What is the quickest and most efficient way of doing crunches?
Here is the proper crunch form: Lie on your back, with your knees bent and your legs in the air. Your knees should be bent at a right angle, and your thighs should be perpendicular to the floor.
Keep your lower back flat on the mat throughout the movement. Relax your neck, and place your hands behind your head (or, if you find yourself inadvertently pulling on your neck, keep your hands on the sides of your head). Fix your eyes on a spot on the ceiling directly above you and don't lose sight of this point. This helps keep the neck from straining during the movement, and it helps place more emphasis on the abs.
Slowly curl your torso off the mat, until your shoulder blades are up. Keeping your eyes fixed on the ceiling, slowly lower. Focus on the contraction of the abdominal muscles. As you squeeze them, picture squeezing an accordion - the image can help maintain tension on the muscles.
You know those ads you see on TV advertising the machines that contract your abs electrically while you sit there? Do those work?
Using electronic current to stimulate muscle is nothing new. It has been in use for years to help rehabilitate injuries. Neither its use in the fitness industry new. However, with the recent influx of gimmicky ab machines, these contractions are popping with much more frequency.
As to whether or not they work, the concept is technically sound. However, electronically stimulating the muscle is not as beneficial as contracting the muscle yourself. Also, there are certain emotional benefits to going to the gym. The endorphins in your brain are reputed to increase after a workout, and that helpful side effect would be sacrificed if you sat on the couch watching TV while a little machine made your muscles twitch.
Also to be taken into account is the fact that everyone responds differently to exercise. In other words, if sitting down to a magazine and working your abs appeals to you, give the gimmick a go. But bear in mind that it is just that - a gimmick. So you are much better off getting on a routine and working out the old fashioned way - actually working.
What are some ways I can prevent injury from weight lifting? I am kind of injury prone, so I need to be as careful as possible.
First, stretch thoroughly before each and every workout. Even if you are doing chest one day, stretch each body part. A good stretching session should take about 15 minutes.Second, perform light warm-up sets before every exercise. Exaggerate the range of motion, and keep perfect form to get your muscles and joints ready for the heavier weight.
Always use a spotter when performing heavy barbell or dumbbell exercises. Another important factor for injury prevention is making sure you exercise the stabilizer muscles. You should make sure to do exercises which strengthen the rotator cuff, the back of the shoulder, and the lower back.
Also, exercises to strengthen the neck muscles are recommended for injury prevention in a lot of sports. Try to avoid exercises that place your body in precarious or unstable positions, such as really heavy behind-the-neck shoulder presses.
For narrow grip bench presses, don't put your hands too close together, as this can injure the wrists and leads to an unstable position. Proper form is obviously important, as improper form often leads to injury. Listening to your body is another key factor in preventing injury. Never work a muscle that is still sore from a prior workout, and never try to work through an injury.
