4 Proven Ways to Beat a Weight-Loss Plateau

 

By KIM EAGLE
We've all been there: the dreaded weight-loss plateau. You've been working out hard, watching your calories, losing weight and -- all of a sudden -- you're stuck.
No matter what you do, you just can't drop below that number on the scale. Is the plateau normal, or is it some unknown twilight zone encountered by all people who are trying to lose weight?

I help clients lose weight for a living, and I can tell you that I have seen it all. Here's what I've learned: The clients who do hit weight-loss plateaus all have one thing in common -- they're no longer giving a 100-percent effort.
[Read More: Why Your Workout Isn’t Working]
When you first start a weight-loss program, you're excited and eager to make these great changes in your life. But by week 8, that enthusiasm and discipline starts to diminish. Let's face it: It's hard to be excited and eager to work out and eat right every day. However, it does take that kind of mental and physical commitment to keep shedding the pounds.
If you feel like the readout on your scale won't budge, ask yourself if you are truly giving it your all. Are you skipping workouts? Are you eating a little more than you might be logging? Or are you trying to hit a weight that's simply too low for your height and body type?
[Read More: Why Just Eating Healthy Won’t Guarantee Weight Loss]
How can you reinvigorate that enthusiasm and get back on track? Here are a few ideas that have helped my clients:
1.Define Your Goal. Write down what your weight-loss goal truly means to you and how it would benefit your life. Putting it on paper can be a great daily reminder for you.
2. Switch Things Up. Change your workouts. Try some new classes at the gym.
3. Set a Short-Term Goal. Sign up for a race -- it could be a 5K, half marathon or a triathlon. Training for a race is a great way to give yourself a fitness goal that keeps you working out hard.
4. Check Your Calories. Find out if you're eating the right amount of calories for your body. It's possible you need to eat less than you originally thought. Or you might not be eating enough food, which can cause your body to go into starvation mode. When that happens, all weight loss will stop.
Try these tips the next time you see a weight-loss plateau. But, more importantly, remember that the number on the scale does not define you -- it's just a number. At the end of the day, what matters most is that you're healthy.
--Kim
Readers -- Have you ever hit a weight-loss plateau? How did you break through it? Did you try any of the tips mentioned above? Leave a comment below and let us know!
Kim Eagle, founder of Earn That Body!™, is revolutionizing the way personal training is done through her virtual coaching program. She has helped hundreds of clients around the world lose weight, get ripped and, most importantly, get healthy. Her enthusiasm about healthy food and fitness is contagious. She's a trainer who gets the job done, and she eats excuses for breakfast.
Connect with Kim on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/4-proven-ways-beat-weight-loss-plateau/#ixzz3riSwRZHK

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The Secret to Losing Weight for Good

The Secret to Losing Weight for Good

 

 By CAREN MAGILL
One of the biggest missteps I see clients make when committing to losing weight is to assume that they need to change their lives in really big ways. The tendency is to sign up for a marathon, join a gym or start a new diet. And while there's nothing inherently wrong with any of these choices, most people fail to stick with them. More importantly, such major changes aren't necessary for sustained weight loss.

The key to losing weight and keeping it off is to make small, incremental and sustainable behavioral changes that, over time, make a significant difference in the overall development of a healthy life. Start with changes that are so small and manageable that you know you can't fail. This process of slowly moving the dial toward your ideal weight will make the overall experience relatively painless.

Here are three simple ways you can get started with your weight-loss journey:
1. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier. Why will more sleep help you manage your weight? Two hormones -- leptin and ghrelin -- are your hunger-management hormones, and they are controlled largely by sleep. If you get too little, you'll find yourself more hungry and craving starchy foods throughout the day. When you get just the right amount of sleep, these hormones (and your appetite) will stay in check. So try getting to bed 15 minutes earlier than you normally do. And when that becomes manageable, add another 15 minutes.

