by admin | Jul 24, 2019 | Fitness
Fitness is an important part of one’s life. Going to a gym might seem to be the most convenient option for working out, but in reality is one of the most expensive options, in the long run, thanks to a lot of charges like annual fees, maintenance fees, startup costs, membership fees, etc. Setting up a home gym has many convenient and cost-saving benefits both short-term and long-term.
Here are some reasons why a home gym beats a commercial gym in both convenience and cost:
No monthly membership cost
Setting up a home gym is very expensive; you will have to invest in equipment such as light weights, a treadmill, stationary bike, etc.. But, the fact that you will not have to spend monthly fees will save you a lot of money in the long run. For instance, your $30/month membership means you are spending $360 each year; with this amount, you will be able to purchase a dumbbell set and get incredible results. You need to look at your home gym as a long-term investment.
Invest in better gym equipment and products
Most gyms today purchase mid-quality products. Let us just say that they want to turn a profit fast, but also make sure that the equipment lasts for a decent amount of time. On top of that, the equipment is used constantly by other members as well, which further contributes to wear-and-tear. Often, you will find an exercise bike with loose pedals or seat. But, if you plan on setting up your home gym, you will be able to invest in high-grade equipment that is tailored to specifically meet your needs.
Saving a lot of time traveling
For instance, let us assume that it takes you 20 minutes to drive to your gym from your home. Add five minutes of prep time and ten minutes to shower, you spend 35 minutes one way. Journey back to your home takes another 20 minutes. Overall, you are spending an hour just traveling. But with a home gym, you will not have to worry about this. You can start your workout regime at any time you feel right. There is also no waiting for other people to finish using the gym equipment.
No excuses for not working out
Excuses prevent you from working out and training. But they are inapplicable to your home gym. Of course, while you have the freedom to choose when to gym, you will have a much harder time coming up with an excuse for skipping your workouts. While it might not exactly sound like a benefit, it can be a powerful psychological tool and provide you with more motivation.
Whether you are interested in a small and simple home gym with some free-weights, mats, and an exercise bike or a comprehensive one with barbells and weight machines, setting up a gym within the four walls in your home is definitely worth the effort, money, and time. Once you build your home gym, you will wonder why you bothered with the gym membership in the first place!
by admin | Jun 16, 2019 | Fitness
So, is it really important to wear a sports bra while you work out? The answer is YES. Most of the people think that sports bras are there just to make you look pretty. While there are some people who think that these bras are just for large-chested women, but they are a vital part of your workout wardrobe.
If there is anything that you need to spend your money on, then sports bra it is. Some of the reasons for this are listed as follows:
Correct Support
Most of the exercise forms enable your breasts to bounce up and down irrespective of the cup size. It is important as it can definitely pose some serious risks to health. As you know, breasts comprise of fatty tissues, where fragile ligaments and skin surrounds them.
The main problem is that when these ligaments are broken or stretched upon, they sag and you can do nothing about it. All this has nothing to do with small or big breasts. Once these ligaments are broken down, they will not bounce back again.
While purchasing a sports bra, you need to consider whether you will be doing low or high impact exercises. This is so because both of these exercises require different sports bras. Plus, go for a bra that perfectly suits you. There are several options available like compression bras and bras with inbuilt cups. So, choose a sports bra depending on your cup size, activity level, and preference.
Amazing Comfort
There can be nothing more annoying than straps that keep on falling down. Also, underwires that keep on digging into your soft skin. One can relate to hooks becoming really loose and things that come out while you try to perform an intense workout. It is best to go with a sports bra.
With sports bras, one can regulate the temperature of one’s body in a better way, especially when it’s really hot outside. This is so because sports bras are made up of fabrics that do not make you as sweaty and hot. So, purchase a sports bra and do not ruin your laced bras with all the sweat that tries to escape your body during workout sessions.
Relieve Pain
When you workout using a normal T-shirt bra or without a bra, there are chances that you will develop breast and back pain due to this. A sports bra is designed especially to hold up your breasts from all the way around. It makes sure that your breasts are secure while your skin easily breathes.
