Archive | October, 2015

Shake-Up Your Workouts With These Fitness Trends

Many people get bored with their workouts. Thank goodness for fitness trends. Recharge yourself with new workouts. No one likes to get stuck in a routine. It’s good to try different workouts. You have the potential to work muscles.

If your metabolism has slowed, change your diet and exercise. This can increase your metabolism and you’ll start to lose weight. Consider cleansing your body. Detoxing your body will free it from harmful substances that build up over a period of time.

Personal Fitness Routine: TV’s toughest trainer wants you to lose weight with a free plan. Jillian Michaels from The Biggest Loser knows that cardio exercise is great way to get your heart rate up. If you want to burn calories, cardio exercises will get the job done. The top cardio exercise is running. The best part is that you do not need special equipment to run. The only thing you need to do is to make sure you have a good pair of running shoes. Start off running short distances. Each day run a little farther. Before you know it, you’ll be running 10 miles a day.

Cardio Exercises

1. Running

2. Bicycling

3. Rowing

4. Elliptical

5. Rock Climbing

6. Jump Roping

7. Swimming

8. Walking

If you’ve been in a fitness slump, fitness trends can bring you out it. Workouts can become routine or they may have stalled your weight loss. It’s good to reevaluate your workouts. The following fitness trends can “jolt” your metabolism.

Fitness Trends

Revamp your workouts with these fitness trends.

1. Kettlebells. This odd looking weight from Russia can whip you into shape. This is a great all-over body workout.

2. Bootcamps. Attention! These total body workouts are fun and challenging. You can burn up to 600 calories per session.

3. Dancing. Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) is a fun video game and you lose weight at the same time. If you prefer dance classes, try Zumba or Afro-Cuban. Bollywood is another popular dance class that will keep you slim and trim.

4. Budget Workouts. Put your credit card away and run around your apartment or the neighborhood. Use your living room to practice yoga or pilates. If your apartment complex has a fitness center, use it. You’re paying enough in rent so take advantage of the facilities. There’s no need to spend money on an expensive gym membership.

5. Circuit Training. Includes strength training and cardio exercise. Doing these exercises at different intervals and intensities will take off the pounds.

6. Back to Nature Fitness. Get outside and get moving. Go for a run, jog, or walk. Get outside and enjoy nature.

If you want to change your workouts, check out these fitness trends. Try all of them and find the exercises that work for you. There’s no need to stay in a “fitness rut.” This can sabotage your weight loss because you’ll begin to neglect your workouts. Fitness trends will come and go. You may as well take advantage of them while they’re here.

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Six Pack Abs – The Perfect 6 Pack Abs Diet

This is a sample diet for a person who is looking to build some muscle and burn some fat. The calories and meal times may VARY based on your schedule and nutrition needs, but try to eat every 2.5 to 3 hours. Many of us have hectic schedules and feel as if we are destined to just be out of shape forever, but my friend this is not the case. It is actually very simple to achieve a dream body, provided you follow the correct steps.

The first step is preparation. In order to be successful you must prepare for anything, so I always advise people to spend a few hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon and prepare all of their food for the workweek, put it into tupperware containers as individual meals and freeze it.

Then you would just take a days worth of food with you to work and you will not have to worry about being tempted to go to the Sonic Drive Thru and ruin all of the hard work that you just put in the night before at the gym!

Here is a sample diet that I have used with some success to lower my body fat, get ripped fast, and keep my six pack abs on point. You may modify it to suit your needs.