2. Ditch the sugar in your drinks. The perils of drinking sugary sodas are well documented. But did you know studies show that diet soda sweetened with aspartame or sucralose can increase your appetite? If you enjoy carbonated soft drinks, opt for a club soda and a squeeze of lemon or lime, or look for sodas sweetened with stevia (a natural sweetener that doesn't have the same insulin impact as artificial sweeteners).
To that end, if you’re still drinking fruit juices, check the label and see how many grams of sugar per serving it contains.  A glass of orange juice can contain up to 25 grams of sugar per serving, which equates to about five or six cubes of sugar.

And if you're adding sugar to your coffee, try stevia as the sweetener instead. This can really add up to significant calorie savings.

3. Eat protein at every meal. Protein is an essential component to your weight-loss strategy. One great approach is to consume at least 30 grams at breakfast, which has been shown to reduce cravings and hunger throughout the day. Protein is also essential for building and maintaining lean muscle during the fat-loss process.

With just a few adjustments to your diet you'll start to see positive results. And with momentum comes increased personal motivation to do more and get even better results.
--Caren

Readers -- Have you ever vowed to lose weight and get fit, but failed because you couldn't sustain that level of diet and exercise? Have you had more success with strict diets or with small changes like the ones mentioned above? Leave a comment below and let us know!
Caren Magill is a certified personal trainer, health and fitness expert and founder of ProCakes, a gluten-free protein baking company. She believes that anyone is capable of living a fit, healthy lifestyle through building sustainable habits. She teaches women over 35 to get lean and stay that way while still enjoying wine, chocolate and lazy days in their pajamas.
Connect with Caren on her website, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/secret-losing-weight-good/#ixzz3riSTvqTl

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Do You Believe These 6 Exercise Myths?

By RACHEL GRICE
By now, most of us know not to believe everything we hear. And while it's good to greet every new piece of information or the latest fitness gadget with a healthy dose of skepticism, you also need a trusted source to help separate fact from clever marketing ploy.

Enter Dr. Dennis Cardone, Director of Primary Care of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, at NYU Langone Medical Center. That mouthful of a title means he's well equipped to sift through and evaluate the dubious claims of your new workout buddy, that guy at the gym or the sports-drink salesperson. So if you've heard any of these myths, now you'll have science on your side when you respond.

MYTH 1: The more you sweat, the more weight you'll lose -- and the faster you can get into bathing-suit shape.

TRUTH: Once bathing-suit season hits, it seems like all our logic and good intentions go out the window and we work out like maniacs to look better on the beach. But that's obviously incredibly dangerous thinking. Aim to exercise during the cooler parts of the day -- sunrise or sunset -- says Dr. Cardone. Look for shaded areas and wear lighter-color clothing with moisture-wicking fabric instead of 100-percent cotton. People, especially older adults and those who haven't worked out in a while, are particularly at risk for doing too much too quickly in the heat, which can lead to serious problems.

[Read More: 7 Things Everyone Should Know About Sunscreen]
Just as football players don't start out the summer with two-a-day workouts, you should also allow yourself to acclimate to the heat and gradually increase your outdoor exercise duration and intensity. Take frequent breaks (at least every 30 minutes), remember to hydrate (see below) and wear sunscreen!

MYTH 2: Always stretch before you work out.

TRUTH: Stretching is an important part of any well-rounded exercise regimen, but aggressive stretching before a workout can actually increase your risk of injury, says Dr. Cardone. So when's the best time to stretch? Barring preexisting injuries, Dr. Cardone recommends having a separate stretch session (or yoga class) during which you focus on flexibility instead of having it tied to your more strenuous workouts. Or if you're forced to choose between before or after your workout, opt for after. 

Replace the time you would have spent stretching with a proper warm-up. For example, if you're going for a run, walk or jog for five minutes before hitting your stride. And if you're lifting weights or doing body-weight exercises, start with similar but less-intense versions of the exercises you plan on doing (i.e., body-weight lunges instead of weighted lunges). Same goes for your cool-down period.

MYTH 3: Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink water. If you're working out outdoors, even for just an hour, bring along a sports drink to replace electrolytes you lose through sweat.

TRUTH: Five years ago, conventional wisdom said that you should drink eight ounces of water every 15 minutes, regardless of whether or not you were thirsty. But it's actually OK to wait until you're thirsty, says Dr. Cardone. In fact, drinking too much water can result in hyperhydration, which causes sodium levels in the blood to plummet. 

