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Lead Stories: Saturday, July 19, 2008

Gauging leg strength

Posted October 16th, 2007 at 2:45 PM by Shannon Clark

Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise

One of the best ways to determine how you are progressing on your fitness program and how good of leg strength you have in general is with a wall squat test. A wall squat test will primarily assess your quad strength however the hamstrings and glute muscles will also come into play as well.

The nice thing about a wall squat test is that it is going to mimic movements that you perform very often in every day life, whether it’s getting up and down from a sitting position or walking up a flight of stairs. Being strong in this type of body position will be of benefit to you because it will make these exercises easier as well as help to prevent you from suffering any injuries in the future.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HesFit.com

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Suspension Training: New, effective training technique that does not require weights

Posted October 2nd, 2007 at 8:56 AM by Jamal Walker

Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise

suspension training The latest must-have in weight rooms across the country is nothing large and shiny, but rather a nylon strap with handles - the TRX System. Developed by Navy SEAL Randy Hetrick to keep his unit in top shape while no weights were available in small spaces such as in ships and submarines, the device can hang from anything steady (a door, tree branch, or, in gyms, a dedicated hook installed in the ceiling). Users must leverage their bodies to make their muscles work. The device is getting more and more popular, and is being used by athletes ranging from those in local gyms to NFL quarterbacks.

The manufacturer: Fitness Anywhere. They call it, “suspension training” - but you’re not really suspended from the ground at all. At minimum, one limb is on the ground. To get started, grab the handles, lean so that your head is pointing away from the TRX, and try out traditional dumbbell moves such as rows and bicep curls. To add weight, you simply tilt closer to the floor.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HesFit.com

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Runner’s High Revisited

Posted October 1st, 2007 at 1:07 PM by Lisa Cieplechowicz

Section: Running & Training, Health & Fitness, Exercise

runner's high HesFit.com, our men’s health and fitness partner site, recently reported that runner’s high was largely caused by the presence and production of endorphins in the human body. Interestingly enough, it turns out this issue isn’t as cut and dry as it may seem. Recent research questions the role of endorphins in the onset of runner’s high and turns instead to other factors to explain this state of temporary euphoria.

Endorphins are hormones, recognized for their morphine-like qualities, that are produced in your body during exercise. As Dr. Owen Anderson in Runner’s World magazine was quoted as saying, it is “[s]tress, either emotional or physical [that] triggers the release of endorphins into the bloodstream.” Intense physical activity, an undeniable cause of stress on the body, is widely recognized as the main trigger in this release of hormones. Consequently, many scientists have come to believe that there is a significant link between the release of endorphins and the elevated moods athletes are in after long, hard workouts.

Read the rest of Lisa’s analysis at our partner site: HesFit.com

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