I was just on the Men's Fitness site and came across a bunch of UFC exercise videos.
There are two videos below, but click here to view all of them.
These are great athletic exercises for you to incorporate in to your workouts.
Although some of them are quite advanced, you can still do them by modifying each to fit your fitness level. For example, do not use any extra weight and perform the exercises with just your bodyweight.
Wednesday
Saturday
Is sugar your downfall?
Have you ever tracked how much sugar you consume daily?
Often, people who come to me to lose weight have no idea how much of their caloric intake comes from sugar.
Apart from obvious ones like cookies, cake, soda pop, and ice cream, other culprits are:
- breakfast cereals
- bagels
- juices
- granola bars
- chocolate milk
- yogurt
- pasta
- alcohol
In order to lose weight it is vital to monitor where your sugar is coming from.
Is it from natural sources like fruit or vegetables?
Or, is it coming from highly processed food sources? If it is in a package, then you should probably not be eating it.
Below are three articles that look at sugar and how it can sabotage your weight loss goals.
Do you have a sugar addiction?
Is sugar addictive?
Glycemic index diet: Losing weight with blood sugar control
Often, people who come to me to lose weight have no idea how much of their caloric intake comes from sugar.
Apart from obvious ones like cookies, cake, soda pop, and ice cream, other culprits are:
- breakfast cereals
- bagels
- juices
- granola bars
- chocolate milk
- yogurt
- pasta
- alcohol
In order to lose weight it is vital to monitor where your sugar is coming from.
Is it from natural sources like fruit or vegetables?
Or, is it coming from highly processed food sources? If it is in a package, then you should probably not be eating it.
Below are three articles that look at sugar and how it can sabotage your weight loss goals.
Do you have a sugar addiction?
Is sugar addictive?
Glycemic index diet: Losing weight with blood sugar control
Fat Loss for Dummies - article link
Came across this article on EliteFTS that goes over keys to dropping weight.
Nothing new here, but still worth a quick read.
The main points to take away:
1) Routinely change your program (every 4-5 weeks)
2) Work out with intensity
Read: http://www.elitefts.com/documents/fatloss_dummies.htm
Nothing new here, but still worth a quick read.
The main points to take away:
1) Routinely change your program (every 4-5 weeks)
2) Work out with intensity
Read: http://www.elitefts.com/documents/fatloss_dummies.htm
Wednesday
Are your workouts a waste of time?
Do your workouts look something like this?
Monday - Chest
Tuesday - Back
Wednesday - Shoulders
Thursday - Arms
Friday - Legs
If yes, then you are really wasting your workout time.
The above template which a lot of people (especially males) follow is a bodybuilder routine. Yet, even if you are looking to increase muscle mass, this is not the routine to follow.
I blame the prevalence of this workout template to all of those ridiculous bodybuilder magazines you see on the news stand. Flex, Muscle and Fitness, Meathead monthly...there are lots of them out there. Don't read them. They are a wealth of useless training knowledge.
These body part workouts are supposedly what all of those pharmaceutically enhanced bodybuilders follow do to get big and strong.
If you are in to body building then go for it.
But this blog is all about getting the most bang for you buck when it comes to exercising. For me, body building workouts are just a bad idea.
If you only have 30 minutes a day to exercise, then you need to approach your workouts completely differently.
If you want to lose weight, then you need to approach your workouts completely differently.
If you just want to feel fit, then you need to approach your workouts completely differently.
Monday - Chest
Tuesday - Back
Wednesday - Shoulders
Thursday - Arms
Friday - Legs
If yes, then you are really wasting your workout time.
The above template which a lot of people (especially males) follow is a bodybuilder routine. Yet, even if you are looking to increase muscle mass, this is not the routine to follow.
I blame the prevalence of this workout template to all of those ridiculous bodybuilder magazines you see on the news stand. Flex, Muscle and Fitness, Meathead monthly...there are lots of them out there. Don't read them. They are a wealth of useless training knowledge.
These body part workouts are supposedly what all of those pharmaceutically enhanced bodybuilders follow do to get big and strong.
If you are in to body building then go for it.
But this blog is all about getting the most bang for you buck when it comes to exercising. For me, body building workouts are just a bad idea.
If you only have 30 minutes a day to exercise, then you need to approach your workouts completely differently.
If you want to lose weight, then you need to approach your workouts completely differently.
If you just want to feel fit, then you need to approach your workouts completely differently.
Monday
Thursday
Weight Training Can Accelerate Weight Loss : Men's Health
I know. This is old news.
To lose body fat you need to lift weights and do intervals.
But I still see people slogging away on ellipticals and treadmills, thinking that slow and steady is the way to go if you want to lose body fat.
Here is more proof.
Weight Training Can Accelerate Weight Loss : Men's Health
To lose body fat you need to lift weights and do intervals.
