If you want to strengthen your midsection forget the regular crunches! Lower abdominal exercises are often over looked in core training. They should be included in your program because they are great for spinal stability, injury prevention and your lower back. One of the best lower abdominal exercises is the hanging leg raise.
Start slowly so that you will have control. Remember that it is important to focus on quality over quantity. As you begin to raise your knees, think about curling your hips forward to facilitate the movement. The focus should be to engage your abdominal muscles, which are attached to your pelvis and not your legs. The legs are simply an accessory. Try not to swing. Keep your legs together, slowly raise your knees upwards towards the belly button. Then slowly lower your legs to the starting position. Repeat for 10-12 reps. Over time once you have mastered the knee raise add in some variety and try one leg at a time, straight legs or even bring the knees to the left and right.
I was browsing through Best Buy Canada and I came across this little white box that caught my eye. It read: Lost It? Find It? - TrackR. Since I am always on the go in and out of gyms, clients homes, track and field facilities, my car and constantly traveling to different locations for meetings I am always loosing things. So the idea of the TrackR is perfect for me.
This little guy can be attached to your phone, put on your keys, on your bicycle, in your wallet or any electronic device that you use on a day to day basis. It can be 3M adhesively attached to any device. It can also be tied to a keychain, back pack or even your dog.
Once you download the software/app and set up your account (which is very easy) you are good to go. The app is compatible with:
Iphone 4S Or Later
IPad with retina display or IPad mini or later
iOS 7 and later
Android 4.4 and later
Once you realize that you have lost whatever item your TrackR is attached to press your TrackR device button to ring. Even if you phone is on silent you will find it! What a great idea! Also if you log into the app you can ring your item and find it whevever it may be. If you still don't hear the ringer it has a GPS where you can see the location of the item. It also comes with a one year warranty.
The TrackR is definitely TRAIN IT RIGHT Approved! Grab yours HERE.
3 Quick Ab Exercises To Get A Summer Stomach
Abdominal exercises are an important part of a well rounded fitness program. Abdominal exercises train the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen to work together. When they are strong you have better balance and stability. Having well developed abdominal muscles not only gives you a sexy summer stomach but they can help heal most types of back pain.
Here is a great summer abdominal workout that you can do anywhere. This ab workout is designed to strengthen and tone your mid section. For this particular workout you do not need any fitness equipment at all! Make sure to perform all of the exercises slow and controlled so that you activate the abdominals properly.
The workout should be done three times per week, with at least one day off between workouts. Monday – Wednesday – Friday would be ideal. Try to do as many rounds as you can. Or Try and add these in where ever you can! Feel the burn! #trainitright
Problematic Knees? Try These
So many people have knee problems. You can use these exercises as pre-hab or re-hab. That means you can use them to prevent injuries in addition with your current training program or to rehabilitate an already existing problem. Always make sure to consult your physician before you begin an exercise program.
1. Quad clenches over roll downwards
Lay flat on your back or sitting up. leg and knee straight on top of a rolled up towel. Tighten the muscle on the front of the thigh by pushing your knee down into the towel. You should feel your thigh muscles clench. Hold for 10s and every day add on 5 more seconds.
Repeat 3×15
2) Quad clenches over roll upwards
Lay flat on your back or sitting up with your leg horizontal on a flat surface such as a bed. Place a rolled up towel under the knee. pull your toes towards you and clench you thigh muscles. Slowly lift your foot up off the bed until your knee is straight (keep your knee resting on the towel). hold for 10s and slowly lower. Every day add on 5 more seconds.
Repeat 3×15
3) Straight leg raise
Lay flat on your back. leg and knee to be worked straight, other leg bent. Pull your toes towards you and tighten/clench the muscle on the front of the thigh, locking your knee straight. lift your foot up about 6 inches off the bed. Hold for 10s and slowly lower. Every day add on 5 more seconds.
Repeat 3×15
4) Single leg get ups
Sit in a chair with your feet on the floor. start with the right leg. Sit up with all weight on single leg and slowly sit back down. Do the same movement 15x each leg. Try not to use the other leg at all and come to a complete standing position at the top.
Repeat 3×15 each leg
5) Glute bridge
Lay on your back with both knees bent about 90° and your feet on the floor/bed. clench your buttocks and lift your bottom off the bed as high as you can without arching your back. create a nice straight line from your shoulders to your hips to your knees. Hold for 5 seconds at the top and slowly lower.
Repeat 3×8 each leg (advance 3×15 each leg)
6) Clam shell
Lay on your side with your hip and knees bent approx 90°, feet together.keeping your feet together, lift the top knee up as high as you can. Hold for 5 seconds and slowly lower. Focus on squeezing the glue to get your leg up.
