The Skinny on Walking your Way to Fitness

Can you do math?

Or even if you cannot, can you use a calculator?

What if I told you that you can lose weight simply by walking for so many minutes per day, every day, and that all you need is a calculator to figure out how much walking you need to do?

The beauty of this is walking is easy. Anyone with two working legs can lose weight through walking. Even if you have minor joint pain in your knees or ankles walking is likely your best solution for weight loss.

It is a common problem that many people who experience joint pain or pain in their legs to have difficulty doing harder cardio exercises like jogging, running, many kinds of sports. But walking can be a great solution for people who have minor joint pain and can still walk without any discomfort.

And you will be surprised how much weight a person can lose simply by walking 4 miles per day every day.

So how do you do this?

STEP ONE!

Google the words calorie calculator walking and then check out the wide variety of websites with free calculators which help you to calculate how many calories you can burn during a specific number of minutes of walking, with varying degrees of speed.

STEP TWO

Fill out the fields in the calorie calculator and the amount of time you want to spend walking each day.

eg. Lets say you weigh 300 lbs currently and you want to walk for 60 minutes every day.

Note: It may give you multiple different speed options, such as 2 mph, 3 mph, or 4 mph. Any faster than those and you are jogging.

STEP THREE

Press the calculate button on the page and find out how many calories you would burn.

eg. A 300 lb person would burn 378 calories walking at 2 mph, 594 calories walking at 3 mph or 702 calories walking at 4 mph.

STEP FOUR

Find a walking trail or route that you can walk near your home that is 2, 3 or 4 miles long.

STEP FIVE

Once you know how far you want to walk and the time you are willing to dedicate towards walking each day now you need to determine how many days you need to walk to burn the desired number of calories.

So for example if you want to lose 100 lbs of fat, you will need to burn 350,000 calories. (1 lb of fat is 3,500 calories.)

If you do the math that means that a 300 lb person who wants to lose 100 lbs of fat, they need to walk 4 miles every day for 500 days. (They will also want to eat more healthy during this time period too, drink more water and less soda, more whole grains, more vegetables, and more lean meat.)

I call it the "500 Day Road To Weight Loss"!

So yes, it would take 1.4 years to do, but it would be a life changing experience and isn't that what many people want? To change their life around and do something that changes their life for the better?

HANDY WALKING TIPS FOR BURNING EXTRA CALORIES

#1. Leave your watch behind. It is better if you lose track of time because you will burn more calories.

#2. Take your dog with you. They love the exercise anyway!

#3. Take your camera with you. More fun for you and extra weight to carry!

#4. Wear comfortable walking shoes.

#5. If hiking wear hiking boots instead for better grip, comfort and safety.

#6. Bring water with you.

#7. Bring a healthy snack with you, like an apple or grapes.

#8. Dress for the weather. eg. Bring a scarf, gloves and hat if it is cold out.

#9. If you don't encounter joint problems try walking a bit faster for fun.

#10. Pump your arms as you walk, the increased cardio movement burns calories more and keeps you warmer while you walk.

#11. Go on longer strolls / hikes whenever you go on vacation, to ravines, parks, urban hikes and discover parts of Toronto you have never been to.

#12. Bring a friend!

#13. Join a group of people that go on hikes regularly.

#14. Run errands on foot, such as walking to the post office or to the grocery store for small items.

#15. Take an umbrella if it is raining or try walking at home on a treadmill while watching TV.

#16. Take to the hills, an incline burns more calories faster because your legs are lifting you more.

#17. Get a walking pedometer that tells you how far you have walked. Use it to set goals for yourself.

#18. Use the time to think about what you want to do later, in your life, phone loved ones on your cellphone, listen to an audiobook or music.

#19. Practice good posture with your back as you walk. Don't slouch! Good posture is good for your back and prevents back pain, which can be a nuisance as you get older.

#20. Jump over puddles along the way. Makes it more fun!

The 2% Workout

If I was to write an exercise book I think I would call it "The 2% Workout".

Why?

Because 30 minutes is 2.08333% of your day.

The idea of the book essentially would be to that people should exercise for 30 minutes per day and burn as many calories as they can during that time period.

And since 30 minutes is only a little over 2% of your day there really isn't any excuses for why people cannot use 2% of their day to get fit.

Ask yourself:

"Are you willing to use 2% of your day to get fit 

and get the body you've always wanted?"

And if you answer yes, then it is time to start using that 2% to achieve your goals.

