Showing posts with label core exercises. Show all posts
Showing posts with label core exercises. Show all posts

Friday, July 11, 2008

Exercise, Good Nutrition, Supplementation = Fat Loss

We know here at LIVE that exercise is the most effective method for instantly boosting metabolism. When weight loss is desired, combining exercise, proper diet and use of appropriate supplements naturally leads to maximum metabolic efficiency and the greatestg chance of results.

Both are absolutely essential. Effective diet which can include supplement intake should be your No. 1 priority. Here's why: Both your ability to exercise and your exercise results will naturally accelerate in the presence of proper nutrition. We tell the people that we are working with the 75% of your success will come from the nutrition side. Without proper diet, you won't be able to effectively access energy stores, nor will you be able replace nutrients lost during exercise. When that happens, metabolism declines. We have wonderful fat loss aids here at LIVE, like Yellow Subs, and we want you to take them when you are giving your body the best opportunity for results!

We deal with a lot of people who go to the gym almost religiously. Often, they spend hours working out, and still, over the course of months, they show little or no progress. Every day, they are there huffing and puffing - but they're still overweight in spite of their efforts. We also know people who work out far less and make amazing progress, and still others who maintain a healthy, lean look without even trying. Again, it can come down to the effective use of good diet with that exercise and the use of supplements that ensure the optimal delivery of nutrients for the goal, like Leukic by Muscletech.

Naturally, genetics are a key factor. But so is metabolism, and metabolism is inherently dependent on how you treat your body. If you attempt to exercise intensively without supporting your body's nutritional needs, you won't get very far.

Rest and relaxation, too, are every bit as important as action. Remember that under chronic stress or exhaustion, your body's nervous system (and thus your metabolism) suffers. Avoid compulsively long daily exercise routines. Instead, vary your workouts, including short, intense training sessions in the mix.

Many popular health gurus recommend moderate exercise, such as walking or gardening, as the best solution. Their reasoning is that moderate exercise puts less pressure on the body and the heart. Certainly, gentle exercise is good for you, and it results in less oxidation and fewer free radicals than intensive exercise, but it also limits the challenges you can approach and the level of fitness you can achieve.

I believe the best way to exercise is by providing your body with intense stimuli to which it will naturally adapt. Our body has the wisdom to adjust to physical strain by getting stronger and tougher. Through this adaptative process, the body improves it's own metabolic state.

Intense and short exercise intervals are also effective in pumping blood and oxygen to the entire body. Maximum oxygenation helps rejuvenate all body tissues and, again, this helps boost overall metabolism. A great Supplement that we sell that is perfect to help with short, intense bursts of energy is Cold fusion EX by LG Sciences.

If you haven't been exercising regularly and strenuously, don't try to force yourself to exercise with maximum intensity straight out of the gate. Instead, follow a constructive exercise routine in which you gradually increase intensity over a period of weeks or months. This is where the use of an online personal trainer comes into play.

Nourish your body, exercise intensely and get enough rest, and you can quickly reach a state of maximum metabolic efficiency. In this state, your body will efficiently burn body fat as fuel. Its base level of energy utilization will accelerate, and gradually, this will cause your body to naturally redesign itself.

When you reach maximum metabolic efficiency, you are literally re-creating yourself - at a cellular level - on an ongoing basis. Just because you weren't born with a super-fast metabolism doesn't mean you can't possess one. And just because you are carting around extra fat right now doesn't mean you have to keep it forever.

If you want to live in a young, vigorous, lean body, just give your body what it needs in order to reach a peak metabolic state: Eat well, exercise intensely, get enough rest. Most importantly, get to know your body from the inside out. Enjoy its power, respect its complexity, and it will repay you richly.