That doesn't mean you shouldn't worry about hydrating during your workout, though. If you're exercising outdoors for 60 minutes or less, Dr. Cardone says you should aim to drink 20 to 24 ounces of water every hour. Anything more than that and you'll want to supplement with electrolyte-enhanced sports drinks. But regardless of exercise duration, Dr. Cardone recommends refueling with something salty (pickle juice, pretzels, salt tablets, etc.) afterward to replace the sodium lost through sweat.

MYTH 4: Wearing compression clothing while you work out will enhance your performance.

TRUTH: While many people believe that compression clothing improves athletic performance by clearing metabolites and other "debris" that accumulates in the blood during exercise, Dr. Cardone says that just isn't the case. However, while a 2010 study from Indiana University found no physiological benefits for athletes wearing compression clothing, researchers did notice that there was a positive psychological effect.

That means any improvement in performance is due to you thinking your clothing is helping you function better. But if you do choose to utilize compression garments, Dr. Cardone recommends wearing them after workouts for about an hour to aid in recovery. Aside from the psychological benefit of feeling like you're taking an active part in your recovery, fluids may have accumulated in your limbs after exercises, so items like compression socks can help improve return of blood and prevent edema.

MYTH 5: Applying KT tape before a workout can prevent injury by supporting your joints and helping you engage more muscle.

TRUTH: Putting KT tape around your shoulder joint doesn't mean that you're going to be able to recruit those muscles more efficiently during your workout, says Dr. Cardone, or that wearing KT tape will prevent strain on that region by supporting the joint.

That doesn't mean that KT tape is entirely useless, however. Some people will benefit from the added support during workouts, but only those with injuries and weaknesses that have been officially diagnosed by an orthopedist or physical therapist.

[Read More: 5 Mistakes People Make After a Tough Workout]
Plus, as Dr. Cardone points out, they'll also be able to show you exactly how to tape your shoulder, knee or hip to best aid your individual physiology. For example, McConnell taping can assist normal tracking of the knee and help stabilize the knee joint. But, depending on how your knee functions, you'll need a physical therapist to show you the correct way to do it.

MYTH 6: Jumping in an ice bath post-workout will help you recover more quickly.
TRUTH: Just like compression clothing and KT tape, most of the purported benefits of ice baths are purely psychological. Recovery time naturally increases with age, says Dr. Cardone, but aside from help with recovery for acute issues with overheating, ice baths aren't the recovery magic bullet athletes make them appear to be. 

Instead of an ice bath, take time to recover properly. Include cross-training in your workout schedule. Hydrate properly, quickly replacing fluids and energy lost. Refuel after workouts with protein. Make sure you warm up and cool down. Recovery isn't about one thing, it's about following all these guidelines to stay healthy, says Dr. Cardone.

– Rachel

Readers -- Have you ever heard any of these myths? Have you ever believed any of them? What other questionable summer workout advice have you heard? What helps keep you sane in the midst of the bikini-body craze? Do you have a favorite summer workout or recovery method? Let us know in the comments below.

Rachel Grice is a contributing editor for LIVESTRONG.COM and certified yoga instructor who loves running on the beach, watching USC Trojan football and drinking red wine. Previously, she worked for Men’s Health, FitPregnancy and People. Read more about her running adventures at thesoleofarunner.com.
You can also follow Rachel on Twitter and Instagram.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/believe-6-exercise-myths/#ixzz3riRRbXcA

 

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10 Popular Exercises That Can Hurt Your Back

 

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Overview

Back pain is a major issue for many. If you haven’t yet experienced it, odds are you will. According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 75 to 85 percent of Americans will experience back pain during their lifetimes. Many cases are attributed to mechanical stress and strain, says as Gunnar Andersson, M.D., professor and chairman emeritus of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. On top of that, if you’re doing exercises that place more stress on your back due to improper technique, back pain is even more likely to occur. So make sure that doesn’t happen by checking your form on the following popular exercises -- some of which are actually prescribed to help ease back pain -- or eliminate them completely from your workout if you’re more prone to back pain. There’s never one right or one wrong exercise for any individual or situation, especially for someone who experiences back pain. If you ever experience back pain (not just muscle soreness) during a workout, it’s important that you stop doing that exercise and consult your doctor or physical therapist. And if you’re ever unsure of how to do an exercise properly, hiring a personal trainer for even one session can save your back from future pain.

