I love tennis! SOOOO much!
Fitness Advisor
June 18, 2013 // Category: Fitness Advisor
It’s finally summer and adults and kids alike are hitting the court for a pick-up game of basketball with friends, neighbors or coworkers. Depending on the intensity of your game, basketball can be a great total body workout with all the benefits of a cardio session at the gym. You don’t have to be a pro to play, but there are a few things you can do to improve your game and get more out of court time.
Strength Training: Shooting the basketball involves chest and shoulder muscles. If you haven’t shot a ball in a few months your muscles will be talking after your first game. Start doing pushups on a regular basis to strengthen your shooting muscles. Begin with 10 and work up to 3 sets of 20 each day. If traditional pushups are too difficult, start on your knees and work up to performing them from a full plank position.
June 11, 2013 // Category: Fitness Advisor
Professional tennis players are some of the best athletes in the world. Tennis involves strength, speed, agility, footwork and endurance to last the match. Getting more court time to practice your strokes is important, but even for recreational players, sports-specific conditioning is the key to improvement.
Strength Training: Strength training increases the power of your shots and minimizes injuries by protecting the joints that are subject to repetitive stress. Try a combination of dumbbells, resistance bands and cable machines. Focus on the whole body – legs, arms, back, shoulders and the core. Try a circuit style workout moving from exercise to exercise. Make sure to incorporate rotational movements and balance exercises.
June 07, 2013 // Category: Fitness Advisor
It’s good when exercise gets boring—that means you’ve been doing it often enough to get bored! Fortunately, you don’t need the latest equipment to keep the spark in your love of fitness. Many forget that they have two very effective fitness “tools” readily available to them at all times—your bodyweight and gravity—which allows you to exercise anywhere, anytime without any equipment needed. That said, because these moves don’t use the latest fitness gizmo or gadget, some people find that standard bodyweight exercises can get stale pretty quickly. Luckily for you, freshness has arrived—the bodyweight exercise variations below will engage your mind and bring a novel challenge to your body!
Hand-dance Push-up