SCHEDULING

Once you say yes the next thing you need to is schedule the time.

That means you need to find 30 minutes in your day to exercise and do nothing but exercise (and maybe listen to music or watch TV while you exercise).

EXERCISES

It also doesn't matter so much what exercise you pick - as long as it is burning lots of calories it is going to be beneficial. The list below is some popular / fun exercises that you can choose from or come up with your own.

Notes - I listed the moderate versions of various exercises because some people may not be able to do the vigorous exercises for 30 minutes. All calorie calculations below are for an 191 pound individual, which is the average weight of an American Male - since 67% of American men are overweight or obese, the average number should be closer to what many people are in weight. If you want more accurate calculations there are many calorie calculators available online and also apps for your SmartPhone.

Archery - 149 calories in 30 minutes.

Boxing Punching Bag - 258 calories in 30 minutes.

Calisthenics, Moderate - 195 calories in 30 minutes.
 
Cycling, 12-14 mph - 378 calories in 30 minutes.

Cycling, Leisurely - 172 calories in 30 minutes.

Fencing - 258 calories in 30 minutes.

Hatha Yoga - 120 calories in 30 minutes.

Hocky or Road Hockey - 350 calories in 30 minutes.

Jogging - 304 calories in 30 minutes.

Pushups/Situps/Etc - 206.5 calories in 30 minutes.

Swimming, Moderate - 264 calories in 30 minutes.

Weight Lifting, General - 149 calories in 30 minutes.

What this tells you is that if you want to do something more aggressive you might to choose activities like boxing and road hockey, because they burn a lot of calories because they are heavy cardio activities. Cycling, swimming and other cardio exercises also burn lots of calories and this will make a fundamental difference in burning fat.

THE AFTERBURN EFFECT

The Afterburn Effect is a metabolic condition whereby your metabolism is raised far above its normal rate and your body burns roughly 500 calories more over the next 24 - 48 hours and you end up feeling really energetic and positive about yourself.

It is caused by raising your blood pressure up to roughly 85% of its maximum potential - which is more easily done through cardio exercises that get your blood pumping fast. Thus the really high cardio exercises like running, vigorous swimming, boxing a punching bag, sports like road hockey, soccer, etc... they can vastly increase your calorie burn because they are more likely to trigger the Afterburn Effect.

Thus lets pretend you spend 30 minutes every day boxing a punching bag. Each time you do this you put some serious effort into it and get your heart rate up to 85% roughly.

Math wise for someone who weighs 191 lbs, this will mean they burned 258 calories and will burn an extra 500 calories over the next 24-48 hours.

In a week they will burn 5,306 calories - or roughly 1.52 pounds.

In 30 days 22,740 calories - or roughly 6.5 pounds.

In a year (364.25 days), 276,101.5 calories or 78.9 pounds. Possibly more if you are eating healthier as you progress. (Less if you aren't eating healthy, or if you are doing exercises that build muscle through strength training or endurance-strength training because you will gain muscle weight during the same time period.)

Don't worry about your weight so much - go based on how you are feeling physically. Your weight can deceive you if you are gaining muscle weight while losing fat at the same time. If you want to measure progress use a tape measure around your middle.

STAYING MOTIVATED

Find ways to have fun while exercising. Sports like tennis, cycling, boxing, archery, fencing, martial arts - these are all great ways to exercise and have fun at the same time. You will not lack for motivation if you are doing an activity that you love.

8 Autumn Activities and Sports to keep you fit!

It is October and it is officially Autumn now (because lets face it, the first 20 days of September are technically Summer). Many exercise enthusiasts see the change of seasons as the end to their favourite outdoor activities and an end to their fitness regimen. However before you pack it in and start hibernating during the winter try out these outdoor activities for the cooler Autumn weather.

8 Fun Fall Activities

#1. Cycling

Great cardio and it is good for building endurance. Burns calories like crazy! And it is pretty frugal as you pick up a cheap bicycle easily on kijiji or craigslist.

#2. Sports

Pick one! Football, basketball, baseball and soccer are fantastic fall sports. If those aren't you for you then try archery, tennis, golf, frisbee sports like frolf / frisbee football, etc. And lest we forget we live in Canada and that we all need to play ROAD HOCKEY!

