Form Friday | Overhead Press

The dumbbell overhead press increases strength throughout the shoulders and engages the core for stability.1 It can be done in either a sitting or standing position, and with dumbbells held horizontally at the shoulders or rotated in a hammer grip. A sitting position helps stabilize the back, while a standing position works a wider range of muscles. Beginners should pick a light weight to start, increasing it until you find a weight that you can lift with good form for 10 repetitions but feel fatigued at the final rep. Women might start with 5-pound dumbbells and men with 10-pound dumbbells. You can use this exercise in any upper body strength workout.

Benefits
This exercise works all aspects of the deltoid muscle of the shoulder. While you can do an overhead press with an exercise machine or barbell, dumbbells offer some unique benefits. In using a dumbbell you have more activation of the anterior (front) deltoid than when using a barbell.

You can also identify whether you have an imbalance in your shoulder strength. When performing it standing you will be challenging your core muscles to stabilize you during the press.2 In daily life, you may need to place objects on shelves above your head (or your luggage in the overhead compartment on a plane) and this exercise will build strength to do it safely.



How to 
- Stand upright and keep the back straight.

- Hold a dumbbell in each hand at the shoulders with an overhand grip. Thumbs should be on the inside and knuckles facing up.

- Raise the weights above the head in a controlled motion while exhaling. Pause at the top of the motion.

 -Return the dumbbells to the shoulders while inhaling.

- Repeat for eight to 12 repetitions as desired.

Option: Alternate arms, pressing up with one and then the other, instead of both arms at once.

Common Mistakes
To get the most out of this exercise, avoid these errors.

Flared Elbows Don't point your elbows straight out from your sides as this will put stress on your rotator cuff muscles.

Locked Elbows Locking your elbows when you reach the top of your lift will transfer tension from your deltoids to your triceps, which aren't the target.

Shoulder Position For added stability, keep the shoulder blades down and back during the press.

Pressing Too Fast Don't push up explosively. Press slowly and smoothly. Control the motion of the weights, and don't allow them to stray too far forward or back during the push. Try to keep them slotted in a path above the head.

Arching Back For safety, keep your back straight at all times and avoid arching your lower back too much while raising the dumbbells overhead.3 Excessive arching in the lower back can be a sign that your weight is too heavy. Shift to a lighter weight to practice holding your back in a safe position and build up to the greater weight.

Lowering Dumbbells Too Far During the exercise, lower the dumbbells only to your shoulders before pressing again. If you lower them more you increase the risk of straining your shoulders.

Modifications and Variations
Variations of the overhead press will have different effects on the muscles.

Need a Modification?
While the standing overhead press is a classic move, you can perform an almost identical move while seated. A seated dumbbell overhead press is a better option for individuals who are getting started in strength training or for people with back issues or injuries. To do the exercise, simply sit on a bench (one with a back support is preferable) and follow the same steps.

Up for a Challenge?
Changing how you do this exercise will challenge different aspects of your shoulder muscles. This exercise can be done sitting, standing, with alternating arms, or with a hammer grip in which the palms are turned in toward your face. Using a barbell is an additional option.

Safety and Precautions
If you have a shoulder, neck, or back injury, talk to your doctor or physical therapist to find out whether this exercise is appropriate. It is possible to injure your shoulders when doing this exercise, especially if you are using heavy weights or poor technique. If you feel any pain during the exercise, slowly lower the weights and end the exercise. Only use a weight you can press with good form for 10 repetitions.

reprinted from verywellfit.com

Form Friday | Tricep Extension

For those who subscribe to the philosophy that curls get the girls and bi’s get the guys, triceps are easy to skimp on during a workout. But they’re absolutely critical to your upper body’s overall strength and power. And since the triceps muscle accounts for two-thirds of your upper arm’s overall mass, isolating it is key to gaining size and strength. One of the best movements for accomplishing this is the overhead triceps extension.

The overhead triceps extension should be a key player in every tricep workout. It won’t just help you build strong tris; the move also helps set you up for success in other areas. As Openfit fitness specialist Cody Braun notes that strong triceps “assist the chest and shoulder muscles in many functional pressing movements.” Think: Common weightlifting exercises like the shoulder press and bench press, plus everyday movements like picking up your kids or putting away heavy groceries on high shelves.



How to Do the Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension With Perfect Form
-Stand with your feet staggered while holding a pair of dumbbells directly overhead, with your palms facing each other and the weights touching.

-Without moving your upper arms, lower the weights behind your head. Keep the dumbbells pressed together the whole time.

-Press the weights back up to the starting position until your arms are fully extended, stopping short of locking them out.

-Alternate your forward foot each set.

How to Make the Overhead Triceps Extension Easier (and Harder)

To modify the move, use lighter weights or use a single dumbbell instead of two. If you have limited shoulder mobility or core strength, Braun suggests sitting on an upright bench for this exercise.

To intensify the overhead triceps extension, use heavier weights, or try balancing on one foot to further challenge your core.

