Category Archives: Sports & Fitness

Training programs and exercises for your chosen programs for golf, rugby, football, cricket, weight loss and much much more.

How to do the splits

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How To Do the Splits

Some people are just more naturally flexible than others. I believe that ANYONE who really works at it can learn to do the splits. However, before you try to get into a split, be sure you have stretched your legs.

Try a pike stretch 1st; sit on the floor on a pike, legs straight, toes pointed, and try and get your nose as close to your knees as you can. Hold for 30 seconds. Next, flex your feet, keeping the nose as far down as possible. After you have done this, sit in a wide straddle, and attempt to get your elbows on the floor. Hold 30 seconds, then reach your hands as far out as possible, attempting to put your nose on the floor. Again, hold 30 seconds.

Next, place either leg in front, and lunge from your knee; your rear knee is on the floor, your front foot is far in front. Hold 30 seconds, then sit back, straighten the front leg, and try to place your nose on your knees. Then slide as far into the split as you are able. Repeat on the other side. Hold each position 30 seconds.

NEVER bounce while stretching or push yourself past the point of pain. Slow and steady does it.

Many people feel that the body is more flexible after a warm bath, so you may want to try these drills after a warm bath. I advise doing this 2 times daily, morning and evening. If you keep at it, you should see a lot of improvement in your flexibility.

The above information is used with the permission of Lee, a host of the Gymnastics Forum. Please note: advice given in this article is opinion and may not be the best advice for *you*. Always consult a gymnastics professional in your area, with your parents permission*


How to Do a Split

Have you ever seen a graceful ballet dancer or maybe a die-hard gymnast and say to yourself, “I can’t do that!” Or, have you taken a dance or gymnastics class or maybe even cheerleading or taekwondo and been required to know how to do a split even though you are not very flexible? No worries my friend, follow this guide and with a little patience, you too may be able to do a split.

Steps

Warm up and stretch. Not doing so will cause injury. Here are some stretches you can try:

Lie on the floor and put your legs up on as high as you can on a straight wall with your lower back still on the floor. Try to reach the wall with your hands as far as you can go without excessive strain or pain.

* Do lunges (similar to a squat with one leg while the other leg extends straight behind you, and swap the legs to the other posture repeatedly do not do to hard)

* Half split one leg and stretch forward and the other back

* Leg rotations and levies

* Jog in place for a few minutes to warm up leg muscles

Stretch yourself. Do lunges, butterflies, touch your toes etc. Make sure your legs are stretched and so is your back. Sit with your legs apart on the floor and put your head down. Then try to put it on your left/right leg. This may be difficult.

Go into position. This will be with your preferred leg forward. Your front knee should be straight and your back knee bent so the shin on that leg is resting on the ground.

After you have warmed up for at least 5 minutes, get into the split or straddle position and go down as far as you can-without any major pain or discomfort. Slowly lower yourself down as far as you can go. Don’t over do it. This means if you can only go down to be a foot off the ground while feeling a decent stretch, don’t go any further.

Stay in that position for about 30 seconds then get up stretch and repeat, not too many times or you could cause an injury. Only do it until you feel like you can’t anymore or you are going to hurt yourself.

Make sure when you are done to repeat your warm up stretches and loosen your muscles. This is an absolute must!

Do not go over your limits and go down too far; this can make you feel major pain and you could pull a muscle. This is a process that happens over time and you will get better at it as you do this every day.

Over split- take a pillow and place it in front of you. Go into your split and put your front heel on the pillow. Hold this for as long as you can. However, don’t attempt this until you have your split or are very close to having it.

ResourceS:-

How to do a wheelie

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“Wheel stand” redirects here For the bicycle wheel straightening tool, see wheel truing stand.

In vehicle acrobatics, a wheelie is a vehicle maneuver in which the front wheel or wheels come off the ground due to extreme torque being applied to the rear wheel or wheels.

Wheelies are usually associated with bicycles and motorcycles, but can be done with other vehicles such as cars, especially in drag racing and tractor pulling.

HOW TO DO A WHEELIE ?

The way I will tell you how to do a wheelie and you being able to just go out and do it, and get it right after a while will all depend on how good you are at knowing and feeling what you can do with your bike.