MEAL 1

6 Egg Whites

1tbsp Flax Oil

1/2 Grapefruit

1 cup peppers,

1/2 cup onions

1/2 cup mushrooms

1/2 cup Oatmeal

Protein 35, Carbs 40, Fat 14, (in grams) Calories 456

MEAL 2

30 Grams whey protein

1/2 cup plain low fat yogurt

1/2 cup strawberries

2 tbsp raw almond butter

Celery sticks

Protein 37, Carbs 18, Fat 17, (in grams) Calories 415

MEAL 3

6 oz lean chopped steak

1/2 cup Grilled onions

1 cup Grilled Peppers

1/2 Sweet Potato

1 Cup Spinach

Protein 36, Carbs 37, Fat 6, (in grams) Calories 354

MEAL 4

30 grams whey protein

1 cup boysenberries

12 almonds

Protein 30, Carbs 20, Fat 15, (in grams) Calories 330

MEAL 5

6 oz Grilled Skinless Chicken Breast

1/2 cup brown rice

1/2 cup yellow pepper

1 cup zucchini

1/2 cup red pepper

1/4 cup diced onions

2 tsp Olive or Flax oil

Protein 42, Carbs 43, Fat 14, (in grams) Calories 516

MEAL 6

30 grams Protein powder

2 tsp Olive or Flax oil

1 Plum

Protein 30, Carbs 8, Fat 14, (in grams) Calories 265

Remember to include these whole, natural foods in their unprocessed states into your diet. You may manipulate the macronutrient (protein, carbs, and fats) ratios to suit your individual needs.

Following the diet and nutrition principles outlined here can be overwhelming at first, especially if you are just starting out and have been eating the wrong way for years. This can definitely be an extreme shift in lifestyle, but I assure you it is for the best. In my free report I go more in depth and give you a ton more valuable nutrition resources that will help you learn how to eat for success and reach your goals faster.

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Best Cardio Workout at Home For Women!

Ladies, real cardio consists of utilizing your own body weight and implementing short burst of intense work! That’s right, cardio goes beyond just bouncing on a treadmill or simulating a skiing motion on an elliptical trainer for hours on end. If you want to engage in real cardio then you have to step up the intensity of your cardio by engaging in whole body calisthenics. Its time to take it old school!

Best Cardio Workout At Home!

Effective cardio exercises for you to do at home must consist of whole body calisthenics. A calisthenic is defined as exercises done in a rhythmic systematic way using nothing more than your own body weight. This is what makes this style of training great for two reasons. The first reason it is great is because it eliminates the need for big bulky equipment. This automatically saves you money and forces you to get creative with your in home cardio workout design.

The second reason that calisthenics are great is because you are able to perform these exercises anywhere and at anytime. In addition to this you can achieve a superior level of both muscular and cardiovascular development with calisthenics. Anytime you are able to utilize the resistance of your own body weight you stand to get a much better workout and burn a ton more calories. Rhythmic exercises such as squats, push ups, jumping jacks, and any combination of these will quickly elevate your level of perceived exertion, therefore giving you a much more impactful workout with the results to match. These are benefits you stand to gain from calisthenic training. As a strength and conditioning professional I can tell you that every smart trainer understands the importance of calisthenics within the scope of their training program.

Ladies, if you haven’t already started to implement the use of calisthenics within the structure of your in home cardio plan then you are missing out. Take the time to learn more about this style of workout by accessing more of my articles on the subject for free. If you are going to do cardio then get it done with intense cardio consisting of short burst of high exertion. This is the most effective way you can expect to see any speedy results within your workouts. Remember that most anyone can train hard, but only the best train smart my friend! Give it a try and you won’t regret it!

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Anti-Fungal Diet – What to Eat on an Anti-Fungal Diet and What to Avoid

Have you tried doing a yeast free diet before? Would you like to know what to eat on an anti-fungal diet and what to avoid? If so then today I will present to you some excellent information on how to effectively eliminate a chronic candida overgrowth through a diet which will starve out the yeast and allow your health to return to normal once more.

So what do I eat on an anti-fungal diet?

Veggies: Lots of vegetables that are low in starch, so leafy greens work as well as greens such as celery. Carrots and beets because of their high sugar content are best avoided, later on in the diet after several weeks they can be re-introduced in moderation.

Whole Grains: Quinoa, Millet, Amaranth, (Brown rice & sprouted wheat in moderation if tolerated)

Lean Meat: Organic Chicken, Organic Turkey, Wild Fish ie. Salmon. Vegetarian diets have been found to be even more effective when combating candida although for many people they find themselves unable to completely give up meat, in these instances a moderate amount of the above meats are allowed per week.