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Thursday, June 5, 2008

Alpine Climbing and Fitness

I have written before in this publication about indoor rock climbing and its fitness benefits. Now I want to turn my attention to the sport of "alpine climbing" and its variations, and how this activity can become a part of a fitness lifestyle that is truly in concert with what we call the "inner athlete." Another term for alpine climbing is simply "mountain climbing". Though most people would think of mountain climbing as something that would involve a very high peak and trekking through snow to get to the top, the purpose of this article is to show the value of participating even in less extensive climbs that test fitness and require some planning, but can be done in a short period of time or even over the course of an afternoon. As a personal trainer I was always looking for things that would effectively motivate my clients to adhere to a fitness program and reach their goals. Whether the goal was weight loss, building muscles, toning up their bodies or having more energy, I knew that the "Inner Athlete" that we mention frequently on our website exists in everybody, so it was up to me to find an activity that allowed a client's version of that inner athlete to come out. Training to get their body fit enough to climb a mountain was frequently the ticket. It is a very simple idea: get your body from the bottom of the mountain to the top, and once you are up there, enjoy the view and the fruits of your labor. A lot of clients were really intrigues by the idea, so we built their cardio programs and resistance training programs around it.

As I write this article, recently I have been riveted by the current Discovery Channel series "Everest, Beyond the Limit". The series follows the journey of a group of climbers led by a professional guide as they attempt to reach the summit of the world's highest mountain. In the series, viewers are treated for really the first time with EXACTLY what it looks and sounds like way up at those rarely traveled altitudes. In addition, a TV series has never before focused on the actual life these climbers lead as they spend almost 2 months on the mountain itself, getting used to the altitude and building the specific fitness required to achieve the summit. The hardship these people endure to reach their goal is almost beyond the understanding of most people, as the prolonged exposure to the increasing altitudes of Everest causes the climbers' minds and bodies to gradually shut down and stop working properly. It is enough to make even a pretty experienced fitness professional and adventurer like myself question the value of doing something that extreme to my body. Even having done some alpine climbing myself, including summiting Oregon's Mt. Hood (11,249ft) and Washington's famous Mt. St. Helens (8,364 ft), I still found it tough to imagine wanting to put my body through something so tortuous. The altitudes on the mountains I have climbed are only around 1/3 as high as those on Everest (29,035ft)

That's not what this article is about, however. Only a few thousand people in the entire world have ever stepped onto the summit of Everest, but virtually anyone can find a "climbing" adventure that suits their fitness and personality. The experience of the thrill of climbing is something that is realistically within anyone's means when actually trained for. Most people have just never really considered it possible or know where to start. Looking beyond the extreme nature that is present on Everest, the sport of "mountain climbing" can be participated in by almost anyone with a solid basic level of fitness. There some real and absolutely extraordinary fitness benefits that extreme climbers have achieved by the time they are done on Everest, and a version of those benefits are within the reach of "normal" people. These are people who may want the adventure of climbing a mountain to motivate them, but can realistically be achieved on a much smaller scale attainable by virtually anyone.

Physiologically, climbing is one of the most effective aerobic activities that can be performed. The steady state effort required to train for and perform climbs builds tremendous fitness in the heart and circulatory system. It is also typically low impact and easy on the joints which makes it an activity that virtually anyone can perform at some level.

Psychologially, climbing has a typically very simple appeal: getting to the top of a mountain feels good and is a very easy goal to define. "I made it to the top" is a very attractive thing to feel. Everybody wants to feel a sense of accomplishemnt in their lives, and too often our fitness success or failure is defined by the weight scale. All shapes and sizes of, people can climb, and the mountain doesn't care what size you are, it only cares if you made it to the top of it or not. So, best of luck in your climbing adventures, no matter at what altitude you finish!


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Friday, May 2, 2008

Cardio Threshold Training - Medium Intensity Days

The Plan: The threshold workout or medium intensity workout is the #1 workout that most cardio athletes and enthusiasts miss in their programs. The goal of the threshold workouts is to work at the max at which your aerobic metabolism produces energy. Because you have another energy source called your anaerobic metabolism, you have the ability to train harder or faster than a proper threshold workout. Most people thinking that they need to be killing themselves to be getting a good workout never slow down enough to train their body effectively.

Your aerobic metabolism is the way your body burns fat and carbs as energy with the use of oxygen. The only way to optimally perform in cardio or endurance races, as well as, achieve your weight loss goals is to train your aerobic metabolism to be as fast as it can. The perfect workout for weight loss, 5k training, and running a marathon.

How do we find the proper intensity to train at? The only way to know for sure that you are training at the right intensity is through having your own personal heart rate profile. With Live Lean Today's online fitness plans, you receive your own heart rate zones to optimize each workout. Most people not watching their heart rate are way off to what they think their heart rate is to what it actually is.

