The whole-body benefits of swimming are just one reason it is the second most popular sports activity in the United States behind walking, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From toddlers to the elderly, nearly everyone...
Yoga and tai-chi are ancient practices meant to balance body, mind and spirit. When done in alignment, both offer many health benefits that include strengthening your knees. According to MayoClinic.com, weak muscles are a leading cause of knee...
Your meniscus is the cartilage that acts as a cushion between the bottom of your thigh bone, the top of your lower leg bones and your knee cap. It is common for your meniscus to tear through excessive strain on or twisting of, the knee, says...
The hamstrings are susceptible to tears and strains, but you might not notice the pain of these injuries until you stretch. Most people have experienced a mild amount of pain while stretching and hamstring pain can usually be treated at home.
Football players are known for being some of the strongest, most powerful athletes in any sport. However, some may experience muscular imbalances --- one muscle being stronger than the opposing muscle --- as a result of training or competition....
Walking is a low-cost, low-equipment exercise that's an easy starting point for a fitness program. Walking engages all of the lower body muscles, including the quadriceps. The calf muscles, made up of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, and the...
When working out in a gym, many men look to build muscle by lifting weights. While women generally aim for tone and definition, men often look to bulk up. You can either try to target specific muscle groups --- such as your arms, chest or legs ---...
You may be considered buff if you have more than 2 lbs. of body weight per inch of your height, but champion bodybuilders tend to weigh more than 3 lbs. per inch, according to a February 2007 article by Ellington Darden, Ph.D. The circumference of...
The front squat is a great exercise for building your quadriceps, hamstrings and glute muscles, increasing your lower body strength, and improving your core stability. However, it can be difficult and also put a lot of strain on your wrists and...
Every body type has its strengths and weaknesses, and some men are simply born with bony hips with little muscle mass. The hips are the power base of the body, providing explosiveness for athletic movements like running and jumping. They also...
Your quadriceps muscles are the four muscles that work the front of your thigh and are responsible for extending the leg at the knee. Developing these muscles help to give you added leg strength, helping you better lift heavy objects and climb...
Professional cyclists’ thighs resemble tree trunks. Sprinters are usually hulking riders whose huge muscles work together to pull on the handlebars and explode into the pedals for a powerful sprint. Climbers stay rail-thin to limit...
The leg press works the majority of your lower body muscles, but specifically builds the quadriceps, gluteus and hamstring muscles, according to MayoClinic.com. Leg press machines come in various designs and can be found in most fitness...
Bowflex is a well-known brand of home resistance-training machines. Different versions of the machine are available in various price ranges. Bowflex machines use patented composite power rods to provide resistance for upper and lower body...
If you are serious about building powerful quadriceps muscles, adding squats to your workout routine is a must. You can do squats using just your own body weight, dumbbells, resistance bands or a barbell. One barbell variation called a "front...
The quadriceps muscles that make up the front of the thigh consist of four muscles: the vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis and rectus femoris. Well-defined quadriceps are a goal of body builders and figure competitors. Building...
Cross-training can be a great compliment to your running schedule. Cycling is one of the best ways to simulate the motions of running and can help improve your stride rate. By replacing one or more of your current runs with a cycling workout, you...
The complex structure of the knee joint leaves it more prone to injury than other parts of the body. If runners do not strengthen the supporting muscles, knees are left susceptible to injury and pain. Performing exercises to build strength and...
Targeted thigh workouts and improvements in your dietary and exercise habits are key to making your thighs bigger and your stomach slimmer. To lose stomach fat, you must decrease the total amount of calories you consume per day, improve your diet...
Neither free weights nor weight machines are needed to exercise your thigh muscles. You can strengthen and tone these muscles using resistance cables, sometimes called exercise cables or therabands. To build your quadriceps and adductors, the...
The Fitness First Balance Board is designed to improve balance, stability, muscular endurance and strength. All of these improvements work together as links on a chain. You must first have balance and stability in order to get the full potential...
Cross training was once limited to runners using alternate training methods to stay in shape during recuperation from injury. Unable to continue running, athletes would take up swimming to maintain cardiovascular endurance without impact to joints...
It is common for distance runners to suffer overuse injuries, disrupting regular training and preventing competition. However, even if an injury interrupts your normal running routine, you can still maintain a high level of cardiovascular fitness...
Building strong quadriceps -- the large muscle on the top of your thighs -- are important for lower-body strength, preventing injury to bones and powering you through running and jogging workouts. If you want to develop this crucial leg muscle but...
Running is hard on the body. For indoor runners, a poorly built treadmill will not withstand the constant force your ligaments and joints already endure. The best quality treadmills for running boast a few distinguishing features: strong,...
Many women and even some men have a desire for a firm and shapely backside. Women tend to carry fat deposits in the hips and butt area that can be difficult to get rid of. Your buttock muscles need to be worked just like any other muscle group in...
Losing weight is not complicated. Simply put, you need to burn more calories than you consume on a daily basis. When you burn calories, you burn fat and you become leaner. If you are looking to do exercises that burn fat easily, look no further...
Each of your knees contains a meniscus, or two pieces of c-shaped cartilage, that helps protect and stabilize your knee caps. Sharply rotating, pivoting or turning your knees increases the risk of tearing your meniscus. Symptoms of a torn meniscus...
You don't have to press heavy weight during lunges and squats or do high-impact jumping to exercise your quadriceps. Modified quadriceps exercises stretch and strengthen your leg muscles, joints and tendons while reducing your chances of injury....
Chondromalacia is the wearing down of cartilage under the knee cap. Get tips and advice on health and medical issues in this wellness video.
The large quadriceps muscles on the front of the thigh are important to target when strength and weight training to build overall muscle mass. Learn how to do quadriceps exercises in this strength training video.
Relieve tension in the Hara and legs by learning how to massage the knee cap with shiatsu massage in this free video clip.
