Get The Best At Home Workouts
|
Archive for May, 2009
Saturday, May 30th, 2009
Welcome back!  Anyone who has tried to get rid of fat has been there. In the beginning, the nutrition and exercise plan seems to be working, but then all the fat loss comes to a screeching halt. We all have those problem areas (for me it is my stomach and love handles), where the fat just won’t seen to go away. Can dumbbell workout routines be the answer?
I say “YES”, dumbbell training is the secret weapon against stubborn fat!
Now, I can see some of you scratching your head right now. You’re saying, “I’ve done dumbbell workouts before and didn’t notice any significant fat loss.” And your right, just using dumbbells is not the key, HOW you use the dumbbells is the key!
Most dumbbell workout routines you see men and women do are “bodybuilding” type workouts. They perform dumbbell exercise with the intention of “isolating” small muscles to make them grow. And since the muscle groups they are targeting are small, they use light weights. And lifting light weight dumbbells using small muscle groups does not burn fat!
But what if you used heavier dumbbells in a full body workout routine that simultaneously builds a strong, muscular body, boosts heart and lung power AND burns a lot of calories both during and after the workout? Do you think those stubborn fat cells would lose that battle? You bet they would!
Here are three examples of dumbbell routines that build a strong, well-conditioned body AND blast off stubborn fat:
Grinding Dumbbell Super Sets
Grinding dumbbell exercises include presses, rows, squats and deadlifts. By themselves, these dumbbell lifts are excellent for building muscle. And the more muscle you have, the more calories your body uses while at rest to maintain the muscle. And just in case you missed it, using more calories while at rest = LESS FAT!
Now, if that wasn’t good enough, when you perform a dumbbell workout using grinding exercises as super sets, you boost the fat burning power. For those of you who don’t know, a super set is when you perform a set of one exercise, and then immediately (or after a short rest), perform a set of a different exercise. This allows you to move through the dumbbell routines faster, involving the cardiorespiratory systems and burning more fat!
Explosive Dumbbell Timed Circuits
Explosive dumbbell exercises include swings, snatches and jerks. By themselves, these dumbbell exercises require a lot of energy due to their explosive nature. These exercises require speed to move the dumbbells as fast as possible, which means repeated bursts of energy. And just in case you missed it, using more energy = LESS FAT!
But perform dumbbell workout routines where you do these exercises as timed circuits, and their fat burning power increases exponentially. Why? Because doing resistance exercise for a longer time period means you expend more energy for longer periods of time during the workout. So you don’t only build incredible explosive power, extraordinary heart and lung power, but you burn more fat!
Dumbbell Combo Matrixes
This is my secret weapon for getting rid of that stubborn fat (and building an all-purpose body where strength and conditioning go hand and hand!). A dumbbell combo matrix is when you combine two or more dumbbell exercises together into one exercise repetition. This means each repetition takes longer to perform, uses more muscle groups and requires a great deal of energy. Translation: bye, bye fat!
Ok, you’ll probably need an example for this one.
How about: Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift + Dumbbell Power Clean + Dumbbell Press. This equals one repetition. So let’s say you do 5 repetitions. You are really doing 15 repetitions per set (5 deadlifts, 5 cleans and 5 presses). This takes a lot of time to perform, uses a wide range of muscles and therefore uses up a lot of energy. And again, more energy used = more fat loss.
Just take a second and compare these dumbbell workout routines to the typical Use Light Weight, Target Small Muscles, Take Long Rest Period approach of other dumbbell workout routines. Do you see a difference? I do, and it is those differences that make these dumbbell workouts so effective at blasting off stubborn fat. So, if you’re having trouble getting rid of that last 10 pounds of ugly fat, these dumbbell routines may be the answer!
Coach Eddie Lomax, author of Extreme Dumbbell Fitness, invites you to learn the 5 hidden secrets of dumbbell workout routines which lead to more muscle, stronger muscle, less fat and better conditioning.
Tags: dumbbell, dumbbell exercise, fat loss
Posted in Blog, Dumbbell Exercise, Fat Loss | 1 Comment »
Friday, May 29th, 2009
By Mike Roussell Phd(c)
 This past weekend I got to catch up with a friend (Jack) whom I hadn’t seen in several months. Like most people Jack hadn’t really changed in appearance since the last time we saw each other (around the 1st of the year). Jack and I talked for a while about stuff (Mario Kart for the Nintendo Wii, the increasing price of corn, how summer TV is really bad, you know the usual) then as many of my conversations seem to go Jack started asking me about nutrition and fat loss.
Basically Jack was pretty frustrated. He said that he had been dieting for “as long as I can remember” but somehow he still had 15lbs to lose. Some further interrogation (okay I wasn’t interrogating my friend) Jack ‘fessed up that while he was a lifetime dieter his compliance to his fat loss diet was pretty bad.
