Now Im not against using an exersicise ball for certain purposes, training your ABS seems to be the most popular of them and I believe this is where the exercise ball is best utilized. It allows for a grater range of motion and because of its lack of stability it requires greater recruitment of all the supporting core muscle to keep your body stabilized when working on one.  They are also good for helping a person with balance issues or weak core stabilizer movements. So there are many practical uses for them and I will never deny that. I myself use them ocassionally when Im at the gym.

Now on to what this post is really about, using them for everything. Just because someone has told people that using an exersices ball is beneficial to there core and other stabilizers, they seem to feel like they must be used when doing every exerciser.  This is definitely not the case and using an exercise ball in certain situations can be extremely dangerous and not to mention makes you look ridiculous. One of the worst stories I ever heard was about this guy that was doing dumbbell bench press on one using the 110lb dumbbells and the ball popped. I’m sure you can guess what happened as a result and if not let me just say it wasn’t pretty and required a lot of stitches.

I haven't decided whats worse about the above picture; the fact that the guy on the ball actually believes hes getting some benefit from this or that there is what appears to be a fitness trainer behind him that is the one that has decided to utilize this move for his clients benefit.

So please be careful when you decide to use an exercise ball for something it may have not been designed for and just because you see or hear about someone using it to do some amazing new exercise really think about how much benefit your going to get out of it and make sure its not just someones lame attempt to get more attention in the gym.

If your careful how and when you use an exercise ball you won’t end up like the people in the video bellow

Let me start off by saying that when use improperly momentum while weight liftining is the quickest way to getting a serious injury. So if you have little experience with lifting weights keep momentum out of your routines and stick with using strict form. You will get much better results with a lot lower change of injuring your self.

With that being said after years of being strongly against using any type of momentum during your lifts after reading some articles that natural bodybuilder Jim Crodova had written my views on this issue dramatically changed. I discovered that if and only if momentum is used in the proper situations it can be an added tool in your fitness tool box.

What do I mean? Well most the people you will see in the gym using momentum are resorting to it, because they are using weights that are far to heavy for their level of training. These people have the mentality of wanting to impress everybody in the gym with how much weight they are throwing around(improperly). If you take the time to analyze the movements they are doing you will probably notice that the muscle group that should be performing the exersices is lucky if its handling half the lifting load. The other half of the load or more is being lifted by supporting muscles and in many cases other muscles that shouldn’t even be involved in that particular lift.

When is momentum useful then? Well there are several situations when it can provide an added benefit for the lifter. One is when using it to overload and already pre-exausted muscle group. A good example of this is when performing bicep curls and on the last few reps you swing the weight a bit. However to do it properly you only want to swing the weight as little as possible just to get it past the sticking point(which is usually when your arm is just bellow being parallel to the ground. Once the weight has passed this point you should finish the lift entirely with the bicep and avoid arching your back to keep the muscle focus on the bicep.

Another good time to add in a bit of momentum is when your trying to save a supporting muscle group from reaching muscle failure before the primary group. A great example of this is when doing a front lat pull-down or any version of pull-down where your primary focus should be on the lats. In order to do this properly as you are preforming the eccentric portion of the lift(lowering the weight stack) you want to allow your body to sit up so that you back returns to a 90 degree position. Then when you begin to preform the concentric phases(lifting the weight stack) you want to lean back slightly as you pull the bar back down to the front of your chest. The key here is the momentum is not used to lift the weight stack instead its used afterwords to allow the back not the biceps to control the eccentric portion of the lift. What you don’t want to do is use the momentum to help preform the lift and end almost having your back be parallel to the floor like the picture to the right.

So if you were like me an always saw momentum as a dangerous and bad addition to your lifting routine, maybe now you can look at it slightly different and see is value. But remember when all else fails just stick to weights you can handle and preforming exercise with proper form and you will be better off if your not sure how to properly utilize momentum.

Well there are a couple of different reasons that I see. The most common has to be lack of results. In our society today people expect immediate results almost everywhere. 24 picture development, one hour dry cleaners, and the list goes on. If you think just because your going to start going to the gym and sweating a little bit that in a week you will see dramatic result, your wrong. If you have this type of mind set then your just setting your self up for failure right from the start. You need to have dedication, but most of all patience. You have to realize that it will all pay off in the end if you stick with it, but that visually you may not see a difference for a month or more.

