Some Tips to Help Shorten Your daily Workout

For openers, you can split body parts. Working the legs and arms one day, then working the chest and back one day, then working the shoulders and abdominals the next day is a good, effective way to shorten your exercise time and still give each muscle group a good, solid workout.

Another thing you can do is keep it down to one set. It is usually not recommended to do only one set during exercise despite claims made by other experts that one set can be as beneficial as 2 to 4 sets. But one set, as long as it is one good set, is better than doing nothing at all if time is the issue.

You can also do a circuit style workout with your weight training. All you do here is complete one set of one exercise, then move right along to the next exercise non stop until you've finished each exercise in your routine. Once done, you take a 1 to 1 1/2 minute rest period for some water, and then start on set two until you've finished all of your sets.

If you haven't done it before, a superset style workout can save a lot of time. This is where you work one muscle, and then work the opposing muscle or you do two exercises for the same muscle without a break. An example would be doing a bicep exercise followed by a triceps exercise. Another would be doing bench press followed by chest flies.

You will need to have a workout plan. A lot of people in the gym wander around looking lost like they are trying to figure out what to do next. That is one of the biggest time wasters there is. Have an exercise routine planned and written out on a log so you know exactly what exercises to do and in what order to do them.

Probably the one single thing that wastes more time in the gym above all is socializing. Either reduce or completely cut out "chewing the fat". You may know people in the gym and they may have the time to approach you during a workout for conversation. If they do, just keep moving along while they talk or explain that you are on a time crunch and don't have the time to talk right now. They usually will understand and leave you alone.

More often than not, you can save quite a bit of time by keeping these things in mind and remember to just keep moving. You get more from your exercise program by spending 40 minutes in the gym with 30 minutes exercising than you do by spending 90 minutes in the gym with 30 minutes exercising.


 

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Some Common Myths That Keep Women From Weight Training

Many women have abstained from training with weights because of some misconceptions associated with women and weight training. If you have never given any thought to working out with weights before, it is probably because one or more of the common myths about women's weight training is stopping you.

Let's take a look at some of these myths and let's find out just what the real truth is and why you should not let them stop you from taking advantage of all the benefits weight training has to offer.

One common myth is that some women think they are too old to work with weights. The truth is you are never too old to be able to strengthen and tone your muscles. By using lighter weights and a relatively low intensity program you can still benefit from weight training. It has been proven through studies that people as old as 80 and even 90 who started weight training saw up to a 200% increase in strength over a one month period.

Another common myth is that some women think they will lose their flexibility with weight training. The truth here is that weight training will actually help you to become more flexible. By doing weight training exercises through a full range of motion your muscles are put into a stretch with each repetition and by strengthening them, they are less prone to injury while doing stretching exercises.

This next myth is probably the most common one by far. Many women think that if they lift weights they will develop big muscles and look bulky and unfeminine. Nothing can be further from the truth! The fact is, women don't have near enough of the male hormone testosterone, and testosterone is the major growth hormone that will produce bulky muscles. Unless women use supplemental means like steroids and growth hormone, they cannot bulk up like men. Weight training will get you firm and toned but by no means will it make you look manly.

One myth that is fairly common is that some women think that weight training is just boring and tedious. The truth is that weight training can be done with a friend, and you can make each other laugh as well as help keep each other on track. You can listen to music as you exercise. You can mix different exercises into your routine and change up your routine from time to time. You will also find that as your strength and your body are improving, you will feel so much better about it all. When you reach a certain goal, give yourself a reward like eating out in a fancy restaurant or taking a weekend vacation somewhere nice.

Now that you know the truth to some of the myths that have been stopping you from enjoying the many benefits of weight training, there is no reason for you not to make it a part of you exercise regimen. Weight training is no longer strictly for men only. So get up, get to the weights, and get fit for life.


 

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Six Steps to a Positive Body Image

Many people that suffer from binge eating disorder do not have positive body images. Instead, they have very distorted images of how they see themselves. Here are six ways to create a positive body image for yourself.

1. Create a list of people that you admire. Write down why you admire each person. As you are writing the characteristics you like, take notice of what you are writing down.