This resulted in something that I find with a lot of people. Because Jack was supposed to be “dieting” he would never feel like he could enjoy non-clean foods or foods in normal/larger quantities, so he’d feel guilty when he ate them, get discouraged, fall off the wagon, wait until Monday, and start dieting again.
This cycle would repeat week after week, month after month. The end result was Jack wasn’t losing the weight he wanted and he was burnt out and discouraged because he felt like he had been dieting forever and not getting anywhere.
Have you found yourself in this situation?
Do you find yourself in this situation?
The best cure for the lifetime dieter that I have found is an all out blitz. Jack has been getting lost in 12 week fat loss programs, so shorter (and more extreme) program is better for him. I told Jack about Warp Speed Fat Loss and explained that there were a couple rules he needed to follow if he was going to do the program.
1. No Cheating – He needed to stick to the diet 100%
2. No Skipping Workouts – There are only 24 workouts so he has to do everyone
3. Completed Focused Effort – No training for a marathon, spinning classes 3x a week, etc. All his efforts needed to be focused on losing as much weight as fast as possible.
4. He Had To Let People Know – Tell people about what he was doing would put the pressure on Jack to really make the 28 days fat loss sprint work. 28 days isn’t that long and if he told friends and coworkers they were sure to check in with him to see how he did (plus most people would assume that losing 15lbs in 3-4 weeks isn’t possible so they would be intrigued enough to find out what happened).
He agreed that rapid weight loss was what he needed to end his lifetime of dieting, he agreed to my 4 stipulations, and he started Warp Speed Fat Loss on Monday.
Now, have you been dieting forever?
If you are tired of 12 week diets and just want to get the weight off and get it over with then check out the complete rapid weight loss system I put together with expert trainer Alwyn Cosgrove at Warp Speed Fat Loss.
But you need to agree to the above 4 rules too.
The time to end a lifetime of dieting is now and you deserve to be in the best shape of your life.
Let’s make that happen together.
About the Author/More Info:
Warp Speed Fat Loss is a complete 28 day diet and training system crafted to help you lose 10,15, or 20lbs of body fat in just 28 day. To start losing weight fast visit now. Mike Roussell is a nutrition doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania. Mike’s writings can be found in magazines such as Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, and Testosterone Nation. Mike specializes in fat loss nutrition and diets for busy men and women who need to lose weight fast without it interfering with their lives. Warp Speed Fat Loss is a complete Done-for-You A-Z Fat Loss Blueprint that gives you exactly everything you need to eat to lose weight in record time.
Tags: fat loss, mike roussell
Posted in Blog, Fat Loss | No Comments »
Thursday, May 28th, 2009
I’m not surprised people are confused. Walk into any gym today and you’ll be overwhelmed by the shiny machines and fancy equipment. It is easy to start believing you need all this equipment to meet your fitness, fat loss and physique building goals. But in my opinion, a full body dumbbell workout can do everything those expensive machines do, better!
Just so we’re on the same page, let me start by saying you don’t need a gym full of fancy equipment to get fit, burn fat and build the type of body that turns heads. You don’t even need to join a gym at all. A full body dumbbell workout, dedication and consistency are all you need.
First of all, did you know you can get an excellent full body workout using only dumbbells?
Yes, that’s right. You can use dumbbells for more than curls and flies! I know it sounds crazy, but if I hand someone a dumbbell, the first thing they do is try to curl it. I hand it to them, and without thinking, the curling motion begins. But these limited motion exercises using small muscle groups are not the only reason to use dumbbells. As a matter of fact, if you are only using dumbbells for a limited amount of exercises, you’re missing out on their true potential.
The truth is, the ability to use dumbbells together, one at a time or in an alternating manner make them one of the best fitness tools. The variety of dumbbell exercises you can perform make dumbbell exercise an excellent choice for building strength and muscle you can use in the real world. Plus, every dumbbell exercise turns into a core exercise, which helps you build that 6-pack!
When I say, “full body dumbbell workout”, here is what I mean:
- Dumbbells are the only piece of equipment used.
- Upper body, core and lower body are all worked.
- The heart and lungs are also involved
With dumbbells, you can perform workouts that involve all the big, major muscle groups AND the cardiorespiratory system. You can train both muscles and the heart and lungs at the same time. So when I say “full body” I mean full body.
Compare this to “bodybuilding” style workouts that split the body into small muscles and focuses on training each muscle separately. And forget about getting a heart and lung workout. You’ll have to do that separately!