It does not matter what kind of exercise you perform, purchasing a high-quality sports bra is as worthy as buying a good pair of sneakers. A good sports bra will effectively support your whole body and improve your workout session a lot.
Hopefully, you get an idea of why it is important to wear a sports bra during your workout session. Now, buy a sports bra and take your fitness goals to the next level.
by admin | May 28, 2019 | Fitness, Functional Training
All types of athletes ranging from football to hockey base their physical exercise on improving the muscle of their core by using compound activities. But what do you do to get ripped abs? It is no surprise that abs get a workout even when you are not exercising. This is because they are part of the core muscles that are involved in every movement of the body. But here are some exercises dedicated to building great abs:
Arms-High Partial Sit-up
Lie down and bend your knees to 90°. Raise your hands straight up over your head and point them upwards throughout the duration of the exercise. Sit up halfway and return to the floor. This is a single rep; you can continue as much as you can in a single set.
Barbell Rollout
Take a barbell and load it with ten-pound plates; kneel on the floor at the back of it. Your shoulders need to be over the bar. Then, brace your abs and roll the bar forward. Once you begin to feel that your hips are sagging, roll yourself back to the original position. Continue till you feel a sharp pain on your thigh.
Ab Wheel Rollout
Kneel on the floor and hold an ab wheel beneath your shoulders. Then brace your abs and keep rolling front till you feel your hips might sag and about to lose your core’s tension. Roll back and repeat. Try to do as many reps as you can and end the set when you feel you might break your form.
Horizontal Cable Woodchop
You will need to make use of an adjustable cable pulley and set it to shoulder level; hold the handle with both hands and set your feet apart. Your body should be at 90° to the anchor point and far away from the machine, with extended arms. This will bring tension to the cable. Twist away from the machine in an action like chopping a tree. Make sure that your feet remain stationary.
Swiss Ball Crunch
Take a Swiss ball and lie back on the floor with your feet apart at shoulder-width. Make sure that your lower back is supported by the ball. Tuck your chin and place your hands behind your ears. Then curl your body up off the floor till you regain the sitting position again.
You need to look beyond deadlifts if you want to work on your abs. Plank holds and press-ups can beat even the heaviest deadlifts for core activation. It is also a common myth that abs need to be worked upon every day; in reality, two or three abs workout is optimal for most people.
Doing a hundred situps is not going to do anything for your back and abs, but it does not mean that you should ditch spinal flexion totally. If flexibility is important, you can opt for a wide range of crunches and curl-up exercises. However, if you are looking for maximum muscular development, than crunches and the above-stated exercises will help you realize your goal efficiently.
by admin | Sep 8, 2018 | Fitness
The fitness routine you follow religiously at your local gym is bound to get interrupted when traveling plans come up. Doesn’t matter if you’re going on a solo vacation, a getaway trip with friends, or taking a trip for work—your fitness goals and progress don’t have to take the backseat when you’re traveling. There are ways you can make sure you don’t fall back on your progress and work out regularly without the assistance of the gym or professional training instruments. Read on to find out how you can stay in shape while traveling.
No equipment? No worries
You don’t need to hole yourself up in a gym or get your hands on gym equipment once you reach your travel destination in order to maintain your fitness. There are a lot of gym equipment alternatives which you can find everywhere you go.
1. Take the stairs
No matter which place you go traveling everywhere will have a set of stairs for you to take. Use that to your advantage. Take the stairs instead of the elevators when you’re traveling to and from your hotel room or meeting or visiting the office. You need to fit in as much fitness as you can in your trip, might as well use the opportunities stairs provide. You can even employ the stairs in multiple leg workouts! Run up and down the stairs as much as you can—strengthen your calf muscles!
2. Consider equipment alternatives
Use a door to help with back stretches. You don’t have barbells so might as well use soup cans and bottles. PVC pipe or broom handles can be used for balancing exercises. Basketballs and soccer balls make for great and useful alternatives to regular medicine balls and softer balls can help with leg and thigh squeezes. Use chairs for inclined pushups and related arm toning exercises. Robe ties and nylon and even towels can act as resistance bands! The possibilities stretch far as your creativity does so just find alternatives which work for you and start warming up for a workout.