Fruits: Lemons, Limes, (Grapefruit, Berries, Green Apples in moderation after the initial phases of the diet)

What to avoid on the anti-fungal diet?

Everything processed, especially processed foods which are high in starch or have sugar.

Wheat & processed grains including breads, pastries, cookies and any grain based processed foods.

Avoid vinegar as this increases yeast activity in the body as does alcohol which also must be avoided.

Bottom line, avoid all sugar and starchy foods. A diet high in fiber to clear the bowels is ideal, with a majority of this fiber coming from vegetables and some from the allowed whole grains. This diet requires personal attention and work, however like all true methods of healing the body it is the only way to achieve lasting relief, drugs & anti-fungals will only do so much. In addition to the diet though you must also be focused upon eliminating the root causes which have created this condition to begin with, very often these are not obvious.

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Weight Loss Exercises

One can not lose weight healthily only by maintaining a diet plan. A dieter is also required to go for some weight loss exercises along with a low calorie diet. Ideally to reduce weight one must aim at burning out more amount of calorie than what he or she intakes. The greater the amount of calorie burnt the greater will be the amount of weight lost. Exercising is probably the best possible way to burn calories. Exercising also helps in toning of muscles and maintaining the basal metabolic weight. There are some weight loss exercises that can help you to reduce weight in an effective way.

Some Weight Loss Exercises

Only a small chunk of the dieters are able to maintain their once attained weight. It has been estimated that about 92% of the dieters gained weight without exercising while only 52% of the dieters gained weight with exercising. To perform exercises you might join gym or aerobics. You may even simply climb steps or some free hand exercises on a regular basis. The following are some weight loss exercises that you will not find them to be too exhaustive amidst your hectic schedule.

Walking – Walking is perhaps the simplest form of exercise and it would help you to reduce weight in a healthy way. Walk every day for at least 40 minutes. If you can not manage to walk on a regular basis, you must aim at walking for at least three to four days a week.

Swimming – Those who know swimming must also be enjoying it. Swimming is a good way to reduce weight. To maintain a healthy weight you may swim for 20 to 25 minutes for 3 days a week. Start swimming at a slow pace; concentrate on the strokes that you know. Gradually learn and include new styles of swimming to improve your weight.

Water Aerobics – The water aerobics are quite effective way of reducing weight. Though it seems to be quite simple to perform but it is a good exercise for reducing weight. The exercise allows the performer to face resistance in every movement of motion.

While maintaining a balanced diet and a perfect exercising schedule you are advised to drink ample amount of water. Drinking of plenty of water will rather energize you to perform exercises regularly. Both in take of water and exercising help to detoxify the body and promote a healthy body weight. Try to monitor the progress of your weight loss program by noting down your body weight and body measurements from time to time.

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What is a Good Workout Routine?

The answer to what is a good workout routine will depend on who you ask. This area has as many opinions as there are routines. How do we sort through and find the one that is right for us?

We could consider hiring a personal trainer; this is not feasible for many of us for a variety of reasons. Often times the best way is the tried and true method of trial and error. This can be time consuming and there is always the risk of improper training that can lead to two unwanted results:

1). Not achieving the results that we are looking for.

2). Actually causing damage to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

The latter could result in having to seek medical treatments to resolve the injuries, a costly and time consuming undertaking, and at the very least an inability to resume or maintain a workout routine. Anytime we are going to put our time, energy, and resource into something as important as our bodies, we want to make sure we gather enough information to help us make an informed decision.

There are many ways to do this: you can go to the Gyms in your area and ask questions, go to a store like Sports Authority to get information from the employees or purchase some of their collection of information on workouts, there is also the book stores that have whole sections devoted to this subject and lastly you could make up a program and wing it. I would not recommend the last option for reasons already stated.

A good workout routine is one that gives you the information that you need to challenge yourself safely and give you the results that you expect to achieve. As you look at information you will get a feel for where the author is coming from in relation to doing a good workout routine. They cannot know where you are in the process and therein lays the confusion with what to believe and what is going to be best for you. So we want to pick our information source carefully and once we start commit ourselves to the program.

