that you like to enjoy. This way we can help guide you to the exercises that will benefit you the most. Call us Today at (425) 590-9619 to get in and get an evaluation of your body and the exercises that you could benefit from. Let us take care of your spine and body, so you can enjoy your life one free of pain and limitation.