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1. Superman

Sometimes an exercise that’s designed to help strengthen the back is actually doing more harm than good. DON’T DO THIS: In the case of the superman, when you lie on your stomach and reach your hands and feet toward the ceiling, you are putting your spine into a position of hyperextension. While this may strengthen the extensors of the back, a 2000 review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that spondylolysis and other conditions were closely associated with overusing back-extensor muscles, especially in an athletic population. DO THIS INSTEAD: Instead of performing the superman exercise, do a plank (more on this later). A proper plank will help to strengthen the muscles of the core and back from a neutral position, not a position of unwanted hyperextension.

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2. Glute Bridge

The glute bridge is another example of an exercise that is commonly prescribed to help ease back pain, but if done incorrectly it can contribute to lower-back pain, says Conrad Stalheim, D.C., an Iowa-based chiropractor and CSCS. DON’T DO THIS: When you simply lift your hips without focusing on your core and glute muscles, it’s likely you’ll use the hamstrings and lower back to perform the exercise. And many times at the top of the bridge we allow our lower back to arch or hyperextend. This can lead to overuse and lower-back pain. DO THIS INSTEAD: Lying on your back with your knees bent so your heels are a few inches from your hips, focus on keeping your core engaged and driving through your heels as you contract your glutes to bridge your hips off the ground. Keep your back from overarching at the top by contracting your abs and keeping the hips from tipping forward.

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3. Plank

The plank is an outstanding exercise to activate the core that will help to protect the back from overuse and pain. But bad form will always ruin even the best of exercises. DON’T DO THIS: Planks can lead to back pain when you allow your hips to sag or rotate or your upper back to round. In these positions, the spine is hyperextended, rotated at the lower back or hyperflexed at the upper back, respectively. The further the spine is from neutral, the greater the risk of injury. Plus, when the spine and hips are out of neutral, you’re not using your core appropriately, which minimizes the benefits of this exercise. DO THIS INSTEAD: In the plank position, focus on keeping your hips in line with your shoulders and ankles while not allowing your lower back to overarch or your upper back to round. Imagine a hot cup of coffee sitting on the lower back and another one on the upper back -- and you mustn’t allow the cups to spill.

30-Day Ab Challenge

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4. Anti-Rotation Press

Improper rotation of the spine can be a contributing factor to back pain and inefficient movement. The anti-rotation press challenges your ability to maintain a neutral spine when an outside force is trying to pull you from neutral. DON’T DO THIS: Although you may be able to keep yourself from rotating as you push the handle away from your chest, if you feel the exercise working the muscles of your back rather than your core, you are not appropriately strengthening the muscles that will help keep your back healthy. In fact, you’re likely working toward overuse of the back. DO THIS INSTEAD: To ensure that the anti-rotation press is helping rather than hurting, make sure to contract your abdominals so you feel the tension in the abs and not the back. Keep the lower back from arching, and work to keep the hips from rotating as well. It helps to imagine a set of headlights on your hips that you have to keep pointed forward.

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5. Push-Up

At the most basic level, the push-up is a dynamic plank. For that reason, all of the same considerations during the plank apply to the push-up. However, push-ups challenge these considerations to a greater degree, as you now have to control them during an upper-body movement. DON’T DO THIS: When the hips sag and rotate or the upper back is allowed to excessively round, there is an increased potential for back injury. It’s typical for these movement flaws to occur at the transition points (starting the descent or coming out of the bottom of the push-up). DO THIS INSTEAD: Try pausing at both the top and bottom of the push-up. Focus on the position and correct if necessary to ensure that you’re not only decreasing the potential for back injury, but also reaping the full benefits of the push-up. It’s often beneficial to perform push-ups in front of a mirror, so you can check your position when you pause.