Repeat 3×15 each side
7) Heel raises
Stand with your feet slightly apart, weight equally distributed, holding onto something solid for balance like a kitchen work surface or wall. Rise up onto your toes lifting your heels as high as possible. Keep your body upright (don’t bend forwards). Hold for 5 secs and slowly lower
Repeat 3×15-30
8) Straight-leg raises
Lay down on your back. bend your left leg and place your foot flat on the floor. extend your right leg away from your body. Keeping your right leg straight, slowly raise it up to a 45 degree angle. Slowly lower it back down to the starting position. As you do this exercise, focus on contracting the quadriceps muscle. Slow and controlled!
Repeat 3×15 each leg
9) Wall squats
Stand straight with your back against a wall and feet shoulder-width apart. Walk your feet away from the wall about 6 inches. while keeping your back in contact with the wall, bend your knees and slowly lower your buttocks toward the ground. Keep going until your knees are bent at about a 45-degree angle. Raise your body back up until your knees are straight. Keep your back straight and do not allow your knees to go in front of your toes.
Repeat 3 x as long as you can hold! Challenge yourself.
Make sure to stretch as well. The most important stretches for you are:
1) Illiotibial band stretch
Position yourself by crossing your right leg in front of your left. keep your hands together loosely and start moving to the floor on your right side, your knee locked. You should sense pressure in the anterior part of your left thigh. Keep the stretch for at least 30 seconds minimum. Repeat 2-3x each leg.
2) Hamstring stretch
Stand in an upright position, keep your left knee bent at a 90-degree angle. Hold your thighs with your hands, try to keep them steady. straighten out your left leg out into the air until you feel the stretch. Hold for 30 seconds minimum. Repeat with the right leg.
3) Standing calf stretch
Stand a little less than arm’s distance from the wall. Step your right leg forward and your left leg back, keeping your feet parallel. bend your right knee and press through your left heel. Hold for 30 seconds minimum and switch legs.
Here are 5 tips to help you lose weight and it’s easier than you think.
1. Don’t be afraid to lift weights. Total body strength training is one of the best ways to get improve your metabolism. Lean muscle burns more calories than fat. Try strength train between 2-3 times a week and it will help you tone up and lose weight faster.
2. Do cardio. If you’re doing cardio make sure you are doing intervals on any of the machines between 15-30 seconds long are the best. Try going at a good pace for 15-30s then increasing the resistance and intensity for 15-30 seconds. Do tis for 40-60 minutes.
3. Get into a proper sleeping pattern. Get to bed at the same time most evenings. The best sleep you can give your body to recover is between 10 to 12pm. So try and time your sleep between those hours. The ideal amount of sleep is between 5 hours to 8 hours.
4. Eat 3 to 5 times a day with healthy snacks in between! Make sure to have a protein and a dark green with every meal. If this snack is a shake, be sure to add more than just water to your protein, and try to make a delicious smoothy with your favourite fruit.
5. Identify the mental and emotional stressors in your life. Try to write out everything in your life that is a stressor and decide to a) get rid of it, b) change the stressor or the situation or c) accept the stress and move on. Stress also causes your brain to release cortisol (a hormone that causes fat storage).
Tracks your daily activity at different intensity levels, and shows steps, distance and burned calories.
ACTIVITY GOAL
Your daily activity goal and guidance on how to reach it.
ACTIVITY BENEFIT
Feedback about your daily, weekly and monthly activity.
FITNESS TEST
Tells you exactly how your fitness is progressing by measuring your aerobic fitness at rest and evaluating your maximal oxygen uptake.
HEART RATE
When paired up with Polar H7 heart rate sensor, measures your every heartbeat and lets you know if you’re mostly burning fat or improving your fitness. Gives the most accurate calorie burn in heart rate based training.
SMART CALORIES
Shows exactly how many calories you've burned.
INACTIVITY ALERT
Vibrates when you've been sitting still for too long.
SLEEP DURATION AND QUALITY
Automatically tracks your sleep time and quality. See and learn from your sleeping patterns in Polar Flow web service and app.
POLAR FLOW WEB SERVICE AND APP
Free online community and service that helps understand the impact of your activity and see the long term progress you make.
CHANGEABLE WRISTBAND
Vibrantly colored wristbands are easily changed to reflect your mood and style.
SIMPLE CHARGING
Charges conveniently with a simple plug and play USB.
Three Reasons To Get A Workout Partner
Reason #1. Fun Factor.
Working out is a lot more fun and exciting when you are with a friend than if you are alone. If you don’t like the competitive factor then you at least have someone to keep you company and talk about your day, your sexy trainer, or the new guy or girl at your work. While you are lifting weights you can also pass the time by spotting your gym partner, or by making fun circuits to do together. If neither of you feel like the treadmill or weights make fitness fun by changing up your routine. You can do this by going for a walk together, or even play tennis, squash, basketball or volleyball. Sometimes it is nice to switch up the routine and have someone to do it with. Studies have shown that the more you change up your workout, the better your body is going to respond and the less likely you are to hit a plateau.
Reason #2. Accountability and Motivation.
