Don't have expensive equipment or a gym membership? Living in a small town or a rural area with very limited fitness options?
This is not a problem at all.
The best tool if you are starting out on your fitness journey is actually your own bodyweight.
To understand this you have to know that there are 6 primal movements. And they are:
Twist
Bend
Pull
Push
Squat
Lunge
Bodyweight is perfect for all of these starting out.
Squat and Lunge are pretty straight forward, I don't think I really need to explain it. And great exercises for your legs. Infact the squat is an exercise that causes your quads to still be burning an increase calories for up 24 hours after you have finished. Neat eh?
Pull and Push are again pretty easy exercises. Push ups are the perfect push exercise and they work almost every single muscle in your body in some way including the stabilizing muscles. If you cannot do regular full push ups, try doing them from your knees or if you can't do that, do them against the wall and gradually build up your ability.
Pull/Chin Ups or body rows, if you happen to have a chin up bar or even monkey bars from a playground handy these are the best pull activites that work your back muscles wonderfully. If you are unable to do pull/chin ups regularly, try having one foot on a chair to assit you, or even a workout buddy. Body rows you have the bar lower to the ground and hang off it with your knees bent to lighten the resistance (depending on your skill level) and you pull.
Twist, a great one for those pesky abs. The Russian Twist works this action just fine. You can do this with or without a weight.
Bend, the best beginner exercise for bend is: stand on one foot and bend forward keeping your spine in a neutral flat position and reach with the same side as the foot you are standing on, and then return to standing. It's ok to balance yourself with your other hand on a chair or table.
Another great bend exercise is: The deadlift! It's a great lower back and hamstring exercise, however technique is to be almost perfect otherwise you do risk injury to your lower back. I strongly suggest consulting with a credible personal trainer to get the technique down right before attempting this solo.
Showing posts with label Strength. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Strength. Show all posts
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Exercise FAQs
I'm going to answer some of the most common questions I have been asked. This may end up being a series.
If I lift weights, won't I end up looking like Arnold?
Unless you have the genetics for this to happen, no. I have heard this question from alot of women and a few men. Some bodybuilders resort to "alternative medicine" in order to get the look that is desirable for their sport. The credible ones who do it without those medicines usually spend hours upon hours in the gym crafting their bodies for the sport. So again, unless you have the genetics and spend hours in the gym a day. You will not end up looking like Arnold if you lift weights.
Why aren't I losing weight, the Cardio machine has said I'm in fat burning mode:
Unless you are going at your current pace for hours on the machine you are not in fat burning mode. Those machines are kind of misleading in that aspect. In order for you to lose weight doing cardio you would be better off figuring out your heart rate targets and staying within them. Or by doing interval training once you build up a base cardio ability. I will investigate this more in my next article.
Can't I just get fit by only lifting weights? I hate doing cardio.
I mainly hear this from younger guys. While you will gain a small gains in cardio ability by doing strength training you would be better off doing a regime that blends cardio and weight/strength training together in order to cover all your bases. So guys, go do some cardio it's good for your heart and will help you be able to pump that iron for longer.
My muscles hurt after working out, how can I stop this?
After your workout which should include a proper warm up, you should stretch out the muscles you worked which will limit the soreness. And after the workout eat or drink something that contains ample protein.
Do I really have to do cardio? It's so boring, I feel like a hamster on a wheel going nowhere.
Yes, you have to do cardio. If it bores you so much then do something you like to do. Other great cardio options that don't involve machines are: Running stairs, snowshoeing, swimming, rowing, soccer, basketball, jogging, skating, walking, playing with your kids, taking the stairs at work, parking further away from work/mall and more. You don't have to do your cardio on the machines at the gym but you need atleast 30 minutes a day 5 to 7 times a week to be of benefit.
If I lift weights, won't I end up looking like Arnold?
Unless you have the genetics for this to happen, no. I have heard this question from alot of women and a few men. Some bodybuilders resort to "alternative medicine" in order to get the look that is desirable for their sport. The credible ones who do it without those medicines usually spend hours upon hours in the gym crafting their bodies for the sport. So again, unless you have the genetics and spend hours in the gym a day. You will not end up looking like Arnold if you lift weights.
Why aren't I losing weight, the Cardio machine has said I'm in fat burning mode:
Unless you are going at your current pace for hours on the machine you are not in fat burning mode. Those machines are kind of misleading in that aspect. In order for you to lose weight doing cardio you would be better off figuring out your heart rate targets and staying within them. Or by doing interval training once you build up a base cardio ability. I will investigate this more in my next article.
Can't I just get fit by only lifting weights? I hate doing cardio.
I mainly hear this from younger guys. While you will gain a small gains in cardio ability by doing strength training you would be better off doing a regime that blends cardio and weight/strength training together in order to cover all your bases. So guys, go do some cardio it's good for your heart and will help you be able to pump that iron for longer.
My muscles hurt after working out, how can I stop this?
After your workout which should include a proper warm up, you should stretch out the muscles you worked which will limit the soreness. And after the workout eat or drink something that contains ample protein.
