Exercises

Spicing Up Your Flat Stomach Workout

I’m super excited to head to the gym this week because I’m going to have a training partner! Its not going to be a permanent thing, but one of my friends asked me to help her change up her workouts – she’s feeling bored, not seeing results, and frustrated with the combination. So I told her to come with me to the gym and we’ll spice things up — not only will this benefit her, but it’ll be a nice change of pace for me to have someone else to train with.

One Way to Beat the ‘New Years Resolutioners’ Gym Crowds

If you are your avid gym goer (like myself) January is your LEAST favorite time of the year in the gym. All the “New Year Resolutioners” who have decided that THIS is the year they are going to lose weight flock to the gym – workout everyday and by mid-February you never see them again because they never return.

Now don’t take this the wrong way — I LOVE to see all the new faces in the gym — all these people who have dedicated their new goal and life mission to lose weight and get healthy – to finally get the beach body they have always wanted. Good for you! You go girl!

10 Ways I’m Changing My Workout this Winter

Changing up your workout is not only important to keep you mentally sane — who wants to do the same workout day in and day out?  It is imperative in order to continually see your body progress towards your fitness goals.

Its also important to change up your workouts in order to see changes and progression in your body – no matter how lean you are or how many pounds you want to lose there is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS room for improvement.

Here’s how I’m changing my workout this winter:

1. Only hitting the gym 4 days a week
2. Starting with 2 exercises for each body part — 3 sets for the first exercise — 2 sets for the second exercise — increasing the sets/reps and number of exercises each week
3. Training Back with Shoulders two times a week (this is the area I’m trying to improve)
4. Legs and Biceps at the beginning of the week — making sure one of my cardio days is after my leg workout
5. Chest and Triceps once a week — in between my two shoulder/back workouts
6. Cardio is low intensity only three times a week
7. Focusing on lifting heavier weights — making sure to see some improvement each week
8. With heavier weights my reps are only going to be between 4 at the lowest and 8 at the highest
9. Focus is on building muscle not losing weight — need to keep this in mind if I don’t always like what I see in the mirror — its going to pay off in the long run
10. Spending as little time in the gym as possible with the most effective workouts
11. Going to try and incorporate Yoga at least once a week

These are only some of the changes I’m making to my workouts this winter. These changes — while some minor — are made to help me achieve my fitness goals this winter — help me to change my physique and create a better body. Now its off to the gym to make some moves!!

What are you doing to your workout to make improvements to your physique?

Craziness at the Gym – What I Saw That Made Me Say What?!?

My favorite workouts of the week are Saturday mornings — for me there is no better way to start the weekend than with a good, sweaty, intense workout.

This past weekend while at the gym I found myself momentarily distracted by the people that surrounded me.

It wasn’t that I was all of sudden surrounded by TONS of shirtless men with six packs working out — wouldn’t that be great?! Haha…

Instead I found myself staring at the ridiculousness of some of the workouts and exercises I saw people doing.

One man was doing cable chest flyes with only 2lbs of weight and as fast as he possibly could. Another man was using the machine should press — not even bending his elbows — pushing up and down as fast as he could.

I had to stop for a minute and watch. In my mind I tried to figure out what they were doing – what they were hoping to accomplish by using such light weight and by making such suttle movements so quickly.  Maybe I was missing the boat on the latest workout trend?

I shook my head and refocused on my own workout – until I saw one of the trainers at the gym training an elderly overweight woman. He was having her do walking lunges – but she wasn’t even lunging – just a quick dip – barely bending her knee. After she walked around the gym twice doing this he had her using the free weight lat pull down machine. Okay – really? I appreciate the fact that you are helping this woman workout – but does she REALLY need to be doing that exercise?

I again shook my head and tried to refocus on what I was doing.

But I spent my entire workout wondering – what is going on?

Don’t get me wrong – I commend anyone who is trying to workout and make a difference with their body  and I understand we all have our own limitations to what our body can do and our own goals to work towards – however – why are you wasting your time with exercises and workouts that aren’t going to help you burn fat or gain muscle? Sometimes I think its the pleathora of information that we are now all exposed to on the internet that allows people to make these mistakes.

We are bombarded with information on the ‘right’ way to workout or the latest fad or trend in workouts – that we lose sight of the basics. Sometimes its the simple exercises or routines that will help you get the results you want.

Or maybe I need to get some better music and stop getting so easily distracted by the gym goers around me? Haha….

Flat Stomach Exercise of the Week – Incline Dumbbell Chest Press

Changing up your workout every few weeks is important not only for your sanity but for your muscles. This week’s flat stomach exercise of the week adds a bit of a twist to a familiar exercise and while helping you see continued results.

