- Boat sit
- Crunch
- Decline Crunch
- Exercise Ball Crunch
- Exercise Ball Crunch with Medicine Ball
- Hip Thrust
- Hip Thrust with Medicine Ball
- Overhead Medicine-Ball Throw
- Plank
- Reverse Crunch
- Side Plank
- Straight-Leg Raise
- Tuck Jump
- V-Twist
- Weighted Single-Leg Plank
- Weighted Plank
- Weighted Plank on BOSU
- Weighted V-Twist
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Few exercises for abdominals
Looking for perfect abs, try these exercises:
Friday, November 13, 2009
Week by week breakdown: Exercising to Lose Weight - 2 of 2
Week 1: Resistance training focus: Circuit
Choose one exercise for each major muscle group. Go through the circuit, doing one set of each exercise and resting as little as possible. When finished, start at the beginning and repeat two more times. Choose weights that bring you to momentary muscle failure within 12 reps. This week, you'll work your entire body on three different days in a total-body workout. Rest between sets for only as long as it takes to set up your next exercises.
Cardio: Do four days of cardio, focusing on long sessions - 40 to 60 minutes - in a lower heart-rate range. Do one day of higher-intensity intervals for a change of pace. On the recreational cardio day, this is your chance to break away from the routine and engage in whatever activity you enjoy most. You can go for a hike, a long walk, even go dancing; the important thing is to have fun and share the experience with someone.
Week 2: Resistance training focus: Heavy
Work on the bodyparts indicated for each day. Choose three exercises for each major muscle group being worked and do four sets of 8 to 10 reps. Left heavy enough to reach muscle failure by the last couple of reps. Always use the first set of an exercise as a warm-up. This week you'll work each bodypart once in a split routine. Rest between sets will vary, depending on the bodypart being trained, but you'll probably need anywhere from 1-2 minutes to allow some some muscle recovery.
Cardio: This week, cardio sessions will remain at four; however, the emphasis is on higher-intensity training - keeping your heart rate up for a relatively short amount of time. Three workouts will be 25-30 minutes long at 80%-85% of your max heart rate, with one long, lower-intensity day thrown in for variety.
Week 3: Resistance training focus: High Reps
Work on the bodyparts indicated for each day. Choose three exercises for each major muscle group being worked and do three sets of 15-20 reps. Choose weights heavy enough to fatigue your muscles within the suggested rep range. This week you'll work each bodypart twice in a split routine. Rest between sets should last 60-90 seconds.
Cardio: Bumped up to five times this week, you'll train for 30-40 minutes at 70%-75% of your max heart rate during four of the sessions. You'll also do one session of higher-intensity intervals for 30 minutes.
Week 4: Resistance training focus: Supersets
This is where you work two muscle groups back to back with no rest. For example, when you train biceps and triceps, you'll do a set of dumbbell curls, then without rest, go straight into an overhead dumbbell extension. Work on the two bodyparts indicated for each day. Choose three exercises for each major group being worked and do three sets. Choose weights heavy though to reach muscle failure in 12 reps. Move quickly between exercises, resting as little as possible. This week, you'll train each bodypart only once. Take no downtime between sets here: Move right from one exercise to the other.
Cardio: Staying at five sessions this week, most cardio sessions will last 25-30 minutes and you'll train at 75%-80% of our max heart rate. Of course, one workout will consist of training at a lower intensity for a longer period.
Week 5: Resistance training focus: Circuit
Follow guidelines for Week 1.
Cardio: Sessions are similar. The only change is an extra day of cardio.
Week 6: Resistance training focus: Heavy
Follow guidelines for Week 2.
Cardio: Sessions are similar. The only change is an extra day of cardio.
Week 7: Resistance training focus: High Reps
Follow guidelines for Week 3. Bodyparts trained together will differ from Week 3.
Cardio: Sessions are similar. The only change is an extra day of cardio.
Week 8: Resistance training focus: Supersets
Follow guidelines for Week 4. Bodyparts trained together will differ from Week 4.
Cardio: Sessions are similar. The only change is an extra day of cardio.
Choose one exercise for each major muscle group. Go through the circuit, doing one set of each exercise and resting as little as possible. When finished, start at the beginning and repeat two more times. Choose weights that bring you to momentary muscle failure within 12 reps. This week, you'll work your entire body on three different days in a total-body workout. Rest between sets for only as long as it takes to set up your next exercises.
