Joseph Pilates

Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1880. In 1912 he moved to England and earned a living as a boxer, a circus performer and a self-defense trainer. During World Was I he was sent to a camp in Lancaster where he trained other inmates in fitness and exercises and this is where the beginning of the Pilates method stemmed from.

It was about 1925 when Joseph Pilates migrated to the U.S. On the ship he came over on, he met his future wife, Clara. In New York City, they began a studio and taught and supervised students all the way until the 1960's.

Pilates method of exercise used the mind to control the muscles of the body. It focuses on the core muscles of the abdomen to help keep the body balanced. A balanced body provides support for the spine.

Pilates also teaches awareness of breathing and alignment of the spine to strengthen the torso muscles. Strong core muscles can help to relieve back and neck pain.

When Joseph Pilates was a child, he was sickly, suffering from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. It was after this that he began to dedicate his life to better health and becoming physically stronger.

By the age of 14, he was fit enough to post for anatomical charts mostly due to his practicing of gymnastics and bodybuilding.

Joseph believed the root of poor health came from poor breathing practices and bad posture. His practice of Pilates is undoubtedly the most popular form of exercise today.


 

Posted in Pilates | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Body Building for beginners

Body building or even just showing up at a gym can be intimidating for a beginner. Provided below are some tips that can help you get into body building, and into your first fitness club: Seek Advice – There is no sense trying to learn it everything yourself when starting out in Body Building. Take some time to talk to others who are more experienced, and learn what you can from them. When using new equipment or a new exercise it is also always a good idea to talk to someone, to ensure that you don't get injured.

Sleep – When working out for the first time it is important to ensure that your body is getting the rest that it needs. This will usually be more than what you were taking before! Diet – Just as important as sleep it's important to ensure that your diet is keeping up with your exercise. This doesn't just mean eating more, it means eating better. Think of your body as an automobile. The more you drive a car, the more fuel you need to put into it. You need to ensure that you are putting the proper fuel in your car as well, to ensure that it will drive consistently and perform to spec. Set Goals – Set goals that are attainable. Out of reach goals only set yourself up for failure. Take it one step at a time, and enjoy/celebrate your success all the way up the ladder. Whether it's another 10pounds to your bench press or just making it to the gym 3 days a week, you need to set goals, otherwise it's easy for your workout to get pushed aside when life gets busy. Visualize Success – It's important to see yourself succeeding before you even begin working out. This winning mind set will take you to new levels in your training and will set yourself up for success!

Be smart about getting into body building to ensure that you will achieve success both mentally and physically.

Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the following caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.


 

Posted in Bodybuilding | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Vital Home Fitness and Diet Program Tips For You

Many people engage in a new diet or exercise program in hopes of slimming down and getting a healthy body. However, not all stick to it and most find themselves falling off the program and getting back to the old way. This is common to individuals who engage in home fitness programs or those who have a self-planned diet program. But the problem is not where the diet or fitness program is attempted. The trouble is the fact that most of these people do not have the right and proper program being followed.

You Need a Plan for a Fitness or Diet Program

No matter what endeavor one is taking, a well-designed plan is the key to achieving it. If you don't have any strict guide to give you the right steps, it is difficult to accomplish anything. Attempting a new health diet and fitness program will never succeed if there is no strict plan, as without it, there is neither direction nor accountability to everything that you are doing. And it applies regardless of whether it is done at a gym center, at home, or even at the office.

Therefore, most of your actions, and results, if there is any, are unfocused and random. It results to an element of vagueness, where instead of being confident that you are doing the right thing you are simply guessing at what you should do and what achievement you will get. Another disadvantage is there is always a high tendency to expect high results. This is particularly true to people who embark on a new fitness and diet program. Fast results are often anticipated that it becomes unrealistic, which of course, end up only to disappointment and frustration.

