Thursday, April 19, 2007

Top 4 Ways To Make Fitness Fun For You












Do you wake up every morning anxious as heck to start your fitness training routine?

Do you come home from a hard day’s work and look forward to focus on your nightly workout session, or some family fun fitness?

Do you?

Well, you should?

In fact, you should be fired up!

Don’t laugh……….I’m serious.

Exercising and fitness should be something that you can’t wait to do!

Other than the many documented benefits of exercise (and the many that I have talked about, and will continue to talk about)………..you should feel refreshed to do something different during the day and something that will directly benefit you and your life.

Your fitness routine should not be “routine”…if you catch my drift.

Make it different, make it challenging, and test yourself………

Now that is fun.

Ok, on to the specifics…

I’m going to give you 4 EASY ways to make your exercise regimen fun for you……..

Here goes…….

1.Do something fun as your workout……….not to make this sound too simplified, but your workout should not be the same thing everyday. Nor should it be a trip to the gym every other day seeing how much bench press you can throw up. Your routine should be varied………from bodyweight exercises, to rock climbing, to running/walking hills, to sprinting etc. Make it fun and make it exciting……you will come back for more, much more.

2.Challenge yourself – Let me tell you, doing the same routine (i.e. bench press, arm curls, tricep extensions, etc. etc.) will BORE you quickly. When you are BORED, you get complacent, which means your workouts are less intense, which means you are not focusing on your muscles, which means you might as well go back home and lay on your couch with some greasy potato chips because you are wasting your time. If you can only do 8 pullups, try to do 9 (even if you have to cheat a little to get to 9)…test yourself, make challenges for yourself, and make everything a game. Try and see if you can 1up yourself every workout (in some way, large or small). You will be amazed at what you can do.

3.Focus on your end goal – I can assure you……..if you lull around every workout and say things to yourself like “it’s gonna take me forever to get in shape”, and “I’ll never look like him/her, that’ll take too long”, well your just gonna make yourself depressed. EXERCISE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO CAUSE DEPRESSION, lol! Exercise naturally makes you feel good, and puts you in a better mood…take advantage of that. Focus every workout on how GREAT you’re going too look now and in the future. Be your own motivational speaker. And SURELY don’t worry about what others think of you. We don’t care about them.

4.Workout with a friend, boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife etc…..(by the way, working out together makes for a great date). This is a great way to keep you motivated, especially when you see someone you care for working out just as hard or harder than you. Encourage each other, help each other, and push each other. Get together with the family, and have some family fun fitness time together. Here’s another free tip: If you really want to strive for success, workout with people who know MORE than you. That way, you can ask questions and LEARN along the way. One thing that I found out is, people LOVE to talk about themselves (especially fitness), and tell you what they are doing. Use this to your advantage.

Always remember that you have to exercise CONSISTENTLY (keep up with your fitness training routine), you cannot expect to follow my instructions, yet only exercise once a week. That will never work, you have to have discipline, you have to be consistent, and great things will happen. Talk to you soon.

Christopher C.: Chris Callegari, founder of http://www.fitnesswithchris.com is unleashing his real-world exercise, fitness, nutrition, and healthy eating tips to the world, to help support lifestyle changes for any and everyone.

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How Much Weight Can I Lose In A Week?











Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could lose 5 pounds or 10 pounds of weight the week before that important function? Well, that is definitely not going to happen. Let us take a look at how much weight you can lose in a week.

The following guidelines are subject to you doing the following.

You need to increase your metabolism by eating smaller and more regular meals throughout the day. In addition, you need to perform specific fat burn exercises for between 30 to 60 minutes per day.

Your body will never burn fat only. It always burns a combination of fat and carbohydrates (glucose). During periods of elevated exercise your body just happens to prefer burning fat cells, but at the same time it still burns carbohydrates as well.

For your body to lose 1 pound of fat it needs to burn around 3500 calories.

Given this information we can now calculate how much weight you can expect to lose doing certain fat burn exercises.

When you go to the gym and do moderate cycling for one hour on a stationary bike you burn around 600 calories. If you did this for six consecutive days you would have lost around 1 pound of fat.

If you do vigorous calisthenics for one hour you burn around 700 calories. Hence, if you did vigorous calisthenics for five consecutive days you would have lost 1 pound of fat.

Going for a brisk walk for one hour in the neighborhood burns around 350 calories. You will need to go for your one-hour brisk walks for 10 consecutive days before you would've lost 1 pound of fat.

I think you're beginning to get the picture. Despite all the hype that is thrown at you by many product manufacturers, healthy weight loss is a relatively slow process that requires patience and endurance.

Provided that you control your diet and that you perform a moderate to vigorous level of exercise for one hour every day you can expect to lose around 1 pound of fat per week.

One pound of fat does not sound like a lot. Put 1 pound of margarine in a plastic bag and look at just how much it really is. Once you understand how much 1 pound of fat really is, you will know how much you've accomplished by losing it.

Your individual results might vary from this guideline. Your rate of fat burn and your weight loss depend on so many different factors including your physiology and state of health, amongst other things.



Tisha Diaz recommends this fat loss and weight control program that will help you get rid of those excess pounds and help you reach and maintain a healthy body weight.

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Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Effective Lower Body Exercises for Home or Travel











The best lower body exercises are the ones that can be done anywhere with little or no equipment. Being single with no kids may allow for wasted time in the gym doing twelve sets per lower body part, but once in the real world of spouse, kids and job, those two hour gym visits are history. The good news is this should be a welcome change because the old-school bodybuilder, weights and machine type workout routines can do more damage in the long run as compared to a smart, properly structured lower body exercise routine.

Exercise machines and weights will always have their place in fitness - but they are not the only way to achieve a strong, well toned lower body. The right selection of lower body exercises can produce a sufficient training stimulus to bring about desired changes, continuous progress and visible results. As health clubs and fitness centers are filled with an endless amount of exercise machines and weight training gear, it is in their best interest to promote weight and machine type workout programs. Naturally, members develop a dependency on these types of workouts because they don't learn any alternative exercise methods. Some fitness experts argue that workouts with machines and weights are the only path to true lower body improvements. The reality is, nothing can be further from the truth.

The problems with this mind-set range from the 'more is better' syndrome to the 'I got out of my routine' excuse. To develop a strong, fit and defined lower body your choice of exercises must be realistic for long term adherence and they must consist of exercises that can be done at home or while on the road if you are traveling. As a career personal trainer and fitness consultant I've had the opportunity to work with many people at various stages of life. The people who maintain long term fitness success are the ones who structure their lower body exercise routines so that they are 'portable' - meaning if they don't have a gym available to them - it's not going to prevent them from getting their lower body exercise session in. This ties into one of the essential elements of fitness success - consistency. Staying on a regular exercise schedule will yield the best long term results. Starting and stopping a routine that is unrealistic will yield harmful results - this is a fact.

