|
|
|
Diet and Exercising for Weight Loss
Obesity is now being called an epidemic in the health community.
In fact, it will soon be the leading cause of preventable death
in the United States, even ahead of cigarette smoking. Obesity
leads to type two diabetes, high blood pressure, heart...
Health is Your Greatest Asset
Health is Your Greatest Asset? By Kamau Austin If you are like many people who take the entrepreneurial plunge, you do so most successfully when you are approaching or entering into middle age. Your middle-aged years are also ironically around the...
Rebounding To Better Health
Ever heard of rebounding? Rebounding is a fun way to get great
exercise using small controlled movements on a mini trampoline.
By using a small trampoline and following a rebounding video,
people of all ages can exercise on a rebounder....
The Biography of Sensei Derek Eastman - Part 1 of 2
I have known Sensei Eastman for some 12 years and during those years I have heard so many stories about both Sensei Eastman and Sensei Ellis and their dedication to the early promotion of UK Aikido, some of the history highlights their hard...
The Martial Arts and Self-Defense - Emotional Response and Reaction
The media has fuelled the perception that ordinary people on the
street are in constant danger from violent attack, and
self-defense classes promise to counter this fear.
To attract students, most martial arts schools in the U.S....
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
My Top 15 Non-Traditional, Muscle Building, Fat Scorching Workouts
If you have been bored by doing the same old weight training and
cardio routines, why not spice up your training by adding some
of these alternative training styles. They will not only make
things more interesting, but also be sure to spark some new
results in your body!
Here are some of my favorite non-traditional training techniques:
1. Staircase Workouts - You can go to a football field and do
stadium stairs, any building that has stairs like a hotel (most
people take the elevator, so you will not even have many people
looking at you while you're working out), or even the stairs in
your own home. For an awesome full body workout, try mixing
stairs sprints with an upper body exercise like pushups or
pull-ups. If done with a high enough intensity, stairs workouts
help to create changes throughout your entire body due to the
muscle building and fat burning hormonal response and metabolism
increase that you get through working the biggest muscle groups
in your entire body. You can find out more info on stairs
exercises workouts and how to make them more effective at my
'fitness products' page at truthaboutabs.com with the link below.
2. Wind Sprints and Hill Sprints - Find any open field in a park
or athletic field and try 50, 75, and 100-yard all-out wind
sprints. After each sprint, rest long enough to catch your
breath before the next one (approx. 30-90 sec). Try workouts of
anywhere from 6 to 20 wind sprints for a great "cutting"
workout. Also, if you have a hill nearby, hill sprints are also
great workouts. Sprint up the hill as fast as you can and walk
down for your rest interval. Repeat until you're whooped (a
20-30 minute hill workout is plenty). These sprint workouts are
so amazingly effective at changing your entire body for the same
reason as stairs exercises...by powerfully working the biggest
muscle groups in your entire body, you greatly stimulate your
metabolism while simultaneously increasing your fat burning and
muscle building hormones.
Just look at any world class 100-meter sprinters and notice how
ripped-to-shreds those guys are. Now compare that to the
emaciated weakling physiques of many marathoners, and you'll see
that sprinting is where the action is at for a healthy, ripped,
powerful body! Now I don't want to upset all of you distance
runners out there. Hey, if distance running is something you
enjoy, then go right ahead. But don't say you're doing it for
the health benefits, because I might just have to disagree. You
can read my full story on why I believe variable intensity
training is far superior to steady-state endurance training in
one of my other articles at
http://truthaboutabs.com/cardio-article.html
3. Kettlebell Training - Kettlebell training has been one of the
best training methods that I've ever had the good fortune of
getting into, and has taken my physical capabilities to a whole
new level. Kettlebells are an alternative type of free-weight
training instead of barbells and dumbbells. Their unique
construction and weight distribution (basically a cannonball
with a handle) allows for a whole different realm of exercises
that's available compared to dumbbells and barbells. Kettlebells
have been typically used for training hard-core athletes,
military units, martial arts competitors, and other tough
individuals, but there is no reason that anybody looking to get
stronger, bigger, or more cut can't learn the exercises and
benefit from them.
It's been a little over a year now since I've incorporated
kettlebell training into my routines, and I'll admit that I'm
hooked for life! Kettlebells are definitely not cheap, but they
are well worth the money. Just one or two kettlebells and you've
literally got yourself an entire home gym that you can use for
the rest of your life...worth every penny in my book! If you
want to give these body-hardening kettlebells a try, you can
find more info at my 'fitness products' page at
truthaboutabs.com at the link below.
