jeudi 27 avril 2017
Design Your Own HIIT Workout With This Perfect Formula
Science and experts alike say high-intensity interval workouts reign as fitness royalty. Touted as a top-notch method for weight loss, improving your VO2 max and even helping you run faster, it’s no wonder this approach to exercise holds such high wellness honors.
Of course, just like any workout you do over and over, the routine can get stale. That is, until you learn the foundation of HIIT workouts and then switch it up every time you go to break a sweat. Allow trainer Adam Rosante, creator of Two Week Transformation and author of Super Smoothie Revolution, to break down the basics so you can turn up the benefits.
RELATED: No Time? This is How Much HIIT You Really Need
HIIT Workout: What You Need to Make It Work
“The foundation [of HIIT] is a series of intervals of intense activity, coupled with intervals of less-intense activity or complete rest,” says Rosante. “Beyond buzz, it’s popularity can largely be attributed to its efficiency. HIIT’s a great way to get fit in a short amount of time. But the key is to ensure that the high-intensity intervals are truly performed at your highest intensity.”
How do you know if you’re HIIT-ing it hard enough? Rosante says to go at 80 to 95 percent of your maximum heart rate during the work intervals, and 60 to 65 percent during your rest periods. (To find your max heart rate, just subtract your age from 220. Then take the percentages from there.) If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, push hard enough through the work intervals that you’re sucking wind. You shouldn’t be able to hold a convo, Rosante says.
You can do a HIIT workout with almost any exercise, from plank hip dips to jumping jacks to everyone’s favorite: burpees. That’s because it’s more about intensity than the specific movements, Rosante explains. But to help you narrow down what to do, Rosante says he prefers a mix of moves that force the glutes, quads and hamstrings (the body’s biggest muscles) to work explosively. Some of his go-to’s include jump squats, plyo lunges and sprints.
But don’t stop there. Rosante often alternates between a lower body and upper body move, or a lower body and total body exercise. “The alternation forces your heart to pump blood out to the muscles in a much higher volume, which, naturally, means your heart rate is significantly elevated,” Rosante explains. “When you boost your heart rate like this, you disrupt your metabolic pathways in such a way that they’re scrambling to return to normal long after the workout has ended.” This concept of burning calories even after you stop busting a move — known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC — will blast fat and calories, fast.
RELATED: How to Beast Box Jumps and Other Plyometric Exercises
Choose Your Own HIIT Workout Adventure
Spike your heart rate, tone your body and break through plateaus with this HIIT formula from Rosante. Start with a goal intensity, then pick an option from each layer. No two workouts have to be the same — but you’ll get sweaty and fit with each round. We’ll call this one smash HIIT.
Infographic: Mallory Creveling / Life by Daily Burn
To warm up before you dive in, do a series of dynamic stretches and a few high jumps. After you HIIT it, cool down with a solid stretch of all major muscle groups. Rosante suggests holding each one for at least 3 to 5 deep breathes.
Standing Mountain Climbers
Start standing, arms bent at your chest, palms facing away from your body. Drive your right knee up toward your chest as you straighten your left arm toward the ceiling. Quickly switch to bring your left knee toward your chest and right hand toward the ceiling. Continue alternating.
RELATED: 15 Most Underrated Exercises, According to Trainers
Push-Ups
Start in a high plank position. Without piking or dropping your hips, bend your elbows and lower your chest to the ground. Then push back up to a plank.
Speed Squats
Start with feet a little wider than hip-distance apart, toes pointed slightly outward. Drive your hips back and butt toward the ground to perform a low squat. Jump back up and bring your feet together. Then jump back into a wide squat position.
4-Point Plankers
Start in a high plank position with feet together. Jump your feet to the left side of your left hand, then hop them back to the plank position. Next, jump your feet to the right side of your right hand, then back to the plank position. Hop your feet between your hands, then back to the plank position. Finally, jump your feet wide, placing one on either side of your hands. Then return to the plank position. Continue jumping to each point, keeping your hands on the ground the whole time.
RELATED: 3 Plyometric Planks You Need to Try ASAP
Burpees
Start standing. Place your hands on the ground, wrists underneath shoulders and jump your feet back to high plank position. Drop your chest to the ground. Then, without arching your back, push yourself back up and jump your feet back up to your hands. Explode off the ground to perform a hop at the top.
High Plank Punches
Start in a high plank position. Keeping your hips still, punch your right arm out straight in front of you. Then your left. Continue alternating.
RELATED: 3 Fat-Blasting HIIT Workouts to Try Now
Sprints
Run in place (or on a treadmill or track) as fast as you can, pumping your arms for more power.
Y-W-T Holds
Lie on your stomach, arms straight out in front of you. Lift your legs and arms off the ground, with your arms to a Y position. Hold for a few seconds, then lower back down. Lift your legs and arms off the ground again. This time pull your elbows back and shoulder blades together so your arms form a W. Hold for a few seconds then extend your arms again and lower back down. Lift your legs and arms off the ground another time, this time moving your arms into a T position with elbows straight and arms out to the sides. Lower back down and repeat from the Y.
Design Your Own HIIT Workout With This Perfect FormulaThe Simple Reason Exercise Enhances Your Brain
This article originally appeared on Time.com.
Evidence keeps mounting that exercise is good for the brain. It can lower a person’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease and may even slow brain aging by about 10 years. Now, new research helps illuminate how, exactly, working out improves brain health.
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In one research review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers examined 39 studies that looked at the link between exercise and cognitive abilities among people over age 50. They found that aerobic exercise appears to improve a person’s cognitive function and resistance training can enhance a person’s executive function and memory. Other exercises like tai chi were also linked to improvements in cognition, though there wasn’t as much available evidence. Ultimately, the researchers concluded that 45 minutes to an hour of moderate-to-vigorous exercise was good for the brain.
“There is now a wide body of research showing that the benefits to the body with exercise also exist for the brain,” says study author Joe Northey, a PhD candidate at the University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise in Australia. “When older adults undertake aerobic or resistance exercise, we see changes to the structure and function of areas of the brain responsible for complex mental tasks and memory function.”
RELATED: Here's What Playing an Instrument Can Do for Your Brain
But how does exercise have these effects? Another new study presented at the American Physiological Society’s annual meeting in Chicago explored one possible way. In the study, researchers from New Mexico Highlands University found that when people walk, the pressure of making impact with the ground sends waves through the arteries, which increase blood flow to the brain (also called cerebral blood flow). Getting enough blood to the brain is important for healthy brain function, since blood flow brings the brain oxygen and nutrients.
In the small study—which has not yet been published—researchers used ultrasounds to assess arteries and changes in cerebral blood flow in 12 healthy young adults while they were standing, walking and running. The increases in blood flow were greater when the men and women ran, but walking was enough to spur the effect. “[Increased cerebral blood flow] gives the brain more to work with,” says study author Ernest R. Greene, a professor of engineering and biology at New Mexico Highlands University. “It’s another positive aspect of exercise.”