Lower body workouts consisting of body weight leg exercises produce an incredible amount of natural strength while providing gender specific improvements in muscular development and appearance. While women seek more of a toning and firming effect, men seek more of a lean muscle building effect with muscle group definition. An old fitness myth exists that has people believing that a woman will develop muscles like a man if she follows the same type of lower body exercise program. The exercise program does not dictate this result. It's the gender/genetic differences of the male and female DNA that dictate the specific results that men and women derive from well rounded, and properly structured lower body exercises. Not the type or intensity of the workout routine itself.

Yes, we sometimes see women who look like male bodybuilders or power-lifters - but these abnormal looks can almost always be traced back to some method of pharmaceutical enhancement. For example, taking anabolic steroids or growth hormone to develop as much muscle mass as possible is one way for a woman to lose the fit, sexy and feminine look. Nothing against them - but they do not represent the definition of fitness - especially for women.

No matter if you are male or female, the benefits of properly structured lower body exercises that do not rely on the confines of a gym or fitness center can give you all the results you could ever want, in a program that can easily be followed for life. After all, isn't that what true fitness is about?

Don't get rid of your health club membership - especially if you enjoy doing some of your lower body workouts there. But it would be wise for you to develop a body-weight leg exercise routine for you to follow at home or while you are 'on the road' - so you don't develop over-training injuries or find yourself missing several weeks of exercise sessions because you were traveling or just 'didn't have time to get to the gym'.

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Fitness Consultant and Pro Trainer, Joey Atlas, is the mastermind behind the Best Lower Body Exercises and Workouts for Ladies. And see Stretching for Fitness Flexibility.

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Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Ab Exercises Simple and Well Defined











Abdominal or ab exercises are exercises specifically designed to strengthen and tone the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the body’s midsection. Because a trim core and waist is so highly desirable in modern culture, these exercises have become exceedingly popular. This fact is only heightened by the fact that many, if not most, ab exercises requires little if any expensive equipment.

It is often overlooked that different ab exercises are designed to pinpoint certain areas of the abdominal system, which contains four distinct sections: upper abdominals, lower abdominals, love handles, and lower back. Each section of the abdominal system is distinct and each has certain ab exercises that work best in strengthening and toning it specifically. Whether the goal is to build core strength for sports or bodybuilding, or just to achieve that ultra-desirable trim torso-look, the most effective method is to do a variety of ab exercises targeting all abdominal areas, not just focusing on a single section.

One of the great attractions of ab exercises is that they require little equipment and so are much easier to work out than other areas of the body, such as the legs, back, or chest. While there are many fine equipment options out there, some basic ab exercises can, if practiced regularly, provide a good workout. The most common ab exercises are the sit up, crunches, reverse crunches, and pilates. Pilates is a low intensity workout that involved light aerobic exercise and stretching, and has become a favorite ab exercise of women. Crunches and reverse crunches are some of the simplest and most efficient workouts there are: you simply lie on your back and either crunch up with your upper body (crunches) or draw your lower body toward your upper (reverse crunches). These two basic exercises will work out your entire abdominal system, with particular focus on the large upper and lower sections, offering optimal benefits for the greatest degree of convenience. Sit ups, on the other hand, offer limited benefits to the abdominals and can actually damage the back.

Because these exercises can be done at home, they require little in terms of equipment. An exercise mat is always useful for keeping comfortable and clean while doing ab exercises, many of which involve lying on the ground. Other ab exercises can be done with special weight lifting benches. Dumbbell plates in lower weights are great ways to add resistance to many ab exercises for a more intense workout. Perhaps the most flexible and fun option in ab exercise equipment is the medicine ball, which provides an incredible variety of uses and positions for your ab exercises, allowing you to target any muscle area.

An often-overlooked benefit of ab exercises is that keeping a strong, durable core can actually prevent or alleviate back pain. This, combined with the fitness benefits and body shaping ability of ab exercises, makes them some of the most important in the realm of fitness. It’s always a good idea to discus a potential workout and your goals for it with a doctor before you begin. Remember, with the huge variety of ab exercises out there, some work well and are highly beneficial, while others are poorly designed and destructive. Knowing which to use for your goals is key.

Alexander Sutton is the owner of Home Fitness Equipment located in Salt Lake City, UT. He has been an avid fitness enthusiast for over 15 years and has been involved in fitness competitions and several world-class athletic competitions.

For more information about home fitness equipment or ab exercises please visit his website at http://homefitnessequipment.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alexander_Sutton

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Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Bodyweight Exercises: How To Bench Press 500 Pounds











Everyone wants a bigger bench. It doesn’t matter if you’re training for track, bodybuilding, or fat loss, the bench press is where it’s at.

The question is how do you start crushing those higher numbers? There’s an easy answer: Begin by utilizing a concept called conjugate periodization, to improve both strength and speed, which are the two keys to a championship bench.

Dynamic Effort

The first bench day of the week will be geared towards speed production. After a full warmup, perform eight sets of three repetitions on the straight bar.

Loading on these will follow a three week wave, with 50% of your one repetition max (1RM) during week one, 55% for week two, and 60% for week three. Week four would start over again with 50%.

Developing a higher bar speed will help eliminate sticking points and assist in blowing a heavier weight off the chest.

In order to protect the elbows and prevent deceleration, accommodating resistance should be used during these speed sets. Attached chains or bands de-load at the chest and become heavier up towards lockout, which follows the human strength curve. Cycle these tools in the same waves as the bar weight. Use chains for one three week cycle, bands for the next, and plate weight only for the third. That’s an easy nine weeks of variation.

Following the speed sets, accessory work would be performed. These exercises would build the shoulders, arms and back. Special emphasis would be placed on weaker areas. For instance, if you were lacking in lockout strength, more work for the triceps would be required.

Maximum Effort

The maximum effort bench workout would take place three days after the dynamic session.

On this day the emphasis is geared toward building strength. But rather than using the straight bar on a flat bench, every other variation should be used, one per day, working up to a 1RM.

So, we have board presses, floor presses, rack lockouts, fat bar, cambered bar, decline bench, incline bench, high band tension, weight releasers, any lift that builds the muscles needed for regular benching.

Exercises for this day are used for a limit of three weeks in a row. Advanced lifters would switch every week.

The constant variety prevents nervous system burnout, while allowing constant maximum effort. Technique won’t be lost, because no matter what lift is performed on ME day, the speed sets are still done with a straight bar on a flat bench.

After the max effort lift is taken to a 1RM, accessory exercises are performed in the same manner as on dynamic day, to build more muscle and overcome weak points.

