Workout Without a Gym

by Editor | Jun 9, 2011 | Fitness

We know that using free weights and machines is the fastest and most efficient way there is to improve your metabolism and strength, but for many reasons, these may not be convenient or readily accessible to you.

You may also have no access to a commercial gym, or home gym or are on a business trip, but there can be a solution, a strength-training workout without the need for expensive machines…

As with any exercise, whether you are using your own body weight, machines, or free weights, if the resistance doesn’t increase, your muscles won’t be worked to their maximum capacity and the stimulus these fibers need to grow will be missing.

Exercises done correctly will build lean muscle and increase your metabolism in the same way as performing exercises at a gymnasium but without the time constraints and associated costs.

These exercises can be easily done in a bedroom, hotel room, a park, school yard, ceiling rafters in a garage, or in a doorway and all you have to do is use your imagination. There will always be a way to add more resistance to your workouts.

Please remember: It doesn’t matter where you are working out — at home, a hotel, or a park — always warm up properly before beginning your session, and cool down and stretch when you are finished.

Leg Exercises

Squats –

They build muscle in the thighs, shape the buttocks and improve endurance. Position your feet about 13 to 17 inches apart or at shoulder width, keeping the back straight and your head up. If you want you can use something that will give you some support, i.e. a desk, bookcase, sink, etc.

Now squat down to where the tops of the thighs are parallel to the floor, hold for a second, and then stand up, but don’t bounce at the bottom of the movement, use a nice fluid motion. Always exhale your breath as you stand up.

Lunges –

Stand straight in the correct posture; now stand with one leg forward and one leg back. Keep your abdominal muscles tight and chest up, lower your upper body down, bending your leg (don’t step out too far).

You should have about one to two feet between your feet at this stage, the further forward you step, the more your gluteus and hamstring muscles will have to work.

Do not allow your knee to go forward beyond your toes as you come down and stop where you feel comfortable (try not to let your back come forward) then push directly back up. Do all your reps on one leg then switch legs and do all your reps on the other leg.

Back Exercises

Chin-ups –

Chin-ups are a great upper body workout, particularly targeting your biceps, deltoid, and lat muscles. Use a doorway chin-up bar, and ceiling rafters in a garage or grab the molding of your door frame, position your hands with an underhand grip, and hang down stretching the lats, slowly raise your body until your chin reaches the bar level.

Pause a moment before slowly lowering yourself back to the starting position. Don’t swing or use momentum to get your body to the top, just use the target muscles. Doorway chinning bars remove from the doorway when you are not using them and can be put up and taken down in seconds.

Bent Over Row –

Take up a position with your right hand and right knee braced on a sturdy bed or some other flat surface that will provide good support. Now pick up a dumbbell or something heavy that you can hold onto with your left hand.

Visualize your arms as hooks and slowly bring the dumbbell or object up to the side of your chest, keeping your back straight, then lower the weight back down to arm’s length, no lower, on extremes, safe form only, please. Concentrate on your back muscles. Reverse the whole procedure and do the exercise now with your right arm.

Chest Exercises

Push-Up –

The push-up is used for building the chest, shoulders, and arms. Lie face down on the floor with your hands about shoulder width apart and keeping your palms turned slightly inward. Now push-up until your arms are straight, lower, and repeat for repetitions.

To make it more difficult elevate your feet. Try placing the toes of your feet on a stable, elevated surface such as a bench, chair, or stair. Straightening your body, position your hands on the floor at shoulder width, lower your body until your chest touches the floor at the bottom, and then return to the starting position in a nice fluid motion.

Dips –

This exercise can be done between two sturdy chairs or other surfaces that provide stability. The dip is another great upper-body exercise. It’s a compound movement as well and involves working all the muscles that the push-up works.

Keep your head up and body as vertical as possible. For the beginning of the movement, start at the top (arms fully extended) and lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the seat of the chairs, hold and then push up to the top of the movement until your arms are fully extended again. Keep looking straight ahead and don’t bounce at the bottom of the movement.

Adding Weight

Although the simple weight of your own body is enough resistance to provide an effective workout we need progressive overload (added resistance) to become stronger.

So all we need to do is add some weight wherever we can find some. Because there are no metal plates and fancy machines to use it doesn’t matter because the body doesn’t care where it is as long as it’s receiving resistance of some kind.

