FitSugar

Injury Prevention: Strong Hips = Strong Knees

FitSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 05:30:00 PDT

We all know that men and women are different, even in how we exercise. Add to those differences the fact that women are more likely to suffer knee injuries. The difference is structural; the width of our child bearing hips angles the thigh bone (femur) in such a way that it creates some laxity and instability in the knee joint. Not to mention the ebb and flow of hormones women experience monthly can affect knee stability too.

One way to protect your knees is to strengthen your hips, or anatomically speaking your glute med – the muscle that fills in the side of your pelvis (see an image of the muscle here). Having strong glute meds helps to control the thigh bone, which then helps to stabilize the knee joint. Sounds like a win/win situation to me.

To see how to strengthen your hips, just

Side Squats with Theraband

Tie a resistance band around your ankles. Start with red/medium band and work your way up to green/heavy.
Begin standing with feet directly underneath your hips.
Squat halfway down and side step to the right as far as you can manage.
Bring left leg toward right, returning to your starting position.
Step to the right 10 times, then reverse stepping to the left 10 times. Repeat for 3 sets.

Fit's Tips: This is a great exercise for runners and can help prevent patellofemoral pain, aka pain on the outside of the knee. Couple this with rolling out your IT band and you will be good to go. Preventing injuries means you log more miles and stay on the road!

Source

A Reader's First Half Marathon Is Full of Triumphs and a Little Bit of Embarrassment

Fit Community — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:41:02 PDT

FitSugar reader Dhitri has an embarrassing tale about her first half marathon. She shared her story in our RunningSugar community group. Help her out by sharing your own funny or embarrassing race tales below!

So you know I ran my first half and had the greatest time ever.

There were a few blunders, of course (what's a race without 'em?). Firstly, I arrived only half an hour before the start. Leaving the house without breastfeeding my little miss didn't feel right (and I had to lose that excess fluid from that part of my body anyway!) and it took longer than anticipated. Then of course I completely forgot about the road closures! We were stuck in traffic and I had to hop out of the cab and run to the event location to save me a few minutes. Also, in all my excitement, I forgot to put on any Vaseline or Bodyglide and even forgot to apply sunscreen. My skin was dry and full of marks from me scratching all night (I do that when nervous). My legs never looked this ugly!

But here comes a big confession: I peed in my pants during the run. Okay, firstly I have to criticize the otherwise flawlessly organized race. There were simply not enough portaloos! The line before the start was just EPIC.

Initially I didn't feel like I needed to go, but then remembered that I downed a lot of water when I woke up at 5AM (2 hours before start) and even though I went a few times at home, I felt like I needed to visit the conveniences in case I needed to wee because of the cold (it was a chilly morning at 10 degrees C) or nerves. I braved the line until a couple minutes before start (and was still nowhere near my turn). Big mistake! I should have braved the bushes instead.

Read on for the rest of Dhitri's story!

4 Ways to Get Your Legs Ready For Summer

Leta Shy — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 02:14:22 PDT

Sunny days are here again, which means a long season of shorts, bikinis, and skirts. Showcase your gams with these lower-body workouts that'll have your legs looking toned and strong.

The basics: Simple, everyday lower-body exercises that you can do anywhere are the keys to your success. Once you've got the moves down, you can add lunges, squats, and deadlifts to your everyday routine, or even stop and do them when you have a minute to spare throughout your day. Read our tips on how to do the most effective basic lower-body exercises here.

Inner thighs: Strut your stuff in your bikini with strong, toned inner thighs. Classic moves like side lunges and pliés help to really target this area; find more ways to tone your inner thighs here.

Outer thighs: Target saddlebags with moves that tone and whittle your outer thighs. Check out our video on how to do a clam series to work your core, glutes, and outer thighs, and try these killer toning moves to help slim away your saddlebags.

Glute exercises: Target your derriere with moves that will tone and lift your backside just in time for beach weather. Try our 10-minute video glute workout or try these butt exercises that are straight from celebrity trainers.

How to Maximize Those Butt-Toning Squats

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 03:06:03 PDT

If strong, sculpted legs are what you're after, you've got to become one with the squat. The basic exercise targets glutes, hamstrings, quads, and core, so incorporating it into your strength-training workouts is definitely worth your while. Here are some ways to get more bang for your butt - er, I mean buck - when doing squats.

Focus on your heels: When doing a squat, make sure to shift your weight back onto your heels and lower the body as if you're about to sit in a chair. This proper form helps to put even more focus on the glutes and hamstrings and takes pressure off the knees. It also offers a stable surface that enables you to get low to the ground, which is what makes the move so effective.
Try variations: Target lower body muscles differently by changing the position of your feet. Squat with your big toes together, feet out wide, and try one heel or both heels lifted, or even one leg lifted (to get legs like Cameron Diaz). Step on a Bosu ball and squat on a wobbly surface to work your core, and try twisting variations for even more of a challenge. Check out this list of different squat variations.

Keep reading for more ways to make squats more effective.

Hollywood Secrets For a Toned, Perky Butt

Self — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 04:07:28 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Do you still fantasize about your 15-year-old butt? If things have gone south (literally!) since high school, you can rest assured there's an easier way to reclaim your perky backside than wrestling that old cheerleader uniform out of storage.

So put down your pom-poms, pull on your favorite pair of sneakers, and get ready to defy gravity. These three butt blasters from Hollywood's hottest celebrity trainers will whip your tush into shape faster than you can say, "Go, team, go!"

