In this second weightlifting article I want to start by hoping that you are not feeling to sore from your first workout, you will make short term gains regardless but you will want to have interest in doing weights over the long term. Today I want to go over the benefits of strength training as well as go over the Tuesday/Friday workouts.

There are many great benefits to doing weight training. The first benefit is that extra muscle mass will burn more calories allow you either to eat more food or lose fat quicker. The second benefit is that you will improve your posture and the way you move on a daily basis as you will get rid of those little aches and pains caused by weak core muscles. And finally you will feel better about yourself because of the changes that YOU are making to your body.

Here is the 2nd Day of a Two day split

Upper Back Exercises

Bent over Rows, to do a row you hold a light weight in your hand and put your right knee on one chair and your right hand on another chair now with your back straight raise you left hand parallel with your body and slightly back so that the stress is on your upper back muscles. Do three sets of ten repetitions of this with each arm. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: aches, benefits of strength training, chair, dumbell curls, food, pains, upper back muscles, workout

On Thursday I decided to change things up and change my reps for my workout.

It was a killer workout. The workout took 35 minutes. And I am still sore today.

The workout I did was a high rep workout where I did the same exercises as usual, mostly, and instead of sticking to 6-12 reps per set I actually pushed my reps to 50-60 per set for only a couple of sets per exercise.

This is a High Rep Workout

• 1 set of 60 reps of incline bench press followed by 12 reps of incline flyes
• 1 set of 30 reps of military press
• 1 set of 25 reps of one armed bent over rows
• 1 set of 50 reps per arm of alternating curls
• 1 set of 25 reps of tricep kickbacks

I went through this set with a longer than regular time between sets, maybe a minute or so, and by the end I was really winded and wiped. I took about a 10 minute break and did it again. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: high rep, muscle fibers, set 25, set 30, SET 50, set 60, Sets On, workout

One of the biggest complaints that I hear from people getting started, or trying to get stated, in working out is:

“Where will I find the time to workout?”

We all lead busy days and often the time between the morning when we get up and the evening when we go to sleep goes by in a blur of work, family, preparing meals, finding and foraging for food and getting a little bit of downtime.

So where do we find that few minutes a day to workout? I think that I have a bit of an answer.

Get you priorities straight

First things first. Look at your day from the time that you awake until the time that you go to sleep. What are you doing in every 15 minute block? You may think of this as micromanagement but really it is more important to look at your day and see little gaps and times when you are not batching your work. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: batching process, dishwasher, food, hawaii, internet looking, Olympia, priorities, surfing, workout

What gets you motivated to workout, or to eat well? I know that sometimes this is a struggle for me and if I create a habit that makes exercise a part of my day automatically then it will happen.

Today is a very snowy day in Calgary (how many times has that come up on this blog?) and I know that my normal daily schedule tomorrow is going to get thrown off. I like to get on my bike and ride to work but there is no way that I can ride in a foot of snow and will take the bus instead.

Eating is the same way. I have a plan in the morning of exactly what goes into my lunch bag and I know right now that I will be having oatmeal for breakfast, bringing an apple and orange for snacks as well as a coke and chocolate bar and I will be having chicken left over from tonights dinner Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: calgary, habit, motivation, pain, workout

Ever noticed that when you are tired and do not feel like exercising that it quickly passes when you just get up and get a bit of movement? Well you are not alone. A recent study from the University of Georgia seems to prove that exercise will over come tiredness. Here is a quote from the author of the study:

“Too often we believe that a quick workout will leave us worn out, especially when we are already feeling fatigued,” Tim Puetz, who helped conduct the study, said in a statement.

“However, we have shown that regular exercise can actually go a long way in increasing feelings of energy, particularly in sedentary individuals.”

So next time that you are tired remember this post. Even better, start to exercise without even thinking about it. If you are even a little tired it is really easy for your mind to convince you not to workout at all.

Tags: Author, energy, exercise, feelings, Georgia, puetz, sedentary individuals, Tim Puetz, tiredness, university of georgia, workout

I was listening into a conversation going on around me yesterday about whether it is worth it to work out. I am sure that my workplace is no different then any other where we talk ourselves into and out of things through conversation with others.

Martin and Christina where talking about whether to work out or not. Christina has not used her treadmill since she got it and Martin said that it is tough and boring to use equipment and that there is so much more to do in life then to walk or run on a treadmill.

Neither Christina nor Martin need to lose weight, I have no idea about their fitness level but if you feel OK when you look in the mirror it is hard to workout or rather easy to make an excuse not to workout.

So here goes the rant.

