Toe Exercises: A Neglected Part of Your Fitness

Your toes may not get a lot of attention, but they play a surprisingly important role in your overall health and fitness. Here are just some of a few of the benefits of toe exercises:

Improved balance and stability. Your toes help you maintain balance and stability, especially when you're standing on uneven surfaces or making sudden movements. Weak or inflexible toes can make it more difficult to maintain your balance, which can increase your risk of falls.

Increased foot strength. Your feet are made up of many small muscles and tendons that work together to support your body weight and enable movement. These muscles can become weak or atrophied if they are not used regularly, which can lead to foot pain, plantar fasciitis, and other conditions. Toe exercises can help strengthen these muscles and prevent foot injuries.

Better flexibility and range of motion. Toe exercises can also improve the flexibility and range of motion in your feet and toes. This can be especially beneficial if you have tightness or stiffness in your feet due to prolonged sitting, standing, or wearing restrictive shoes. By stretching and mobilizing your toes through exercises like toe taps, toe pulls, and toe extensions, you can improve the overall flexibility and mobility of your feet.

Enhanced proprioception. Proprioception is your body's awareness of its position and movement in space. It's an essential aspect of balance and coordination, and it can be improved through regular exercise. Toe exercises can help enhance proprioception by stimulating the nerve receptors in your toes and feet. This can improve your ability to sense your body's position and movement, which can enhance your performance in sports and other physical activities.

Improved foot health. Finally, toe exercises can improve your overall foot health. By increasing blood flow to your feet, reducing inflammation, and promoting circulation, toe exercises can help prevent and/or treat foot injuries, relieve foot pain, and reduce the risk of conditions like plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis. They can also help reduce the risk of developing foot-related problems associated with aging, such as bunions and hammertoes.

So, if you want to improve your balance, prevent foot injuries, and enhance your overall foot health, incorporating toe exercises into your fitness routine is a smart move. From strengthening your foot muscles to improving your proprioception, your toes play an important role in your physical performance and well-being.

Here are some simple toe exercises you can do at home:

10 -20 reps of all the following. 3-5 rounds.

Big Toe Raises: Raise and lower big toes while the remaining four stay on the ground

Small Toe Raises: Raise and lower small toes while the big toes stay on the ground

Big Toe Lowers: Lower and raise big toes while the four small toes stay on the ground

Small Toe Lowers: Lower and raise small toes while the big toes stay on the ground

Toe Raises : Raise and lower all toes while the rest of the foot is on the ground

Toe Curls: Curl all toes towards sole of foot

You can do these exercises for a few minutes each day, or you can break them up into shorter sessions throughout the day. The more you do them, the stronger your toes will become. The feet generally work all day everyday to different degrees so they can be exercised/maintained every day. Pain or cramping is a good sign to dial back the intensity or volume.

So there you have it! Toe exercises are a simple and effective way to improve your foot health. They can be done anywhere, at any time, and they don't require any special equipment. So why not give them a try? You may be surprised at how much better your feet and whole being feel. IF you have any questions you can reach me at wholemaxperformance.com/contact

The Key to a Lean Body Fast : Moderately Weighted HIIT

So you want to get in shape? You want to lose weight, build muscle, and look your best. Well, you've come to the right place. In this blog post, I'm going to tell you about one of the most effective and fastest way to obtain and maintain a lean body: moderately weighted HITT training with full body exercises.

What is HITT training?

HITT stands for high-intensity interval training. It's a type of workout that involves short bursts of intense exercise followed by short periods of rest. HITT training is incredibly effective for burning calories and fat, and it's also a great way to build muscle.

What are full body exercises?

Full body exercises are exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time. These exercises are ideal for HITT training because they allow you to get a full body workout in a short amount of time. Some examples of full body exercises include squats, cleans, turkish get ups,  lunges, push-ups, and pull-ups. It is important to use the full variety of full body exercises to maintain balance in the body. Take care to shift the body parts doing the majority of the work. Of course a full body exercise uses every muscle in the body but it does so varying intensities depending on the movement.

Why is moderately weighted HITT training with full body exercises so effective?

There are a few reasons why moderately weighted HITT training with full body exercises is so effective for obtaining and maintaining a lean body. First, it burns a lot of calories. HITT training is a very efficient way to burn calories, and it can help you to lose weight quickly and effectively. Second, it builds muscle. Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue, so building muscle can help you to lose weight and keep it off. Third, it's time-efficient. HITT training workouts are typically short and intense, so you can get a great workout in without spending hours at the gym.