4. Bodyweight Workouts - For a change of pace, try adding to
your routine one or two workouts a week at home with just
bodyweight based exercises. These can be great because you can
get a high intensity workout done in only 15-30 minutes without
having to go to the gym on days that you might not have time for
a trip to the gym. Try alternating bodyweight squats, pushups
variations, lunges, and floor abs exercises continuously for
15-30 minutes. Try to take very short rest periods or none at
all to really amp up the intensity since this will be a brief
workout. If you're more advanced, you can even incorporate more
challenging exercises like handstand pushups, one-arm pushups,
and one-legged squats into your bodyweight training routines.
5. Ring Training - This type of training basically uses portable
gymnastic rings that you can take anywhere with you. You throw
the straps up over any high bar like a pullup bar, the top of a
power rack, or even over a football field goal crossbar. Then
you can quickly adjust the rings to do exercises like ring dips,
ring pushups, ring pull-ups, hanging leg raises, horizontal body
rows, L-sits, and more. Dips and pushups on the rings are my
favorites and the rings really make them a hell of a lot more
difficult, while also incorporating your stabilizer muscles to a
much greater degree. The rings allow your joints to move in a
more natural pattern and can help you prevent or even recover
from shoulder injuries. Personally, when I try dips on a normal
dip stand, it hurts my shoulders. However, dips on the training
rings feel perfect, and also give me a much better muscle pump.
The training rings are one of the best training devices I've
ever bought. Give them a try...I think you'll like them if
you're up for a challenge and really want to take your upper
body development to a new level. I found my training rings at
ringtraining.com.
6. Swimming - A great full body workout that stresses the
muscles and joints in a much different way than most resistance
training. Incorporating swimming workouts once or twice a week
into your normal training routings can really enhance your
physique. I recommend trying a "sprint" style swimming workout,
which will help more for building muscle compared with endurance
long distance swimming. For sprint style, swim as hard as you
can to the other side of a 25-meter or 50-meter pool (or sprint
swim similar distances in a lake or the ocean if you like to
swim outdoors). Rest enough to catch your breath between sprint
swims (about 20-40 seconds). Try to keep the rest intervals
fairly short with swim sprints. You can also mix different
strokes (crawl, breaststroke, sidestroke, backstroke, butterfly)
on each swim sprint. I've found that sprint swimming gives me a
great muscle pump (especially in the upper body), without any
soreness the next day as is typical with weight training. This
is because swimming has no eccentric movement (the negative
portion of a lift), which is what causes muscle soreness. Keep
in mind that even though swimming works your muscles well, and
is a nice alternative workout to mix in once or twice a week, it
does not strengthen your bones. You still need to do regular
weight training to do that.
7. Sandbag Training - This form of training is a nice variation
to mix in with your strength training. It works your body with
an unstable object, which makes muscles that might normally be
neglected get in on the action to perform the movements. I've
been mixing
some sandbag training into my routines for over a
year now, and I've found it is a very intense method of training
that works your muscles in a different way and gets you huffing
and puffing like crazy. You can make your own sandbags to train
with by filling various sized duffle bags with sand, or you can
use those construction type sandbags that come in several
shapes. Sandbag exercises can be done as squats, cleans,
presses, lunges, shouldering, throws or heaves, carrying up
hills, etc. Make no mistake, training intensely with sandbags
will get you ripped in no time flat! If you're interested in
this type of training, you can find more info at my 'fitness
products' page at truthaboutabs.com at the link below.
8. Mountain Biking - As you may have figured by now, I'm not a
proponent of steady pace endurance exercise, but rather, highly
variable intensity exercise that works with bursts of exertion
followed by recovery intervals. Well, mountain biking fits this
bill perfectly. You get the leg pumping exertion during the
uphill climbs, while also getting the adrenaline rush of the
downhill acting as your recovery intervals. Mix it all together
and you get a super-fun, high-intensity, leg burning workout
that will melt fat off of your entire body and build awesome
legs at the same time. The climbs can be tough and will
challenge you both physically and mentally as you pump away
trying to make it up steep hills without having to resort to
getting off of the bike. Then after you make it up the
challenging climbs, you get rewarded with the adrenaline rush of
flying down steep hills while jumping off of boulders and logs
and trying not to stumble or fall off the bike. It's such an
addicting thrill...I love it!