Threshold workouts range from 15-30 min. in total session time. With Live Lean Today, your online personal trainer will work with you to create the right program and progression for your threshold workouts. If you can go longer than 30 min than we need to go faster. What is important is highest rate of energy and heart rate that you can sustain for the entire threshold workout.

The Results: Threshold hold workouts train your body to burn more fat and carbohydrates as energy. This is another way of saying you have a faster metabolism. As it relates to performance, with threshold training you create a faster pace. Especially, if you have found that you can't seem to increase your running pace, threshold workouts are needed in your program.

After effective threshold workouts, the biggest difference you will instantly feel is how much faster you perform at lower heart rates. Your heart rate profile will change as you progress and improve. This is why it is so important for a cardio expert to be monitoring your progress and making adjustments. You now have the ability to run faster for the same distances and times that were once a struggle.

Your weight loss results occur while you are resting. If you have ever said you wanted a faster metabolism than threshold workout are for you. Your body will burn more calories of fat 24 hours a day 7 days a week after your body improves from threshold workouts.

The Difference: Live Lean Today is the only online personal trainer program to have precise heart rate training programs to optimize your results. Training in the right heart rate zone makes each workout as effective as it can be. The fastest way to your results is through proper heart rate training and progression.


Find the best online fitness trainers and LG Science products at LIveLeanToday.com

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

It’s a Resolution to Anti-aging

Five, four, three, two, one. Happy New Year! Whether you were dancing in the streets at midnight or sleeping beneath the sheets long before the ball dropped, the world rang in 2007, which means you will celebrate another birthday before 2008's big bash. However, while "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" countdown and the counting of candles on your birthday cake may be unavoidable year after year, the way you age is certainly in your control.

Aging gracefully and comfortably (without the aches and pains of arthritis and osteoporosis) can be as simple as choosing the right foods in your diet, as well as exercising regularly. Because even more than preventing wrinkles, anti-aging also means preventing memory loss, heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. For this reason, the anti-aging diet is receiving much attention and can certainly complement your everyday life.

The anti-aging diet is a combination of both nutrition and lifestyle factors. Not only is it important to pile your plate with healthy choices from the food pyramid, it is doubly important to keep your body fine-tuned by exercising, avoiding UV light and cigarettes, and even doing crossword puzzles. Yes, researchers have proven that mental activity forms a strong connection between your brain cells and the way your transmit thoughts, so as you age, you are less likely to develop Alzheimer's. Even more, according to the American Dietetic Association, not only can mental activity reverse damage to your cells, but also with adequate amounts of vegetables and fruits, including blueberries and spinach, age-related losses in motor function and cognition can be reduced.

If you want to see your age grow to high numbers, then you need to make sure the scale shows you the lower ones. From weight training to cardio to yoga, a fusion of activity will keep you feeling young at heart and looking ageless in your jeans. Weight training will help you build muscle, maintain strong bone density, and burn fat. That's right. The more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn. And while pumping weights will keep your muscles strong, cardio will help keep your heart pumping while yoga will keep your body stress-free.

Stress is one of many free radicals, which can cause damage to healthy cells, leading to internal aging as well as visible signs of external aging. Now, just as science has proven how dangerous free radicals are for our cells, antioxidants have proven to defend our cells by fighting against oxidation. Therefore, on the nutrition side of things, choosing antioxidant-rich foods, such as berries, may be one tasty way to living a longer, healthier life. According to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, cranberries, blackberries and blueberries rank highest in antioxidant levels. In addition to berries, other anti-aging foods include garlic, fish, whole grains, cruciferous vegetables, nuts, soy, water and red wine.

Don't let time pass you by. To stay looking and feeling younger than ever, make sure to exercise regularly, challenge your mind, avoid harmful UV light, and enjoy a low-calorie diet full of anti-aging foods. Start today and by 2008, you'll be ringing in the New Year without having aged a day. Eat your heart out Dick Clark!


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Monday, August 27, 2007

Build Your Own Fitness Home Gym

f you are looking to build a home gym this year, there are some important criteria that should be taken into consideration. A good home gym offers versatility, the ability to have a few pieces of exercise equipment perform a wide variety of exercises. It must be durable and be able to handle the rigors of hard resistance training over a long period of time. Exercise equipment shouldn't take up a lot of space. There are many exercises you can do with your own body weight and a mat, so the home gym equipment shouldn't clutter up the workout space, nor be difficult to store. Finally it should be affordable. No one likes investing in a $1000 home gym just to use it as a coat rack or have it collecting dust in the corner within 3 months. This list of exercise equipment should offer solutions in each category listed above and it should provide a challenging and fun workout environment.

