BUILD YOUR LEGS

Use circuit training to whip your lower half into shape.

By John Romaniello

Most guys neglect their legs in favour of more chest and arm workouts. If you want to run down the beach on more than a pair of toothpicks this winter,  we’ve got a routine that will bring up your legs fast.

HOW IT WORKS

By alternating a heavy exercise with an explosive one, you create an effect called “post-activation potentiation”. The heavy lift recruits a lot of muscle fibres, and the explosive one done immediately after allows for even better muscle activation on the next heavy set. In just a few sets and a few minutes, you can stimulate as many muscle fibres as you normally do in much longer leg workouts. In addition, the combo of strength and power you’ll build will help improve sprinting speed and jump height.

CIRCUIT A

Immediately after your second set of the barbell squat (exercise 1), perform the jump squat* for  60 seconds.

1) Barbell squat, 2 sets of 5 reps (rest for 60 seconds in between).

2) Jump squat, as many as possible in 60 seconds (rest for 60 seconds).

3) Barbell squat, 1 set of 5 reps (no rest).

4) Jump squat, as many as possible in 45 seconds.

Rest for 90 seconds and repeat the circuit once more.

* For the jump squat, simply squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and jump as high as you can.

CIRCUIT B

Immediately after your third set of the barbell calf raise* (exercise 1), perform explosive bodyweight calf raises.

1) Barbell calf raise, 3 sets of 6 reps (rest for 30 seconds between each).

2) Explosive bodyweight calf raise, as many as possible in 90 seconds (rest for 60 seconds).

3) Barbell calf raise, 1 set of 6 reps (no rest).

4) Explosive bodyweight calf raise, as many as possible in 30 seconds (rest for 30 seconds).

5) Barbell calf raise, 1 set of 6 reps.

* For the barbell calf raise, rock back on your heels and then use the momentum to come up on your toes.

No More Baby Calves –  Avoid the dreaded top-heavy “lightbulb” look by crafting a killer set of beach-ready legs.

3 TIPS TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR COLD-WEATHER WORKOUT

Nothing proves your dedication to a fitness routine like an early morning run in freezing weather. It’s just you and the pre-dawn quiet, your breath crystallising under streetlights, and you’re burning calories while the rest of the world hits the snooze button.

But while an ultra-cold workout can be a rewarding start (or end) to your day, it does carry a few risks of its own. Here are three ways to make sure you survive that blizzard run.

1. KNOW WHEN TO ADD AND SUBTRACT LAYERS

“It’s easy to overheat in the cold if you’re dressed inappropriately,” says Air Force search-and-rescue specialist Doug Kechijian, D.P.T. “Dress for how you’re going to feel five minutes into training.”

One key strategy is to heavily insulate vulnerable areas, like your hands, face, ears, and toes, because they’ll suffer the most with even a small amount of exposure. Sweat-wicking material is especially valuable in cold-weather workouts. Even slightly damp clothes can seriously inhibit your body’s ability to warm itself, and a sweat-soaked undershirt puts you at risk if you have to stop and take a breather.

2. WARM UP WHERE IT’S WARM

The best way to start your workout with warmed-up joints is to get your heart pumping inside. Jump rope, do some air squats or pushups, row on an erg for a few minutes—anything to cue up your body for a workout before you subject yourself to cold temperatures.

Alternatively, if you do have to warm up outside, know that it may take longer than usual to reach the targeted range of motion. Give yourself an extra five minutes to warm up, Kechijian explains, and make sure to perform dynamic stretching and mobility work at the end of the workout to ensure all your critical joints are limber and ready for a tough workout.

3. STAY HYDRATED

“When blood is shunted to your core in cold weather, the nervous system doesn’t perceive fluid loss as well, because the hormonal messenger is sending mixed signals,” says Kechijian. This makes it especially important to drink up even if you’re not thirsty.

And under no circumstances should you eat snow for water mid-workout—snow takes a lot of energy to melt, and that robs your body of precious heat. Always make sure you head into a workout with plenty of water, even if you don’t think you’ll need it.

7 Exercises that Build the Most Attractive Female Bodies

More women are strength training now than ever before, and this can only be seen as a good thing! More and more women are now wising up to the fact that to get a sexy and lean body, lifting weights is the way forward!

Gone are the days of ladies thinking that lifting weights means they will get big, bulky, and masculine figures and so it is now a common occurrence to see women in the free weights section, lifting to lose weight and get healthy! Women picking up weights is a great thing but just as with men, there can sometimes be a lack of knowledge on what exercises are best for what area, and how to best achieve the goals you are looking for.