Sample Program

Week 2 Dynamic Effort Day

A1. Speed Bench 8x3 (55% 1RM)

B1. Chest Supported Row 7x6

B2. Dumbbell Triceps Extension 7x6

C1. Rear Delt Fly 3x10

C2. Hammer Curl 3x10

Week 2 Maximum Effort Day

A1. Fat Bar Two Board Press, up to 1RM

B1. Weighted Chinup 4x10

B2. Supinated Grip Kettlebell Triceps Extension 4x10

C1. Body Row 3x8

C2. Face Pulls 3x12

Additional Notes

Make sure to squat and deadlift as well. Having a strong pair of legs lets you build a stable foundation to push from.

Always work on keeping your shoulders healthy with external rotation exercises. The warmup is a perfect time to address this, as would be a short extra workout.

Conclusion

The conjugate method has consistently built champion bench pressers, and it can do the same for you. Bench going nowhere? Give these methods a try, today!

Lucas Wold is an elite strength and conditioning specialist located in central Washington state. Working with athletes of all levels, from adolescent beginners to Olympians to professionals, he focuses on spreading the most effective training methods to as many people as possible. He can be reached through his website at http://www.BeastAthletics.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lucas_Wold

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Wednesday, March 21, 2007

How to keep Your bosom perfect














Everyone wants to have a good brench. I'll show you a few simple exercises.

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Bodyweight Exercises: Top 10 Exercises Without Weights











If you hate to go to the gym, you are not alone. The good news is - you can get results in the comfort of your own home with some simple home bodyweight exercises.

Bodyweight training CAN be effective. It CAN be a substitute for weights, if necessary. Training using your own body weight as a source of resistance is a time tested technique to get results fast.

Here are the ten best bodyweight training exercises that give you great workouts and great results - without the gym.

1. Supine Pull-Ups (works major muscles in back, shoulders, and biceps) Use two chairs and a pole - a heavy broom handle works well. WARNING: make sure the chairs are stable and that the broom handle is strong enough to take your weight. You could be SEVERELY injured if the pole were to break or the chairs to slip. Lie on your back underneath a low bar. Grab the bar with a wide overhand grip. Pull up. Lower and repeat for 6-8 reps.

2. Supine Biceps Pull-Ups (biceps, some back) Use the same chairs-and-pole arrangement from #1. Sit underneath a low bar. Grab the bar with a reverse grip (palms facing you), hands about shoulder-width apart. Keeping your body upright, pull up until your chin just clears the bar. Focus on the tension in your biceps, trying to relax the rest of your body. 6-8 reps.

3. Push-Ups (chest, triceps, shoulders) The key when targeting the chest with Push-Ups is the direction in which your elbows travel. As with bench presses, the elbows must move AWAY FROM THE BODY to target your chest, and be kept CLOSE TO THE BODY to target the triceps. Place each hand just outside your shoulders, slightly behind the line of your shoulders. Hands pointing straight ahead, upper body rigid as a board. 6-15 reps.

4. Tent Push-Ups (primarily upper chest) Assume the position in #3, but walk your feet forward so your body is bent at the waist, and your hips are up high in the air. Bending at the elbows, lower yourself until your nose touches the floor. Push up. Repeat. 6-8 reps.

5. Push-Ups, Triceps Position (you guessed it - triceps, and some chest) Begin with fingers facing forward in position from #3, hands slightly LESS than shoulder width apart. Lower your body to the floor keeping arms in against your body. Push up. 6-8 reps.

6. Triceps Dips With Chairs With your hands behind your back, support yourself on your palms at the edge of a chair. Your hands should be touching; your elbows should angle outward. Dipping in this position relieves a lot of stress on the elbow and shoulder joints. Lower yourself, keeping your back close to the chair. Bend your elbows back and slightly to the sides. Keep your body angled slightly forward throughout the motion. Press yourself up until your arms are straight. 6-15 reps.

7. One-Legged Squats (front thighs, glutes, hamstrings) Stand perpendicular to a wall, about arm's length away from it. Extend your arm out to the side and place your palm against the wall at just under shoulder-height. Angle the foot farthest from the wall at 45 degrees. Bend the other leg back. Keeping your body upright, lower yourself until the non-weight-bearing knee is close to (but not touching) the ground. Support yourself by leaning against the wall. Press yourself back up to starting position. Repeat 6-8 reps.

8. One-Legged Hamstring Bridges Lie on your back with one leg extended, heel on the ground. Hold the other leg up off the floor. Pushing through your heel, flex your hamstrings to lift your body. Lower and repeat for 8-10 reps. Repeat with other leg. You can control the resistance and the degree to which the glutes contribute by changing the distance you place your heel relative to your butt.

9. Lunges Begin the lunge by taking a large step forward, keeping your head up and torso erect. Lower your hips and allow your trailing knee to drop to a point just before it touches the floor - never let the knee touch the floor. To return to the start, push off with your forward leg and then step back when the knee is completely straight. Repeat with other leg, 10-15 reps each leg.

10. Stair Running Stair running isn't usually considered a resistance exercise, and in fact, it makes hefty demands on your cardiovascular system. However, it also does an incredible job of conditioning the lower body. If your knees are in good shape, try doing 10-20 one-story sprints, preferably two stairs at a time. As you get stronger, work up the number slowly, keep one hand on the stair rail to catch yourself if you lose your balance. Give yourself a bigger challenge by wearing a backpack filled with nice and heavy books.

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To read reviews on home exercise equipment and learn how to choose the best exercise gadgets for your needs, visit Nitin Chhoda's new site guide to exercise equipment.

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Quick Lose Weight: Exercising In Heat, Lose Weight!











Flaxseed, called linseed in some countries, is a good source of dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and lignans.

Flax seed oils is the form in which the oil was extracted from the seed. Omega-3 fatty acids which contain the majority of flax seed health benefits are very susceptible to heat.

Flax seeds may come in different colors, but the colors don’t anything to do with the value of their nutrition. They are all equally beneficial to you. A comprehensive approach to treating cognitive disorders should include foods and supplements that benefit the overall health of brain cells. These include omega-3 fatty acids found in flaxseed and fish.

In one study men with prostate cancer who ate an ounce of ground flaxseeds (almost three tablespoons) a day as part of a very-low-fat diet were able to slow the progress of their cancers between the time they were diagnosed and the time of surgery.

Exercising In Heat

Summer is officially here. Finally you can pack away your jackets and get outside. Summer offers extras hours of daylight and with it the opportunity to spend even more time enjoying outdoor activities. For many, this means more time doing physical activities and playing sports. So, it’s important to remember the potential dangers that also come with exercising in hot conditions. As long as you know the dos and don’ts of working out in the heat, then you can fully take advantage of all the fun of summer.

