Proper Exercise Techniques
Make your workout work. From arm curls to three-way lunges, review these tips on correct exercise techniques. Consult with your physician before starting a rigorous exercise program.
Arm curls
Activity Level: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Targets: Biceps
Equipment: Light dumbbells or tension tubing
Place your arms by your sides with your palms facing inward. Keep your elbows tight to your side and bring your forearms all the way up. You should feel a good contraction in your bicep. Pause at the top, and slowly return the weights to your sides. Repeat.
Bent-over reverse fly
Activity Level: Advanced, Athletic
Targets: Shoulder and shoulder joint muscles
Equipment: Dumbbells and a bench or chair
Sit on the edge with your feet flat on the floor, knees bent at a 90-degree angle directly over your ankles. With a dumbbell in each hand and your palms facing each other, begin with your elbows slightly bent and the dumbbells under the back of your hamstrings. Bend over at your hips so that your chest comes down onto the upper part of your thigh. Then, keeping your arms slightly bent, extend your arms outward until they are parallel with the floor. You are trying to squeeze your shoulder blades together. Bring your arms down and repeat.
Bent-over row
Activity Level: Intermediate
Targets: Biceps, shoulder and mid-back muscles
Equipment: Dumbbells
Place one hand and knee (on the same side of your body) on a bench with your foot hanging over the end of the bench. Keep your back straight, parallel to the floor. With your opposite arm dangling down to the floor, pull a dumbbell up. Make sure your elbow stays high until the dumbbell reaches the side of your chest. When you return, don't let the dumbbell touch the floor.
Bicycle crunches
Activity Level: Athletic
Targets: Oblique abdominal muscles
Begin on your back with your hands clasped behind your head. Bring your knees over your hips and extend one leg straight out so that it is elevated off the floor eight to 12 inches. As you bring that leg's knee towards you, extend the other leg out while you pull your torso up so that your opposite elbow touches the first knee coming towards you. Then twist your torso so that your other elbow touches your other knee. It's similar to riding a bicycle. Touching each elbow to each knee constitutes one repetition.
Chest press
Activity Level: Intermediate
Targets: Chest muscles
Equipment: Dumbbells and a bench
Lie down on the bench so your feet are flat on the floor. Start with the dumbbells in your hands with your arms spread out, parallel with the floor. In a controlled manner, bring the weights straight up above your chest until they nearly touch -- but do not let them touch. Then, again under control, return the weights back to your starting position.
Close-hand push-ups
Activity Level: Athletic
Targets: Triceps
Similar to a standard push-up, with your thumbs and index fingers just two inches apart.
Crunches
Activity Level: Advanced, Athletic
Targets: Abdominal muscles
Begin on your back with your hands clasped behind your head. Bring your knees over your hips. Raise up and contract your torso or abdominal muscles so that your elbows nearly touch your knees. If you can touch your knees, that's even better. Return to the beginning position and repeat.
Fast squats
Activity Level: Advanced
Targets: Quadriceps and buttock muscles
Begin with your feet slightly more than shoulder width apart. Place your fingers on the back of your head with your elbows out to your side. Pushing your hips and behind backwards so that your knees do not extend beyond your toes, squat down until your thigh is almost parallel to the floor. Go fast: one second down, one second back up.
Incline chest press
Activity Level: Athletic
Targets: Chest muscles
Equipment: Dumbbells, inclined bench, or flat bench with telephone books
This type of chest press emphasizes your upper chest muscles. Lie down on the bench so your feet are flat on the floor. You need to elevate only your head at a 45-degree angle, either by angling that portion of the bench or putting a thick telephone book underneath your head. Start with the dumbbells in your hands with your arms spread out, parallel with the floor. In a controlled manner, bring the weights straight up above your chest until they nearly touch -- but do not let them touch. Then, again under control, return the weights back to your starting position.
Incline push-ups
Activity Level: Intermediate, Advanced
Targets: Chest muscles
An incline targets your upper chest muscles more. Place your hands under your shoulders atop eight-inch-high supports, such as a step or several telephone books. Extend your legs behind you with your toes together. Now elevate your body so your toes and arms are supporting you. (Women: elevate yourself from your knees, not your toes.)
Throughout the motion, maintain a straight line with your body -- no behinds in the air. Lower yourself until your arms make a 90-degree elbow joint. Your chest should come close, but not touch, the elevated platform. Push yourself up until your arms are almost straight and repeat the motion. Keep your head in a neutral position and keep breathing.
Lateral raise
Activity Level: Intermediate, Advanced, Athletic
Targets: Biceps, shoulder joint muscle
Equipment: Dumbbells or tension tubing
Begin in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. If you use resistance tubing, stand on the middle of the tubing to anchor it. With your palms by your sides and elbows slightly bent, raise your arms outward until they are parallel with the floor, then return slowly to your starting position.
Lunges
Activity Level: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Targets: Hamstring and buttock muscles
Equipment: Body weight or dumbbells
Hold one dumbbell in each hand with your arms extended downward and your palms facing your legs. Take one stride forward till your knee makes a 90-degree angle and land with your heel first. Key point: Do not allow your knee to extend beyond your toes. Alternate with opposite legs for 12 to 15 repetitions for each leg.
Military press
Activity Level: Basic
Targets: Shoulder muscles
Equipment: Light dumbbells or tension tubing
With dumbells or tension tubing in hands, put arms into a "Rocky" position: Arms bent at a 90-degree angle, palms facing forward about level with ears. Push straight up till arms are almost fully extended, with a slight bend at the elbow. Hold for a second, then bring hands down slowly till they are again at ear level.
