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The Benefits of Using a Personal Trainer

Trimming down and maintaining your ideal weight can be hideously difficult. From eating the right food to choosing the right exercise and everything in between, one may invariably forget one pertinent detail or make a mistake regarding their diet and end up 10 pounds overweight or with bulging biceps when all you really wanted was to tone your muscles.

While the fee that a personal trainer may charge may make your knees bulk, wait till you read and learn about the benefits of hiring one.

Accurate Fitness Evaluation. Let’s face it; a lot of us tend to over- or under-estimate our physical abilities and therefore end up with strained muscles and joints (which can lead to health problems) or a lax exercise regime (which lengthens the time enabling us to reach our fitness goals). However, with a personal trainer, your physical fitness will be accurately evaluated and you can be quite sure that whatever fitness program you end up with is the ideal one for you.

Motivation. It really is easier to exercise with someone around and a personal trainer is just the right person to have on your side if you have a fitness goal you’re sweating to attain. A personal trainer will know exactly when he has to act as a tough general, a great source of encouragement and inspiration or simply as a friend to talk to and listen to your personal health woes.

Customized Fitness Program. Contrary to popular opinion, there’s no such thing as an exercise or diet program that fits all. In short, what may work for others may not work for you and what may take others weeks to achieve may mean one year’s worth of effort in your part. But how will you be able to determine what fitness program is best for you unless you consult an expert?

Safety.A lot of accidents can happen during unsupervised exercises so having a personal trainer will ensure that you are using health club equipment the right way. Not only does this prevent serious physical injuries, it ensures that you get the most out of your exercise routines.

The Need for Change. Perhaps one of the things that hits even the most health-conscious individual is boredom! Sometimes, all that one needs is a little change in one’s exercise routine and with a personal trainer beside you, he or she can can come up with different exercise programs, all geared towards keeping you active and interested in going to the gym.

What to Look for in a Personal Trainer

So are you convinced now that a personal trainer is what you have been needing all this time? If so, following are some of the items you should look for in a personal trainer.

oEducation. Remember, you are relying on this individual to guide you in your fitness goals. As such, it is important that he or she is certified by reputable fitness organization such as ACSM or NSCA.

oExperience. It builds one’s trust and confidence if you know that your personal trainer has had vast experience so be sure you know his or her credentials. Also, keep in mind YOUR fitness targets. For instance, if you are a bodybuilder, get a personal trainer who specializes in bodybuilding.

oPersonality. A great personal trainer is one who is dedicated to your fitness objectives. As such, he or she should be attentive to your needs, be a good listener and one who constantly keeps track of your progress or failures.

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Bowflex Max Trainer Vs Treadmill – Which Is Best For You?

Trying to decide between the Bowflex Max Trainer vs. a treadmill? The Bowflex Max is a new type of elliptical-stair stepper that’s extremely popular right now.

But the treadmill is still the most popular type of fitness equipment overall – and also gives you some definite advantages.

So which is best for you? Here’s a review of 5 key differences between the Bowflex Max Trainer and a treadmill to help you decide:

#1 Calorie Burning

The Bowflex Max has the edge here. In studies done in the Bowflex lab, the Max trainer burned up to 2.5 times more calories than a treadmill (or regular elliptical or stair stepper).

In fact trial users burned up to 600 calories in 30 minutes. Contrast that to about 100 – 200 calories in 30 minutes that you burn on a treadmill (depending on incline, speed, etc.), and it’s quite a difference.

#2 Impact

Again, the Max trainer wins here are well. Treadmills (especially when used for running) are very high impact. The force of your joints coming down on the belt can strain your hips, knees, back and ankles.

The Max trainer however has almost no impact as your feet do not leave the moving pedals. In fact, according to the manufacturer, running on a treadmill produces up to 200% more impact than workout out on the Max.

So if you’re more prone to injury or shin splints the Max is a great option.

#3 Entertainment/Tracking Options

This is a tie – maybe with a treadmill (depending on the model) having the slight edge.

While the Bowflex Max trainer does come with several built-in workouts (including the main 14 minute high intensity training interval), a treadmill in general tends to give you more workouts and entertainment options.