Cardio: Do four days of cardio, focusing on long sessions - 40 to 60 minutes - in a lower heart-rate range. Do one day of higher-intensity intervals for a change of pace. On the recreational cardio day, this is your chance to break away from the routine and engage in whatever activity you enjoy most. You can go for a hike, a long walk, even go dancing; the important thing is to have fun and share the experience with someone.
Week 2: Resistance training focus: Heavy
Work on the bodyparts indicated for each day. Choose three exercises for each major muscle group being worked and do four sets of 8 to 10 reps. Left heavy enough to reach muscle failure by the last couple of reps. Always use the first set of an exercise as a warm-up. This week you'll work each bodypart once in a split routine. Rest between sets will vary, depending on the bodypart being trained, but you'll probably need anywhere from 1-2 minutes to allow some some muscle recovery.
Cardio: This week, cardio sessions will remain at four; however, the emphasis is on higher-intensity training - keeping your heart rate up for a relatively short amount of time. Three workouts will be 25-30 minutes long at 80%-85% of your max heart rate, with one long, lower-intensity day thrown in for variety.
Week 3: Resistance training focus: High Reps
Work on the bodyparts indicated for each day. Choose three exercises for each major muscle group being worked and do three sets of 15-20 reps. Choose weights heavy enough to fatigue your muscles within the suggested rep range. This week you'll work each bodypart twice in a split routine. Rest between sets should last 60-90 seconds.
Cardio: Bumped up to five times this week, you'll train for 30-40 minutes at 70%-75% of your max heart rate during four of the sessions. You'll also do one session of higher-intensity intervals for 30 minutes.
Week 4: Resistance training focus: Supersets
This is where you work two muscle groups back to back with no rest. For example, when you train biceps and triceps, you'll do a set of dumbbell curls, then without rest, go straight into an overhead dumbbell extension. Work on the two bodyparts indicated for each day. Choose three exercises for each major group being worked and do three sets. Choose weights heavy though to reach muscle failure in 12 reps. Move quickly between exercises, resting as little as possible. This week, you'll train each bodypart only once. Take no downtime between sets here: Move right from one exercise to the other.
Cardio: Staying at five sessions this week, most cardio sessions will last 25-30 minutes and you'll train at 75%-80% of our max heart rate. Of course, one workout will consist of training at a lower intensity for a longer period.
Week 5: Resistance training focus: Circuit
Follow guidelines for Week 1.
Cardio: Sessions are similar. The only change is an extra day of cardio.
Week 6: Resistance training focus: Heavy
Follow guidelines for Week 2.
Cardio: Sessions are similar. The only change is an extra day of cardio.
Week 7: Resistance training focus: High Reps
Follow guidelines for Week 3. Bodyparts trained together will differ from Week 3.
Cardio: Sessions are similar. The only change is an extra day of cardio.
Week 8: Resistance training focus: Supersets
Follow guidelines for Week 4. Bodyparts trained together will differ from Week 4.
Cardio: Sessions are similar. The only change is an extra day of cardio.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
8 week to lose weight: Exercising to Lose Weight - 1 of 2
Hey you, the girl with the nice body and serious dedication to fitness. Yes, you! You work out all the time, you've been exercising for years, and even though you've noticed some great changes in your physique, you still want more, don't you? If it's true that the better shape you get in, the higher the bar rises for the shape you want to be in, then this is the workout for you.
Fast paced and progressively challenging, this eight week program focuses on increasing muscle tone and definition with an emphasis on wasting fat from your body. It's hardcore, serious and time-consuming. If you follow it - for the results it was intended to produce - be prepared to push your body beyond its comfort zone, further than you've ever taken it before. Be prepared to come out on the other side of eight weeks with a body that sets the standard rather than one that follows.
Eight the hard way
No doubt, this program will have you working hard, fast and often. It has to if it's going to be effective. Nothing good comes easy, but if you do it right, it may come a little quicker, and that's the premise of this workout. Eight weeks is a reasonable amount of time to commit to a serious exercise program without risking burnout, overload or boredom. It's time enough to see and feel your body transform, to reach new heights and realize more of your potential.
If you're looking for a way to lose 20 pounds or to build a fitness-competitor physique, we have to tell you, it's going to take longer than a mere eight weeks. It isn't going to happen in a couple of months, with this program or any other. But what you can expect is to have a stronger, leaner, shapelier body and to feel great about making the time and effort to achieve it.
Each week focuses on a different style of training, which helps to keep your body from becoming accustomed to a particular workout or set of exercises. You'll do circuit, heavy, high-rep and supersets training, repeating the cycle - with few changes - the last four weeks. The cardio portion of the program is progressive, geared to increase in not only frequency, but duration and intensity, as well. This is to kick your body into fat-burning mode, especially in the last few weeks when your metabolism is already burning hotter.
