How to speed up the rate you burn calories and make it easier to reduce body fat!
Most women who want to get in shape will normally stay clear from doing any resistance type exercises involving weights because they believe training with weights will turn them into muscle freaks. I hear this exercise myth all the time from women; it’s probably the most common myth out of all the misunderstandings about training with weights to improve appearances in females. Many women think if they touch a weight they will end up with arms looking of sinew and bulging veins. Images of the pop singer Madonna everywhere don’t help to reassure women’s confidence to train with weights for a better body. The misconceptions women have of training with weights have driven them to cardiovascular type exercises and away from the many benefits training with weights can have. Instead they prefer activities like running, biking or any piece of CV equipment that takes their liking in the hope it will transform the way they look.
There are some things to consider before running away from dumbbells and barbells and why they won’t turn you into the next Miss Universe.
#1 – Big muscles or a ripped physique don’t happen overnight. It isn’t a case of going to the gym and lifting a few weights and waking up the next day with irreversible big muscles that you are stuck with for life.
#2 – Someone with a body that has bulging muscles and looks toned and distinguished has attained it with years and years of hard training and strict nutritional control or with performance drugs or both.
#3 – Women have less muscle building hormones then men and it is rare for a woman to develop big muscles even with a strict bodybuilding-training regime and strict diet.
#4 – I always reassure a women’s misconception of training with weights by telling them that if they were able to easily build big muscles they would just as easily be able to decrease the size of the muscles by resorting back to doing nothing.
The advantage of resistance training over traditional cardio training is significant. Done properly, resistance training will create a cardiovascular response; killing two birds with one stone and saving heaps of time. One of the numerous benefits includes the functional benefit, which has a carry over effect to daily living, and most sports. But more importantly for most women is that it will shape the body making it more aesthetically pleasing at the same time as toning muscle tissue. As soon the muscles begin to work frequently under resistance it speeds up the rate you burn calories and it makes it easier to reduce body fat levels.
How to speed up the rate you burn calories and make it easier to reduce body fat!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Best Diet at Breakfast Time – 10 Recipes for Fat Loss
Recipes for a simple and quick breakfast!
Eating breakfast is very important for fat loss goals because it helps break the fast and kick-starts the metabolism. Maintaining a healthy metabolism so it keeps running smoothly is essential for burning calories. Here is a rundown of my favourite recipes for a simple and quick breakfast. They contain friendly ingredients that work with your body and not against it. Note the absence of processed foods and sugar.
1. Smoothie- natural yoghurt with a scoop of vanilla whey protein powder, add hand full of any berries and a tablespoon of flaxseed oil or hand full of almonds. Blend with a little water.
2. Egg omelet served with raw spinach.
3. Cottage cheese served with blueberries.
4. Smoked salmon served with watercress, tomato and sliced cucumber.
5. Gluten free pancakes with ghee butter on top, served with blueberries and double cream.
6. Boiled eggs served with lightly steamed asparagus wrapped in ham.
7. Scrambled eggs served on wheat free toast.
8. Crab meat and shrimp mixed with sour cream and wrapped in an egg omelet. Serve with wheat free toast.
9. Duck liver pate served with wheat free toast and watercress.
10. Cold cuts of meat served with salad.
I used to be sick of the same boring breakfasts for years because I thought it was healthy for me. I didn’t know any better because the foods I was eating were all classed as health foods. I fell into the trap of eating grains, and then more grains until I was eating a massive bowl of porridge oats every morning just so I wouldn’t feel hungry soon after my breakfast.
I researched nutrition quite intensively and discovered that each individual burns calories at different speeds and our ability to digest different foods differs from person to person. That means you could eat the same diet as your twin and one of you could be overweight and feel rubbish whilst the other looks and feels a picture of health.
Most grains are difficult to digest for most of the population and consequences to this start an uphill battle for weight control. Imagine putting something in your body everyday that your digestive system is unable to digest properly. What do you think happens when you do this? What normally follows are stomach distension, wind, gas and an inability to digest other nutrients and a battle of the bulge.
