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The Ultimate Guide to Dining Out and Not Blowing Your Diet

By now, you know how to track what you eat and effectively lose fat. There’s plenty of quality scientific information out there on the subject.

Most of you will find yourselves weighing out food and using measuring cups, a digital scale, and while this allows for consistent and predictable results, there’s always going to be a level of uncertainty when you dine out. You can’t accurately measure the portion sizes or be 100% certain of the ingredients that are being used.

For many, the solution you create is to just avoid going out to eat altogether. The fear of blowing your diet overpowers any desire to socialize with friends and family. 

That’s the safe choice, but it’s also unsustainable in the long-term.

 

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The Full-Body Playground Workout

Think your neighborhood playground is just for kids? Think again! Monkey bars, swings, and a park bench can easily become all you need for an effective total-body workout.

Balance is key for this routine, says Greatist Expert and trainer Jonathan Angelilli, who appears in the photos below. He suggests monitoring how hard you’re working on a scale of one to 10 (one being the easiest, 10 the hardest). At the end of each set, beginners should feel between a seven to eight. Those at an intermediate-level should feel around an eight or nine.

With that in mind, grab a pair of sneakers, plenty of water, and head to your nearest playground.

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5 Common Mistakes When Doing A Proper Squat

Can you do a bodyweight squat? Great! Now, can you do a PROPER bodyweight squat?

Right now you’re asking, “What’s the difference, Steve you weirdo?!” Today I’m gonna drop some bodyweight squat knowledge bombs on you. Don’t worry, they don’t hurt! Instead, they’ll make your body feel good, and you’ll say: “OOHHHHHHHH, that’s what a squat is!”

Like other basic movements like the pull-up and push-up, most people think they know what a bodyweight squat is, and they think they’re doing them right… but are they? Judging by the people in my gym, 80%+ of people are actually making some major mistakes in their squat, making the movement inefficient at best and dangerous at worst! If you have any interest in ever being able to do a barbell squat, you need to first nail the mechanics for a proper body weight squat.

We got you covered:

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15 Health Benefits of Eating Apples

Many of us forget that sometimes, the simplest answers are the best. Better health could be as easy as reaching for the fruit bowl for some apples next time you need a snack.

What makes apples so great?

In 2004, USDA scientists investigated over 100 foods to measure their antioxidant concentration per serving size. Two apples’Red Delicious and Granny Smith’ranked 12th and 13th respectively. Antioxidants are disease-fighting compounds. Scientists believe these compounds help prevent and repair oxidation damage that happens during normal cell activity. Apples are also full of a fiber called pectin’a medium-sized apple contains about 4 grams of fiber. Pectin is classed as a soluble, fermentable and viscous fiber, a combination that gives it a huge list of health benefits.

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Work Out At Home, At the Office, Or Anywhere You Want: How to Get Started With Bodyweight Training Today!

Today you take your first steps towards becoming a ninja/jedi/assassin/superhero, without needing to step foot in a gym.

Interested? Of course you are! That’s 4 amazing things all combined into a nerd mecha-robot.

Here’s the deal: It doesn’t matter if you’re a 300-pound guy who wants to lose weight and get back in the dating scene; it doesn’t matter if you’re a mom of three who wants to drop a little fat and gain a little muscle; it doesn’t matter if you’re an in-shape twenty-something who’s just looking for a new workout challenge.

Right now — right in front of you— are all the tools you need to get into amazing shape and live a healthier, happier life.

So…just where the heck are these tools? Check the mirror! Seriously go look in the mirror.

Did you go look? That’s okay if you didn’t. But keep reading….

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The 4 Avocado Hacks You Never Knew You Needed

As much as eating avocado toast and guacamole will never get old, it’s always fun to discover new ways to add this ingredient to your daily diet. Here are a few ideas from one avocado-loving chef:

1. You’ve run out of your traditional smoothie ingredients; avocado to the rescue!

Have you ever had avocado for breakfast or dessert? In countries like Brazil and Vietnam, avocado shakes or smoothies are all the rage…..

