Variations of Squat Techniques

Variations of Squat Techniques The Ultimate Exercise The smell of sweat, rubber and rust swirl through the air as an athlete prepares to step under a squat bar loaded with the next weight he is about to move. As the athlete steps under the bar, he thinks about his position and form. Then removes the weight and using proper technique, moves the weight for multiple repetitions before returning the weight back to the rack. The squat is a movement that is extremely useful for people of all ages or gender. This is because it is a natural movement that is found in everyday life. It also has other health benefits that can help improve things like joint pain, muscle mass and tone, as well as cardio vascular health. With proper technique and form, the squat can improve multiple aspects of life. There are many different styles of squatting. Although at the core of it they all are the same motion, each squatting style has its own benefits compared to the others. Some different examples of squat styles include the style most people think of when they think of squatting. This is back squat. There is also front squat and overhead squat. Within each of these styles there are also different variations to these motions to create improvements in different aspects of life. The back squat is the most recognizable form of the squat. This style in itself has many benefits, but to unlock these benefits you must make sure that you have the proper form and technique. This is imperative for your health and safety. According to Dariusz Czaprowski, Ryszard Biernat, and Agnieszka Kà ªdra in their article â€Å"SQUAT – RULES OF PERFORMING AND MOST COMMON MISTAKES Squat – methodology of teaching,† they break down learning the squat into three stages Stage one talks about reshaping the body so that the movement starts with a â€Å"hip hinge (Czaprowski 4).† Czaprowski also states that when people begin their attempt at a squat, they usually begin with bending their knees. This causes â€Å"shearing and compression forces† on the knee. This is why the hip hinge should be the first action when completing the squat. (3) The motion of the squat is the next important stage. This motion is best described in â€Å"Back Squat Exercise: A Primer† by John M. Cissik. He breaks done the motion of the squat into three different phases. These phases are broken down into â€Å"Start, Descend, and Ascend† (Cissik 29). Cissik starts talking about the Start position by saying, At the beginning of the back squat, the barbell is positioned on the squat rack. The athlete should step underneath the bar so that it rests on the back of his/her shoulders. The bar should be positioned where it is comfortable or the athlete. The athlete should stand up and step out of the squat rack. The feet should be even and between hip width and shoulder width apart with the weight on the athlete’s heels. The athlete should look straight ahead or slightly up. Before beginning the descent, the athlete should inflate the chest and pull the shoulders back, this action tightens the muscles along the spine helping to protect the lumbar vertebrae. (29) By performing the steps given here by Cissik, the athlete will have a very safe starting position. One the athlete is in the start position, Cissik then explains step by step the safe way of descending with the weight. This is very important because improper form, as stated before, can take away from the benefits of the exercise as well as increase the possibility for injury. The second phase is the descend. This phase is described by Cissik by saying, From the start position, the athlete descends by pushing the hips back and unlocking the knees. As this is done, the weight remains on the heels. The athlete should squat down until the thighs are parallel to the floor, unless there is an injury that would modify this. As the athlete is descending, the chest needs to remain inflated with the shoulders pulled back. (29) At the bottom of the descend phase immediately starts the third and final stage of the squat the Ascend (Cissik 29). At this point in the squat the athlete is at their lowest point. The article then explains how to perform the Ascend phase: Once the athlete has reached the bottom position, the athlete should reverse directions and stand up. As this is done, the hips and shoulders need to rise up at the same speed to prevent the athlete from toppling forward. The athlete needs to remember to keep the chest inflated and the shoulders back throughout the ascent. (Cissik 29) After the completion of the Ascend phase the athlete has then completed the entire squat. With an understanding of the form and motion of the back squat, why would someone want to add this into their workout program? There are multitudes of benefits that are cited in multiple articles and journals including increased mobility, strength, functional strength, as well as many other benefits to be described later in this paper. The main benefits that many people, men and women, should be interested in are that the squat increases functional strength as well as an increase in flexibility and strength. These will benefit not only in moving weight at a weight room, but also in doing daily activities. The squat motion is an extremely primal motion that has been used since human beings have been on the earth. They have used this motion to hunt food, gather food items such as berries and vegetables, and move obstacles. This is why when an athlete does a squat they not only work their lower body, but they also are working the nervous system (Vales). The squat is also found throughout our day. The functionality of this movement allows us to do things like lift heavy objects and jump to reach an object. The squat also aids in creating proper posture (Cohen). Although