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Scientists are still exploring multiple ways by which fitness improves the brain. But blood flow is a promising path, since it can also help create new brain cells. The protein BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) also seems to play a role because it helps repair and protect brain cells from degeneration. Exercise can also boost mood by triggering the release of feel-good hormones and chemicals, like endorphins, which can improve brain health. A 2015 study found that exercise may be able to prevent the onset of depressive symptoms.
“Each type of exercise seems to have different effects on the growth factors responsible for the growth of new neurons and blood vessels in the brain,” says Northey. “That may indicate why doing both aerobic and resistance training is of benefit to cognitive function.”
The Simple Reason Exercise Enhances Your BrainTransform Your Body in Your Living Room With This Intense HIIT Workout
Why You Shouldn’t Feel Guilty for Taking a Day Off From Your Workout
This article originally appeared on Time.com.
Feeling bad about skipping a day? Taking rest days from your workout may actually be healthier for your bones and body than a nonstop fitness streak, according to a small new study.
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The preliminary research, presented at the American Physiological Society’s annual meeting, found that women who were Olympic rowers had more signs of inflammation and lower levels of bone-building protein in their blood during their most intense weeks of training, compared to recovery weeks that included days off.
These protein fluctuations may be a warning that training without adequate recovery could lead to injury or bone loss, study authors say.
RELATED: The Best Workout to Do When You're Really Sore
In general, exercise is good for bone health. Bone mineral density, an indicator of bone strength, typically increases with regular physical activity, especially the weight-bearing type. But experts have often wondered if too much exercise could have the opposite effect, especially for female athletes. That can be a difficult thing to measure, says Nigel Kurgan, a graduate student in the Centre for Bone and Muscle Health at Brock University in Canada, because elite athletes may also follow strict dietary patterns that could also negatively affect bone health.
To help account for this, Kurgan decided to study 15 female heavyweight rowers training for the 2016 Olympic games. Rowers have a high incidence of stress fractures and are at increased risk for bone loss—but because these women weren’t competing in the sport’s lightweight category, restrictive eating and low-calorie diets were less likely to play a role.
At several points during the nine-month study, Kurgan took blood samples from the rowers to measure levels of two proteins in their body: osteoprotegerin (OPG), which stops bone mineral loss, and sclerostin (SOST), which inhibits new bone formation. The rowers’ training ranged from 12 to 21 hours a week.
RELATED: 5 Reasons Your Abs Aren’t Showing Yet
Levels of OPG decreased over the course of the study, indicating that the athletes were indeed at risk for bone loss. The highest levels of bone-growth-inhibiting SOST corresponded with the weeks with the highest training volumes, and vice versa. Inflammation in the body also increased during the most intense training periods.
The researchers also tested the rowers’ bone mineral density at the beginning and the end of the study, and found no change. But they say that the consequences of intense training may only become evident after longer periods of time.
“We are learning that regardless of whether you eat well or not, the systemic inflammation of intense training—unless you bring it down from time to time—creates an issue for bone cells and all kinds of tissue,” says co-author Panagiota Klentrou, professor and associate dean in the department of kinesiology at Brock University. “When you’re at peak training volume, you also have to incorporate time for the body to recover.”
This theory likely applies to all levels of athletes, not just Olympic hopefuls, Kurgan says.
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Recovery is important for other reasons, too: Muscles need time to repair themselves from the stress of hard training, and the body needs rest and adequate fueling to maintain high levels of functioning. A 2016 study in Frontiers in Physiology found that two days in a row of intense, CrossFit-style workouts lowered levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines in the body, suggesting a potential drop in immunity.
With further research, it’s possible that scientists could develop a blood test to let athletes know when they’re overdoing it, says Klentrou. “There may be markers that coaches can monitor to see if they have to adjust their training volume,” she says.
Amateur athletes don’t need to take such elaborate approaches, she says. “If they monitor the symptoms of their body and watch for signs of exhaustion and poor recovery from hard workouts, I think they’ll be pretty safe.”
Why You Shouldn’t Feel Guilty for Taking a Day Off From Your Workoutmercredi 26 avril 2017
These Are the Best Walking Workouts, According to Fitness Experts
It’s easy to take walking for granted as a form of exercise. After all, it’s how we move around in the world every day, so it can be hard to believe it’ll knock off pounds. But research shows that walking is a surprisingly strong health and fitness strategy. It matters how you walk, though. A study in Journal of Applied Physiology found that walking quickly with hand and ankle weights was comparable to slow running. And research from the University of Virginia revealed that mixing short, fast walks with longer, more leisurely ones was an effective way for obese women to lose belly fat.
Walking can even help prevent disease. A study in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology showed that walking at a decent clip reduced participants’ risk of developing high blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels as much as running.
It’s clear that our bodies were made to walk, but there’s more than one way to get the most out of those daily steps. We spoke to three experts with different approaches so you can choose the right method for you. Whether you’re time-pressed or want to ease into running, our experts have got you covered.
RELATED: How One Woman Shed 137 Lbs. With Strength Training and Simple Diet Changes
The Celebrity Trainer: David Kirsch
Kirsch, who has trained the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Kate Upton, believes even the fittest people can benefit from walking more. "From a purely physiological standpoint, walking raises your heart rate and burns calories," he says. "But it’s also a great way to increase your mind-body connection, focus on your breath, spend time in nature, meditate, and de-stress."
David Kirsch's go-to walking workout: For beginners, it’s all about working up to 10,000 steps a day, says Kirsch. That’s the preset daily goal on most fitness trackers because it’s considered a good target for heart health and weight maintenance. But after you’ve mastered that, challenge yourself to hit 15,000 to 25,000 daily steps. "Ten thousand should become the bare minimum," he says. To amp up the intensity of your walks, try a hilly landscape or wear two- to three-pound ankle and hand weights. You can also incorporate some toning exercises every few minutes, like jumping jacks, walking lunges, squats, or squat jumps, suggests Kirsch. Adding these moves in intervals will help you build muscle, improve heart health, and increase endurance. "Walking is so good for you," he says. "It’s a great start and supplement to any wellness program."
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The Weight-Management Physician: Amy Rothberg, MD
"Walking is one of the best tools for weight maintenance," says Dr. Rothberg, director of the University of Michigan’s Weight Management Clinic. "It’s aerobic, it engages some of the biggest muscles, and it’s feasible for most people."
Dr. Rothberg's go-to walking workout: To maintain a healthy weight, Dr. Rothberg recommends walking for at least 30 minutes five days a week. Some good news: You don’t have to log a half hour all at once. "You can do your 30 minutes in 10-minute bouts throughout the day," she says, "and those add up." Plus, when you walk for shorter periods, you can generally go at a faster speed, which may be even better for you than walking slowly for 30 minutes straight, since more vigorous activities can help increase your overall fitness level. And even lower-intensity exercises like fast-paced walking can help burn some of the body’s stored fat. Walking in chunks can give you little boosts of confidence to keep you motivated, too. "Whether it’s parking farther away or walking to meet a colleague, you get a sense of accomplishment," she says. "It’s these little successes that end up establishing good habits."
