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The push up is one of the greatest exercises you can do. It is a full-body movement that can be done anywhere using your body weight. That said, the push up can be a difficult movement to master for some people, often requiring modifications at first which many people start on their knees. If you do push ups with your knees on the floor, you will get better at one thing and one thing only – doing push ups with your knees on the floor. Sorry to be the one to break it to you but by doing this modification you are not ever going to get better at doing full push ups. You are not building the proper muscles necessary for growth.

 

In the proper push up position, the feet are together, glutes are squeezed, and the back is in a neutral position. In other words, there should be no sag in the back and everything should be tight.Then, the entire body should move in straight line, with no sag and with your elbows at approximately a 45-degree angle. At the bottom of the movement, your forearms should be vertical to the ground. The core and glutes are stabilizing the lumbar spine, the back is engaged, and the chest is set up in an optimal position for work. If you think about it, it is really just a moving plank.

 

So by doing them on your knees let’s look at what is going on!In this position, you are taking your legs out of the equation entirely. It becomes more difficult to engage your glutes. Right now just try to squeeze your glutes in this position – it isn’t as easy. You also don’t need to stabilize your lumbar spine as much, and you couldn’t anyway as you are effectively turning off the stabilizers of the hip which play a huge role in lumbar spine stabilization.Even more, when you then start to lower to the bottom of the push up, the on-the-knees position causes most people to lead the movement with their elbows. This means they are rarely able to end the position with the forearms vertical to the floor. This puts unnecessary stress on the elbow, wrist, and shoulder, which could potentially lead to injuries, not to mention it isn’t the optimal position for strengthening the chest muscles.

 

So what if you really can’t do a full push up ? If you can’t do a full push up, don’t do more push ups from your knees expecting to get better.Instead, modify the full push up position so your body learns to properly stabilize and work together. How do you do that? The incline push up. Use a bench or barbell on a rack and elevate your hands to the point where you can perform the full movement while maintaining a neutral back and strong core. As you improve, you can lower the position of the bar until you eventually are back to the floor.

 

Remember, your core is your pillar. It is where all of your strength and power comes from. If you don’t have a strong pillar, you can’t expect to efficiently and effectively move your limbs. This is why performing the push up in any way other than a plank position is not going to help you improve your push ups.

 

 

reference

https://breakingmuscle.com/bodyweight/why-knee-push-ups-wont-make-you-any-stronger

 

What is REALLY holding you back ?
All training fits into four broad categories. In order, these are:

Body composition
Flexibility/Range of movement
Strength
Conditioning

There are many ways to individualize and tailor your training within each group. But the categories remain the same.. Body composition comes first for one simple reason: being overweight has an adverse relationship with health and fitness, as well as your mental state.

How you can perform is directly correlated to how you can move. If you have extra weight, movement is harder to do at any level. You should have a clear understanding of what your BMI (body mass index) is and how that affects your health. The number on the scale is not as accurate as one would believe it to be due to muscle weighing more than fat does so use BMI as a guage but not the definite answer to overall health.

In order to find out your body composition, use BMI, your waist measurement, and body fat scales to figure out where you should be. For reference, an athletic male should have between 6-13 percent body fat, while a female should have 14-20 percent. This study1 found body fat was closely linked to BMI measurements greater than 30. In other words, if your BMI is 30 or more, you are likely to have a corresponding body fat percentage.

This might be an eye opener for many of you and that’s a good thing. Knowing where your body is in composition just gives trainers and coaches a better understanding of what you need to make forward progression.My goal is to have your body composition at an optimal level for your health and wellness. Your first step is food tracking. Food tracking becomes a large part of this process, as does the effort to create new habits and educate you about what your currently eating, how much of it your eating and where you have habits that we can change and adapt.

Second, workout harder not longer.Did you know that the difference between a steady-state workout and an interval workout is 7 percent? When it comes to training for fat loss, the decision is simple. Pick the workout that burns the most calories in the most sustainable way.

All this is is determined by eating well. None of it will make any difference if you’re snacking on pizza every night and eating M&M’s.Rule one is that your training, including the associated diet, should make you better and healthier. If you’re trying to eat your way into a bigger deadlift but you don’t compete in a lifting sport, you will probably make things worse for yourself in the long run. Get your eating under control this year and watch how easy it is to nail down your other health and fitness goals.

Your body is a machine. What you feed it will ultimately affect how you feel and how your body responds to external factors. Feed your body right and you will see how much of an impact it has on your well-being and how amazing you will feel. Your body will start to appreciate the nutrients and you will start to see immediate results from the foods that nourish every cell!

Learning what foods to eat and when to optimize your nutrition is key.Reset your body from the inside out by getting your nutrients from a delicious array of whole foods.Here’s what you should be looking for: whole grains and legumes for zinc, lysine selenium, B vitamins, and slow-digesting carbs, the most colorful array of veggies you can find (for beta-carotene, micronutrients and minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and indigestible carbs that help keep you from snacking on less nutritious foods, lean protein for muscle building and fullness, along with healthy fats from foods like nuts, avocado, and olive oil for muscle building, tyrosine, and overall healthier thyroid function.

Here are some healthy options to add into your healthy diet !

Fruit- Two of the best options that you can have are Apples and Grapefruits

-Apples
Apples are a low-calorie fruit. They do contain plenty of fiber, which is broken down in the body through the burning of calories.