Here are 7 exercises that will sculpt and define a strong, athletic, lean and ultimately attractive female body.

1. The Squat

The squat is the big daddy (or mommy) of compound lifting movements and works pretty much every muscle in the lower body, especially the glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps. This move strips away fat from the legs, builds lean muscle and yes, gives you that peachy pert bum that many strive to attain.

The barbell front squat is a great exercise for overall strength training and can easily be modified depending on your current strength level, as well as giving you a great progress measure as you gradually increase the weight to beat your 1 rep max of the barbell squat. A must do exercise if you’re looking to build a lean and attractive female body, introduce the squat and see the results for yourself!

2. Push-ups

Another fantastic staple exercise of any workout regime, the push-up is a good all-around exercise for working the upper body focusing on the chest, shoulders, and triceps. This gives you that overall lean look as well as working the abdominals and giving you a sexy flat stomach.

Again, this exercise has many variations depending on your current fitness level or strength level so for an extra push, try Archer push-ups to further strip away the fat and banish the bingo wings!

3. The Plank

Want a washboard stomach and rippling abs? The plank is a must do exercise for stripping away abdominal fat, as well as building a strong core which can help protect the spine and reduce the risk of injury. The best thing about the plank? It requires no equipment and can be built up over time to increase your time holding the plank as a measure of your fitness.

Can you only hold the plank for 30 seconds? Next time try 35 or 40 seconds. It is easily measurable regarding success and progression, and the perfect exercise to get a lean and attractive body.

4. Dumbbell Shoulder Press

This move is perfect for sculpting strong, sexy and toned arms and requires only a set of dumbbells to complete. Working predominantly the shoulders, as well as the triceps if you’re looking for strong, lean and sexy the shoulder press is definitely a move to incorporate into your workout regime.

As your strength increases, increase the weight of the dumbbells to strip extra fat and give yourself measurable progression.

5. Pull-ups

Not only does a pull-up look pretty cool to do, but it is also a great exercise to do for working the lats, biceps and middle back, requiring only your body weight to complete.

The pull up also engages your core muscles giving your abs a workout and stripping fat from the belly, so this move is perfect for those looking to lose some weight and tone up their upper body! As you progress try increasing the number of reps, or if you’re feeling brave, try weighted pull-ups instead!

6. Dips

The good old triceps burner! This move is a killer with high repetitions and strips fat away from the triceps as well as working the chest and shoulders. If you’re looking to build lean muscle and increase your overall strength or stamina, dips are a great compound exercise to include in your workout! Increasing the reps and pushing yourself each time gives you a great benchmark of success that is easily measurable.

7. Bent-over Barbell Row

Perfect for working the middle back, as well as the biceps, lats and shoulders, this exercise is fantastic for burning fat and building lean muscle. This leads to the muscular and athletic physique many women aspire towards as well as developing fantastic functional strength!

5 Key Strategies to Stick to Your New Year’s Resolutions

All too often guys make New Year’s resolutions, stick to them for a month, don’t see results, and quit. It’s the phenomenon behind the “January rush”—and the reason most gyms are back to their usual crowd by mid-March.

But you don’t have to be one of those average guys who abandons a fitness plan once you lose your initial momentum. We talked to New York City-based trainer and strength coach Nick Ebner, C.P.T., to tell us how to stay motivated and achieve results for life. Here are five common questions with responses from Ebner below.

What’s the key to staying motivated after the January rush?

Don’t just show up at the gym and say, “I want to get in shape.” No plan usually equals no results. You also shouldn’t peg your goals to something physique-related, like “I want six-pack abs” or “I want to burn my love handles.”

I suggest having a definitive performance goal, or several. Make it measurable, like “go to the gym three times a week,” or “make sure to exercise for 180 minutes total in a week.” Depending on where you’re starting from, you may need to change nutrition, sleep, and other lifestyle habits in order to reach these goals, but you’ll need a strategy.

How long does it take to really see results from an exercise program?

This depends on the individual. The three factors I find play the largest role in seeing results are the trainee’s age, past exercise/training history, and consistency. If you’re a young former athlete and are training 3-5 times per week, results may show in 2-4 weeks. Also, if you’re younger and a new trainee, results also often come quickly.

But if you’re 45, you’ve never worked out, and you’ve eaten poorly for the last 20 years, results will probably take much longer. Fortunately, with consistency, results will come more quickly.

What’s an easy way to show myself that I’m making progress?

If your goals are body composition, have someone do a BioSignature Assessment, which is a very accurate 12-point body fat and hormonal assessment, every 4-6 weeks. If your goals are performance-based, keep an exercise journal or program log to see if what you’re doing is working.

