From time to time fitness enthusiast end up with a pulled muscle. The first thing you want to do is not panic. It can happen if you are working out at a high intensity. However, if you are properly warmed up, and using good form, chances of a strained muscle are slim.

When you feel your muscle is aching all you need to do is use the R.I.C.E. principle. Rest it, ice it, compress it, and elevate it. There is no other magic.  It is recommended to ice the injured muscle for 15 minutes once an hour for the first few hours. This will help increase blood flow to the injury, and keep swelling down. It is also recommended to keep the injured muscle elevated above your heart.

It is a very good idea to avoid all physical activity until you are pain free. Participating too soon may re-injure the muscle. I also recommed to avoid as much pain medication as possible. With pain medication people have a tendency to over extend themselves without feeling the bodies natural signal – pain.

Exercise program intensity came up last night when I was watching the news. The news anchors mentioned the results of a current scientific study that didn’t surprise me very much. The conclusions of the study state in order for exercise program participants to see good health benefits they must increase the intensity of their exercise.

I preach this each and every day to my fitness training clients.  Of course, if you have a medical situation that prohibits you from boosting the intensity, then this advice is not valid. However, if you are asymptomatic, you need to push it. When I say “push it” I am referring to increasing the intensity of exercise in a progressive manner. Try and boost the intensity up after each and every workout.

I still see too many people “not pushing it” and expecting outstanding results. Just because you walk down the street at a shopping pace doesn’t mean you are gaining a ton of health benefits. However, moving is better than not.

Incorporate my big tip for the day, backed by science, and begin increasing your exercise program intensity! The physical benefits will follow.

I’ve just completed the October 12, 2006 edition of Wellness Word Multimedia Newsletter.

Inside this edition you will discover-

* Tips for improving your health producting sleep.

* Gym Workout Secret Tips (Feature Article)

* 7 Energy Boosting Tips (Audio Podcast)

You can view the newsletter by clicking the following link fitness newsletter .

Enjoy the Wellness Word Fitness Newsletter!

Here is a great FREE bodybuilding workout resource created by Exercise Physiologist Jim O’Connor. From his many years of personal training in Los Angeles, he has compiled his 5 Greatest Bodybuilding mistakes report in order to help bodybuilders reach their absolute greatest bodybuilding workout potential in the least amount of time.

O’Connor states,  “Bodybuilding results are being destroyed as a result of making these way too common weightlifting mistakes.” Read the report so you can avoid these bodybuilding mistakes! There is no charge for the report.

To get a hold of this excellent report simply visit bodybuilding workout mistakes.

Just a quick reminder to the Wellness Word Blog subscribers. If you haven’t downloaded the 5 Biggest Bodybuilding Mistakes free report do it now. I am thinking about adding it as a bonus to the product and not offering it for free. This report will help stear you in the right direction so you won’t make the silly bodybuilding workout mistakes so many others make. Simply visit Bodybuilding Done Right to download your free report (for a limited time only).

Today there was a study released stating weightlifting may raise glaucoma risk in your eyes. Before everyone panics and stops weightlifting, lets take a closer look at this study. Most people read headlines, and panic; thus, make conclusions that weightlifting is bad for your eyes. Not so quick!

Before you panic, focus on the word “MAY” raise. The bottom line is the jury is still out on weight training being harmful toyour eyes. Many experts say no way! Looking at the study of only 30 people makes me very skeptical. Yes, 28 out of 30 weightlifters, lifting four repetition chest presses, saw an increase in intraocular pressure. Now does that mean you are hurting your vision? There is a slim chance!

First off, people have been weightlifting and bodybuilding at a hi-intensity level for over 20 years and there has not been a greater incidence of glaucoma. All this 30 person study teaches us is the pressure raises TEMPORARILY in the eye. The study doesn’t say weightlifting causes glaucoma. You have to be very careful when interpreting scientific studies. In my opinion, we need to see a sample of thousands of people over an extended number of years in order to determine a correlation between glaucoma, and weightlifting.

The most important thing to do when weightlifting is to continue to breath throughout the rep. Holding the breath increases intraocular pressure even more. Don’t hold your breath.

Bottom line: Don’t jump to conclusions! You could also say weightlifting increases blood pressure which, in turn, causes heart disease. Keep weightlifting because the health benefits far outweight any risks.

Attention Bodybuilders: A new, must hear, audio is released serving as a bodybuilding blueprint to muscle in minutes. If adding muscle and losing body fat are your goals, then you should listen to this 90 minute audio immediately!

The most effective, efficient muscle building system available today is described in full, easy to understand, detail. It is not about how to do a particular exercise, but, rather, how to apply scientifically proven bodybuilding principles for massive muscle growth.

The fact is most bodybuilders are training the wrong way, thus wasting their precious time. After listening to the audio you will be able to walk into the gym, work out for 20 or less minutes, and grow larger fat burning muscle than the person who trains incorrectly for an hour. The moral of the story is train smart!

Listening to the audio will give you more bodybuilding tips than you ever thought possible. It will change your muscle building results.

It is still not too late to get in on the BodyBuilding Done Right early bird pre-launch list. However, do it right now because the special discount page will be taken down any day now and replaced with a new page directed to the general public. I have created a special report titled The 5 Most Deadly Bodybuilding Mistakes You Must Avoid for those who visit Bodybuilding Done Right. 

Save valuable time, and frustration by avoiding these muscle building mistakes! It is all yours; go get it, right now, by clicking on the Bodybuilding Done Right link above.
All My Best,

Jim O’Connor