You can use heavy books clasped in your hands. You can buy some cheap weighted dumbbells or ankle weights. A weighted vest will also allow you to add resistance for both chin-ups and push-ups. Try to buy one that will let you remove and add weight as you see fit. Also, a backpack filled with books can be perfect for most of the exercises and is a cheap alternative.

How about a couple of buckets and fill them with a certain level of water? As you get stronger fill them with more water. This is perfect because depending on the exercise, all you need to do is to increase or decrease the amount of water in the buckets for the required amount of resistance.

To wrap things up…

We know that using free weights and machines is the fastest and most efficient way there is to gain lean muscle and strength, but by performing the exercises in this article you’ll find that they will provide you with the same benefits as going to a gymnasium but without the ongoing costs and time constraints.

Gary is the author of several ebooks, including “Maximum Weight Loss in Ten Weeks” – the complete ebook and time-saving solution for burning away unwanted fat, and “Maximum Weight Gain in Ten Weeks” – easy-to-use and follow techniques that serve as a guide to muscle growth without having to “live in the gym”.

Why Your Cardiovascular Workouts Might Be A Big Waste Of Your Time

by Editor | Jun 9, 2011 | Fitness

What if I were to tell you that most if not all of the cardiovascular exercise you do was worthless? Well, guess what…over 50% of the people who perform cardio in an attempt to burn fat are wasting their time… hours and hours of it! Are you one of them?

Before you call me crazy, let me explain. I’m not saying that cardiovascular exercise can’t or doesn’t burn fat; it’s just that most people are not performing the right type of cardio workouts. Before I get into the details, let me first cover some of the basics. Just like anything in life, if you want to be successful you must do two things:

1. Know what you’re doing (or learn); be knowledgeable
2. Have a plan (detailed/well thought out)

How Cardio Exercise Affects Your Body

Well, I’m going to make sure that after reading this today you will be able to do both. So let’s start with your knowledge. It’s critical that you understand how your body works and what happens when you exercise.

The human body is constantly burning a mix of fuels or energy sources: fat and glycogen. Glycogen is energy stored in muscle cells that are primarily used during intense muscle contractions. Some examples of these intense muscle contractions would be strength training, running, hard physical work, etc. So basically, during low to moderate activity levels, your body first uses what’s in the bloodstream and then uses primarily fat.

When you are highly active you use more glycogen and less fat. You are probably wondering what all this has to do with you and your cardio workouts… right? Well, it matters… a lot!

There are different benefits of different levels of activity. Let me explain to you the system used, why I use it, and why it’s the most effective.

I recommend three basic levels of cardiovascular exercise:

Level 1: Long easy workout (ex. walking 60 minutes

Level 2: Moderate intensity / moderate time (ex. fast walk for 45 minutes)

Level 3: Short, hard workout (ex. running 20 minutes)

NOTE: It doesn’t matter what activity or piece of equipment you choose.
All that matters is that you get to the desired level.

Let’s talk about what happens at each of the three levels.

When exercising at Level 1 pace, your body burns more colonies from fat, HOWEVER, the total number of
calories are small. In order for you to burn a lot of body fat at the easy level you would need to do it for hours at a time! Not too practical is it? This is not to say there aren’t benefits because there are…it’s just not the best choice when it comes to fat loss. The primary benefit is increased blood flow and circulation, which means you’ll feel better, you’ll recover more quickly, and you’ll be healthier in general.

Ok, let’s talk about Level 2 now. At this level, you burn more calories but less are from fat. Moderate work will result in a larger increase in metabolism than the easy Level 1 and will last 2-6 hours in most cases. You also get the benefits of increased blood flow but you also have to remember that it’s a bit more stressful than Level 1. The main benefit or I should say the possible benefit is increased endurance (cardio/respiratory) IF your workouts are progressive (challenge the body’s systems to work harder overtime nearly every workout if possible).

Last but not least Level 3. At this level, you burn the most calories per unit of time. You also burn less fat during the workout, but the plus side is you deplete muscle glycogen which means you’ll be less likely to store “new” fat because any excess calories will be stored in the muscles instead. This type of workout also results in the largest increase in metabolism, which will generally last 4-24 hours or more.