How can I ‘cheat’ on my diet and still look better than I did last year?

Set a realistic goal on how clean you think you can get your diet versus how much you want to cheat. After 4-8 weeks, if you’re not seeing the changes you want, you’ll have to skew the ratio toward the cleaner side. Make little changes until you see the results you’re looking for and set deadlines to assess if what you’re doing is working. For most people, little changes stick better than massive changes.

How can I make a shorter workout more effective?

Frequency, food, and sleep! You can train for shorter increments per workout if you show up more often. You can train less and see body composition changes if you feed your body the fuel it needs. Your body changes when you sleep, too, so if you’re sleeping fewer than 7-9 hours each night, you probably won’t make optimal gains.

Use any or all of these tactics if you don’t want to spend as much time in the gym. You can absolutely get better results in half the time.

7 exercises to improve your balance

While it may not sound exciting, striving for balance in our everyday lives promotes a serious array of benefits. Balance training is important because balance is literally a part of everything we do, from walking to running to swimming to bike riding to standing still, and keeping our balance as we grow older will help us avoid falls and bone fractures. We can’t expect to be good at what we don’t practice, so we chatted to exercise physiologist William Alexander to share his top exercises to help you improve your balance and coordination.

CROSS CRAWLING

Standing on two feet, lift your right knee up straight in front of your body and reach across your body with your left hand to tap yourself on the knee, hold for one second at the top before returning to the ground. Swap sides for 2 sets of 10 reps.

TOO EASY? After you’ve tapped your opposite knee and hand together, bring the foot of that knee behind your bum, and tap you hand behind your back onto the heel (make the transition from front to back without letting foot touch the ground).

ARABESQUE

Gently lift your left foot off the ground, hinge forward at the hips, keeping your right foot firmly anchored to the ground. Your left leg will come out behind you, and take your arms out to the side to stabilise yourself. Hold the position and enjoy the hamstring stretch through the right hamstring. Switch sides. Do 2 sets of 10 reps.

TOO EASY? Try this exercise walking, alternating legs with each step.

BIRD DOG

Start in table top position, on your knees with your hands stacked under shoulders. Brace through your trunk, reaching forward with your left arm, and backwards with your right leg. Imagine you are aiming to touch either ends of the room with your extended limbs. Don’t allow your hips the sway from side to side as you extend your limbs away, keep your trunk firmly engaged. Switch sides. Do 2 sets of 10 reps.
TOO EASY? Have a friend place a tennis ball in the small of your back; the aim is to keep it there!

CLOCK FACE BALANCE

Imagine you’re standing in the middle of a clock face. Bend at the right knee slightly, (this is your base leg). Using left foot, point to where would be 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’ clock. Ensure you keep your base knee slightly bent, and that your glutes are also engaged. Do 2 rounds of the clock face on each leg.

TOO EASY? Get a friend to call numbers on the clock face in random order, return to starting position as quickly as possible, waiting for their next call.

CALF RAISE

Balance starts from the ground up, and is relative to our relationship with the ground and gravity. Working on your calf strength will improve your relationship with the ground, giving your more awareness of how you connect to it. Have your heels off the edge of a step, allowing them to hang down. Then, push up onto the balls of your feet. Hold onto a wall for stability. Do 2 sets of 10 reps.
TOO EASY? Try doing it standing on a pillow, single leg, and without holding onto anything for support!

References: womensfitnes

Ariel Kaplan’s ultimate workout

No one can disagree that the endorphin rush we experience after a hectic exercise sesh is literally the best feeling in the world. So much so, Aussie actress Ariel Kaplan spends a large majority of her week actively seeking that post-sweat bliss. While she thinks the best way to #win your fitness goals is to constantly mix up your training, there’s one workout she’s been doing for over 7 years now and has never gotten sick of.

Ariel trains at Fox Fit in Melbourne, a women’s gym filled with all of the fem power (side note, we’re a little bit inspired by all the women #killing the game on their insta). After her sessions with her trainer Tom Hose, she says she walks out of the gym feeling like she can conquer the world. Uh, sign us up? Lucky for us, she’s shared this ultimate workout with us. Next time you have access to gym equipment, give Ariel’s ultimate circuit a go.

PLYOMETRIC MOVEMENTS

30 seconds of each exercise, repeat twice

• Burpee tuck jumps
• Squat jumps
• Toe taps

Followed by a 400m sprint as fast as you can on the treadmill.

ROPE

30 seconds on with 5 seconds rest in between each exercise, repeat twice

• Squat jump rope slams
• Sumo squat rope slams
• Lateral jump rope slams

Followed by a 400m sprint as fast as you can on the treadmill.

