The Map Magazine

The first thing that comes to mind when I picture abdominal exercises is someone laying on the ground with the feet flat and knees bent, struggling to sit up. Then laying back down and struggling to sit up again. While sit-ups are a good abdominal workout, there are so many more options. Crunches are more popular than sit-ups. Instead of sitting all the way up, you simple lift your head and shoulders off of the mat. It is less strenuous on your back that way and also an easier exercise to perform. It is important to focus on using your abdominal muscles to reach your head and neck up, otherwise your abs aren’t getting much of a workout.

You can do crunches in all kinds of variations. Lay your knees down to either side to focus on working out the side muscles of your stomach. Lift your knees up at a 90 degree angle to work out your lower abdominal muscles. Crunches are probably one of the most versatile and popular abdominal exercises. You can also take crunches up a notch when you do them while balancing on an inflatable exercise ball. In order to keep from rolling away and falling off the ball you will have to activate more of your muscles. So this gives you more bang for your buck as you work out. In addition, most gyms have several types of abdominal machines where you can add resistance to your crunches to build up your strength.

Learn about the Perfect six pack method special system to building abs and core power.

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Now the dust has - just - settled on the streets of the London Marathon let’s spare a thought for all those non-runners. Even before the race start, competition was keen with over 50,000 disappointed applicants unable to take part and the situation is no different across all the World Marathon Majors.

But if you’re still serious about testing your body to its limits, a triathlon event can be an interesting and much more accessible option with less pressure on places. The triathlon event comprises 3 consecutive disciplines of swim, bike and run, with distances to suit all abilities from super sprints to Olympic levels.

At the pinnacle of the triathlon family are the gruelling Ironman competitions, testing the triathletes with increased distances. The toughest courses in Hawaii and the Canaries also add the infinitely more glamorous ingredients of ocean, volcano and scorching sunshine.

Indeed Lanzarote’s Ironman Triathlon is almost upon us, due to take place this year on 20th May, with registration for both men and women closing on 1st May 2006. Lanzarote will see over 800 competitors attempt to complete a 3.8km (2.4 mile) swim, 180km (112.5 mile) volcano bike ride followed by a 42km or 26 mile marathon run, all in one day.

Attracting some of the world’s best professional athletes, the event is definitely not for the fainthearted although the schedule of activities lasts for a few days with fun runs in the week leading up to the event itself, and parties and award ceremonies during the evenings.

If the sun, fun and party elements sound appealing but you find you’re just not quite able to hone your body into this superfit category, then just slow the pace down a notch or two with a stay at Lanzarote’s Club La Santa, official headquarters of the Ironman and recognised as one of the world’s top sports resorts.

Combining superb sports facilities with all year round sunshine, the Canaries are easily reached throughout the summer and winter, see XL to find out about a cheap Lanzarote flight. The Club’s triathlon instructors are available for personal coaching for those more serious athletes with organised professional events such as the Volcano Triathlon as well as weekly smaller triathlon and duathlon events with free participation available for all guests.

Author:
Michael Hanna

About Michael
Michael is a keen writer, and internet marketer living in Scotland:

Contact details:
E-mail: samqam@googlemail.com
Phone: 0131 561 2251
Michael’s Website: Belfast Airport Taxis

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I love to play golf and I love to walk the golf course. After all, the Pros walk when they play golf and if walking is good enough for them why not me? Ideally I would love to have a Caddie carry my bag but it’s not an option at my golf club. So the question comes down to carry my golf bag or use a push-cart or pull-cart. I’ve tried them all and I choose to carry my golf clubs. Here are the reasons:

TIME

CONVENIENCE

HEALTH

Time - I want to play golf without standing around waiting all the time and most golf courses require you to play at a certain pace in a specified amount of time. With a carry bag I can play at a quicker pace then when using a handcart. To be honest, if I could always hit the ball down the middle it wouldn’t make that big a difference, but hey, once in a while my ball flight doesn’t go exactly as planned and I occasionally find myself off the fairway. Now at the golf course where I play, if you are “off the fairway” you might be in the woods or down the side of a canyon or next to the creek. If I were using a cart I would have to leave my golf cart, go after the ball to hit it or retrieve it and then come back to my cart. But with a light carry bag I just bring it along for the adventure. I am able to walk just about anywhere and still keep my golf clubs with me. You can save a lot of time when you don’t have to go back and forth to your golf cart.

Convenience - Another thing about my golf course is the size of the greens. We don’t have the small “postage stamp” greens but mostly rather large greens. Everyone knows you can’t roll a golf cart across the greens but if you are carrying your golf clubs you can walk across the greens instead of having to walk around every single one. I sometimes get a little annoyed when the slow group in front has some “hand cart” golfers who seem to always want to park their cart at the front of the green. Then when the group is done putting you have to wait for the guy to walk back towards you and get his cart and then push it around the green.

Health - Let’s face it. The natural way to walk is with your arms and hands are down at your sides and free to swing as you move along. A natural way to walk is NOT with your hand held out behind you or in front of you so you can pull or push a cart. When you are carrying your golf clubs with a carry bag it just is a more natural walk, which has to be healthier. Also, I think there is less fatigue involved when you can use a natural walk. Try taking a 5-mile walk with your hand stuck out behind you. I don’t think so!

So you must agree that when walking for your round of golf it only makes sense to use a carry bag for time, convenience and health. Try it and find out for yourself and remember to hit it down the middle.

Ron Lute is an avid hacker and wannabe golfer. When he is not on the golf course he is working on his website Wholelottashopping.com where you will find other thoughts on various things along with shopping guides and product reviews.

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Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuilders’ training regimes.

It is useful, therefore, to describe in detail the processes involved in actually doing these exercises. This will help beginners to start out using the correct techniques before moving on to potentially more dangerous heavy weights. If it also helps more experienced lifters to redress some of the little faults that have almost imperceptibly crept in over the years, all the better.

In this article we’ll take a close look at dumbbell lunges.

MUSCLES TARGETED: quadriceps, gluteals, hamstrings

STARTING POSITION

Stand with feet flat and placed less than shoulder width with toes pointed slightly outward.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand with the hands facing inwards.

EXERCISE TECHNIQUE

Step forward, keeping the back straight.
Bend the knee of the lead leg until it reaches a 90 degree angle. The knee of your back leg should be roughly two or three inches off the ground at this point.
Push forcefully with your lead leg and return to the starting position.
Repeat the exercise with your other leg and continue to alternate until you reach the intended number of repetitions.
You should note that varying the length of the step will change the emphasis of this exercise. A longer step will place greater emphasis on the hamstring and gluteal muscles. A shorter step will place greater emphasis on the quadriceps muscles.

OTHER EXERCISES WORTH CONSIDERING

A similar effect can be achieved by performing Barbell Lunges.

About the Author

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Exercises to learn more about the issues covered in this article.

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