Fitness plays a very important role in men’s health. It improves the quality of the lives they live by reducing the risks of degenerative diseases such as cancer, hypertension, diabetes or heart diseases. Staying fit requires a combination of a good diet and regular exercise. The down side is that doing the same kinds of exercises every two days can not only get exhausting, it can also be a bit boring. There is therefore the need to keep changing the exercises every so often to beat this and to be able to reap the benefits of working out at the end of the day. Below, we will discuss a number of exercises that target different parts of a man’s body.
1. Push ups for the chest and serratus anterior
Push ups are the best exercise for working out the chest, the arms and the shoulders. To do this exercise, lie face down with your palms at shoulder level with your fingers spreading out forward. Push your body up until the entire weight rests on the palms and the toes, keeping your body as straight as possible. Lower yourself until you almost touch the floor and repeat. You can vary the way you do this exercise by adjusting the width difference between your palms.
2. V-sit hold for the abdominal muscles
This exercise will improve your balance by working your abdominal muscles. To do this exercise, lie on your back with your arms pressed firmly to your side. Lift your upper body and your lower body into a V position while you support yourself with your butt. Hold this position for as long as possible before going back to the starting point. Repeat the process.
3. Single-Leg Side Plank
This exercise improves the endurance of the entire lower back. It also activates the glutes making it very good for prevention of lower-back problems. To do it, lie on your right side. Your knees should be straight at this point. Support your upper body with the right elbow and forearm placing the left hand on the left hip. Contract your abdominal muscles while raising your hips so that the body forms a straight line from the ankles to the shoulders. Raise your left leg as high as possible and hold for half a minute. Repeat this several times and then change to your left side and do the same.
4. Reverse Crunches
This exercise is good for working out the core and the lower back. To do it, lie straight on your back with your arms on your sides. Press your palms into the floor. Bending your knees at 90-degrees, bring them up till they are directly over the hips. Tighten the abdominal muscles while keeping the upper body pressed to the floor and curl your tailbone up off the floor, bringing your knees over to your chest. Curl back to the starting point and repeat. Do this 15-20 times.
5. Stomach vacuum for the abs
While sit-ups and press ups work on the outer stomach muscles, they do very little for the inner muscles. Stomach vacuum on the other hand works on the core of the stomach leaving one with a stronger, tighter and flatter stomach. This exercise employs breathing and if done properly, it can remove two inches from the waist in just three weeks. To do it, breathe in deeply filling the stomach like a balloon. Then breathe out slowly sucking in your stomach as far back towards the spine as you can and hold this position for as long as you can. When in position, you should continue breathing normally. Repeat ten times. The exercise is great and convenient as it can be done while standing, while on the back, while seated at your desk in the office or even on all fours.
6. Squats for the lower body
Squats are a great way of exercising the lower body without weights. Squats maximize the benefits of other exercises by creating an overall anabolic environment in one’s body. To do this exercise, keep your back straight. Your feet need to be shoulder length apart. You can either stretch your hands straight in front of you or you can use weights for a heavier squat. Stick your butt out while supporting yourself with the heel and lower your body towards the floor. The butt should go lower than the knees for a full squat. Push from the heels to rise and repeat.
7. Farmer’s walk on toes for the calves
This exercise increases the cardiovascular fitness while working out the calves. To do it, grab heavy dumbbells, hold them at arm’s length on the sides of your body and stand on the balls of your feet. Walk forward for a minute before stopping. You can use heavier dumbbells if you feel like you could have endured the pressure for much longer.
8. The Pelvic Tilt
The pelvic
9. Kegels for the pelvis floor muscles
Kegels are exercises that are normally associated with women. They involve the exercising of the muscle that holds the flow of urine. Just like in women, the kegel exercises are very good for a man’s sexuality as they reduce premature ejaculation and generally intensify the sexual pleasure. It also prevents male urinary incontinence. To exercise the pelvic floor muscles, contract your kegel muscle like when trying to stop the flow of urine and hold for a count of four to ten. Repeat this exercise for as many times as you can throughout the day whether standing, sitting or walking.