What you should do:

  • Drink plenty of fluids. It’s extremely important to stay hydrated. If you’re thirsty then you are already dehydrated; drink before you feel a need to. Be sure to drink throughout the day (stick to non-caffeinated beverages, preferably water). Also, drink 15-20 minutes before beginning your workout and every 15 minutes throughout the exercise.
  • Eat regularly. The heat can decrease your appetite, but it’s important to eat normally. Try to eat small meals 5-6 times per day. Include lots of fruits and vegetables. Aside from being nutritious, fruits also tend to help with hydration.
  • Wear light, loose fitting clothes that can breath. Cotton is always a good choice. If your outdoor activity produces a lot of perspiration, consider clothing that is designed to wick the sweat away.
  • Wear sunscreen. Even if you exercise early in the morning or late in the evening, if the sun can reach you then you can get burned. Not only is a sunburn bad on the skin and potentially dangerous but it also hinders your bodies ability to stay cool.

Flaxseed has recently gained attention in the area of cardiovascular disease primarily because it is the richest known source of both alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and the phytoestrogen, lignans, as well as being a good source of soluble fiber.

Researchers found low incidences of breast cancer and colon cancer in populations that have high amounts of Lignan in their diet. The effects of flaxseed on blood glucose levels are not clear, although hyperglycemic effects have been reported in one case series. However, this should not deter you from getting healthier with flax seed oil!

But you should be drinking a lot of water after consuming the seeds.

* Use common sense and don’t attempt strenuous activities that your body is not accustom to. Stick to exercises that you are very familiar and comfortable with.

One of the EFAs in flaxseed oil--alpha-linolenic acid--is known as an omega-3 fatty acid.

  • Check the weather forecast. It’s best not to participate in intense outdoor exercise sessions when the heat index registers in the dangerous zone.
What you should not do:
  • Don’t try to diet by sweating. Excessive perspiration is not the key to permanent weight loss. Any decrease in the scale would simply be a result of water loss, not fat reduction.
  • Don’t adapt the "no pain, no gain" motto. Ignoring your body’s signals could be dangerous. Heat-related illnesses come with warning signs. Be sure to learn how to recognize them and what actions to take.
  • Don’t forget to drink plenty of liquid when swimming. Just because your body is surrounded by water does not mean that you are well-hydrated. As with any land exercises, you need to regularly replenish lost fluids when in the pool.
  • Avoid physical activity during the hottest part of the day, which usually is between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
  • If you want (or need) to be working in very hot temperatures, don’t do it until you become acclimated. Try to spend only a few minutes per day in the hot conditions for the first couple of weeks and then add time gradually each day.
  • Avoid extreme changes in temperature. Don’t hop from being extremely hot and sweating excessively right into an ice cold, air-conditioned environment. Try to cool your body down slightly before exposing it to the extreme temperature variation.

Whether you have to work outside or do it for enjoyment, following the above tips will help you stay cool and safe during the dog days of summer. So, don’t spend the season cooped up, get out there and have some fun!

Why is Flaxseed called the miracle food? Find out at http://www.flaxseedfitness.com Flaxseeds also contain omega-6 fatty acids in the form of linoleic acid; omega-6s are the same healthy fats found in vegetable oils.

Men who eat fish frequently have a lower risk of prostate cancer. Stomach and intestinal cancers also appear to be less common in fish eaters.

These beneficial fats play important roles in brain, nerve, glandular, and eye functions. In addition, they are involved in the transport and metabolism of cholesterol and triglycerides.

Randomized clinical trials have shown that omega-3 fatty acid supplements can reduce cardiovascular events (death, non-fatal heart attacks, non-fatal strokes). They can also slow the progression of atherosclerosis in coronary patients. Flax Seed muffins pregents Cancer? How to do take Flax Seed? Find Flax Seed Recipe today! Omega-3 for health! I don’t recommend you buy ground up flax seeds as found on websites or in health food stores. Once you grind your flax seeds, you need to use them in your drinks or food soon after grinding so they don’t lose their nutritive value.

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Among the women given flaxseed, blood levels of total cholesterol dropped 6%! Find out more!

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Bodyweight Exercises: Quick Bodyweight Training Tips











No bodyweight workout program is complete without a weight training regimen. If you are including weights in your exercise program you already know how much weight training helps. If you are not using weights you need to start. Read this article and get some tips to help you improve your weight lifting results.

The first tip is to keep records of your weight lifting. This is something that I rarely see in the gym. Keep a notebook with you and record how much weight you lift and how many repetitions you do. This will let you know what you need to do next time to improve your strength. If you do not keep a record of the weight you lift you will find it hard to remember and improve on that weight the next time you lift. This will also give you a record of how you have improved over time.

The next tip is to not overdo it. Do not work out a muscle group more than one time per week. You have to give your muscles enough time to heal after a workout. If you lift weights too often you will actually be tearing down your muscles instead of building them up. Divide your muscles into two or three groups and just work out each group once a week. Make up a workout schedule with these groups and stick to it.

The last tip I have for you is to make sure that you eat properly. You need to eat healthy foods high in protein if you want to build muscle. Try drinking a protein shake within an hour after working out. Its an easy way to give your muscles the protein they need. Also consider taking a good multi vitamin.

Follow these tips and you will be well on your way to a healthier body. Just remember to have patience because results do not happen overnight. Stick with it and you will get there. Good luck.


Find certified personal trainers at the authors website on personal training and fitness.

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Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Bodyweight Workout: Super Fast Fat Burning Workouts for Outdoors











I've got just a quick tip today to help get you started on your summer beach body with fast workouts that can be done anywhere. Now that it's nice outside, why not take some of your workouts outdoors, instead of the stuffy old gym? One of the points I'd like to make with this article is that your workouts don't have to be long drawn-out 2-hour events in order to get great metabolism boosting, muscle sculpting workouts.

Here's an idea for an outdoor workout that literally takes me 10-20 minutes, but has me drenched in sweat and pumped up by the end...

There's a little playground and a softball field at the end of my road. So on a nice day, if I decide I just want to get a real quick outdoor workout in, I run over to the field, spend a couple minutes limbering up, and then... depending on how I feel, do about 10-20 minutes of the following exercises with almost no rest in between:

  • 50, 75, or 100-yard wind sprints
  • hill sprints (if you have a hill nearby)
  • pushup variations
  • walking lunge variations
  • bodyweight squat variations
  • box jump, squat jump, or lunge jump variations
  • pullups on the playground monkey bars
  • mountain climbers on ground


Sometimes I'll rotate through all of these exercises and sometimes I'll just pick a couple of them and just keep alternating. Whatever I choose, I keep the rest periods very short (10-30 seconds at most) so that the intensity stays as high as possible. This really maximizes the fat burning hormonal response and metabolism boosting response you get from these workouts, given the brief duration of the workout.

