Fitness is about staying healthy, with looking good being an added side benefit.
When it comes to exercise, there is some truth in the theory of American relationship counselor and author John Gray that men are from Mars and women are from Venus because both sexes have different ideas about how to stay fit.
Women are more likely to have a holistic approach to fitness and are willing to try new routines, while men are more likely to focus on collecting as an end goal.
As clichéd as it sounds, bigger isn’t necessarily better guys.
Here are some pointers you as men might want to consider to add to or add to your routine.
Increase your flexibility
In general, men are less flexible than women, but they still shy away from stretching and Pilates / yoga classes. They just don’t think it’s important.
The man wants to focus on building his upper body muscles, especially the shoulders, chest, arm, and back muscles, but does little to stretch them afterward.
Stretching muscles regularly will help you move more efficiently and stay supple as you age.
It’s also a way to undress.
A tight muscle is a weak muscle.
This is different from muscle stiffness or tenderness, which peaks between 24 and 72 hours after your workout and then subsides seven days later – this is a sign of muscle conditioning and improving fitness.
Post-exercise muscle soreness, known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), can occur when you start a new exercise program, change your exercise routine, or increase the duration or intensity of your regular exercise.
A tense muscle, on the other hand, can occur during prolonged inactivity, during exercise and after exercise.
Since many of you are weekend warriors tied to a desk or sofa during this pandemic, your hips will be in a hunched position when you sit.
This puts the muscles in the front of the pelvic bone (hip flexors) in a shortened position and the muscles in the back of the hip (glutes) in an elongated position.
Your posture is also likely to be inappropriate with your neck pointing forward to look at the computer screen.
Thus, your chest muscles (chest muscles) are in a shortened position, while your upper back muscles (rhomboids) are in an elongated position.
The more stressed you get, the more likely your posture will change, causing your torso to shorten and your shoulders to hang or rise toward your ears.
Over time, this can lead to muscle imbalances, with the shortened muscles “tensing” and the elongated muscles weak.
Next Saturday you toss your work aside and go for a run or a game of futsal or badminton.
Halfway through, you’ll experience a painful cramp or spasm – this is one of the signs of a tight muscle.
Other reasons for the cramp include tiredness, inadequate hydration or nutrition, and lack of sleep.
Do not forcibly stretch the muscle if it is in such a tight, contracted shape that it could tear the muscle fibers and cause injury.
Allow the muscle spasm to relax and recover before attempting to stretch the spasm.
By continuously stretching your muscles, you can relax them and minimize the risk of cramps.
Try a group fitness class
When it comes to group fitness courses, kickboxing courses may be more in the men’s street. – AFP
No, this is not a women-only area. You guys can also try, no matter how uncoordinated you are.
Having two left feet is no excuse not to try.
You might be intimidated in a room full of hot looking women and not want to fool yourself.
Chill my friend! You can always try a class virtually and turn off your camera if you are afraid of being judged.
For athletes, bring a buddy if you feel insecure. If you step on your own two feet, put on your best smile and move on.
When you engage in different types of exercise, you work your body in different ways. The brain is also forced to work out the choreography and the steps.
In addition to improving your physical appearance, it will rewire the brain and keep it sharper.
It is true that group fitness classes feel a little too feminine for the average joe as the instructors are often feminine and give directions that suit the girls, like those fools! “or” Work those Poh Poh (grandmother) arms! “
The last one (I’m guilty here) is my favorite for my male dance students, but they know I don’t mean malice and I love them very much!
Even the most confident man who is sure of his masculinity would be a little put off by these commands, especially when coming from a woman.
Even so, you can always take a course led by a male instructor.
And if you think Zumba is only for the hip swivellers, then give a kickboxing class a try.
Stop being competitive
Stretching muscles regularly will help you move more efficiently and stay supple as you age. – Filepic
We all have egos, but men have bigger ones. And they don’t like it when theirs are hurt too often.
In silence they will try to redeem themselves.
Men are considered to be tougher and more ruthless competitors than women, not just in the workplace but in terms of fitness too.
Building their bodies is a way to gain confidence and appear more attractive to the opposite sex.
When a woman can do a male “task” better, the man feels insecure.
Making a plank is an example.
Observation shows that many of my female students have strong core muscles and can outperform the men who then train harder to prove themselves.
As soon as they can hit a woman, their ego is strengthened.
Men also tend to have better torso strength than women, and that is where their vanity resides.
While healthy competition is good to some extent for taking yourself to the next level, it isn’t to satisfy your ego and eventually let it down.
Please compete with yourself, not others, because fitness is a lifelong journey to enjoy – not just a destination to get to.
Slow down
Many men fall into the trap of thinking in order to be better and to achieve more; You need to do all of your exercises at a super fast pace.
While this is the case with some exercises like High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), it just isn’t the case with others.
Often times, shape is lost when things are done quickly, when the body gets tired.
Take lifting weights, for example.
While a traditional rep lasts around two to six seconds, a super slow rep lasts an unbearable 20 seconds.
As you lift slowly, you increase the amount of time your muscles contract, which at the same time increases blood flow.
This longer loading time helps build and increase your muscle mass.
Most strength training injuries are caused by external body movements, which can be alleviated by the super slow technique.
So next time you workout, keep in mind that faster is not always better.
Experiment with different speeds to find out what works best for your body.
It’s not always about puffing, panting and going home sweaty.
Revathi Murugappan is a certified fitness trainer who tries to fight gravity and keep dancing to express herself artistically and to nourish her soul. For more information, email starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information in this column is for general educational purposes only. Neither The Star nor the author make any guarantee as to the accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other representations with regard to such information. The star and the author disclaim all responsibility for loss, property damage, or personal injury arising directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.
