health and wellness

A fantastic 10 minute Pilates video for full body flexibility that will stretch you out, open you up, and leave you much more relaxed. Viewed 600,000 times and voted 5 stars.

Building Beautiful Calve Muscles

Many people find it extremely difficult to develop their calve muscles and this is primarily due to the fact that daily walking has toughened these muscles to the point where it takes exceptionally intense training to force them to grow. Before we get started, let’s take a look at their anatomy for better understanding on how to get the results we are looking for.

Calve Muscles Anatomy

There are two primary muscle groups involved in the lower back of the legs - the gastrocnemius and the soleus muscles. The soleus is a wide, flat muscle that lies beneath the heart shaped gastrocnemius. Both muscles contract to extend the feet and toes, but the soleus can only fully contract when the leg is bent to at least a 30 degree angle. Then there is the tibialis anterior muscle, which runs up the front of your shin and contracts to pull your foot and toes upward.

Calf muscles are dense and can withstand more frequent training, and in order to achieve results, you should perform the below exercises three to four times per week, working your way up to three sets of fifteen to twenty repetitions. I recommend that all beginners perform these exercises in its basic form by keeping your toes pointed straight ahead. As you progress, and can add the various positions to your routine by turning your toes in and out to get a better, overall workout to the calve development. Keep in mind that in addition to these exercises, any running or bicycling will not only provide aerobic benefits, but will greatly enhancement the developing of your calves too. Just look at any avid cyclist or runner… they are known to have beautiful calves!

Standing Calf Raises 

Start- Place your shoulders securely under the pads of the standing calf machine. Next, situate the balls of your feet firmly on the platform while ensuring that the back of your feet are all the way off the edge of the platform. Your feet should be about six to eight inches apart with your toes pointing straight ahead.

Exercise- Lift up on your toes as high as you can, flexing the calves and holding the contraction for a pause, and then slowly lowering back down into a deep stretch at the very bottom of the movement. Pause at the bottom, and then return to start position.  Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Make sure to hold in your stomach muscles while at the same time, keeping your back from arching. Stay stable throughout the movement. Make sure your calves are doing all the work here by avoiding assistance with the use of shoulders/hands. Be sure to keep your knees from bending. 

Tips- Remember to inhale at the bottom, and exhale at the top. The key to great form is getting the full range of motion and flexing at the top, and lowing deep at the bottom. Be sure to pause in order to contract the muscles. You may also point your toes out to work the inner calves, and point your toes in to work the outer calves. Remember to add more weight to the machine as you progress since calves require heavier loads to force them to respond. You can also preform these one leg at a time for better concentration, and in preventing one calve from becoming stronger over the other.

Dumbbell Calf Raises

Start- In the standing position and keeping your body straight, hold dumbbells at your side, with your feet about five or six inches apart to maintain balance. 

Exercise- Slowly rise up on the balls of your feet as high as you can, pause at the top, and slowly raise back down to start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Maintain your balance throughout the movement. If you prefer you can do one leg at a time while holding on to a support.  Do not bend your knees.

Tips- Remember to inhale at the bottom, and exhale at the top. You can also perform these on a step or high enough platform to get a really deep stretch on the calves at the bottom of the movement. This is a more advanced movement, but well worth it. Additionally, you can perform these using a barbell instead of dumbbells.

Seated Calf Press

Start- The focus here is on the soleus muscles, since your legs are being bent in order to preform this movement. Place the balls of your feet on the platform and secure your knees under the pads. Keeping your toes pointed straight, remove the stopper and fully extend your calves by letting your heels come down as far as you can.

Exercise- Using only your calves, drive the weight by coming up on your toes until your calves are fully flexed. Pause briefly at the top and then lower your heels back down as far as possible. Repeat the movement until you have reached muscular failure for that set, and then put the stopper back in place.

Caution- Pay attention not to pull on the handles with your hands in an attempt to assist the movement. You want to make sure the calves are doing all the work here. Avoid rocking your body and using momentum to lift the weight. The key is to get full range of motion. This is a very important exercise you need to master for the soleus.