Believe me, if you do this at a high speed clip, you'll get a killer workout in as little as 10-20 minutes, and then you can get back home and get on with your life.

Even if you're not in super shape right now, you can just take it at a little lower intensity to ease yourself into it. It's worth it! Working out in the outdoors and breathing in the fresh air definitely has a stimulating effect, and some studies I've seen have indicated that you possibly burn more calories exercising outdoors compared to indoors. So give it a try... You have nothing to lose, except a little of that extra belly fat!

About the author:

For more killer ideas on quick but effective workouts visit Fast Fat Loss Workouts for Busy Men.

Michael Geary (CPT) is a recognized Fitness Expert, contributing writer for Muscle & Fitness Magazine, and author of the internationally-selling book, The Truth about 6-Pack Absfat burning and muscle sculpting programs


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Bodyweight Workout: Lose Stomach Fat & Love Handles The Right Way











Losing stomach fat and love handles is a struggle for you right? I can bet that you are thinking that you have tried almost every strategy in the book to try to get rid of your stubborn stomach fat, but you just never seem to get results, right?

I am sure you see hundreds of commercials and advertisements that make all kinds of wild miracle claims that you can get rid of your stomach fat in no time with their supposed magic pill or hyped up stomach melting supplement. How about all of the bogus infomercial abs-gadgets out there claiming you can eliminate your stomach fat in only 2-minutes a day just by throwing on some worthless "abdominal belt" around your belly, or sizzle away the abdominal fat and love handles by using their patented "ab-rocker-roller" thingymajig.

Please someone inject some sanity! I hope you have been insulted by these fraudulent scamsters and the gimmicks that they are pushing on you every day by trying to lure you into believing that a stomach fat reduction miracle is possible in 2 minutes/day.

So let us set the record straight and get past all of the gimmicks and scams and get right down to the reality and hard science regarding the strategies & techniques that really do help you to get rid of your stubborn stomach fat and keep it off for life!

1) The 1st important aspect that we will talk about is how you structure your workout programs. In order to stimulate stomach fat loss, you need to eliminate so much wasted time doing all the various abs exercises and hundreds of reps of sit ups, crunches, side bends, and torso twists in the hopes of "spot-reducing" your love handles and stomach fat.

I am sure by now that you know (if you have read any decent reputable fitness publications over the last decade) that spot-reduction is a myth and it simply DOES NOT occur. The truth is, you can't lose your stomach fat or love handles by doing exercises that target the abdominals or obliques. Unfortunately, although most people do understand this aspect by now (or at least they should), most still devote WAY too much of their workout time trying to isolate the stomach and love handles with hundreds of abs and obliques exercises.

Now don't get me wrong, a certain amount of abdominals and core exercises in general are great and they do help to strengthen and help you maintain a healthy back and core. But the truth is that exercises directly targeting the stomach and obliques should only be a small portion of your workout routines. To get the best fat loss results, the majority of your training time should be focused on big multi-joint exercises that work the largest muscle groups of the body like the legs, chest, and back.

That is one of the TRUE secrets for getting rid of that floppy stomach fat for life. Focusing the majority of your time on big multi-joint exercises for the largest portions of the body causes a large increase in your metabolic rate both during the workout, and for 1-2 days after the workout. This style of exercise also stimulates an increase in production of fat-burning hormones in your body. You just do not receive this type of metabolism boost and hormonal response by wasting all of your time with hundreds of "abdominals-pumping" and obliques exercises.

So you want to lose your stomach fat right? Well, get your butt under a barbell and do some squats, some deadlifts, some step-ups, some lunges, some chest and back exercises. It doesn't necessarily matter if it is barbells, dumbbells, or even bodyweight exercises... the focus should be on full body multi-joint exercises at a high intensity. Yes, that also means no 10-minute rest periods between sets while you "exercise your jaw" with half of the people at the gym.

If you want to lose your stomach fat for good, this requires some intensity and focus during your workouts! Anybody who tells you that you can eliminate your stomach fat with your butt parked on the couch watching TV with some "abdominal-belt" strapped to you, or doing only two minutes of crunching with your "ab-roller-rocker" is simply lying to you!

2) The second important aspect to eliminate your flabby stomach fat is your nutrition program. The first thing you should realize is that "dieting" only works against your body's instincts in your effort to lose the belly fat. The problem is, if you follow any of these gimmick diets like low-carb, or low-fat, the soup diet, or anything else that restricts 1 or more of the macro-nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat), what usually happens is that you actually lose lean muscle and essentially lower your metabolic rate. This only makes you fatter in the long term, because when you start to eat normal again, you now have a lower caloric maintenance level due to the lowered metabolism.

I could go into even more details, but you are basically messing up the processes in your body related to your hormonal balance, the muscle glycogen process, blood sugar, insulin, etc. This stops your body fat loss dead in its tracks!

It's important to stop being suckered into the diet gimmicks, and understand that we are meant to eat a balanced diet full of a diverse variety of foods from healthy natural sources of proteins, carbohydrates, AND fats. This gives your body all of the macro-nutrients as well as all of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes that the body needs to hum along as a well-oiled fat-burning machine!

I have dozens more strategies to help you lose your stubborn stomach fat faster... the natural way, but this article can only be so long, so look below to grab a free report encompassing some of my most effective fat-loss tips and strategies to help you lose that stomach fat and uncover those hidden six pack abs of yours.

By: Michael Geary

Grab your FREE report which reveals over 27 additional specific secrets for stomach fat loss and increasing your metabolism at Lose Stomach Fat & Love Handles Faster Michael Geary (CPT) is a recognized International Fitness Expert, contributing writer for Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine, and author of the internationally-popular book, The Truth about 6-Pack Abdominals. Michael is also the owner of 4-Minute Workouts for Busy Men

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Tuesday, March 13, 2007

5 Best Tips For Building Muscle At Home Easy and Quickly











By: Darren MacLeod

I have always believed that you have a much better chance of reaching your fitness goals if you join a gym and get advice from a professional trainer or coach. However, many MuscleandStrength.com readers do not have the time, money or desire to join a gym and prefer to workout at home. I believe that working out home has a its disadvantages, but the one huge advantage it does have is…you don’t have to leave the house!

If you are one of these people that plans to workout at home then this article is for you! Like I just mentioned, you will have a far better chance of achieving your goals when you join a gym but it is possible to get into shape and build muscle without leaving your home with limited equipment.