For example, let's say that you have a high regard for Oprah. Your list might include her generosity towards people, her willingness to support what she believes in, and her strong character that went for success no matter what background she came from. You do not admire Oprah because of her looks; you admire her for the difference that she has made in the world. For her contribution to society. How she has touched and changed so many lives.

2. Remember a time in your life when you felt great about yourself.

Travel back in your life to a time when you were happy with your body. Maybe this was high school or college. Whatever the time, just close your eyes and remember how you felt. Let these good feelings radiate within you.

3. Write down what you like about yourself now.

Take out a piece of paper and write down everything that you like about yourself: your legs, your eyebrows, your smile, your hair, etc. The key here is to focus on the likes of yourself instead of the many dislikes. Start appreciating what you do like about yourself. This will make you feel better overall.

4. Notice how you carry yourself when you walk.

Do you walk with your head down looking at the ground? Do you slump your shoulders? Perk up! Start walking and making eye contact with people. Hold your head up high. Walk with your shoulders held back.

5. Start exercising.

If you haven't exercised in a while, start off slow. Go for a walk outside on a nice day. If you are used to exercising, keep it up and change up your routine so that you don't get bored. When you exercise you begin to feel good about yourself, even if it is for 15 minutes. Start off slow and work your way up.

6. Hang out with positive people.

Take a look at the people closest to you. Are they positive or negative people? Chances are if they are negative this attitude will reflect on you and your attitude. Try to limit your time with any negativity as this will only make you feel bad about yourself. You will focus on the things that you do not like about yourself.

Start feeling good about yourself and learn to accept yourself. Little by little you will notice changes that have occurred. Learn to be on your side instead of always being against yourself. Put your shoulders back and quit thinking about what you're not. Love the person you are and the person that you are becoming.


 

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Show Off Your Six Pack Abs. Build Abdominal Muscles Fast

Ask any woman what is the most attractive part of a male body and most of the time, they will tell you it's the six pack abs meaning that your abdominal muscles showing up with beautiful definition. The abs is considered by many as a sexy muscle and is a symbol of a fit and healthy man. Women are instinctively drawn towards a man brimming with health and fitness because it is a primitive indication that the man is strong enough to protect her and her brood. A rippling six pack abs is one such indication. So is it any wonder that in every gym, you will see men of all ages doing crunches, leg raisers and sit ups religiously in the hope of obtaining the much coveted killer abs? Unfortunately, most men will never get to see their abdominal muscle in its glorious splendor. Why? The following fitness tip will show you why.

You may not like what I am going to give to you straight in the face here. But I will give it to you anyway. So here it goes. Listen up carefully. You may do a zillion crunches a day, then another another million leg raisers , but as long as there is a layer of fat covering your tummy, you will never see your abs because it is covered by the blubber of fat. In fact, your waistline will become bigger because you are adding muscles underneath the fats! So instead of having a slim waistline and showing off your abs, you will have a bigger waistline and thicker love handles. Now get this straight. There is no such thing as spot reduction! Once the fats are off, your abs will show. That I promise you. It is just that simple to display your abs. Lose fats! That's all.

Late night TV commercials or magazines has been telling you that you can have well defined abs by using this gadget or that electronic gizmo. Do you really believe that it is that simple? If it is so, then everyone will have that six pack abs in no time, won't they? Then why isn't that so? Because it doesn't work that way.

To lose fat effectively and permanently for your abdominal muscles to show, you must include a mildly deficit calorie restriction diet, frequent cardio workouts and strength training with weights to build muscle so as to raise your metabolism in order to lose weight and burn fat naturally. Your weight loss goals will not be achieved effectively or permanently when any one of the three elements is done wrongly or not even incorporated in your slimming program. I repeat the three elements again :-

a) A mildly caloric deficit diet – A mildly caloric deficit diet to help you lose weight.

b) Frequent cardio workouts – Frequent cardio workout to exercise your heart and lungs and burn fat at the same time.

c) Weight Lifting to build muscles – Build muscles to burn fat permanently as muscles use up more calories from your food for energy. Lifting weights will also give you a well toned body and help your abs to show.