The Level 3 workout is by far the most effective when it comes to fat loss for four reasons:

1. Burn more calories in less time
2. The largest increase in metabolism that lasts the longest
3. Helps to add and maintain muscle tissue
4. Depletes muscle glycogen which means you’re less likely to store new fat

So what’s your goal? As you can see there are benefits at each level and how often you perform each workout should be based on your goals. You can get the benefits of all three but you must be cautious in how you structure your program. Here are some general guidelines to follow:

If your primary goal is: Fat loss

• 1-3 Level 3 (10-20 mins)
• 1-2 Level 2 (20-30 mins)
• 1-2 Level 1 (40-60 mins) – Optional

Endurance

• 1 Level 3 (10-20 mins)
• 2-3 Level 2 (20-40 mins)
• 1-2 Level 1 (40-60 mins)

General Fitness

• 1 Level 3 (10-20 mins)
• 1-2 Level 2 (20-30 mins)
• 1-2 Level 1 (40-60 mins)

So to recap, you really need to know what your goals are, what levels you need
to be at, and how often. On the following page is a chart that gives you the
heart rate zones for all 3 of the workouts based on your age.

NOTE: If you are on blood pressure-regulating medication you should first consult with
your doctor and reduce the numbers by 10 each. If you are not currently
exercising or have not exercised at the different levels before I advise you
to build up your intensity slowly.

Heart Rate-Based Cardiovascular Exercise Guidelines

Jesse Cannone is a certified personal trainer and author of the best-selling fitness ebook, Burn Fat FAST. Be sure to sign up for his free email course as it is full of powerful weight loss and fitness tips that are guaranteed to help you get the results you want.

How To Ensure That You Exercise With The Right Intensity

by Editor | Jun 9, 2011 | Fitness

We’ve all heard the exercise guidelines that recommend we participate in 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity 3-5 times per week. That seems easy enough to implement. Or, does it? The duration and frequency guidelines are very straightforward and easily defined. But, “moderate” intensity is often left to interpretation. So, how do we define “moderate”?…

First, we need to understand that the definition of moderate intensity can be completely different from one individual to another. For example, a well-trained athlete may be in the moderate zone when running 5 miles in 30 minutes. Yet, for a novice exerciser who is very overweight, moderate means walking one mile in 30 minutes.

Don’t let this confuse you. While the intensity level is very critical in the overall guideline, fortunately, it’s also fairly easily identified. The ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) defines moderate as an intensity of 40 percent to 60 percent VO2 maximum. But, since most of us don’t know how to determine our VO2 maximum, there are easier definitions to utilize.

You can base VO2 loosely on your maximum target heart rate zone. A VO2 maximum of 40-60% equates to about 50 to 70 percent of the maximum heart rate (MHR). And determining your MHR and the corresponding percent zones is relatively simple. Below is an easy calculation for determining your specific MHR and what 50-70 percent of equates to.

Target Heart Rate Zone · Take 220 and subtract your age. This equals your MHR. (Example: For a 30 year old your MHR is 190) · Next to determine your low range of 50 percent, simply take 190 and multiply it times 50 percent. (Example: For a 30 year old this would equal 95). · Finally, to determine your high range of 70 percent, simply take 190 and multiply it times 70 percent. (Example: For a 30 year old this would equal 133).

So, in this example, the 30-year-old would want to exercise in a heart rate range of somewhere between 95 – 133 BPM. Keep in mind that this calculation is age-related. It does not take into consideration your fitness level. So, it is not completely accurate, but still a good guideline.

Also, some medications can raise or lower your heart rate and change the heart’s response to exercise. Beta-blockers are among those that alter the heart rate. This means that people taking these types of prescriptions should probably use another option for monitoring their intensity.
There are some other very good ways to measure intensity for both people taking medications and those just looking for a more convenient method. Two good options are the Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE) method and the Talk Test.

RPE This takes into account what the exerciser is perceiving in terms of exercise fatigue and it correlates well with cardiorespiratory and metabolic factors like heart rate and overall fatigue. The RPE scale starts with 0 and ends with 10. A rating of 0 equates to doing nothing, being at rest. A rating of 10 is equal to maximum effort, working very, very hard. For moderate intensity, an exerciser should strive for reaching somewhere between a 4-6, which the scale defines as a somewhat hard to a hard effort.