men are normally viewed as the type of athlete that would perform a squat, there are also many benefits for women. These include (but are not limited to) aiding in conception and the birthing process, weight loss, muscle toning, and improve balance (Daniel). Squatting in the later weeks of pregnancy helps in the birthing process by opening the pelvic area. This creates a shorter delivery time. It also creases a safer environment for a woman and her baby. Squatting increases balance and leg strength. Gains in these areas decrease the risk of falls protecting both the woman and child (Martinez). Some of the main benefits of a squat come for an athlete or someone trying to become fit. The squat not only helps with the functionality of daily live but also helps with muscle growth, increases testosterone production, increases speed as well as vertical jump, and tones abs and muscles (Vale). Other than the well-known back squat there many other variations of squatting you can incorporate into a workout to activate different muscle groups for specified training. The main squat variations other than your typical back squat include the Front Squat, Over-Head Squat, Zercher Squats, Anderson Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats, and One-Legged Squats. Each of these squats use the same general motion, but all have different techniques to improve your specific areas of fitness (Smith). The first variation most typically used after the Back Squat is the Front squat. This style of squatting consists of holding a barbell across the shoulders on the front side of the body. Placing the bar here trains the quadriceps, core, and the upper back more by putting a greater emphasis on these areas. This squat is also much easier to perform correctly due to the position of the center of gravity. By including this lift into a workout regimen, athletes will gain greater strength in the core and upper back as well as increase balanced leg strength (Smith). The front squat is also a better alternative for people struggling with some back problems. This is because the Front Squat decreases spinal compression as well as spinal flexion and Torque (Behar). The author, Jeff Behar, explains in his article â€Å"7 Benefits of Front Squats† by explaining â€Å"The difficulty of the exercise [The Front Squat] results in less weight being able to be used. Less weight on the bar, equals less spinal compression.† He also tells readers that â€Å"By carrying the bar in the front, you reduce spinal flexion. This makes the Front Squats a safer leg exercise for your back† (Behar). After the Front squat in popularity is the Over Head Squat. This movement helps increase balance, mobility and muscular control by holding a barbell over the head. Also, this variation of the squat helps perfect the Snatch lift. Smith explains this by saying â€Å"The overhead squat strengthens the midpoint of the barbell snatch and is essential to mastering that particular lift.† This lift also emphasizes hip mobility more than any other variation of the squat (Smith). Another squat style that can help you in other aspects of lifting exercises is the Zercher Squat (Smith). In the article, Smith explains the motion of the squat by saying â€Å"With your elbows bent at your side, place the barbell in the crook of your bent elbows. Squat until your elbows go between your knees or the bar touches your thighs. Thats one advantage of the Zercher: It tells you when you reach depth.† This movement is accepted by many lifters that do deadlift due to the similar base of a deadlift movement (Smith). After performing many of these styles, athletes may notice that they â€Å"Bounce† at the bottom of the movement. The Anderson Squat was designed to take away this bounce and create a more honest lift from the bottom of the squat. This lift also helps with control at the bottom of the squat movement. This will help with your other squat movements (Smith). The motion is explained by the author when he says Simply place the barbell on the safety pins in a rack at a height that would be at or near the bottom position of your squat. Be sure to pause between reps with the bar on the safety pins. This will ensure you dont cave to the temptation to bounce for assistance. (Smith) All of the variations of the squat motion talked about so far have required the use of both legs activating at the same time. The last two are different in the fact that you use one leg at a time. The One-Legged squat and Bulgarian Squat both require balance and strength to be performed, but when mastered they both train balance (Smith). This is because your body is more stable when you stand on two legs. The Bulgarian Split is performed similarly to the back squat with position of the barbell. The difference comes when you place one foot behind you. The squat motion is explained by Smith in his article by saying â€Å"Place one foot a few feet behind you on a bench or raised platform. Keeping an upright torso, begin by pushing your hips back, like in a back squat. Allow your back leg to bend at the knee.† This squat uses unilateral movement to correct imbalances between the right and left side of the body. This style of squat can also be done using a Front Squat bar position (Smith). The final squat variation is the One-Legged Squat. This is described by Smith as â€Å"The ultimate test of unilateral strength like the one-armed push-up or pull-up.† This is because the athlete is squatting their bodyweight on a single leg. This variation is very useful in developing balance. Once this motion is mastered, the athlete can then perform the movement while holding light weights (Smith). Although there are many forms and variations to the squat, they all are the same basic motion at its core. This is why the squat is essential to any fitness program. With so many benefits, the squat is so essential to the holistic health and fitness of any athlete at any fitness level. Works Cited Behar, Jeff. 7 Benefits of Front Squats.MuscleMagFitness.