For example, you can find treadmills with built-in iPod docks, TVs and even web browser in the console.

However, on the other side, the Max Trainer M5 model does come with Bluetooth and you can sync and track your results with their app to see how far you’ve come. So there is some good tracking capability with the M5.

#4 Ease of Use

The treadmill has the slight advantage here. Walking on a treadmill is so simple that almost anyone can do it, regardless of age, weight or coordination level.

Even if you’ve never exercised before and you’re just starting out, you can use a treadmill. Start slow and move up gradually as you fitness level increases.

The Max trainer can be used slowly as well – however it’s a bit more intense than a simple walking workout. Plus, the motion may take a bit of getting used to for newbies.

#5 Upper Body

The Max trainer wins here – hands down. With a treadmill, there really isn’t a way to work your upper body – unless you buy handweights and use these while you walk.

The Max trainer has moving arm bars (similar to elliptical arm bars) what help you work you arms. Testing in the Bowflex lab showed that the Max arms engaged up to 80% more upper body muscles than even a traditional elliptical.

So what’s the bottom line on the Bowflex Max Trainer vs a Treadmill?

Well, it basically comes down to you and what you’re looking for. A treadmill can give you an easy workout with lots of fun entertainment and tracking options. It’s a great option for people who have never exercised before who are just getting started.

However, the Max trainer is much lower impact than a treadmill and can burn a lot more calories in less time. So you’ll see weight loss results faster on the Max than on a treadmill.

Plus, you’ll also get to work and tone your upper body much easier than you would on a treadmill.

So again, it depends on your goals and preferences. Regardless of what you decide to do, please make sure to take your time, go at your own pace and consult your doctor before starting any exercise program. Good luck!

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How Many Calories Does Zumba Burn?

Have you tried to lose weight recently? Are you tired and confused by all the different “CARDIO” styled dance classes?

Well there’s hope for you yet! Meet Zumba Dance…

Zumba Dance is a blending of Latin and International music dance themes creating a vibrant, successful fitness system! The routines feature aerobic/fitness interval training with a combination of fast and slow rhythms that tone and sculpt the body.

ZUMBA utilizes the principles of interval training and resistance training to maximize caloric output, fat burning and total toning.

It is a blend of body sculpting dance movements and easy-to-follow dance steps.

So how many calories does Zumba burn?

An average class can burn from 500 to 800 calories! You can of course burn more or less depending on your intensity and fitness level. Your Zumba instructor will work with you to get the maximum results… fast. Hows that for different! Better than exercising at home listening to some boring cd … right?

Along with the Zumba dance classes it is important to follow these fat loss, fool-proof nutrition tips that will maximize the amount of calories you burn:

* Eat veggies – Mix and match fresh veggies for variety. They are full of fiber and will help you burn more fat.

* Snack – Go ahead just snack on good stuff, like nuts (especially almonds) veggies fresh and dried fruit.

* Nuts – Almonds, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts and pecans are great for you. Spice up that yogurt and salad by throwing a few in.

* Steel cut oats – Cook a ¼ cup with 1 cup of rice milk (trust me its delicious and you wont need sweetener) for breakfast

* Protein – Protein is a fat burner. How you ask? Well your body burns more calories digesting protein than eating any other type of food. Eating protein also prevents muscle loss when dieting.

* Yogurt – Will help you lose weight and at the same time protect your muscles. Yogurt is also a simple & convenient snack. It is also high in protein.

Follow these tips attend as many Zumba classes as you can and you will quickly maximize your calories burned.

So how many calories does Zumba burn? Follow these tips and you will burn enough to have that body of your dreams!

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5 Important Things to Remember When Doing Aerobic Exercises

1) Consistency – If you don’t stick with it, it’s not going to work. Just like any exercise regime, you have to do it consistently to achieve your desired result. There are no short cuts.

2) Intensity – The tougher the exercise, the more weight you will loose.

3) Enjoyment – Love the exercise you are engaging in. If you don’t like to swim try running, if you don’t like to run try dancing. Find a workout that you like so you will stick to it.

4) Time – The length of your workouts is crucial to get the most benefits from aerobic exercises. Five minute walks around the block are a great idea, but if you push yourself to fifteen you will not only use more energy, but also condition yourself for further distances in the future.