#3. Outdoor Training and Bootcamp

Fall is the perfect season for moving your personal training outdoors. Hire a personal trainer in Toronto (cough cough me) and get lots more exercise while getting fresh air. Or join a morning bootcamp and get your workout finished before you start the day. As a personal trainer / sports trainer I offer a variety of outdoor activities / coaching options / personal training in Toronto. Check out my rates and services.

#4. Running and Jogging

Great for cardio and building endurance!

Okay so maybe running is not your idea of a fun activity. Maybe you haven't heard of "runner's high"? If you run far enough your body starts getting pumped full of hormones to drown out the pain. This is why marathon runners have a tendency to look like heroin addicts - they are literally addicted to runner's high. Now I am not suggesting that you should become an addict like Toronto Mayor Rob Ford (although frankly if he was high on marathons instead of crack the citizens of Toronto would feel safer). But I do believe in the benefits of running and that it is a more fun activity than many people give credit to.

#5. Walking and Hiking

Visiting a ravine, conservation park or even walking in your neighbourhood is great for fitness. Take the dog with you! Take your camera!

#6. Rollerblading

I know most people think of this being a summer activity, but it is still fun to do in the Spring and Autumn too. It is great for cardio and balance as it really works your core muscles.

#7. Parkour and Freerunning

This is a good idea if you are already young and fit. If you are not, maybe this is not a good idea.

#8. Mountain Climbing!

Seriously. It is like adrenaline high weightlifting for the outdoor adventurer! Burns a lot of calories too!

Although I definitely recommend using safety equipment. Freehand climbing is not for the faint of heart.

Calories Burned based on Weight	130 lb	155 lb	180 lb	205 lb
Mountain Climbing	472	563	654	745

What to Look for in a Personal Trainer in Toronto

Anyone who is looking to hire their own personal trainer needs to understand what needs to be found in a personal trainer so you can get the biggest "bang for your buck", but also needs to understand that not every trainer is suitable for them on a personality level. Some people need a personal trainer who is more bossy (like a drill sergeant), while many others need a personal trainer who is more like a mentor who can teach them and motivate them in a friendly manner.

Knowing what you are looking for - and what to look for in a personal trainer will make your experience working with a trainer safe, effective, and more fun. If you are looking for a personal trainer it is important that they have all qualities listed below so you have the best resource in helping you reach your health and fitness goals.

Below are some of the qualities you should be looking for in a personal trainer:

Education - Make sure that your trainer has at minimum a certification from reputable organizations such as Elite Trainers, CanFitPro or similar organization. (Note: There is no legal requirement that personal trainers have a certification, but it is nice to know they have been trained and passed the appropriate tests.)

Experience - You need to know how much practical experience your trainer has and how successful they have been with their past clients. Ask the trainer about their past trainees, how much they workout themselves, have they worked for any gyms, have they worked with any other trainers to better understand this profession to provide you with the best experience.

Compassionate / Goal Oriented - A good trainer should be like a mentor / sidekick during your health and fitness journey, but a great and caring trainer will be with you beyond that and should always be your resource for health and fitness exercises even after you stop going to them regularly.

Excellent Communication Skills - The trainer must be able to communicate his/her knowledge about health and fitness with their clients for them to understand and implement into their daily life. If the trainer has a website read what things they have written and see how easy it is to understand them. Even better if they have demonstration videos. Also the trainer must allow the client to feel comfortable and confident to speak about his/her goals or what the client is feeling before, during and after the sessions.

Understanding the Clients Limitations - A great trainer knows and understands their clients limitations while exercising and the trainer should be able to respect his/her clients limitations. eg. To prevent possible exercise injuries a good trainer should also know when NOT to push the trainee so hard.

Appearances and Practicing What They Preach - Your personal trainer needs to be putting his/her self through the fitness and nutrition that they put their clients through. The trainer must be passionate about the way they look and feel. It is okay if they break their own rules once in awhile (nobody is perfect), but they should not be a complete couch potato when it comes to their own exercise routine.

Motivation, Encouragement and Enjoyment - A good trainer can make fun, safe and effective exercises - and should encourage the client to try new things. The client should look forward to each workout instead of it being something they dread. A great trainer will find and use motivation to propel their client towards their goal.

Over time you will develop a long term relationship with your trainer, becoming confident that you are getting excellent and insightful fitness advice from your trainer. There are many personal trainers in Toronto and the GTA. Find the one which is right for you!

