In-Shape: Stockton Hammer Lane

What Muscles Does a Scissor Workout Work? Building strength in your core muscles helps you maintain proper posture, which in turn protects your spine and reduces your risk of back pain. The scissor is one such core strength exercise that develops several muscle groups in your torso and hips. It uses your own body weight as resistance and is typically performed on a mat. While the scissor develops strength, it can place stress on your lower back if performed incorrectly. Take ...a couple minutes to warm up prior to your workout. Scissor Technique To perform the scissor, lie on your back on an exercise mat with your legs extended and arms down by your side. Contract your abs as you lift both of your legs slightly off the floor, keeping your knees straight. While holding one leg in that position, lift the other to a 45-degree angle. Then switch the positions of your legs, raising your lowered leg while simultaneously lowering your raised leg without touching the ground. Cycle back and forth in this manner until you’ve completed all assigned repetitions. Major Muscles Worked The primary muscles involved during the scissor exercise are the collection of hip flexor muscles at the front of your hips. The hip flexor muscles include the iliopsoas, pectineus, sartorius, rectus femoris and tensor fasciae latae. They’re responsible for flexing your hip, or lifting your legs forward. During the scissor exercises, the hip flexor muscles are working dynamically, which means they’re causing movement. Assisting Muscles Also assisting during the scissor exercise are the obliques and the rectus abdominis, which is the major muscle in your abs. The rectus abdominis runs down the front of your torso from your sternum all the way to your pelvis and is responsible for flexing your spine. This means that it bends your spine forward. It can also work isometrically, which means it works to hold your spine in a stable position. This is the type of contraction your rectus abdominis is performing as you complete the scissor exercise. Safety Considerations The first, but commonly overlooked, step when performing the scissor exercise is to contract your abdominals to push the arch of your back to the floor. As you lie on your back with your legs extended, you’ll notice the creation of a natural arch in your lower back. Press your lower back into the floor to remove that arch. This step ensures that you’re working your abs while also protecting your spine. Performing the scissor without contracting your abs can place a significant amount of stress on your lower back.

Lifestyle Changes to Lose Weight Permanently While going on a crash diet might sound tempting -- after all, they promise to help you lose quickly and in big numbers -- chances are you'll end up failing. In fact, two-thirds of people who diet and lose weight gain it all back within four to five years, according to a UCLA Researchers Report. A better way to do it is to forget about diets and instead make permanent lifestyle changes that not only will help you lose weight but wi...ll also keep it off for the long run. Eat Cleaner Foods "Clean eating" refers to eating foods that are closer to their natural state, for example, eating more fruits and vegetables rather than eating processed cereal bars or potato chips. The "cleaner" your food, the fewer ingredients it will contain, which usually means fewer preservatives and additives, but also less added fats and sugars -- and as a result, fewer calories. If your goal is long-term weight loss, switching to clean foods is an easy way to cut down on excess calories from additives, which aren't good for your health anyway. Drink More Water Drinking more water is key to weight loss. The answer to "why" is simple: thirst is often confused with hunger. What that means is that many times, you reach for a snack because your body feels "empty," when in reality what it's craving is liquid. Plus, drinking water fills you up, so the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps recommends drinking a glass of water before each meal. This could help you control overeating once you sit down for a meal. Make sure you also drink at least eight glasses of water throughout the day. Switch to Healthier Versions of Your Favorite Foods Giving up all your favorite foods is not a good weight-loss strategy. While it might work in the short term, most people won't be able -- or won't want -- to stop eating the foods they love forever. It makes more sense to make a change you can live with, such as switching to low-fat dairy instead of giving up dairy completely. Or eating more nuts and butter-free popcorn instead of potato chips, which are high in fat and calories. While it might take some time to make and get used to these changes, they will all save you calories in the long run and make weight loss and maintenance much easier. Find Active Hobbies Not having time to go to the gym is a common reason why many people don't exercise regularly. The problem is, regular physical activity is key to weight-loss maintenance. One lifestyle change you can make is to be more active in your everyday life. Rather than trying to fit gym time around other things in your life, make active pursuits part of your life. For example, go hiking or biking on the weekends rather than going to the movies. Or take up a sport or join a dance class instead of picking a less active hobby.

Beginner Three-Day Full-Body Workout Starting a full-body resistance-training program is a smart choice considering it helps improve lean muscle mass, reduce body fat and slow muscle loss as you age. Other benefits include lowered risk of obesity, osteoporosis, depression and improved symptoms of arthritis. As a beginner, a three-day full-body workout is an effective way to begin reaping the benefits of resistance training. In addition to strength training, it’s important to ...Continue reading

45-Minute Circuit Workouts If you want the most from your workout in a minimal amount of time, circuit training is for you. Circuit training can burn up to 30 percent more calories than standard strength-training protocols that have you rest between sets, reports "Fitness." A study published in a 2004 issue of the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research" concluded that circuit training improves exercise stamina and toleration of high-intensity exercise. Instead of comm...Continue reading

How Muscles Respond to Weight Bearing Exercise Weight-bearing exercise is one of the best activities you can do to improve muscular fitness, bone strength and overall health. The most obvious type of weight-bearing exercise is strength training, but activities such as walking, jogging and many sports are also considered weight-bearing exercise. Your muscles respond to weight-bearing exercise in several ways. The extent to which they respond is dependent upon the amount of ove...rload placed on them. Muscles 101 Muscles make up the fat-free mass of your body and are responsible for all bodily movements. A muscle is made up of numerous muscle cells, which are also known as muscle fibers. Each muscle fiber contains several hundred to several thousand myofibrils, which are the components responsible for contracting skeletal muscle. Gains in Growth One of the most distinct ways muscles respond to weight-bearing exercise is through hypertrophy or growth. Every time a muscle is overloaded or stressed, the muscle fibers themselves are damaged. Your muscles respond to this damage by repairing and reinforcing the individual fibers. This is done by increasing the number of contractile proteins within the myofibrils as well as increasing the number of myofibrils within a muscle fiber, resulting in a larger cross-sectional area of the existing muscle fibers. Strength Development After exercising for a few weeks, you've likely noticed that it becomes easier. This is because your muscles respond to weight-bearing exercise by becoming stronger. Initial gains in strength primarily come from neural adaptations -- greater neuron activation occurs, and your nervous system becomes more efficient and coordinated. Long-term gains in strength are largely the result of muscle hypertrophy, according to the book "Physiology of Sport and Exercise." Chemical Changes Weight-bearing exercise not only effects the physical component of muscle but also has an effect on the chemical element of muscle. Consistently training your muscles leads to reductions in muscle and blood pH. The National Strength and Conditioning Association notes that this results in delayed muscle fatigue and greater muscular endurance.