The truth is, there are many different types of dumbbell exercises. There are grinding strength exercises, explosive power exercises and rhythmic exercises requiring both incredible strength and endurance. Each type of exercise can be arranged into a full body dumbbell workout that simultaneously improves fitness, burns fat and builds strong muscles.
The secret to reaching your goals is to get the most out of your training equipment and training time. So, don’t overlook the power of full body dumbbell workouts. If you have access to a set of dumbbells, you have everything you need to get a great workout. And you don’t even need to drive to the gym!
Just think of how much better conditioned (and leaner) your body will be when you do full body dumbbell workouts that target every muscle in the body and build unstoppable ardiorepiratory endurance at the same time!
Get Superior Dumbbell Workout Today!
Tags: dumbbell exercises, dumbbell workout, full body dumbbell training, full body dumbbell workout
Posted in Blog, Dumbbell Exercise | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
 It is no secret that the majority of people look to exercise to burn fat (and it is an excellence choice when combined with sensible eating habits). And ultimately, most people want to find the best fat loss workout. And undoubtedly, this leads to the debate about which is better… aerobic versus anaerobic exercise for fat loss.
Here I will provide a “common” sense answer to the aerobic versus anaerobic controversy…
First of all, we need to understand what the terms “aerobic” and “anaerobic” mean. Basically it comes down to oxygen. And in terms of fat loss, the effectiveness of the type of exercise you perform comes down to intensity and energy expenditure.
Lets take a closer look at the aerobic versus anaerobic controversy…
Aerobic Activity
Aerobic means in the presence of oxygen… and any activity performed at a low to moderate intensity for more than 90 seconds is usually called an aerobic activity. At this level of intensity, oxygen releases energy through metabolism.
The benefits of aerobic activity are…
* Increased Cardiovascular Function
* Decrease in Body Fat
The negatives of aerobic activity are…
* Decreased Muscle Mass
* Decreased Strength
* Decreased Power
* Decreased Speed
* Decreased Anaerobic Capacity
Most people looking to burn fat choose aerobic activity in the aerobic versus anaerobic controversy. Fat loss workouts are designed to do aerobic activity in your target heart rate zone. But they fail to mention all the negatives of focusing only on aerobic activity for fat loss.
Let look at aerobic exercise for fat loss a little closer…
Low Intensity Exercise burns about 50% fat for fuel while High Intensity Exercise burns about 40% fat for fuel. So at first glance you could say Aerobic Exercise burns more fat for fuel than Anaerobic Exercise. But working at a higher rate of intensity is harder… so it ends up burning more calories in less time.
Let’s say you burn 100 calories in 20 minutes of Low Intensity Exercise (50 fat calories), and you burn 160 calories in 10 minutes of High Intensity Exercise (64 fat calories)… you still burn more over-all fat with high intensity exercise than with low intensity exercise.
There is also another advantage of High Intensity Exercise. Working at a high rate of intensity increases your metabolism long after the exercise is completed. Since anaerobic exercise is more demanding on the body, it requires more energy to recover. So, more fat burned in less time and an increased metabolism for hours after the workout… sounds pretty good to me.
But I’m getting ahead of myself…
Anaerobic Activity
Anaerobic means in the absence of oxygen… and any activity that is performed at a medium to high intensity for less than 2 minutes is called an anaerobic activity. At this high level of intensity, energy had to be provided from other sources other than oxygen.
There are two anaerobic energy pathways…
The Anaerobic System (ATP-CP) is where energy is derived from the re-synthesis of Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (ATP) from Creatine/Phosphate (CP) until the stores are depleted… about 5-7 seconds.
The Anaerobic Lactate System (Glycolytic) happens after the (CP) stores have been depleted where the body resorts to the breakdown of glucose for energy. This results in the production of lactate and hydrogen ions… ultimately leading to fatigue.
The benefits of anaerobic activity are…
* Increased Cardiovascular Function
* Decrease in Body Fat
* Increased Muscle Mass
* Improved Strength
* Improved Power
* Improved Speed
* Increased Aerobic Capacity
The negatives of anaerobic activity are…
* Anaerobic activity requires an aerobic foundation
When I look at the differences between the benefits of Aerobic versus Anaerobic training I often wonder why people have such a hard time choosing which type of activity is best for fat loss and building the lean, muscular, athletic body they want.
So, the next time you think of a fat loss workout, don’t think exclusively of aerobic activity. Think of anaerobic activities like weight lifting and high intensity interval training.
So, let’s make some sense of the aerobic versus anaerobic
problem for fat loss…
When people decide to start exercising to lose fat, they normally choose an aerobic activity. They jog, bike, row etc. at a pace where they can maintain the activity for an extended period of time. And in the beginning, they burn fat.
