In fact, it could be beneficial in terms of long-term joint health, say researchers at Utah’s Brigham Young University
In fact, it could be beneficial in terms of long-term joint health, say researchers at Utah’s Brigham Young University. After a 30-minute jog, the concentration of damaging pro-inflammatory substances called cytokines in the knee joint fluid of exercisers plummeted. “The force of running may push out the cytokines,” say lead study author Robert Hyldahl. To tap into the perk, try shorter strides while you pound the pavement. Runners who took the most steps had the lowest cytokine levels.
Q: “I slept horribly. Should I work out?”
If you’re waking up after just one night of tossing and turning, suck it up and go to the gym, says Dr Christopher Winter, a neurologist and sleep specialist in Charlottesville, Virginia. You’ll feel better in the end. If you can, make up for your missed zzzs later by taking a midday nap, hitting the sack earlier, or packing in more bedtime on the weekend, he says. But if poor sleep becomes a pattern, you may want to skip the early workouts for a while. Most adults require seven to nine hours of shut-eye a night, Dr Winter says. And since deep sleep is when the body replenishes what it has lost through exercise, you don’t want to skimp – getting fitter is the point of putting in those workouts in the first place. Hit the gym in the afternoon or evening. This should help you sleep better overall and eventually get you back on track to morning workouts.
Q: “Any tips to help me finally nail a pull-up?”
Pulling your body weight up from a dead hang is no joke. That’s why being able to do it even once is a brag-worthy feat and a gold- standard measure of your upper- body strength.
While it may look as if your arms are doing all the heavy lifting, there are actually nine primary muscle groups – basically the entire back and front of your upper body – that work together to hoist you. “It’s the ultimate upper-body sculpting exercise,” says PJ Stahl, a strength and conditioning specialist and co-owner of the Lock Box LA Fitness & Performance Center.
To see the top of that bar, “develop the movement pattern and strengthen the muscles and stabilisers that will carry you to your first rep,” PJ says. All it takes is these five key moves that you’ll do over two days in a week: Hanging Shrugs create a neuromuscular pattern that teaches the shoulder blades to lower and recruit the muscles that will be doing the work. The Bent-Over Reverse Flye strengthens the muscles that maintain stability by keeping your shoulder blades down. Ring Rows build the primary muscle groups that you’ll rely on. Banded Pull- ups help you work on nailing the movement pattern. Negative Pull- ups create the strength and control that you’ll need to lower yourself.