Tips- You may want to use a spotter during this exercise since it is best to reach muscular failure for each set. A spotter can help you place the stopper back in place as soon as you reach failure. You can also position your toes out to work the inner calves, and point your toes in to work the outer calves. Be sure to inhale on the way down, and exhale on the way up. You should always add more weight to the machine as you progress.

Leg Press Calf Raises

Start- Getting situated in the leg press machine, firmly place both feet on the large plate about six to eight inches apart. Slide down one foot at a time until both the balls of your feet are firmly placed at the bottom of the plate; ensure that both the back of your feet are all the way off the edge of the plate and you are in a deep stretch at the bottom. Remove the lever out of the catcher.

Exercise- Begin to lift the plate upward from the balls of your feet all the way up until your calve muscles are fully contracted; hold for a pause, and then return to start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set. Immediately replace the lever back in the catcher.

Caution- Be sure to avoid bending your knees. You only want the calves to be doing the exercise. Be sure to use full range of motion here as this is vital. Ensure that your calves are fully flexed at the top of the movement, then pausing, and that you get a deep stretch at the bottom of the movement.

Tips- You may want to use a spotter during this exercise especially if you are attempting to reach muscular failure. A spotter can assist you while you are placing the lever back in the catcher. You can also position your toes out to work the inner calves, and point your toes in to work the outer calves. Be sure to inhale on the way down, and exhale on the way up. You should always add more weight to the machine as you progress. You can also perform these one leg at a time for better concentration, and in preventing from one leg becoming stronger over the other.

Donkey Calf Raises

Start- These can be performed by bending over at your torso while someone else is sitting on your lower back for added weight. You may also perform these on a donkey calf machine at a gym.

Exercise- Simply lift up from the balls of your feet as high as you can, contracting the muscles, and then returning back down to start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- If you have any lower back problems, you should replace this exercise by simply doing these on a donkey calf machine at a gym where you will be upright instead. Remember never to bend at the knees while performing calve exercises, but never “lock out the knees” in any exercise either.

Tips- To get a more advanced workout, you can choose to perform these on a block or platform to allow a deep stretch at the bottom of the movement.

           -written by Angela Doss

This is a must see video for anyone looking for a great full biceps workout.

This is a wonderful pilates video - viewed over 500,000 times, rated 5 stars

Once you have mastered a circuit training routine, (where you work the entire body in one workout with very little resting periods) and your muscles are well conditioned, it is likely you will want to try other routines to further your growth. The one I usually follow is called a Split Routine. Using a split routine allows you to gain more strength by splitting up your workouts in order to increase the work load for each muscle group. It is important to gain more strength and build muscle because the more muscle you build, the less body fat you will have. This is not suggesting you will become huge because that is not possible - at least for women - without the use of drugs. There are several things you will want to determine before getting started:

Starting A Split Routine Workout

The first step is to determine how many days per week you plan on working out. The ideal number of times you workout would be from 4 to 6 days per week. It is important that you choose a schedule that you can stay consistent with because if you plan too hectic a schedule, chances are you are not going to be able to stick with it long term. This will only cause an unbalanced workout where certain body parts will be trained more often than the others due to missed workouts. We all have a busy schedule, and occasionally we will miss workouts, but it is better to choose a routine where consistency is most likely to be achieved. After all, like everything else in life, consistency is key.

Split Routines

An example of a split routine is in training the whole body over the course of a two or three day period (depending on the schedule you choose). For instance, if you plan on training 4 days per week, you would complete a full body workout in two days with the same muscles groups being trained twice in that one week period. Here is an example:

Day 1 - chest, shoulders, biceps, triceps, abs
Day 2 - rest, no weight training
Day 3 - legs, calves, back, abs
Day 4 - rest, no weight training

On Day 5, you would repeat the above to finish the split routine for that week. This would allow 4 workouts per week with a two day rest. During this routine it is important to rest every other day in order for your muscles to grow and recuperate. Your workout would then look like this:

Monday….Wednesday….Friday….Sunday -  a 4 day per week workout.

This is just to get you started to the introduction of such a routine, but by all means, is not set in stone. Again, your workouts should be conducive to your weekly schedule for optimal consistency. You can play around with this routine if the days above do not work out for you. Perhaps working out over the weekend doesn’t work…no prob! Just arrange the workout schedule that will ensure every muscle group is being trained twice per week. This means that you will divide them in half. You can start Day 1 on any day of the week that works best to your schedule, but the above is an example of what a split routine could look like.