Take my advice and try eating a breakfast away from the traditional commercial variety to see if it makes a difference to your waistline.
Recipes for a simple and quick breakfast!
Eating breakfast is very important for fat loss goals because it helps break the fast and kick-starts the metabolism. Maintaining a healthy metabolism so it keeps running smoothly is essential for burning calories. Here is a rundown of my favourite recipes for a simple and quick breakfast. They contain friendly ingredients that work with your body and not against it. Note the absence of processed foods and sugar.
1. Smoothie- natural yoghurt with a scoop of vanilla whey protein powder, add hand full of any berries and a tablespoon of flaxseed oil or hand full of almonds. Blend with a little water.
2. Egg omelet served with raw spinach.
3. Cottage cheese served with blueberries.
4. Smoked salmon served with watercress, tomato and sliced cucumber.
5. Gluten free pancakes with ghee butter on top, served with blueberries and double cream.
6. Boiled eggs served with lightly steamed asparagus wrapped in ham.
7. Scrambled eggs served on wheat free toast.
8. Crab meat and shrimp mixed with sour cream and wrapped in an egg omelet. Serve with wheat free toast.
9. Duck liver pate served with wheat free toast and watercress.
10. Cold cuts of meat served with salad.
I used to be sick of the same boring breakfasts for years because I thought it was healthy for me. I didn’t know any better because the foods I was eating were all classed as health foods. I fell into the trap of eating grains, and then more grains until I was eating a massive bowl of porridge oats every morning just so I wouldn’t feel hungry soon after my breakfast.
I researched nutrition quite intensively and discovered that each individual burns calories at different speeds and our ability to digest different foods differs from person to person. That means you could eat the same diet as your twin and one of you could be overweight and feel rubbish whilst the other looks and feels a picture of health.
Most grains are difficult to digest for most of the population and consequences to this start an uphill battle for weight control. Imagine putting something in your body everyday that your digestive system is unable to digest properly. What do you think happens when you do this? What normally follows are stomach distension, wind, gas and an inability to digest other nutrients and a battle of the bulge.
Take my advice and try eating a breakfast away from the traditional commercial variety to see if it makes a difference to your waistline.
Recipes for a simple and quick breakfast!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
It’s The Type of Calories That Make People Fat
To reduce fat and lose weight permanently it is important to start looking at the type of calories you consume!
There are many reasons why low calorie diets will never work for long-term results but very few people ever get to know about them. A low calorie diet is probably the first thing that pops into the head of someone wanting to lose weight or tone up the abdominal area. For many people it can be frustrating to think how a low calorie diet could fail to lose weight and reduce fat. This is only because they haven’t had the opportunity to learn about the inner workings of the human body and how different foods can influence the ability to lose fat.
Every time we eat something it has an effect on our metabolism, metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories. The quicker your metabolism runs the more calories you burn. Eating regular meals increases metabolism and so does exercise. Some exercises are more beneficial than others for burning calories during and after the workout.
Skipping meals and restricting calories disrupts the metabolism and slows down the rate your body burns calories. This kind of lifestyle is destructive to fat loss goals and psychologically damages your relationship with food at all sorts of levels. It is essential to get a good balance of nutrients and let go of any fear you may have about eating certain foods because they are high in calories.
It is not just calories that make people fat it is the type of calories that matter. Counting calories won’t make any difference if your diet is made up of mostly processed foods, sugar, alcohol, caffeine and grains.
Your body is nature’s most ingenious design that has developed and adjusted itself for the sake of surviving through evolution. That is why when you begin to restrict calories it automatically assumes there is a famine coming and stores what little food you do eat into the fat cells. In other words the good news is if it didn’t do this we wouldn’t have survived for so long as a species but the bad news is it is at the expense of more and bigger fat cells. Following a diet with restricted calories will make it very difficult if not impossible to lose fat from problem areas on your body.