Forget about any fad diets or popping slimming pills . These may work initially but in the long run, they are bound to fail.


 

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Should You Do Stretching Exercises Before You Work Out?

You cannot afford to let your muscles get pulled and torn if you want to get in good shape, that is why it is so vitally important to learn some good stretching exercises.

The stretching exercises that you choose need not be too complex or too fancy, they only need to work. And not all stretching exercises are for everyone. There are different levels to stretching exercises just as there are with any other kind of exercise as well. The stretching exercises that you choose to do each time you work out should suit your exercises and your body.

For example you do not want to try advanced yoga on the first day you have tried yoga. You need to work up to the more advanced levels of stretching exercises. Keep this in mind and start with simple and easy stretches. This is the best way to stay in good shape all throughout your body. Remember that if you hurt yourself doing your stretching exercises you will not be able to do your regular exercises, you will be in too much pain. Even missing a few days can really throw off your stride when it comes to your exercise routines.

There are many books out there for you to read that will help you to find the best stretching exercises for your body type and fitness level. If you cannot afford to go out and buy a bunch of these expensive books then consider checking them out at your local library. There you will find all kinds of fantastic stretching exercises and they will not cost you anything, they are all free.

You can also find all kinds of great stretching exercises online. These will be everything that you need in order to start up a good stretching routine. These will keep you in tip top shape all year long and looking your absolute best. There are hundreds of websites on the internet that will be able to supply you with many different stretching exercises. These are the stretching exercises that you need to get your hands on. It is also these stretching exercises that will change your entire life. If your exercise routine needs a little pick me up then you can use these stretching exercises in order to give yours just that.


 

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Should you buy a treadmill?


 

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Shape Your Legs, Tone Your Butt and Build Strength

Because they require balance, lunges also build neuromuscular and functional capacity – helping your body go through its daily motions and letting you pick up your children with ease.

Whether you're trying to lose weight, want to look sleeker in shorts, or improve your athletic performance, lunges should be part of your training program.

In my opinion, the Ultimate Lunge is the Reverse Lunge. There are many types of lunges, and many ways to perform them all, but since we only have time to cover one – my choice is the reverse lunge. Here's why:

– Because you have more balance and support, it's easy to learn and perform. Plus, you have less momentum to contend with during the exercise which provides more effective stress to the muscles and yields better results.

– It's safer and softer on your knees because your back foot absorbs the ballistic shock of the lunge step. (Contrasted to the front lunge where impact shock can transfer to the knee even if you land heel to toe.)

– It creates muscular balance by initiating the movement backward as opposed to most other exercise movement patterns that take you forward and bias your musculature toward forward motion.

How To Do A Reverse Lunge Correctly

– Start facing forward, with your feet shoulder width apart, and your arms at your side.

– Step back with one leg far enough to allow your knees to bend at 90 degree angles. You can simultaneously bring your arms up to act as a slight counter balance. If you want a greater challenge, hold light weights in your hands.

– You're in correct position at the bottom of your lunge when your front knee is directly over the ankle.

IMPORTANT – To go back to the start position, start dropping your arms and lift from the heel of your front leg. DO NOT PUSH OFF YOUR BACK LEG. This simple advice will dramatically improve the effectiveness of your reverse lunge, give you a far tighter, leaner butt and get you much better results in half the time.

Try doing reverse lunges 3 times a week on non-consecutive days. Work up to 2 sets of 10 repetitions on each leg. After a month, I think you'll be amazed at the impact the reverse lunge will have on your physique.


 

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Serious Bodybuilding

Ultimate goals can vary within the total realm of bodybuilding. There can be intermediate, moderate, and totally serious participation in bodybuilding. There are guidelines for women and guidelines for men, with each guide being helpful in different parts of the bodybuilding scene.

Supplements, vitamins, and protein drinks are a large part of the bodybuilding lifestyle. And it is a lifestyle. When you are serious about bodybuilding you create a lifestyle where by you eat differently than other people, you exercise in a more dedicated fashion than other people and you also include resting your body and recovering your body from the old ways far more than other people.

