Monday, June 10, 2013

Top Six Most Effective Ab Exercises

Top Six Training exercise for Abs: 

Top Six Most Effective Ab Exercises

 

  • McGill crunches: fascia "raking" can be employed upon more advanced routines. The second phase is breathing deeply during the concentric phase and holding for up to 5 seconds. When you crunch: both hands and tucked under your sacrum (where the small of your back is - that natural lordotic curve); your tongue is pushed up to the roof of your mouth to activate your sternocleidomastoid (thus keep pressure off of your cervical vertebrae); finally, you image a string pulling your chest off of the ground while stiffening the core and crunching a few inches off of the ground. 
  • Walkout holds (get in the upright plank/pushup position and walkout with your hands and hold for up to 10 seconds. Repeat 3 times. By using electromyographic we've been able to observe FULL abdominal rectus activation!!) 
  • Side bridge/plank: commonly prescribed as just an oblique exercise. It's the only exercise that hits the QLs as well. I can't stress often enough that the body has to be flat like a board when you turn and your feet turn - don't stack them up 
  • Dead bug: great exercise for working the core hoop. You can turn it into a plyometric exercise when more advanced 
  • Stirring the pot: get a stability and get in the plank position. Use your elbows as the fulcrum point and stir the ball clockwise and the next set counterclockwise. You can make the exercise easier by having  your feet further apart or harder by keeping closer 
  • Pike or Jackknife off the stability ball 

Top Six Most Effective Ab Exercises

Sunday, June 9, 2013

How To Make Big Stomach Flat

Routine for making a big stomach Flat
How To Make Big Stomach Flat

When we put on weight our bodies heat up internally and our metabolism slows down because it doesn't need to be running hot. But, one caveat: the larger the animal the higher its metabolism. Me at 6'6" has a higher metabolism than your girlfriend at 5'5" - no matter how thin or obese either of us become. So, high metabolism is one of those issues I always have to discuss with a bit of physiology behind me. Why does metabolism slow down when we put on body fat? Simple. Surface area increases by 2X while body mass increases by 3X. This causes a lot of internal heat and it gets trapped inside. Ever wonder why heavy people sweat like marathon runners when they do very little? They're running on hot - but not running on high metabolism. When metabolism slows down it becomes harder to lose the weight.

With you putting on 51 lbs your metabolic rate has slowed.

What to do to rev it up?

Revving up metabolism comes from:
  • lowering your BMI 
  • exercising 
  • putting on muscle 
When you lower your BMI your metabolism increases
When you exercise you're revving it up and burning calories - anaerobic or aerobic
When you put on muscle they use up a lot of calories to stay functional - plus high protein - both spike your metabolism while burning fat

At that assumes two things that will lose your 51 lbs.
  • Eat nutritionally good foods 
  • Add cardio after or before your workouts 
On exercise training. Stuart McGill has just come out saying that athletes and people who train should take time off depending upon the level of intensity they train. So, if you're a weak, discogenic person who suffers from back pain - the prescription is to diagnose the symptoms and workout every 15 minutes for just a few minutes. While, a powerlifter (on the other spectrum) should workout every other or every 2 other days. The body needs lots of rest. We as a society put too much emphasis on training everyday - me included. Rather, it's getting in the right workouts and eating nutritionally. Calories determine, ultimately, how we look (unless you're doing as much cardio as Michael Phelps).

Bodybuilding 4-5 times a week, breaking up body parts is still a good strategy if you're a bodybuilder. Fitness models, same. Powerlifters: 3-4 times a week. MMA and Track and Field - it's trickier because some of the training happens outside of the gym.

Anyways: to lose that gut. Eat clean: high protein, low carbs (who should be low glycemic and fibre based), lots of greens and water.

Workouts: train balance and keep the core stiff when you train. With proper techniques you can lift more effectively and thus put on more muscle. Hope this helps. Don't neglect your cardio post workout - that really burns the calories.

Routine for making a big stomach Flat

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Listen To Your Body

Listen To Your Body Exercise Tips

Listen To Your Body


When you say "Listen to your body". It is kinda very simple to hear but a little bit difficult to understand. If I'm not wrong it means you're hitting and being continuously sore without any gains as such. The problem is how do you troubleshoot this? Are there any tips for "listening to your body"?How do you exactly know what your body requires. It would be really helpful for me if you can describe it in words. Cause I've been hitting gym since quite a lot of time now and the gains aren't visible so much. When I asked to a gym friend of mine he said, I should concentrate on my diet because 60% Diet Matters and 40% Workout.