9. Indoor (or outdoor) Rock Climbing - This is yet another fun
way to get in a great workout that will also challenge you both
physically and mentally. Indoor rock climbing gyms will be more
accessible than outdoor rock climbing to most people. Rock
climbing is a great workout for your legs, arms, shoulders, and
your entire back. It also really works your grip strength and
forearms like crazy. Whenever I go indoor rock climbing (which
is only on occasion), my forearms are sore for about 2-3 days
afterwards. Give it a try if you've never done it...it may be
just what you're looking for to spice up your fitness routine.
10. Stick Wrestling - This is a killer full body workout and can
also be a great competition between you and your friends. There
are actually sticks designed specifically for stick wresting,
but you can even just use a strong broomstick cut down to about
30-36 inches long and taped up with some athletic tape to
prevent splinters. For your stick wrestling workout, stand on a
soft mat or carpeted area (or grass if outdoors), match up with
a friend or foe. You'll both grab the same stick toward the ends
with your hands on the outsides of your partner's hands, on the
inside, or staggered. Then you simply push, pull, jerk, and
thrash your opponent around trying to knock them off balance
until they either fall or lose their grip of the stick...and you
win that round! Be careful not to get the stick up high and
knock each other in the face. Use common sense. You can do this
in 1-2 minute rounds or just keep going until someone gives up.
Be creative and keep going until you've gotten a killer workout.
Your forearms and legs will be screaming!
11. Strongman Training - This type of training is a little more
hard-core, but it's a blast for those who are into trying
something different. The premise is based on the types of
exercises competitors perform in the "world's strongest man"
competitions. If you have a yard, you can even set up some of
these exercises in your yard and do some outdoor workouts to
have a little fun. You can get one of those giant tractor tires
and do tire flips (which is basically a deadlift followed by a
push-press). You can also try your hand at log lifts, boulder
lifts and carries, keg lifts and tosses, weighted sled
dragging...anything that involves pulling, pushing, lifting, or
heaving any types of odd objects. You don't need to be a monster
to enjoy this type of training...just handle whatever size
objects are challenging for your individual strength. Strongman
training works your entire body in a very intense fashion and
could easily spark some new results. If you're interested in
finding out more ideas for strongman training, check out my
'fitness products' page at truthaboutabs.com at the link below.
12. Rope Climbing - If you have access to a rope, either at a
gym or somewhere outdoors, rope climbing builds a powerful and
ripped upper body like no other exercise. A great way to
incorporate rope climbing into intense workouts is to alternate
climbs with lower body exercises like squats or lunges. Keep
alternating the upper body rope climbs with the lower body
exercises in between and you'll get one hell of a full body
workout.
13. Bag Boxing - You can use a heavy bag, a speed bag, or even
one of those rebound bags to get a great workout. Among the
three, the heavy bag is the best all around full body workout,
while the speed bag will test your rhythm and timing and give
you a great upper body workout. If available at your gym or if
you have a bag at home, try mixing these in as a good warm-up or
as an intense finish to your strength routine.
14. Rope Skipping - You can't beat rope jumping as a great full
body exercise. I like to use it as a warm-up for my weight
training workouts. I prefer to use the really cheap "speed"
ropes with a plastic rope instead of a fabric rope. Once you get
good, you can jump rope much faster with the plastic ropes than
the fabric ones, which will allow you to get a more intense
workout. And don't mess with the weighted handle ropes...they'll
just slow you down. Your goal is speed when rope skipping. Try
mixing together two legged jumps, one-legged jumps, arm
crossovers, double jumps (rope passes under feet twice for each
jump) to keep things interesting and increase the intensity.
Also, try alternating 15-20 second high intensity bursts where
you jump as fast as you possibly can, followed by 15-20 second
recovery intervals where you jump slowly to get ready for your
next burst.
15. Jumping exercises - squat jumps, box jumps, lunge jumps, and
broad jumps are some of the best ways to incorporate explosive
jumping exercises into your routines. The explosive and powerful
nature of jumping exercises works your leg muscles in an
entirely different way than most normal slow grinding strength
training moves. I've even seen a university study cited once
that found squat jumps to elicit the greatest testosterone
response of all exercises studied. That means more muscle and
less fat on your entire body, not just your legs.
I hope you've enjoyed all of these ideas for ways to really
shake up your workouts and make them fun again. I know some of
them may seem a little "out there", but open your mind to the
possibilities and you'll never be bored again...and your body
will respond with new found results!
