Category Archives: Strength Training

Apr 3 2012

Workout Hard, Burn Fat and Have Fun Shaping Your Body!

Who said you can’t have fun and burn fat at the same time!? Not me. Workout hard but be smarter and more efficient. Marathon workout sessions will take the joy out of any workout–and break down your body with injuries!

You are more likely to stay with your exercise program if you pick exercises that you enjoy. There are tons of exercises out there so you can be creative. If you dread your workouts, then you will quit sooner rather than later.

Even when you enjoy your exercise program, you may feel like quitting at different points in time. There will be setbacks and failures along the way. If you commit to the fit lifestyle first and persevere, you will reach your goals with the right guidance.

Remember, intense workouts will give you better and faster results. For instance, strength circuits are a tried and true method to burn more fat, increase strength/endurance and improve heart health.

Although a slow metabolism is not the major cause of weight gain (too many daily calorie surpluses causes weight gain), you can burn more calories during the day and at rest by speeding up your metabolism. Don’t let your metabolism get sluggish or slow down. The number one reason that womens’ metabolisms slow down is loss of muscle mass. Build and save your muscle mass with short, effective strength and interval cardio workouts.

Muscle tissue is the most metabolically active tissue in your body. Your body has to work harder to maintain muscle mass. So, muscle mass is your top fat-burning tool. Work hard to build and maintain your body.

Check out this comment from my friend Corey (follow her at See Corey Run) also known as Cyberpenguin. She loves to run. So, guess what? She runs for exercise and to get ready for races. And, she will run you into the ground! Corey also regularly lifts weights to keep her body lean and mean.

Hi Mark,

Thank you so much for writing this article! We need more people like yourself, who are strong advocates of moderate, natural, & credible approaches to fitness & nutrition!

Of course, you are absolutely correct that taking superficial shortcuts won’t give us long-lasting health/fitness. Taking this path is almost always counter-productive!

I think the larger issue is that people get so focused on obtaining results by any means necessary, that they forget to enjoy the process itself.

While health & fitness are undoubtedly important, I think that the means are just as important as the ends. It’s so important to find the fun in fitness; yes, it takes effort, but too often people treat the activity like it’s some form of corporal punishment. ;-) It doesn’t have to be that way!

It’s ultimately more effective to retrain our brains, refocus our energies, & start thinking about fitness & health in more productive & sensible ways.

Bravo!

-C

Enough said! Now, go have fun and shape your body! Train hard and smart!

Be sure and download my FREE 14-Day Accelerated Fat Loss Program and get started changing your body!

“Exercise is not my life…..exercise makes my life better!”

Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Check out my other great blogs:

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named one of the 50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody—including athletes!

Mar 22 2012

Interview: Boston Marathon Runner Gives Training Advice

Train for a marathon the right way or you’re headed for trouble…you must do more than run a million miles during training. To lean and tone your body and prevent injuries, you should cross-train as well.

If you want to run the Boston Marathon one day, read this interview I did with my friend Janet. She finished the 2009 Boston Marathon! Way to go Janet! Here’s part of her story:

Mark: How long have you been a committed exerciser and how did you get started?

Janet: I started running after playing a soccer game in 1998. My neighbor invited me to join an “Over 30” women’s league and I thought it would be fun. I’d never played soccer but enjoyed being asked to play. About midway through that first game I realized that I’d better start running or I’d never be able to play soccer (or walk again). My quads ached for days after that game!

Mark: How does exercise improve your quality of life?

Janet: I’m an RN working in Health Promotion and Wellness research at a large university. I KNOW the benefits of living a healthy life and HATE health care providers who do not practice what they preach to their clients. I was healthy but I wasn’t doing a good job of eating well nor exercising enough. I’ve been running more each passing year and eating a much more healthy diet.

The benefits are HUGE! I’m consistently finishing races in the top 10 of my age group, I’ve consistently been complemented by total strangers at the gym. The most recent was while I was at a hotel gym in Atlanta last week by the guy working on the gym equipment. His exact words were, “Impressive! You certainly know what you’re doing.” As a 52 year old woman…that’s the epitome of Quality of Life! I also get compliments from my husband of 28 years and my daughters (ages 24 and 18).

FYI, I was the fat kid growing up. My kids call me Bob (bag of bones) now. Life sure can be funny! I will never forget the comment made by an old family friend (the gal was my mom’s friend from 3rd grade). She saw me after I’d started running and screamed, “What?!?!? A skinny Janet!!!” Of course that comment still pisses me off!

Mark: What was the first race you ran and did you finish?

Janet: My first race was a 5K about 10 years ago. I did finish and I did notice how FAST the leaders were!

Mark: What was your first marathon or half marathon race and did you finish?

Janet: My first marathon was the Motorola Marathon in Austin Texas in 2002. I finished in 4:45:09. I’ve done 12 marathons and 2 Ultra races (50K) since then. My best time was last fall in San Antonio, 3:38:52. So far, my training has outpaced my aging! I’ve finished all but one race I’ve ever entered.

