The best way to get hard ripped abs is by doing some strenght training. Increasing your cores strenght has many benefits and strenght training is the most important in this case.

Strength training is not running on a treadmill, riding a stationary bike, or using an elliptical machine. Although those types of aerobic machines use “resistance” to increase your workout intensity,
it’s not the same as strength training. Strength training is structured according to different goals throughout the season, just as training is structured around key races.

Strength training is a fancy way of describing the process of building muscle power by lifting free weights or working out against resistance, by using equipment like Nautilus or Universal machines
or by working against large elastic bands. While “aerobics” was the exercise catchword of the 1970′s and 80′s, strength training is the trend of the 1990′s, hailed as a critically important
complement to aerobics in a total fitness program.

Strength training is linked to high bone mineral density in adults of all ages and both sexes. Osteoporosis is a type of skeletal deterioration, characterized by decreasing bone density that weakens
the bone structure Graves and Franklin 2001. Strength training is performing a lift for several repetitions, 10-20 generally is recommended for children. There is such a high level of concentration
for weightlifting that the chance of injury outweighs any potential benefit.

Strength training is a great way to spice things up and add a completely different challenge to your body. The nice thing about strength training is that it offers so many ways to set up your workouts.
there’s always something new to try and you never run out of new exercises, different types of resistance, new routines and a variety of ways to work your body. Strength training is any exercise you do
against some kind of resistance. This resistance can be machines, free weights, tubing or your own body weight. It is essential for optimal health, fitness, and function; this is especially true in the
over-50 audience. The challenge is in making strength training safe, sensible, and effective, given the specific needs of this market segment.

Strength training is the practice of using free weights, weight machines, and rubber resistance bands to build muscles. With resistance the muscles have to work extra hard to move. Strength training
is done FIRST following the warm-up on days when you do both strength and cardio training. This will optimize the hormonal response that maximizes your body’s ability to build and develop muscle.
Strength training is primarily an anaerobic activity, although some proponents have adapted it to provide the benefits of aerobic exercise through circuit training.

Strength training differs from bodybuilding, weightlifting, power lifting and strongman, which are sports rather than forms of exercise.

Strength training is a great way to improve strength, endurance, and muscle tone. But remember to start slowly, use proper form, avoid heavy weights, and increase workouts gradually to prevent injury.
Strength training is important for cardiac health because heart disease risk is lower when the body is leaner. One study found that cardiac patients gained not only strength and flexibility but also
aerobic capacity when they did strength training three times a week as part of their rehabilitation program. Strength training is critical for combating frailty and disability, for increasing strength
and mobility, for staying active and self-sufficient. Research has consistently shown the fitness and health benefits of strength training for older adults.

Strength training is physical activity intended to increase muscle strength and mass. Adults who engage in strength training are less likely to experience loss of muscle mass 1 , functional
decline 2 , and fall-related injuries than adults who do not strength train 3 . Strength training is not just for male bodybuilders and competitive athletes. It is for everyone and yields many
benefits to the human body, internally and externally.

All of the big Las Vegas casinos put on shows to attract crowds to the casino, and instead of hiring new dancers every time the change the show, they hire full time dancers and these girls are called Showgirls.

If you have ever thought about putting elaborate costumes and dancing in front of crowds every night, then becoming a Vegas Showgirl may be the job for you.

Being a Vegas Showgirl is not an easy job. You must be in top physical condition if you expect to be a professional dancer, and it is important to remember that not everyone will make it, becoming a professional dancer is a roll of the dice, you have better odds of winning an
game then making it as a dancer.

There are several things you can do to help improve your chances of getting your carrier as a Las Vegas Casino dancer started

Dance lessons, if you want to be a professional dancer you have to learn several different styles of dance, and dance them all well. This may be the hardest part to becoming a dancer. This part will take many years and require you to spend several hours a day every day taking dancing lessons.

Physical Conditioning, dancing requires lots of endurance and stamina. Besides the workouts you will get from all the dancing lessons you will take you will also need to work out on your own regularly. These workouts should include aerobic and some weight training.