SKI ERG/ROWING MACHINE

Repeat twice

• 200m as fast as you can (aim for less than 50 seconds)

Followed by a 400m sprint as fast as you can on the treadmill.

BOXING WITH BAG

• 100 straight punches on the bag
• 20 seconds of mountain climbers
• 80 straight punches
• 20 seconds of mountain climbers
• 60 straight punches on the bag
• 20 seconds of mountain climbers

BOXING WITH PADS

Each combo for 1 minute

• Jab, cross, hook, cross
• Jab, cross, uppercut
• Jab, cross, slip

Followed by a 400m sprint as fast as you can on the treadmill.

KILLER CORE WORK TO FINISH

20 seconds of each, repeat 3 times

• Hanging leg raises
• Plank
• Mountain climbers

Followed by a 400m sprint as fast as you can on the treadmill.

References: womensfitness

The 7 Best Exercises for a Full-Body Workout

The seemingly endless number of exercises available is enough to make your head spin. Sure, you know the basics, but do you know which exercises are the best ones for a full-body workout?

In general, a strong candidate for the "best" title will be any easy-to-learn exercise that targets multiple muscle groups and gives you the practical strength and muscle tone to meet your fitness goals. Exercises that don't require fancy, expensive equipment earn extra credit.

Here are seven of the best exercises for athletes and fitness junkies looking for a simple and effective full-body workout.

Planning the Perfect Fitness Week

As a health and exercise professional, you most likely work with your clients one to three times per week. This creates the opportunity for your clients to take ownership of their fitness goals by completing supplementary workouts. Encouraging them to integrate additional workouts that complement what you are already doing in your sessions can be a great way to keep your clients motivated, challenge them to try new workouts, and allow them to gain confidence in their ability to exercise on their own. Here are a few ideas to help plan the perfect fitness week for a balanced, comprehensive routine:

Aerobic Training: The minimum recommendation for aerobic exercise is 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018). While additional exercise time and intensity can have added benefits, it is important to encourage your clients to at least meet the minimum recommendations. If your training sessions focus on other fitness components or do not meet these guidelines, here are a few ways you can help your clients incorporate aerobic training into their week:

• Introduce them to aerobic-focused group fitness classes: Most fitness facilities offer a variety of aerobic-class options featuring a range of intensities and formats. These classes are great opportunities for your clients to try something new, meet other people and add variety to their exercise programs.

• Create a specialized aerobic training program for your clients: If your clients prefer to work out on their own rather than attend a class, create a 30-60 minute training program featuring their favorite aerobic activities (e.g., elliptical training, running on a treadmill and cycling) that they can follow to stay motivated and on track. Moderate-intensity programs should achieve a heart rate range of 40-60% of heart-rate reserve (HRR) and vigorous-intensity programs should maintain a HRR between 60-90% (see shaded box below) [American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), 2018].

• Encourage them to go outdoors: From a walk around the neighborhood to sprints up a hill, taking an aerobic workout outside of the gym can offer a different environment and scenery, provide fresh air and create a more challenging training terrain.

Strength Training: Strength training for each major muscle group should be done twice per week. Be creative with your strength programs to maintain your clients’ interest. Challenge them with:

• A specialized strength program: Create a strength program that your clients can complete on their own. Recommended volumes for strength training include 2-4 sets with 8-12 repetitions and 2-3 minutes of rest between sets (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018).

• Strength-focused group fitness classes:For those who prefer a class or do not feel comfortable performing strength exercises on their own, introduce them to group fitness classes that focus on muscular strength and endurance.

• Flexibility Training: Flexibility training should be performed for a minimum of 2-3 days per week with an optimal frequency of 5-7 days per week (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018). While health and exercise professionals often incorporate some static stretching at the end of their workouts and classes, extra time should be dedicated to this component of fitness throughout the week. Encourage your clients to spend additional time after your training sessions to stretch and participate in activities that incorporate stretching such as yoga. You can also help them develop a stretching routine that they can complete on their own time.

• Balance Training: While often neglected, balance training is an important component of a comprehensive fitness program, especially for older adults. Balance training can be incorporated during your training sessions (e.g., standing on one foot while performing an arm exercise), trained separately, or added into daily activities such as standing on one foot while waiting in the grocery line or performing a tandem walk while walking to the mailbox.

• Rest and Recovery: Rest and recovery are important components of your clients’ weekly fitness plans, as a rest day can reduce injuries, prevent overtraining and allow muscles to recover. Rest days need not be completely sedentary days, however; encourage your clients to incorporate light activities such as a leisurely walk or stretching into their rest days.