October Motivational Quotes

"Grab life by the horns before it grabs you by the balls and twists hard."
- Charles Moffat


"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming."
- John Wooden

"When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others."
- Peace Pilgrim

"Success, happiness, peace of mind and fulfillment - the most priceless of human treasures - are available to all among us, without exception, who make things happen - who make "good" things happen - in the world around them."
- Joe Klock

"When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere."
- François de la Rochefoucauld

"Peace is not something you wish for; It's something you make, Something you do, Something you are, And something you give away."
- Robert Fulghum

"Crystallize your goals. Make a plan for achieving them and set yourself a deadline. Then, with supreme confidence, determination and disregard for obstacles and other people's criticisms, carry out your plan."
- Paul J. Meyer

"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek."
- Mario Andretti

"Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try."
- Unknown

"You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction."
- George Lorimer

Power Training - Speed and Weight

Power Training is nothing new.

Soldiers have been doing it for decades.

I will give you an example. Carry a 50 lb backpack uphill at a run. Soldiers do that regularly - see the speed marching training the British marines did during WWII in the documentary "The Greatest Raid of All".

But you probably are not a soldier.

But that doesn't mean you can't use similar training exercises to give yourself more speed and strength.

That is the whole purpose of Power Training - to quickly get from one place to another, often while carrying, pushing, pulling a lot of weight with you. Or sometimes not even weight, but using something to make it harder resistance wise.

Ever bicycled into the wind on a windy day? Very hard, isn't it?

But it is a really good workout because you are pushing your muscles harder than you normally would while cycling - unless you are fan of cycling uphill, in which case keep doing that!

The kind of people who take part in Strongman Competitions also love Power Training. You know who I mean, the type of people who can pull a truck down the street, do an obstacle course while carrying 300 lbs on their back, that sort of thing.

Like in the video below of a Syrian man pulling a train.



But feats of superhuman strength aren't for everyone.

But that doesn't mean you can't use Power Training techniques to give yourself more strength and speed.

THE BENEFITS OF POWER TRAINING

 

Power training exercises often use either the full body, or one limb at a time (unilateral training) to accomplish amazing results. This technique reduces muscular imbalance and is more functional for everyday life. Isolation exercises (like the bicep curl) take a lot of time, and will only focus on one muscle - and achieves very little results that can be measured on real world impact in your daily routine. An exercise like the bench press, using two arms at a time (bilateral training) will always tend to be lifted more with the stronger side and thus a person who trains that way will never balance out the strength in both limbs.

Power training improves athletic performance. Everything from running, dancing, sports and competitive weightlifting.

Increases strength and builds muscle rapidly.

 

Many power exercises have a cardiovascular benefit and double as cardio exercises.

Improves reaction time, speed, co-ordination and agility.

 

Strengthens bones, joints and connective tissue.

THREE EXAMPLES OF POWER TRAINING

Do each exercise explosively. In theory any exercise can be turned into power training by doing as much weight as you can as fast as you can. Even exercises void of weights can benefit from this, such as "explosively fast jumping jacks".

 

1. Olympic Style Lifts

Olympic lifts may seem intimidating at first but they're some of the most effective weight lifting exercises because they tend to work everything, including the core. Deadlifts, clean and press, Good mornings, and snatch pulls are exercises you may want to check out to have an effective power training program. Work on your form first and then learn how to do them explosively.

2. Plyometrics

Push ups, squats and lunges are common plyometric exercises where the exerciser "springs" up out of the form, so just do them super fast instead. You may have witnessed someone doing push ups and clapping in between each one. The hands leaving the ground makes the push up a plyometric exercise.

3. Compound One-Arm Exercises

Squat down, pick one dumbbell up from off the floor, and come back out of the squat while performing a front raise of the dumbbell to your shoulder. This exercise trains the lower body, shoulders, core, and by doing it all quickly, training for power. It's also challenging enough that you know you are getting a great workout.

Crunchless Abs Training

In the photo on the right you seed a "woodchop" exercise designed to work your abs, and the best part is you don't have to be on the ground to do them.

You see many ab workouts involve you sitting on the ground doing situps, crunches and similar exercise. Hence why most ab workouts tress crunches.

Now don't get me wrong, crunches are very effective for abdominal strengthening and toning, but there are also some good reasons to train your core while not sitting on your behind.

FIVE BENEFITS OF CRUNCHLESS ABS TRAINING

1. Crunches are not very functional in everyday life. Whereas balancing exercises which target the core to stabilize the body, will help you out in everyday activities that use your balance.