Every time you imitate a famine you make it harder in the future to restore your normal metabolic rate. You are also more likely to develop sweet cravings because of the poor blood sugar management caused by the infrequent eating. You can quickly see how one thing leads to another and a viscous circle of yoyo dieting is inevitable. Every time you put your body through this ride you end up with more fat storing hormones.
To reduce fat and lose weight permanently it is important to start looking at the type of calories you consume. Gone are the days of starving yourself in the hope of a quick fix solution. Everyone needs a good selection of essential fatty acids, organic vegetables, free-range meats and proteins in their diets. You need to move towards the opposite side of malnourishment and eat frequently to be on a fat loss winner. Never allow yourself to go hungry in between meals; eating a well balanced diet doesn’t qualify you to eat low calories. Doing that wouldn’t keep the metabolism running optimally to see fat loss.
To reduce fat and lose weight permanently it is important to start looking at the type of calories you consume!
There are many reasons why low calorie diets will never work for long-term results but very few people ever get to know about them. A low calorie diet is probably the first thing that pops into the head of someone wanting to lose weight or tone up the abdominal area. For many people it can be frustrating to think how a low calorie diet could fail to lose weight and reduce fat. This is only because they haven’t had the opportunity to learn about the inner workings of the human body and how different foods can influence the ability to lose fat.
Every time we eat something it has an effect on our metabolism, metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories. The quicker your metabolism runs the more calories you burn. Eating regular meals increases metabolism and so does exercise. Some exercises are more beneficial than others for burning calories during and after the workout.
Skipping meals and restricting calories disrupts the metabolism and slows down the rate your body burns calories. This kind of lifestyle is destructive to fat loss goals and psychologically damages your relationship with food at all sorts of levels. It is essential to get a good balance of nutrients and let go of any fear you may have about eating certain foods because they are high in calories.
It is not just calories that make people fat it is the type of calories that matter. Counting calories won’t make any difference if your diet is made up of mostly processed foods, sugar, alcohol, caffeine and grains.
Your body is nature’s most ingenious design that has developed and adjusted itself for the sake of surviving through evolution. That is why when you begin to restrict calories it automatically assumes there is a famine coming and stores what little food you do eat into the fat cells. In other words the good news is if it didn’t do this we wouldn’t have survived for so long as a species but the bad news is it is at the expense of more and bigger fat cells. Following a diet with restricted calories will make it very difficult if not impossible to lose fat from problem areas on your body.
Every time you imitate a famine you make it harder in the future to restore your normal metabolic rate. You are also more likely to develop sweet cravings because of the poor blood sugar management caused by the infrequent eating. You can quickly see how one thing leads to another and a viscous circle of yoyo dieting is inevitable. Every time you put your body through this ride you end up with more fat storing hormones.
To reduce fat and lose weight permanently it is important to start looking at the type of calories you consume. Gone are the days of starving yourself in the hope of a quick fix solution. Everyone needs a good selection of essential fatty acids, organic vegetables, free-range meats and proteins in their diets. You need to move towards the opposite side of malnourishment and eat frequently to be on a fat loss winner. Never allow yourself to go hungry in between meals; eating a well balanced diet doesn’t qualify you to eat low calories. Doing that wouldn’t keep the metabolism running optimally to see fat loss.
To reduce fat and lose weight permanently it is important to start looking at the type of calories you consume!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Tips to Get a Six Pack – Alternative Methods to Try Before You Quit
Abdominal exercises isn’t the quickest way to get a six-pack!
If you are on a mission to get perfect abs you will need to start following some key strategies outside the box of conventional training methods. Millions are spent annually in marketing the latest gadgets for training abs and food supplements for far loss with the objective to tempt the vulnerable into thinking there is a quick fix to achieving six pack abs. The quick fix solutions for perfect abs are to stop relying on gimmicks and begin to look at your own lifestyle habits.