An example of a split routine over a 6 day period might look like this:

Day 1 - chest, back, abs
Day 2 - legs, calves
Day 3 - shoulders, biceps, triceps, abs

On Day 4, you would either rest or repeat the above to finish the split routine for that week. This would allow 6 workouts per week with a one day rest. During this routine since you are working the split over a longer period, you will only need to rest one day.  If you notice, you are still working every muscle group twice per week and the muscle groups are still being divided in half, hence the name “split” routine. Therefore, your workout would look like this:

Monday….Tuesday….Wednesday….Thursday….Friday….Saturday

Or it could look like this:

Monday….Tuesday….Wednesday….Friday….Saturday….Sunday

Your workouts should never exceed an hour and usually can be achieved in 45 minutes. You should use a repetition range of between 8 to 12 reps with rests between sets of approximately 90 minutes to 2 minutes. Legs may require you to rest 2 and a half minutes between sets since they exert more energy from the body.

I do advise that you incorporate cardio workouts within your week as this will super charge your weight loss endeavors.

There you have it! This is a good start, and later, I will be talking more about other kinds of split routines as well as different exercises to incorporate as we progress. Good luck, and remember to breathe properly throughout the movements - remember to be kind to your joints never locking them out or jerking through the movements. If ever you have questions, feel free to leave your comments as I will always be sure to respond.

      -written by Angela Doss

This is a 2 minute ab workout as a nice change to your regular routine.

Many women don’t see the point in exercising their chest but actually, it’s very important to build a strong chest. As we age, our muscles become weaker and everything begins to droop. By building the pectoral muscles, it actually produces a natural lift to our chest! Below is a list of chest exercises that should be included in your fitness program. Choose to perform a few at a time and be sure to mix and change them up every four to six weeks.

Dumbbell Ball Press

Start- Begin by sitting on a stability ball and rolling down until your head and upper chest is lying firmly on the ball. Hold a dumbbell in each hand close to each side at your chest. Your feet should be planted firmly in place and your knees bent perpendicular to the floor. Your hips should be raised high enough that they are parallel to the floor and in alignment to your chest. 

Exercise- Slowly raise the dumbbells all the way up in the air until both arms are fully extended, and then lower them back down to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Keep a fluid, steady flow of motion, and be cautious not to rock or lower the dumbbells in a crooked, or lopsided manner. Be sure to breathe, inhaling on the way down and exhaling on the way up. Never lock out your elbows at the top of the move.

Tips- Make sure you use full range of motion and lower the dumbbells all the way down until they nearly reach the sides of your chest. This is an excellent exercise for building strength to the core of your chest. These can also be performed on a flat bench.

Dumbbell Chest Fly

Start- Begin by sitting on a stability ball and rolling down until your head and upper chest is lying firmly on the ball. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with both arms extended out from the body while palms face each other. Your feet should be planted firmly in place and your knees bent perpendicular to the floor. Your hips should be raised high enough that they are parallel to the floor and in alignment to your chest.

Exercise- Begin to lift the dumbbells up and across your ribcage until both dumbbells meet together. Pause at the top and squeeze your pectoral (chest) muscles together, and then return to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Keep a fluid, steady flow of motion, and be cautious not to rock or allow one side to move faster than the other. Inhale on the way down and exhale on the way up.

Tips- Be sure to reach full range of motion. This exercise should emulate hugging a tree, and it is like a big semi-circular movement. Remember that the palms are always facing each other throughout the movement. This exercise will give you a nice cleavage to your chest. This exercise can also be performed on a flat bench.

Incline Bench Press

Start- Begin by lying on an incline bench with your legs positioned where they are most comfortable. Hold a dumbbell (or you can use a barbell) in each hand keeping palms faced away from you. Place your head comfortably on the bench in order to give support to your neck and spine. The dumbbells should be placed at shoulder level, and close in to the body.