So here at my top 5 tips for building muscle at home:

1) Don’t waste your money on “miracle” gym equipment
Getting in shape takes time, motivation and hard work. If you are not willing to put in those three things then you may as well not start. Avoid gym equipment that says “get in shape in 5 minutes a day”, or “flatter abs in 14 days”. These types of equipment are a total waste of money! You can literally do hundreds of exercises just using a set of dumbbells and a barbell, and these happen to be some of the cheapest pieces of gym equipment. If you are unsure of what equipment best suits your needs you should consult a fitness professional (see tip 5).

2) Wherever possible, use your bodyweight
If you have limited equipment, bodyweight exercises are your friend. You can potentially pack on a huge amount of muscle without ever lifting a dumbbell or barbell. Good bodyweight exercises to do at home include chin ups, wide grip pull ups, dips, bench dips, push ups and bodyweight rows.

3) Plan your diet around your workouts
If you have the flexibility of working out at home then you also have the ability to plan your meals around your workouts. Diet makes up 70% of the building muscle process so you can see how important it is. Make sure you eat a good serve of complex carbohydrates about one hour before your workout and a nutritious meal containing protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals within 1 hour of finishing your workout. You should spread your meals out evenly throughout the day. Eat six small meals throughout the day instead of three large ones. This promotes a fast metabolism and limits fat storage.

4) Avoid distractions
One of the problems with working out at home is getting easily distracted. If possible, set up your gym equipment in an empty room with a stereo so you can focus on working out and not what’s happening around the house. A friend of mine who has a home gym told me he often used to put his favorite bodybuilding DVDs on while he was training to keep him motivated. This is an awesome tip to stay motivated at home. Another tip would be to try and workout when no one else is home.

5) Consult a fitness professional
I recommend this for people who are new to weight training and home workouts. Even if you have trained in a gym before, working out at home is much different and a fitness professional with working out at home experience should be able to help you out. In addition to helping you with your home gym setup, he/she will be able to plan a good routine and give you some tips to maximize the equipment you’ve got. You should be able to get all the help you need in one or two sessions so it shouldn’t break the bank!

These are just a few important tips for those of you working out at home. If you are serious about workout out at home for the long term, I would recommend that you pick up a few more basic pieces of equipment. These include an adjustable bench, weight rack (this can be used for bench and squatting) and a good range of dumbbells and weight plates.

If you have any more questions about working out at home head over to the forum on MuscleandStrength.com, our members will happily help you out with some free advice. Well, good luck with your home workouts and thank you for reading this article. See links below for further information.


Learn how to build muscle, gain weight and shape up by reading this free muscle building information. Muscle&Strength.com has over 700 page of free info including muscle building supplement advice.

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Monday, March 12, 2007

The Best Bodyweight Exercises for Sexy Thighs and a Toned Butt











When searching for the best Bodyweight exercises for the thighs, you see TONS of ads promoting all of these fancy so-called inner-thigh blasters, thigh squeezers, thigh-toning machines, etc. Take my word when I say that you do NOT need any of these ridiculous "thigh-blasting" gadgets to tighten and tone-up your legs, butt, and hips for good.

As always, the best exercises for the thighs come in the form of free-weight or bodyweight exercises. You really need not look any further than various forms of exercises like lunges, squats, deadlifts, and step-ups to get those toned thighs that you want. In addition, there are plenty of variations of these basic exercises to choose from, so in reality, it is simply a waste of time messing with all of these inner-thigh gadgets and fancy thigh machines.

Here's an example of one of the most effective thigh exercises that you can do. I'm sure you have done some variation of lunges before. There's probably about 20 different versions that you can try and they all kick butt!

One of the best variations of lunges are walking lunges (and a couple ways to do these slightly different to change the emphasis). Instead of standing lunges where you either lunge forward or lunge backward for 1 step and come back, with walking lunges you keep traveling forward on each step for anywhere from 10-30 steps, and then you turn around and come back that same distance.

A couple ways to improve on these and get better results over time is to increase your distance each time or start carrying dumbbells to increase the resistance. Walking lunges done right are a real thigh-burner!

Here's a couple tips to keep in mind when performing walking lunges:

1) Step far enough forward so that your front shin stays approximately vertical and your front thigh is approximately parallel to the floor at the bottom of the lunge.

2) Your leg behind you while lunging should have a bend in the knee at the bottom but your knee should come just short of touching the floor. Try not to touch the back knee to the ground during walking lunges.

3) Pause for a second at the top of each step before you lunge forward again for your next step.

Ok, now that you've mastered the basic walking lunge, let me give you a couple ideas for lunge variations that change the emphasis a little bit for working the outer thighs, inner thighs, and buttocks in a slightly different manner.

One variety is to step at an angle outward on each forward step. A second variation is to step at a slight angle inward on each forward step. The inward stepping version of the walking lunge is also called a cross-over lunge, and it really stretches out the buttocks and hips.

Go ahead and give these lunge variations a try and I guarantee that you will be firming up those thighs in no time. Whatever you do, just please say no to the fancy thigh machines and inner thigh squeezers, and use these more effective bodyweight exercises and free weight exercises, and you'll be much better off for it.


See below for more innovative exercises for the thighs and workouts that will have you showing off your new sexy toned legs.

Get your FREE instructions and photos of more of the best exercises for the thighs at Best Butt, Hip & Thigh Exercises

If you're interested in learning the top methods for getting a flat sexy belly, go to Lose Your Belly Fat

Michael Geary (CPT) is a recognized International Fitness Expert, contributing writer for Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine, and author of the internationally-selling book, The Truth about Six-Pack Abdominals. Another recommended resource for fat-loss is Lose Fat and Build Muscle

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Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Fast Bodyweight Exercises Secrets











Now today I want to talk about bodyweight Exercises. About what it can and can't do for you. And show you a few Bodyweight exercises as well.

On the weekend, I worked out with an ol' buddy of mine. Now Joe, my buddy, is a lawyer in the big city. He's chained to a desk, a big change from his University days of varsity sports, or his high school days working on the farm.

Now for a guy like Joe, who wasn't meant to be stuck behind a desk for 10 hours per day, bodyweight training was a real godsend.

The athletic movements were just what he needed. The challenges of mastering his bodyweight in both upper and lower body exercises was exhilarating, and liberating compared to the days he spends behind the desk.

Not surprisingly, Joe also liked my favorite exercise (the Y-squat or Overhead squat) because it opened up his chest, stretching his tight pecs, and strengthened the muscles of his upper back.

Why just tonite I did 10 reps of the Y-squat because my upper back was starting to tighten, and 4 hours later, my upper back still feels as relaxed as it does after a good night's sleep. (Just do your bodyweight squats with your arms up in a Y-position, keeping your shoulder blades back - feel the tension back there during the exercise and it will help release the stress!)

And with each new exercise, Joe would challenge his body to increase his range of motion, to "unstick himself" if you will, from the deskbound posture that he ends up with after another 50-60 hour work week (he doesn't work that much, for a lawyer).