The DNF (did not finish) race was the 2007 LaSalle Chicago Marathon. It was in the high 80’s at the start and the race was aborted at 3 hours 45 minutes by the race director. I stopped at the half and opted to run the Dallas White Rock Marathon in December. My goal was to qualify to run again in Boston and I did!

Mark: What type of training do you do for a marathon?

Janet: I train with a running coach and the most out of this world group of friends. My coach determines the schedule I run and the time or distance. We run 6 days a week. Two days are “quality” runs at the track, running hard intervals, or hill repeats. One day is the long run…we start out at 1 hour 30 minute runs and progress up to 23 miles which takes me about 3 hours 15 minutes. I cross train twice a week by taking a spin class and I lift weights twice a week.

My friends are what keeps me eager to run. We are of both sexes and from a wide variety of backgrounds and ages. I would have never had the opportunity to meet these folks outside of running as that is our common bond. Their friendship is the essence of my contentment in life and is what adds immeasurable quality to my life

Mark: How long does it take to prepare for a marathon?

Janet: A good training schedule takes 20 weeks. I run year round and limit myself to 2 marathons a year. I run a number of half marathons during my training. My favorite is the 3M Half Marathon in Austin. This past year I placed 3rd in my age group!! What a THRILL!!!

Mark: How does your eating habits change during marathon training?

Janet: I need to take in more protein and I eat like a Gerbil! No kidding. I need to eat every 2 hours the last 8 weeks of training and I usually drop 5 pounds (which come right back after the race). I have a small carton of low-fat chocolate milk within 30 minutes of finishing a workout. Yes chocolate milk!

Research has shown that it has the perfect mix of protein and carbohydrates. You can get the small cartons of organic low-fat chocolate milk at the grocery or Costco. They do not have to be refrigerated and they last forever on the shelf. I keep them in my back-up refrigerator and throw one in my gym bag as I head out the door. If you are lactose intolerant…they make a soy milk product.

I have two vices: a Vente Latte from Starbucks (I count the 18 ounces of 2% milk towards my calcium intake) and red wine…6 ounces daily. Oh, I also hit Taco Deli in Austin twice a week for their exquisite “El Popeye” breakfast tacos. I order them with egg whites only on whole wheat tortillas and extra spinach! Yum!!! They add about .5 ounce of queso fresco.

Mark: How do you avoid injuries during marathon training?

Janet:

1. Deep tissue massage! Injuries start out as pain. If you treat the pain with massage an injury will be averted.

2. Active Release…by a chiropractor

3. A second massage therapist. What the first therapist misses, the second finds.

4. Core exercises…abs and back exercises are key! I do them about 4 times a week.

Mark: How do you train and eat for the 2 weeks prior to a marathon?

Janet: We do our most intense week of training 3 weeks prior to the race. I eat as much as I need and take in high quality foods: lots of green veggies and protein…almond butter, non-fat greek yogurt. I also eat a BIG bowl of multi-grain hot cereal with added ground flax seed and wheat germ daily. It’s the only thing that will stick to your ribs for more than 2 hours. It’ll last a whole 2 hours and 15 minutes!!

Mark: What’s your best time in the half marathon? Marathon?

Janet: My PR was last fall at age 51. I ran a 3:38:52

Mark: How long does it take to recover from a marathon?

Janet: Interestingly the more marathons I run, the faster I recover! I ran Boston this past April and that race is very hard on your quads because the first half is downhill. I didn’t run for a week after the race but I walked a lot and lifted. I also got a massage a few days after the race to work out the knots.

Mark: What advice would you give anyone considering a half marathon or marathon race?

Janet: Do it! Join a training group like USA fit or Team in Training. They have the support and programs defined to get you to the start and to the finish! The best place to find out what’s in your community is at your local running store. Give them a call and ask questions. Not all running stores are created equal. If you don’t feel like you’re getting quality answers…go to the next store!

I’ve been able to find running groups, tracks open to runners, and running routes by calling running stores all over the united states. I don’t think it’s wise or safe for a woman to run alone so I’ve used this method frequently. I travel quite a bit for work. I’ve met the most AMAZING people this way. Another “Quality of Life” benefit of running!

Mark: Thanks for the training advice Janet!

There you go gang! Wanna run a marathon now?! Janet says “do it!”

If you want to cross-train and improve your performance big-time, visit Ben Greenfield Fitness now!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES

Mar 19 2012

12 Exercises to Help You Build More Muscle

Why do you workout? If you said, “to burn fat and change my body to lean and healthy,” that’s a great answer! You will have to build more muscle mass to reach your goals.

You must work hard to change your body. There’s no getting around this fact. I will not deal with eating habits in this article. I’m pretty sure you know that you have to eat the right things (most of the time) to change your body.

