Through my time working out and learning about how to do different exercises, I’ve grown to love some and hate others. There are many exercises that you can use to work any given muscle group, but some are more effective. There are also some exercises…
What is a healthy weight? Well, the most popular tool to find this is a BMI calculator. BMI takes into account your height to weight ratio, and shows whether that is healthy. There are four categories you can fall into. However, there has been a…
I train my lower body twice a week, Sunday and Wednesday, and focus on hitting four main groups of muscles. They are the quads and hamstrings, glutes, and calves. If I have access to a gym, my workout begins with a heavy compound movement (usually…
For anyone wondering how to workout on their own, either on or off campus, Penn State has many resources available. While I haven’t used any of these myself, they’re very organized and easy to follow. I think they are great for anyone looking to stay…
Since coming home from Penn State in late November, I’ve made a lot of changes to my workout routine. I’ve been able to exercise on a more regular schedule and add more variety to my program by going to the gym. With more free time…
Two important components of fitness are flexibility and stability. Flexibility is the ability to stretch muscles and move joints easily through a full range of motion. Stability refers to the strength of stabilizing muscles that help larger muscles carry out movements with precision. There are…
The last main muscles that I want to discuss are the shoulder and trap groupings. I introduced the trapezius muscles in my post about exercising the back, but I think they deserve their own focused training. Because they are right next to each other, it’s…
Exercise is just as much a mental battle as it is a physical one. First, while exercise has physical benefits it also improves mental focus, stress levels, and self-esteem. Even just 3-4 days of workouts per week will significantly boost your brain. But just like…
Just as the chest and triceps are activated through similar exercises, so are the back and biceps. Instead of “pushing” muscles, these two groups are “pulling” muscles. This means that pulling weight toward your body will contract them (pull ups, dumbbell curls, etc.). There are…
I usually work my chest and triceps on the same day because they are activated through similar exercises. They are both “pushing” muscles, so any exercise where you push weight away from you (push up, bench press, etc.) uses these. For the purpose of working…