2. Doing crunches all of the time will put a cap on results. After you have exhausted body weight crunches, weighted, and oblique, your body will no longer have a challenge to adapt to - which is where balance exercises come in. It's a good idea to train your core in other ways, to keep the body challenged and changing.

3. Crunches are isolated exercises that target ONLY the abs. Why just work your abs when you could be working other muscle groups at the same time? An exercise such as the mountain climber for example, works the arms, shoulders, and chest. It also eases stress in the hips and improves range of motion.

4. Crunches are neglected anyway. Not only do many people dislike crunches in the first place, but often place them at the tail end of the workout and then forget about them. Even if they do remember they are not exactly performed enthusiastically or using proper form (which is why some people end up with crooked six packs). Adding exercises that train the abs into the workout such as woodchops (see photo at the top) will allow you to train your abs while doing a more enjoyable exercise.

Crooked Six Pack

5. They are not sport/activity specific - there is no sports that call for only your abs, although there are plenty of sports that call for balance. If you practice a discipline or martial art, it's a great idea to cater exercises to your activity. If you train in martial arts, kneeing a sparring pad while focusing on having the kick come from the core will train your abs for the sport. In yoga, planks are crucial for sun salutations. Train your abs according to your activities.

Crunches have their place so I don't recommend scrapping them all together - especially if you are one of the few who enjoy them. But there are other training options out there for people who want to train their abs differently.

The Benefits of Fresh Air

Lack of fresh air in the human body leads to the following symptoms:

• Fatigue
  
• Drowsiness
  
• Dullness of mind
  
• Irritability

The simple act of getting up and going outside therefore can do wonders to rejuvenate and motivate your body to keep going outside more regularly.

If a person stays indoors too often they will also get more of the harmful effects of tobacco smoke, city smog, re-circulating air in buildings, improper ventilation, exhaust, and many other pollutants.

Now you may think, wait, city smog indoors? Yes. In fact smog particles collect indoors whereas outside they are blown away on the wind and eventually filtered by rain, air moisture, etc. So since it doesn't rain indoors the quality of air suffers as the smog particles collect. (Which brings up a healthy reason to buy an air purifier.) In cities like Toronto where we have very good air quality the smog isn't such a big issue, but that doesn't mean you won't see huge physical and mental benefits from going outside more often.

However going outside regularly gives you many positive side effects:

• Reduces depression
  
• Promotes healing
  
• Sparks creativity
• Acts as a painkiller
• Reduces fat by introducing more Vitamin D into the body
• Boosts brain power (more oxygen to the brain)
• Less Fevers
  
• Less Colds
  
• Less Lung disease
  

A lot of this is because the air outside has a higher concentration of oxygen in it. You could try and fix this by having more plants inside your home, to give you a higher oxygen level, but the quick and easy solution is to simply go outside more often and breathe deeply as you go for a walk, jogging, walk the dog, nature hike, bicycle ride, etc.

Fresh air due to its higher oxygen levels helps with many things.

• Fresh air purifies the blood more.
  

• Fresh air soothes the nerves, stimulates appetite, helps digestion, and induces more refreshing sleep.
  

• Fresh air invigorates the vital organs and aids the body's defense system in getting rid of an accumulation of impurities and toxins.
  

• Fresh air brings life to your skin, and a healthy tan doesn't hurt either.
  

• Fresh air influences your mind, imparting a degree of composure and serenity while simultaneously acting as a natural painkiller.
  

• Fresh air, especially when we exercise outdoors, will stimulate our appetite, and greatly aid and improve digestion of food.
  

• Exercises performed outdoors in fresh air offer increased aerobic benefits. Taking in more clean air helps improves your breathing technique. Better technique increases stamina. More oxygen to the muscles reduces the lactic acid build-up in the muscles which leads to cramping and pain.
  

• Oxygen electrifies the whole system, causes the body to be strong and healthy, and will refresh the system.

• Oxygen has negative ions that are useful in giving electrical energy to the body, especially the nervous system. This will give us a sense of well-being, serenity, and composure.
  

• Oxygen kills bacteria as it strengthens your immune system. When the white blood cells are called upon by the immune system to destroy germs, bacteria and viruses, they need much more oxygen than normal.
  

CONCLUSIONS

More oxygen to your brain, more oxygen to your muscles, more oxygen to all your vital organs, more oxygen to your skin, your blood, everything. Everything benefits from fresh air and boosts your health dramatically.

