Should You Training First Thing In The Morning On An Empty Stomach?

The Short answer, NO! This is basically a Myth that has been floating around the fitness world for as long as I can remember. I even followed that ritual for some time myself until I learned why it was not helping me at all. This is especially true for someone trying to gain muscle mass. You see the problem is, during the day you are doing all the right things. You eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours, get in the proper amounts of protein, carbs and fat, you are on your diet game. When you go to sleep though, you are starving your body in a sense for 6,7 or even 8 hours. Now your body is in starvation mode, it needs fuel to help start your day and continue to rebuild from your previous days training and activities. So now if you go and try to bang out your cardio, all your body is going to do is start breaking down that hard earned muscle you busted your ass to get.

One of the biggest reasons this myth is still around, people simply trying to lose weight. By following this routine you WILL lose weight, but it will be a lot of muscle weight. Since muscle is heavier then fat people think they are doing great. Problem is they may weigh less but percentage wise they are probably fatter then ever.

So next time you are going to hit the elliptical or treadmill or whatever you do for cardio, make sure to fuel the engine. Last thing you want to do is run out of gas on the road to a healthier you.

Kick Up Your Workout Routine

One of the best ways to lose weight and tone up is Kickboxing. As a certified personal trainer and 4th degree black belt I can tell you if you are looking for the best all in one workout then kickboxing is it. There are generally 2 types of kickboxing classes and then of course variations of those.

First and most familiar is Aerobic Kickboxing. Depending on where you go this can be a combination of kickboxing and dance done to music or straight kickboxing done to the bet of music. I personally put a little twiat to kick things up and make people do the movements to my count instead of the music. This makes the workout much more intense and makes it harder to pace yourself and go easy. It amazes me how many people will put in half an effort and then wonder why they do not see results. If you want to see changes fast the key is hard work. The more you put in the more you get out.

The second type of class is one doen with heavy bags or kicking and punching shields. This is my personal preference if you really want to see a change fast because you are combining the aerobic work with some resistense when you actually hit something. You can also fell your progress as well as see it by hitting harder and getting stronger. I also personally like the fact that it ads a little bit of function, you learn to actually kick and punch properly this way. You may not leave a kickboxing class a black belt but you will know how to hit something or someone ( if needed for self defense) with less risk of injuring yourself. You also get to take out a lot of stress on a pad instead of maybe someone else.

Bottom line is if you want to jumpstart your workout kickboxing or any type of kickboxing/martial arts workout will get you going faster then anything else.

Saving Time And Getting Fit

One of the biggest issue's people seem to have when it comes to training is time. Everyone is looking for the fastest way to meet their individual goals. The key, as has been said many times is, working smarter not harder. This is especially true with getting maximum benefits in minimum time.

I am going to give an example of a quick workout routine I used when I only had 1/2 hour to workout. This workout has a lot of flexibility so you can use it to gain size and strength or change it to burn more fat while maintaining muscle.

The Key to this workout is super sets. A super set is combining 2 or more exercises before taking your rest or break.


My best results came from combining opposing muscles groups, 1 push and 1 pull.

Day 1

Chest and Biceps
5 Sets of Flat Bench press combined with standing Curls.
Then 5 sets of chest flys with concentration curls

Day 2

Back and Triceps

5 Sets of wide grip pulldowns combined with 5 sets French Press( also know as skull crushers)
Then 5 sets of seated rows combined rope pulldowns

Day 3 Rest

Day 4

LEGS

5 sets of squats combined with calf raises
Then 5 leg extensions combined with 5 leg curls

Day 5

Shoulders and pick a body part day
Note- with shoulder I add one of the previous body parts or 2 parts that I may want to get more out of, This is why it is the last day and all other upper body work has been done at least 2 days ago so you have some rest and do not over train.

5 sets of shoulder press combined with( examples chest fly, triceps kick back, single arm curl etc.)

Then 5 sets shoulder fly with ( I would pick a different body part to break things up so if you did triceps in the first 5 do biceps in this set of 5

Change this how you like it's really just a guide. Something else I liked to do to add some extra cardio was add a 3rd cardio exercise with each set. I train in Martial arts so I would practice a couple of Kata full speed and power. You could add a minute of Jab Cross combos or just jumping jacks.

Keep all resting between sets at a max. 90 seconds and you should be able to bang this routine out in 20-30 minutes. All exercises should be done to failure for the rep range you are working in to make this routine effective.


I used my Bowflex to do all the weight training in this routine and it is the best home gym I have ever used or seen. If you want to learn a little more or just get the latest discount codes check out my Squidoo lense on the Bowflex.

http://www.squidoo.com/Bowflexrocks

Kids Fitness - Start Young and Have Fun

Kids Fitness - Start Young and Have Fun

With the rising incidence of obesity among young people in today's computer and video game age fitness for kids has become a necessity. Prior to the influx of sedentary entertainment for young people fitness was just a natural part of kids lives. Kids went outside more to run around, play games, ride bikes, climb trees and any number of other things kids do, so specific fitness activities really weren't necessary. Now, this is not as often the case as the incidence of childhood obesity and ill health among young people has gone up significantly. So what is the key to getting young people more active and reversing this trend?

First and foremost it is making fitness for young people fun. Very few kids are going to be interested in sitting on machines and pushing weights around or doing 3 sets of 10 reps on the bench press. They see no point in it, is there every really a point in it even for adults? Having fun and interacting with other kids is what they enjoy doing so fitness has to be made a part of those activities. It can't be some separate tedious activity that they must do every day. Forget the treadmills, weight machines and other "fitness equipment" and let them learn to lift, use, and move their bodies in a natural environment and you'll be off to a great start.