But I still see people slogging away on ellipticals and treadmills, thinking that slow and steady is the way to go if you want to lose body fat.
Here is more proof.
Weight Training Can Accelerate Weight Loss : Men's Health
Sunday
Beep test download
Saturday
Athlete365 top 10 of 2009
Since 2010 is fast approaching, I thought I would list 10 things that stood out for me over the past year.
They came from seminars, books, conversations, and me just training and observing.
1. Static stretching is still good to do: Even though it is a huge no-no before a workout, I am still a huge proponent of static stretching.
2. Read In Defense of Food: Packaged and processed food is the devil. Avoid it as much as you can.
3. Incorporate shoulder mobility exercises in to your workouts: Five minutes is all it takes.
4. We are all imbalanced: There is no one out there who is completely muscularly balanced. We all have weak links. Just work to correct them as much as you can.
5. Kickboxing does wonders for tight hips: I did Muay Thai this year and was amazed at how much better my hips felt.
6. Train barefoot: It may be impossible to do in some settings, but try to do activities with no shoes.
7. Look at the entire body when addressing limited range of motion in one particular area: After attending a seminar on Muscle Activation Techniques, I realized my limited shoulder mobility was a result of my tight hips.
8. We eat too much sugar in North America: Track how much sugar you consume in a week. It's scary.
9. Punching is great conditioning: Shadow boxing, hitting pads with a partner, or doing rounds on a heavy bag. It is an amazing way to make your workouts more fun and effective.
10. Use a Travel Roller: Self-myofascial release is a must for all exercise programs. The Travel Roller is awesome. It is small enough to fit in a gym bag and it doesn't get soft over time like a foam roller.
They came from seminars, books, conversations, and me just training and observing.
1. Static stretching is still good to do: Even though it is a huge no-no before a workout, I am still a huge proponent of static stretching.
2. Read In Defense of Food: Packaged and processed food is the devil. Avoid it as much as you can.
3. Incorporate shoulder mobility exercises in to your workouts: Five minutes is all it takes.
4. We are all imbalanced: There is no one out there who is completely muscularly balanced. We all have weak links. Just work to correct them as much as you can.
5. Kickboxing does wonders for tight hips: I did Muay Thai this year and was amazed at how much better my hips felt.
6. Train barefoot: It may be impossible to do in some settings, but try to do activities with no shoes.
7. Look at the entire body when addressing limited range of motion in one particular area: After attending a seminar on Muscle Activation Techniques, I realized my limited shoulder mobility was a result of my tight hips.
8. We eat too much sugar in North America: Track how much sugar you consume in a week. It's scary.
9. Punching is great conditioning: Shadow boxing, hitting pads with a partner, or doing rounds on a heavy bag. It is an amazing way to make your workouts more fun and effective.
10. Use a Travel Roller: Self-myofascial release is a must for all exercise programs. The Travel Roller is awesome. It is small enough to fit in a gym bag and it doesn't get soft over time like a foam roller.
Thursday
Forearm Forklift - low cost lifting straps
Don't want to buy a TRX for $150 in order to do body rows?
I discovered the Forearm Forklift for $20 at Home Depot.
It may not give you all of the options of the TRX, but they are great for body rows, push-ups, and single leg squats.
There are probably a bunch of other exercises you can use them for, but I haven't discovered them yet.
Friday
Body row with straps
I just found this video that I did this past summer that goes over how to perform a body row with straps.
If you like to do your workouts outdoors then the body row is great. All you need is some sort of rope or strap. If you want to get fancy you can buy a TRX.
If you are unable to do chin-ups/pull-ups then the body row is what you want to do, as it allows you to control the difficulty by the angle which you do the exercise.
If you like to do your workouts outdoors then the body row is great. All you need is some sort of rope or strap. If you want to get fancy you can buy a TRX.
If you are unable to do chin-ups/pull-ups then the body row is what you want to do, as it allows you to control the difficulty by the angle which you do the exercise.
Thursday
Improve mobility and reduce pain in 10 minutes per day
Here is a short video that looks at the benefits of the foam roller, stick, and travel roller.
Implementing myofascial release for 10 minutes per day will help improve your mobility and reduce pain.
These tools are so simple and they will give you amazing results.
Implementing myofascial release for 10 minutes per day will help improve your mobility and reduce pain.
These tools are so simple and they will give you amazing results.
Tuesday
Spider push-ups
Here is a push-up variation I was recently introduced to by another trainer.
The Spider (or Spiderman) is a more advanced push-up that also really works your abs and hips.
To make the exercise more challenging, do not let the foot touch the floor as you bring it to and from your elbow.
The Spider (or Spiderman) is a more advanced push-up that also really works your abs and hips.
To make the exercise more challenging, do not let the foot touch the floor as you bring it to and from your elbow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)