A great way to measure intensity (where appropriate), is utilizing both the RPE and Target Heart Rate Zone. The exerciser should identify where they fall on the RPE scale when their heart rate is between 50 – 70% maximum. This will allow them to accurately use only the RPE scale for measuring intensity when it is not feasible to determine their THR.

Talk Test The final method for measuring exercise intensity is the Talk Test. Like the RPE, the talk test is subjective. The exerciser simply ensures that he works out at a level where he can carry on a comfortable conversation. He should be able to breathe comfortably during exercise. In simple terms, the exerciser would be working out too hard if he has to take a breath between every word he says. On the flip side, he would be exercising at too easy of intensity if he could sing several phrases of a song without breathing hard.

Now you know how to define “moderate” and that means you don’t have any more excuses. It’s time to get moving. Keep in mind that the ACSM guidelines are minimum recommendations. For more significant health improvements and/or weight loss or for more advanced exercises, consider increasing any part of the three recommendations found in their guideline.

Lynn Bode, author, and certified personal trainer offers her services online through WorkoutsForYou.com. Workouts For You provides affordable online exercise programs to help even the busiest of people lose weight, tone up, build muscles, increase stamina, and more via the Internet. We’ll provide you with weekly customized exercise programs you can do at home or at the gym.

Get A Toned Stomach In Time For Summer Fun

by Editor | Jun 9, 2011 | Fitness

One of the most common fitness questions this time of year is “How can I tone my stomach for swimsuit season”? Typically, people believe that the guaranteed quick route to obtaining a rock-solid six-pack is a path packed with hundreds of sit-ups or abdominal crunches. Wrong!

The reality is that even if you do crunches every day you aren’t guaranteed to get the stomach you desire. Getting those highly sought-after, toned abs requires more work than just abdominal exercises. Plus, as far as stomach exercises go, sit-ups or crunches alone are not the solution…

We won’t go into detail about the muscles that make up the abdominal wall, but it’s good to know the basic information. At a high level, the abdominal/trunk area consists of 5 major muscles. It’s necessary that all of these muscles be exercised. It’s also important to utilize different types of training techniques like concentric, eccentric, and isometric.

In addition to training those muscles, it is imperative that you also reduce the fat in your stomach area. If you don’t decrease the fat in this area, then you’ll never see well-defined abdominal muscles no matter how long and hard you train them.

The key to reducing body fat is a comprehensive workout program that consists of cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility exercises. Plus, don’t forget a healthy diet. Good examples of cardio exercises are: walking, swimming, aerobics, and jogging. Strength training can be done with dumbbells, resistance bands, and even just your own body weight. Flexibility can be as simple as a few stretches held in place for about 20 seconds.

Now, back to the specifics of abdominal training. Traditional crunches can be a part of your abdominal training, but should be limited and certainly shouldn’t be the only part. To most effectively work your stomach area, it’s necessary to include about 80% rotational work. Rotational exercises are those that include twisting-type methods. Simple crunches do not fall into the rotational category because you simply lift your body straight up and down.

To most effectively train your abs, incorporate a lot of variety, including different positions and equipment. This will allow your muscles to continually be challenged, which is what will help make them stronger and more defined. Remember that you don’t have to lie on your back in the supine position to work your stomach area. There are hundreds of different ways to work them, including exercises in a standing position, on your side, raised on a ball, hanging from a bar, etc.

Don’t forget the importance of form. If you don’t use the correct form when performing abdominal exercises, you’ll severely limit the effectiveness not to mention possibly causing an injury. Tips for correct form include:

· Don’t ever pull on your neck or head

· Don’t allow your legs to move, they should remain still — let your abs do all the work

· Try to keep your belly button pulled in toward the floor throughout the entire move.

To get you started, below are a few sample exercises* with instructions. Start working out today, and you can show off your toned abs in time for summer.

Basic Crunch: Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands lightly behind your head for support. Using your abdominal muscles lift your shoulders a few inches off the ground, pause briefly and return to the start position. Complete at least one set of 10-12 reps.

Standing Towel Circle: Stand tall and hold a small towel (or resistance band) taut overhead. Contract abs and slowly draw a large, wide circle over your head and around your torso with your hands. Keep the towel pulled taut throughout. Return to the beginning position and reverse the circular direction. Complete at least one set of 8-10 reps in each direction.