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6. Squat and Deadlift

While the squat and deadlift are different exercises, when considering the potential for back injury, similar technique flaws must be addressed. DON’T DO THIS: When you squat or deadlift, if your spine rounds and extends repeatedly, especially under weight, there is a higher potential for back injury. DO THIS INSTEAD: To prevent this from happening, make sure that the shoulder blades are kept from being pulled around the ribcage, hunching your shoulders and rounding your back. This will help to ensure that the upper back is kept in a good position. Next, coming up from the bottom of both exercises, make sure not to lead the movement with the chest, but instead focus on driving the hips forward. Leading with the chest causes a false swooping motion, many times resulting in excessive arching in the lower back. This will eventually lead to an overuse injury. In both cases, focus on keeping the abdominals tight and moving the weight through the hips, not the back.

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7. Lunges

Whether you’re performing a forward, reverse or lateral lunge, the same considerations for your form apply. DON’T DO THIS: Allowing the upper back to round and the lower back to overarch, especially when coming up from the bottom of the movement, will cause issues. In addition, allowing the knees to cave inward is not a good way to keep the back healthy. When the knees collapse inward, there’s a chain effect that places more stress on the hips and low back. DO THIS INSTEAD: If your goal is to target your lower body, contract your abdominals and keep your spine from moving out of neutral alignment. Concentrate instead on moving through the hips and keeping the knees in line with the middle toe.

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8. Pull-Up or Inverted Row

While you may think that upper-body exercises like the pull-up and inverted row would have little to do with back pain, a common flaw with both is overextending the lower back. DON’T DO THIS: As you initiate the pull in both exercises, there’s a tendency for the hips to pop forward, creating an excessive arch in the lower back. Taking this all the way to the top places an unnatural amount of stress on the spine, which can lead to pain and injury. DO THIS INSTEAD: To prevent this from happening, bring your knees slightly in front of your hips during the pull-up. For the inverted row, focus on keeping your hips behind your shoulders and feet. Both of these cues help to decrease the extension force placed on the lower back and will help prevent pain and injury.

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9. Sled Push

The sled push is great for full-body conditioning and places less stress on the body because you can remove the eccentric action (lengthening/actively lowering) and make this more of an isometric (static) exercise. It’s the eccentric portion of any exercise that usually creates the most muscular damage and soreness. DON’T DO THIS: While the sled push is a good choice for a high-intensity exercise that is lower stress, when you let your hips shift side to side or allow the lower back to arch while pushing, you are at a higher risk for back injuries. DO THIS INSTEAD: To make the most out of the sled push and to keep your back healthy, imagine a line between the feet as you push. Do not allow your feet to cross the line as you push. Also make sure that the lower back is not overarching by focusing on keeping your abs engaged throughout the entire push.

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10. Battle Ropes

A workout gaining a lot of popularity is the battle ropes. Like the sled push, when performed by someone without proper technique training, the battle ropes can result in back pain, soreness or injury. The goal when performing any exercise on the battle ropes should be to limit motion at the trunk. DON’T DO THIS: When there is excess motion of the trunk, the back is likely to be compromised. Simply focusing on moving the ropes quickly many times results in excessive motion at the hips and spine. DO THIS INSTEAD: To prevent this from happening, first obtain a solid starting position -- whether that is in a squat, athletic stance or static lunge position. From there, keep your abs engaged and envision yourself as a statue from your hips to your rib cage. Keep your hips from swiveling and spine from moving as you move the ropes up and down.

12 of the Most Challenging Battle Ropes Exercises

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What Do YOU Think?

Do you have back pain? What exercises do you avoid? Have you ever modified an exercise to make it more back-friendly? Are there any exercises you do to safely strengthen your back? Share your suggestions and questions in the comments section below.

10 Common Workout Injuries and How to Avoid Them

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A Killer Full-Body Workout for the Gym Floor

Last Updated: Jul 14, 2015 | By James Cerbie

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Overview

Contrary to popular opinion, it doesn’t take a lot of equipment to get a killer workout. In fact, all you need is the ground, a barbell, a pair of dumbbells and two kettlebells! So next time all those machines at the gym are taken, don’t sweat it, because you have a full-body strength-and-conditioning workout right here that’ll build muscle and perfect movement patterns. NOTE: Do each of these exercises as listed. The numbers and letters indicate when things are performed alone or as a superset.