Why well because your body needs time to adjust to the changes you are making. Once it gets use to your new routine and life style it can adapt and get your body working more efficiently and this will give you those desired results you so badly seek.

Another reason that people fail with their new years resolutions is because they think they are expected to make a resolution. What this means is they decided to start a resolution simply, because they believe its what your supposed to do. They don’t decided to do it for them selves and because its what the want. When you set out to accomplish something and your main focus is doing it to please other people and not your self, you enter into it with the wrong mind set.

The mental aspect of working out can sometimes be harder then the actual physical aspect. Once you get into the gym its easy to pick up the weights or start some cardio, however getting in the car and getting to the gym that’s a whole other story. I’m sure on any given day you can think of a million excuses why you can’t get to the gym or that it doesn’t fit into your schedule. Sometimes the most difficult thing can be to think of one reason why you can’t afford not to go to the gym. I f you mentally prepare your self to take on this new challenge, before you dive head on into it your results and better yet your experience will be much more satisfying.

So I’m not telling you to not make a new years resolution, but rather I ask you to really think about it and prepare your self for the journey you are getting ready to undertake. If you will just take the time to really plan out how you are going to attack the new years resolution and what obstacles you will face in the process, then you will have a much better chance to achieve your desired results.

Just something for you to think about and I wish you a happy New Year and much success in everything you do in 2010 including your fitness or any other new years resolution you take on. The only think that will keep you from accomplishing your goals is your self.

Well now that you know whats required to make a successful New Years Resolution we want to hear about yours, whatever they may be. Please leave a comment bellow and state your New Years resolution.

1.)Talking on the cell phone-If you use your cell phone for a music player or need it in case of emergencies then fine, but don’t start having a conversation on it in the middle of the gym. And definitely don be on the phone while your sitting on  a piece of equipment.

2.)Texting on your phone-This is getting to be worse than the first offense of talking on the phone. If you really want to have a chat with someone that bad, go to the locker room or better yet just leave! I’m sure your wasting your time being there anyways and your definitely wasting mine and other gym goers while we wait fo the equipment your not using.

3.)Wearing cologne or scented body lotions-Now this one really applies to the guys, but strong perfumes should be avoided as well. I don’t want to smell a bunch of flowers or strong smells every time you walk past  while I’m working out. I knwo you want to smell great and don’t want to smell like a sweaty gym bag, but leave it at some simple deoderant and we will all be better off.

4.)Crowding my space- If there are other machines or areas to perform your desired exercises, don’t come workout on the machine or area right next to me. You stay in yoru space and I will stay in mine.

5.)Talking to me in the middle of my set-I have my headphones in for a reason I don’t want to be bothered. If you really need to ask something then wait until I finish the set and remove my headphones. That is the signal that I don’t mind listening now, but if I keep them in then just stay away, because I don’t want to be bothered. The gym is not the place for social time anyways, but if it must be done limit it to short conversation breaks in between sets while you rest.

Well those are the top 5 right now, there are plenty more and i will speak on them latter as as I notice them occurring.  Just remember maybe your at the gym to have fun and socialize or looking for a date, but I’m there to WORK!

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First off this article is my personal opinion on the subject and should not be taken as medical advice. If you have  pre-existing medical conditions and have been told by your doctor to wear one at all times then do it! Also if you just feel more comfortable and safe wearing one then you should stick with it. I’m not going to talk about ditching the belt altogether, but rather using it only when necessary.

If you spend time regularly at the gym you will inevitably spot the lifters with a weight belt obsession. These are the guys that walk into the gym with one on and keep it on throughout the entire workout no matter what body parts or exercises they are working on. They could be doing only chest and triceps for the day, but the belt will never come off. Why? I’m assuming they feel like its protecting them from injury at all times and they assume if its good to use some of the time then its even better to use one all of the time. I believe this couldn’t be further from the truth and I’ll explain my reasoning.

Let me first explain that when used properly to provide extra support to the core(lower back and abdominals) and when performing the right types of lifts a weight belt is an absolute necessity! I can’t emphasize enough that I’m not stating you should discard using the belt for good. I personally use my belt only for heavy compound lifts, such as squats, dead-lifts, and power cleans. Furthermore I only use it when I’m lifting weights above 200lbs and need the provided extra support.

