Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation, or PNF, is an advanced exercise for stretching the muscles and creating more flexibility. With the PNF exercises, the muscle groups are put through a routine of stretching and contracting. This type of exercise is typically used in the rehabilitation process because of its proven effectiveness, but it also helps target specific muscle groups for improving strength and flexibility.

Precautions of PNF

PNF stretches can put extra stress on specific muscle groups. As a result, you can increase the risk of injury to the body’s soft tissue areas. Before participating in any PNF stretches, be sure to include a conditioning phase in your routine. Also, don’t neglect a warm up period prior to the stretches.

Advantages of Warming Up before PNF Stretching

• It gets your mind ready for exercise. Most sports require a great deal of mental focus. Stretching helps your mind shift from daily work mode into training mode.
• It gets your body ready for exercise. Warming up means exactly what it says; you’re warming the muscles gradually rather than plunging them into the shock of a workout.
• Warming up increases your body’s core temperature and in a way giving you a head start on your routine.
• Warming up increases your body’s muscle temperature. Warm muscles are limber, flexible muscles, less prone to ripping and tearing as they are when starting any physical activity cold.

How to do a PNF Stretch

• The target muscle group must be stretched and under tension
• Contract the targeted muscle group for a few seconds by applying resistance to restrict the movement. You can use either a partner or another object to do this. Apply a relative amount of pressure that matches your level of training and conditioning. Do not apply maximum resistance if the muscle is injured.
• Relax the contracted muscle group
• Push the muscle slowly past its normal range of movement and hold it there for about 30 seconds
• Allow the muscle group to recover
• Repeat the process between two and four times

The timing recommendations for the stretches tend to differ depending on who you ask. Some say you should contract the muscle groups longer, some disagree about how long to rest between stretches and others disagree about how long to hold each stretch. These timing recommendations, however, are based on a thorough study and research of PNF stretching.

If you’re trying to improve your flexibility or athletic performance, stretching is one of the most important things you can do. It not only strengthens your muscles and joints before exercising, but it also helps to prevent sports-related injuries and helps in the rehabilitation process following an injury. A few minutes engaged in a simple warm up routine of several different stretches is well worth the effort. I can’t stress strongly enough not to neglect this vital part of every daily exercise routine. You could very well be doing more damage than good to your body.

Article by Brad Walker. Brad is an internationally recognized stretching and sports injury consultant with 20 years of practical experience in the health and fitness industry. Brad is a Health Science graduate of the University of New England and has postgraduate accreditations in athletics, swimming and triathlon coaching. He has worked with elite level and world champion athletes and lectures for Sports Medicine Australia on injury prevention. Brad is also the author of The Stretching Handbook, The Anatomy of Stretching and The Anatomy of Sports Injuries

For more information and articles on stretching, flexibility and sports injury management, visit The Stretching Institute

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By Jen K

Weight lifting to build muscle is not as simple as throwing on several forty five pound weights and doing a bunch of bench presses. Rather, getting your body to respond properly to weight training and muscle building is actually a complex process. Your body will actually resist building certain muscles if you do not train your body correctly to accept the added muscle mass. There are some great ways you can reduce the likelihood of hitting such a plateau by varying your workout routines.

Your body will create muscle memory over time, and this memory will eventually be the single biggest obstacle to your ability to use weight lifting to build muscle. As you repeat the same, tired workout three or four times a week, your body will adapt to the environment and will start to slow down the muscle building process. This is why you will see huge gains early on in your training, but those gains will diminish rapidly over time if you continually train the same way.

The key to getting the muscle mass you want is to really vary your workouts. I am not talking about rotating arms, back, legs and chest through the week – rather – I am talking about completely switching workout routines for each muscle group. Get creative each time you go to workout your legs. Target different movements and muscle mass areas with each workout. Think about how you can incorporate various resistance training techniques so your body does not get bored with the same old weight lifting to build muscle routine.

To really make gains, start to chart your muscle growth and strength growth over time, and record what workout technique seems to bring the best results. Then, do not do that routine for at least one full week before going back to it. This will allow your muscle memory to virtually reset, and you can start to make massive gains each time you change up your exercise and weight lifting plan.

Weight lifting to build muscle can work fast if you study and learn the proper way to do it.

For more information on techniques to gain muscle mass, and use weight lifting to build muscle, feel free to visit http://www.TheTruthAboutMuscle.com.

Additionally, there are several great ebook programs that are available to help you learn more about weight lifting and bodybuilding. To see a complete review of several of the top bodybuilding programs, you can click here: Bodybuilding ebook reviews.

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I have never admitted this before, but I hate to stretch. It bores the heck out of me. When I stretch, I always think to myself that I could be using this time to burn more calories doing HIIT. I have a limited time to workout, so I simply avoid stretching. I'm going to talk about a better and more efficient way to maintain flexibility and prevent injuries. Oh yeah, in case you didn't know, stretching before lifting makes your muscles weaker for that workout.

[Stretching before going for a run. A waste of time, or a smart way to avoid injuries?]

I Develop My Deep Hatred for Stretching in 7th Grade
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I am going to begin featuring specific exercises on a more consistent basis. Today I'm going to talk about a really versatile exercise called Hanging Power Cleans. Some people call them hanging clean, cleans from dead hang, etc. You can use this lift to burn fat at the end of a workout, increase athletic ability, or gain incredible definition in your, back shoulders, and arms.

[Here is a good example of a fit woman without excessive muscle. It is good to strike a balance between muscle and aesthetics. A routine based around HIIT, Circuits, and Low Volume Resistance Training…creates this type of look. Obviously diet plays a crucial role as well.]

Hanging Power Cleans Will Help You Burn Bodyfat 
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Zuzana shares three movements that target the lower ab muscles, just in time for Christmas.   You’ll need a medicine ball and a little bit of determination.   Zuzana also dispels a common exercise myth near the end of the video.

Technorati Tags: ab, abs, bodyrock.tv, cardio videos, core, crunches, exercise, fat loss, fit, fitness, flexing, loose weight, lower belly, metabolism, muscles, resistance, ripped, running, shape up, strength, stretching, tone, workout tips, zuzana