I recommend using these exercises these ways to get the most muscle-build, fat-burn and calorie-burn:

—interval-type rotations (such as 30 seconds to 1 minute exercise, 1 minute walking)

—use 1 exercise as a stand-alone workout (especially full body exercises)

—group 4-5 exercises into a full body strengh workout

—use 2-3 of the bodyweight exercises as a bodyweight cardio session

—use 1 exercise for an interval cardio workout (such as sprints)

Any one of these options will give you a challenging, intense workout. Keep changing it up to avoid boredom, plateaus and repetitive-type injuries. Workout times of 20-30 minutes are enough the get the job done.

Research at Duke University, directed by Dr. Cris Slentz, supports high-intensity exercise for better fat loss. The eight-month study showed that people could lose weight with exercise and no dieting. Those who exercised intensely (especially using interval training) lost much more fat than those who exercised moderately.

According to the research, the high-intensity exercisers had these advantages over the low-to-moderate intensity exercisers:

–more release of fat from cells
–more fat used as fuel during exercise
–increased metabolic rate after exercise

So, here are 12 Muscle-Building, Fat-Burning and Body-Changing Exercises:

1. Bench Press combined with Medicine Ball Chest Pass – Do the bench press on a bench or stability ball, 5-6 repetitions. Follow up the press with 8-10 two-handed medicine ball chest passes at full speed.

2. Dumbbell Squat-Bicep Curl-Shoulder Press – Do this exercise with correct form. This is one of the best full body exercises.

3. Medicine Ball Front Chops or Diagonal Chops – Burn more of the dreaded abdominal fat with the medicine ball front or diagonal chop. This exercise is also a great full body exercise that you can do as a regular strength exercise or full-speed exercise. Because of speed and intensity, full speed exercises help you burn more fat during and after your workout.

4. Jump Rope – Intervals with the jump rope is one of the best body sculptors available. When you get good, do full speed intervals. Also try one foot, alternating feet, slalom, etc.

5. Clock Lunges – Clock lunges work your body in all planes of motion. Lunge with your right leg at 12 o’clock, 2 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 5 o’clock and 6 o’clock. That’s 1 repetition for your right leg. Lunge with your left leg at 12 o’clock, 10 o’clock, 9 o’clock, 7 o’clock and 6 o’clock. That’s 1 repetition for left leg. Maintain upright posture throughout to improve core strength.

6. Steps Ups with Rotation (front and side) – The step up is one of the best exercises to strengthen your glutes and tone your leg muscles. Weakness in the gluteus medius can result in knee and back injuries. Weakness in the gluteus medius also contributes to instability when you walk, run and jump. As, you finish the step up, rotate your torso holding a medicine ball.

7. Overhead Barbell or Dumbbell Squats – Do this squat holding the barbell or dumbbells with straight arms overhead. Keep your torso upright throughout the exercise. Start with lighter weights if needed. Its important to do this exercise correctly to avoid injuries.

8. Pullups combined with Triceps Dips on Bars – I am including this pair as one superset. You must include bodyweight pullups in your exercise routine! The pullup is one of the best exercises you should be doing!

If you haven’t done a pullup since grade school, you need to bring the pullup out of your workout closet! If you can’t do any, start doing 1 pullup and progress (assisted pullup machine or a spotter are also options).

The pullup is not just a back muscle exercise. Pullups work your lats (and other back muscles), core, shoulders, arms, chest, biceps and improve grip strength.

With triceps dips on bars, keep your hands by your side and don’t lean forward when doing the exercise. Your core will also get work during this exercise. Add weight to increase difficulty when needed.

9. Bulgarian Split Squat-Bicep Curl-Shoulder Press – This is a great combination exercise. The bulgarian split squat is one of the best exercises out there (and tougher to do than you think). It builds strength (including core strength) and stabilizes the legs and hips. It is important to perform the exercise with upright torso.

Descend into the squat until your front leg is parallel to the floor. In this position, do the curl and shoulder press. That’s one repetition.

10. Sprints- This is one of the best ways to do your interval cardio. You can sprint on grass, inclines, stadium steps or with a vest. Just make it progressively tougher.

11. Barbell or Dumbbell Squats combined with Squat Jumps – Do a set of 5-6 squats and follow it immediately with 8-10 full speed squat jumps.

12. Dumbbell Squats with Bentover Rows – Do the squat and immediately follow it with the row. Squats are proven musclebuilders and fatburners. If you’re trying to build up back muscles and burn back fat, bentover dumbbells rows should be in your routine.

Bentover dumbbell rows allow you to work your lats using heavier weights. Your lower back will be worked more if you row with both arms at the same time. You will also work your obliques in the process.

Go to work and start changing your body…..

Be sure and download my FREE 14-Day Accelerated Fat Loss Program and start burning body fat now!

“Exercise is not my life…..exercise makes my life better!”

Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Check out my other great blogs:

My Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as a Top Health Blogger! Quite an honor coming from that institution!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named one of the 50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody—including athletes!