If you ride an R1 CBR 900 – 1200 Bandit etc, These types of bikes are the easiest of all for wheelies because they will wheelie off the throttle in first gear without trying hard at all.

How to Do a Wheelie on a Mountain Bike ?

“Generally speaking, this is one of the most time-consuming and difficult moves out there,” says Hans.

“Some guys, even in the World Cup race, cannot ride a good wheelie But you’ll see kids riding them because they put the time into it.”

Adjust your seat to a low position You’ll ride the wheelie sitting down,and seat position will help keep your center of gravity and balance.

Put the bike into a medium or low gear and begin at rolling speed.

Crouch your upper body so your weight is over the handlebars.

Turn the cranks to the 11:00 position.

Pedal down and pull up on the handlebars simultaneously.

Immediately lean back as if you were in a rocking chair and continue pedaling. You need to trust your rear brake, otherwise you’ll flip over backward.

Outstretch your arms and sit on the tip of the seat.

Keep one finger on the rear brake while the others firmly hold the grip.

Feather the brake continually this helps to control speed and can prevent you from falling on your butt.

Relax The front tire should be pretty high in the air.

Begin controlling the two balances: vertical and sideways.

Adjust the vertical balance with the rear brake (if leaning too far back) or by pedaling (if your front wheel begins to drop).

Fight the sideways balance early; it’s impossible to recover if you wait too long.

Control the sideways balance by sticking out a knee or foot, or by turning the handlebars in the opposite direction (Just make sure the handlebars are straight before you come down).
Let the front wheel drop to come out of the move.

photo of A motorcycle wheelie

“Wheel stand” redirects here For the bicycle wheel straightening tool, see wheel truing stand

the sources:

http://www.ehow.com

http://www.cybersportbike.com

http://en.wikipedia.org

How to do a toe touch

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How to Do a Toe Touch ?

Take a deep breath.

Exhale slowly.

Stand with your feet together.

Slowly bend at the waist.

Stretch your arms to the floor.

Bend your knees slightly.

Stretch your fingertips as far as you can to touch your toes Touch your toes if possible.

If you can’t quite make it, don’t worry about it and just go as far down as you can.

Straighten your legs while you are touching your toes, if possible.

You should feel a little strain in the backs of your legs Stop if you experience any pain.

Raise up slowly into your original standing position.

Repeat as many times as you like.

Repeat this cycle until your legs and back are slightly tired.

The length and extent of your exercise will vary based on your level of fitness.

Slowly increase the amount and extent of toe touching as you are able.

Do not overstretch. If you push yourself too hard when your body is not ready for it, you can ‘pull’ a muscle and cause injury to your muscles.

This will set you back even longer before you get back in shape
Rising from the stretch can pull the muscles in your back if done incorrectly.

photo of Do a Toe Touch

Toe touches are a great all-around exercise. They are good stretching exercises to do before running or other activities.
They also are great, simple exercises by themselves. When doing toe touches, take it slow and don’t over exert yourself.

picture of Sitting Toe Touch

picture of Sitting Toe Touch

From a seated position, keep the legs straight and try to touch your toes with your fingers.  If you cannot touch your toes that is okay, just do the best you can.

the sources:

http://www.wikihow.com

http://www.ehow.com

http://cheerleading.about.com

How to do a split

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How to Do a Split ?

Don’t rush into attempting a split You could pull a muscle, which is not worth the effort.

If you’ve never done a split before, you should work up to achieving the desired 180-degree or more split.

Stretch, stretch and stretch You need to have flexibility in several areas to perform a split: the hamstrings, the hips and groin areas.

Make sure you remember to exhale as you are stretching and you may feel an even bigger stretch.

Wear sweatpants,tights or leg warmers to allow your muscles to warm up and stay warm, a key to a good stretch.

Get ready to try the split Sit on your knees and point your dominant foot forward.

Slowly slide your front foot forward and the other foot backward Support your body with both hands on the ground until you feel a good stretch,as much as you can stand.

Hold the split and pay attention to how close to the ground you came.

Try again the next day and be encouraged by any improvement.

Strive for your hips to be square on the ground with legs straight and toes pointed when do you finally make the split for which you’ve been striving.

Do not go over your limits and go down too far; this can make you feel major pain and you could pull a muscle.

This is a process that happens over time and you will get better at it as you do this every day.