When doing the cardio intervals, follow the suggestions for the work-recovery ratios. For example, on a day where you do 30 minutes at 1:1, this means you warm up for five minutes, bump up the intensity for one minute (work), then bring it back down for one minute (recovery). During the work portion of the session, raise your heart rate to 80% - 85% - or higher, depending on your level of fitness - then drop it back down to 60% - 65% during the recovery phase. You can also extend the work-to-rest periods, as long as they're kept even. So if you'd rather, you can work at a high intensity for two minutes and then recover for two minutes. Or bring those numbers down if you prefer.
The fine print
Don't neglect flexibility training. To help keep muscles supple, reduce the risk of injury and help maintain joint health, warm up for 5-10 minutes with a low-impact activity and then begin your stretch session. Two days of flexibility training are automatically built in. If you'd like to devote more time than that allotted to this part of your training, by all means, go right ahead.
You'll also notice three days during the eight weeks designated as rest days, where you have the day off completely. Don't train on these days - at all. Instead, take the time off to reflect on your level of dedication thus far and appreciate the downtime. Probably your most highly anticipated day will be the dietary cheat days, of which there are three. On these days, you have license to eat whatever you want, within reason. Bon appetit!
When doing resistance and cardio training on the same day, lift first. Hit the weights when your muscles are fresh to reduce the risk of injury. Follow the 90-minute rule: Keep your workouts under 90 minutes in length. As long as you spend your time wisely, you should be able to accomplish all the goals for each day within the time frame. And of course, we can't say it enough: Make sure that you take the time to stretch your muscles to reduce injury and soreness.
Fast paced and progressively challenging, this eight week program focuses on increasing muscle tone and definition with an emphasis on wasting fat from your body. It's hardcore, serious and time-consuming. If you follow it - for the results it was intended to produce - be prepared to push your body beyond its comfort zone, further than you've ever taken it before. Be prepared to come out on the other side of eight weeks with a body that sets the standard rather than one that follows.
Eight the hard way
No doubt, this program will have you working hard, fast and often. It has to if it's going to be effective. Nothing good comes easy, but if you do it right, it may come a little quicker, and that's the premise of this workout. Eight weeks is a reasonable amount of time to commit to a serious exercise program without risking burnout, overload or boredom. It's time enough to see and feel your body transform, to reach new heights and realize more of your potential.
If you're looking for a way to lose 20 pounds or to build a fitness-competitor physique, we have to tell you, it's going to take longer than a mere eight weeks. It isn't going to happen in a couple of months, with this program or any other. But what you can expect is to have a stronger, leaner, shapelier body and to feel great about making the time and effort to achieve it.
Each week focuses on a different style of training, which helps to keep your body from becoming accustomed to a particular workout or set of exercises. You'll do circuit, heavy, high-rep and supersets training, repeating the cycle - with few changes - the last four weeks. The cardio portion of the program is progressive, geared to increase in not only frequency, but duration and intensity, as well. This is to kick your body into fat-burning mode, especially in the last few weeks when your metabolism is already burning hotter.
When doing the cardio intervals, follow the suggestions for the work-recovery ratios. For example, on a day where you do 30 minutes at 1:1, this means you warm up for five minutes, bump up the intensity for one minute (work), then bring it back down for one minute (recovery). During the work portion of the session, raise your heart rate to 80% - 85% - or higher, depending on your level of fitness - then drop it back down to 60% - 65% during the recovery phase. You can also extend the work-to-rest periods, as long as they're kept even. So if you'd rather, you can work at a high intensity for two minutes and then recover for two minutes. Or bring those numbers down if you prefer.
The fine print
Don't neglect flexibility training. To help keep muscles supple, reduce the risk of injury and help maintain joint health, warm up for 5-10 minutes with a low-impact activity and then begin your stretch session. Two days of flexibility training are automatically built in. If you'd like to devote more time than that allotted to this part of your training, by all means, go right ahead.
You'll also notice three days during the eight weeks designated as rest days, where you have the day off completely. Don't train on these days - at all. Instead, take the time off to reflect on your level of dedication thus far and appreciate the downtime. Probably your most highly anticipated day will be the dietary cheat days, of which there are three. On these days, you have license to eat whatever you want, within reason. Bon appetit!