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The Running Coach: Jeff Galloway
Galloway is the creator of the Run Walk Run training method, which helps walkers and longtime runners alike stay in shape and prep for races. Adding running intervals to your walks can help you burn more calories, and running has been shown to boost appetite-suppressing hormones, notes Galloway. Plus, easing into running like this allows you "to go farther while feeling better and avoiding injury," he says.
Jeff Galloway's go-to walking workout: To introduce faster segments into your walks, start by jogging for 5 to 10 seconds per minute for 10 minutes, gradually working your way up to 30 minutes. Once you’ve conquered that goal, begin adding longer periods of jogging until you can jog for 30 seconds per minute for 30 minutes. Eventually, you can build up to shorter walk breaks—for example, walking for 30 seconds and running for 60. This is an excellent way to train for a 5K or even longer race, says Galloway. (For regular runners looking to add in strategic walking breaks, Galloway suggests alternating 90 seconds of running and 30 seconds of walking if you run a 10-minute mile on average. If you average a 12-minute mile, try alternating 60 seconds of running and 30 seconds of walking.)
These Are the Best Walking Workouts, According to Fitness Experts8 Exercises a Pro Boxer Does to Sculpt Strong Abs
mardi 25 avril 2017
5 Reasons Your Abs Aren’t Showing Yet
lundi 24 avril 2017
Why Garmin's New Fitness Tracker Is the Best I've Ever Used
On the market for a new fitness tracker? On April 12, Garmin released its newest wearable, the Vivosmart 3 ($140; amazon.com), the update to its Vivosmart HR+ fitness tracker that was released almost a year ago.
The Vivosmart 3 comes with a few new features that make it useful not only for cardio fanatics, but also your run-of-the-mill gymgoer. As a self-proclaimed cardio hater (sorry, but you’ll never catch me "just going for a jog"), I decided to put the Vivosmart 3’s features to the test. Here’s what I thought.
The look:
Fitbit diehards may have a run for their money when they see how slim (and Fitbit-like) Garmin’s newest model looks. According to Garmin, this wearable is “a master of subtlety.” The touchscreen is smaller than the tracker's previous versions, so it doesn’t look like a clunky brick on your arm. Plus, the display isn’t perpetually lit up—the screen only brightens when you tap or lift your wrist slightly to check the time. Other features include the traditional watch-buckle band and two color options: black or a grayish-purple.
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New standout features:
Garmin has always offered step and mileage counting in its fitness trackers, but now you can also use the device to long your strength-training workouts. A rep-counting feature can be turned on to track your reps and sets and record them in the Garmin Connect app.
The Vivosmart 3 can also track your VO2 max—the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use at any given moment—and translate that data into your “fitness age.” For challenge-loving exercisers, it’s an easy way to notice changes in your athletic ability over time.
RELATED: The Best Ab Exercises You're Not Doing
The coolest new feature, in my opinion, is the device’s ability to track your stress levels. The Vivosmart 3 uses your heart rate variability to estimate how stressed you are on a four-level scale. If it turns out you’re feeling the pressure, the watch can help you calm down with a breathing exercise. Set the duration (1 to 5 minutes) and hit start; the watch then commands you to breathe in and out in counts of four.
Features like sleep tracking, a heart rate monitor, a 5-day battery life, and a waterproof shell have been passed down to this latest installment.
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The bottom line:
This watch provides all the features you'd expect—smartphone notifications, heart rate and step tracking, and other fitness tracking features—but it’s the new abilities that really make the Vivosmart stand out. I love to lift (and hate cardio), and now, there's finally a watch that can help me achieve my goals in the gym. I'm also a fan of the stress-level indicator. The streamlined design makes the watch much more attractive than its predecessors, and is something I'm not embarrassed to wear all day.
At $10 less than Fitbit’s newest wearable, the vivosmart 3 could be a top fitness-tracking contender. I give it an A+ in my cardio-loathing book.
Why Garmin's New Fitness Tracker Is the Best I've Ever UsedWhy Garmin's New Fitness Tracker Is the Best I've Ever Used
On the market for a new fitness tracker? On April 12, Garmin released its newest wearable, the Vivosmart 3 ($140; amazon.com), the update to its Vivosmart HR+ fitness tracker that was released almost a year ago.
The Vivosmart 3 comes with a few new features that make it useful not only for cardio fanatics, but also your run-of-the-mill gymgoer. As a self-proclaimed cardio hater (sorry, but you’ll never catch me "just going for a jog"), I decided to put the Vivosmart 3’s features to the test. Here’s what I thought.
The look:
Fitbit diehards may have a run for their money when they see how slim (and Fitbit-like) Garmin’s newest model looks. According to Garmin, this wearable is “a master of subtlety.” The touchscreen is smaller than the tracker's previous versions, so it doesn’t look like a clunky brick on your arm. Plus, the display isn’t perpetually lit up—the screen only brightens when you tap or lift your wrist slightly to check the time. Other features include the traditional watch-buckle band and two color options: black or a grayish-purple.
[brightcove:5270498067001 default]
New standout features:
Garmin has always offered step and mileage counting in its fitness trackers, but now you can also use the device to long your strength-training workouts. A rep-counting feature can be turned on to track your reps and sets and record them in the Garmin Connect app.
The Vivosmart 3 can also track your VO2 max—the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use at any given moment—and translate that data into your “fitness age.” For challenge-loving exercisers, it’s an easy way to notice changes in your athletic ability over time.
RELATED: The Best Ab Exercises You're Not Doing
The coolest new feature, in my opinion, is the device’s ability to track your stress levels. The Vivosmart 3 uses your heart rate variability to estimate how stressed you are on a four-level scale. If it turns out you’re feeling the pressure, the watch can help you calm down with a breathing exercise. Set the duration (1 to 5 minutes) and hit start; the watch then commands you to breathe in and out in counts of four.
Features like sleep tracking, a heart rate monitor, a 5-day battery life, and a waterproof shell have been passed down to this latest installment.
[brightcove:5244729971001 default]
The bottom line:
This watch provides all the features you'd expect—smartphone notifications, heart rate and step tracking, and other fitness tracking features—but it’s the new abilities that really make the Vivosmart stand out. I love to lift (and hate cardio), and now, there's finally a watch that can help me achieve my goals in the gym. I'm also a fan of the stress-level indicator. The streamlined design makes the watch much more attractive than its predecessors, and is something I'm not embarrassed to wear all day.
At $10 less than Fitbit’s newest wearable, the vivosmart 3 could be a top fitness-tracking contender. I give it an A+ in my cardio-loathing book.
Why Garmin's New Fitness Tracker Is the Best I've Ever Used6 Easy Ways to Add Cardio to Your Strength Workout
This article originally appeared on DailyBurn.com.
Resistance training and cardio exercise can indeed co-exist. In fact, blending them together creates the ideal time-saving gym session. All you have to do is make a few intensity-amplifying tweaks to your existing strength workout and it can drive up your heart rate, burn more calories and improve your cardiovascular health, says New York City-based trainer Laura Miranda, DPT, CSCS, exercise physiologist. Get started on getting more from your workout by following these six strategies that marry weights and cardio. You just might find you’re having more fun, too.