Bonus Tips for Doing the Overhead Triceps Extension

Braun suggests warming up your shoulders first for better mobility. Also, remember to engage your core — this will help protect your lower back and prevent it from arching or swaying. Finally, it’s an isolation exercise, so you don’t want to go too heavy, or else you may sacrifice form and the full range of motion necessary to take full advantage of the move.

Variations on the Overhead Triceps Extension

If you have access to a weight machine, try the cable overhead triceps extension. This, too, can be performed standing or seated.

Benefits of the Overhead Triceps Extension

The overhead triceps extension achieves a few important objectives. Beyond strengthening all three heads of the triceps (more on that below), it also activates your core, and recruits your shoulder muscles for stability, Braun says. Plus, in the variation depicted in video, the overhead triceps extension works each arm separately, forcing you to confront and correct any muscle imbalances you might have.

What Muscles Are Used in the Overhead Triceps Extension?
Triceps

It’s no surprise which muscle benefits most from the overhead triceps extension. But the way in which the muscle is worked during any triceps exercise varies depending on a number of factors, including grip, body position, and plane of movement. The triceps is a single muscle comprised of three heads. Working outward from body, they are: the long head, the medial head, and the lateral head.

The medial and lateral heads originate atop the humerus (upper arm bone), while the long head originates at the scapula (shoulder blade). They all eventually fuse together and attach at the elbow to facilitate the straightening of your arm. The medial head is framed by the other two, which form the horseshoe associated with a defined triceps muscle.

Deltoid

This is the muscle most responsible for movement of your shoulder, the body’s most mobile joint. It’s comprised of three sections: the anterior (front) deltoid, which helps raise your arm forward; the lateral deltoid, which helps raise your arm out to the side; and the posterior (rear) deltoid, which helps raise your arm behind you. In an overhead triceps extension, the anterior delt receives the greatest emphasis.

reprinted from openfit.com

Form Friday | Crunch

Crunches have been the mainstay of ab workouts for decades. They target the rectus abdominis, the six-pack muscle that runs along the front of the torso. Building this muscle is one part of developing your core muscles for stability and performance. Crunches can be part of a core strength workout or a total body workout.

Benefits
The rectus abdominis muscle flexes to bring your shoulders towards your hips. As one of the major core muscles, it provides stability for the body. A strong back and abs are the foundation of all your daily movements as well as performance in sports.

Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Lie down on the floor on your back and bend your knees, placing your hands behind your head or across your chest. Some people find that crossing the arms over the chest helps them avoid pulling on the neck. However, if you find your neck is strained, you can keep one hand cradling the head. If you are putting your hands behind your head, your fingers should gently cradle your head. The idea is to support your neck without taking away from the work of your abs.

2. Pull your belly button towards your spine in preparation for the movement. Slowly contract your abdominals, bringing your shoulder blades about 1 or 2 inches off the floor.

3. Exhale as you come up and keep your neck straight, chin up. Imagine you're holding a tennis ball under your chin. That's about the angle you want to keep the chin the entire time.

Hold at the top of the movement for a few seconds, breathing continuously.
Slowly lower back down, but don't relax all the way.

Repeat for 15 to 20 repetitions with perfect form for each rep.

Common Mistakes
Doing crunches correctly is harder than it looks. Avoid these errors so they can be as effective as possible.

Pulling on the Neck
This not only strains the neck, but it takes away from working your abs. You want to originate the movement in your abs, not from your head. To keep your neck in proper alignment and not moving, place your fist under your chin.

Crunching Too High
The crunch is a subtle movement, lifting the shoulder blades just a few inches off the floor. Jerking the shoulders up adds momentum and reduces the effectiveness of the exercise. It takes time to build strength in the abs, so it's best to take your time and do the move slowly rather than using momentum to get the body up.

Relaxing Down to the Floor
It's easy to let your shoulders fall to the floor but a more effective approach is to keep the tension on the abs throughout the entire movement. You never want to completely relax the shoulders onto the floor.

Back Arch
In the past, it was recommended to keep your back flat against the floor throughout the entire movement. Now it is believed it is better to keep a neutral spine. That simply means your spine is in the strongest position to support you.

A quick way to find it is to rock the pelvis back and then forward and then allow your pelvis to relax somewhere between those two extremes. If your back arches too much, that may mean your abs need time to build strength. Try propping your feet on a step or platform to give your back some support.

Reduce Belly Fat
If your goal is having flat abs or displaying your six-pack, the truth is that spot reduction just doesn't work. In addition to building your six-pack muscles, you will need exercises that burn fat.2 When you exercise, your body draws energy from the entire body, not just the part you're working. High-intensity interval training has been shown to target belly fat.

If you're new to HIIT training, start with beginner interval training and work your way up to more advanced training. Lifting weights not only helps you lose body fat, but it can also specifically help you lose belly fat. Studies have shown that people who lift weights along with doing cardio have less belly fat than people who don't.