When doing resistance and cardio training on the same day, lift first. Hit the weights when your muscles are fresh to reduce the risk of injury. Follow the 90-minute rule: Keep your workouts under 90 minutes in length. As long as you spend your time wisely, you should be able to accomplish all the goals for each day within the time frame. And of course, we can't say it enough: Make sure that you take the time to stretch your muscles to reduce injury and soreness.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Flexibility training
An often-overlooked part of fitness, flexibility can enhance your workouts, your results and your life. On the designed days, dedicate 15-20 minutes to stretching all the muscle groups you train throughout the week. Below are some basic guidelines to follow, but you'll benefit much more by reading up on stretching and learning more than what we include here. For the following muscle groups, you can use the accompanied moves as mentioned here:
- Back
Upper back pull - Chest
Doorway chest stretch - Quads/Hip flexors
Standing quad pull - Glutes
Glute stretch - Hamstrings
Seated hamstring stretch - Biceps
Biceps pull - Triceps
Overhead triceps pull - Delts
Lateral pull - Low back
Trunk twist
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Cardio suggestions
The following activities are just a few of the many choices available to you when it comes to fulfilling your cardio requirements each week. Since the focus of these exercises if fat-burning - and the cardio workouts are progressive - you may need to get creative to avoid tedium. A word to the wise: Don't do the same thing more than twice a week. Keep your body guessing and keep moving toward that goal by varying your cardio activities:
- Machines
Stair-stepper
Treadmill
Stationary bike
Elliptical trainer - Fitness Classes
Studio cycling
Step
Kickboxing
Low impact - Fun Stuff
Swimming laps
In-line skating
Hiking
Walking
Dancing
Outdoor cycling
Running
Exercising to Lose Weight
Want to know about exercies to lose weight or burn 20 pound fat? Here they are:
- Back
Pull-Down
Seated Cable Row
Bent-Over Barbell Row
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
T-Bar Row
Machine Row - Chest
Flat Bench Press
Push-Up
Dumbbell Flye
Incline Dumbbell Press
Pec-Deck Flye
Seated Machine Press - Quads/Glutes
Squat
Stationary Lunge
Walking Lunge
Step-Up
Leg Press
Leg Extension - Hamstrings
Deadlift
Romanian Deadlift
Lying Leg Curl
Flat-Bench Dumbbell Leg Curl
Standing One-Leg Curl
Seated Machine Hamstring Curl - Abs
Crunch
Hip Thrust
Oblique Crunch
Cable Crunch
Swiss Ball Crunch with Feet on Wall
Vertical Bench Leg Raise - Biceps
EZ-Bar Preacher Curl
Standing Barbell Curl
Cable Hammer Curl (with Rope)
Supinating Dumbbell Curl
Incline Dumbbell Curl
Machine Preacher Curl - Triceps
Dumbbell Kickback
Pressdown
Overhead Cable Extension
Lying Triceps Extension
Overhead Dumbbell Extension
Close-Grip Bench Press
Machine Dip - Delts
Military Press
Arnold Press
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Bent-Over Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Machine Raise
Machine Press
Front Barbell Raise
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Exercises for fabulous Abdominals
Getting started: Get your heart rate up and melt the flab that's covering your abs with this routine. Perform the exercises one right after the other, moving quickly from one to the next. This continuous movement will keep your body warm and working hard.Exercise Ball Crunch
Lie back on an exercise ball so your torso is parallel to the floor, feet hip-width apart and knees bent 90 degrees. Press your lower back into the ball and place your hands lightly behind your head. Lift your shoulders while keeping your hips stationary. Squeeze your abs briefly at the top, then slowly return to the start position and repeat without bouncing or pausing. Be sure you crunch by flexing your spine, not your hips.
Exercise Ball Oblique Crunch
Lie back on an exercise ball, torso parallel to the floor, hands lightly behind your head. Lift your shoulders by contracting your abs, then twist your torso to aim your left shoulder toward your right knee. Hold briefly, return to the neutral crunched position, then slowly return to the start position. Alternate reps to each side.
Cable Crunch
Attach either a close-grip handle or a rope to a high-pulley cable. Facing the weight stac, step back 2-3 feet and kneel down, taking a firm grip with both hands in front of you and leaning forward slightly. Keep your lower body stationary as you contract your abs and aim your elbows toward your knees to curl your torso toward the floor. Squeeze your abs briefly, then slowly return to the start position.
Kick Out
Lie faceup on the floor with your knees and hips bent 90 degrees. Place your hands down by your sides and extend your legs straight out at about a 45 degree angle. Hold this position for a count, then slowly return to the start. Repeat for reps without letting your feet touch the floor.
Tip: Exercise balls come in a variety of sizes, but as a general rule of thumb, when you sit on a ball, your knees should be even with or slightly below your hips.
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