Weight training should not be done to build muscle mass only for building strength and muscle toning. The best way to do this is by doing high repetition counts of low weights. This method will make the existing muscles stronger but will not bulk you up.

To pursue a carrier in dancing in a Vegas Casinos it is important to target the leg, stomach and back muscle groups. It is from these muscle groups that a dancer moves.

Diet, Dancers are required to be tossed around and lifted into the air, not to mention the fact that most dancers are skin tight and for these reasons dancers must always watch their weight.

Many Las Vegas Showgirls have to get on the scale every week and if they gain weight they could get thrown out of the show. Always remember there are many people that dream of dancing professionally, and the casinos will not hesitate to throw a girl out and replace her for the slightest reason.

Once you feel you are good enough you can start sending in resumes. A resume should include each different style of dance that you know and how long you have been doing it, and it should also include all prior dance experience.

A good way to get experience is to get yourself in as many different things you can. Local theater groups are a great way to gain experience. Getting a job as a dance instructor Is also a good way to gain experience and practice at the same time.

By sending your resume to all the different casinos you can greatly increase your chances of getting at least one audition. Do not expect to get hired at the more popular casinos on your first audition. The bigger Las Vegas casinos usually like to hire girls with more experience, so you will probably have to work as a showgirl at a smaller casino first.

Warm-up

You must prepare your body before taking part in physical training, sports competition, or vigorous physical activity. A warm-up may help prevent injuries and maximize performance.

The warm-up increases the bodys internal temperature and the heart rate so that more oxygen-rich blood can be pumped through the muscles. The chance of getting injured decreases when the heart, muscles, ligaments, and tendons are properly prepared for exertion and, vica versa the risk of injury increases unnecessarily when you do not go through a proper warm-up.

A warm-up should include some running-in-place or slow jogging, stretching, and calisthenics. Get all the major muscle groups involved in the warm-up and pay particular attention to warming-up the parts of the body that will become subject to the most stress during the conditioning activity.

After stretching all his major muscle groups, a major-league pitcher warms-up by throwing baseballs at increasing velocity. The last couple pitches are at game speed. Warming-up from the general to the specific like major league pitchers is a good model to adapt and follow.

A good warm-up should last five to seven minutes and should occur just before the sports activity or muscular endurance and strength part of the workout. The warm-up effect wont last more than five minutes or so. If the delay before the intense physical activity begins exceeds five minutes then perform at least one or more mini-warm-ups before starting.

After a proper warm-up, you have prepared your body for a more intense conditioning activity.

Cool-down

You should cool down properly after each exercise period, regardless of the type of workout. Even swimming needs a cool down. The cool down serves to gradually slow the heart rate and helps prevent pooling of the blood in the legs and feet.

During exercise, the muscles squeeze the blood through the veins. This helps return the blood to the heart. After exercise, however, the muscles relax and no longer do this, and the blood can accumulate in the legs and feet. This can cause a person to faint. A good cool-down will help avoid this possibility.

During the warm-up you specifically engaged the muscle groups that you would be using during the conditioning activity. You do not have to engage the same muscle groups again for the cool down. For a proper cool down you can walk and stretch until your heart rate returns to less than 100 beats per minute BPM and heavy sweating stops. This usually happens five to seven minutes after the end of the conditioning activity.

You can check your BPM on the radial artery on your wrist just above the base of the thumb, a carotid artery on your neck just beside the Adams apple, or by putting your hand over your heart. Count the beats for 10 seconds and multiple by 6 to get BPM.

Competitive bodybuilding is a sport in which athletes attempt to develop and maintain the perfect muscular body. As bodybuilding competitors show off their physique and perform with a number of poses, they are judged by a qualified panel of experts who will render the final decision as to the winner.

When it comes to bodybuilding, the appearance of a competitors physique is much more important than how much heshe can lift. The sport of bodybuilding, therefore, should not be confused with or compared to a competition of strength. Instead, it is one of visual appeal. Bodybuilding is open to both men and women with specialized categories for each.