To get significant results relative to where we begin can take 8 weeks or more. This is one journey that is well worth undertaking, the results can last a lifetime.

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Building Muscle Mass – A Guide to Well Developed Chest Muscles

So you want a chest like Superman? Building muscle mass is the key to getting that great body you’ve always wanted. Don’t worry if you’ve always been the skinny boy at the back of your class-if you have determination, patience and discipline you too can build chest muscles worthy of a superhero.

If you have started training, you will need to increase your calorie intake every day. You take 3,000 up to 6,000 calories a day-yes, that is a lot of calories but your goal is to gain as much weight fast so you can convert this into big, hard muscles when you hit the gym. Do not use this as an excuse to pig out on junk food and desserts everyday of the week. Your diet should comprise of high protein and low fat food like chicken, lean meat and fish.

For those looking to building muscle mass, the calories of their nutritional plan should have a ratio of 50% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 20% fat. It would be helpful to know that a gram of fat is equal to nine calories while a gram of protein and carbohydrates are both equal to four calories. You have a small window of indulgence so use it well.

Once you’ve gotten your food plan down, it’s time to concentrate on getting the most out of your chest workout regimen. Begin with good stretching and a light warm up to increase your body’s temperature and improve your session for the day. You will also notice that swimmers have a wide and defined chest area so incorporate swimming into your training program as often as you can.

A program you can use if you are beginning is doing 12 reps and three sets of bench press using 40 lbs weight load, dumbbell flyes and dumbbell pullover using 10 and 20 lbs respectively. After a few weeks, include 30 lbs of inclined bench press and 20 lbs of declined bench press of 12 reps and 3 sets as well. Monitor the progress of your strength and endurance because you will need to lift higher weights gradually while lowering your reps per set if you want to bulk up the chest muscles.

Remember as with any workout program, change the weight load and exercises every few weeks so your body will continue to challenge itself to perform its best. Hitting your chest area with different angles is good training so always incorporate flat, incline and decline movements into your routine. Flyes isolate the pectoralis major (pecs) more than most exercises so be sure to keep coming back to this when you modify your workout periodically.

Even if your aim is to build chest muscles, take care that you don’t over train them and neglect other muscle groups as well. There has never been a superhero with a barrel chest and skinny legs as far as I know. You will do well in setting aside two to three days working on the other parts of your body.

Focus on building muscle mass, eat the right kinds of food and execute the exercises in the correct form– you will soon find yourself with a strong chest so wide you need to enter doors sideways. And last but not the least, don’t forget to enjoy yourself– working out is always a rewarding experience for those who stay the course. Work hard and see the results before you know it.

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Diet for Muscle Building – Meal Plan for Bodybuilding Success

If you want to pursue bodybuilding, you need to set the goal of achieving lean muscle mass. To grow muscles, proper nutrition through the right choices with your diet is very important. In this piece of information, let me reveal why a carefully planned meal plan for the purpose of building your desired body accounts for about 90% of your muscle building success.

When it comes to planning your meals, you need to adhere to the principle of KISS or keep it simple and smart. Thus, this article will not delve on the technical details of a diet and the nutritional content.

The best move you need to do is to eat smaller meals but more frequently during the day. The most ideal is to eat 5 to 6 times per day. Hence, you need to eat with interval of 2 to 3 hours apart.

When you are eating smaller meals, you promote the increase of metabolic rate. When you pair it with the stimulation from short but intense workouts, your muscles are allowed to grow with the adequate supply of nutrients.

When you want to grow muscles, you need to pay particular attention to your protein requirements. But you also need to have carbohydrates and healthy fats as well.

As far as protein requirements are concerned, it generally varies with factors like age, gender, and your goals. But each meal should have protein content between 25 and 50 grams.

As a rule of thumb, an adult male should settle to consume 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight every day to encourage growth of muscles. For example, if you are 200 pounds, you need to take 300 grams of protein daily. This is equivalent to 6 meals with 50 grams of protein for each meal.

From these tips, you now know that you need to plan a meal made up of 6 small meals and rich in protein. Just train hard with your workout and this bodybuilding diet plan will surely work for you.