RELATED: 6 Killer Cardio Workouts That Don’t Involve Running
6 Tips for Turning Up the Cardio on Your Strength Workout
1. Vary your rest.
The first way to spike your heart rate while strength training: Perform each move back to back with as little rest as possible — that is, while still maintaining good form. Miranda prefers a ladder approach to accomplish this goal. After the first round of resistance exercises, rest for 20 seconds. On the second set, rest for 15 seconds; and the third, pause for a 10-second break. As your body gets less and less time to recover, it taxes your aerobic system, she explains. Keep in mind, because you can’t lift at max weight with this many sets, it’s a good goal for fat loss, rather than strictly strength gains.
RELATED: 12 Brilliant Meal Prep Ideas to Save Time
2. Hold weights in both hands.
Rather than putting all your effort into single-arm movements for exercises like curls, rows or extensions, pick up two dumbbells or kettlebells. Then, go to town. Doing upper-body bilateral movements — like bicep curls with both hands moving at the same time — increases your heart rate more than when focusing on one arm at a time, according to a 2017 study in The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research.
RELATED: 5 Sports-Inspired Drills That Totally Count as Cardio
3. Pepper in plyometrics.
Explosive movements — think squat jumps and jumping lunges — are super effective and efficient for cranking up your cardio, while still building muscle. To maximize the payoff of these powerful moves, perform at least 15 reps of each exercise. This can keep your heart rate elevated for up to 50 minutes post-exercise, according to one study.
Miranda also recommends combining plyos with a strength and coordination move to lessen some of the jarring impact on your body. For example: Do a dumbbell lateral lunge, followed by a bear crawl, then end with broad jumps. Take a brief rest before cycling through those three exercises again.
RELATED: 3 Plyometric Moves That Turn Up the Burn
4. Lighten your load.
In a traditional strength workout, you’d pick up a weight heavy enough that you could only do a few reps for up to 45 seconds, says Miranda. But to hit the sweet spot where lifting turns more aerobic, opt for lighter weights that allow you to perform a set for one to two minutes. You might even drop the weight altogether and work for longer periods (i.e. go from a weighted squat to simply bodyweight squats). Or, grab a set of five- to eight-pound weights and perform a move like dumbbell uppercuts for one minute. Trust us, it will burn.
RELATED: 3 Quick HIIT Workouts for Beginners
5. Try a two-fer.
Why do a squat or a bicep curl or an overhead press when you can be super efficient and do all three at once? Compound movements like this one require you to use more muscle groups, which gives you a greater metabolic boost, says Miranda. Even better, these multi-move exercises test your coordination. Some others to add to your exercise repertoire: a push-up with row, reverse lunge with triceps extensions, curtsy lunge with bicep curl or a glute bridge with chest press.
RELATED: 3 Exercises to Sculpt Your Entire Body
6. Go beyond everyday exercises.
No doubt you’ve done a burpee or 10. After all, they’re used in many workouts because they’re an efficient way to get your heart rate up between strength sets. “When you choose movements that your body is not used to doing — like getting on and off the floor, as you do for a burpee — it enhances the difficulty of your workout,” says Miranda. (Typically, we’re used to simply sitting, standing and walking.) A burpee requires you to use all major muscle groups at once, which is probably why research shows this move is nearly as good as bicycle sprints in terms of gaining cardiovascular benefits.
Another similar way to enhance the cardio challenge: Do moves that work your body in different planes of motion, says Miranda. For instance, a forward lunge, followed by a side lunge, then wrap it up with a backward lunge. “Our bodies are not used to moving in those sequences,” she says. Wood chops or 180 squat jumps will also do the trick. So not only will you feel your muscles getting fatigue, but you’ll breath heavy while you’re at it. A single workout for strength and cardio…you’re welcome.
6 Easy Ways to Add Cardio to Your Strength Workout5 Exercises to Get Sculpted and Toned From Blake Lively’s Trainer
If you’ve ever seen Blake Lively walk a red carpet, then you know that 98% of the time her frock is formfitting. Even when she was pregnant, the actress didn’t shy away from showing off her fit frame. And why would she? The leggy blonde’s body is, well, kind of amazing. Her secret: She eats well and trains hard—really hard. How do I know? Because I got to sweat it out with the man—Don Saladino, owner of Drive Gyms—who keeps the mother of two looking her best.
After 40 minutes of butt-kicking (I’m talking push-ups, rows on a suspension trainer, med ball slams, slinging around battle ropes, etc.) I got Saladino to share some of his exercise secrets that help keep the actress’s physique photo-ready. "It is not the amount of time you spend, it is what you do in that time,” he explains. “You don’t need an hour and a half— those days are over, that’s for the dinosaurs. You can get in and do things in 20-30 minutes, and you could build a world-class physique in that time that moves the right way."
His training philosophy when it comes to Lively, using "old school farm boy stuff." Think: farmer’s walks and sled pushes. “This is burning high calories, and getting her foundation really, really strong,” says Saladino who notes that he often has Lively jumping, skipping, and crawling on the grass in an effort to get her body to move better. "When you are doing these exercises, you are not training one area of the body. They are complex and compound and they are requiring the whole body to work. You also get that cardiovascular effect too."
Try your hand at the five below. Saladino, who also trains Lively's hubby Ryan Reynolds, recommends doing 2-3 sets, keeping your reps within 3 from failure. (That means before your form goes to crap.) "With Blake and every client I work with, I want every rep to be perfect."
A-list body, here we come!
RELATED: 18 Moves to Tone Your Butt, Thighs, and Legs
Squats
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Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, chest high, abs tight, and hands clasped in front of chest or straight out, palms face down. Lower down, bringing hips to just below parallel. Push into heels to rise to standing.
Farmer’s Walks
Stand tall with lower back and pelvis aligned. Hold a pair dumbbells or kettlebells on either side of body; palms face in. Begin walking with short quick steps, making sure you are not leaning to either side.
Sled Pushes
Stand in front of a weighted sled with feet staggered and a slight bend in knee. Hinge forward at hips slightly and place hands on the front of the sled. Drive the legs forward as you push the sled.
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Deadlifts
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Stand with feet shoulder-width apart with a slight bend in knees, toes slightly turned out and a kettlebell or weight on floor between feet. Pushing hips back, squat down to grab kettlebell or weight with an overhand grip. Keeping head up, eyes forward, back flat and arms extended, push heels into floor and stand up. Lower back to start and repeat.
Incline Push-ups
Get into a push-up position with your hands placed slightly wider than your shoulders on a box, bench, or step. Lower body until chest nearly touches the surface, and then push back up to start.
5 Exercises to Get Sculpted and Toned From Blake Lively’s Trainer3 Exercises for a Stronger Pelvic Floor (and Lower Abs)
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3 Cardio Workouts Under 20 Minutes—No Treadmill Required
When you think of a killer cardio workout, hoofin’ it on the treadmill or cranking out reps on the elliptical might come to mind. But you don’t always need a machine to turn up your heart rate and put calorie-crushing on full blast. Bust out of your typical routine with three new powerful pieces of equipment: an agility ladder, battle ropes and a plyo box.