I know that working out is tough, I know that working out takes time and I know that it can be boring or inconvenient so why not hit all of these factors head-on. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: accomplishment, Christina, doing weights, excuse, Fitness Equipment, health benefits, hockey, Martin, soccer, treadmill, unused fitness equipment, workout

Warming up before exercise is critically important for you so as to not injure yourself or pull muscles like I did on the weekend. There are a few steps to good stretching and if you do these steps you will have a good workout and not have to fear that you are going to pull, teat, or stretch muscles and stay healthy instead.

1. Start off with a good walk, jog, or run. Whatever you do first. The cardio helps the blood and oxygen flow through your body. Always remember when you do cardio, start off slow and then increase your pace, then slow down towards the end to prevent the blood from rushing to the legs.
2. After you have warmed up is the only time that you should stretch. Stretching is a physical exercise that when done cold can lead to strains and muscle pulls (I can vouch for that just a week ago)
3. Stretch one arm across your chest. Make sure it is straight as you go across. This is very important. Do this twice on each arm. Hold 10 seconds each. This will stretch you upper back and your shoulders.
4. Lift your arm up over your head and touch your shoulder blade with your hand. Make sure everything is straight again to get all the benefits. Do twice on each arm, hold 10 seconds each. This stretch is to stretch all the muscles going down your sides as well as the triceps of your arm.
5. Stretch your neck side to side and down. Hold each for 10 seconds.
6. Do a child’s pose. Sit on your knees and bend down and stretch your arms out in front of you. This stretches the upper and lower back, as well as the arms.
7. Finally stretch you legs by holding your foot to your butt and stretching your quadriceps, put your heel on a chair or table and lean forward so that you stretch your hamstrings, for calves just lean against a wall and move one foot back a couple feet and try to bring your heal down.

These are all of the basic stretches that I try to do every day. If you are looking for agility and a wider range of motion in your everyday life you will find that these stretches in no time at all will help.

Tags: chair, physical exercise, range of motion, stretch muscles, table and lean forward, warming up before exercise, workout

I am always a fan of warming up before a workout and stretching but somehow I did not do it right this afternoon when I went to do my weight workout.

I started with very light weights as a kind of warmup/stretch and as soon as I started with my lower back I felt my back seize up and I went down to the ground. One side of my lower back is OK but the other side is absolutely in pain whenever I try to move.
I am now stuck lying on the couch and trying to figure out how I did this bad pull to my lower back. Needless to say there will be a bunch of posts from me about strengthening your core. I have been hobbled and I seem to have trouble getting up at all so I am joined now to this couch.

My wife and the kids are enjoying calling me an old man and hopefully I heal soon enough to get a workout in again sometime next week but we all know how dangerous back problems are and how they can become chronic issues.

Tags: back problem, core exercises, light weights, pain, stretching, warmup, workout

eDiets has an article telling us what fit people do. It is right on the mark

1. Sleep well and wake up naturally. Many fit people arise without an alarm clock feeling energized, rested and hungry. They have set fitness goals and a plan to achieve them. People who are fit fall asleep easier, have more quality sleep and require less sleep than someone who is unfit. Lack of sleep is strongly associated with obesity. Sleeping helps the body repair, rebuild and recover.

2. Get prepared. Fit people pack their gym bags the night before, have clothes laid out for exercise, toiletries packed for a shower, clothes for work and an appointment in their planner for physical activity. They regard their workout appointments as highly as any other business or social commitment. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: breast cancer, cycling, fitness goals, food, food choices, fund raiser, healthy meals, Leukemia, morning exercise, obesity, physical activity, plan meals, planner for physical activity, self-help snake oil, stress management, workout, workouts

I have been planning and putting this offer together for a while now and it is nice to finally unveil it on the blog. As I hope you have seen I have done reviews of the three big internet weight loss and fitness programs. The programs are:

fat loss for Idiots – This is a customized online diet program that comes with a handbook to help you through your diet to lose weight.

Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle – This is a mammoth 350+ page book written by a natural bodybuilding champ that shows you how any normal overweight person can lose fat and gain muscle through a special diet and good exercise.

Turbulence Training Program – A three day a week weight training program that will help you lose fat while gaining muscle. Not the standard way that most people workout but in fact a new program that is done in just 45 minutes 3 times per week.

The above links are direct to the sales pages of the programs but if you want to see my reviews you can just click on the links on the right side of this page. Each of the programs are only $39 so you can choose any of them and know that you won’t get soaked for a bunch of money, they are all really cheap. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Diet Program, diet tips, diet to lose weight, e books, ebooks, fat loss for idiots, fitness programs, gain muscle, gaining muscle, internet weight loss, losing weight, natural bodybuilding, new years resolutions, nutrition secrets, online diet program, overweight person, special diet, Special New Years Resolution, tom venuto, turbulence training, USD, weight training program, workout