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 July 2014. http://www.musclemagfitness.com/fitness-and-exercises/weight-lifting/7-benefits-of-front-squats.html. Cissik, John M. Back Squat Exercise: A Primer.Modern Athlete and Coach(2011): 29-31.UF OneSearch. Web. 25 July 2014. http://metis.findlay.edu:2113/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=da7d75bd-90ab-4944-a0c0-7d198225b8c0%40sessionmgr110vid=2hid=115. Cohen, Ron. A New Persective on Squats, Lunges, and Living Life.Contemplative Fitness. N.p., 6 Mar. 2010. Web. 25 July 2014. http://contemplativefitness.me/2010/03/06/a-new-persective-on-squats-lunges-and-living-life/. CZAPROWSKI, DARIUSZ, RYSZARD BIERNAT, and AGNIESZKA KÊDRA. SQUAT – RULES OF PERFORMING AND MOST COMMON MISTAKES Squat – methodology of teaching.Polish Journal of Sport Tourism19 (2012): 3-7. Web. 23 July 2014. http://metis.findlay.edu:2113/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=95bf5c29-9499-438b-88cb-6403cb194804%40sessionmgr115vid=2hid=115. Daniel, Harri. Benefits of Squats for Women.BenefitOf.com. N.p., 8 June 2011. Web. 25 July 2014. http://benefitof.net/benefits-of-squats-for-women/. Martinez, Eliza. Squats Exercise for Pregnant Women.The Nest. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 25 July 2014. http://woman.thenest.com/squats-exercise-pregnant-women-1072.html. Smith, Christopher. Meet The Squats: 7 Squat Variations You Should Be Doing.BodyBuilding.com. N.p., 10 July 2013. Web. 25 July 2014. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/meet-the-squats-7-squat-variations-you-should-be-doing.html. Vales, John. The 15 Benefits of Squats.Outlaw Fitness. N.p., 2014. Web. 25 July 2014. http://www.outlawfitnesshq.com/the-15-benefits-of-squats/.

Alcohol and College Students Essay examples -- Drinking Research Under

Alcohol and College Students Introduction:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I decided to research alcohol, because of the large numbers of lives that alcohol ruins not only in the short run but also for the rest of peoples lives. Growing up I have witnessed many people who have developed alcohol problems at a young age and allowed it to take control of the way that they live their lives. It is obvious that alcohol has become a dangerous problem for college students in and out of the classroom. Research Methods:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To understand why alcohol is a problem for college students, I decided to survey a random sample of 26 students here at State U. I designed the survey to be a quick and effective way to obtain the drinking habits of college students in order to discover where possible alcohol problems may arise. I chose to survey a random sample of students in order to get a complete response from older students as well as some of the younger students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first questions I asked in my survey where how many days of the week do you drink, and what is your favorite drink. I asked these 2 simple questions just to get a feel for how often this person goes out and what this person usually drinks. I then wanted to find out whether or not students pre-game before they go out and party, so that was my next question. This will be an important question, because when students pre-game, they usually get hammered, then they will go out to a party and drink even more. In order to find out if students are also getting into drugs, I asked if a student has ever mixed alcohol with drugs. This question will be helpful in showing why students become attached to alcohol easily. Drugs will only make the need for alcohol increase. Drinking to relieve depression and to relax are also key points that go along with alcoholism, so it was almost necessary to ask those questions as well. Once a person begins to drink because of depression, it can swallow him/her right up, because alcohol will seem like the only way out for a person who is depressed. When students want to get drunk quick, they will usually use a beer bong to drink as many as 2 beers at a time. In order to find out which students do this, I asked how many students have ever used a beer bong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finally, my last 2 questions involve drinking and driving as well as receiving an underage. As everybody knows, drinking and driving... ...nses as well as the responses to my interview, I?ve decided that there are 2 main reasons why students develop dependence towards alcohol. The first and probably most important reason is that people start drinking extremely too early in their lives. As stated previously from the interview, the average person starts drinking at age 13. If a person starts drinking at age 13 then they most likely will revert to alcohol to help solve their problems. When students get older and are in college, the stress level increases. If a student is stressed out and has been drinking since age 13 then obviously the problem will only get worse from here. My research has showed that students do drink when they are depressed or stressed out, so I believe that keeping kids away from alcohol at a young age is the first step in solving alcoholic problems in college students. Conclusion:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To conclude, I?ve decided that no matter what, students will drink. The problem cannot be solved overnight either. However, we need to be able to recognize when a friend has a problem. If dependence does occur then it needs to be taken care of immediately. Alcohol is never the answer, nor is it ever going to be.

