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Archive for January, 2010
Once again, I find it compelling to remind you, that proper form, proper lifting techniques is imperative!!There are alot of newbies in the gym these days who, admirably, are diligent with their workouts. However, I see horrible form and I cringe. Do I mention to them, that they doing the lift improperly? Do I mention to them about their knees NOT going over their toes when they squat and lunge? This is a little bit of a dilemma for me. I tend to keep my mouth shut and mind my own business.
I do, and am very much a stickler in class, if I see bad form. I don’t want anyone to get injured from an exercise. Plus, I want members to get the results they seek. So if there is incorrect lifting techniques it will be a long time if at all you will see results and you are at risk for injuries! If you are unsure about proper lifting techniques, ask a trainer at the gym!
Fat Burning Workouts
Back in the day, there was “The Slide” or “The Glide”. A big plastic sheet you placed on the floor and you put cloth booties on over your sneakers and would slide side to side. It was a cool workout for a while, but VERY limited. People got bored and it fell to the wayside. So someone has updated the concept, and made little individual nylon type circular pads called gliders. Talk about fat burning workouts!!!
You can put these gliders under your feet and slide side to side, and add some squats! You can lunge forward and backward with the gliders under your feet. Another way to use the gliders is putting them under your hands. Do a push up and slide one arm out to the side, or slide the arm forward, alternating each arm.
There are so many fat burning workouts that can be done using the gliders with all the variations. Plus, another benefit besides fat burning, is toning different muscles in different ways! An alternative to the gliders, is using 2 paper plates!
Exercises For a Flat Stomach
Now is the time to start working on those abs for a nice flat stomach for Spring Break and beyond. I just want to remind you that a Pilates Mat class is most excellent for abdominal work. Also remember, any abdominal work has to be balanced with lower back exercises so there is not an imbalance of the abs being stronger than the back.
A really great exercise from Pilates is the Ab Roll Up. Lay with your back on the mat with
legs fully extended and arms extended above your head on the floor. As you inhale, tuck your chin into your chest, lift the head neck and shoulders off the floor. Exhale, pulling the abs in tight and gently roll forward where your arms reach for your toes. Inhale and sit up tall, and as you begin to exhale, pull the abs tight and slowly roll back down one vertebrae at a time so your shoulders, neck, head and arms are back down on the floor. If you have a hard time rolling up, bend your knees and grab behind the thighs to gently assist you with the roll up.
Do this about 6-8 times. Keep the abdominals engaged the entire time. Tomorrow we will talk about the Teaser. You need to learn thisexercise first before we add on difficulty. Keep it here for more exercises for a flat stomach!!
We have blogged about kettlebells early on. How fabulous the kettlebell workout can be. It truly is a whole body workout. If you are limited on time, you can get your heart rate up and still tone and condition your muscles. Another great thing about kettlebells, is that no matter what exercise you perform, you must keep your core engaged.
By using the kettlebells, you can burn stomach fat, because the heart rate is elevated for
cardio and the stomach is tight! One of the the abdominal specific exercises is the Windmill. Legs are apart with one foot pointed about 45 degrees out and back foot is facing forward. You can use 2 kettlebells by holding one in each hand. Keep the front leg straight, as you extend the opposite arm straight up in the air. Now bend toward the side of the forward leg as your hand reaches for your toes, while other arm is extended straight up. It is very similar to a Triangle pose in yoga. Both hands can hold a kettlebell or just the lifted arm. Switch and repeat on the other side.
Renegade Rows, are a tough exercise, which will surely get the heart rate going. Start out in a push up position, except each hand is holding a kettlebell. Lift one arm toward your body, like a bent over row, keeping that core strong and don’t twist the body. Put the arm down and alternate with the other arm. Keep alternating till fatigue. Wow!!
I do hope you can incorporate some kettlebell exercises into your routine, for a whole body workout and to burn stomach fat.
We have talked about using multiple pieces of apparatus at the same to engage multiple body parts. For instance, doing a lunge with a bicep curl. We all know you can burn more fat varying the heart rate, with interval training or with circuits. I’m going to add a couple of new exercises you can incorporate in your fat burning workouts.
Let’s start with an explosive exercise called lunge jumps. Lunge forward, push
up and jump while switching lead leg. Keep alternating your lead legs. This will surely get your heart rate going.
