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Most people believe that they have the best exercise regime ever. These people, however, are wrong. The exercise routine about to be introduced is the ultimate fat burning, muscle toning, back breaking work out. First to be distributed in this paper will be the stretching routine-this is to be done before any and all forms of exercise. It helps prevent sprains and pulled muscles. Tips for walking is the next best thing on the list of this ultimate FBMTBB work out. Starting out slow and than working your way up to a jog is a good way to increase endurance. Finally, the best results are achieved using exercise bikes, stair climbers, treadmills and cross country machines. Using this method of exercise, the goal of cultivating the perfect body is achieved.
Flexibility: The Importance of Stretching Out
Most experts believe greater flexibility--the range of motion in a joint--helps prevent injury during exercise and in everyday activities. A joint's flexibility depends on the amount of "give" allowed by the muscles in the joint.
According to Dr. Daniel Rooks, research associate in orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School, the greater the range of motion in our joints, the more comfortable we will be performing our normal activities.
As we age, muscle fibers become less pliable and restrict motion. However, flexibility can be improved at any age. By doing regular stretching, twenty minutes a day five days a week, you can achieve noticeable improvement in a month.
When a muscle is stretched farther than it can go, sensitive structures called muscle "spindles" send a message to the spinal cord and brain which causes the muscles to contract. By repeating proper stretching techniques, these spindles "learn" to tolerate the tension and permit the muscle to extend still further. Stretching also lengthens the connective tissue in a muscle, allowing it to stretch further. When a muscle group performs the same movement over a period of time without any variety in motion, "tracking," which limits the range of motion, can occur. Tracking can also result from remaining in one position too long, such as sitting in a chair all day.
"A static position puts pressure on your joints," says Dr. Robert Stephens, director of sports medicine at the University of Health Sciences Medical School in Kansas City, "either through your own body weight or through muscular contractions, making it difficult to move."
With adequate stretching and use of muscle groups, however, factors, such as tracking and muscle strain from exercise, can be greatly reduced. Stretching routines that pinpoint specific muscles are considered the best for improving flexibility, though any activity that takes your joints through a variety of motions will stretch the surrounding muscles.
A good flexibility program should concentrate on muscles where tightness is common, such as the hamstrings, hip-flexors, quadriceps, calves, Achilles tendons, lower back, shoulders, and chest. Women should pay particular attention to strengthening the upper back muscles to prevent the shoulders from rounding with age.
Experts recommend that you stretch after warming up with a hot bath or after five to ten minutes [next page]