5) Proper diet – Running a mile and then eating a three slices of pizza and a banana split after is probably not the best idea. Be sure to have a snack before you leave for your workout. Make sure to eat something with protein, like a cheese stick, along with something containing natural vitamins and sugars, such as baby carrots or a tangerine.

By doing this you will be providing your body with quick energy from natural sugars and vitamins, along with the protein to sustain your physical activity. Be sure not to eat so much that you give yourself a cramp, keep it light and easy.

During your exercise, be sure to drink lots of water. By drinking lots of water, you can get rid of the lactic acid created in your muscles. Water helps to dilute and lessen the acid built up in your muscle from your workout therefore reducing the amount of soreness in your muscles following the exercise.

After your workout, be sure to have another snack that has protein in it as well. This helps your body in the recovery process from exercising. Contrary to popular belief, once you are done exercising, your body is still working. It takes energy to cool down and you have to keep feeding your body’s need for energy.

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Deeper Voice Exercises – Learn to Tone Your Voice

For men, having a high-pitched voice can be a traumatic experience. Even if you’re built like Arnold Schwarzenegger, nobody will take you seriously if you sound like Mickey Mouse. Having a deep, resonant voice can also help you get a better job, and even land the girl of your dreams. But what can you do to get a deep voice quickly? Here is a pair of deeper voice exercises that might help you.

Begin by saying the words “Bing-Bong,” “Ding-Dong,” and “King-Kong” slowly and clearly. Sustain the final ‘ng’ sound for as long as you can. Deepen your voice gradually with each repetition. Then repeat but deepen your voice just a little bit. Do three repetitions of this exercise per day for around a week.

After a week repeat this exercise, but this time with your head facing upwards. This makes the exercise a little more difficult because you are stretching your vocal cords. Do no more than two repetitions a day of this exercise but do the workout daily. But remember not to overdo this exercise as you may damage your voice.

You can also try scream singing, meaning singing along to heavy-metal records complete with all the screams and growls. But just as with the above exercise, do not overdo it. A deep voice is attractive; a damaged voice is not.

Apart from these deeper voice exercises you should also learn to speak from your diaphragm. This would allow you to project a deeper voice. You should also maintain good posture. Keep your head straight up and your chin forward when you speak.

If you practice these deeper voice exercises regularly and make these techniques second nature, then you should have the deep voice you want in no time.

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A Complete Guide to the Nordictrack Elliptical Trainer

The Nordictrack Elliptical Trainer is a line of fitness equipment manufactured by the workout innovator of the same name.

Nordictrack rose to fame in the eighties with the invention of the Nordictrack Skier. Advertised in infomercials, Nordictrack’s debut fitness line featured calorie burning power coupled with the feeling of resistance associated with the feel of cross-country skiing. Over the course of the last two decades, the Nordictrack Company has expanded beyond skier model machines. The company is now a subsidiary of ICON Fitness, and one of the leading fitness equipment retailers for treadmills, jogging strollers, incline machines, exercise bikes, and elliptical trainers.

The Nordictrack Elliptical Trainer line of fitness equipment was created to satisfy the low-impact exercise needs of users with weight problems, chronic knee pain, and athletic injuries. These trainers enjoy a substantial fan following among athletes and older fitness equipment users. Elliptical trainers by Nordictrack, along with the company’s bikes and treadmills, features ICON Fitness’ trademark IFIT Technology.

IFIT is are Beginner, Intermediate, and advanced workout cards designed to offer users the benefits of a “plastic personal trainer.” The workout cards is used by plugging it into the console of the Nordictrack Elliptical Trainer. Each IFIT Workout Card features eight week programs, including twenty-four customized workout plans created by Nordictrack’s resident personal trainers.

Nordictrack’s line of elliptical trainers offers various models of the low-impact fitness machines:

With a suggested manufacturer’s retail price of $999.00, the Nordictrack SpaceSave Elliptical sports StrideSelect Technology was designed to offer users the opportunity to place specialized attention on their problem areas. This Nordictrack Elliptical boasts the patented SpaceSaver technology, allowing fitness gurus to fold the unit up when it is not in use.