Over split take a pillow and place it in front of you Go into your split and put your front heel on the pillow.

Hold this for as long as you can. However, don’t attempt this until you have your split or are very close to having it.

image of split

Many dancers have trouble getting their splits Flexibility is important for dancing, as many dance steps are nearly impossible to perform without being extremely limber.
The ability to sit in split positions will greatly improve lower body flexibility and increase maximum extension.

picture of side split

picture of side split

For many years, I’ve been giving tips on toning and bodybuilding .  I’ve been involved in the martial arts for over 30 years.  In addition to the many katas and self-defense techniques that I’ve learned in Chinese boxing, I’ve also learned many great body and mind conditioning exercises.  These exercises have kept me physically fit and in great shape

http://www.ehow.com

http://www.wikihow.com

Splithttp://dance.about.com

How to do a push up

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How to Do a Proper Push-Up ?

Push-ups aren’t just for buff army trainees; they are a great upper body, low-cost exercise If you’re just looking to tone up or gain strength but not too much mass, push-ups are a great exercise.

The best thing is you don’t have to go to the gym to do them, you can do them at home!

Here’s the proper way to do push-ups anywhere.

Lie chest-down with your hands at shoulder level,palms flat on the floor and slightly more than shoulder-width apart, your feet together and parallel to each other.

Look forward rather than down at the floor The first contact you make with the floor with any part of the face should be your chin,not your nose.

Keep your legs straight and your toes tucked under your feet.

Straighten your arms as you push your body up off the floor Keep your palms fixed at the same position and keep your body straight Try not to bend or arch your upper or lower back as you push up.

Exhale as your arms straighten out.

Pause for a moment.

Lower your body slowly towards the floor. Bend your arms and keep your palms in fixed position Keep body straight and feet together.

Lower body until chest touches the floor Try not to bend your back. Keep your knees off the floor,and inhale as you bend your arms.

Pause for a moment Begin straightening your arms for a second push-up. Exhale as you raise your body.

Remember to always warm up before any exercise Warming up reduces the risk of injury  and gets muscles ready to do a push up.

You can actually lift/push/pull/etc more if you go through a proper warm up routine,as compared to diving straight into the exercises Make sure to stretch your arms and wrists key joints in push ups.

Stretch the chest and shoulder muscles during your cool down cycle. Proper stretching and cool down routines are just as important as the warm up, but, unfortunately, are quite often overlooked.

the sources:

http://www.ehow.com

http://www.wikihow.com

http://hundredpushups.com

How to do a one handed pushup

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How to Do a One Handed Handstand ?

Make sure that you can hold a two handed handstand for quite a few seconds before trying the one handed handstand.

Start with your feet against a wall for stability and practice lifting one hand slightly off the ground.

As you lift one hand up, you will have to shift your bodyweight to adjust over only one hand.

Practice doing the one handed handstand away from the wall somewhere safe like a grassy yard or a gymnastics gym.

Now you can do a one handed handstand!

I typically don’t make new year’s resolutions, but one thing I would love to be able to do is the one arm push up When I first started lifting the big goal was to bench press 225 pounds for reps (because I thought it looked cool to have two 45 pound plates on each side of the bar).

I reached that goal in a short period of time and it felt good, but it is not even close to impressive as doing full-range one arm push ups.

In fact, I would guess there are more guys who can bench press 315 pounds (three 45′s per side) than men or women who can do 5 full-range one arm push ups I want to become one of those people.

Get your pushups down cold The prerequisite to doing one-handed pushups is being able to do lots of regular pushups with perfect form. Start out practicing pushups with excellent form, rather than focusing on quantity.

Place your arms shoulder-width apart and lower yourself slowly,keeping your back straight. Pause for a second at the bottom and then push back up explosively Build up your repetitions so you can do sets of 50.

Alternate your basic pushup You need to start moving your pushup form towards a one-handed stance Start by doing asymmetrical pushups: place one hand by your chest and the other by your abdomen.

Then switch and repeat. Use good form and build up your strength until you’re doing these with ease.

Do negatives As with all strenuous exercises, doing negatives is a very effective way to get yourself into condition to do the real thing Get into a one-handed pushup stance,with your feet wide apart,toes on the ground,and your upper body supported by one hand that’s planted on the ground Lower yourself as far as you can When you can go no further, plant your knee on the ground and get back into position to start again.

