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My partner, Ainsley, claims that tensing or scrunching the facial muscles while working out seems to be a male phenomenon. After a short observation at the gym I found that tension is common with both men and women. I noticed that most of the people that work out at the gym tend to strain their faces a great deal when they press the weight and even accompany their facial scrunches with loud pressure noises. When you reach a point of Maximum Effort ™ or failure on your next workout, pay attention to: *Your facial expression – is it relaxed or tensed (scrunched up)? *Your sound – do you make any noise except quiet breathing? If you answer “Yes” to one of these 2 questions, your workout is less effective and can even be dangerous. Tensing your face while you press the weight engages other muscles rather than the muscles that are being trained. Your face “takes part” of the load. You lose the most important part of the exercise – focus on the trained muscle. Your facial expression is a reflection of your body. If your face is tensed, your whole body is tensed. The effort is spread throughout your body rather than on the exercised muscle group. Crumpling your face and producing loud effort sounds take a significant amount of energy and reduce dramatically your workout effectiveness. It can also drive your blood pressure up to very high levels. You can be exposed to injuries that are common to improperly performed weight exercises like an inguinal hernia which occurs when part of the intestine protrudes through a weak point in the abdomen. To be honest, loud noises and a scrunched face can be a bit annoying to the others in the gym . Some people seem to try to attract attention (“look how strong I am”), share their effort and hard work with the world (“I work so hard”) or try to prove to their personal trainer or friend that they have reached their limit or have pushed the envelope. I didn’t find studies on this topic but Ainsley and I believe that relaxed facial expressions with quite smooth breathing can boost the quality of your workout significantly. I must admit that I tended to crumple my face and breathe heavily until Ainsley raised my awareness. It’s all in your mind. On your next workout try and smile even at the Maximum Effort point as if you are on a candid camera. Have you wondered how fitness trainers smile when they coach a fitness class? They just relax their face and smile. You will enjoy the following benefits: Smiling will relax your face and your body and will reduce the likelihood of injury. You won’t lose energy and you will better perform the exercise you plan. Your form will improve and the targeted muscle group for each exercise will be effectively isolated. Wait…I forgot the most important one. You are by far more attractive smiling than scrunching at the gym. Isn’t this by itself doesn’t worth the change? You look great when you smile. So…Smile! You’re on a candid camera!
Article Source: http://www.bodyformind.com/db
Dov Oshri is the author of the revolutionary Anti-Aging Fitness Program "Change Your Body and Be Admired". He is the chief editor of Body for Mind – a Wellness Lifestyle for Successful People where his ebook "Perpetual Wellbeing - 4 Steps to Ageless Sex-Appeal" can be downloaded for FREE
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