Exercise Ball

One of the most versatile pieces of exercise equipment, the exercise ball can be used in place of a bench for any supine or seated exercise. The exercise ball comes in a variety of sizes and depending on brand, is made of varying material. Because of the stress placed on a ball during a workout, it is important to look for a ball that is burst proof and it will not pop under you during a workout. To obtain the right size, a ball that sits with your hips and knees at 90 degrees is most likely what you should use for a majority of the exercises. For most, a 55cm or 65cm ball is sufficient. An exercise ball can be purchased for around $25-$60.

The exercise ball will provide an element of instability that cannot be duplicated by a bench; therefore you can improve core stability, and strengthen the integrity of your joints including shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles. The more stable you become, the stronger you will be and will drastically reduce the incidence of injury.

Dumbbells

A good home gym isn't complete without a few sets of dumbbells. 5-50lbs in increments of 5 will make a complete set for every type of exercise. Dumbbells are good for full body exercises that resist gravity. Exercises such as lunges, squats, shoulder press, bicep curl and chest press are just a few on the list of dumbbell exercises. They are durable, versatile, and a good set will last you a lifetime. A good set of dumbbells may cost $50-$100 for 3-4 sets of varying weight.

Foam Roll

A hard foam cylinder is used for self myfascial release, or self massage. A supplement to stretching, a foam roll can help to increase flexibility in a way that stretching cannot. In addition, it can help to relieve knots and adhesions within muscle tissue. If you don't like being sore after a workout, a foam roll can help to alleviate the soreness and therefore should be a staple item for your home gym. Invest $20 in a good foam roll that will take away your pain and soreness after a tough workout.

Xerdisc

The Xerdisc is an air filled rubber disc used for improving balance, and stability. The same exercises that you do while standing (ie..shoulder press, squat, bicep curl) can all be done while standing on an Exerdisc. Improving joint integrity and balance will allow you to become a more stable, stronger individual and the exercises are fun and challenging. It can also be used for ab exercises such as crunches, and anything you can do to make ab exercises harder has to be good! A quality Xerdisc may run about $40.

Xertube

Tubing comes in a variety of sizes based on the level of tension you want. Tubing can be used for most exercises in place of dumbbells and they will provide a variable tension. The plus side to using tubing is that you can gain resistance from a lateral position that dumbbells cannot provide. Exercises such as wood chops, torso twists, and pulling exercises like the bent row and lat pull are just a few that you can do with tubing that you can't get with other forms or resistance. Tubing is also safe for seniors looking to stay active as there is no risk of dropping the weight. Tubing is color coded in relation to the resistance it provides. I suggest 3-5 different tubes from thin to thick to give you opportunity to perform many exercises with small and large muscle groups. They are usually about $5-$8 a piece and can be used around doorknobs, in door jams and any other stationary post.

This exercise equipment should provide everyone from the novice to the advanced, a well rounded home gym that you can invest in for less than $200 total. The level of versatility, durability, and challenge that is provided by these pieces of equipment is unmatched by any single unit you can buy, and should give you years of workouts that can be changed and progressed as you continue to get into better and better shape. Consult with your personal trainer as to what exercise equipment may be best for your home gym.
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Monday, July 2, 2007

Core exercises for better golf

If you watched the US Open you saw how fit Tiger Woods looked. You may think that doing a bodybuilding program is the key to developing lean muscle like Tiger. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Body building workouts only build bulky muscles that lack flexibility and flexibility is the biggest key in golf. It is important to find a fitness plan that understands the golf swing.

The right type of workout is one that incorporates core exercises. Core exercises are movements that require your abs to contract and stabilize during the movement while you may move your chest, legs, back, or arms. Good core exercises combine multiple planes of motion into one just as your golf swing does. The last time I checked I didn't see a golf swing performed in a stationary machine like a chest press.

Though you can develop strength using machines, utilizing full range of motion with dumbbells translates more to better golf.