Design a Long-Term Goal

If you are a home fitness fan, you simply don't buy exercise equipment. You simply don't use it to burn your calories and maintain your body in tip top shape only to find out afterwards you are gaining and becoming unhealthy again because you got bored with your routine and thus had stopped. You don't eat whatever it is that your stomach and mouth are craving. The food intake works hand in hand with your workout plan to give you realistic results. You also don't simply shove the equipment at a corner of your house whenever you don't feel like working out.

It is important to remember that even though a home fitness program has more advantages than enrolling in a health and gym center, a carefully planned guide and discipline is a must to achieve results. If your goal is short-term, you are never going to live a well-balanced and healthy lifestyle. Therefore, making use of a home fitness program should not just be a short-term but a long-term goal that focuses on your overall health and well-being. The plan must be included with what food you should intake and how much rest you should have.

The time when you workout must be regular and has a routine, whether daily or several times a week. Keeping a checklist with you will help what direction you are going and how much accomplishment is received. To define your goal, you need to set straight what is it that you want and if you can stick to a specific home fitness and diet program for a long time without giving it up if you got bored. By knowing what you want, it will be easier for you to define the elements needed in attaining lifelong fitness and health.


 

Posted in Working Out At Home | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

History of Pilates

Pilates was designed by Joseph Pilates during World War I to improve the rehabilitation program for the returning veterans. Joseph Pilates had the belief that both mental health and physical health are essential to one another.

He recommended some precise body movements that control and form to aid injured soldiers. These movements were used to regain their health by strengthening, stretching and stabilizing the key muscles in the body.

He created the Pilates Principles to condition the whole body aiding in proper alignment, centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing and flowing movement.

The Pilates method is a physical fitness system, which Joseph Pilates developed in the early 20th century. As of 2005, there are eleven million people who practice pilates regularly.

There are also 14,000 instructors in the United States alone. Pilates believed his method uses the mind to control the muscles. Focuses for this program are on the core postural muscles, which help keep the body balanced.

These are essential to providing support for the spine and in turn supports the entire body. Pilates teaches awareness of breathing and the alignment of the spine and aim to strengthen the deep torso muscles.

Joseph Pilates was a legendary physical fitness trainer born in Germany in 1880. As a child he was small and frail. This fuelled his fascination for physical fitness that would make him stronger and more physically attractive.

He later became an accomplished skier, boxer and gymnast. In 1926, he and his wife opened their first studio in New York City. Many of their first clients were from the dancing world.


 

Posted in Pilates | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Body Building Basics – Building a better body you can be proud of!

There are as many varied opinions on what "plan" one should follow to build muscle, as there are people who have those opinions. On one thing they do agree, however. You must have a regimen.

You can begin by defining your objective. Why are you interested in body building? What do you hope to accomplish? What is your ultimate goal?

It's all about commitment and belief. There is an abundance of information about how to begin and conduct your journey, but without a burning desire to achieve, you are doomed to inevitable failure.

The following tips are not intended to be a "one size fits all." Take from it what you will. In that light, consider the following list:

1.Before beginning any serious weight lifting or body building regimen, consult your physician.

2.Set your goals. Define what you expect to achieve with your new bodybuilding campaign within a realistic time frame. If you create goals that are unattainable you are setting yourself up for failure. You can become bored, disappointed and disillusioned to the point where you may give up. This is a very sad outcome to what might have been the best decision of your life. Don't sell yourself short. Set your long-term goals, of course, but also set short-term goals that are achievable. And, don't forget to reward yourself when you do achieve them.

3.Consider the costs. If you don't already have a budget, create one. Then, determine what amount of discretionary funds you have available for your bodybuilding program. This will determine whether you can afford to have a home gym or if your needs would better be served by joining a club. Joining a club is still a good short-term introduction before spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on equipment that might not be appropriate for your needs.

4.Don't forget some of the low cost alternatives to purchasing your bodybuilding equipment. If used equipment is still functional why spend the extra dollars just for a little glitz! Good, brand name used equipment is every bit as functional as something right off a showroom floor.