Glutes (buttock) The Best Exercise for Women

Glutes (buttock) The Best Exercise for Women

Glutes (buttock) The Best Exercise for Women

The best exercise for men and women the glutes is the hip thrusts or hip bridging. Most of us have "gluteal amnesia," where the glutes do not turn on. This one is tricky to do without activating the hamstrings. Lie flat on your back with your palms down and arms out to the side on the floor. Keep your natural lordotic curve in the spine. Brace or stiffen the core. Squeeze your gluteal fold as if there is a coin between your butt cheeks. Externally rotate your knees. Raise your toes off of the ground to get rid of the dominant hamstrings if they are activated - else you can keep them flat. You can also palpate the quadriceps (have a friend do it for you) and have the hamstrings relaxed. Your friend can touch them to see if they're switched off - they'll wiggle if they are off and become stiff if they're turned on. Next, you rise from the hips and hold for a 10 count and repeat. When you get more advanced you can go off of one leg - but that takes weeks of conditioning.

Stretching the hip flexors:

  • You can do a psoas stretch and palpate the psoas to feel it activate. You stand in a staggered stance and opposite of lead leg - that arm is up and back. The arm closest to lead leg reaches over and palpates the psoas. Hard to describe with words - pictures do it justice.
  • Another stretch for the hip flexors is going down on one knee and having the opposite arm to lead leg lift upwards and stretch out the psoas. This targets the psoas from the iliacus during hip flexor stretching. Hip extensor patterns are simultaneously trained on the opposite side of the body. You can also perform this exercise in walking steps - or walking lunges. But keep that opposite hand held up high

Abdominal (Abs) Exercises Techniques

Abdominal (Abs) Exercises Techniques

 McGill crunches, Side bridge/plank, Dead bug, Stirring the pot

Abs Exercises Techniques


  • McGill crunches: fascia "raking" can be employed upon more advanced routines. The second phase is breathing deeply during the concentric phase and holding for up to 5 seconds. When you crunch: both hands and tucked under your sacrum (where the small of your back is - that natural lordotic curve); your tongue is pushed up to the roof of your mouth to activate your sternocleidomastoid (thus keep pressure off of your cervical vertebrae); finally, you image a string pulling your chest off of the ground while stiffening the core and crunching a few inches off of the ground. 
  • Walkout holds (get in the upright plank/pushup position and walkout with your hands and hold for up to 10 seconds. Repeat 3 times. By using electromyographic we've been able to observe FULL abdominal rectus activation!!) 
  • Side bridge/plank: commonly prescribed as just an oblique exercise. It's the only exercise that hits the QLs as well. I can't stress often enough that the body has to be flat like a board when you turn and your feet turn - don't stack them up 
  • Dead bug: great exercise for working the core hoop. You can turn it into a plyometric exercise when more advanced 
  • Stirring the pot: get a stability and get in the plank position. Use your elbows as the fulcrum point and stir the ball clockwise and the next set counterclockwise. You can make the exercise easier by having your feet further apart or harder by keeping closer 
  • Pike or Jackknife off the stability ball

Best Hamstring Workout (Stretch Exercise)

Best Hamstring Workout (Stretch Exercise)

Stretch them within proper ROM (range-of-motion) - there's no need to stretch them beyond 90 degrees unless you're going into gymnastics or joining Circle de Soleil (or becoming a Yoga instructor).
  • Three stretches for the hamstrings: 
  • Lying down and stretching one leg at a time: 
  • By yourself you can do this with a mini band around one foot 
  • With a partner they can stretch it out - I like to put my shin over the other leg so their contralateral hip doesn't come off of the ground 
  • You can even use a door for resistance 
  • Another stretch is using a chair and hip hinging while having one or both hands under the hamstring. Don't make the mistake of curving the spine - keep it neutral 
  • Lastly, you can stretch them by hip hinging and stretching downwards. But, the caveat being DO NOT ROUND THE BACK. Back should be neutral and horizontal to the floor 
  • They get strengthened from deadlifts - please do not engage in Roman Deadlifts as they put pressure on the spine and flex the lumbar muscles. 
  • Hamstrings get trained during the squats as well

Dumbbell flyes or Chest Presses Which one is best?

Dumbbell flyes or Chest Presses Which one is best?

Dumbbell flyes or Chest Presses Which one is best?
 I'd stick with dumbbell flyes instead of cable flyes - it'll help break down the fibres more efficiently. And another note on flyes: don't bring the dumbbells too close together because your pectorals literally shut off and you're only working the deltoids. My friend who is a chiropractor and I came up with this idea and tested it repeatedly. So, as soon as you feel the tension in your pecs dissipate you know you've gone to close together during the concentric phase; rather, find the sweet spot and go back down eccentrically and power up explosively.

No. For flat chest presses with the dumbbells you'll want full ROM. You do want to "spiral" the shoulders back and in to activate latissimus dorsi to aid in the lift, thereby allowing more weight to be used.

Popular Posts