Friday, January 18, 2013

Are you a lazy bum?

Are you a lazy bum? Well, you better not... One of the msot important muscles of your body is the bum, more scientifically called the glutes... the main portion of this muscle (glute max) helps you move your body when you climb the stairs, walk. Squats, lunges, and stepups are useful for strengthening this muscle.

Meanwhile, the side portion of this muscle (glute med) helps stabilise sideways movement, thereby indirectly reducing strain on the knee. If you have weak glute med, your knee may cave in when you squat or do stepping movements. Clamshell and siedlying exercise where you lift up the top leg is helpful for developing this muscle.

Try the exercises show in these two video links.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njaf4EQ5VI8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azt0TnyhlXM

Caution - if you already have knee instability or injury, do NOT attempt to do stepping exercises.

Friday, January 4, 2013

how to squat

How to squat? Will it damage my lower back and knees? These are common questions... Take a look at these two links, written by experienced people.  I do not recommend squatting where your knees go below parallel to the ground.

Christian Finn, a fitness guru, shares his tips in this article

http://muscleevo.net/how-deep-should-you-squat/

http://functionalanatomyblog.com/2012/11/15/proper-bodyweight-squatting-form-with-dr-spina-for-jitsmagazine-com/

The video shows Dr Andreo Spina, a chiropractor, giving tips on how to squat.