Oblique Twist With Ball: Begin by sitting on the ball. Walk your feet forward until the ball is resting under your back — the body is now parallel to the floor. Place hands lightly behind the head for support. Using your abdominal muscles slowly crunch up lifting your shoulder blades off of the ball and rotate your left shoulder toward your right hip. Return to starting parallel position and repeat then switch sides.

*You should always consult your physician before trying any new exercise programs.

About the Author Lynn Bode
Lynn Bode, author, and certified personal trainer, is passionate about helping people get fit and healthy. She offers her services online through her company. Workouts For You provides even the busiest of people with affordable, personalized exercise programs for losing weight, toning up, building muscles & increasing stamina (via the Internet). The programs can be done on their schedule and in the comfort of their own home (or gym or on the road).

How to Achieve Your Best Body Ever!

by Editor | Jun 9, 2011 | Fitness

A couple years ago, I learned an important principle that literally changed my life when I put it to use.

This amazing idea allowed me to lose well over 50 pounds and put my career on “warp speed” to where I wanted to go…

But first, let me ask you a question that illustrates this important principle.

If your car does not start one snowy morning, would you care to take the whole engine apart yourself to try and solve the problem?

Probably not, you’d bring it to the nearest mechanic that knows how to pinpoint the problem, hopefully quickly, so that you do not have to diagnose and repair the problem yourself.

That illustrates this incredibly profound yet simple principle:

“There are people that have more specific knowledge, learned or acquired, than we do in certain areas in life.”

You can learn from other successful people and can have anything you want in life by copying them.

You can role model others so that you do not have to learn through trial and error what you want to discover.

If you want to learn about investing and making money in stocks, what would you rather do? You could spend $100,000 go to a four year business school and then study as an intern for weeks on Wall Street.

That will guarantee you will learn about stocks but doesn’t guarantee you’ll make money.

Or, you could speed up the process by picking up a book by Warren Buffet or Peter Lynch that pinpoints specific strategies on investing and making money in stocks.

Total time spent: maybe a week.

Total price: 10-20 bucks.

If more people understood that they could have and achieve anything they want by following others that have already achieved it, there would be less complaining about unhappy lives or the monotony of the daily 9-5 drudgery.

This principle of copying other successful people in certain areas of life allowed me to take my passion of health and fitness to the masses, by transforming my personal training business into a global internet presence.

I copied other successful internet businesses by learning directly from them about web design, HTML, and marketing.

If I had tried this myself through trial and error, I’d still be learning how to turn the computer on!

So what does this have to do with health and fitness?

Everything.

If you’re unhappy about your body or life in any way, you can change it right now by figuring out what you want and then finding someone that has already done it.

You simply copy what others have done to get similar results.

Do you have a friend that lost 30 pounds last year or a brother that increased his bench press (naturally) by 50 pounds last year?

Ask them how they did it.

I personally transformed my body in the past by learning from other successful athletes and fitness pros.

It allowed me to make more change with my physique in 8 weeks than I had previously made in 10 years when I was trying everything under the sun.

Now I provide the same useful, body-changing information to people worldwide so that they can simply copy some or all of what I did, speeding up their results as well.

The great thing is, I didn’t have to spend $100,000 and 8 years for a Phd. I just learned real world tactics from the best and now, more importantly, I produce results by teaching these common sense tips to others.

Bottom line, it’s a new year and time to take action to get what you want. Cut to the chase and copy what other people have done to transform their own bodies.

You too can make 2003 the year you achieve your “Best Body Ever!”

It starts by identifying what you want and then start to model after those that have already done it.

Learn from a relative, an athlete, a personal trainer, a coach, a book, etc..

Knowledge on how to change your body for the better is literally everywhere.

It’s just up to you to take the first, and most difficult step.

But once you do, the momentum you build will bring you closer and closer to your goals.

Goals come much quicker for you if you run to meet them head on instead waiting for them to find you.

Find someone that can produce results and begin to copy what they are successful with.

That, my friends, is how to achieve your best body ever!

About The Author:
Shawn LeBrun has one mission and one mission only: To make this year your Best Body Ever. See how you can get it.