Kids still should be taught how to perform specific skills and activities, right?

Absolutely, this is of utmost importance to not only their health but also their bodies natural development. Kids are made to move around and do things, but learning to do them in the proper way will go a long way towards keeping them healthy throughout their life. But at the same time the fun aspect of it can't be sacrificed or kids will learn to dislike activity as opposed to enjoying it. Starting at a young age teach them how to stop, start, run, slide, skip, jump and so forth. These basic movements will help them develop proper motor skills for sports and for daily life activities. Keep in mind that different kids will develop at different rates so lumping them all together based on their age is not the best strategy. Some will need more work than others depending on a whole host of factors. Suffice to say kids need to be looked at and treated as individuals when it comes to fitness and overall physical skill development.

What exactly should kids do for fitness?

Kids need structure, yet not too much structure. Controlled chaos is a better way to put it. Fitness for kids should start out by teaching them basic skills like how to walk, run, skip, jump, bound, throw, catch, push, pull, squat, bend, and lunge etc. correctly within a framework of fun. Teach the skill and then incorporate it into some sort of fun activity or game and then monitor them while they are doing the activity. It is very important to realize that some kids will do things slightly different than others and thus you should not be overly strict when it comes to correction. Let them make some errors, this way they will learn when corrected in a supportive way. At young ages kids are very vulnerable to being hurt by unbridled yelling and screaming directed at them by impatient coaches and parents who many times have unrealistic expectations of them. Let them have fun and feel included while at the same time teaching proper techniques that can be reinforced over time which will build their confidence and self esteem in those most vital years of their life.

Here is just a quick sample of what may be a fun activity for kids that will get them going and keep them active in an appropriate and safe way. This is directed towards kids in the 5-7 age range but could be used with older kids as well. Even though some of the skills may seem basic many older kids and even adults have never been taught how to perform them correctly. The workout will be based on three skills and followed by activities that will allow the practice of each one. The activities can be performed for as long as desired with optimum being in the range of 5-10 minutes total depending on the age of the kids. The younger they are the shorter the activity time as their attention span will be shorter and their endurance capacity lower.

Skills:

Walking- upright posture with head up and shoulders back, arms should swing freely and naturally in cadence with legs, feet should move in a heel, ball, toe fashion, remember heel toe rock and roll

Squating- starting from an upright position feet shoulder width apart or slightly wider, eyes should be looking straight ahead, knees bend then hips drop back and down while torso leans forward naturally from the waist to counter balance while back maintains its natural curves at least in first part of movement, squat all the way until thighs touch calves weight should remain on the heels throughout

Throwing- starting with a 2 hand throw from chest and then overhead and then one hand at a time right then left

Activities:

Walking Activity - in 30-60 sec intervals someone indicate various directions the kids must walk in using hand signals, forward, back, side to side, and at various angles

Squating Activity - in 30-60 sec intervals squat on que while moving in different directions, forward, back, side to side, and at various angles

Throwing Activity - in 30-60 sec intervals throw ball to partner alternating between 2 hand chest, 2 hand overhead, one arm right and left

These activities can also be integrated together for added stimulation after kids begin to get the hang of them individually. They may also be combined and made into a game with teams competing to see who can complete various combinations the fastest while still performing the skills correctly.

About the author: Mark Rogers is a fitness consultant who works with clients in their homes in the San Francisco Bay Area and with clients across the world online. He has been involved in fitness for over 15 years and has a diverse variety of experience training clients of all ages and levels in both health clubs and private homes. He can be contacted through his website http://www.markrogersfitness.com

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Learn How to get Ripped and Build Muscle FAST

Want to get bigger, stronger and /or leaner? There is no magic involved, although some may have you believe there is. No matter what you goals in weight training the key to success is hard work. Sorry, no getting around that, you need to work hard to gain muscle and burn fat period.

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Quick Tips For Summer Training

Hello all, Hope you had a great Memorial Weekend!
Some quick tips for training in the summer. Nothing Fancy but stuff we all need to remember.

1. If you are training outdoors make sure to stay hydrated. With the Summer heat you will sweat more and lose more water. Even when swimming you can sweat so don't forget to drink plenty of water. One of the things I like to do is go back and forth between a Sports drink and water. This will help with some extra vitamins and electrolytes while not overdoing the sugar.
2. With all the BBQ's going remember not to over do the burgers and dogs. There are still plenty of healthy grilling alternatives. Most people will have at the least some sort of grilled chicken and a good skewer is not all that hard to find too. Grilled vegetables are always a good choice o fill you up as well
3. Mix it up a bit with your training. The great thing about Summer is you can do so much outdoors. One thing I like to add to my routine is a long walk with my 2 year old daughter. I put her in the stroller and go. She gets some good outside time with me and I will get in a good hour walk. Not the biggest addition but every little bit counts. Swimming is also a great whole body workout when done properly. Biking, Rollerblading, Running and so many more.Get outside and enjoy!
4. Be aware of your body temperature. Many people forget to listen to their body with the heat and try to push through when they should rest. Just like hydration you will need to make sure you do not over heat. If you feel to hot or a little sick, stop what you are doing and take a break.
5. The last bit of advise is simple, HAVE FUN! Summer comes and goes way to fast so enjoy it. If you get a nice day go out and take advantage of it. You never know what tomorrow will bring so enjoy today.

So there are 5 Tips I thought might help a bit. Now go enjoy your summer. :)