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There is much confusion in fitness centres regarding what the best methods are for reducing body fat. So many people are using terrible training and nutritional protocols that I cringe every time I step foot in a gym! This article aims to help abolish some of the common misconceptions people have regarding fat loss, as well as offer some appropriate guidelines to achieving a more toned physique.…
Recent research (e.g., Willardson, 2007) highlights the numerous benefits of core stability training for a variety of outcomes. A strong core region takes pressure off the lumbar spine and can prevent injury to the lower back. Core stability training is becoming increasingly popular in sports conditioning programs as well, as it can improve the transfer of force between the upper and lower body. Core stability can also promote better balance,…
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Gyms are great. I love putting on gym clothes, walking to my car, driving 20 minutes, finding a parking sport, doing 30 minutes of cardio, performing a weightlifting circuit, and then heading back out in the cold to drive home again (it’s really cold where I live right now). Since I have so much time to kill in my life, I try to take a one hour workout and turn…
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A quick internet search of weight loss programs will provide more information on the subject than any normal human being could possibly digest. From low-carb diets, protein-based diets, rotating carbohydrate intake, and popular weight-loss programs such as Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers and Nutrisystem, you won’t have any trouble finding sites that claim they’ve discovered the secret to losing weight.
I’ve written about some of these diets in other posts, but…
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It’s hard to find a work-out ensemble that fits into a diverse workout routine. Sometimes the long pants you wear for yoga isn’t suitable for a long distance run and the booty shorts you wear while you run is not always comfortable to wear in a yoga class. Sometimes you might just want to wear your workout clothes to work or school and be able to hit the gym immediately…
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While women and men tend to differ in body size and composition, as well as hormonal characteristics, they do not differ in measures of relative strength, nor do they differ in their responses to exercise. The same weight loss principles, therefore, apply to both sexes.
Is There a “Best Weight Loss Program?”
Much debate exists regarding the best weight loss programs. Advocates of Atkins, Paleo, Ideal Protein, and other low-carb…
Running requires endurance and flexibility, but strength also plays a significant role in running performance — especially for women. Because women carry the majority of their weight in their hips and lower body, strength in these areas can enhance their running stride and efficiency, while minimizing fatigue and injury.
You can improve both muscular strength and endurance in the gym through resistance training. To improve endurance, however, you first need…
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The goal of building muscle in weight lifting is known as hypertrophy. Different than simply increasing strength or power, hypertrophy is an increase in the size of the muscle’s contractile area as a result of greater contractile proteins and a greater number and size of myofibrils in each fiber. Unlike maximal strength training, hypertrophy is best-achieved with just moderate loads. Therefore, to build the most muscle, you don’t always need…
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Have a big competition coming up? Or are you simply an active person and want to eat in a way that will provide a maximum amount of energy for the day? For optimal energy, you need to master the art of the pre-competition meal. Much of the pre-competition meal is common sense, but some popular misconceptions exist as well. Follow these guidelines to have your body ready to perform at…
We’ve all likely heard of the concept of periodization with respect to planning our exercise programs. For those who haven’t, periodization is the systematic variation in volume and intensity of exercise in order to reach a high level of performance at the right time of the year. Originally developed by Dr. Tudor Bompa to allow rowers to “peak” during the most important competition of the year, the common exerciser can…
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The rise in “functional” exercises in recent years, or that which emphasizes exercises that transfer to real-life movements, has produced a nation of fitter, more athletic women. The days of women going to the gym, lightly working out on a cardio machine, and performing a few resistance training exercises on machines are becoming a thing of the past. Instead, more and more women are performing high-intensity circuit training, and even…
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Strength training workouts are important components of any sport, but is particularly crucial in football. With the life expectancy of a football player who has played in the NFL for at least three years being more than ten years younger than the national average, having sufficient strength is essential not just for performance, but to protect from injury.
All positions in football require strength, but football strength training workouts vary…
In his book, “The Essence of Bodyweight Training,” Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Juan Carlos Santana regales of the time he and his fellow coaches designed and implemented one of the most successful conditioning programs ever for a large high school in Florida. Several of the athletic teams at this high school went on to win championships that year, and Santana was lauded for his fitness contributions. There was just…
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Once you’ve done all the training, tapered appropriately, and show up at the start line, there are two critical areas on which to focus that will maximize race performance for distance runners, particularly for races 13.1 miles or longer.
The first is executing your race strategy. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of race day. Adrenaline is flowing and the thrill of competition drives us to outperform…
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It’s a difficult concept to accept. When I first started running, I thought I had to give 100% effort with every training run and run as many miles as I possibly could to realize fitness gains . Now that I am a slightly more seasoned runner, I’ve come to learn the value of days off and the accumulation of easy miles. Only the appropriate combination of challenging training runs coupled…
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As I write this, the rain is coming down so hard on my Pacific Northwest home that I fear it will collapse. The atmosphere’s just abysmal and the sky’s so dark, in fact, that I flipped on the news to make sure my clocks weren’t wrong. Yes, it’s actually 7:30 AM and not the 4:30 AM it appears to be. Weather like this really gets me down, and whenever the comforting…
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By now, you’re probably in the fitness minority if you haven’t heard about Crossfit and the functional fitness revolution. Elaborate gyms lined with row after row of various exercise machines and cardio equipment have taken a back seat to simple “box” gyms with nothing more than some medicine balls, free-weights, ropes, kettlebells and maybe some rowing ergometers. But how effective is functional fitness? Can rusty kettlebells and old ropes really…
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The next time you’re exercising, take some time to notice what your mind is doing. What are you thinking about, if anything? Are you focusing on the activity at hand, or are you lost in the sounds of your iPod? Are you aware of the sensations in your body, or are you intently focused on a newscast on one of the monitors above the treadmill? What you are focusing on during…
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Timed sets in the weight room are perfect for fat loss. This training method ensures that you will be working at a high intensity because you are not limited by reps and sets like in traditional workouts, but rather the clock. There is no limit to the total amount of reps you can do or the intensity you can reach. The following article will examine why timed sets work, some…
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Are you looking to have the perfect workout? There is almost nothing better than being on top of your game in training. Picture this scenario: You are on your way to the gym. Last night you were able to get some solid sleep and you now feel stronger than ever. You are excited to begin training. Your confidence level is through the roof and you can almost see yourself pushing through…
