Saturday, January 19, 2008

3 exercises that don't work

3 exercises that don't work
My parents have lived in the same house in the same small
town for longer than I have been alive. And I leave the big
city of Toronto to go visit them quite often, and as a
result, I go to a small town YMCA to do my workouts when
I'm there.

It's at the Y where I come across exercises I thought had
died off a long time ago. But to my surprise, I still see
men and women doing useless, ineffective exercises while
they try to burn off their belly fat, lose inches from
their waists, and tone their muscles.

All you need are the basics. You do need to work hard, make
no doubt about it, but the good news is that you don't have
to work hard for long if you choose the right exercises.
You should be done your workouts in no more than 45
minutes. And you only have to exercise hard 3 days per
week, not 6 or 7.

Here are 3 of the most ineffective techniques I've come
across recently...

1) Broomstick Twists

You know this classic move, put the broomstick across your
shoulders and rotate side to side, with the hopes it will
whittle your waist down inch by inch.

But to what should be no one's surprise, this doesn't work.
All that twisting is a waste of time. If you really want to
lose belly fat, you have to do a lot more than that.

A better option: Recent research shows interval training is
the best way to burn off belly fat.

2) Triceps Exercises

If you're a competitive bodybuilder, than triceps and
biceps exercises are fine to have in your program. But if
you are a busy man or woman that needs more results in less
time, doing any type of isolation exercise (such as triceps
kickbacks) is a waste of your precious time.

A better option: Any type of pushup. From kneeling pushups
to close-grip pushups (where your hands are about
shoulder-width apart), you'll get so much more benefit to
the rest of your body and to your fat burning, body-
sculpting program if you choose pushups over triceps
exercises.

3) Exercises Standing on a Ball or Other Gadget

Lots of trainers are asking their clients to perform
traditional exercises while standing on balls, half-balls,
and inflatable disks, but I know this is not only a waste
of time, but also dangerous! I can't imagine the drama if
someone fell off a ball while doing an exercise. Could you
imagine trying to rationalize that in court?

Regardless, you will get stronger and even improve your
balance more by training traditional exericses standing on
the floor. Strength is the key to any gains in balance, fat
loss, and muscle mass. By doing exercises on a wobbly
surface, you reduce the strength gains and therefore all
the rest of the benefits.

You need to stick with multi-muscle exercises, total body
movements and efficient methods of working out.


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