What exercises and how much is totally up to you as an individual. The level of weight training and the amount of time you spend under the weights is again a personal decision. However with serious bodybuilding there are serious consequences to being a slacker. You have to be committed to a daily routine that includes all aspects of bodybuilding success in order to see results.

Diet can't be neglected when bodybuilding is a goal. Choosing foods that fill the natural needs of your body and being disciplined to steer clear of foods that are wasteful or harmful is a key step in any type of bodybuilding regimen. Sometimes that takes a person on a personal pathway they have never forged before, but hopefully there will be a knowledge learned on this path that will carry mind body and spirit throughout the rest of life.

Rest and recovery is key to a embarking into a bodybuilding lifestyle. Getting the proper rest for your mind and body should not have to be explained. Yet there are people out there who neglect the idea that getting correct amount of sleep improves the activities of your day. The time you need in order to feel consistently rested may vary from that of your spouse, siblings, or friends.

Recovering from pushing your self too far, recovering from old habits that resurface, and recovering from a bodybuilding competition are part of the recovery process that generates happiness in life.

People who don't understand serious bodybuilding may have predisposed ideas about steroids and general unhealthful practices in order to gain recognition as an over bulked, under brained champion. When the opposite is true.


 

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Selecting Home Exercise Equipment That’s Right for You

They will, with the best of intentions, buy a piece or two of equipment based on the recommendation of a friend or family member who swears by their choice. In some cases, they have no idea what they want and just go off without a clue, only to end up buying something based on appearance or a salespersons pitch of the item.

The problem with this is, if the equipment you buy doesn't suit your needs, in the long run, it will end up collecting dust in the closet or become an expensive coat hanger. Almost everyone knows someone who has some kind of exercise device or another that in terms of use is brand new, but they've had the thing for over two years. They probably bought their equipment with every intention to make full use of it, so why didn't they make full use of it?

When setting out to purchase home exercise equipment, there are some things which must be considered very carefully before you go out and drag home something you will be disappointed with. Here are some tips that are paramount to know when considering home exercise equipment.

First of all, are you really committed to exercising on a regular basis? This is probably the single biggest factor. If you are not, you will not benefit from anything you buy.

The second thing is what type of exercise do you want to do? If you are looking to build muscle, buying a stationary bike will be of little value just as if you are looking to build your aerobic capacity, a weight bench and weights will not be the best choice.

Next is how much money do you have or are you willing to spend on exercise equipment? You do get better equipment when you spend more money, but for a smaller investment, you can still get equipment that will get the job done. The key here is to shop around and find the best equipment you can within your budget.

You must next consider how much space is available where the equipment will go? This is an often overlooked but very important point. There must be enough room for your equipment to fit, and there must be room for you to use it to the fullest once it is there. How can you get anything from your equipment if you don't have the room to maneuver around to make use of it after it is set up?

Once you have your equipment in place, a good way to make sure you keep at it is to make yourself accountable by having a fiend ask you every day if you did your routine for that day and to monitor your progress. You can also make it more enjoyable by putting on some music while you exercise or even put a sporting event on your TV to check on while you go at it, whatever the case, just associate it with something you enjoy and it will be much easier to stick with.

If you are considering the purchase of home exercise equipment, these few tips should help you to make the right choice in selecting equipment that you will benefit from for years to come.


 

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Sciatica Exercises: An Effective Remedy For Spine Trouble

Sciatica exercises focus on strengthening the abdominal and back muscles. These exercises include stretching, which helps in improving the flexibility of the back muscles, resulting in reduced pain. Doctors recommend different exercises for sciatica patients, depending on the cause of sciatica, which can also occur due to serious medical conditions such as an infection or tumor. One has to do these exercises regularly and in a proper manner in order to derive maximum benefit.

Exercising regularly not only helps in the treatment of sciatica-related pain, but also helps in the prevention of any such problems in the future. The most common sciatica exercises that are recommended for the treatment of sciatica-related pain are the Hamstring stretching exercises. The hamstrings are the muscles located in the back of the thigh and help in bending the knee. You must also perform exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles in order to get relief from the sciatica pain.


 

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