Do the real thing Start from the up position, with feet apart and one hand on the ground.

Try to keep your supporting hand relatively centered and place the unused hand behind your back.

Lower yourself as far as you can, pause a moment at the bottom, and then raise yourself back up for one repetition Repeat the pushup until failure, and then stretch once you’re done.

image of rockyonehand

The first thing that comes to the mind of many people when they think of a one arm pushup is the music-filled training montage in Rocky where he’s banging them out one after another.

the sources:

http://www.beastskills.com

http://fitnessblackbook.com

http://www.ehow.com

How to do a muscle up

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How to Do a Muscle Up ?

Grip the bar Your grip for the muscle up depends on the form of the exercise you do.

If you do the muscle up on rings, or if you do a slow version of the movement, then you need to use a false grip. However, most people do a normal,fast muscle up which requires a regular pullup grip with your palms facing out.

Pull up behind the bar To do a regular pullup you generally pullup from underneath the bar and then peep your chin over the bar at the top.

With the muscle up,though, you need to bring your whole upper body over the bar To do so, pull your self from behind the bar,using your chest, abs and shoulders to keep yourself offset from the bar as you pull the bar”down to you” as in a lat pulldown.

Kick your feet out To get enough power to leverage yourself over the bar you need to kick out your knees or feet as you near the top phase of the pullup.

Try piking your feet at the top as you pull yourself up and away from the bar You will find that the piking allow a point to leverage off of for the second phase of the exercise.

Thrust over the bar Immediately after you kicking your feet out (or simultaneous to the kick if you need more power),lean forward at the waist.

Make sure your wrists are not hanging down but stay level with your knuckles If you give a good enough kick and a fast lean from the waist you will end up in a dip position on the bar.

Raise up into the dip. Once you’ve got yourself over the bar you should be resting in a dip position with your elbows out behind you and your weight supported by your hands on top of the bar Raise up, as in a regular dip, and then lower yourself back down.

Instead of stopping at the dip down position,though, lower yourself down to the down position of the pull up to complete the muscle up.

The lower trapezius and pectoralis minor are involved as a scapular depressors.

The pec minor works in conjunction with the levator scapulae muscles and rhomboid muscle and to downwardly rotate the scapulae.

If one leans back during a pull up, the rhomboids also work with the lower traps to retract adduct the scapulae.

Muscles which flex the elbow joint are also involved in providing ideal leverage for shoulder extension/adduction.

The biceps brachii muscle is involved in dynamic stabilization, it shortens as the elbow flexes yet lengthens as the shoulder extends.

It is strongest with a supine grip (what people recently identify with “chin up”).

The brachialis and brachioradialis attach to the humerus rather than the scapulae so they only shorten as the pull up is performed They are relied on even more heavily with a prone grip which limits the biceps’ involvement.

image of The Muscle-Up

The muscle-up is a skill that is essentially a pull-up followed by a dip It is used to take yourself from below a sets of rings or bar to above a set of rings or bar.
Many can do a pull-up,and many can do a dip, but transitioning between the two takes a certain level of strength and coordination.
I’m going to go over the technique for each muscle-up variation,then explain certain progressions at the end.

the sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org

http://www.ehow.com

http://www.beastskills.com

How to do a layup

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How do I do a lay-up?

When you go for a layup, don´t spin the ball off your fingers. This happens when you turn your wrist during the release of your shot.

By spinning it, you have a better chance of the ball rimming-out! Keep your wrist stiff as you release the ball.

In PREPARATION for a right handed layup get a good angle to the backboard. You can do this by making sure that you pass between the “block” and the first free throw lane hash mark.

I call this the “driveway” Your steps should be: right foot – left foot & up For a left handed layup your steps are: left foot right foot & up You can practice these while simply walking without a ball.

Then try with a ball and no dribble Work up to shooting them off of one dribble then finally, a full dribble from 1/2 court.

How to Make A Perfect Layup In Basketball ?

Depending on your height and/or leg span, you will have to find what distance is best for you to start your layup from For this article, I will give a general distance and explain a right handed layup, so for the lefty layup just do everything with the opposite hand and foot.

You should learn to do both sides equally well, as it will help with your game For straight down the middle layups, use your stronger side or use the side that is furthest from your defender.