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1. Kettlebell Squat Jumps

This exercise is a total-body exercise with a primary focus on your lower body -- quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. By working for a shorter amount of time (six seconds, in this case) with full recovery (54 seconds), you’re really hammering the energy system that’s responsible for helping you be fast, powerful and explosive. It’s important that you go all-out for those six seconds, though. HOW TO DO IT: Hold a lighter kettlebell with both hands on the handle with feet shoulder-width apart. Squat down and then repeatedly jump as hard and fast as you can for six seconds. Once the six seconds are done, rest for 54 seconds. Repeat for five total sets.

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2. Barbell Deadlift

Arguably the king of all lifts, the deadlift hammers just about every muscle in your body. In particular, you’re focusing on your hamstrings and glutes as you lift the bar off the ground with a rock-solid core. The deadlift is a great way to teach someone how to generate hip extension with the right muscles (hamstrings and glutes), but it’s also one of the best overall strength builders. HOW TO DO IT: Set up with the bar hovering over the base of your toes. Before grabbing the bar, take a big inhale, blow it all out by contracting your abdominals, and then fill up with air again without letting your ribs come up. While maintaining that tension, bend over, pushing your hips back and squatting down slightly. Grab the bar and use the weight to help pull your hips down a little further and remove whatever slack is in the bar. While keeping your core tight, lift the bar and press the floor away through your heels until you’re standing up tall. Perform six sets of three reps with one to two minutes of rest between sets.

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3a. One-Arm Dumbbell Floor Press

In this exercise the ground gives great proprioceptive feedback (sensory info about your body position and movement) and helps you find your abs by flattening your back into the ground. And by having weight on only one side, it provides a anti-rotational stability challenge, thus targeting more of your abs. It builds upper-body strength while teaching you how to properly reach with a stable midline. HOW TO DO IT: Lie on your back with a dumbbell in one hand in front of your body. Root your heels and use your abs to flatten your lower back to the ground. Once your back is in place, squeeze the dumbbell and pull it down toward the ground, keeping a little space between your elbow and your side. Try to take three seconds to lower the weight, and once you feel the back of your arm hit the ground, punch toward the ceiling as hard as you can. Do three sets of 10 reps on each side and superset it with the two-kettlebell front-rack reverse lunge.

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3b. Two-Kettlebell Front-Rack Reverse Lunge

This is another total-body exercise that gets a lot of abs, hamstrings, glutes, quads and even shoulders. By holding the weight in the front-rack position, you force yourself to recruit more of your abs to account for the load. Thus, this exercise is great for teaching proper midline position and then helping you be stable and strong on one leg. HOW TO DO IT: Clean both kettlebells up to the front-rack position and interlock your fingers. Exhale to set your ribs down and brace your core. Without losing those tight abs, step one foot back and lower your back knee until it barely taps the ground. Focus on keeping weight on your front heel and maintaining a vertical front shin. Push through your front heel until you’re standing all the way up again. Perform all the reps on one side, and then switch to the other. You’ll do three sets of eight reps on each side -- and remember to superset this exercise with the one-arm dumbbell floor press.

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4a. Split-Stance One-Arm Kettlebell Row

This is a great exercise to build a strong upper back while helping to generate some solid single-leg and core stability. HOW TO DO IT: Assume a modified split-stance position with your back leg straight and your front leg bent to 90 degrees. Have 70 percent of your weight on your front leg, and make sure you drop your chest a little to load your front hip and maintain a flat back. Next, place the kettlebell by the sole of your front foot so you can grab it while maintaining a flat back. If you can’t, elevate it slightly on a small box. Feeling your abs and the muscles around your lead hip brace for the load, row the kettlebell up from the floor without letting the weight rotate you. Lower it back down slowly for three seconds until it finds the floor again. Repeat for a total of 10 reps per side for three sets. You’ll be supersetting this exercise with the physioball hamstring curl.