Believe it or not doing abdominal exercises isn’t the quickest way to get a six-pack. As you read on you will discover it isn’t as straightforward as tiring yourself out doing tons of crunches. It is also worth noting that anyone can transform a flabby tummy into a set of toned abs as long as they follow certain actions.
The first step is to get a reality check on your lifestyle. If you wake tired and drink coffee all day then the first thing you need to do is go to bed earlier. A good nights sleep is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your health, it is often overlooked for achieving optimal physical condition and may be the missing link in getting the abs you desire. It is a necessity rather than an option to have a good night sleep; we release certain hormones for physical repair between 10pm and 2am and specific hormones for psychological repair between 2am and 6am. If you fail to refill your energy account every night with undisturbed sleep you greatly enhance the aging process and reduce your chances of being able to lose body fat.
Drinking adequate amounts of water ranks in number one position for nutritional importance for fat loss and perfect abs. Drink mineral water everyday, drinking water in-between meals and at room temperature is the best way.
The next step then is to stop eating processed foods. The next time you pick up food in a packet look at the ingredients and see if you can pronounce the ingredients, if you can’t don’t let it inside your body. Processed foods contain artificial ingredients and additives that can make you toxic and give your digestive system a hard time. The last thing you need if you want low body fat levels.
Other foods to eliminate for perfect abs is sugar, wheat, alcohol and all caffeine. Once your diet if free from these kinds of foods then you can worry about exercise selection for your abs. The best exercises to get perfect abs are the ones that enable you to progress with levels of difficulty with either your bodyweight as resistance or resistance from some kind of exercise equipment.
For best results it is best to concentrate on only a few abdominal exercises in any one workout. Don’t make the mistake of spreading yourself out too thinly by doing too many exercises and only putting in half the effort.
Abdominal exercises isn’t the quickest way to get a six-pack!
If you are on a mission to get perfect abs you will need to start following some key strategies outside the box of conventional training methods. Millions are spent annually in marketing the latest gadgets for training abs and food supplements for far loss with the objective to tempt the vulnerable into thinking there is a quick fix to achieving six pack abs. The quick fix solutions for perfect abs are to stop relying on gimmicks and begin to look at your own lifestyle habits.
Believe it or not doing abdominal exercises isn’t the quickest way to get a six-pack. As you read on you will discover it isn’t as straightforward as tiring yourself out doing tons of crunches. It is also worth noting that anyone can transform a flabby tummy into a set of toned abs as long as they follow certain actions.
The first step is to get a reality check on your lifestyle. If you wake tired and drink coffee all day then the first thing you need to do is go to bed earlier. A good nights sleep is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your health, it is often overlooked for achieving optimal physical condition and may be the missing link in getting the abs you desire. It is a necessity rather than an option to have a good night sleep; we release certain hormones for physical repair between 10pm and 2am and specific hormones for psychological repair between 2am and 6am. If you fail to refill your energy account every night with undisturbed sleep you greatly enhance the aging process and reduce your chances of being able to lose body fat.
Drinking adequate amounts of water ranks in number one position for nutritional importance for fat loss and perfect abs. Drink mineral water everyday, drinking water in-between meals and at room temperature is the best way.
The next step then is to stop eating processed foods. The next time you pick up food in a packet look at the ingredients and see if you can pronounce the ingredients, if you can’t don’t let it inside your body. Processed foods contain artificial ingredients and additives that can make you toxic and give your digestive system a hard time. The last thing you need if you want low body fat levels.
Other foods to eliminate for perfect abs is sugar, wheat, alcohol and all caffeine. Once your diet if free from these kinds of foods then you can worry about exercise selection for your abs. The best exercises to get perfect abs are the ones that enable you to progress with levels of difficulty with either your bodyweight as resistance or resistance from some kind of exercise equipment.
