Upright Row with Bands

1. To begin, stand on an exercise band so that tension begins at arm's length. Grasp the handles using a pronated (palms facing your thighs) grip that is slightly less than shoulder width. The handles should be resting on top of your thighs. Your arms should be extended with a slight bend at the elbows and your back should be straight. This will be your starting position.


2. Use your side shoulders to lift the handles as you exhale. The handles should be close to the body as you move them up. Continue to lift the handles until they nearly touches your chin. Tip: Your elbows should drive the motion. As you lift the handles, your elbows should always be higher than your forearms. Also, keep your torso stationary and pause for a second at the top of the movement.


3. Lower the handles back down slowly to the starting position. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement.


4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: This exercise can also be performed using a straight or e-z bar. Another variation is to use dumbbells, though this later exercise should be reserved by the most advanced people that are well familiarized with correct execution.

Standing Dumbbell Upright Rows

1. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand with a pronated (palms forward) grip that is slightly less than shoulder width. The dumbbells should be resting on top of your thighs. Your arms should be extended with a slight bend at the elbows and your back should be straight. This will be your starting position.


2. Use your side shoulders to lift the dumbbells as you exhale. The dumbbells should be close to the body as you move it up and the elbows should drive the motion. Continue to lift them until they nearly touch your chin. Tip: Your elbows should drive the motion. As you lift the dumbbells, your elbows should always be higher than your forearms. Also, keep your torso stationary and pause for a second at the top of the movement.


3. Lower the dumbbells back down slowly to the starting position. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement.


4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Caution: Be very careful with how much weight you use in this exercise. Too much weight leads to bad form, which in turn can cause shoulder injury. I've seen this too many times so please no jerking, swinging and cheating. Also, if you suffer from shoulder problems, you may want to stay away from upright rows and substitute by some form of lateral raises.

Variations: This exercise can also be performed using a straight bar attached to a low pulley and it can also be performed using an e-z bar.

Barbell Shrugs

1. Stand up straight with your feet at shoulder width as you hold a barbell with both hands in front of you using a pronated grip (palms facing the thighs). Tip: Your hands should be a little wider than shoulder width apart. You can use wrist wraps for this exercise for a better grip. This will be your starting position.


2. Raise your shoulders up as far as you can go as you breathe out and hold the contraction for a second. Tip: Refrain from trying to lift the barbell by using your biceps.


3. Slowly return to the starting position as you breathe in.


4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: You can also rotate your shoulders as you go up, going in a semicircular motion from front to rear. However this version is not good for people with shoulder problems. In addition, this exercise can be performed with the barbell behind the back, with dumbbells by the side, a smith machine or with a shrug machine.

Best Home Gym For Easy Senior Fitness

What Is The Best Home Gym For Seniors?

You want to stay healthy, and fit, but most of us as we age have downsized, scaled back, and don't have the room to accommodate a room full of home gym equipment. It really is crazy how much room a single piece of exercise equipment can take up in your house, and the apparatuses are really not that attractive. Who wants to walk into their living room and be greeted by a big ugly treadmill, or body building machine? Not too many people. Most people want to hide their gym stuff out of public eye dragging it out only when it's necessary.

Senior Fitness

Senior fitness is a very important part of staying healthy and vital in today's youth based society. Aging may not be optional, but there are some ways that you can slow down how fast your muscles are shrinking, and losing their strength. Many new studies have discovered that our physical decline associated with aging could have more to do with our inactivity as we age than the actual aging process itself. In addition, maintaining a regular exercise program can actually setback and reduce the effects of aging.

There are many forms of exercise that should be performed by both the young and the old and the main 3 are Cardio, Stretching, Flexibility & Balance, and Strength Training. You should pick at least one activity from each category and perform it 3-5 times a week for 20-40 minutes.