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4b. Physioball Hamstring Curl

Having strong hamstrings and good muscle control is essential for being a strong, powerful and healthy athlete. This exercise teaches you to do just that without extending into your lower back. HOW TO DO IT: Lie on your back and place your heels up on a stability ball. Curl the ball in toward your butt using your hamstrings, and then bridge up by pressing your hips toward the ceiling. Now, brace your abs and slowly move your heels away from your butt using your hamstrings. Take five seconds to straighten your legs without losing your bridge or arching your back, and then curl back up and repeat for a total of six reps and three sets. This exercise is supersetted with the split-stance one-arm kettlebell row.

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5. Supine Leg Lowering With Kettlebell

It’s not news that you need to have a strong and stable core, and this is one of the best ways to make that happen. By reaching with the kettlebell, you get your serratus anterior (upper sides of the ribs) to kick in, which pulls your ribs back and allows you to really target your abs while you raise and lower the opposite leg. HOW TO DO IT: Lying on your back with legs straight and a kettlebell in one hand, press the kettlebell to the ceiling and raise the opposite leg in the air. Pin your lower back to the ground. While still reaching and keeping your abs tight, lower the raised leg toward the floor as far as you can without your lower back coming off the floor or your ribs flaring out. Once you reach that position, raise the leg and repeat for a total of eight reps per side for three sets.

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6. Tempo Push-Ups

Aerobic capacity is incredibly important for both performance and recovery. One great way to bolster that capacity is to fatigue your slow-twitch muscle fibers by working at a slower tempo. HOW TO DO IT: Elevate your hands on dumbbells and assume the standard push-up position. Brace your abs and lower yourself for three seconds and press yourself up for three seconds with no pausing or stopping for 45 seconds. Rest for 45 seconds and repeat for a total of five sets. For this exercise to work properly, it’s crucial that you pay strict attention to the tempo: three seconds down and three seconds up with absolutely no pausing or stopping.

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What Do YOU Think?

And that’s a wrap! What did you think of this workout? Will you try it (or have you already)? What are some of your favorite exercises to do when all the machines at the gym are taken? Do you have any go-to body-weight exercises you can do even without a gym? Let us know in the comments section below!

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The 7-Minute Booty-Blasting Workout

The 7-Minute Booty-Blasting Workout

By LILI LADAGA

Booty. Bum. Junk in the trunk. Badonkadonk. Bottom. Backside. Whatever you call it, it’s safe to say that most people want one that’s tight enough to bounce a quarter off of.
But whatever your goal (pun intended), it’s just a good thing to have a strong gluteus maximus — it’s the biggest muscle in the body and a key part of almost every move we make: standing up, sitting down, climbing stairs, etc.
Which is why you need to try out Cassey Ho’s booty-blasting workout that will get your glutes in prime, shapely form. (Bonus: This workout will kill your thighs, too!)

 

Check out more of Cassey Ho's Pilates Bootcamp workouts on LIVESTRONGWoman on YouTube and her some other killer workouts:
Carve Your Core With a Plank-a-Thon Workout
A 10-Minute Workout to Melt That Muffin Top
Total Body Toning Workout
- Lili

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/7-minute-booty-blasting-workout/#ixzz3riPI55Sv

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10 Workout Moves You're Probably Doing Wrong (And How to Fix Them)

10 Workout Moves You're Probably Doing Wrong (And How to Fix Them)

Slide 10 of 13

 

 

Describe the Fauna

Overview

You don’t have to hire a personal trainer to start a new exercise program, but it’s important to realize that there is a science to each of your favorite strength-training moves. As a trainer, I see many people depend on their own knowledge and very few professional resources to guide them, and these are the most common mistakes I’ve watched people make. When performing these 10 strength-training exercises, the main thing to keep in mind is that the beginning of all movement starts with the core. By engaging your core, these exercises can be executed with more stabilization, power and strength.

Describe the Fauna

1. Single-Arm Back Row

Although the biceps and forearm are also being used in this exercise, the primary muscle is in the back, so the focus of this exercise needs to be on the back muscle pulling the weight in the hand up from its starting position. Often, people just contract their biceps muscle to move the weight without using much of their back muscles at all. To perform this move correctly, the arm must remain relaxed with no intentional contraction of the biceps. The back is flat throughout the exercise with minimal to no torso rotation, with the back doing the majority of the work.

