About fitness
Welcome to start working.org, one of the largest orgs for young people and social change! After you've browsed the 11 facts (with citations at the bottom), take action and volunteer with our millions of members. Sign up for a campaign and make the world suck less. 1: The human body has 650 muscles. 2: The only exercise you should hold your breath for is underwater swimming. 3: The heart is the strongest muscle in the body. 4:Nearly 50% of all young people ages 12-21 are not vigorously active on a daily basis. 5: For every pound of muscle gained, the body burns 50 extra calories every day. 6:Only 13% of men are physically fit. 7:More than 30% of children ages 6 to 11 are overweight, and over 15% are obese. 8:On average, a person walks 70,000 miles in their lifetime. 9:Roughly 4,000 children and teenagers begin smoking every day. 10:Exercise makes you feel more energized because it releases endorphins into the blood. 11:Movement in exercise helps relieve stress by producing a relaxation response which serves as a position distraction
LETS GET STARTED..SHALL WE
chest
1: Do push ups. This often-neglected exercise focuses on building up your shoulder and upper chest muscles. Lie face-down on the floor and start with your hands about shoulder-width apart, with your legs stretched behind you. Push your body up from the floor with your hands until your elbows are straight, then lower yourself back to the floor.
Do 3 sets of 15 push-ups, or as many as you can before growing fatigued. Add more reps as you gain strength.
Push ups also work your triceps and shoulders (deltoids).
Try this variation: elevate your legs by placing our feet on a block or step before doing the exercise. This puts emphasis on your shoulders and upper chest.
2:Get into bench pressing. This is the most popular chest building exercise of all time, and for good reason.[1] Weight a barbell with weights appropriate for your strength level. Lie on a bench with your feet flat on the floor. Lower the barbell down to chest until you reach about 1" from your chest, then lift it straight above your chest.
To build muscle mass and hypertrophy it is best to do between 8-12 reps of 1-3 sets. This helps the blood flow carry glycogen throughout your body, so calories will be easily burned and the exercise can continue with the help of adrenaline.
You can also do incline bench presses by using an inclined bench. This is the same as bench pressing, only it focuses more on your upper pectoral muscles. Decline bench presses focus more on your lower pectoral muscles. Most people don't perform this exercise but it is essential in obtaining a full and rounded chest.
armmuscles
Train as hard as you can. Lift the heaviest weights you are able to lift and make your training sessions as high-intensity as possible. Muscle-builders call this "training to failure," because it means lifting weights that are heavy enough to cause you to "fail," or be unable to complete the exercise after a few reps. As your arms grow stronger, and you find that the weight you've been lifting is no longer as difficult, add more weight. Find your "train to failure" weight by experimenting with different weights until you find one you can lift several times before breaking a sweat and feeling you can't lift it again. If you can complete 10 or 12 reps without sweating or feeling much of a burn, you should be lifting more weight. If you can't complete one or two reps before giving up, decrease the weight. While extreme discomfort is part of building muscle mass, you shouldn't be lifting so much weight that you feel you're going to be sick or pass out. There's no shame in starting at a lower weight. Start lifting a weight you can handle, and soon you'll build up the strength required to lift heavier weights.
abs
Abdominal Hold This is the sort of move that looks so wonky, you sure hope your roommate doesn't catch you doing it — unless she also gets to see you look stellar in a bathing suit, in which case she just may pull up a chair. Do it: Sit tall on the edge of a sturdy chair (or step with four risers) and place your hands on the edge with your fingers pointing toward your knees. Tighten your abs and bring your toes 2 to 4 inches off the floor. Lift your butt off the chair. Hold this position for as long as you can — aim for 5 to 10 seconds. Lower yourself down and repeat. Continue this exercise for 1 minute.
neckmuscles
1. Forward Flexion Allow your head to fall forward so that your chin approaches the top of your chest. Once you feel a stretch or pull in the muscles that line the back of your neck or once the joints of your neck won't allow you to bend forward any further, whichever comes first, hold this position for as long as is comfortable, up to 30 seconds. DSC05061 2. Backward Extension Allow your head to bend backwards so that you can look at the ceiling or sky. Once you feel a stretch or pull on the front side of your neck or once the joints of your neck won't allow you to go back any further, whichever comes first, hold this position for as long as is comfortable, up to 30 seconds.
biceps
How is getting a stronger, sleeker upper body like math? It's something otherwise smart women think they just can't accomplish. Or they use the excuse of getting too "bulked up." The moves here definitely won't turn you into the Incredible Hulk, but they will get your arms longer, leaner, and ready to bare when the weather warms up. Best of all, most can be done at home using your own body weight—no need to invest in pricey gadgets or gear! Trainer tip: To boost your calorie burn and see results faster, march or jump in place for 2 minutes after completing each move.
calf muscles
Calf muscles are some of the most difficult to work and build, especially without the fancy equipment at gyms. Learn how to effectively exercise and grow your gastrocnemius[1] at home, for free instead. You'll have rocking calves in no time, and be ready to conquer the highest of mountains or longest of running trails.
diet
To set yourself up for success, think about planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps rather than one big drastic change. If you approach the changes gradually and with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think. Simplify. Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think of your diet in terms of color, variety, and freshness. This way it should be easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet will become healthier and more delicious. Start slow and make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your diet healthy overnight isn’t realistic or smart. Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of different color vegetables) to your diet once a day or switching from butter to olive oil when cooking. As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your diet. Focus on how you feel after eating. This will help foster healthy new habits and tastes. The more healthy food you eat, the better you’ll feel after a meal. The more junk food you eat, the more likely you are to feel uncomfortable, nauseous, or drained of energy. Every change you make to improve your diet matters. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy to have a healthy diet. The long term goal is to feel good, have more energy, and reduce the risk of cancer and disease. Don’t let your missteps derail you—every healthy food choice you make counts
- Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. ~Henry Ford
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