And as I said to Joe, it is really important to get working on stuff like the Y-squats and stick-ups when he's young, so that his shoulders aren't all tied up like some of the older executives I see in the gym...that can't even lift their arms overhead...so that's why we use the Stick-up exercise with these guys.

But don't worry, it's never too late to make improvements - just be consistent with your bodyweight training. If you are in really bad shape and all twisted up, you'll have to master basic postural exercises like the Bird Dog and the Plank. Those can help take away your back pain.

If you are a desk jockey, you need to use as many different exercises and movements as possible. And the bodyweight manual, with almost 100 exercises, will challenge your strength and mobility, endurance and agility.

It will make you feel alive.

You want a quick burst of energy? Forget about Starbucks, and their drinks so loaded with caffeine that they make Red Bull look like kid's stuff. In the same amount of time (or less) that it takes you to walk to Starbucks, and order one of their ridiculously-named beverages, you could do a circuit of bodyweight exercise that will:

  • invigorate you

  • loosen you up

  • increase the blood flow to your brain

  • burn more calories and fat than any caffeine-loaded beverage ever will

  • improve your health

  • give you sustained energy boost, not a massive artificial increase in alertness followed by a crash
  • in your motivation that you get from caffeine

  • You want stress relief in less than 30 seconds? One set of 10 Y-squats or Stick-ups will give you that.

  • Now I do get asked a lot, "Can you build muscle with bodyweight exercises"?

  • And the truth is yes, but...

For some guys, they can literally build a cover model body with bodyweight exercises (I was just at a magazine photoshoot with a fitness model that does only bodyweight training and boxing and he was leaner, buffer, and better than some weight-trained fitness models)...

It all depends on where you are in your physical development...but certain exercises like Chins, Dips, Single-leg Squats, Shoulder-press Pushups, Glute-Ham Raises, and Pullups, will help you gain muscle. And you can do these at home, while on the road for business, or when you have to workout an inadequate fitness facility.

But for many other people - and I should say the majority of people, they will need some weight exercises to build muscle. (If you have the option, just start using dumbbells for as many of the bodyweight exercises as you can - you'll find you won't need much weight to gain muscle when using the 1-leg deadlifts, Bulgarian split squats, and the like).

Another popular question, "Can I use bodyweight training in place of regular interval training".

And the answer of course, is yes. If you are looking for a new form of interval training, then I recommend a 6-exercise bodyweight circuit alternating between lower and upper body exercises. Those are some kick-butt, fat-burning, get-leanin' workouts. And all can be done at home, in less time than it would take you to drive to the gym and back, let alone do your workout.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men's Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines and all over the Internet, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com

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Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Unique Bodyweight Exercises for Time-Crunched Individuals











Warning: this style of workout is WAY different than anything you've ever tried before and may result in a dramatically leaner, stronger body so that your friends no longer recognize you in a matter of weeks!

Alright, I exaggerated about your friends recognizing you, but this workout is still great for busy people that always use the excuse that they don't have time to go to the gym, or even for the normal gym rat to try out for a few weeks to break out of a plateau.

Please keep an open-mind and don't worry so much about what other people think, because this is quite different and you may get some funny looks, but you'll get the last laugh with your new rock hard body! To be honest, most people are too self conscious to try something like this. If that's the case for you, then that's your loss.

Here's how it works:

Instead of doing your traditional workouts of going to the gym 3-4 times a week and doing your normal weight training and cardio routines for an hour at a shot, with this program, you will be working out for just a couple minutes at a time, several times throughout each day, 5 days/week.

The program will consist of only bodyweight exercises done for about 2-3 minutes, 6-8 times per day, throughout each day. Now obviously if you work a normal office job, you are going to have to not be shy about doing a few exercises in your office and having your cube-mates watch you. Actually, I've found that some people that have tried this have actually gotten their co-workers to join them! If you have a private office, then you don't have to worry about anybody watching you. If you work from home, or are a stay at home mom, there's no reason you can't fit these in throughout the day while at home. If you end up having a busy day with meetings and so forth, and can only fit a couple of these 2-minute workouts in, then so be it, but try to get as many done each day as you can.

If you're on a normal 9-5 office schedule, I recommend doing your 2-minute workouts every hour, on the hour, with the exception of lunch. For example, you could try 9 am, 10 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm, and 4 pm.

Some of the exercises that are the best to focus on are:

-bodyweight squats (and variations)

-pushups (and variations)

-forward, reverse, or walking lunges

-up & down a staircase if one is available

-floor planks (holding plank position from forearms and feet)

-floor abs exercises such as lying leg thrusts, ab bicycles, etc.

-one-legged bodyweight Romanian deadlifts

This list is not fully comprehensive, but I wanted to keep it relatively simple. If you know other good bodyweight exercises, you can add those to your routine also. If you want to keep it real simple and don't want to get down on the floor for anything, you can stick to squats, lunges, and pushups and still get great results.

The good thing about these workouts is that you do enough in 2-3 minutes to get your blood pumping, heart rate up a bit, a large portion of your body's muscles worked, and your body temperature raised. However, it's usually not enough to break a sweat in only 2 or 3 minutes, so you don't have to worry about sweating or getting smelly in the office or where ever you may be. At most, you might just get a little moist on the skin.

Here's an example routine (adjust the reps up or down based on your capabilities):

Mon/Wed/Fri
9 am - 10 pushups/15 bodyweight squats, repeat 1X for 2 sets
10 am - plank holds (hold the planks as long as you can taking short rest breaks for a total of 3 minutes)
11 am - 5 pushups/10 bodyweight squats, repeat for 4 sets
1 pm - plank holds (hold as long as possible in 3 minutes)
2 pm - 8 pushups/12 bodyweight squats, repeat for 3 sets
3 pm - plank holds (hold as long as possible in 3 minutes)
4 pm - max pushups/max bodyweight squats in one set (no repeat)

Tues/Thurs
9 am - 6 fwd lunges each leg/6 rev lunges, repeat 1X for 2 sets
10 am - one legged bw Romanian deadlifts (RDL) 6 each leg/floor abs for 20 sec, repeat 1X for 2 sets
11 am - 3 fwd lunges each leg/3 rev lunges, repeat for 4 sets
1 pm - one legged bw RDL 3 each leg/floor abs for 20 sec, repeat for 4 sets
2 pm - 5 fwd lunges each leg/5 rev lunges, repeat for 3 sets
3 pm - one legged bw RDL 10 each leg/floor abs for 30 sec (no repeat)
4 pm - max fwd lunges each leg/max rev lunges in one set (no repeat)

In order to progress on these workouts, you could either add 1 or 2 reps to each set per week, or you could progress to more difficult versions of each exercise each week (for example, close grip pushups, one leg raised pushups, squats with arms raised straight over head, etc.).