Exercise- Lift both arms up until they are fully extended, and then lower them back down to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Be careful not to lock out your elbows once your arms are fully extended. Always remember to be kind to your joints! Inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up. Don’t move your head around; just keep it steady and centered throughout the movement. Don’t arch your back.

Tips- Make sure your chest and arms are doing the work. Use full range of motion for best results. You can also perform these on a stability ball but this time you will want to lower your hips close to the floor in order to create an incline to your upper body. Incline presses will work the upper chest more. This is an excellent exercise to help build the upper chest muscles.

Incline Bench Fly

Start- Begin by lying on an incline bench with your legs positioned where they are most comfortable. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and with both hands extended out from the body keeping your palms facing each other. Place your head comfortably on the bench in order to give support to your neck and spine.

Exercise- Begin to lift the dumbbells up and across your rib cage until both dumbbells meet together. Pause at the top and squeeze your pectoral muscles (chest) together and then return to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Be sure to keep your head steady and centered on the bench. Don’t arch your back. Inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up. Don’t let one side move out of sync from the other. This exercise should emulate hugging a tree. Remember this is like a big semi-circular movement.

Tips- Use full range of motion making sure your chest and arms are doing the work here. Remember that your palms will be facing each other throughout the movement. You can also perform these on a stability ball. You will want to lower your hips close to the floor in order to create an incline to your upper body. This is an excellent exercise that really helps to shape and define the chest giving you a beautiful cleavage.

Decline Bench Press

Start- Begin by lying on a decline bench with your legs positioned where they are most comfortable. Hold a dumbbell in each hand (you can also use a barbell) with arms full extended and palms are facing away from the body. Lay your head down comfortably on the bench in order to support your neck and spine.

Exercise- Begin by bending at the elbows and lower the dumbbells all the way down to your lower chest area and then returning to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Be sure to use your chest and arms to perform the movement. Inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up. Don’t lock out your elbows at the top of the move and remember to keep your head steady and centered on the bench.

Tips- These can also be performed on a stability ball by rolling slightly back on the ball in order to create a decline to your upper body. These are a wonderful exercise that lifts your chest by building the pectoral muscles underneath to create a lift to your entire chest.

Decline Dumbbell Fly

Start- Begin by lying on a decline bench with your legs positioned where they are most comfortable. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with both hands extended out from the body and palms facing each other. Place your head comfortably on the bench in order to support the neck and spine.

Exercise- Begin to lift the dumbbells up and across your lower rib cage area until the dumbbells meet together. Pause at the top and squeeze your pectoral (chest) muscles together and then return to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Be sure to keep your head centered and on the bench. Inhale coming down, exhale coming up. Don’t arch your back and remember to use full range of motion. Don’t let one side move out of sync from the other.

Tips- Remember that this exercise emulates hugging a tree. It’s like a big semi-circular movement.

Knee Push Up

Start- Getting on all fours, bend at the knees keeping your feet together. Your arms are fully extended and your hands should be placed directly under your shoulders. 

Exercise- Lower your upper body all the way down where your face is nearly touching the floor. Pause and raise yourself back up to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set. I like to work these to failure.

Caution- If your wrists bother you, you can move them more forward. Keep your abs in tight and your back flat throughout the entire movement. Keep your body in alignment and your head straight but looking at the ground. Inhale going down, exhale going up.

Tips- Once you can do a fair amount of these without too much of a struggle, do the regular push ups as illustrated below.

Push Up

Start- Begin in the standard push up position with feet together and extended straight out behind you. Your arms are fully extended and your back should be flat, and your hands should be placed directly under your shoulders.

Exercise- Slowly lower your body by bending at the elbows until your whole body is parallel and low to the floor, and then raise yourself and return to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set. These are best when worked to failure.

Caution- Be sure to keep your abs in tight and keep your back flat throughout the entire movement. Keep your body in alignment and your head straight but looking at the ground. Inhale going down, inhale going up.

Tips- These are very hard to do, and you won’t get many in the beginning, but with time and consistency, you will be able to do more each time. Push Ups are very effective, and I highly recommend to master these.

Pullovers

Start- Begin by sitting on a stability ball and rolling down until your head and upper chest are lying firmly on the ball. Cusp together with both hands at one end of a dumbbell; your arms extended above you. Your feet should be planted firmly in place and your knees bent perpendicular to the floor. Your hips should be raised high enough that they are parallel to the floor and in alignment to your chest.

