A Focus on Fitness

06-07-2010

Fitness has many aspects, many flavors and many roads for the fitness seeker to take. It can not be a singular, predetermined journey. People come to fitness at different ages, and with varying levels of strength, health and athleticism. They come to it with a wide range of goals and aims.

The way we see it is as a subset of personal choices in life. We're not talking here about the Big Picture, about fundamental issues of identity and so on. Yet, what is interesting is that a human being can 1) develop a philosophy of fitness, and 2) discover that developing it well has benefits in other areas of life.

UptoFitness has taken a fairly structured approach to fitness, all within the context of the 'user's choice.' We think that makes sense. At the same time, we have learned quite a bit about the fitness game since starting the site - new approaches, new programs, new ideas.

It is our intent to bring some of these to you in the coming weeks and months. We hope this will be of benefit to our readers.

Total Resistance Exercise (TRX)

We have talked about the principle of getting fitness right, and about putting the power and control in your hands. We have written about making workouts count. This means designing and implementing varied workouts that get results and create a superior fitness profile.

One of the best tools for rounding out your workouts to achieve these goals is resistance training. In real life, our bodies move to the side, backwards, forwards and diagonally. It makes sense to train the same way.

Lifting weights is based on static principles. It is a fine thing to lift a static object a predefined distance - decided by the construction of a particular weight machine. Repeating a number of reps has value - and limitations.

Resistance/suspension training is all about overloading the muscular system in a controlled fashion. The difference is in the interaction between you and the destabilizing force. That force, which can be elastic bands, pulleys or related mechanisms, destabilizes the affected area - or tries to. The points of resistance attempt to push, squeeze or stretch a particular area of your body, while you resist those efforts. The counter-force creates balance and stability. It's all right out of the laws of physics.

Total Resistance Exercise (TRX) mimics real life movement and creates balance. TRX suspension devices are built on principles of resistance training, and that's where the secret lies. That's why TRX from FitnessAnywhere has the potential to jump-start your current strength level.

Benefits? The increase in muscle strength makes you quicker and stronger. Building muscle power makes you faster. Greater muscular endurance helps you perform better when tired.

Tennis players, hoopsters and other athletes all will gain from resistance training regimens.

Resistance Training Tips

Resistance training is a valuable component of a workout regimen. Resistance training is a strenuous activity that needs warm muscles. About 10-15 minutes of aerobic exercise prior to starting a resistance training segment is vital to getting the blood flowing, and to avoiding injury. You can walk a treadmill, hit a stair step machine, ride a stationary bike, row, or work on an elliptical. Jogging and walking are also solid options.

The warmup is critical; it informs your heart and your entire body that it is ready for something more strenuous. It helps avoid the shock of immersion - think 'dive into the deep end' - that you might otherwise experience. That includes forestalling injury.

A cool-down is the partner to the warmup, and should follow the resistance training. It lets your body ease back down to a normal, 'at rest' plateau of energy. It stretches the muscles; forgetting the cool-down is an invitation to tightening of muscles, which you may feel in your next workout. So, train smart, and never do what your body is shouting at you to avoid.

Eat right and eat balanced: your strength training can only profit.

NOTE: UptoFitness is an affiliate for Fitness Anywhere and its products, and receives a portion of any sales made after a visitor clicks a Fitness Anywhere ad from our site.