For those who regularly compete in bodybuilding competitions, or are interested in participating, the main strategy for contest preparation includes a combination of resistance weight training, a customized nutrition plan and plenty of rest. Resistance training is very important in bodybuilding as it is this that causes an increase in muscle size. The importance of nutrition comes into play as muscles grow, are injured and repaired during the bodybuilding process. In order for the body to properly heal itself, a customized nutrition plan is a must. Generally, bodybuilding competitors will eat a larger number of meals per day, but in smaller quantities. For instance, rather than eating three normal meals a day, a bodybuilding competitor may divide their food up into six or seven small meals.

Because of the strenuous regimen required of any bodybuilder, athletes often enlist the help of a nutritionist and a professional trainer. These individuals can work together to make sure that the athlete is training properly and also receiving the proper amount of nutrition. Rather than having to figure out how much to eat, when to eat and how often to work out, the trainer and nutritionist will handle all of the details while the athlete concentrates on building muscle.

At the end of the day, which is often exhausting for many bodybuilding competitors, rest is essential. Not only for the obvious reasons, but it is during rest that the muscle growth occurs. Without eight hours of sleep every night, some bodybuilding competitors find it difficult to regain energy and rebuild strength after an exhausting workout. In addition, many competitors find that an afternoon nap may further increase their bodys ability to increase muscle.
Individuals who are interested in entering into the world of bodybuilding should consult with local trainers in their area. If there are no trainers to be found, a stop at the local gym may provide answers as to finding a qualified trainer. Bodybuilding is a sport that requires a lot of dedication and even more hard work, which is evident in the physique of most competitors.

The information in this article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It should not be used in conjunction with, or in place of, professional medical, nutritional or training advice regarding bodybuilding as a sport or as a hobby. If you are considering a venture into the world of bodybuilding, you must consult with a physician prior to beginning any exercise andor nutritional regimen.

When a person is a little stressed, his body reacts and responds in situations instinctively and efficiently. But this can only be true to small dose of stress. When the dose arises, stress becomes unhealthy. It inhibits the person to perform well. With little stress, the body is pushed to work hard. This is in a positive way. While when the body is over stressed, the response is negative.

A person who is stressed out cant perform normally. His body reacts differently in situations. Stress can even lead to body disorders and illnesses. Because the normal functioning of the body is affected, the person isnt able to use his natural instincts when facing a situation. He becomes less creative and less efficient.

Battling Stress

Stress can make your life miserable so before it gets worse, you must battle it. The best way to combat stress is the use of stress management therapy. What is a Stress Management Therapy? This refers to the various strategies used by stress specialists and doctors to help people who are stressed out. The goal of stress management therapy is to help a person live life healthfully and stress free.

Why do you need to combat stress? Stress affects the whole personality of a person. It affects a persons mental ability and sound judgement. It puts his social, emotional, spiritual and physical life in jeopardy. Worst, it can lead to serious health problems like phobias, heart problems and high blood pressure.

Stress management therapy makes sure that you dont get these negative effects of stress. Generally, stress management therapy involves relaxation, counselling, exercises, yoga, meditation, and time management therapies. The key to combat stress is to manage it. If you can balance your needs and your abilities, there will be less room for stress.

Identification Of Stress

Before you can even start managing stress, you should first identify the factors that trigger stress. The stress management therapy will be based on your stress factor. The therapy will be designed according to your own needs.

Once the stress triggering factors are identified, measures will be taken to help the individual in facing the same circumstances. The stress management therapy may totally eliminate the factor that causes stress or if not, reduce it to a more tolerable level.

Stress management therapy is vital especially today where everywhere there seems to be a tough competition. This makes us want to get the best and thus, we become stressed. Through a stress management therapy, you will be able to enjoy life the stress free way!

After 14 years as a successful chiropractor I have finally discovered what I believe to be the very best tool for improving the back-strength and overall health of my patients. That tool is the kettlebell something I had never heard of until two years ago. I have to admit that initially they intimidated me until I needed them for my own injury.