For best results it is best to concentrate on only a few abdominal exercises in any one workout. Don’t make the mistake of spreading yourself out too thinly by doing too many exercises and only putting in half the effort.
Abdominal exercises isn’t the quickest way to get a six-pack!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Fat Burning Cardio Myths
The difference between strength training & cardio for burning body fat!
In this post about the cardio fat burning myth I will compare the difference between cardiovascular type exercise and strength training in the effectiveness for achieving fat loss results. Just to recap cardiovascular exercises or cardio for short are activities including walking, jogging, bike riding, rowing and swimming. Strength training also known as resistance training and weight training is a type of exercise that requires the muscles to move an apposing force.
If you read part 1 of this article you will know that most people believe cardio training to be the king of fat burning activities. This assumption and undying myth continues to live on because the general public aren’t aware of the negative reactions cardio exercises can have on the body. Most people also have little knowledge of the many benefits strength training can have for burning fat.
First lets take a look at what cardio training does to your hormones. Doing cardio type exercise raises cortisol; this will stop you losing fat because cortisol is a fat storing hormone. If rising cortisol levels aren’t bad enough for fat loss goals what about cardio making you age quicker because anti aging hormones are lowered when cortisol rises.
Strength training lowers cortisol and raises your anti aging hormones.
You only burn calories whilst you are doing the cardio exercise. The more cardio you do and better you become, the more fuel-efficient you become resulting in fewer calories used.
With strength training you burn calories after the workout. This means you burn fat doing nothing because strength training is more stressful on the body and takes a number of days to recover. Metabolism, the rate your body burns calories can be raised up to 72 hours after a weight training workout.
Cardio training can make you lose muscle tone, just look at any endurance athlete especially marathon runners. They may only have 10% body fat but still look flabby.
Strength training builds shape to the muscles helping to create a pleasing aesthetic appearance.
If the above facts don’t put you off cardio exercises for your first choice in exercise selection for fat loss then consider how much more fun and diverse strength training can be. There are many different types of functional training equipment available to make strength training challenging and different every workout without the risk of being repetitive and boring like cardio training can be.
The difference between strength training & cardio for burning body fat!
In this post about the cardio fat burning myth I will compare the difference between cardiovascular type exercise and strength training in the effectiveness for achieving fat loss results. Just to recap cardiovascular exercises or cardio for short are activities including walking, jogging, bike riding, rowing and swimming. Strength training also known as resistance training and weight training is a type of exercise that requires the muscles to move an apposing force.
If you read part 1 of this article you will know that most people believe cardio training to be the king of fat burning activities. This assumption and undying myth continues to live on because the general public aren’t aware of the negative reactions cardio exercises can have on the body. Most people also have little knowledge of the many benefits strength training can have for burning fat.
First lets take a look at what cardio training does to your hormones. Doing cardio type exercise raises cortisol; this will stop you losing fat because cortisol is a fat storing hormone. If rising cortisol levels aren’t bad enough for fat loss goals what about cardio making you age quicker because anti aging hormones are lowered when cortisol rises.
Strength training lowers cortisol and raises your anti aging hormones.
You only burn calories whilst you are doing the cardio exercise. The more cardio you do and better you become, the more fuel-efficient you become resulting in fewer calories used.
With strength training you burn calories after the workout. This means you burn fat doing nothing because strength training is more stressful on the body and takes a number of days to recover. Metabolism, the rate your body burns calories can be raised up to 72 hours after a weight training workout.
Cardio training can make you lose muscle tone, just look at any endurance athlete especially marathon runners. They may only have 10% body fat but still look flabby.
Strength training builds shape to the muscles helping to create a pleasing aesthetic appearance.
If the above facts don’t put you off cardio exercises for your first choice in exercise selection for fat loss then consider how much more fun and diverse strength training can be. There are many different types of functional training equipment available to make strength training challenging and different every workout without the risk of being repetitive and boring like cardio training can be.