Do I really have to do cardio? It's so boring, I feel like a hamster on a wheel going nowhere.
Yes, you have to do cardio. If it bores you so much then do something you like to do. Other great cardio options that don't involve machines are: Running stairs, snowshoeing, swimming, rowing, soccer, basketball, jogging, skating, walking, playing with your kids, taking the stairs at work, parking further away from work/mall and more. You don't have to do your cardio on the machines at the gym but you need atleast 30 minutes a day 5 to 7 times a week to be of benefit.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
How do I start and stick with a new fitness program?
A very kind friend of mine posed this question to me and I have decided to write up a way to accomplish this. Since it is the time of year where people are now making those resolutions to get and stay healthy in the New Year but the vast majority of people and up quitting by the second week of January.
There are, like most things, many different reasons why people cannot stick with this goal. The most common being that they come to the realization that they have bitten off more than they can chew and want to quit. They get so into it that they don't realize they don't really know what they exactly want to do beyond losing weight.
So here we go, ShinKicker Fitness's own how to design a program that you can stick to!
1. Know your goals. It's kind of hard to design and stick to a program if you don't know what you want to accomplish when you finish it. If you want to lose fat, gain muscle, improve your cardio so you can keep up with your kids or improve for a sport. This will make it so much easier for you to figure out how to go about accomplishing your goals if you know what it is.
2. Know your commitment level. How much time per day or week do you have to work towards your goals. You do not need to spend 3 hours a day in the gym to see results. But you do really need to devote time to it, say 30 minutes 3 times a week to start off and then build from there as you get stronger.
3. Start off slow. Do not start with an advanced level workout if you have are just getting back into being active. The reasoning for this is two fold. You will get discouraged if you are unable to complete it and thusly lose the will to stick with your program. You also could injure yourself and no one wants to get injured. It's just unpleasent to say the least.
4. Know what you have available to you where you are. Do you have a gym handy? Is there a class you want to take locally? Do you have a partner to keep you motivated?
5. Have a workout buddy. It doesn't matter if it's a personal trainer, your mom, dad, sister, cousin, friend or your dog. As I just mentioned in number 4 it does help to have someone to keep you motivated to keep going and accomplish those goals.
6. Have fun. So many people forget this. But if you make your routine fun you are more and more likely to accomplish your goal let alone actually stick with your program. Don't like running on a treadmill because it's boring? Then don't. Find exercises and activities that you love to do and do them.
7. Do not compare you and your results to those of other people. If you do you will find yourself getting discouraged. Every single person is different and will get fit at different rates based on any number of different factors ranging from gender, age, body chemistry and ability. Keep this motto in mind while you work towards your goal. "Your best is not my best. My best is my best." Fitness is 50% book and 50% people. You need to find what works for you and to hell with what works for someone else.
If you can keep these in mind while you decide on your New Years Resolutions. You will increase your chances of accomplishing them by 10 fold.
There are, like most things, many different reasons why people cannot stick with this goal. The most common being that they come to the realization that they have bitten off more than they can chew and want to quit. They get so into it that they don't realize they don't really know what they exactly want to do beyond losing weight.
So here we go, ShinKicker Fitness's own how to design a program that you can stick to!
1. Know your goals. It's kind of hard to design and stick to a program if you don't know what you want to accomplish when you finish it. If you want to lose fat, gain muscle, improve your cardio so you can keep up with your kids or improve for a sport. This will make it so much easier for you to figure out how to go about accomplishing your goals if you know what it is.
2. Know your commitment level. How much time per day or week do you have to work towards your goals. You do not need to spend 3 hours a day in the gym to see results. But you do really need to devote time to it, say 30 minutes 3 times a week to start off and then build from there as you get stronger.
3. Start off slow. Do not start with an advanced level workout if you have are just getting back into being active. The reasoning for this is two fold. You will get discouraged if you are unable to complete it and thusly lose the will to stick with your program. You also could injure yourself and no one wants to get injured. It's just unpleasent to say the least.
4. Know what you have available to you where you are. Do you have a gym handy? Is there a class you want to take locally? Do you have a partner to keep you motivated?
5. Have a workout buddy. It doesn't matter if it's a personal trainer, your mom, dad, sister, cousin, friend or your dog. As I just mentioned in number 4 it does help to have someone to keep you motivated to keep going and accomplish those goals.
6. Have fun. So many people forget this. But if you make your routine fun you are more and more likely to accomplish your goal let alone actually stick with your program. Don't like running on a treadmill because it's boring? Then don't. Find exercises and activities that you love to do and do them.
7. Do not compare you and your results to those of other people. If you do you will find yourself getting discouraged. Every single person is different and will get fit at different rates based on any number of different factors ranging from gender, age, body chemistry and ability. Keep this motto in mind while you work towards your goal. "Your best is not my best. My best is my best." Fitness is 50% book and 50% people. You need to find what works for you and to hell with what works for someone else.
If you can keep these in mind while you decide on your New Years Resolutions. You will increase your chances of accomplishing them by 10 fold.
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