3. Use your own body and body weight
Even though there are some great equipment alternatives out there, at the end of the day you can perform killer workouts by using no equipment at all. It is the main preferred option for fitness training while traveling; to build muscle strength using your own body weight. This is because you can safely do fitness training with your body weight just about anywhere. You won’t need any heavy complex machines!
Here is a list of some of the best body weight exercises you can do while traveling :
- Lunges
- Crunches
- Squats
- Pulls ups (you’ll need something like a monkey bar to do these though!)
- Push-ups
- Wall-sits
- Burpees
- Planks
- Limb-raises
- Bridges
- Side leg-raises
- Sidekicks
- Reverse crunches
- High Knees
- Bicycle crunches
- Lunges step-ups
You can work on these exercises in as many repetitions ( 6-7 reps are suggested if you’re fairly new at body weight training) as you can and combine in any workout circuits of your choice depending on your goals and body limits;
Basically, find a pace which isn’t too strenuous or doesn’t hurt you or your routine while traveling and make the world your gym!
by admin | Aug 6, 2018 | Fitness, Weight Loss
Everyone has a certain mindset and daily habits that predict their behavior. Unfortunately, a lot of these beliefs can hold us back from the very things we want the most. This appears to be especially true when we are referring to our diet and exercise goals. It is predominantly our mindset that prevents most from even getting started.
It’s regrettable that simple thoughts can have a profound impact on how easy it is to make simple changes.
If any of these statements seem to be true to your thinking, read on to determine how to counteract their damage:
1. “I must have everything I need before I get started.” You know the routine; you think you have to get new workout shoes, join a fitness club, buy some new workout shorts and shirts, get started on the right diet, and more. Realize that you don’t need any of that to get started. You know what food is good for you and what isn’t. Eat healthily and go for a walk.
Begin immediately with the information you already know. You can improve your eating habits and workout program each week. Nothing positive will happen without action, so start taking action today.
2. “I’m not in any condition to exercise.” Lots of overweight people believe this one. The truth is that exercise is dependent on the individual. For some individuals, exercising means running a marathon. For others, it might mean a short trip to the mailbox and back inside your home.
The important thing is here is to stress your body adequately and then let it recover. The amount of work it takes to achieve that is not important. You can start out slowly on your home gym, treadmill or exercise bike.
3. “I do not have the time to prepare meals.” There are plenty of different types of foods that are healthy to prepare that take almost no time at all. Throw some beans in a pan and let them boil for a while when you’re busy with something else. The total time actually spent preparing the beans is less than a minute.
Prepare things ahead of time, in large quantities and then just reheat small portions for mealtime.
4. “I’m so out of shape that I feel I will never be able to get back in shape.” It’s true that the more you let yourself get out of shape, the longer it’s going to take to get yourself fit again. But you can improve each day and week if you stay consistent.
It doesn’t take much to lose one pound each week, and that’s 50 pounds in a year. It’s important to just focus on today. If you focus a year or two out, it’s tough to see it through.
5. “I don’t know where to start.” If you’re in poor physical shape, nearly anything you do to be more active is a benefit.
- Eat a little bit more healthy.
- Move just a little more than you have been.
- Add activities you would consider play time and fun
Once you make an improvement in your daily habits, your body will show change. Then you need to change a little more each day to see constant improvement. It’s not necessary to have a complicated routine.
Replace one ‘unhealthy’ food that you eat regularly with something that you know is healthy. Also, add a quick walk to your daily routine. Go as slowly as you need to. If you can only walk 5 or 10 minutes, no problem. Next week you’ll be able to walk a little longer. Each week improve your diet and increase your activity gradually.
6. “It’s too complicated.” This belief comes from the nutrition and fitness industry. If they kept everything simple, what would they have to sell and talk about? Diet and exercise are both actually very simple unless you’re trying to make the Olympic team. Don’t be fooled into thinking that your knowledge is insufficient.