The difference between strength training & cardio for burning body fat!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The Way to Train Your Six Pack at Home in Only 15 Minutes
A simple routine that will challenge and train your abs!
The following method for exercising your abs in only 15 minutes involves a warm up for about 5 minutes, this could be skipping, jogging on the spot or walking. Once the body temperature is elevated gentle stretches for the tightest muscles in your body are recommended.
The aim of the workout is to:
Step 1. Perform exercise #1 - for 30 seconds
Step 2. Immediately followed by exercise #2 - for 30 seconds
Step 3. Rest for 30 seconds before repeating steps 1 to 3
Ten rounds of the above will equal a 15-minute workout.
Exercise #1 – Leg Raise
Key Points: Lie down on your back; both feet should be flat with the knees bent. From this position the pelvis is rolled back pressing on your fingers or on a rolled up towel. If using a towel it should be the same thickness of your hand. The position needs to be directly at the belly button level flat against the floor.
From here both legs are raised and lowered while always keeping the back stable and stationary maintaining pressure on your fingers or towel. The knees should be kept bent and the angle shouldn’t change throughout the 30 seconds of work.
Progression: Open the angle of the knees, that will makes the leg longer and increase the workload on the lower abdominal muscles.
Exercise #2 – The Plank
Key Points: Begin lying face down on the floor with feet together and forearms on the ground, your hands should be clenched in a fist. Draw the abs inward towards your spine and squeeze the glutes (backside muscles). Lift entire body off the ground until it forms a straight line from head to toe, resting on forearms and toes. Forearms should be parallel and elbows directly below the shoulders.
Keeping the back flat and chin tucked hold the position for 30 seconds maintaining good form and slowly return to the ground.
Progression: Can be done on one leg.
People in today’s society want quick fixes and want to see results instantly. In my opinion most people have forgotten the old fashioned way of what it takes to change body shape. All the health aspects that once went hand in hand with exercise have been lost in the tide of the celebrity culture. Celebrity dominant publications are not the place to get your health and fitness information from if you want real results. Quick fixes are a waste of time because they never work for anyone apart from the people making money from them. Starving the body of essential nutrients by following the latest fad diet will only end up in a big disappointment and put you off from future attempts.
There is no excuse with time constraints with this workout. It is a simple straightforward routine that will challenge and train your abs if done correctly. It can be modified in any which way you deem necessary to achieve the response you want. Don’t forget with exercise and nutrition, it is the quality and not quantity that matters. It has always been like this and always will be so you can forget searching for a quick fix and wasting your time reading about what your favourite celebrity is doing or in some cases not doing.
A simple routine that will challenge and train your abs!
The following method for exercising your abs in only 15 minutes involves a warm up for about 5 minutes, this could be skipping, jogging on the spot or walking. Once the body temperature is elevated gentle stretches for the tightest muscles in your body are recommended.
The aim of the workout is to:
Step 1. Perform exercise #1 - for 30 seconds
Step 2. Immediately followed by exercise #2 - for 30 seconds
Step 3. Rest for 30 seconds before repeating steps 1 to 3
Ten rounds of the above will equal a 15-minute workout.
Exercise #1 – Leg Raise
Key Points: Lie down on your back; both feet should be flat with the knees bent. From this position the pelvis is rolled back pressing on your fingers or on a rolled up towel. If using a towel it should be the same thickness of your hand. The position needs to be directly at the belly button level flat against the floor.
From here both legs are raised and lowered while always keeping the back stable and stationary maintaining pressure on your fingers or towel. The knees should be kept bent and the angle shouldn’t change throughout the 30 seconds of work.
Progression: Open the angle of the knees, that will makes the leg longer and increase the workload on the lower abdominal muscles.
Exercise #2 – The Plank
Key Points: Begin lying face down on the floor with feet together and forearms on the ground, your hands should be clenched in a fist. Draw the abs inward towards your spine and squeeze the glutes (backside muscles). Lift entire body off the ground until it forms a straight line from head to toe, resting on forearms and toes. Forearms should be parallel and elbows directly below the shoulders.
