If you have experienced it before then you know you do not want to experience it ever again. It usually hits us in the middle of a long run or jug, or in the middle of a sporting event or swimming. CRAMPS!! They are a huge discomfort, especially when you are trying to push yourself to the next level. I know a lot of people who get cramps quite often when they are running. They always want to know ways to avoid getting cramps in the middle of a workout. So here are some tips for you to prevent cramps in running, or any workout you are doing.
- Never Run on a Full Stomach – You need to avoid drinking lots of water or eating 2-4 hours before a workouts. It is okay to eat something small a couple hours before your workout, but that is it. It is best to take sips (a couple drinks) of water before your workout, and during your workout to keep you hydrated, but wait to fully hydrate yourself after your workout is over. It is important to take sips of water or Gatorade during your workout to avoid dehydration, which can cause cramps.
- Breath Deeply and Slower Your Pace – Using a deep breathing technique will help you reduce the pain, and slowing your pace down will also help you to recover.
- Stretching – Do a warm-up for about 3 minutes, then go into some stretching before your big workout. A stretch that will help you is the side torso twists, it really helps to stretch that area where most people get cramps. Also make sure to do some exercises and stretches.
If you follow these steps, there should be no reason why you should get cramps anymore. Have a fun time working out!!
Stability or exercise balls are great at utilizing your core and balance. The ball is an unstable surface which helps target all different sorts of muscles that you would not be able to target on a stable surface like the floor. In fact, even just sitting on the ball is better for your stability muscles than sitting in a chair, but do not expect to get six pack abs by just sitting on the ball. A Stability ball will add a wide variety of workouts to keep your routine fun and enjoyable. There are many different workouts you can perform on the ball that targets your core, but also other parts of your body too. If you are pregnant, the stability ball is safe for you, allowing you to do workouts you would not normally be able to do.
Okay, so you want to buy the ball…What size should you get? There are normally 3 different sizes 55 cm, 65 cm, and 75 cm. The 55 cm ball is for people who are 5’7″ and below, the 65 cm ball is for people who are between 5’7″ and 6’2″, and the 75 cm ball is for people 6’2″ and up. You want to make sure your ball is well inflated. When you sit on the ball it should slightly dip down and be firm on the sides. Make sure you check the manufacturer’s weight limits for the ball, most max limits are 300 pounds. It is super important to know the weight limit if you are looking into lifting free weights on your exercise ball. Finally, make sure that when sitting on the ball your legs are bent at a 90 degree angle, with your knees straight above your ankles.
Find a workout partner – It can sometimes be very difficult to workout alone, working out as a group or with another person will help you express yourself and help you enjoy your workout with friends. Make sure that you choose people who will motivate you, because some people can actually drag you away from working out, if they are not serious about it. Plus, your friends might have different ideas about how they workout, which can bring new variety to your workouts.
There are plenty of ways to becoming a personal trainer; the most obvious way is to go to school. Many workout facilities look for people who have a degree in exercise science, physical education, or Kinesiology (also known as human kinetics). Having a degree will help you a lot in finding a personal trainer job at a workout facility, but you MUST have people skills. There are other things companies look for; you can be a certified trainer. The great thing about becoming a certified personal trainer is that a lot of these organizations you become certified from are NCAA accredited, but make sure they state that they are NCAA accredited. There are many places online that you can go to become a certified personal trainer, here are some sites you can become a certified personal trainer through:
So how do you train for a marathon?…Well you need to run. If you are a beginner at running, do not worry about running for distance, which will come later. Instead start off by trying to run for 30-minutes straight. If you can’t run for 30-minutes straight right away, a mix between running and walking is okay, but do not stop and take a rest. Running for time is not only great for your body, but it will also build mental toughness. Mental toughness is just as important as physical endurance, because your body “is” going to get tired, but you need to have the mental stamina to push yourself. After you are able to run for 30 minutes straight, then try to run for a longer time.
I want to talk to you about Interval Training. Interval Training contains both high bursts of energy and recovery times. There are many different ways people use interval training, some people do long bursts of energy and short recovery times, some people do shorter bursts of energy and longer recovery times, both are affective. No matter which form of interval training you chose, the goal is always to get your heart rate up with high bursts of energy and then bring your heart rate down with the recovery time, do it over and over again for around 20-30 minutes.
Which brings us to our second way to burn fat quickly. Muscle training! I am not talking about getting huge and bulky, so if your a woman or a man afraid to bulk up? Do not worry. Resistance training is a very important key to burning fat, because building lean muscle is the fastest way to burn fat. You do not have to use heavy weight or even use weights at all. Resistance training involves chin-ups, push-ups, lunges and squats; all those exercises can be done without weights. If you do end up using weights, you do not have to pick heavy weights. Chose weights that you can control, many people try to whip out reps like they were in a race…but slow and steady wins this race. For example, going down with a bicep curl is just as important as going up with a curl. There are times for pumping out reps, but slow and controlled repetitions will help your body burn more fat during and even after the workout is finished.