Then the body adapts and becomes more efficient at burning fat for fuel. The result… you burn LESS fat when performing the same activity. So, they try to increase the DURATION of the aerobic activity to burn more fat.
The body keeps adjusting until no more fat comes off. (Frustrating, isn’t it?)
So, here is what you should do.
Start off with an aerobic activity. (After all, if you’ve been sitting on the couch eating potato chips for the last 3 years… you need to build up your aerobic base!) But instead of increasing the duration of your aerobic workouts you should increase the INTENSITY of your workout. This means going closer to your maximum output. The most common application of this is High Intensity Interval Training.
So, as you can see, it should not be aerobic versus anaerobic… but aerobic AND anaerobic!
Coach Lomax Notes: When looking for a fat loss workout, look for one that combines weight training and progresses towards high intensity anaerobic training. This is the PROVEN combination to burn fat both during your workout AND for hours afterward. This type of fat loss workout literally turns your body into a fat burning machine.
The truth is, there is no such thing as “Aerobic Versus Anaerobic”. Your fat loss workout should be a combination of both. (Honestly, it is impossible to work at a strictly anaerobic capacity). But you need a workout that uses anaerobic training if you want to see lasting fat loss results and build the athletic looking body you want. Avoid “Aerobic Only” fat loss workouts.
This is why I picked Warp Speed Fat Loss as the best fat loss workout.
Tags: aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise, best exercise for fat loss, fat loss exercise
Posted in Blog, Exercise Advice, Fat Loss | 1 Comment »
Monday, May 25th, 2009
By Jason Ferruggia
 One of the most frequent email requests I get is for a description of my vegetarian muscle building diet. Since there is such great interest in this topic I thought I would share it with you today.
Breakfast- My day always starts with a shake. This will normally consist of rice, pea or hemp protein, or some combination of the three. I blend 30-40 grams of protein in 8oz of organic coconut milk and 8-12 oz water. I also blend in a banana, mixed frozen berries, a tablespoon of cacao nibs, and 2 tablespoons maca powder, which is tremendous for increased testosterone production and virility. This shake is absolutely delicious.
Snack- Some time a few hours later, I will have a few tangerines and some pistachios/cashews or a couple apples with almond butter. The fresh ground almond butter from Whole Foods is one my favorite things and I could easily eat an entire container in one sitting. Sometimes for a treat at night I mix it with organic honey and kill the entire container, washing it down with a cup of hemp or almond milk.
I am big fan of high sodium intake for strength and energy production so I always have a few pickles every day and add sea salt to much of food.
Lunch- This usually consists of some kind of legumes or beans, which are a mainstay in any vegetarian muscle building diet, with organic brown rice or quinoa. I will sauté black beans with peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic and mix that in with the rice. I top it with salsa and some fresh avocado. That is my Mexican style rice and beans. Sometimes I just mix the beans and rice or quinoa with marinara sauce. I always cook enough for two days.
I will sometimes have a salad with that or eat some raw veggies or mix some steamed kale or spinach into the whole thing.
Occasionally I will have a couple almond butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. I have cut out peanuts and peanut butter completely due to the deadly toxins that they contain, along with wheat because of it’s inflammatory properties, so these are not eaten as much as they used to be. I get some brown rice bread for the times I do eat these.
Snack- Similar to above. When I’m not near food I always carry Raw Organic Food Bars with me and a variety of nuts. If I am home and have had fruit for my first snack I try to make this snack raw veggies and hummus along with a decent amount of nuts.
I also drink another shake some time during the day which is usually right after I train. It is similar to the shake above except that I don’t include the coconut milk or the cacao but I do use the maca powder. I blend a banana, almond milk, water, frozen spinach (you don’t taste the spinach at all so this is nowhere near as gross as it sounds) with Vega and some extra protein.
During my workouts I drink coconut water or regular water. And I try to drink at least a half gallon of water throughout the day out glass or my Sigg bottle and do my best to avoid plastic because of the estrogenic effects. I also drink a couple cups of green tea each day.
Dinner- I normally cook some kind of stew consisting of a large variety of vegetables and some kind of legumes. For example, the other day I got home and all that we had was squash, onions, spinach and garlic. I threw it all in a pot with vegetable broth, salt, pepper and yellow peas, which have 10 grams of protein per ¼ cup (you would have to eat a lot of meat to equal the protein in two cups of yellow peas). I let that cook for 2 hours and then mixed in some quinoa. It was absolutely delicious. Other times we will mix brown rice in with a variety of other veggies and lentils. If I was trying to get lean I would probably skip the brown rice. Adding potatoes (even just one) to the stews makes them creamier and even more delicious.
I severely limit my soy consumption because of it’s estrogenic effects but for the occasional cheat meal I will have some tofu with brown rice or some kind of meat substitue with brown rice pasta.