About the author:
Visit
http://truthaboutabs.com/Training-and-Nutrition-Articles.html to
receive your own personalized metabolic rate calculator as well
as 5 of my secret hard-body workout routines - both FREE.
Michael Geary is a nationally dual certified personal trainer
(NCSF-CPT, AFAA-CPT), and author of "The Truth about Six Pack
Abs" ©2004-2005.
|
|
|
|
|
| The World's Martial Arts Information Center |
| Your personal guide to the exciting world of martial arts. Locate schools, organizations, styles and much more. |
| www.martialinfo.com |
|
| Martial arts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Today, martial arts are studied for various reasons including combat skills, fitness, ... A practitioner of martial arts is referred to as a martial artist. ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| About Martial Arts - Martial Arts Styles, Training, Supplies ... |
| Martial Arts Styles, Free Tutorials, Training Tips & our great MA Forum. Find A Martial Arts School, Choose a Style and Read Great Articles. |
| martialarts.about.com |
|
| martialarts.org - a guide to all styles of the martial arts |
| A guide to all styles of martial arts. Live classes, media, articles,free email. |
| www.martialarts.org |
|
| Martial Arts TRICKZ |
| infos, pictures and videos about martial arts tricks. |
| www.bilang.com |
|
| Martial Arts Supplies including Uniforms and Weapons |
| Offers martial arts and boxing equipment, uniforms, weapons, and accessories. |
| www.karatedepot.com |
|
| Martial Arts weapons shop |
| Martial arts weapons including sais, kamas, nunchaku, swords and tonfa. Great prices, fast ship times, $2.95 shipping. |
| www.karatedepot.com |
|
| The Virtual Library: Martial Arts |
| The Virtual Library: Martial Arts collection is an index of stable web sites that offer information on any martial art. This collection of sites is checked ... |
| www.microbiol.org |
|
| Mixed Martial Arts DVDs, MMA News & Grappling Gear |
| World Martial Arts is the leading producer of contemporary martial art instructional videos and martial arts supplies. World Martial Arts sells the hottest ... |
| www.groundfighter.com |
|
| Martial Art Equipment at Century Martial Art Supply - Martial arts ... |
| Martial arts supplies including uniforms, karate equipment, sparring gear and martial arts weapons. martial arts uniforms, martial art equipment, ... |
| www.centuryma.com |
|
| Irish Martial Arts Commission |
| Membership for organizations teaching Aikido, Bujutsu, Karate, Kendo, Iaido, kickboxing, Kung Fu, Ninjutsu, Tae Kwon Do and Sambo wrestling. |
| www.martialarts.ie |
|
| Martial Arts in the Yahoo! Directory |
| Learn about martial arts and its many forms in sites about aikido, kung fu, judo, ju jitsu, and more. Explore various techniques, history, and fan sites for ... |
| dir.yahoo.com |
|
| The Worldwide Directory of Martial Arts Clubs and Classes - USA |
| Martial Arts Clubs.com is a directory of martial arts clubs worldwide. It is free to register a club and free to search for a club. |
| www.martialartsclubs.com |
|
| Complete Martial Arts.com |
| Covering many aspects of martial arts including styles, schools, celebrities, and merchandise. |
| www.completemartialarts.com |
|
| Martial Arts Supply | Karate Equipment | AMAS |
| AMAS Martial Art Supply offers Karate Equipment, Martial Arts Uniforms, Karate Uniforms, Martial Arts Weapons and more. |
| www.amas.net |
|
| Paragon Martial Arts - martial arts clothing - martial arts ... |
| martial arts, martial arts clothing, martial art, martial arts supply, martial arts footwear, martial arts equipment, tae kwon do, martial arts shop, ... |
| www.paragonmartialarts.co.uk |
|
| BudoSeek! Martial Arts Community |
| BudoSeek! Martial Arts Community is the Internet's FIRST Search Engine and Portal Community exculsively for the Martial Arts Community. |
| www.budoseek.net |
|
| Martial Arts Humor |
| A list of jokes from real life comic situations to top 10 type jokes. |
| www.binary.net |
|
| Atlanta Martial Arts Directory |
| A listing of martial arts schools in the Atlanta area. karate, kung fu, tae kwon do, hap ki do, aikido, kenpo, tai chi, taiji. |
| www.atlantamartialarts.com |
|
| Martial Arts Register |
| Martial Arts portal. Free registration for your club and events. What's on, suppliers and Arts information and lots more.... |
| www.martialartsregister.co.uk |
|
|