Weight Training for Sports

Archive for November, 2010

If you are looking to either bulk up or tone you muscle than you are going to need some weight training equipment. Finding the best weight training equipment can be a daunting task, but as long as you check out the basic methods you should be okay.

The first thing you want to do to find the best gear is a little research. Looking into what are the higher quality brands and what are the generic brands and the overall difference between the two. Once you have a base knowledge on the weight training equipment available you can start your search.

The best place to start to find a good weight set is through a speciality store. Stores that specializes in weight training equipment will be able to offer you a multitude of quality equipment at the going rate. So if you are looking to get a great set of equipment at the set price then check out what your local speciality store has in stock. If you are looking for quality equipment but you don’t want to break the bank for some expensive brand name then you can take a look into what other options there are locally. You can either visit a store that mass produces everything such as Wal-mart, or you can go to your local pawn shops and search through their available inventory.

Starting with the mass production store you want to see what they have in stock. Most stores like Wal-mart will carry at least one of the top brand machinery while having several off brands available for purchase, it all really depends on what kind of quality you are looking for and the functionally of your weight training equipment. The real benefit you will receive from purchasing weight training equipment from a mass production store is the wide variety of equipment, you can literally find everything you need to start a home gym at a fraction of the price you would have paid at that speciality store.

With a specialty store and a mass production as options you want to also take a look into the option of pawn shops. Pawn shops can have the top of the line equipment for sale that a person was unable to make the payments on and had to pawn it off to keep dept collectors off of him. So if you are checking into all weight training equipment in your area be sure to also check out what a pawn shop has to offer.

With all of those local options you want to also look at the final option of Internet. There are several ways to find weight training gear on the Internet you just have to do a little searching. Buying from a manufactures Website might even save you some money over buying from that specialty store, all it takes is a little searching and comparing.

Overall if you are looking fro ways to find the best weight training equipment first see what is available locally then branch out into your online possibilities.

Rugby is a game or sport with origins in the early 19th century. A good many types of football, of the type known now as soccer, were played in the English school system. In 1823, while playing a game of football at Rugby school, a rule-breaker named William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it toward the goal. This is legend, but is widely accepted. In the years following the running-with-the-ball tactic became common practice. In 1870 Rugby school produced the first set of written rules to formalize the sport of Rugby.

The differences between Rugby and American style football are considerable. The gear is noticeably different. American football players are practically encased in their uniforms, with pads, hard helmets, and face guards. Rugby gear, in contrast has limited padding and protection. Mouth guards are used, and there is a sort of soft padded helmet. Shin guards are worn under socks. Cleated shoes, shorts, and jerseys complete the outfit.

The playing field, called a pitch, is longer and wider than an American football field. The dimensions are 100 meters by 70 meters, or about 110 yards by 75 yards. There is a recognizable H-shaped goal post at each end, with an end zone called the in-goal area. The ball used in Rugby is oval in shape. Compared to the American football, the Rugby ball is more rounded and lacks laces.

The play itself differs greatly from American football. The game is fast-paced. There are fewer pauses for any reason, with no down system, as American football requires. With fifteen players per team, Rugby lacks the specialization that we see in American football, with all the players running, kicking, or passing, more like soccer. Passing, however, is either lateral or backwards, in contrast to the forward pass common in American football. In Rugby, the ball is advanced by kicking or running with the ball.

Rugby is often thought to be more dangerous than American football, as it is a full-contact sport in which much less padding and protection is worn. It certainly sounds rough, with terms like scrum, ruck, and maul. It does sound as if a person could get hurt badly. In practice, however, many claim that while bumps and bruises are plentiful, life-threatening injuries are fewer than in American football. This is due to the different rules for contact and simply fewer contacts in normal play.

The first international Rugby match was between England and Scotland, played on 27 March 1871. Rugby is now a popular sport world-wide. Rugby is played and appreciated in the United States, with the governing body called, appropriately, USA Rugby. The sport has been a feature of the Olympics since the 1900 Paris games. We benighted Americans may not know much about it, but the sport is only increasing in popularity world-wide. The unruly player William Webb Ellis really started something when he picked up the ball to run with it, so long ago in Merry Old England

Hiking shoes versus hiking boots? Hiking shoes win. Okay, next issue? No, really. Hiking or running shoes are better for most backpacking trips, at least during late spring, summer and early fall. Boots are heavy, hot, stinky, and stay wet forever. A pound on your feet is like five on your back (some say six), so three-pound boots leave you much more tired at the end of the day.

Hiking Shoes And Ankle Support

You may have heard arguments for the necessity of ankle support, but throughout history people managed without stiff ankle-supporting boots. The problem is weak ankles, not a lack of support. You can solve this by walking a little each week on uneven ground (not in the mall).

Some may need boots, but be sure your ankle problems are not just due to a lack of exercise before you settle for backpacking in hiking boots. You may also need hiking boots if you carry more than thirty pounds when you backpack. Cut the weight down, though, and you’ll be more comfortable anyhow.

Why Running Or Hiking Shoes?

Feet stay cooler in a good running shoes than in hiking boots. This means fewer blisters. After switching to running shoes and lightweight socks years ago, I stopped getting blisters. I don’t mean fewer blisters. I mean haven’t had one blister since I switched. Not even after a 110-mile 7-day trek in the Rockies, for example.

How To Choose Your Shoes

Try to keep below two pounds per pair, unless you have size 13 feet. If the weights are not shown in a catalog, you’ll have to guess which hiking shoes are lighter based on the description and photo. Quality shoes have soles stitched to the uppers, so look under the insoles (a removable insole is another sign of quality shoes). You can usually find a good pair of running shoes that weighs less than 28 ounces for under $80, or half of that on closeouts.

There’s nothing quite as liberating as ditching the heavy pack and heavy boots and hitiing the trail in running shoes. You get to go more miles, and in comfort. You get to run up a hill just to see what’s there. I have yet to meet a person who has tried backpacking in hiking shoes or running shoes – and then returned to boots.