Examine your own beliefs. What is stopping you from taking better care of yourself? Is your belief reasonable, or is it just an excuse to maintain your current behavior? If you can change your beliefs, you can change your behavior and enjoy a healthy life.
Start eating a little bit more healthy and exercising a little bit more today, and soon you will see… you’ll have the body you’ve been wanting.
by admin | Aug 3, 2018 | Crossfit Training, Fitness, Functional Training
Tabata workouts may sound like a great idea if you like the idea of getting fit in five minutes. Find out what’s behind the extraordinary claims about this workout and whether or not they would work for you.
Tabata is the creation of Dr. Izumi Tabata, who trained the Japanese speed skating team in the 1990’s. Even those highly trained and conditioned athletes had a difficult time keeping up, but they saw fantastic results in just a few short weeks. Celebrities, like Kyra Sedgewick, swear by this program.
These workouts are a variation of the HIIT training that athletes have done for years. You alternate between short stints of intense activity and easier recovery periods. With Tabata, you train at full strength for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, and repeat the cycle 8 times.
Benefits of Tabata Workouts
1. Save time with Tabata. Many people are enjoying the Tabata workout because you can get fit in a shorter period of time. Think of all the extra things in your life you can accomplish with the extra time that you free up. You can spend more time enjoying your favorite hobbies or past times with friends and family members.
2. Increase your anaerobic capacity with Tabata. Ordinary cardiovascular activities, such as running on the treadmill or swimming, will increase your aerobic capacity. But intense short-term bursts of exercise and exertion seems to affect your anaerobic fitness more effectively. Tabata increases your anaerobic capacity because you are strengthening your muscles by forcing them to do hard work for a short period of time.
3. Avoid overuse injuries. Daily tennis matches or long distance jogging like marathon training often put too much stress on certain areas of your body such as your legs, and various muscle groups. The shorter period workouts may help to protect your tendons, shins, and muscles.
4. Burn fat. Studies show that Tabata stimulates your metabolism, and you continue burning more calories for about the next 12 hours. That quickly adds up.
5. Lower your risk of diabetes. There’s evidence that Tabata may help balance your blood sugar. Exercise and a healthy diet are both important if you are at risk for diabetes.
How to Use Tabata and Tabata-Style Workouts
1. Know your objectives. Tabata isn’t easy, so ask yourself if it’s an appropriate type of exercise for you. You may want to stick with yoga or other workouts that you enjoy more.
2. Talk to your doctor first. Your physician can advise you about your individual health tolerances and whether Tabata would be a good fit for you. It’s especially important to get a medical consultation if you have certain medical conditions or have been sedentary for a while.
3. Work with a certified trainer. A qualified trainer can get you off to a good start. If you cannot afford private training, enroll in a group class.
4. Use a reliable timer. Precise timing is very important in Tabata training. It can be difficult to estimate how many seconds go by without looking at a timer or stopwatch.
5. Start with simple movements. Almost any exercise activity can be incorporated into Tabata. Begin with your personal favorites or hop on the treadmill or stationary bicycle. Over time you can add in different kinds of exercises like sprints, running hills or jump rope.
6. A good Warm up and cool down is highly recommended. Like any exercise routine, it is always a good idea to give your body adequate preparation to warm the muscles and a light cool down to slowly relax the body. Begin and end your session with slower and smaller movements. Save a good static stretch for last when your muscles are warm.
7. Keep a journal. A written log will help highlight your progress. Look back over the weeks to see your improvements.
8. Proceed gradually. Consider the option of borrowing some Tabata concepts without going the whole distance. Try taking longer rest periods or doing less than 8 cycles.
9. Be prepared for a little discomfort. Even seasoned athletes acknowledge that Tabata is challenging. Temporary shortness of breath and other symptoms are natural. You may decide it’s worth the effort once you see the results.
Tabata takes a little longer than the five minutes everyone thinks. However, it still cuts the hours off the usual gym time and delivers superior results. You can even adapt the principles to suit your individual condition and goals so you’ll stay safe while getting in great shape.