The above routines are just a couple examples of how you can use this very unique style of training. Use your creativity and come up with your own. Think about what you've accomplished with these "mini" workouts completed throughout each day... You've increased your heart rate and pumped up your muscles 6-8 different times throughout each day, burning a lot of extra calories and stimulating your metabolism. Even though each "mini" workout was a very short duration, you've accumulated lots of repetitions for almost every muscle throughout your entire body, and you didn't even have to break a sweat during any of the "mini" workouts. And there's hardly any excuse for not being able to take a 2-minute break once per hour and do a couple of exercises. Another benefit of this style of training is that now you don't have to devote any time before or after work to going to the gym because you already got your workout done little by little throughout the day. You've now got some extra free time on your hands!

Try this type of routine out for 3-4 weeks and then go back to your normal gym routines. I think you'll find that it was a great way to break out of a plateau and stimulate new results in your body. You can try mixing in a cycle of these "mini" workouts every couple of months to keep things fresh.

Keep in mind that this is only one method of training and doesn't mean that you should only stick to this method for eternity. You will hit a plateau on any given training method, so I'd recommend just rotating it into your arsenal of various training methods. And by all means, don't worry about what other people think so much...have the courage to try something a little different. In the end, you'll be the one laughing back at all of the "blubber-bellies" that are giving you funny looks while they eat their donuts!

Visit http://truthaboutabs.com/freenewsletter.html to receive a free copy of the ebook "Training & Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-body", as well as your own free personalized metabolic rate calculator.
Michael Geary is a nationally dual certified personal trainer (NCSF-CPT, AFAA-CPT), and author of the internationally-selling The Truth about Six Pack Abs ©2004-2006.

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Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Great Bodyweight Exercise For Explosive Power Fitness











When you think about bodyweight exercises you probably think pushups, situps, bodyweight squats, pullups, dips, etc. There are so many bodyweight exercises that you probably never heard of, Thrusting Pushups, Grasshoppers, Frog Pushup etc.

There is one exercise that is a sick and result producing, yet most won't do it, it's painful, it makes your lungs burn, makes your legs scream, the intensity is incredible, the exercise is the Burpee.

A few seconds into this exercise will show you the benefits, this is not a exercise for the weak, it's for the hard trainer, the person that won't give up, and your fitness level will soar beyond what you have ever thought.

The Burpee should be used as part as a fitness program for the person that wants a high level of fitness, they are very demanding you will either love them or hate them and most hate them, they hurt, they make you breath hard, your lungs hurt and your legs will burn.

You can get a great workout in as little as 2 to 3 minutes, and this is great for a busy lifestyle. If you can workout for only 2 to 3 minutes and get great benefits wouldn't it be worth it.

If you believe what you read, you can't get a workout in 2 or 3 minutes. This is where the fitness experts and doctors maybe wrong. You don't need 30 minutes of exercise to get into great shape, you don't even need half of that.

The Burpee is a great way to push yourself to the next level. The Burpee is a total body workout, you will burn more fat, build better endurance, and a greater level of physical fitness.

You can do the Burpee anywhere, indoors, outdoors, in a bedroom, a hotel room where- ever you are, the Burpee will get the job done.

To do the Burpee:

  1. Start in a standing position 2. squat down and put your hands on the floor.
  2. Kick both legs back at the same time ( you are now in a pushup position ).
  3. Bring both legs back under you, towards your hands, and jump up in the air.

This is 1 fast movement and should be repeated for as many as possible.

For a quick workout try this:

Do 10 Burpees, rest 10 seconds, Do 9 Burpees, rest 9 seconds, Do 8 Burpees rest 8 seconds, continue until you get to 1 Burpee, when you get to 1 Burpee work back up to 10 Burpees.


John Grube is an expert on the subject of bodyweight training. He has over 25 years of training experience and is the author of The Wildman Training Program manual , The New Expanded version The Wildman Training Course and The Super Strength Playground Training Manual.For more info http://www.wildmantraining.com

Bodyweight Exercise: 20-Minute Fat Burning Workout Secrets

Bodyweight Exercise: Putting Body Weight to Work

Fast Bodyweight Exercises Secrets

Unique Bodyweight Exercises for Time-Crunched Individuals

5 Ways A Bodyweight Exercises for You

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Tuesday, February 6, 2007

How work very intensive 2 minute bodyweight workouts!











Just because the holiday season is upon us does not mean that we have to abandon our  Bodyweight workouts, you can grab a quick Bodyweight workout in as little as 1 to 2 minutes a day.

How can you get a Bodyweight workout in only 1 to 2 minutes a day ? With a quick bodyweight workout. This is a great stress reliever not to mention a great way to give yourself a boost when your energy is low.

Most people think that there is no way that they can get a workout in only 1 or 2 minutes a day, I disagree.

The concept is that if you stop exercising around the holidays or for any undetermined amount of time you will have a harder time getting back into it.

There are very few reasons to skip your workouts, the number 1 reason is there is no time, this is just an excuse to make us feel good about not following through, the easy way out.

We don't need a gym or have to go out and jog for 30 minutes to stay on track, what you need to do is learn that if you make exercise a way of life it will be easier to follow and you will always find time to squeeze a workout in.

Would you go a day without showering ? How about a day without brushing your teeth ? If you do both of these everyday doesn't it make sense to do something for your health and fitness on a daily basis.

My philosophy is get in whatever workout you can, I don't care if it's only doing 25 pushups, which should take no more then 30 seconds, then this leaves you with the I can always find time and there is no excuse mentality.

What if you did only 25 pushups or situps a day, that would be 175 pushups or situps a week or 9,125 a year seems like alot, yet it's only 25 pushups situps a day, so in only 30 seconds a day you can do 9,125 pushups or situps in 1 year.

A 1 or 2 minute short workout 1 or 2 times a day can get you back on track if you are feeling a little short on energy.

If you don't think you can get a workout in 1 or 2 minutes a day try 1 of the following short workouts.

1. Pushups -1 minute

Situps -1 minute

2. Jumping Jacks -1 minute

Pushups -1 minute

3. Bodyweight Squats -1 minute

Pushups -1 minute

4. Jumping Jacks -1 minute

Bodyweight Squats -1 minute

Do these as fast and explosive as possible.

Believe it or not 1 minute will probably be to long for most, this is a fact, so if 1 minute is to long try doing the workouts for 30 seconds, see you can get in a short effective workout in 1 to 2 minutes a day.


John Grube is an expert on the subject of bodyweight training. He has over 25 years of training experience and is the author of The Wildman Training Program manual and the New expanded version The Wildman Training Course, For more info http://www.wildmantraining.com

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