The key to helping your clients achieve a balanced, comprehensive weekly fitness routine is to add activities that complement the exercises or fitness components that you focus on in your training sessions. For example, if your client’s goals are related to strength training during the sessions, help him or her find ways to incorporate aerobic, flexibility and balance training throughout the week. Whatever your focus is during your clients’ training sessions, take the time to develop routines that your clients must complete on their own time. These additional workouts can be used as an accountability component and a means to empower your clients to achieve their health and fitness goals. Ultimately, the perfect fitness week can be created through a weekly fitness plan that not only helps your clients meet the exercise recommendations, but also adds some variety, fun and challenge to their fitness routine to keep them motived along the way.

References: American College of Sports Medicine (2018). ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. (10^thed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.   U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2018). Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (2nd ed.). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Training Tips for Improving Body Composition

New research on resistance training shows that some methods are more effective than others for building muscle and decreasing fat. Here we look at a few tips to optimize your training methods and help your clients improve overall body composition. These training methods are:

• Dose-response training
• Mixed-intensity training
• Multijoint and single-joint exercise training
• Unilateral training for core muscles

Dose-response Training

Training volume (or how many sets and repetitions of an exercise are required to induce muscle change) is a long-standing debate in sports and fitness. To determine a dose effect, researchers used common exercises such as the bench press, lat pull-down, shoulder press and leg press to examine the effectiveness of one, three or five sets of exercise on body composition. After having participants perform the exercises three times per week for six months, the researchers concluded that doing one, three and five sets of exercises all decreased body-fat percentage and increased muscle mass. The effects, however, were greatest for the five-set group, confirming a dose-response effect for building muscle and reducing body-fat percentage (Radaelli et al., 2015).

If five sets are good, then 10 must be better, according to the logic behind German Volume Training (GVT). However, when researchers looked at the effects of GVT (10 sets of 10 repetitions) versus a traditional program of five sets of 10 repetitions on muscle growth and body composition, the results favored five sets. Both the 10- and five-set training methods increased muscle mass, but doing five sets actually increased muscle mass more than performing 10 sets (Amirthalingam et al., 2017).

The takeaway message about training volume (at least for the subjects involved in the above-referenced study) is clear: to maximize body composition changes, five sets of 10 repetitions per resistance exercise is the most effective approach.

Mixed-intensity Training

Along with training volume, exercise intensity is arguably the most important resistance-training programming variable. Although high-intensity exercise is undoubtedly effective, recent research suggests mixed-intensity exercise is effective as well. To determine the effectiveness of mixed-intensity training on muscle hypertrophy, researchers examined the difference between three high-intensity (80% 1-RM) sets, three low-intensity (30% 1-RM) sets and a Overall, the results of the study showed that a single high-load set combined with a drop set can increase muscle cross-sectional area similarly when compared to three sets of either high- or low-intensity exercise. Even with less time spent training and lower training volumes, the data supported that a mixed-intensity protocol is an effective, time-saving training method for changing body composition (Ozaki et al., 2018).

Multijoint and Single-joint Exercise Training

Whether to do multijoint or single-joint exercises is another common debate in fitness. Multijoint exercises are recognized as more functional and use more muscle groups and as such require more energy to be expended, but single-joint exercises are effective for increasing muscle hypertrophy. One study compared the effects of equal-volume single-joint and multijoint resistance training on body composition. Participants performed either single-joint exercises (e.g., dumbbell fly, knee extension, knee flexion, pec deck, biceps curl, incline dumbbell fly, abdominal curl, lateral dumbbell raise, lat pull-over, rear deltoid fly, cable elbow extension and calf raise) or multijoint exercises (e.g., bench press, deadlift, squat, leg press, military press, lat pull-down and seated row). The results showed that when total work volume was equated, both multijoint and single-joint exercises decreased body fat and increased muscle mass, with no difference between them, suggesting the choice to use multijoint or single-joint exercises can be based on personal preference (Paoli et al., 2015).

Unilateral Training for Core Muscles

Unilateral training is a great way to work each side of the body equally. Additionally, some unilateral exercises work select core muscles as well. When researchers compared core muscle activation between the unilateral free-weight bent-over row and bilateral seated cable and machine rows, the results showed that the unilateral exercise activated the external oblique muscles up to 41% more than the bilateral exercises (Saeterbakken et al., 2015).

A sample unilateral workout is shown below. Note that it includes a unilateral row exercise and either a unilateral or bilateral exercise of choice. To stay within current programming guidelines, alternate and repeat each exercise set five times and make certain that resistance intensities and rest intervals are adjusted based on individual fitness levels.