The AudioStrider 990 is the newest addition to Nordictrack’s line of elliptical trainers. The Auto Strider features the MP3 compatible Intermix Acoustic Sound System. The newly designed trainer sports a Automatic Power Incline for access to calorie burning. The AudioStrider 990 retails for $999.00.

The AudioStrider 600 Nordictrack Elliptical Trainer offers IFIT Technology, in addition to the voice of a Certified Personal Trainer for added motivation. The suggested retail price of the AudioStrider 600 is $799.00.

The CX line is another popular addition the family of Nordictrack Elliptical Trainers. The Nordictrack CX 1055 Elliptical features a Stride-Thru design customized to stimulate natural motion affiliated with walking and running. The Nordictrack CX 1055 is priced at $999.00.

For users seeking a dual upper and lower body workout, the Nordictrack CX 1050 offers exercise for the arms, shoulders, abs, and legs. The machine also features nineteen pre-programmed workout programs. Other amenities include grip heat rate sensors.

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Exercises For Hips – To Slim and Slenderize

Here are some great exercises for hips, to slim and slenderize them pretty quickly. Results should appear in 2 weeks… maybe a little less. Please don’t think that you do these exercises and you’ll instantly have slim and curvy hips within 3 days. It won’t happen. But if you give me a few minutes time each day, these exercises will help you to lose your hips.

Exercises for Hips – To Slim Them Fast

1. Use hula hooping

Using a hula hoop to help you to lose fat from your hips… there probably is no better direct hips exercise that gets the results like hula hooping. Now, you need to make sure of a couple things. First, a regular “kid’s hula hoop” just won’t work for you. The reason is simple. They’re TOO LIGHT. They’ll fall to the ground almost immediately because they rotate too fast. You don’t have the hip control to keep it rotating.

What you need is a weighted hula hoop to make this work. Now, yes, they do cost more money ($15-20), but it’s a great investment in yourself AND YOUR HIPS.

The other thing you need to make sure of is that you only do this for a couple minutes at a time at most and to do multiple 2-3 minute sets each day… for a total of 10 minutes.

Your goal is simple… 10 minutes a day. Get there in short sets and do this daily.

2. Side kicks

These work for the hips also, but here’s the thing. Don’t kick too hard. If you do, you may irritate and cause too much stress to your ligaments and joints. So just do some simple side kicks. Do 10 with your right leg and then 10 with your left leg. Rest. Then repeat this for a total of 3 times of 10 reps for each leg. Do this 3 times a week.

These 2 exercises for hips, to slim and slenderize them, help to firm up and tighten the whole hips structure.

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Developing Soccer Speed – 5 Ways to Use Hills to Run Faster

Using hills to run faster will work if you do it properly. If you go about hill running for conditioning you may end up with overuse injuries. Less is better than more. Any type of hill running should be completed after your warm up and before your soccer training. Hill training should not be done at the end of training when you are tired!

Ideally you want the hill at a 45 degree angle and you need five to ten yards. Remember less is better than more.

Here is the progression of exercises:

1) Crawl up the hill for five to ten yards -do this five times and each time increase the speed.

2) Walk up the hill for five to ten yards with a forward lean from the ankles – five times

3) Walk up the hill for five to ten yards with a lean from the ankle with a partner giving you some resistance by holding you at the waist or using a beach towel around your waist

4) Run up the hill with your partner giving you some resistance. Focus on driving the leg into the ground. Rest for 30 seconds to a minute and repeat.

5) Run up the hill for 5 to 10 yards as fast as you can. Rest for 45 seconds to a minute then repeat.

If you have a partner you can switch up in between runs for exercises 3 and 4.

After the exercise do some light foot work with the ball for recovery and preparation for the day’s soccer training.

These exercises force you to drive the leg into the ground by using your glutei muscles.

This exercise may be put into your training once or twice a week with a 48-72 hour break in between. These are specific strength drills for developing soccer speed.

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Constipation – Why Exercise And Water Are NOT Giving You Relief – What Most Doctors Do Not Know

It’s so frustrating! You’ve increased your exercise routine and water intake, but so far, it’s not helping your constipation.

Why not? After all, it makes sense that exercise and water would help your digestive system move better.