5.Consider combining a home gym along with a membership in a public facility. Purchase less expensive free weight equipment for use at home and join a gym to have access to the more expensive equipment. You can design your entire workout routines around a combination such as this.

6.Eat healthy! This can't be stressed enough. The only true bodybuilding aids are good nutrition. Consult a licensed dietician. Watch your local community calendar for free seminars on diet and nutrition. Learn all you can about what nature freely provides that can help you to develop a healthy diet.

7.If you choose to use dietary supplements, make certain that you know what you are putting in your body. Follow the packaging guidelines we outlined above. Ask your physician for his/her recommendations based on the regimen you have selected. No friend, coach or acquaintance can take the place of your physician. In fact, you may even investigate finding a physician who specializes in sports wellness.

8.Be kind to yourself. Yes, it's important to push to achieve your goals, but it's very easy to tip the scales in the other direction and create a nightmare for yourself. Obsessive, compulsive behaviors are not conducive to a healthy bodybuilding lifestyle.


 

Posted in Bodybuilding | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Weight-Gaining, Muscle-Building Protein Bar Recipe…

Here is how to eat your way top massive gains…

Commercial Calorie bars are not new and they are not cheap, a good bar will cost you $2-$3 dollars a bar and I personally don’t think they are worth the money… for that kind of investment I would purchase a good and proven weight-gain protein drink.

But for those who want mass and are always looking in the mirror to see gains I have a great solution…Make your own MUSCLE BARS.

Before I go on, I want to state some rather obvious facts: FACT NUMBER ONE – if you want to gain mass at an accelerated pace… EAT FAT! Yes, don’t avoid fat – fat is essential in the mass gaining process as dietary fats play an essential role in muscle-building hormone production which is the key to outstanding muscle growth.

I have never known anyone to gain mass on a low fat diet – it just doesn’t happen and let me tell you, if you are getting fat on a high calorie diet, I would not blame your fat intake… More likely it’s the simple sugars in your diet. Also a low fat diet can lower your testosterone levels, something you want to avoid when you are trying to gain weight…

Also you should know that it is far easier to lose fat if you gain muscle mass (with some fat) first than it is to lose the fat before trying to build muscle mass… This is true even if you are obese.

It’s much easier this way since muscle burns more calories and also tends to increase your metabolism on a permanent basis, making you a fat-burning machine. However, not all fats are created equal, you want to avoid the saturated fats and consume mostly the ‘essential fatty acids’. EFA fats are energy and your body will burn them off if you exercise sufficiently.

The recipe that follows is simple to make and it will provide you with several days’ worth of dense weight gain snacks… The next time you are heading out to your workouts, consume one of these bars and watch the energy boost. And you will not have to resort to the use of candy bars or some unhealthy snack

Weight-Gain Protein Bar: Ingredients

  1. 2 Scoops Whey Protein
  2. 1/2 cup butter
  3. 1 cup apple juice concentrates (the frozen kind)
  4. 1 teaspoon vanilla
  5. 4 whole eggs
  6. 2 cups whole wheat flour
  7. 1 cup raw wheat germ
  8. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  9. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  10. 1 cup sunflower seeds
  11. 1 cup pecans
  12. 1 cup raisins
  13. 1 cup chopped dates

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees; blend the butter, eggs, apple juice And vanilla together, sift together with flour, wheat germ, baking soda and baking powder then add them to mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well and press into an oblong glass pan than you have buttered and floured, now bake until the top is golden brown-about 30 minutes, refrigerate to keep fresh You will get 12 bars out of these and each one gives you about 600 calories (roughly 35 grams of fat, carbohydrates 55 grams, 16 grams of protein).

If your weight-gaining regime includes heavy workouts in the gym, try adding a scoop or two more of your favorite whey protein to ensure you’re getting a sufficient protein intake to feed those new muscles! That’s the other advantage to making your own protein bars – you can vary the weight-gaining, muscle-building protein bar recipe to include your favorite healthy ingredients for a truly enjoyable way to build muscles and gain lean mass!