Keeping the back flat and chin tucked hold the position for 30 seconds maintaining good form and slowly return to the ground.
Progression: Can be done on one leg.
People in today’s society want quick fixes and want to see results instantly. In my opinion most people have forgotten the old fashioned way of what it takes to change body shape. All the health aspects that once went hand in hand with exercise have been lost in the tide of the celebrity culture. Celebrity dominant publications are not the place to get your health and fitness information from if you want real results. Quick fixes are a waste of time because they never work for anyone apart from the people making money from them. Starving the body of essential nutrients by following the latest fad diet will only end up in a big disappointment and put you off from future attempts.
There is no excuse with time constraints with this workout. It is a simple straightforward routine that will challenge and train your abs if done correctly. It can be modified in any which way you deem necessary to achieve the response you want. Don’t forget with exercise and nutrition, it is the quality and not quantity that matters. It has always been like this and always will be so you can forget searching for a quick fix and wasting your time reading about what your favourite celebrity is doing or in some cases not doing.
A simple routine that will challenge and train your abs!
Friday, June 4, 2010
My 15-Minute Workout to Help Tone Chest Muscles for Men & Women
How to tone man boobs & lift saggy boobs!
Time constraints for most people in today’s fast living world often leave little time for exercise. The huge misunderstandings people have about the length of time required for exercise to make it worthwhile are usually a long way from accurate. These misconceptions gives the weaker disciplined individual an excuse and discourages those who want to exercise because they feel like they don’t have enough time.
There is a way to make the most of what little time you have and profit in health and fitness whilst changing the shape of your chest.
This approach consists of just two exercises for each workout and involves exercises that will train the core and challenge the nervous system and elevate the metabolism. When the resistance is challenging enough this approach to exercise can add lean muscle mass too.
The method of the following workout requires a warm up of about 5 minutes followed by gentle stretches for the tightest muscles in the body. These are commonly leg and chest stretches. A shoulder girdle warm-up with light dumbbells is done after the warm up with two rounds of ten reps for each exercise of side raises, bicep curls and shoulder presses. This should be enough to get the body ready for the workout ahead.
The aim of the workout is to do 10-12 reps on both exercises straight after each other followed by a rest of no more than 30 seconds. The plan is to strive for as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes without breaking form and dropping below 8 reps.
The same resistance must be used on all the sets for the workout. You need to select a weight that allows you to perform 12 reps on the first round of exercises. If you can only manage 2 or 3 rounds before dropping below 8 reps stop the workout and continue to progress the next time with a little less starting weight. For intermediates and advanced trainers a 10-20-rep window maybe preferred.
Before you begin, a warm up set for the first exercise is recommended, this should be around 50% of the weight you will be using for all your sets. Strong individuals using heavy weights should do a staggered warm up, for example 50%, 65%, and 75% of the working weight.
Exercise #1 Swiss Ball Dumbbell Chest Fly
Place the head and shoulders on a Swiss Ball, look up to the ceiling keeping the chin up so the neck stays in a neutral position. Place the feet apart for a good base of support and bring the belly button towards the spine and hold it there to keep the core muscles activated throughout the set.
Starting with the dumbbells above the chest, slowly allow both arms to slightly bend and lower to roughly shoulder height or when you reach a position where you feel a stretch in the chest muscles. Once they have reached this point return to the start position in a smooth tempo. Keep the dumbbells above the chest and not above the head in the start position. Maintain a straight body on the ball throughout the set by keeping the hips held high and backside muscles tensed.
Exercise #2 Swiss Ball Push Jack Knife
Begin with your feet on top of the Swiss Ball and hands on the floor in a push up position, holding a neutral spine and with the head in line with the spine begin to extend the arms pushing the body away from the floor keeping the tummy drawn in at all times.