Each of these 15-minute cardio workouts will challenge your body in new ways, whether that’s with upper body moves or coordination drills (or both!). Designed by Carlos Davila, a trainer at the Fhitting Room in New York City, these routines offer a full serving of high-intensity cardiovascular exercise, with a side of strength — and some fun!
RELATED: 6 Killer Cardio Workouts That Don’t Involve Running
3 Boredom-Busting Cardio Workouts
Climb It: Agility Ladder Workout
There’s good reason they call it an “agility” ladder. These sports drills will quicken your steps and improve your coordination. “You’ll use fast-twitch muscle fibers [necessary for explosive movements] and get your hip abductor and adductor muscles involved,” says Davila. He even includes an exercise to target your chest, back and arms. So you’ll leave no body part untouched with this fast-paced routine.
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Photo courtesy of Fhitting Room
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Part 1: Squats + High Knees
How to: Starting at one end of the ladder, perform 10 air squats with feet hip-width apart, dropping down low enough that your hip crease goes below your knees. Then, run with high-knees to the other side of the latter. You should step both feet into each box and pump your arms for power. When you reach the other side, perform nine squats. Then, do high knees back to the start. Repeat until you count down to one air squat, with high knees between each squat set.
Part 2: Planks + Push-Ups
How to: Get in a forearm plank position at one end of the ladder, with elbows under shoulders and body in a straight line. Hold for 30 seconds. Then, rise up onto your hands and perform one push-up. One hand should be inside the ladder. (Drop down to your knees for the push-up if you need to.) Move the hand outside the ladder into the same box, then move your other hand to the next box. Continue moving down the ladder as you perform one push-up between each box. When you reach the other end, perform another forearm plank for 30 seconds. Then repeat the push-up walk back down to your starting side. Rest for 30 seconds, then repeat from the plank. Do three rounds.
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Part 3: Bounding + Quick Feet
How to: Start at one end of the ladder, feet outside the first box. Push your hips back and drop down into a squat, reaching for the inside of the box with both hands. When you reach the bottom of your squat, explode upward and forward. Try to land your feet outside the ladder and hands inside of the next box. (You should aim for more height and less distance on each squat jump.) When you reach the end of the ladder, do quick feet back to the start by beginning with both feet outside the box. Then tap both feet inside. You’ll do an in-in-out-out sequence until you reach the other end. Rest for 30 seconds. Repeat for two more rounds.
Read the rest at Life by Daily Burn.
3 Cardio Workouts Under 20 Minutes—No Treadmill RequiredThe Best Ab Exercises You’re Not Doing
After a sculpted stomach, but having trouble making progress? Too often, we work our core in one direction (think: crunches, sit-ups, leg raises). But the ab moves below challenge the muscles in new ways, says Ashley Borden, a celebrity fitness trainer who has worked with Reese Witherspoon, Mandy Moore, and Ryan Gosling. Mix them into your workouts or do them in this order as an ab circuit; do three sets of each.
RELATED: 5 Ab Exercises That Blast Belly Fat
Plank to Knee Tap
Start in a forearm plank with body in a line from neck to heels (A). Touch both knees to the floor (B), then straighten legs again. Do 20 reps.
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Single-Leg Hip Raises
Lie on back, knees bent and feet planted (A). Squeeze glutes and lift hips so they align with knees; extend right leg (B). Hold and lower, then repeat on other side. That’s 1 rep. Do 20 reps.
Standing Dumbbell Rotation
Hold a dumbbell with both hands at chest height, arms extended, feet shoulder-width (A). Twist torso left (B) and hold, then twist right. That’s 1 rep. Do 10 reps.
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The 14-Year-Old Yoga Mat I’ll Never Give Up
This article originally appeared on RealSimple.com.
I took to my first yoga class 14 years ago. On my way out the door, I noticed the basket of mats for sale. In my memory it was an impulse buy: I’d only been to one class, but some part of me knew I was a lifer. Not knowing what I wanted or needed in a yoga mat, my selection was largely based on color. I went with a rich Dijon (the only one I’ve ever seen of its kind).
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I had no idea that mustard-colored Prana Indigena Natural Yoga Mat would be the same one I still use every week, more than a decade later. I’ve practiced at countless studios and taken classes all over the world and I’ve never used a better, sturdier, more flexible mat than this one.
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The mat is thinner than most. You may need to double it up for a headstand, but its flexibility lets you fold it up to about an 8 ½-by-11-inch rectangle, small enough to throw on top of a suitcase without taking up a ton of room or even fit in a standard-sized backpack. Other mats can become slippery or pill, leaving black bits all over your face and fanny—I’ve practiced on some that are practically worn through at the hands and feet. But my mat is intact and non-slip even after years of regular use. Made of non-toxic natural rubber and available in a range of colors (sadly, no more Dijon), it’s also easy to clean in a soap-free washing machine. (Or just rinse it in the shower and let it dry in the sun.)
The 14-Year-Old Yoga Mat I’ll Never Give Upjeudi 20 avril 2017
A 5-Minute Meditation to Help You Find Your Calm Now
mercredi 19 avril 2017
Running Success Can Be Contagious, Says New Study
Can your friends affect how many miles you cover—or the pace you set—each time you head out for a run? The answer seems to be yes, according to a new study published in Nature Communications. Researchers from MIT's Sloan School of Management found that runners connected through a social network influenced each other's training in surprising ways.
For their study, the researchers examined five years worth of data from a global social network in which people share data from their fitness trackers with virtual friends. The study authors focused on the daily patterns of about 1.1 million runners, and analyzed roughly 2.1 million virtual ties. They also collected precipitation and temperature data, so they would know the weather conditions on every run.
The results were impressive. The researchers found that if one person ran an extra kilometer on any given day, his or her friends would run an additional 0.3 kilometers, on average, that same day—even if their local weather wasn't great. Similarly, if one runner was a little faster than usual on a particular day, his or friends would pick up their speed as well. More calories burned for one runner would mean more calories burned for his or her friends. Same for the amount of time spent running.
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The effects were more noticeable among certain groups. For example, runners were more likely to be influenced by peers who were slightly better or slightly worse runners than friends who were significantly better or significantly worse runners.
And perhaps not surprisingly, the researchers noted a stronger influence among same sex friends than mixed sex friends. Men were affected by both their male and female friends, but more so by their male friends. And women weren't at all affected by the training routines of their male friends.
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The idea that our friends’ habits affect our own (and vice versa) is nothing new. Research suggests that hanging out with slimmer pals can help you lose weight; having a lonely relative, neighbor, or friend increases your own risk of loneliness; and happiness spreads among strangers.
But there are problems with some of the studies on so-called behavioral contagions. For starters, many of the studies are survey-based and rely on accurate self-reporting, which is something we are notoriously bad at. There is also the fact that we are subconsciously drawn to people who are similar to us, which can make it hard to work out how much we influence each other and what we would do naturally on our own. Plus, people who are geographically close are likely to be impacted by the same outside influences.