From the 3 point arc, dribble up to about half way between the foul line and the basket Dribble up at an angle going towards the basket from the right side of the basket.

Your last dribble should go down as your left foot goes down when you are about half way between the basket and the foul line When your last dribble comes back up to you, pick it up as your right foot now steps down.

You must practice the footwork It takes coordination to get the steps and shooting movements to flow in a smooth rythym for a perfect layup. It should be one continuous, fluid movement.

Depending on how fast you are coming towards the basket, you must learn to adjust the strength of the shot The faster you are moving towards the basket, the softer the shot must be or it will just ricochet right off the backboard.

Once you perfect this move, it is pretty unstoppable without the defenders having to foul you Good Luck.

image of How to Do a Lay Up

You attempt a lay-up when you run towards the basket with the basketball and try to make a basket a little to the left or the right of the basket This is how you do a lay-up during a game.

photo of Make A Perfect Layup In Basketball

Learn to make a great layup to improve your basketball game.

the sources:

http://www.ehow.com

http://basketball.lifetips.com


http://www.wikihow.com

How to do a lunge

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How to do lunges ?

Lunges are designed to help increase the strength in your upper leg and tone your bottom.

Some people like to do them using no weights at all.

Others prefer to rest a barbell behind their neck or even hold dumbbells in their hand to increase the intensity.

Don’t use weights if you’re under 16.

Stand with your legs together and then lunge forward with your left leg so your leg is right out in front of you.

As you are lunging, bend your knee and flex your hip so your rear leg is almost in contact with the floor.

Make sure you land on the heel of your front foot first and then bring the front of your foot down.

Finally, return to your starting position by extending the hip and knee of the left leg.

Now try it with your right leg lunging and repeat ten or fifteen times.

How to Do Walking Lunges ?

Walking lunges are very similar to the way walk but include an extra element, the lunge.

The one-legged movement of the walking lunge allows you to put emphasis on the quadriceps and gluteus with the front leg and your rear strength and flexibility with the back leg.

The emphasis on multiple muscles when performing this exercise makes walking lunges a fundamental component to any successful leg workout. As your strength and flexibility increases, you can begin to add extra weight by utilizing dumbbells or weighted bars.

The additional weight will increase your stamina and strength while giving you an extra firm and elevated back side All those in favor of a nice tight butt, follow the steps below!

Standing tall with your shoulders back and down and abdominals engaged, place your feet together Your arms can be flat at your side, holding your hips or behind your head.

Breathing normally, step forward with your right foot, bending both knees so that your front knee is aligned over your ankle and the back knee comes close to the floor. Your back heel is lifted off the floor.

Before your back knee touches the floor, push up with your back left leg, forcing the weight of your body through your right heel simultaneously bringing your left foot together with your right foot.

Before your back knee touches the floor, push up with your back right leg,forcing the weight of your body through your left heel, simultaneously bringing your right foot together with your left foot.

Continue to perform the steps above, alternating legs for 20 steps and increasing the steps as you get stronger.

the sources:

http://www.warriorfitnessworld.com

http://www.ehow.com
http://news.bbc.co

How to do a jumping jack

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How to Do Jumping Jacks ?

Stand with your arms at your sides. Be sure your feet are straight and close together Hold your head straight, but in a comfortable position to avoid strain.

Bend your knees Jump up while spreading your arms and legs at the same time Lift your arms to your ears and open your feet to a little wider than shoulder width. This should all be done in a fast fluid movement.

Clap or touch your hands above your head As you return from jumping up bring your arms back down to your sides and at the same time bring your feet back together. Continue with as many jumping jack repetitions as you can do.

Set daily goals. Each day try to increase your total jumps by at least 3.Strive to incorporate other movements into your jumping jacks. Make jumping jacks your main core exercise if other calisthenics are too difficult.

Do not overdo it Although the dynamics of jumping jacks are easy enough it is a calisthenics exercise that increases the heart rate rapidly. You should be careful to monitor your breathing and heart rate.

photo of jumping jacks

Calisthenics include that old elementary school standby and popular military staple-jumping jacks.
This exercise is for warming up and muscle stretching but can be used to develop stamina. Jumping jacks increase your heart rate and fitness no matter what your age.

the sources:

http://www.ehow.com

http://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.sodahead.com