 

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Pilates-Inspired Bodyweight Moves You Can Do Anywhere PIN IT SHARE

We’re all about finding a workout that fits—whether that’s rowing, lifting kettlebells, or mastering Pilates. Andrea Speir, Pilates instructor and Women’s Health‘s Next Fitness Star finalist, believes the same thing.

“You have to do something that is fun for you—something you love,” Speir says.

Growing up as a competitive dancer, Speir first tried Pilates as physical therapy after a knee injury sidelined her. “It was always the method that got me feeling great again, and I really enjoyed it because it made me so much stronger,” she says.

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11 Easy Exercises You Can Do at Work

No time to exercise because you’re too busy at work? That’s no excuse at all. The problem is simply how we think about our bodies—we’re one person at work, another at home, another at the gym, etc. In fact, we tend to compartmentalize our identity and thus our day by functions, but if you get into the the habit of combining functions, you can get a lot more done. Take exercise. There are lots of ways to combine small but targeted exercise at work with actually doing work that can make a big impact on both your physical and mental health. Short bouts of aerobics, strength exercises, and stretching can help improve your fitness levels and heart health. And studies have shown that even a short break of physical activity can improve your concentration and performance.

The trick is knowing which exercises you can do “on the sly” in your office. Of course, there are some people who aren’t embarrassed at all to break into jumping jacks in the hallway. And there’s also lunchtime when you could go for a brisk walk or climb stairs. But if you’re looking for something a bit more, well, modest, here are 11 ways you can actually exercise at work on a busy day without anybody even raising an eyebrow!

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Why Tension is The Missing Ingredient for Maximum Gains

Getting stronger seems simple: pick up something heavy, put it down, add weight, and then pick it up again.

But there’s a lot more that goes into it than that.

Developing maximum strength and muscle is as much of an art as it is a science.

Part of that is initiating a proper setup and maintaining good form, but one of the most overlooked and forgotten aspects of this iscreating and maintaining tension.

What Exactly is Tension?

While there’s a lot that goes into building muscle and getting stronger, tension is the driving force behind everything.

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The Men’s Fitness Industry Is Missing Out on the Body-Positivity Movement. And It Sucks

It’s hard to argue men can ever experience more difficulty than women, but let’s talk a little bit about male empowerment. There’s something lacking in men’s fitness writing: insecurity. Women’s content seems to have it in spades, but believe me, that’s a good thing. Finding self-love through weightlifting is something I just never hear male trainers discuss.

I’m not saying that female fitness writers are insecure, at least, not more than anyone else. What I’m saying is that when they write, they connect with their audience by recognizing their vulnerabilities, fears, and shortcomings. The most popular women’s blogs acknowledge insecurity; they commune with it; and they frame strength training not as a way to find validation, or perfection, or a body worth loving, but instead as a way to honor and love their bodies. And finding self-love through weightlifting is something I just never hear male trainers discuss.

This is the kind of stuff I’m talking about:

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A Sneaky Full-Body Workout That’s a Lot Harder Than It Looks

Ever see a full-body workout on paper and think, “Hey, that doesn’t look that hard … ”

Well, famous last words, my friends.

I swear, sometimes when it comes to workouts, the more simple the WOD looks, the more challenging it is. I certainly know that’s the case with this full-body workout I recently did at The Fit Pit. I mean, none of the rep counts are that high. The row is just 200 meters each time you do it, and there are just three rounds of the circuit.

Again, famous last words.

This whole thing took me just over 20 minutes and I was SWEATING. Believe me, the meters on the rower really add up quickly — as do all of those pull-ups, kettlebell swings and burpees!

 

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A Shoulder-Opening Sequence For Cooling Down After Your Toughest Workouts

Todd McCullough (TMAC) is the founder of TMAC FITNESS. TMAC FITNESS’s mission is to assist in creating a culture that is conscious of the body and the world in which we live. Check out his mindbodygreen class, Total Body Workout: How to Strengthen Your Core, Tone Your Arms & Improve Your Flexibility.

Working out hard is important, but cooling down and recovering is equally important. Here, I show you how to do bridge pose and full wheel correctly because you need to take good care of your back and shoulders.

Check out my core cool down routine below.

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