Balancing your Mirror Muscles

 Body symmetry is exceptionally important for bodybuilding and weightlifting - but what many people don't realize is that body symmetry also effects many other things too.

MUSCLE IMBALANCE = BACK PAIN

For example, did you know that pregnant women develop overly strong back muscles during the pregnancy? The reason is so they can support the extra weight of a baby and all the extra water weight, and that with time this leads to back pain - even after the baby has been born.

Now you might think, wait, why would they have back pain if their back is STRONGER? Shouldn't a strong back eliminate back pain?

Nope, and therein lies the problem. Many people don't realize that the primary source of backpain is a loss of balance between front mirror muscles and their back muscles. Often it is directly connected on a lateral level.

Examples

Small pectoral muscles = upper back pain.

Small abdominal muscles = lower back pain. (Especially since people often have weak lower back muscles in the first place.)

The reason is because the pectorals and abs are also used for balance, and if those muscles are smaller / weaker the back muscles in the corresponding mirror muscles have to work twice as hard in order for a person to maintain their balance and posture. A person with really lax muscle mirror muscles is going to have really bad posture and lots of back pain.

It is possible to have overdeveloped front torso muscles, which is exceptionally rare for the common person, but more common for bodybuilders who place too much emphasis on their front muscles because they want large pecs and abs. Since humans use their backs for so many things it is usually the back muscles which become overdeveloped and the front muscles which suffer.

AESTHETICS

Training for muscular balance is important is also important for aesthetics. Visually people are just not attractive if they have one part of their body that is abnormally large to the point it becomes grotesque.

For example people who don't exercise properly often develop a "crooked six pack" in their abdominal region - like in the photo below.

So basically there is many ways a person can screw up the symmetry of their muscles - both front and back, and also side to side.

It can be fixed with time fortunately, but it is best to take preventative measures while you are exercising so you use proper form. The use of proper form during each exercise means you won't be sloppy and then overusing one muscle compared to the other - the constant use of one muscle and ignoring its mirror muscle will always result in an imbalance over time.

On an aesthetic level bodybuilders can see their front muscles in the mirror easily, and exercises wise it is more fun to do bench presses and bicep curls. For most people however it is the opposite. They use their back for lifting things regularly, whereas weightlifters have been taught proper form and to lift with their legs more so they don't injure their back - and thus training their backs becomes a problem.

The end result is that aesthetically different people need to do different things to correct their muscle imbalances.

STABILITY / PREVENTS INJURIES

Having strong and well balanced front and back muscles means you will have better balance and stability - which is important while lifting heavy weights as you will be using your muscles both to lift the weight and to maintain balance. Having the extra mirror muscles will take up some of the effort of maintaining your balance while the other muscles do the job of lifting the heavy object.

Trying to lift the heavy object AND maintain your balance with just the one set of muscles is going to lead to injury over time due to bad posture. In my head I see a cartoon of a man falling over and the box landing on top of him because he can't maintain his balance, but this is only a literal interpretation. The reality is that overuse of one set of muscles will cause them to eventually rip - ripped muscles is normally a good thing in bodybuilding - but in this case a rip could mean ripped ligaments, which is exceptionally painful and sometimes untreatable.

Common injuries like hernias for example can be prevented by developing better mirror muscles. It is well worth it to make the effort. Do a google image search for hernia sometime and that should scare you into exercising your mirror muscles more to correct your imbalances.

FIXING MUSCLE IMBALANCES

Overdeveloped Back

The majority of you are probably reading this because you are an average person and have back pain. So the quick answer is for you to work on your pectorals, abdominal muscles and even your oblique (side) muscles.

This means doing exercises like push ups, sit ups, and side twists to build up pecs, abs and obliques. It is a relatively easy fix, takes you about 5 - 10 minutes every day and keep doing that for several months and you should have a lot less back pain as those muscles grow. (Unless you have chronic back pain caused by something else, like a slipped disk in your spine. In which case see your doctor.)

Overdeveloped Front

If you are the opposite however, someone who has been weight training for a long time and has developed overly large front muscles and neglected your back then there is a variety of exercises you can.

#1. Take up archery (archers tend to develop overly large back muscles, so this is a quick solution to your problem if your front muscles are currently overdeveloped - see Mirror Muscles for Archery).

#2. Use any kind of pulling machine in the gym. Rowing machines work well too.

#3. Be creative and use dumbbells in pulling exercises. Exercises like reverse flies. Make sure the weights are heavy enough to challenge you.