Principles of the early years framework Essay

Essay about the purposes and principles of the early years framework. The legal regulations under section 39 of the childcare act 2006 gives the early years foundation stage (EYFS) , that came into force in Sept. 2008 and providers are required to use the EYFS to ensure a flexible approach to children’s learning and development so that children will achieve the five every child matters outcomes which are : * Staying safe* Being healthy * Enjoying and achieving * Making a positive contribution * Achieving economic well- being In 2012 the EYFS was revised and made simpler and came into force on 1st sept, it made a number of changes and one of these was to make a stronger emphasis on the 3 prime areas which are the most important to a child’s healthy development these areas are: * Communication and language development* Physical and personal development * Social and emotional development The statutory framework for the EYFS give clear legal requirements to relate to learning and development and also relating to safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare, suitable people i.e. keyworkers, suitable premises, environment and equipment and organisation and documentation. The learning and development requirements have legal force by EYFS order 2007 from section 39(1) (a) of the childcare act 2006. The welfare requirements are given legal force by section 39(1) (b) of childcare act 2006. Together they form the legal basis of the EYFS and have statutory virtue of section 44(1) of the childcare act 2006. Practice guidance for the early year’s foundation stage gives practitioners guidance on how to meet the necessary requirements to the EYFS framework. It provides advice and information on how to support children’s learning and development and welfare. Also you can get guidance for children’s development in a section called development matters and this gives help and information to help practitioners to understand and support children in development pathways which are: * Personal, social and emotional development * Communication, language and literacy * Problem-solving, reasoning and numeracy * Knowledge and understanding of the world * Physical development * Creative development * Every child is different they are all individual in their own right and all children varied needs. Meeting every child’s needs can be difficult even though they are grouped with other children their age. Many children will meet their development needs expected for their age but others will have needs which are characteristic of much younger or older children. We must recognise the child’s needs and meet children’s development needs to help them achieve. We must consider each child’s physical maturity, intellectual abilities, emotional development, social skills, past experiences and relationships. Respecting children and help them to develop in a positive, caring, nurturing and responsive childcare environment. Throughout history we have had people that stood up and fort for young children’s needs and these people have influenced the UK current early years provisions. * Fred Froebel (1782-1852) founded the first kindergarten and learned that it was important for children to get involved in real experiences which meant being physically active. He believed that everything was linked and called the principle of unity and also principle of opposition or ‘gifts’. * Maria Montessori (1870- 1952) worked with children with learning difficulties in Rome Italy. She spent hours observing children and found that children go through sensitive periods of development when they are particularly receptive to particular areas of learning. She saw children as active learners. * Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) believed in three phases of childhood. The will, 0 to 7 years he said the spirit fuses the body at this stage. The heart, 7 to 14 years a rhythmic system of the beating heart and the chest that respiratory system meant that felling was important during this time. The head, 14 years and onwards was the time for thinking. * Margaret McMillan (1860-1931) believed I first-hand experience and active learning she said that relationships, feeling and ideas were all physical aspects of moving and learning, she believed children would become whole people through play which helped them apply knowledge and understanding. * Susan Isaacs (1885-1948) valued play she believed it gave children freedom to think, feel and relate to others. She said that children can’t in just classrooms sat at tables and write they need to move around and explore to learn too. * The Reggio Emilia approach had a number of key features that attracted worldwide attention these were: Community support and parental involvement. Administrative policies and organisational features. Teachers as learners. The role of the environment. Long-term projects as vehicles for learning. The hundred languages of children. * The highScope approach encourages children to make their own choice of activities. It encourages active and independent learning by involving children in the planning, doing and reviewing. They still have some adult- directed activities such as story- time and PE but they work around the plan – do – review cycle of planning its key features are Active learning Personal initiative Consistency Genuine relationships Building a strong partnership with parents Appropriate curriculum.