Don’t feel like going to workout? It’s one thing to cancel plans with yourself but it’s another to cancel on your gym partner. A partner counts on you. He or she will keep you motivated and accountable. Also if your partner is positive and gives you great feedback you are more apt to stick to your program. He or she will motivate you to go to the gym, stick to the gym, and stay committed until you see the results. No one wants to be Debbie Downer by bailing and letting down a friend for a scheduled gym appointment.
Reason #3. Higher Intensity.
People are competitive by nature. I always find that whenever I am working out with someone else, my intensity is always greater than when I train alone. I find myself wanting to do one more rep, go one extra mile, be on a 1% higher incline or lift heavier than my gym partner. He or She pushes me to have that extra intensity and gives me a competitive drive. When I work out alone I tend to get distracted by things like my cell phone, get lazy, or stop early in a set. One key tip when picking your partner: Your athletic abilities should be around the same level. A more seasoned fitness enthusiast won’t get as much out of working out with someone who is new to fitness. If you and your partner are on the same level, you can push each other to do better.
I was recently reading John Maxwells book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of growth. One particular subject that struck me the most was a section on fear. We all have different fears. Our fears keep us from being successful at goals that we wish to achieve. Obviously fitness goals are included. According to Maxwell five factors come in to play when it comes to your fears:
1. Fear of failure.
2. Fear of trading security for the unknown.
3. Fear of being overextended financially.
4. Fear of what others will say or think.
5. Fear that success will alienate peers.Which one of the previous effects your fitness goals? We all have fears. In order to see results we must face these fears and have a stone faith in ourselves to overcome them. You have to believe in yourself before anyone else will believe in you. So I want to encourage you to face your fears and go after your goals right now. Don’t put it off until later. Start right now. Face your fitness fears today. Don’t be afraid of failure or whatI what people will think of you in the gym change your thinking. Don’t be scared of what people will say about you. Go to the gym and do it for yourself. Those who really matter will support you. Fitness is tough but the more you make it a habit the less scary it is and the easier it becomes.
- See more at: http://livingcivil.com/face-your-fitness-fears/#sthash.FFox9IeR.dpuf
The Benefits Of Exercising While Pregnant
Exercise has benefits for everyone. Age is not a factor, nor is ethnicity, height, or experience. Working out can also benefit expecting mothers. Most women benefit greatly from exercising throughout their pregnancy. According to an article by Zawadski the benefits of exercising when pregnant include:
Helping to relieve backaches
Improving posture by strengthening and toning muscles in the back, butt, and thighs
May help prevent or treat gestational diabetes
Increasing energy levels
Noticeable mood changes towards more positive
Reduction in constipation by accelerating movement in the intestine
Increasing the muscle tone, strength, and endurance
Improving in sleep and quality of sleep
Improving the ability to cope with the pain of labor
Helping women regain pre-pregnancy fitness and shape more quicklyAny pregnant woman wanting to exercise should always talk with their healthcare provider first. The personal trainer or instructor should make sure that it is known to the pregnant client’s medical doctor that she will be starting an exercise routine. This is to make sure that there are no complications with the pregnancy where the mother to be could endanger the baby. Usually there is no problems but occasionally there are extreme cases where the mother to be should be on bed rest. So it is important to check with your doctor first.
Most of us live in a very busy and fast paced environment. We are all in a constant state of movement. Traveling from place to place and always on the go. Sometimes we spend hours in a car, on planes, buses or trains and days, weeks, months away from home in hotels, motels and inns. This makes it a constant challenge to workout while you are traveling. It may be difficult but it is not impossible. Follow these tips to make travelling and working out a breeze and part of your traveling routine.
1. Research the hotels facilities. A lot of hotels have facilities for working out. Some are better than others so do your research first. Check out hotels near where you need to be and call and ask what facilities are available for fitness. Some hotels even have their own trainers if that happens to be in your budget. If its not plan your workout a head or make sure the hotel has wifi so you can log onto www.dailyhitt.com and do your daily workout.
2. Create a travel workout kit. If you don’t want to use your hotels facilities, they don’t have wifi for you to log in and do a www.dailyhiit.com workout or they don’t even have a workout facility you can plan ahead and create a travel workout kit. Items to include can be a TRX with door mount, exercise bands, skipping rope and a yoga mat. You can do an array of exercises in your hotel room with these items or a combination of these items.
3. Make use of whatever space available in your room. If you don’t have a travel kit, wifi or a facility to workout at you can use your body weight. Push aside chairs and tables and do some of your favourite body weighted exercises. These can include exercises such as squats, lunges, push ups, supermans, hip raises, glute bridges, planks, bicycles, jumping jacks and burpees.
4. Get outside. If the weather permits grab your running shoes and hit the streets for a long run, intervals, hills or even a brisk walk. Remember to check with the front desk or a local to make sure the area is safe and always tell some one where you are heading. There are plenty of apps to help you with your workout. If you happen to have an iphone try www.pearsports.com and download their free coaching app. It will help you keep your heart rate up and in a personalized training zone.