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2. Squats

The common mistakes I’ve seen made are: lifting the heels by putting the weight on the toes; allowing the knees to move out over the toes; and not keeping the torso upright. Doing squats in that manner puts too much pressure on the knees and can cause serious injury, especially when weight is added. The muscles being used in a squat include the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. When squatting, think of your butt reaching for a chair to sit down in, with all of your weight distributed to your heels. The hips hinge at a 90-degree angle, the knees should be at a 90-degree angle and the torso should remain upright.

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3. Deadlifts

This hamstring-dominant exercise is often done in a way that can cause injury to the back. Although the back is involved in this exercise, the typical mistakes include bending over too much, rounding of the upper and/or lower back, not keeping the weight close to the body and contracting the shoulder blades back together. However, the shoulders need to be stabilized, arms straight, lower back in its natural curve and neck in a neutral position. The hands remain close to the legs throughout the movement. Your legs are slightly bent, and your core is tight as you hinge forward at the waist and push the glutes backward. When coming up from the bent-over position, squeeze the glutes and bring the hips forward.

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4. Push-Ups

What’s the typical bad push-up form? A minor bend of the elbows while the hips dip toward the floor and the head hangs. Instead, have your hands placed parallel to your chest on the floor. Angle your elbows out for a chest-focused push-up or right next to the body and pointing back for a triceps-focused push-up. Think of pushing your body away from the floor using the chest muscles with a neutral head position, and then lower the body back to the floor in a controlled manner.

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5. Stability-Ball Chest Press

The focus of this exercise is also the chest muscles, but many people make the mistake of not stabilizing their shoulders and allowing their arms to drop too far back on the ball, creating the momentum by bouncing the arms on the ball to lift the weights. For this exercise, the shoulders need to be stabilized and the elbows bent at a 90-degree angle. The contraction should be of the chest muscles while the arms are straightened over the chest (not the face) at the top of this move. Return back to a 90-degree angle at the elbow and repeat.

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6. Front and Lateral Shoulder Raises

When executing this move, many raise the weights too high and go beyond the contraction needed to strengthen that muscle. To do it correctly, stand with your feet at shoulder width, core tight, your knees slightly bent and arms straight down in front of your legs. Raise the weights to the height of your shoulders, engaging the anterior deltoids, and then return to the starting position. The same goes for the lateral shoulder raises: The arms should remain slightly forward without contracting the shoulder blades back. When raising the weights, the pinky finger is slightly higher than the rest of the hand.

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7. Biceps Curls

This seems too simple to be done wrong, but people still find a way to mess it up, like not keeping the elbows down next to their sides, allowing their arms to swing using momentum to move the weight and not taking the elbow joint and biceps muscle through the full range of motion. I also see people curling their wrists during this exercise, which works more of the forearm. The start of the movement is with the elbow somewhat planted at your side with a straight arm. Think of a string running from the front of your shoulder to the weight in your hand. That string should pull the weight in your hand toward your shoulder while you squeeze the biceps at the top of the movement. That is the concentric part of the exercise. The eccentric motion is lowering the weight back down to the starting position, which must be controlled because it’s still an important part of the exercise.

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8. Triceps Dips

While some people avoid this move because of the pressure it puts on the shoulders, many people are doing it in a way that can cause shoulder injury. Some make the mistake of overextending their shoulders by not keeping their torso and butt close to the bench or step. If it’s too hard with your legs straight, modify it by bending your knees, not by moving further away from your stable base. Perform this exercise using a bench, step or chair with your torso upright and close to your stable base. Start with your arms straight and hands facing forward. Bending at the elbow, lower your body toward the floor and return to the starting position by contracting and pressing through the triceps.

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9. Stability-Ball Crunches

I have seen people pick up a heavy medicine ball and go to town doing what they think are crunches on a stability ball, when, in fact, they’re working more of their hips and calves than their abs. If you’re not feeling the burn in your abs, you’re probably doing something wrong. For stability-ball crunches, your hips must remain stabilized. Have your head in a neutral position to take the strain off your neck. Your abs should be engaged and your focus on using the contraction of the abdominals to lift yourself up.

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