Another exercise utilizes the BOSU. Squat on the BOSU with a medicine ball 
held in front, as you jump up, push the medicine ball up over head. Land back on the BOSU in a squat. Repeat, jump up and push medicine ball over head. Be sure to land soft on the BOSU in a squat position. Talk about fat burning and heart pumping.
Keep these kinds of multiple exercises in between your toning or balance segments. Just keep moving from exercise to exercise. You can plan ahead, what you want to do. Get the equipment at “your station” and move. Fabulous fat burning workouts can be very creative!
Yesterday I was telling you about this great training I went to on Saturday called AthleKinetix. Today, I was going to talk about some exercises with various pieces of equipment. The training was all about, not stopping in between exercises and flow from cardio to toning, balance etc. It was about doing multiple things usually with equipment utilizing as many pieces as possible. Today, I am going to specifically talk about abdominal exercises.
Let’s use the Bender Ball first. Place the smaller ball behind the low back. Lay back on the
ball and perform a basic crunch. It requires more abdominal work because you are on an unstable surface a bit more challenging than using the big stability ball not to mention a greater range of motion.
Another exercise would be the Pilates 100s. Place the ball between your legs and squeeze, while simultaneously lifting head neck and shoulders off the mat. Legs are bent at either 90
degrees (easier), as shown or fully extended straight legs to about 45 degrees. Arms and hands are by your side pumping, inhaling quickly for 5 breaths and exhaling for 5 breaths. Working abs and inner thighs by squeezing the ball.
This abdominal exercise is fabulous! It includes a body bar. You could use dumbbells. Lay supine holding body bar, shoulder width apart. Perform a tricep extension, while performing bicycle legs. What a challenge!
These multiple body part exercises are for more advanced fitness levels. Tomorrow we will talk about cardio intervals to throw in between the toning, balance, etc. I’d love to know your thoughts on these abdominal exercises.
Yesterday I went to this fabulous training called AthleKinetix! It was all about doing multiple exercises, with multiple pieces of equipment, at the same time for one complete hour. There were no breaks between movements. We were up and we were down, we balanced, there was yoga and pilates. It was a plethora of fitness! This training kicked butt!
This was similar to a bootcamp, but had much more balance and yoga. It wasn’t the” on the floor yoga” but more standing poses, from Warrior I, II, III into Triangle and Half Moon. Then we would go into plyometrics to get the heart rate up again. You will definitely burn fat, tone up, stretch out, increase balance and muscle endurance with this class. Tomorrow, I’ll go over some challenging moves.
I was reading an article the other day which triggered my thoughts for a, “Your Body Weight Only,” workout using a push up workout. Children aren’t supposed to lift weights at an early age. So experts recommend using their body weight as the resistance for their workout. I thought, what a great idea for a workout for me!
So I thought of all the exercises I could do with just my body weight. I first thought about the pull ups. ooooh eee was I weak with that one. Triceps dips was another exercise you
can do with just your body weight. My push up workout consisted of planks, triceps push ups and this really cool exercise I’ll describe. You start out with a plank on your hands, then lower down to one elbow at a time. Push yourself back up to your palms and repeat, starting with opposite arm first. Great exercise!! There are squats, lunges, calf raises and incline sit ups. If you can think of any others, go for it!
A big benefit to workouts with just your body weight, is that for each exercise it shows where you are your weakest. Therefore, you can focus on those areas to strengthen. Try out this workout, rotate one in your routine once every 6-8 weeks.
When it comes to a weight loss diet we can all use a little extra help to see the pounds drop a bit faster. Let me give you a tip to keep in mind when it comes to weight loss and exercise. We all know that sugar and carbohydrates turn into glucose, which then turns into glycogen. When your body needs energy, it uses the stored glycogen. Any extra glycogen not utilized by the body turns into fat.
With that said, lets turn to our workouts. The days that you are strength training (lifting weights) you can eat carbohydrates. As opposed to the days when you are doing cardio only, limit your carbohydrate intake. Here’s why, the body stores glycogen and uses it when you need energy. When that glycogen is depleted, your body uses the stored fat for energy. By limiting the carbohydrate intake, you limit the glycogen, so the body can then utilize the stored fat and you become a fat burning machine! Do cardio workouts for at least 20-30 minutes most days. Really, the longer the better, and more burning fat.
This is another avenue to consider with your weight loss diet. You need protein for muscle building and strength. Don’t overload with protein or fat. Watch your carb intake and with cardio exercises you will be on your way to successful weight loss!