Regular physical activity is vital for your health, but we also need to be careful when we are moving our bodies not to cause injuries. You must be both mentally and physically present when taking part in exercise. The good news is that injuries are preventable and taking some simple steps can help reduce the risk. Read the rest of this entry »

There are three basic approaches to nutritional supplementation during bodybuilding. One of these involves consuming high levels of protein which then can help the muscles to grow. The second of these involves promoting the production of androgenic hormones, including testosterone as a means to increase the building of mass during workouts. The third approach is about increasing the kinds of nutrients that will enable greater endurance, thereby allowing for more strenuous and lengthy workouts at the gym. Read the rest of this entry »

Put simply, sports nutrition is the study and practice of nutrition and diet as it relates to athletic performance. Everyone should know the basic principles of sports nutrition b use it is important to know how to fuel your body in order to work out consistently and see quicker results while maintaining energy levels. Read the rest of this entry »

Just as our brains store memories of experiences that we go through, muscles store “memories” of specific movements that we make with our bodies. Basically, muscle memory is a type of movement that the body becomes accustomed to over time.

Much about muscle memory is still unknown. What scientists believe happens is that anyone who is learning a new activity or doing something that they have done before has a large amount of brain activity going on. For example, children who learn to ride a bike have absolutely no muscle memory in this particular activity b use they have never done it before. After practicing many times over their body begins to recognize the specific movement and muscles that it takes to ride a bike. By practicing riding a bike, the child will gradually build neural pathways that will stimulate the muscles to remember this action. After a while, the child will know how to ride a bike and from that time on, their body will never forget how to ride a bike. Muscle memory can be both a help and a hinderance. If you are learning to do a new activity you need to make sure that you are doing it properly. For example, those learning a new sport must start out with the proper technique from the get go b use if they don’t  their muscles will store the memory of the first times that they performed these specific actions. From then on in they will continue to do this the same way, whether or not it is the correct form. Of course you can re-train your body to perform tasks in a different way but it is much more of a challenge.

Although it is a very complex process, muscle memory does present a benefit for athletes. If you begin lifting weights after a long time of inactivity it will be easier to get to your previous levels than if you were just starting to work out for the first time. Basically, after you have done an activity once, no matter how long you go without practicing it you will never be starting back from ground zero.

Injuries can be extremely hard to heal, especially muscle tears. The human body has more than 300 individual muscle which let our limbs move. When you do any kind of strenuous physical activity there is always a large possibility that you can tear one of these muscles. If you overexert yourself or if the muscles are improperly trained or already strained, adding more resistance to them can cause a painful muscle tear.

When a ligament, muscle or tendon is injured the fibers of the structure actually tear. Think of these structures like a rope made of individual strands. If the strands tear the rope is weakened and is more prone to further breakage. This same thing happens when you tear a muscle - the muscle fibers are actually torn weakening the muscle dramatically. There are three degrees of injuries.  A grade I sprain or strain means that you have torn some of the fibers and it is characterized by mild pain and swelling but it is still possible to move the joint or muscle. A grade I sprain or strain means that you have torn a significant number of fibers and will experience a higher degree of pain and swelling which only allows you to move the muscle a little bit.  A grade III sprain or strain means that you have torn all or almost all of the fibers and the pain is excruciating and usually you are not able to move the joint or muscle at all.

Dependant on the level of injury you have, treatments vary. No matter what type of tear or strain you have it is important to rest as much as possible and let your muscles repair themselves. Putting strain on an already damaged muscle can lead to permanent injury and further physical problems.

An injury does so much more than interfere with your work out regime-it also holds you back in your every day life. If you are quite active in sports or otherwise, you should follow some basic rules of thumb to minimize the risk of getting injured. Here are three injury prevention tips:

1. Don’t push yourself too hard. If you have been out of the game for a while, don’t expect to jump right back in and be in the same kind of physical condition which you were in before. Many people overestimate their abilities and it can result in an injury such as a torn ligament or extremely sore muscles. It is also wise to avoid working out too hard if you are already sore. Listen to what your body is telling you-if you need a day off, you need a day off.

2. Stretch. Stretching on a daily basis can do so much for the body including prevent injuries. Most athletes know the importance of being flexible but there are also a lot of people who overlook it. Muscle fibers can withstand more force before breaking when gently stretched. By stretching you also warm up the muscle tissues and improve the function of energy generating enzymes which aid you during your exercise.

3. Use protective gear. No matter how stupid you may feel wearing a helmet, knee pads, face guards, or a tooth guard, be assured that you will feel even more stupid if you get an injury and you weren’t wearing protective gearing. The risk far outweighs any kind of vanity that you may have towards protective gearing. Helmets are the most important piece of gear to wear whether you are biking, skateboarding, playing hockey, or rollerblading and they save thousands of lives every year.

Although there is never any guarantee that you will not be injured, by following the above tips you can greatly reduce the risk of it.