The Doctor Becomes a Patient

Growing up I was always extremely athletic in high school and college. I lettered in volleyball, softball, and basketball, and I became a Doctor of Chiropractic because I knew firsthand how important a strong and well-aligned body is for physical activity.

As an athlete and a doctor I never experienced any problems with back pain until about 5 years ago. I was adjusting a very large male patient 63 300lbs, something I never had a problem with in the past because of my use of proper techniques.

Somehow this time was different. When I applied my force into this patients body to adjust his hips nothing moved. I felt like I had just attempted to pass my hands through a pillar of marble. The resulting wave of resistance immediately reverberated through my entire spine. At that moment I knew I was injured.

I did everything I tell my injured patients to do. I stretched, iced, went for massage, received chiropractic care, physical therapy, and acupuncture treatments. Being in the healthcare profession, the treatment I received was the best available. At times I was in the offices of other providers 5-6 times per week.

Frustration with Traditional Methods

The treatments kept my back functioning so that I could do my job but the repair and healing of my body did not progress. If I sneezed it would throw my back into spasms. If I slept wrong I would have to wear a back support for a week. This was more than pain and inconvenience my very livelihood was at stake! Nobody wants to put their trust in a chiropractor who clearly has a bad back herself. So I did everything I could to hide and mask my pain from my patients.

Two years into this constant pain I knew I had to try something different. I hired a personal trainer a former N.F.L. player who I hoped would whip me into shape. After 6 months, although I gained arm and leg strength, my body did not tone up the way I expected and my back pain did not improve. In fact it got worse. There would be times when I would spend half an hour on the treadmill in the evening and not be able to get out of bed the next morning.

Impressing A Skeptic

About this time I came across a book titled Beyond Stretching, by Pavel Tsatsouline. There was something different here. There were stretches in this book that I had never seen before. Even my physical therapy associates were impressed with this new and cutting-edge material. I had a feeling that Pavel could help me with my back, and hoped this might be the answer to restore my health and the future of my practice.

Fortunately I live close to Seattle because at that time Pavel was visiting the city twice each year. I took his stretching, strengthening and abdominal class. I was impressed not something easily accomplished because I do body work myself, but also because I had experienced so many disappointments.

After attending Pavels classes my stretching improved and my pain was decreasing. In fact, I was so impressed that I encouraged all of my patients and colleagues to attend Pavels seminars.
I had patients drive 70-80 miles one-way to attend Pavels seminars, and I would bring no fewer than 10 people with me each time. I always made sure to bring my most acute patients the ones I knew would experience the most benefit by attending.

When Pavel witnessed my third trek to Seattle with patients in tow, he was impressed with my commitment and suggested that I train with kettlebells round cast-iron weights, like cannonballs with handles. He even implied that I should become certified as a kettlebell trainer to assist my patients. Well, I was more than slightly intimidated in my mind there was no way I could throw around this big piece of iron without inflicting further injury. But everything Pavel had showed me so far was helping, and I was intrigued. I ended up purchasing a kettlebell, but picked it up maybe five times before it began to gather dust at home. I was so out of shape that I would get winded swinging the kettlebell only twenty times. Being an athlete, I think it hurt my ego more than anything else!

One Demonstration Makes All the Difference

Then in October 2004 I was fortunate enough to attend another one of Pavels stretching and strengthening seminars that included a quick kettlebell demonstration. One of the people who spoke was Dave Werner, RKC. He related his experience with severe lower back pain, nerve damage in his leg, and using a cane to walk.

I couldnt believe it this man had recovered and looked like an Olympic athlete! Right then I knew I had to give kettlebells another chance. I not only needed to try them for myself, but for the benefit of all my patients that were in the same predicament as me.

I hired Dave to show me what to do, and one month into my training I sneezed — and had NO PAIN!! For almost five years I had been in pain from the slightest movement, and after one month of training with kettlebells I was able to sneeze and not have pain. That may not seem like much to you, but for me it was a miracle. I started training harder and signed up for the April 2005 RKC. People must have thought I was crazy because I hadnt exercised in well over a year due to my pain and now I wanted to go and subject myself to three days of Russian boot camp!