One-arm curls
Activity Level: Intermediate, Advanced
Targets: Biceps
Equipment: Dumbbells or tension tubing
Same starting position as with regular arm curls. When your arm reaches a 90-degree angle, turn your wrist so that your palm faces upward. Then continue until your forearm is straight up. Do not touch your shoulder. The key: make sure your elbow stays tight to your torso. Return to starting position.
One-arm kickbacks
Activity Level: Intermediate, Advanced, Athletic
Targets: Triceps
Equipment: Dumbbells and bench
Place one hand and knee (on the same side of your body) on a bench with your foot hanging over the end of the bench. Keep your back straight, parallel to the floor. With your opposite arm dangling down to the floor, pull a dumbbell up till your arm is bent at a 90-degree angle, with your hand near your ribs. Then "kick back" the weight, like a bucking horse does, until your arm is straight and parallel with the floor. Return, under control, to your starting position.
One-leg toe raise
Activity Level: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Athletic
Targets: Calf muscles
Equipment: Bodyweight or dumbbells
Put all of your weight onto one leg and tuck the foot of your other leg onto the back of your calf, about six inches off the ground. Raise up on your toe, counting for two seconds as you go up, then two seconds as you go back down. If you use dumbbells, hold them in your hands by your side.
Push-ups
Activity Level: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Athletic
Targets: Chest muscles
Place your hands under your shoulders and extend your legs behind you with your toes together. Now elevate your body so your toes and arms are supporting you. (Women: elevate yourself from your knees, not your toes.)
Throughout the motion, maintain a straight line with your body--no behinds in the air. Lower yourself until your arms make a 90-degree elbow joint. Your chest should come close, but not touch, the floor. Push yourself up until your arms are almost straight and repeat the motion. Keep your head in a neutral position and keep breathing.
Seated arm curls
Activity Level: Athletic
Targets: Quadriceps, buttock muscles
Equipment: Dumbbells
Sit on a chair or bench, Keep your elbows tight to your side and bring your forearms all the way up until the dumbbell almost touches your shoulder. Pause at the top, and slowly return the weights to your side. Repeat.
Seated row
Activity Level: Intermediate, Advanced, Athletic
Targets: Shoulder and upper back muscles
Equipment: Tension tubing
Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you and your knees slightly bent. Either place the resistance tubing around your feet or put your feet into the tubing loops. Gripping the tubing with your thumbs pointed upwards, pull with both arms simultaneously toward your torso. As if you are rowing, pull back till your arms are even with your rib cage.
Sit-ups
Activity Level: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Athletic
Targets: Abdominal muscles
The basic sit-up, is one of the best defenses against common lower back problems. Because of the body's architecture, your abdominal muscles help to keep the back healthy and pain free.
Start by lying on your back on the floor. Flex your knees at almost a 90-degree angle, with your feet as wide as your shoulders and your heels flat on the ground. With your hands resting on your thighs, slowly curl your body up until your fingers touch your knees; slowly return to your starting position, and repeat the motion.
Squats
Activity Level: Basic, Intermediate
Targets: Quadriceps (front thigh muscles) and buttock muscles
With your trunk tilted slightly forward, bend downward with your knees and hips. Make sure your hips and behind go backwards, as if you were sitting in a chair. Do not lean too far forward; your knees should not extend beyond your toes. Lower yourself until your knees approach a 90-degree angle. Then push back up with your weight on your heels, not your toes. To give your muscles a good workout, do it slowly. Count five seconds as you go down and five seconds as you return to an upright position.
Squat Jumps
Activity Level: Athletic
Targets: Quadriceps, buttock muscles
Begin in a standing position with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders and your hands by your side. With your trunk tilted slightly forward, bend downward with your knees and hips. Make sure your hips and behind go backwards, as if you were sitting in a chair. Do not lean too far forward; your knees should not extend beyond your toes. Lower yourself until your knees approach a 90-degree angle. Then explode up and jump off of the ground. When you land in the starting position, squat down and repeat.
Three-Way Lunges
Activity Level: Athletic
Targets: Hamstrings, buttock muscles
Equipment: Body weight or dumbbells
If using dumbbells, hold one dumbbell in each hand with your arms extended downward and your palms facing your legs. With or without dumbbells, take one stride forward till your knee makes a 90-degree angle and land with your heel first. Lunge straight ahead. Return to the starting position and lunge at a 45-degree angle to one side. Return, then lunge directly to your side. Return, then switch legs and repeat. Three lunges using each leg constitutes one repetition. Key point: Do not allow your knee to extend beyond your toes.
Tricep dips
Activity Level: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced
Targets: Triceps
Equipment: Bench or chair
Sitting at the edge of a chair or bench, put your hands next to your behind with your palms facing downward. Lift your body weight up with your arms and dip your bottom down toward the floor. Go down until your arms and legs both form 90-degree angles, then push yourself up till your arms are slightly bent at the elbow. Repeat.
Upright row
Activity Level: Basic
Targets: Biceps, shoulder muscles and trapezius
Equipment: Light dumbbells or tension tubing
Hold dumbbells or tubing in each hand with palms resting on the top of thighs. Bending elbows outward, pull straight up along body until hands are slightly below chin. Make sure elbows stay higher than hands. Lower hands and repeat.