#4. Body weight exercises that use your back muscles. Pull ups, chin ups use your back shoulder muscles and your back muscles for balance.

#5. T Flies - Bend forward at the waist so that the back is very straight. Look down and with straight arms, slowly flap your arms. You may feel silly doing this at the gym so do it at home. Each time your arms come up to as high as they can go, really focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together. When they come all of the way back down, focus on stretching the back and shoulder muscles forward.

#6. Yoga - Hold the poses for longer periods of time to stress your muscles more. Try
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga to get a more powerful workout.

OTHER WEIRD IMBALANCES

Biceps Vs Triceps

Pain in your biceps can mean you are overusing your biceps in your effort to get bigger - a common problem with newbs at the gym. This affliction is rare because the triceps are used in many exercises so the good news is you can easily fix it by doing more triceps exercises regularly.

Biceps may get more attention, but anyone who has been concerned over the back of the arm being flab, or just having nicely toned arms in general, will have trained their triceps.

The triceps are easy to train with exercises such as dips, overhead extension, and skull crushers but also shows results really quickly because the triceps build bulk muscle faster.

Lower Back and Abs

The lower back is probably the least trained muscle group of all. If any muscle should be trained, it is this one - but you need to exercise your abs too so you correct the imbalance without making a new imbalance.

I recommend doing abs and lats exercises FIRST during a workout so you get it over and done with. Many people do these exercises last and sometimes forget to do them. Or skip them entirely. This doesn't help them since the lower back and abs is used for core balance, and injury prevention.

Nobody is ever going to compliment you on your toned lower back, but the muscles there are exceptionally important for balance, posture and injury prevention.

Try doing alternating back extensions, either on all fours or on your belly. See photos below.

Another good one is Superman Pushups. They make look easy but they are harder than they look because most people have weak lower back muscles.

Hamstrings

Many people neglect to exercise the back of their legs. But there are man common exercises that build muscle there.

Squats
Bicycling
Lunges
Standing Leg Curls
Straight Leg Deadlift
Snap Kicks
Sprinting (especially on a sandy beach, because it works them harder)

CONCLUSIONS

Mirror muscles are exceptionally important for aesthetics, sports training, balance, strong core muscles, pain prevention and preventing injuries. I cannot emphasize the importance of Mirror Muscle Training enough. For whatever exercise goals you have set forth for yourself, you should do complimentary Mirror Muscle Training to give yourself a physical edge.

Mirror Muscles for Archery

Many archers over time develop really strong back muscles because they are using the back muscles a lot for pulling and steadying their bow.

However the problem is that as time progresses their back muscles becomes overdeveloped, their form deteriorates and they can't balance properly while performing a shot.

There is however a solution.

Push ups.

Just good old fashioned push ups targets the Mirror Muscles for archery - which in this case is the pectorals or "pecs". Push ups also build shoulder and triceps, muscles archers also use a lot, so it is ultimately a very good exercise for archers to be doing on a daily basis.

I recommend 100 pushups per day. Either 5 sets of 20, 10 sets of 10, however you get them done so long as you can do them and build up the corresponding muscles and mirror muscles.

The problem however is that many new archers don't know this - often because they're new to the sport and no nothing about sports conditioning. So they are operating under the illusion / myth that they don't need to do push ups and don't know the benefits that stronger mirror muscles will give to their form.

And this is true for many newcomers to sports. Many people who take up boxing for example don't understand why boxers often train by skipping rope - because it builds endurance, balance and feet coordination, all of which are important during a boxing match.

It is purest simple minded thinking (combined with a dose of laziness) that causes amateurs to think they don't need to do something to reach their goal. It never occurs to them that to reach (a) goal, they have to (b) train regularly and (c) do complimentary exercises. Or even (d) eat a healthy balanced diet.

Other complimentary exercises for archery...

#1. Yoga - builds balance and core muscles. Also boosts mental acuity and concentration. 20 to 30 minutes of yoga every day can give an archer a serious edge.

#2. Situps - builds abdominal muscles, which also boosts balance and is a mirror muscle for the lower back. 100 per day is a good number.

#3. Squats - builds leg muscles and boosts the balance in your legs. 100 per day.

Basically archers use almost all their body in performing a shot because they need better balance so they can steady their shot. It is true that certain muscles, like the back, shoulders and triceps are used more - but overdeveloping those muscles will cause their form to fall to pieces.