How To Tell Time in Spanish

You can tell time in Spanish if you can count to 29 and learn a handful of words. Its that easy. Basic Rules for Telling Time in Spanish The basic way of telling time in Spanish is to use the singular form of ser (to be), which is es, for one oclock and the plural form, son, for other times. Minutes can be stated simply by separating them from the hour using y, the word for and. Es la una. (It is 1:00.)Es la una y dos. (It is 1:02.)Son las dos. (It is 2:00.)Son las tres. (It is 3:00.)Son las seis y cinco. (It is 6:05.)Son las siete y diez. (It is 7:10.)Son las once y diecinueve. (It is 11:19.) To indicate the half hour, use media (a word for half). Use cuarto (meaning fourth) to indicate the quarter hours. Es la una y media. (It is 1:30.)Son las cuatro y media. (It is 4:30.)Es la una y cuarto. (It is 1:15.) It is customary to use menos (a cognate of minus) to tell time during the second half of each hour, stating the number of minutes until the following hour. Es la una menos diez. (It is 12:50. It is 10 until 1.)Son las cinco menos cinco. (It is 4:55. It is 5 until 5.)Son las diez menos veinte. (It is 9:40. It is 20 until 10.)Son las ocho menos cuarto. (It is 7:45. It is quarter until 8.) Key Takeaways: Telling Time in Spanish The most common way of telling time on the hour in Spanish follows the pattern of es la una for 1:00 and son las [number] for later times.For incremental times, add y [number of minutes up to 29] after the hour and menos [number of minutes up to 29] before the hour.You can also use media and cuarto for the half-hours and quarter-hours, respectively. How To Include Time Periods of the Day In most of the Spanish-speaking world, both 12-hour and 24-hour clocks are used, the latter being common in schedules and similar printed materials. To indicate time of day when using the 12-hour clock, use de la madrugada for the wee hours of the morning, de la maà ±ana from then until noon (mediodà ­a or el mediodà ­a), de la tarde between noon and early evening, and de la noche from evening to  midnight (medianoche or la medianoche). Es la medianoche. (Its midnight.)Son las siete y cuarto de la maà ±ana. (Its 7:15 a.m. It is 7:15 in the morning.)Es el mediodà ­a. (Its noon.)Son las cuatro menos cinco de la tarde. (Its 3:55 p.m. It is 5 before 4 in the afternoon.)Son las ocho y media de la noche. (Its 8:30 p.m. It is 8:30 at night.) The abbreviations a.m. (from the Latin ante meridiem) and p.m. (from the Latin post meridiem) can also be used as in English. Son las 4 y media a.m. (It is 4:30 a.m.)Son las 2 p.m. (It is 2 p.m.) Time in the Past, Future, and Subjunctive When talking about the time that events took place, use the imperfect tense of ser. Era la una y cuatro de la madrugada. (It was 1:15 in the morning.)Era la medianoche. (It was midnight.)Eran las once de la noche. (It was 11 at night.) The simple future tense or periphrastic future can be used if the event has yet to occur: El funeral serà ¡ el mediodà ­a del mià ©rcoles. (The funeral will be at noon on Wednesday.)Pronto van a ser las tres de la maà ±ana. (Soon it will be 3 a.m.)La hora local serà ¡ las cuatro de la tarde. (The local time will be 4 p.m.) The subjunctive mood can also be used as needed: Esperamos que sea la una. (We hope its 1 oclock.)Tengo miedo que sean las seis y media. (Im afraid it is 6:30.)Jenny ansiaba que fueran las tres de la tarde. (Jenny was worried that it was 3 p.m.) Other Time Expressions Here are time-related expressions and words that can be useful: Son las tres y cuarto en punto. (Its 3:15 exactly.)Son las seis y media mà ¡s o menos. (Its about 6:30.)Salimos a las nueve. (We are leaving at 9:00.)Buenos dà ­as. (Good day, good morning.)Buenas tardes. (Good afternoon, good evening (until about 8 p.m.).)Buenas noches.(Good evening, good night (as either a greeting or a farewell).) ¿Quà © hora es? (What time is it?) ¿A quà ©Ã‚  hora ...? (At what time ... ?) ¿Cuà ¡ndo ...? (When ... ?)el tiempo (time)el reloj (clock)el despertador, la alarma (alarm clock)el reloj, el reloj de pulsera (wristwatch) Sample Sentences Los Bombers de Mallorca llegaron a la zona a las dos y media de la tarde. (The Mallorca Bombers arrive in the area at 2:30 p.m.) Era mà ¡s oscuro que la medianoche. (It was darker than midnight.) La clase comienza a las 10 de la maà ±ana y termina a mediodà ­a. (The class begins at 10 a.m. and ends at noon.) El sà ¡bado tengo que levantarme a las cinco y media de la maà ±ana. (On Saturday I have to get up at 5:30 a.m.) Eran las siete de la tarde y no habà ­a nadie. (It was 7 p.m. and there was nobody there.)