Neck And Back Stretches Perfect For Starting Out

Article by Pat Lowe

There’s a wide array of stretching techniques that target your back and neck, many of them uncomplicated and effective. If you’re a novice attempting to relax your muscles, give these simple techniques a try.

Beginner Back Stretch: A highly effective stretch for the back is the basic back stretch. Here’s what you need to do: Standing erect, contract your abdominal muscles while you bend forward at the hips, lowering your hands to the ground. Relax the head downwards and push using the fingertips; feel the stretch in the back while you do this. Maintain this pose for 30 seconds; if you find this too difficult, build up slowly to this amount of time.

Wide Back and Shoulder Stretch: This move should follow right after the basic back stretch. With your hands remaining on the ground, place your feet wide apart and position your arms inside your legs. Lift your hands off the floor and wrap your arms around the back of your calves, then grasp your ankles. Pull gently with the hands, thus opening up the shoulders and stretching the upper back. Maintain this pose for around 30 seconds.

The Shoulder Roll: Shoulder rolls are the simplest stretches that can be done. Either sitting or standing upright, rotate your shoulders upwards, backwards, down then forward. Begin with small circles and work up to a larger movement. Do 10 circles in the backwards direction, then reverse direction and do 10 repetitions going forward.

As well, you need to be sure that you avoid movements and actions that could cause back and neck pain. Good posture is critical. And you will need to be particularly cautious whenever you’re lifting a heavy item. You will need to bend down, then use your legs instead of your back to carry the load while you lift.

The way you sleep at night also has an effect on the pain you are feeling in your neck and back. A properly supportive pillow and mattress are essential, and keep the temperature set just right to ensure that you don’t have a restless sleep. By doing a few easy stretches before you go to bed at night, you’ll loosen up your muscles and have a sound sleep.

Starting Strength Workout Program – Do These Function Strength Training Workouts at Any Time of Day

Starting Strength Workout Program

There are a great many variables that determine what type of workout is best for you and most feasible to work into your set of circumstances. Things like weight, experience, the equipment they have, and their body type can determine their workouts. Unfortunately, far too many people start a workout routine only to get bored a few weeks in due to the repetitive movements and actions they have to make. Over time, people start making up reasons to not exercise. You might find all manner of excuses – a malfunctioning treadmill, or lack of open stationary bikes. Starting Strength Workout Program

Here are some suggestions as to how you can go further with your basic workouts to make them more interesting and convenient in order to help you perform functional strength exercises.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that weight training or cardiovascular exercise are restricted to activities performed in a gym since the definition of “weight training” is lifting ANY weight and “cardiovascular exercise” is movement of ANY sort.

Your functional strength training program should never be determined by the availability of a gym or any piece of exercise equipment. A lot of people spend quite a bit of time thinking about which exercise machine they should buy to use in their houses. Truth be told, no special equipment is required for an effective workout. You have all the equipment you need with just your body weight, which is a superior machine to help you perform functional strength workouts that will increase your strength and durability.

When you do functional strength training, you are just participating in exercises that can be done by anyone without the need of a gym.

It is generally accepted that, worldwide, many people find it a struggle to touch their toes 10 times, or perform 5 regular push-ups. Unfortunately, these days, convenience and technology has caused us to be sedentary and we cannot even lift our own body weight when doing some basic exercises. As a result, you should start with functional strength training in your workouts, as you learn to move your body in a full range of motion effectively and effortlessly. In a nutshell, you need to be able to do squats and pushups effectively before you can even think about starting to weight train and pump up your arms at the gym.

Another fact is that a lot of people who cannot perform basic functional strength movements with just their body weight have probably suffered an injury of some kind, or have not exercised regularly for a particular reason. People who are involved regularly in sports of any kind will tell you that functional strength exercises are extremely vital to keep the body fit enough to reduce the chances of getting hurt. Surprising as it may seem, athletes unable to balance themselves during a single body weight step-up are still able to perform squats with wights of 100 kilograms. This is due to the fact that balancing on a single leg is required to perform a step-up.

People who are more active will vastly increase the chances that they will injure themselves if they cannot maintain proper balance and bodily control, which these stepups can help hone. It is for this reason that you should heavily consider functional strength training; your balance at least will improve, which is incredibly important. If you want to learn more about great functional strength training exercise programs, keep reading to find a sample program that will help you lose weight and get better balance. As you do functional strength training exercises, you have to keep in mind that you have to focus on form more than anything, and improperly done exercises will do you no good.

Depending on your endurance and strength levels, you can do between three to five sets of thirty to sixty seconds worth of each functional strength training exercise. Starting Strength Workout Program

1. Burpee Chin-Ups
2. Step Push-Ups
3. Towel Charges
4. Get-Ups
5. Push-Up Holds
6. Wall Holds

The Exercises Explained

Burpee Chin-Ups – Start this functional strength training exercise standing upright, with your hands relaxed and by your sides. Squat until you feel your hands touch the floor, then thrust your legs out behind you, keeping your arms straight to support your body. Then pull your legs forwards until you are in a squatting position again, and jump up to grip the chin-up bar. Using the momentum from your jump, do a single close-grip underhand chin-up then release the bar and repeat everything. If a chin-up bar is not available, you can also perform this functional strength training exercise as a simple burpee exercise without the added chin-ups.

Step Push-Ups – Begin with your body in the plank position with your arms straight, just in front of a step. Making sure your hips stay flat, move your one hand onto the step, followed by the other hand. Then move one hand back down followed by the other. That completes a single repetition of this functional strength training exercise.

Towel Charges – For this functional strength training exercise you will need two towels that you don’t mind dirtying. Get into the plank position with your arms straight, and put each of your feet on top of a towel. Keeping your lower back as straight as possible, slowly slide one knee up to touch your chest, then slide it back behind you. Do the same with your other leg.

Get-Ups – Hold a single dumbbell above your head and lie down flat on the floor. Keeping the dumbbell above your head at all times, bend your knees and get them under your body so you can bring yourself up into a squatting position. From your squatting position push yourself up until you are standing straight, then sink back down into a squat and back to you beginning position. That completes a single repetition of this functional strength training exercise.

Push-Up Holds – Begin in the plank position with your arms straight, then lower your body in a regular push-up. Hold your body in this position for whatever amount of time you stipulate for yourself, then push yourself back up to your starting position. If you find that you are unable to hold the push-up for the set amount of time, push yourself back up and recover instead of letting yourself fall to the ground.

Wall Holds – The starting position for this functional strength training exercise is essentially the plank position with your arms straight, only your feet are placed flat against a wall. This means that your arms will be supporting most of your weight. Hold your body in this position for the set amount of time or as long as you can, before returning back to the regular plank position. Starting Strength Workout Program