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Quad Strength
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Home Fitness Test: Quad Strength and Endurance
Ski season is rapidly approaching and with it means sore quads. That is if you don't do any preseason conditioning. I would start with the simple assessment of the your quad endurance, which is also a great exercise to add into your routine.
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Strike a Yoga Pose: Warrior 2
You can't go to a yoga class and NOT do this pose. It's called Warrior 2 and it's great for opening tight hips and shoulders and strengthening quads, calves, and shins. It also works your core muscles, because when you're in this pose, you really have to concentrate on elongating your spine and drawing your belly in.Back to Basics: Dumbbell Squats
Not everyone shares my love of squats, but strong quads, hamstrings, glutes, and a lower back are essential if you're looking to run or cycle faster, as well as help prevent sports-related injuries. So going back to the basics, I want to review dumbbell squats. They are easy and effective.
Lifting Tip: Start at the Bottom and Work Your Way Up
When strength training, there are so many exercises, and so many muscles to work, how do you know where to begin? Start from the bottom of your body and work your way up.
Since your legs are your largest muscle group, these moves require more work than exercises that target your upper body.
DVD Review: Valerie Bertinelli — Losing It and Keeping Fit
Valerie Bertinelli dramatically transformed her body over the last couple of years, and to help others find success, she made a new fitness video, Valerie Bertinelli — Losing It and Keeping Fit ($15). It's led by her personal trainer Christopher Ross Lane, who has also trained Jillian Michaels.
This video includes two workouts: 20-minute Body Basics and 40-minute Keeping Fit.
DVD Review: Weight Loss — Cardio Kick
Although I'm not a huge fan of DVDs that have the words "weight loss" on the cover, I did love the Weight Loss — Cardio Sculpt video I reviewed a while back.
Here's another video from that series called Weight Loss — Cardio Kick ($15). This DVD follows the same format of a few minutes of cardio, and a few minutes of strength training with weights, so it goes by really fast.
Show Your Running Knees Some Love
Running as a convenient form of cardio may be the bee's knees, but it can leave my knees aching. Although studies have found there is no connection between running and an increased risk for arthritis, there are some easy ways to show your knees some love.
- Stay flexible: Tight hamstrings or quads can prevent the knee from going through its full range of motion, which can negatively impact the soft tissues that work the knee.
Favorite Excuse Not to Bike: It Hurts My Back
I could talk about biking all day. Not only is it a great cardio workout, but it's also a great way to get around. I've heard some people say biking isn't for them because it causes back pain, so here are some tips for keeping your back happy while pedaling about town.
Get Lifted: Glider Side Lunge
If you need a new exercise to add to your strength-training routine that will target your quads, inner thighs, and glutes, check out this fun, yet effective, exercise. You need one of those discs like the Valslide, but if you don't have one, just use the lid of a plastic container and do this move on carpet. Or wear socks and do it on a wood floor.
Learn to Love: Running Downhill
It has taken me considerably longer to reconcile my negative feelings of running downhill with the power I feel running up the other side. Unlike biking down a descent where gravity pulls you along, running downhill is work and it's hard on your quads and knees. In my neck of the woods though, it's difficult to find a flat run so I've had to cultivate a love of running downhill.
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