Entries Tagged 'Exercise & Fitness' ↓

Those of us working out with a personal trainer may find ourselves repeatedly hearing the same phrases again and again. Our first reaction may be to assume that the trainer may think you have a learning disability, have an attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder, or just don’t care. Don’t complain! If everyone out there were a gifted, natural athlete, they wouldn’t need to use a personal trainer.

Your personal trainer may say things like…

1) “Think about the exercise!”.

2) “Slow down the negative!”.

3) “LOWER!” always on squats.

4) “Watch the forward lean!” again on squats.

5) “Keep your head up!” squats again.

6) “Lead with the ELBOWS, not the wrists!” on lateral raises and upright rows

7) “Keep your chest CONVEX, not concave!” on pulldowns and rows.

8) “Pause at the TOP, not the bottom!” on lateral raises, leg extensions, and leg curls.

9) “All the way up. All the way down!” on heel raises.

10) “STRETCH!” to the client just standing around with his thumb in his ear between sets.

11) “BREATHE!” to the client who holds his breath until his head looks like a gigantic blood blister.

12) “C’mon, let’s go! This is supposed to be a super-set!” to the client who finishes the first exercise of a circuit or super-set and then claims he or she needs to go to the bathroom, make a phone call, get a drink of water, blow their nose, etc.

13) “What do you mean, you can’t do that? You haven’t even tried it yet!” to the client with a confidence problem.

14) “Control the weight! Don’t let the weight control you!”.

15) “WATCH IT!” to the client who finishes the set and then just drop the dumbbells, nearly hitting me, themselves, or an innocent bystander.

Personal trainers are experts in the field of nutrition, motivation, and exercise. The words of encouragement above which I am sure are repeated in a similar manner with your personal trainer will ensure that you are getting the most out of your workouts and that you are using proper technique to avoid injury.

When I first started training to improve fitness and achieve my fitness goals I had problems with motivation and didn’t know what exercises I should be doing, so I used a personal trainer sydney which I found to be really helpful.

If you’re dreaming about how to have firm abs, there are some things you should know first before you choose any abdominal workout program. These five facts listed below can serve as your guide to getting the picture perfect stomach you’ve always wanted to have:

Don’t rely on genes alone

Some people are born with genetically blessed bodies with lean bellies. However, this shouldn’t discourage you because most people get their desired abs by following a healthy diet and plenty of sweat.

Spot training is a myth

If you have fat on your tummy and you spend hundreds of hours doing crunches to burn fat from this area, you’ll never succeed. Be aware that you can tone a particular area of your body, but you can’t lose fat from just one body part. The secret to burning fat is cardio exercises done several days a week, at least 30 minutes a day.

Never deprive yourself of protein

The best food to eat while following an exercise program is protein because eating more carbohydrates than protein can influence the way your body processes sugar, which can also increase your risk of obesity.

Pilates prep move for your transverses abdominis

The problem with most ab workouts is that they don’t target the tansversus abdominis. If you don’t touch this area, you cannot flatten your abs completely. To do the pilates prep move, you should stand and place one hand below the bellybutton and the other behind the lower back. Contract the stomach as tight as possible and pull the bellybutton towards the spine, moving the hand inward. Hold the position for at least five counts and relax. Do this about five times a day and you can ensure all parts of your abs are included in your program.

Always remember these facts about getting firm abs and you’ll be a healthy fellow in no time.

Many people assume that if they completed hundreds of sit-ups daily, they can reduce stomach fat quickly and develop a good-looking 6-pack abs. Unfortunately, the only thing that sit-ups can give you is back problems. Since the stomach or core muscles are complex, it needs to be worked in three different sets of motion for effective results, so thousands of sit-ups just won’t work. If you have stomach fat, doing sit-ups cannot burn the stomach fat because you need a total body exercise program and a healthy diet to burn all the layers of fat.

Be aware that the stomach muscles are hiding just under your belly fat and anyone can develop these muscles to make them more visible, that is, if you follow the proper stomach exercises. If you’re looking for a stomach exercise routine that will not give you back aches, while bringing your obliques into the surface for everyone to see, here are several exercises you can include in your abdominal workout:

The Bird Dog

To do this, you should keep your back flat and belly button pulled in. Your thumbs should be up and out just about 45 degrees, while the opposite legs go straight back. You can start with six reps on each side, but 3 sets of 12 is ideal.

The Front Plank

With your body in a straight line, keep your belly button in and your arms at 90 degrees and then hold this position for 30 seconds and increase up to two minutes once you’ve adjusted to the exercise. Remember to breathe properly.

The Side Plank

With your hips inline and your belly button in, you need to maintain this position as long as you can, starting from 30 seconds and increasing up to two minutes over time.

The Inside Mountain Climber

In a press up position, keep your back flat in the ground and your belly button pulled in, bring your knees across, squeezing your sides of the stomach. Breathe out so your abdominals will contract. Take your leg back and repeat the steps. You can start with 6 reps on each side and work up to 3 sets of 12. With the “Outside Mountain Climber”, you just copy the steps of the “Inside Mountain Climber”, but drop your hips slightly and bring your knees to the outside of your elbow, squeezing your stomach and obliques together as though folded in half. With the “Front Mountain Climber”, you need to bring your knee straight up to your chest.

Perform all of these stomach exercises three times a week with your cardio and other strength training routine for a strong and good-looking six-pack stomach.