Everyone, it seems, has an opinion on the best way to train abs. Whether it’s doing bodyweight ab exercises for higher reps to keep the midsection tight and trim, or weighted moves for lower reps to build up the bricks of the six-pack, the differences are as diverse as the qualifications of the fitness professionals who espouse them. They can’t all be right, can they? Training abs differs from the way you approach training other muscle groups. For one, abs have a higher ratio of slow- to fast-twitch muscle fibers than most other muscle groups. What’s more, even a little body fat can blur your ab definition, so any approach must also address diet. In my experience, there are a number of smart ways to approach your ab training, and others that don’t seem to be as effective. Bodybuilding.com asked me to compile a list of the most important ones, which we’re collectively calling “laws.” Hopefully you can walk away with more than a few nuggets that’ll enable you to train smarter on ab day. To read more click here!
Month: April 2015
8 Nutrition Tips for Women
Have you ever thought to yourself, “I know my diet isn’t perfect? Between family, work, and running around, I just feel tired a lot of the time. Maybe there’s something missing in my diet that would give me the energy I used to have.” If you answered yes, or simply feel that you could use more energy to get you bursting through each day, please take the next few minutes to learn these eight nutrition tips to improve your stamina and performance. Plus you’ll be getting information on the nutrients you need to fight the chronic diseases that are of increasing concern to women. If you have a friend that could use a boost, print this out for her. Busy women often find themselves skipping meals, eating “empty” snacks, skimping on vitamins and overstuffing with fat-free foods. Women also have to realize that what works for men may not work for them. We have different nutritional requirements. To help you meet those requirements, here are eight nutrition tips. Follow them, and your stamina and performance should improve, plus you’ll be getting vital knowledge about the nutrients you’ll need to fight some chronic diseasesthat are of increasing concern to women. To read more click here!
7 Tips to Rekindle Your Fitness Relationship!
You know how on Facebook you sometimes see “it’s complicated” under relationship status? That’s how fitness is for many people. It’s as if, somewhere in your heart, you know you want to be with fitness forever, but it can drive you gaga with all the ups and downs you have to deal with in the “relationship.” You and fitness might hit the rocks from a lack of excitement, stress, or very little reward for what you put in. Each of these could very well lead you to take a break and do your own thing. Everyone feels this way at some point—unhappy or less motivated about their fitness and health. I’ve fallen out of love with fitness more times than I care to admit, but that’s just life. The daily grind can interfere with health goals, our well-meaning friends and family members can keep us from achieving certain physique goals, and one errant cookie can make you fall to the Dark Side. Thankfully, it’s a lot less complicated than you’d imagine to revive a stale or inert fitness relationship. Start implementing at least one of these seven actions into your daily life to rekindle an old flame! To read more click here!
41 Hardcore Ab Exercises
Think you’re hardcore — or that you have a hard core? Prove it! These 41 midsection-mangling moves are some of the most advanced on the planet. They’ll help strengthen your torso from a variety of angles and in a variety of ways so you’ll be ready for all the movements initiated by your core — which is just about every move you make! To read more click here!
Empowering Questions to Help Keep Weight Off
When I started my weight loss journey six years ago, I topped the scales at 300 pounds. I spent the first 25 years of my life overweight, miserably bouncing from one fancy fad diet to the next in an attempt to drop the unwanted fat. All of them seemed to work for a few weeks, but then I gave up on the diet and myself. But when I embarked on the last weight loss trip — the one that worked, and stuck — I started asking myself important questions. I can almost guarantee I would not have sustained my 125+ pound weight loss these last six years if I hadn’t asked myself these five questions. To read more click here!
9 Questions Your Personal Trainer Wishes You Would Ask
When you hire a personal trainer, whether it’s for a couple of sessions or a long-term commitment, you want to get the most out of your time and money. Most of this depends on the trainer, who should know what to say and do to get you the results you want. But by asking the right questions, you can bring out your trainer’s best with topics they may not know are of concern for you. Check out the questions these top trainers would love to hear from their own clients and examples of how they’d respond. To read more click here!
How to Get a Good Workout on an Elliptical
Out of all the cardio machines, the elliptical probably gets the most side-eye. People tend to think it’s boring and ineffective (research even says so!) , and the go-to source for an easy, mindless workout, if even that. But it turns out there are plenty of science-backed benefits to the elliptical, like raising your heart rate even more than the treadmill and improving fitness just as efficiently as the treadmill or Stairmaster. What’s more, there’s actually a right and wrong way to use it. With the correct form and plan of attack, you can get a truly killer workout on the machine. To find out how to make the most of every stride, we asked top fitness experts for their best advice, plus an effective 20-minute workout. To read more click here!
9 Ways to Get Fit If You Can’t Afford a Personal Trainer
So many people think they’ll never be able to get in shape because they just can’t afford to hire a personal trainer, but the reality is that there’s a lot you can do on your own to get fit and healthy. Here are nine ways to get fit if you can’t afford a personal trainer: 1. Get a good workout app. While there’s no doubt a trainer can help motivate you to push harder and work out more consistently than you would have otherwise, a good workout app is be the next best thing. Try one of these five workout apps to get fitter in no time. To read more click here!
The Best Piece of Gym Equipment You’re Not Using
The rowing machine. You’ve seen it in the corner of countless gyms, lonely and unused. So what is this thing? How do you use it? And why should you give this machine a try?
Bottom line: You won’t get a better full-body workout on any other piece of equipment in the gym. The indoor-rowing machine (also known as the ergometer, or erg) engages your legs, hips, core, back and arms. When used properly, you’ll get both a cardio and strength session from an erg workout.
There’s no need to spend hours on this thing in order to burn your daily calorie goal. The erg is the perfect machine to practice intervals, which can help develop your body’s ability to switch between energy systems and is an effective way to lose weight.
The erg is extremely honest. A display screen shows your power output for each stroke, letting you know exactly how efficiently you are moving and if your pace is letting up. You move this machine; it does not move you.
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10 Ways to Give Your Metabolism a Boost
Metabolism. It’s the interesting word that rolls off our tongues whenever we mention health, exercise, diets, and fat-burning. But how does the metabolism factor into fitness? In short, your metabolism is the physiological process involved in converting the calories from your food and drink into energy. It converts energy to be used in all sorts of functions, like blood circulation, brain function, breathing, and digestion. Since most of these processes are pretty consistent, your metabolism — or basal metabolic rate — stays about the same unless you give it a push. Here are 10 ways you can boost your metabolism and burn more calories. To read more click here!
10 Ab Training Mistakes You Need To Stop Making
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5 Common Squat Mistakes
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