I also eat soy and wheat free veggie burgers one or two nights per week and always have a huge spinach salad mixed with tomatoes, broccoli, olives, peppers, onions, carrots, apples, berries, nuts, seeds, avocado, and whatever else I can fit in there. I top that with olive oil, Vega oil and balsamic vinegar.
Dessert- Occasionally, when I am going to cheat I will have some organic coconut milk ice cream. This is, obviously, made with coconut milk and not cows milk. It is delicious and pretty healthy. Coconut milk contains healthy MCT’s and has none of the dangers of cows milk. It is sweetened with organic agave syrup. I highly recommend it.
The only other cheat dessert that I will regularly eat is organic, dark chocolate. This has been shown to have a variety of health benefits. The brands I buy are those that support slave free, fair trade practices. These include Newman’s Own, The Endangered Species Chocolate Company and Green and Blacks.
So that’s my vegetarian muscle building diet. It’s very easy to follow, and a whole lot healthier than eating pounds of red meat and saturated fat.
Jason Ferruggia is a world famous fitness expert who is renowned for his ability to help people build muscle as fast as humanly possible. He has trained thousands of clients during his 14 years as a professional fitness coach, including more than 500 athletes from over 20 different sports. Jason has written hundreds of articles for numerous top rated training magazines and websites and has authored four fitness books. He is also the head training adviser for Men’s Fitness Magazine where he also has his own monthly column dedicated to muscle building. For more great muscle building information, please visit musclegainingsecrets.com
Tags: jason ferruggia, muscle building, Vegetarian Muscle Building Diet
Posted in Blog, Bodyweight Exercise, Build Muscle, Diet & Nutrition | No Comments »
Sunday, May 24th, 2009
Performing a bodyweight workout has something for everyone.
If you have a functioning body… there is no reason to keep complaining about being out of shape.
You don’t need expensive gym memberships, costly equipment or even a lot of time to perform a highly effective bodyweight workout… and reap the rewards.
Let’s look at what a proper bodyweight workout can do for you…
1. Bodyweight Workout For Strength
When most people think about improving strength they don’t think about doing a bodyweight workout… but rather some sort of resistance training.
Unfortunately for them, they are missing out on one of the most effective, versatile and efficient strength training methods in existence… your own body.
The vast majority of people cannot effectively control their own bodyweight while performing different movements… a fact which can be rectified by performing a bodyweight workout.
An increase in strength occurs when your body is routinely exposed to an environment where a strength increase is necessary for performance.
In many cases, your own bodyweight is sufficient for providing the resistance necessary to instigate bodily changes for increase in strength.
In my opinion, you should not even attempt other forms of resistance exercise without first being competent in the moving your own bodyweight.
And for the die hard weight lifter, a bodyweight workout of one arm push ups, one legged squats and one armed pull ups are extremely challenging and will test your strength like no other.
2. Bodyweight Workout For Endurance
Performing a high repetition bodyweight workout is an excellent way to improve muscular endurance.
Simple exercises like push ups, air squats and chinnies become extremely challenging when higher reps are used.
There are many aspects of strength… and strength endurance can be very important when facing the challenges of sport, work and life.
A good bodyweight workout can prepare you to meet those challenges with excellence.
When performing a bodyweight workout for muscular endurance… just remember to not sacrifice quality for quantity.
3. Bodyweight Workout For Metabolic Conditioning
Metabolic conditioning is commonly referred to as “cardio”.
When most people think of cardio… they think of running on the treadmill, riding a stationary bike, etc.
However… Performing a bodyweight workout comprised of bodyweight calisthenics exercises is an excellent way to improve cardiorespiratory endurance.
A bodyweight workout that includes exercises like jumping jacks, mountain climbers, burpees, etc. have the advantage of improving strength and muscular endurance as well as cardiorespiratory endurance.
4. Bodyweight Workout For Fat Loss
Fat loss is the reason a great deal of people perform physical fitness workout programs.
Performing a bodyweight workout comprised of bodyweight exercises and calisthenics exercises can produce an environment for your body that makes it want to get rid of unwanted fat.
The bodyweight exercise portion of your bodyweight workout will add lean muscle needed for strength improvement that will raise your metabolic rate… even when you are not working out.
The calisthenics portion of your bodyweight workout will raise your heart and respiratory rates and burn up calories.
5. Bodyweight Workout For Total Body Transformation
Performing a bodyweight workout by mixing and matching different bodyweight exercises and calisthenics exercises is an effective and efficient way to transform your whole body.
Muscular strength, muscular endurance, metabolic conditioning and fat loss can all be targeted within the same bodyweight workout.
