HowToDoThings.com Exercise & Nutrition

How To Do Lower Ab Exercises

Ross348 — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 11:29:00 -0500

Lower abdominal exercises should be included in any exercise program, because they are important for spinal stability and injury prevention (especially for the low back). There are essentially two lower abdominal muscles, the lower portion of the Rectus Abdominus and the Transverse Abdominus. The Rectus Abdominus runs vertically and is responsible for pulling the front of the pelvis up towards the belly button. The Transverse Abdominus runs horizontally under the Rectus Abdominus and is responsible for pulling the belly button inward (towards the spine). This article will focus on exercises that maximize the training of these two muscles, while minimizing the involvement of other muscles.

How To Do Chest and Pectoral Exercises

Stacy214 — Mon, 08 May 2006 05:33:00 -0500

The chest is composed of two muscles. The pectoralis major is the bigger of the two, and covers most of your chest. One of its jobs is to turn your arm inward. Its other job is to help pull your arm forward and down. An example of this muscle in action would be when pushing a baby stroller.

The pectoralis minor is directly under the pectoralis major. It's attached to your third, fourth and fifth ribs at the bottom. At the top, it's attached to the front of your shoulder blade. The pectoralis minor muscle helps pull your shoulder blade down, and is useful when pushing down with your hands.

How To Do Isometric Exercises

Mary311 — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 15:31:00 -0600

Isometric exercise is a form of resistance training in which the participant uses the muscles of the body to exert a force either against an immovable object or to hold the muscle in a fixed position for a set duration of time. In this type of exercise, the muscle is contracted but does not change length during the exertion of force. Additionally the joint most closely associated with the effort remains static throughout the exercise.

Although isometric exercises may result in a great deal of benefit to the individual, there are some precautions that should be noted. Specifically those with high blood pressure should not engage in this type of activity because isometric exercises cause a spike in blood pressure. Although the blood pressure typically returns to normal rather quickly once the muscle is relaxed, the spike in blood pressure can be dangerous to those who already suffer from elevated blood pressure.