Examine your diet. You've probably heard that flat abs are made in the kitchen and there's a reason for that saying. Often your diet is where you can make the most progress with losing belly fat. Start by getting an idea of how many calories you need and then keep a food diary to track your eating habits.

Modifications and Variations
The crunch can be used by all levels of exercisers. Additionally, there are many options available to customize this exercise to fit your individual needs.

Need a Modification?
While crunches are fine, there are plenty of other effective ab exercises. Some of the best exercises for your core are done using your entire body, not just your abs. Options include:

Reverse woodchops with the band
Side bends with a medicine ball
Overhead squats
Med ball rotations with static lunges
Standing side crunch

It's great to incorporate exercises into your routine that work the abs naturally. For example, compound exercises like squats with an overhead press or pushups with a side plank almost always put quite a bit of emphasis on the core. In addition, the more muscles you work during an exercise, the more functional that exercise is and the more calories you burn.

Up for a Challenge?
Crunches have been the mainstay of ab workouts for decades. They target the rectus abdominis, the six-pack muscle that runs along the front of the torso. Building this muscle is one part of developing your core muscles for stability and performance. Crunches can be part of a core strength workout or a total body workout.

Benefits
The rectus abdominis muscle flexes to bring your shoulders towards your hips. As one of the major core muscles, it provides stability for the body.1 A strong back and abs are the foundation of all your daily movements as well as performance in sports.

To add variation, bring your knees in at the same time you lift your upper body off the floor (full body crunch). To make it more difficult, balance on an exercise ball, or hold a weight at your chest. Here are some more common crunch variations:

Bicycle crunch exercise: This ab exercise generally ranks at the top of the list of best ab exercises if done properly.

Vertical leg crunch: This version can be a challenge for the lower back if done improperly; make sure you do it right by having a trainer check your form.

Long arm crunch: This exercise is another version of a favorite exercise that almost anyone can start doing.

Reverse crunch: Get some extra challenge by kicking up the feet with the torso holding steady.

Crossover crunch: This exercise is especially good for the obliques.

Safety and Precautions
If you have any back or neck problems, talk to your doctor or physical therapist about whether crunches are appropriate for you. If not done with proper form, they can compress the spine and stress the neck. Avoid crunches after the first trimester of pregnancy, as soon as the belly expands.

reprinted from verywellfit.com

Form Friday | Push-up

This Form Friday we are highlighting the push-up.

There's a reason that push-ups stand the test of time: They're a challenge for most people, and even the most physically fit humans can find ways to make them hard.

And while adding any exercise to your life will result in positive change, adding a few push-ups a day can make all the difference in your upper body and core strength-not to mention your overall "I'm gonna crush it" attitude in life.

Push-Up Benefits and Variations

"This simple upper-body exercise is a solid option to work the muscle groups in your shoulders, triceps, chest (pecs), and core," says Rachel Mariotti, an NYC-based trainer demo-ing the move above.

You may be tempted to skip these because, well, they're hard and you'd rather move on to something more fun. However, "this is one of the standard fitness exercises for upper body and should be a baseline for other upper-body strength exercises," says Mariotti. Take the time to master this before you attempt other exercises, and your body will thank you. (BTW, the push-up is also a great indicator of whether you have adequate core strength since it's essentially a moving plank.)

If full push-ups just aren't doable at this point or cause wrist pain, don't feel ashamed if you need to drop to your knees. NO, they're not "girl" push-ups, they're just the appropriate progression to make sure your form is on-point before you try the standard push-up variation. Fun fact: You're lifting approximately 66 percent of your bodyweight when doing a standard push-up, but 53 percent of your bodyweight when on your knees, according to a 2005 study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. You can also try doing push-ups with your hands on an elevated surface (like a box or bench) to place less of your weight on your upper body. No matter which progression you're doing, the key is to keep your body in a straight line from shoulders to hips-just like in a plank or a regular push-up. (Resist the urge to hinge at the hips and stick your butt out.)

Once you've mastered the standard push-up, you can upgrade to some tricky variations: Here's an entire 30-day push-up challenge dedicated to mastering the move in all its forms.

If you want to challenge your core even more, take your push-up off the ground: Doing push-ups on a suspension trainer (like a TRX) activates your abs and spine stabilizers in your lower back more than any other "balance" device, according to a 2015 study published in the Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness.



How to Do a Push-Up

A. Start in a high-plank position with palms just wider than shoulder-width, palms pressing into the floor and feet together. Engage quads and core as if holding a plank.

B. Bend elbows back at 45-degree angles to lower entire body toward the floor, pausing when chest is just below elbow height.

C. Exhale and press into palms to push body away from the floor to return to starting position, moving hips and shoulders at the same time.

Do 8 to 15 reps. Try 3 sets.

Push-Up Form Tips

Don't allow hips or low back to sag toward the floor.
Don't let elbows flare out to the sides or forward while descending.
Keep neck neutral and gaze slightly forward on the ground; don't tuck chin or lift head.

reprinted from shape.com