Staying In Shape

Over winter break I've been trying out different workout routines. Something I wanted to avoid was putting on weight and gaining fat over the holiday season. One weight lifting exercise recommended in my book is the bench press. I don't have a traditional bench press at my home, but I have the machine equivalent of one. According to Men's Health, the bench press "Works the triceps (back of upper arm) muscles and helps to balance and develop strength equally on both sides of the elbow joint" (Incledon and Hoffman 90). I've used the bench press machine before, but it isn't a part of my normal weight lifting routine. About a week ago I decided to give it a try after reading about it in my book.

 I adjusted my machine so that it had the proper weight on it and then began my set. When I first started lifting I felt immediate strain on my arms. I finished my set and realized that I was doing something wrong. My grip on the bars and the position of my arms was too narrow. The authors recommended making your grip wider and positioning your elbows at your sides. It is also recommended to pause between each lift in order to increase the difficulty. (Incledon and Hoffman 91.)


Another exercise that I learned about is pull downs. For this exercise you need to have a machine with an overhead pulley with a bar handle attached. You reach overhead and pull the bar down until your forearms reach a 45 degree angle, then you allow the bar to return to its starting position(Incledon and Hoffman 102). I really enjoyed this exercise because it is one that it relatively easy to do and is fairly quick. Some tips that the authors give are, "Keep the elbows along your sides and the weight in front of your body. As you push down, do not let your elbows drift back" (Incledon and Hoffman 102). These tips allowed me to get more out of every lift and improved the results of my workout from this exercise. After a couple weeks of doing this my arms have begun to feel much stronger and I've been able to add more weight to my sets.

Overall I've kept active over winter break, even though I have gained some weight. I really enjoy some of the new routines that I have learned and I plan to continue to do them.




What are your favorite weight lifting exercises and what did you do to stay in shape over the holidays?


Citation:

Incledon, Thomas, and Matthew Hoffman. Men's Health Maximum Muscle Plan. Emmaus, PA: Rodale, 2006. Print.