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Different variations of the deadlift put the body in different positions; they also require the barbell to travel different lengths. People compete in the deadlift and the sport has a name—powerlifting—and an international governing body—the International Powerlifting Federation—that allows two variations of the deadlift to be used in competition: the conventional and the sumo. Outside…

The time-honored way to strengthen the knees is to add resistance to the movements that they can make. These movements, which are called anatomical movements, are knee flexion, knee extension, knee medial rotation, and knee lateral rotation. Machines, free weights, tubes, bands, and even hands can be used to resist those movements. Resisting the movements…

According to IHRSA, the leading trade association for the fitness business, the most popular aerobic machines are treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical machines, stair climbing machines, rowers, and cardio cross trainers. We have all of those at The Training Station Gym, (except stair climbing machines). But which one is kind on bad knees? You may need…

Let’s call cardio, or aerobic, exercise that which is cyclical and continuous, lasting 10 minutes or longer. It is one of the two main types of exercise. The other being strength exercise, which we’ll describe as intermittent and without a minimum duration. Some people at The Training Station Gym always go directly to the barbell…

When an exerciser swings a kettlebell, at least two things will happen: he will burn a lot of calories and his muscles will have to contract rapidly even as they lengthen.   What kinesiology shows us about kettlebells   Let’s compare holding a 15-pound kettlebell by the spherical part and by the handle. During the…

Scientists performing experiments and doing research about exercise don’t normally list weight loss as one of the benefits of exercise. They do list weight maintenance as a benefit, which is related but not the same. (But there is a way to lose weight through exercise. It requires having the right information and doing a precise…

There are a number of moving parts in the spine. Some ab exercises cause the parts to move and some don’t. If you’re doing an ab exercise that causes back pain — because the exercise requires trunk extension or trunk flexion or lateral flexion — then the exercise is making some part of the spine…

Amy never asked to be among the fittest in Philadelphia. She runs a nationwide law practice and just wanted to improve her fitness and to keep her sanity. She didn’t know how far the improvement would go. She Didn’t Start with Us Amy did personal training up to four times per week at other gyms.…

It has long been understood that one should do a variety of exercises, beyond the bench press, if he wants to bench press heavier weights. A similar idea is understood for just about every sport. Which is why track racers lift weights, baseball pitchers run distance, and swimmers do dry land exercises. But which exercises…