Fitness Video World

One of the most essential exercises to add to your weight lifting routine is the deadlift. Constantly in our day to day lives we are engaged in the task of taking an object off of the floor and lifting it. It is a natural part of how are bodies are made to be able to do this effectively. No exercise prepares the body for this basic, essential part of human movement like the deadlift.

The deadlift is, in many respects a simple exercise. There are but a few points to keep in mind, as highlighted in this deadlift technique video.

Note the starting position that is described in the video. Make sure that this is correct before you even being to move the barbell off of the floor. Correct technique, and safe training, is essential for reaping the benefits of this lift.

Notice also how the knees lead the movement with the back angle remaining unchanged. After the knees, the hip is extended and the back is made vertical.

It is important that the back remain straight from the moment before the lift is started, through the finish with the body erect, and back to the floor. Take a breath at the bottom of the rep, and hold it throughout. The pressure of the air within your torso will help support the back, and contribute to safe lifting.

Start out with a double overhand grip, and only when grip strength becomes a limiting factor in the weight you lift should you switch to an overhand and underhand grip. Be careful when lifting with the alternate grip, as improper lifting, and poorly prepared muscles can cause injury to the bicep in the arm that is using the underhand grip.

Keeping these points in mind, adding deadlifts to your routine will create strength in your back, glutes, and hamstrings, and will contribute to good posture.

The deadlift need not conjure up images of hulking men lifting massive weight. It is appropriate for all men and women (unless your doctor indicates otherwise due to pre-existing injury) with all types of fitness goals desiring to maintain a high level of functional strength, and overall wellness. This video demonstrates the lift very well.

Here’s to your health, and safe lifting to you!

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Are you having a hard time making it to the gym to get to your aerobics class due to a busy schedule? Stability balls are a fun way to tone up and can provide a great workout in the convenience of your own home. Stability balls allow for a variety of exercises that can provide a good aerobic workout, and also strengthen major muscle groups.

This video showcases a few exercises that can be performed with a stability ball and used to strengthen and tone the glutes, hamstrings, inner thighs and abs.

If you are ready to add an element of playfulness to your workout, and embrace the convenience that a stability ball can provide, then click here to get your stability ball.

As a guide to use in purchasing your stability ball, find your height in the list below, and purchase the recommended size ball based on your height.

• Under 5′ = 45cm ball
• 5′ - 5′7″ = 55cm ball
• 5′8″ - 6′3″ = 65cm ball
• Over 6′3″ = 75cm ball

With the correct size stability ball, and a couple basic exercises, you are ready to put together some truly fun workouts that will help you shape the body of your dreams. Be on the lookout on this site for more videos featuring stability ball exercises in the future for more ideas and exercises you can use to create awesome stability ball exercise routines.

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Are you looking to add some explosive power to your training? Could your sport performance benefit from an increased ability to generate power, and accelerate quickly? You need to add cleans to your workout!

Dumbbell cleans are an effective way to develop explosiveness from the hips and legs. This video demonstrates a one armed dumbbell clean and a push press. Cleans are frequently followed by a press, push press, or either a split or push jerk. In a future post, I’ll discuss the differences between the press, push press, and the jerk, but for now, let’s focus on the clean.

The clean is so named because the weight is brought up to the shoulders in one “clean” motion. There are many variations on the clean, and many tools can be used to practice it. Barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, and even medicine balls can all be used to train the clean. Variations on the clean also involve different starting positions, and different positions where the weight is caught at shoulder level. When someone speaks of a clean, unless otherwise qualified, they are speaking of driving a weight from the floor, to shoulder height, and catching it in a full squat position. Power cleans are received in a partial squat position. Split cleans are received with the legs split similar to doing a lungs. Hang cleans start with the weight being held in the arms,hanging by the thighs with the body erect.

Key points to keep in mind when training the clean is that the upward momentum of the weight MUST be generated solely by the legs, hips, and by shrugging the shoulders. There is no bicep curl involved in receiving the weight. Instead, what you must get into the habit of doing is aggressively diving your body under the weight, while bringing your elbows out in front of you at the moment the weight has reached the height of it’s ascent and is momentarily weightless.

You must also take care to keep the weight close to the body throughout the movement, and create as straight and vertical a path as possible for it to travel. When you receive the weight, at shoulder height, the elbow must be out, and the upper arm must be as close to parallel to the floor as your flexibility will allow.

Practice these with light weights at first, such as an empty bar, or light dumbbells until you are confident that the above points have been built into your muscle memory and you can do each rep correctly every time. Once your form is good, start adding weight and watch your performance increase dramatically!

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Yoga provides so many health and fitness benefits. Through practicing yoga, one can relieve stress, improve posture and flexibility, and a host of other things. Yoga can be a very enjoyable addition to one’s fitness program.

However, many people do not know where to start in a yoga practice, or may think that they need to be able to contort themselves into all sorts of advanced positions to see the benefits. This is not true. This yoga video featuring Shiva Rea demonstrates some simple yoga that most anyone can learn, and add to their daily routine.

Shiva Rea is an incredible yoga instructor, and I follow her videos myself. I always feel rejuvenated afterwards. Click here to browse Shiva Rea Yoga Videos. If you need a good point to start at, check out her “Yoga Flow for Beginners”, or “Sun Salutations”. Both offer a great introduction to yoga in the comfort of your own home.

Namaste!

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Resistance bands are a great exercise tool that can be used by busy people on the go. Keeping a set in your bag, your suitcase, or your car can help you get in a good workout, even when traveling. Resistance bands are also good for adding just a little bit of extra resistance to bodyweight exercises such as squats, lunges, and push ups.

In this video, the host demonstrates a squat using a resistance band. A properly executed squat is in my opinion the single best leg exercise that a person can do. You work the glutes, the quadriceps, and the hamstrings all when it’s done correctly. The host also adds a nice twist to the squat, adding a side leg raise that will work the outside of your thighs and help develop a nice, toned upper leg.

Resistance bands come on a variety of intensity levels. I recommend purchasing a set that includes at least 3 different bands so that you can do exercises involving the large muscles of the leg, as well as the smaller muscles of the arms. A set like the GoFit Ultimate ProGym with DVD would be ideal for most people starting out with resistance band training.

Have fun! Get strong!

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