To avoid these pitfalls, the researchers only looked at relationships between runners who lived in different cities. And instead of using self-reported data, they looked at information that was automatically uploaded via the fitness trackers.
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While the findings are intriguing, the researchers note that they may not be relevant to all runners. "Our network sample is reasonably representative of the one in five Americans who owns a wearable device and the over 100M people who use fitness trackers worldwide," they wrote in the study. But the same effects may not hold true for running buddies who don't use trackers, they point out.
Running Success Can Be Contagious, Says New StudyThis 5-Move Dumbbell Routine Builds Strength in Every Muscle Group
mardi 18 avril 2017
Nauli Is the Freaky Yoga Pose Taking Over Instagram, But Should You Try It?
The Exercise Drew Barrymore Uses to Tone and Strengthen Her Arms
Drew Barrymore, star and executive producer of the Netflix zombie show Santa Clarita Diet, recently shed 20 pounds and transformed her figure, but it wasn’t eating human flesh that got her there. She worked her weight off at the boutique fitness studio AKT in New York City.
One area the 42-year-old mother of two concentrated on: her arms. Becky Anderson, a senior trainer at AKT, uses the triceps blaster at right with the star. "It works the arm muscles to fatigue, and you’re forced to hold your core," she says. "Plus, you don’t feel like you’re bulking up, but rather toning and getting lean." Do it three or four times a week for better arms now.
With a medium resistance band hanging from a sturdy surface (such as a weight rack or monkey bars), hold handles, palms facing forward with arms bent at 90 degrees (A); lower forearms forward 8 times (B). Bring arms out to sides with elbows bent (C) and extend arms to the side 8 times, keeping them lifted (D). Complete entire combo 4 times.
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This Invigorating Yoga Flow Is the Best Way to Get Energized
lundi 17 avril 2017
First Woman to Officially Run the Boston Marathon in 1967 to Do It Again Today
This article originally appeared on InStyle.com.
Kathrine Switzer made headlines in 1967 for being the first official woman to run the Boston Marathon and today, 50 years later, she’s heading to the starting line wearing the same number an official tried to rip off of her shirt in that milestone race.
Back then, Switzer was a 20-year-old Syracuse University journalism student; today, she’s an active 70-year-old with an impressive running career, having logged 39 marathons since 1967, even winning the New York Marathon in 1974 and hitting her personal best (2:51:33) while finishing second place in Boston in 1975.
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Switzer had no intentions of dropping out of that fateful race, nor did she expect to be such a barrier-breaker (Roberta Bingay Gibb had actually completed the Boston Marathon the year before without an official bib). “I knew if I did that no one would believe women could run distances and deserved to be in the Boston Marathon; they would just think that I was a clown, and that women were barging into events where they had no ability,” she explained on her website. “I was serious about my running and I could not let fear stop me.”
Not surprisingly, the now iconic photo (above) brought women in sports, and the accompanying sexism, into the spotlight. “Everything changed," she told CNN affiliate WBZ-TV. "I said, 'This is going to change my life, maybe going to change women's sports and change the world.'"
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Since 1967, Switzer’s become a champion for female runners, forming 261 Fearless, a nonprofit running club across the country.
Regardless of when Switzer crosses the finish line today, there’s no denying she’s already won in our eyes, a million times over.
First Woman to Officially Run the Boston Marathon in 1967 to Do It Again TodayWhy Running Is Such Perfect Cardio
This article originally appeared on Time.com.
There was once a time, just a few decades ago, when few people ran to stay in shape. Today, running is almost synonymous with exercise. If your goal is to be fit and healthy, you’re either a runner or someone who’s planning to start running really soon (promise).
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Running has become so popular, in part, because a mountain of evidence suggests it’s great for a long, disease-free life.
One 2014 study found that running is linked to a 45% drop in risk of death due to cardiovascular disease. “Runners on average lived three years longer compared to non-runners,” says study author D.C. Lee, an assistant professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University. Those mortality benefits held fairly steady regardless of how fast, how long or how often a person ran.
Lee and his colleagues just published a follow-up report showing even more impressive benefits. Running for about two hours each week was linked to three extra years of life. He and his coauthors also found that running outperforms walking, cycling and some other forms of aerobic exercise when it comes to lengthening life.
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Research has also linked running to lower rates of stroke, cancer and metabolic diseases like diabetes, as well as better bone strength. “Weight-bearing exercises like running promote greater bone mineral density,” says Arthur Weltman, a professor and chair of kinesiology at the University of Virginia. Especially as you age and your bones start to weaken, running can help keep the bones of your legs healthy.
Muscles also get stronger with running. “One of the tenets of training is that when you do damage to muscle tissue, it’s stronger after repair,” Weltman says. Your heart is a muscle. And while hard running can initially result in increased levels of proteins associated with heart damage, these levels quickly return to normal, and the heart bounces back stronger than before, he explains.
But in order for that strengthening to occur, you have to give your muscles time to recover. “Depending on your fitness and how hard you go, running can be vigorous, high-intensity exercise,” Weltman says. “If you’re running hard and pushing yourself every day, you have the potential to over-train and do some damage.”
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Overtraining is most likely to cause joint-related issues: lower-body aches or strains that may sideline a runner for a few days or weeks. If you always seem to be injured, that’s a good indication you’re not giving yourself enough rest, Weltman says. Running is high-impact exercise, so it may cause pain or injury in people with obesity or those with joint problems—particularly if they don’t allow enough time for recovery between bouts.
But overtraining may lead to more than simple pain or sprains, some recent scientific literature suggests. Research from James O’Keefe, a cardiologist with the University of Missouri-Kansas City, found that doing excessive endurance exercise—especially during middle-age and beyond—could theoretically lead to unhealthy structural changes in the chambers of the heart. His research pegged “too much” somewhere beyond an hour per day of vigorous exercise. More isn’t always better when it comes to running and endurance training.
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It’s also important to realize that what’s “vigorous” for one runner is not going to be vigorous for another. “There’s a lot of person-to-person variation that depends on fitness level,” Weltman explains. For older people or those who haven’t broken a sweat in a while, brisk walking might constitute a tough workout.
“I think the best way to exercise and avoid risk of injury revolves around perception of effort, rather than time or duration,” he says. “At least twice a week, you want to exercise at an intensity that you perceive as hard.” At most, you want to alternate between hard and easy days “so your body has 48 hours to recover.”
But what if you’re concerned about running too little, not too much? Even a little running has been shown to pay huge dividends. In Lee’s study, people who ran as little as 30 to 59 minutes a week—just five to 10 minutes a day—lowered their risk of cardiovascular death by 58% compared to non-runners. Even in small doses, running rocks.
Why Running Is Such Perfect Cardiovendredi 14 avril 2017
One Run May Add 7 Hours to Your Life, Study Says
This article originally appeared on Time.com.