Technorati Tags: , , , , , ,


 

Posted in Bodybuilding | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quick and Simple Home Fitness Ideas For Moms

One of the setbacks when you workout at home using exercise equipment is the difficulty to schedule a proper and regular fitness routine. This is particularly true to work or stay at home moms who have to juggle their time between doing home chores, taking care of the kids and the spouse, and running errands. Sometimes, the extra-curricular activities add to the tightness of schedule that all these occupations leave the home fitness equipment just lying and collecting dust at one corner of the home.

If you are one of these individuals who cannot easily find time to stick to a proper fitness routine, you can still workout even without employing any fitness equipment. Here are some quick and simple ideas how to keep that body healthy and fit all year round.

Work and Exercise with your Kids

If you have kids and a baby, take this as an advantage rather than a disadvantage to your workout routine. Put your baby in his pushchair and together with the other kids, have a little trip at the park or just around the block. Brisk walking is a good cardio exercise, which keeps you feeling refreshed and relaxed afterwards. Plus, it is good for the kids too.

Also, you can get everybody moving by tidying the kitchen, the living room, and the bedrooms at least for five minutes daily. Have fun by setting a timer, putting music on, and get everybody, including you, picking up the clatters, books, toys, clothes, shoes, and so on and so forth. It is good as little cardio exercise for you and your kids. There are many things you can do with your kids that will keep you up and running. And in the process, you keep your physical aspect fit and healthy with those little physical exercises.

If the kids go to school, you can use this again to keep your fitness routine by walking them to and fro. Besides exercising, you are spending quality time with them. Plus, you make them feel great and in excellent mood before entering the school. Never use the car for this spoils your goal of keeping fitness routine. Unless, of course, if the school has a long distance. In this case, what you can do is to park the car a little far and walk the rest of the distance.

Use your Time Alone

When you are alone at home, make your list of 5-minute activities which will keep you occupied and exerting physical effort. It can be as simple as climbing the stairs up and down, stretching, running to and fro the house, gardening, watering the plants, laundering the clothes, washing the dishes, and a lot, lot more activities. You can go to the park and just walk around and catch fresh air. There are endless activities you can do. The good thing is it does not only achieve your goal of burning calories daily but it allows you to accomplish the household chores at the same time.

Of course, you need to take rest as well. It will help a lot if you get a good amount of sleep hours so your body and mind are refreshed daily. Plus, you must bear in mind that eating healthy foods is the key to completing your goal of keeping fit and healthy. Be sure that the food is both good for you and your kids too.


 

Posted in Working Out At Home | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Getting Started with Pilates

One of the great things about Pilates is that it is suited for just about everyone no matter if you are a couch potato or a fitness buff.

Due to the fact that Pilates has gained a lot of notoriety recently, there are many classes available.

You will probably find that many YMCAs and fitness centers offer Pilates, mostly associated with mat work.

There are some Pilates instructors who offer private classes. These may be purchased either separately one class at a time or in blocks of classes.

These sessions may combine both mat and machine work. If your health club has Pilates machines available to its members, make sure that you receive supervision from a qualified Pilates instructor.

As with anything, there are right and wrong ways of doing things and Pilates is no exception.

The fact that Pilates is hot right now and classes are springing up like mushrooms also has a downside. You may receive inadequate instruction.

As is the case with any form of exercise, you can cause injury to yourself if you have a certain health condition or you do not know exactly what you are doing.

Some gyms think that just by sending their personal trainers to a weekend-long course that they are qualified to begin teaching Pilates. This is not true and can lead to injury.

You want to find an instructor who has been certified by a group that boasts of a rigorous training program. This training program consists of several hundred hours of being instructed in Pilates ALONE.

They have the knowledge to modify the exercises so that a new student will not get hurt.