Exercises For Seniors

o Cardio exercise can include: Cycling, Walking, Swimming, Water Aerobics, Jogging

o Strength Training can include the use of: resistance bands (Flex Bands, Resistance Tube Bands); Dumbbells, Weights, Nautilus Machines And Or Using Your Own Body Weight for Resistance Training (Push-Ups- Pull-Ups).

o Stretching, Flexibility & Balance: Resistance bands (flex bands, resistance tube bands), Yoga, Pilates, basic stretching exercises, Tai Chi, Tai Chi Ball& Balance: Resistance bands (flex bands, resistance tube bands), Yoga, Pilates, basic stretching exercises, Tai Chi, Tai Chi Ball

Home Gym Exercise Equipment

The best home gym equipment for senior fitness is hands down resistance bands. Resistance bands can be used by any fitness level, and take up a small drawer or basket in any room of your house, or apartment. They are small enough to fit in a suitcase when traveling, so there is never an excuse to not take your home gym on the road with you when you visit the kids. There a multitude of Resistance Band DVD's For Seniors, and Resistance Band Exercise Guide Books for sale that can guide you through simple, but effective exercises to keep you toned, fit, flexible, and your balance strong. Aging may not be completely optional, but with resistance bands the simple and effective home gym equipment you can remain active and young, and watch your friends get "old" as their enormous and unused personal home gym equipment gathers dust, and discarded clothing.

Give these small but mighty pieces of flexible rubber a try, and you'll be wondering why anyone needs all the bulky stuff taking up room in their home in the first place.

Denise Newman is an RN who has personally uses Resistance Band Exercise Guide Book as her personal home gym to maintain her strength, balance and flexibility after suffering with severe back problems. Through physical therapy she learned the importance of maintaining her your body through the use of a home gym fitness equipment to support the body keeping it healthy and strong. Resistance Bands are Effective and safe for all fitness levels, Resistance Band Exercise Guide Book, and DVD's are for sale online for every level: senior fitness, new mothers, bodybuilders, women, men, and anyone else who wants to remain healthy, vital, and young.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Denise_Newman

Weighted Bench Dip

1. For this exercise you will need to place a bench behind your back and another one in front of you. With the benches perpendicular to your body, hold on to one bench on its edge with the hands close to your body, separated at shoulder width. Your arms should be fully extended.


2. The legs will be extended forward on top of the other bench. Your legs should be parallel to the floor while your torso is to be perpendicular to the floor. Have your partner place the dumbbell on your lap. Note: This exercise is best performed with a partner as placing the weight on your lap can be challenging and cause injury without assistance. This will be your starting position.


3. Slowly lower your body as you inhale by bending at the elbows until you lower yourself far enough to where there is an angle slightly smaller than 90 degrees between the upper arm and the forearm. Tip: Keep the elbows as close as possible throughout the movement. Forearms should always be pointing down.


4. Using your triceps to bring your torso up again, lift yourself back to the starting position while exhaling.


5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Caution: By placing your legs on top of another flat bench in front of you, the exercise becomes more challenging. It is best to attempt this exercise without any weights at first in order to get used to the movements required for good form. If that variation also becomes easy, then you can have a partner place plates on top of your lap. Make sure that in this case the partner ensures that the weights stay there throughout the movement.

Bent Over Triceps Extension

1. With a dumbbell in one hand and the palm facing your torso, bend your knees slightly and bring your torso forward, by bending at the waist, while keeping the back straight until it is almost parallel to the floor. Make sure that you keep the head up.


2. The upper arm should be close to the torso and parallel to the floor while the forearm is pointing towards the floor as the hand holds the weight. Tip: There should be a 90-degree angle between the forearm and the upper arm. This is your starting position.


3. Keeping the upper arms stationary, use the triceps to lift the weights as you exhale until the forearms are parallel to the floor and the whole arm is extended. Like many other arm exercises, only the forearm moves.


4. After a second contraction at the top, slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position as you inhale.


5. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.


6. Switch arms and repeat the exercise.



Lying Triceps Press

1. Lie on a flat bench with either an e-z bar (my preference) or a straight bar placed on the floor behind your head and your feet on the floor.


2. Grab the bar behind you, using a medium overhand (pronated) grip, and raise the bar in front of you at arms length. Tip: The arms should be perpendicular to the torso and the floor. The elbows should be tucked in. This is the starting position.


3. As you breathe in, slowly lower the weight until the bar lightly touches your forehead while keeping the upper arms and elbows stationary.


4. At that point, use the triceps to bring the weight back up to the starting position as you breathe out.


5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Caution: This is an exercise that you need to be very careful with when selecting the weight. Also, if you suffer from elbow problems this exercise might be too harsh on your elbows, so you may need to look for a substitute.

Variations:

• There are a few variations of this exercise. You can perform it on a decline bench as opposed to a flat bench.


• You can also perform it using dumbbells in which case the palms of the hands will be facing each other as opposed to facing forward.


• Also, you can try to do it using a revere grip (palms facing you) but this variation seems to strain my wrists.