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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…
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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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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Sixty-five percent of Americans are overweight, and 31% are obese. This represents a national health problem, with many personal and social implications. Overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) ranging from 25-29.9, and obesity is defined by as BMI > or equal to 30. BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters. Click here for a BMI calculator! It…
This is the 2nd “30 minute workout” of the month. It is meant to build on the “30 Minute Exercise Ball Workout – Beginner to Intermediate“. This workout is for those of you who have been practicing the beginner version and want to advance the challenge, or for those of you who thought the last one was too easy. Some of the more difficult exercises from the first workout are…
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Variations to a basic push-up can give you a total upper body workout and do it in 15-20 minutes tops. No more excuses!
First and foremost, I am a runner. Incorporating running into my exercise routine is easy for me. Like a lot of runners, however, I neglect other important areas of fitness like strength training, core strengthening, and flexibility.
Sometimes I’ll start a run and tell myself that I’m…
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Which way to the gun show?!
This month’s “30 minute workout” will focus on the biceps. However, no muscle works in isolation, so while all of these exercises will integrate the biceps, this is not your typical isolated biceps workout.”Relatively” isolated biceps exercises are intermixed with various other exercises that incorporate the bicepsinto larger movement patterns. Disclaimer…for this workout you’ll need a gym membership…sorry! I suggest you find a place…
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WHY CIRCUIT TRAIN?
There are many benefits to circuit training. It is fun, can be performed alone or in groups, allows for a large variety of exercises/movements, is a great way to get a whole-body workout, and can expedite any training session! Most importantly, circuit training exercise routines are functional, as they target both our aerobic and anaerobic metabolic systems.
Energy Metabolism 101
When we train, our bodies function along a continuum…