The more I trained in preparation for the RKC the more my fitness improved, and my back pain quickly became a thing of the past. I made it to the RKC and survived believe me, I had lots of sore muscles, but never a twinge in my lower back. I had been given my life back!

Sharing the Secret

When I returned from the training I soon began working with one of my worst back injury patients. The type of patient I see has extreme back pain and most of them have such poor body mechanics and muscle tone that they can’t even do a squat correctly. Theyre afraid to move their body, believing they can prevent spasms by not moving, so I start them out slowly. This particular patient had constant pain and couldnt do even simple household chores such as vacuuming or cleaning dishes
.
I started her out with the 4 Kg. bell, doing squats and swings in 5 sets of 5 reps each. If youve ever lifted the 4 Kg. bell, it weighs almost nothing, but it was heavy enough for her body and started improving her strength. We continued her chiropractic adjustments twice per week to control her pain and prevent spasms. After three weeks I introduced an 8 Kg. bell for one of the five sets, and her spine was starting to hold so I reduced her office visits to once per week. I have been training her now for five weeks and she has only minimal pain. She recently vacuumed her whole house without assistance something she had not done in three years. Youve never seen someone so excited about being able to vacuum the floor!

Its now been almost two weeks since she needed an adjustment and Ive added a figure eight with the 8 Kg. bell to expand her range of motion. Its important for those with chronic back pain to expand their abilities so they dont give in to the fear of triggering a back spasm. Kettlebells allow this incremental increase, and it builds confidence in patients like nothing Ive seen before.

Kettlebells the Missing Ingredient?

Ive seen the kettlebell workout help one of my associates with his asthma. Another eliminated her wrist and knee pain after 6 weeks of doing kettlebells. Like me, she was very worried about her career as a chiropractor because her wrists kept giving out. Now she is stronger and more confident that she can do her job for years to come.

Im still amazed at the improvement in back stability that comes with kettlebell training. I feel like a kid again! I can honestly say I am in the best shape of my life after only 8 months! I now work a full day in my practice and then train people with kettlebells one-on-one and in groups 4-5 nights a week.

I now believe kettlebells to be the single most important tool that can be added to a recovery training schedule. There are too many people out there who cannot enjoy life, who are merely existing because of their back pain. Their abdominals and back muscles are so weak from repeated spasms that they fall apart with any activity. I believe all of them can be helped with kettlebells.

Its important to start slowly, primarily because of the weakness and lost muscle tone that develops from repeated muscle spasms, but also because of the mental block created by the fear of pain. Kettlebells allow you to do this. I know, because Ive been there. But at 39 years old I now feel better than I did in my twentys, and I cant wait to see how I will be a year from now. Thank you Pavel for giving me my life back!

Russian Kettlebells are amazing! These kettlebell workouts may be the answer to maintaining a home gym or having an expensive club membership.

With Russian kettlebells you can develop superior gains over traditional workout methods and save lots of space in your home.

The man who teaches Russian Kettlebell training is Pavel Tsatsouline. He is a former Spetznaz trainer. For those who may not know, Spetznaz is the Russian equivalent of the CIA or special forces.

As every high-risk agent would wish for, after studying some of Pavel’s books you can definitely find out how to have explosive instant power ready at all times.

But, not everyone is a spy; in fact very few of us are. So what benefits does kettlebell training have for the average woman or man?

Kettlebell training can be a great way to lose weight, tone up the body, and stay in shape once you get it there with the added benefits mentioned above.

And not only that, kettlebell workouts may be better for you than weights. In one of his books, Pavel mentions some of the fitness tests that were used to compare kettlebell training to traditional workouts.

The kettlebell trainers seemed to be in much better shape according to Pavel. And Pavel would know – You can see a picture of Pavel on his web site. The guy is well muscled and toned for someone that avoids weight training like the plague.

Speaking of muscle and tone, check out the incredible Ab muscles that Pavel can show you how to develope. Pavel, being an expert in physical training combined with his unique experience and insight is fully qualified to show you all about physical fitness.