But the fact is, while exercise and water are vital for overall health, they are unsuccessful as constipation-relievers for more folks than you may imagine.

Before I give you some relieving tips, and tell you how you can learn the biggest mistakes you’re making when you eat, let me reveal the real problem.

What’s going on?

Constipation is more than just a slow-moving digestive system. It’s an issue rooted more deeply, at the cellular level.

The early stages of constipation begin when you do not chew your food thoroughly enough. When you don’t chew thoroughly, your saliva doesn’t interact with your food long enough to initiate carbohydrate digestion.

You see, digestion begins in the mouth, and saliva is the first step of the digestive process. When you swallow food before it’s adequately chewed, you place an extra burden on your stomach and pancreas. This sets the stage for constipation, excessive gas, burping, painful bloating, and a host of other digestive complications.

There’s something else happening!

There’s a second reason why inadequate chewing leads to constipation- and sadly, it’s a reason about which many doctors are ignorant. It has to do with hydrochloric acid production.

Once you swallow your food, your stomach receives “HCl”, or Hydrochloric Acid, from your blood. It takes approximately 1 hour for your stomach to receive enough HCl. HCl is extremely acidic, and vitally necessary in the digestive process.

Once the appropriate pH level in the stomach is reached, your body can now accomplish two essential tasks:

1. Protein digestion

2. Mineral absorption

Now, here’s the problem: if your digestive process is compromised, then minerals from your food are inadequately absorbed for use in the body. One of these minerals is sodium.

Why is sodium so important? Sodium is a key player in the formation of bile, a substance that allows you to move your bowels smoothly. Perhaps you have heard the term, “bile salts”.

If you’re not absorbing sodium, your bile will be too thick, and you’ll become constipated. The thicker your bile, the worse your constipation!

So, if your stomach is already exhausted and your digestive organs are stressed because you’re swallowing your food in chunks, can you be at all surprised that the production of HCl in your stomach is also faulty?

An incredible amount of your stomach’s energy is wasted by cleaning up large portions of unchewed food strains. When this occurs, HCl production will be compromised, you will not properly absorb your food’s minerals, you will not absorb enough sodium, your bile will be too thick, and you’ll become constipated.

Phew!

So, does this mean you should eat more salt? NO!

Consuming more salt in your diet is NOT the answer. The answer begins with chewing more thoroughly. Without the added burden of digesting big chunks of food, your digestive system will have a better success rate of absorbing the sodium it needs from the food you’re already eating.

Your bile will be the correct thickness, and your bowels will move more regularly.

“Besides chewing better, what else can I do to get faster constipation relief?”

Start with these 5 steps:

1. Consume three servings per day of raw, organic fruits and vegetables. They must be raw! Raw produce supplies your body with digestive enzymes necessary to help digest your food.

2. Decrease your intake of red meat, chicken or turkey. Meat is devoid of fiber.

3. Ever heard of “hempseed”? It’s a tremendous source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and it keeps your digestive system moving. Add a TBSP into your cereal or smoothies each day. Visit your local health food store- one of the more popular brands is “Nutiva”.

4. Because the G.I. tract and brain are closely linked, do your best to decrease emotional stress. Emotional stress aggravates symptoms of constipation. Eat in a calm environment.

5. Make sure you consume at least 25-30 grams of fiber per day. But don’t be fooled . . . some of the foods you think are high-fiber may actually be low-fiber, so be sure to make the right choices.

Last but certainly not least . . . STOP making these mistakes!

Even the most health-conscious folks are making mistakes every time they eat, that are making their digestive problems worse. To summarize the most important points for you, I’ve written a FREE report, called “The 5 Mistakes You’re Making Every Time You Eat!”

We’ve briefly touched upon one or two ideas, but if you want faster constipation relief, you’ll certainly want all of this information. Get your FREE copy right now by clicking here: thedigestiondoctor.com/smartdigestion [http://www.thedigestiondoctor.com/smartdigestion]

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Killer Alpha Male Chest Workout

Everyone wants to develop a lean muscular physique. The quickest way to get there and stay there is via resistance training. My favorite style of resistance training is old school weight training accompanied by the sound of clanging plates with heavy loads on a barbell. Do you know who trained/trains like that? Arnold, Zane, Reeves, Coleman, and Cutler are a few of the guys with that training mentality. What do you think of their physical development? These men have mastered the Alpha Male Physique.