When the arms are fully extended smoothly flex the hips until the thighs are vertical making sure not to round the back then immediately return the legs to the straight position as smoothly as possible.
Bend the elbows and drop into the push up starting position and continue the set. There shouldn’t be any breaks in the tempo and each rep should be moderate in speed. Beginners can place more shins on the ball or just do the leg movement part of the exercise. If it is still too difficult you could place a small Swiss Ball under your chest for support or if you don’t have a small Swiss Ball you could use a slightly deflated ball there instead.
The options to progress on this way of training would be to either shorten the rest time in between rounds enabling you to achieve more rounds in the 15 minute window or to increase the resistance so the desired reps are more challenging to reach on every round.
How to tone man boobs & lift saggy boobs!
Time constraints for most people in today’s fast living world often leave little time for exercise. The huge misunderstandings people have about the length of time required for exercise to make it worthwhile are usually a long way from accurate. These misconceptions gives the weaker disciplined individual an excuse and discourages those who want to exercise because they feel like they don’t have enough time.
There is a way to make the most of what little time you have and profit in health and fitness whilst changing the shape of your chest.
This approach consists of just two exercises for each workout and involves exercises that will train the core and challenge the nervous system and elevate the metabolism. When the resistance is challenging enough this approach to exercise can add lean muscle mass too.
The method of the following workout requires a warm up of about 5 minutes followed by gentle stretches for the tightest muscles in the body. These are commonly leg and chest stretches. A shoulder girdle warm-up with light dumbbells is done after the warm up with two rounds of ten reps for each exercise of side raises, bicep curls and shoulder presses. This should be enough to get the body ready for the workout ahead.
The aim of the workout is to do 10-12 reps on both exercises straight after each other followed by a rest of no more than 30 seconds. The plan is to strive for as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes without breaking form and dropping below 8 reps.
The same resistance must be used on all the sets for the workout. You need to select a weight that allows you to perform 12 reps on the first round of exercises. If you can only manage 2 or 3 rounds before dropping below 8 reps stop the workout and continue to progress the next time with a little less starting weight. For intermediates and advanced trainers a 10-20-rep window maybe preferred.
Before you begin, a warm up set for the first exercise is recommended, this should be around 50% of the weight you will be using for all your sets. Strong individuals using heavy weights should do a staggered warm up, for example 50%, 65%, and 75% of the working weight.
Exercise #1 Swiss Ball Dumbbell Chest Fly
Place the head and shoulders on a Swiss Ball, look up to the ceiling keeping the chin up so the neck stays in a neutral position. Place the feet apart for a good base of support and bring the belly button towards the spine and hold it there to keep the core muscles activated throughout the set.
Starting with the dumbbells above the chest, slowly allow both arms to slightly bend and lower to roughly shoulder height or when you reach a position where you feel a stretch in the chest muscles. Once they have reached this point return to the start position in a smooth tempo. Keep the dumbbells above the chest and not above the head in the start position. Maintain a straight body on the ball throughout the set by keeping the hips held high and backside muscles tensed.
Exercise #2 Swiss Ball Push Jack Knife
Begin with your feet on top of the Swiss Ball and hands on the floor in a push up position, holding a neutral spine and with the head in line with the spine begin to extend the arms pushing the body away from the floor keeping the tummy drawn in at all times.
When the arms are fully extended smoothly flex the hips until the thighs are vertical making sure not to round the back then immediately return the legs to the straight position as smoothly as possible.
Bend the elbows and drop into the push up starting position and continue the set. There shouldn’t be any breaks in the tempo and each rep should be moderate in speed. Beginners can place more shins on the ball or just do the leg movement part of the exercise. If it is still too difficult you could place a small Swiss Ball under your chest for support or if you don’t have a small Swiss Ball you could use a slightly deflated ball there instead.
The options to progress on this way of training would be to either shorten the rest time in between rounds enabling you to achieve more rounds in the 15 minute window or to increase the resistance so the desired reps are more challenging to reach on every round.
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