The successful transformation of your body from unfit to fit is directly related to your ability to produce an environment in which your body must get stronger, add lean muscle, improve cardiorespiratory endurance and burn unwanted fat… and a proper bodyweight workout can create that environment.
In Conclusion…
There is nothing keeping you from performing a bodyweight workout right now a improving strength, conditioning and fitness… as well as transforming your body into the body you have always wanted.
As you can see… you are out of excuses.
You don’ need expensive gym memberships, costly equipment or a tremendous amount of time t perform an effective bodyweight workout… all you need is your own body and the desire to improve.
 Coach Lomax invites you to explore bodyweight calisthenics on Ultimate Gymless Workout. Learn how to use the “gym you were born with”, and perform, feel and look better than ever before… without costly equipment or expensive gym memberships.
Tags: bodyweight workout, bodyweigth, workout without equipment
Posted in Blog, Bodyweight Exercise | No Comments »
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009
 Basic calisthenics, you know what I mean right? Well, if you’re old enough to remember Physical Education Class (sadly, this is dying out these days), ever played a sport or been in the Military, you know exactly what I mean. Basic calisthenics are the exercise method of choice to build strong, conditioned bodies with little or no equipment.
Unfortunately, in today’s world with expensive gyms full of shiny equipment and the fitness industry marketing “quick”, “easy” fitness gimmicks, bodyweight calisthenics are often overlooked. In my opinion, this is a big mistake.
You would think bodyweight exercise would be the most widely used form of exercise because of its accessibility, versatility and effectiveness. After all, bodyweight calisthenics can be used by complete beginners all the way up to elite athletes to improve performance, heath and physique. But, many men and women have been convinced (brainwashed) that basic calisthenics pale in comparison to other forms of training.
But I insist:
Basic calisthenics should be the starting point for any physical training program, and should remain an integral part of your exercise program.
There is a place for calisthenics exercise in everyone’s exercise program, ranging from being the full workout program to being a part of the over-all workout plan. Your body has always been, and will always be, the greatest tool for improving fitness, burning fat and building a strong, lean, athletic body. So, let’s take a look at some of the ways you can start using basic calisthenics today!
Basic Calisthenics Make An Excellent Warm Up
Before you start any physical training, a proper warm up should be performed. And, in my opinion, there is no better warm up for every type of physical activity than bodyweight calisthenics. There is no other activity that can prepare your body for the multitude of movements of sport, work and life quite like bodyweight exercise.
Basic Calisthenics Make A Great Full Body Workout.
You can use bodyweight exercise to improve upper body, lower body and core strength and endurance. Plus, the rhythmic nature of some calisthenics makes them excellent heart and lung workouts. So you can get a true full body workout which includes all muscle groups and the cardiorespiratory systems. And the best part, you don’t need any equipment!
Mix Bodyweight Exercises With Other Forms Of Training
Just because you use some other form of training, like dumbbells, barbells and machines, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t mix in some calisthenics as well. Just think about it. The challenges of sport, work and life require moving the weight of your own body, moving other objects or moving your own bodyweight and other objects. You should train accordingly by mixing bodyweight exercise and weighted resistance.
You Can Do Bodyweight Cardio Intervals
At the end of most people’s workout, they do some “cardio”. Unfortunately, this often means zoning out on the treadmill or exercise bike while reading a magazine or watching the T.V. I suggest you pump up the intensity by throwing in some Bodyweight Intervals. Every once in a while, jump off the bike or treadmill and do some basic calisthenics. This boosts the intensity of your workout by breaking your breathing and heart rhythms, ultimately providing a better workout.
So, I’ve just given you four great ways to incorporate basic calisthenics into your workout program. Bodyweight exercise should be a part of your workout regime, or used exclusively. Start using the gym you were born with today!
Coach Eddie Lomax, author of Ultimate Gymless Workout has put together a bodyweight training program that can be used for beginners, intermediate and advanced trainees! Start today!
Tags: bodyweight calisthenics, calisthenics, exercise
Posted in Blog, Bodyweight Exercise | No Comments »
Friday, May 22nd, 2009
Bodyweight exercise is the best place to begin when starting a physical fitness training program, should be added to programs that otherwise neglect bodyweight exercise and should be diversified with resistance training for programs that use bodyweight exercise exclusively.
Some people love bodyweight exercise and some people hate it… similarly, some people think bodyweight exercise is valuable to a physical fitness training program, and others don’t.
I believe that bodyweight exercise is not only the best method to start a physical fitness training program… but I believe that it should remain an active part of any well balance physical training program.
Let’s look at bodyweight exercise from three different perspectives… from the beginner just getting started, from the experienced weight lifter that neglects bodyweight exercise and from the bodyweight exercise only crowd.