-Grapefruits
Like the apple, the grapefruit is high in fiber. It also helps lower insulin levels in the body.Insulin levels determine the amount of fat the body stores.The lower the insulin levels, the higher the metabolism.Aside from fruit, which other foods are a welcome addition to your diet to increase metabolism?

Yogurt
Natural yogurt contains a lot of protein.Not only does protein help build lean muscle, but it requires a lot of calories to be processed by the body.Yogurt also helps regulate the digestive tract because of the presence of pro-biotic cultures.

Lean Meats and Eggd
Like yogurt, lean meats, such as chicken and turkey, contain a lot of protein and are scant on fat. The lean muscle tissue built by proteins needs a lot of energy to maintain.Eggs are known as the perfect protein, but their ability to boost lean muscle and strength gains isn’t due to just the protein alone. It gets a lot of help from the yolks, where the cholesterol is found. If you’re worried about your cholesterol shooting up from eating the yolks, cholesterol from eggs has been shown to decrease the amount of LDL (bad) cholesterol particles associated with atherosclerosis.

Spicy Foods
Yes, it’s true. Spicy food, more specifically, food that uses hot chilies of any variety, can increase metabolism.Hot chilies contain capcaisin, which make your body burn calories long after they’ve been eaten. Capcaisins cause some people to sweat when they’re eating a spicy Indian curry or some fiery Mexican cuisine, but don’t shy away from the spice if you want to increase your metabolism!

Eat these foods and you’re guaranteed to burn more calories… just by sitting there and listening to yourself digest. Only one catch: Like any good buzz, this boost is temporary. The only way to alter your resting metabolism permanently is to gain or lose weight, or to build extra muscle by lifting HEAVY !

 

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Division Standards: Choose which category fits YOU best! 

If you have questions regarding the standards, please contact fhsuperheroes@gmail.com (subject: FH Throwdown)

Click the link :http://fitnessheroics.com/superhero-throwdown/

 

Do you know how to breathe when working out? It may seem like a funny question BUT it happens often when you’re working out and doing sprints, weightlifting or even yoga that you find breathing to be difficult ! If you are ever taking a class, many instructors will tell you to focus on your breathing but what does that even mean? I want to give you some helpful advice on how to breathe more efficiently to get the most out of your workout!

When you are lifting heavy it is important to realize that breathing can make or break the lift. You want to inhale through your nose at the beginning of a lift and then as you exert the force you want to hold your breath and expel when the peak of the movement is over. This holds true for max effort lifts, think of when you do one deadlift for max load. Holding your breath works like brace and keeps your core tight bracing your spine to reduce the chance of injury.

Lighter lifting days require a different breathing pattern. You will inhale before the lift and expel the air as you lift the weight into the air then inhale again as you lower the weights back to the starting position. You need to think of keeping your rib cage aligned over your pelvis so that your diaphragm and pelvic floor are facing each other. If your pelvis is tilted or your rib cage is off center it will lead to a loss of air and cause inefficient lifts.

If you are more of a runner, you should have a different breathing technique than lifting. Running requires you to learn how to keep your breath at a steady pace while moving. You need to use an event ratio of respiration to steps. A good example is breathing in for two to four strides and then out for the same amount.

Sprinting on the other hand requires a little more thought. You should be inhaling right before the acceleration phase and then consistently exhaling to increase your power output. You need to make sure that you are taking in enough oxygen at the beginning of the sprint to last throughout the entire goal time or distance so that you are able to breathe.

Now to the easy breathing through yoga. Yoga movements are based around breathing and you need to learn to find your inner peace. You should breathe in through your nose and with equal time exhale which creates a calming breathing pattern. This helps to calm your CNS and can help improve your yoga experience.

I hope that you find these tips both helpful and make your workout more efficient !! Your breathing is important as you lift, run or relax and you should utilize the amazing benefits that your breathing patterns have on your training routines !

If you have not tried quinoa as a staple in your diet you are missing out on a superfood! It is loaded with protein, fiber and minerals, but doesn’t contain any gluten. Quinoa is a grain crop that is grown for its edible seeds.

Quinoa is very interesting because it containse molecules called flavonoids, which are plant antioxidants that have been shown to have all sorts of beneficial effects on health.Two flavonoids that have been particularly well studied are Quercetin and Kaempferol and they are both found in large amounts in quinoa. These important molecules have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-cancer and anti-depressant effects.

Quinoa is also high in fiber especially insoluble.There are numerous studies showing that soluble fiber can help reduce blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol, increase fullness and help with weight loss fiber. Also, quinoa isparticularly high in in all the essential amino acids. For this reason, quinoa is an excellent source of protein. It has both more and better protein than most grains.

Quinoa also happens to be very high in antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that neutralize free radicals and are believed to help fight ageing and many diseases.

Quinoa is easy to add to any meal and easy to cook!

Just Put 2 cups of water in a pot, turn up the heat.
Add 1 cup of raw quinoa, with a dash of salt.
Boil for 15-20 minutes.
And Enjoy!

You can also eat it at any meal, for breakfast make it into a breakfast bowl with fresh fruits and almonds. By adding in some coconut oil you have a great breakfast treat. At lunch you can put it into a salad or use it as a side dish. You can even get creative and use it as a stuffing replacing bread! Eating quinoa is a great way to add healthy proteins and carbs to your diet while keeping your body fueled and ready to go !