Correct Breathing During Exercise

Breathing correctly during exercise will ensure that oxygen is properly transported (torn your kings to your muscles The way you breathe during exercise involves much more than inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. Proper technique maximizes the benefits of every exercise

Oxygen by itself does not contain usable energy, however, it {days a major role in releasing the energy stored in previously ingested food. The energy demands of your contracting muscles increase during exercise, as does their need for oxygen Because the air you breathe consists of only 21 percent oxygen, you need to inhale an increased volume of air and oxygen to meet your body's needs. You will know if you are nor breathing correctly through each repetition because you will be out of breath by the end of the exercise.

To breathe correctly during exercise, do the following:

Exhale through your mouth in a controlled manner during the most strenuous part of the movement For example, when you are performing the biceps curt, exhale as you lift your arms to contract your muscles I * Inhale through your nose during the easier part of the exercise When working your biceps, inhale as you lengthen your muscles to return to the starting position. Be sure there is adequate ventilation during your workout Excessive yawning can result from the fresh air.

Your abdominal muscles are actually a group of six muscles that originate on the sternum and ribs and extend to areas of your pel­vis. They assist with your movement, breathing process, and posture. Your abdominal muscles shorten and your back muscles lengthen to move your shoulders forward toward your hips. The reverse action creates backward flexion. The muscles that are deeper and closer to your spine contribute the most structural

support.

While your abdominal muscles can't be separated (they all work together in each exercise), there are exercises that favor certain portions of the abs. It's helpful to be familiar with your core abdominal muscles so you can target them by picturing them in your mind's eye as you exercise.

How to Train your Pectoral Muscles and Deltoid Muscles

Men display their muscled chests as a sign of strength and vital­ity. Strong chest muscles are primarily associated with hard work—sometimes at the gym. For women, toned chest muscles add contour to the chest, as well as underlying support for the breasts. However, the most compelling reason to develop your pecs is to have increased upper-body strength to live your life with independence and youthful energy.

Your chest muscles, located between your breasts and ribs, connect your chest to your arms. There is no actual muscle in breast tissue, but your underlying pectoral muscles will put up a good front. Corny comments aside, the reality is that after about age forty, your skin becomes more lax (particularly with sun damage), your milk ducts shrink, and your body fat increases. Building up your pectoral muscles will add support but won't restore your breasts to their formerly firm, round contours. For that, you need a well-fitting bra or a certified plastic surgeon.

Strong pectoral muscles arc desirable—tight ones that pull the shoulder blades, collarbones, and arms forward obviously arc not. Most of us engage in activities (such as working at the computer or even cooking) that cause us to hunch forward. Poor posture is also to blame. Continuously being in this posi­tion without stretching to open your chest muscles eventually results in consequences such as limited arm movement. Here is an effective stretch you can perform anytime to lengthen your chest muscles. All you need is a doorway.

Stand in the middle of an open doorway, placing one foot in front of the other. Bend your elbows at right angles and position your forearms on each side of the doorway. Lean forward until you feel a stretch in your chest muscles. Hold for about fifteen seconds while you breathe normally. Relax and repeat several limes.

Broad shoulders have always been a metaphor for physical and emotional strength. Like Atlas, you may have carried the weight of the world on yours. The irony is that the ball-and-socket joints that form your shoulders are also the most unstable and prone to injury. One of the best ways to protect and support your shoulder joints is by strengthening the surrounding mus­cles—the deltoids and the rotator cuffs.

Your shoulder muscles, or deltoids, form a triangle of three "heads" (front, middle, and rear), which are the most movable joints in your body. They can be used together or separately to move your arms. Your rotator cuffs, which arc made up of four muscles and their tendons, stabilize your shoulders and assist in rotation and overhead movements. Athletes who play sports that use overhead motions (such as baseball, softball, swimming and tennis) benefit from their shoulders' wide range of motion but are plagued by overuse injuries that damage and inflame the muscles and tendons. And you don't have to be an athlete to be vulnerable. Any repetitive movement, such as house painting or window cleaning, can cause rotator cuff fatigue—the best excuse yet for not doing windows.

Toned, nicely rounded shoulders enhance your body's sym­metry by being in better balance with your hips. However, the most important reason to develop your deltoid muscles is for the added strength needed to perform everyday tasks, such as car­rying a tray if you're a waiter or stowing your carry-on luggage in the plane's overhead compartment when you travel.

It is very important that you maintain all the parts of your shoulders in good working order. Exercising with weights keeps your shoulders strong, and stretching aids in flexibility. A youthful body exudes fluid, flexible movements and toned muscles. Does age rob you of strength and grace? The answer is a resounding no! Your participation in the Body Electric weight- resistance exercises that follow will make all the difference.

Well-conditioned back muscles and ligaments provide sup­port for your spine. Your ligaments hold your bones together, allowing you to perform movements such as bending and twist­ing within a safe range of motion. Your muscles, like your liga­ments, can stretch, plus they have the added ability to contract to coordinate the movement of your bones. And if you need yet another reason to exercise your back muscles, the experts’ study confirms that stronger back muscles reduce spinal frac­tures in postmenopausal women.

The Skills for Warm up Exercises

Don't expect your body to go from zero to sixty when you work out. Even elite athletes have to do a thorough warm-up for optimal performance and injury preven­tion. Warming up prior to exorcise provides you with that much- needed transition from sedentary to active. It prepares your body and mind for the more strenuous activity to follow, and it minimizes the likelihood of injury—a most important twofer. The warm-up is so named because the movements slowly increase your body's core and muscle temperature, which effec­tively increases the elasticity of your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage. Your built-in temperature regulator, perspiration, helps to prevent your body from overheating.

A warmed muscle both contracts more intensely and relaxes more easily. Your muscles contract and relax as you continue to work them through their full range of motion. As your muscles warm up, you continue to increase the number of muscle fibers that can contract together, which places less stress on the individual fibers. A stronger and healthier muscle is less vulnerable to injury.

The warm-up exercises also allow time for your heart to adjust to the increased workload. Your blood vessels dilate to assist addi­tional blood flow to the muscles, carrying increased oxygen and nutrients, such as blood sugar and adrenaline. The endurance and performance of your muscles is further fueled by increases in your blood temperature. The warm-up exercises improve per­formance, but, more important, they help to prevent or reduce muscle soreness and the chance of injury.

Warming up becomes even more of a necessity because your tissues become less supple and your joints retain less fluid. By activating the fluids in your joints, you reduce wear and (ear caused by friction and increase your range of motion. It takes about four to five minutes to warm up your body, depending on how tight your muscles and joints feel on a par­ticular day. It also may take longer to loosen up on cooler days. Bear in mind that experimentation and experience with the workout will result in increased body awareness. Vary the warm-up from time to lime to find what works best for you. For instance, background music may be energizing on some days, while on others, Zen-like silence may be more conducive to increased concentration and body awareness.

Always begin your warm-up gradually and be aware that your cold muscles arc less elastic. More focused stretching is best done after your exercise session, when your muscles are warm and pliable with the increased blood flow. In the warm- up that follows, you will begin with gentle stretching of your head and neck and progress down your body, energizing each major muscle group. Then, with your chassis purring, you'll be revved up and ready to roll—so to speak.