Welcome to Volume 19 of the Fitness Destinations Journal!
This week's articles are by 2 brand new authors here at Fitness Destinations, Mr. Gary Matthews, of Maximum Fitness, and Mr. Nigel Cunnigham, of Fitness For US. Gary's article details some of the great ways that you can workout without having a gym membership, and Nigel's contribution talks about how you can keep it simple, yet still see great results from your health and fitness program.
Enjoy this week's articles and resources, and have a great weekend!
I thought tuna was something to hold the mayonnaise together.
Hard work has a future payoff. Laziness pays off now!
What's the differences between a boyfriend and a husband? About 30 Pounds.
Step Aerobics: On, off, on, off, on, off, on, off. Talk about going nowhere fast.
I do have GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT!!! I work in a doughnut shop, and I've gained forty pounds.
Fitness Article - Workout Without a Gym
by Gary Matthews
We know that using free weights and machines is the fastest and most efficient way there is to improve your metabolism and strength, but for many reasons these may not be convenient or readily accessible to you.
You may also have no access to a commercial gym, home gym, or are on business trip, but there can be a solution, a strength-training workout without the need of expensive machines.
As with any exercise, whether you are using your own body weight, machines or free weights, if the resistance doesn't increase, your muscles won't be worked to their maximum capacity and the stimulus these fibres need to grow will be missing.
Exercises done correctly will build the lean muscle and increase your metabolism in the same way as performing exercises at a gymnasium, but without the time constraints and associated costs.
These exercises can be easily done in a bedroom, hotel room, a park, school yard, ceiling rafters in a garage or in a doorway and all you have to do is use your imagination. There will always be a way to add more resistance to your workouts.
Please remember: It doesn't matter where you are working out - at home, a hotel, or a park - always warm up properly before beginning your session, and cool down and stretch when you are finished.
Leg Exercises
Squats -
They build muscle in the thighs, shape the buttocks and improve endurance. Position your feet about 13 to 17 inches apart or at shoulder width, keeping the back straight and your head up. If you want you can use something that will give you some support, i.e. a desk, bookcase, sink etc.
Now squat down to where the tops of the thighs are parallel to the floor, hold for a second and then stand up, but don't bounce at the bottom of the movement, use a nice fluid motion. Always exhale your breath as you stand up.
Lunges -
Stand straight in correct posture; now stand with one leg forward and one leg back. Keeping your abdominal muscles tight and chest up, lower your upper body down, bending your leg (don't step out too far).
You should have about one to two feet between your feet at this stage, the further forward you step, the more your gluteus and hamstring muscles will have to work.
Do not allow your knee to go forward beyond your toes as you come down and stop where your feel comfortable (try not to let your back come forward), then push directly back up. Do all your reps on one leg then switch legs and do all your reps on the other leg.
Back Exercises
Chin-ups -
Chin-ups are a great upper body workout, particularly targeting your biceps, deltoid and lat muscles. Use a doorway chin-up bar, ceiling rafters in a garage or grab the moulding of your door frame, position your hands with an under hand grip and hang down stretching the lats, slowly raise your body until your chin reaches the bar level.
Pause a moment before slowly lowering yourself back to the starting position. Don't swing or use momentum to get your body to the top, just use the target muscles. Doorway chinning bars remove from the doorway when you are not using them and can be put up and taken down in seconds.
Bent Over Row -
Take up a position with your right hand and right knee braced on a sturdy bed or some other flat surface that will provide a good support. Now pick up a dumbbell or something heavy that you can hold onto with your left hand.
Visualize your arms as hooks and slowly bring the dumbbell or object up to the side of your chest, keeping your back straight, then lower the weight back down to arms length - no lower, on extremes - safe form only please. Concentrate on your back muscles. Reverse the whole procedure and do the exercise now with your right arm.
Chest Exercises
Push-Up -
The push up is used for building chest, shoulders and arms. Lie face down on the floor with your hands about shoulder width apart and keeping your palms turned slightly inward. Now push-up until your arms are straight, lower and repeat for repetitions.
To make it more difficult, elevate your feet. Try placing the toes of your feet on a stable, elevated surface such as a bench, chair or a stair. Straightening your body, position your hands on the floor at shoulder width, lower your body until your chest touches the floor at the bottom, and then return to the starting position in a nice fluid motion.
Dips -
This exercise can be done between two sturdy chairs or other surfaces that provide stability. The dip is another great upper body exercise. It's a compound movement as well and involves working all the muscles that the push up works.