Exercise- Slowly lower the dumbbell directly over and behind your head. Pause and feel the stretch in your rib cage and return to the start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Be sure to keep your arms fully extended throughout the entire movement. Inhale going down, exhale going back up. Keep your lower back relaxed making sure the chest muscles are doing the work.

Tips- you can also do this exercise performed on a flat bench.

      -written by Angela Doss

Abdominal Workout

As I have stated in the past, we discussed some of the facts and myths regarding our abdomens. Today we are going to look at an ab routine to get you started in the right direction, and one that I myself rely on quite heavily. These are very effective, and I urge you to master these core exercises. I recommend choosing a few of the exercises at a time, and mix them up and switch them around to keep your ab routine fresh and ever changing. But before we begin, I want to say, that you may perform these on a mat on the floor, with a medicine ball, on a stability ball, or on a decline bench. Whatever tools you have readily available will work just fine, although, I really love my medicine and stability balls. These are fabulous and can be purchased almost anywhere. Likewise, they are found in every gym should you have a gym membership. I like to keep a set at home, because a lot of times, I like to get my ab workout done and out of the way first thing in the morning. However, when I am at the gym, I will be sure to use them there along with an incline bench. So let’s get going!

Ball Crunches

Start- Take a seat on the stability ball. Slide your knees over your ankles, and separate your knees so that they are hip width apart. Lower your back onto the ball so that your back is properly supported by the ball. Place your hands behind your head, and pull in and flex your abs. 

Exercise- Pushing heels through the floor, rock back and forth with your hips whilst crunching your abs slightly toward your naval. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set. I personally like to perform this exercise by taking it to failure.

Caution- There is little caution here since the stability ball serves well to support and cushion the back. Just keep your balance throughout the movement and remember to breathe. Exhale during the crunch and inhale returning from the crunch.

Tips- These will work both upper and lower abdomens since constant tension will remain on the muscles throughout this exercise. These may at first seem awkward, but with practice, you will soon connect the ab muscles with the movement as you get the hang of it. Just remember, that these are performed using a very small movement. These are one of my favorite ab exercises because they are so comfortable to perform and yet extremely effective in the process. I promise, that once you make the connection, you will feel these working!

180 Degree Ball Crunches

Start- Take a seat on the stability ball. Lower your back and entire body completely over the ball, with hands placed behind your head whilst keeping your neck relaxed.

Exercise- Begin to lift your body up toward your naval until almost sitting upright on the ball exhaling at the top of the movement, then lowering back down to start position and inhaling. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Pay attention in keeping your balance, using your feet to keep you steady.

Tips- With all ab exercises, it is imperative that during the exhale movement, to release and blow out all air from your lungs whilst flexing the ab muscles in tightly and then pausing to squeeze. You will get a much more effective ab workout when you do. This is key, and must always be remembered as this is what will give you your best results. The farther apart you place your feet the easier this exercise will become.

Straight Leg Lowering

Start- Lay down on a mat on your back with arms close to your sides or placed under your butt. Raise your legs straight out up in the air keeping your feet close together.

Exercise- To start, completely exhale releasing all air out from your lungs and begin to lower your legs taking care not to touch the floor. Pause at the bottom and raise back up to start position, inhaling on the way back up. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set. 

Caution- If you feel any pressure on your lower back, place your hands under your lower back/upper butt area to release the pressure. This always works well for me. Be sure to never allow your feet to reach the floor.

Tips- Remember to pull in your belly towards your spine throughout the movement. These are wonderful for your lower ab muscles. To get better results, move quicker through the decline and slower through the incline raise; this puts more stress on the lower abs. 

Bicycles

Start- Lay down on a mat on your back with arms close to your sides or placed under your butt. Raise your legs bending at a 90 degrees. 

Exercise- Starting with one leg at a time, begin to emulate bicycling only you’ll tend to extend each leg out and back in alternately. This movement should be performed semi-slowly, but not so slow that you lose the momentum of cycling. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set. I like to work these to failure.