Whether you are female or male, Pavel can show you the way to fitness. He has also collected for our benefit, what he believes to be excellent advice in nutrition.

Another thing I think that is interesting about Pavel and his work is that he brings his colorful and interesting Russian personality into play. For example, just think of the title of one of his books, Power to the People.

Me? I find that title humorous, but if I had to explain why I think it’s funny, I’m not sure that I could. It might be the underlying but subtle notion that liberation is in order for someone. Come to think of it, I guess liberation is in order.

Pavel wants to show us a better way to fitness and free us from our need to spend an inordinate amount of time in the gym and spend it more wisely and effectively, so that we can have great physical fitness and time to enjoy it as well.

As you can see by glancing at his pictures, Pavel not only knows how to develop an amazing physique but he also knows how to keep himself flexible at the same time.

Maybe now you can understand why I think this man has some answers to fitness that we might not be able to find anywhere else, nor all in one convenient location either.

As always, consult a primary care physician before embarking on any fitness regimen. This article is for information purposes only and is not to treat, prevent or diagnose any physical condition.

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the author bylines are included and any hpyerlinks are left active on web pages. You may make minor editorial corrections.

Hydrating, like diet, is extremely important in fitness and in sport in general. If the body does not get enough calories during physical effort, it can take them from its own ‘deposits’ of adipose tissue, or even from the muscular proteins; but when water is insufficient, things are much more complicated and there are bigger risks for the body.

Water is involved in all the metabolic processes, so not providing the body with enough liquid can have as a consequence perturbation of the bio-chemical reactions, which directly influences the effectiveness of the training and even the practitioner’s state of health.

Physical effort, especially the aerobic one, leads to dehydration through perspiration which regulates the temperature of the body, preventing over-heating. There is a very strict rule which imposes drinking water liquid before, during and after physical effort. Besides regulating the body temperature, correct hydrating helps eliminating the toxic substances resulted during and after the training urea, sodium, etc. easier; hydration acts like a ‘means of transport’ through perspiration and urine. Thus, the metabolism of blood sugar, lipids and proteins is developed in good conditions, ensuring contraction force for short time and especially for resistance efforts.

There is also the opposite of dehydration over hydration, due to excessive consume of water. In this situation, besides the inconvenient of very frequent urination, the blood vessels are overloaded and this leads to making the work of the heart, which must provide a much too big volume of pumping, more difficult. As a consequence, the effectiveness of the training is hindered and the sport performance does not get to the expected level. The sensation of ‘heavy body’ can also appear for the practitioner of common fitness.

As for the type of liquids, the sportsman must supervise the level of effort which produces dehydration and melting of the glycogen reserves. Besides water, the practitioner can use isotonic drinks, which have an electrolytic composition similar to the one of the body or liquids containing sugar easy and quick to absorb by the body fructose, glucose, dextrose, etc.. All of these can contribute to fast restore of the glycogen reserves of the body. It is advisable to drink the liquids in small and frequent doses, so that the body assimilates them better and they do not briskly overload the body during effort.

Both in over hydrating and in dehydrating, there is the risk of ‘putting to work’ too much the renal excretory function. Over hydrating can have as a consequence significant elimination of electrolytes, which are precious for the body potassium, sodium, iron, zinc, etc, and they need to be replaced from sources as natural as possible fruit, vegetables, mineral water, etc.. In case of dehydrating, the volume of urine will be severely diminished because the body will try to retain mineral salts and vitamins. Besides unwanted deposits, renal lithiasis, gout, etc., a very severe consequence of this effort of the body to retain liquid is renal blocking.

Correct hydrating involves a certain discipline, which means that liquids must be consumed repeatedly during the day, not only during physical effort. A person must not get to feel thirst. This is only a very late alarm, signaling that the right quantity of water has been missing from the body for a couple of hours. Except while eating and immediately after, in order not to perturb digestion by excessive diluting, a real prophylaxis of dehydrating and over hydrating can be made through correct, constant and preventive consume of liquids.

The problem of setting the training at a certain moment in the day is more serious than it appears to be. The choice of the period when we train depends on more factors.