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Diet Plans For Weight Loss – What Are the Best Diet Plans For Weight Loss? What’s Hot and What’s Not

According to Consumer Report, Volumetrics is the best diet plan. This does come as a surprise, doesn’t it?, especially when there is a whole lot of hype and hoopla around low fat diets, low carbs diet and high protein diets. The reason why Volumetrics was given the highest rating was because it is a well grounded diet plan that does not overpromise. Even Webmd which is one of the most trusted health websites, gave a favorable review for this diet plan.

The other diet plans that were quite highly rated are Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and Slim Fast with very little to choose in between them as the ratings were quite tightly highly ranked. Midratings were given to eDiets, Zone Diet, Ornish Diet and Atkin’s Diet took the last place.

According to Metcaf the things that worked into these ratings were as follows, “The things that go into the rating are the nutritional analysis – we analyze a week’s worth of menus straight off the book or Web site – and we also rate them according to how well they conform to the 2005 U.S. dietary guidelines, which we think is a good consensus on a healthy diet.”

However these ratings should be taken with a grain of salt but they serve as a good guideline nevertheless. Following this publication, several disgruntled authors/creators of diet plans who did not receive high ratings as they anticipated voiced their disappointment.

In short, no diet can work miracles. It is entirely up to you to make sure that you have a good diet plan along and exercise regularly to lose and maintain your weight.

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Muscle Building Tips – Two Simple Exercises – Dips & Chins – Quick Results

Here are a few muscle building tips that will help you achieve fast results to your upper body mass. The key exercises to achieve these quick results is dips and chins. Don’t disregard the value of these two exercises, as basic as they may seem, give them a go, you won’t regret it. Sometimes you will get faster results by just focusing on a couple of basic exercises rather than a halve dozen mediocre exercises for the same body parts.

DIPS & CHINS

Dips and Chins are a classic example of two simple exercises that can give you exceptional results in a relatively short period (3 months). The quick results come about because of your focused efforts and attention on exercise form and building up the number of reps and sets you do in a training session.

Do these two exercises as your main upper body work-out for at least 3 months. It will take you this long, if you are a beginner to build up to 5 sets of 20 reps on the dips and 5 sets of 12 reps on the chin ups (wide grip).

For those more experienced try and achieve these same reps and sets with a 15-20 kilo weight strapped around your waist. You will end up doing hundreds even thousands of these dips and chins over a 3month period. 70% of your total will be dips and about 30% chin-ups. So for every hundred dips, thirty of those will be chin ups.

8 Muscle Building Tips on performing Dips & Chins when starting out:

1. Position yourself between the parallel bars, just suspend your weight on the bars at the bottom of the movement for a few seconds to give the muscles in the chest area a feel for your own body weight.

2. Feel the stretch and the pull under the arm pit area as well, if this is the first time for you, you will really feel it here. You will definitely feel sore in these areas the next day if you do at least 50 reps on your first day.

3. OK now try and do 3-5 reps straight up and down with a slight lean forward, eyes looking straight ahead, legs straight or slightly bent at the knees and as you push yourself up between the bars lock your elbows at the top of the movement using very strict form feel the tricep.

4. Again slowly allowing your elbows to bend, come down slowly as far as you can, all your weight is being supported by your arms at this point until you reach the bottom of the movement.

5. Your body weight is now supported by your arms and shoulders, feel the stretch in the shoulders and chest area, then push back up from this point engaging the chest muscles, arms and shoulders once more until the elbows are once again locked at the top of the movement. Repeat…

6. You may only do 2 or 3 at first. No problem, you start building your reps from here.

7. As for the chins ups, grip the overhead bar with a wide grip, suspend your body weight on the bar for a few seconds and feel the stretch in the arms, in the lats and back areas.

8. Stand up grip the bar again wide grip palms facing away from you, thumb over the bar or under your preference, and proceed to pull yourself up as far as you can until your chin touches the bar, keep your back straight, with a slight arch, hold for a second and then let yourself down slowly until your elbows lock straight at the bottom of the movement. Try not to swing in the movement or pull the legs up in front of you to assist yourself to get up. Repeat…

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