Against Common Knowledge
Not everything gets better with age, in fact most things don’t. Most things go moldy, start failing, especially human beings, unless of course you’re talking about Clive Owen….who is the ultimate exception. But some aspects of fitness do get better with age. For example, we find out that old things that we always thought were dead or useless are actually very useful, for example running. But here are a few that don’t necessarily follow conventional wisdom.
- Standing with your hands shoulder width apart
You can use this for bench presses, late pulldowns, etc. it gives you a stable point to start from, and you don’t need to stay there after each set. If you spread your arms a few inches farther apart when doing this, you work the inner portion of your biceps. If you bring your hands a few inches closer, it can build the outer biceps. So it all depends on what you want.
- Crunches
We’ve all heard about how sit ups are bad for the back and crunches, etc, and yet we all continue to use them. As it turns out, pilates ab workouts are actually better than these crunches. It works a larger proportion of the abs instead of limiting you.
- Squats
For a great butt, hip extensions are better than squats. Sad, we love squats. But hip extensions affects 55% more of the hamstring muscle and 79% more of the glutes. Get on your hands and knees, keep knees bent, lift your right heel toward the ceiling, and then lower it back down to the starting position. 12 reps on each side should do it.
- Extra Protein Intake
Protein is important for your body, but your body can really only use so much just like it can only use so much vitamin A, vitamin C, carbs, sugars, or any other vital nutrients. Extra protein is automatically stored as fat. Sorry to disappoint all you low carb lovers.
- Lifting weights
Instead of doing the standard weight lifting stuff you should mix it up. Going up and down up and down doesn’t work the way you want it to. So pause for a second in the middle on the way up and the way down. You’ll completely exhaust your muscles and work them so much more this way. You’ll fry more fat in less time and with less conscious effort.