It’s clear from the start that we cannot consider the period of three hours after every main meal, because this interval must be allotted to digestion only. Considerable physical effort is totally unadvisable in this period blood must not be directed to the muscles, since gastric digestion has priority.

More exactly, people should train when their stomach is empty, but the level of glycemia must be constant. Considering a normal awake – asleep rhythm, there are two favorable moments when we can set fitness programs and training in general one in the morning, between 10-12, and the other one in the afternoon, between 16-19.
Current practice in most of the sports confirms these periods as best for training.

Another argument for choosing one of these intervals for training is the body temperature, which now gets to its maximum. The second period 16-19 is even better than the first one from this point of view, because the temperature is higher and this enhances sport performance.

It is not advisable to train very early in the morning, right after waking up and before breakfast. However, there are authors who support the idea of having the training in this period. The reserves of glycogen are limited after the lack of food during sleeping and this is a reason for using the adipose tissue earlier in training than in other cases.

Unfortunately, at the same time, the stress hormones cortisone are secreted abundantly, so besides the adipose tissue, there is the risk of losing precious muscular tissue.

Another argument against this is the fact that body temperature is very low in the hours of morning, so no motion parameters force, resistance, speed, mobility, skill can be fully activated. Thus, a prolonged and tiring warming up would be necessary, hindering the actual training.

Everybody agrees that training before bedtime is not advisable at all, because they delay sleep a few hours, given growth of cortical activity and of body temperature.

This schedule can be adapted to any biorhythm and time zone and once automatism installed, effectiveness of training will definitely increase.

Among the methods applied in sport training, one that has been used more and more lately is stretching. The word, English in origin, is used as such in many other languages and it comes from the verb to stretch meaning, in this sense, ‘to make your arms, legs and body as straight as possible so that your muscles become long and tight’. More exactly, we talk about stretching the muscles, the joints, the tendons, the ligaments, etc.

Even before the term itself and the specific methods gained individuality, stretching was used a lot, especially in sports or activities which require a very good mobility of the joints and special muscle suppleness gymnastics, martial arts, ballet, etc.. The positions specific to hatha yoga were a source of inspiration for the different movements practiced in stretching, but these positions underwent many transformations, adaptations and simplifications.

The most important effect of stretching is suppleness of muscles and joints, which enables increased effectiveness during the training. There are different opinions about the exact time when stretching should be introduced in the training program.

Thus, there are authors who support the idea that stretching is indicated for both warming up and relaxation, and even for the main part of the training. On the other hand, there is the opinion that stretching must be done only in the relaxation faze, because the movements that are specific to it induce a state of relaxation that you do not want at the beginning of the training. This state comes as a result of maintaining the passive faze of the positions.

Anyway, everybody agrees that stretching needs to be anticipated by general warming up, this way the practitioner will avoid tightening of the muscles.

General warming up takes about 5 minutes and it contains aerobic exercises. Stretching muscles that have not been warmed up might be dangerous for the integrity of the muscle fibers, which could rupture easily.

Both weight and resistance training should include stretching; the effectiveness will only increase once this type of movement is done during training.

Another reason for higher effectiveness is the fact that a bigger number of motive units are involved in the movement and they are mobilized faster once the volitional order is transmitted, through the motive impulse, to the muscles. Given the fact that the range of the movements is larger, the sportsman can cover bigger distances, larger scopes, saving, at the same time, energy, which is important especially in very demanding sports athletics, canoeing, etc..

You can have a whole training only with stretching exercises. However, this is not advisable the muscles will quickly get used to only relax, without contracting, which can produce a certain misbalance.

Another possible negative effect of exaggerated stretching movements over the physiological limit of a joint is laxity of the joints or even accidents like sprains, dislocations, tightening of ligaments or tendons, etc.. The main joints knee, shoulder, elbow, etc. are protected not only by their own mobility, but also by the elasticity of the muscles which surround them periarticular.

In conclusion, stretching must be accompanied by other forms of training so that the sportsman will have a complete and secure fitness program.