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If you are trying to keep fit it can be quite a challenge to stay motivated. Doing the same exercises after a while can lead to boredom. To ensure you stay motivated and committed to your fitness goals you need to add variety into your exercise program.
The best exercise program should involve a range of exercises that target your cardiovascular health as well as building strength. If your fitness regime focuses only on one training aspect then you will not get the maximum performance out of your body. This creates an imbalance particularly when it comes to strength training.
Even with strength training it is a good idea to have plenty of different exercises to do every day. The will build variety into your program. Certain exercises focus on one specific group of muscles therefore, you need to do another set of exercises to balance the workout. For example, pulling and pushing exercises target completely different muscle groups. Therefore, when doing a set of pull-ups you balance it out with the same number of push ups.
In this article I will outline a simple but effective exercise that you can add to fitness repertoire. These exercises focus on building strength in your lower body and in particular the legs. The great benefit with this exercise is you do not need to use any fitness machine. These can be done at home for only a few minutes a day.
The Calf Raise
This exercise will target the lower leg muscle and in particular the calf muscles. This is a very good exercise for people recovering from tendon problems. All you need for this calf raise exercise is an ordinary chair or bench that is sturdy enough to take your own weight. To begin this exercise you place your toes on the edge of the chair or bench in a standing position. Your heels should not rest on the edge but overhang it. Make sure you are properly balanced as you may need to hold on to a support until you are stable. Begin by rising up on your toes and then lower your heels. Pay attention to lowering your heels below the edge of the chair or bench. To make it more challenging you can use a weight such as cradling a power bag or medicine ball. Make sure you warm up first.
If you have any medical condition or injury then always consult a doctor or physician for advice before doing any new type of exercise.
About this Author
James Mako has been writing articles for over 2 years on subjects he is passionate about. Why not check out his new website that discusses luxury shower curtains including the iconic betty boop bath accessories that every fans bathroom should have.
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