Trainer: Ashley Borden Notable Client: Natasha Bedingfield

Favorite Move: Put a medium-resistance miniband around the top of your knees. If you don't have a miniband, just be sure to stay focused on the alignment of your knees and ankles throughout this move. Start laying on your back with your hands palms up along your sides, knees bent, looking toward your knees (top). Draw your belly button in. Squeeze your glutes and press hips up into a bridge position where you can see your pubic bone without moving your arms (bottom). Hold for a one-one-thousand second count. Count and bring your body back down to the start position. Repeat 20 times with a medium tempo.

Get more butt moves after the break!

Jackie Warner's 5 Favorite Jump Rope Moves

Self — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 04:29:27 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Are you tired of jumping through hoops to keep your sweat sessions interesting? Instead of doing the same humdrum routine week after week, why not get a jump start on your next workout by jumping rope? Self reported in March that it's the #1 way to melt fat!

"Jumping rope using my cardioacceleration technique will get you maximum muscle toning with the maximum amount of fat-burning possible," says celebrity trainer Jackie Warner. "Cardioacceleration is doing quick, intense bursts of exercise in between your resistance training sets."

Pro athletes use this innovative technique worldwide but you don't need to be the next big name in sports to reap big rewards from the fat-torching program. "You go from anaerobic to aerobic throughout your workout, which raises your heart rate 60 percent higher," says the Bravo TV star.

To burn major calories at home, grab a jump rope and follow this five-move routine to get your heart racing while sculpting long, lean legs. "It's a 10-minute workout, but I always say it's not how long, it's how strong!" says Warner.

Read on to get the workout.

Last Chance! An End-of-Season Workout to Up Your Ski Game

Leta Shy — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:14:27 PST

Even with this mild Winter, we've still seen our fair share of snow in the mountains. And while Spring is just around the corner, late-season storms around the country have given us the gift of fresh powder. If you're planning a snowy mountain weekend anytime soon, here's a circuit workout that works your core, lower body, and balance - courtesy of Erick Northrup, a district fitness manager at Crunch and avid skier - to keep in your workout rotation before you head to the slopes.

Get the workout after the break!

Improve Your Running With Squats

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:22:38 PST

Don't skip out on strength training just because you think running is the ultimate form of exercise. Building a little muscle should be part of every runner's cross-training fitness routine. Squats, a classic lower-body move, is great for runners for these four reasons.

Prevent knee injuries: Knee pain is one of the most common injuries runners face. Aside from wearing supportive sneakers and running on softer surfaces, strengthening the muscles around this joint can also reduce your risk of pain and injury. Try these wall squats to strengthen your upper legs.
Increase your speed: Practicing sprinting intervals and negative splits will make you a faster runner, but first and foremost, you need muscular legs to have the ability to propel your body forward with each step. Goddess pose, a form of a wide squat, is a killer move that will have your thighs and booty burning. To target your calves and hamstrings, do this variation that Cameron Diaz uses called the Plié With Calf Raise.

Continue reading for two more reasons runners need to do squats.

10 Fitness Routines to Work Your Entire Body Fast

Leta Shy — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:59:45 PST

Even if you have all the time in the world to spend at the gym, who wants to? Get in and out and on with your day by doing workouts that will strengthen all your muscle groups in a short time and get the heart rate up as well. Here are 10 do-anywhere total-body workout ideas that will save you time.

Celebrity trainer Jeanette Jenkins developed a belly-fat-blasting workout sequence that is fast and effective. From oblique crunches to exercise-ball moves, this workout combines strength training and cardio for one effective circuit. See all the moves (and download the printable PDF) here.
If you've got 15 minutes, you must print out this 5-4-3-2-1 workout from a FitSugar reader. Combining five minutes of cardio, four minutes of lunges and mountain climbers, three minutes of arm work, two minutes of squats, and one minute in plank will work your entire body without any equipment.
You may not have the pressure of walking down a runway in your underwear, but there's that whole Summer beach thing to think about. Channel your inner lingerie model with this video: a 10-minute total-body workout from Victoria's Secret trainer Andrea Orbeck.
If you're in the mood for something that will exercise your body as well as your mind, try this (printable) total-body yoga sequence. The nine poses will keep you calm while strengthening and lengthening your muscles.
Adding a ball to your normal workout routine raises the difficulty and offers variation. Do these three exercise ball exercises for a total of three sets for a challenging, all-body workout.

Read on for five more fast ways to work your entire body.

3 Things Your Personal Trainer Might Miss

Anna Monette Roberts — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:00:20 PST

Trainers are incredibly helpful in teaching better form and correct alignment, but no matter how astute a trainer is, he or she may miss a few things. To help protect your body from injury or strain, keep these questions in mind during your training session. Even though it's a trainer's job to keep you safe, it's still important to develop a keen eye for any bad habits that could present potential problems later.

Where Should I Be Aligned?
Everyone's body has different tilts and asymmetries, and your trainer might not always be able to see the one-inch difference between your left and right shoulders, for example. If you are aware of any asymmetries in your body, verbalize them to your trainer so he or she will keep you in check. You also want to remind yourself of common alignment issues like keeping your shoulders down and back, abs engaged, hips even, and weight on the heels of the foot when doing squats or lunges.

Click here for more questions to ask.