Gymnastics is a highly demanding sport that requires gymnasts to balance their own weight while demonstrating substantial flexibility. Elbow hyperextension is a common injury in the sport, especially among novice gymnasts who overexert themselves....
According to SportsInjuryClinic.net, elbow hyperextension occurs when the elbow bends further in the wrong direction then it should. You may also hear hyperextended joints referred to as “locked” joints by your yoga teacher. Elbow...
Although basketball is theoretically a noncontact sport, it's nevertheless an activity that's fertile ground for many kinds of sports-related injuries. Even when played at a casual level, basketball's emphasis on running and jumping applies...
A leg bar is a submission hold used in certain grappling martial arts and in mixed martial arts matches. Just as an arm bar hyperextends the elbow, a leg bar hyperextends the knee, causing your opponent to submit or risk damage to his knee...
Pulling back the elbows while working out has numerous benefits, which include building muscles in the arms. Knowing how to use your elbows properly while working out helps minimize arm and elbow injuries. Many machines in the gym require you to...
Your elbow joint is similar to a door hinge, made to only to open so far. When pushed beyond the normal limit, injury can occur. The average person can extend the elbow to around 140 degrees without injury. Once the elbow is extended beyond your...
Submission moves in mixed martial arts, or MMA, put the opponent in a position that renders him immobile and forces him to submit the match. A triangle to arm bar is a submission move executed after your opponent has you on the ground in a guard...
Incorporating a stability ball into your training regimen provides with you new exercises for the bicep and tricep muscles of the upper arms, along with variations of several movements. When executing an exercise on a stability ball, the core...
An injury to your elbow can be debilitating. After injury, it is not uncommon to lose flexibility and range of motion around your elbow joint. This can be due to the buildup of scar tissue that forms where the ligaments that surround your elbow...
According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), free weights come in two forms -- barbells or dumbbells -- and provide a stimulus for muscle development which can increase the muscle's size, strength, power or endurance. The...
Muscle tone is not only sexy, but it also helps burn calories by boosting the metabolism. To increase your muscle tone, you can do a full-body workout using free weights. These exercises can be done at home with an inexpensive set of weights or at...
The practice of yoga naturally increases core strength and tones the abdominal muscles. Practice daily and you will find that the abdomen is stronger and tighter, and the core is better able to support the body in challenging poses. However, if...
A kettlebell high pull is one of several kettlebell techniques you should master if you want to integrate kettlebell training into your workout routine. The high pull is a part of the kettlebell snatch, which is a fundamental kettlebell exercise....
Hypermobility is the condition in which your joint over-extends beyond the normal limits. This can be the result of a traumatic event or a global syndrome that affects all of your joints. The treatment is similar in all cases and physical therapy...
Using an exercise ball for working out adds an extra dimension to your workout. Not only are you exercising, but you are engaging your abdominal muscles for stability. Strong abs will support your exercising and your day-to-day activities. When...
In fighting styles such as boxing and mixed martial arts, fighters are placed into different classes depending on their weight and height. This is because a heavyweight fighter would have an unfair advantage over a lightweight fighter due to a...
The Total Gym Pro is a home gym that uses your body weight as resistance. The difficulty level of exercises is controlled by the incline of the Total Gym Pro's movable bench, called a glideboard. There are more than 120 exercises to choose from on...
When you have pain anywhere in the body, the first inclination is often to rest. In some cases, that's good medicine, but when it comes to back pain -- the mild, chronic type that so many people endure -- rest is, in fact, contraindicated. Back...
The stretch reflex, also called the myotatic reflex, is a protective response to stretching. The body protects the stretched muscle by forcefully contracting it. Certain types of physical training take advantage of the stretch reflex to create...
Kickboxing is a high-energy workout that utilizes punching, kicking, footwork and rope jumping. The use of kickbox training in any workout plan will have you burning calories, increasing agility and burning steam off any hard day. The basic key...
The major joints of the human body are subjected to significant stresses in normal day-to-day activity, and even more so during sports or strenuous workouts. The tendons that anchor muscles to the bones, and the ligaments that connect bones to...
The terms FitBall, stability ball, balance ball, yoga ball, Swiss ball, exercise ball and Resist-A-Ball all are used to describe the same piece of exercise equipment. You can use the ball to work every major muscle of your body, including the...
Although technically some arm exercises are not better than others for bulking up instead of improving your arm strength or muscular endurance, you will be better able to increase the size of your arm muscles with stable exercises. Exercises done...
Athletes such as bodybuilders, swimmers, basketball players and surfers may sometimes complain of shoulder pain while practicing certain yoga postures. While it is hard to determine what an individual's specific physical issue is, there are...
Hyperextension injuries are common amongst runners and other athletes. Calf muscle injuries often occur during a workout that involves running or jumping when the muscle is not pliable. Since the calf is a muscle and not a joint, it cannot...
The upper arms consist of these muscles: the triceps brachii, biceps brachii and brachialis. The biceps and brachialis work together to flex the elbows and bring the upper and lower arms toward each other. The triceps perform the opposite movement...
As the textbook “Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition and Human Performance” notes, the legs and lower body contain some of the largest muscles of the body: the gluteals, hamstrings and quadriceps. Working these large muscles means...
Thanks to their simplicity and versatility, push-ups have made a permanent home in countless fitness routines--as a warm-up activity and also as a strength-building exercise. When performed correctly, push-ups boost cardiovascular endurance and...
Usually shoulder instability is anterior, and most shoulder dislocations are out the front. However, the shoulder can also be partially dislocated, or sublux, out the back (posterior) and down (inferior). When the shoulder is loose in multiple...
Lower back pain can be caused by stiff muscles that require proper stretching. Learn how to do lower back stretch exercises in this stretching and flexibility video.
Compression strokes are a special technique of massage. Learn the art of giving massage in this health video.