1. Bodyweight Exercise For Beginners
Most commercial gyms will prescribe an exercise regimen of strength training, usually in the form of machines, and cardiorespiratory endurance training, normally in the form of stationary “cardio” equipment.
This is a generalization of course… but these two types of training are the predominant forms of physical training in most gyms, regardless of how they are put together.
Notice… bodyweight exercise is missing.
Answer me this… should a beginner with no prior experience with physical training start by jumping right into resistance training with free weights or machines, or would they be better served by learning more about the movement of their bodies by using bodyweight exercise?
Physical training allows you to improve the body by supplying increased stimulus that is not normally found in your daily lifestyle.
For the beginner, bodyweight exercise is the logical place to start… because most beginners are actually going from a state of complete inactivity to a state of activity.
The beginner has not even scraped the surface of what their body can perform without resistance… and should therefore strive to make improvements using bodyweight exercise first.
Once the beginner has made sufficient gains and reached an improved state with bodyweight exercise… then they can add resistance.
2. Bodyweight Exercise For The Experienced Weight Lifter
Many people with a great deal of experience and expertise in physical training completely neglect bodyweight exercise… or believe it to be ineffective.
They notoriously use all types of resistance training methods… while neglecting bodyweight exercise all together.
I propose that the goal of any physical fitness training program is to improve performance that can be used to meet the challenges of sport, work and life with excellence.
Many of those challenges will be met by the effective control and movement of your own body… and not the movement of other objects through space.
And what is the best way to train the improvement of body movement and control of your own body… that’s right, bodyweight exercise.
Here is an example…
Many people that have trouble doing a push up will focus on the bench press with hopes of improving their push up numbers… with limited results.
If you want to be able to do more push ups… do more push ups!
The point is this, the improvements you will see from physical training are specific… so if you want to see improvements in a bodyweight movement, use bodyweight exercise to do so.
3. Bodyweight Exercise For The Bodyweight Only Crowd
As you can already tell, I am a strong advocate of bodyweight exercise… but not exclusively.
There are various physical fitness training programs that use bodyweight exercise almost exclusively… like Yoga or Pilates.
While I have no problem with these forms of training… I believe they can take you only so far on the road to physical fitness excellence.
We must remember… Yoga exercises are performed in conjunction with meditation and Pilates was originally developed as a form of rehabilitation for war veterans.
The point is this… bodyweight exercise only programs will only take you so far, and then some form of resistance training must be applied to see further improvement.
In Conclusion…
Bodyweight exercise is an important part of any well balanced physical fitness training program.
If you are just getting started… bodyweight exercise is the perfect place to start.
If you have notoriously neglected bodyweight exercise in your training… add it to improve the physical abilities you have been neglecting.
If you only use bodyweight exercise… diversify your fitness training program by adding some form of resistance training.
In this way, each group can optimize the use of bodyweight exercise.
Do not underestimate the importance of bodyweight exercise… Use it effectively and in the right proportion to meet your goals, needs, abilities and limitations and meet the challenges of sport, work and life with excellence.
Tags: bodyweight exercise, build muscle, workout without equipment
Posted in Blog, Bodyweight Exercise | No Comments »
Thursday, May 21st, 2009
 I’m just going to get right into this and show you why reduced calorie diets actually make you fatter. I’m going to keep it simple and avoid complex, scientific explanations. After all, why make the phenomena of getting fatter after a reduced calorie diet complicated when common sense is enough to understand why this happens.
You all know the drill. You want to lose that ugly fat hanging off your midsection. So, you say, “I need to go on a diet!” Now, what you really mean is, “I need to go on a reduced calorie diet!” To set the recored straight, we are all on a diet. Your diet is what you eat, NOT what you don’t eat. What most people want to do is lose fat by REDUCING the amount of calories you eat.
The Reduced Calorie Diet Numbers Game
At first glance, it all comes down to numbers. There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat. So, if you create a deficit of 500 calories a day (500 more calories used than consumed), you should lose a pound of fat in 7 days. Simple, right?
Let’s see what really happens?
Let’s say you are eating 2500 calories a day and want to lose fat. So, you go on a reduced calorie diet and eliminate 500 calories a day. And in the beginning, what do you know, you start to lose some fat!
But then, the fat loss stops. So, since you are now eating 2000 calories a day, you decide to lower your caloric intake by 500 more. And, there you go again, fat loss starts. But after a while, it stops again.
So, if you follow the logic, your only choice is to keep reducing your calorie intake. And pretty soon you are eating an apple and a cracker and STILL NOT LOSING FAT!
