Thursday, June 10, 2010

Even Better Strength Training

The six strength-training exercises in this chapter are a great start. But if you’ve outgrown them, or if you want more guidance, there are plenty of resources to turn to. Here are some excellent options:

• Explore the Web. There are plenty of books and videos that dissect popular exercises, but the Web is the unchallenged champion of free and comprehensive workout information. An excellent start is the sprawling exercise and fitness pages on About.com—dip your toe in at http://tinyurl.com/4nmlj. The Mayo Clinic provides a smaller set of articles and some helpful videos at www.mayoclinic.com/health/fitness/SM99999.

• Find a gym. Everyone can benefit from a well-stocked gym with like-minded fitness buffs and a supportive staff. You need to shop around to find one that suits you. Keep in mind that the obvious criteria (price and location) aren’t the only factors. To make sure you’ll feel comfortable, check out the crowd (Lycraclad treadmill bunnies? Macho men grunting like bulls?). And make sure you can make use of the most important gym benefit—the help of a personal trainer.

• Personal trainer. You don’t need to have one on staff. A monthly consultation is enough to help you test your fitness level (and see how it changes over time), devise a workout regimen that suits you, and get pointers to demystify tricky exercises. If you’re ready to invest in this experience, make sure you go to a personal trainer that has a degree in health science and certification from an internationally recognized organization, such as the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association).

Source of Information : Oreilly - Your Body Missing Manual

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