Keep your head up and body as vertical as possible. For the beginning of the movement, start at the top (arms fully extended) and lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the seat of the chairs, hold and then push up to the top of the movement until your arms are fully extended again. Keep looking straight ahead and don't bounce at the bottom of the movement.
Adding Weight
Although the simple weight of your own body is enough resistance to provide an effective workout, we need progressive overload (added resistance) to become stronger.
So all we need to do is add some weight wherever we can find some. Because there are no metal plates and fancy machines to use it doesn't matter because the body doesn't care where it is, as long as it's receiving resistance of some kind.
You can use heavy books clasped in your hands. You can buy some cheap weighted dumbbells or ankle weights. A weighted vest will also allow you to add resistance for both chin-ups and push-ups. Try to buy one that will let you remove and add weight as you see fit. Also a backpack filled with books can be perfect for most of the exercises and is a cheap alternative.
How about a couple of buckets and fill them with a certain level of water? As you get stronger fill them with more water. This is perfect because depending on the exercise, all you need to do is to increase or decrease the amount of water in the buckets for the required amount of resistance.
To wrap things up…
We know that using free weights and machines are the fastest and most efficient way there is to gain lean muscle and strength, but by performing the exercises in this article you'll find that they will provide you with the same benefits as going to a gymnasium, but without the ongoing costs and time constraints.
About the Author
Gary is the author of several ebooks, including "Maximum Weight Loss in Ten Weeks" - the complete ebook and time-saving solution for burning away unwanted fat, and "Maximum Weight Gain in Ten Weeks" - easy-to-use and follow techniques that serve as a guide to muscle growth without having to "live in the gym".
Visit Gary's website at http://www.maximumfitness.com/
Fitness Article - Fitness for all (simply)
by Nigel Cunnigham
Is it time to take a long hard look at yourself in the
mirror and decide that it's time to make an improvement?
Not by starting a fad diet that will only be effective for
a few weeks and then will cause us to become even fatter
than we previously were, but by trying to improve our bodies
for our own health, not to line someone else's pocket.
Let's turn the tables and look at it from our point of
view. In past generations life has been very different. We
all work as hard, but it's not so physical now. We tend to
sit for long periods with our computers, and even the
physical tasks in the home are now nothing compared with
only a few decades ago. The net result is that we don't
need the number of calories we used to consume and if we
take in anything like that number without substantial exercise,
we are going to put on weight.
It was quite common fifty years ago for an adult to
consume and use at least 4000 calories a day. Now, because
of our lifestyle, we can find that 1500 calories will
cause us to put on weight and so we end up starving
ourselves. The result is our bodies demand the foods that
it needs to keep going. We don't always interpret this in
the right manner and often eat the wrong foods in belief
that we're doing the right thing, and so our weight
billows.
For those of us who could be termed 'middle aged' and have
had children, the problems seem to escalate. Our waists
naturally thicken and we tend not to be as sexy and sylph-
like as we once were. In contrast, however, we hear that
fifty is the new thirty and there are great expectations on
us to still appear sexy. Our goal, however, is not to be
thinking 'sexy' but to be thinking about how we can extend
our lives and enjoy a healthy and happy time. This can be
achieved by taking full control over what we eat. Cut out
the processed foods and start eating fruit, vegetables and
nuts and our bodies will immediately begin to feel more
energized. Once your body starts to feel this buzz you'll
be able to tackle some exercise, even if it's something as
simple as making extra trips up the stairs at home and work.
In short, today is the day to decide that you want to live
a long and healthy life for the sake of your children and
their children. So:
Take your diet in hand. Base your diet on fresh fruits,
vegetables and nuts, and eliminate the 'dead' foods
(anything that is literally dead or cooked to death by
frying or over boiling).
Processed products, however good they may appear, should
be avoided at all costs. Don't think that you are doing the
right thing by eating foods that are labeled 'fat free' as
they are usually full of sugar. Remember that your body
needs good fats - almonds and avocados are often avoided
because they have a lot of calories, but they're great
sources of fats for a healthy body and mind.
Drink lots of water. Apart from being good for you it
will help you to feel full.
Don't binge on huge meals, but try to eat sensible items
regularly throughout the day. Your stomach won't tell you
that it's full until twenty minutes after you've finished
eating, so be aware.
Look at your body and decide where you need to lose the
weight. Assess the exact changes you need to make and
either buy yourself a book, or go to exercise classes that
will target the right exercises.
If you can combine a new diet with exercise you will
find that your body shape will change much faster.
About the Author
Nigel Cunnigham is the webmaster of "Fitness For Us" www.fitnessforus.com,
a first class resource for fitness and health information on the Internet. Please visit www.fitnessforus.com for more about this article and related topics.
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