Though a well balanced physique is essential, nothing screams Alpha Male Physique like a HUGE MUSCULAR CHEST. Let’s look at Arnold… arguably the greatest chest of all time. How did he get there? He trained with intensity. He trained with power. He trained with a goal in mind. He trained with real deal heavy weight Home Gym. The result was a chest that made history. As far as I’m concerned, if it’s good enough for Arnold it’s good enough for all of us!

There are many maximum lift milestones along the way of building your ultimate alpha chest. Oftentimes 135 lbs, 225 lbs, 315 lbs, 405 lbs and even heavier weights are popular goals that we aspire to conquer at one point or another during our training careers. Others take more of a “pound for pound” approach to measure their success. Some people have the goal of benching their bodyweight, 1.5 times their body weight, or even twice their body weight. Most of the time when people talk about this, they are talking about their Flat Barbell Bench Press One Rep Max. This is a great exercise and a good way to establish quantitative goals; but, don’t forget the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is a great chest… not just moving a certain load on the bar (unless you are a power lifter). The great chest you are going to create is a result of more than just the development that comes just from Flat Bench.

So how do you develop your most impressive chest?

You need to pack on lean mass and slash excess fat. Like the greats, you must move serious weight and focus on training all areas of the chest. Often people do just flat bench and forget about the variations to get well rounded results. To put on slabs of pectoral beef you must hit flat, incline and decline chest movements. Time and time again you will see chests that look like ski slopes. There are two reasons for this. The first reason is simply excess adipose tissue. Extra fat on the chest it tends to collect at the lower portion of the pec area. This creates the “slope effect.” To lose this one has to lose total body fat. The second contributor to the “slope effect” chest is that the mid and lower portion of the pecs are somewhat developed; however, the upper portion is severely underdeveloped. This is a result of doing just flat bench and neglecting incline movements.

You combat this and build your alpha chest by following a well designed chest training program that puts an appropriate emphasis on the upper chest, mid chest, and lower chest. One way to ensure this is to start one out of two or two out of three chest workouts with the emphasis on the upper portion of the chest. To place more emphasis on any particular muscle group simply start the workout with exercises that are specific to that area. Because you are fresh at the beginning of the workout the results for that area will often be greatest. I suppose by now you are looking for a killer Alpha Male Chest Workout? Well here you go!

Sample Workout

Month One

Incline Barbell Bench Press: 3x 15-20 reps

Decline Barbell Bench Press: 3×15-20 reps

Flat Barbell Bench Press: 3×15-20 reps

Feet on Bench Push-Ups: 2 sets of MAX reps (one minute rest between sets)

Month Two

Flat Barbell Bench Press: 4×10-15 reps

Incline Barbell Bench Press: 4×10-15 reps

Decline Barbell Bench Press: 4×10-15 reps

Hands on Bench Push-Ups: 3 sets of MAX reps (one minute rest between sets)

Month Three

Incline Barbell Bench Press: 5×5-10 reps

Flat Barbell Bench Press: 5×5-10 reps

Decline Barbell Bench Press: 5×5-10 reps

Regular Pushups: 4 sets of MAX reps (one minute rest between sets)

Now you know what to do. How do you go about getting it done? You need the proper equipment. There are many options out there; but, don’t be fooled by inferior products. Make sure to invest in a bench that can handle the weight you can do today and more importantly the weight you will be able to do tomorrow. Also chose a piece of equipment that offers versatility while maintaining the integrity of each position. Often companies cut corners and the functionality is sacrificed for increased versatility. When it comes to a piece of equipment that is both functional in all positions and versatile, which leads me to the most fit equipment for these kind of workouts.

More versatility exists because of the dual sided racking station posts. You can use them for holding the barbell elevated to shoulder height for squats. Or you can rack a loaded barbell at hip height for rows, or deadlifts from the opposite side of the bench. No matter how you look at it there are numerous options and no excuses when using this sturdy and versatile bench.

No more excuses! It’s time to make it happen and create your Alpha Chest.

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