Running is a simple and efficient way to exercise: all you need is a pair of shoes. It’s been shown to lower a person’s risk for heart disease and cancer, possibly by regulating weight and blood pressure. Now a recent study, published in the journal Progress in Cardiovascular Disease last month, reports that people who run tend to live about three years longer than those who don’t.
The researchers, who have studied the benefits of running in the past, decided to look at available research and investigate whether other forms of exercise like walking and biking provide the same benefits, or if runners have a special advantage.
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The study’s authors found that while other types of exercise like walking and cycling were linked to a longer lifespan, it wasn’t to the same degree as running. The researchers calculated that a one-hour run may translate to an additional seven hours added to a person’s life. The benefits capped out at about three years, and the researchers found that the improvements in life expectancy leveled out at about four hours of running per week. More running wasn’t found to be significantly worse for a person, but the researchers say there are no further apparent longevity benefits.
RELATED: 7 Surprising Facts About Running
However, the researchers only found an associational relationship between running and longevity. Their data showed that people who run tend to live longer lives, but not that running specifically increases a person’s lifespan. Runners tend to have other healthy lifestyle behaviors like maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking and only drinking low-to-moderate amounts of alcohol, the authors note. Still, the findings suggest running is an especially effective form of exercise.
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The study also found that runners who also do other types of physical activity have the same lower risk of early death, though combining running with other exercise is “the best choice,” the researchers write. (Federal guidelines recommend both aerobic exercise, like running, and strength training for optimal health.) They also acknowledge that it’s not yet clear how much running is safe, or if a person can run too much.
“Running may have the most public health benefits, but is not the best exercise for everyone since orthopedic or other medical conditions can restrict its use by many individuals,” the authors concluded.
One Run May Add 7 Hours to Your Life, Study Saysjeudi 13 avril 2017
Why Marathons Can Be Deadly—Even If You Don’t Run In Them
This article originally appeared on Time.com.
People who run marathons go through intense training before enduring the physically grueling 26.2-mile event—so it’s little wonder their health can sometimes suffer. But on marathon days, the event can also create unexpected problems for non-runners who need urgent medical care.
In a new report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that road closures and traffic disruptions on marathon days can lead to delays in emergency care that can cost people their lives.
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Dr. Anupam Jena, from the department of health care policy at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, and his colleagues analyzed data from Medicare claims for hospitalizations for heart attack in 11 cities that hosted marathons from 2002 to 2012. They compared the death rates of these people on marathon days to those a few weeks before and after the marathon. People who had heart attacks on marathon days had a 13% higher rate of death than people on other days. Ambulances also took 4.4 minutes longer on days marathons were run.
“We were expecting to see there would potentially be delays in care,” says Jena, “but not necessarily increases in mortality. It’s difficult to influence mortality; you would have to have substantive delays in care.”
RELATED: Is Running Good or Bad for Your Knees?
Road closures, detours and other changes in traffic patterns were dramatic enough to cause delays that could affect a person’s chance of surviving a heart attack, the team found. Over a year, marathons could contribute to an additional four deaths, based on the 30-day mortality rate calculations. The effect remained strong even after they adjusted for the possibility that more people visit a city hosting a marathon, and therefore statistically there may simply be more heart events. The researchers also made sure that hospitals and emergency services were not short-staffed or overburdened with the added volume of requests. All of these factors were similar on marathon and non-marathon days.
The disruption in traffic during a marathon is the primary reason for delays in care, Jena says. That’s good news because it’s a fixable problem; marathon planners can ensure that access to hospitals is not congested and affected by the race route.
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The other lesson from the study is useful for people in need of medical attention. A quarter of the people in the study chose not to call an ambulance and instead drove themselves to the hospital—perhaps because they thought that emergency services were tied up with the marathon—and these people seemed to account for most of the higher mortality on marathon days, says Jena. That may be because they were forced to take more circuitous routes to reach the hospital, he says. “They don’t experience the four-minute delays of ambulance transport; they’re experiencing much larger delays because they are trying to drive themselves.”
Even with the delays, ambulances were the best form of transportation to the emergency room. “Anybody thinking of driving to the hospital themselves on the day of a major public event should pick up the phone and call 911,” Jena says.
Why Marathons Can Be Deadly—Even If You Don’t Run In ThemEasy Fixes to Yoga Poses to Protect Your Knees, Neck, and Wrists
mercredi 12 avril 2017
The Best Chair Yoga Moves to Combat Back Pain
"Oh, my aching back!" I can't tell you how many of my students have back issues. And it's no wonder, considering most of us spend our days tied to our desk chairs and parked in the same position in front of our screens hour after hour. The problem: Sitting for prolonged periods can cause or exacerbate back issues. When we're stuck in this position, our hip flexors shorten in front and pull on our lower back. Not to mention, constant slouching can lead, over time, to compressed disks. That's why it's crucial to stretch your back every day. Here, four moves you can do right in your office.
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1. Backbend Arch
Start seated at edge of chair, placing hands behind you with fingers facing away from hips. Prop yourself up on fingertips, drawing sacrum in and up to lift lower back. Follow backbend all the way up chest to shoulder blades and open up entire front body. Hold and breathe for 8 to 10 breaths, then release.
2. Cat/Cow
Sit at edge of chair with feet flat on the floor. Place hands on knees and inhale, lifting chest and sticking hips out behind you. Lift gaze, open chest, and gently squeeze shoulder blades together (A). On an exhale, round chest, scoop in belly, and curl tailbone under as you drop head toward sternum (B). Repeat for a series of 10 cycles.
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3. Lower-Back Circles
Sit with feet hip-width apart and hands resting on knees (A). Inhale, then begin circling torso clockwise, making sure to initiate movement from base of spine (B). Complete 8 to 10 rotations. Stop and then repeat the motion, this time circling in a counterclockwise direction. Continue alternating for 2 to 3 minutes.
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4. Roll-Downs
Sit with feet hip-width apart and hands hanging at sides (A). From head, start rounding down through spine (B). Exhale, letting forehead release forward and the weight of your head bring you over until top of head is by thighs (C). Inhale; slowly start stacking vertebrae as you round up to sit. Draw belly button to spine to protect back, and feel the articulation as you round up. Continue rolling down and up for 5 to 8 cycles.
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Adapted from Chair Yoga: Sit, Stretch, and Strengthen Your Way to a Happier, Healthier You by Kristin McGee ($19; amazon.com). Copyright 2017 by Kristin McGee. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
The Best Chair Yoga Moves to Combat Back Painmardi 11 avril 2017
3 Jump Exercises For Better Stability and Balance
This article originally appeared on DailyBurn.com.
Walk into any HIIT class or CrossFit box and chances are you’ll be asked to do a variation of a plyometric jump. Box jumps, frog leaps and tuck jumps help you improve your VO2 max (speed), flexibility and range of motion. But that’s not all. Their explosive power works your entire body, while getting your heart rate up.
Kat Ellis, head trainer and instructor at Uplift Studios in New York City, says, “Plyometrics are a mix of stability and strength, and create a strong foundation for doing explosive weightlifting moves like the clean and jerk and snatch.”