 

Posted in Pilates | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Big Strong Chest Muscles Command Respect And Confidence

So you want to build big and powerful chest muscles? Huge big pectoral muscles (pecs) or chest muscles that command respect and adoration? You can be the proud owner of a big and powerful chest.

Many people actually think that there are 2 separate chest muscles, well there aren't. The chest muscle or pecs that you see on each side of your chest is a fan shaped one continuous muscle although they may be called by different names such as pectoralis major, minor and clavicle head to differentiate the different parts of the same muscle.

All chest exercises work your chest muscle but from different angles which places different stress on your chest. You need to use a variety of chest muscle exercises to hit your pecs at various angles to stimulate massive muscle growth. Each different angle you use with any chest muscle exercises will reach into various different fibers in your chest muscles for effective stimulation of different areas of your pecs so that your entire chest will grow muscles fast and symmetrically giving you that broad and powerful chest that threatens to rip through your t-shirt.

For best results building your chest muscles, use free weights, especially dumb bells instead of machines. Chest muscle workout that use any chest machines should be avoided as it has many disadvantages like it will not only produce the desired results may also cause injuries because of its narrow range of movements. Your chest muscles will also not grow fast because machine exercises lack the involvement of synergistic muscles or surpporting muscles. As with any weightlifting workout, proper lifting form and techniques are of paramount importance.

Many people typically use only 1 or 2 types of chest exercises and almost invariably, it's the flat bench press and flys. Well, to build a powerfully big and well chiseled chest muscles, that is a fatal mistake as you do not adequately hit the pecs from all angles so as to stimulate muscle growth in your entire chest muscle. All chest muscle exercises will not only work your chest but also your delts, biceps and triceps to a lesser extent. So you need to focus, visualize and to concentrate the force on the chest. Mind and your chest muscle connection is vital here so as to make your chest work harder instead of using your triceps, delts or biceps to power your chest workout. Also work on the full range of motion and squeeze your chest muscles hard at every top of each movement. Always lower your weight slowly and deliberately fighting gravity to provide more resistance to your chest muscles and therefore elicit more muscle fibers for more muscle growth.

A word of caution though. You will need a spotter or a personal trainer for safety reasons because you must lift heavy for excellent muscle gain especially so for chest muscle development. Your spotter or personal trainer will also be able to correct your mistakes and help you with forced reps to reach into the deep tissues to elicit maximum muscle fiber stimulation.


 

Posted in Bodybuilding | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Forms of Pilates

Generally there are two forms of Pilates exercises. There are mat-based exercises and equipment-bases Pilates exercises. In Pilates, quality of exercises is key.

Exercises should be performed through a slow sustained series of movements using abdominal control and proper breathing.

There are many books and videos available to the consumer but it is important to seek instruction from a qualified Pilates teacher to get the best results.

Mat-based Pilates exercises are generally the most popular form of Pilates. This is a series of exercises that are performed on the floor using gravity and your bodies own weight to provide resistance.

The general aim of mat-based Pilates is to condition the deeper supporting muscles of the body and to improve the posture, balance and coordination.

Equipment-based Pilates is for the more serious Pilates practitioner. This form of Pilates includes specific equipment and some forms of equipment based

Pilates also include free weights such as dumbbells, which offer resistance to the muscles. But equipment can be costly and if not properly used could actually hinder the body in muscle building and toning.

It is important that equipment is used properly, therefore most people who practice equipment-based Pilates do so under a proper Pilates trainer.

Though Pilates is very low-impact, it is important to understand the general precautions before beginning a Pilates regimen.

Certain people should seek medical advice before embarking on a new program. Women who are pregnant should certainly ask a doctor before doing any form of Pilates.

Also, people over 40, people with pre-existing medical conditions, musculoskeletal injuries or those who are overweight or obese.


 

Posted in Pilates | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Flirting With Fitness Exercise, Bodybuilding & Weightlifting Section sponsorship is currently available:

Sponsor the Exercise, Bodybuilding & Weightlifting Section Starting Today - Click Here For Info!