This week’s flat stomach exercise of the week is the Incline Dumbbell Chest Press.

The chest press is one of my favorite exercises – it makes me feel strong – especially when I can lift more than the guys next to me in the gym – hehe.  The chest press is one exercise most women stay away from as they fear that it will only bring them big muscles and small boobs. However, its quite the contrary.

First – every woman should be lifting weights.

Secondly – the incline chest press is a great exercise to help you get tight and toned arms. And really – who wants flabby arms?

Add this in place of your push-ups or flat bench chest press and you’ll notice some greater definition in your arms as well as some greater strength – which I always think is exciting!

How many reps? How many sets? Try 3 sets of 10-12 reps to start with.

Need More Exercise Ideas? Try one of these:

Flat Stomach Exercise of the Week – Stability Ball Dumbbell Chest Press

Flat Stomach Exercise of the Week – EZ Bar Skull Crusher

Your Arm Training Questions Answered

With all the my recent posts about arm training, I’ve received a ton of questions regarding different arm related topics.

Get Beach Body and Bikini Ready – Part 1

Beach season is FINALLY here! WOOhoO!! Beach season also means a a COMPLETE wardrobe change. No more bulky sweaters – its shorts, tank tops and cute summer dresses. Are you beach body ready?

For some women the changing of the season means is a miserable time as the shorts from last summer are too tight or your arms no seem to be a bit more ‘jiggly’ than they were in your favorite tank top last year. Its a time for a quick scramble to the gym to try and shed those few pounds to avoid buying a whole new wardrobe.

Need some suggestions to get beach body ready?  I’ve created a quick series of three videos with some of my favorite flat stomach workout moves to help you get beach body ready – with a flat stomach – in time to feel confident and sexy in whatever you wear and wherever you go this summer.

Today’s video has three of my favorite exercises to help you get a flat and sexy stomach. Add these moves to your current routine or do them quickly at home and you will be on your way to a flat stomach in NO TIME!

Flat Stomach Workout – Upper Body Band Workout

With summer around the corner – which means tank top season and sleeveless dresses – its time to pump up the upper body workouts and get our arms tight and toned. This week’s flat stomach workout of the week is a change from the usual routine – spicing up your usual routine and increasing results.

Flat Stomach Exercise of the Week – Stability Ball Dumbbell Chest Press

There are tons of awesome exercises out there to help you build muscle and burn fat.  You don’t need to include ALL of these exercises everyday, but it is important to change what exercises your flat stomach workout has every few weeks.

This week I’m going to suggest you try the Stability Ball Dumbbell Chest Press. This exercise offers all the benefits of a chest press while adding some difficulty and allowing you to further strengthen your core muscles.

Every woman should being doing the chest press (its not going to make you look like a man – we now know that there are many benefits of weight lifting for women).  The dumbbell chest press builds your chest muscles, which helps to increase your upper body strength. By building our chest muscles we also tighten our triceps. Tight triceps means sexy, toned arms in any sleeveless or strapless dress. This exercise also helps you build sexy shoulders without doing too much shoulder work.

By moving the dumbbell chest press from the bench to a stability ball, we increase the benefits by strengthening your core. In order to keep the stability ball ‘stable’ you must engage your core and glutes during the entire exercise. Having a strong core and glutes helps to prevent back injuries in the future, as well as helping you reach your flat stomach goals faster.

Watch the quick video below to see the proper form for this exercise, to prevent any injury.

Happy Training!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEH2KBzyUbc[/youtube]

My Workout – July 15, 2009

I had to share my workout from two days ago, because I’m STILL feeling the effects two days later (Thank You D.O.M.S!) plus its a great workout to help you get lean legs and a tight toned butt. (And who isn’t working towards that?)

I wrote about my last shoulder/leg workout a few weeks ago – it was an awesome workout, but it’d been a few weeks of it and I was getting bored, so it was time to change it up. Changing my workout was definitely beneficial as I felt the burn and feeling the results of the change – new muscles are being worked that weren’t necessarily targeted in my last workout.

Legs and shoulders are easily my favorite training day – I think because I can really feel the burn and tight toned legs really show dedication to your workout, plus who doesn’t love sexy shoulders?!? Another reason – its summer and I love feeling comfortable wearing shorts!

Here’s the workout below:

*To see image full size click on image*

If you have any questions about the exercises let me know – I’d be happy to explain them further. If you’re looking for a new leg workout – I definitely recommend this one – my legs and glutes are STILL feeling the burn two days later!

What’s your favorite leg exercise? Leave a comment below and let me know – I’d love to know!