But if you’re not nailing down the form of these moves properly, you can risk injuring yourself and cause strain on your joints. That’s where tempo training comes in. Modulating movement based around a tempo allows the body to activate fast twitch muscle fibers and to learn to distinguish the difference between speed and power, Ellis explains. “The body finds a moment of explosive activation. For example if you’re doing a push-up, concentrate on lowering the chest down for three seconds and pushing back up to a plank in one. The tempo, is 3-2-1, push.”
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Plyometrics help develop core strength and joint stability, too. “Tempo training forces you to slow things down. You’re regressing the exercise to make sure your whole body is truly engaged,” Ellis explains.
According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, plyometrics are broken down into three phases: the eccentric phase, the amortization phase and the concentric phase. Take the box jump, for instance. The eccentric phase is when you’re in a half-squat position with your knees bent. When you drive from your heels to jump, that’s the amortization phase. The concentric phase is when you finally land on the box and release the energy and tension in your muscles. With that said, take Ellis’s lead, as she breaks down these three popular jumps.
RELATED: 3 Plyometric Moves That Turn up the Burn
Bust a Move: 3 Plyometrics Exercises, Broken Down
1. Frog Leaps
Progression 1
How to: Stand with your feet a little wider than hip-distance apart with your toes slightly turned out to the sides. Raise your arms at your sides with your hands overhead and palms facing forward (a). Sit into a deep sumo squat with your butt back and down so your weight is evenly distributed from your arches to your heels (b). Press up from the squat and lift your right leg up to hip height, bending your right knee (c). At the same time, engage your right oblique muscles so you bring your right thigh towards your right elbow (d). Return to the starting position and repeat on the left side. Alternate for five reps on each side.
Progression 2
How to: Sit back into a deep sump squat position with your hands overhead together and palms facing forward (a). Driving from your heels, jump up, bending your knees so your thighs touch or brush up against your thighs (b). Land softly into a sumo squat before jumping again (c). Do five to eight reps.
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2. Tuck Jumps
Progression 1
How to: Stand with your feet hip-distance apart with your toes facing forward (a). Sit into a squat with your arms at your sides raised to shoulder height, palms facing each other (b). As you stand up from the squat, lift your right leg to hip height with your right knee bent (c). At the same time, place one palm on top of the other to meet your right knee. Repeat on the left side (d). Alternate for five reps on each side.
Progression 2
How to: Start in a squat position with your arms at shoulder height and palms facing each other (a). Jump up as high as you can, driving your knees towards your chest, almost touching the palms of your hands (b). Re-extend your legs to land softly on the ground (c). Do five to eight reps.
RELATED: 5 Plyo Box Exercises to Rev Your Fitness
3. Box Jumps
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Progression 1
How to: Stand behind a box or step with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees (a). Step one foot at a time onto the box, keeping the slight bend in your knees, and then step back down one foot at a time (b). Do five reps.
Progression 2
How to: Stand behind a box with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees (a). Jump onto the box with both feet, landing with your knees slightly bent (b). Jump back down and repeat for five to eight reps. Note: If you’re doing this move in a CrossFit WOD, standard technique is to straighten your legs at the top of the box, standing tall, before hopping or stepping back down.
GIFs: Tiffany Ayuda / Life by Daily Burn
3 Jump Exercises For Better Stability and Balancevendredi 7 avril 2017
The Best Fat-Burning HIIT Workout to Get You Wedding Season-Ready Now
jeudi 6 avril 2017
This Challenging TRX Workout Will Revamp Your Boring Gym Routine
The gym is filled with tons of complex machines, all designed to tighten and tone various areas of your body. With so many flashy options to choose from, chances are, you've been overlooking one ultra-versatile piece of equipment: the TRX suspension trainer. But his seemingly simple item is actually a super effective workout tool. It was designed to add extra challenge to many of your usual go-to exercises, like squats and mountain climbers, to help your body build strength, balance, flexibility, and core stability.
The best part: It's totally versatile. While you can find TRX trainers at any gym, you can also use them to get toned just about anywhere—whether that's in your home, the beach, or the park—by simply attaching your trainer to a sturdy object overhead (like a tree, for example). Not to mention, it's compact enough to squeeze into your suitcase, making it perfect for working out while traveling.
If you're curious to try out TRX and mix up your usual routine, try giving my 6-move workout a go.
Single-leg squat
Face the anchor point and grab the cushioned handles. Take a couple steps back so there's plenty of tension on the suspension trainer. Balancing on your left foot, extend your right leg. Begin to lower into a squat, keeping your right leg extended and your left heel on the ground. Once you've hit a 90-degree angle—or as low as you can go with proper form—drive your left heel through the ground returning to a standing position. Do three sets of eight reps.
Tam’s Tip: Don’t sacrifice form for depth. Be sure to keep your arms straights at all stages in the squat to prevent using your upper body instead of your legs and glutes.
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Reverse lunge
Bring the handles together and place your right foot into the cradle. Walk out a few steps while balancing on your left leg. Begin to lower down into a lunge, hold for one second, and then return to standing. Do four sets of 10 reps.
Tam’s Tip: Make sure that you aren’t hinging at your hips, and really using your legs and glutes to get into the lunge. Avoid pushing off your front leg when returning to a standing position.
Pull-ups
Adjust the handles so that they are at their highest setting. Grab the handles, making sure that your hands, shoulders and hips are aligned. Keep your feet flat on the ground and pull your body up as high as you can, and then lower down to the starting position. To make it harder, straighten your legs, with your heels on the ground and pull yourself up, keeping your shoulders down and back. If you want more of a challenge, pull your entire body off the ground in one fluid movement (as shown above), and then lower back down to the starting position. Start with three sets of 10 reps for the beginner/intermediate variations. Advanced: three sets of four reps.
Tam’s Tip: Be sure that your hands, shoulders and hips are aligned after every rep.
RELATED: 4 Steps to Slim, Sculpted Arms
Single-arm row
Bring the handles together and grab them with your right hand. Lean your body backward, with your feet closer to the anchor point in front of you. Then, while engaging your core and lat, pull your body up in one fluid movement. Straighten your right arm, lowering down to the start position. Do three sets of 12 reps.
Tam’s Tip: To make this exercise more challenging, walk your feet closer to the anchor point, increasing the amount of body weight you are pulling. You can also try standing with a narrow stance to make this exercise more unstable.
Mountain climber
Place your feet into the foot cradles with your toes facing down. Walk your hands out to a plank position. Drive your right knee forward, followed by the left. Repeat.
Tam’s Tip: Try to avoid sawing (each strap changing levels) by maintaining even pressure on the foot cradles.
Pikes
Place your feet into the foot cradles, toes facing down. Walk your hands out into a plank position. From here begin to raise your hips up, engaging your core, creating a upside down ‘v’. Lower your body back down for one rep. Do 3 sets of 15 reps.
Tam’s Tip: Imagine there is a string attached to your tailbone pulling you up and down. Avoid a dip in your lower back by pulling your belly button in and engaging your core.
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