Here's a few sample HITT workouts that you can try but FIRST remember to:

• Warm up for 10 minutes by doing some light cardio, such as jogging or jumping jacks.

• Moderate the weight so that you can complete the entire workout 

• Do each exercise for 30 seconds 

• Rest for 30 seconds between exercises

• Complete 4 rounds like this 

• Cool down for 10 minutes by doing some stretching/mobility perhaps the basic wholemax mobility routine 

Workout 1:Upper Body Focus 

• Dumbbell Clean,Squat and Press

• Dumbbell Cross Snatch (1 round per arm)

• Push-ups

Workout 2 Lower Body Focus

• Front Squats 

• Reverse Lunges 

• Lateral Lunges

Workout 3 Core Focus 

• Reverse Planks 

• Side Planks

• Planks 

Weight:

Use a weight that is challenging but not too heavy. You should be able to do all of the repetitions with good form.

Intensity:

Push yourself to work as hard as you can during each interval. You should be breathing heavily and sweating by the end of each set. If you can talk during or right after the workout then the intensity was most likely not high enough

Frequency:

Do this workout 3-5 times per week depending on your ability to rest. Over training is definitely a thing but under resting is more of a thing in my opinion 

Nutrition:

In addition to HITT training, it's important to eat a healthy diet. Make sure to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. You should also limit your intake of processed foods, sugary drinks, and unhealthy fats.

Conclusion:

Moderately weighted HITT training with full body exercises is a great way to obtain and maintain a lean body. It's effective, time-efficient, and fun. So what are you waiting for? Start your HITT training journey today!

Weighted Mobility Training: A Better Way to Improve Your Range of Motion

If you're looking to improve your mobility, you've probably heard of conventional mobility training. But what about weighted mobility training? What is it? Is it better ? How so?

Lets take a look at the unique advantages of weighted mobility training compared to conventional mobility training. We'll also provide some tips and examples on how to get started with weighted mobility training.

So what is weighted mobility training?

Weighted mobility training is a type of mobility training that involves using weights to challenge the muscles around your joints. This helps to improve your range of motion, reduce pain, and prevent injuries.

Why is weighted mobility training so great?

There are a few reasons why weighted mobility training is so great. First, it helps to improve your range of motion. When you use weights, you're essentially forcing your muscles to work harder. This helps to break down scar tissue and adhesions, which can limit your range of motion.

Second, weighted mobility training helps to reduce pain. When your muscles are strong, they're better able to support your joints. This can help to reduce pain from things like arthritis, tendonitis, and bursitis.

Third, weighted mobility training helps to prevent injuries. When your muscles are strong, they're less likely to get injured. This is because they're better able to absorb shock and protect your joints.

So how do you get started with weighted mobility training?

If you're new to weighted mobility training, it's important to start slowly and gradually increase the weight as you get stronger. You should also focus on slow, controlled movements. And be sure to listen to your body and take breaks when you need them.

Here’s a few current favorite weighted mobility exercises you can try:

• Cable revolved head to knee pose: Targets the QL or sides. Cable should be in line with the lateral line the top arm is reaching for the far toe in. Inhaling to relax and allow the weight to pull you into a lateral bend as deep as comfortable then exhaling a bring the torso upright directly above the head allowing the arm to stay relatively slack. Repeating the pattern for 3-5 round of 30 seconds each side is a good starting point.

  Kettlebell goblet squat hold : Targets the hips, low back, and ankles. Hold a kettlebell in front of your chest with both hands and squat down as low as you can maintaining good posture and leg alignment. 3-5 round of 30 seconds is a good starting point.

• Weighted lunge hold: Targets the hip flexors, quads, and ankles. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and step forward with one leg, lowering your body until the front knee reaches the deepest angle of flexion it can without pain while the back knee bends minimally while staying off the ground. 3-5 round of 30 seconds each leg is a good starting point.

• Dead Hang: Targets the wrist, elbows, shoulders, and back. Hang from a pull up bar from the hands allowing all tension to leave the body accept the bare minimum required to maintain posture and overall body alignment. 3-5 round of 30 seconds is a good starting point.

These are just a few examples of exercises you can try. Be sure to talk to your doctor or a certified personal trainer before starting any new exercise program (like myself wholemaxperformance.com/contact)

So there you have it! Weighted mobility training is the new hotness when it comes to improving your mobility. So what are you waiting for? Give it a try today!