Caution- Be mindful not to lock out your knees when extending your legs out. Always be kind to your joints! If you feel any pressure on your lower back, you can relieve this by placing your hands under your lower back for support.

Tips- Remember to breathe throughout the movement taking care never to hold your breath. Keep your belly button pulled toward your spine. Focus on the lower abs because this one will do the trick!

Ball Oblique Crunches

Start- Take a seat on the stability ball. Lower your back onto the ball so that it supports your body perfectly. Keep your feet hip wide apart placing your hands behind your head as illustrated.

Exercise- Begin by releasing and blowing out all air from your lungs and begin to lift your body up towards your naval, but this time, lifting up and to the right. Pause on the crunch at the top, and slowly lower yourself back to start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your right side. You will then proceed to do the same lifting up and to your left until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- Take care to keep your balance and stay controlled throughout the movement.

Tips- Remember to exhale on the way  into the crunch, and exhale on the way back out from the crunch. Really feel the side oblique muscles working hard. This is a very important movement to master.

Reverse Crunch

Start- Lay down on a mat on your back with arms kept close to your sides. Raise your legs and bend to a 90 degree angle keeping legs and feet together throughout the movement. Keep your lower back pushed into the ground.

Exercise- Lift your bottom off the floor and up, curling your knees into your chest and exhale making sure all your air has been blown out from your lungs. Slowly returning to start position. Repeat the movement until you have completed all the repetitions for your set.

Caution- If you feel tension on your lower back, you may place your hands at the small of your back. Stay aligned with your body as a curl up towards your chest.

Tips- This is a lower ab movement and you must take care not to use your arms to make this lower crunch. Make sure you allow your abs to perform the exercise. Exhale on the way up, inhale on the way down.

         -written by Angela Doss

We all strive for flatter and more defined abdomens. We know how hard we work for them, but do we really know how to get them? Let’s start by looking at the most common myths and facts about abs so that we can learn the truth about abs . Then we can understand how better to achieve them.

The Most Common Myths And Facts About Abs Dispelled

Myth: Fat always deposits in the abs.

Fact: The fat in your body will deposit where it is genetically programmed to.

Some people are apple shaped: they put on flab around the waist, chest and back first. Others are pear shaped: they put on flab first on the hips and thighs. Upper body fat is unhealthier as people with upper body fat have more chances of heart disease than people with lower body fat.

Myth: Spot reducing abs is easy.

Fact: You cannot spot reduce those abs!

Myth: Abdominal exercises will remove fat in my midsection.

Fact: You need to remove excess fat around your stomach in order to see your abs. The only way you are going to do this is with a low-calorie diet and a weight-resistance program while adding cardio exercise. Ab exercises will develop muscles, but they’ll still be hiding under a layer of fat until you lose the body fat.

Myth: You have to train your abs everyday.

Fact: The rules of weight training state that you should give your muscles at least a day of rest to recover, and this applies to your abs as well. Instead of working them everyday, do them every other day or even just three times per week. They need a break just like the rest of your body parts. The trick is to train them hard though.

Myth: Doing ab exercises gets rid of abdominal fat.

Fact: There is no such thing as spot reduction. People assume that if you have fat deposits on your abdomens, exercising the muscles underlying the fat will make it go away. But they assume wrong. You can’t get rid of the fat over a muscle by repeatedly exercising that body part. The only way to burn fat from your tummy is through prolonged exercise and a healthy, low calorie diet.

Myth: High repetitions are required to make gains.

Fact: As stated earlier, abs are just like every other muscle in your body. That means, you should train your abs the same way as the rest of your muscle groups. To make strength gains with your abs, you have to overload your muscles.

Myth: If you have a bad back, training the abs will worsen it.

Fact: Training your abs will strengthen your back. The opposing muscles in your body always assist each other. So if you have weak ab muscles, the load of the work fails on the back. So strengthen the abs, and your back will become stronger as well.

Myth: Men and women should train their abs differently.

Fact: Men and women all have the same muscles and should always be trained the same way. If a woman wants a firm midsection, then she’s going to have to eat correctly, follow a cardio program and train her abs the same way a man would.

Myth: If I stop training my abs they will turn to fat.

