Jump Squat
Today’s Veteran Training exercise involves plyometrics. What’s that, you ask? It’s an exercise that incorporates repeated stretching and contracting of the muscles to increase strength, as in the jumping and quick rebounding you’ll be doing during a Jump Squat. A few sets of this multitasking move — which targets your calf muscles, hamstrings, quadriceps, and glutes — and your legs and butt will be stronger in no time!

Step 1
Stand with your feet together, arms at your sides.

Step 2
Jump up as high as you can, swinging your arms behind you.

Step 3
Land in a squat position, legs slightly more than hip width apart, arms extended in front of you, elbows bent at 90 degrees and palms facing each other. Be sure that your knees do not extend beyond your toes.

Step 4
Immediately jump back up to the starting position and repeat.

Caution: This exercise may not be suitable for those who have or have ever had a knee or back injury. Please consult your doctor before starting any fitness program.

Nervous about an event? Take it as a good sign. A Harvard study shows that putting a positive spin on your jitters improves performance.

If the thought of an upcoming race or Triathlon has you shaking in your shoes (or wetsuit), don’t resign yourself to giving a subpar performance. A recent Harvard study found that in students taking the GRE, those who were told their nervousness would improve their performance got better scores than the group who wasn’t told anything about their jitters. Before you embark on your anxiety-producing task, imagine your anxiety as a positive force that’s heightening your alertness and focus, and prepare to shine. Listen to your Triathlete Coach or Trainer and remember you trained hard for a reason.

Why Do my muscles hurt?

For decades scientists thought the burning sensation was a result of your body’s producing lactic acid to slow you down when you’re going too hard. Seemed logical, until last year, when researchers at the University of California, Berkeley discovered the real reason your muscles burn. Turns out that although the burning is caused by lactic acid, it’s not your body putting the breaks on your workout.

The acid actually is a main source of fuel for your muscles. When you push yourself, your muscles convert glucose from food into lactic acid, which is moved via proteins to the mitochondria, your muscles’ energy factories. The more you work out, the more efficiently your body uses lactate as fuel — which means you can go longer and harder.

Where You’re Most Likely to Grow Muscle First on a Woman?

 It’s all in the width of your shoulders. Our Cohasset personal training team know there’s generally not a lot of fat around a woman’s deltoids, so muscle growth there is more defined under your skin.

Postive Effect: Wider shoulders make your

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Who’s Stronger: Men Or Women?

When comparing the muscle strength of men and women, you will find that men were about 50 percent stronger than women. But if you talk to one of our Personal Trainers in Duxbury they will tell you that when you  factor in body weight and muscle weight, on a muscle-for-muscle basis, women are just as strong as men.

I Don’t Want To Be Bulky…..

 For the last time ladies, weight lifting will not turn you into a big green superhero. It’s just not in your blood. Testosterone helps men gain bulk.

When men lift weights, the hormone causes their muscle fibers to grow. Since women have 20 to 30 percent less testosterone than men do, we gain strength without the bulk. Your chances of getting really big and look like a professional body builder? Nearly zero. Even if you have more Testosterone than average, to get huge you’d have to quit your job, spend 24/7 eating and working out in a very specific way, and slather on buckets of baby oil.

Think stretching is for some people and not others? A recent study suggests tight muscles mean stiff arterial walls — a precursor to heart disease.

Try this Hanover Veteran Training Tip: Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Now fold forward at your hips and reach for your toes. Can you touch them? If not, your cardiovascular health may be compromised: A recent study suggests a correlation between the flexibility of your muscles and the elasticity (and therefore, health) of your arterial walls. If your toes are literally out of reach, prioritize your flexibility, either by doing regular stretching sessions or starting a program that promotes muscle suppleness.

You have to play ping-pong for 12 hours to lose one pound.