Why Reduced Calorie Diets Don’t Work
While the math is simple, it is very complex when applied to the human body. Let me explain. Lets say you weight 200 pounds and start the reduced calorie diet like shown above. (You reduce your calorie intake from 2500 to 2000). You should lose a pound a week.
If this weight loss stayed constant…you would DISAPPEAR in 200 weeks! If you kept losing a pound a week, you would cease to exist if you kept at it for just under 4 years.
Why doesn’t this happen?
Because your body adjusts to the lower calorie intake!
And Here Is Why Reduced Calorie Dieting Makes You Fatter In The End…
When you get on the cycle of constantly reducing your calorie intake to keep the fat coming off, you eventually get to a point where you can’t keep doing it. You just end up eating so little you can’t stand it any more. And even if you try to make up the difference with exercise, you aren’t getting enough nutrients to recover from the exercise.
So, what do you do?
You end up going back to the 2500 calorie a day diet you started with. But here’s the problem… you’ve trained your body to only need 1500 calories. So what does it do with the surplus? Stores it as fat. And before you know it, you’ve not only gained back all the fat you lost, but EVEN MORE!
So do yourself a favor and avoid a fat loss plan that only relies on a reduced calorie diet. You will suffer unnecessarily, only to end up fatter in the end. But don’t lose heat, there IS a way to lose that ugly fat for good!
Coach Lomax Notes: Look, I’ll be honest with you. You ARE probably going to have to reduce your calorie intake to some degree because you are probably OVEREATING! But the reduced calorie diet is not the answer to your problem.
You need a COMBINATION of sensible diet and fat loss workout that strikes a balance between the calories going in and the calories being burned which RESULTS in your body eliminating fat. This is why I chose Warp Speed Fat Loss as the best fat loss workout. This combination of exercise and diet gets the fat off, and keeps it off… unlike the reduced calorie diet only disaster!
Tags: calorie reduction diet, low calorie diet, low calorie diets, reduce calorie diets
Posted in Blog, Diet & Nutrition, Fat Loss | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
 Close you eyes and think of cardio workouts at home. Now, I’m not a mind reader but I believe a lot of your thought of jogging on a treadmill or riding an exercise bike. Or maybe you thought of some other exercise machine designed for cardio workouts.
But the fact is, you don’t need any equipment at all to get a great workout at home. All you need is your own body, and the desire to get a great full body workout. Here’s how…
Use Bodyweight Calisthenics
Bodyweight calisthenics consist of both bodyweight strength exercises and fast paced calisthenics exercises that stress heart and lung endurance. And you don’t need any equipment at all to get a great workout.
Plus, by combining bodyweight exercises and calisthenics, you get a BETTER overall workout than if you just jogged on a treadmill of rode a bike. Just think about it. Bodyweight exercises can be used to improve strength and performance of all the muscles in the body. And calisthenics uses full body movements to increase heart and lung power.
Basically, this ends up be a better overall workout than most cardio workouts at home that use equipment.
Cardio Workouts At Home: Example
Let’s pick 3 common bodyweight exercises and 1 common calisthenics exercise. We’ll use push ups, squats, crunches and jumping jacks.
Here is how you do it:
Do 10 reps of each bodyweight exercise in a circuit without rest. Then immediately do 30 seconds of jumping jacks. Repeat for 10 minutes.
What you’ll find is this quick and simple workout provided a full body workout and a great cardio workout all in one. And frankly, this is a better workout than doing aerobic exercise on a machine for 20 minutes. And with literally hundreds of bodyweight calisthenics exercises to choose from… you’ll never be left wanting for a cardio workout at home.
If You Have Equipment… Use Bodyweight Interval Circuits
If you do have a treadmill or bike, you can still get in on the action. Let’s say you are going to ride the bike for 20 minutes. Every 5 minutes jump off the bike and perform a circuit of bodyweight calisthenics like described above. Your boring cardio workout just got a whole lot more interesting and more EFFECTIVE.
Don’t let not having any exercise equipment at home keep you from getting a great cardio workout. As a matter of fact, it might be a blessing in disguise. You’ll find that bodyweight calisthenics workouts are far more effective for improving fitness, burning fat and building an attractive, athletic body than using only aerobic workouts.
Try it out for yourself and see!
Tags: cardio workouts, exercise, workout at home, workout with no equipment
Posted in Blog, Bodyweight Exercise | 1 Comment »
Get The Best At Home Workouts Combo Pack!
All Coach Eddie Lomax's At Home Workouts for one low price! Click here for details.
|
Anyone who has tried to get rid of fat has been there. In the beginning, the nutrition and exercise plan seems to be working, but then all the fat loss comes to a screeching halt. We all have those problem areas (for me it is my stomach and love handles), where the fat just won’t seen to go away. Can dumbbell workout routines be the answer?