Fact: Muscles don’t turn to fat. If you stay active and watch what you eat you’ll keep your abs even if you stop training. But if you stop exercising and start eating junk food, your abs will disappear again under a layer of abdominal fat.

So don’t waste any more time by falling victim to common ab myths. Train intelligently in accordance with scientifically based training techniques and get the super abs you’ve always wanted! As we continue to move along, we will discuss some of the best ab exercises to help achieve our fitness goals.

        -written by Angela Doss

reference:
Mike Geary, the truth about abs

Understanding Our Sticking Points 

We all know how hard it is once we’ve hit a sticking point. It can crush us emotionally and cause us to quit striving toward our fitness goals if we don’t know how to ward it off or move through and around it. This is a crucial point to be aware of, well in advanced, and to understand what to do when it happens. There are many that fall prey to its discouragement, but it is a part of any growth no matter what the arena. Trust me, I have been there, in the dumps, enough times until I finally learned what to do about it, and therefore, I will share with you some important tips to apply in order to have continued success in all your fitness goals.

Why The Sticking Points?

First of all, you must understand the body and how it works, and once you do, you will learn to appreciate the body’s operative mechanism even more. You must first realize that the body always wants to heal itself; it doesn’t want to be sickly, and believe it or not, it is not acting out against you - it merely does what it is told to do. The body is designed, and most happy, to be a fast mean running machine. It’s instincts are for the well being and to its survival based on the principles of our cave man era. Therefore, the body knows by instinct how to protect itself, to preserve itself, and how to heal itself. But the body also knows how to adjust itself to whatever demands, or lack thereof, it is placed under. The body gets use to these shifts very quickly, and thank God! If we were ill, and lay to rest, our body would immediately take over by instinct and begin to repair itself. Likewise, if we exercise or attempt to lose weight, the body will automatically adjust to its new demand and this is GREAT! But here is where the sticking points occur once the body has adjusted itself to this shift, and this is where you come in and use the mind to trick the body into doing whatever you want it to do. So next time you are upset with your body, or discouraged with its performance or outcome, look inside your mind for the answers on how to make the body respond to your demands once again. The body is the most fascinating machine to have ever walked the planet, but it’s the mind that houses its control. Simply put, the body hasn’t a mind and it only works on survival instinct or auto-pilot, if you will.

Don’t Let Sticking Points Rain On Your Parade

Have you ever noticed that when you start working out and making healthful shifts to your diet that your body responds amazingly quick, but then after about a month or so, all of a sudden, everything seems to come to a screeching halt? The scale may change a little or may even go up a pound (water retention) and you may just feel completely out of sync. Whatever you do, DO NOT STOP!! It’s like a child that doesn’t seem to be growing and then over night, literally, he springs up from nowhere. At that very moment, you can just hear their grandparents with such exclamation in their voices, “Oh my Goodness! Charlie’s grown like a weed since the last time I saw him a mere month ago!” What is happening is your body may not appear to be changing on the outside, but it is definitely making the changes inside, and this too is part of the necessary process in order to continue to make outward shifts appear. But what can we do to minimize and speed up these sticking points? A whole lot! So let’s get to it.

Tips On How To Work Through Our Sticking Points

As I have emphasized in the past, it is crucial to log everything in your daily journal. Write down the weights you chose, the reps, sets, rests, and the routine you are following. What you ate and drank etc.

After a month, completely change your entire routine. I could write a hundred ways in how to change a routine while still exercising the exact same body parts. It is endless, but crucial. But one must also understand the importance of what to do during that month on a particular routine: You must change each week using some form of ”progression” technique. This would include, as stated before, a heavier weight load, another set, perhaps more reps, or less rest periods. This is vital to your success, and including one or two of these techniques per week is optimal. Once the month is over and after having used progressive techniques each week during that month’s routine, it is time to change the program entirely, while always remembering, that with any routine, to apply one or all of the progressive techniques each week.

As far as weight loss goes, you also must do the same by shifting calories around often enough for your body to continue to respond. Give yourself a cheat day, or even two; every 10 or 11 days, and watch the weight keep coming off. Keep your body guessing, and it has no other choice but to respond. I hope this helps and good luck!

        -written by Angela Doss