Ok, now that that’s out of the way let me explain to you why you should avoid relying on a belt all the time and what harm it could potential cause. I will also use a real world example to illustrate what I’m talking about. The purpose of the belt is to help stabilize the bodies core which consists of your lower back and your abdominals. Now this can also be achieved to some degree simply by strengthening the muscle of the core and learning how to properly tighten them when performing your lifts. This causes your core to act as its own protective weight belt and internally stabilize the body to help protect it form injury. When you proceed to wear a belt all the time your body does not develop this self protection technique as well, because it has come to rely on the belt to provide the stabilization. Over time your core muscles can actually become weaker due to relying on the belt entirely too much.

Now at this point I’m sure your saying So What?, if I’m in the gym and always have my belt on do I really need my body to develop the technique to help self stabilize my core? Well your probably right as long as you have your belt on you should be safe, but do you wear your belt 24/7 even when your outside the gym? If you do, then you probably have other issues and you don’t  need to worry about the advice in this article. If your like 99% of the rest of gym goers and don’t then you should probably pay attention to this example.

Lets say your at home and a friend comes over and says hey I need you to help me with something. You being a good friend say sure no problem and you proceed to your friends house. Once there you discover a bunch of boxes and realize you have been suckered in to helping your friend move. However your already there so you decide to go ahead and help out. You have spent a few hours packing and moving several boxes and your almost done when your friend says ok just one more thing we need to move this couch. Your tired and ready to be done , but with out giving it too much thought you gladly agree, after all at the gym you regularly dead-lift far more weight than a simple couch and there are two of you doing it, so no problem. You squat down to get a good grip and on the count of three you lift 1-2-3 and then as you begin to lift it happens, you let go of the couch, drop to your knees and cry out ahhh my back. Congratulations you have successfully injured your back attempting to move the couch. Why did this happen, bc your core muscles did not have the support they have grown accustomed to having that was provided by your belt  and without the ability to self stabilize you are far more prone to injury than you would have ever guessed.

Now the example here was simply meant to open your eyes to the dangers of relying on the belt too much, the injury could have resulted from doing pretty much any house hold chores you can think of not just lifting heavy objects. The key is you want your body to learn the valuable techniques of self stabilizing the core and have your body prepared with the ability to use it whenever the right situation comes along. Its not worth risking the possibility of a serious injury , when a simple adjustment to your training style may have made all the difference in the  outcome of the situation.

The training aspect? I’m talking about is over training your body when your at the gym. Most people that fall into this category believe in the concept more is better, but in this case too much of a good thing can definitely be bad. Over training can keep you from making great gains almost as easily as not working out can. Why? Well lets break t hings down a bit, when your in the gym your working hard and building muscles right? Wrong! When you are training your actually damaging and breaking down muscle. When the muscle is being overloaded with weights little micro tears begin to occur throughout your muscle. This damage is whats necessary to cause the muscle to have to adapt to the stress loads that are being placed on them. When your performing an exercise in the gym your goal is to push the targeted muscle harder than its ever been pushed before. By doing this you cause? damage to occur to that muscle that the body must repair and rebuild. Rather than just replace only the damage muscle with more muscle exactly the same as it was before, your body adapts. It does this by rebuilding and adding more muscle fibers and making them stronger to ensure that the same amount of stress will not produce the same results again.

If you continue to damage the muscles over and over without giving the body the proper time to repair them you risk training them when they are in a weakened state. This can lead to injury or greater muscle damage that’s just too much for your body to fully repair. That’s why when your body is in a state of repair you must rest and recover for long enough to give your body the ability to fix the damaged muscle. Now this does not mean you can’t go to the gym the next day after a workout, but rather you need to avoid placing stress on the same weakened muscles. So if you trained chest one day you would not want to train it again for forty-eight to seventy-two hours. Now every once in a while it is also beneficial to take a few back to back days off from the gym all together and really give your body complete rest. That’s what these last few days have been for me although forced, they have been much needed and my body will definitely appreciate them.

If you find your self feeling overly fatigued, sore, and possibly even losing the desire to go to the gym , a few days off could be exactly what your body needs. Listen to it and you will be surprised with the results and progress? that can come from taking it easy for a few days. Do whatever it takes to just relax and rest. If your like me and really addicted to the gym this maybe harder than it sounds. You may even have to result to drastic measures such as handcuffing your self to the bed or flattening your tires(although neither are highly recommended)to keep from going into the gym. So remember you don’t grow while your in the gym training, the real growth takes place at home when your nowhere near the gym or any weight equipment.